Category: Misc

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!!

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”

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.

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.

We have been working like mad on the outside of our house. It's the part of our house we did not get ready before Ben was born and stupidly, it's the only part of our house the HOA can fine us for if it isn't up to their standards. So we've been weeding. We've been pruning. We've been tilling. We've been mowing. We've been planting. We've been watering. We've been mending (pipes). We've been buying. Lots of this has been left to Matt … earlier this month bending over or squatting was pretty much out of the question … but I am becoming more and more useful.

Out front, we cleaned things up, beat back our mint (the teeny tiny almost dead mint plant we stuck in the ground 3 years ago), weeded out the flower beds and planted them with a variety of bedding plants up front and a back border of … STRAWBERRIES. They're pretty AND useful. We just harvested our first berries today and they are DELICIOUS. Mmmm….

In the back it's been more of the same, but not quite as rough. Our raised beds, only a year old, were in much better shape. We got them all ready and planted one side with tomatoes and the other side with two zucchini …. and nothing else. We're waiting for divine inspiration on what else to put there, I guess. We've discussed a lot of things, but nothing has happened yet.

After our herbs got eclipsed by our other plants last year, we decided to move them into tiered self-watering planters which look cool and will hopefully serve their purpose well. We also replaced the wooden table that we got just after we moved in (and Loki subsequently CHEWED) with the one you see here. It was a pain in the butt to get and assemble, but we're happy with the results.

And we've been making good use of our newly revived outdoor space. Last week Tabby and Ben and I took our activities outside and this past Friday we fired up the fire pit and did our first marshmallow roast. Soon, the projector and outdoor movies will be back as well. I ♥ summer!

Guess blogging is down to a weekly thing for me, eh? That doesn't mean that things are going badly. After seeing the lactation consultant last week, I gave myself permission to relax a bit. I am still mostly on the manic schedule, but I am a bit more relaxed about it. He is still getting about 80% breastmilk, some directly from the source, some pumped. He still isn't a great nurser and I'm not sure he ever will be. Ben will get as much breastmilk as I can give him and still retain my sanity. Honestly … the schedule hasn't changed that much … but I am giving myself permission to cut out on it here and there so that I can get back to enjoying my family.

So in this spirit, we got out a bit last week. We made it to the library. We took a couple of walks. And Friday, when Matt had the day off, we went to the zoo. It was nice being out in the beautiful weather. It was nice being a family of four. We saw lots of baby animals and had a picnic lunch.

The rest of the weekend has been busy as well. My cousins' graduation party on Friday night. Saturday finishing work on the backyard. Saturday night we had dinner with my parents. Today my parents watched the kiddos and we attempted to have a fun few hours to ourselves. The problem is that Matt has been fighting some sort of bug and about halfway through our planned adventure (lunch and a movie), he felt too rocky to continue, so we ended up at home watching episodes of Nip/Tuck while it poured buckets outside. The kids did awesome at my parents' house and we got some rest.

Who knows what tomorrow holds. Just hoping my hubby will feel more like himself.

Tabby's thought of the day: “[Chicken]Nuggets are my favorite food in the whole world.”
Also, my baby is a MONTH OLD today. He's lovely.

Where have I been? There are two possible answers: 1. nursing, 2. pumping. Things seemed to be going OK with nursing. Then we went back to the lactation consultant last Tuesday for a weight check. Ben had not gained enough … around 2 oz in 6 days. He should have gained between 4 and 6 oz. So It was determined that I am not producing enough. This is likely due to the busy schedule on mother's day weekend and my son's somewhat lazy nursing habits (he falls asleep VERY easily). So it was prescribed to me to engage in “active nursing” with him every 2 hours and follow that up with pumping for 10 minutes. So for the first 20 minutes of every 2 hours, I nurse him … waking, burping and cajoling him into doing his job. Then I pump for 10 minutes after that. He is supplemented with the pumped milk and now eventually we've moved into formula territory. The good news is that he gained weight like a champ, 4.5 oz in 3 days. The bad news is that not including bottle feeding time and the washing of pump pieces I am spending 1/4 of my waking hours on the whole nursing thing. And it is EXHAUSTING.

The worst part is that it doesn't even seem to be doing a lot for my supply. I don't think it's getting worse, but it doesn't seem to be getting better either. And part of that is my lack of dedication. I do pretty well about 80% of the time, but I have not been able to give up running errands or occasionally going out to dinner or ENJOYING MYSELF and so I get lax and then it's really hard to get back on schedule. Not to mention the needs of my kids … sure Ben gets attention while I'm nursing/bottle feeding him, but no one gets attention while I'm pumping and washing pieces and I feel horrible telling Tabby (for the 100th time), “not right now, sweetie, mommy's busy …” Tomorrow I meet with the lactation consultant again. I am happy to work on this a bit more and keep trying to get my supply up, but I cannot be tied to this schedule for a whole lot longer … I have 4 months off to enjoy with my kiddos. The key word there is ENJOY.

Aside from the nursing issues, things are good if a bit hectic (what is it about this time of year???). Ben is looking less like a newborn and more like an infant, much to my chagrin. Tabby is such a little girl these days it almost breaks my heart. She carries on elaborate pretend scenarios and sings about 20 different songs (with varying degrees of completeness/accuracy) and cracks me up daily with the funny things she says. Really, even in 2 hour increments, life is good.

We had a couple of good days there, but things got nuts! Matt's family came to town since matt's brother graduated from CU on Friday. We also crammed 2 birthdays (Matt and his brother's – same day, 4 years apart) and Mothers' Day in there too. A maarathon of meals out, activities and way too little time spent at home and by Sunday, I was exhausted. Having everyone completely off their schedule did nothing to help matters and neither did the plugged milk duct I woke up with on Sunday morning (I think this is gone – fingers crossed) that had me in agony.

Tabby loved getting to see some more of her relatives and warmed up to everyone pretty quickly. She absolutely ate up all of the attention and snuggles and doting. I think she was in for a bit of a rude awakening today when she had only my attention, split with Ben and the phone and the housework.

Today's objective was to get us all back on a bit of a better schedule. We were somewhat successful with that, but it was a hell of a day. Tabby was whiny and clingy and not much interested in minding me. It has been challenging, but we made it and I am hoping that little guy will give us an easier night tonight. Fingers crossed.