When Husbands Go Back To Work: A Horror Story

My husband is quite the multi-tasker, as you can see. He kind of rules at being Ethan's daddy and a wonder-husband and an efficient human being. (I'm of the procrastinating, lollygagging, it-can-get-done-later variety. I can admit it.) He has been the biggest help since Ethan was born (hello, understatement of the year), especially considering the first two weeks of Ethan's life I was in and out of consciousness and he was responsible for his sole care-taking.

I know that I'm extremely fortunate to have had a husband with 6 weeks paid paternity leave. That's an awfully long time, and I can appreciate that. My husband hasn't been to work since he left the office for the day on June 22nd, the night Ethan ended up surprising us with his arrival. Still, I was dreading him going back to work for a few reasons. We'd gotten ourselves into such a great little routine that just worked so well. It was also nice to have someone to watch the baby while I cooked dinner or ran my needed errands without having to be rushed or flustered. We made a good team together in tackling those supposed exhausting newborn days and, really, we managed to beat sleep deprivation thanks to our great teamwork. I was also dreading his return back to work because, well, it was nice getting to just be a little family for the first time and spend our days in awe over Ethan, reading him books, snuggling on the couch and listening to music, et cetera. Having that time together was nice.

Mostly, though, I've been dreading my husband going back to work because as my down-and-out luck would have it, his first day back to work was disguised as a week long business trip. He left this evening for a mandatory work trip that begins bright and early tomorrow morning in Orlando. The fact he's only three hours away is both good and bad. Good, because he can be home quickly in case of an emergency. Bad, because it's almost kind of taunting that he's so close yet so far. Not only will I have to do the first-time mom worry-fest when my husband walks out the door for a day of work, but it'll have to spill over into the night hours...and then on and on until the week finally ends and he comes home again. (And I worry a lot.)

It's also kind of sad in that "end of an era" way. It was sad to watch my husband look pathetically miserable as he said goodbye to Ethan and had to leave him behind for the week. I admittedly cried, probably not makings things much easier. Ethan and I did sneakily make his daddy a card on which we traced Ethan's hand and footprints and sneaked it into his suitcase. He sent us a text message once he arrived saying it was his favorite gift ever.

I'm trying to pump myself up that I can do this! I can, I can, I can! I'm a little nervous but what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger.

...Right?

The Best Muffins In The Whole Wide World

There is good news for those with Celiac or those on a gluten-free diet in general. That good news? These muffins. (Note: for those of you who aren't gluten-free, these muffins can be made using regular all-purpose flour instead of gluten-free flour. Everything else is the same!)

I found this recipe on SkinnyTaste and made them so that I could pack them up and send them off with my husband on his upcoming business trip. As someone with Celiac, he's oftentimes starving by the end of the day on said business trips after the company provides bagel breakfasts or sandwich lunches, none of which he can eat. I thought it'd be nice to have a little snack with him to keep his belly happy. The only substitution I made was using King Arthur gluten-free flour in lieu of all-purpose flour. Everything else was naturally gluten free. The consistency of these muffins? Unreal! They were moist, delicious and fluffy -- a consistency I'm not used to since I began cooking and baking gluten-free. In fact, I admittedly ran to check to make sure I used gluten-free flour once I saw how fluffy the muffins were. And delicious, too! I'm not a big peanut butter or banana fan, but these were good.

Okay, it's time to drop what you're doing and make these peanut butter and banana muffins which I've renamed "the best muffins in the whole wide world." You'll thank me!

Here's how you make them:

You'll Need:
3 ripe medium bananas
1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 1/4 cups unbleached gluten-free flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter, softened
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 large egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
10 tbsp all-natural peanut butter (divided into 8 tablespoons and 2 tablespoons)

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Line a muffin tin with 12 liners.
2. Mash bananas in a bowl, set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt with a wire whisk. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add egg whites, bananas, apple sauce, vanilla, and 8 tablespoons peanut butter, and beat at medium speed until thick. Scrape down sides of the bowl.

5. Add flour mixture, then blend at low speed until combined. Do not over mix.

6. Pour batter into muffin tin, then add 1/2 teaspoon of the remaining peanut butter into each muffin well. Bake on the center rack for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Ethan & The Book Exchange

Ethan's friend, Samantha, invited him to participate in a book exchange!

Okay, clearly I'm the one more stoked about this whole endeavor, but I know in my heart I'm raising a little literati so his newborn apathy can be overlooked! The book exchange is pretty cool because your child ends up with 36 books in the end after only having to send out one. (And, really, who doesn't love any enterprise involving children's literature?)

You're given a paper with a two spots, each holding the name, address and age of a child (or baby-to-be). Our job was to send a book to the child in the #1 spot and then move Samantha's information to the #1 spot (since she gave us the paper) and list Ethan as #2. We'll then send six copies of the new list out to six mommy or mommy-to-be friends who want to participate and they'll do the same thing: send a book to #1, move #2 to #1 and add their child to #2. Let the magical book receiving begin!

I thought this was such a fun idea and hurried over to the children's book section at Target while picking up a prescription this afternoon. I selected (I mean...Ethan selected, of course!) Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle. Ethan thought he'd include a little note to his book recipients -- two two-year-old siblings living in Las Vegas -- introducing himself and telling them how he sent an ocean-themed book to represent Florida. He's advanced, okay? ...And he inherited mommy's typing skills.

We packaged up the note and the book and said goodbye as it got ready for it's journey across the country to Nevada. We hope the recipients enjoy it!






We need 6 mommies or mommies-to-be who want to participate! Anyone interested? E-mail me at youaretherootsblog@gmail.com and let me know!

Happy reading!

Baby Skunk, The Little Bundle

Of all the silly, strange, cute and downright random baby accessories out there, I think the skunk hat that my sister and I bought for Ethan at the mall yesterday wins a spot on my favorites list. (It's part of Gymboree's "Baby Skunk" line, if you're wanting one for your own baby skunk!)

I'm also pretty excited because our little skunk will be starting MyGym in just a couple of weeks when he's two months old! (Typing that just made me realize he's going to be two whole months in just a couple of weeks! Why is time flying so quickly?!) Yes, you're looking at the soon-to-be newest member of the MyGym Little Bundles class! While I'm undoubtedly more excited than he is, I know we'll end up having a lot of fun!

Dr. Brown's Bottle Warmer Review & Giveaway ($40 value) - CLOSED

Dr. Brown's products are a favorite in this household. (Check out my review on their bottles here!) We recently acquired Dr. Brown's bottle warmer and can't say enough great things about it! Ethan's bottles have to be warmed to a certain temperature these days to accompany his reflux supplements and I'm amazed at how quickly the bottle warmer works to reach that temperature. When you have a hungry baby desperate for food, the last thing you want to do is sit and wait ten minutes for the bottle to reach a certain temperature. The Dr. Brown's bottle warmer ensures that your bottle is warmed to your desired temperature in no more than four minutes.



I also love how the bottle warmer uses steam to do the warming. Before the initial usage, you fill the water reservoir on the side. The reservoir stays full for quite a few bottle warming sessions and only needs to be refilled every 10-12 uses. One of my favorite parts, though, is that it's just so easy to use. When you have a hungry baby and are half-asleep at 3 a.m., you really don't want to deal with any complicated or faulty gadgets.





To use, you simply drop the bottle in, close the lid and set the timer. The booklet that accompanies the warmer gives you the recommended time to reach certain temperatures based on how many ounces you're warming. I love how the system is able to remember the time you wish to warm your bottles at (provided you're using the same sized bottles at each feeding). With the press of one button, the bottle warmer heats up and warms the bottle. That's it. You simply press a button and wait for the timer to go off, indicating the bottle is warmed to your desired temperature.



Within a couple of minutes, you have a perfectly warmed bottle, ready to go. You really can't get any easier!

One of our readers now gets the opportunity to win a Dr. Brown's bottle warmer of their very own, a $40 value! This giveaway closes on 8/18/11 and is open to US residents.



MANDATORY ENTRY:

• You MUST be a follower of You Are The Roots on GFC (Google Friend Connect) to be eligible for entry!
• Leave me a comment letting me know you want to win a Dr. Brown's bottle warmer! (Please make sure your e-mail address is visible in your profile or you leave it with your comment.)

BONUS ENTRIES: *Mandatory entry must be completed for these to count!

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CONGRATULATIONS TO:



ALEXIS T.!

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Thanks for entering, everyone!