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January 22, 2018

Weekend: Baby’s First Hike!

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Exciting news – Riese went on her first hike this weekend!

baby's first hike

The weather was absolutely lovely this weekend – in the low 60’s and sunny – so clearly we had to take advantage. It was so fun to introduce Riese to one of our favorite activities! 🙂 We met up with a few friends on Saturday early afternoon and everyone, Riese, included, enjoyed the fresh air and sunshine.

hiking northern virginia

Riese definitely takes after her mom because she loves being outside and moving! She slept for most of the hike and only woke up towards the end, but was alert and interested vs. fussy. Yay!

We all wanted to keep hanging out and enjoying the weather but Riese needed to eat and we also needed somewhere dog friendly, so we invited the gang back to our place to enjoy some beers and cheese and crackers on the deck. I fed Riese right when we got back and then she was surprisingly content to just hang out and look at everyone – that’s definitely not always the case so we were grateful she was mellow enough for us all to enjoy the impromptu party. 🙂

post hike hangout

Everyone headed out around 5:30, just in time for a quick shower before Matt’s parents arrived! It was great to see them again and for them to see Riese so much more alert and interactive. The last time they saw her she was only 1 week old! Crazy… time flies. We ordered Thai for dinner via Postmates – yum.

IMG_2047

As for yesterday morning, we had a homemade brunch feast with Matt’s parents. Delicious!

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Unfortunately the biscuits weren’t great – they were frozen ones – next time we will have to try homemade! Any good biscuit recipes to recommend?!

IMG_2050

After brunch we all took a nice long walk since it was lovely out again.

long walk

Matt’s dad headed back home to Pittsburgh solo after our walk – Matt’s mom is staying this week to help with Riese because Matt went back to work today! We’re grateful to have her here so I can keep on top of my work responsibilities… lots of blog-related stuff to get done this week, and I’m also starting back up with my ongoing, long term AnneTheRD nutrition clients this week. (I won’t be taking on new clients for another month most likely… need to get into a routine first.)

We were also grateful that his mom hung out with Riese last night while we met friends for dinner and games! There’s a cool new bar/restaurant in Arlington called “The Board Room” – they have all sorts of fun board games to play while you eat/drink. Loved it! We started with Jenga (plus a glass of prosecco for me) while working on some shared appetizers. That pretzel with the mustard sauce was soooo good. It was like cheesy mustard!

the board room arlington review

For dinner, I was feeling something lighter so I got the kale quinoa salad with chicken. It was really good, but I was hoping it would be an actual salad with fresh crunchy greens – it was a warm salad with a TON of quinoa and a little cooked kale. Still good but not exactly what I was in the mood for. I have leftovers for lunch today, though, so I’m going to add some fresh greens to the mix – should be perfect! With dinner, we moved on to the game Pictionary – so fun.

the board room arlington dinner

Also, miracles do happen – when we left the house Riese had just fallen asleep in the Rock ‘n’ Play, but we figured it wouldn’t last long. Well, what do you know – when we got home she was still asleep! We were glad she was easy for her grandma… evenings tend to be her fussiest time! (Don’t worry, grandma was keeping an eye on the blankets and making sure they didn’t cover her face!)

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Other food highlights from the weekend included some delicious avocado toast on Saturday morning (yep, still obsessed – don’t forget to check my Avocado Toast Recipes post for more ideas!):

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Amazing homemade chili that our friend Koko brought over for lunch on Friday while meeting miss Riese:

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And some yummy Lebanese delivery (via Postmates again) enjoyed at my parent’s place on Friday night.

lebanese taverna takeout

I’ve got a lot on the agenda today so I better get back to it… going to be a busy week! In exciting news, though, we hired a nanny! She’s Bolivian which is fun so Riese can learn Spanish, and she has a really sweet grandma-esque vibe. We’re hoping she ends up being a good fit – her references were all glowing! We decided to go for full time so I’m not stressed about fitting everything in, and so I also have some time for self care during the week. Plus, all the really good and experienced nannies we were finding understandably wanted full time gigs. She starts next week and will be here from 8 to 4 every weekday. I’m nervous but excited!

One more funny thing – a couple of you shared with me that we have been counting Riese’s age wrong – whoops! We were definitely counting based on Fridays since she was born on a Friday, but, duh, that would mean she’d end up hitting 1 year before her actual 1 year birthday. So, she’s actually not quite 2 months yet – she will be on Wednesday, the 24th! Makes more sense that our 2 month pediatrician appointment is this week (vs. last week). Lol! Thanks for the heads up, guys! I blame sleep deprivation. 😉 As a thank you for helping us figure out how to count, I will leave you with this adorable dream smile photo. She’s hilarious to watch while she’s sleeping – so many expressions!

dream baby smile

Have a great day!

- anne
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22 comments
  • Kori
    January 22, 2018 · 11:47AM:
    What a fun weekend!! I went with my sister, her husband, and my pup-nephew to Max Patch for a hike on Saturday. It was quite windy and cold at the top but oh so worth it. I was thankful for such a gorgrous weekend! Man, all that food looks phenomenal. Kylie posted a quick biscuit recipe several months ago that was delicious. http://immaeatthat.com/2017/10/24/best-breakfast-biscuits-made-into-the-best-breakfast-sandwiches/ Congrats on finding a nanny! I hope all works out beautifully for you guys. Have a wonderful day!
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 22, 2018 · 11:48AM:
      Sweet I'll check that recipe out - thank you! I'm glad you guys enjoyed a nice hike, too! :)
      Reply
  • Jill January 22, 2018 · 1:06PM:
    That last picture is so adorable. What a sweetheart! Glad she enjoyed the hike ;) https://smittenkitchen.com/2009/12/cream-biscuits/ - these are my favourite biscuits to make/eat/use for strawberry shortcake/whatever. I don't dip them in butter and I skip the sugar in them, so they've only got four ingredients and are super easy and fast to make. They're incredible right out of the oven (and don't last much longer than that in our house).
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 22, 2018 · 2:00PM:
      Sweet! Thanks!!
      Reply
  • Beckett @ Birchwood Pie
    January 22, 2018 · 1:14PM:
    Homemade biscuits are really fast to make. Here's my version http://birchwoodpie.blogspot.com/2012/12/buttermilk-biscuits.html?m=1 Your hike looked awesome! I can't wait for the warmer temps to come west.
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 22, 2018 · 2:00PM:
      Yummy, thanks!
      Reply
  • Emily @ Pizza & Pull-Ups
    January 22, 2018 · 2:22PM:
    Sounds like an awesome weekend! That is awesome to have the extra family help there as you guys transition back into your full time work routines.
    Reply
  • Amber @ Bloom Nutrition Therapy
    January 22, 2018 · 3:18PM:
    I'm so excited for you guys finding a nanny! I imagine it will still be difficult for you if you're home and you're trying to leave the caretaking duties to her and not feel the instinct to rush in and help! It would definitely be hard for me. Hopefully it will be a smooth adjustment!
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 23, 2018 · 10:01AM:
      Yeah, it's definitely going to be hard... we'll see how things go! I'm sure I'll get used to it! :)
      Reply
  • Katryn Ferrance
    January 22, 2018 · 3:35PM:
    Hi Anne! My husband and I live in the DC area not too far from you and are expecting our first in April! I work full time and after maternity leave will be telecommuting 3 days per week and in the office 2 days per week (still working full time.) We're just starting to figure out child care and I must admit that I am overwhelmed by the cost of day cares/child care in this area! I was wondering...would you be willing to share how much the nanny will cost? I totally understand if you don't want to share this info but I'm very interested in whether a full time nanny could potentially work for us financially! We've thought about looking for a nanny share but the logistics of that are definitely more tricky since you have to find both a nanny AND another family. Anyway, thank you for sharing and for your post! So interesting to see how different moms juggle work and a baby! :-)
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 23, 2018 · 10:07AM:
      Hi Katryn! Yeah, childcare is outrageously expensive in this area. Honestly, a nanny wasn't THAT much more per month than daycare just because daycare is so expensive here! A nanny share would definitely help a lot with costs though - you pay the nanny more per hour than you would solo but obviously it's split between two families. I've actually seen a lot of postings about nanny shares on our neighborhood moms listserv - you should see if there's one for your area! Hourly rates for nannies vary a lot based on experience and your situation (if it's just one kid or more than 1, 1 family or more than 1, etc.)... I'm not really comfortable sharing how much we're paying ours, but there's lots of info about standard rates online!
      Reply
  • Sian January 22, 2018 · 8:15PM:
    I am so relieved to hear this happened to someone else. I was walking around telling people my daughter was almost 6 months (which was impacting decisions we were making in terms of starting solid food etc) and finally my best friend pointed out that you don’t calculate it in weeks anymore. It suddenly explained a lot of confusing looks that I was getting. I was mortified!
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 23, 2018 · 10:09AM:
      Right?!?!? So funny! I guess in weeks it was accurate - 8 weeks - but 2 months was not accurate given that that goes by day of the month... I'm still kind of confused about it, lol!
      Reply
  • Whitney S January 22, 2018 · 9:37PM:
    With my firstborn, I was OCD about her age in weeks and it drove me crazy that they didn’t coincide with her date of the month. I chuncked weeks with kid 2 and just went with months for his age. Haha. And I’m just gonna go ahead and say it’s super lame that you have to explain yourself/defend things pertaining to baby girl. The internet has created the antithesis of what new parents need - safe space, community and support. Y’all are doing great! <3
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 23, 2018 · 10:09AM:
      Thanks Whitney!
      Reply
  • Kaci @ Kaci's Healthy(ish) Life
    January 23, 2018 · 11:29AM:
    Don't feel embarrassed or apologize for counting Riese's age in weeks! I count by week and had the same question when he was 8 weeks-is he two months now? Nope, I was told, months go by date (the 9th in his case). I just keep that in mind now and still go by weeks because I think when they're this little every week counts! So he'll be 12 weeks on February 1 (counting Thursdays from when he was born) but won't be 3 months until February 9. It still kind of confuses me too but I'm going with it. I'm guessing at some point I'll switch to just months so I'm not that parent telling everyone about my 40-week old haha.
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 23, 2018 · 1:21PM:
      It's so confusing, right?! I kind of like weeks better too right now when that time matters, like you said!
      Reply
  • Jennifer January 23, 2018 · 11:35AM:
    I totally "cheat" and use Pillsbury Buttermilk frozen biscuits. I can vouch for those- they are tasty, and fluff up like homemade biscuits. They are not organic, gluten-free, or necessarily "clean" but work for us on the occasions we want a biscuit or two. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Pillsbury-Grands-Buttermilk-Biscuits-20-ct-41-6-oz-Bag-41-6-OZ/10813684 Good luck with the Nanny. :)
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 23, 2018 · 1:21PM:
      Sometimes you just want a biscuit, right?! Thanks for the hot tip! Yummy.
      Reply
  • Molly
    January 24, 2018 · 10:06AM:
    I laughed when you mentioned that you ordered the quinoa and kale salad and it was not what you were expecting, because this exact thing happened to me and now I always ask waiters to explain the salad whenever I order a quinoa based salad. I love me some quinoa but a whole mound of it is just too much!
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 24, 2018 · 2:27PM:
      Right?! It was WAY too much quinoa!!
      Reply
  • Maria
    March 3, 2019 · 4:29PM:
    the food looks amazing. I haven't hiked since before I became a mother, but I'll probably be back on the trails in a few months after the little one is a bit more stable.
    Reply
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anne mauney fannetastic food
Hi, I’m Anne! I'm a Washington D.C. based Registered Dietitian, mother, runner, and lover of travel, adventure, and the great outdoors. I've been blogging since 2009, sharing a mix of lifestyle content, recipes, and fitness tips. Come for the recipes – stay for the fun!
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anne mauney

I’m Anne, a Registered Dietitian and mother. I've been blogging since 2009 and love showing others that eating nutritious foods and staying active can actually be fun rather than overwhelming!

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