Friday, March 30

SRPING! At Last!

We just got back from a beautiful spring walk. The trees have blossoms, the birds are chirping and the neighborhood is covered in trash. Yeah, gross.

This got me thinking - wouldn't it be kind of a fun tradition to start with Charlie to do a "spring clean up" in our neighborhood to importance of hard work and service? I know, how Christian of me, right?

So, on the second half of the walk, I started thinking more about other things I want to do with Charlie. So many people say the time goes so fast and before you know it, they're all grown up and you're full of regrets of things you wish you'd done or fading memories of what used to be. I started to semi-panic for a moment, then I remembered that I have a place to keep track of all the things I want to do with life - right here. Blogging for me is not so much about other people reading my silly ramblings, but more about a place to put my thoughts and memories for later recollection. It also serves as a wonderful outlet on occasion, for the times I just need to get stuff out but can't find the voice to say.

I have been actively pinning on Pinterest for the better part of 7 months now and in that time have added a few great ideas of things to do with kids to give them one heck of a childhood and some fond memories for mom. I have a few ideas of my own, too. So I've started my Baby Bucket List. These are things I want to do with my kids - not just Charlie, but the older kids, too - before they're too old to want to play with mom and dad, or they move out of the house.

Some of these things are just daily reminders for me to keep in mind while raising my kids but some of them are specific activities I want to be sure they get to experience. Some are from my childhood, some are things I wish I would have done, and some are things I have always wanted to do.

Although this blog, as I just mentioned, is more for my own use, I would love to hear from any of my readings that want to share their ideas of what to add to the list. Email me or leave a comment if you want to share something.

I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but being a mom rocks!

Grandpa and Charlie, 4 months

Thursday, March 22

I Weigh How Much?

Before I get to my frustration with my impending weight loss saga, let me first share the good news.

Charlie has started to grab his toes! He figured out how to wrap his fingers around those chubby little appendages while I was visiting my mom last week. He can't seem to keep his hands off of them since. Luckily, I got it on video! I know, I'm totally one of "those mom's" that will not keep the camera out of his face. But these kinds of things are too soon forgotten, so I don't mind being a bit obsessed.

He is also laughing now. He loves the tickle bugs and has laughed for me, Kevin and our nanny now. It's one of the most pure forms of joy to hear your baby laugh for the first time.

He has gone two consecutive nights with sleeping through the night - completely. He went to bed at 9 and didn't wake up until 6 the next morning. Hallelujah because I was getting really tired of the "up every two hours" bit he has been doing for the past week.

This is weird, and I'll admit, a bit gross, but I look forward to poopy diapers. Charlie has had a few times where he's gone more than a day or two without having one and I get nervous. I mean, he's only eating breast milk and formula...how difficult is that to pass through a tiny baby system? Thankfully he's back to his old 2 a day routine - for now, at least.

I have taken Charlie for a couple of walks now that the weather is starting to get nice. He loves it! The first time it was a bit breezy so I had the bassinet closed up and he fell asleep pretty quick. Yesterday, it was bright and sunny so he got a chance to look around, hear the birdees chirp and listen to all the loud cars and trucks as they passed. He didn't fuss once and fell asleep about 5 minutes before we got home - a perfect power nap!

My hair isn't falling out as much anymore. I think I've lost most of what I'll expect to lose. I didn't realize how much thicker my hair had gotten until it all fell out again. Now it feels like it used to - thin and not much to it. As Charlie gets older and starts into the hair pulling stages, I plan to get a nice short a-line cut so grasping fingers can't pull mommy's hair out.

Here's something weird I didn't expect. My c-section scar has completely re-wired my nerve endings in my tummy area. I can touch one place and feel it in a completely unrelated area. It's almost as if it feels numb - kind of like when you start to get the feeling back in your face after you've been at the dentist to have a cavity filled. The scar is relatively small and doesn't bother me much. I also still don't have many stretch marks - woohoo! There were a few that showed up about a week after I had the babies, but they are negligible so I don't mind. I was certain I was going to have them from side to side, given how prone I am to them, but I guess I didn't really get that big for twins. I think most of them are from when the doctor yanked them out anyway and didn't really come from the pregnancy growth part of things.

I've been thinking about Oliver a lot. Sometimes it's a passing thought, other times I dwell a bit longer. I didn't even get a chance to know him, really, but I miss him like crazy. I often think how things would be different if he were here with his brother. Obviously things would be much harder but I still can't help but feel a bit cheated out of getting the experience of my two boys. We picked out his grave marker a few weeks ago and it should be arriving soon. I'll post a picture when we visit next time.

Now, I expected to gain weight while I was pregnant. I expected to have a hard time losing weight after I was not pregnant. But I also expected to believe all these women who tell me the pounds would just "fall off" if I breastfed. Balonee (and yes, I'm aware it is spelled "bologna", but I hate spelling it that way because that's not at all how it's pronounced). I have been at the same steady weight since we brought Charlie home from the hospital. This is especially troubling as I now carry an extra 20 pounds that I can't really account for. I mean, while the babies were inside, sure, I could explain that away all day long. But it's been 4 months now and I haven't lost (although the upside is I also haven't gained) a single pound, other than the daily fluctuations.

Kevin's family is doing it's annual Garnest Loser challenge which means the competitive side of me gets to come out and play and hopefully lose some weight and gain some money in the process. I've got a goal to lose the 20 pounds I've gained, plus the 10 I probably should have lost before I even got pregnant. That's a hefty goal - pun intended - but so far I'm on track to make it. I'm not doing anything crazy. No fad diets, no starvation modes, just eating 6 small square meals a day with lots of protein and minimal calories. The good news is, everything in my meal plan is something I actually like, except maybe the egg whites, so it isn't hard to stick to it. It's just a matter of keeping the motivation to prep everything but even that isn't so bad.

Wish me luck - I'm working toward losing almost 19% of my current weight. Yikes! That's a tall order!

Saturday, March 10

Seven Dwarf's

Today I was thinking about how boys get jipped from all the cool dress up photo's that girls get: Tutu's, tiara's, pearl's and dresses. Where's all the cool boy stuff? So, it got me thinking of what kinds of things I could do for Charlie without turning him into a trannie (not that there's anything wrong with that).

I decided to make him a dwarf outfit circa Snow White and the Seven Dwarf's. I had to make up the pattern and given the fact I still consider myself an intermediate seamstress, I think it turned out pretty good. I made him a shirt with belt and buttons, a beard and hat. I forgot my husband's side of the family has genetics to thank for their huge heads so the hat didn't fit and I had to cut it for the pictures I did use it for.

I snapped pictures for about an hour so I had enough expressions to choose from for the final piece. I'm very happy with how it turned out, although I still have a few things I want to try (Photoshopping!).

Anyway, here you go. Take a looksie. This is the first thing I've made that I actually feel deserves to be pinned on Pinterest. :D

Click the picture to make it bigger - It's kind of hard to see.

UPDATE! I was able to complete each picture with Photoshop, and have successfully given each character a different color outfit! Plus, you can see them better. Enjoy!

Bashful

Doc

Dopey

Grumpy

Happy

Sleepy

Sneezy

Saturday, March 3

Losing

Remember these fuzzy little guys?
Every time I shower, I look down at the drain and think: Either I just drowned a Furby, or I'm going bald.

Thankfully, I knew I should expect this part of post-pregnancy. It doesn't make it suck any less, though. And because I'm breastfeeding, it will take that much longer to regrow the hair that should be there, allowing my already large bald spots to grow bigger and take over. My head is like the fields of a farmer during the drought of '62.

Charlie is still sick, although he seems to be in the home stretch. Kevin has taken him into the shower a few times to clear up his lungs. Even if it doesn't help his cold, he LOVES the shower.

He is becoming more aware of his surroundings. Yesterday, he mimicked me for the first time! I stuck my tongue out a few times and made the lubba lubba sound with my lips, and after a few seconds of staring at me in sheer amazement, he slowly stuck his tongue out! Then he smiled and did his pre-giggle gasps. So cute.