Monday, October 29, 2012

Oh, Boy.

We ended up having a great weekend. On Saturday, I ran tons of errands, our table was delivered, my parents made a quick stop by, and we vegged on the couch Saturday night. On Sunday, our friends came over to watch football...or I should say the guys watched football. Tommy made his chili and I made one of my childhood favorite cookies..."Tiddy Cookies." Okay, that's the not actual name, but the cookies look like boobs. I'm sure you've guessed by now that they are the old school peanut butter cookies with a Hershey kiss.

I'm exhausted from the weekend, but we did have a good time. Madeline's tummy issues have gotten somewhat worse the past two weeks. With the painful gas, reflux, and upset tummies, we now have changed her to a hypoallergenic formula. I just gave her the first go around at it. I was worried she wouldn't take it, because quite frankly it smells exactly like Cheez-Its. I myself enjoy eating Cheez-Its, but it's a peculiar smell for a formula. Hopefully, this formula works. It's double the cost of all other formulas since it's technically considered to be a "prescription," although you can buy it over the counter. Some insurance companies cover the cost, however, ours does not. Why am I not surprised? Nonetheless, it's worth the extra cost if it relieves her pain. It's just going to get very expensive once she starts eating substantially more.

And then there's me. On top of just having a baby, still not being recovered 2.5 months later...now I believe I am having gallstones. Yes, gallstones. I awoke last night with excruciating pain radiating through my right shoulder blade, and was extremely nauseated. I ran to the bathroom several times to puke, but thankfully, I did not. I've also had heartburn and indigestion, but didn't really think anything of it. Anyway, my symptoms are dead on to gallstones/gallbladder issues. And, I learned that it's very common to have gallbladder issues after childbirth. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow to verify, but if that's the case I'll have my gallbladder removed as soon as possible before the pain worsens. I'm still nauseous and have shoulder pain right now, but thankfully it's not as awful as it was last night.Ugh. So not excited.

I'm terrified of surgery. I've been delaying having my wisdom teeth out for 10 years now because of my fear. I've only had surgery once - oral surgery, and it didn't go so well. But, if it must be done, it must be done. Plus, I've decided to have my wisdom teeth out next February/March.

I'm not really sure what we are getting into this week...I know I have to run a couple of errands on Saturday. Honestly, I'm completely content on having a low key weekend.

We attempted to place Madeline in her jumperoo over the weekend. I think I was overly ambitious. She's holding her neck up well, so I thought it might be okay. She enjoyed it, but it swallowed her up! I think we are going to have to wait until she's 4 or 5 months before she uses it again. She's smiling like crazy now. Huge smiles. My favorite is when I get her up in the morning...she gives me the biggest smile! She's been cooing for awhile, but now when I coo at her, she coos back. I'd say she's meeting all of her milestones, some ahead of others. She does great with tummy time on me, but she's still not a fan of it on the ground. She'll do the mini push ups while on my stomach, but not yet on the floor. She'll grab some things...she loves hanging onto her blankets and my hair...but she's not quite ready for holding her toys. Below are a couple of photos of her smiling. Not the best, as she was squirming around and I couldn't get them focused correctly.

Oh, Hi!



Yeah, Mom. I'm way too small for this. Thanks.


Just chillin' in my jumperoo. Why is that thing hanging up there looking at me?

Sophie still needs love.





Thursday, October 25, 2012

Mindless Banter

My brain is going a million miles per minute. Not really, but I'm thinking back from the past week and everything now is a blur. Let's see...oh, yes, last weekend we..oh wait...what in the world did we do? Ummm...seriously, I don't remember. Ah, I was sick...sick for a week straight. I definitely remember that and it was awful. I'm assuming it was some type of sinus infection. I usually get 2 every year - once in the Spring, once in the Fall. I remember running a few errands and seeing our parents...other than that, I have seem to have forgotten. Perhaps I should pick up some ginkgo biloba on my next Target run.

Anyway, I started feeling better midweek, and I'm slowly getting back to my normal self. We weighed Madeline the other night and she's now 9lbs, 5 oz. She's really into chewing on her hands, and she started swatting at her toys on her playmat. This week has been rough on our sleep. She's had several upset tummies, and a stuffy nose. We broke out the Nose Frida I mentioned awhile back and it did the trick. Using the thing is nasty...but hey, whatever works. I've also had to already switch her to Level 2 nipples, because she was starting to take 45 minutes to eat 3oz, and was getting frustrated and fussy with the bottle. Thankfully, it worked and it's also allowed her to eat slightly more...which is a good thing since she was eating below the recommended amount.



Ray-Ray and Madeline








It's going to be cold this weekend. I like "cool" weather, but not cold. We might try out our outdoor fireplace. Yes, that sounds like a fantastic idea. Tommy can make his chili, we can roast marshmallows, invite friends over, enjoy some wine....yeah, I think I'm up for that. However, I do have errands to run, our dining table is being delivered, and I'm behind on some cleaning. So, it's going to be busy. Speaking of my dining table, I decided to do away with the branch centerpiece and the two vases I posted...it's just not going to work, but I've come up with something else that I'm excited about. I'll post the final product once I have it decorated.

Oh, I just remembered to mention that Tuesday was our anniversary (See, it's all coming back to me now). Tommy had secretly planned a nice dinner out to Park Cafe (parents were going to babysit), but he spilled the beans over the weekend, and I asked him to cancel. Not that I didn't want to go, but I was sick and exhausted and I wouldn't have been able to even taste the food. So, we'll go and do something soon to celebrate. Here are a few wedding photos to look back on:





My brain needs a break...so that's it for me for now.


Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Where to Begin?

It's been busier than usual the past 2 weeks. I'm finally starting to get caught up on a few things. I'm not really sure where to start today...so I guess I'll backtrack. About two weeks ago we bought a new couch and dining room table. We needed both desperately and found great deals on them. My table is on back order, but it should be arriving at the end of the month. The couch isn't the prettiest couch, but it's memory foam and the most comfortable piece of furniture I've ever laid on. It's starting to grow on me. We went with a traditional dining room set, and I'll add in more contemporary decor.


Madeline had her two month check up late last week. She's weighing in at 8 lbs, 10 oz, and 21 inches in length. This puts her in the 10th percentile for both weight and height. Her head circumference (I forgot the measurement) is in the 5-10 percentile. The pediatrician is happy with her weight gain, and doesn't see any issues. She also had to get her first round of shots. She screamed bloody murder, but was fine afterwards. Her stomach has been a little upset since the shots and she's gassier than usual. Hopefully she'll be back to her normal self by the end of this week. She's been cooing like crazy. It's my favorite thing! I love hearing her try to communicate with us.






My Nana and brother came to visit and meet Madeline over the weekend. It was great to see both of them and catch up. We also had Tommy's 20 year reunion. It was fun, but I am certainly not used to being "out" during the evening hours any longer! I was exhausted by 8pm.

Off to Tommy's reunion!

Madeline has actually been napping the past two days, so it's given me time to do a few things that need to be done...I'm about 2 weeks behind on everything. Our weekends have been slammed, so normally, I would be doing a few things while Tommy can watch her, but that's okay. Things will calm down soon...or maybe not until after Christmas.

I'm still working out, however, my original plan was to workout 5 days per week. I think I was  overly confident that I'd be able to fit that in. I'm having to scale it back to 4 days per week, but that's still sufficient. Hopefully, I'll be able to add in the extra day in a few months. I've exceeded my goal, so now it's all about keeping on track.

I'm having fun finding tabletop decor for my dining room. Although, I'm indecisive on a few ideas I have. I have a vision, but it's been difficult to find exactly what I'm wanting. Here's some of my pieces I've put together:

Placemats from Crate and Barrel - so pretty in person

Napkin (I got them in satin, too, just in case)

Napkin Rings

Table Runner

Picked up 2 of these..but not sure they're going to work

Main Centerpiece
And that's it for now. I'm anxious to get my table so I can put everything together. And, I think I'll have to take the vases back and try something else...they're probably too tall for the candelabra (I want them on each side since my table is a 9-piece table). I'm definitely going for a dramatic, rustic, but contemporary look.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Go, Go, Go

I haven't posted the past week, because I've been pretty busy....plus, I really don't have anything too exciting or interesting to post. Madeline is doing well, still having screaming fits, but that's okay. I spend at least 8-12 hours in a 24 hour period rocking her back and forth....which makes me start randomly swaying throughout the day when I'm not holding onto her. It's funny when I catch myself doing it. My abs are getting a great workout!

I weighed Madeline today and she's now 8lbs exactly. My scale does show ounces, but she was 8 lbs right on the dot. I just weigh myself first, then hold her. She looks much bigger in photographs than she actually is in person.

We started her nightly routine, which is going well. She's loving the baths. Until we get this routine down and consistent, we really can't do anything past 6pm. We start the routine around 7pm and it usually runs until 10pm-11pm, depending on if the colic appears. And, we are definitely not going to take a known colicky baby out of the house past 6pm. She'll just end up screaming the whole time.

I actually have to try to bathe myself between 4pm-5pm, then I start cooking between 5pm-6pm, depending on Madeline's feeding time. So, the nightly rituals really start in the early evening. Of course, there will be exceptions when there are events that are necessary to attend. For instance, Tommy's 20 year high school reunion is coming up (yes, you read that correctly...20 YEARS. He's 10 years my senior), so my Mom and Nana (who is coming in town - yay) are going to babysit Madeline at our house and follow the night time routine. I'm not really comfortable being away at night just yet, because I know how difficult they can be, but this is definitely an exception, plus we will be home by 9pm. I think in the next 4-6 weeks when we get our night time routine down, and Madeline's colic calms down, it'll be a little different. For now, it is what it is. Oh, and I did try the Colic Calm, and it did nothing.

With that being said, we typically make plans in the afternoons. Either having people over, or my parents will babysit for a couple of hours and we go somewhere nearby. That way, we aren't spending all of our time away driving.

I've reached my goal weight, and have decided that I'd like to lose maybe 3-5 more pounds, but nothing more. The remaining weight will have to come off by intense workouts, which I'm still unable to do since I'm still recovering. (Yes, still.) I'm continuing to walk in combination of Tracy Anderson's DVD...which has been a big help. My abs are improving everyday, and are no longer pillowy. I'm not really burning many calories doing pilates, though. Oh well. I'm not going to push it until I'm completely healed. I'm very proud of myself for the weight loss. I've retrained my eating habits, portion sizes, and diet. I feel great!