Man Down!

I had a great time drinking tasty beverages out this week at Flight 1551 on Wells with these lovely ladies....


Unfortunately, after three glasses of wine, I stepped off a curb onto a slight uneven piece of pavement and went down with a twisted ankle. Bummer:( I had had a good run/walk on Wednesday with the jogging stroller (jogging stroller + baby + dog + high winds = MAJOR WORKOUT) and was looking forward to more Thursday but decided to be smart (hard for me). I had really been looking forward to going back to the gym on Thursday night (my membership came off of hold March 1) for Group Groove. BOO!

Onwards and upwards!

South Carolina, February 2012

This blog started as a travel blog. I used to write "daily email updates" when I traveled (this was before blogs) and people loved them. I always said, it is not about what happened, it is about the story you tell. It was a fun thing to find an internet cafe at the end of the day and type up what happened while drinking a tasty beverage....This blog started as a way to keep all of my travel memories in one place. Never thought I would be posting about marriage and motherhood! Times change.

I headed to Mt. Pleasant to hang with the parents this past week. I was originally invited to Soliman Bay in Mexico but decided that I was not up for taking my first trip with Henry (solo) out of the country. I also did not have enough frequent fliyer miles to get me down there ( I did not book soon enough). Luckily, I found a $200 round trip ticket on Southwest (LOVE) and $9 a day parking at MIdway. How could I turn it down? Especially since I am still on *Maternity Leave*? iroll - sometimes I wish I worked for the school district still so I could have had an actual maternity leave. oh well!

The trip was a total success! Henry was a champ. I allowed plenty of time and made sure he was hungry so he was ready to eat through take off and landing. On the way down he slept through takeoff and landing and was awake and happy the entire flight. He started fussing as soon as we turned into my parents driveway.

Coming home, he ate through takeoff and landing and napped on and off through the flight. Getting up at 4:00am was brutal (but worth it for the cheap flight.) I was also lucky that people were more than happy to help me with my luggage on the plane and Southwest made my life easy with curbside checkin. The flights were not totally full so I had an extra seat next to me both ways. It was really pretty easy! Let's hope Henry was not luring me in for the kill. Phoenix next month is looming....


I did not do much other than (try to) get a lot of sleep, do "two a day" run/walks around the 2.4 mile loop my parents live on, and hang out. My Mom and I saw The Artist and The Decendants. My Dad and I went downtown one day to drop off quilts at the quilt show and eat BBQ (yum). I also visited Belk for more "free clothes". Belk in SC is a season ahead of Chicago so I love to go and shop the clearance racks. Five tops for $50 and a pair of Born boots for $35. Woot! I need some help to hide the muffin top:(

My Mom hosted a "sip n see" for Henry to meet some of the ladies my Mom hangs out with and who have known me for years. It was great success and Henry was a champ being held by lots of strangers. He totally conked out by the end of the party though...


My parents were amazing and I did not want to come home. It was SO nice to have 24/7 help with Henry so I could go for a run, take a shower, try to sleep another hour at 5:00am (my mom is an early riser). My goal is to keep going to bed early so the midnight feedings don't kill me. Henry is sleeping for up to 7 hours at a stretch, but he goes down at 7:00pm so he is up at 3:00am! boooooo If only I could keep him up and start the 7 hours at 10!:)

Passport

Henry and I were invited to Mexico later this month back in January. After much soul searching, I decided not to go and am headed to South Carolina instead to see my parents and get some sun. I found a GREAT flight on Southwest so it was a no brainer that Henry and I head there.

Just the thought of going to Mexico had me thinking and we applied for a passport for Henry. At that point, Henry was 3 weeks old. I followed the instructions on the Department of State website and took the following photo:

It was rejected:(. They did not like the folds in the fabric (although the website said you could put them in a car seat to take the picture). Putting him on the floor and trying to have him "look at the camera with his eyes open" was NOT happening. Not enough head control.

I have since been trying to take a better photo and will head to CVS tomorrow in an attempt to get an acceptable photo. I want to use this one....

but am afraid they will not like the face (although I think it is adorable). I'm also worried about the shadow.

I also have this one:

but I am still worried about the shadow. How do I not have a shadow, looking down on him using a flash?

grrrrr


PS - I can't believe that I never posted this! They accepted my photo (the last one pictured) and Henry is ready to go! I guess it is a good think the picture was rejected, I realized that his middle name was misspelled on their records so I was able to correct that before the passport was printed.

Now we are ready to head to Prague this summer! (I wish!)

Workouts/Eating 2/6-2/12

Last Saturday (2/4) Allan and I were talking. We both felt like we needed to get "back on track" with our eating and working out. I could tell that I was slowly gaining some weight, and was really focused on my squishy belly/muffin top. While I don't feel like I am ready for Weight Watchers or anything formal, it was time to be a little more focused.

Weekly goals (starting Monday).
1. Write down everything you eat
2. Work out at least 3 times

My unofficial additional goals were to eat *real food* and only eat when hungry.

Workouts:
Tuesday 2/7 - ran/walked 2.8 miles
Wednesday 2/8 - ran/walked 2.7 miles
Saturday 2/11 - pilates ( I held my first *real* plank post baby and realized how weak I am).
Sunday 2/12 - crossfit interval class - 35 minutes to complete jello body!

It has been good to write everything down, which I did without cheating. I got on the scale Tuesday and saw that I had been gaining (I had not been on the scale in a month) so was glad that I was stopping the slide. Every morning I woke up hungry. I had a little meltdown Thursday when I saw that I had only lost .4 lbs in 2 days (I know, total eye roll). In response, I over ate and made poor choices. I am glad that I got back on track quickly.

baby steps.....

8 Weeks

Henry turned 8 weeks old on Wednesday. He is growing like a weed and eats like a beast. I am seeing more smiles and love it when he "holds on" while I am carrying him. More and more of a personality is coming out, I live for his smiles - which are not as frequent as I would like.

Allan and I have been working on a consistent bedtime and bedtime routine. At this point, we are trying to start the routine between 7 and 8 at night and it consists of: bath, lotion rubdown/massage, food. He usually crashes pretty hard and sleeps for about 5-6 hours. I am trying to decide if I want to start waking him up at 11 or 12 for a *snack* in an attempt to get a little more sustained sleep but have not tried it yet. It is clear that the more he sleeps, the better he sleeps. On Wednesday, he did not sleep well during the day and we had the worst night since he came home, he was up every 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Thank God I got him back on track and he slept better on Thursday.



Henry continues to eat A LOT. I am taking fenugreek to try to boost my milk production but there is no way I am making enough so we are still also giving him formula. Honestly, I am glad given that he is a slow nurser and I HATE pumping (although I am getting a little more mellow on the pumping). In the last few days, Henry is starting to *urp* up MUCH more than he ever did. I am trying to make sure we are diligent about burping him, which does help. He has started burping like a sailor (LOUD) which makes me laugh.

I can see his vision really improving and he is much more content to lie on his playmat or sit in his bouncy seat and bat at the toys. I am going to try to upload a video...

Friday Workout

I feel like I was in my car for hours today and was not motivated to get out....

6:30-7:00pm
31 minutes
2.3 miles
294 calories

I am noticing my jelly belly/muffin top more and more. I know it is totally normal at this point, but I want it to be gone!:)

Thursday Fun

Today was the day I have been waiting for for weeks....MANI/PEDI! My toes were in sad and sorry shape and needed a little TLC. Amy and I went together and she was nice enough to hold Henry for me while I was getting my nails done. Henry did his best to charm everyone in the salon and I don't think there would have been any shortage of ams willing to cuddle him:)


Amy also came to the rescue tonight and babysat Henry while I went to my first Crossfit class. I bought a Gilt City voucher for five classes. It was fun and exhausting. I am going to be interested to see if I can walk tomorrow. 65minutes, 601 calories burned. It feels good to be moving and working hard again!

Six Weeks

Yesterday, Henry was six weeks! I can't belive how fast the time is going by. We saw the Dr for our one month appointment yesterday. I was supposed to bring him in last week, but pushed it a week since I had my OB visit as well and though I could kill two birds with one stone. Good news on all fronts!

Henry weighs 10lbs 6oz and is in the 50% for weight. His head circumference and length were in the 60% percentile. The Dr. commented on how alert he was and how cute he is. I can't help but agree! I also got a good report from my OB, am cleared to exercise and don't have to go back for six weeks. A mammogram is in my future this year since I am going to be 40.

This week, Henry is even more alert and I can tell his vision is improving. He is starting to be happy in his bouncy chair and on the play mat batting at toys. He can clearly see them:) I am also starting to see smiles, which completely melt my heart....

Sunday Wrap Up

The good news is that I still feel good following my "bottom" on Wednesday morning. I did almost 3 miles outside yesterday and walked 1.4 today. I wanted to run today but the body said "no", yesterday might have been a stretch.. Spotting more today so I will take a day off tomorrow (*ha* taking a day off from walking....).

Our big fun on Saturday was a new TV (now referred to as "Allan's Girlfriend"), a trip to Pita Inn (yum), and watching The Hangover. Yes, it was as funny as people told me it would be.....

Unfortunately, we scraped our party on Friday night because of the snow:(

Today Allan and I remembered why brick and mortar stores are going out of business. We went to Barnes and Noble for some Nook support for me and for Allan to use some gift cards. He found the book he wanted, but it was $20 more than the online B&N price (and they would not match it in store). We then went to Best Buy (more GC's) for a heart rate monitor and again struck out. They were in stock at the last BB we were at, but not this one. grrrr

Horray! I got a massage today! It was fabulous and I can't wait to go back

Yipee! A fabulous looking casserole was just dropped off and is now in the oven.

Hiyooo! Allan took Henry when he woke up early this morning and I slept till 9:30am!

Woop - I bought two new nursing bras that FIT! (AND she told me to drink beer to increase my milk supply:)

I've got lots of good things to look forward to this week!

5 weeks - or when I hit the wall....

I've been wanting to do a post about all the things people (and books) told me that would (or would not happen) and how, for me and this pregnancy, it was just not true. The most recent has been hitting the wall between 4 and 5 weeks. Everyone told me that the first 2-3 weeks would be the hardest. Well, not for me.

I am not sure what happened this week. I know that the weather changed and I have not been able to get out for a walk every day. Allan gets home after dark and the snow and ice have also kept me indoors. My gym membership is on hold till March but I am going to reactivate in February after I see my Dr next week and get an all clear. I did go out an run 2 miles in 10 degree weather on Thursday night - it was the best part of my day. Clearly I NEED the physical exertion to maintain my sanity.

Let's review all the things "people say":
1. Morning sickness will be gone by 12 weeks, 20 at the latest. Um, nope, I continued to be sick my entire pregnancy - even with Zofran helping, I was nauseous for 10 months solid. I threw up my entire labor.

2. You will gain a ton of weight, it will take 9 months to get it off. Again, nope - I topped out at 23lbs and FOUGHT for every one. I was below my pre-pregnancy (PP) weight at 10 days post baby and have since leveled off right around where I was PP. I need to firm up and do want to lose the 10-15lbs that I wanted to lose before I got pregnant (to be fabulous at 40), but that is another story.

3. First time Mom's have slow labor and you will push for 2-3 hours. Try 12 minutes and a resident telling me "not to push" while they tried to get the room set up in time.

4. It will take you a while to bounce back after having the baby. I felt better 2 weeks post baby than I had for pretty much the entire pregnancy. So much for the idea of "Irish twins". Mentally, I can't handle the thought of getting pregnant again. I don't want to wait very long since 40 is looming in June. Even hitting the wall this week, it is better than being pregnant.

5. Babies poop up to 6 times a day. Only ONE day so far have we had more than one poop in a day. Usually it is more like every 24-36 hours (which is supposed to be fine). Thank you lactation consultant for completely stressing me out over this one.

I am listing out the above only because I need to keep reminding myself to not believe any of the the things that *they say*. It just gets my hopes up for the crash. The two that are looming right now are:

1. Babies *peak* in fussiness at 6 weeks. Henry is definitely getting more fussy and I was telling myself that I could deal with it since the *peak* is coming. Then I thought, why should ANYTHING follow conventional wisdom.....fingers crossed that this one does.

2. Every pregnancy is different. See above #4 and the "Irish Twins - I am old" debate. I don't want to wait too long to try again and am actually ready to get the "all clear" from the Dr. next week (again, I feel better now than for most of my pregnancy). I am just terrified that I won't get pregnant again and also terrified of what could happen if I do? What if the next pregnancy is WORSE! gah!

Sleep deprivation is an ugly thing. I am getting enough sleep that I feel like I should be ok, but it really smacked me down this week. I fell down the stairs (more than once), get really emotional (my anxiety over things like dishes in the sink is brutal), have parked the car and walked away with it running, and I drop EVERYTHING (except the baby, Thank God). I was supposed to go for a late lunch today with a friend but am going to cancel. I don't have the motor skills to drive in the snow right now. I noticed not being able to focus well yesterday while driving in good conditions. I need to not take chances.
Even River is exhausted....


Wednesday I woke up with what I now think was a migraine (I got sick, light hurt my eyes, I literally could not get out of bed and had to let Henry cry for 30 minutes while I waited for Advil + Tylenol to kick in). It was scary. I could have called a neighbor, but I was literally not functioning well enough to think! Also this week, I felt like I might be starting with Postpartum Depression. I am TERRIFIED of this given my family history of PPD and SAD and my own history of depression (and self diagnosed anxiety issues). Thank God I woke up on Thursday feeling better. Today I also feel OK, even with MORE wake up calls last night. One more reason I NEED to get to the gym.

Here is the good news:
1. I still think Henry is the cutest thing around, he is healthy and growing. I think I started seeing a smile this week (it was intentional and repeated 2-3 times). I am hoping to see it more, even though it makes me cry. He bats at his toys and is awake and alert more of the day.

2. I am feeling good physically. I fit into my clothes (even with muffin top). With my sister in town over the weekend, I had my hair cut and reblonded. It made a huge difference in how I feel about myself.

3. I have amazing friends. PEO did a food drive on Sunday which literally SAVED me. Someone came over yesterday with two bags of food from Whole Foods and a baby present. More food is coming on Sunday. I love to cook, but this week pulled the rug out from under me and having meals in the fridge and freezer saved me.

4. I have amazing family who will drop everything and fly out if I say I need them.

5. Allan is an amazing man who I love and trust my my whole heart. I love how we are still trying to take care of each other.

6. Spring break trip to Phoenix/Sedona is booked (using points)! Just working on details now.

7. Hospital bills started coming (yikes - 4 days in NICU!). I am thankful that we can pay them (even though I will still stress about money).

8. I found a babysitter who will work for this spring till Allan is off for the summer. I am ready to start going back to work part time in Feb. Things are BUSY at the office:)

This week I want to focus on working Henry's sleeping schedule (within reason), taking more pictures, and writing down thoughts at least every other day.

My current obsession is trying to decide if I should go to Mexico (with Henry) in late Feb. I can mostly use miles to fly and have a free place to stay. Henry's passport has been applied for, the pediatrician gave the all clear. Why am I hesitating?