Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Back At It!

I'm back at the gym and feeling great about it! It felt so good to be back! 

I went for the first time yesterday and it was a little awkward! It was like I was new at it, I'd forgotten a few things. But when I went today it was like I'd never left! Except of course I did everything at a lower level. I did the elliptical for a half hour but only on level 5, whereas I used to do it on like 13 or 14. Yesterday I only got to upper body weight machines in before Clint needed me to come home, and today I got to do 7 machines! I'm doing everything with less weight than I used to. Not that I really remember how much I used to do, but I'm just starting low and getting a feel for it all again. 

What's gonna suck is that I can't go every day. I can go on Clint's days off for sure. But to go on the days he works I'll either have to take Zane with me, take him to daycare for an hour, or go when Clint's home. When Clint's on nights I might be able to get him to agree to let me go around the time he's supposed to wake up. When he's on days, I could go when he gets home, or after dinner, but after dinner I'll be full and it'll be late and that's just no fun. So we'll see.

I'm not gonna worry about the diet yet. I've been maintaining eating the way I've been eating, so I'm just adding the exercise in for now and we'll see how that goes. I can't count calories anyway since I'm breastfeeding. I have no idea how many more calories I need, and everything I read says it varies woman to woman and baby to baby. 

But I am using my MFP app again to log exercise and weight changes! 

I'm just really excited to be at this again, and really happy that it felt good instead of awful. I feel like I can get back to where I was if I keep at it! 

I am doing something I didn't do last time... sharing my progress pictures! Eeeeek!! I even set up the tripod in our bedroom (kinky, eh?) to get decent pix this time. I regret the crappy mirror cell phone pix from last time!

So here's today's starter pic:


Ick!! I didn't know I looked like that from behind! Well,m that's why I don't wear super tight shirts in public. lol. 

I did do measurements today. Not sure if I did them exactly like I did last time, and really I never knew if I was doing them "right."
But here they are anyway:

Weight: 236.25
"Belly" (I think hips technically): 53.25"
Arm: 13.5"
Thigh: 28"
Bust: 48.5"
Chest: 40.25"
Torso (narrowest part): 44"

Should have measured my butt- maybe next time!

I think that's it! I don't know how often I'll update with weight loss, but I'll try to do it at least a couple times a month, maybe bi-weekly? We'll see!   

Saturday, August 3, 2013

August 3, 2013

I don't know why I have such a hard time finding time to blog! I spend the majority of my time sitting here on my couch with my laptop, it seems. But I guess a lot of that time I have a baby keeping me from using both hands, and I'm so not into blogging with one hand! 

Sooo things are still going great!! And I'm not just saying that. When I say I love being a mom and spending my time with him and I don't mind not having my time to myself anymore, I feel like I sound like I'm saying what I'm "supposed" to say. Like if I said anything else people would think I was unappreciative. But that's not it. I really do love being a mom and spending my days with him and I really don't mind not having much me time. Okay, there are times... a lot of times.. when he keeps me from doing things I want to do, like scrapbooking, but he's worth it. 

So here's how my life is lately. Zane and I get out of bed around 9, he eats breakfast and usually takes a short nap afterward. This is when I eat my breakfast, with him in his swing. He usually has an hour or two of awake time before noon. If he's happy (which he usually is), this is a good time for tummy time. Sometimes I fold laundry during tummy time. Its a good time to get it done! Lately he's awake more and seems hungrier, so he takes a lot of cat naps and has a lot of snacks. Sometimes he'll just nurse for a few minutes at a time and that can't count as a meal. Its probably more comfort nursing than anything, but I don't mind. Throughout the day when he sleeps I try to be productive and/or scrapbook. When he's awake I'm nursing him (which is good relaxing computer time for me) and playing with him, trying to make him smile and coo. I'm not perfect, in the mornings I'll just hold him because I'm still sleepy and I don't really play with him much, he just sits in my lap and chills. He usually has a good awake stretch in the evening. This is another good time for tummy time and time with Dad if he's not at work. When he goes to sleep around 11-12 is when its bed time. I make sure he's good and asleep in his arms then I put him in his pack & play (in our room) and I get myself ready for bed. He wakes up usually around 4 to nurse and then the little booger wants to stay awake for a while. The first night of this drove me crazy, then I was prepared for it and now I just let him sit, either on me or in the boppy, and I read or play phone games until he's ready nurse again and go back to sleep. We're usually up a little over an hour. Once I'm sure he's out I put him back down (swaddled, btw. He sleeps swaddled) and we sleep until around 9. He starts making noises before then but nothing serious. Then we do it all over again!

(I should add that I've thought we had a routine a few times and its changed quick. This has been the routine for several days now, lets see how long it sticks!)

Today he's having a very sleepy day!! I've gotten enough house work done, and some scrapping, and I figured it was a good time to blog. He's asleep on me on the boppy but  he's not blocking any hands from typing! Once he wakes up, I'll try to keep him awake for a while, but that usually doesn't work. I'll put him down for tummy time and he falls right asleep. So I put a blanket on him. What else am I gonna do? Not gonna force him to be awake. 

Speaking of Tummy Time, he seems to enjoy it! I'll leave him on his tummy for a while and he looooove staring at himself in the little mirror that came with his "activity gym" as they call it. He's also showing more interest in the toys lately. He'll lift his head and turn it from side to side. He lifts his chest a little, not a ton. He kicks and wiggles his legs around a lot and can scoot a little and turn his body. Sometimes he's more active than others. Sometimes when he's down there he likes to watch the TV. Probably not good to start that habit so young! LOL Then sometimes I'll lay down next to him and talk to him and make faces and sounds at him, trying to get him to mimic me. Sometimes he'll mimic my faces. He's "cooed" a few times now. But.. the little booger still hasn't really smiled for me! I caught one "smile" on camera. It was a time that I was trying to get him to smile, but I'm not sure it was intentional. Another time my MIL, niece and I were laughing at a face or noise he made or something, and I SWEAR it was an intentional smile, but it hasn't happened since. So I don't know. I just want the boy to smile for me! I feel like he's ahead of the curve with physical development but behind with social development. Its kinda frustrating, but I know he'll get there! 

The only problem he has is he is SO gassy. So so sooo gassy! And its uncomfortable for him. Sometimes it seems to be trouble pooing, other times its just gas. But he'll get fussy and make faces and grunty noises and clench his tummy and I know he's not feeling good. I can put my hand on his tummy and feel the gurgling. After a while I'll hear a big fart or poo and that makes me sooooo happy knowing he's had some relief! Usually it takes a couple of these to get it all out, then he's my happy boy again. I do all kinds of things to help him get it out. Trying to burp him in all kinds of positions, Gripe Water, etc. Sometimes nursing seems to help get it out. I don't know if thats just coincidence. When he's fussy like that, I do try to give him a paci, but he usually won't take it. I'm persistent but if he doesn't want it he doesn't want it. 

Speaking of pacis.. Its one of the things that I've surprised myself with. I bought half a dozen pacis and figured he would be a paci baby. But for some reason once he was born I decided I didn't like them. I know there's nothing wrong with them, and I know they can be soothing. I'm not saying anything against people who give their babies pacis. Its just a preference that I didn't know I had till I had a baby! LOL People tell me that you can take away a paci but you can't cut off his thumb (to break the habit), but idk. I'm still not into pacis. But like I said I'll give it to him to try to soothe him when he's not feeling well. And I can't guarantee that I'll never give it to him to keep him quiet while driving or something. We'll see. So far he's fine on car rides. 

I've also surprised myself with how easy it is for me to drop what I'm doing when he wakes up. I thought that would be something that drove me nuts, but if I'm doing housework or scrapping or whatever, and he's ready to eat, I don't mind taking care of him first. I'll get back to my stuff later (maybe). And if he stays awake after nursing I'll still spend time with him, and if its bath day I'll give him a bath. I can't work him around my schedule, its gotta be the other way around, at least for a while. And like a week or two ago when I was getting the house ready for my in laws to visit, him needing me was  a great excuse to take a break, and it probably kept me from over doing it. 

Another new weird thing is like when I'm getting ready to go to town, I can't be stressy about leaving at a certain time. I make my appointments and things later in the day, and I leave when I leave. I used to be so on schedule with things. I wanted to leave at this time, to get there at this time and have lunch before the appt, then go shopping after and be home at a decent hour, etc. But now I try to leave with plenty of time to do things before the appt, but really I leave when I leave. He's gotta be fed right before we go, and I let him get good and full, so however long that takes is how long it takes. I've learned to be more laid back about things. 

Oh! We've mostly moved up to 0-3 size clothes! Bottoms still look a little goofy on him, but sleepers and onesies, he's in 0-3! He doesn't wear bottoms much anyway! :p 

As for me, I'm doing good. I can't remember what I said about my BP in my last post, but I was on two different medications, taking 5 pills a day. At my 4 week post partum appt they dropped one of those pills, and my 6 week appt (just the other day), they dropped a whole medication and now I'm just taking 2 pills a day, and so far my BP is doing great that way. But my OB does want me to start seeing a primary care dr for my BP, because its not fully back to normal by now, and he seems to believe I'm gonna have BP issues for a while. So I'm alright with that, I guess. I just gotta research doctors now, no fun!! He gave me a list but its quite a long one! lol. 

I'm weighing in at 233, and it was the same at my 4 week appt. So I'm maintaining pretty well. I have clearance to start going to the gym again but haven't done it yet. I should do it in the AM when he takes his good late morning nap and I can take him with me if he'll just sleep in his car seat. I'm just afraid he'll wake up.. or maybe that's an excuse. I do plan to go on Clint's next days off so that I can leave Zane at home. I've been learning about pumping and can leave Clint with a bottle just in case, but I'll go while he's sleeping. And the gym is only 2 minutes away so if Zane was just inconsolable without his Mama, I can be home quick! I've left Clint with him for a half hour or so to run to the store, and its been fine. He doesn't wake up, I probably don't really need to stress about leaving milk the first time. I can't imagine I'll stay more than a half hour. Its been over 9 months since I've worked out, I don't think my stamina is quite the same!

Speaking of things not being the same, all I'm gonna say is "ouch." If you've had kids you know what you're allowed to do after 6 weeks and.. ouch. 

I'm gonna end with that, and here are some pictures of my sweet boy!