Two Months of Ben!
As all sleep-deprived moms of a newborn say … I cannot believe how fast it's going. Ben turned two months old the day after we arrived home from Nashville and we had his two-month checkup (complete with shots) the next day. The checkup revealed that he is a *very* healthy 12 lbs, 10 oz and 23 inches long. 71st percentile for weight, 43 for height. A lunker! We can't remember Tabby ever cracking 20th for either. It will be interesting to see where he's at in another two months.
What the stats don't reveal is what a charming little guy or Ben is. He is quite mellow and rarely raises a stink unless he is wet or hungry. He smiles and coos and “talks” to us frequently and we are enjoying his more frequent periods of activity as well as the relatively long periods of sleep he enjoys at night. He is pretty stable in his core and can sit in the bumbo and hold up his head. He also loves to be held in a standing position and pushing up against the floor or our laps. He also loves the fan. He lies on his back and watches the ceiling fan, cooing and kicking his legs and waving his arms. Too cute.
It has been a battle, but he is still getting mostly breastmilk (mostly pumped) for eats. He has breastmilk all day and then we feed him formula for his one or two night feedings. He nurses here and there … lazily, still. He falls asleep and now has taken to grinning at me cheekily while he nurses as well which is hard not to find cute even as it exasperates me.
He is a huge hit with his big sister. She loves to give him kisses and delights in his smiles as much as we do. I am so excited to see them play together in the not too distant future.
Nashville
Gah! Can't believe how bad I've been with blogging lately. We got back from Nashville LATE on Tuesday. We had a nice trip, but it ended with a LOOONG trip home. Thanks to some thunderstorms that decided to camp out over DIA, we got to circle around SE Colorado for a while and then divert to Colorado Springs for a while to refuel and then sit on the tarmac for a while and cool our heels. The kids both had minor meltdown moments, but rallied nicely and we were sooo proud of them both. We all had big smiles when we finally got to Denver.
The trip was fun, but very exhausting. Traveling with a newborn always is, but throw in a two-year-old and WOW. I have not felt exhaustion like that in a long time, and I don't get a lot of sleep. Hehe. The gear management alone was overwhelming. I have no idea what we would have done without Matt's brother, Andrew, who traveled with us, helped us schlep gear, entertain the kids and provided extra hands. Still, 10 minutes to get through security (the actual screening bit), and that's not an exaggeration. The other exhausting bit was the Nashville heat. We apparently hit a heatwave and had temps nearing 100 plus all the humidity. Holy sweat! But it was a great visit. Matt and I enjoyed spending time with the family and our friends from Vandy. We also got to visit the Artisan Festival where I got a great necklace from Bijou Graphique (won't be my last piece from them, I have a feeling!) and Tabby came home with a tie dye dress and a cute doggy clock (which she picked out).
Tabby undoubtedly enjoyed her Nashville family, but in her two-year-old mind, the highlights of the trip were our visit to the aquarium and swimming in her grandparents' pool. That's all she'll tell you about if you ask … and the airplane. She was a big fan.
I was pretty lousy about photos … but I got some pretty good ones at the aquarium and a couple others here and there. I think we were all just too busy enjoying ourselves and trying to stay cool to be worried about the camera too much.
We hit the ground running once we got home … and I have lots to tell, but that is for another day!!
Off to Music City
How long has it been since I checked in? A week? Yikes. Things are going well. I had a great time with the Geeks Who Drink who hosted a trivia night at a local pub on Thursday. We went shopping with my mom on Friday. We went to the farmer's market over the weekend and hung out with our good friends. We saw my family. We took Tabby to see Up (awesome!).
We also made a couple of trips to the hospital to see my grandma, Tabby & Ben's GiGi (Great Grandma). She has been sick with pneumonia-like symptoms for a long time and she was admitted to run some more extensive tests and after almost a week there, it looks like she is on the mend … fingers crossed.
Otherwise, this week has been mostly about getting ready for our trip to go see friends and family in Nashville. It should be a lot of fun, but man … it is a lot of work. It is crazy how much more work another one makes in this whole scheme. Just the number of carry-ons alone makes me sweat: breast pump, camera bag, diaper bag, laptop, snacks and activities for Tabby plus TWO carseats. I think we're going to be extremely happy to see Nashville.
Ben is quite different from when our Nashville Family saw him. He is smiling, gurgling and very alert and cute. I predict he will be a hit. We will be getting together with the extended family and our friends from Vandy and a trip to the aquarium in Chattanooga (and maybe the Choo Choo) is planned.
Now I will just hope for a very smooth trip out there!
Stuff I Like
The whole baby thing has left me a bit … flabby. It's interesting because whereas I seemed to gain all over with Tabby, with Ben I seemed to have gained everything in a single spot. My tummy. Sucky. Double sucky that the tummy chub was making it hard to run … a key ingredient to getting rid of the tummy chub. So I got a little help. They work like a charm and now I can run again … granted only in like 5 minute increments, but still … I can run again. Yay!
I also picked up a copy of EA Active while we were at Costco last weekend. I've had my Wii Fit for a while now and while it's fun, I don't think it's much of a workout. It could be… but it's set up kind of poorly. I didn't have high expectations for EA Active (I figured I could always return it – Costco is good about that) … but it is great! You use only the Wii remote and the nunchuck and it comes with a resistance band. You can use the balance board with it if you like. It takes you through the paces of lunges, squats, etc. and incorporates running, sports drills and dancing. And it is fun! Whereas Wii Fit made you return to the menu to select a new exercise, EA Active comes with MANY routines and allows you to setup your own. Very fun and interesting … and it makes you sweat.
But of course the workout portion is only a part of the equation. I am also watching what I eat. After my workouts, I love to have one of my vanilla shakes. But of course woman cannot live by virgin drinks alone. All the time I was pregnant, I wanted a margarita. So now I can have one … except that one can have upwards of 500 calories which is hard to work into a healthy day of eating unless it's melba toast the rest of the day. So I tried out a low-cal alternative from Hungry Girl and I loved it! Very very close to the real deal. I'd be interested to try it in a blind taste-test. Continue reading “Stuff I Like”
My World
It is interesting being a “stay at home mom.” I am no longer a novelty to Tabby … I am a broken record. Daddy, working at home all day just out of her reach, is forbidden fruit. He is to be preferred in all circumstances. “No, want my daddy do it!!” is the constant refrain. Not that I can complain much, especially when there's an especially lovely diaper to change. Nap time is a daily battle … mostly I do not give in and mostly she does have a nap. But there are exceptions (like today) … followed by early bedtime.
Most days we try to get out of the house for at least a while. The library … or a walk around the neighborhood. I have tackled grocery shopping with the pair twice now … it isn't easy, but it is doable. Long rounds of errands aren't too easy though and really wear me out.
Ben is getting so much more baby-like every day. He holds his head up pretty consistently (can use the Bumbo pretty well) and is more alert and interested in this or that. His smiles are still rare, but very sweet. He loves to be cuddled. He remains the very hungry caterpillar and I am pressing on with the pumping/nursing routine for as long as I can hold out. He has definitely grown though, and now weighs around 10.5 lbs. He has grown out of most of his newborn clothes and is filling the 0-3s and some 3-6s very nicely.
I have my 6 week OB checkup tomorrow and I am excited to be cleared for normal activity … though I have already tried running and I currently suck at it. I know it will improve, but I must admit to being a bit bummed. I have no idea what I thought would be going on six week into this “mom of two” gig, but I am pretty happy with the status quo.
The Goings On
Sitting down to write a blog post is practically impossible right now. Currently, Ben is in his swing, happy enough for the minute and Tabby is rotting her brain watching Dora the Explorer. Mom of the Year right here!
We've been doing lots of this and that. Friday I took Tabby to a Little Gym class. She really enjoyed it and listened very well but I am having a hard time wrapping my brain around $14/class and besides that, the only class for her age group is on Friday … which is hard when you want to go away for the weekend, etc. But I may decide to sign her up anyhow.
Saturday we visited the Longmont Farmer's Market … quite a trek for a farmer's market, but it was the best one I've been to in CO. I bought lemon mint white chocolate bread which was soooo good. Then we spent the rest of the day prepping a picnic …. because on Sunday we celebrated my mom's birthday with a picnic at the zoo. We made quiche and salad and hummingbird cupcakes and set up everything all pretty with the picnic set Matt and I got when we were married (we have now used it twice, I think). It all turned out very well, I'm happy to say.
Monday we went to storytime at our library. Tabby loved it, especially the singing and the other kids. After that we got her hair cut again … can't believe it's been 2 months already! And I took the kids to the grocery store.
It has been raining a lot and we haven't been able to go to our pool yet. In fact we stayed at home most of yesterday since it was so rainy. More of that today. Plus our house is getting appraised since we are refinancing (finally something good from the crappy economy).
The kids are doing well. Ben is looking so big and holding his head up so well … and we're even getting the occasional smile. Tabby is still a bit jealous of Ben I can tell, but she is very sweet with him anyhow and mostly just gives Matt and I fits with bedtime and in some other ways. It's been an adjustment from her routine. I think she'll like going to her sitter's once a week when I start working again once a week soon. Matt and I have been watching Burn Notice on DVD which is sooo hilarious and he is finally over his cold and enjoying life a bit more. So all good.