Friday, October 31, 2014

Daily Owen & Bennett: 10.31.2014

Halloween edition! 

It was Bennett's first (of course). He was a little bit indifferent. 

Owen spent the day at Miss Collette's, so we headed over there around 5pm to pick him up (he napped until almost 4 and we were going to head there around 5 anyway to trick or treat). We decided last minute to dress up ourselves. 

Me as the injured skier...


And Justin as ski patrol. Pretty realistic actually. Skiing is not my forte.


Owen was a fireman and Bennett was a Dalmatian. B has started to just do little 15 minute cat naps all day so by the evening he is a hot mess. So, we got grumpy Dalmatian this evening.



We headed out to trick or treat!



Owen kept telling us to stop because he wanted to go to the door himself. But then at some houses he would get freaked and just turn around. It was too cute. 


Needless to say, he was a big fan of the whole Halloween idea! I think for a while now he might try to go to everyone's house and expect them to give him candy... 

Daily Owen & Bennett: 10.30.2014

 Thursdays... Swim day. Which means heading to poppy's work first. Owen has learned how to operate the water machine. He was pretty proud of himself. 


And at swimming the kids got a kick out of the pumpkin in the water! Who knew pumpkins would float?!


Owen is doing so great at swimming and loves it now. If he's not asking to go to miss Collettes, he's asking to go kick (swim).


Just waking up from naptime, I was on the bike.


And because I realized I took no pictures of B today, took a couple at bath time. Man, he was Mr. Grumpy pants this evening (can't tell from these pics). Very rare for him but he was pissed off about something. Sheesh!


Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Daily Owen & Bennett: 10.29.2014

Today we went for a little family hike. My weird foot thing was feeling ok until we got to the top of the ridge and headed back down. And then it got really bad. Super annoying! 

Here are the boys at the top.

And then B and I...excuse me for looking like a sweaty mess.



Later after hobbling home, I took B with me to visit the chiropractor to see what the heck is up with my foot. Didn't get very good answers. Maybe a stress fracture, maybe my previous stress fracture, maybe a bone bruise, maybe my running gait. Right. So? Wear rigid shoes and massage feet.  So basically I left knowing nothing more than when I went. 

I see my Ortho doc Friday who I saw for my prior stress fracture so we will see what he says. It's just weird how it won't hurt for ages then will act up. And the radius of the area that hurts is odd and not totally consistent with a stress fracture. I don't know! But it will get better and this whole tirade is more about me than the boys, so moving on! 

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Daily Owen & Bennett: 10.28.2014

At 6am this morning I pulled B in to bed with me because he was fussing. I figured he was hungry, but he didn't really eat anything and instead just nestled in to my arms. Apparently he just wanted to be held (heart melting). 



After dropping O off at the nanny's, poppy and I went to workout (which B slept completely through), then we headed to his two month doctor appointment where everything looked great. He was 13 pounds 13 oz and 25 inches long. In comparison, Owen was 12 pounds 9 oz and 24 inches long at the same age (albeit about a week and a half earlier due to when the appointments fell). Also of note: although B is looking to be bigger than O, he has a smaller head. Ha! 

Below: on the exam table. Who can resist those baby buns and rolls?!


Later: B saying "smile now Bro, I'm going to be bigger than you...watch out!"


And one more of the twinsies today (yes, I'm that mom that dressed them the same...I only have this luxury for a few years so I am going to take full advantage!)

Monday, October 27, 2014

Daily Owen & Bennett: 10.27.2014

Sibling love. Killing me with cuteness. 


And tonight when poppy got home, Owen was going "ssssh boo" trying to scare him. Too bad he laughs too much to ever be effective. Also: adorable. 

Daily Owen & Bennett: 10.26.2014

Our little Frankenstein at 6am:


And cuddles from the big turtle:


We decided to make a run to the pumpkin patch first thing. It looked like we had a window between storms so we headed out and dodged downed trees from the storm the night before on our way there. The farm didn't even have power once we got there due to the prior nights' wind storm. But, it was a blast and we got a few minutes of sun before it started dumping rain again on our way out.



Owen was so excited to ride in a wagon pulled by a tractor!





Meanwhile Bennett couldn't have cared less.


Couch cuddles once we got home to warm up.


Later: Justin was out in the downpour clearing out the gutters. Haha!



And Bennett learned to really kick in the bath last night. He had an absolute ball until he kicked so hard the tub scooted, hit the coffee grinder and turned it on which scared the beejebus out of him. Never seen him so agile- think he was actually trying to jump out of the tub. Poor guy. 


Sunday, October 26, 2014

Chicken curry soup.

In honor of the colder weather, I have been feeling like making a lot of soups lately. I've made my standard carrot/sweet potato/squash soup (AMAZING), but I also tried out this new soup. I'm not really sure what to call it- it was an adaptation of a chicken curry soup, but I didn't have probably half of the ingredients the recipe called for, so I made my own. So, I guess I'm still going to call it chicken curry soup.

It was the perfect mix paired with some quinoa (would probably also be delicious with rice). Highly recommend! (Excuse the horrible iphone photo).

 
Chicken vegetable curry
8-10 cups vegetable broth*
3-5 bay leaves*
3 chicken breasts
5 stalks celery*
3-5 good sized carrots*
1-2 white potatoes or sweet potatoes **
3 cups or 1/2 to 3/4 butternut squash
3-6 tablespoons tumeric, to taste
3-6 tablespoons cumin, to taste
sprinkle of cayenne, to taste
sea salt, to taste
6 tablespoons- 1 cup coconut milk, depending on how creamy you want it
 
Put the vegetable broth in a bit pot and bring to a simmer (see below * if making your own). Once simmering, add in the chicken, potatoes, squash, and spices. Let simmer covered for about 1-2 hours. Add in the coconut milk before serving.
 
*I personally would make the vegetable broth from scratch, which is what I did. Most store bought vegetable broths have garlic which Justin is really allergic to, so it made sense to make this myself. I put in about 8-10 cups of water in  pot (honestly have no clue how much as I just filled the pot), put in the celery, carrots, and bay leaves, and let simmer for a good hour. I imagine you could also do this in a slow cooker. Obviously, if you do go with a store bought vegetable broth, you'd still want to put the bay leaves/carrots/celery in the soup, but don't double up if you make your own. Or do, if you really like vegetables. Probably would also not need as much salt if you use store bought vegetable broth.
 
**I used sweet potatoes with my recipe but both Justin and I agreed that this would have been better with either white potatoes or a less sweet yam.
 

Pregnancy Round Two: Body after baby, month 2.

Well, here we are. Another month gone.  I forget how fast the months go by with a baby. It's like you blink and then all of a sudden they are two. This month I really didn't know what was going to happen with my body. I was in a bit of survival mode as we were trying to figure out things that meshed with Bennett's tummy, much like we did with Owen (though not quite to the same extent as Owen). I ate about 10 of the same foods for the whole month and a LOT of them (especially sweet potatoes... I may never eat a sweet potato again). We were trying to find foods that would keep his poops yellow, which also meant it kept him from spitting up and kept him happy. He is by FAR easier than Owen was as we just had a few green poops when I ate something that I knew was "off." Part of this might be that I already knew what had worked for Owen, so just jumped right back on it.

For the majority of the month, I ate oatmeal, coconut oil, protein powder (organic beef collagen), sweet potatoes, beef, chicken, quinoa, hemp protein, hemp oil, carrots, and olive oil. In some combination. I did eat some lettuce, but we found that leafy greens really piss his stomach off which REALLY sucks because I miss salads like you wouldn't believe. I also eat (though less regularly) avocadoes, bananas, apples, and some other fruits, which seem to be ok but I've only recently started adding those in. I've also recently started adding in pumpkin butter, pumpkin seeds, walnuts and some dried fruits all of which also seem to be ok. We've also had salmon a couple of times and that doesn't seem to cause a reaction either. Either way, I've been pretty limited. I joke that it's a pregnancy detox and a true return to clean eating except that that is a very true statement and not a joke at all!

For me, I do this because I do believe that breastfeeding is best.  I also believe that green poops for baby are not ok, nor is a baby that is unhappy and spits up a lot. And when I see the changes that occur just by altering my diet, it's worth it. I'm not starving by any means, I'm just not gorging on crap. I also am not one who can restrict calories in any form while breastfeeding, which is why I do eat a lot of oils to keep up my calories which then serves to keep up my milk supply (and clearly something is working because Bennett is a CHUNKER MONKER).

All of that being said, I spent more time this month focusing on the food that I was putting in to my body- IE: will Bennett be agreeable to it, am I getting enough calories- and less time focusing on how my body is changing. HOWEVER. I am not going to lie, I did say about a million times how I wished that I was one of those people whose baby weight just falls off of them immediately, especially if breastfeeding. I was not like that with Owen, and not like that this time around either. But, I'm staying consistent, eating well and exercising a lot more so I know that eventually it will come off. At the end of this month because everything was starting to even out more in terms of my diet/Bennett's reactions and I was adding foods IN, I started to re-focus to my body and decided to not just weigh myself but take measurements so that I'd have a point of reference for my own benefit.

Here's where we landed:
Month 2 post partum (Bennett)
Weight- 133 pounds
Body fat- 23.5%
Belly- 33.5
Waist- 29.5
Hips- 37
Thigh- 16
Boob- 33.5
Bicep- 9
Calf 10.5

and to compare to Owen....

Month 2 post partum (Owen)
Weight- 127 pounds
Belly- 31 inches
Waist- 33.5
Hips- 37
Thigh- 18.25
Boob- 35
Bicep- 10
 
So basically what I'm seeing is that I am smaller measurement-wise in every area this time around except for my tummy and obviously my weight is higher this time around (was about 3-5 pounds higher throughout the pregnancy, too). I guess that makes sense as my tummy expanded faster this time, so it would make sense that it would take longer to shrink. I was actually a little surprised by the measurements to be totally honest. I will say that my lifting was really good throughout the pregnancy which probably helped in some of these areas to stay smaller this time around. However, I am really frustrated that the weight just doesn't seem to be coming off. I feel like I've been stagnant at 133-136 since week 2 post partum. At this point, I just need to focus on small goals (IE: breaking 130), and not the overall goal of where I want to be. I need to remember that it DID take months to put it all on so WILL take months to come off and I can't expect to be right back there right now. My issue is that the weight doesn't seem to be budging at all, but at least the measurements and the body fat % above let me know that I am doing ok and will get there, even if it is a bit more gradually than I'd like. I know if I keep doing what I'm doing and getting good workouts in, and eating well, I will get to where I want to be.
 
Mentally, my hormones seem to be totally stable, so at least I have that going for me! I would probably be well served to get more sleep, but I think that might be a little bit of a stretch, at least for a couple more years.
 
Maybe next month I'll have the balls to take some pictures and compare to post-partum with Owen at that point. One thing I've learned throughout both pregnancies/post-pregnancies is that it is TOUGH. I feel like people just expect their bodies to bounce back, and they DO eventually bounce back, but it is a test of patience and a lot of work. It doesn't happen overnight. I should probably tattoo that on to my head as patience has never been my strongest virtue. But really, this is all vanity, right? I'd be lying if I said I didn't care (clearly I do), but I also know that I am very lucky to have had a very healthy pregnancy and now a very healthy baby. Not to mention, I FEEL good and strong, and am able to provide my baby all of his nutrition. I wish my pants feel better but in the grand scheme, that's really not a "problem" per se, except for with my own head. 

Changing of seasons.

I have really not wanted fall to come this year. At all. As in I seriously had the thought of what if we moved to Hawaii? I mean, it really wouldn't be THAT hard to uproot, right? I just couldn't quite get my head around letting go of the perfect 70-80 degree sunny, long days. I'm not sure what my problem is. Most years, by the time September 1st hits, I'm pulling out my scarves and uggs even if there are still 90 degree days in the forecast. Fall has FOREVER been my favorite season so I can't quite figure out what is wrong with me.

I keep trying to get in the spirit the following ways: 1) I decorated the house with fall leaves, pumpkins, scare crows. Usually this really gets me going and I'm eager to do it on about August 31. This year, I did it at the end of September and it was no big deal. It made me happy to see the pumpkins, but it was kind of annoying as then I had a million pumpkins all over my house thanks to turtle Owen. But, it perked me up a little bit. 2) Uggs- I did pull out my uggs, but when I did I realized I had to put away my flip flops. Sad face. 3) Fall clothes- I switched out my wardrobe shortly after Bennett was born, basically because I was sick of maternity clothes. But, the issue I have this year with fall clothes is that none fit. Fail. 4) Fall activities- I haven't quite gotten in to them yet this year... the pumpkin patch, baking, etc. Just not quite there yet. I've observed the leaves (beautiful as always) but that's about the extent of it.

One thought I had is that this year on my weird state is that the changing of the seasons is more than just the leaves falling and the weather turning. It's a symbolic shift of the time from when we were pregnant/had a newborn, to the "next phase." A phase that I'm not quite sure I'm ready for yet. Maybe? I don't know. I could just not want to be cold and face the long, dark days and it's as simple as that. We had the most brilliant stretch of warm, summer weather than I ever remember here, so it is quite possible that I just got spoiled and don't quite want to let go of it. But, that's kind of how this time thing works and eventually the seasons will turn, so here we are. Perhaps my resistance this year is also a resistance to the too fast passage of time. Or maybe it's just pregnancy hormones. It's hard to say. Again, I really don't know why I'm just kind of like "Fall. Blah." this year.

I will say, this did perk me up:

 
Our first fall fire. It was the first time I've really let myself truly say goodbye to summer and be ok with it. As I sit in front of the fire, in uggs, cuddling the baby, with a cup of homemade soup in hand, I think I'm ready to embrace it.  Or, I'm at least close.    

Daily Owen & Bennett: 10.25.2014

Poppy had double duty this morning while I had breakfast with the girls. When I got home it was naptime for O and I hopped on the bike. Love my view:


Later, playing with the big guy: 



He insisted he had an owie on his face that needed a band aid. Goofball!

Friday, October 24, 2014

Daily Owen & Bennett: 10.24.2014

After a rather exhausting night last night (thanks baby B!) and an ornery toddler this morning (who woke up too early), I was more than happy to drop Owen off at Miss Collette's for a couple of hours while Bennett and I headed to the gym.  While there, one of the other trainers caught this picture (aka: how we do planks):


We (well, I) survived a workout and we headed home to get O. He went down for a nap and I captured a picture of B just hanging on the couch.


After nap, we had a little scare. Or rather, I did. We woke Owen up because it was after 3, and he was a disaster. Would not stop crying and only wanted to be held by me. He was cuddling with me and kind of started hacking and I looked at Justin who looked at me and said "he's going to throw up." Yep, exactly what I was thinking! At which point I won horrible mom of the year award and passed him off to justin. I just cannot deal with barf. I have issues. Justin took him in by the sink and grabbed a bowl. Then asked him if he wanted a snack and he did, so we were like ok! Turns out he was just crabby, and probably needed more sleep. Phew. I have I serious puke phobia that I need to get over. 

A little while later, Owen was fine and ready to go outside to "push" (ie: swing on the swing set).


After that, we turned on the royals game and were entertained by that and Owen. Owen was hunching over going "tweet tweet" all around the room. It was hilarious. No clue really what he was doing - acting like a bird??- but it was dang funny.



Bennett started to lose it, so he went straight to the bath which always calms him down. He kicked in there for literally probably 45 minutes. Maybe that means he will sleep tonight! 


Got his festive pjs on, and now we are all ready to crash at 9pm. Although Owen had been in bed since 8pm and I can still hear him singing (when he needs sleep the most he never falls right to sleep). And, B is still nursing. Fingers crossed for a restful night. 

But either way, GO ROYALS!