April 3, 2018

Easter Weekend Recap part 2

by Anne Mauney, MPH, RD

36 comments

Hi guys! I’m back for part 2 of my weekend recap. If you missed part 1, check it out first! When I left off, it was Saturday and the weather was gorgeous – so clearly that called for a hike!

c&o canal hike

Matt and I met up with our friend Shane at the C&O canal trail, one of my favorite local spots. Nice and flat, too, which is perfect because Riese is getting heavy! 🙂 We started at Chain Bridge and walked down to Fletcher’s Cove, and then did some exploring by the waterfront. I’d never wandered around in the Fletcher’s Cove area before – it was really nice! Lots of people out having picnics and fishing down by the water.

hiking with baby

We decided to explore some of the small trails around the area rather than hiking back on the canal – I had no idea these were here!

fletcher's cove hike

It was beautiful – wooded and with lots of spring-like green popping up around us!

fletcher's cove hike2

c&o canal off road trail

We ended up going farther than we planned because it was so pretty and we had the trails all to ourselves!

hiking c&o canal

I was really obsessed with the beautiful yellow flowers popping up among the bright green. Gorgeous!

spring green yellow flowers fletchers cove

We ended up going much farther than we planned, and before we knew it it was time for Riese to eat again – whoops! It worked out – we did a little breastfeeding in the wild on a random rock, as nature intended! And while I was feeding Riese, Matt hung out with me and Shane went on to make sure that the trail actually connected back where we needed to end up, because by this point the trail had gotten much more wooded/brushy and we were worried we might have to retrace our steps!

breastfeeding in the wild

Random sidenote – I did my best to keep Riese’s face out of the sun (except for in the photo above) while we were out by covering her with the hooded sweater, but soon I’m going to need to pick up some baby sunscreen for her as the weather warms up. Any recommendations for a baby sunscreen that’s not totally chemical-tastic? But that is also not impossible to rub in? Thoughts?

Luckily Shane was able to find a way for us to get through the brush and back to the trail so we didn’t have to hike all the way back to Fletcher’s Cove and then all the way along the canal again to get back. Whew! Near the end, we linked back up with a more official trail again, which was nice.

fletcher's cove hike3

Freyja had the best day – she got filthy, but it was worth it. Nice to have her off-leash for awhile too since we were so far from anyone else for the second part of the hike!

fletcher's cove hike4

By the time we finished around 2 we were all exhausted and ready for some food! We went to Sweetgreen and chowed down outdoors. My recent fave salad creation there is arugula + kale + brown rice + goat cheese + avocado + cabbage + cucumber + steelhead (like salmon) + balsamic vinaigrette. Really good combo!

sweetgreen arlington va

We came home and cleaned up and got ready to head out again – this time to a friend’s place for a party! Our friends John and Erin are moving away (sad), and since we had other friends in town visiting, they hosted everyone and their kids for a combination reunion/going away party. We got Riese dressed up for the occasion. 🙂 This dress ended up either a) up by her shoulders, or b) in her mouth, for most of the evening, but it was still adorable.

baby girl dress_thumb[3]

I didn’t get any photos at the party because I was busy mingling, but I had a beer and some delicious BBQ. We stayed out a little too late for Riese – until about 10 – but she did pretty well all things considered. I brought a carrier so I could wear her for most of the party, so that really helped – she ended up falling asleep on me around 9 after she ate.

On Sunday morning, I went to a yoga class which felt reeeeally good – my back was hurting a lot after wearing Riese for pretty much the entire day Saturday, so it helped to stretch it out a bit! Early afternoon, we headed to my parent’s house for a lovely Easter lunch. The appetizer was deviled eggs – love. Cool plate, too, huh?

deviled eggs_thumb[1]

Riese was dressed for the occasion – my mom got her this adorable bunny shirt with matching tights! Too cute. And yes I’m obsessed with baby sweaters.

baby easter outfit_thumb[1]

Lunch was delicious! We brought the simple salad, which was spinach + carrots + tomatoes with a homemade vinaigrette (olive oil + dijon mustard + lemon juice + apple cider vinegar). I loved the cute centerpiece with the eggs! It will be fun next year to do a little Easter egg basket for Riese.

easter lunch_thumb[1]

Dessert was a yummy fruit tart my mom picked up at a local bakery. Tarts are always so beautiful!

fruit tart_thumb[1]

Such a lovely lunch – thank you mom!

Matt and I spent the rest of Sunday getting some chores done around the house, and then threw together an easy dinner. I forgot to get a photo and can’t remember what we had… oh well!

I’ve got some writing, a couple AnneTheRD nutrition client calls, and some tax filing prep on the agenda today. Have a nice day guys! I’ll see you back here on Thursday.

- anne

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36 comments
  • Looks like an absolutely lovely weekend! We got out on Saturday for a beautiful hike too at our local nature center. I love both of Riese's outfits - they're precious!
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    • Thank you! :) Glad you enjoyed the weather with a hike, too!
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  • Baby sunblock - great question! As with many things in parenting, I am honestly still confused about the best sun block for the girls. I recall reading that zinc-based was supposed to be the best (as it's a physical barrier instead of a chemical barrier) but when I put zinc on my older girl, her whole face breaks out in a rash. Oops! So I guess chemical it is - better than sunburn! My general strategy for all of us is lots of SPF-rated clothes / swim gear. I end up putting the girls in big long-sleeved rash guards and as babies I made them wear big SPF hats too. There is something going off in my head about maybe no sunblock on babies until 1 year?? (But maybe I am making this up, how quickly it all goes.) Also, definitely check out the zip swim suits at Old Navy for babies thru size 5T. They are ADORABLE, just note that in our experience they run about one full size too small. Also the SwimZip site has ridiculously cute stuff.
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    • That's a good idea to use SPF clothes/gear!
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  • Our pediatrician said no sunblock until 6 months but I don’t recall the rationale. Until 6 months, we just kept A shaded as much as possible or took her to the pool in the evening. We use Aveeno baby sunblock now.
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    • Okay that's good to know! Thanks!
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  • For our family and for both kids we use either Kiss My Face or Alba sun products. Adorable baby outfits!!
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  • Badger sunscreen has worked well for us (after 6 months like the commenter above), although it is thick. Also - starting a sunglasses habit early (we have a tiny baby pair with a back strap) was key for us...also apparently babies/kids have much more sensitive eyes to the sun than adults.
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    • Good idea on the sunglasses - that actually reminds me I have a pair of baby sunglasses that a friend handed down to me!
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      • Love Badger sunscreen and Babiator sunglasses 8-) Also, if Riese is starting to feel heavy in your soft carrier she may be ready to upgrade to an Ergo or another more structured one that puts the weight on your hips rather than shoulders.
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        • She's not even 12 pounds yet, but yeah, maybe time to mix it up - I'll investigate! Normally it's fine but since I wore her so much this weekend my back was getting tired!
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          • My daughter was born same time as yours a year prior and we started with our Ergo 360 by April with an infant insert. Despite not being that heavy, the cloth carrier puts so much pressure on your shoulders.. especially with your epic weekend walks!
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            • That's good to know! My shoulders are okay, but my back is not loving all the baby carrying... was just thinking today I might need to start going to see a chiro or PT again! I'll look into the Ergo 360 - thanks!
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  • I love Arbonne's baby sunscreen - zinc based but rubs in well. It's the best I've found. We actually use it on ourselves as adults half the time because it works so well!
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    • Sweet, I'll check that out!
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  • Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen in "sensative" NOT "baby is the best one I've been able to find that isn't laden with bad chemicals. It's more expensive than a lot of brands but I attribute that to the lack of bad stuff in it. It's also smaller but a little goes a long way! We still haven't finished the bottle we got last year and we've done a couple weeks of vacation and hiking+ with that bottle. It's only difficult to rub in if you try to use too much at once. I really like this sunscreen and I will be buying it again this year. If you want to do some research I use the EWG sunscreen database to check out the ingredients and chemicals in sunscreen.
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  • Thinksport or Thinkbaby (same ingredients just with different packaging) sunscreen is what my whole family uses. My youngest was 6 months last spring when he started wearing it. We are pale and never get burned! It's easy to rub in and smells like oranges.
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    • Yum, orange smelling would be nice!
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  • The recommendation is to keep them out of the sun until they're 6 months old. Sunscreen isn't bad for a baby, but the whole idea of waiting until 6 months old is to avoid direct sun exposure until that point. I found that a big sun hat + a carrier worked well to keep the sun off of my babies until they were older. Those carriers can get hot in the summertime though.
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    • That makes sense! Good call on the sun hat - I'm going to buy one for her in the meantime!
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  • Aveeno and Neutrogena both make baby sunscreens with EWG ratings of 1 and I’ve heard good things so I’m planning to try those this summer.
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  • I second Blue Lizard. Babyganics worked well on my baby, but gave ME a terrible rash! Blue Lizard in Sensitive or Baby (both are pretty much the same thing), leave us both rash and sunburn free. I don't find it hard to apply at all and it doesn't leave a greasy film. Apply in thin layers if you don't want the white streaks.
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  • Another recommendation for Blue Lizard sensitive! My daughter breaks out easily so we’ve tried lots of different kinds. So far, Blue Lizard sensitive for the body and the babyganics zinc stick for face have been the best for us. Hiking looks like it was fun! I’ve never hiked the canal but I’m planning on checking it out before the weather gets too hot!
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  • Riese is adorable! Love her outfits!! I can’t remember my pediatricians guidance, so I’d definitely ask about timing. We love the Blue Lizard sunscreen - baby version for our little guy and adult version for us. We tried Babyorganics but it gave our little guy a rash. Every baby is different so it might take a few to see what works on your sweet girl :)
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  • Check out the hat brand Sunday Afternoons on amazon. We've had really good luck keeping these on the kids' heads - you can adjust it from the outside and they provide great coverage for the face and neck. Get her used to a hat now - it'll save you a lot of trouble in the long run!
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  • Hands down, Beautycounter for baby sunscreen! I love the face stick on both my 5 year old and 2 year old - my 5 year old loves to apply it herself! We also use the lotion, and I will even use it on myself! It goes on smooth and clear, not thick and chalky like the other brands I tried and has good EWG ratings...a lovely light citrus scent too:) For full disclosure, I am a consultant in Canada. A couple of your blogger friends are also consultants in the US:)
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  • I second to wait for sunscreen until 6 months. I got my boys cute little hiking hats for them! They were great and SPF clothing is useful too. When it got too hot and we'd hike I'd put light clothing on or go early morning. I now use Aveeno, Babyganics, and Alba.
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  • Another Blue lizard lover! My daughter broke out in a rash with everything else, but we’be been loving this-and I always find coupons!
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  • We've used Blue Lizard sunscreen on Emma since she was an infant and she's never had a burn. (knock on wood!) You can use it before 6 months of age too-we asked our pediatrician before going to FL when Emma was 4 months old and she said it was fine, better than a burn! I'd also recommend this hat. It protects their face, neck and ears so you don't need to worry about sunblock as much. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000PHANNM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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    • Thanks for the hat rec - baby hats are so cute!
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  • I'm super into baby wearing right now and am curious what kind of wrap/carrier is that you are usually using with Riese? I love the print! I am enjoying trying different ones! Also, anxious to hear your reader responses on sunscreen. :)
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    • It's the solly baby wrap! I love it. :) And it seems the Blue Lizard sunscreen is the winner recommendation-wise... going to try it in a few months!
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  • What an awesome weekend! Love Riese's outfits -- and that you and Matt are getting out and about so regularly. But best of all are Riese's tights! She is clearly ready to be a fitness maven! And nice that spring in DC has finally arrived!
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