Angelica's Half Birthday

Can you believe it? Angelica is six months old today! That means that when she wakes up tomorrow, she will be closer to her 1st birthday than the day she was born. As you can see, she's grown tremendously in these first six months. When we brought her home, she could barely move herself around, slept most of the time, cried the rest of the time...now she crawls, kneels, stands with assistance, laughs, "talks" (in baby babble of course) and is just all-around a joy to have as a daughter.

We spent the afternoon out with her grandma and grandpa picking out some Christmas gifts, and went to dinner together. Daddy shared some of his tuna sandwich and fruit with her, and she ate a bite of grandpa's cottage cheese. Then she got a bath in her new big girl tub and went nighty night!

Happy half birthday sweet baby, mommy and daddy love you!

Angelica's First Thanksgiving

As you can see from this picture, Angelica's first Thanksgiving was a hit! She probably stuffed her face with more than I did (especially since I spent more time feeding her than myself). Eventually she got so excited over everything that I just handed the plate to her and let her have at it. It was hilarious because she knew exactly what to do. She grabbed stuff off of the plate with her hands and shoved it in her mouth. Then that got too slow, so as you can see, she resorted to picking the plate itself up and shoving it in her mouth. The end result, of course, was this...

That is what her Thanksgiving onesie looked like after she'd been stripped down for a bath. She was SO messy, but had such a great time. I'm so glad we were able to make her first Thanksgiving a success!






This meal was also, appropriately enough, the first time we introduced meats. She got a feast of turkey baby food with strained sweet potatoes (I took some of my own sweet potatoes and strained it for her.) I also introduced her to the wonderful world of cranberry sauce (to which she was indifferent) and pumpkin pie (which she loved!) The turkey also seemed to go over okay. She made a face with the first bite, but ate it anyway. I think we'll probably keep trying one meal with meat a week until she gets used to it!

Hope your Thanksgivings were fantastic!

Angelica put herself to sleep!

Oh man, here's a first!

I put Angelica down for bed tonight...she got her bath, we had a little play time in her bedroom, and then she got half-swaddled and got a bottle. She decided it was full and pushed away...I could see she was tired but was having trouble falling asleep.

So I put her down in her crib, put her lovey in her arms...went and sat down in the rocking chair and nary a peep came from the crib. When I looked back in on her, she was sound asleep, thumb in her mouth and lovey in her other hand.

Sniff...sniff...my baby girl is growing up so fast...just one in a series of things she'll no longer need my help with as she grows up.

Burn it to Earn it

I read this on Sparkpeople today...sounds like a doable plan to me, for avoiding Turkey Day weight gain! I will be doing the 30 minutes of activity a-la the 30 Day Shred, but maybe will incorporate a couple others here too.

Forget about all the food for a minute. Let's talk about the fitness. Holiday weight gain is a concern for many, but it's not just because of the food. Sure, we eat more rich foods than we probably should this time of year, but we also let our workouts go by the wayside. We're stressed out and busier than ever with mile-long to do lists. The uncooperative weather doesn't help—dark mornings and evenings make you want to curl up in bed—not to biceps curls. So how is it that we can manage to do everything else but not squeeze in a workout? And what does that say about our priorities (and our commitments to ourselves)?

Let's do things differently this year, starting with Thanksgiving. The solution really is simple. We know what causes weight gain and we know how to maintain and lose weight, too. So for the next few weeks, I propose a new philosophy that will keep winter weight gain at bay: Burn it to earn it.

It's pretty simple, really. Burn it (calories, that is) to earn it (the extra holiday food).

Want to indulge this Thanksgiving? Burn it to earn it.
Going for an extra slice of pie? Burn it to earn it.
Accepting some holiday cookies from a co-worker? Burn it to earn it.

A little extra eating is common during the holidays, and there isn't anything unhealthy about that. But before you bite, I want you to think about what you'll do to make sure that food doesn't become a permanent part of your anatomy. That's where exercise comes in. Before you let your exercise excuses get the best of you this season, here are 6 of my best workouts and tips that you can use today, Thanksgiving day (hint, hint), and all December long.

1. Follow the habits of fit people. These ideas can truly help you stick to a fitness routine, no matter what life throws at you.

2. Do a short video. I've created over 30 unique workouts—from cardio to Pilates to strength training. Many of these free videos require no equipment at all, and can be done anywhere you have a computer and Internet access (at home, the office, your in-laws, or even a hotel room). These short routines (most are under 15 minutes) make it easy to squeeze in a little exercise!

3. Sign up for a race. It probably isn't too late to join your local Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day. Talk about burning calories before you bite!

4. Try my 30-Minute Holiday Workout! This will target all of your major muscle groups and elevate your heart rate simultaneously. Add intensity by mixing in jumping jacks, high knee jogging, squat thrusts and other simple cardio moves between each exercise.

5. Wake up early. Most gyms are open limited hours on Thanksgiving and other holidays, and if you wake up a little early, you can fit in a workout and still get dinner on the table on time.

6. Plan calorie-burning activities. Don't just lounge in front of the tube all Thanksgiving day. Plan an outdoor walk or hike after dinner; play a game of touch football; rake leaves for the little ones to play in; or volunteer at a food pantry to help those in need. Anything that gets you on your feet and moving is better than sitting, especially on a daily of overindulgence.

How will you "burn it to earn it" this Thanksgiving? Share your ideas in the comments below!

Angelica updates...doctor visit, milestones, and more!

First of all, we had a follow-up with the pediatrician today about Angelica's UTI. We won't know if the infection is gone until probably Wednesday, but the poor thing broke my heart, screaming during the catheter again. She's still at 15 1/2 pounds...one week shy of her half-birthday!

The screaming she was doing sounded even worse because the two of us are fighting terrible colds. She came down with it last Monday and I started coming down with it last Tuesday. I think I'm finally starting to get better, and so is she, but it's been miserable the past few days. Just miserable.

And now for.........milestones!

I will have pictures of this to add later on (probably tonight), but our little angel is standing! About 2 weeks ago, I was sitting on the floor with her, and she lunged forward and grabbed the edge of exersaucer and pulled herself to standing. Then all weekend, whenever I'd try to sit her down, she'd get rigid and demand to stand up. So I put her next to the coffee table and she just held on and stood there...kind of cruised for a couple of steps but then fell onto her butt. The coffee table which is too tall for her to pull herself up on, but she can still reach up and hold on if I help...it's about mouth-level for her, so she can hold herself up and gum on the edge of it.

She also braced herself up against the edge of the pack & play, which didn't have anything to hold on to. She just put her hands against the mesh and used her legs and balanced...for a good five minutes probably!

Finally, we are probably going to have a tooth any day now. She has become a biter...she bites and chews on just about everything from her toys to the nipple on her bottle, to her own fingers.

Only 5 more days to her half-birthday. My how the time flies!

271 (-4 this week, -6 total)

What a week! So happy to see the scale moving in the right direction, even though I lost our "C Family Biggest Loser Challenge" this week...that's right, I lost 4lbs and hubby, who is skinner than me, STILL beat me with a whopping -6! I need to get my butt in gear even more I suppose!

As far as the workout plan goes, I just started the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred program...I am a huge Jillian fan...and this workout is definitely nothing to sneeze at! I feel muscles I haven't felt in years...and I just really "officially" started the program yesterday.

By the way, I think this cold really is paying off, diet-wise...I lost my sense of smell AND taste over the weekend, so other than having a rumbly tummy, I had no other reason to eat. It's not like the food would taste good. (This should reinforce my "not eating just for the sake of eating" idea.)

I digress...let's evaluate how the goals are coming:

1: Not drinking calories - I'm going to move this one to the MASTERED category, because I have become a pro at drinking water. I don't even crave regular soda anymore, and pretty much only have 1 or 2 glasses of diet soda a day.

2: Food Journal - Moving this one to MASTERED too. Sparkpeople makes it so easy to keep up with the food journal, and the points system is so motivating. I tracked 6/7 days last week.

3: Exercise 3x week - I'm tempted to move this one to MASTERED too, but I want to give it another week to see if I can stick with it. I worked out 3 times week before last, and 5 times last week (in spite of being sick)...if I can make it 1 more week, I'll consider this lifestyle change mastered.

4: Fruits/Veggies (5 servings/day): Getting closer on this one. I'm finding ways to sneak in fruits and veggies, but I really need more work on this one.

Goals for going forward then:

- Work on the fruits/veggies
- Complete the first 10 days of the 30 day shred, workout 1 (already got 1 day done...9 to go)
- Make sure to get 8 glasses of water/day

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Mastered skills:
- Don't drink calories
- Exercise 3x/week
- Food journaling

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Long time...

Long time since the last post...it's been a tough couple of weeks...sick baby, emergency trip to the After Hours pediatrician, planning for Thanksgiving, work, then I got sick. Ugh. What a wild ride!

Anyway as of Monday I was +1 (275). Le sigh. The good news is that this week has been phenomenal, diet and exercise-wise. I squeezed in three 40 minute sessions of cardio/strength so far this week...I'd have squeezed in two more so far but I am sick as a dog with this stupid cold and can't breathe through my nose. Such is life I suppose. I also can't really eat (stuffed up nose = REALLY hard to swallow!) so maybe that will be reflected on the scale.

I got Mr. C on board with me this week diet/exercise-wise too. He created himself a sparkpeople account (I also use sparkpeople) and has been watching his diet and exercising too. It's nice to have a support system in the house.

And at what better time, too! Little Miss Angelica has taken to pulling herself to standing and starting to cruise a little bit! She'd be a lot better at it if our coffee table was a little bit shorter. She's better at pulling herself up on her swing or exersaucer, but those aren't really the sturdiest things so I try to not let her do it. But she's only 5 1/2 months...this is way ahead of schedule, so in a few months I'm sure we'll have a runner on our hands...well before the one year mark!

Anyway...we'll see what number Monday brings to the scale! Other than the cold, I've actually been feeling really great this week, probably as a result of the healthy foods and exercise...so even if the number on the scale isn't great, at least I can feel a difference!

Angelica's first trip to the late night pediatrician

We had to run Angelica over to AfterHours for the first time last night. When I picked her up from daycare, she felt a little warm...I thought maybe it was because she was in their swing snuggling with a fleece blanket. So when we got home and she was still really warm, I was surprised.

So I took her temperature under the arm...101.1. Yikes. So then I did the dreaded rectal temperature....103.5! Yikes! So off to AfterHours we went.

(I have no idea how she could have had a temp. that high and nobody at daycare noticed. But we won't go into that rant.)

Three hours, one blood draw, one catheterization, one dose of Tylenol and two shots of antibiotics later we had our diagnosis. She has a UTI. Poor baby!!

Her screaming while being held down for the tests nearly killed me. After each one I would rock her to sleep but she would wake up to more torture.

She's better today...still a bit of a temp but overall in better spirits. We got a script to pick up more antibiotics and get her rechecked in 10 days.

We did get complemented last night on how calm we were...the nurses said there was no way we were first time parents. I try hard not to panic in front of the baby because I don't want her to pick up on it and feel worse, but I was scared over how high that temp was.

Anyway, it's time for me to drag myself to get ready for work after a long night...

[Edit] In my haste, I forgot to mention that she got weighed yesterday...15 1/2 pounds! WOW! She was only 14 lbs 4 oz a month and a half ago. This also means she's essentially reached the "doubling her birthweight" benchmark (15.6lbs is double her birthweight). Wow!!

Angelica's first time on the swing...also falling asleep eating!

Just a brief recap from the past few days...oh boy did we have a blast! First of all, notice this cutie wearing her daddy's hat? That was taken at the park this weekend, when Angelica had her very first ride in the swing! Now, she's maybe still a teeny bit small for the swing, but oh boy did she have a good time!



Angelica swinging:


I don't have any pictures of it, but she finally got to meet her Aunt Shannon this weekend! I had intended to bring my camera with me when we made the drive up to Palm Coast to visit (they were staying at Scott's grandparents house). His mom and sister Shannon drove down from CT this week, and then his sister Tarah drove down, and the three of them babysat Angelica today.

Below is some evidence of how much fun my dear darling daughter had with her Grandma Tammy and Aunts Tarah and Shannon...this is a baby who normally needs to at least be rocked to sleep, if not take a bottle, in order to go down for the night. So I'm feeding her nighttime meal (rice cereal and bananas) and she just falls asleep in her Bumbo seat, mid-bite. It was hilarious. So I picked her up and put her in bed, and she didn't even wake up when I took her out of the seat. She normally gets a bath, PJs, and a bottle but obviously those got skipped. I don't know what they did all day but it must have been fun!














In bad news, my DeQuervain's Tendonitis is back...we're looking at the "surgery" option instead of corticosteroids this time since it keeps coming back. Sigh. I'm putting that off as long as possible and seeing if I can keep treating with Advil and splinting...but it is making every thing I do extremely difficult.

Mommy Moment #3

This one is going to be titled, 7 things I'd do differently if we had a second child.

#1 - Warning, this may be flameworthy for some. I was gung-ho about breastfeeding this time around. Unfortunately, Angelica was never able to properly latch on, so I switched to almost exclusive pumping/bottle feeding. Every time I fed her formula, I'd cry and cry over what a failure I felt I was and how much better she deserved. Thinking back on it now, the pumping took so much valuable time away from her during the early weeks...she was eating about once every 90 minutes, so it a cycle of feed (20 minutes), pump (20 minutes), clean and sterilize pump parts (15 minutes), rest 20 minutes (notice that totals about 80 minutes). I kept this up for three months, but my supply didn't keep up with her demand and we wound up supplementing. The day I quit was the best day I'd had up until that point. If I had to do it all over again, I'd formula feed from the start.

#2 - I'd take a longer maternity leave. This time, we weren't prepared for the fact that my short-term disability stopped paying after 4 weeks (and that was with having a c/section!). I had 3 weeks of sick/vacation time banked, so all I got was 7 weeks...4 of which were at 60% pay. If we ever had a second child, I'd know better and have a lot more saved so that I could take the full 7 weeks to be home.

#3 - I'd take more video. I have three or four videos from Angelica's early days but as she grows and changes I wish I had more to look back on. I remember sitting with her in the early days thinking to myself, "Make sure you remember this" and just trying so hard to take it all in. In spite of this, I don't remember all that much. I guess that's part sleep deprivation and part nature.

#4 - I'd take better care of myself during pregnancy. The end of my pregnancy was HARD. I wasn't in good shape before getting pregnant, then things got out of hand with my blood pressure during pregnancy (which I still haven't recovered from), which put us both in jeopardy. If we were to ever have a second baby, I'd make sure to keep the weight gain in check and stay active.

#5 - I'd co-sleep. I so wish that I'd had one of those Arms Reach co-sleepers so that I could have her with me all the time. I was so opposed to co-sleeping before she was here, and now that she sleeps in her own bed every night, I miss her. We kept her in our room until about 3 months and then moved her to her own bed and it's sad.I can't just get up and peek at her, or bring her to bed when I get lonely for her anymore.

#6 - I'd read a lot less and listen a lot more. I tried so hard to expect things to be "by the book" and things to happen like they happened with my friends children and my nephew. Then colic hit. Then I realized that she is just a sensitive child. Then she started hitting milestones early but sleeping less (yes, we're still having sleep issues). Once I stopped "expecting" things to go one way and just start appreciating the events as they unfolded, I felt a lot better. Now I just use the book as a general reference...so I know when to really worry, like if she were to fall behind.

#7 - I'd worry less. I lost so much sleep for the first three months of her life in a frantic frenzy over SIDS...much the same way that I was frantic my entire first trimester over the possibility of miscarriage. The worries were unfounded. I did everything right. And she's still alive, and thriving.

Maybe I'll add more to this list later :)

First big workout

I did Tae-Bo for the first time since before I was pregnant today.

Little background: I was a Tae-Bo junkie from 1999-2001. In that time I lost over 80 pounds and looked and felt fabulous. I had gotten to the point where the workouts felt easy. Then I met my husband.

I've gained 130 lbs since then. Yes. I've gained almost an entire ME since we met (I was just under 140 when we met).

Anyway, the workout was SO HARD. I was gasping for breath, lightheaded and kept losing my balance, but now that it's over I feel FANTASTIC. I'm sure this will catch up with me in the morning.

And on that note I'm going to bed.

Priorities...

Got this in an email today and it makes a lot of sense.

The following story is one that’s been circulating for awhile. I believe it holds a very important message regarding appropriately setting priorities in our lives.

A professor of philosophy stood before his class with some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks about two inches in diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full.

They agreed that it was full.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly and watched as the pebbles rolled into the open areas between the rocks. The professor then asked the students again if the jar was full.

They chuckled and agreed that it was indeed full this time.

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. The sand filled the remaining open areas of the jar. “Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this jar signifies your life. The rocks are the truly important things, such as family, health and relationships. If all else was lost and only the rocks remained, your life would still be meaningful. The pebbles are the other things that matter in your life, such as work or school. The sand signifies the remaining “small stuff” and material possessions.

If you put sand into the jar first, there is no room for the rocks or the pebbles. The same can be applied to your lives. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are truly important.

Pay attention to the things in life that are critical to your happiness and well-being. Take time to get medical check-ups, play with your children, go for a run, write your grandmother a letter. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, or fix the disposal. Take care of the rocks first – things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just pebbles and sand.

Finding time in the day for fitness or participating in other athletic endeavors should be considered a “rock” for us all. Physiologically, working out releases endorphins in the body. These endorphins are natural pain-relievers produced by the body. This is what gives us the natural high experienced after a workout. This natural high has the potential to positively influence our daily interactions by making us feel better about ourselves. Make fitness a rock solid priority in your life and reap the benefits.

274 (-0, total lbs lost: 3)

Bad news: I didn't lose any weight this week.
Good news: I didn't gain any weight this week.

I'll admit I went way off plan over the weekend. I threw caution to the wind and ate just about everything I shouldn't have, and got very little exercising (other than canvassing for about an hour and a half on Saturday). The good news is that my poor eating didn't include lots of Halloween candy, mainly because I only bought a bag of smarties, which I only sort of like so the temptation wasn't huge. (I did eat a few though.)

So let's evaluate last week's goals:

- Don't drink your calories! (One glass of orange juice, and one cup of coffee with splenda and creamer excepted): (B) Did very well at this, but still needs a little work. I slipped and had a few (full sugar, full fat) lattes from Starbucks and ordered Coke when we went out instead of Diet Coke.

- Start food journal - fill it out at LEAST three days.: (B) Did very well at this too. Recorded breakfast and lunch for four days...somehow never managed to record dinners.

- Start exercise - work out at LEAST three days for 30 minutes/day. (A) This one I have to give myself an A for, because even on the days when I was exhausted, or the baby wasn't necessarily cooperating, I still got out there and walked for at least 30 minutes on 3 different days.

This week's goals:
- Continue the first two of last week's goals and strive for (A) effort!
- Continue exercise...strive to walk for 30 minutes, 3 times a week, and add an exercise DVD 2 times a week.
- Aim for 5 servings of fruit/vegetables a day. Glass of orange juice accounts for 1 serving. The other four servings should be divided into 2 servings of fruit, 2 servings of vegetables to gain equal balance.

So, off into the world I go!