Today's weigh in: 230.2
Yep. Same old same old.
Let's see...Had a nice Thanksgiving, just us. The dinner came out pretty good, and I even made my husband's aunt's famous chocolate pie. Came out yummy. I will probably have to do a lot of practicing to get it to come out just like hers, but I can live with the results for now.
Had to take Ian in to a pediatrician for a prolonged bout of diarrhea. His poop still isn't right, hasn't been for like a month. Probably started as a virus, and now I'm pretty sure the combo of teething and his first solid food has combined to keep the negative poopage going. [First solid food was rice cereal, and then squash, and just today bananas. He doesn't seem to like any of it.] He's sleeping a bit better, usually waking up about every 2-2.5 hours but the past few nights waking about every 3-4. He just keeps growing and getting cuter, I've gotta say. I do wish he'd sleep longer, though...
Brendan had his own milestone, just this past week: his first emergency room visit. Monday evening after his bath, Brendan was racing around the room, chasing/being chased by Amos (we're dog-sitting). I didn't see it happen (I was washing Ian), but apparently he tripped and went headfirst into his time-out bench. He split his left eyebrow length-wise about an inch. My husband was reluctant to take him to the ER; he thought we should go get some surgical glue and butterfly strips and take care of it ourselves (but this is a guy who has a lot of scars, some of which probably should have been stitched up once upon a time). So I insisted, and the ER nurse backed me up when we got there. Took forever; we were at the hospital for well over three hours. Brendan was great. He hardly cried when it first happened, and he was in great spirits the rest of the time, with the exception of the actual stitching (they rolled him in a sheet like a burrito, and my husband had to hold his feet down while the nurse held his head, and he just wailed). He hasn't been very careful this week, but he's managed to not pull any of the five stitches he received out (yet). My hubby will take him back to the ER probably Monday or Tuesday to get them removed. I managed not to cry, barf, or pass out, which I feel to be a major triumph.
Well, that's everything so far. We're gearing up for Christmas, and I'm trying to keep Brendan from destroying all the decorations. We'll see what makes it through the holidays. :)
Pool Time
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Thursday, November 1, 2012
November 1, Meh
Today's weigh-in: 230.6. So much for making progress.
I haven't worked out yet. Just can't seem to get around to it in the afternoons. Haven't been able to take advantage of that extra hour in the afternoons. I think I'm going to start getting up earlier, maybe. The time change is coming up this weekend, fall back and all that, so I'll be getting an extra hour of sleep in the mornings. At least, that's what I'm telling myself. I've gotta do something. Part of the problem has been candy. I have started selling candy and soda out of my classroom to help fund the club I sponsor, and because I've used a fair bit of my own money to purchase the candy in the first place, I have taken some of what I have been owed in trade. And of course now I have Halloween candy too. Great.
Brendan turned two last week. We had a great time. He got a tricycle, and he can already sort of peddle it. He got plenty of other presents too, of course. I made him an Elmo cake. I was pretty pleased at how it turned out. If I can get a few more cakes under my belt (ha ha), I'll be pretty good at this.
I need more sleep...
I haven't worked out yet. Just can't seem to get around to it in the afternoons. Haven't been able to take advantage of that extra hour in the afternoons. I think I'm going to start getting up earlier, maybe. The time change is coming up this weekend, fall back and all that, so I'll be getting an extra hour of sleep in the mornings. At least, that's what I'm telling myself. I've gotta do something. Part of the problem has been candy. I have started selling candy and soda out of my classroom to help fund the club I sponsor, and because I've used a fair bit of my own money to purchase the candy in the first place, I have taken some of what I have been owed in trade. And of course now I have Halloween candy too. Great.
Brendan turned two last week. We had a great time. He got a tricycle, and he can already sort of peddle it. He got plenty of other presents too, of course. I made him an Elmo cake. I was pretty pleased at how it turned out. If I can get a few more cakes under my belt (ha ha), I'll be pretty good at this.
I need more sleep...
Sunday, October 7, 2012
A little late, but better than never
OK, so I'm a week late on my post. Sue me.
October 1's weigh in: 228.4. So I did manage to lose a little weight in September. I need to pull up the previous blog posts to see how much. But a loss is a loss. I'll take it.
Today's weigh-in: 227.4 . I guess I'm making progress. I still haven't worked out, and I haven't even really watched what I've eaten, so I'm pretty sure the weight loss isn't permanent.
On the kid front, we're switching Brendan to his "big boy" bed . He actually slept in it for the first time last night. It went pretty well, although it was hard to get him to calm down at bedtime. He had picked out some Cars 2 sheets and a comforter. He took pretty much every toy he owns and put them in his bed. He did wake up four or five times last night, but he's been doing that anyway. I thought maybe he'd get out of his bed and try to get out of his bedroom, but that didn't happen. It DID happen when we tried to get him to take a nap this afternoon. He wouldn't stay in the bed, and it took probably an hour before he settled down and stayed in the bed to go to sleep. I hope he does OK tonight.
We've left the crib assembled in his room for now, because it seemed like a good idea to have a backup plan if the bed wasn't a rousing success. We'll let it go again tonight, and if things go OK, we'll take the crib apart and move it to Ian's room. I had Ian sleep flat on the bassinet mattress last night instead of in the lounger pillow. He has gotten big enough and squirmy enough that he slides down out of the pillow at night, and it probably doesn't help keep his airway open (which was the whole point in the first place). The downside is that he still squirms around a lot and actually moves himself around on the mattress. In the little bassinet, there isn't enough room; he eventually ends up against the side. The crib will be better. I hope. I do worry that he'll wake Brendan up when he wakes up, and I don't look forward to having to walk out into the hall, make his bottle in the hall bathroom, and sit in his room to feed him. It would be much nicer to keep feeding him in our bed. But I guess from a sleep perspective it'll be nice to sleep in a room that doesn't have a sound machine and night light on all the time. Of course, we'll have TWO sound machines running over monitors, so it won't be exactly quiet...
We've had our first snow of the year. Winter is on its way. Here's hoping I lose the winter fat instead of gaining it...
October 1's weigh in: 228.4. So I did manage to lose a little weight in September. I need to pull up the previous blog posts to see how much. But a loss is a loss. I'll take it.
Today's weigh-in: 227.4 . I guess I'm making progress. I still haven't worked out, and I haven't even really watched what I've eaten, so I'm pretty sure the weight loss isn't permanent.
On the kid front, we're switching Brendan to his "big boy" bed . He actually slept in it for the first time last night. It went pretty well, although it was hard to get him to calm down at bedtime. He had picked out some Cars 2 sheets and a comforter. He took pretty much every toy he owns and put them in his bed. He did wake up four or five times last night, but he's been doing that anyway. I thought maybe he'd get out of his bed and try to get out of his bedroom, but that didn't happen. It DID happen when we tried to get him to take a nap this afternoon. He wouldn't stay in the bed, and it took probably an hour before he settled down and stayed in the bed to go to sleep. I hope he does OK tonight.
We've left the crib assembled in his room for now, because it seemed like a good idea to have a backup plan if the bed wasn't a rousing success. We'll let it go again tonight, and if things go OK, we'll take the crib apart and move it to Ian's room. I had Ian sleep flat on the bassinet mattress last night instead of in the lounger pillow. He has gotten big enough and squirmy enough that he slides down out of the pillow at night, and it probably doesn't help keep his airway open (which was the whole point in the first place). The downside is that he still squirms around a lot and actually moves himself around on the mattress. In the little bassinet, there isn't enough room; he eventually ends up against the side. The crib will be better. I hope. I do worry that he'll wake Brendan up when he wakes up, and I don't look forward to having to walk out into the hall, make his bottle in the hall bathroom, and sit in his room to feed him. It would be much nicer to keep feeding him in our bed. But I guess from a sleep perspective it'll be nice to sleep in a room that doesn't have a sound machine and night light on all the time. Of course, we'll have TWO sound machines running over monitors, so it won't be exactly quiet...
We've had our first snow of the year. Winter is on its way. Here's hoping I lose the winter fat instead of gaining it...
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Mixed bag
Haven't weighed in lately, but the last weigh in, near the beginning of the week, was 230. Not good. I only have one week left to lose my two pounds for the month. Perhaps I need to stop eating. I haven't walked or biked to work, I've eaten junk food, I haven't worked out...I suck. Plain and simple.
Both boys have colds. Brendan has a runny nose and a raspy cough; Ian has nasal congestion, which isn't good with a teeny nose and no ability to breathe through his mouth yet. He'll snort, and then he gets mad. I hope they both get better soon.
It's been a weird week, with some ups and some downs. The ups have been good; the downs have been bad.
Ups--Ian just rolled over for the first time, today, twice, from tummy to back. That means he's getting bigger! Need to keep working on that and on sitting up. Brendan has a potty now, and we're starting potty training. So far all we've done is sit on the potty, read the potty book and watch the Elmo potty DVD. He does love Elmo. This is the first time he's ever watched a video or tv show for any length of time. A couple of friends just had their very first baby. Best of all this week, my brother is out of Afghanistan forever! He has gotten a job with a new company, and will be moving along with my sister-in-law and the dogs to Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. It'll be a whole different experience, and he still won't be living close by, but at least no one will be shooting at him.
Downs--The worst thing by far is that one of my coworkers is dealing with the impending loss of her son. He is five months younger than Brendan, and was born with a genetic disorder that usually results in death by age 2. The poor little guy has contracted pneumonia, and it's unlikely that he's going to get better. She has taken a leave of absence. Just the realization that the next time I see her will probably be after her son is dead is pretty upsetting. I was her long-term sub when she had Josh, so I feel a connection to them, and of course since Brendan is close in age we've always shared stories. It is heartbreaking to think about losing a child, and every time I think about it I get really upset and want to cuddle the boys. I've also been pretty down because I'm not happy at work. I've realized that the kids in my study hall classes won't be responsible and actually do their work unless I'm a total hardass bitch and chew them out every day, and even then some of them won't do it. I've never truly understood the saying "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink" until this year. I don't understand why they won't just get their fucking homework done. Excuse the language, but I've never been as pissed off at a group of kids as I am with mine this year. I don't really enjoy my freshman English class, either. They are loud, obnoxious, and rude. By the time I get to that class, at the end of the day, I'm in a horrible mood because of the other classes, and I am not willing to put in the effort to have fun. I miss my St. Agnes girls sooooooo much. And I'm worried that the teacher who had originally planned to retire at the semester might end up hanging around until the end of the school year. In that case, I'll be stuck with Academic Success. I've seen my rosters for next semester, and while I know they are changing almost daily, I have a lot of kids I'd rather not have, and then I have one class of sophomore English. Good that I won't have annoying freshmen, but bad because I have kids that I had (and didn't necessarily like) last year. And my last down is just general depression. I'm tired, I'm fat, I don't have any fun at work, the boys frustrate and exhaust me at home, and I'm kind of lonely. I've been reminded recently that I don't really have friends here. I have a couple coworkers with whom I'm friendly, but I don't necessarily feel comfortable "hanging out" with them. Ross has gone out a few times with some of his coworkers for beer and appetizers after work--I feel like I don't have that opportunity since I'm the one who has to pick up the boys because I get off work first. I really, really miss our friends from the Memphis area, and I miss my high school friends too (since they came out to visit during the summer). I feel isolated--the fact that the house, the sitter, and the school are all up here in the Heights so close together means I don't get out to go do anything. Ever. It has just been weighing down on me, and when I combine everything, it just makes me sad.
I need for things to change. I just wish I knew how to change them, in an easy, lazy, don't-have-to-work-at-it way.
Both boys have colds. Brendan has a runny nose and a raspy cough; Ian has nasal congestion, which isn't good with a teeny nose and no ability to breathe through his mouth yet. He'll snort, and then he gets mad. I hope they both get better soon.
It's been a weird week, with some ups and some downs. The ups have been good; the downs have been bad.
Ups--Ian just rolled over for the first time, today, twice, from tummy to back. That means he's getting bigger! Need to keep working on that and on sitting up. Brendan has a potty now, and we're starting potty training. So far all we've done is sit on the potty, read the potty book and watch the Elmo potty DVD. He does love Elmo. This is the first time he's ever watched a video or tv show for any length of time. A couple of friends just had their very first baby. Best of all this week, my brother is out of Afghanistan forever! He has gotten a job with a new company, and will be moving along with my sister-in-law and the dogs to Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. It'll be a whole different experience, and he still won't be living close by, but at least no one will be shooting at him.
Downs--The worst thing by far is that one of my coworkers is dealing with the impending loss of her son. He is five months younger than Brendan, and was born with a genetic disorder that usually results in death by age 2. The poor little guy has contracted pneumonia, and it's unlikely that he's going to get better. She has taken a leave of absence. Just the realization that the next time I see her will probably be after her son is dead is pretty upsetting. I was her long-term sub when she had Josh, so I feel a connection to them, and of course since Brendan is close in age we've always shared stories. It is heartbreaking to think about losing a child, and every time I think about it I get really upset and want to cuddle the boys. I've also been pretty down because I'm not happy at work. I've realized that the kids in my study hall classes won't be responsible and actually do their work unless I'm a total hardass bitch and chew them out every day, and even then some of them won't do it. I've never truly understood the saying "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink" until this year. I don't understand why they won't just get their fucking homework done. Excuse the language, but I've never been as pissed off at a group of kids as I am with mine this year. I don't really enjoy my freshman English class, either. They are loud, obnoxious, and rude. By the time I get to that class, at the end of the day, I'm in a horrible mood because of the other classes, and I am not willing to put in the effort to have fun. I miss my St. Agnes girls sooooooo much. And I'm worried that the teacher who had originally planned to retire at the semester might end up hanging around until the end of the school year. In that case, I'll be stuck with Academic Success. I've seen my rosters for next semester, and while I know they are changing almost daily, I have a lot of kids I'd rather not have, and then I have one class of sophomore English. Good that I won't have annoying freshmen, but bad because I have kids that I had (and didn't necessarily like) last year. And my last down is just general depression. I'm tired, I'm fat, I don't have any fun at work, the boys frustrate and exhaust me at home, and I'm kind of lonely. I've been reminded recently that I don't really have friends here. I have a couple coworkers with whom I'm friendly, but I don't necessarily feel comfortable "hanging out" with them. Ross has gone out a few times with some of his coworkers for beer and appetizers after work--I feel like I don't have that opportunity since I'm the one who has to pick up the boys because I get off work first. I really, really miss our friends from the Memphis area, and I miss my high school friends too (since they came out to visit during the summer). I feel isolated--the fact that the house, the sitter, and the school are all up here in the Heights so close together means I don't get out to go do anything. Ever. It has just been weighing down on me, and when I combine everything, it just makes me sad.
I need for things to change. I just wish I knew how to change them, in an easy, lazy, don't-have-to-work-at-it way.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Still no joy.
Today's weigh-in (clothed) 229.2
Still haven't lost weight. Still haven't eaten right. Still haven't worked out. Still have the small goal of losing 2 lbs each month, and ultimately of losing 20 lbs by the first day of summer break.
So, I'm starting small. I have three small goals for this week:
1) I will either walk or ride my bike to school three days this week. That means there are two days that I can drive--I will probably have to use one of those because I will have to get cash from an ATM to pay the sitter on Friday. Maybe I can do it on Wednesday and walk/bike the other four days. But I'm only "requiring" thee days this week.
2) No coffee runs, either to the coffee shop or to the coffee cart at school. I have a fridge at school, so I either need to keep nonfat "diet" "creamer" in the fridge and sweeten the regular teachers' workroom coffee with SweetNLow, or just not have coffee at all. I can always get Diet Coke to keep in my fridge, after all.
3) I need to do some kind of workout. I have several possibilities. I've found an online video called Tony Horton's Pay It Forward (Tony Horton does the Beach Body workouts--I own some of the videos--including Insanity, and this one is geared towards people who are seriously overweight and out of shape, to get them started working out. Guess that's me). I also found a couple of workouts thanks to Pinterest. One is called the Summer Arms Challenge, and it has exercises designed to tone the arms, plus a quick cardio workout added in. Since it's mostly arms, I could probably do it during my prep period or my lunch time at school and not end up all sweaty, or at least not TOO sweaty, afterwards. The same site, Skinny Ms, also has a Beginner's Workout. I have hand weights and a kettle bell, so I should be able to come up with something. If all else fails, I can always do one of the Leslie Sansone walking videos.
When it comes to working out, the two biggest challenges I face are energy and time. Energy is a "duh"--after all, I'm probably only getting maybe six hours of broken sleep, not restful. But I think since Ian is getting a little better at sleeping, I might be OK. Plus, if I start working out, maybe I'll sleep better when I do sleep.
As far as time goes, that's where I may or may not be making excuses for myself. I currently shower at night so I don't have to do it in the morning. I get up at 6, do my makeup and hair and get dressed, and generally give Ian a bottle. Then I pack up the boys' diaper bags, if I didn't do so the night before, and get Brendan's milk so I can wake him up. I wake Brendan at 6:40 or so, get him dressed and take the boys to the sitter's house at 7:00. Since I'm not getting a lot of sleep, I really, REALLY do not want to get up any earlier than I already do (that's why I shower at night). Ross is getting up with Brendan at night since I'm getting up with Ian; I don't want to force him to get up any earlier either, and since Ian could start stirring early, I just don't think working out in the morning is feasible.
I've already identified a possible workout time during my school day. I need to try it a few times to see if it is realistic. If I use my planning time to work out, I need to make sure I'm using other time during the work day to guarantee my planning and grading gets done.
Working out between the end of work and when I pick up the boys is not possible. I have to stay at school until 3:30, and I have to pick the boys up at 4 most days. If I walk or even ride my bike, I don't have enough time to squeeze in anything else. Tuesdays I stay until about 4 because of my club, Wednesdays perhaps I will be going to the ATM to get cash to pay the sitter on Fridays, and Thursdays I stay until almost 5 because of my club. None of those days could harbor an after-work workout.
It would be difficult to do a "real" workout in the afternoon between the time I get the boys and the time Ross gets home. I can't leave the boys unattended. Brendan wants to play or be read to, and Ian usually needs to eat and wants to be held (afternoons and evenings are often his colicky periods). Since I can't guarantee any time that I wouldn't be holding a kid, I can't say I could work out. If Ian is calm, I could probably run around and play with Brendan, but that's about it. And I really SHOULD use this time, assuming the boys let me, to start preparing dinner for when Ross gets home.
Once Ross gets home, we need to eat dinner, and then we have some family time. Again, the boys require attention. I COULD leave the boys with Ross and go downstairs to use the elliptical or do some other kind of workout, but he's tired after a long day at work, and I still have limited time with Brendan before he goes to bed. Doesn't seem fair to spend less time with him so I can work out. Besides, if I go downstairs without him, he'll get upset.
Brendan typically takes a bath around 7 and then goes to bed between 8 and 8:30. We still have Ian to deal with at this point--it's a good idea to keep him up so he'll go to sleep around the same time we do--but I could leave him with Ross and do a workout. However, this is part of what little time I have to spend with my husband before we go to bed at about 10, and I hate losing any of that. But if I'm going to work out away from my work day, that's the only chance I feel I have. The other problem with this time is that I am afraid my getting myself all adrenalized and pumped up, I will have a harder time getting to sleep at night. No way of knowing if that's the case until I try it, I guess. At least I shower at night, so I won't go to bed all sweaty.
So, that's my dilemma: when to work out. This week I'm just going to try the small, easy, beginner-type workouts, and stick to my planning period or lunchtime. And I will walk or ride my bike at least three days this week.
Cross your fingers. If I can't figure out a way to do this, I'm doomed.
Still haven't lost weight. Still haven't eaten right. Still haven't worked out. Still have the small goal of losing 2 lbs each month, and ultimately of losing 20 lbs by the first day of summer break.
So, I'm starting small. I have three small goals for this week:
1) I will either walk or ride my bike to school three days this week. That means there are two days that I can drive--I will probably have to use one of those because I will have to get cash from an ATM to pay the sitter on Friday. Maybe I can do it on Wednesday and walk/bike the other four days. But I'm only "requiring" thee days this week.
2) No coffee runs, either to the coffee shop or to the coffee cart at school. I have a fridge at school, so I either need to keep nonfat "diet" "creamer" in the fridge and sweeten the regular teachers' workroom coffee with SweetNLow, or just not have coffee at all. I can always get Diet Coke to keep in my fridge, after all.
3) I need to do some kind of workout. I have several possibilities. I've found an online video called Tony Horton's Pay It Forward (Tony Horton does the Beach Body workouts--I own some of the videos--including Insanity, and this one is geared towards people who are seriously overweight and out of shape, to get them started working out. Guess that's me). I also found a couple of workouts thanks to Pinterest. One is called the Summer Arms Challenge, and it has exercises designed to tone the arms, plus a quick cardio workout added in. Since it's mostly arms, I could probably do it during my prep period or my lunch time at school and not end up all sweaty, or at least not TOO sweaty, afterwards. The same site, Skinny Ms, also has a Beginner's Workout. I have hand weights and a kettle bell, so I should be able to come up with something. If all else fails, I can always do one of the Leslie Sansone walking videos.
When it comes to working out, the two biggest challenges I face are energy and time. Energy is a "duh"--after all, I'm probably only getting maybe six hours of broken sleep, not restful. But I think since Ian is getting a little better at sleeping, I might be OK. Plus, if I start working out, maybe I'll sleep better when I do sleep.
As far as time goes, that's where I may or may not be making excuses for myself. I currently shower at night so I don't have to do it in the morning. I get up at 6, do my makeup and hair and get dressed, and generally give Ian a bottle. Then I pack up the boys' diaper bags, if I didn't do so the night before, and get Brendan's milk so I can wake him up. I wake Brendan at 6:40 or so, get him dressed and take the boys to the sitter's house at 7:00. Since I'm not getting a lot of sleep, I really, REALLY do not want to get up any earlier than I already do (that's why I shower at night). Ross is getting up with Brendan at night since I'm getting up with Ian; I don't want to force him to get up any earlier either, and since Ian could start stirring early, I just don't think working out in the morning is feasible.
I've already identified a possible workout time during my school day. I need to try it a few times to see if it is realistic. If I use my planning time to work out, I need to make sure I'm using other time during the work day to guarantee my planning and grading gets done.
Working out between the end of work and when I pick up the boys is not possible. I have to stay at school until 3:30, and I have to pick the boys up at 4 most days. If I walk or even ride my bike, I don't have enough time to squeeze in anything else. Tuesdays I stay until about 4 because of my club, Wednesdays perhaps I will be going to the ATM to get cash to pay the sitter on Fridays, and Thursdays I stay until almost 5 because of my club. None of those days could harbor an after-work workout.
It would be difficult to do a "real" workout in the afternoon between the time I get the boys and the time Ross gets home. I can't leave the boys unattended. Brendan wants to play or be read to, and Ian usually needs to eat and wants to be held (afternoons and evenings are often his colicky periods). Since I can't guarantee any time that I wouldn't be holding a kid, I can't say I could work out. If Ian is calm, I could probably run around and play with Brendan, but that's about it. And I really SHOULD use this time, assuming the boys let me, to start preparing dinner for when Ross gets home.
Once Ross gets home, we need to eat dinner, and then we have some family time. Again, the boys require attention. I COULD leave the boys with Ross and go downstairs to use the elliptical or do some other kind of workout, but he's tired after a long day at work, and I still have limited time with Brendan before he goes to bed. Doesn't seem fair to spend less time with him so I can work out. Besides, if I go downstairs without him, he'll get upset.
Brendan typically takes a bath around 7 and then goes to bed between 8 and 8:30. We still have Ian to deal with at this point--it's a good idea to keep him up so he'll go to sleep around the same time we do--but I could leave him with Ross and do a workout. However, this is part of what little time I have to spend with my husband before we go to bed at about 10, and I hate losing any of that. But if I'm going to work out away from my work day, that's the only chance I feel I have. The other problem with this time is that I am afraid my getting myself all adrenalized and pumped up, I will have a harder time getting to sleep at night. No way of knowing if that's the case until I try it, I guess. At least I shower at night, so I won't go to bed all sweaty.
So, that's my dilemma: when to work out. This week I'm just going to try the small, easy, beginner-type workouts, and stick to my planning period or lunchtime. And I will walk or ride my bike at least three days this week.
Cross your fingers. If I can't figure out a way to do this, I'm doomed.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
September 1; August=Failure
Today's weigh-in: 230.4.
Which means the month of August was a total failure. I started at 227, and was supposed to be below 225 by the end of August for a weight loss of at least two pounds. Instead, I gained three.
I'm not entirely sure what happened, other than the fact that I failed at my very first goal of my weight loss journey. I thought it would be easy to lose weight since I started back to work. I figured with general walking around and not having time to snack much that I would be able to lose some weight pretty easily. Apparently I was wrong.
As far as eating goes, I didn't think I'd been eating that badly. Usually I have Carnation Instant Breakfast before leaving the house. Then I'd have "foo-foo" coffee (latte or cappuccino), which might be my downfall. I don't typically order them as nonfat, and I usually get a pretty big one. I can't find a calorie count for the drinks I usually get, but based on the comparable Starbucks drinks I've looked at, I'm probably consuming 500+ calories with each coffee drink. Not good. I need to stop drinking so much coffee. For starters. During the rest of the school day, I typically have a Greek yogurt with fruit on the bottom, a single serving bag of almonds, a single serving container of baby carrots, a granola bar, and maybe a piece of fruit like a plum or a cutie orange. When I get home, I have whatever it is we have for dinner. Sometimes I have ice cream for dessert. But I really wouldn't think that I was eating any more than I had before. So I'm pretty disappointed that I haven't lost weight. I guess the coffee is gonna go, ASAP.
My other goal of the month was a wash-out too. I had hoped that I would have gotten a bit of exercise by now. I had started one of those Couch-to-5K apps, but I haven't gotten more than a few of the workouts for the first week done. And I haven't actually done any since school started. I also thought I would have been walking or biking to work every day, but I haven't done it once.
Man, I suck.
As far as the kids go, they are ok. Brendan is 22 months old, and really wearing us out. He's wild and crazy for sure. I really wish he'd sleep through the night, though. Other than those two weeks or so, right around Ian's birth, he hasn't slept though the night. Usually at least twice one of us has to get up and go after him. Ian, at almost three months, seems to be getting a little better, as far as sleeping goes. He's been going to bed somewhere between 10-11, and sleeping until about 2:30. So that's about 4 hours. After that, it isn't quite as good; the past few nights he hasn't taken another bottle until I've taken him to the sitter's in the morning, but he doesn't sleep quietly--he's pretty squirmy. I don't know if it's reflux or gas or just non-restful sleep, but I tend to wake up and check on him every hour or so. I kind of want to move Ian to his own room, since he's still sleeping in ours, but I'm afraid I won't hear him until he actually starts crying, and that means he might wake Brendan up. Just not sure what to do about that yet.
It's funny to see the difference between the boys. Brendan was a very serious baby, didn't smile much, loved to look around at the scenery, didn't mind riding in the car and actually traveled pretty well, cried when he wanted something (for the most part), needed to be swaddled super tight to get him to sleep at night. Ian smiles all the time, and gurgles and coos at you (which is really darned cute, I have to admit). He could care less about the scenery, but really wants to have someone with him at all times, preferably holding him. He's still kind of colicky (although he does seem to be getting a little better), so there are plenty of times that he cries that we simply have no idea what the problem it. He despises his car seat and usually cries in the car if we're driving somewhere more than just ten or fifteen minutes away. He hates to be swaddled, so he sleeps in a pretty loose swaddle at night with a blanket tucked over him to keep his hands away from his face. They are like night and day in a lot of respects. It will be interesting to see how Ian's personality develops.
Anyway, my goal of losing 20 lbs by the end of the school year (May 31) still stands, but now to do it I'll have to lose a little more than 2 lbs per month. But I still think it's doable. Starting Tuesday, though, I'm going to start walking or riding my bike to school. No more coffee in the mornings, at least, not unless we've had a really, really bad night. I also need to start working with my kettlebell and getting on the elliptical machine downstairs.
In other news, I had an IUD put in back in the middle of August, and I'm still bleeding. My OB did say that it was possible I could bleed/spot for a whole month, but seriously? This sucks. It did seem like part of the past few weeks was my period, since that was due. I am so tired of bleeding! Argh.
Well, that's all I've got for you. I just hope September is a better month than August was...
Which means the month of August was a total failure. I started at 227, and was supposed to be below 225 by the end of August for a weight loss of at least two pounds. Instead, I gained three.
I'm not entirely sure what happened, other than the fact that I failed at my very first goal of my weight loss journey. I thought it would be easy to lose weight since I started back to work. I figured with general walking around and not having time to snack much that I would be able to lose some weight pretty easily. Apparently I was wrong.
As far as eating goes, I didn't think I'd been eating that badly. Usually I have Carnation Instant Breakfast before leaving the house. Then I'd have "foo-foo" coffee (latte or cappuccino), which might be my downfall. I don't typically order them as nonfat, and I usually get a pretty big one. I can't find a calorie count for the drinks I usually get, but based on the comparable Starbucks drinks I've looked at, I'm probably consuming 500+ calories with each coffee drink. Not good. I need to stop drinking so much coffee. For starters. During the rest of the school day, I typically have a Greek yogurt with fruit on the bottom, a single serving bag of almonds, a single serving container of baby carrots, a granola bar, and maybe a piece of fruit like a plum or a cutie orange. When I get home, I have whatever it is we have for dinner. Sometimes I have ice cream for dessert. But I really wouldn't think that I was eating any more than I had before. So I'm pretty disappointed that I haven't lost weight. I guess the coffee is gonna go, ASAP.
My other goal of the month was a wash-out too. I had hoped that I would have gotten a bit of exercise by now. I had started one of those Couch-to-5K apps, but I haven't gotten more than a few of the workouts for the first week done. And I haven't actually done any since school started. I also thought I would have been walking or biking to work every day, but I haven't done it once.
Man, I suck.
As far as the kids go, they are ok. Brendan is 22 months old, and really wearing us out. He's wild and crazy for sure. I really wish he'd sleep through the night, though. Other than those two weeks or so, right around Ian's birth, he hasn't slept though the night. Usually at least twice one of us has to get up and go after him. Ian, at almost three months, seems to be getting a little better, as far as sleeping goes. He's been going to bed somewhere between 10-11, and sleeping until about 2:30. So that's about 4 hours. After that, it isn't quite as good; the past few nights he hasn't taken another bottle until I've taken him to the sitter's in the morning, but he doesn't sleep quietly--he's pretty squirmy. I don't know if it's reflux or gas or just non-restful sleep, but I tend to wake up and check on him every hour or so. I kind of want to move Ian to his own room, since he's still sleeping in ours, but I'm afraid I won't hear him until he actually starts crying, and that means he might wake Brendan up. Just not sure what to do about that yet.
It's funny to see the difference between the boys. Brendan was a very serious baby, didn't smile much, loved to look around at the scenery, didn't mind riding in the car and actually traveled pretty well, cried when he wanted something (for the most part), needed to be swaddled super tight to get him to sleep at night. Ian smiles all the time, and gurgles and coos at you (which is really darned cute, I have to admit). He could care less about the scenery, but really wants to have someone with him at all times, preferably holding him. He's still kind of colicky (although he does seem to be getting a little better), so there are plenty of times that he cries that we simply have no idea what the problem it. He despises his car seat and usually cries in the car if we're driving somewhere more than just ten or fifteen minutes away. He hates to be swaddled, so he sleeps in a pretty loose swaddle at night with a blanket tucked over him to keep his hands away from his face. They are like night and day in a lot of respects. It will be interesting to see how Ian's personality develops.
Anyway, my goal of losing 20 lbs by the end of the school year (May 31) still stands, but now to do it I'll have to lose a little more than 2 lbs per month. But I still think it's doable. Starting Tuesday, though, I'm going to start walking or riding my bike to school. No more coffee in the mornings, at least, not unless we've had a really, really bad night. I also need to start working with my kettlebell and getting on the elliptical machine downstairs.
In other news, I had an IUD put in back in the middle of August, and I'm still bleeding. My OB did say that it was possible I could bleed/spot for a whole month, but seriously? This sucks. It did seem like part of the past few weeks was my period, since that was due. I am so tired of bleeding! Argh.
Well, that's all I've got for you. I just hope September is a better month than August was...
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Where has all my summer gone? Oh, right, I have two kids.
Haven't weighed myself in the past few days, but despite some efforts (not my best, but not my worst either), I don't think I've lost anything. Maybe when school starts next week things will start to progress.
Ian had his two-month checkup last week, and got his first shots (he didn't like them). He was over 12 lbs, and 22 1/2 inches long (so he finally hit the height that big brother was born with). The colic continues. We've tried several different formulas, different bottles, different nipples, probiotic drops, Zantac, tummy rubs, heated tummy wraps, gripe water, simethicone, rocking, swinging, swaddling, shushing...nothing has worked so far. Although maybe it would be a million times worse without all those things. No idea. But it's super frustrating. He's obviously uncomfortable, and there just isn't anything I can do. I guess it's somewhat of a relief that school starts next week. Heck, today is the last day I'm home alone with Ian--Ross has the next two days off, so we'll have a few days of that, and then Monday he'll start at the sitter's. I really hope he is better for her than he is at home, since she'll have five kids to deal with. Yowza.
Brendan's got a cold. Whee. Hopefully he'll get past it, since it's waking him up during the night. I really wish these kids would sleep better. I need some rest, and I'm not likely to get it during the school week. Argh.
Ian had his two-month checkup last week, and got his first shots (he didn't like them). He was over 12 lbs, and 22 1/2 inches long (so he finally hit the height that big brother was born with). The colic continues. We've tried several different formulas, different bottles, different nipples, probiotic drops, Zantac, tummy rubs, heated tummy wraps, gripe water, simethicone, rocking, swinging, swaddling, shushing...nothing has worked so far. Although maybe it would be a million times worse without all those things. No idea. But it's super frustrating. He's obviously uncomfortable, and there just isn't anything I can do. I guess it's somewhat of a relief that school starts next week. Heck, today is the last day I'm home alone with Ian--Ross has the next two days off, so we'll have a few days of that, and then Monday he'll start at the sitter's. I really hope he is better for her than he is at home, since she'll have five kids to deal with. Yowza.
Brendan's got a cold. Whee. Hopefully he'll get past it, since it's waking him up during the night. I really wish these kids would sleep better. I need some rest, and I'm not likely to get it during the school week. Argh.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Day 2, I guess
Today's weigh-in: 227.0
Ok, so I haven't lost any weight yet. Going to try the jogging workout again today. Probably.
Trying to think of a good reward for weight loss. You know, other than a big-ass bowl of ice cream. Hopefully I will require some new clothes. $20 per pound? That's $400 if I successfully lose the 20 lbs by the end of the school year. Is that too much? Too little? Can I afford to pull $40 bucks from my paycheck each month, especially with putting both kids in daycare this fall? We'll see.
Ok, so I haven't lost any weight yet. Going to try the jogging workout again today. Probably.
Trying to think of a good reward for weight loss. You know, other than a big-ass bowl of ice cream. Hopefully I will require some new clothes. $20 per pound? That's $400 if I successfully lose the 20 lbs by the end of the school year. Is that too much? Too little? Can I afford to pull $40 bucks from my paycheck each month, especially with putting both kids in daycare this fall? We'll see.
Friday, August 3, 2012
8 weeks old/Day One, almost
Can't believe that Ian is 8 weeks old today. Amazing. I can't believe we're all still alive, more specifically. Pretty darned tired.
Didn't weigh myself this morning. Tried working out for the first time. Despite the fact that I 1) have no intention of running a 5K any time soon and 2) despise running with all my heart, I decided to download the Couch-to-5K app for my phone and use it to start working out for the next few weeks. The workouts are 20 to 30 minutes, and the first one was just a 5 minute brisk walk for warm up, and then intervals of 1 minute of jogging and 90 seconds of walking. Not sure if there was a cool down--I would assume there was--because I didn't make it that far. How freaking sad is that? Oh, sure, I could blame it on the fact that we have company here and I had told them I was only going over to the sitter's house to pay her for the week, and I was pushing Brendan in the jogging stroller, and made it around our neighborhood faster than I thought I would, and when I rounded the corner I saw that my husband was already home. But I'll just go ahead and admit that I don't know if I could have finished the last half of the workout anyway. I stopped the second to the last jogging interval I did a few seconds early, and probably would have done the same thing again. How pathetic is it that I can't even finish the "first day off the couch" workout? Pretty sad indeed. And then, to add insult to injury, it wouldn't let me log the workout. I clicked "quit" because I figured it was more honest than fast-forwarding through the rest of the workout. It did warn me that I was quitting without finishing (thanks a lot, Captain Obvious), but it didn't say anything about not letting me record at least the part of the workout that I did do. And I wasn't even able to map the workout because my GPS wasn't working on my phone. Lame. So I'm pretty sure that even if I did have designs on competing in a 5K, I wouldn't be able to do it on their schedule. I suck. Well, even if I couldn't record the workout officially, I can at least say that yes, I did work out today. Kind of. Sigh.
Didn't weigh myself this morning. Tried working out for the first time. Despite the fact that I 1) have no intention of running a 5K any time soon and 2) despise running with all my heart, I decided to download the Couch-to-5K app for my phone and use it to start working out for the next few weeks. The workouts are 20 to 30 minutes, and the first one was just a 5 minute brisk walk for warm up, and then intervals of 1 minute of jogging and 90 seconds of walking. Not sure if there was a cool down--I would assume there was--because I didn't make it that far. How freaking sad is that? Oh, sure, I could blame it on the fact that we have company here and I had told them I was only going over to the sitter's house to pay her for the week, and I was pushing Brendan in the jogging stroller, and made it around our neighborhood faster than I thought I would, and when I rounded the corner I saw that my husband was already home. But I'll just go ahead and admit that I don't know if I could have finished the last half of the workout anyway. I stopped the second to the last jogging interval I did a few seconds early, and probably would have done the same thing again. How pathetic is it that I can't even finish the "first day off the couch" workout? Pretty sad indeed. And then, to add insult to injury, it wouldn't let me log the workout. I clicked "quit" because I figured it was more honest than fast-forwarding through the rest of the workout. It did warn me that I was quitting without finishing (thanks a lot, Captain Obvious), but it didn't say anything about not letting me record at least the part of the workout that I did do. And I wasn't even able to map the workout because my GPS wasn't working on my phone. Lame. So I'm pretty sure that even if I did have designs on competing in a 5K, I wouldn't be able to do it on their schedule. I suck. Well, even if I couldn't record the workout officially, I can at least say that yes, I did work out today. Kind of. Sigh.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
August 1, time to get started
I'll start with the boys and work my way back to me...
Brendan: is 21 months old now. How crazy is that? I think he's probably in a growth spurt again, because he's having trouble sleeping through the night again. I was surprised, though, to find out that he's still only 25 lbs. I took him in to the doctor for a cold that I thought might get croupy, and they weighed him. I would have thought for sure he'd be heavier than that. He sure SEEMS heavier than that, especially when he's doing a patented toddler go-limp-so-they-can't-carry-me-to-bed move. He's saying more words now, like "guck" (truck), fluff, hi, hello, meow, moo, woo-woo (the call of a wolf, the sound a dog makes, and the sound a fire truck makes), "nana" (banana), cheese, uh-oh, baby, and of course mama and daddy. No sentences yet, but they'll come eventually. I'm just glad he's talking. It sure seemed to take a while before he really got good at saying things. He finally started paying attention to the television, too. Not to any shows or anything, but there's a commercial for some slippers that have stuffed animal faces on them, and he'll point at them. I think I sense a birthday present... He's also such a boy: he loves power tools, trucks, and rocks. We'll probably try to get him a Big Wheel or something for his birthday or Christmas, and maybe some kid's tools too. Although I don't know if they'll satisfy him, or if he'll want the real thing. The sitter said that Brendan was pointing at the toilet yesterday (while pooping in his diaper), so maybe he's ready for some potty training. I'll have to get a potty seat. I hope it's easy. At least if he's doing most of it at the sitter's house, I won't have to do as much. I hope. :)
Ian is almost 8 weeks old; next week he'll be 2 months. He is in the throes of colic. I remember being so frustrated when Brendan would cry and I couldn't figure out why; Ian is SO MUCH WORSE. The poor kid has gas problems and spits up quite a bit. At first I thought maybe he had reflux; I took him to the doctor and they gave him a prescription for Zantac. But he almost always spits up the bottle that has the Zantac in it (and I definitely can't give it to him straight, because he'll immediately barf it back up), so I stopped giving it to him. It seems to work better to be really careful giving him a bottle, not overfeeding him, and burping him frequently. He'll still spit up a bit, but not the projectile barfing that he was doing before. It's been a couple days since he's done that. But the gas is still a problem. He'll arch his back and squeal and cry. It's really sad. I try pumping his legs, which worked with Brendan, but it doesn't always seem to help with Ian. We switched his formula to the "Gentlease" that is supposed to help with gas. It helped Brendan; it doesn't seem to have made much difference with Ian. We even got new bottles, Playtex Vent-Aire (and Dr. Brown's to try if the Playtex ones don't work), that are supposed to help with gas, spit up, and colic. It is very frustrating to have the poor kid crying and obviously distressed, with his little mouth all turned down in a frown, and not be able to do much for him. I hope he grows out of it soon. The good news is that I've had people here for several weeks, who have been more than willing to feed him, hold him, cuddle him, and play with him so that I can get some sleep and get some stuff done around the house. One of my best friends from high school and her kids were here for over a week, and the day after they left my other best friend from high school came in for another week. She'll leave tomorrow, but my in-laws will come in tonight and be here for a couple days, and Ross' aunt and uncle will be here in a few days as well. They won't be here for the whole weekend, but they'll be here off and on for the next few days and a couple of days next week. I've only got two and a half weeks before I have to go back to work, so I won't have a lot of time to myself with just Ian. I feel sorry for the sitter, though, if he's still like this in a couple of weeks: she's got a 4-year-old (almost 5), Brendan who is almost 2, a 1 1/2-year-old, a 7-month-old, and then she'll have Ian at 2 1/2 months. Crazy. Hopefully the oldest will be helpful, and hopefully Brendan will behave himself.
And now to me:
Today's weigh-in: 227.0
This is my starting point. School starts in a few weeks and gets out on May 31. That is ten months total. So my goal is to lose two pounds each month for a total weight loss of 20 lbs by the first day of next summer. Sad that a 20 lb weight loss won't even get me under 200 lbs at this point. Sheesh. I plan on walking or riding my bike to work and back each day (although when my club meets I might have to drive so I can stay until 4 for them). I also need to get on the elliptical machine, either in the morning or at night after Brendan has gone to bed. And after watching one of my friends work out with kettle bell weights while she was here (and sweat a lot doing it), I've decided I need to get some kettle bells and try some work outs with them. I just can't get to the gym with my schedule the way it is (and they can't take Ian in the nursery there yet, since he hasn't had any shots yet), so I have to work out at home. I also need to take the boys for walks in the evening, or maybe bike with Brendan. I need to cut back on snacking, but school will help me with that, since I can only eat what I have at school. Hopefully I can at least get the 20 lbs, although 50 would be nice... I'm not going to hold my breath, though...
Brendan: is 21 months old now. How crazy is that? I think he's probably in a growth spurt again, because he's having trouble sleeping through the night again. I was surprised, though, to find out that he's still only 25 lbs. I took him in to the doctor for a cold that I thought might get croupy, and they weighed him. I would have thought for sure he'd be heavier than that. He sure SEEMS heavier than that, especially when he's doing a patented toddler go-limp-so-they-can't-carry-me-to-bed move. He's saying more words now, like "guck" (truck), fluff, hi, hello, meow, moo, woo-woo (the call of a wolf, the sound a dog makes, and the sound a fire truck makes), "nana" (banana), cheese, uh-oh, baby, and of course mama and daddy. No sentences yet, but they'll come eventually. I'm just glad he's talking. It sure seemed to take a while before he really got good at saying things. He finally started paying attention to the television, too. Not to any shows or anything, but there's a commercial for some slippers that have stuffed animal faces on them, and he'll point at them. I think I sense a birthday present... He's also such a boy: he loves power tools, trucks, and rocks. We'll probably try to get him a Big Wheel or something for his birthday or Christmas, and maybe some kid's tools too. Although I don't know if they'll satisfy him, or if he'll want the real thing. The sitter said that Brendan was pointing at the toilet yesterday (while pooping in his diaper), so maybe he's ready for some potty training. I'll have to get a potty seat. I hope it's easy. At least if he's doing most of it at the sitter's house, I won't have to do as much. I hope. :)
Ian is almost 8 weeks old; next week he'll be 2 months. He is in the throes of colic. I remember being so frustrated when Brendan would cry and I couldn't figure out why; Ian is SO MUCH WORSE. The poor kid has gas problems and spits up quite a bit. At first I thought maybe he had reflux; I took him to the doctor and they gave him a prescription for Zantac. But he almost always spits up the bottle that has the Zantac in it (and I definitely can't give it to him straight, because he'll immediately barf it back up), so I stopped giving it to him. It seems to work better to be really careful giving him a bottle, not overfeeding him, and burping him frequently. He'll still spit up a bit, but not the projectile barfing that he was doing before. It's been a couple days since he's done that. But the gas is still a problem. He'll arch his back and squeal and cry. It's really sad. I try pumping his legs, which worked with Brendan, but it doesn't always seem to help with Ian. We switched his formula to the "Gentlease" that is supposed to help with gas. It helped Brendan; it doesn't seem to have made much difference with Ian. We even got new bottles, Playtex Vent-Aire (and Dr. Brown's to try if the Playtex ones don't work), that are supposed to help with gas, spit up, and colic. It is very frustrating to have the poor kid crying and obviously distressed, with his little mouth all turned down in a frown, and not be able to do much for him. I hope he grows out of it soon. The good news is that I've had people here for several weeks, who have been more than willing to feed him, hold him, cuddle him, and play with him so that I can get some sleep and get some stuff done around the house. One of my best friends from high school and her kids were here for over a week, and the day after they left my other best friend from high school came in for another week. She'll leave tomorrow, but my in-laws will come in tonight and be here for a couple days, and Ross' aunt and uncle will be here in a few days as well. They won't be here for the whole weekend, but they'll be here off and on for the next few days and a couple of days next week. I've only got two and a half weeks before I have to go back to work, so I won't have a lot of time to myself with just Ian. I feel sorry for the sitter, though, if he's still like this in a couple of weeks: she's got a 4-year-old (almost 5), Brendan who is almost 2, a 1 1/2-year-old, a 7-month-old, and then she'll have Ian at 2 1/2 months. Crazy. Hopefully the oldest will be helpful, and hopefully Brendan will behave himself.
And now to me:
Today's weigh-in: 227.0
This is my starting point. School starts in a few weeks and gets out on May 31. That is ten months total. So my goal is to lose two pounds each month for a total weight loss of 20 lbs by the first day of next summer. Sad that a 20 lb weight loss won't even get me under 200 lbs at this point. Sheesh. I plan on walking or riding my bike to work and back each day (although when my club meets I might have to drive so I can stay until 4 for them). I also need to get on the elliptical machine, either in the morning or at night after Brendan has gone to bed. And after watching one of my friends work out with kettle bell weights while she was here (and sweat a lot doing it), I've decided I need to get some kettle bells and try some work outs with them. I just can't get to the gym with my schedule the way it is (and they can't take Ian in the nursery there yet, since he hasn't had any shots yet), so I have to work out at home. I also need to take the boys for walks in the evening, or maybe bike with Brendan. I need to cut back on snacking, but school will help me with that, since I can only eat what I have at school. Hopefully I can at least get the 20 lbs, although 50 would be nice... I'm not going to hold my breath, though...
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Week 3, whoopee
Weight (in jammies) 222.8
I'm probably not going to lose much more weight just on my own; I'm not breastfeeding anymore (more on that in a moment), so I'm going to have to start working out. I'm going to start easy, with those Leslie Sansone walking workouts. It's going to be too hot outside to take Ian for a walk, plus I need to get a new tire for the jogging stroller, so I'll just stick to the videos in the house.
Breastfeeding is going to be a no-go this time around. Ian never has figured out how to latch--he can't even latch to a bottle well--although I must admit I haven't spent nearly the amount of time trying that I should have. Even with pumping during the day, the amount I've produced has decreased over time. The last time I pumped, on Thursday, I pumped probably less than an ounce the entire day. It hurts my breasts to pump, and it just isn't producing anything. So I'm giving up. I was able to give him a little each day over the course of three weeks; that will have to be enough. Hopefully it is enough to give him the stuff he needs for his immune system. I have ordered some probiotic drops that the pediatrician recommended, which are supposedly the bacteria that are found in breastmilk. He recommended them as a solution for colic (which Ian seems to have a problem with), so we're going to give them a try. We got the Enfamil Gentlease formula that Brendan had, but it doesn't seem to have helped Ian with his tummy problems. He cries a lot, and squirms and arches his back. He strains like he's trying to poop really, really hard. Eventually he manages to poop or fart, and then he calms down for a while. Rubbing his tummy and pumping his legs seems to help a bit. But I had really hoped that the formula change would help. Makes me a bit sad, since I think if Ian were breastfeeding he wouldn't have this problem. It's that feeling of failure that I had when I was struggling to breastfeed Brendan. I know that formula can be just as good (for the most part) as breastmilk, but still, it's disappointing.
It's been a rough couple of days. Didn't get much sleep the other night because Brendan threw up a couple of times, necessitating several jammie and bed changes. I kept him home from the sitter yesterday, which was probably a good thing for her because he threw up a few more times that morning. He didn't eat or drink much, other than water, the rest of the day yesterday, and so we thought he was OK. But then Ross put him in the car to run an errand this morning, and Brendan ended up throwing up all over inside the car. Ross doesn't have a good stomach for such things (I think only mommies have the stomach to deal with all the bodily functions of children). We'll definitely need to get the car detailed now! That's the only time he's thrown up today, so far (fingers crossed). I really hope he gets past this quickly. No fun. I also hope he doesn't give whatever it is to Ian, Ross, or me.
Anyway, I hope Brendan feels better soon, Ian's tummy stops hurting him, and my tummy gets smaller. Soon!
I'm probably not going to lose much more weight just on my own; I'm not breastfeeding anymore (more on that in a moment), so I'm going to have to start working out. I'm going to start easy, with those Leslie Sansone walking workouts. It's going to be too hot outside to take Ian for a walk, plus I need to get a new tire for the jogging stroller, so I'll just stick to the videos in the house.
Breastfeeding is going to be a no-go this time around. Ian never has figured out how to latch--he can't even latch to a bottle well--although I must admit I haven't spent nearly the amount of time trying that I should have. Even with pumping during the day, the amount I've produced has decreased over time. The last time I pumped, on Thursday, I pumped probably less than an ounce the entire day. It hurts my breasts to pump, and it just isn't producing anything. So I'm giving up. I was able to give him a little each day over the course of three weeks; that will have to be enough. Hopefully it is enough to give him the stuff he needs for his immune system. I have ordered some probiotic drops that the pediatrician recommended, which are supposedly the bacteria that are found in breastmilk. He recommended them as a solution for colic (which Ian seems to have a problem with), so we're going to give them a try. We got the Enfamil Gentlease formula that Brendan had, but it doesn't seem to have helped Ian with his tummy problems. He cries a lot, and squirms and arches his back. He strains like he's trying to poop really, really hard. Eventually he manages to poop or fart, and then he calms down for a while. Rubbing his tummy and pumping his legs seems to help a bit. But I had really hoped that the formula change would help. Makes me a bit sad, since I think if Ian were breastfeeding he wouldn't have this problem. It's that feeling of failure that I had when I was struggling to breastfeed Brendan. I know that formula can be just as good (for the most part) as breastmilk, but still, it's disappointing.
It's been a rough couple of days. Didn't get much sleep the other night because Brendan threw up a couple of times, necessitating several jammie and bed changes. I kept him home from the sitter yesterday, which was probably a good thing for her because he threw up a few more times that morning. He didn't eat or drink much, other than water, the rest of the day yesterday, and so we thought he was OK. But then Ross put him in the car to run an errand this morning, and Brendan ended up throwing up all over inside the car. Ross doesn't have a good stomach for such things (I think only mommies have the stomach to deal with all the bodily functions of children). We'll definitely need to get the car detailed now! That's the only time he's thrown up today, so far (fingers crossed). I really hope he gets past this quickly. No fun. I also hope he doesn't give whatever it is to Ian, Ross, or me.
Anyway, I hope Brendan feels better soon, Ian's tummy stops hurting him, and my tummy gets smaller. Soon!
Monday, June 18, 2012
Ten days in and the kids are still alive...
So, we now have two kids. How weird is that?
Let's see...first of all, I weighed myself yesterday: 229.2. I guess there is something to be said for childbirth and rapid weight loss. I was probably about 245 when I had Ian, which is about the same as when I had Brendan. They didn't weigh me when I went into the hospital, so I never got a final number. But that means I came out ahead, really, in the weight department. I started at 237, so I had a net gain of about 8 lbs. Nice. Of course, with the weight loss at the beginning of the pregnancy, down to about 217, I ended up with a gross (isn't it always?) gain of about 28 lbs. With Brendan, I started at 206 and ended at 245, so this time things came out a little better. Hopefully I can get rid of as much of the baby weight from both boys, and then start focus on losing the general fatness I have accumulated in the past six or seven years. My goal is really to get down to somewhere below 160 lbs. It's going to be a long road, and it'll be hard work with the boys, but hopefully I can do it.
I have to say that having the planned c section this time was way less stressful than last time. With Brendan I had a day and a half of contractions and very little progress toward delivery before the doctor finally decided to do the c section. This time, she pretty much told me from the beginning that we should plan to have the c section, and that if I happened to go into labor before that we'd play it by ear. So, I might have had a random contraction or two during the week before the c section, but definitely didn't go into labor. On the day I hit 39 weeks in the pregnancy, I went into the hospital at about 1 pm (I did have to call ahead of time and wait for an OK because they'd had a busy week and didn't have any beds available at the beginning of the day). They got me into the room, gave me my hospital gown, and left me to change. Then they came in, got some baseline readings for bp, bloodwork, and the baby (which is when they identified that I was having a few contractions here and there), and then hooked me up to an IV, gave me some anti-nausea medication (which didn't work last time or this time--I barfed both times), and rolled me out to the operating room.
No epidural this time, but a spinal block, which was pretty nice and not as "itchy" as the epidural was. Again, I was amazed at how fast things went. My operation was scheduled at 2:20, Ian was delivered at 3:02, and I was back in my room at 3:30. Ian was smaller than I expected, coming in at 7 lbs 8 oz and only 19.5 inches long. I have to laugh at the fact that I view him as "small", since he really wasn't that small--it's just compared to Brendan that he seems little. He isn't as long-torsoed as Brendan is; his legs are more proportional to his torso. And his feet aren't as big as Brendan's were. When Brendan was born, the nurses commented on how big his feet were. Ian can actually wear the little newborn socks I had bought for Brendan that Brendan never wore.
The nurses got me up and moving later that evening. A little hard to sleep that night, since they kept coming in to check on us about every hour. Probably the best thing was being prepared for the fact that I wouldn't be likely to be able to breastfeed right away. Heck, we're ten days out now, and I haven't been able to pump more than about an ounce. I'm still worried that I won't be able to breastfeed (and he hasn't figured out how to latch on yet, which makes it harder), but at least I've been able to get him a little breastmilk, and I know that formula won't kill him. I have ordered some of that fenugreek that I tried with Brendan last time; it did seem to help my production a bit, so we'll have to wait and see. But Ian might need to switch formulas, regardless, as he seems to have a major spit-up problem (and some gas issues). He's on the Enfamil Newborn formula right now, but I may ask the pediatrician for some recommendations on Wednesday when we go in for our next appointment.
Big brother Brendan doesn't quite know what to think about Ian. He loves to say "BayBEE" and knows that is Ian, but he's not super interested in him otherwise. He has tried to take his bottle and his blankets a few times, and almost jumped on him one evening (which was pretty scary), but otherwise he's been gentle. He likes touching his nose. I just hope he stays gentle. We have tried to make sure we've paid plenty of attention to him, which was made easier by the grandparents being here for the past ten days (they left today, unfortunately); it'll be harder this week. But what has been most frustrating to Brendan is that I haven't been able to play with him much or pick him up. I'm going to try to be good and not pick him up until Friday (which will be two weeks after my surgery), but I can't make any guarantees. I'm at least able to get around a lot better now than a few days ago.
Anyway, we are now the parents of two kids. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around that. I had enough difficulty recognizing myself as the mother of one boy; now I have two. Weird. Wish me luck...
Let's see...first of all, I weighed myself yesterday: 229.2. I guess there is something to be said for childbirth and rapid weight loss. I was probably about 245 when I had Ian, which is about the same as when I had Brendan. They didn't weigh me when I went into the hospital, so I never got a final number. But that means I came out ahead, really, in the weight department. I started at 237, so I had a net gain of about 8 lbs. Nice. Of course, with the weight loss at the beginning of the pregnancy, down to about 217, I ended up with a gross (isn't it always?) gain of about 28 lbs. With Brendan, I started at 206 and ended at 245, so this time things came out a little better. Hopefully I can get rid of as much of the baby weight from both boys, and then start focus on losing the general fatness I have accumulated in the past six or seven years. My goal is really to get down to somewhere below 160 lbs. It's going to be a long road, and it'll be hard work with the boys, but hopefully I can do it.
I have to say that having the planned c section this time was way less stressful than last time. With Brendan I had a day and a half of contractions and very little progress toward delivery before the doctor finally decided to do the c section. This time, she pretty much told me from the beginning that we should plan to have the c section, and that if I happened to go into labor before that we'd play it by ear. So, I might have had a random contraction or two during the week before the c section, but definitely didn't go into labor. On the day I hit 39 weeks in the pregnancy, I went into the hospital at about 1 pm (I did have to call ahead of time and wait for an OK because they'd had a busy week and didn't have any beds available at the beginning of the day). They got me into the room, gave me my hospital gown, and left me to change. Then they came in, got some baseline readings for bp, bloodwork, and the baby (which is when they identified that I was having a few contractions here and there), and then hooked me up to an IV, gave me some anti-nausea medication (which didn't work last time or this time--I barfed both times), and rolled me out to the operating room.
No epidural this time, but a spinal block, which was pretty nice and not as "itchy" as the epidural was. Again, I was amazed at how fast things went. My operation was scheduled at 2:20, Ian was delivered at 3:02, and I was back in my room at 3:30. Ian was smaller than I expected, coming in at 7 lbs 8 oz and only 19.5 inches long. I have to laugh at the fact that I view him as "small", since he really wasn't that small--it's just compared to Brendan that he seems little. He isn't as long-torsoed as Brendan is; his legs are more proportional to his torso. And his feet aren't as big as Brendan's were. When Brendan was born, the nurses commented on how big his feet were. Ian can actually wear the little newborn socks I had bought for Brendan that Brendan never wore.
The nurses got me up and moving later that evening. A little hard to sleep that night, since they kept coming in to check on us about every hour. Probably the best thing was being prepared for the fact that I wouldn't be likely to be able to breastfeed right away. Heck, we're ten days out now, and I haven't been able to pump more than about an ounce. I'm still worried that I won't be able to breastfeed (and he hasn't figured out how to latch on yet, which makes it harder), but at least I've been able to get him a little breastmilk, and I know that formula won't kill him. I have ordered some of that fenugreek that I tried with Brendan last time; it did seem to help my production a bit, so we'll have to wait and see. But Ian might need to switch formulas, regardless, as he seems to have a major spit-up problem (and some gas issues). He's on the Enfamil Newborn formula right now, but I may ask the pediatrician for some recommendations on Wednesday when we go in for our next appointment.
Big brother Brendan doesn't quite know what to think about Ian. He loves to say "BayBEE" and knows that is Ian, but he's not super interested in him otherwise. He has tried to take his bottle and his blankets a few times, and almost jumped on him one evening (which was pretty scary), but otherwise he's been gentle. He likes touching his nose. I just hope he stays gentle. We have tried to make sure we've paid plenty of attention to him, which was made easier by the grandparents being here for the past ten days (they left today, unfortunately); it'll be harder this week. But what has been most frustrating to Brendan is that I haven't been able to play with him much or pick him up. I'm going to try to be good and not pick him up until Friday (which will be two weeks after my surgery), but I can't make any guarantees. I'm at least able to get around a lot better now than a few days ago.
Anyway, we are now the parents of two kids. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around that. I had enough difficulty recognizing myself as the mother of one boy; now I have two. Weird. Wish me luck...
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Week 38: just a few days left
So, I haven't posted in a really, really long time. It isn't that I haven't had anything to post about; I just haven't had any time. Now that school is out, I have my one week of vacation before the baby arrives, so I have to use the time wisely. Which means I need to get off the computer and get some stuff done. Oh well.
Anyway...last time I weighed myself (a couple of days ago), I was 242.0. I was 244 at the doctor's office yesterday, clothed. So it looks like I'm going to end up at about the same weight when I have Ian on Friday as I was when I had Brendan, about 245. Sucks to weigh that much, but at the same time I managed to gain less weight this time around than I did last time. When I had Brendan, I started at 206, so I gained about 40 lbs. This time, I started at 237, dropped down to about 217, then came back up to where I am now. Gross gain is about 25 lbs, but net gain is really only about 5 lbs. I guess that's pretty impressive, although I would have liked to be lighter than this. I'll have a lot of work ahead of me to lose all this--my goal is to be back down under 160 lbs. I don't know if I can do it within a year. A friend of mine has suggested that we could do one of those "zombie run" 5K races next summer. I think I can probably handle a training regimen that gets me to run about 3 miles in a full year. But I'll have to start out slowly. They really don't recommend much in the way of exercise after a c section until about 6 weeks out. My exercise before that is going to be a little walking and a lot of breastfeeding (I hope).
I can't even remember when I last posted. The past few months have been a whirlwind. We survived two trips, one to Memphis for a wedding and one to San Diego for my brother's wedding. I only got barfed on once (on the plane between Salt Lake City and Memphis, absolutely nightmarish). Brendan did barf on our San Diego trip, but not on me. :/ But really, he was actually very good on both trips. However, I doubt we'll be doing much traveling anytime soon. It's too hard to keep Brendan in the seat on the plane, and when we have to start paying for more seats on the plane (when he hits 2 years) it's going to get way too expensive to fly. And driving with the little guy will be difficult. So we'll just have to wait and see. Maybe the world will finally start coming to us, instead of the other way around. I'm not going to hold my breath, though.
I did also survive a slightly disappointing Mother's Day. Not anything horrible, but my husband was sick, so we didn't do anything. Heck, the only card I got was from my dad. Silly of me to be disappointed, I know; I should just be a lot happier that I have a wonderful family and not feel sorry for myself. But it did make me a little sad.
And of course, I survived the school year. This has been really rough; I've been pregnant for more than half the school year. I am very tired. It has been a lot harder than I thought it would be. When I was pregnant with Brendan, if I didn't feel good, I just didn't take a sub job. This time, I haven't had the luxury. I've had to take a lot of half days here and there for doctor's appointments, so I really haven't had a lot of days left to take off if I didn't feel good anyway. Had 12 kids fail, which was 10%. I guess that is a reasonable number, although it's interesting that most of them were in my freshman English, in which I had half as many students as I had in SciFi. I will admit, I didn't do a great job with the SciFi classes and their research paper. A good lesson to learn--they weren't as motivated to do it right as my classes at St. Agnes were. I'll have to do a much better job next time. Of course, I have no idea what I'm going to be teaching next year...I know I'll have Academic Success classes (basically a study hall for the slackers), but supposedly I'll have at least one English class as well, at least first semester. Fingers are crossed.
Now I'm trying to get the last things done before Ian arrives. I am scheduled for a c section this Friday, which will be 39 weeks. Makes me a little nervous to have him a week early, especially since we don't know exactly when he was conceived; since I was on birth control, I didn't really pay attention to my periods or anything, so his due date of the 15th is just an estimate. What if he isn't quite ready yet? I hope it doesn't mean he'll be sickly or anything. Also, since I'm not likely to have any contractions with him, I'm worried that his lungs won't be cleared. With Brendan, I had almost two days of contractions before having the c section, so he got all the benefits of being squeezed (whatever those are). I'm also really worried about Brendan. He'll stay home with the grandparents--it would be a nightmare turning him loose in the hospital; goodness knows what he would unplug--and he's never been away from us for an entire night before. I don't want him to be upset without us. Seriously, I want to cry every time I think about it. It also upsets me that I won't be able to play with him or pick him up for a few weeks too. I know I'm just overreacting and he'll be fine, but still.
I have so much to do. The nursery isn't put together, I have to make the guest beds for the grandparents, I have to vacuum the whole house and at least spot-clean the carpets, I have to hit the grocery store...but I'm enjoying sitting on my butt and not doing anything. My dad will be here tomorrow night, so I really do need to get stuff done. But first on the list is taking the dog to the vet. I'll post more about him later.
Whew. Well, up to date now, I guess. Wheeeeee.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Week 30, Are we there yet?
Yesterday's weigh in (since after all that Easter candy I probably don't want to weigh myself today): 232.4
The boy really enjoyed his Easter. He ate lots of M&Ms (the only candy he's had so far), enough that I think it contributed to his barfing at dinner. Can't say for sure, but I guess if he overdosed enough he probably wasn't feeling great. He enjoyed his toys from the Easter bunny--a little race track and a stuffed bunny--but he really still wasn't old enough to search for eggs. Maybe next year.
One other milestone was reached...Brendan got his first haircut. My mother-in-law brought a hair cutting kit with her (her mother was a hairdresser, so she knows something of the skills needed). It wasn't very easy to do--he wouldn't really hold still for a proper cut--but she did get his little mullet evened out in the back. The only downside to the whole procedure was that I had saved one of his little curls on a piece of tape and wrote his name and date on it, but it accidentally got thrown away by a helpful family member who was clearing off the counters the next morning. Oh well. Maybe I'll get more hair the next time she trims him, or maybe I'll get some when he has his first professional cut.
As for me, I'm tired. I'm having a lot more pressure in my lower pelvis. I remember that from last time; it's a lot like the feeling you get after you've ridden a bike for hours. Not fun. I'm just so ready to get this over with. Luckily, since I'm working full time, the time seems to pass pretty quickly. I'm already 3/4 of the way there. And the next few weeks will pass extra quickly--this is a short week at school because of the Easter holiday, and the end of the week and beginning of next week we'll be in Memphis for a wedding, so next week will be short as well. That next week will be "regular", except that I'm taking a half day in the middle of the week so that I can take Brendan to his 18-month checkup and go to my own ultrasound (checking on growth). The week after that is short: we have Friday, May 4 off from school. The next week is full; the week after that will be short because we are going to San Diego for my brother's wedding. A full week after that, and then the final week of school starts with Memorial Day off and finishes with two half days for exams. So I've really only got two full weeks of school, I think. That'll be easily handled.
At my next Dr's appointment, on the 17th, I'm supposed to get scheduled for my c section. While I'm a little dismayed that I have to have surgery again, I think it'll be for the best. There isn't really a reason to assume that things will go that much differently than last time if I go into labor again. If I do go into labor before my c section, my dr. said we'd see how it goes, but otherwise we may as well schedule. What is freaking me out the most is that she has asked several times if I want to have my tubes tied while she's in there. While I've never seen myself having more than two kids, it's also really hard to rule that out entirely. I mean, it would be nice to have a girl, although there's no guarantee that even if I got pregnant again it would be a girl. It's just hard to take such a final, permanent step.
Anyway, things are progressing. I'm just tired and ready to have this over. And I need a nap.
The boy really enjoyed his Easter. He ate lots of M&Ms (the only candy he's had so far), enough that I think it contributed to his barfing at dinner. Can't say for sure, but I guess if he overdosed enough he probably wasn't feeling great. He enjoyed his toys from the Easter bunny--a little race track and a stuffed bunny--but he really still wasn't old enough to search for eggs. Maybe next year.
One other milestone was reached...Brendan got his first haircut. My mother-in-law brought a hair cutting kit with her (her mother was a hairdresser, so she knows something of the skills needed). It wasn't very easy to do--he wouldn't really hold still for a proper cut--but she did get his little mullet evened out in the back. The only downside to the whole procedure was that I had saved one of his little curls on a piece of tape and wrote his name and date on it, but it accidentally got thrown away by a helpful family member who was clearing off the counters the next morning. Oh well. Maybe I'll get more hair the next time she trims him, or maybe I'll get some when he has his first professional cut.
As for me, I'm tired. I'm having a lot more pressure in my lower pelvis. I remember that from last time; it's a lot like the feeling you get after you've ridden a bike for hours. Not fun. I'm just so ready to get this over with. Luckily, since I'm working full time, the time seems to pass pretty quickly. I'm already 3/4 of the way there. And the next few weeks will pass extra quickly--this is a short week at school because of the Easter holiday, and the end of the week and beginning of next week we'll be in Memphis for a wedding, so next week will be short as well. That next week will be "regular", except that I'm taking a half day in the middle of the week so that I can take Brendan to his 18-month checkup and go to my own ultrasound (checking on growth). The week after that is short: we have Friday, May 4 off from school. The next week is full; the week after that will be short because we are going to San Diego for my brother's wedding. A full week after that, and then the final week of school starts with Memorial Day off and finishes with two half days for exams. So I've really only got two full weeks of school, I think. That'll be easily handled.
At my next Dr's appointment, on the 17th, I'm supposed to get scheduled for my c section. While I'm a little dismayed that I have to have surgery again, I think it'll be for the best. There isn't really a reason to assume that things will go that much differently than last time if I go into labor again. If I do go into labor before my c section, my dr. said we'd see how it goes, but otherwise we may as well schedule. What is freaking me out the most is that she has asked several times if I want to have my tubes tied while she's in there. While I've never seen myself having more than two kids, it's also really hard to rule that out entirely. I mean, it would be nice to have a girl, although there's no guarantee that even if I got pregnant again it would be a girl. It's just hard to take such a final, permanent step.
Anyway, things are progressing. I'm just tired and ready to have this over. And I need a nap.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Week 28 1/2: is it over yet?
This morning's weigh in: 229.4
The weight has definitely piled on in the past few weeks. And I can really tell; my plantar fasciitis in my feet is killing me, my back hurts, and all my used-to-be spider veins have all turned into full-on varicose veins. Gross. I wonder if they will fix themselves, or if I'm going to need to do some kind of surgery someday to fix them. Because they look horrible--it looks like my legs are covered in bruises.
I'm still about 7-8 lbs below what I weighed when I found out I was pregnant, but they say in the last trimester an expectant mother can gain 1-2 lbs a week. I've got just over 11 weeks left. I guess I need to assume I will end up weighing about the same as I did when I had Brendan. But that will still be a net gain of less than what I gained with Brendan; with him I started at 206 and ended up at 245, so I gained nearly 40 lbs. If I start with my lowest weight while pregnant this time, about 217, and figure I may hit 245 again, that would still be only about 28 lbs. And if I figure it from the weight I was when I actually found out I was pregnant, about 237, it would only be about 8 lbs. That's not bad.
Still tired. Not getting much sleep. I'm at the point where my hips and shoulders are starting to hurt, so I'm not comfortable staying in one position for long at night. Combine that with needing to pee, and with the fact that Brendan STILL can't sleep all through the night, and I'm pretty worn out before I even start each day. Meh. And my darling husband's sleeping doesn't help either.
But I will survive. I did it before and I can do it again. I just wish I could fast-forward through the next 11 weeks, because I know it's going to get more uncomfortable before it gets any better... *sigh*
The weight has definitely piled on in the past few weeks. And I can really tell; my plantar fasciitis in my feet is killing me, my back hurts, and all my used-to-be spider veins have all turned into full-on varicose veins. Gross. I wonder if they will fix themselves, or if I'm going to need to do some kind of surgery someday to fix them. Because they look horrible--it looks like my legs are covered in bruises.
I'm still about 7-8 lbs below what I weighed when I found out I was pregnant, but they say in the last trimester an expectant mother can gain 1-2 lbs a week. I've got just over 11 weeks left. I guess I need to assume I will end up weighing about the same as I did when I had Brendan. But that will still be a net gain of less than what I gained with Brendan; with him I started at 206 and ended up at 245, so I gained nearly 40 lbs. If I start with my lowest weight while pregnant this time, about 217, and figure I may hit 245 again, that would still be only about 28 lbs. And if I figure it from the weight I was when I actually found out I was pregnant, about 237, it would only be about 8 lbs. That's not bad.
Still tired. Not getting much sleep. I'm at the point where my hips and shoulders are starting to hurt, so I'm not comfortable staying in one position for long at night. Combine that with needing to pee, and with the fact that Brendan STILL can't sleep all through the night, and I'm pretty worn out before I even start each day. Meh. And my darling husband's sleeping doesn't help either.
But I will survive. I did it before and I can do it again. I just wish I could fast-forward through the next 11 weeks, because I know it's going to get more uncomfortable before it gets any better... *sigh*
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Week 26, Just Weighting
Didn't weigh myself today, but my most recent weigh-ins have been 225 or so. It was like overnight about two weeks ago my weight just jumped. I know I'm supposed to be gaining weight, and I've been worried about the fact that I haven't done so, but then to suddenly jump up five pounds or so in just a day or two also worried me. Then I start thinking about my cravings for sugar and sweet stuff like candy and ice cream, and that makes me start worrying about gestational diabetes. Not only do I not want to have any problems with any pregnancy complications, period, but I also fear having something like that happen since I am so poor at advance planning at work. I really do pretty much make it up as I go. I mean, I have a general idea of what I need to do and when I need to do it, but I typically make up my teaching materials, like presentations, handouts, and quizzes, the day of the class. That's one reason I can never be sick: I don't ever have anything prepared ahead of time for a sub to do. I know I have some sub days coming up--I'm taking two days off to go do some essay grading for a state writing assessment, and we have a couple of trips planned in the next few months--and I'm already panicky about trying to get stuff arranged for the subs. So if were to actually need to be gone for a length of time, say if my doctor recommended bed rest or something, I'd really be in trouble.
Anyway, Brendan is showing signs of heading for his terrible twos. He has started pulling on things, rather hard, like animals' tails, people's hair, my shirt, stuff like that. Not sure what the purpose is. We've gotten rid of the bottle, and we've abolished the pacifier during the day (I'm bad about slipping it into his crib at night, hoping it will help him sleep through the night). And he's still not talking. Oh, he babbles all the time, and he does say things like Mama, Dada, "woof" (what a dog says), and "Yuck", but he doesn't always say them in the correct application, and he's made no real effort to learn any other words, at least that I can tell. It bothers me. I feel like with the amount of talking to him that my husband and I do and the frequency with which we read to him, he should be much further along in his verbal abilities. My husband, whose degree is in speech pathology, hasn't expressed too much concern, although he agrees with me that Brendan should be capable of saying more, and the pediatrician wasn't too concerned either, but it just surprises me. I also worry that he isn't eating enough. The sitter says he generally consumes everything I send with him to her house, but at night when I try to get him to sit down and eat, he'll eat a few goldfish crackers and maybe a few veggies, and a cheese stick, but he doesn't really like meat, and he doesn't really eat a whole lot of anything (except cheese). Sometimes he'll eat pasta, sometimes not. I wonder if I need to start pouring cheese sauce over everything.
As for me, I'm tired. My spider veins left over from last time have become varicose veins, and my varicose veins have become worse. Now that the weather is warming up, I keep thinking how nice it would be to put on shorts and spend some time outside getting some sun, but my legs are really gross-looking. I'm desperate for some springtime weather, but I definitely don't have the body for it. I'm approaching the third trimester, so at least the end is getting a little closer. I need a nap.
Anyway, Brendan is showing signs of heading for his terrible twos. He has started pulling on things, rather hard, like animals' tails, people's hair, my shirt, stuff like that. Not sure what the purpose is. We've gotten rid of the bottle, and we've abolished the pacifier during the day (I'm bad about slipping it into his crib at night, hoping it will help him sleep through the night). And he's still not talking. Oh, he babbles all the time, and he does say things like Mama, Dada, "woof" (what a dog says), and "Yuck", but he doesn't always say them in the correct application, and he's made no real effort to learn any other words, at least that I can tell. It bothers me. I feel like with the amount of talking to him that my husband and I do and the frequency with which we read to him, he should be much further along in his verbal abilities. My husband, whose degree is in speech pathology, hasn't expressed too much concern, although he agrees with me that Brendan should be capable of saying more, and the pediatrician wasn't too concerned either, but it just surprises me. I also worry that he isn't eating enough. The sitter says he generally consumes everything I send with him to her house, but at night when I try to get him to sit down and eat, he'll eat a few goldfish crackers and maybe a few veggies, and a cheese stick, but he doesn't really like meat, and he doesn't really eat a whole lot of anything (except cheese). Sometimes he'll eat pasta, sometimes not. I wonder if I need to start pouring cheese sauce over everything.
As for me, I'm tired. My spider veins left over from last time have become varicose veins, and my varicose veins have become worse. Now that the weather is warming up, I keep thinking how nice it would be to put on shorts and spend some time outside getting some sun, but my legs are really gross-looking. I'm desperate for some springtime weather, but I definitely don't have the body for it. I'm approaching the third trimester, so at least the end is getting a little closer. I need a nap.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Mardi Gras: every Tuesday for me is Fat Tuesday
Today's weight: 223.4. Could be I'm finally gaining. Or it could be all the Oreos I ate yesterday while making "slutty" brownies for my brother (layer of cookie dough on the bottom, followed by a layer of Double Stuff Oreos, covered with brownie batter and baked at 350 for about 45 minutes). After all, I couldn't put broken Oreos in a recipe, right?
Worn out today. Brendan slept horribly last night: up at 9:00, 12:25, 12:55, and 3:00. No idea why. I know he's teething, but I wouldn't have thought that would throw him so badly at this stage. His room smelled a little funny when I went in at 9, funny enough that I wondered if he had thrown up somewhere, but I couldn't find anything. Reminded me a little of when he had his digestive bug back in November, but his diaper wasn't dirty, so maybe he just had gas. He did have a bit of a rash on his back when he went to bed last night, so maybe there was a little bug in his system. No idea. But it meant poor sleep for me. Figures he'd have trouble sleeping on the last night of a five-day weekend for me, the night when I need my sleep because I actually have to go to work in the morning. Bleah.
I think I've started to have Braxton Hicks contractions. It's all very low in my abdomen, but it makes me a little breathless and gives me a weird feeling of pressure. I need to go back and look at my old posts to see if that's an accurate description of them. Funny that I can't really remember what they felt like. But they aren't painful, and they aren't regular, so I'm pretty sure that's what they are.
Worn out today. Brendan slept horribly last night: up at 9:00, 12:25, 12:55, and 3:00. No idea why. I know he's teething, but I wouldn't have thought that would throw him so badly at this stage. His room smelled a little funny when I went in at 9, funny enough that I wondered if he had thrown up somewhere, but I couldn't find anything. Reminded me a little of when he had his digestive bug back in November, but his diaper wasn't dirty, so maybe he just had gas. He did have a bit of a rash on his back when he went to bed last night, so maybe there was a little bug in his system. No idea. But it meant poor sleep for me. Figures he'd have trouble sleeping on the last night of a five-day weekend for me, the night when I need my sleep because I actually have to go to work in the morning. Bleah.
I think I've started to have Braxton Hicks contractions. It's all very low in my abdomen, but it makes me a little breathless and gives me a weird feeling of pressure. I need to go back and look at my old posts to see if that's an accurate description of them. Funny that I can't really remember what they felt like. But they aren't painful, and they aren't regular, so I'm pretty sure that's what they are.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Week 23, and it's gonna be a boy!
This morning's weigh in: 220.4
Had several appointments yesterday. Started with my OB. Everything looks good, growth is good, bp is good. She's not even concerned with my weight. It cold very well be that since I'm overweight anyway, my body is balancing the baby accumulation with a loss of fat weight. I'm sure I'll eventually reach a point where the baby is growing faster than I'm losing, and so I will surely gain some weight, but the OB estimated that it would probably only end up being 10-15 lbs (instead of the almost 40 I gained with Brendan, and the 55 my OB gained with her son). The only concern she had at all was pretty minor: when they did the 24-hour urine test (to make sure my kidneys were functioning appropriately, since I'm hypertensive), I did have protein in my urine. That indicates that my kidneys aren't functioning at peak efficiency. But it was well below the cutoff for pre-eclampsia, so she wasn't particularly worried.
Then I spoke with a genetic counselor, who went over the results of my quad screening (for problems such as Down's Syndrome, spinal bifida, and Trisomy 13 and 18). My odds are quite good, the same as a 28 year old. So it was a very brief visit, because everything looks so good.
Then I had my ultrasound. The tech took measurements and checked all the bits and pieces to make sure everything was where it should be. She said everything looked fabulous, as did the maternal fetal medicine specialist (I saw him last pregnancy, too). He said he had absolutely no concerns at this point at all. So that made us feel pretty good.
And we finally got a gender determination. It's a boy! Which honestly surprised both of us, I think. I had expected it to be a girl, just based on the fact that I've had the eating issue (where I haven't really felt like eating much) and the weight loss as opposed to the constant eating and weight gain with Brendan. And I think my husband had made that assumption as well. We're both completely fine with another boy (although I think my husband might be a tiny bit disappointed that he isn't going to have a "daddy's little girl" to spoil). But we've got all the boy clothes and stuff like that, which will save money in the long run. Thank goodness for hand-me-downs.
So now we have to come up with more boy names. We had pretty much isolated the girls' names we were interested in, and hadn't really given much thought to boys' names. So we don't have much of a list or any real idea of what we want. It's been a lot easier to decide what we DON'T like, rather than come up with things that we do like. At least we've got several months!
Had several appointments yesterday. Started with my OB. Everything looks good, growth is good, bp is good. She's not even concerned with my weight. It cold very well be that since I'm overweight anyway, my body is balancing the baby accumulation with a loss of fat weight. I'm sure I'll eventually reach a point where the baby is growing faster than I'm losing, and so I will surely gain some weight, but the OB estimated that it would probably only end up being 10-15 lbs (instead of the almost 40 I gained with Brendan, and the 55 my OB gained with her son). The only concern she had at all was pretty minor: when they did the 24-hour urine test (to make sure my kidneys were functioning appropriately, since I'm hypertensive), I did have protein in my urine. That indicates that my kidneys aren't functioning at peak efficiency. But it was well below the cutoff for pre-eclampsia, so she wasn't particularly worried.
Then I spoke with a genetic counselor, who went over the results of my quad screening (for problems such as Down's Syndrome, spinal bifida, and Trisomy 13 and 18). My odds are quite good, the same as a 28 year old. So it was a very brief visit, because everything looks so good.
Then I had my ultrasound. The tech took measurements and checked all the bits and pieces to make sure everything was where it should be. She said everything looked fabulous, as did the maternal fetal medicine specialist (I saw him last pregnancy, too). He said he had absolutely no concerns at this point at all. So that made us feel pretty good.
And we finally got a gender determination. It's a boy! Which honestly surprised both of us, I think. I had expected it to be a girl, just based on the fact that I've had the eating issue (where I haven't really felt like eating much) and the weight loss as opposed to the constant eating and weight gain with Brendan. And I think my husband had made that assumption as well. We're both completely fine with another boy (although I think my husband might be a tiny bit disappointed that he isn't going to have a "daddy's little girl" to spoil). But we've got all the boy clothes and stuff like that, which will save money in the long run. Thank goodness for hand-me-downs.
So now we have to come up with more boy names. We had pretty much isolated the girls' names we were interested in, and hadn't really given much thought to boys' names. So we don't have much of a list or any real idea of what we want. It's been a lot easier to decide what we DON'T like, rather than come up with things that we do like. At least we've got several months!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Week 22, I'm such a slacker
Wow, I haven't posted since the beginning of January. I am such a loser.
First of all: 222.4
This is the first time I've weighed more than 220 since I bottomed out on my weight. I don't know if this means I'm actually finally gaining weight, or if it's just because I had a big dinner last night. Guess we'll see.
Brendan is a wild man for sure. He had his 15-month check up at the end of January, and he weighed 23 lbs 6 oz and was 32 inches tall. He's still long and skinny, 50th percentile for weight and 75th for height. Hopefully he'll continue to grow. Some days he eats really well, and some days not so much. But I'm realizing that he needs to be eating more than just baby food. Really need to make the transition between baby food and more solid foods. Also need to get better about giving him a chance to feed himself with a spoon. He doesn't do very well right now, but he'll never get better if he doesn't try. He did hit an unwelcome milestone the other day: his first real injury. He was looking out of the back window of the living room while standing on a toy. The toy went out from under his feet, and he went forward and hit his lower lip on the window sill. His little teeth in there are sharp, and one of them cut the inside of his lip. He started crying, which I expected, but when he turned around to reach for me I realized he had blood running out of his mouth and dripping down onto his shirt. As all head/face injuries, it bled a lot for being pretty small. I grabbed a washcloth out of the clean laundry and jammed it onto his lip, trying to stop the bleeding. It stopped in just a few minutes, but it sure bled enough to make me more upset than he was. He calmed down pretty quickly, and it doesn't seem like it has really bothered him at all since then. I'm just glad I didn't get woozy or pass out; the blood of my loved ones has that notorious effect on me.
He also seems to be leaning towards the dubious milestone of napping only once per day. Usually on weekends he only naps once each day, but it's because we let him sleep in as late as he wants. But now on weekdays, even though he gets up at 6:30 each morning, he has been really resisting the afternoon nap. It has made him a super grump in the evenings this past week, but I guess this change is inevitable as he grows up. It just means I need to take full advantage of the times when he does nap.
As for me, not much has really changed. I'm still not eating a whole lot, although I do find I've been eating a lot more sweets lately, candy bars and ice cream. I need to make sure I get enough vegetables in there, and grains. I have noticed that the fetal movement has become a lot more noticeable, which is always a good thing. I've got a checkup and another ultrasound scheduled for this Thursday, so hopefully we'll have a better idea of how everything is going after that. Also, I hope we'll have a gender!
First of all: 222.4
This is the first time I've weighed more than 220 since I bottomed out on my weight. I don't know if this means I'm actually finally gaining weight, or if it's just because I had a big dinner last night. Guess we'll see.
Brendan is a wild man for sure. He had his 15-month check up at the end of January, and he weighed 23 lbs 6 oz and was 32 inches tall. He's still long and skinny, 50th percentile for weight and 75th for height. Hopefully he'll continue to grow. Some days he eats really well, and some days not so much. But I'm realizing that he needs to be eating more than just baby food. Really need to make the transition between baby food and more solid foods. Also need to get better about giving him a chance to feed himself with a spoon. He doesn't do very well right now, but he'll never get better if he doesn't try. He did hit an unwelcome milestone the other day: his first real injury. He was looking out of the back window of the living room while standing on a toy. The toy went out from under his feet, and he went forward and hit his lower lip on the window sill. His little teeth in there are sharp, and one of them cut the inside of his lip. He started crying, which I expected, but when he turned around to reach for me I realized he had blood running out of his mouth and dripping down onto his shirt. As all head/face injuries, it bled a lot for being pretty small. I grabbed a washcloth out of the clean laundry and jammed it onto his lip, trying to stop the bleeding. It stopped in just a few minutes, but it sure bled enough to make me more upset than he was. He calmed down pretty quickly, and it doesn't seem like it has really bothered him at all since then. I'm just glad I didn't get woozy or pass out; the blood of my loved ones has that notorious effect on me.
He also seems to be leaning towards the dubious milestone of napping only once per day. Usually on weekends he only naps once each day, but it's because we let him sleep in as late as he wants. But now on weekdays, even though he gets up at 6:30 each morning, he has been really resisting the afternoon nap. It has made him a super grump in the evenings this past week, but I guess this change is inevitable as he grows up. It just means I need to take full advantage of the times when he does nap.
As for me, not much has really changed. I'm still not eating a whole lot, although I do find I've been eating a lot more sweets lately, candy bars and ice cream. I need to make sure I get enough vegetables in there, and grains. I have noticed that the fetal movement has become a lot more noticeable, which is always a good thing. I've got a checkup and another ultrasound scheduled for this Thursday, so hopefully we'll have a better idea of how everything is going after that. Also, I hope we'll have a gender!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Happy New Year!
Wow, 2012. Wonder if the Mayans will be right?
Anyway, to start out the new year: 217.4
I just haven't felt like eating. No food sounds good. When I do start to eat something, I get a few bites into it and then completely lose interest. Things don't SMELL good either. One of my all-time favorite foods is anything with a lot of garlic in it. But over the holidays my brother-in-law made sausage gravy with a lot of garlic, and the smell made me extremely nauseated. A lot of things that should smell good don't, and a lot of things that smell bad seem a lot worse. I'm sure that's a pregnancy thing, but it's kind of annoying. I'm also still finding that I gag a lot easier--brushing my teeth, coughing, stuff like that. It's actually caused me to throw up a little bit a couple of times. I don't know if I should be concerned about the weight loss. I have an appointment with the OB in two weeks, so if it's still ongoing I'll ask her then. In the meantime, I need to find something that I can eat that actually sounds good. No idea what.
Getting sick while pregnant sucks. I came down with a wicked cold last week which I'm still battling. But I can't take anything. I can take a regular cough syrup, like Robitussin, but that isn't going to do much good. No decongestants or anything like that. So I'm just snuffling and snotting and coughing and there isn't a darn thing I can do about it. Brendan and Ross have it too, so none of us are having much fun.
Well, that's the brief update. All is well, just sick and tired and really not wanting to be at work today (who makes kids come back to school on January 2, anyway?). Hope this is a great new year!
Anyway, to start out the new year: 217.4
I just haven't felt like eating. No food sounds good. When I do start to eat something, I get a few bites into it and then completely lose interest. Things don't SMELL good either. One of my all-time favorite foods is anything with a lot of garlic in it. But over the holidays my brother-in-law made sausage gravy with a lot of garlic, and the smell made me extremely nauseated. A lot of things that should smell good don't, and a lot of things that smell bad seem a lot worse. I'm sure that's a pregnancy thing, but it's kind of annoying. I'm also still finding that I gag a lot easier--brushing my teeth, coughing, stuff like that. It's actually caused me to throw up a little bit a couple of times. I don't know if I should be concerned about the weight loss. I have an appointment with the OB in two weeks, so if it's still ongoing I'll ask her then. In the meantime, I need to find something that I can eat that actually sounds good. No idea what.
Getting sick while pregnant sucks. I came down with a wicked cold last week which I'm still battling. But I can't take anything. I can take a regular cough syrup, like Robitussin, but that isn't going to do much good. No decongestants or anything like that. So I'm just snuffling and snotting and coughing and there isn't a darn thing I can do about it. Brendan and Ross have it too, so none of us are having much fun.
Well, that's the brief update. All is well, just sick and tired and really not wanting to be at work today (who makes kids come back to school on January 2, anyway?). Hope this is a great new year!
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