6 months gone...

I haven't posted in a long while, but Lucy turned 6 months old earlier this month. She's still a little nugget of a baby. At her checkup she only weighed 12bs. 13oz. Still has a tiny head. Still tall.

So here's a recap of what we've been up to lately.

I discovered the joy of hair bows back in July

I knit her a new jumper for winter

At the end of August John was working in Albany, so Lucy and I went to visit. Here's the highlights.

1st Carousel Ride

My how strollers have changed!

Track-side at the Saratoga Springs Racetrack

Investigating the ducks at the Washington County Fair

Hanging out with Dad

And walking along the Hudson River

I participated in a yarn swap and my swapper remembered little Lucy and sent her a bear. I think she likes it.

On the day Lucy turned 6 months old she got to try out TWO new things.

Food!

And riding in her stroller like a big girl

And just a couple days ago Lucy went to the LA County Fair.

So much adventure for such a little girl!

Recipe Review: Bacon Egg and Leek Risotto

One good thing about my gallbladder problems has been the need to switch up our eating. Gone is the beef, most baked goods, most pork, and a lot of the cheese.

This is the healthiest we've eaten in a long time. So I'm bringing back my recipe posts because I've found lot of yummy things. 


First up is Smitten Kitchen's Bacon Egg and Leek Risotto. 

This is delicious. We'd been enjoying Real Simple's Spaghetti with Bacon and Eggs for a long time now, but the risotto is much more of a filling and grown up meal. 


I'll admit...I was a little worried to make this dish. Part of my post-gallbladder life is having the potential for digestive issues. But, so far this recipe sat just fine. 


Really it wasn't difficult to make either. Just a bit time consuming. Much better on Sunday evening, than a week night. You saute the bacon and leeks, then set aside. But you cook the risotto in the bacon fat so the flavor gets incorporated. 


To make it a little lower in fat I did use low fat bacon. I looked at every single bacon package trying to find a good one. I have to say that I didn't taste a difference. Plus the recipe only calls for 4 pieces, so each serving only has about 1 piece of bacon. 


I did not add olive oil. The bacon fat was plenty. 


I also did not add a full cup of Parmesan. Only used about 1/2 cup and I didn't notice a difference in the flavor. 


I think the hardest thing is not going back for seconds. I'm trying to resist going back for more. Its so easy to end up eating way too much. 

Here's a new Lucy photo. Looks like she'll be a fruit lover like her Dad.

Post-Op

So, day two post-op. Its going okay. I won't say good, but manageable.

The surgery went just fine. They were running about an hour late. So I was anxious and sooo ready to get it over with. Plus the later it started, the longer I would be stuck at the surgery center.

I wasn't really nervous until I actually got into the operating room. Then I was thinking 'Oh shit! This is real!'. I scooted my butt onto the table. Spent a minute or two looking around and then...nothing.

Next thing I know I wake up somewhere else (the recovery area) am completely disoriented and in the worse pain ever. I just kept saying 'I hurt. I hurt. I hurt.' until they did something about it. I also desperately had to lay on my left side. So the nurses helped me move.

Because they have to blow up your stomach full of air in the procedure I had to be intubated too. I was scared I would wake up still intubated, but I wasn't. I just had the worst phlegm and it hurt to cough it up.

Thankfully I went back to sleep and woke up feeling a little better. But I was also just so emotional. I'd been storing up breast milk is preparation but I was worried it would run out before I could nurse again. It made me upset while in recovery. Thankfully I did not run out of milk!

My poor Mom though. She was waiting for me. The surgeon had come out and told her everything went fine, but then she was left sitting there as every single other waiting party got to go back and see their loved ones. I was okay, but I'd just been in so much pain that they gave me a bit of relief and I had passed out!

She did finally get to come back, and once I had some juice, used the restroom, and had all my various cored removed, I could go home.

Yesterday my lovely Aunt Erin came to help me during the day. She brought along my cousins and Brin proved to be an excellent baby entertainer. My Mom also came out and helped me eat dinner and get Lucy ready for bed. I'm extremely grateful for their help. I'm also grateful to Emily who is coming tonight to walk Dottie.

Unfortunately Lucy did not sleep well last night at all! So tired today and looking forward to taking her to daycare for a few hours so I can get some sleep. Also looking forward to a weekend of John being home to help out.

If anyone wants to see my wounds click on this link. I won't post them here because that's just mean.

In other news...

I was really sad to be retiring this romper. It is the type of outfit I would never buy myself. (Come on...who buys Ralph Lauren for a baby?) But it was a generous gift from my Dad's friend and his wife.

Sadly Lucy is out growing it in length.

But then John and I went to a 2nd hand baby store and guess what I found. $8 and brand new...

Not exactly the same, but close enough and just as cute.

Love my wiggle girl, even if she did keep me up all night.

A lot of catching up to do

I last posted a month ago and for good reason. I've been darned busy.

1) I went back to work 2.5 weeks ago. I found that my work was all sorts of messed up and have spent the last couple weeks fixing things.
2) Lucy started daycare. This is going really well. She seems so happy there. We really like our provider.
3) John's been working lots of hours. And lots of those hours have been in the evenings.
4) My running got abandon. Mostly because John's late evenings.
5) I'm going into surgery tomorrow. Goodbye gallbladder.

Really my gallbladder is the biggest deal. I'm nervous. I'll be happy to have it gone after all the pain its given me and everyone assures me its a minor surgery, but its still surgery, my first one. Can't help to be scared.

Tomorrow I'm going to put on my big girl pants and enter the center like a mature adult, but on the inside I'll be a scared little girl. Good thing my Mommy is coming with me. But now that I'm someone's Mommy I'm so terrified that something bad will happen to me. My little girl needs me and I need her.

Anyways, that's the last month in a nut shell. Now here's some pictures of Lucy and I in our newest hand knits.

Morning Lucy

Afternoon Lucy

Week 2

Last week went well. I did miss one day of cross training because I had to have tests run and I couldn't eat until 2pm that day. Didn't sound like a good idea to work out. I also missed one day of running because John didn't get home from work until 9pm. With no treadmill option, I decided to skip the day.  But, I did run 3 days, cross train 1 day, and keep up my daily walks with Dottie and Lucy.

So onto week 2 of my training. So far its not off to a stellar start.

I supposed to walk 2 minutes and run 4 minutes 5 times. Tonight I did that twice. Then I ran for 2 minutes and uh...I burnt out. I could stand the calf burning, but when it hit my ankles it was too much. I'd say my running is also a cross between speed walking and jogging. It will get better though. I couldn't totally give up though because I was 1.2 miles from my house. So I just turned around and briskly walked home.

As if the threat of emergency surgery wasn't even to keep me moving, we stepped into Lululemon today.

I like. I want. BUT I have to loose like 3 inches off my hips to fit into the largest size. Boo!

At least I have lost 3 lbs. in the last 2 weeks. Something about cutting out sweets, beef, pork, fried foods, and whole milk products from my diet. Again, nothing like the threat of emergency surgery to make a gal stick to her diet.

I also finished knitting a nice summer sweater this week. Part of a month long festival I'm participating in. Turned out really nice and I think it will gat a lot of wear in the office this summer.

Yes!

Look who's fitting into dresses she made last summer, pre-pregnancy!

That's right! Me!!!

The only problem is that the bodice darts aren't hitting me correctly anymore. Anyone know how to alter patterns to fit gigantic breasts on a narrower frame?

Update

So the preliminary results say that I have gallstones. Like bad. Looks like I'm headed into surgery to have my gallbladder removed. But the surgeon is on vacation for the first two weeks of June, so the earliest I could get a consultation was June 19th.

That's okay. In the mean time I was instructed to keep a low fat diet.

I'm still waiting on some other test results, but hopefully this will be all they find.

While I'm waiting I've decided to forge ahead with my 5k plans.

I saw this picture and went 'Urgh.' But isn't that why I'm starting this program? I need to get into better shape. I've already come a long way. When I went into the hospital to have Lucy I weighed 194lbs. Too darn much even though I hardly gained any weight while pregnant. On Sunday I weighed 169. Already 25 lbs. are gone in under 3 months. My eventual goal is to get to 140lbs.

So at least I've taken the first step.

2 Months Old

Little Lucy went in this morning for her 2 month check up.

At 10 weeks old she still on the little side, but getting bigger.

She's now 23.5 inches long (77%), 9 lbs. 15 oz. (15%) and her little head lands in the 3% range.

So funny, because to me her head looks normal, but I guess its kind of small.

She also got her shots and oh our little girl screamed. She slept just long enough for me to get home and walk Dottie. Then Lucy woke up and proceeded to scream for the next 2 hours straight. Poor little thing. Poor mommy too.

Looks like I'll be searching for new diaper covers soon. The ones she in now are starting to get a little too short! Her clothes are getting short too, but she's so skinny!

So here's our little girl.

What's going on today mommy?

Shots?!?!

And finally asleep

Elimination Dieting. I'm trying to look at the positive.

So I went to my regular doctor today. She has no idea what's wrong with me, but she's going to try to figure it out. Lots of tests to be done. Elimination diet commencing.

No dairy, wheat, corn, barley, pork, beef, deli meats, shellfish, soy, or peanuts. Okay, that's fine.

Here's where it hurts.

No alcohol, chocolate, or COFFEE!

I can have almost all vegetables and fruits, rice, potatoes, oats, poultry, ocean fish, beans, lentils, nuts, and spices.

So I went off to Whole Foods with a list of things to buy while I sort out what I can and cannot eat.

Here are my meal selections.

Oatmeal with all fruit jam mixed in
Puffed wheat with almond milk
Rice cakes with almond butter and jam
Apples with almond butter
Salmon with roasted potatoes and salad
Asparagus and leek soup

Hopefully that will get me through the next couple days.

So, anyone have any recipes to share? Most of mine involve dairy and/or wheat. I'd love to get some new ideas.

I'm pretty sure my doctor felt really bad putting me on this diet. Like I needed something else to deal with while taking care of a 10 week old. I totally needed to add a mystery illness.

Training Delayed

I'm so disappointed, but I've had to postpone starting the 5k training.

Basically the allergic reactions I had while pregnant have suddenly ramped up. I've been having indigestion/hives on and off since Saturday. Claritin took care of the hives, but the indigestion remains and is very uncomfortable.

Maybe I shouldn't have Googled my symptoms. I'm coming up with everything from stomach cancer to parasites to food allergies to an allergy to lactating.

Seeing my doctor tomorrow, so hopefully she will have an answer so I don't have to live in such misery anymore.

Its awfully hard to take care of this cutie when you're in constant pain.

34 F...as in Frank

Today I went bra shopping. (Cue dramatic music)

I don't know anyone who enjoys bra shopping, but I think I've now found the way to go.  I went to Jenette Bras.

This place only sells bras bras that are D cup and bigger. Its not your typical store with racks and racks of bras. Instead they ask you what you are looking for and then bring the bras to you.

I walked in, gave them my info (for the sizing card they'll keep on hand for future reference) and told them I needed nursing bras.

She asked 'What band do you wear? 34? 36?'

Sees me adjusting the band on my current bra.

'34. Maybe even 32.'

The fitter disappears into the stock room and returns with a couple different bras in 34 F.

That's right, she guessed my correct size just by looking at me. Awesome.

Unfortunately they didn't have a ton of styles in my size, but I found one that fits really well. She's having another one sent over from their other store.

I'll tell you that this was the least sexy style they had, but that's okay. As long as my girls are happy, I can deal with less sexy bras for now. I'll go back when I'm done nursing and get some prettier ones.

For now, I'll just be happy to have nice perky pointy breasts. Plus it will probably help my back pain.

Also now that I know my correct size (and have depleted the local option) I can hit the internet for some other options like that sports bra I'll need for all the running I have planned.

Working on my Fitness

Now that Lucy is 2 months old, I feel the time has come to start seriously working on my fitness level.

Its some what frustrating to put this into writing because information regarding postpartum fitness has been hard to find. Prenatal yoga DVDs litter the fitness world, but not near as much regarding how to get back into shape post baby.

So, I had a baby. I took it easy for a bit while I healed. Now I need to get cracking building strength before my body revolts against all the physical activity it takes to raise a baby. No amount of walking around the neighborhood is going to strengthen my abs and back to be able to lift all that baby crap without hurting myself.

So, what do I do?

Well, before I got pregnant I was attempting to do the couch to 5k program. It wasn't going as well, because I had no guidance as to how often to do the workouts. Plus I have really terrible running shoes. I burnt myself out before I'd really given it a chance to work. But now I'm thinking of giving it a chance again.

My SIL Terzah gave me a book when she was out here. Train Like a Mother (Its even a signed copy)

While I have no plans on becoming a marathon runner, I do think it would be nice to be able to run the 5k distance without dying. After all, I have a little girl now. Wouldn't it be nice if I had a bit of stamina to be able to play and run with her?

So, I'm thinking of starting their 5k running program. Like the most basic beginning runner version. The prerequisite was walking for 30 minutes a day 3-4 days a week. Well, I've been walking 2-4 miles a day 5-6 days a week since Lucy was 2 weeks old. I think I'm in a good place for this.

The other reason I'd like to take this on is because the book lays out a plan. Rather than trying to run every day, the plan has built in days for cross training and rest. I love that the cross training days are built in. I can use those days for things like Ballet, Disco Abs, Pilates, etc. All the fitness things I like to do that will also help me re-gain my core. It also has days you must run, and days you can skip the run if your infant happens to be up all night long.

So, what do you think? Should I give is a go? Everyone says breast-feeding mothers shouldn't focus on loosing weight, but if I don't start regularly exercising (more than walking) my back, hips, and arms are going to revolt. I'd much rather build my strength now than hurt myself hauling around a toddler.

(Oh and Terzah- Don't think I didn't notice you are quoted in the book. I'm pretty sure that's you considering the likelihood of another Terzah who is a runner in Colorado is pretty slim)

Back in the Studio!

Today was my first class back after having Lucy. It wasn't too bad.

It was at a new school. One in Pasadena so I wouldn't be as far from home. Plus it should work with John's work schedule most weeks.

Of course today there was a sub, so I'll have to go again when the usual teacher is back.

I told the teacher is was my first class back. He started going on and on about how it will be a very slow and beginning class. I thought 'Oh no! That's going to kill me!' Thankfully we only did one exercise and he noticed I was a lot more advance than I let on and the class was much faster paced.

Did I mention there were only two students? Me and a pre-teen girl. Poor thing was more of a beginner and I fear the class was a little fast for her tastes. But I heard a good teacher will teach to the most advanced student in the class (within reason).

Now I just hope I can walk tomorrow. My body kept sending signals reminding me I hadn't moved that much in a while. Hello inner thighs! Nice to feel you again upper abs!

After weeks of nothing more than walking, I am elated to be back at ballet!!!

Half Way There

Today Lucy is 7 weeks old, so I am roughly halfway through my maternity leave.

I have mixed feelings about this. I miss working. I miss being around adults. But I also like being with Lucy. We've hit a rhythm that works for us. Lucy is so darned cute, that it sucks knowing I'll be going back to work right as Lucy starts being more alert and playful.

Over all we're doing really good. We've started trying to set a bed time routine. Bath time, feeding, swaddle and to bed. She doesn't go to sleep until a few hours later, but its a start.

I've lost a total of 22lbs. so far, but I've hit a plateau. That's okay, but I'd still like to slim down to a healthier weight overall. I was going to go back to ballet last week, but John worked late. So here's hoping I'll make it back into the dance studio this week. I know I'm going to get my ass kicked after such a long break, but it will also be so good for me. Got to get those abs back and functioning better. The stretching couldn't hurt either.

Now onto the pictures.

Lucy and her Glowworm

Starting to smile

Play time

Mommy's yarn matches her romper (I LOVE rompers)

Mirror Time

One Month Down

Lucy Anne turned 1 month old yesterday. Sweet little girl is growing so quickly.

Things are settling into place now at least as much as they can. Mostly its John and I adjusting. Getting used to getting up in the night. Sorting out how much to bottle feed her. Getting great at catching spit up.

Personally I'm getting used to the feelings of being responsible for the little lady. I was watching the movie Soul Surfer today. When The main character (Bethany) gets her arm eaten off by a shark I started crying. Why? Because what if Lucy becomes a surfer and gets her arm eaten by a shark?

I'm also still sorting out how to take care of Lucy while not ignoring Dottie's needs. Oh heck, without ignoring my needs too. I'm getting better at walking Dottie, though sometimes later than she'd like. Not as good at feeding myself. Most of my meals are still consumed when John gets home or someone comes to visit. But its a work in progress and I'm figuring it out.

Also thanks to Grandma Widget for coming to visit. It was so cute to see Lucy meet her other Grandma.

Baby Knitting

So glad I knit during those first couple of weeks, because now Lucy actually wants my attention and not just my boobs.

So here's Lucy modeling a couple things I finished knitting for her.

First up is this little tunic. I started this just a couple days before she was born, knit a little bit in the early stages of labor, and then finished a few days after she came home. Knit in Plucky Knitter Primo Sport yarn. Color is Jazz Age. I wanted to make a dress, but this yarn was given to me as payment for doing a test knit, so I only had one skein.  Little big still, but might fit for a while as a tunic at first and then a top as she grows.

Also finished this little dress. Made with Plucky Knitter Primo fingering (held double) in Goin' Courtin' (Pink) and Hope is a Good Thing (blue). Its a 3 month size, so still a little bit big too. I just hope I remember to put these on her as she grows. This pattern was a test knit and I was really happy with the pattern.

Also started cloth diapering this week. Isn't her fluffy butt sooooo cute!!! Lucy is already 3 weeks old.