Week 9

I ended up at 165 lbs on Monday morning. This week proved the argument made by Elle Woods in Legally Blonde:


Exercise gives you endorphins. 
Endorphins make you happy. 
Happy people just don't kill their husbands.


Joe had his first set of law school finals this week. Which meant a lot of studying at home and at school. Joe was really awesome about helping out with Lily in the evenings and Lily, thankfully, had a great week of sleep. It's like she knew it was going to be a stressful week and saved up all her fussiness for the days that Joe actually had finals. Thursday was a complete disaster, and the first of Joe's tests. So Friday morning Joe was an angel and let me do some yoga all by myself. Then later that afternoon it was really nice out so Lily and I went for a leisurely winter stroll while Joe did some work. After that I felt ready to be the main caretaker again through the weekend so Joe could prepare for his test on Monday. Monday she screamed all day and all evening. She didn't have a fever, she might have had some gas, but whatever it was it passed and she slept soundly that night. Then yesterday was the first day of winter break, and Lily was back to her cheerful self and Joe amused her while I got to clean the kitchen and cook good food. And we went for a walk in the sunshine. The take-home message of this week for me is to keep doing things and going outside because that is clearly what keeps me sane. 


M: 166, 50 min video
T: 165, not much
W: 164, 45 min walk
Th: 164, baby yoga
F: 164, 30 min video + hour walk
S: 165, nothing
S: 166, shoppiing

Video Reviews

I've been sampling workout videos from the library in preparation for the winter. For most of my life I've gone for a run, to the gym, or taken a class to workout. I've never really mastered the "home workout." Especially when it comes to cardio. My dance skillz are pretty limited, so dancing around the apartment with Lily is only fun for so long. Certainly, there must be some cheesy video out there that will get my heart rate up and maybe work in some toning as well. Right? Well, here are my reviews of some of the videos I tried. 


Gaiam: Cardio Burn - Sculpt
The key word in this title is 'sculpt'. This video was WAY too intense for me right now. Holy cow was I sore the next two days. My body certainly felt sculpted after only the 30 minute workout. I can't even imagine what the 50 minute workout or bonus core cardio workouts are like. Other than it being too hard for now, I enjoyed it. The instructor is not annoying, the scenery is pretty, and it definitely packs a lot in in a short period of time. I can see myself liking this more when I'm a bit stronger. 


The Biggest Loser: The Workout - Boot Camp
I really liked this one. Of all The Biggest Loser brand stuff, I like the ones that Bob does the best. Jillian is way too intimidating for me. This video can be done with free weights (I have just been doing the movements without weights and it's been plenty.). There are 3 different levels meant to be done in progression over 6 weeks. It was just the right amount of cardio and strength training for me. And I like that I have the option of adding weights as well. I would definitely recommend this one. 


Gaiam: Cardio Burn - Yoga
This Gaiam video was much more doable than the Sculpt one. Basically it was a 30 minute vinyasa. I'm not sure how "cardio" intensive it was, though. I was breathing and sweating, so maybe that counts. This is a good one to start off your day with. The instructions are clear, but not overly simplistic, and the instructor actually follows the beat of the music. After a day of carrying a baby in the most ridiculous positions and then sleeping on your side all night, this video was a great way to get my body stretched out and moving again. I can see myself using this one along with a more cardio or strength intensive video, or as an 'easy' day. 
*Update: I felt this the next day. My muscles were pleasantly sore, but I didn't feel like I had over done it.
*Update 2: The 50 minute workout is so-so. Basically it's a slower tempo version of the 30 minute one, with some different poses. It was a little long for Lily, we had to stop in the middle to nurse/cuddle for a while. The workout is structured in ~10 minute chunks so there were places for natural breaks to stop and play with her. Again, it's one big vinyasa, but it felt even less cardio than the 30. This is the kind of yoga that I would like to do in a class where I could really focus, or maybe on a weekend when Joe can amuse Lily. 


Jillian Michaels: Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism
I was surprised by how much I didn't hate Jillian. She was much less intimidating and almost supportive. It's a 40 minute circuit workout that mixes cardio with strength. I only made it halfway through before Lily had a meltdown, so I don't know how it ends. There is a lot of kicking, jumping and boxing that isn't explained super great. If you were someone who had never taken a good kickboxing class before, I think you could really hurt yourself. I didn't like it enough to give it another try for the full time. 

Week 8

Today I am 166.6 lbs, and that's about what the scale said all week. No major fluctuations this time. I have been a huge wimp and not going outside in the cold and snow unless I absolutely have to. That's having a negative affect on my mood big time. My goal for this week is to be outside for half an hour every day, not necessarily all at once. And I need to keep up the motivation to do a video or something somewhat physical inside. When it's cold out all I want to do is snuggle up with Lily and watch movies all day and then eat something warm and preferably cheesy for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This is not a recipe for weight loss success.


I've considered getting a gym membership somewhere, but in the end it would just be money wasted. Lily is still a fairly fussy baby, so if there was some sort of childcare available they would be calling me back every 10 minutes because she would be screaming. And I know myself well enough to know that I would never actually go in the evening and have Joe watch her. Sigh. It's going to be a long winter. 


M: video + 45 min walk
Tu: video
W: shopping wearing Lily
Th: Baby Yoga
F: nothing
S: Museum of Science and Industry
S: walked to grocery store

Holiday fun!

As of last week, Lily is 4 months old! Amazing. She is now 10lbs 5oz, and 23.25" long. As she's getting bigger I find that I am grateful she's been so small for so long. This kid doesn't like to be anywhere else but being held or actively entertained by somebody. Now that she weighs more, it's getting to be more of a workout to bounce and sing and walk all day. Fortunately, her window of tolerance is also growing so I have small breaks during the day. Th pediatrician said she looks super healthy and strong. And each week we seem to need a little less formula. We're down to about 4-6oz per day. 


I have lots of pictures to share from the holiday weekend. This is how we usually travel when we take the train downtown to the museums. I have one coat that I can completely zip Lily up in while she's in the Baby Bjorn, but now even that one's getting tough to close. I get such funny looks when I wear Lily like this. At first people look all confused like 'what's that strange growth on that woman's chest?' and then it turns into amused surprise and people just can't help but flash a huge grin or make silly faces at Lily. Here she's completely zonked out so her head is lolling back on my chest. Take a guess as to how cold it was that day based on our outerwear. Got it? 40 degrees Fahrenheit. I'm such a weather wimp now after living in Arizona for 3 years. It's kind of embarrassing. 

Now for some Thanksgiving pictures. Susan gave us this adorable little onesie with embroidered turkeys on it. It was also very soft and snuggly, ad subtly festive. I'm not a fan of all the stuff that says "Baby's first ______" in big letters with ugly screen printed pictures in garish colors. 

My family is really into cool building blocks, and this is the newest addition. My dad and my brother Erik built a snowman. It's kind of hard to see, but the snowman is wearing a striped scarf also made from blocks and his nose sticks out. 

And here's Lily knocking it down. 

Lily was wearing a beautiful little sweater dress with tiny tights and boots that my mom gave her. You can see some of the pretty stripes in this picture. She's very into chewing on both Joe's and my fingers these days. I think teeth are not too far off. 

Friday we went to go see the wreathing of the lions at the Art Institute and made our own wreath to take home. It was 28*F! that's the coldest Lily has ever experienced. It was windy so we had her facing me in the carrier and she snuggled in so much she just passed out. My warmer winter coat doesn't fit over her so well...

Later in the day we went to the Christkindlmarket. Lily clearly thought it was a blast. 

And finally, my parents offered to babysit while Joe and I went to a movie and dinner. We saw Harry Potter, the first movie we've seen since Inception in July. It was weird to be alone. Then we had dinner at Basilico, this cute little Italian place near my parents. I guess she did ok (read: she didn't cry ALL the time). Here she is showing grandpa how she likes to turn the pages of her book. For some reason her ears look huge!

We're still putting up Christmas decorations, but expect some more pictures soon!

Week 7

This week I pretty much held steady at 167 lbs. Which is good because I did virtually nothing but cook and eat. (There will be a separate post on our weekend activities.) 


M: 30 min video
Tu: nothing, Lily had shots
W: morning walking errands ~2 miles
Th: does competitive eating count?
F: downtown festivities
S: nothing
S: nothing

Timely Thankfulness

My family does not do the whole go around the table and say what you're thankful for thing. But this year one thing keeps popping up in my head when I think about being thankful: time. This may seem like a vague thing to be thankful for, but let me explain. 


First and foremost I am extremely grateful for all of the time our new little family spends together. With Joe in law school, every minute of his time is precious. He has been working very hard to get his work done during the day so we can be together in the evenings, even if it means getting up early and waiting for the bus in the cold. Also, before moving to Chicago, both Joe and I had stopped working by the time Lily was born. That gave us almost two full months together to get a little bit used to our new life. It really means a lot to me that we got to just hang out and get to know our daughter for that long. 


I am also thankful for the time we spend apart. We are fortunate to have the means for me to stay at home with Lily while Joe goes to school during the day. As much as I have been complaining about it, it turns out I really love it. As she's getting older, it's more fun and I can spend more time doing things i like such as cooking, unpacking (yes, sill), and decorating for Christmas! Then, once Joe gets home, he gets to sit with Lily while I get a chance to be alone. I like listening to them laugh and play together while I cook or just sit in another room for a few minutes. 


And, finally, I would be horribly remiss if I did not say how thankful I am for the time so many other people have given to us. Both Joe's and my parents were absolutely essential to getting us relocated to Chicago. We would not have been able to do it without them. Now that we're here, I'm so grateful that they get to spend so much time with Lily. It is wonderful to live near family with a child. I'm so glad she'll be close to all of them as she grows up. And I am equally grateful for our friends in many different places. Thank you for letting us hang out with you and your families, answering ridiculous questions about pregnancy and parenting, and just being cool people. 


So Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Week 6

So I'm not sure what's going on. Once again, I had a great start to the week and was down to 165 on Wednesday and Thursday. Then I steadily gained one pound each day, despite continuing to exercise and eat the same. This morning I weighed 167.6 lbs. Sunday night I ate way too much pizza, so that one was definitely deserved, but I should have lost a couple on Saturday. I walked at least 3 miles, probably closer to 6, while wearing Lily in the Baby Bjorn all day. Basically we started walking at 9:30 am and didn't stop until 4:30 pm. So I'm a little bit frustrated. Maybe I should just make my posts on Wednesday instead of Monday so I'm at least 'stuck' at a lower number.  


I might have to accept that this is where I'll be for a while yet. Because I'm still mostly breastfeeding Lily (we're down to 6-8oz of formula each day!), I can't exactly go on a super diet. Not that I would if I weren't bf-ing. I strongly believe in eating what you want, in reasonable amounts. And I tend to follow Michael Pollan's 7-word manifesto: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. And as for exercise, I'm doing what I can, when I can. This scale says I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but it's about 7-10lbs different than the scale I used in Tucson so really I'm 7-10lbs less than before I was pregnant. And considering I was 204lbs when I checked into the hospital for delivery, almost 40 lbs in 4 months is not too shabby. Most importantly I'm feeling stronger and fitter, and my clothes are looking better. 


Why is she being so obsessive about this and analyzing it to death, you ask? Because I have a small anxiety problem. Being able to focus all of my insecurities and obsessiveness on one thing keeps me from worrying about everything. Choosing something that I can physically measure and keep constant track of is actually very calming to me. Also, being overly anxious about my weight allows me to not be a psychotic parent. Trust me, you would rather read a weekly post about my weight and workouts than a weekly post about how many times Lily pooped. Because that's what it would be. I would begin to obsessively count and measure something else in  my life, probably for the worse. So that's my little insanity disclaimer. Now for this week's info.


M: No data
T: 90 min walk with 2x15min run. These short runs are starting to feel great. I'm going to miss them once the snow comes.
W: 2.5 miles/90 minutes walk/errands wearing Lily. This was sort of a random day that involved lots of walking to places near our apartment, but the miles and minutes really do start to add up.
Th: Baby Yoga + 30 min workout video (video review in another post).
F: 90 min stroll to stretch out, I was pretty sore from Thursday.
S: All day out walking wearing Lily, 3-6 miles.
S: Afternoon shopping while wearing Lily

A real person

Over the past couple of weeks I have been amazed at how much more of a little person Lily is becoming. She is showing signs of a distinct personality, is starting to understand some social cues, and is moving and growing super fast. 

Lily definitely has her own quirky personality with specific likes and dislikes. The other day she was super crabby. I had The View on in the background while I was walking around the apartment trying to find something to distract her. Then Ludacris and Quincy Jones performed an acapella version of Soul Bossa Nostra (the theme song from Austin Powers). It was a pretty sweet cover, and Lily just fell in love with it. The only thing that would stop her from crying was listening to that song while I danced with her in front of the dining room window overlooking the parking lot and playing with the wind chime that hangs there. So I quickly found it on YouTube and put it on repeat. Absolutely bizarre. If any single one of those factors changed, shrieking immediately resumed. 

I'm also constantly impressed by her seeming understanding of social situations. She'll be having a crabby day, then a crabby car ride to yoga, but as soon as we get there around other people she quiets down and is willing to hang out. Also when we visit people she is a little unsure, but she is extremely "well-behaved" for a good long time. (I have a little bit of an issue with that term, but people keep using it. It's not like a baby can have 'bad' behavior.) We spend a little time each day playing in front of a mirror and I always ask her if she can make that baby smile. Just recently she has started smiling at the mirror, but then she gets all shy and buries her face in my should. Then she sort of peeks out and smiles again, and gets all shy again. She's such a little flirt. 

Lily is also growing and moving more every day. Each night when we put her down in bed she looks a little bit bigger and takes up more room. And even since last week she looks significantly bigger in her highchair. 

And finally, she has been rolling over! Over the past couple of weeks she's been doing it about once a day, but in a stealthy way. I'll be playing with her on the floor, look down at my watch, look back and she's flipped over. It's almost as if she waits until you look away to do it. On Tuesday, though, I finally caught her in the act. I was trying to take a picture of her in an adorable new onesie from Hanna, and she rolled over in slow motion. Here she is mid-roll. 

I also think she might be starting to teeth. She's drooling a ton, chewing on anything she can get in her mouth, and has been a little more irritable. Even so, it's definitely becoming a lot more fun to hang out and interact with her all day. There's much less of just sitting, more talking and playing, lots of laughing, squealing, and smiling. Maybe I can do this mom-thing after all. 

Week 5

Sorry this is one day late. Yesterday my mom came to the apartment to keep an eye on Lily while I cleaned and unpacked my books onto the new bookshelf Joe put together over the weekend. Then we went to her house and I did laundry. It was a very productive day! Anyway, amongst all the productivity I forgot to weigh myself. This morning it said 167.4 lbs. That's a bit less than last week, but at one point I was down to 165.8. Then I had Chinese take-out for dinner. I need to work on keeping up my motivation for exercising and eating healthy through at least Friday. I have pretty much gotten control over the evening munchies, though so that's progress. 


M: 60 min walk with 2x15min run. Felt awesome!
Tu: 3 hour stroll. It was so beautiful out Lily and I park-hopped up and down the lakefront all afternoon.
W: 30 min run + 45 min walk. My mom watched Lily while I got to run stroller free for a whole 30 minutes. I finally felt my first "runner's high" in over a year. Right at about 25 minutes I hit the right pace and felt like I could run forever. I was beginning to feel my lack of core strength however, and forced myself to stop at the planned 30 minutes so as to not hurt myself. I am encouraged that I'll be able to go for a long luxurious run in the near future! Then we went for a walk later that afternoon, and that's when I really felt it.
Th: Baby Yoga. Lily thought our cat and cow stretches were hilarious and laughed really loudly. It was pretty cute. 
F: 3 hour stroll to Museum of Science and Industry.
S: 2-3 mile walk at Morton Arboretum. We walked through the prairie and it was perfectly gloomy out.  
S: 1 mile walk roundtrip to grocery store. 

Gratuitous photos

So this is going to be a very random post full of random pictures from the week. This first one is Lily hanging out in her new high chair we got at IKEA. Best $40 spent ever. She happily sits in this thing with a toy for 30 minutes at a time. And it's so light and easy to move I can drag it all around the apartment with me. We got a little insert thing because she's so small. I'm pretty sure it was meant for another chair, but it fits. She really likes to swing her little feet and hold onto the soft insert. 

Here's a picture of Lily all snuggled into her stroller sleeping bag. I have no idea what it is really called, but it is perfect for the colder weather. (Thanks Aunt Becky!)

Over the past couple of weeks Lily has really enjoyed sitting up, with support of course. Her neck is very strong and she loves to grab at things, especially my hair. Also, she loves looking in the mirror. And honestly, wouldn't you if you were this cute?

This picture is just too sweet for words. 

And finally, our little drunken pirate. This hat was a hand-me-down from some friends in Tucson (thanks Rob and Sarah!). I absolutely love it. 

In other news, we recently started using G-Diapers with the biodegradable/flushable inserts. I highly recommend them. Originally, we had considered using cloth diapers, but since we have to use a shared laundry room and each load costs so much, we had to find something else. It just doesn't seem fair to the other tenants to wash dirty diapers without their consent. With G-Diapers, it's the best of both worlds. There is a cloth outer shell with a snap-in nylon liner that you put a cloth or disposable insert in. The do a good job of not leaking, and they have much less of that gross absorbent gel stuff. 

I will hopefully write a more cogent post later in the week. Only 40 days until Christmas!

Week 4

As of this morning, I am just about 5 pounds less than when I started keeping track. The scale read 167.6. Looking over my records for the past four weeks, it looks like the weekends are where I get in trouble (during the week I record my weight every day, but only post what it is each Monday morning). That's probably because Joe is around. I end up exercising less and eating more. I need to work on that. This next weekend I'm going to ask Joe to hang with Lily while I go for a stroller/baby/spouse free run. Sounds glorious already. My other problem is that as the nights get colder, I find myself hungrier in the evenings after dinner. The only thing I want to eat is dessert type food (chocolate, cookies, ice cream, etc.). What I should do is make myself a hot cup of tea with a tiny bit of honey in it for sweetness, but at that moment it is easier to grab a piece of chocolate and let's face it that's what I really want. So I'm struggling with that a bit. Any suggestions?


M: 70 min walk + grocery shopping
T: 70 min walk + 1.5 hr of housework wearing Lily
W: 90 min walk + 1 hr of housework wearing Lily. The maintenance crew came to fix our radiator so we went out for an extra long walk. It was nice to just be outside for such a long time. And Lily slept the whole way through.
Th: Baby Yoga. Lily made it through 50 minutes today. Towards the end we did a pose that involved sliding baby forward and down on her tummy, and Lily did NOT like it. 
F: 60 min walk with 20 min jog in the middle. We took a different route that was a longer distance than usual but it took me less time. I'm getting faster and stronger!
S: We walked to and around the Museum of Science and Industry. So cool. But FULL of people. I'm glad we have a membership (thanks mom and dad!) so we can go back again and again. I tend to get overwhelmed and a bit panicky in crowds so we only saw about half of what we wanted. Still, it was a good time and Lily slept for 4 hours in the stroller. Apparently the hordes of screaming children don't bother her so much. 
S: House stuff. Joe's parents stopped by to drop off some bookshelves and some more of Joe's stuff from their house, so I did about an hour of straightening up and washing dishes while Joe occupied Lily in the morning. Then later that evening we unpacked a good portion of it and I broke down/recycled a closet full of empty boxes. We're definitely making progress. It only took 2 months, but the apartment is starting to feel like home and I'm actually not embarrassed to have people over. Hooray!

CAGW

So, those of you that know me know that I am not very political and that Joe is extremely political. However, we were both equally riled up about this new ad put out by Citizens Against Government Waste:




I know there have been a million attack ads on all sides this election, but the sheer stupidity and inaccuracy of this one really gets to me.


1) "America tried to spend and tax itself out of a great recession." First, starting last year China is spending almost $600 billion on infrastructure projects to stimulate their economy (New York Times, March 2009). That really isn't all that much less than the $787 billion spent by the US (www.recovery.gov). In fact, China spent all of its stimulus money on infrastructure, thereby directly creating jobs. The current unemployment rate in China is about 4% (CIA World Factbook). Here, the stimulus package included $275 billion in tax cuts (Wikipedia - I found this same number in various other sources as well). Our current unemployment rate is about 9% (CIA World Factbook). Second, China has a 5 to 45% individual tax. Compare that with the 0 to 35% federal income tax in the US (Wikipedia - both numbers confirmed from other sources as well). While this does not include other taxes (state, property, sales, etc.), the point is that China has a similar tax rate to that of the US. Therefore, the implication that America is going to fail based on government spending and taxes should mean that China is equally doomed. 


2) "Massive changes to health care." China is moving towards a universal healthcare system (Forbes, January 2009). Specifically they are building cooperatives in rural areas to cover millions of farmers. These reforms are much more widespread than what was recently passed in the US (www.healthcare.gov). Again, if socialized medicine is such a scourge, China should be in shambles. 


3) "Government takeovers of private industries." In China, 46% of industrial output comes from state owned enterprises (Worldbank). In the US, there is no industry that is owned by the government. There are several examples of government sponsored,owned and acquired corporations, but not an entire industry. I cannot find an exact percentage, but our free market system means that much less than half of our industrial output is government driven. 


So I'm a little confused about the take-home message of this ad. The CAGW clearly see government spending, taxes, and industrial regulation as bad things that the US needs to stop doing, or China is going to take over the world. Except those things are exactly what China is doing to move up in the world, so our NOT doing them virtually guarantees the failure of the US. It doesn't matter to me what your political beliefs are, just take the time to find out what's really going on and don't just give into these stupid fear-mongering tactics. 

Silly Lily

Lily has been particularly comical this past week. She's finally gotten to the point where she can be awake for about an hour and be happy. This means I'm spending more of my day singing songs, reading books, and making funny faces. It is a welcome change. There are still hours of sitting and nursing, but they're more broken up now and don't feel like such a burden. 

Lily's newest trick is reaching out to grab at things. She has grabbed my glasses off of my face several times. Once, they landed on her face almost perfectly. I just had to straighten them out and take a picture.

My college roommate from St. Olaf, Kate, came to visit this weekend. She brought Lily a very soft bunny that she just loves. She really likes to grab it with both hands and smash it into her face while squealing. The ears and arms are perfectly floppy for her to hang onto, and it's a little bit weighted so it can sit up. Definitely a fast favorite. Here she is sitting on the couch with her bunny. She managed to kick off a sock, so logically we put it on the bunny. 

Of course we dressed Lily up for Halloween. There is a really fun toy store near our house that was selling really nice costumes. We got her a snuggly ladybug baby cape with antennas on the hood. It's definitely big enough to fit her for the next 5 years or so, so it'll be a fun dress item for a while. Also, it came with a little ladybug finger puppet that sits in the front pocket. All around cuteness. In this picture she is staring distrustfully at a lighted pumpkin in the window next to us. 

And finally, we have the smartest three month old on the planet. She can already read!

Week 3

This week was better for exercise. It was super windy earlier in the week so I couldn't go for a walk outside with Lily. The stroller turns into a huge sail and I was afraid I would lose grip on it and she would roll right into Lake Michigan. I tried walking around the neighborhood instead of the lake front trail, but there was so much debris flying around I was worried about getting stuff in our eyes, or getting smashed by a tree limb. So I had to get a little creative. All in all, I did pretty good. I was 168.8lbs this morning. 


M: We went to IKEA and Costco, each a work out on their own!
Tu: I danced around our apartment for 30 min of cardio and walked up and down our 13 flights of stairs twice while wearing Lily.
W: More than an hour of house work while wearing Lily
Th: Baby Yoga. Lily made it through the whole class without crying or needing to nurse! It was way more fun to actually do it than watch.
F: Walk home from campus, about 2 miles, after parking our car so Kate could park in our lot near the apartment. 
S: Field Museum with Kate. We took the stroller, but Lily just wanted to be carried the whole time. 
S:170, Shedd Aquarium with Kate. This time I wore Lily in the Baby Bjorn. She loved it! The belugas were particularly fascinating to her. 


Needless to say, I'm looking forward to getting outside for more walks this week. November is one of my favorite months weather-wise in Chicago. I love it when it is about 50 degrees outside and sunny. I hope it sticks around for a while!

3 Months

Lily turned 3 months old on Saturday, the day we went to the County Line Orchard with some law students. It poured most of the way there and then stopped by the time we arrived so that it was a perfectly grey day for picking out a pumpkin. We went on a hay ride, wandered around their barn looking at all their fun and delicious products, and had lunch at their restaurant. It was a good day, but at the end of it we were all pretty tired. 

The day before I made gingersnap cookies with my mom. (She did all of it while I watched. My excuse is that Lily had a shot that day.) They were excellent. So much so that when Joe was eating one Lily grabbed it out of his hand and looked very surprised that she was successful. She also made a cute little squeak that sounded kind of like "woah!"

Finally we had a lazy Sunday. This picture is actually from Saturday night, but is more representative of how we spent the next day. Duncan is not trying to escape, he just likes to dangle his head and paws off the edge of the couch. 

Friday's appointment was with the other pediatrician at the office we go to. I liked him MUCH better. When we were in Tucson we just picked someone off the insurance list because we weren't going to be there too long. We actually ended up really liking him. Then when we moved here that same approach did not work. I think because we had experienced someone so awesome previously, it was hard for anyone else to measure up. After three attempts we've found one that will do. I didn't think it would be so hard. Anyway, we're happy now. 

Have a great week! 

Week 2

So, this wasn't a great week for exercise. I did good at the beginning and had dropped all the way to 169.4 on Thursday. Then came the weekend. Lily got vaccinated on Friday, so all she wanted to do for the rest of the day was comfort nurse. Saturday we went to the County Line Orchard in Hobart Indiana. That took a lot of time and some walking, but not a whole lot. Sunday I had a headache off and on all day (which truthfully probably would have been helped by going for a walk) and it kept threatening to pour. I know these are just excuses, but it's interesting to see just how much not doing anything has an effect. As of this morning, I weighed 171lbs. 


M: 70 min walk with 20 min jog. This felt great even with the stroller.
T: 60 min walk with grandma! Also, lots of lifting and unpacking boxes.
W: 60 min walk
Th: Baby and me yoga. Unfortunately, the class is right during the time that Lily usually takes a nap while I walk run. This means she is ok for about the first half of the class and then I have to sit and nurse her while she sleeps.
F: Nothing 
S: Pumpkin Patch
S: Nothing

Morton Arboretum

Here are some pictures from our trip out to the Morton Arboretum. Lily will finally tolerate wearing a hat which is a good thing since it's starting to get colder. 

Week 1

Was a success! As of this morning the scale said 170.8 lbs, so I lost two over the week. Hooray! Here's the record of what I did as far as "exercise" not including our regular daily tasks. 


M: 70 min walk with 15 min jog in the middle. Lily and I have a certain loop that we go on for our walk/jogs that usually includes a quick stop at the grocery store near the very end (not included in the total # of minutes).
T: 70 min walk
W: 30 min jog with Joe. Running without the stroller is amazing! I hadn't realized just how much resistance the stroller added, but it is significant. I felt like I was flying without it. I'm encouraged that I can actually run for half an hour.
Th: Baby and Me Yoga at Sweet Peas Studios. It's a bit of a drive, but it is definitely worth it. The instructor, Jenny is extremely welcoming and normal (I've had a few really bizarre yoga instructors over the years). There are only two other women in the class, so it feels really personalized. Lily is the oldest and the smallest baby. 
F: 3 hours of walking errands wearing Lily in the Baby Bjorn (thanks Angela!). We took the train up to City Hall to get a Chicago vehicle sticker and Lily passed out so I just kept doing things around town. 
S: 3.5 mile hike in Morton Arboretum with my parents to see the fall colors. It was a perfect day for that. 
S: 90 min stroll around the neighborhood with Joe after the Bears game. 


Hopefully this week will go just as well!

Good week

So far, this has been a pretty good week. The weather has been great, I've been able to cook a lot and Lily has been in a great mood. I got the DVD's unpacked and organized/stored the baby stuff. Next week my mom is going to come out to the apartment to watch Lily while I do some major unpacking. I can't wait. 


Yesterday we went to visit my mom and Lily was so smiley and alert. She has really cute dimples and a very jolly smile. She really likes to clutch her hands together and stare intently at them trying to figure out how to get them apart again. She was in such a good mood we tried to get a picture of her smiling. Of course, as soon as the camera came out she became very serious. 

After about 20 minutes of doing ridiculous things she finally smiled for the camera, only with a toy in front of her face. This was the best we could do. 

And finally, we have quite possibly the strangest cat on the planet. Cats hate water, right? Not our cat. We came home after a jog last night to find this:

This is everything cats are supposed to hate: cold, hard, and damp. Ridiculous. When I tried to shoo him out he wouldn't budge so I turned the faucet on. Surely, this would make him move. But no. With the cool water pleasantly trickling on his tail and pooling around him, Duncan serenely reached his head forward and began to drink from the running tap and purring loudly as if to say "Thank you for installing my own personal waterfall with pool." I turned the water off and he stuck his face right under the tap to see where the water went. I turned the cold water on full blast. Didn't even phase him. So then I had to scoop out a soaking wet cat from the sink (my own fault, I know). I put him on the floor, he shook off the water and hopped up onto the toilet to wait for me to finish with the sink so he could snuggle back in. Oh well. At least he's not destroying the furniture. 

Fall in the City

I had forgotten how much I love real fall. The leaves crunching under your feet, the blue October sky, the slight chill in the air (not so much this week), and the smell of wood burning in people's fireplaces. I'm glad to be back.

Lily has grown a lot this week it seems. She's finally big enough for the Baby Bjorn a friend gave us. The sling is still her favorite but I can do so much more with the other carrier. She has a very jolly smile that is hard to catch in a picture. Also, she's finally on the border of being too big for the newborn size diapers. She can still rock the newbie clothes, though. This picture cracks me up because it looks nothing like her. Her face is definitely chubbier than it used to be, but not this much. Also, she's started losing her hair. Mostly it's just at the front for now leaving a glorious mullet in the back. Awesome.

172.8

That is the number my scale said this morning. I'm not too disturbed by the fact that this is almost eight pounds more than when we left Tucson for several reasons: 1) this is a new scale; 2) I have been more mobile over the past month and am starting to gain back muscle that I lost on bed rest; and 3) my clothes are fitting better so I'm clearly getting smaller. Even so, this number is bigger than I would like it to be. 


I was inspired by my friend Erik who just competed in the Chicago Marathon. I have always wanted to run a marathon, but have never really had the time to train for one. I feel like now is that time. To be honest with myself, the chances of me actually completing 26.2 miles are very low because of my wacky hips. But I am going to operate under the assumption that they will hold up if I take care of them and don't push too hard too fast. 


I am pretty good at making grandiose plans and then not following through with them. I also find public shame a very strong motivator. Therefore, I am publicly announcing my intentions to train for the 2011 Chicago Marathon and to lose 20 pounds in the process. On Mondays I will post about the previous weeks workouts as well as my average weight for the week. This is mostly for my own record keeping, but also motivation to keep going. 


From now until it is too cold to run outside (or the snow is too deep) I am going to work on rebuilding my endurance. Over the winter I will focus on speed and strength. Then spring training! I have been a big fan of Hal Higdon's training programs in the past, so I think I'll go with him again starting in April. 


So it's official now. Let the sweating begin!

Acceptance

I have been a stay-at-home mom for almost two weeks now, and there are a few things I have had to come to terms with:

1) My body is not the same as it was pre-pregnancy. While I am officially down to my pre-pregnancy weight, I am definitely not my pre-pregnancy shape. I was prepared for the changes in how I looked, but I was not expecting to feel so different. When I jog things jiggle that never have before, and I get tired way sooner than I think I should. As someone who thinks of herself as a runner, I am disappointed that I'm winded after jogging for 10 minutes in the middle of my daily walk with Lily. I need to remember that I was sedentary for almost three months and I need to go slow. On a more positive yet slightly demeaning note, on our walk today I got honked at for the first time in a very long while. I find that I am equal parts flattered and offended by this. It's good to know that I don't necessarily look like the lumpy sack of potatoes that I feel like sometimes.

2) The apartment will get unpacked eventually. Lily likes to nurse for comfort a lot, and won't accept a pacifier or tolerate being put down so I can't do a whole lot. She will sleep in the sling for about an hour in the morning before getting too fussy so that is pretty much my only chance to get things done. I have this compulsion to have the area around me be neat. I end up spending most of my "free" time straightening up, and then only have a little while to try to unpack. Joe has done a good job of helping me get the living room, dining room, bedroom and our bathroom mostly box free. But our office is still full of unopened boxes of stuff that belongs on shelves in the other rooms. By the time Joe gets home in the evenings, all we want to do is relax together and I am unwilling to sacrifice the little time we have together for unpacking. I'm just frustrated with not having everything put away and having everything feel only partly done.

3) I do not love being a stay-at-home mom. There, I said it. Don't get me wrong, I don't think I'm making a mistake. I am absolutely convinced that it is the right thing for our family right now and I am happy to do it. I definitely enjoy watching Lily grow and learn new things every day, having the time to go for long walks while the weather is nice, and being able to cook real food while Joe sits with Lily in the evening. I am having trouble filling the hours that I just sit with Lily nursing. I tried listening to the local NPR station, but I am sorely disappointed in their programming. It seems to be a lot of uninteresting filler and jazz. I hate jazz. Daytime broadcast TV is mind numbing, and I haven't mastered the one handed reading trick. I can type with one hand, but there's only so much time I'm willing to spend on the computer. So, I'm looking for suggestions of good books on tape/CD, good radio stations to stream through my laptop, or anything I can do with one hand (keep it clean people).

Writing this post has been more cathartic for me than usual. Somehow, writing about acceptance has helped bring it about some. It will take me a while, but I am settling into this new life and am looking forward to seeing how it turns out.