Dec
12th Thinking Out Loud

I’m linking up with Amanda today for a “Thinking Out Loud” post.  I have a lot on my mind lately, but I’m not sure that much of it translates well onto paper… err… keyboard.  I hope that doesn’t make me sound crazy, but I think y’all know what I’m saying.

1. Little man started smiling as soon as he hit 2 months (Dec. 3), but I finally caught one on camera!  So stinkin’ cute.

smile

2. Ethan is going on baby zantac today.  I hate to medicate him, but I can’t stand to see him in pain like this anymore.  Stupid heartburn!

3. I just got back from the gym, and my cheerleader did much better this time.  Apparently the hum of the treadmill helped keep him nice n’ sleepy.

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4. New stuff is motivating, like my new Mizunos!  They felt pretty good on my run, as did my new Lululemon top.

mizuno

5.  I have a friend coming in from out of town tonight.  We have dinner reservations at 8:15; wish me luck in not eating my arm off by then!

  • What time do you eat dinner?
  • Got any Thursday thoughts for me?
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 11 Comments
Dec
11th Speedy WIAW

Know how I said yesterday was a big day? Yeah, well that left me no time to prep up a post for today. Womp Womp.

But since I actually remembered to take a few photos, I’m throwing up a speedy WIAW post anyway.

I’m writing this on my phone, so hopefully the pics come through okay. If not, I’ll need to adjust and update later from the new laptop I received yesterday. Merry early Christmas to me!!

Breakfast- egg and cheese sandwich made by Kevin, the expert egg sandwich maker
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Lunch- butternut squash, sprouts, and chicken, plain but plain good
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Snack- two cookies and a pink lady apple
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Dinner- beer n’ veg chili (good beer, btw)
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Dessert- more cookies! three candy cane Joe Joe’s, which are addicting!!!

Best thing you’ve eaten lately?

Posted in Food | Tagged , , | 10 Comments
Dec
10th Off to a rocky start… but at least it’s a start

So, about yesterday’s “finally fitness” post…

Things are off to a rocky start, but they’ve at least started.  I actually made it to the gym yesterday!  It was my first run since March and my first time back on a treadmill since… umm… I dunno, maybe August.  (Closer to the end of pregnancy, I was mainly sticking to strength training and circuits for cardio.)

I ran/jogged two miles, and it felt pretty good.  The treadmill was more boring than I remembered, but at least I had my cheerleader with me.

treadmillBut my cheerleader woke earlier than expected.  Ugh.  We had to leave before I could start any sort of strength training.

I though that was still pretty good progress, but now my core area around the incision is so sore!  I’m still deciding if it’s a good “I haven’t used these muscles since they were sliced open” kind of sore, or if it’s a bad “listen to your body’s warning and back off” kind of sore.

clemsonI may just try and do a little strength training today and ease up on cardio.  If I feel good by tomorrow, I’ll resume, but I’ve gotta’ listen to the bod!

Anyway – gotta run (not literally).  Today is a pretty big day for me.  Hopefully I’ll share the deets later this week!

Posted in Fitness | 12 Comments
Dec
09th Finally Fitness

I know I’ve been chatting about lots of mom stuff lately, and that’s not really the direction I want to take with the blog. I want to keep up the food, fun. fitness, and heck – I don’t want to skip out on the occasional beer review either!

handsomeBut when a baby consumes your life, you often find yourself chatting about it. It happens.  Luckily, I’ve got more to share today than diapers, bottles, and and spit-up.

I’ve got a new workout plan! Yay!!! I realize that some days it’s just not going to happen. I’ll be too sleep deprived, or Lil’ Man will refuse to nap. At any rate, this is the goal.

photoThe workouts are short, but it’s 5 days/week. Seeing as my pregnancy workouts weren’t tooo crazy, and I wasn’t able to do much at all for 7-8 weeks after my c-section, this should be enough to get my blood pumpin’ again.

  • Monday & Wednesday: 2-mi jog & pushups, resistance band curls superset with triceps extensions, lateral raises
  • Tuesday & Thursday: 3-mi stroller walk or Jillian Michaels workout, walking lunges, curtsey squats
  • Saturday: spin class, jog, or long family walk
  • Friday & Sunday: rest

As I’ve said before, I’m not too worried about my fitness levels and weight loss at the moment, as is evident with this weekend’s Trader Joe’s finds.

Find #1: Cook TJ’s dry tortellini.  Drain.  Pour TJ’s low-sodium red pepper soup in pot.  Heat.  Devour.  (Seriously – so good!)

tortelliniFind #2: I drool over these candy cane Joe Joe’s every year, and this year I finally caved.  Yum!

joe joesAs I said in my Body After Baby posts, the weight-loss goals depend heavily on holiday treats.  Though I’m not going overboard, I’m definitely still enjoying!

  • Given into any new or special holiday treats?
Posted in Fitness, Food | 18 Comments
Dec
06th Mom Approved

Happy Friday!  Little Man and I had a pretty darn good week.

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Since my feeding decision last week, I’ve had a little more time and a lot less stress.  An extra 45 minutes per feeding gives me snuggle and play time with my sweetie, and I absolutely love it!  He’s just starting to smile at me, so I’m really happy about that play time despite lingering guilt.

I want to share a few products that I really did and really didn’t like.  Some are feeding related, and though I’m obviously not a breastfeeding pro, I do have trial and error experience with lots of tips and tricks… mostly error.

Hands-free Pumping Bra - I wish I had gotten this earlier.  This was provided to me free of charge, but it’s not a paid review.  Like all reviews, the opinions are purely my own, and I have to say that this was a big help.  It didn’t solve all my pumping problems, but it definitely helped me interact a little with Ethan while getting the job done.

My Brest Friend – I actually didn’t like this all that much.  There are a TON of reviews singing its praises, but perhaps you need bigger boobs, a more willing baby, or a bigger belly to rest this on.  For whatever reason, it didn’t help us much.

Belly Bandit - Yes, I actually shelled out $50 for this thing.  No, I cannot say if it has helped or not. The truth is that I hardly ever wear it.  I didn’t like doing feedings in it, which was a huge part of my day.  Perhaps I’ll try it again now that feedings are shorter.  I like how it flattens my front, but you definitely see it poking through most tops/dresses.

Medela Nipple Shields - These helped Ethan latch, but he could never latch without them.  Okay okay, he could hardly latch with them too, but you get the idea.  I actually do NOT recommend these.  Nurses encouraged me to use them in the hospital to get him going, but I think they initiated bad nursing habits.

Lactation Consultants – Find one.  Use one.  Soak in her wisdom.  It’s wrong to stereotype employees of an entire line of work, but I’m going to anyway.  These ladies are gentle, kind, and there to help you!  Though they’re not doctors, they do have wisdom from both books and experience.

Now that I’ve written a blog post with an embarrassing number of “nipple” and “breast” mentions, I think I’m signing off for the day.  Nothing like having a baby to make you not give a fudge about modesty… Ha!

Have a great weekend, and in case you missed it, yesterday was my “Body After Baby: Month Two” post.  Hopefully I’ll be back next week for a more detailed workout plan.

  • Whatcha’ up to this weekend?
  • Mamas, any postpartum products you love or love to hate?
Posted in Baby | 3 Comments