I've been thinking about image a lot lately. I think it is because over the past few months I've been gaining weight and getting chubbier than I did when I was pregnant. Irony: When I was pregnant I lost weight. Now that I'm not pregnant, I'm consistently gaining. It is true that I don't exercise as much as I should, but I do try. I've been trying to walk to places instead of drive all of the time, and I have got to be burning calories carting Sam all over the place and cleaning the house. It is also true that I don't eat as healthy as I should, but, again, I am trying. I'm certainly doing better than when I used to teach and I would snack on whatever I could get my hands on all day long. Something that I have discovered is that those cravings you have when you're pregnant don't necessarily disappear the minute you have the baby. Sam has left me with this insatiable sweet tooth that I never had before. I used to be a salt-girl--I couldn't resist chips. Now it's sugar (and chips (but not together)). And what do all the fitness books and videos say is the number one must-go if you want to lose weight? Sugar. I used to guffaw at such things. Sugar? I don't have a problem with sugar! Now I find myself at near melt-down if there is no dessert after dinner. And the fitness experts that try to convince me that biting into a crunchy apple is just as satisfying as say a slice of cheesecake are lying...perhaps a white chocolate and caramel covered apple!
Anyway, I'm feeling fat. And I'm feeling self-conscious about all sorts of silly things like the fact that lately my slightly crooked teeth are looking more crooked. Hubs says that I should look into getting braces if it is bothering me. I explained to him that I've already had braces once, and I'm not doing THAT again! I'm thinking of looking into that invisalign. And then there are those darn stretch marks that are still bright red and make it look like a) a wild animal with long, sharp claws attacked me, b) I am turning into a giant albino watermelon, or c) I am wearing a nude colored blouse with red zebra stripes. I don't know, maybe I'm just going through a phase. I know that Hubs loves me no matter what I look like. And Sam definitely loves me no matter what. In fact, the goofier I look, the better! I've heard a lot about a talk at the last BYU Women's conference that has been echoing through my head lately. Granted this is all information three or four times removed, but the speaker talked about how a man will stand in front of a mirror with his gut sticking out and think, "Man, I look good!" And a woman will stand in front of a mirror and pick out every imperfection and totally berate herself. I realize that I need to be kinder to myself, cut myself some slack. I did have a baby, after all, and that is no easy task for the old bod. But I'm also me, so I've been putting together an information packet/binder on feeling better about my body and improving my body. You would probably think I'm crazy if you could see all of the binders I've put together (I'm just realizing that it's kind of my thing-I research things and make binders for my research)--pregnancy, parenting tips, hair styling, crafts, recipes, writing...my life is a binder! I re-read the last statement and it sounds like I'm really organized, but, sadly, that is not the case. I think I have a binder on how to be more organized! Anyway, back to the body thing. I want to be fit and healthy for Sam. I want to be able to do things with him. To be honest, I want to have another baby soon and would really like to be in good shape for another pregnancy. I want to look good for Hubs. And, most of all, I want to be fit for me! I deserve it!
So I'm starting a new plan for the summer to get in shape. I'll give more details as I go. Here's a website and article that I'm starting with: http://www.parenting.com/article/Mom/Health--Fitness/Love-Your-New-Mom-Body. It all begins with attitude. I need to have a better attitude towards myself and my body. I need to set realistic goals. It's a start at least!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Growing Up
My little guy is growing up. And we're quickly learning that every milestone comes with some good and some bad. (By the way, I've decided to just use the baby's name, Sam. It makes it so much easier! Anyway...) For example, earlier this week I was rubbing Sam's gums and I ran across his first tooth. It hasn't quite broken all the way through the surface, but I can feel the little jagged edge of it poking through his little baby gums. This is a very exciting. For a mom who is passionate about food, this will be a fun adventure of introducing new foods to him and helping him to experience new flavors. I tried to give Sam one of those baby biscuits a couple of weeks ago and discovered that he can still bite off pieces of things even without teeth. So all solid foods are eaten in one of those mesh things. Sam does seem to share my love for food though. He is a voracious eater and has generally liked anything I put before him. Now for the downside, new tooth equals crankiness. Now, I've heard horror stories, and I have to admit, Sam isn't really that bad. He gets a little fussy now and then but not the hours of screaming that people speak of. But I can tell that it bothers him, and he will have sudden bouts of crying. How traumatizing that must be for a baby--such betrayal. The happy place where food goes in, that tastes everything, is suddenly an owie place! Last night he was really having a hard time, so I ended up sleeping on the nursery floor with him. We cuddled up and that seemed to comfort him. Though, I woke up at one point and Sam had the entire pillow and all of the blankets! Takes after his dad! Well, one tooth down (close, anyways) and--how many teeth do babies get?--more? to go!
Another milestone is that Sam has discovered rolling. I was starting to wonder if he would ever be a roller. He doesn't like being on his belly that much and is usually content just to be on his back. He has demonstrated that he can roll over (Nanny Manda calls him a one-trick pony: He does it once to show that he can then that's it!), but has been more of a scootcher, pushing himself around on his back with his legs (thus the rug burn/bald spot on the back of his head). However, just the other day, I came in to get him out of bed in the morning and he was on his belly. I thought this was cute but didn't think much of it. Then later that day, he rolled across his nursery. Suddenly, he's a traveler. I realize that I probably can't take naps with him on my bed anymore (yesterday morning I woke up to Sam wrestling with the pillow that I put on the edge of the bed to keep him safe. It looked like Sam was winning). This also means that Sam tends to wake himself up at night when he rolls himself into a corner of the crib and gets stuck. Too soon, he'll be able to pull himself up to standing! Yikes!
Well, since I've decided to reveal the baby's name, I might as well explain a little about his name. First of all, it's a family name which makes it special. He also has two middle names--the names of both of his grandpa's. But I also liked the name because it means 'God heard' and Sam is definitely an answer to our prayers like Samuel was an answer to Hannah's prayers in the Bible. There is a painting by Elspeth Young that I want to own someday called For This Child I Prayed. There are so many women in the Bible like Hannah and Abraham's Sarah that I can relate to and who inspire me.
Another milestone is that Sam has discovered rolling. I was starting to wonder if he would ever be a roller. He doesn't like being on his belly that much and is usually content just to be on his back. He has demonstrated that he can roll over (Nanny Manda calls him a one-trick pony: He does it once to show that he can then that's it!), but has been more of a scootcher, pushing himself around on his back with his legs (thus the rug burn/bald spot on the back of his head). However, just the other day, I came in to get him out of bed in the morning and he was on his belly. I thought this was cute but didn't think much of it. Then later that day, he rolled across his nursery. Suddenly, he's a traveler. I realize that I probably can't take naps with him on my bed anymore (yesterday morning I woke up to Sam wrestling with the pillow that I put on the edge of the bed to keep him safe. It looked like Sam was winning). This also means that Sam tends to wake himself up at night when he rolls himself into a corner of the crib and gets stuck. Too soon, he'll be able to pull himself up to standing! Yikes!
Well, since I've decided to reveal the baby's name, I might as well explain a little about his name. First of all, it's a family name which makes it special. He also has two middle names--the names of both of his grandpa's. But I also liked the name because it means 'God heard' and Sam is definitely an answer to our prayers like Samuel was an answer to Hannah's prayers in the Bible. There is a painting by Elspeth Young that I want to own someday called For This Child I Prayed. There are so many women in the Bible like Hannah and Abraham's Sarah that I can relate to and who inspire me.
You can go to alyoung.com to learn more about the painting. It's interesting all the symbolism that he put into the painting. I especially like this part: "Hannah also wears white, symbolic of her faith and purity. The brightly colored wrap she wears warmly enfolds herself, and visually touches the child as well, symbolizing the influence of a righteous mother in the life of her child." I hope that I am a righteous mother!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Memorial Day weekend
Here's some pictures from our camping trip over Memorial Day weekend. We were in the middle of nowhere--believe me, we had to drive over an hour to get a cell signal. There was a whole lot of sage brush, rocks, dirt, horny toads, and some slithery things that I would rather not think about. That was about it. But we had so much fun!
Flying kites!
The pinwheel kite was giving us problems, but after some crafty engineering, we got it to work!
Can you see the garbage bag handle and the rock tail? Surprisingly, it worked!
It is always good to be with family! Here are some family pics of us just hanging out.
Digging (and in the baby's case, eating) for trilobites. Papa J should have been an archaeologist!
Flying kites!
The pinwheel kite was giving us problems, but after some crafty engineering, we got it to work!
Can you see the garbage bag handle and the rock tail? Surprisingly, it worked!
It is always good to be with family! Here are some family pics of us just hanging out.
Digging (and in the baby's case, eating) for trilobites. Papa J should have been an archaeologist!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Random Thoughts and Catching-up
I just got back from an end-of-the-year teacher luncheon at my old school. It was so good to see my old friends again. It's strange to think how that was my life not so long ago. It seems like ages ago though. Sometimes I wonder if this is how soldiers who are home feel. They're happy to be home but then your fellow soldiers are still out there on the front lines and part of you feels like you should be there too, helping somehow.
Some things never change though which is comforting in a way. There's still the same challenges and still many of the same jokes. There will always be that student that everyone talks about: "One more day with that kid, and I would have strangled him..." But also the made-it-all-worth-it kids. I've been going through my stuff, trying to get organized, and I came across some of my old notes from students (I save everything, to the chagrin of my husband). It was good to read through some of the notes and remember the good times. It helped me to realize that I did make a difference for some kids. Sometimes I wonder if in eight years of teaching, if I really did make much a difference. The notes helped me to see that I did make a difference in my own way. It's like the starfish story where the grandpa and his grandson are walking along the beach and the little boy keeps throwing starfish back into the ocean. When the grandpa tells the little boy, "Look at all of the starfish on this beach. You're not going to make much a difference," the little boy responds by holding up one starfish and throwing it into the ocean and saying, "Yeah, but I made a difference for that one."
Anyway, life is good. It certainly isn't boring. The main reason I've been organizing lately is because my office flooded. Apparently a new rain gutter we had installed last year empties right into our window well. With the really wet weather we've been having, the window well has been filling up and emptying into my office. Thus, we had to empty out my office and will probably need to get new carpet and re-paint it. I wanted to re-paint my office anyway, but it was not good in that it looks like my office exploded across the basement and a little upstairs. What was once tucked away in my office, is now on Hub's radar. "Man! You have a lot of stuff!" is what I've been hearing, and then, "You need to clean out your stuff..." And I have to admit it, he's right. I have so much stuff. Don't be surprised if you see me on the next episode of that show about hoarders! So little by little, I've been cleaning, organizing, DI-ing, and throwing things out. Fun!
As for our big news, Hubs just graduated with his MBA last month. I am so proud of him. It has been a crazy two years with school, work, church stuff, every-day life stuff, and then our wonderful new addition. Hubs had finals shortly after Baby arrived. Now that was fun! The result was the lowest grade he had ever gotten. But as a good friend said, "C's get degrees!" But Hubs worked hard and now is a mighty graduate! I tease him that I'm going to get my doctorate so that on the Christmas cards I can write Dr. and Mr. J. That would be awesome. Plus, there is this doctorate program in Creative Writing that I would absolutely love! Sometimes I also want to go back to school and get a Master's in social work and do some counseling. For now, we're just glad to have our daddy back. Though it's crazy that once you take something off of your plate, how quickly that spot fills up again! But like I said, I'm so proud of Hubs. He is a good example for our little boy!
Notice the maniacal look of Hubs. This is how you look after finally getting your MBA!
Baby S, Hubs, and Papa J.
As for Baby S. He is growing and learning by leaps and bounds. At his 6 month dr.'s appointment last week he was in the 10th percentile for weight, 40th percentile for height, and 94th percentile for head circumference. Who is this skinny, tall baby? If it weren't for the big noggin' and Fred-Flinstone feet, I would wonder if he had been switched at birth. Well, and he is an exact replica of Hubs! Baby is totally into solids now. Among his favorites are green peas (surprising to me for some reason), carrots, and sweet potatoes. He still has a milk allergy, so he's still drinking soy formula. Whenever I try to give him milk based formula, he breaks out in a rash and pukes it all out. Just today I put a little bit of vanilla ice cream on his binky and he instantly broke out in a rash. But, the doctor says he'll probably grow out of it eventually. I'm starting to get used to the smell of soy anyway. He really packs it in with the solid food though. The first couple of times, I would just give him the small jars, but he would polish those off and still want more, so now we're eating entire big jars of baby food plus 4-5 ounces of bottle afterward. He's a skinny baby but he does have a little belly pooch going on!
I am amazed at how smart he is. Before the appointment, he would go to bed around eight and then wake up around 4:30 or 5:00 a.m. to eat. The doctor told us that he should be fine to go all the way to six and to push him towards that time. Well, he must have heard the doctor because he slept until six that next morning and has pretty much been sleeping in until six or later since. It has been so nice to get a full night's sleep again. Though before when he would wake up at five and eat, he would go back to bed until eight. Now he's up for good when he wakes up. Oh well, I'll take it! And he's an awesome napper. He usually takes pretty long morning and afternoon naps, 1-3 hours, and he goes down for a nap really well. I just put him in his crib after he's been awake for a couple of hours, and he goes to sleep. How did I get such a good baby? I'm wondering if this is a bad omen for the toddler years though...can such goodness last? He is so inquisitive and loves to explore everything around him. The other day, I had him on the floor while I was working on the computer. I had dumped out all of these toys for him to play with. Pretty soon I could here all of these noises. I looked over and he had rolled closer to his crib and was trying to lift the box to his Baby Einstein activity center. He had more fun with that box. Later on, I think we'll make it into a rocket ship or a race car or a ship or something. And I don't care what people think, I'm just giving him cardboard boxes for Christmas this year. He'll love it!
Baby S in his Baby Einstein activity center, which, for the record, requires an Einstein-IQ to assemble. The instructions are all of these stick-figure drawings. What?! I kept wishing that they would just use their words!
A few weeks ago, we went to a old-school rock crawl competition in Delta. This is our friend Clay competing.
This is what Baby S did while Uncle Clay competed:
(No offense, Clay, but maybe you could turn up the excitement a notch...) =)
Baby S being Baby S! He is such a character. By the way, the adorable Winnie the Pooh outfit was purchased for him by his grandma and mom while mom was still in high school. To say I've been wishing for this little guy for awhile is an understatement! =)
Last weekend we took Baby on his first camping trip. It was kind of impromptu--we weren't planning on staying the night, but we ended up crashing in Aunt Holly's motor home along with everyone else in the family! It was crowded but a fun adventure. Baby loved being outside. His cousins even caught horny toads for Baby S to pet. He liked that, though I think he wanted to eat them! It was a fun little mini-vacation! I'll see if I can get some pictures posted from that soon (once I get them downloaded off of the camera).
Anyway, that's about it for now. Every day is an adventure, that's for sure!
Some things never change though which is comforting in a way. There's still the same challenges and still many of the same jokes. There will always be that student that everyone talks about: "One more day with that kid, and I would have strangled him..." But also the made-it-all-worth-it kids. I've been going through my stuff, trying to get organized, and I came across some of my old notes from students (I save everything, to the chagrin of my husband). It was good to read through some of the notes and remember the good times. It helped me to realize that I did make a difference for some kids. Sometimes I wonder if in eight years of teaching, if I really did make much a difference. The notes helped me to see that I did make a difference in my own way. It's like the starfish story where the grandpa and his grandson are walking along the beach and the little boy keeps throwing starfish back into the ocean. When the grandpa tells the little boy, "Look at all of the starfish on this beach. You're not going to make much a difference," the little boy responds by holding up one starfish and throwing it into the ocean and saying, "Yeah, but I made a difference for that one."
Anyway, life is good. It certainly isn't boring. The main reason I've been organizing lately is because my office flooded. Apparently a new rain gutter we had installed last year empties right into our window well. With the really wet weather we've been having, the window well has been filling up and emptying into my office. Thus, we had to empty out my office and will probably need to get new carpet and re-paint it. I wanted to re-paint my office anyway, but it was not good in that it looks like my office exploded across the basement and a little upstairs. What was once tucked away in my office, is now on Hub's radar. "Man! You have a lot of stuff!" is what I've been hearing, and then, "You need to clean out your stuff..." And I have to admit it, he's right. I have so much stuff. Don't be surprised if you see me on the next episode of that show about hoarders! So little by little, I've been cleaning, organizing, DI-ing, and throwing things out. Fun!
As for our big news, Hubs just graduated with his MBA last month. I am so proud of him. It has been a crazy two years with school, work, church stuff, every-day life stuff, and then our wonderful new addition. Hubs had finals shortly after Baby arrived. Now that was fun! The result was the lowest grade he had ever gotten. But as a good friend said, "C's get degrees!" But Hubs worked hard and now is a mighty graduate! I tease him that I'm going to get my doctorate so that on the Christmas cards I can write Dr. and Mr. J. That would be awesome. Plus, there is this doctorate program in Creative Writing that I would absolutely love! Sometimes I also want to go back to school and get a Master's in social work and do some counseling. For now, we're just glad to have our daddy back. Though it's crazy that once you take something off of your plate, how quickly that spot fills up again! But like I said, I'm so proud of Hubs. He is a good example for our little boy!
Notice the maniacal look of Hubs. This is how you look after finally getting your MBA!
Baby S, Hubs, and Papa J.
As for Baby S. He is growing and learning by leaps and bounds. At his 6 month dr.'s appointment last week he was in the 10th percentile for weight, 40th percentile for height, and 94th percentile for head circumference. Who is this skinny, tall baby? If it weren't for the big noggin' and Fred-Flinstone feet, I would wonder if he had been switched at birth. Well, and he is an exact replica of Hubs! Baby is totally into solids now. Among his favorites are green peas (surprising to me for some reason), carrots, and sweet potatoes. He still has a milk allergy, so he's still drinking soy formula. Whenever I try to give him milk based formula, he breaks out in a rash and pukes it all out. Just today I put a little bit of vanilla ice cream on his binky and he instantly broke out in a rash. But, the doctor says he'll probably grow out of it eventually. I'm starting to get used to the smell of soy anyway. He really packs it in with the solid food though. The first couple of times, I would just give him the small jars, but he would polish those off and still want more, so now we're eating entire big jars of baby food plus 4-5 ounces of bottle afterward. He's a skinny baby but he does have a little belly pooch going on!
I am amazed at how smart he is. Before the appointment, he would go to bed around eight and then wake up around 4:30 or 5:00 a.m. to eat. The doctor told us that he should be fine to go all the way to six and to push him towards that time. Well, he must have heard the doctor because he slept until six that next morning and has pretty much been sleeping in until six or later since. It has been so nice to get a full night's sleep again. Though before when he would wake up at five and eat, he would go back to bed until eight. Now he's up for good when he wakes up. Oh well, I'll take it! And he's an awesome napper. He usually takes pretty long morning and afternoon naps, 1-3 hours, and he goes down for a nap really well. I just put him in his crib after he's been awake for a couple of hours, and he goes to sleep. How did I get such a good baby? I'm wondering if this is a bad omen for the toddler years though...can such goodness last? He is so inquisitive and loves to explore everything around him. The other day, I had him on the floor while I was working on the computer. I had dumped out all of these toys for him to play with. Pretty soon I could here all of these noises. I looked over and he had rolled closer to his crib and was trying to lift the box to his Baby Einstein activity center. He had more fun with that box. Later on, I think we'll make it into a rocket ship or a race car or a ship or something. And I don't care what people think, I'm just giving him cardboard boxes for Christmas this year. He'll love it!
Baby S in his Baby Einstein activity center, which, for the record, requires an Einstein-IQ to assemble. The instructions are all of these stick-figure drawings. What?! I kept wishing that they would just use their words!
A few weeks ago, we went to a old-school rock crawl competition in Delta. This is our friend Clay competing.
This is what Baby S did while Uncle Clay competed:
(No offense, Clay, but maybe you could turn up the excitement a notch...) =)
Baby S being Baby S! He is such a character. By the way, the adorable Winnie the Pooh outfit was purchased for him by his grandma and mom while mom was still in high school. To say I've been wishing for this little guy for awhile is an understatement! =)Last weekend we took Baby on his first camping trip. It was kind of impromptu--we weren't planning on staying the night, but we ended up crashing in Aunt Holly's motor home along with everyone else in the family! It was crowded but a fun adventure. Baby loved being outside. His cousins even caught horny toads for Baby S to pet. He liked that, though I think he wanted to eat them! It was a fun little mini-vacation! I'll see if I can get some pictures posted from that soon (once I get them downloaded off of the camera).
Anyway, that's about it for now. Every day is an adventure, that's for sure!
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