Recent reads

Happy Monday! We had such a great weekend at home. It was the first weekend in weeks that we didn't travel so it felt great to get lots of things done around the house. Saturday night we got a babysitter and enjoyed a dinner date with pizza and beer then met some friends for bowling. It was so nice to have uninterrupted conversation with Garrett and I always forget how much fun bowling is!

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Reading is one of my favorite past times that was pushed to the back burner after the baby was born. However I have finally started reading again! Here are some of my recent reads with a short, honest review. I love reading books that have been recommending by someone so hopefully you can find a few good books to read from this list!

THE NIGHTINGALE

By Kristin Hannah

Tells the story of two sisters trying to survive through World War II. It is very heart wrenching as the women are treated awfully by the Nazis, sent to concentration camps, and do everything they can to survive. A story of bravery, strength, and love during such an incredibly hard time. I don't typically like "history" and war novels but this book was great. I had many people say it was the best book they have ever read and I'm not sure I would say that, but I would definitely read it again.

FOR THE LOVE

By Jen Hatmaker

An absolute must read for moms who need a good laugh and to remind themselves that they aren't alone. She delves into "mom guilt" and reminds us that comparison is the thief of joy. She reminds us that the picture perfect Pinterest lifestyle is overrated and that there is joy in the messy, normal days of parenting. One of my favorite quotes from this book: "We should let them fail, wobble, persevere, overcome. Let's not engineer our entire lives around their entertainment and manufactured success. If our kids only expect blessings and exemptions, they will be terrible grown ups." YES! I had the privilege of meeting Jen Hatmaker when she spoke at a women's conference at my church a few years ago and she is absolutely hilarious.

ONE TRUE LOVES

By Taylor Jenkins Reid

A great beach read. A story about a woman forced to choose between her husband that she thought was dead and her fiance who has mended her heartbreak. I am a sucker for a good love story and would read this again.

WHEN BREATH BECOMES AIR

By Paul Kalanithi

A memoir of a young neurosurgeon who was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer. If you work in the medical field or are interested in medicine, this is an absolute must read. It was thought provoking and had me in tears. Not a light beach read but I read it in 2 days because I was so hooked.

THE HUSBAND'S SECRET

By Liane Moriarty

A story about a letter that a husband wrote to his wife that was only to be opened after his death. His wife finds the letter while he is still living and it contains a dark secret. I love all of Liane Moriarty's books and this one is no exception. Great book!

THE MAGNOLIA STORY

By Chip and Joanna Gaines

Who doesn't love Chip and Jo?? If you are a Fixer Upper fan, this is a must read. This couple is serious goals. They are so down to earth and genuine. This is their story about how Fixer Upper and the Magnolia Silos came to be. It also delves into their personal life and tells their love story and all about their family life. I wish I could be friends with Jo IRL!

THE NEST

By Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

A novel about four adult children and the inheritance they are receiving from their deceased father. There were too many characters and I couldn't keep everyone straight. Sub-par and the story line just wasn't intriguing. I would not read this book again. 

THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN

By Garth Stein

This book is told from a dog's point of view which sounds weird but it was good! It is definitely a tear jerker and if you have a doggy that you love like family, this is a must read. Enzo, the dog, tells his life story as he grows older and watches his owners go through sickness, heartache, happiness, etc. Very different but very good!

WHAT ALICE FORGOT

By Liane Moriarty

Another great Liane Moriarty book. A story about a woman who wakes up and has lost all memory of the last decade of her life. She tries to put together all the pieces of the puzzle and figure out how her life ended up like this. One of the characters is going through IVF which made this relatable. Great read!

5 Tips For Every New Mom

I've only been part of the "mom club" for 4.5 months but there are a few things that you learn quickly! Here are 5 Tips For Every New Mom that will save you some stress and meltdowns... all from firsthand experience ;)

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ONE | Always have a change of clothes for baby in the diaper bag. Baby blowouts are not something to be taken lightly. Sh** happens. It's amazing how dirty a tiny newborn can get and there's nothing cute about poop exploding halfway up their back in the middle of Target and not having a clean outfit to put them in. I'm telling you this from experience.

TWO | Never say never. For example, "I am never feeding my baby formula", "I am never giving my baby a paci", "I am never letting my child watch tv", "I am never ____" because you will eat your words. When it's 2am and you haven't slept more than 20 minutes, all bets are off and you're pulling out your big guns. Convenience and sleep are crucial and you will likely do things post-baby that you swore to yourself you would not do pre-baby.

THREE | Go ahead and buy stock in pacis. Even though Vivi doesn't really like them, we have them scattered all over the house. Also, multiple pacis in the crib is key for when you're sleep deprived and fumbling around in the dark for anything to make them stop crying. Also, I'm convinced pacis disappear just like socks in the dryer. Stock up so you aren't making your husband run to the store at 11pm... again, from experience.

FOUR | Don't be offended by the comments people make to you. People will give you unsolicited advice and say things that leave you shaking your head. An older lady walked up to me when Vivi was about a month old and said, "Wow her eyelids are really red"... [Oh really, that's weird, I never noticed in the last 30 days of staring at her 24/7. Thanks for letting me know.] "Yes ma'am, they are called stork bites, they are temporary birthmarks that will fade in a few months". "Things aren't simple like they used to be". Wtf?? Just smile and walk away.

FIVE | Buy all the bright, tacky colored things. I know you probably don't want your perfectly decorated home filled with rainbow colored plastic toys and exersaucers. I didn't either. Now it looks like our house threw up rainbow but if it makes her happy, I'm happy. When she's grown and my home is perfectly decorated and spotless, I will be longing for a living room filled with exersaucers and play mats.

Veteran mamas, what other tips would you add for new mamas?! Linking up with April and Amanda!

4th of July weekend recap!

We had the best long weekend at our happy place: the beach. It was so hard coming home yesterday and getting back to work today. Unfortunately Garrett had to work Monday and Wednesday but he made the drive early in the morning and came right back Monday after work so that he could spend the 4th with us.

We did so much relaxing, eating, drinking, and swimming. We had so much family time which is awesome but it is definitely like a zoo when the whole family gets together! 

 Sunday night we snuck in a date night which was so great. I was super nervous leaving Vivi with a new babysitter but she seemed to do fine! She is starting to have separation anxiety which makes me selfishly happy and sad at the same time ;)

 To celebrate the 4th of July we cooked out at my dad's beach house. He has a huge deck right on the beach so we hung out with drinks and appetizers then cooked burgers and watched the fireworks on the porch. It was the perfect night!

 We are so busy the rest of July that we probably won't make it back to the beach until August. Makes me SO sad but I'm already counting down the days!

Linking up with Annie!

Cinnamon Roll French Toast Casserole

Saturday morning I made the best breakfast: cinnamon roll french toast casserole. This recipe is not Whole 30 approved by any means but it is easy and delicious so that's most important right?! ;)

Casserole ingredients:

-2 (17.5oz) cans refrigerated cinnamon roll

-2 tbsp melted butter

-4 eggs

-1/3 cup milk

-1 tbsp cinnamon

-1 tsp vanilla

Icing ingredients:

-1/2 cup powdered sugar

-2 containers icing from cinnamon roll containers

-2 tbsp cream cheese, softened

-1 tbsp milk

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Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Cut cinnamon rolls into bite-size pieces

3. Drizzle melted butter into 9x13 inch pan

4. Spread cinnamon roll pieces evenly in pan

5. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, milk, cinnamon and vanilla. Whisk until combined.

6. Pour egg mixture over cinnamon rolls

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until top of casserole is golden brown

8. Prepare icing by combining cinnamon roll icing with 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 2 tbsp softened cream cheese, and 1 tbsp milk. Whisk until smooth.

9. Pour icing evenly over casserole

Enjoy!

Weekending!

We are still enjoying a long weekend at the beach! I hope everyone has a great and safe 4th of July! Keep up with us over on Insta Stories @mrsordavis

Day In The Life | A Day At Home

Thank you guys SO much for your feedback last week! I had so many of you say you'd like to see a "day in the life" post. I totally agree, these are my very favorite to see! As you guys know, I still work as a Physician Assistant three days a week so I figured I'd do one of these as a day at home and one as a typical work day. Obviously the days I work and the days I stay home are totally different. Today I'm giving you a glimpse into what a "normal" day at home looks like... nothing glamorous or exciting.

Date: Tuesday June 27, 2017

2:15am- I hear Vivi crying through the monitor. She isn't putting herself back to sleep so I go and give her a paci and luckily she goes straight to sleep.

4:00am- Garrett's alarm goes off and he is off to the gym

4:40am- I hear Vivi crying again. Shew. [I think I jinxed myself by telling y'all she started sleeping through the night.] Try to let her cry it out but she isn't having it. I try a paci and that doesn't work this time so I know she isn't going back to sleep without a bottle. Feed her a bottle and put her back down. Side note: on the days I don't work I try to let Garrett sleep if Vivi wakes up. On the days we both work, we usually alternate nights or he does night duty because he functions fine on no sleep.

6:15am- Vivi is up for the day and I'm exhausted. Garrett is home from the gym and he gets her up and lets her play while he's eating breakfast and getting ready for work.

6:50am- Garrett is out the door for work and I get out of bed. Straight to the coffee maker I go and turn on Good Morning America. Play with Vivi for a while on her play mat.

7:15am- Feed Vivi a bottle and I can tell she's getting sleepy. I put her in her crib for her morning nap and she goes straight to sleep.

7:30am- I know I have one hour of "me" time to relax and get ready for the day. I put on my depuffing gold eye masks because the bags under my eyes this morning are impressive. I leave these on for 20 minutes while drinking my coffee and doing my daily devotional.

For breakfast this morning I cook myself 2 eggs over medium with a whole grain english muffin and a piece of turkey sausage.

8:30am- Vivi is awake. Put her in her jumparoo while I make the bed and get ready. I have a terrible habit of not making our bed but I really try to on my days off; I'm embarrassed to say it hardly ever gets made on days that I work.

9:00am- My mom comes over to keep Vivian while I go get my hair done. Luckily my sister does my hair so it's super convenient... and cheap :) I'm ashamed to admit that this is the first time having my hair done since February, it was desperately needed.

11:30am- get home and feed Vivi a bottle. Garrett calls and says he has a break between cases at the hospital and asks if we can meet him for lunch. This is SUPER rare! I can count on one hand how many times we have been able to do this so it is definitely a treat!

 I had half of a turkey, apple and brie panini with shrimp corn chowder soup. Delicious!

1:00pm- Vivi falls asleep in the car on the way home from lunch so since she isn't fussing I decide to run a few errands. Pick up dry cleaning and stop by Walgreens then head home.

1:45pm- Put her in her crib to "play" for a few minutes while I try to do a few things around the house. Start a load of laundry then unload the dishwasher. She gives me about 8 minutes before she's bored and ready for something new.

2:15pm- feed Vivi a bottle then time for an outfit change because she threw up all over herself.

2:45pm- She's getting fussy so she goes down for her afternoon nap. While she's napping I browse a few blogs, do some online shopping, vacuum, and pick up around the house.

4:40pm- I break my #1 rule of motherhood: wake a sleeping baby. Gasp! Of course the one day we have somewhere to be she decides to take a super long nap. I am taking dinner to my friend who had a baby recently. Baked ziti, salad, and chocolate pie!

5:45pm- We get home and Garrett has just gotten home from work. We both change and head outside for a driveway workout and couch to 5k run. Vivian absolutely loves riding in the stroller and she falls asleep about halfway through. Bella gets to tag along and it wears her out so we are killing two birds with one stone.

6:30pm- bath time for baby girl. She loves getting a bath and I love this time with her. She is definitely a water baby!

6:30pm- While I'm doing bath duty, Garrett starts on dinner. He loves cooking so he cooks most of our dinners... and I'm definitely not complaining! I threw pork tenderloin in the crockpot this morning and it's ready to shred up so Garrett just has to cook the sweet potatoes and okra. 

7:00pm- Vivi usually naps in her swing around this time but tonight she is super fussy for some reason. We tag team eating while trying to calm her down then Garrett takes her so I can finish eating. He usually spends some time with her while I do the dishes, pick up after dinner, etc.

7:45pm- I head into the nursery for some quiet time. We rock and listen to Lauren Daigle pandora for about 30 minutes. She falls asleep so I wake her up around 8:15pm to change her diaper and give her a bottle. She finishes it and goes straight in her crib for bed.

8:30pm- Time to finish cleaning the kitchen, get everything ready for work tomorrow, lay out Vivi's clothes, pick up the house, etc. After the house feels "clean", I can finally shower.

9:00pm- Get in bed! Read my book while Garrett browses his iPad. Sometimes we watch a DVR'ed show like Dateline (our very favorite) if I'm not in the mood to read. Lights are usually out by 10pm.

This is what a "typical" day looks like when I'm not working! I tried my best to take pictures as I went and I think these posts are so fun to read and I know they will change as Vivi grows. I am going to try to do these more often!