1. I wanted to pop in yesterday for a What I Ate Wednesday post (I even photographed all my meals Tuesday—except for dinner), but since I got home late Tuesday (visiting my mom in the hospital after her surgery) and yesterday (Baby M’s 9-month well check), I just didn’t feel like staring at the computer again. So here I am today, traditional Thinking Out Loud style.

2. I’m exhausted. I read something recently that mentioned the average “sleep debt” for new parents in the first year is around 700 hours. For somebody who thrived on 8-9 hours and managed on 7, that reality has hit me hard. We were so lucky that Baby M has been a naturally awesome sleeper, but around 8 months, he started waking up during the night again and struggling to stay asleep. Thus, he’s usually in our bed. I’m chalking it up to a normal “sleep regression” around this time, but I would seriously do almost ANYTHING for a restful night’s sleep.

3. Tonight we MUST take Baby M’s 9-month pictures so I can post his monthly update. I still can’t believe that, in 3 short months (well, a little less now), he will be ONE YEAR OLD. It’s cliché and cheesy, but TIME FLIES. I’ve noticed this just in the last few years as I’ve gotten older, but with a child? IT SERIOUSLY FLIES. It’s not possible to enjoy every single minute (teething. sleepless nights. tantrums. wishing to get out of the house. etc.), but since his birth, I’ve been trying to soak up as much as I can while he’s little. I’m not opposed to the idea of another kid, but I’m also aware that this could be my ONLY experience with an infant of my own. I’m already nostalgic for my pregnancy, the experience of labor and childbirth (seriously—it was painful and stressful but I’d do it again), and even the struggles of learning to nurse, change a diaper (without wasting half a package), etc. It’s just strange. One minute I wasn’t a mom, and the next, I was. So much is the same, but so much is completely different.

4. Oops, I had no intention of making this post so “baby-centric.” We write what we know, I guess.

5. Have any of you tried the new (I think they’re new) La Croix flavors—passion fruit and mango? I love the passion fruit but am disappointed in the mango. Mango is one of my absolute favorite fruits, but I barely got even a hint of flavor.

6. I’m in a bit of a funk this week. I really wanted to get back into my groove at the gym, but I haven’t made it to a single class yet. So much for my lofty fitness goals. Although I want to get my money’s worth of my Y membership, I’m beginning to realize that it’s OK if I don’t have a traditional workout. I love group fitness classes, but I really should focus more on quick, at-home circuits. Or go for a short (20 minutes or less!) jog—if I can handle the heat/humidity. As long as I’m moving throughout the day, it’s not the end of the world.

7. When I say it’s been hot, I mean it. The heat index has been over 100 every day this week. It’s miserable. I say the same thing every year, but I swear it gets harder and harder to just walk outside! How did I survive a summer pregnancy again?…

8. After I fulfill a few commitments I’ve already made, I’m thinking about taking a blog/social media break. I feel like I have no creativity right now, and I don’t want to post only baby-related things on a FOOD blog. Actually, I’m contemplating whether I want to change my blog completely—although I know that’s a ton of work that I probably don’t have time for. Plus, even though like 4 of you read this regularly, I’m proud of my tiny following and what I’ve created. One thing I do know is I still enjoy writing when the inspiration hits, and I don’t intend to give that up.

9. One more baby-related thought: I’m so anxious to see the proofs from Baby M’s 9-month photo shoot this past Saturday. He wasn’t in the best of moods (it was naptime, bad scheduling on mommy’s part!), but I’m sure our photographer got some awesome shots.

10. On that note, I’m wrapping things up. It’s time to get back to work (yep, I’m posting this on my lunch break).

Happy Thursday!