Vegan Goodness:
Today we ate:
- Breakfast: Smoothies and cream of wheat with lots of raisins (or “ray-ray” as LP calls them)
- Lunch: An eclectic mix of falafel, tofu fried rice, cous cous with carrots and blueberries. The good news is we opened up some space in the fridge!
- For snacks LP and mom both enjoyed lemon yogurt. LP also ate some cereal.
- We went out for a special goodie tonight – ice cream!! Since baby #2 is taking his/her sweet time (and mom is cranky about it), we decided to splurge on a pre-dinner treat at Veggie Galaxy. Dad had a peach frappe, Mom had a massive banana split and we all shared french fries. LP did share everything, and he specifically requested the chocolate ice cream (not the vanilla ice cream) from Mom’s banana split.
- Dinner: After our special treat we came home and LP had some tempeh before bed. Mom and dad waited a while and then had some garlic and greens soup to balance out our earlier indulgence.
Money Matters:
Today we spent the following:
- $25.00 stocking up on dried beans and lentils at our local Indian market. We got 8lbs of chickpeas and yellow split peas and 4lbs of red lentils, which should last us a while.
- $21.00 for our Veggie Galaxy splurge
Mom Musings:
If I could go back to the time when LP was an infant, the one thing I would do differently is go out more. I remember feeling like it was so hard to get out of the house and out into the world when I was home on maternity leave. But now that I have a toddler, I realize how relatively easy it is to be out with an infant. We used to be able to just let him sit in the car seat and he would pretty much chill out, or even go to sleep, and the G-man and I (or whoever else we were with) would be able to converse like adults. Now, going out with LP involves bringing books, toys, snacks and watching his every move like a hawk. That is one of the reasons we really only go a few places with him – Veggie Galaxy, which is pretty kid friendly, Chipotle which is also low-key, and JP Licks, where we can take our ice cream and eat it outside.
However, when we were out with LP today, I was also reminded of all the things that make going out more fun and special now than they were before. For example, we told LP that we were going out for a treat after his nap today, and after he woke up, we got really excited about our “treat” and kept reminding me and the G-man about it. At the restaurant he was antsy, but he also said “thank you” to the waitress, counted the ketchup bottles and pointed out the things that were in the artwork on the walls. Basically, we were conversing with him about the world. While this is totally different than “adult” conversation, there is something about a conversation with a two-year old that grounds you to the world. It is nice to be reminded of the fact that even ketchup bottles have their own mystique.
We also read stories at the restaurant, both while we waited for food, and while LP was finishing up some fries. He snuggled with Daddy on one side of the booth while Mommy read the story from the other. We shared everything as a family, and LP got to ask (politely) for bites of ice cream and sips of milkshake. It was a nice reminder of how great it is when kids can articulate their needs and wants instead of making you guess all the time (which I remember doing desperately when LP was a baby).
As I think about these differences between toddlers and infants, especially as baby #2’s appearance draws steadily closer, it gives me a new appreciation for what I will have with this second baby, as well as what this baby will turn into. Each stage of my children’s lives will bring new challenges and new struggles but also amazing gifts and precious moments. I just want to be able to enjoy all of these because I know that each stage is so fleeting.
