All posts by R.C. Liley

I'm an ex-mutual fund accountant who left the cubicle world to be a stay-at-home dad to my beautiful little girl, Avery, who entered our life on 11/15/13. Also happily married to my wife, Kelley, for 7 years as of 8/17/14. Sorry ladies... :) Fitness and nutrition is of the upmost importance in our family and we strive to reflect this in our daily life. I always prepare our meals at home and only go out if it's a special occasion, and even then I tend to not get much. Food should be fun and a joy to eat, not something quickly consumed from a fast food chain or scarf down before the next meeting. I have come from strictly logging high miles to train for the next marathon to keeping exercise varied and focusing more on strength. I still enjoy going for a run when I can, but nothing crazy, and I prefer hill sprints while pushing my daughter, Avery in the stroller. She loves it and I get a great workout! I want to show the world how to appreciate their body and feed it real, wholesome food while moving more throughout the day. In doing so, everyone would be healthier, happier, and we'd all live in a better place as a result. I blog mainly about my life as a stay-at-home dad and frequently include reviews, participate in campaigns, and share my thoughts on fitness and nutrition. If you ever have any questions or thoughts to share, please reach out as I'm always open to listening or helping others however possible. That is, when I have free time since Avery is and my wife are the number one priorities!

Parenting

Sleeping on the Nursery Floor and Onya Outback Progress

03/25/2014 R.C. Liley 6 Comments

So, Monday was off to a great start with Avery firing up her vocals nice and early at midnight. For almost an hour, we laid in bed listening to her wavy whimpers and watching her do what looked like reverse crunches on the baby monitor. We decided I would feed her a bottle and let her fall back asleep so I could put her back in her crib. Well, at least it sounded like a good plan…

At first, Avery accepted the bottle, but after only a few minutes she would jerk her head away. This happened a numerous amount of times with crying in between. She was hungry, but not really taking to the bottle. Teething? Maybe. Baby? Yes.

I gave up on the bottle after a while and started trying to rock her to sleep. I used Kelley’s Boppy pillow to lay her across my lap and she was out fast. How Kelley gets the damn pillow from off of her waist to put Avery in the crib, I haven’t a clue. That thing just stuck on my waist like an inner tube!

After gently shaking my butt to get the Boppy off while holding Avery, I crept over to her crib and laid her down. Nope. Instant squirming and crying ensued. WTF!? I could’ve sneezed 5 times while holding her, but even a mouse fart seems to wake her up when not being held!

This same scenario, Boppy and all, occurred another 3 times over the course of an hour before I was ready to reach for some bourbon and ease myself to sleep. But, although I do like bourbon, I’m no alcoholic nor a bad parent, so I just laid on her blanket on the nursery floor.

Boppy's are good for more than just breast feeding! — Boppy’s are good for more than just breast feeding!

As I laid there, listening to our baby go in and out of high and low pitch crying, I felt I’d never get to sleep. Next thing I know, Kelley is waking me up at 5 in the morning and telling me to come to bed. Wow, I guess Avery’s cries were just melodic enough to put me to sleep!

Avery then woke up at 6 and I brought her to our room so Kelley could feed her. Luckily, she fell right back asleep and Kelley was kind enough to let us both sleep past our usual 7 a.m. wake-up time. Good times, but hope to never sleep on the nursery floor again.

Once her morning nap was over, it was time for a long walk in the nice weather. I buckled the Onya Baby Outback on and secured Avery in the front carry position. I used the chest clip again and I’m convinced I like it the most for ease of putting on. Plus, when crossing the straps, I don’t like how they just drag on the floor when unclipped.

Right before heading out and falling asleep

Not 10 minutes had passed with Avery in the Outback and she was out. Hmm, maybe someone didn’t get much sleep last night! It was a refreshing 4+ mile walk around the neighborhood lasting right at an hour and Avery slept the entire time.

And then she's out... — And then she’s out…

That was a first. Yeah, Avery went to sleep in the Baby Bjorn, but would never last long until waking up from my movement or a loud noise. I even wore her again to vacuum the house and she was out at the snap of my fingers. But I didn’t really snap my fingers, if you were wondering.

Total time in the Onya Outback for Monday = 1.5 hours. Avery slept this entire time and didn’t fuss either, so we’re making great progress! I am really loving our Onya and hope our second store trip on Tuesday goes over well!

Have you ever resorted to sleeping on the floor of your baby’s room?

Does or did your baby sleep soundly when being held and instantly wake up when you laid them down?

Parenting

“Catching Fire” with Tabata Inferno

03/24/2014 R.C. Liley 6 Comments

Sunday at our home was pleasantly uneventful this weekend, just how we like it. I only went outside to bring the trash and recycle bins to the curb and pick up dog poo. Yep, good times……

After a fairly restless night because of someone….

Me, he's talking about me... — Me, he’s talking about me…

….we had a slow start to the day which involved cooking a peanut butter protein teff porridge for Kelley and consuming several cups of coffee. Then, being the crazy people we are, we sat at the dining table and stared at our computers while Avery had a morning nap.

She hasn’t been having the best sleep in her new Zippy, and we’re thinking we tried to make the switch too fast. So we’ll do the swaddle again and make a slower transition. Although, it’s hard to not have her in the Zippy because she’s so freakin’ cute!

No, see, I'm wide awake! — No, see, I’m wide awake!

Once Avery woke up, we spent a little time with all three of us laying on the nursery floor. It started with Tummy Time for Avery, but then it ended with Back Time for Mom and Dad while holding Avery. I think she’s a manipulative baby!

As the day progressed, Kelley laid Avery down for another nap and we decided to finally start watching “Catching Fire” that we bought a few weeks ago. Choosing a movie is a huge commitment when you have a baby in the house, so it needs to be a good one!

We enjoyed the first part of this three part series, “The Hunger Games”, and have been looking forward to this second installment. After pausing several times to try and get Avery back to sleep and then just giving up and bringing her out to watch the movie, we finally finished.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d give it a “What the Crap?!” strictly because of the ending, or lack thereof. I get that this is a series, but at least giving us a little more would’ve been nice. As I said, this is a huge commitment! Other than the non-ending ending, it really was a good movie and I am ready for the third and final one to come out.

It was getting late and Avery’s bedtime was drawing near, but first we had a workout video to do. Kelley has been loosely following the Supreme 90 Day workout videos, and today was Tabata Inferno.

Tabata has become pretty popular in the fitness world and is a protocol of doing 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest for 8 rounds. So, it ends up being 4 minutes total. This video has you doing 7 different tabata routines with a 1 minute break in between. I consider myself to be in good shape, and this video will really make me sweat! Here’s a full list of what you do if you’re interested:

Avery hung out in her jumper next to me during the video and she was good up until the last part. I think was the part with burpees really confuses her; what do you think?

I'd rather do Tummy Time... — I’d rather do Tummy Time…

Immediately after the video, Kelley jumped in the shower while I made a smoothie and prepared dinner. But, before dinner, we had a very tired and fussy baby to bathe and put down for the night. It didn’t take long until Kelley had Avery in her crib and we wound down for the night. What a day!

I didn’t walk with Avery in the Onya on Saturday or Sunday, but I did wear her around the house both days. We went for a run in her stroller on Saturday, so that’s the only reason there was no walk. Total time for both days was about 40 minutes and I used the chest clip front carry each time. I think I’m warming up to the chest clip versus the cross straps for regular activities, and Avery is starting to enjoy it too!

Are you a fan of “The Hunger Games”?

Do you have any favorite workout videos?

Avery Talk, Parenting

Can a Baby Keep a Secret?

03/22/2014 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

Avery: Dad, why do you always have that thing in front of your face while making silly noises at me?

Me: I’m sorry, Avery, I didn’t know it bothered you so much. This thing is called a camera and it is used to take pictures of things. In my case, I love taking many pictures of you because you are just sooooo beautiful!

Avery: A camera, huh? How does it take pictures?

Me: Well, this is a DLSR camera and images it captures are saved to a memory card inside the camera. Here’s a quick description from the How It Works website:

“A DSLR (digital single-lens reﬂex) camera employs a mechanical mirror system that directs the light travelling through the attached lens upwards at a 90 degree angle allowing the photographer to compose the shot through the viewﬁnder. As the shutter button is pressed the exposure takes place: the mirror swings out of the way and the shutter opens allowing the lens to project the light on to the image sensor.”

Avery: I just pooped.

Me: Oh crap……ha ha, pun intended. Okay, bad joke, let me get you changed. How about that blue cloth diaper you seem to love so much in this picture?

Avery: Dad, you’re the one who likes that diaper so much. But sure, I’ll take it if it will make you happy.

Me: No, not really.

Avery: Oh…….

Me: Okay, all changed into a dry diaper! And about what I said, I was just kidding, you ALWAYS make me happy!

Avery: Really? Phew, I was getting a little sad. You and Mommy make me happy too. Except when you put me on my stomach…..I despise that.

Me: Yeah, Daddy just likes to joke around a lot. You may as well get used to it now because I’ll only get worse as you get older. But, you and I can work together to get mommy really good! Plus, Mommy is the one who always wants you on your tummy.

Avery: Hmmm, I don’t know if she’d like that. Oh, and I know it’s you always saying “It’s Tummy Time” right before bed when I’m already exhausted from crying and sitting in my chair. So don’t blame Mommy you meany. Are you sure it’s not bad for us to play jokes on Mom?

Me: Of course not! It’s all for fun and games and mommy loves games! But, you have to promise not to tell her when we have something planned. Can you keep a secret?

Avery: I won’t say a word.

Me: Okay, good, thank you. Also, there will be times when you do something for the first time while mommy is working, but we have to keep those a secret too. So, when mommy is home and you do that thing again, we will act like it’s the first time. Then, everyone is happy, okay?

Avery: Mmmmm, I don’t know. What’s in it for me?

Me: Well, maybe I’ll do less Tummy Time when you are already extremely tired.

Avery: Seriously, that’s all you have to offer? Weak.

Me: Okay, okay, I know that’s a lot of secrets…… How about Mommy and I extend bath time and I won’t wrap you in a swaddle where your arms can’t move anymore?

Avery: Yes, that is a lot of secrets, but okay, my lips are covered. Literally, see?

Me: Ha ha, I like your sense of humor. I wonder where you get that from? At least secrets aren’t lies though; lies are bad and we don’t tell lies in this house.

Avery: Yeah, no lies, not telling those to Mommy.