Less Sleepy Mommie to Go Around

I used to be a very active person. That was when I was young and single. I was healthy and a healthy weight, yet, I still thought I was fat. When I finished high school and started college, I gained some weight. When I got married, I gained more weight. When I had baby J, I gained more weight. I reached my heaviest weight and realized that I was not fat. While I did not meet society's criteria for thin, my BMI (body mass index) was in the healthy, normal range.

At 28 years old, I have to make a change.

So, on November 9th, I set a realistic goal. I resolved to lose 27 lbs (for reasons that I don't wish to publish online for the world to read). So, weekly I have been weighing in to follow my progress.

My morning weigh-in revealed a 10 lb loss in only 16 days! I am ecstatic. While this is a great start, I know it won't last. My progress won't usually be so rapid, but for now I am excited that I have already lost 37% of the first phase of my "Healthy Mommie" goal.

My new motto is something often said by Suze Ormon, "When we feel less than, we spend/eat more than." Remember, you are more than, so treat yourself as such.

WANTED: Experienced Weaners

Hello all! I know that you are all here because the job market is slim right now, but this isn't a paying gig. This is a search for experiences from mommie's who have been where I am and want to help.

Baby J is 14 months now. By no means do I want to wean him completely. There are still so many benefits for him to continue as a breastfed baby, but I would love advice on how to help him not to want to nurse so often. According to our doctor he is still a full-time nurser, which we don't have a problem with. However, it makes it difficult for his caregiver when I am at work. Ideally, I would like to make nursing a signal that bed and naptimes have arrived and, if he hurts himself (he's quite clumsy, a trait from his mommie), to provide comfort.

I am prepared, so please, fire away...

Oh, please also note that if I have to choose between a FT nurser and a completely weaned baby, I choose nurser.

He can make a sick mommie smile.

Today, I was sick.

My husband stayed home to help me, especially with baby J. Poor baby J hasn't been feeling so well either (because of sneaky dairy). But, he still found the energy to amuse me.

I have a little wooden chair which my dad built for my dolls. He has adopted it as his. He has also taken to the nintendo controller. So, earlier, he sat himself down in the doll chair with the controller in his hands.

Then, just a few minutes ago, he was fussy and sleepy. So, he dragged the boppy to me. Now, he is contentedly asleep on my lap.

It really is amazing how, despite feeling so crummy, he can still make me grin. How did I function as a sicky before my boy?

Sleepy mommie gets in shape...

Although financially things are a little tight right now, I have decided that I need some "me" time to escape from reality. I have always loved physical releases, so, I joined the gym. I am having a really great time because so many of my friends are always appearing there, so I have a lot of support.

Today was quite a day, though. I finished my day in the ministry at about 3 pm and talked with a friend until 4, grocery shopped until 5, picked up new gym shoes, and ran home. Then I frantically made dinner while putting the groceries away, washed my workout pants, fed the husband and the boy. I sat down to nurse baby J for a few minutes and before I knew it, he was sound asleep on my lap. I placed him in bed, changed, searched for socks, laced and put on my new gym shoes, and frantically ran out the door.

While driving to the gym, I nearly thought, didn't I just have enough of a workout?!? But, then I took into account that I had made plans with a friend and still needed some mommie time. I made it to the gym, walked/jogged 1 mile and biked 3.5 miles. All the while, the baby slept for the husband. I feel better now and only hope that he stays asleep while I crawl into bed with him.

Goodnight all.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

HFW says it best, so I'll let you read it there...

http://www.undercovermother.net/

On the move...

This picture depicts every photo taken recently. I remember fondly asking parents of young children, "Is he/she walking?" Being said parent myself, I now know they don't walk. From the moment baby J learned that one foot goes in front of the other, he has been a sprinter. It isn't any wonder why we were created with such resiliency. It truly is a humorous sight to see an uncoordinated new sprinter loose his balance only to see him bounce back onto his feet like the Weebles I played with as a child. Weebles wobble but they don't fall down. Baby J, on the other hand, does fall down, but he happily leaps back to his feet to see how quickly he can race me to his next objective.

His objective is usually the trash can. He loves to throw things away. But once they get inside, he is all too quick again to express his opinion on this matter. I can't wash the toy fast enough.

When he was immobile, I longingly yearned for the time when he would assert some independence. Since he has done so, I spend most moments wishing that he'd let me tie him up again and carry him in the sling.

And that, dear friends is the moral of mommie-dom: Weebles may wobble, but mommies don't sit down.

Early to bed, early to rise...

Baby J started walking this past week. He also had a growth spurt and appears to have a few more teeth erupting. So, his sleeping habits have been unusually, um, unusual. He's been napping well and sleeping well. For instance, tonight he decided to nap (???) at 4 pm. It is now 7:22 pm and he's still asleep. And he is intent on sleeping. I don't want to wake him now, but then again, he'll have no problem waking us at 5 am. Since his nights have improved, he's decided that that is the best time to be "regular". So, we wake at 5 am; wait for him to do his business; then he peacefully returns to sleep until 7 am.

Family life definitely requires flexibilty, on a mommie's part that is. The saying goes- "Early to bed, early to rise, makes baby healthy, stealthy, and wise. Early to bed, early to rise, makes mommie have sleepy eyes."

Decaffeinated Mommie- A Tragedy

As a result of my eagerly sought after desire for rest, I have found solice in my unrequited love for coffee. A true romantic, I anticipated each day the dance that the cream and sugar would have with the freshly brewed beans. I say cream because I am truly infatuated with cream, otherwise known as half & half. The colour that it creates as it blends into the rich brew is a comfort. The aroma that it creates arouses the senses. But the taste, ah, the taste has always been a reward to me. Now, more than ever, my fatigued brain craves it all.

However, my son seems nearly recovered from just shy of 9 months of hysteria-induced insomnia. The solution seems to have been a dairy allergy. Being a true fan of natural nourishment, he still nurses upon his request. While it is not nearly as frequent as during infancy, it is often enough that my dairy consumption affects him adversely. For this, I began to express my deep affection for the unnamed manufacturers of a product referred to as "non-dairy" by their own label.

As a trusting person, I did not second-guess their claim. I simply consumed their product gratefully. All the while, I was not able to mask this lie from my son's digestive system. Because recovery from his most recent dairy consumption was not happening, I began to investigate. To my dismay, the culprits are the very ones who offered me comfort on those tiring mornings. So, to the makers of shmInternational Deliars, at least I know where we stands. It is my deepest desire that we are able to reconcile our failed relationship. Until then, please know that I think of you often. Soon the wounds will heal. I will learn to love again. But for now, I endure.