A Catch-Up Post

Little updates:

1. I found and purchased a Bumbo off craigslist. J is getting to the age where I thought he might benefit from a Bumbo, so I have been stalking ebay and craigslist for what I wanted. Of course, being the picky, high-maintenance person I am, I had to look for one of the less common colors: orange or lime green. The prices were always too high for my taste, and so I almost fell out of my chair when I saw the ad on craigslist on Saturday morning. By that afternoon, it was mine - a lime green Bumbo with tray in perfect condition (for less than half the retail price!). She even threw in a little suction cup toy for extra fun. A quick Clorox wipe down and we were good to go. He loves it, and I can't believe how well he sits up in it. My strong boy!

2. I WON! I won a free month of Baby Boot Camp. Shortly after I started the class, I received an email from the instructor stating that if we went to a website called Lila Guide and wrote a review about the class, we'd be entered in a drawing to win a free month of BBC. Well, as the only person to write a review, I won! Ha Ha! Hey, I'll take what I can get!!

3. We tried the sling again. Now that he's got good head control, I tried the hip carry, and it worked out pretty well. Still not sure if he's positioned correctly, but he seems to dig it. I will probably go to next month's local Baby Wearer meet up to get a second opinion, but I can't wait to try it at the mall or Farmer's Market soon. (Note: the tall, skinny model with the flat stomach and puffy-eyed toddler is NOT ME. The pic is to illustrate the sling and the hip carry.)

4. The sleep update: We've regressed a bit, and sleep is still a total struggle. Our evening routine is solid, but many nights it's difficult to get him to fall asleep much less stay asleep. Naps are also challenging, and more so when we try to do anything in the morning or afternoon. Or pretty much anytime after 9 am. Awesome, no? I keep re-reading Secrets of the Baby Whisperer, thinking "Why isn't this working for us? I must be missing something, but what is it?" This afternoon I found a blog which actually eased my mind a bit. On the rare occasion that someone asks me a question about my kids or child-rearing, I'm happy to share what we do/say, but generally with the caveat of "but you have to really figure out what works for you and your family". Apparently I forgot my own advice. I can't try to program my baby to follow a plan and then get frustrated when it doesn't happen. I have to figure out what works for My Baby and My Schedule and My Family. So he doesn't go down at 7:30pm. So he struggles to self-soothe and wakes up every few hours. So he likes to nurse in the middle of the night. Well, that's what's working for us right now, so I just need to relax and go with it. I know he won't be like this forever. I need to relax and remember this. The blog that reminded me of this is Ask Moxie. I think it was just reading about so many mothers' experiences that reminded me so strongly of my own advice. They also made the point that we live in a time of 'expert worship', where any person who publishes a book is suddenly considered to be the end-all be-all of advice. How idiotic. That would be like me writing a book on interior design because I once watched Trading Spaces. So I'm tossing the sleep book and trying to be more chill about our day to day life. It will all come together. (but cross your fingers for me anyway)

Sleep Update

If nothing else, this week has proven to me once again that parenting requires an arsenal of varying skill-sets and a great deal of flexibility. Check your ego at the door and get ready to ride the emotional rollercoaster, prepare yourself for surprises that could rival those in a funhouse, and of course you better have the flexibility of a Chinese acrobat because there are times when you will bend over backwards and touch your toes to your nose for your babies.


We have been pacifier free for 5 days now. It's been rough going, but not as difficult as I thought it might be. Naps aren't as challenging as getting him to sleep at night. The first night he cried for 45 minutes, and now we're down to about 15 minutes of sobbing. It's still difficult for me to listen to him wail but I think it helps him to get it out of his system, and he certainly sleeps better. Last night was probably one of our best nights. He went to bed at 8:00, and I sleep-fed him at 10:30. I went to bed right after and we slept until about 2:00. 2:00 seems to be the most difficult hour of the night, as he seems to eat, fall asleep for about 20 minutes, then wakes up and cries for 10-30 minutes. Once he's back down again, he'll usually sleep until 4am, when he wants to eat again. It's back up for good around 6 am. We mixed it up last night, as I brought him to bed at 4. I know, it was a moment of weakness which I definitely regret. I thought he might settle down, but he just wanted to eat off and on until we got up at 8. I know - 8 is very late, but in my defense, although I have been getting more sleep it's almost worse as I get into a deep sleep cycle and then get woken out of it - leaving me to sleep walk through my mornings like when he was a newborn. I keep telling myself that this will pass, but in the meantime I could really use a nap.


In other news:

• Swim lessons started today. They are only 1/2 hour for 10 days, but I'm hopeful she'll come out with some water skills that Daddy can then expand on.
• I've completed 2 weeks of Baby Boot Camp, and am still enjoying it. I still get sore the day after a class, but this is good as it means I'm continuing to work different muscles. We do a lot of squats and lunges, and I've seen improvement in my ability to complete multiple sets without having my legs want to buckle underneath me. I can see better definition in my calves, more muscle in my shoulders, and my shorts are feeling a little looser. My healthy eating is going OK, too. Some days are stricter than others, but overall I just try to stay away from the pasta and bread (two very big weak spots for me), and eat a lot more salad. In fact, I feel like I've eaten a Farmer's Market worth of salad, but it's all good. I've eaten ice cream and chocolate a few times, but I'm trying not to stress about it. What's the point to working towards a healthier lifestyle if I'm just going to beat myself up over a little treat now and then? So not worth it.
• I made homemade chocolate ice cream last night, and it was SO GOOD. We haven't had great luck with our ice cream in the past, as it seems to come out grainy, with an unpleasant mouth-feel and uneven texture. I thought it might be from our cheap-o ice cream maker, but this result was completely different. I found the recipe at All Recipes and decided to try it after reading the positive reviews. It was time consuming, but worth it. I think it could easily be switched up to form a vanilla base with raspberries, or make a mint ice cream with some chopped up dark chocolate (my favorite!). Here's the recipe:

  Very Chocolate Ice Cream

  INGREDIENTS
  · 3/4 cup sugar
  · 1 cup milk
  · 1/4 teaspoon salt
  · 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  · 3 egg yolk, lightly beaten
  · 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
  · 2 cups heavy cream
  · 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  

  DIRECTIONS
  1. Combine sugar, milk, salt, and cocoa powder in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a simmer. Place the egg yolks into a small bowl. Gradually stir in about 1/2 cup of the hot liquid and return to the saucepan. Heat until thickened, but do not boil. Remove from the heat, and stir in the chopped chocolate until chocolate is melted. Pour into a chilled bowl, and refrigerate for about two hours until cold, stirring occasionally.
  2. When chocolate mixture has completely cooled, stir in the cream, and vanilla. Pour into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's directions.

  
  

Getting Healthy

Tomorrow I start a Baby Bootcamp class. No, Justin hasn't joined the military (I don't think his Daddy would allow that). It's an exercise class you do with your baby and a jogging stroller. I found a great program through the Parks & Rec department, and thought that there's no time like the present. It runs for 6 weeks, and meets 3 times a week for an hour. I hesitated to blog about this earlier, as I have mixed feelings about this process. I don't doubt that I'll finish the class, and enjoy doing it. I'm not afraid of that. I'm afraid that I will once again fail to follow through with my good intentions to start living a healthier life. I'm not sure when I stopped having any sense of personal discipline. Was it when I had kids? Or when I started feeling really comfortable with Matt (last year)? Regardless of when, it seems to be a daily fact.

Every year as my birthday approaches, I always think "This is the year I get in shape. This is the year I get healthy." I don't think I'm afraid of doing the physical work. I know it's not easy but I'm not looking for a quick fix or miracle pill. I'm pretty sure I'm afraid of the process. Any person who is more than 10 lbs. overweight for more than 3 months can tell you that being heavy is complicated. Losing that 10, 20 or 30+ pounds requires patience, work, and introspection. It's the introspection that concerns me. Taking a hard look at yourself is never fun or easy, and it's been much easier to avoid that process and keep those feelings boxed up. Being a bit of an overachiever with a smidgen of perfectionist (thanks Dad!), I know all about engineered failure. It's far less of an ego blow to simply not try when you know a project is really difficult, and you will struggle. Why risk trying and failing when you can simply not try at all & keep your pride intact?

I had the above discussion with my sweet husband this morning, and while I think he empathizes with me, he also helps me to keep things in perspective. He pointed out that I need to focus less on the exterior, and more on the interior. It's really is about being more healthy. If I can work on that, the physical stuff will improve, too. Or as he put it: "You just need to decide exactly when you'd like to develop adult-onset diabetes". Nothing like thinking about losing your toes to make a walk to the park seem pretty appealing.

It was also inspiring to watch some of the Hy-Vee Triathlon this weekend. On Sunday morning the run portion was headed right past our apartment. Malaina got excited when she saw the runners & wanted to eat breakfast on the porch so she could clap & cheer like the other supporters on the street. I whipped up some pancakes & we all sat outside & watched the runners go by. We talked about what they were doing & why, and I watched the variety of sizes, shapes & ages jog to victory. I'd love to do a triathlon some day, but don't have access to a pool right now. I'm going to have to settle for running in the Race for the Cure in October - which must be important to me, as I actually planned my vacation so that we'd be home that weekend. If Baby Bootcamp can start me on the path to better health, then I'll have another 10 weeks to train before RFTC at the end of October. October 25th is highlighted on my calendar. Good luck to me?