Reading: Alternate Side by Anna Quindlen. Quindlen is one of my favorite authors so I was really excited to see that she has a new book out!
Loving: my daily stroller walks with Paul. I've been waiting (not-so-patiently) for nicer weather to arrive and it finally arrived this past weekend so we got out for a nice long walk on Saturday. There was still a lot of snow on the ground at that point but it has mostly melted since then thanks to the warm, sunny weather! We've been out for daily, hour-long stroller walks every day since Friday. The fresh air and sunshine feel SO good.
Feeling: grateful that I am able to take a 20-week maternity leave. The first 8 weeks have gone by so fast since we've had soooo many doctor appointments. I'm actually looking forward to feeling a little bit bored but I'm not sure when that will happen as we still have quite a few appointments to get through this month.
Wondering: what the pediatrician is going to say about Paul's weight at his 2-month appointment next week. When I weighed him this past Monday, he was 8 pounds 10oz. That's sooo small for 7.5 weeks and below the 5th percentile. But I don't feel like we can get him to eat more than he's currently eating. I'm also wondering how he'll handle the vaccinations he'll get at that appointment. I'm kind of dreading watching him to get all the various shots!
Anticipating: our first anniversary! We will be going on our first date that night as 2 college friends graciously offered to watch Paul that night. We're going to our favorite special occasion restaurant, 112 Eatery, which is where we went the night we got engaged. I can't wait for a night out with Phil. It's pretty crazy that we will have a 2.5 month old on our first wedding anniversary. We are so very, very lucky. Side note: We are going to share an anniversary with Prince Henry and Princess Megan, which is kind of fun. I'm looking forward to watching the wedding coverage. I can't wait to see Princess Megan's dress!
Watching: The Crown on Netflix. Phil resisted watching this but I finally talked him into it. We are really enjoying it so far!
Grateful: for the moms I've met through the new mom class I took. We had our last class this past Monday but our group is going to continue to meet weekly until we are back at work. It's been really great to get to know a group of women who are in the exact same stage of parenting as we are.
Working: out again finally!! I ended up purchasing a 12-week post-baby program from Gina of Fitnessista. I'm really starting over from ground 0 since I wasn't able to workout during my pregnancy between the subchorionic hemorrhage bleeding early in the pregnancy and the relentless RA flares. So I wanted to be smart about getting back into working out, hence the reason I splurged and spent $97 on this program. Plus my parents had given me money for my birthday which I had earmarked for for classes of some sort. I started the program this week and am really loving it. It's great to follow a program that is designed for a post-partum body. My body when through so dang much between pregnancy and the C-section so I know I need to be careful about my return to fitness. The 12-week program is broken out in to 3 4-week segments and the intensity gradually ramps up. The cardio in the first segment is stroller walks which we are loving!
Listening: to "Best of Both Worlds" podcast which is all about being a working mom. I listened to a few episodes and loved it so much that I decided to start back at episode 1 and listen to every episode. It's so great and something I highly recommend to other working moms!
Wishing: that my complexion was better. The only thing that has worked in the past is birth control plus another drug called spironolactone. I can never be on birth control or any hormonal supplement again due to the genetic mutation that makes me prone to getting blood clots. And spironolactone is not safe to use while breast feeding. My dermatologist gave me a topical antibiotic but it hasn't done much good. I hate how awful my complexion is right now so I've decided to eliminate dairy as that has helped in the past. I'm hoping that it will also help with the silent reflux Paul has. I can tell he's in pain after eating which is tough to see so hopefully I can kill 2 birds with one stone by eliminating dairy!
What are you reading, watching and wishing?
Loving your walks and your return to fitness. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the pictures on IG!!! I ALWAYS smile when I see your posts!!! I'm so glad that you are able to have this time to connect and enjoy!!! I think by the time the weeks are up it will be bittersweet to leave but you will also be ready, I could be wrong but that's what I think ;)
ReplyDeleteTwenty weeks of maternity leave is amazing - I do hope you get to the point where it's so relaxed it's boring, but it doesn't sounds like that's part of Paul's plans! Smart choice to return to workouts with guidance. I've heard of her workout plans, so let us know what you think of them!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update. It sounds like things are going well and I hope Paul's next appointment does, too. SO glad you can finally get out and stroll. When you cut dairy, do you need to add calcium and Vitamin D supplements? I'm so ignorant on those things!
ReplyDeleteI'm reading a book called "The Child"(Fiona Barton) -- so far, very good. One of those modern thriller/mystery-type things. Not my favorite genre but it was in my pile thanks to friend Suzanne and it goes pretty fast. Like you, I'm watching The Crown and love it. Can't wait for Harry and Meghan's wedding. I've heard her new title may be Duchess of Sussex. Now I have to figure out where Sussex is! Wishing -- for nothing except continued spring. Life is good now.
I was going to ask the same question as Jeanie, as I am sure you need the minerals & vitamins that dairy products provide when you are nursing. Especially calcium! But I'm sure you have asked and researched it thoroughly. Can you still eat yogurt?
ReplyDeleteIt feels so good to have spring here - finally! I am loving it even though I haven't had a chance to be outside much. This weekend we are going to the lake and I plan to do some yard work so am really looking forward to soaking up the rays!
I think I should look into the crown. We watched Victoria on PPS and love that kind of show. I think it will continue next year, too.
Haha opposite as the other comments, going dairy free seems to be fairly common in the recent mom blog posts I read. also, I am so impressed you could swing a 20 week leave, what a great gift to yourself and your family! 112 is a great place, enjoy your anniversary meal!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you get a 20 week leave and I hope things calm down to the point where you can just simply relax and be bored!
ReplyDeleteHopefully going dairy free is exactly what you need for your complexion issues! I should look into that for the breakouts I've been having. They're so frustrating to deal with!
That's a great maternity leave policy. :) Hope you continue to get the most out of your time spent with the baby!
ReplyDeleteHopefully going dairy-free is all that you'll need, but if not, perhaps eliminating other foods one at a time to see what works? Good luck!
I'm so excited about the royal wedding! Like last time I'm planning on waking up early to watch it, although that was pre-kids, so I'm not sure how functioning the day afterwards is going to go.
ReplyDeleteI forgot you were eliminating dairy - I hope it is going well! I found that Olivia has way less stomach issues now that she's older. She was soooo gassy as an infant but now is much better which I am definitely grateful for! I did not realize you guys were going to share a wedding anniversary with Prince Harry and Princess Megan, that is super cool. I love the royal family!
ReplyDeleteI am VERY GRATEFUL for spring to be here finally. The long winter was really getting to me!
I am so happy that you could get 20-weeks maternity leave (although compared to Germany, that is still so little). It'll be hard enough when you have to leave Paul in someone else's care.
ReplyDeleteI am also glad you made some Mom friends. I am sure that must be so helpful!
That's so nice that you're able to get out for walks now that it has warmed up. I am looking forward to going on a lot of walks soon too, and have SO many mom friends (and my sister) who are on maternity leave, so I will have a lot of walking partners this summer :-)
ReplyDeleteI hope that Paul's appointment went well, and that he took the shots okay.
Happy belated anniversary to you and Phil!!