My blog is 5 years old

WOW!

How my life has changed. My first entry was about bars Matt and I frequented…and now my life is spit up and diapers and teething rings. Not that I don’t love it, but it’s all just so different. :-)

Finicky Baby

Isaac was always a pretty decent night sleeper, until a few weeks ago. He would sometimes flat out refuse his crib. I couldn’t figure out what changed, and I was racking my brain trying to think of what happened. Finally, I realized that I had been using cotton sheets on his crib, as opposed to the flannel ones previously. I didn’t really think that the sheets were a problem, but I thought I’d give it a shot. Anything for a good night’s sleep, right?

And voila! Several nights later, we’re back on track.

Of course, now that I’ve written this, Isaac will probably be up all night!

Walking Naps

I love that going for a walk in the stroller with Isaac is pretty much a guaranteed nap. The weather has been pretty gorgeous lately, so it’s the perfect opportunity for fresh air, sunshine, exercise for me, and an effortless nap for Isaac. Isaac is otherwise not a great napper. (Well, except at daycare…for some reason he naps like a champ there, but at home it’s a struggle to make naps last much longer than 30-40 minutes.) However, on a nice day like today, all I need to do is stick him in the stroller and walk a few miles. I can even get my errands in. Trader Joe’s, CVS, etc.

I know that these guaranteed stroller nap days are limited, so I plan to take full advantage of this for as long as I can!

Isaac at Cold Spring Park on Sunday.

Oh, and by the way…

I’m going to start blogging again.

That’s my big fella!

Sick Mama

Being a new mom, I’ve learned to expect the unexpected. Things that were easy before are not-so-easy now. Namely, being sick. It used to be so simple…camp out on the couch with tissues, orange juice, tea, and the remote control.

Isaac had a cold in January, and a few days later, I caught it. I was by far the bigger baby than he was. Then last week, he caught another cold and I knew it was inevitable that I’d be catching it shortly after. On Sunday morning at 4:30 AM, I woke up with one of those “it-hurts-to-swallow-my-own-saliva” sore throats. Oh no.

Isaac’s at the age where he needs a lot of entertainment. Maybe I can get 20 minutes here and there of him playing on his activity mat or on his bouncy chair. Just enough time to make a cup of tea but not much opportunity to really rest.

I also don’t enjoy the lack of NyQuil. I had only one bad cold while pregnant and I really missed being able to take NyQuil. I didn’t realize that while nursing NyQuil would be out of the question, too. Plus, NyQuil knocks me out so well that I’m sure I’d sleep straight through any night wakings.

So, I just gotta suck it up! Matt can take care of the baby AND me tonight!

Achoo!

Baby-Friendly Restaurants in Greater Boston

As many of you know, Matt and I love to dine out. I didn’t want to stop dining out after having a baby, so I’m putting together a list of baby-friendly restaurants around Boston. Feel free to add any.

Boston Beer Works in Fenway for lunch. I probably wouldn’t bring a baby there in the evening (we only go out for lunch now, anyway) but there were plenty of babies/toddlers/kids there when we went during lunchtime.

Want to enjoy some live jazz with your baby while having some yummy brunch? Ryles Jazz brunch is definitely baby friendly. Beware, though, there are no changing tables in the restrooms. After a major poop blow-out I had to do the full body change on the floor.

La Casa de Pedro in Watertown is yummy and baby friendly. Nice changing table in the ladies’ room (not sure if there is one in the men’s room), and the waiter happily brought us water for our baby’s bottle. Lots of space if you need to bring a stroller, and my baby loved the colorful decor and the huge fish tank. (It distracted him when he was ravenous and waiting for his bottle)

Grab a beer and some chow at Watch City Brewing in Waltham. Baby friendly, spacious if you want to bring the stroller, and there’s even a little play area in the back with trains and stuff. No changing tables, though.

Bugaboo Creek is super baby friendly. I’ve only been to the one in Watertown but it’s loud with kids and families and there’s a changing table in the ladies room.

Not Your Average Joe’s is baby friendly as well. They’ve always been very accommodating when we’ve needed to heat a bottle, and they’re also stroller friendly if they’re not busy.

Another baby-friendly place, but one I’d recommend going to during an “off” time if you’re bringing a stroller: Zaftigs in Brookline. Just writing this is making me crave their challah french toast.

Bertucci’s is baby friendly, and I recommend the Chestnut Hill Mall location because it’s extra roomy if you’re bringing the stroller. Chestnut Hill Mall also has a really nice changing table on the 4th floor as well as a nursing area.

I’ll add to this as I think of more and would love to hear other people’s suggestions.

WELCOME BABY ISAAC!

Isaac Henry Mahoney

Born on 11/11/09 at 8:44 AM, 6 lbs. 12 oz, 18 inches!

He’s good and sweet and we just love him!

Haven’t blogged in a while…

Now that everyone I know is on Facebook, I pretty much keep everyone updated on my life through there, with my pictures and pregnancy and everything. But in case anyone out there is still reading this, I’ll give an update!

I have less than 2 months to go until the baby is born! We decided to name him Isaac. No decision on the middle name yet, but he does have his Chinese name. It’s “Ga Fai” which means family oriented and brilliant!

We did a 3D ultrasound at the end of last month, and here’s our boy!

Besides work and getting ready for Isaac, I’ve also been busy blogging at KeenForGreen. You can visit my blog here. I’m blogging about gardening, green home, etc. I’m sure that in a few months I’ll also be blogging about green baby stuff!

Welcome Anne Kristine Fitzpatrick!

I am now an aunt! My sister just gave birth to my brand new niece, Annie!

She was born 6/24 at 5:28 pm. 6 lbs 7 oz & 20 inches long.

Hello from Cape Cod!

I’m blogging from our hotel room in Dennis Port, MA. Yesterday we saw 3 lighthouses! We’ll be updating The Lighthouse Quest later. We lucked out, weather-wise, yesterday and had a really nice day. The next few days look sort of gloomy, so I’ve been trying to find indoor stuff to do. I think we’ll go to the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History today, and maybe a tour of the Cape Cod Potato Chip Factory tomorrow.

The baby must like the Cape, because I’ve been feeling a lot of movement!