Check and Check...

Well, Leah hit 6 months this past week...I'm already thinking she might as well pack for college because I can't stand her getting any bigger. This also means we have reached our first goal of breastfeeding for 6 months. I feel very proud, because it has not been easy. I guess in the grand scream of things it has been fairly easy when I hear other peoples nightmare stories, BUT breastfeeding is a lot of work. I have learned a lot bout the process and in turn a lot about myself. First, I am grateful I do not have to work full time, I don't know if it would have been possible to keep up with my monster eater of  child. I am not pumping what she takes, but have plenty of time in between shifts to build up what she needs. It is a lot of work to keep the milk making going, between pumping, storing, freezing, thawing, organizing and what not...If I had to do I every day I would be going insane.  I know I will never get this time back again with Leah and I realize how lucky I am that I have the opportunity to be with her most days. I am soaking it all in. Second, I would not have made it without the support of my breastfeeding group gals...We meet every Friday and some may refer to it as the breastfeeding "cult" but no one from the outside understands. These ladies have the same passion and thoughts about the importance of breastfeeding. I feel so refreshed and renewed after Friday's group. I'm so thankful for these new friends I have made. Not to mention their cute baby's :)
Lastly, I joke about how I have become obsessed with breastfeeding and yes probably some of that is true, but it has been he most rewarding thing I have ever done. It feels good to be passionate about something because we all know I need outlets for my passions :) It feels good that I haven't given up when I have hit a few roadblocks. It feels good that I have given Leah such good heath benefits as well as a way to calm her and make her feel safe. Is she a mommas girl? You better believe it, but I firmly believe there is nothing wrong with that right now...that is how it is supposed to be. A baby with their mother...it won't be like this forever, just now. And it is worth every sacrifice, every time I decide to not be away from her, every time I pump, and every time I don't get to do what I want...I'm reminded of my happy healthy baby and I feel content.

Ok stepping off soapbox... :)

PS. I know it is not like this for every woman, just my personal story and beliefs...Im also a big believer you gotta do what you gotta do for your family :)

A few favorites...

My top 5 favorite things from last week...

1. Avocado & Black Bean Salad

2. Chalkboard Herb Planters

3. Ohio State in the Final Four

4. We had the outside of our house touched up..We had the wood repainted, doors repainted and a few blemishes fixed...the house looks so much better, probably not noticeable to the passer by, BUT very noticeable to Mark and I and just overall much better looking. Also our storm doors will be ready for pickup this week yea:)

5. Last but not least...a perfect health report card from the pediatrician...Check out that bod!! Some very squeezable rolls!

Leah- 6 Months

 

 

 

 

Age: Six Months
Weight: 16lbs 70z

Length: 26.5

Size:6 months
Teeth:Still none poking through, but lots of drooling and gnawing. I swear she is teething but nothing yet!
Hair: A mess...tons up front, bald spot in back. Trying to figure out how it wants to lay without looking like a combover
Sleeping: Really has turned the corner. Sleeping 10-12 hours at night, occasionally waking up but doing much better. Napping great as well! So happy about this!
Eating: Stills loves nursing as evidenced by the extreme chubbiness. Started some fruits and veggies. Sweet potatos, carrots, green beans, pears, bananas, peaches, and prunes.
Movement: New thing is sitting up, still face plants, but getting stronger. Very active still. Has really gained some leg strength, likes to "stand" Started standing in exersaucer. Really does not like being on her belly.
Milestones: Sitting up, starting solids.
Favorite Toys: Books..loves books! Stacking cups, sippy cup
Dislikes:  Being on belly, not being carried around by mom, when her food is over
Words/sounds: Still talking lots, has found her voice in screaming!

Pantry

Tons of reorganized pantries have been floating around on Pinterest...I was inspired. We finally got around to doing it. We sorted through everything, organized and moved. Now all we have left to do is label and get some canned good organizers. Here it is...

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Ahh...so much better! You don't realize how chaotic it is until its not that way anymore. Loving it!!



A Good Outlook

I received this in my email and it really it home with me...some many parts ring true and it is just a good reminder to keep plugging along at whatever you are working towards. Thought I would share as I am all about making some changes to a few of my habits...

The Habit is the Goal

I was chatting with a friend the other day about exercise and how there are days (sometimes weeks) when all I do are a few pushups. No running. No 30 minute workout video. Nothing but my pathetic attempts to push myself off the floor.

And yet I feel accomplished even in those seasons because I’ve realized that it’s not about how quickly we strengthen our body, but how faithfully we strengthen the habit.

Because if the habit gets stronger, so will we.

The Stronger the Habit, The Easier the Task

If we can build positive habits, they become a foundation that requires less and less emotional effort to continue. We can then focus more attention on new positive habits.

But if we try to do something incredibly hard, like suddenly getting up 1-2 hours earlier than normal, we will eventually grow weary and quit only to try to bare knuckle it again a few months later.

We want the habit. We have the determination. But the method breaks us.

Rather than go big and crash big, it is much more effective to start simple and keep the habit going.

There is no amazing Cinderella transformation, but there’s no stroke of midnight either. Faithfulness is a beautiful story of it’s own.

There is no better time than NOW to start small and finish strong.

From INSPIRED TO ACTION

It is time...

After spending a few days celebrating the life of my Gammy I was exhausted. The trip alone, really affected me more then I thought. I could barely function I was so tired and placing grieving emotions on top of that it did me in. After a few loving and realistic comments from family "You don't look so good", " Don't worry you just had a baby", "And yeah I can tell you have gained a bit in your hips, but must be from the baby" I realized it is time to stop making excuses. Mainly the baby weight excuse AND the breastfeeding excuse that I get to eat whatever I want. My eating habits slipped up a bit during pregnancy and really went down hill after Leah was born. Blame it on exhaustion, stress, breastfeeding, anxiety, emotions, whatever it is I have got to reign it back in. Now that the weather has been warmer, I have been getting out for walks and it feels good. I am going to join the YMCA down the street, they have spinning, body pump and yoga included in membership prices...Classes are a good thing for me...I enjoy them. Now don't get me wrong, I am not going to go nuts here, but just taking a bit more consideration into what I put into my body so my clothes fit a bit better then they do now. We have a few events coming up in the next months that I am using as goals/rewards for myself. Here is the breakdown:
March 31- We have a couples bridal shower that I would like to feel good at and wear a fun dress. I hope to be down 4 lbs Reward: Date Night/New Work Out Outfit
April 8 - Easter, hoping to be down another 2 lbs (total 6) Reward: Massage
May 4- Hosting an event at my house down another 2 lbs (total 8) Reward: pedicure
June 2- We have a wedding that I hope to feel "smoking" at :) Down another 4 lbs (total 12) Reward: New Dress for wedding/spray tan

I feel like these are realistic goals and numbers to attain. I know usually when I get going my exercise will pick up and hoping to lose 12-15lbs total. I know I am not "fat" by any means but I could stand to lose a bit to feel better, have clothes fit better, and get a little of my muscle back.  Ill be updating on my progress!

Grammy

My Grammy, Caroline passed away Monday morning. She was 96 and passed away at home. Don't let the 96 fool you, she was a firecracker. Still living at home with a caretaker, she loved to watch her TV shows, talk to her kids and grandkids, sit on the porch, pray the rosary, and be involved in the neighborhood "gossip" She loved my grandpa, who passed in 98, and they had such a loving relationship. She started writing him in the service, got engaged before she even met him and 50 + years later they were still married.  Her and my dziadziu owned their own pharmacy, where my Dziadziu was the pharmacist and she did everything else. They were well known in their community as very generous charitable people. They would buy movie tickets for all the kids on Friday nights. Everytime I talked to my Grammy and she would not be feeling well she would say " I just need to give myself a kick in a$$ and get going" She was tough, strong minded, determined, but so loving. I know she prayed for us every single day. We are headed out to New Jersey tonight for the viewing and funeral. It hasn't quite hit me yet, I'm anxious to see her and my mom. I feel thankful to have faith in everlasting life, knowing my Grammy is up in heaven with God and my Dziadziu. Your prayers for my my mom and family would be appreciated. Thanks for the memories Grammy! I love you!

Disturbing but Fabulous

I am a NICU nurse, we deal with sick kids and lots of secretions...I don't do well with secretions, they make me gag and keeping a straight face around families is hard sometimes. BUT I hate snotty noses more and yucky mouths for that matter too, I'm a sucker for good oral care for my babes at work. SO when Leah was born I carried on this obsession for a clean/nose mouth. Any booger or sign of snot, I was getting out my handy dandy bulb suction and getting after it. My poor peanut hates it, but it must be done. Mark gets mad at me and says I take it too far...I have been known to do that. So we have been surviving with the bulb syringe UNTIL I was introduced to this...the NoseFrida...it is slightly, ok lets be honest COMPLETELY gross. You suck the snot out of your child's nose with a filter between you and baby. I was skeptical, but oh this works. With a small amount of saline and this handy gadget Leah is snot free and I ignore the fact that she panics when she sees me approaching. Ahh love! The closest thing to medical suctioning at home. please don't judge!

I find this video hilarious and in no way is this how our snot sucking sessions go!

Leah 5 Months

Age: Five Months
Weight: 15lbs  9

Length: ?

Size:3-6 month and starting 6 months
Teeth: none poking through, but lots of drooling and gnawing. I swear she is teething but nothing yet!
Hair: Still has lots...I swear the color changes daily- blond, brown, slightly red WHO KNOWS! She is getting the classic bald spot in the back from sleeping on her back, trying to increase tummy time but just rolls right to back.
Sleeping: Is still our downfall. She is so inconsistent. Nothing we do seems to be creating consistent sleeping through the night. Still going down around 7pm but will wake up 1-4 times/night. Still self soothing to fall asleep, but in the middle of the night it is just easier to go in there...oh well...maybe one day!
Eating: Stills loves nursing as evidenced by the extreme chubbiness. We started oatmeal this month as she was drinking 25-30 ozs a milk just at the babysitters, I was having trouble keeping up so with the oatmeal she is a bit more satisfied.
Movement: Very active still. Has really gained some leg strength, likes to "stand" Started standing in exersaucer for 15-20 mins. Still remains snuggly :)
Milestones: Starting oatmeal, first swing and trip down the slide
Favorite Toys: Books..loves books! Likes this "baby paper" that makes noise. Finally sitting in bouncy seat.
Dislikes: Is now napping in car seat when time correctly. She does not like the hair dryer, she starts crying when I turn it on. And does not like being put down, I usually carry her around and do everything one handed!
Words/sounds: Lots of coos and talking. Carries on a "conversation" with you!