Back to Work

Well, today marks the end of my maternity leave and my first day back at work since Riker was born. It's hard to believe over 4 months have passed! I feel so thankful to have had these last few months with him. It's been amazing to watch him grow, see his personality emerge and watch as he learns about the world around him. Everyone told me the time would go too fast, but honestly, it didn't go by as quickly as I thought it would because every day has been a new experience.

It seems like ages ago that we came home from the hospital with a tiny bundle...

And 4 months later I dropped off this little guy at daycare for the first time:

He's like a different person now! It's hard to believe that just a short time ago we were frantic new parents with a colicky baby we didn't know how to comfort. How quickly it all becomes second nature. Before we knew it, the newborn crying gave way to big smiles, belly laughter and funny faces. Parenting has been such a joy so far.

It was so hard for me to say goodbye to that cute little face this morning, but I know he's in good hands. He was all smiles when he saw the other kids, which made it easier. Over the last few days I started mentally preparing myself for this transition, and I honestly think it will be good for me to get back into more of a routine. I'm sure things will be a little crazy in the beginning, especially when I start going back to the city next week (thankfully I'm working from home this week!), but we'll make it work. Matt and I are fortunate to have a wonderful family who will watch Riker 4 days a week - he'll go to Matt's mom's twice a week and his sister's twice a week - so he'll only be in daycare on Mondays. I'm happy that he'll be with people who love him and that he'll have the chance to make great memories that he'll cherish forever.

Dinner

Okay, let's back up a bit to dinner last night because it was fantastic. Another sandwich was on the menu since I needed to use up the rest of the baguette I bought for Friday's dinner.

We bought some catfish when grocery shopping on Friday, and I'll be honest, it's not my favorite fish. Matt and I both agree it's good, but not great. Well...when you coat it in cornmeal and pan fry it in the cast iron skillet, it's a whole different story!

Matt dipped these filets in an egg wash (1 egg + some water) and then lightly breaded them with cornmeal, garlic powder, salt and cayenne pepper. Then he cooked them in the cast iron skillet with just two teaspoons of oil. They came out super crispy on the outside, and tender and moist on the inside. I'm a catfish believer now!



He squeezed a fresh lime over top of the fish filets, then piled them up with fresh tomatoes, romaine lettuce and sliced avocado. We didn't use any mayo or tartar sauce since we already had fat from the olive oil and avocado, but the sandwiches weren't dry at all. There aren't many better things in this world than a crunchy baguette and a ripe avocado.

Normally I would've made another veggie to go alongside the sandwiches, but I wasn't all that hungry and we were running around trying to get Riker's things ready for daycare, so I couldn't be bothered. Lettuce and tomatoes count as vegetables, right?

Breakfast and Workout

I got up nice and early this morning to squeeze in a workout before Riker woke up. Since this was my first morning doing the daycare/work routine, I didn't want to waste time thinking about a workout. Enter P90X video! I did the arms/shoulders workout, which is always a challenge.

After working out, I had a quick breakfast of Kashi Go Lean with fresh strawberries and skim milk. Simple but filling.

And with that, it's time to get back to work! Haven't said that in a while.

It's supposed to be almost 80 degrees today, so I hope you all have a chance to get outside and enjoy the weather on this Monday. Summer's on it's way!