First Parent Weekend Away

Last weekend Jared and I cashed in our Christmas gift from my mom, a weekend away in a cabin with babysitting included. This would our first time away together without Fletcher. His first time without one of us being home. Don't worry, I left my mom three pages worth of handwritten instructions notes to help her out.

We dropped Fletcher off at daycare on Friday like usual. I only shed a few tears. Mainly because we drove past the hospital and Jared pointed out the room I delivered Fletcher in. Then we went to the same Chick-fil-a that we ate breakfast at the morning we had Fletcher. It was far too sentimental for this constantly emotional mama.

After our super romantic breakfast of chicken minis we headed straight for Asheville.

Made a little detour in Winston-Salem to see the house we first lived in together, 5 years ago. It looks exactly the same. Still in the straight hood of downtown. The quick visit brought back a lot of memories for us. We were so young and living on just Jared's salary, but we had so much fun.

two bedrooms and one bathroom that hold oh so many memories

We were making really good time and hit Asheville at 11:30. We passed a State Trooper just a few miles after getting into the city and you could feel Jared's heart drop. He was coming for us. Jared's lead foots gets us in trouble again [funny, because he is the worlds safest and slowest driver...usually]. It was the quickest ticket that has ever been written. Not a great way to start the trip but, he really was a nice and we knew we were in the wrong. Luckily, it didn't delay us too much, just meant the beer would be well worth it.

We got to New Belgium with over an hour to spare before our tour which meant we had time to sample the beers we haven't tried before and enjoy a local food truck.

The tour was 90 minutes long and very informative. New Belgium seems like a great company to work for. The samples kept coming throughout the tour, which only made us like them even more. The facility is huge and equipped with a bottling plant onsite. It was the most beautiful brewery I have been to.

yes, that is a slide. yes, we did get to ride it. adults having fun. watch out.

After New Belgium we made our hour hike West to our cabin just outside of Bryson City, NC. We spent the evening attempting to make a fire for s'mores and failing at putting a puzzle together.

because FaceTiming your 11 month when you're in the hot tub is totally appropriate

don't drink and puzzle

Of course I would've loved to sleep in our trip, but my internal mama body clock woke me up at 7am sharp. We went back to sleep and had a lazy morning around the cabin before heading into Bryson City for brunch.

We ate at the cutest little place called Cork and Bean. Then we grabbed to go coffee from the local café and strolled the downtown area, which is only about two or three blocks in size. We got Fletcher a little keepsake.

bloody marys before coffee. delicious.

Bryson City is located on the Tuckasegee River

this is not the souvenir we brought back for Fletch

Up next, casino time! Cherokee was less than 30 minutes from Bryson City. Why not do some gambling on our parent weekend? Plus I had never been to a real casino before. Let me tell you, prime people watching. I played the slots for all of 20 minutes before losing interest. We didn't hit the jackpot but we also didn't spend more than we said we would. A really interesting and very eclectic place. Two hours was all we needed.

winning nothing.

good times at ol' Harrah's Cherokee Casino

We went back to Bryson City to try Nantahala Brewing Company. A cute little place in the heart of downtown with delicious brews. Something about beer freshly brewed in the mountains makes it taste so much better.

it is true, water is for quitters.

For lunch we ate the "famous" Filling Station. Ahh-mazing sandwiches and fries. We got two of their specialty homemade ice cream sandwiches that were out of this world delicious. They make the flavored frozen yogurt in house and bake the cookies fresh too.

Then it was back to our cabin for a hike to the "waterfall" that was on the resort grounds. We completely underestimated how intense the hike was going to be. The mountain is quite steep.

see that large waterfall...

We enjoyed or last evening with champagne in the hot tub and a nice steak dinner. 

this is the bottle we have been saving since before I gave birth to Fletcher

we realize how incredibly lucky we are.

\

We took our time waking up and packing the car on Sunday, trying to enjoy the views before hitting the road. Brunch in Asheville seemed like a good idea, but after trying two different places that had ridiculous waits, we ended up at Waffle House near the outlet malls. Romantic way to end the weekend, huh? We stocked up on some 12 month clothes for Fletcher because my mom informed that his pants were too tight on his belly. Then we swung by the Biltmore gift shop to grab my mom some "Thank You Wine" before hitting the road.

Can't thank my mom enough for giving us one the best gifts. I didn't realize how much we took alone time for granted. Though, I know this was a little gift for her too. She had so much fun spending that quality time with her grandson. It was such a wonderful weekend. Nothing was scheduled which was a nice change of pace for us. It wasn't as hard to leave him as I thought, but we were definitely ready to get home to our boy. Highly recommend the area my mom chose, Watershed Resorts. We can't wait to go back again, with Fletcher [or friends] of course.

Fletcher 11 Months

We are less than a month away from having a ONE year old. Seriously, how is that even possible? Jared and I both agree, I was literally just pregnant.

ELEVEN MONTHS

This age is non stop and such a blast. He wears himself slap out which I think is why he has been napping so much harder at daycare and at home. He is legitimately always moving, unless he is asleep. His attention span is getting longer so we can actually play. He is figuring things out and putting pieces together, like when we hide something behind our backs he is actually looking for it.

We have one smart, sweet, gentle, mamas boy.

MONTH HIGHLIGHTS

This month brought us our first scheduled play date with a friend from birth class (Myers who is just 12 days older than Fletcher), a birthday party which resulted in a busted lip #bigheadedbabyproblems, Super Bowl and the Patriots ultimate comeback, still loving to open cabinets, pointing, calling everything "da" or "ba," swinging, first Valentine's Day, cutting of top front teeth, first PTs fry, discovering he can lift the toilet seat and put his hands in the water [disgusting, I know], Mama's work promotion, oyster roast, ate a little dirt, and FIRST STEPS!

these boys are far too cool to smile with their moms on their first play date tog

my sweet Valentine

brought Fletcher's wagon to the oyster roast. it was a hit with the ladies. we are in trouble.

FAVORITES

Activity: doing anything outside [swinging, walking, eating dirt, watching his dogs], dancing, playing in the toilet, pulling everything out from cabinets [kitchen and bathroom are the favorites]

Food: Hawaiian rolls [dang JuJu for introducing these], cheese, raspberries, blueberries, carbs

Toy: remote is still in first place, but also likes anything that is not intentionally a toy. Queue, bottle brush or toilet paper roll.

don't let this face fool you, he loves his swing

DISLIKES

Activity: being strapped in to anything [we still hate the car seat], being told "no," not being picked up while dinner is being made

Food: meat

crying for so many reasons: 6pm, being told no, wanting to be held, over the photoshoot, wanted to eat a leaf

TYPICAL DAY

Eating: down to 4 bottles per day (700, 1100, 1300, 1900) three meals and lots of snacks! Bottles are still a mix of breastmilk and formula. Meals at daycare are provided and are way fancier than anything we are eating. For example, spinach quiche, hummus roll up, and salmon burgers. At home the meals are really just whatever Jared and I are eating or berries.

Pumping: I have officially weaned from pumping! I slowly dropped a pumping session every few days and decreased the amount of time I was pumping per session. I dropped the final pump just in time to not have to pump on our first parental weekend away [more on that in a later post]

Sleeping: [knocking on wood as typing] we have turned a corner on nap time at day care, PRAISE! He has consistently been sleeping 1-2 hours everyday. Phew, only took 7 months...Night sleep still great. He had a pretty bad cold his last week of his 10th month and would cough so much in his sleep but it never seemed to bother him too much or wake him up. Just sounded pitiful.

PICTURES FROM THE MONTH

bruise on cheek and forehead and busted lip. poor child.

JuJu made slippers like my great grandmother used to knit

all.the.fruit.

still a fan even in a very disappointing season

the inherited "woman, why are you taking another picture" look

wild child

first PTs fry! with a side of blueberries of course

mamas boy

the toddler size hat is almost too small.

dirt is good for the immune system, right?

big ol' front chompers coming in big.

Fletcher James, you are keeping us on our toes. Everyday with you is better than the last. Thank you for being the sweetest and best challenge we have ever had. You are truly wonderful. We love you so much.

Weekend Recap

Can we just go ahead and call this February the start of Spring? The last several weekends have been amazing with wonderful weather in the mid to high 70s. I am so hopeful that the days will remain this nice.

added two baby swings to the set in our backyard. perfect additions.

It was Will's birthday this past week so we decided to go down to Wilmington for the weekend to celebrate and spend some time with my mom. Jared and I left work early Friday to beat the traffic. This was our first trip with Fletcher's new car seat. We weren't able to plan the drive around his nap schedule so he was going to be awake for the ride once we picked him up from daycare. So it was either going to be horribly awful or he would do great. Please note, I still have PTSD from the Ocracoke nightmare that was my 4 month old child screaming bloody murder for nearly 4 hours. But, hey, he surprised us and did amazing on the trip down! He played with toys, looked out the window and entertained himself. He only got antsy right as we were pulling into my mom's neighborhood. I will call that a success.

We were pleasantly surprised to see my mom had left work early to greet us when arrived to her house. She's not fooling anyone though, we know it was all for Fletcher. We had dinner at one of my favorite Italian restaurants, Osteria Cicchetti. Sadly, they had taken my favorite pizza off the menu, The Brussels, but they were able to make it for me, delicious as always. We got our first glimpse of toddler-hood with a very impatient Fletcher who wanted nothing to do with the highchair, insisted on grabbing everything from the table to launch, and did not want to be held unless we were walking around. He definitely gets his drama from his mama.

After Fletcher went to bed, we met up with Will, Julia, and Wade at Fermental, a little wine and bottle shop just up the road from my mom. We sat outside and caught up over a few beers. We always thought Fletcher was an easy baby, but Wade is by far the "chilliest" baby I have ever met. He just fell asleep sitting in his carrier, no coaxing needed, surrounded by people talking. It was pretty cool. He definitely gets that from his very laid back parents. Julia is one of the strongest mamas I know. I won't go into detail, but she constantly amazes me with her strength. I consider myself lucky to call her one of my best friends.

Saturday we spent the morning hanging out around my mom's with my mom, James and Matthew. My mom got really creative with making Fletcher some toys. He enjoyed sitting in a cardboard tomato crate that she tied a string to and pulled him around her house. There was also rice in a Tupperware container that he used as a rattle/maraca. Then a coffee box filled with a pack of vitamin C, measuring spoon, and a ball that he enjoyed opening and pulling everything out of. Finally, his favorite had to be the metal bowl and wooden spatula that he made a lot of noise with. Grandparents are so creative. It goes to show you don't need to spend money on toys.

I took advantage of the gorgeous weather Saturday morning. Despite being sick, I ran 5 miles. I hit a personal overall pace record, but I attribute that to the flat course I ran.

I haven't run the loop since high school. I ran it twice [pats self on back]

For lunch we attempted [and failed] eating on the water with friends. Everyone else in Wilmington seemed to have the same idea. Fletcher had a melt down in the Dockside parking lot. Can't blame him though I think most people have mini panic attacks in that godforsaken lot. Come on, y'all invest in better parking! After some struggle we ultimately decided to leave the beach to have an overpriced, poor serviced, lunch at The Pub. Even though the food took forever, the company was just what we needed. We got to spend a few hours catching up with expecting parents, Thomas and Virginia (having a baby boy in July!) and of course Will, Julia, and Wade.

Again after Fletcher went to bed we went to Will and Julia's to have few more hours to catch up with them, Thomas and Virginia. Always a good time with those four.

[no pictures because I didn't even think about taking one at lunch or that evening. shocker.]

Sunday we of course had PTs for lunch before hitting the road back to Raleigh.

eating his first ever PTs seasoned fry

The ride back to Raleigh was not as calm as the trip down, but still was not awful.

yeah, this lasted all of twenty minutes

We got home in time to do a little yard work, hammock time, swing fun, and back porch hanging. Our favorite.

Such a wonderful weekend spending time with family and great friends. Fletcher was in a great mood all weekend. The last few weeks he has been a little fussier than normal, I blame it on the teeth which have officially broke through. Praise the Lord. Two huge top front teeth coming soon [inert all the heart eyes]. He was also non-stop all weekend. He napped so hard at my mom's which was a total shocker. It gave us a little look into the future with toddler-Fletcher. He is wide open, full of personality, and oh so fun. He just keeps getting better.

this kid and my brother's snapchat filters.

Random Thoughts While Running

Yesterday, Saturday, was my long run day. My plan had me scheduled for 4.5 miles, but the route I did took me on 4.9 miles, ugh why didn't I just go the extra 0.1 miles for an even 5.0 #OCD
Jared asked me the other day if I had ever been tested for ADD (rude) but then I got to thinking maybe, especially after these random thoughts I had on my run yesterday.

MILE ONE

• I really need to try those wireless headphones and get music synced to my watch 
• Technology is the worst
• Man those women must be running or training for a marathon with all that gear 
• Cute dog
• Cute baby 
• Brrr that wind off the lake is cold 
• Oh hey! I love waving to other runners

MILE TWO

• So much geese poop
• Do I need new shoes? 
• I think I run funny 
• Jared was right, I didn't need these long sleeves 
• [Passing the ladies on the loop again] There's no way they need all that gear for 3 miles. Please tell me y'all are running farther 
• [waves at another runner]

MILE TWO.FIVE

• Darn it! Stupid technology. I stopped my run app accidentally. Blame the sleeves. Now I will have two different runs on one day.
• I think I have mild OCD
• Damn 9.36 mile pace. Get it girl.
• Thank god for panty liners 
• This.damn.hill.

MILE THREE

• Ok really need to get those wireless headphones 
• How am I going to run 13.1 miles 
• There's no way
• There is certainly no way my bladder is going to hold for 13 miles
• Remember to wear dark pants on race day
• I wonder what Fletcher is doing [sleeping]
• This is the worst.
• Do I even like running.

MILE FOUR

• I gave birth with no pain meds. I can do this.
• I want to do this.
• New sports bras might be a good investment 
• I love Camp Patton [blogger] I wish I was that witty 
• I wonder how my sister in law is doing
• "I found you miss new booty..." nearly impossible to not sing along to
• Thank goodness hot n here didn't play
• Recruit Jared to make my half marathon playlist.

MILE FOUR.FIVE

• Pretty close to home, but could probably go farther 
• I really do enjoy running
• I need to call my brothers more
• Am I good mom? A good wife? 
• I wonder what Jared looks like when he runs 
• Running is pretty refreshing. Wish it helped me make hard decisions. 
• Last hill, I bet Fletcher is awake [he wasn't]
• Look there's the house!

No, I definitely don't have ADD.

This weekend has been beautiful! I am currently enjoying this 65 degree morning on the porch with my coffee while I finish this up this post before church. Hopefully meeting up with friends from birth class and their son, who is just 12 days older than Fletcher, for some park time or some outdoor Sunday brews. Can every day be this nice?

I chopped my hair and went darker/more natural on Friday. Well, I consider this chopping. I wanted to go shorter but knew I would probably regret it after I realized I didn't know how to style it. Plus, I still need to be able to pull it back in a ponytail. My girl, Olivia, at Blo is the bomb-dot-com. Obsessed.

awkward-before-cut-mirror-selfie

come on, tell me Olivia is not the greatest.

because we can't have a post with out a picture of Fletcher

Mama Update

I want to challenge myself to share a little more about what is going on with me because it is so easy to talk just about Fletcher on here. Mainly I want to document so my older self can look back and laugh at Young Mama Rice, "you fool, you thought you knew so much then."

New Year Goal Update

Going strong on the no social media thing. It has been over a month since I deleted the apps. Surprisingly, I haven't even had the urge to log on. Go me. People ask me all the time "so how are you doing with that?" "don't you miss it?" "oh so you haven't heard about all the political stuff?" my answers, fine, no, and hopefully people are using other outlets besides Facebook to get their news. I feel like I am more productive with my time, especially after Fletcher goes to bed. I am reading a book. It has been years (no, seriously, years) since I actually read a book, and Moms on Call does not count. Finally, the best part, I feel like I have removed so much of negative energy from my life. I am not constantly comparing myself to others. It has been very cleansing for me.

currently reading and currently captivated. also being made into an HBO series. so excited.

Running has been really great too. Per Meghan's recommendation, I am using this training program to prepare for the race on April 23rd. I have liked the program so far, but won't know how beneficial it is until post-race. Will report back. My pace averages at about 10 min/mile, which I am more than happy with and hope I can keep that up for 13.1 miles. My longest run yet was last week, just under 5 miles, where I found my first "runners high" after mile three.

For Christmas, my cousin, Colleen, got me the holiday bundle to try Orange Theory at the beginning of the year. I have been wanting to try it for years since it has been so big out in Arizona where my family lives. Well it has finally hit North Carolina and since I am not pregnant this year (and looking to shed the last few baby weight pounds), it was the prefect gift. I am a total fan-girl and I've only been to a few classes. Coincidentally, the training program calls for 60 minutes of cross-training on Wednesdays. So it was sort of like fate telling me I needed to sign up for the membership. I honestly believe it has helped me become faster and I already feel stronger and trimmer.

after each class OTF gives you these performance summaries to see where you averaged in the HR zones and total calories burned. I think 677 in one class speaks for itself. Not to mention, I am down 2.5 pounds!

You can see how blogging has been going. I have averaged at about 1 per week since the New Year post. I can make all kinds of excuses for missing last week: work is crazy busy, working out, the book I mentioned above is awesome, etc. Hey, I am doing better than before. Now, to get some better content and layout...keep dreaming.

Finally, the love update. Yep, we are still married, not that it was ever a question. We are actually doing really great, not that we ever weren't. But, sometimes the holidays, a baby, work, life, and general stress, get the best of you and you forget about that spark. Some days are still hard, like when Fletcher doesn't sleep at daycare and we have less than 30 minutes to make and eat dinner, get him bathed and in bed, and then have to wash all 7 million bottles, parts, and clean up dinner. Most days are wonderful and end with a dance party in the kitchen. My favorite.

When Fletcher started eating solids and sitting at the table, we started to make a conscious effort to eat most meals at our dining room table. This has really helped us decrease that screen time and focus on having deliberate conversations. Eating together every evening is something I wanted to instill in Fletcher right off the bat. It was something my family never did, but have read about how important it is for communication among family members.

I know I brag on him a lot, but Jared truly is an amazing father and husband. I don't have a great personal example since my father was pretty terrible at being both a dad and a husband most of the time. So, Jared definitely takes the cake in my eyes. There was one time I was so frustrated, I think after we got back from our Texas trip, he told me that he didn't want to by my assistant, he wanted to be my partner or my team mate. He was serious about that statement and has continued to be an active parent in every aspect. In addition to being totally hands on, he gives me time to myself, whether its a workout class after work, dinner with my girlfriends, getting my hair or nails done, or just running to Target alone. Not to mention, he has the most epic dance moves and knack for picking perfect songs #jaredsdadjams

then he sneaks notes like this into your pump cooler and you find yourself crying at work.

Because this post isn't long enough, I wanted to share a few things I have learned about myself and this life after becoming a mama:

• we are all just winging this parenting thing. fun fact, there is no rule book
• I am terrified of potty training my child
• I second guess my self daily and feel like I am constantly failing that this whole thing. Did I pick him up enough? Does he know how much I love him? Do I pick him up too much? Maybe I should've done more skin to skin contact when he was a newborn. Is his poop normal? Is he eating enough? Shit, I forgot the vitamin D drops again.
• mom guilt is so real
• having mom-friends is critical. You have to have someone else to bounce your crazy off of
• having non-mom-friends is just as important. Sometimes you don't want to talk about pumping schedules and Nose Frida usage
• I am at peace with the fact that some of my pre-baby relationships have changed. Some have gotten stronger while others are no longer there.
• I don't mind saying no to things that I really just don't want to do. Only sometimes do I use Fletcher as an excuse.
• totally get the whole "my heart walking outside of my body" cliché now. Like, I would totally give my life for him and I am not just saying that (sorry Jared).
• I am way more granola about my child than I ever thought I would be. Fletcher will be lucky if he tastes juice before he is 16.
• so much respect for single parents. you rock.
• this is all just a season. One phase can end a quickly as it started.
• raising a child and being a parent is an overwhelming responsibility.
• there is always wine.

I learn something about myself all the time as I grow in this new role. I am sure I will fail more times than I will be able to remember, but I am thankful everyday that I was chosen to be this wild boy's mama.