Six month stats

Colin had his six month check up today. Here's the stats:

*Weight: 16 pounds 3 ounces - 30th percentile. Down from the 50th but the doc wasn't concerned since he gained.
*Height: 27 inches - 50th percentile.
*Head Circumference: 42.5 inches - 25th percentile.

Mark and I were trying to guess how much he weighed before the appointment. I guessed around 20 pounds. Mark said 18-20. We were both waaaaaaaaaaay off! I'll be honest, I was nervous when the nurse said he's now in the 30th percentile for weight when he was in the 50th at his 4 month appointment. But she explained that it's nothing to worry about because the growth chart uses all his stats - height, weight, head circumference - and compares them to where "average" children of his age fall. So since he didn't gain much weight and he's 3 inches taller, it makes sense that his percentile would go down. He's growing at a steady, healthy rate and that's all that matters. She also commented on how happy and bubbly he is, so that was nice to hear. It makes Mark and I feel like we're doing something right as parents!

Thankfully there were only two shots and an oral vaccine this time. It was interesting for me to watch how his reaction to the vaccines changes each time we go. At two months, he cried (obviously) but he stopped almost instantly and didn't really seem bothered by them. He had kind of the same reaction at four months but the worse time was the next day. His legs were sore, he was super cranky and he ran a fever all day. This time...he was definitely pissed! His face turned bright red, he wanted to cry so hard that it took him about 20 seconds to get the cry out. He calmed down relatively quickly after I picked him up but I could tell he was not happy - not that I blame him!

Today I also noticed that he definitely reacts more to things that upset him. In particular, he blows raspberries. He HATES having his ears checked so when the doctor turned his head to the side, his face turned red, he cried and started furiously blowing raspberries. He did the same thing at the nurse when she gave him the oral vaccine. It's fun to watch how he shows when he's upset. Gives me an insight in to my future ;-)

We don't go back for a checkup until 9 months and there will be NO SHOTS! HOORAY!

Here's a picture of my boy sporting his firetruck sticker he got from the doctor. Notice his face? He was screaming and getting ready to blow a raspberry.

Post Baby Weight Loss

Quick update this week.

I forgot to weigh myself this morning. I'm kind of glad I did since I'm sure I'm up a lot. The will power to eat healthy last week was no where to be found. I did work out 4 times though, so there's that. 

This week I plan to:

-Eat every meal at home.
-Drink a gallon of water every day NO MATTER WHAT.
-Go to the gym Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.
-Run at the gym, even if it's just for one minute at a time.
-Do 50 minutes of pilates twice.

I know this week I probably won't lose much but I'm hoping to at least get back down to the weight I was before all hell broke lose.

Have a great week!

Post baby weight loss update

It's been a long time since I updated about my weight loss. Mainly because there hasn't been any.

And I'm OK with that.

I've been working to accept my body as it is. I have to accept it in order to change it. After I lost weight the first time with Weight Watchers, I knew my body inside and out. I knew what my metabolism was like, what I needed to do to lose a pound...that kind of thing.

After having Colin, my whole body is different, not just my appearance. My metabolism is slower, my hormones are wrecked. I needed to take time off to really get tuned in with my body again.

Some things I've learned:
-I have to workout twice as hard as I did before.
-I have to really watch what I eat.
-Water. Lots and lots of water is absolutely a necessity.

After I cancelled my WW subscription, I looked back through my Tracker to see if I could find any trends. I noticed I eat a lot of bread. Like at almost every meal. No wonder I can't lose weight...I'm bogged down with bread! And I don't drink nearly enough water seeing as how I've been living off caffeine for the last six months. So I decided to do something about it.

I've replaced my morning English muffin with Greek Yogurt and my usual lunch (a sandwich) with a lettuce wrap. I thought I would be starving (and tired as hell!) for sure but I wasn't. I actually felt a lot better. I wasn't as weighed down and I didn't feel as "heavy". These are changes I'm sticking with for sure.

I haven't lost much weight but I'm hoping that will change with my new workout schedule. A friend from work and I have decided to start working out together. We'll be going to the gym 3 times a week. Hopefully having someone to hold me accountable will force me to stick with it.

Stay tuned :-)

Oh, the emotions!

The emotions I have endured since having Colin have been a roller coaster. I have such such an immense love for him that it overwhelms me on the regular. Exhibit A: This past week.

Monday
 The hubs was offered (and accepted!) a new position. While waiting for the offer to come his way, we daydreamed about what we would do with all the extra money that was a sure thing with his new title. My wish list, in order of importance, was:

      1. Become a stay at home mom.

      2. A better daycare for Colin. Preferably a center where he will be with kids his own age.

      3. A new house in a better school district.

I was warned repeatedly to not get my hopes up for my number one  wish. But come on, how could I not?! Then the offer came and WHAM! All my hopes and dreams were viciously squashed.

Mark came to my desk and wrote me a note. "You cannot stay home".

Shit. "Why?"

"The salary is not what we were expecting". I was barely able to hold back my tears. But I had to hold it together. I had to go in to "Supportive Wife" mode and tell Mark how proud I am of him. How happy and excited I am for him. And I am. I so, so, so am. He deserves this success.

I started asking how much more it is per week, what we can do with the extra money, etc, etc.

"It's not even enough to put Colin in a better daycare".

There goes wish # 2.

Tuesday
I was able to keep my emotions in check and stay in my "Supportive Wife" mode. I had a half day at work so being with Colin made it easy to not think about it much.

Wednesday
All hell broke loose. I completely lost my shit. I cried at work...twice. I picked stupid fights with Mark. And this was all before noon.

I tried to talk to Mark about how it totally effing sucks that we can't really do anything with his new salary and nothing ever works out for us.

Pity party. Table for one.

Of course, he got pissed and shot back that he would get a part time job and then I could work part time and stay home with Colin. That's not what I want at all.

I went to bed upset and cried myself to sleep.

Thursday
I woke up in an even worse mood. I could barely even speak to Mark without choking up. I cried at work AGAIN. I picked stupid fights...again. It got so bad he may have told me to eff off. Ouch.

Mark kept asking me what I was so mad about. I tried to explain to him that I wasn't mad. I was disappointed. I wanted to make a better future for our son so badly and now it won't happen. Finally, he reacted in a positive way.

He sat me down and explained that while the salary is not what we had hoped for, it is more and we can make a better future for our family.

"You get wish number 3. Doesn't that count?"

It does. In the grand scheme of things, it counts more than wish number one and number two. Why did it take me so long to effing realize that?!

I'm finally able to see that our family is about to have a new beginning.

We're fixing some small things on our house so we can put it on the market this fall and move to a better neighborhood with a better school district.

I'm so relieved Mark was finally able to pull me out of my emotional haze and force me to re-focus on what's important.

I get so involved with these new, intense emotions that it makes me feel like I have blinders on.

And it scares the hell out of me.

6 Months

Dear Colin:


Today you are 6 months old. We can’t believe how fast the time went. You are growing in to such a happy, loving, funny, strong, beautiful boy.
We want to share with you some of the things we never want to forget about your first six months.
• How you kick your legs with so much force and determination. Then you smile and laugh when you realize someone was watching.
• How you study Daddy’s face when he talks/sings to you.
• How your face lights up when Mommy talks to you.
• Your smile, laugh, talking and cooing.
• How you love to eat your fruits and veggies. Sorry honey, had to throw that one in for when you’re older!
• How you love to move. You are moving non-stop from the time you wake up to the time you go to sleep. We call you “Fists of Fury” because you’re arms are constantly in motion.
• How much you have changed us.
• How you snuggle when we get you out of bed in the morning.
• How anything put in your hands goes straight into your mouth.
• The time you peed all over Daddy at the doctor.
• The time you giggled for a full minute while waiting to be weighed at the doctor.
• The time you peed all over Mommy while waiting for Daddy.
• The time you spit up all over Mommy.
• The first time you rolled over. You rolled from your tummy to your back and we were so excited!
• The first time you smiled. It was in response to Mommy talking to you.


You have changed so much in six short months. Watching you grow is bitter sweet for us. We are so happy to see you flourish and learn new things. But time goes by too fast. Every day you become a little more independent and that’s hard for Mommy and Daddy to get used to.


So happy half birthday, baby. We love you more than you will ever know.

To the moon and back,

Mommy and Daddy



November 25, 2010




May 25, 2011



Pureed carrots a la Mama

I had some carrot chips that were a few days away from expiring. I can't say I like carrots, I tolerate them, so I knew there was no way I was going to be able to eat them before they expired. I decided instead of just throwing them away, I would puree them for Colin. I was absolutely ecstatic at the thought of making his food. It made me feel like a real mom.

With the first batch of carrots, I pretty much just threw them in the food processor with some formula and hoped for the best. What I got was chunky carrot soup. Not exactly what I was looking for. So I busted out the blender and, after a few user technical difficulties, my chunky carrot soup actually started to resemble baby food. It still had some chunks so I put that batch in the freezer container and made a mental note to give it to Colin when he's a little older.

I got smarter with the second batch. I steamed the carrots first.

Then I tossed them in the blender with more formula and pureed the heck outta them. To my surprise, the result actually looked like something out of a jar. Success!



Pureed carrot-y goodness!

Let me tell you...I am so glad I married a kleptomaniac who stole everything that wasn't nailed down from the hospital. Those plastic bottles that breastmilk is supposed to go in are the perfect size for homemade baby food.

I haven't actually fed Colin any of the carrots yet...he's currently working on green beans. If he knows what's good for him, the carrots will be his favorite because of how hard I worked to make them for him ;-)

Road Trippin'

I took Colin on his first ever road trip this past weekend. My sister-in-law, Heather and my niece, Alexis, all piled in to the car and headed to Spencer to visit Jaci, our "Sista From Anotha Motha". It had been around 6 months since we'd all been together and that is just too effing long.

November 2010 was such a life changing month for myself and for Jaci. I became a mommy and she moved home to be with her family and save money for her big move to the East Coast. I am so proud of her. Not to mention excited, nervous and envious :-) She is working hard toward knocking a major item off of her life "To Do" list and she isn't letting anyone or anything hold her back! She also deserves a shout out for one other item she crossed off her "To Do" list - losing weight. Losing weight isn't supposed to be easy but she made it seem that way. She looks insanely good now (not that she didn't before!). Again, so so so proud of her!

Anyway, back to the road trip. We didn't exactly pick the best day to take a road trip. It rained all day. Boo. But we made the most of it. We laughed, talked, ate Mexican food - the usual. It's kind of ironic how our lives changed so much in six months but nothing was really new.

It was so nice to get away and have some girl/family time.

Can't wait to do it again. Hopefully next time our girl/family time will take place in NYC ;-)