on life lately, part 2.
A few weeks ago, we took a little nugget to D.C.
He was super into it – as you can see. This was waaaaay before the cherry blossoms. Whomp whomp.
It was our first time traveling with a baby, and I use the term “traveling” quite loosely since it didn’t involve an airplane and we simply drove three hours. But still, our first time! Does it count? Can it count?Â
Um. I will say though. Our entire car? Which is a fairly large SUV? FILLED TO THE BRIM. Yeah yeah, we could blame this on my issue of taking multiple outfits to choose from because I’m a brat, or the fact that a stroller takes up an obnoxious amount of room (like I don’t even know how) or because I have a husband that has a weird thing where he has to pack three pairs of shoes per day (seriously don’t ask) but really… it’s just the nightmare of two bigtime overpackers taking a baby on their first mini trip and leaving home.
I don’t even want to see the first airplane ride.
(Sidebar: Eddie wanted to bring the WIPE WARMER. He almost packed the wipe warmer. I put a stop to it! (Actually, he forgot and I didn’t remind him. #firsttimeparents))
We had all kinds of grand plans to eat at some of our favorite places and be crazy tourists, but yeah. We are still learning that oh wow! It’s not all about us anymore! We are lucky because Max is pretty chill and goes with the flow.
So we did go to Shake Shack because CHEESE FRIES. And it was easy. Unless you go at peak lunchtime with said gigantic stroller.
Out of Five Guys, In and Out, Smashburger and Shake Shack… Shake Shack wins for me. Every time. You?
What else did we do… we went to brunch! Again.
Brunch = life.
We went to Brasserie Beck with Laura and Heidi and I got this crazy ass omelet with fried oysters. Eddie Got some delicious biscuits and seafood gravy thing, which he ate with a half-clothed Max in his arms because we are still learning how to dress a child when it’s freezing outside but warm inside. The answer is not: a footed fleece onesie with a hood.
We all shared DONUT FRENCH TOAST.
Should I make this? I should make this. I’m definitely making it.
Except minus the oranges. I mean, it was delicious, but I’m much more of a strawberry-blueberry-banana type of gal.
We went to D.C. because I was speaking at IACP and it was a suuuuper short trip. Not that I want to even admit that after telling you our car was overflowing with all the things, but we were only there for a little more than 24 hours. Just enough time for me to do some work things and to go snap a few monument pics that I will never print out but at least have hoarded on a photo sharing site to show my kid that he was on a road trip at 3 months old. Someday. Someday.
Also. There was NO way we were leaving without going the Baked and Wired. Remember when we went last year? Almost one year to the day.
We attempted to make it there on Saturday afternoon (like right at noon) but HAHAHAHAHAHA joke was on us. An hour+ of traffic later we decided we’d just go on our way home Monday morning, which made me lucky enough to get a mocha the size of my face. And those biscuits that I talked about.
And. Um.
TWELVE CUPCAKES.
Yes twelve. A dozen.
I totally could have got three more.
Can I tell you what we did with these cupcakes? We froze ’em! Okay well not ALL of them, but you know. I’m not exactly a freezer person but I wrapped them tightly with plastic wrap and shoved them in a freezer bag. It totally worked. They deforsted perfectly and we devoured them for a few weekends in a row. Leeeeettle cupcake tastings.
Other happenings: OMG more brunch.
Yes. I know. More freaking brunch. This time at The Commoner. There were things like pierogi eggs benedict (hello delicious heart attack) and sticky toffee bread pudding and the most incredible chocolate pot de creme I’ve ever tasted. It was like 12 ounces of pure TRUFFLE.
Annnnnnd I would like this floral chandelier in my home, ASAP. Please and thank you.
If I was crafty I could probably make something like this, but uh, no thanks. I’d rather pay someone a million dollars than attempt a craft as such.
Oh oh oh.
Below is the birds nest that I mentioned last week – the one that has made it’s home in our front door. The one that is giving me anxiety. Besides giving me a complete heart attack every time I open the door and forget about the nest (I’m waiting for a bird to fly in the house and then I’ll really lose it), now I’m really scarred for life because there were FIVE eggs and now there are only three. WAH. Where did the other eggs go? Do the mama birds, like, pick them up and drop them? And bird people, why is that one egg all speckly and stuff? Creepers.
Also, I realize I sound insane considering the below picture has four eggs, but it was before the fifth appeared and then two disappeared. I SWEAR. Haven’t lost all my marbles yet. Yet.
I’m still trying to figure out snapchat. I’m embarrassed at my lack of knowing how to use it. Eddie says that instagram is your fun-omg-my-days-are-amazing and styled life, and snapchat is your real-not-so-pretty life. TRUTH.
So, things: 1. you guys have given me so many great book recs lately and I’m sooo getting back in the goodreads game. Promise. 2. my iPhone is on it’s last leg (and the camera is atrocious) and I have like mere MINUTES (okay, days) before I can upgrade without paying a billion dollars and can’t even wait because my phone camera is my liiiife. Do I do the 6 or 6 plus? Eddie has the 6 plus and it’s awesome, but hello, I’m a millennial and need to be able to do things with ONE HAND. Like text and scroll through instagram in the middle of the night. and 3. thanks for being so ridiculously awesome on part one of this random update. Now that I’m mostly caught up from the last two months, I can share some fun things that we are doing.
They don’t include brunch.
Err, well, they probably do, but you know.
43 Comments on “on life lately, part 2.”
The brown specked egg is a cowbird egg I think. They lay eggs in other birds nests – sneaky like that.
Yes! I think you’re right. I was about to comment the same thing.
And that interloper might have ditched the other two eggs. Nature is cruel. : (
I agree, that’s what I was going to say, cowbird for sure.
DC fun! Lucky you. As for the one of these eggs is not like other in your nest… Another bird, one that doesn’t build a nest and just squats in another nest, is using your door nest! The original mama and papa birds usually will just take care of it unless they saw the other bird laying it, then watch out. Ugh. Saw it on PBS Nature recently, so it must be true, right?
Dont french toast had me sooo confused until I saw the picture. DONUT…ah, now that makes sense! And sounds delicious.
baked and wired is soooooo the bombedy bomb bomb! I had a bee sting there. Yum!
That donut french toast looks amazing! Yes, def make it and share the recipe!! Totally give you credit for freezing those cupcakes, I would have devoured them all!
iphone 6 plus > 6 for the battery life. I can get 2, sometimes 3 days on one charge.
oh my God those cupcakes look like they are to die for! so jealous!
That speckled egg is a freeloader! Some birds will lay their eggs in another bird’s nest, and sometimes (depending on what type of bird) when the impostor baby hatches he will kill the other chicks. And if you’ve got missing eggs, a raccoon or fox probably got them. Being a baby bird is a rough life!
Oh, no!!!
On how to dress a baby when it’s freezing outside and hot inside (or hot outside and freezing inside, aka air conditioning) : layers layers layers. Itty bitty t shirts and sweaters that will be a pain to get his arms in and out of. But so cute.
Brunch is life for sure. Mimosas, donuts and all things syrup! Bring it on.
Jessica – just wanted to say how much I love your posts. :)
1.) Dang, you were so close to Richmond yet still so far.
2.) LOVE Baked and Wired. I want a big bag of hippie crack granola right now.
3.) Eddie’s description of snapchat is so spot on! I’m going to find you on there.
Okay…never had an In and out burger because every time I was in LA, no one wanted to splurge (sigh)…but at the moment I love Smashburger. I’ve wanted to try Shake Shack, but the one near us doesn’t have rave reviews…It’s on the list though. My family and I are always up for a burger splurge…(crunchified burgers at bobby flay’s are pretty good)…anyway, I’ve been influenced by your number one choice. I’ll have to make it a priority. (btw, your green chili chicken burgers are still one of my fave make at home burgers) Oh, yeah…after this weekend, I can check off the box on Talenti pistachio gelato…thanks for that bowl of yum!
Go with the iPhone 6. I literally only have one hand and I have never felt like I needed something larger. I had a 4S and the 6 is wayyy larger w/o being awkward (which I feel like the 6+ would be annoyingly large… and then you’d probably have to use 2 hands to take pictures which, ew, no).
Yum to all of that gorgeous food!
You will learn how to travel with a kid. That first time is always an eye-opener.
As for a new phone, 6-Plus all the way! Doing something one-handed is overrated. :)
Omg! Now I am totally hooked on finding out what happens to the nest. Another bird laid an egg in there?! Craziness.
i’m still so saddened by the fact that our DC weekend trips were just a week apart. so close, yet so far away… must plan a jessicas trip ASAP.
thank goodness I’m not the only one who is STILL confused by snapchat! ( makes me feel so not hip). Go with the 6; the 6 plus is too big & bulky.
Glad I’m not the only one who over packs :)
That doughnut french toast! Recreate it, please!
And… Do you have a goodreads account I could follow you on? I’d love to see what you’ve read/what you’re reading. Books are my life. <3
This made me miss DC so much! And also, I usually pack waaaay more for a road trip than a long-term trip where flying is involved just because I can. So like, I’ll just cram the whole house in there if possible. JUST IN CASE. I can’t imagine if a child was involved.
Brunch really is everything. It’s not really a thing in Brazil and this fact has led to many confused weekend mornings. It’s like, what else are you supposed to do with yourself?
And yeah, I do not get snapchat at all. I think I am just too old.
Enjoyed reading these posts and catching up! XOXO!
Shake shack wins for me every time…even though this is a constant debate with my husband. But I am a little disappointed in their change in fries. Used to be thinner and now they are crinkle …I’ll forgive them because their burgers are still amazing.
Donut French toast definitely sounds like something you should do. ;) And as a person who just NEEDS (so pathetic) to be able to use my phone one-handed, go for the 6! Even it is a little bit big, but it’s definitely manageable.
I love, love, love your recipes, but these two on life lately posts have been my favorite. You are one of the few food bloggers with content I actually read because it’s so relate-able (and hilarious). Thank you for being so awesome!!
In-n-Out, but then I am a CA girl. The Habit is becoming a close 2nd and I did just recently try Shake Shack and it was goood, too. Do we have to pick favorites?
God bless you woman for bringing to light this Snapchat issue. I thought I was the only one! I try to take a pic and it is a video. I try to retake it and it sends. I finally solved my problem and clicked the magic button….called UNINSTALL! Life is too short for this type of ridiculousness. Please let me share with you at age 3 the entire travel world gets better. No more diapers, cribs, bibs, milk, baby food, bottles, tiny utensils, bouncy chairs, tiny plastic toys, little dried puffs of blandness, pack n plays…nothing! Yay! It is like the heavens open and ta da you can travel like a normal person again. It will be there in a blink of an eye.
We had a great baby bunting that we used in MA and MD winters. I don’t remember the brand, but it had two legs but the top was completely open, so you could just plop the baby inside of it. The top part was large enough to cover baby’s head and shoulders, but they could be free inside of it, while warming up.
We have some 30″ hardsided suitcases (excellent brand) that we could sell you for your overpacking years. We traveled from the East coast US to England (hubby’s family) or the West coast US (my family) on every vacation while we lived in the East (six, with children). We’d bring the car seats (big Britax ones) in the big suitcases, the Peg Perego stroller, often my nursing pillow (because it fit me perfectly and I was, at times, nursing two at a time…). We looked like a circus traveling through the airport.
Now that the kids are older (13 and 16yr) we travel for weeks at a time (5-7 weeks) with only a carry-on size rollaboard suitcase and small backpack each (sometimes there’s a fold-out bonus bag on the way home). Hopefully there will come a time when you pare down to the essentials (and the essentials are, themselves, pared down by age_).
Ohmygosh, is that Easter grass in the birds’ nest?? I might die. Adorable. A bird is building a nest on our back deck and the kids are totally loving watching it unfold. I don’t know which iphone you have currently, but my 5c is almost too big to use one handed for me, so I can’t imagine how hard even the 6 might be. The 6 plus would definitely not be a one-hander!
Shake Shack 4-L
6. NOT 6 Plus. I can barrrrrrrrrrely type with one hand on the 6, and it’s a stretch for sure. Maybe I just have small hands?
And freezing the cupcakes – brilliant. My hero.
Hi Jessica,
I recently came across a very sweet quote for moms of little boys. I would love to forward it to you but can’t attach it here. Let me know if there is another address to send it to that will take attachments.
for me its the 6. the 6 plus is WAY to big. even the 6 is hard w one hand. and no matter how big it is i will still suck typing on anything other than a blackberry keypad. i have never froze cupcakes. well at least not frosted. maybe worth a try sometime ! birds nest is so cute. we had one once when i was a kid and watched it daily and the birds hatched on mothers day. it was sooo cute.
Hey!!! I recognize that creepy hand! ;) COME TO CHICAGO!!!!!!
Loved having brunch with you Freddie and Max! Please make that donut French toast so that Laura can use the recipe to make it for me :-D
Eddie!!! (Excuse my fat fingers…) Laura is dying laughing right now
bah! your husband has instagram and this is where you store aaaaall your adorable baby photos. YAS!
actually I’m curious about your thoughts! have you heard about this #babyrp thing (http://www.somethingdevineblog.com/2015/04/how-i-protect-my-family-on-instagram.html)… I’m curious to know your thoughts on it because I super appreciate your fun-ness and openness, but wondering what that looks like since Max came along? I only heard about it the other day and searched #babyrp and it creeped me the heck out
Those cupcakes look divine. And ShakeShack is my fav too. My husband likes 5 Guys. We play rock, paper, scissors to see who wins.
OMG Jessica that is a different bird egg than the other 2. There are some birds that will invade nests and lay their egg for the other bird to raise. Then when the invading baby bird hatches it usually pushes the other hatched birds out and takes all the food from the foster mother. Sad.
yes update! the spotted egg hatched today and i saw a baby bird in the nest. two hours later i looked and the baby bird was thrown on the porch, dead. i think the mama knew it wasn’t her bird and threw it out??
Thanks for the update! I’ve heard about this happening, but have never seen it. :O