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.