Long time no see!

Yes, I've been MIA once again, two kids and a new state can do that to you! Seriously though, I wonder if I should keep this blog up any longer since I would like to continue blogging but it's going to be focused on my day to day which is quite boring...so feel free to unfollow haha.

Today I just wanted to post a few photos of great deals I find at Aldi! I've really fallen in love with them with several items, I'll be updating this post with new photos and favorites. For now just a few items.

First up are Peruvian Mayocoba beans (taste so amazing and they cook so fast!) - you really can't mess up these beans and it's a superb price, beats Walmart!

Next up is Goya's Mojo Criollo - this stuff is so yummy if you use it to marinate any form of chicken or steak for the grill, my favorite way to use is as a marinade to skirt steak, talk about yum!

Last item is rice, no latin cuisine is complete without white rice! I know it's not the healthiest person but I have adults here that won't eat the brown or basmati or jasmine! So I comply! Under $5 for 10 pounds, total steal, this is SAM's club and Costco pricing right here without a membership.

That's all for today!
Much love,
Janine

Titanium jewelry

I wanted to share a ring I have fallen in love with more and more everyday (other than my wedding rings)! When I least expect it I get a titanium diamond cut right hand ring (which can be used as a wedding band for anyone). What makes this ring so special is it's weight, it feels so substantial and expensive! It's smooth curves allows the ring to glide on and off with such ease and makes it very comfortable. Let's talk about the shine, this baby shines! I receive so many compliments on its brilliance due to the diamond cuts. When I say it's truly unisex, I meant it. I was in the kitchen at work and I notice my coworker (male) was wearing my same exact ring!! He said he adores it and never wants to remove it.

What's fabulous about this ring is you can pair it with hematite and sterling silver jewelry! It's super versatile!

If you're looking for an uber affordable and classic but stylish ring, pick this up!

See the brilliance below paired with my Stella & Dot Mercury necklace. Contact me for ordering info on the necklace!





You can find this ring and so many other titanium ring here for $90 (super affordable) c/o Modern Design

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9 months update!

My bubba is now 9 months old.


Here's how we spent out Sunday! As I'm cleaning/cooking, he's crawling, standing and opening cabinets, playing with pumping supplies I don't use and Tupperware.





This was also out first full day to use cloth diapers! He's wearing a prefold and econobum cover. He's so comfortable in them! Cleaning poop isn't as bad as people make it out to be :-)





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8 mo post partum update

Hello everyone! Just checking in and letting you know I'm still alive and same (at least I think so)! Wanted to report that my monthly menses has come back (9/9/13) :-(. I thought I'd get lucky since I've been back at work since April 26th and pumping at work, nursing at night/in the mornings and all weekend but no sign of Aunt Flo...until last week. Oy, hey, can't complain too much, I haven't had it since March 2012!! That seems so far away. So I've been doing some research because I detest pads and tamping just aren't healthy, so I think I'm moving to a menstrual cup, the rest month will be messy due to the leaning curve. But in the end it's so worth it. Helping the environment by reducing waste and reducing my chances of TSS (toxic shock syndrome) and infections (vaginal and yeast). Plus, with some you can still have sex, huge plus! I kind of had a feeling my cycle was returning since I was cramping last week and the week before. Plus I've been in a pissy mood for over a week. So pissy that I let my son cry it out for two nights. I was so exhausted and frustrated and cried like crazy. Didn't work the second one. He just wouldn't calm down and now every time he wakes in the crib he cries Bloody Mary. Great, I broke my son. I'm such a weakling and I can't do it again. Maybe further down the line, who knows. For now I'll continue to read the "no-cry sleep solution" and not cry too hard if it doesn't work. Blast hormones, making me do what I swore I'd never do.

If you want to know, Daniel is 8.5 months now. Pulling up on furniture, standing assisted and unassisted, opening cabinets and pulling everything out and is showing separation anxiety. Most of the time he won't be carried by anyone but myself and sometimes daddy.

He is still nursing and I'm still pumping. It's a piece of cake now, he's a nursing champ when not distracted which is almost always. He's on solids too, avocado was his first food and he still loves it. Pears are another favorite, along with peaches. I make a lot of his food for home eating. But when we go out I try to give him some of why I'm having and a pouch of organic purée's (by Plum or Earths Best or Ella's). I still don't give him water, soon I can give him water if he wakes in the middle of the night.

W still cosleep with him, he starts the evening in the crib (in our room) and when he wakes at 11pm-1 am, I bring him into bed and nurse him and we fall swiftly to sleep. He won't wake again until 5 or 6 or 7 am to nurse a little and play! He's not sleeping as much as he should. I'll be discussing it with his doctor to see if I should worry.

My other worry is vaccines...I really don't want to give them to him. They don't give you immunity! *Sigh*

He has 6 teeth now and I feel a molar so that makes 7! He doesn't get a break, he's always teething now. I feel like that combined with the separation anxiety are what determines its a bad time to let him cry it out.

Be sure to check my Instagram feed to see my little one!!

www.instagram.com/apetitediva

Here's one extra shot of him:



Hope you all are well!

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My transition back to work

Little D will be 5 months old next week, unbelievable how fast time is flying. What people say is true, it's all too fast and it makes me want more babies! I went back to work over a month ago (16 week maternity leave) and day 1 was not so bad. There are a few things that are the most difficult.

Pumping! It's not fun, I had my first run in with peeling skin last Friday, not fun to pump with raw skin. Then there is the fact the maternity room is used by multiple women...so you are likely to go to the room and have to come back over and over again. I've actually had women bang on my door and yell if I was done yet...talk about ruining the flow, wink wink. On the flip side, you get some candy crush time, watch downloaded videos, catch up on text messages, phone calls, clean out your purse. There's plenty to be done. Or you can just relax which I don't do very well unless its bed time.

The long work day. Yes, it was long enough to begin with...remember the days when it was 8 hours including your lunch?? Maybe out in the middle of no where the still exists but in the DMV, almost unheard of. Then add in the commute...1.5 hours at minimum. Drive to the metro, find parking for 10 minutes, wait for the train, arrive at your station and walk for 10-15 minutes to your final destination (all while carrying around ice packs and pumping supplies galore plus the water you need to continue producing milk). Did I mention your pumping breaks are not paid? Some companies don't discount your pumping time, but most do and you're lucky if your company is big enough to have a law that makes them provide you with a pumping room and allow unpaid breaks. Again, some companies do have pumping rooms even if the law doesn't make them (I've come across plenty), they're setting an example and preventing a lot of women from giving up Breastfeeding after returning to work. So what do I do about the unpaid breaks? I stay at work longer and get in earlier which means less time with my baby. If I don't arrive early to work I then have to stay late and miss my babies bath time then run to my house to nurse him to sleep. I've been able to get away with just two breaks in a work day if he nurses a lot in the morning and in that case I use my lunch hour to pump and I have 20 minutes in paid breaks. But I don't like doing that bc I'm prone to plugged ducts. Have you ever had mastitis? If you have, then no explanation needed for the horror of it all.

For the sake of not making a blog post the length of a book...final part. Missing your babies milestones, this is pretty huge! Baby D rolled over twice last week while I was at work but hr made up for it by doing it at night for me! He struggled getting it done but he did it!

I'll leave you with one positive of being the kind of working mom that leaves her baby for a specific amount of time to work (SAHM's included!). The joy I feel the moment I get home, the moment I see his pouty face and knowing only I can soothe him and nothing else will do for him (at least I'd like to think so)! It's a feeling I have never felt and I wouldn't trade it for a trip around the world.

That's all for today. I'll be sure to write more now that I have redownloaded this nifty blogging app and I have a ton of time on the train to just write (unless I don't get a seat). Until next time, God bless you all.

Wait, you thought I'd do a blog post without a few pictures?? Pahaha











Don't forget to follow me on all my media outlets!

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Location:L St NW,Washington D.C.,United States

I'm a mommy, the ups and downs!

So, where have I been YET AGAIN?! Off carrying a baby, taking baby classes, reading pregnancy books, prenatal yoga, moving twice, giving birth to a baby 2 weeks early without a hospital bag or clean baby clothing, starting contractions on the day my husband had his gallbladder removed after months of dealing with him in pain. Do you want to hear the rest? Didn't think so...

Let me tell you something, it is not easy being pregnant, not so much the carrying the baby part (although that is an entire book on its own...) it's all the pressure society places on you. I worked all the way up until contractions began and did everything I could to keep my house in order. And I didn't just work normally, I worked constantly paranoid everything would fall apart when I left BUT I have learned no one is indispensable.  How I wished in the USA women would be given the right to take 2 months off before the baby arrives to prepare and rest because you will NEVER rest again. How I wished maternity leave was at least 6 months and paid at least partially, how I wished flex time and working from home was an option. No, we get none of these things, yet I must admit I'm still blessed that I received 2 paid weeks and 4 weeks partially paid during my 16 week leave. I return next Friday (4/26) and I'm so paranoid for leaving my little one for 12 hours a day. I'm afraid of all I'm going to miss. Again, going back to my original idea, if we had more work options, I wouldn't miss so much of the day and wouldn't feel bad. I've been able to be away for 6 hours and be fine until the 5 hour mark hits and then I get antsy. As soon as I'll be getting home from work I'll be placing my little one straight into his bath, nurse him and put him to bed.

What have we all been through post-partum you ask?

• 2 bouts of mastitis (google it, it's CRAPPY) & 24 days of antibiotics (healed now)
• tongue tie that wasn't fixed for 4 weeks (fixed!)
• weaning off of a nipple shield (done)
• still working on acid reflux
• dealing with gas that wakes up my little man - not eating any dairy, chocolate, nuts, citrus, garlic
• dealing with low milk supply (finally we're on the same page)
• the "H" post pushing out a baby (after using very sexy suppositories, all bueno now)
• healing of an episiotomy (all bueno now)
• still dealing with patchy red itchy skin ALL OVER - it doesn't let me sleep
• searching for a home (done!)
• dealing with a newborn with a sick hubby and then sick family (everyone is better now, PTL!)

Now I'm dealing with packing to move yet again for a 3rd time in less than a year and going back to work. The home however is much more than I truly expected, can we say double walk in closets?! I can also report my little man is a dream. I adore him and didn't really think I'd be in so much love. It's amazing what a little human can make you feel. When we took him for his 2 month doctor appointment and shots I truly did not expect to be phased...OMG...I cried more than he did, he did cry like crazy but was over it pretty quickly, but when he was poked 4 times and he looked at me with his face questioning me as to why I was allowing him to be hurt I broke down and cried like someone had died. My hubby thinks I'm a wussy. Sadly I also cried when he was circumcised and when he had his frenulum clipped. I don't think I'm a wussy, I'm just a mom now.

If you missed all my pregnancy pictures, they're all up on my instagram page and I will continue to post up more that I have missed (all the way up until a couple days before labor).

So there, there's my latest update. 

Here's a few shots of my little man for his 3 week newborn photoshoot, enjoy!

If anyone has any mommy or pregnancy questions (even breastfeeding), feel free to email me directly! aPetiteDiva at gmail dot com

BTW - what will everyone do now that google reader is being discontinued?!