Officially a working mom

I'm trying to be good and keep up with this blog! Hopefully I can make a commitment to at least post one entry a week. I think that is very doable. This week has been exhausting as well as full of enjoyment. I have had to learn how to get ready in the morning for work along with getting Wesley ready for us to be out the door by 7am. I feel like a mom with a kid in school making my lunch the night before and getting my clothes and his clothes laid out before I go to bed. Though to fit in pumping before we need to head out I am finding myself staying up after his 4:30am feeding to pump and get myself ready before he wakes up. Momma needs some sleep!

 

It has been nice getting to spend some time away from him and now being able to interact with older individuals. While on maternity leave I rarely left the apartment and only a few times got together with other people other than Drew.

 

I think being back at work will help Wesley get onto a schedule and make life easier for both of us. Until now it had always been just go with the flow.

I did not have any pictures of me going to work but I do have a good one of Drew and Wesley.

This past weekend Wesley got to join us on a family retreat. Great time in the woods with family and friends.

 

 

 

FIT MOMMY

Getting back into teaching gymnastics definitely has been my workout for this week. I had not done really any gymnastic skills probably in the last 7 or 8 months. I laughed when I was in class and did a forward roll for the first time and could not stand back up at the end. Looks like those abs need some more work! I have been on a few good walks and have been squeezing in some squats and abs here and there. If I could get my eating in line maybe I would drop some weight.

 

Confessions from a New Mom

 

Diaper, diaper, which one is the best diaper? It was amazing how many packs of diapers I had before Wesley even arrived. The invention of a diaper shower is amazing. The good thing/flaw is that you will find the diapers you like and the diapers you are trying to get though just to use them up before you spend your own money on more. I have found I love Pamper Swaddlers the best, not for the blue line but for the plush comfort and absorbency.  My second choice is Huggies Snugglers which feel just a little more rough but have great absorbency as well. We got boxes for regular Pampers and regular Huggies and I did not like either of them. They both felt more rough and they did not fit Wesley's thighs as well so I was constantly worried about a blowout diaper. Thankfully I have not had an issue with Wesley and diaper rash so that has never been an issue with choosing a brand of diapers. We are still in size one and about one pound away from moving up to size two. Once I work though all the size two diapers that I received I think I will be sticking to Pamper Swaddlers until the days of potty training.

 

 



Fun Filled Weekend

I am very sad that this is my last week at home with Wesley and then its back to the grind of work. Luckily Wesley is not going to go to a traditional daycare so I hoping for less germs for him. This past weekend we finally made it out to Kingwood to meet Gigi and then went on a quick hike. Wesley is Gigi's first grandson and definitely growing like a weed! We were excited to finally make it out there before he grew to big to look like a new born. I do think in a month or so he will lose the "newborn" name and take on "infant" already. Oh they grow way to fast!

 

Fit Mommy

Wesley got to go on his first hike on Saturday at 6 weeks old. We walked about a mile and I was short of breath quickly with not working out for many months. For me being so active pre pregnancy it was interesting to see how my body has been adapting to getting back into shape. I never thought a mile walk would tire me out but it felt good. Many more walks ahead! I have also been keeping up with my daily squats and abs so hopefully within the next year things will start to tone up again.

 

Confessions from a New Mom

 

What makes a good bottle for your baby?

 

When registering for bottles I did not even put any research into what bottle I was looking for because I assumed I would just be using them to store milk. I chose Medela because that is what most of my friends had used. When we started supplementing Wesley on day two we noticed he would chock on the milk and it would come flowing out of his mouth but for new parents we thought it was manageable and something babies would do. We knew the original nipples were very basic so we bought a "natural" one to help keep up breast feeding at the same time. We thought it was a big improvement until we decided to try different bottles all together and man what a difference a bottle can make. We a very happy with Advent and Tommy Tippy. He does well with the regular and natural nipple with Advent though I prefer the Tommy Tippy because it claims to be anti-colic and I think he has a little bit of colic in him. I now try to feed formula though the Tommy Tippy and breast milk though the advent. With starting with Medela his "sucking" ability definitely took a toll so now mom just acts like a pacifier for him, he has no desire to actually eat. We are completely done with Medela and now the bottles are just used to store milk. So before a baby arrives do some research into a good bottle/nipple just incase you have to go that route.

 

Happy Halloween

I can't believe Wesley will be 7 weeks already on Monday. These weeks fly by so fast he is going to be a year old before we know it. Wesley is doing a great job picking up his head and enjoys tummy time especially when he is gassy. Yesterday was Halloween! Wesley enjoyed seeing everyone in costumes and helped pass out candy but we will enjoy finding an awesome costume for him next year.

 

Fit Mommy

I finally got released from my doctor today to start working out! I am hoping to do a few "monthly challenges" along with walking Wesley lots. For the month of November it is going to be all about squats and abs. The areas affected most by my pregnancy!

 

Confessions from a New Mom

Hip Hip Hooray! Look how much I pumped today!

From day one I have never produced much milk. We had to start supplementing when we came home from the hospital because Wesley had jaundice. With adding in bottles so early I think it was an up hill battle from the start. I started taking mothers milk to see if it would help my supply. I used to only pump an ounce and a half about every four hours now a few weeks later I am up to three ounces and pump maybe every 6-8 hours.  You go into motherhood expecting to produce all you need for your child, but sometimes it just does not happen. I am excited to produce as much as I can and give Wesley the benefits of some breast milk.

 

 

 

What a wirlwind of a life

So Wesley officially came into our lives three weeks early on September 16, 2013. We are blessed beyond belief with a healthy mostly happy boy who teaches us new things every day.

I can't believe Wesley is already heading towards two months old and mommy is heading back to work in a week after 8 weeks off. Wesley is not on to much of a schedule yet..oopppss. He does nap more in the morning and I have him in his crib by 11pm but other than that we just roll with the flow. He still likes to eat every two hours during the day though he might only take an ounce or two and thankfully wakes up only about two times during the night and eats up to four ounces at those feedings. I have decided I have a "snacking" son where he likes to eat just a little but more often.

 

Fit Mommy

I thought and hoped the weight would just drop off with having Wesley and breast feeding. When breast feeding did not turn out how I thought and formula became a big part of our lives, there goes the extra calories out my body. I still do pump about 8 times a day but need to work on my eating habits. Well six weeks later I am down twenty pounds but have another twenty to go before I am back to my pre pregnancy weight. With all of my own health issues after having Wesley I have not been cleared yet from the doctor to start working out but with my last follow up appointment tomorrow I hope to begin some workouts soon. I have started to walk a little and am impressed how tired I still get just by doing a few laps around the apartment complex with Wesley. We have not made it out walking at a park yet but hopefully soon.

 

 

Confessions from a New Mom

As a mom to be you always dream about how you will have this perfect baby in a new perfect life. I dreamed of being able to produce tons of milk and not have to spend money on formula, having a great baby who just loves to smile and sleeps great at night, and would have lots of time during my maternity leave to organize, clean, and have some me time around our apartment.  Well new mommy hood has been quite an eye opener.

 

We started having to supplement formula on day two of Wesley being with us due to his jaundice numbers. I produced little milk and still to his day do not produce much at all. Wesley fought jaundice for the first whole month and poor thing had to get his heal picked multiple times to check his levels. Husband to the rescue build me a bottle dryer for all the bottles we were going though in one day.

 

 

Third Trimester Here I Come

I can't believe I am now 28 weeks already and into my last trimester. I had my glucose/check up this week. Baby is still doing well and growing just how it should be. I will find out my glucose results on Monday, hoping I pass with flying colors because I don't want to have to watch my sweet intake. I don't eat to many sweets, maybe a few a week but I like my sweets.

 

Its amazing how I ma growing and I definitely feel like I am pregnant. By the end of the day my feet are tired, my back hurts, and I am exhausted. I have been trying to wear my shoes as much as I can at work which is hard because no shoes are allowed in the gym and of course with it being summer time I like to where my flip flops with my shorts out around town. I think if I could make myself wear my shoes more my arches and feet would be happier. I have officially gained 25 pounds but the doctor is not worried about my weight gain. Right now I am about 165 and in high school I topped 180 so I am hoping since I have been heavy before my body adjusts well to all the extra weight. If I can stay under 180 for the entire pregnancy I will be happy.

 

Here are some updated pictures of how my belly is growing.



The Crib Fairy

We have had the crib (in boxes) in the baby's room for a few weeks and the hope was to finish cleaning out the room, paint, and then we could set up the crib. I did work on the 4th of July and get many office boxes organized and put away so the room is starting to come together. I heard some noise in the room Friday night but figured Drew was just going through his paint boxes. I woke up to get ready for work on Saturday and Drew told me to look in the room. LOOK WHAT I FOUND!

 

 

I was super excited that he put the crib together! Next weekend I need to leave a can of paint in the room and maybe the paint fairy will come!



The Swelling Days of Summer

Well I think I can officially say my legs have started to swell and I am very sad. I was hoping to make it all the way through my pregnancy with just a belly bump and no extra bloat. By looking you can not tell that my legs are swelling but over the last few weeks if I cross my legs on a coffee table and my heal is on my leg I can take it off and there will be an indention for a few minutes, oh water retention. Though I don know if there is to much I can do to prevent it.

 

Here's to hoping I keep my ankles....lol

 

For the 4th of July my plan was to lay out by the pool but it is just to hot outside so I decided it would be more fun to stay inside and get some cleaning done. I might as well be productive while I can.