looking ahead

Another mundane week in my fitness department.  Just some walking.  But six days worth of walking isn't too shabby when occasionally you feel like an elephant.  On a particularly grumpy day I wanted to run SO badly, so I attempted to throw in a couple jogging intervals.  Hahaha... it wasn't miserable, but it felt pretty weird.  And I think I looked a little ridiculous too.  Not to mention I think it stresses some of the people out at the gym to see a very pregnant girl trying to run.  What do you think would happen if my water broke on the treadmill?  That would be, um, interesting.

As I near the end of my pregnancy, I'm starting to really look forward to getting my body back and getting back into running.  Obviously I have no idea how it will really go, or how soon I'll be able to do this or that, but I'm trying to formulate some sort of a plan.  My fingers are crossed that my delivery goes as smoothly as it did with Ryann.  Her 9th percentile head did minimal damage, and honestly after a few days I felt pretty normal.  Of course my body was still healing, and yes, I'll have to give myself more than a few days, but I'm hoping that having a plan will encourage me to get moving as soon as it is acceptable.

I plan on talking to my OB, and seeing what her recommendations are on exercise after birth.  Again, much if it will relate to how the delivery goes, but if she is willing I'm hoping I can schedule my post partum visit for the 4-5 week mark, and maybe get the ok to start the C25K program.  I'm banking on hopefully being able to start doing some walking (nothing too strenuous of course!) around the 2 week mark, and then the first couple of weeks of the C25K don't involve too much running.

I know it will take me a bit to get back to where I was speed wise.  I have no idea how nursing will affect running should it work out.  I have no clue how sleep deprivation will play a role.  But I figure having a plan in the back of my mind will be motivating.  The Mother's Day Run that I have participated in the last two years (here and here) is May 12th.  Since it was my first 5k and then my fastest 5k, I figured it would be a great one to plan as my first post baby race.  What a great way to celebrate getting in shape after the birth of my second babe, right?  I think so.  Fingers crossed it works out for me.

I'm planning to pause (there has got to be a better word for that) my gym membership starting in February, until probably June 1st.  So I'm going to have to figure out scheduling all on my own for a bit.  Should be interesting!  I'd love to hear from other mamas.  How soon did you get back into working out?  Does nursing affect exercise?  When the heck do you work out?  Any other tips for me?  Share your wealth of knowledge!

 

Link up your health and fitness related posts below!

week in iphone pics

When I got really in to instagram, and got kind of lazy (and pregnant) I stopped posting my phone pictures to the blog.  I feel silly posting them, because I know several of you have already seen them on instagram.  But at the same time, I decided I liked the little weekly recap being posted here.  You know, for memory's sake if I ever get around to getting blog books printed.  So I'm going to try and make myself put together a post weekly.  Which leads me to our week...

Ryann and I are quite the combo sometimes.  I was freezing, she was pantless.  Figures.  Snuggle and story time with daddy.  A beautiful sunset over my happy place.  Second day flat iron curls.  Freshly cleaned and organized bathroom shelves (nesting!).  Snoogle thief #1.  Snoogle thief #2.  Always coloring.  Creepy cat.  thirty-five weeks.  Post long nap grogginess.  Fun at Monkey Bizness.  Fro-yo date with the bestie.  My husband is awesome.  Beautiful weather = a bike ride and a park trip.

And something I wanted to note about this week... Thursday was a really tough day on the parenting front.  We were late getting out the door, Ryann was being a punk, the usual.  After the gym we packed up and headed to gymnastics, which had gone exceptionally well the previous two weeks.  This week?  Not so much.  Ryann was not listening to her teacher, AT ALL.  And climbing on top of things that probably weren't safe for her to be climbing on and such.  She got sent out of class once and was told to come back when she was ready to listen.  We had a little talk.  She went back in.  And still didn't listen.  So I went in, pulled her out of class, and dragged her out of the building screaming and crying.

It was so hard, but I know it wasn't fair to the other teachers or kids to have her in there distracting them (for the record, she wasn't the only kid who had to leave class that day.  one of those days I guess).  Her sobs were heartbreaking, I was trying not to cry along with her as she pleaded with me, "I promise I'll listen.  Please mommy.  PLEASE MOMMY.  Please don't take me home.  I love gymnastics.  I'll listen.  I will.  PLEASE!"  She was pretty upset until naptime.  I hated making her cry, but I know at some point I have to enforce some consequences.  Yes she is only two (well almost three), but she has the capacity to listen to directions and follow rules.

I'm hoping next week goes better.  Because when she pays attention and really tries, she is great at the little skills.  And she loves it.  Yes, I think they are expecting a bit much out of some toddlers as far as the ability to concentrate, and part of me wants to check out another place to see how they structure their toddler class.  But still...  Tough stuff.

thirty-five weeks

written January 17th

Dear hormones.  You suck.  You are making me a crazy person.  That is all. 

how far along:  35 weeks (compare to 35 weeks with Ryann)

size of baby:  according to the bump a coconut, between 17.2-18.7 inches long and weighing somewhere between 4.2-5.8 pounds.  Little Miss should have her hearing all developed by now.  And if you're curious?  My uterus is apparently 1000 times its original size.  That is just messed up.

weight gain:  20 pounds.  Yikes, 1.4 pounds gained in the last week.  I should be able to stay under the 25 pounds mark if someone could please oh please help make the Girl Scout cookies disappear from my cabinet, and tell my husband not to bring me home anymore cheesecake :o).

maternity clothes:  Yes.  And even though I barely have a month left to go, I ended up getting a few new tops, because I needed more tunic length ones to cover my bum.  Seeing as I nearly refuse to wear jeans anymore.  The tops I got are from Shade Clothing, and it only set me back $35 for the three I picked out, so not too shabby.

symptoms:  Some braxton hicks here and there.  Not too many.  And just being freaking uncomfortable.  And tired.  You know.  The whole pregnancy thing.  I think it is funny, if my body felt like this on a normal basis (like my pelvis is going to fall apart and such) I would assume something was really wrong.  But nah.  Just pregnant.

exercise:  Six walking workouts totaling 13.5 miles.  I did throw in some arm weights on one of those days while I was walking.  But um, my ceiling in my basement is really low and I kept punching it while trying to do overhead stuff.  Whoops.

cravings/aversions:  Soups, salads, sweets and STRAWBERRIES (apparently only things that start with S?).  I can't get enough strawberries right now.  I think I've eaten a couple pounds over the last week.  I would say it is better than chocolate, but um, I've had plenty of that too.  Whoops!

movement:  She is still crazy.  I'm waiting for that 'she'll run out of room and not move as much' thing to kick in.  Also, I'm hoping she has her hands by her face (kinda, but I don't want her to try and come out like that), because sometimes I get all sorts of crazy movement way down low.  So if it isn't her arms, this kid has a really big head.  I don't want to deal with a really big head...

sleep:  This week has definitely been better in the sleep department.  Only two nights were really rough, one because I was dreaming about the stupid nursery :o) and was up on pinterest for two hours at 3 am for no good reason.  Another night I woke up at 4:30am to pee and just couldn't get back to sleep.  In general I am up at least once a night to go to the bathroom.

gender:  Girl.

looking forward to:  Getting the dresser painted and the bathroom being done so I can spend a couple of weeks seriously nesting.  Nesting makes me happy!

worries:  That this little one will have a giant head.  And that she will come earlier than I'd like.  I need four more weeks to get stuff done girl.  You hear me?

what's different this time:  Hmm.  Not sure.  I think last time I was more anxiously excited for Ryann's arrival.  I've been feeling a little guilty that I'm a little apprehensive about this girlie making her entrance, but more than one person has pointed out that I know what I'm getting myself into.  Of course I want to meet our little girl, see what she looks like, discover her personality, snuggle a newborn.  But at the same time, I know all about the sleep deprivation, all the diapers, the worrying, etc.  So really I'm in no hurry for her to be here, other than the fact that I'm tired of being pregnant.

milestones:  technically this is my 35/35.  35 weeks pregnant, 35 days until my due date.  But since I am 95% sure she is coming 6 days early, it is really 35/29 :o).

best moment this week:  Christopher having three days off work in a row, and having some maternity pictures taken by the lovely Adrienne Maples.  Can't wait to see them!

things that make me happy.

While my hormones are getting the best of me, I decided it would be in my best interest to jot down a few little things that are making me happy.

nesting.  specifically cleaning and purging in the bathroom yesterday.
fresh flowers.
green lights nearly the entire way to pick up Ryann from MDO.
a fuzzy Pottery Barn blanket that I scored in our family's Christmas gift exchange.
a coat of primer on the dresser for the nursery.
strawberries.  lots and lots of strawberries.
and of course, this crazy little girl...

... who backed up to me yesterday when I got out my camera and asked me to take a picture of her bum.  Unfortunately said bum was covered with a dress and a sweater (it is such a cute little bum!), but nonetheless, here you go Ryann.  Your bum has been captured.

We tried to embrace the camera selfie style yesterday, but even a 30mm lens doesn't leave a whole lot of room for two people to fit in the frame (unless you have longer arms than me, then I think you'd be alright).  Let's just say it wasn't all that easy.  And Ryann?  This is love right here.  Me posting the picture where you look the cutest.  And I on the other hand am sans make-up and have a very pregnant looking face.  If that doesn't show you love I don't know what does :o).

a day in the life - sarah

If you are interested in participating in the 'a day in the life' series please check out this post!

Well hello there Wednesday.  You sure crept up on me.  Which means the days are going by too freaking fast.  Eek!  Anyway, I'm happy for you all to get a glance at Sarah's day today.  Sarah and I hang out on a relatively regular basis, and honestly I don't know what I would have done without that girl over the last couple of years.  Sarah is an amazing woman, and a natural mother, and has gotten me out of the house way more than I ever would have done on my own.  I'm so thankful to have her in my life.  Here is a peek at her day!

***  

I'm Sarah and I blog over at Little Moments Like These. My husband Derek and I met at a sports bar that he worked at with my sisters. We got married in April of 2011 and just welcomed our first baby, Collins, November 21.  I met Ashley 2 years ago at a moms group when I was a nanny for twins. We eventually ditched the moms group and just had our own weekly play dates. Her and Ryann still come visit me about once a week and I can't wait for Ryann, Collins and baby E to be best buddies!

I was on maternity leave until Jan 3 so I am just getting into the hang of handling the daycare kids plus Collins. I watch three 1 year olds and a 4 year old. Here's a look at a weekday at my place. It varies each day how many kids I watch. This day, I had all 4 plus Collins. I change a lot of diapers so just assume I am changing someones diaper about every hour.

12:30: I hear Collins stirring and she lets out a couple little cries to warn me that I better pick her up before she gets real mad. She usually sleeps till about 2am but since she hadn't ate since 7:30pm, I figured she might get up earlier. Luckily after a quick diaper change and nurse session, she is back asleep. I usually pump after the first night time feeding cause it's usually been 4+ hours and she doesn't eat much when she wakes in the middle of the night but since I had just pumped at 9:30 before I went to bed, I decide to skip it.

5am: I hear her again and look at my phone expecting it to be 3:30am. 5?! Good girl Collins! Another quick diaper change and nurse session and she is back asleep. I should really pump but my alarm is going off at 6:30 and by the time I pump, it will be close to 6 so I choose sleep over comfort.

6:20am: Freak out that I forgot to set my alarm and I'm relieved when I realize I just woke up 10 min. before it was going to go off. I figure I might as well just get up and get in the shower then sleep another 10 min.

7:05: I am ready (I purposely slept late so I don't have time to blow dry and straighten my hair and opt to wear it curly) and the first 2 kiddos arrive. Luckily these 2 only come twice a week so usually I am just waking up. Collins is still sleeping so I bring the monitor downstairs with me and the kids. The kids are still tired so I turn on cartoons for them and go and pump.

8:15: Another one of my kiddos arrives and Collins wakes up. I change her diaper and she seems happy so I put her in her bouncy seat while I make the kids breakfast. I grab a granola bar and water for myself while they chow down on toast, apple and milk.

8:50: We are back downstairs (where my daycare is) and the kids play while I nurse Collins.  She finally doesn't take 45 min. to eat and finishes up in about 15 min. I sit on the floor with her and we all play. My daycare kids do amazing with her and the little girl I watch loves helping me with her.

9:40: Collins has had enough playing and is ready for a nap. I swaddle her up, let her get drowsy and then take her upstairs and lay her in her pack in play in our room. We are trying to put her down drowsy so she learns to put herself to sleep. It usually takes a couple times of her crying, me picking her up and soothing her and then laying her back down before she falls asleep.

10:05: Snack time for daycare kids. Derek calls and checks in on me. I think he wanted to make sure they hadn't killed me :)

10:20: Collins is back up. She cat naps in the morning and takes a long afternoon nap which I love. She plays a little bit before I give her a bottle. I try to do at least 1 bottle of breast milk a day so she will take one when we need her to. My 4th kiddo arrives around this time.

11:30: Lunch time! I feel like all I do is feed kids! They are great eaters though and all of them usually clean their plates (vegetables and fruit included). I put Collins in her swing and she falls asleep. Derek comes home for lunch at noon and the kids are usually just finishing up lunch. I clean them up and herd them downstairs to help pick up toys before nap.

12:45: Kids go down for nap and I clean up lunch, usually vacuum kitchen, start a load of laundry and then sit down and catch up on blogs and recorded shows.

3:00- Collins is up and nurses. Other kids start waking up about 3:25 so Collins goes in bouncy seat and kids come and eat a snack. After snack we go back downstairs and play until parents come.

4:05- Collins takes another cat nap and is up by 4:35

4:55- All the daycare kids just left and Collins nurses. This is usually when her fussy time starts and today is no different. Derek has something to go to after work so he won't be home at 5:20 like he usually is. We are having chicken ranch tacos tonight so I boil some chicken while I walk around trying to calm Collins.

6:00- Collins nurses again. She eats a lot in the evenings. They say its normal for babies to eat frequently in the evenings and then sleep for a long stretch at night. Luckily she usually sleeps 5+ hours after she goes to bed so I let her nurse as frequently as she wants in the evening.

6:35-She falls asleep nursing so I lay her down and finish dinner. Derek gets home about 6:45 after stopping to get taco seasoning I forgot when I did our weekly grocery run. I finish up the meat and we sit down to eat. Collins has her radar on and wakes up when we sit down to eat. Never fails. Derek holds her while I eat and then I take her so he can eat. It's bath night so into the bath she goes. She finally tolerates baths but hates when I put lotion on her. She broke out a couple days ago so I put some Aveeno eczema cream on her and get her jammies on her. She loves staring at her bows while I get her ready.

                                      

7:50- Derek spends some time with her before she is ready to nurse again. She is still fussy after she eats so we take turns trying to get her to sleep and watching our nightly shows.

9:15- She is finally asleep and we are both exhausted.  I do my nightly pump session and then crawl into bed. We are usually both asleep by 10.

1. What is the most surprising thing about being a parent? I've been babysitting since I was 12, have nannied for several families and have been doing my daycare for a year. I figured when I had my own child, I would be really laid back and know what I was doing. Wrong!! I am constantly worrying if she is ok and if we're doing everything right This little girl doesn't leave everyday and go back to her parents, she is ours to keep and we are learning just like everyone else how to raise her the best we can.

2. What advice would you give to new or soon-to-be moms?  Trust your instinct. If you think something is wrong, don't be afraid to call the doctor. If they tell you she is ok and a couple weeks later you still don't think she is, take her back in (they finally diagnosed Collins with reflux). Nobody will know your baby like you do.

3. What are your top three baby products?
Swaddlers and/or Aden and Anais blankets. Collins loves to be swaddled tight when she sleeps so we use the blankets during the day and the straight jacket aka swaddlers at night.
Britax B-Agile stroller. It's so easy to fold and unfold, rides really smooth and turns very easily. We love it.
Summer infant video monitor. We don't have to constantly go in the room and check on her if we aren't sure she is sleeping or not.  We can just look at her on the monitor and not disrupt her if she is in fact still sleeping.

Thanks for taking a look at my day and thank you Ashley for letting me be a guest on your blog!

***

Thanks so much for sharing your day Sarah!  Look forward to seeing you and Miss Collins again soon :o).

this and that

::  Recently I received a comment that mentioned she was unable to pin any images from my blog.  I'd noticed that nothing had been pinned lately, and a lot of the pins that were previously on pinterest had disappeared, but didn't do anything about it of course.  Well after the reader comment I finally decided to look into it.  Thanks to this post by the Unskinny Boppy I confirmed that the issue was with Flickr, and was able to change some settings around to make it possible to pin images from my blog.  I'm still keeping most family pictures and pictures of Ryann set to private, simply because there is no need for those images to be pinned.  But party images, recipes and room images should be available to be pinned.  Not that there is a ton of content on my blog that someone would want to pin, but just in case!

::  Tomorrow is the last 'day in the life' post I have scheduled to run.  If you are interested in being a part of the series please leave your blog name, blog address and e-mail address in the comments section of this post and I will set up a new schedule.  If there is a month or week or something that would be really bad timing for you please leave that info too so I can do my best to make a schedule that works for everyone.  Thanks so much to all the mamas who have participated in the series over the last two years.  I know there are tons of ladies out there who love reading the posts!

::  I pretty much hate winter.  I don't like snow.  I don't like being cold.  Winter can just go away.

::  I really want to get my craft on, and I'm sure there is something I want to make for the nursery, but I just can't decide what to do.  I'm thinking maybe something like this or this, or maybe this. I wish I wasn't so indecisive about what I wanted on the walls and such.  And I seriously can't wait for this stupid bathroom business to be over with (which should be soon, so I shouldn't complain...) so that I can start really putting the nursery together and finishing up my cleaning and organizing and such.  My mom brought me the rug and the crib skirt on Thursday, and my crib sheets and changing pad covers came in the mail over the weekend.  Just need to get some furniture painted, and uh, get the toilet and such out of there and we will be in business.  I can't wait!

::  This is her thinking face.  No joke.  When she has to ponder something that little finger goes to her mouth and it is too freaking cute.

::  And in regards to pictures of my kiddo?  I have been TERRIBLE about picking up my camera, big or iphone.  The whole photo a day project really wore me out, but I know I need to make more opportunities to take photos.  And find the art of photography again.  Rather than just snapshots.  I want beautiful photos, and I'm going to have to work for them!

That is about all I can ramble about right now.  No, you can never get those minutes of your life back.  Sorry :o).

gotta make 'em count

I'm going to keep this short and sweet, because honestly I feel like I have nothing really significant to say in the health and fitness department.  The good news?  I walked on the treadmill seven days in a row.  And my body is handling it just fine.  I've pretty much cut out any other form of cardio, but 35-45 minutes on the treadmill has got to be worth something.  The bad news?  Girl Scout cookies, Butterfinger Hearts and Mini Cadbury Eggs.  That is all.

Now I've been great with the walking, but of course I've totally slacked off with any sort of strength training.  Why I can't keep that up I have no idea.  But right now, I figure I've got to make my walks count.  So I'm looking up ways to add a little strength training to my treadmill routine (when I'm at home of course, I'm too worried about looking like a fool to do anything crazy at the gym).  I googled 'arm exercises while walking', and am going to grab a light set of hand weights the next time I hop on the treadmill.

How about you, any suggestions for getting more out of 'just a walk'?

 

Link up your health and fitness related posts below!