Caylee's 1st Race!

 Caylee "ran" her first race with me on Saturday to support the Mother's Milk Bank.  It got extremely cold all of a sudden, so I was running around trying to find all our cold weather things to bundle up for the morning outside.

The boys were very sweet for deciding to come cheer us on in the cold and Connor loved the little cow he got in our goody bag!


Before the race, Caylee got out and played with some of the other babies in the VIP nursing area.  It was really nice to have a little toy area and diaper changing station for them.

The night before, I found out that strollers were not allowed in the 5k, so I could only do the 3k walk with her.  Since I didn't train at all, that was probably a better choice anyway.  When we started the race, I realized that everyone was walking super slow and I could get towards the front pretty easily.  Caylee and I pushed hard up the hills and made our way towards the front of the walkers.  When the track turned around, I realized we were in 5th place!  A bunch of people stopped to get water, so I ran right past them and kept going.  I mostly walked, but I did a few spurts of jogging when I felt like I could.  At the end, I'm pretty sure I was the 3rd place walker and the 1st place walker on our team!  We did awesome for not training or working out the entire spring or summer, so I'm pretty proud!

Planking

And she's up!

Not moving yet, but any day now...

Me.

So yeah, this is kind of a shock.  Never thought in a million years I'd ever see a two-digit number when weighing myself.  (Ignore my nasty nail polish, but hey, it's winter.)  I weighed 100 when I started college, so I probably weighed 96 during my senior year in high school or something.  I obviously don't have the same body anymore since everything has shifted around from childbirth, and I definitely don't feel like I'm in high school.

The baby weight kind of flew off this time due to 2 kids, running around like a crazy person, breastfeeding, and my migraine meds that can cause weight loss.  Honestly, it's kind of nice to have one less thing to worry about right now, so I'm enjoying the fact that I can have a beer every other night (dark beer for milk supply) and a couple lactation cookies.  I'm 99% sure I'm gaining at least 5 lbs back after I stop breastfeeding, so I'll just enjoy it while it lasts.  I'm still eating the same way I always did and working out the same amount I always have. 

Someone recently told me they were a little worried because I looked too skinny and part of me was like, "Well, thanks!" and then part of me was like, "Ooh, well, maybe I look worse than I thought."  But that's the normal struggle I've always had.  I don't have any kind of eating disorder and I don't work out too much.  If you know me, you'll see me drink beer and eat dessert.  I've fluctuated up and down 15 pounds in the past 15 years (when not pregnant).  I'm not confident and I'm uncomfortable with myself when I'm bigger.  Yes, maybe people thought I looked better being a little bigger, but to me, it felt odd.  To grow up always being skinny, I didn't feel comfortable NOT being that way. 

Anyway, this post kind of went off on a tangent of where I was planning on going, but I won't delete it now.  This is more of just a record of where I am not at 7 months post-partum.  I can guarantee I'll be back up by the end of summer when I'm breastfeeding a lot less, but I'll enjoy it while it lasts.  One day, I'll look back at this photo and be shocked!

28 weeks!

Another week down and another OB appointment done.  I went on Tuesday for my glucose test (results normal) and whooping cough vaccine.  I complained about how I felt crappy, but obviously, there's not much they can do now.  

It's taken about a week for it to sink in that I really do just have to slow down.  It's hard to be someone who's always on the go to someone who has to rest all the time.  I decided to put my gym membership on hold until September because there's just no hope with trying to go back now.  It's getting warmer, so I can take walks at lunch, but I can't handle a full workout and I don't want to risk anything with the PT.

I'm up about 15 lbs since pre-pregnancy and I'm a little upset by that.  I was hoping to be more like 10-12, but I keep reminding myself that I feel like crap most days and haven't been able to work out like I did last time.  I was really hoping to keep it at 25 total like I did with Connor, but at this rate, I feel like it might be 30.  It's not like I really keep track or check very often, but whatever...

I finished up sewing some burp clothes this weekend and now I'm starting on a flower pillow for her room.  So excited for this new craft!

The Lilac Fest Mutt Strut 5k

Connor and I participated in this unique 5k over the weekend.  This was his second 5k and it's pretty crazy to see the difference from last year.  I chose this race because I love Lilac Fest and also because Connor loves doggies and I thought he'd be in heaven with so many in one place.  As soon as I took him out of the car, he started shrieking, "Doggie!"  We got our number bib and then walked around to visit many of the doggies that were going to be racing and watching.

I followed him as he walked around and pointed to all the doggies.  He's never scared of a dog, but he was scared of the person in a dog costume that was handing out balloons!

He loved his balloon and I tied it to his stroller so he could play with it during the race.


Getting ready to start running!  We did pretty well considering I was pushing an extra 35 pounds or so.  I didn't practice at all, but we made pretty good time (37:40).  I only stopped to walk a few times for just a few short times when we were going up a hill because it was so hard to push the stroller.  It was amazing to see so many children and dogs make it through the whole 5k!


Once we reached the finish line, Connor saw them handing out bananas and started freaking out, "Nana! Nana!"  I took him out of his stroller and let him walk around.

We took a walk through Lilacia Park (smells SO good!) and he stopped to point at some of the flowers and dogs.

While we waited in line at the pancake breakfast, Connor ate his nana and charmed some of the people in line by us.  We shared a few pancakes and filled our hungry tummies!

A very fun morning for Mommy & Connor!

Me.

Umm, when did this happen?

Baby weight is gone and then some.  I'm still trying to figure out what got smaller.  Maybe my boobs?  They're pretty much nonexistent now even though I'm still nursing twice a day.

With all the crap going on, I don't make it to the gym nearly as often as I'd like to.  I'm still not really sure how this happened, but I guess it's kinda cool that I didn't have to try very hard to make it happen.  I haven't seen this number since I started college 12 years ago!

Connor's first 5k race

Over the weekend, Connor and I did something very special. We ran our first Mommy & son 5k together! The run benefits The Cade Foundation and infertility research and it was sponsored by the fertility clinic that we went to. It was really important to me to be able to participate in this because of how much they have impacted our lives.

There's me in the pink tank top and black shorts with Connor getting ready to start.

Connor has two thumbs up and was ready to go!

We ended up at the back of the line so we didn't start right on time, but we walked/ran it in about 39 minutes. Running with a stroller is hard work! Connor passed out after about the first mile and woke up right after we finished.

After the race, we got some water and then walked around the festival. There were so many families and children there and it was so special to see how many lives have been changed because of infertility treatments. We even took a few photos in front of the booth where Connor was made :)

He was too busy looking at all the other things going on to focus...

We played on the grass for a bit and looked around to see if any of our nurses and doctors were there. We ran into my OB who delivered Connor and she was pregnant with her second child. I also saw one of the therapists that organized our infertility support groups.

It was such a special experience for us to do together and I hope we can do it again next year.

Eek, swimsuit!

I've mentioned before that I really want to get Connor in the pool very soon. We got the new park district catalog over the weekend and I was looking at the classes and open swim times. Too bad I'm not a SAHM because they have Mom & Tot swimming every day in the toddler pool! But the open swim on weekends should work for us and then maybe we'll try lessons over the summer or next year.

Saturday, I decided to try on my swimsuit. It was before I ate anything, so that helped a lot. Not too bad actually! I love that swimsuit (bought it for my honeymoon 4.5 years ago) so I'm glad it still fits. After that surprise, I went over to the scale. 104. Um, what?!? How can I weigh less than I did when I was at my fitness best 2 summers ago? I must have lost some muscle or something. Whatever it was, that was a pleasant surprise! Now I just have to keep it up...

A Day in my Life (working mom style)

This was an idea started by Jen in our August 2011 group. It's pretty interesting to read how everyone spends their days and I'm sure this will be funny for me to read in a few years.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

5:00 am
Alarm goes off and I get up. Time to shower and start to get ready for work.

5:21 am
Go downstairs and give Kitty his breakfast. Then I get some Peanut Butter Cheerios for myself and take it upstairs to eat while I watch the news.

5:27 am
Wake up the munchkin & feel horrible that I have to wake him while he's still completely asleep. Make sure Daddy is awake and in the shower.

5:32 am
Nurse Connor while I watch the news and catch up on Facebook.
6:05 am
Finishing getting Connor and I ready to go.

6:25 am
Connor, Hubby and I are out the door and on our way.

6:54 am
Get to work and turn on my computer to see my favorite face. (My coworkers set this up for me on my first day back after maternity leave.)

8:27 am
First pumping session
This is the mother's room at work. There's two little spaces with shower curtains and a small fridge to store milk. The one in the photo is "mine" since there's only 2 of us pumping right now.

For my first pumping session of the day, I always read the newspaper.

9:12 am
Headed to the bathroom and figured I'd take a photo so I can remember how I dressed for work. I dress up 2-3x a week and wear jeans for the other days.

9:46 am
Morning snack

10:17 am
Not really feeling too creative today, but at least it looks like I'm working.

11:24 am
Second pumping session
I usually check TMZ and CNN on my phone. I play Solitaire until I win and then I read magazines.

12:07 pm
A quick workout at the gym across the street from work. I did 20 minutes on the treadmill and then some abs and arms.

1:07 pm
Warmed up my frozen Smart Ones for lunch

2:21 pm
Last pumping session for the day while I played Solitaire on my phone and read some emails.

3:00 pm
Meeting with the checks team and we actually got out at a decent time! Usually the meeting goes for almost 90 minutes because we end up chatting about reality tv.

4:07 pm
Out the door and on my way home!

4:33 pm
Stopped at the cleaner to drop off clothes

4:49 pm
Paid some bills (Yes, I have sock monkey checks!)

4:57 pm
Do the dishes left in the sink

5:03 pm
Play with Kitty for a few minutes

5:09 pm
Watch Parenthood from last night while I put away laundry

5:27 pm
Migraine and I can't stand it anymore!

5:35 pm
Daddy and Connor are home! Connor was sleeping from his ride home.

5:51 pm
Hubby was playing video games tonight, so I made a quick dinner of microwave Jack Daniels shredded chicken and club soda. I ate dinner while I nursed Connor and watched tv in bed.

6:34 pm

Diaper change on the bedroom floor

6:41 pm
Playing on the floor

6:52 pm
Saying hello to himself in the mirror

7:00 pm
Time for my tv shows and play time in the boppy

7:13 pm
Dance party during commercials! I played fun songs from YouTube and we danced.

7:30 pm
All swaddled and ready for bed

7:42 pm
Worked on some Valentine's Day crafts for a little bit

8:00 pm
Snuggled up in bed with Kitty and passed out by 8:30!

Busy day in my life, but that's my typical day!