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Week 3: New baby, new home

8 Mar

What’s up with Liv?:  Liv is 3 weeks old!  Already!  I don’t know her current weight, but I can tell she’s filling out.  Her cheeks are getting deliciously chubby and we’ve switched from Newborn to Size 1 diapers!  However, she’s still growing into her pants…

Lounging in her big girl pants, 2/28/2013

Lounging in her big girl pants, 2/28/2013

Loves sleeping through car rides, 3/6/2013

Loves sleeping through car rides, 3/6/2013

Contrary to what our photos may lead you to believe, Liv has more and more “awake time” each day.  She’s getting so strong, working hard to control her head and neck, and kicking her little froggy legs out straight a lot more — it’s a bit of a wrestling match to change her diapers these days.  In the hospital, she didn’t cry much, but she’s certainly found her voice and boy, it’s mighty!

We’ve started giving her a pacifier, which she’s still figuring out, but it usually buys us a few minutes of peace here and there.  In a regular swaddle, Liv always breaks her hands free, moving around, and rubbing her face in her sleep, eventually waking herself up.  I’m so grateful for the Miracle Blanket, which is the only way we’ve found to keep her hands swaddled down.  At night, it’s helping us get three hour stretches of sleep at a time!

Sleeping in her swing, 3/6/2013

Caught her sleeping like this in her swing!  3/6/2013

2/21/2013

Swaddled in the Miracle Blanket, 2/21/2013

As for her reflux, we’re still taking it day-by-day — or feeding-by-feeding, I should say.  We’re sticking to Dr. M’s plan: short, frequent feedings, 20-30 minutes of burping, and keeping her upright/inclined.  I’m eating gluten-free, dairy-free, and as bland as possible.

Unfortunately, our girl’s still uncomfortable and fussy through many of her feedings and she’s still throwing up erratically.  After describing her ongoing symptoms to Dr. M, he ordered an ultrasound of her tummy to hopefully rule out pyloric stenosis — a blockage in the stomach preventing food from entering the small intestine.  The ultrasound is scheduled for Monday and we’ll talk about “next steps” then.

3/1/2013

She loves to have those arms free, 3/1/2013

What I’m up to?:  Jared’s parents flew back to Chicago on Saturday and on Sunday, Jared and I spent the entire day eating leftovers of his mom’s cooking and watching Season 4 of Parenthood.  On Monday, my parents arrived in San Diego after a four day drive from Cincinnati and we finally, officially closed on our new home!!!!

Our new home as of 3/4/2013

Our new home as of 3/4/2013!

3/4/2013

Finally meeting Mamaw & Papaw, 3/4/2013

3/4/2013

Hanging out with Papaw, 3/4/2013

3/5/2013

In the kitchen of our new house!  3/5/2013

How I’m feeling?:  Liv’s been a lot fussier and I feel like I spend a few hours everyday just bouncing, rocking, and trying to comfort her.  I was prepared for the fussiness and crying, but I wasn’t prepared for how helpless I’d feel as a mother.  It’s so hard not being able to calm my own baby…

Every day I think: “It’s impossible to be more tired than I am.”  Then tomorrow comes and I eat my words.  I can’t remember what it’s like to sleep for more than 3 hours straight — before Liv was here, I was getting up to pee a half dozen times a night.  But as overwhelmingly tired as I am, I’m also used to it by now.

Aside from Liv’s inconsolable crying and episodes of throwing up, middle-of-the-night feedings are the hardest time for me.  It’s dark.  The rest of the world is asleep.  And as desperately tired as I am, I have to wake up enough to change, feed, and burp Liv before soothing her back to sleep.  In some of these instances, we’re both quiet as we go through our nightly routine.  Other times, she cries and cries and I wish Jared could feed her for me, just-this-once!  Most of the time though, Liv sleepily whimpers and coos as I talk to her in a nonsensical baby voice.  She gets a clean diaper, a belly full of milk, and a nice, long burp session, while being showered with kisses and praises and sometimes, made-up songs.  I usually fall back asleep curled up on the edge of our bed with one hand still rocking her in her Rock ‘n Play.  And my last thoughts are almost always about how lucky I am to be this beautiful baby’s mommy.

I may feel helpless at times and completely exhausted always, but I’m also thoroughly enamored with our little Liv.

3/3/2013

Mommy-Livi time, 3/3/2013

Marathon Mommy in-the-making:  I feel like I’ve been less energized and less active this week, probably due to everything mentioned above.  Nonetheless, I did get out for two longer walks with Liv in the BOB stroller and our first walk with Liv in the Ergo.

3/3/2013

First ride in the Ergo, 3/3/2013

3/3/2013

Practicing her Blue Steel face, 3/3/2013

Week 3 Thoughts from the Zen Dad:

It’s 4:28am and I’ve been awake since 2-something this morning.  I got up to change Liv’s diaper before her “3am feeding” and then I just couldn’t go back to sleep.  This week has been one of the craziest of my life.  Meg and I officially closed on our first house.  My parents departed after an amazing couple weeks here in San Diego and Meg’s parents arrived after driving 2000+ miles across the country.  And things with Liv are fairly difficult right now.  Her stomach issues aren’t getting better despite Meg having changed her entire diet, having Liv feed more frequently, and burping more often.  It’s scary to see her still emptying her stomach at the most unexpected moments.  So she’ll be having an ultrasound of her stomach on Monday.  I can’t believe my daughter, who’s less than 4 week old, will be having an ultrasound.

So yeah… it’s been tough.

But despite it all, those moments when Liv looks me straight in the eyes, calmness emanating through her whole body — those are the moments that offer me with such relief and solace.  I can’t help but choose to focus on those heart-rending moments.  Every time she curls her little fingers and toes around my fingers, I melt inside.  Each day when she takes a brief nap, stretched out across my chest, I remind myself to truly breathe… and smile.

Breathing in, I embrace her spirit.
Breathing out, I release the pain.

3/6/2013

Cuddles with daddy, 3/6/2013

Week 3 in Review:

  • Liv loves:  Warm baths, car rides, holding hands with mamaw, and pooping as soon as she gets a clean diaper
  • This week’s firsts:  Dinner at Souplantation and shopping for our house at IKEA, Lowe’s, and Home Depot.  She slept through dinner, but cried through the shopping.
  • Workouts:  3 walks between 1.7-3.3 miles, plus hours of bouncing, dancing, rocking, and swinging Miss Liv
  • Countdown to my “comeback half marathon“:  12 weeks & 2 days!
  • Countdown to moving day:  9 days!
  • Liv’s funny moment of the week:  In the middle of nursing, she sneezed a big mouthful of milk right in my face!
  • Jared’s funny moment of the week:  During a middle-of-the-night diaper change, he groggily asked: “When do they start potty training?”  I told him 4 weeks, ha!
  • My favorite:  When Liv’s finally, peacefully, perfectly sleeping on me, like a little angel…
Sleeping on mommy, 3/3/2013

Sleeping on mommy, 3/3/2013

Week 2: The hardest job you’ll ever love

2 Mar

***Despite my intention to post this on Liv’s two week birthday, somehow, I’m already four days late.  These days, I seem to have the attention span of a gnat.  (Gnats have short attention spans, right…?)  Tiny, disrupted increments of sleep will do that to ya.  And hopefully, eating and showering will continue to trump blogging; however, going forward, I’m aiming to post these recaps by Friday each week.  I’m also going to start writing shorter posts in between, with highlights, pictures, and whatever musings spill out of my sleep-deprived mommy brain.

Mommy-and-Livi naptime, 2/21/2013

Mommy-Livi naptime, 2/21/2013

In the meantime, let’s get on with my exceptionally long recap of week #2!  Here’s what we’ve been up to…

What’s up with Liv?:  I’m amazed at how much our little Liv’s changed in these two short weeks.  For the first week, it seemed like all she did was eat, sleep, poop, repeat.  Somewhere around day #10 or 11 — right when the pediatrician gave us permission to let her sleep longer than three hours — she WOKE UP.  Now she’s more alert and expressive… and fussy!

2/28/2013

Liv with her paci at 2 weeks, 2/28/2013

Speaking of the fussiness, our girl gave us a scare this week.  Last Saturday, I propped her up after nursing and she immediately threw up — opened her mouth and emptied her stomach, like a tiny fountain.  It’s absolutely terrifying to see such a tiny little human throw up like that…  She didn’t fuss at the time, but she and I were both covered in the entire contents of her tummy.  After a bath, a change of clothes, and a nap, we sat down to nurse, and she did it again.  And then again, and again.

At midnight, Jared and I were on the phone with a 24-hour nurse-line, scrambling to figure out how to take our squirmy, unhappy baby’s temperature, and frantically writing down everything the nurse said.  Jared made a middle-of-the-night run to CVS for gas drops and she’s been getting short, frequent feedings, followed by very long periods of burping.  Also, I’m eating a “bland diet” — no broccoli or cabbage, beans, onions, peppers, or spicy foods, caffeine, dairy, or chocolate (basically, I’m not eating any of the foods I normally eat).

This plan seemed to be helping a bit; however, she threw up again late on Sunday, and her poor little belly was so gurgle-y, I scheduled an appointment with the pediatrician.  Jared had to work, so it was my first solo excursion with Liv!  Ultimately, Dr. M. diagnosed her with gastroesophageal reflux disease, a.k.a. “GERD,” explaining the ring of muscle between the esophagus and the stomach — the lower esophageal sphincter (or LES) — is not fully mature, allowing the stomach contents to flow backward.  He reassured us that it’s not uncommon and sent us home with instructions to keep doing a lot of the same things:

  • short, frequent feedings
  • 20-30 minutes of burping after each feeding
  • keep her upright or at an incline

We’re still hopeful that we can ride this out and that all of these interventions will do the trick until she “grows into her belly” in a few months.  Unfortunately, she has fussy spells each day, where you can tell she’s extremely uncomfortable and in pain, and although it’s less frequent, she’s still throwing up.  So, we’ll be talking with Dr. M. again on Monday to see what else we can do for our gurgle-y little girl.

3/1/2013

Liv in the bouncer, 3/1/2013

What I’m up to?:  With the short, frequent feedings (every 1-3 hours), I’m definitely not getting more sleep, like I optimistically hoped for in my last post.  And with all the throwing up and our first poopy diaper explosions, I’m still doing a lot of laundry.  Welcome to mommyhood, right?!

2/22/2013

All cozy after a bath, 2/22/2013

My mother and father-in-law (Liv’s “Nonny” and “Poppy”) flew in from Chicago for a couple weeks, so our little house has been full of Luries!  My mother-in-law’s an amazing cook (and my father-in-law’s an awesome sous-chef), so we’ve had our fill of delicious, healthy dinners — not to mention, a bunch of help with housework and errands.  I haven’t had to even to think about dinner for weeks now!

Liv with "Nonny," 2/19/2013

Liv and Nonny, 2/19/2013

Liv with Nonny and Poppy, 2/23/2013

Liv with Nonny and Poppy, 2/23/2013

In addition to this precious time with Nonny and Poppy, Liv’s gotten to meet so many of our friends here in San Diego.  We’re also trying to video chat with our family and friends across the country whenever we can and we’re looking forward to more visitors over the coming months!

James, Suzie, Julie, & Andrew, 2/16/2013

James, Suzie, Julie, and Andrew, 2/16/2013

Liv with Josh and Sarah, 2/24/2013

Josh and Sarah, 2/24/2013

Zoe and Amanda + Bump! 2/27/2013

Zoe and Amanda + Bump! 2/27/2013

The highlight of my days is the huge chunk of time Jared and I spend each day just staring at Liv in amazement.  We know our time with her being this small and new is priceless and I’ve never felt so much like there aren’t enough hours in the day.

2/22/2013

Liv in the Miracle Blanket, 2/22/2013

How I’m feeling?:  As much as I want to be bubbling over with happiness and pure joy all the time, there are moments every day when I feel overwhelmingly down, choked-up, and irritable.  I could blame it on her fussy spells or the infant GERD, but truthfully, I’ve got the “baby blues.”

The counselor I’ve been seeing said something like 85% of new moms experience the baby blues, thanks to sleep deprivation, childbirth recovery, newborn care, and that huge postpartum hormonal shift.

I want to do it all.  I want to be “blissed out” 24/7.  But I’m having to figure out my new role as a mother.  It’s a completely new life.  Like my Aunt Debbie said, “Parenthood is the hardest job you’ll ever love.”  I absolutely love our new life with Liv, but it’s definitely hard and I’m finding that I need a lot of encouragement (luckily, Jared is really good at this).

2/27/2013

Tired ladies with flowers from Nonny and Poppy, 2/27/2013

My good friend, and new mom, Kelly, shared this quote that I think sums it up perfectly:

“The most difficult part of birth is the first year afterwards.  It is the year of travail — when the soul of a woman must birth the mother inside her.  The emotional labor pains of becoming a mother are far greater than the physical pangs of birth; these are the growing surges of your heart as it pushes out selfishness and fear and makes room for sacrifice and love.  It is a private and silent birth of the soul, but it is no less holy than the event of childbirth; perhaps it is even more so.”  (-Joy Kusek, LCCE)

Marathon Mommy in-the-making:  Physically, I’m feeling more and more like myself everyday.  I’m a couple pounds below my pre-baby weight, but I’ve lost a lot of muscle.  My legs are thinner and my belly is all soft and squishy, but I don’t mind.  I feel good and know I’m still recovering.  All I really care about is reveling in these precious, first days with Liv.

3/1/2013

3-mile walk around the bay, 3/1/2013

I’m still savoring our easy afternoon walks together with the BOB stroller and even though we’re taking it really, really easy, it’s so nice to get out in the fresh air.  I always come home feeling reassured that this new life will feel normal, one day.

Afternoon walk with Liv and the BOB, 2/20/2013

Mommy, Livi, and the BOB, 2/20/2013

Week 2 Thoughts from the Zen Dad:

Wow!  So week 2 was definitely VERY different from week 1.  During week 1, we were all still riding the high of welcoming a new, mini-human to the world!  Emails, Facebook posts, texts, and calls were flying in.  With week 2′s arrival, everything seemed to slow down tremendously.  The nights are stretching out and the cries seem to last forever. 

I am infinitely grateful that my parents have had the opportunity to be here for a couple weeks.  I love seeing “Nonny” and “Poppy” holding my sweet, little daughter.  Having all three generations just sitting and loving life together has been so magical.  So like you can probably tell from this post, this whole parenthood thing is quite the rollercoaster. 

I’m sure Meg already mentioned Liv’s GERD, which made one night in particular extremely difficult.  I never could’ve imagined how much one tiny, little baby body could throw up — seeing milk pour out of her mouth like Niagra Falls (although it was kind of funny to see her barf all over Landau!).  It never occurred to me that within her first two weeks of life, I’d already be calling a 24-hour nurse line and running out to a pharmacy at 1:00 AM. 

Through all of the difficult moments, I take the time to smile and treasure the fact that Meg and I have a baby.  We are feeding her, changing her diapers, and most of all, providing her with infinite love and gratitude.  I feel so lucky to have this reminder of how fortunate I am, wrapped up in this tiny, little package, who falls asleep on my chest and melts my heart.  All of these positive moments will forever outweigh the challenging ones.  Here’s the mantra I’ve been using with Liv throughout the week:

Breathing in, I calm myself.
Breathing out, I let go.

2/21/2013

Baby monkey with daddy, 2/21/2013

2/22/2013

Daddy-Livi naptime, 2/22/2013

2/27/2013

Daddy-Livi naptime, again, 2/27/2013

Week 2 in Review:

  • Queen of…  Changing Liv’s diaper at the exact wrong moment… I’ve been pooped/peed on nearly everyday!
  • Liv loves:  When mommy sings “The Cherry Song” and daddy’s deep voice
  • Longest stretch of sleep:  3 hours!
  • Workouts:  4 walks between 1.0-3.3 miles
  • Our laundry machine’s workouts:  1-3 loads/day
  • First (non-pediatrician) outing:  We went to Broken Yolk for lunch on Sunday and Liv slept through it!
  • Goal for the week:  Get outside for fresh air every. single. day.
  • Liv’s nicknames:  Livi-girl, little froggy, little dinosaur, Turklet, Raffi, Taz, Peanut, and her 2-year-old buddy, Zoe, calls her “Baby Lip”!

To sum up, I’ve been living in 2 to 3 hour cycles of nursing, sleeping, eating, laundry, walking, singing, and cleaning.  I’ve been peed, pooped, and thrown up on more times than I can count.  I haven’t slept for longer than three hours in a row since February 11th, and this week, we hit new levels of inconsolable fussiness.  Hands down, it’s been the best and hardest two weeks of my life.  And already, I can’t imagine it any other way.

2/25/2013

Mommy’s squeaky little dinosaur, 2/25/2013

Week 30: Midwest Baby Shower

9 Dec

This post has been challenging for me to write because I just don’t have the words to say everything in my heart (but I’ll do my best!).  Last weekend’s trip back to the Midwest is one I’ll look back on and remember forever.  We crammed so much into five (always) too short days–everything from a baby shower to family dinners to a minor car mishap.  Most memorable was reuniting with so many loved ones who went above and beyond to make us feel so special and loved.

Last Friday, hubby and I flew from San Diego to Chicago, where we enjoyed a Lurie family dinner before Jared and his brother, Adam, faced off for rights to their “Ping Pong Champion of the Universe” title.  After four matches and an impressive (embarrassing?) amount of sweat, Jared walked away with the trophy.  As silly as their competitive trash talking is, I love how close they are.  It’s practically impossible to wrap my brain around having another baby at seven months pregnant with our first, but really, siblings are cool.

On Saturday, my sisters-in-law, Ali and Leigh (and their guys, Mike and Adam), hosted a baby shower for Jared, Bob, and I that was over-the-top, beyond words, awesome.  There were so many adorable touches, from safari-themed confetti, to candy-filled place cards, and baby-themed photo props.  They placed cards on each table for guests to write out their “Wishes to Baby,” which Jared and I have absolutely loved reading and re-reading and we’re passing this along to do at our San Diego baby shower, too.  We were both so overwhelmed by how many family and friends drove and flew in from Minnesota, Wisconsin, DC, Boston, and Cleveland.  And we couldn’t stop telling Ali and Leigh how the day, by far, exceeded all of our hopes and expectations.

*Click on the images to enlarge them.

From the shower to the “after party,” we enjoyed catching up, eating the most delicious (gluten-free!) Italian food, opening so many gifts for Bob, playing games, savoring all the hugs we could get, and laughing.  Oh my gosh, there was so. much. laughing.  My only regret is that we didn’t take more pictures (seriously)…

On Sunday morning, Jared’s dad manned the kitchen for one of his infamous Lurie family brunches (homemade gluten-free waffles!), then we packed up Jared’s mom’s car and made the five hour drive to Cincinnati.  With my niece, Jessie, being on another round of chemo, it made the most sense for us to have a small family gathering, so we met up for dinner, where we were showered with more love and gifts for Bob!  We flew from San Diego with one suitcase and returned with all of Bob’s clothes, toys, books, and other goodies in three suitcases.  This kid is so loved!

Monday was a perfectly low-key day of working out at my childhood YMCA, spending the afternoon with my mom, then dinner at Maggiano’s (more amazing gluten-free Italian food)!  Tuesday arrived all-too-soon and we packed up for the drive back to Chicago.

It was unseasonably warm for Cincinnati, but rain was predicted and less than two hours into our drive, we were following the bypass from one highway to another when the car spun out.  It was one of the most dramatic, slow motion, surreal (and scary) experiences of my life.  All I remember is Jared’s giant arms engulfing me as we braced ourselves to hit something.  And somehow, we simply drifted into a deep, muddy ditch between the intersecting highways, never crashing into anything.  We were perfectly fine.  The car was fine, but there was no way we were getting the car out of the ravine.  Of course, I immediately had to pee.  So while hubby waited for AAA to tow us out, Indiana highway patrol took me to the nearest gas station/Subway, where Bob and I stayed warm and dry as daddy-to-be took care of business.  Two and half hours later, the rain had finally stopped and we were on our way again, counting ourselves very, very lucky.

To my surprise, we made our evening flight, which was practically empty, so we stretched out and enjoyed the final leg of our last trip with baby-in-my-belly.  Next time, I’ll be figuring out how in the world people change baby diapers in those tuna can-sized airplane bathrooms (the logistics baffles me…).

Of course, we could’ve done without the car incident, but besides that, it was the perfect long weekend.  These trips always go by too quickly, but we truly cherished every moment.  Back home in San Diego, I went to bed feeling overcome by how loved and blessed we are.  And next time we see everyone, we’ll be parents!  So hard to believe…

Daddy and mommy-to-be, 12/1/2012

Daddy and mommy-to-be, 12/1/2012

Infinite love and gratitude to everyone who was there with us physically, and in spirit!

Week 30: Cabbage

7 Dec

What’s Bob up to?:  At 17 inches and 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage), our little one’s definitely getting bigger and taking up a lot more room in there!  Along with the physical growth, there’s a bunch of brain and eye development going on—not to mention, late night workouts!  Seriously, this kiddo loves to punch, kick, wiggle, and stretch as soon as I’m lying down or trying to sleep.

What I’m up to?:  We’ve had an action-packed, ultra amazing “Midwest Baby Shower Weekend” that I’m going to recap in a separate post, but here’s a quick rundown: Last Friday, Jared, Bob, and I flew from San Diego to Chicago and spent two days with hubby’s family, plus we had our first baby shower!  On Sunday, we drove to Cincinnati and spent two days with my family before driving back to Chicago on Tuesday and catching a plane back to San Diego.  It was a whirlwind weekend of overwhelming awesomeness and I’m still digesting it all.  More to come!  In the meantime, this is the only “belly shot” we took all week… ha!

Chicago baby shower @ 30 weeks pregnant, 12/1/2012

Chicago baby shower @ 30 weeks pregnant, 12/1/2012

How I’m feeling?:  Full—emotionally and physically!  Like I said, it was a huge week.  We were showered with a ton of love, laughter, and hugs.  I didn’t travel with my Snoogle body pillow and unfortunately, I didn’t sleep well during our travels, so despite being filled-to-the-brim with love and emotional support, I’m also exhausted.  If you need me, I’ll be on the couch all weekend!

Another new development is my inability to eat normal (for me) quantities of food.  I have a big appetite and have always loved eating giant portions.  It’s not my healthiest hobby, but it’s just how I am—or used to be, rather.  Now, I eat half an apple and feel so uncomfortably full I have to save the other half for later.  It’s so weird!

Bob on the Move:  The running streak is going strong!  I’ve put on my running shoes and run at least one mile every day since Sunday, 11/18.  Most days, I’m only running 1-2 miles, plus another 1-2 miles of walking.  My “long run” of the week was a 4-miler I did at the YMCA in Cincinnati.  Bob-the-bump feels big and heavy, but despite the awkwardness of my protruding belly, running still feels really good.  Now that I can feel Bob’s movement so clearly, I know he/she “sleeps” through my workouts, then wakes up to party about thirty minutes after I’m done!  I think our little peanut’s going to LOVE riding in the BOB stroller.

My sister & mom feeling Bob's kick-kick-kicks in Cincinnati, 12/2/2012

My sister & mom feeling Bob’s kicks in Cincinnati, 12/2/2012

Week 30 (Longest Ever!) Thoughts from the Zen Dad:

This has been one of the best weeks yet in our pregnancy (yes, I still say “our pregnancy” as if I’m also carrying the baby… If I could, I would).  I’ve written a few more letters to BOB and taken a lot more time to slow down, close my eyes, and just visualize holding our precious, new baby.  As if this wasn’t enough, WE HAD A BABY SHOWER IN CHICAGO!!!!  Meg and I didn’t have a “traditional” wedding and never had a bridal shower, so this was a new experience for us.  I had no idea what to expect, but I had complete faith in my sisters, Ali and Leigh… and somewhat in my brother Adam.  The shower was absolutely incredible.  The biggest highlight was getting to spend quality time with so many family members and friends from high school and college, many of whom traveled from out of state!

Seems like an amazing, jam-packed weekend, right?  Well, we weren’t done!  We extended our “Shower Weekend” by driving from Chicago to Cincinnati to have Part 2 of our Midwest Shower with Meg’s side of the family.  We had a big family dinner, where BOB got so many more gifts.  It was great to share this weekend with so many people.  It was an absolute blessing to watch Meg’s family with their pregnant daughter/sister/aunt/niece.  I loved watching Amy jump with excitement each time she felt BOB kick.

Overall, this week really brought to light how much love is surrounding BOB already.  I feel so grateful it’s almost impossible to put into words.  My heart grows knowing BOB has so many people wishing him/her all the best and “thank you” is hardly enough.  I am just so in awe of the infinite love and support.

Lastly, a special shout out to Adam Lurie, who had a difficult battle in our Champion of the Universe ping pong match, and though he lost the tournament, he won the opportunity to give a gratitude rock to a new person every day of December.

Sleepy daddy-to-be (covered in Bob's stuffed animals!), 12/3/2012

Sleepy daddy-to-be (covered in Bob’s stuffed animals!), 12/3/2012

Week 30 in Review:

  • Weight gain:  11 lbs.
  • Workouts:  7 runs (from 1.1-4.0 miles) & 4 walks for a total of 20 miles!
  • Number of Flights:  2 direct flights between San Diego & Chicago.
  • Favorite foods of the week:  Pizza from Lou Malnati’s in Chicago & pasta from Maggiano’s in Cincinnati… mmm…
  • Craving:  SLEEP!
  • Appointments:  I feel like there’s so much to keep track of… biweekly prenatal appointments, counseling sessions, weekly Bradley Method childbirth classes (with homework!), prenatal yoga classes, and couples prenatal yoga
  • Baby names:  The names we picked have slipped to a few people and I’m suddenly so much less confident about them…
  • Gift from our registry I’m surprised was purchased:  Nipple cream!
Giraffes for Bob! 30 weeks pregnant, 12/3/2012

Giraffes for Bob! 30 weeks pregnant, 12/3/2012

Weeks 16 and 17: Bob’s 1st Trip

5 Sep

Whoops!  Missed a week there, so we’ll do a two week recap!

What’s Bob up to?:  At 16 weeks, baby was about the size of an avocado, which we bought, but never photographed (oops)… And at 17 weeks, baby’s the size of an onion (or a turnip, depending on which site you visit).  Baby’s gearing up for a growth spurt and starting to take on a more human and less alien-like appearance.  This is good news.  He or she is “fattening up,” developing eyesight, practicing sucking and swallowing, and turning soft cartilage into bone.

Most exciting of all, our little one’s been on the move and I felt the first flutters last Monday!!!!!!!!  I’ve only felt him or her a handful of times, but it’s the sweetest, most gentle little wiggles and tap-tap-taps–like a flicker of a butterfly’s wings.  Hubby was just as (if not even more) excited than me!  The movement definitely made it feel more “real” and we spent our return flight from DC starting a baby name list.

What I’m up to?:  It’s been an extremely eventful couple of weeks!  We ran the Fire Run 4 Mile race for the 3rd year in a row, (I) felt baby’s first little wiggles, tried on a hundred black dresses in search for something decently flattering to wear for my brother-in-law’s wedding (and ended up borrowing The Perfect Dress from Snaves, thank you, thank you, thank you!), and we went on Bob’s first cross-country trip to Washington, DC for Adam & Leigh’s wedding, which was five straight days of festivities!

We enjoyed an over-the-top amazing sushi dinner with friends (where I ate steak!), a laughter-filled rooftop BBQ with the whole fam, the wedding rehearsal and celebration dinner, the wedding and reception, and a bittersweet morning-after brunch, where we relived the events of the weekend and ever-so-reluctantly said our see-you-next-times.  The whole weekend was beyond words, perfectly unforgettable, and completely awesome from start to finish.  And although I’m tired beyond belief, it was all worth it.  I married into a remarkable family and couldn’t feel any more blessed than I do right now… and tired… very very tired, ha!

Hubby with the bride & groom: Leigh & Adam Lurie, 9/2/2012!!!!

How I’m feeling?:  Overall, I’m feeling really good, just not like myself.  I’m still so tired and battle daily headaches.  I wake up craving meat… so I’m eating meat (which is delicious, but weird after years and years of being vegetarian and even vegan for stretches of time).  I’ve exploded into tears a handful of times over virtually nothing.  And I still have to pee all the time.

In other news, I’m definitely bumping out!  I got a few belly rubs from the fam this weekend, tons and tons of congratulations, love, and excitement from pretty much everyone, as well as lots of advice:

  • “Absolutely nothing will ever go as planned, so don’t even bother.”
  • “Try to deliver all natural, it’s the best way to go.”
  • “Definitely get an epidural, it’s the best way to go.”
  • “There are lots of crazy parents out there, if you need advice, come to us.”
  • “By far, this will be the most amazing experience of your entire lives.”

I took most of it with a grain of salt (because if I didn’t, I would go bananas!), but took a lot to heart, as well.  Hearing my mother-in-law’s cousin, Renee, talk about what a life-changing, precious moment it is to give birth to your own baby gave me chills.  I was still thinking about it on our flight home late Monday night…

I feel like I’m looking more and more preggers, but still have lots of weird moments where I feel like I just look fat:

Feeling thick @ 16 weeks pregnant, 8/25/2012

Trying to suck in… 16 weeks pregnant, 8/25/2012

Definitely popping out!  16 weeks pregnant, 8/25/2012

Brian Urlacher “Big Head” @ 17 weeks pregnant, 9/3/2012

***Hubby bought this Brian Urlacher “Big Head” as a prop for his best man speech at the wedding this past weekend.  Isn’t he super creepy?  But incredibly funny on a Preggers Meggers?  Ha!

Bob on the Move?:  Still running strong!  I felt amazing after the AFC Half Marathon and ran the Fire Run 4 Mile with hubby and friends the following Sunday, which was Race #5 while pregnant.  I’m already dreaming of running next year’s Fire Run with a stroller!

Fire Run 4 Mile @ 16 weeks pregnant, 8/26/2012

Post-Fire Run, I’ve had a bunch of great runs, including a couple treadmill sessions before our long weekend in DC, plus three super sweaty runs in DC, where it was 97-degrees-and-super-sticky-humid-HOT!  Hubby and I took our niece dog, Charlie, out for a 3-miler and we totally fell in love with the bouncy, energetic little fuzzball.  Plus, I hit up the gym a couple times at the Hyatt (I love hotel gyms).

Weeks 16 & 17 Thoughts from Dad:

The last two weeks have rocked my world.  Things are changing, starting when I got a phone call from Meg saying she’d felt BOB move for the first time.  AHHHH!!!  I’ve started calling BOB, “BOB Wiggles.”  As she described the fluttering of a butterfly, I couldn’t help but get completely overwhelemd with excitement.  Our friend, Moose, recently bought us a “baby journal” and it was the perfect opportunity to write the very first entry.

I also went with Meg to shop for maternity clothes for the first time.  For anyone who knows me, I HATE SHOPPING!  Fortunately, my Mom sent me a text right as we arrived at the store that said, “Are you making sure Meg has fun?”  That was the perfect thing to say.  This wasn’t a “normal” shopping trip.  WE WERE SHOPPING FOR BOB CLOTHES!!!  Certainly, my highlight was standing in the little dressing room with Meg as we each tried on the 7 month belly bump pillow.  It was a successful trip and Meg looks beautiful with her little, growing bump.

Adam and Leigh’s wedding was such a big highlight, too.  It was so incredible to take a step back and think about the growth of our family.  Leigh became a Lurie on Sunday and we’ll be adding a new Lurie come February.  It’s always bittersweet to have these wonderful family gatherings because we all split off in our own directions to head home.  Needless to say, I’m grateful that everyone got to “meet” BOB and I can’t wait for BOB to make his or her first official appearance next year.

Overall, BOB is bringing me such great joy and incredible perspective and I’m infinitely appreciative of this.

Weeks 16 & 17 in Review:

  • Workouts:  Week 16 = 3 runs & 2 walks.  Week 17 = 5 runs, 2 strength workouts, & a couple hours of dancing at Leigh & Adam’s wedding!
  • Weight gained:  I stopped weighing myself, because it’s getting harder to see the number increase… even though I know it’s for the best!
  • What I’m eating:  The best meal I’ve eaten in the past 2 weeks (maybe the whole year…) was the Grilled Tenderloin from Oya in DC… mmm… Chicken sausages, turkey brats, BBQ salmon, and so many grilled chicken salads.  Obviously, I love meat now.  I can hardly remember being (or even wanting to be) vegetarian.  So weird…
  • Baby Items Purchased:  None.  Yet.
  • Wardrobe changes:  Hubby went shopping with me at A Pea in the Pod, a maternity clothing store, which was incredibly overwhelming.  I don’t like shopping as it is, much less for a weird, morphing body, but hubby brought the laughs by trying on the 7 month belly pillow AND I ended up getting a few essentials that I’ve been living in…
    • A couple super soft, long maternity shirts & tanks
    • Flowy maxi skirts & dresses
    • Stretchy maternity jeans

NOT MY REAL BUMP!!!!  I’m wearing the 7 month belly pillow.

Lastly, a favorite picture from DC of hubby with his two nephews: Menachem (“Noochie”), age 4, and Avraham Yosef, age 8.  I love all of the kiddies (he also has two nieces: Tamar-6 and Ruti-1), but Noochie looks so much like a mini-Jared that it melts my heart!  It even brought me to tears a few times…

I can hardly believe we’re going to have our own little person in the near future…

Happy New Year!

1 Jan

Welp, 2012 is here!

After cranking out a nine mile tempo run to finish up my December Running Streak (31 days!  I did it!), hubs, Sully, and I drove up to LA to ring in the new year with family and friends.  We drove back to San Diego this morning and now we’re putting our couches to good use, enjoying football, naps, and snacks.  Lazy Sundays are my fave, especially when they’re followed by Mondays off work!  Heck yes!

I’m looking forward to more laziness, some yoga, some running, a haircut, and perhaps, renting 2012 and watching John Cusack save the world.  Good stuff.

I’m going to get back to my station on the couch, but in the meantime…

Happy New Year!

From my furry little family to yours :)

Fiesta Island, August 2011

It officially official! I’m a Marathon Maniac!

31 May

Growing up, I dabbled in sports, but was never any good.  I used to say I just wasn’t a competitive person.  I never had a varsity number.  I never identified myself as an athlete and I certainly didn’t feel like I “belonged” in sports–and that’s not to say I didn’t want to be a part of it.

Well, I finally have a number.  I’m Marathon Maniac #3910!

…which means there are at least 3,909 marathoners and ultra runners who are as crazy (or way crazier!) than I am!

Speaking of crazy….

My parents and brother are visiting!  They arrived in San Diego on Friday (where it’s sunny and 70-degrees every. single. day.) from Ohio (where temps are currently hitting a sweltering 97-degrees).  We got right down to business playing cards, grilling out, walking along the bay, eating watermelon, running the beach, kayaking, eating self-serve frozen yogurt and watching episode after episode of Modern Family.  Oh, and we did the Strawberry Festival 5K on Sunday morning, where dad and I both PR-ed.  Yep, best week ever.

And we’ll be capping it off with the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Marathon on Sunday (my bro’s 26th birthday!), where I’ll be sporting my brand spanking new Maniac singlet for my fourth marathon in 11 weeks!  It’ll also be the two year anniversary of my first marathon!  I loved running before the marathon, but that endeavor took it to a whole new level.

“This is the true joy in life… the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap…” (-George Bernard Shaw)

In other news, my friend Kerry, who would undoubtedly destroy me in a push-ups contest, wrote an awesome blog titled: Running Sucks.  It had me laughing out loud, which is always a great thing on a Monday morning Tuesday morning back-to-the-grind after a three-day weekend.

Oh, and one last thing!  I finally updated the My Monkey and My Sully pages!  Sully’s especially proud of his page.

Weeeeeeee!!!!!!!! kned!!!!!!!!

6 Mar

Weekend’s are awesome for a million different reasons.  This one’s awesome because I really, really, really need it after the helluva week I just had.

You know, as soon as I typed that I felt like a fraud because, really, who am I kidding?!?!  I don’t have a stress in the world!  …at least not compared to 99.9% of the world  …my life’s about as easy-peasy, stress-free, and all gravy, baby, as it gets.  I need to shush up.

 
Speaking of moms…

We got these little samples of Cascadian Farm Organic Dark Chocolate Almond Granola in our Carlsbad Half Marathon goody bags.  I’m gluten intolerant, Jared can’t digest nuts since he’s sans colon, and my mom loves this cereal.  I mean, hello!  Dark chocolate, almonds and granola!?!?  Yum!  When we got these samples, I called her up and said: “Mom!  You have to come visit!  We have cereal for you!”

I guess you could say that was the straw that broke the camel’s back because she’s gearing up for her first solo plane ride in forty–yes, forty years!!!!  My amazing, wonderful, best-momma-in-the-world will be flying from Cincinnati to San Diego in t-minus 9 days, where she’ll spend the week enjoying the granola samples that warranted a $300+ flight across the country… doing laundry (hey, she likes it!), spoiling her grand-dog, dishing out endless hugs and cheering her curly-haired heart out as I take on LA!  Oh, and we’ll most definitely be eating Yogurtland.  Duh.

I’ve said before that my hubby’s my number one fan, but truthfully, that title should go to my mom… after all, she baked and birthed me on (what she calls) the best day of her life.  True story.  I am so, so, so excited and grateful she’ll be spectating at the LA Marathon in, ahem, 2 weeks.

Who needs to follow an 18-week marathon training plan when you have an awesome good luck charm like my momma cheering in the crowds?!

She can’t wait.  I really can’t wait.

Neither can Sully…

meet Zoe!

28 Feb
Today, we got to meet the newest member of our San Diego family, Zoe, who was 1 month old yesterday!  Gah! 

Isn’t she ridiculously precious with that head full of hair and her pudgy cheekies and that sweet lil scowl that eventually erupted into the dearest newborn cry that breaks your heart at the same time you just love her all the more for being so gosh darn cute!?!?  That darling baby has some lungs on her!  Luckily, Mike and Amanda learned all they have to do is bounce on a Pilates ball and/or run the vacuum to calm her down…

Shoot, if it’d encourage us to run the vacuum more often, perhaps we should have a baby soon…

I was seven years old when my nephew was born and 11 and 15 when my nieces came along, so I grew up with the wonderment that are babies.  Not to mention all the babysitting I did in between my newspaper route and hostessing gig at Ruby Tuesday (goodness, I was a workaholic).  Jared, on the other hand, is quite unschooled when it comes to the teeny tiny mini-humans.

It was incredibly awesome to finally meet Zoe, the sweet little bundle of joy who has brought so much happiness into the world already!

And yes, it was pretty ridiculous to see my husband snuggling, rocking and nuzzling a teeny tiny mini-human.

I won a free bib to run the LA Marathon!!!!

19 Feb

Well, kids, if you wander over to the LA Marathon website, you’ll see the lovely race countdown currently reads: 29 days.  And in other crazy awesome exciting news… I WON A FREE BIB THROUGH A WEBSITE GIVEAWAY!!!!  *Courtesy of MommyWarriors.com and Salonpas Pain Relief Patches.

 

Nope, I’m not a mom–although my husband does call me “mommy” when he talks to our 94-pound bloodhound, Sully: “Mommy‘s gonna take you on a walk, buddy.  Be a good boy for mommy.”  And it’s no secret that hubby and I are very, very excited to have real, human babies “one day.”

But for now, I’m throwing my whole heart into running the LA Marathon in honor of my beautiful 16 year old niece, Jessie, who is courageously battling her sixth relapse of a nine year battle with cancer, not to mention one of THE strongest “mommy warriors” on this Earth: my sister, Amy.  

I am infinitely and wordlessly proud of these two women who mean the world to me.
Jessie, Amy, my other awesome niece-Clara & I dancing the night away at our cousin’s wedding.
Amy was the first marathoner in the family.  Here she is running the Kona Marathon!
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