7 month check up

I meant to post this when he turned 6 months but time totally got away from me, so here is my 7 month check up!

I can't believe my baby is 7 months old already! Time really does fly. No one lies about that.

It's been a good seven months, a bit stressful at times, but good overall. We have a really great baby. He sleeps through the night and is so amazingly happy. He has two teeth coming in and the weekend that they broke through was a little rough but it was not nearly as bad as it could have been-or so I have heard. He was just a bit more fussy than is normal for him. He chews on everything and is into everything. At restaurants he wants to sit up and look at everything and touch everything. He started crawling "army man" style-using his arms to drag his body. This week he started using a leg too. Seeing him grow and meet these little mile stones is such a joy. Being a parent is amazing.

I mean seriously, how do you get over that much cuteness??

He was a parrot for Halloween ;-)

How am I doing? I went back to work in mid-October and it has been an adjustment. Being at work is fine and it was a smooth transition since I already know all the students and most days it actually feels good to be back. The kids missed me and were so excited to see me, it made me feel pretty good :-) My body and brain can fully function with little sleep now and with the help of a cup of coffee I perk up pretty quick. Getting up early isn't so bad once you have the routine down. It is also nice to get adult interaction during the day that isn't limited to my husband or tied into baby things.

The hard part is not having time left in the day for anything else. It's a struggle to get normal things done like keep the house clean or do the laundry. And you can forget reading a book or a magazine, browsing the internet and running. I have been able to get out of work on time and head to the gym for a little bit here and there. I worked a little with a personal trainer and she gave me a good strength training routine that I can do on my own in the gym without being locked into a class time. Although I really enjoy the classes that my gym offers, I don't think I will be taking any of them anytime soon. My knee bothered me for over 2 weeks after the 8K. Of course I am thinking the worst but I really need to get to a doctor and figure out what is going on and make it better. I really want to avoid having knee surgery at any point in my life.

Speaking of the knee injury, because of it I have not been able to run. A big part of me is wondering if my running days are done and this gives me a myriad of emotions that I cannot even express. Running has become such a huge part of who I am, I cannot imagine who I would be without it. It would be like someone taking away my artistic abilities. I would be utterly lost.

So that's where I am at the moment. Gearing up for Christmas and hoping I can hit the pavement again soon. 

3 month check up



This post is a little late, but better late than never right?

With B before going for a quick 2 mile run.

I'm 3+ months out from having a baby and things are going well! There are still several pounds left of baby weight but it takes time and honestly I haven't really been trying to lose it or worrying much about it. I'm just taking my time and am mainly concerned with just being happy. I think that's a good way to be a few months after having a baby.

I did join a gym again and I have been enjoying it but not using it as much as I thought/hoped I would. My mom has been helpful with Brody but it is hard to schedule time to go to a morning class when you don't know if you will be getting enough sleep the night before. We also move pretty slow in the morning. I'm lucky to get out of the house by 11AM.

That will change next month though. B starts daycare and even though I am still on maternity leave until mid October, we have to pay for it so I might as well use it. My plan to get our butts up and moving early so I can drop him off at daycare and make it to the gym classes on time, then run a few errands and go pick him up. I get a little break, use of the gym and use of daycare. This will also get me back into a routine for work...which is a subject I really don't want to talk about.

My little man at 3 months! It has gone by SO FAST. I want to spend every minute with him and that adorable smile.

Crabby butt :-)

The other thing I have been up to is photography. In 2010 I purchased my Nikon SLR but never really knew how to use it. I hate reading directions and although I love the camera, I've been frustrated with it. A Groupon popped up in my email one day for online photo classes so I started taking them. They have been great and so helpful! Especially the one I am taking now which is teaching me about the basics of the camera. Things I knew when I was in high school but forgot over the years and never knew how to do on the digital camera. Here's an example of what I did this weekend:

We were in PA and I went out on the four wheeler alone with my camera. There is a trail through the woods, so I took the picture above with the regular settings on the camera. It was taken at dusk.

Then I changed the settings, using what I have learned, and took the picture below. Whoa! Same shot, Big difference!

This is another one I took overlooking the property with the farmhouse and the barn. I'm enjoying taking better pictures.

Things are going good. Life is getting back to "normal" for us after surviving the first months with a newborn. They get SO much easier as they get older, and a lot more enjoyable.

My body is definitely better than it was just a few weeks ago although my lower abdomen is still sensitive when it comes to working it. We'll get there. Earlier today I was looking at some pictures from my bachelorette party 2 years ago and that was some good motivation. I was in the best shape of my life. I'm ready to get back to that, and back to running.