Fit after Baby

When I had my first child I was to tired and new to motherhood to worry about losing the 40 so odd pounds I put on while being pregnant. It took about a year and I got within 2 pounds of my pre-pregnancy weight. Then I got pregnant again.
This time I am, for some reason, very focused on losing the weight and getting in shape again after the baby. Seeing pictures of Rebecca Romijn on TMZ at 39 after twins in a bikini looking fad doesn't help. Power to her, I just want to get in my old shape again. We just put some much pressure on ourselves as women and moms. Some of it is good. It is good to not just totally let yourself go after having kids. Its not good for your health or your psyche. But my goal of being able to wear a bikini again. Is that unrealistic? I don't know.
Unlike Hollywood elite I don't have a trainer, a dietitian,a cook and someone to watch my children when I work out. Lately I don't even have my husband at home, who has been forced to work long hours due to the poor weather in our state.
I just want to look like my old self right now. I know, being only 2 months postpartum that that is very unrealistic. Especially since I put on 40lbs again with this pregnancy.
I am making some simple changes in my diet and trying to move, walk, do 10 min work out videos, rake leaves, anything that moves my body.
I gave up soda, sweets and am trying to not eat in front of the tv. I'm trying to eat 3 solid meals a day with one snack of fruit or vegetables. I am also adding coconut oil to my diet, which is supposed to help weight-loss.
I am also breastfeeding, which burns 500 calories a day. But it can also make you so hungry so I don't know if breastfeeding really aids weight loss that much.
Once the baby is on a sleep schedule I'm planning on doing some work out videos and lifting weights. My sister has the Psx90 series on DVD and I have heard great things about it. I also plan on starting doing yoga and Pilates. I love yoga and Pilates and did it before I was pregnant. Its great for my mind as well as my body.

I am just frustrated, not being able to fit in my old clothes, having a muffin tops and looking frumpy and dumpy. Always wearing sweats since that is all that fits. I have never really been over weight so it just really bothers me. And what bothers me most is the lack of time to work out. With a newborn its almost impossible to find the time.
And having the holidays come up isn't a help. This is a time most people gain weight and I'm trying to lose it.
This past Monday was the day I am making conscience changes to lose the weight.
My goal is 25lbs, my extra fit goal is 30lbs.
I hope I can meet my goal, in a realistic weight. Deep down I know I will not lose it over night, even though I wish I would. I took 9 months to put on, so it can take 9 months to come off.
7 months to go...

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Newborn Necessities

Babies R Us, Buy Buy Baby and your neighbor and mom friends will often tell you of all the items you need to buy your newborn. I always had a hard time submitting to this idea that newborns need so much junk. The practical, green being just hates spending money and wasting resources on stuff that will be used for such a short time and after being used maybe once or twice more by another kid will end up in a landfill.
The one thing everyone told me I need is a swing. I registered for one and didn't get it. After buying a nice crib set we didn't have much left so I didn't get a swing. We did end up getting one from a friend and I'm so glad we got it used.
Both Ev and Liv are not fans. I was hoping that Ev might like it, but right now its collecting dust in our living room.
I also registered for a fancy expensive playmate. I don't know why. I just put Ev on the ground with a blanket and some toys and a child's mirror. Same effect and purpose for an 1/8 of the cost.
A bassinet, this could be good if you child sleeps well alone. Liv didn't and Ev doesn't right now so we co-sleep. I was very stress about this with Liv, thinking she would never sleep alone (I support co-sleeping completely, but long term its not for me) and at 3/4 months she slept in her crib.
Cribs, I spent the extra money on a great quality convertible crib. One that goes to a toddler bed then to a full bed. Now she will have it for life, or at least as long as she is living in my house. Now that is green.
The only items I really found as a necessity for the first months are the following; tub with a sling, boppy or a nursing pillow, baby carrier (moby, bijorn) and a bouncer for sleep and its great for kids with reflux, which my first had. A glider is also a huge buy for me. I spent so many nights rocking Liv and nursing her in the glider. We now read together on it, she still loves sitting on my lap and reading together then singing some songs before bed.
I never had a exersaucer, a walker, fancy swings or other gizmos and I did find.

Save the money and put it in a college fund for you kids.
Most of the stuff is a gimick just to sell money. Few of the stuff they claim that makes life easier actually does.

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Babies Don't Keep

I would love to have a sleep schedule for my newborn. It would be so nice that at 9, 1 and 4 I could put her down for a nap in her crib and do what I need to do. Some people somehow manage this with children this young. I think they must have easy babies, or have nothing else to do then get them on a schedule or spend all their time working on one.
It is very easy for a newborn to get over stimulated, and once they do it can take a lot to get them to sleep. After an hour tops, Ev starts to show signs of over stimulation. In an ideal world before this I would go up to her room (as most parenting books suggest) do a nap routine and put her in her crib sleepy. Since she isn't over stimulated and just starting to get tired theoretically she should easily go down.
This is great in theory, but who has the time. Every 2 hours to make sure this happens, I would have no time for anything else. By the time a basic breakfast of cereal is over Ev is already in over stimulation mode. Things like this is why idea like Babywise and other baby theorist drive me nuts. Yes if I had the time maybe, but who does?
So for these first few months I do what I have to to get my little girl to sleep. Often that is putting her in a baby carrier and getting ready or cleaning or doing whatever was needed to be done, and in the carrier she falls asleep. She may fight it if she is very over tired, but its rare that she gets to that point. Often I will sit on the couch and read with Liv while Ev nurses to sleep. We have a nice relaxing family time. When we are done reading I often sit with Ev for a bit, I am tired from having a newborn wake a night, and when she is over stimulated she wakes very easily when first falling asleep. This is common.
So I made sure to stock my mind, and bookcase, with nursey rhymes, fingerplays and movement songs to sing to my older daughter. She will dance around while we sit and watch. She will also read to us.
We sometimes dance or walk around the house or yard. I just put Ev in the moby or bijorn (always the bijorn when dancing)and Ev gets lulled to sleep while Liv gets some one on one momma time.

Today I laid down with Ev during Liv's nap to get her to sleep. I could use the rest too. I should of showered, cleaned, done laundry, all sorts of things, but I just laid down with my newborn and relaxed.
I learned with my first that these first few months can't be bothered with sleep schedules, or strict feeding schedules or worrying how clean your house is. Getting your child to sleep more at night, and soothing them when they are tired and upset is more important. And getting some rest for yourself too.
This is not the time to worry about when they can self-soothe, it will happen eventually. When they will sleep in their own crib, or or when they will sleep on schedule. It will happen. These first few months are a hard adjustment to your baby too. They spent 24/7 in your womb, being a nice warm temperature, being held and rocked, and always having a nice full belly.
I learned with my first this time goes so quick, so don't stress, enjoy this time. I keep telling myself this. It goes so quick. I don't know how I have a 2 year old already. That time went amazingly fast.

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,

for children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.

I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep -Ruth Hamilton

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Newborn sleep

I've been very lucky this time around.
Since Ev was born she sleeps all night, from about 8pm to 6 or even 9 am, waking to nurse then falling right back asleep.
Liv took 6 weeks to get on a schedule like this. But I sometimes wonder if I delayed it for her.
As a second time mom I have a little more know how behind my belt, I guess I am no longer a tenderfoot, at least when it comes to newborns. Every newborn is different, but I think getting them on a day/night schedule as early as possible can help every new mom.
Expose them to sunlight during the day. I just read somewhere how children and babies exposed to sunlight from 2pm-6pm sleep better, longer and go to sleep faster.
Make night wakings boring, quiet and keep them dark. I change Ev in the dark, only with a night light, unless its super messy or absolutely necessary I avoid the lights for her from 9pm on.
I would love to type more, but newborns are fussy creatures, especially in the sixth week which we are in so I will continue another time.

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Newborn, second time around

I recently read a saying that went something like this "a first time mom will need all the help she can get, a second time mom will manage just fine and a third time mom, she can come help you."

So far I am greatly agreeing with this.
The second time around I just feel more confident in my parenting. I know what to expect and I have already learned that going with the flow and not by the book will make life so much easier.
Last time I could not get Liv to sleep with out me. I eventually started co-sleeping, even though I read many places how it sets up bad habits and is a SIDS risk. After do some research on my own and even seeing more research how it can prevent SIDS I was happy with my decision. But mostly I was just happy to get some sleep.
This time I knew right away I wanted to co-sleep for the first few months, so even though I have 2 kids, a toddler and a newborn, so I'm not able to sleep much if at all during the day, I am more rested this time then last with my first.

I am not panicked or worried about breastfeeding, is she getting enough, should she be sucking so much, am I making enough? Going to La Leche meetings last time with the questions helped me this time to just relax and nurse on demand. And just living through this experience once before makes me realize there is a light at the end of the tunnel of all this constant breastfeeding.
Even though I have less time for me, and for blogging, I feel okay with how my home is running and life if going with two kids. My house isn't perfect, but its not a mess either.
Now lets just see if I can brave shopping with 2 kids..that one still freaks me out.

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Newborn, second time around

I recently read a saying that went something like this "a first time mom will need all the help she can get, a second time mom will manage just fine and a third time mom, she can come help you."

So far I am greatly agreeing with this.
The second time around I just feel more confident in my parenting. I know what to expect and I have already learned that going with the flow and not by the book will make life so much easier.
Last time I could not get Liv to sleep with out me. I eventually started co-sleeping, even though I read many places how it sets up bad habits and is a SIDS risk. After do some research on my own and even seeing more research how it can prevent SIDS I was happy with my decision. But mostly I was just happy to get some sleep.
This time I knew right away I wanted to co-sleep for the first few months, so even though I have 2 kids, a toddler and a newborn, so I'm not able to sleep much if at all during the day, I am more rested this time then last with my first.

I am not panicked or worried about breastfeeding, is she getting enough, should she be sucking so much, am I making enough? Going to La Leche meetings last time with the questions helped me this time to just relax and nurse on demand. And just living through this experience once before makes me realize there is a light at the end of the tunnel of all this constant breastfeeding.
Even though I have less time for me, and for blogging, I feel okay with how my home is running and life if going with two kids. My house isn't perfect, but its not a mess either.
Now lets just see if I can brave shopping with 2 kids..that one still freaks me out.

A Day in the Life..

with a toddler and a newborn

Lets start with late last night, Ev slept all day and around 10pm got some cluster feeding in that lasted almost till midnight. I didn't mind hoping that it would be a nice long stretch of sleep at night, but that wasn't the case. She was up every 2-2 1/2 hours to eat. Liv woke up around 7:30, I'm still exhausted from no sleep. Breakfast, easy cereal and fruit. Too tired to do anything else. TV time, I give myself 15 min or so to watch the morning news, then Liv gets to watch one 15 min Curious George episode. Kitchen clean up, too a while with a baby needing to be held or fed. "Circle" time- fingerplays and songs about autumn. The apple picking one I made up sent Liv off looking for an apple to eat, so we had snack time early. Upstairs to finally get dressed. My mom calls and I answer and right after she calls Liv poops and Ev wants to nurse. The phone call is very short, she tells me she has to cancel her play visit with Liv and us tomorrow to go to my Great Uncle's funeral. Another day home alone. After I nurse Ev and change Liv I call back my sister who mentioned something about visiting last week, but cancelled. She just asked about our Great Uncle and that was just about it. Not much time to talk when a toddler keeps trying to grab that phone. While upstairs and finally doing some well needed cleaning before we get dressed Ev takes a nice huge explosive breastfeeding poop. I just love those. It got all over her so clean up was fun. Oh and I forgot to mention that right before this Liv decided she wanted to take a shower so she took off all her clothes and kept asking to shower. While Ev is on the changing table she pees, a huge pee that wets the whole changing table. Right now I am just glad that I decided to use the changing table not my bed. After I go in the closet to get new clothes for Ev, Liv decided to play hide and seek in the closet. Or really its more of a "where is Liv?" Finally get a new diaper and onsie on Ev when Liv walks out of the closet going, uh oh, poopy. Oh great..Thank God, no poopy, but there is a nice puddle on the floor. Hurrah for hardwood floors, no carpeting. Finally I get Ev and Liv dressed and the pee floor cleaned, its time for Liv's nap. I go downstairs make myself something to eat, eat then Ev wakes up to nurse for a while. Only 1 hour goes by, so I decide to go upstairs to nap myself. Liv usually naps 2 hours or so. But of course not today. Right after I go upstairs she comes out of her room. I try to get her back to sleep, nope. No nap for me, and I just know this will mean a cranky toddler because her nap was not long enough. I rest in my room while Liv reads on the floor by my bed. At least she gave me some quiet time. Finally I get dressed and take the girls out on this nice day. We sit outside and watch the buses go by and drop of the neighbors kids. I feel bad since I can not take her for a walk. I am still too sore to push her and carry a newborn in the moby. We move back inside and color on the windows with window markers. I am ready to pass out. I need a break so we watch a little tv, about 15 min then we go cook an easy dinner. Eat, more coloring and DH comes home to play with Liv a little and then its off to bed for her, blog for me and shortly bed for me. I just realized I still have not brushed my teeth yet today. At least I should sleep good tonight, oh that will happen with a newborn nursing every 2-3 hours. Maybe I will luck out and get a 4 hours stretch, that would be heaven.

My new love

Evelyn was born Sept 1st Very proud to say I did it with no pain meds this time. A much shorter labor did help with that though.

The recovery has been much easier this time. And since I have a better idea of what to expect and how I want things to go we are adjusting as a family fairly well. So posts maybe more a little more scarce till I can get my computer time back with out having a baby on the boob, since that makes it a little harder to upload pix or type anything with too much thought. I am wondering already how many typos and mistakes I have from lack of sleep and doing this with one hand. So for now we will be enjoying the beginning of fall with our new love Eve.