Weighty Issues- Post Partum Body

I must admit when I was pregnant and even before I got pregnant I rather stupidly naively thought that by the time my child was 3 months old my body would more or less be back to what it was pre-baby...if I'm being really honest I thought by the time my 6 week maternity leave was over it would basically be back to normal. Well I was wrong on both counts.

In the past I have been blessed with a very fast metabolism that meant that I really didn't have to workout or watch what I ate in order to stay in a size 2 (yes you can hate me, you wouldn't be the first) so I figured I would drop the baby weight no problem and be fitting back into my skinny jeans again no time. When I got pregnant I weighed around 105 pounds (give or take a few pounds depending on how big my lunch was) and three days before I gave birth I clocked in at 142 pounds...yes I gained 37 pounds, which may not sound that bad but on a 5 foot nothing inch person that's quite a bit. I was basically the size of a house (okay maybe a duplex). I'm still not quite sure how I gained all that weight considering that for most of my pregnancy I had little to no appetite and my baby was an average 7lbs 12 ozs at birth.

Three months post partum I now weigh around 114 pounds (give or take depending on the day) which means I'm still 9 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight (though I would be happy to just get back under 110). I know that may not seem so bad and I'm really not so much unhappy with the number on the scale but more so how my body looks, specifically my belly which is still sporting the pooch of a 4 month pregnant chick. I'm constantly sucking in when I'm out for fear that someone is going to ask me when I'm due and I'll be mortified. Unfortunately due to my Csection and having my abs cut and pieced back together getting a flat belly is not quite so easy. My OB assured me that with work I could have a flat tummy again, he insisted he did a stellar job piecing me back together.

Breastfeeding has been a bit of a double edge sword for me. Yes it helped me lose most of the weight within the first month however it also makes me hungry ALL. THE. TIME. Seriously it's like I'm starving every 3 hours (similar to Mr. Hunter's feeding schedule). And not only am I hungry but I can house a HUGE meal. Meals that I would normally need a doggie bag for at restaurants I can now eat no problem. It also doesn't help that all the food aversions I had when I was pregnant (i.e. chicken, Chinese food, Chipotle(!) etc) are now gone and I actually enjoy food again.

So now I'm having to make an actual effort to watch what I'm eating, which is a new experience for me and I'm doing the best I can to get some kind of exercise daily, which is tough working full time. I try to take Hunter on 2 mile stroller walks 3-4 times a week and I'll lay down and do crunches next to him when he's on his playmat. I also have a post baby workout DVD that I try to do once or twice a week.

Overall it's helping and I've noticed more weight coming off but I still have that damn pooch which I fear is never going to go away. Bikini season is less than two months away and I may have to splurge for a one piece or something with a bit more coverage this year (let's not even discuss my once cute belly button, that's now all stretched out and weird looking).

On a good note, my boobs are bigger thanks to breastfeeding so that's been fun (more so for Kristian than me), it would be more fun for me if they didn't hurt every 3-4 hours.

I know I shouldn't complain, after all I spent 9 months growing a human (a damn cute human) and he's worth every extra pound, pooch, funny looking belly button and large ass that I've acquired. In fact I'm still amazed and grateful every day that my body was able to create such a perfect (in my eyes at least) specimen. But it's an adjustment, one that any woman who gives birth goes through I'm sure, and even if I never look the same again ultimately I'm okay with that and my husband still thinks I'm damn sexy and that's all that really matters.

Here's how I look today. I should say this shirt can be a bit deceiving since it's pretty loose but I'm not posting a nakey picture on the Internet.

Planning for the inevitable

Ever since my father passed away in February I've been thinking more and more about the inevitable, which is that at some point I'm eventually going to die (hopefully not for a VERY VERY long time) and being the natural planner that I am and now that I'm a mother I want to make sure that I have all my ducks in a row before that time comes. I want to make sure that my husband and my child are taken care of.

My father had a very small and simple funeral (per his wishes) but even the small, simple funeral that we had for him cost $13K! And that doesn't count the burial plot that he had already purchased years ago. Fortunately my brother had that extra money and was able to pay for everything, even more fortunately my father had kept up with his life insurance payments so hopefully my brother will be able to be reimbursed that money.

I've also seen recently on Facebook several people I know who have had close friends pass away unexpectedly leaving behind spouses and children. If I were to God forbid die unexpectedly at an early age I want to make sure my family is taken care of. So Kristian and I are now in the process of getting life insurance policies (just waiting for the paperwork to go through) which will be enough to cover funeral expenses, paying off the house and credit cards and Hunter's care/education.

I have also created a Will (which I did online and I'm just waiting to have it sent to me to sign and finalize). This was also very important to me because if something happens to me and Kristian I wanted it to be clear on who should get my child. I also made clear that any money/property that would go to Hunter should be put in a trust until he's 21 and listed who would manage that trust. I also listed who would inherit everything should God forbid me, Kristian and Hunter all pass away. Since I'm not a millionaire and don't own many items of value creating a Will was pretty simple.

Planning for your death is definitely not enjoyable but once you become an adult and especially once you have children it's a must. There is nothing more important than making sure that your child/children are taken care of should you not be there to do it. Even though signing up for life insurance and creating a Will have not exactly been fun I'm so glad I've done it and will rest easier knowing that my family will be taken care of.

Do you have a Will and/or life insurance? What other planning have you done in case you pass away?

Three Months- 3/30/12

Dear Hunter,
Today you are three months old! Three-quarters of a year! I say it every month and will continue to but time is going by so fast. You are no longer a newborn but an infant who is growing at lightening speed and I can't lie it makes me a little sad that you are no longer that teeny tiny little baby that I brought home from the hospital. However, it's so much fun watching you grow and learn and I celebrate every little milestone and new trick that you show us. I may be biased but I swear you are the smartest, cutest little guy ever. You make daddy and I laugh everyday with your infectious smile and everytime you snuggle into me my heart melts a little more. You are a mama's boy and I love it.

 Here are some of your three month stats:

Weight/Length- We don't have a monthly doctor's appointment this month so no official weight and height check but after weighing you on our home scale you weigh about 15 1/2 pounds!! You've doubled your birth weight in three months!


Eating- I'm still amazed by how much and how quickly you eat. You chug your bottles as if you are in an imaginary race, or maybe it's fear that your dog Moxie will steal it. You are now easily drinking 5 oz bottles during the day and about 6ozs before bed. You drink 3 bottles during the day while at daycare and a bottle before bed. I will nurse you when I get home from work, in the middle of the night and in the mornings. You are still doing great with nursing. It's been hard to keep up with your demand so you will often get one or two bottles of formula a day to help supplement.

Sleep- You've been doing SO much better with your sleep. You are sleeping through the night (6+ hours) more and more. We typically give you a bath and put you to bed between 9-9:30 and you will often wake up around 3am for a diaper change and to nurse and then fall back asleep again until around 6:30am. There have been a few nights when you slept until 4 or 5am! Of course we still have bad nights occasionally when you get up multiple times. Often we just give you a pacifier or re-swaddle you and you are fine. You never seem to have a problem falling asleep which is great. Once you finish your bottle you're down for the count! You will usually take 2-3 naps during the day at daycare. On the weekends you don't seem to want to nap so much. I think you just like staying awake to hang out with mommy and daddy.

 Clothes- You no longer fit into any newborn clothes and very few of your 0-3 month onesies. Even 3 month clothes have been getting snug for the past couple weeks. You seem to be more comfortable in the 3-6 month clothes and even a few 6 month items. I had to go out and buy you a bunch of warm weather clothes that would fit you right now since it's been unseasonably warm lately and I hadn't stocked up on shorts in 3-6 month sizes. We are going to start using the Size 2 diapers this weekend. I was hoping to finish using up the size 1's but they are getting too small and you keep having blowouts in them. I also bought you some shoes that actually fit your big feet since you had already outgrown the newborn size shoes I had bought by the time I put them on you.

Personality- You are still a very happy and mellow baby so long as you are fed and have a dry diaper. You do get fussy most nights between 6-8pm but the rest of the day you are in good spirits so long as you get attention. You don't like to be left alone and you prefer to be held. You are very cuddly in the morning after you first wake up. You are getting more active and like to play and simulate the funny faces we make. You are also becoming more vocal and make more cooing sounds.

Likes/Dislikes-
-You like riding in the car and will typically fall asleep.
-You like our stroller walks in the evening and also typically fall asleep.
-You like the t.v. and will always try to turn your head to see what's on t.v. even when we have you faced in the other direction. We put on some cartoons the other day and you were fascinated!
-You LOVE bathtime. Sometimes it's the only thing that will calm you when you are being fussy.
-You like being carried in the baby bjorn
-You love to lay on the floor and kick and flail about or lay under your activity mat
-You have a love/hate relationship with your swing, somedays you love it others not so much
-You love to lay on the changing table and will just smile and coo at me when I get you dressed.
-You love to chew on your fists (I suspect you will start teeting soon)
-You love to "stand", you have very strong legs and can stand with very little support from us.

-You hate the process of being put in the carseat prior to riding in the car or stroller walks.
-You don't really enjoy having books read to you (I'm hoping this will change).
-You no longer like sleeping in your Pak N Play
-You hate to be left alone.

Milestones-
-You rolled over from your tummy to your back for the first time on March 3rd. You kept rolling to the right side and a few days later you rolled to the leftside. You are getting closer to rolling from your back to your belly everyday.
-You've started reaching for the toys that hang over you on your play mat
-You will now hold onto your pacifier when it's not in your mouth
-You celebrated your first St. Patrick's Day
-You have started sleeping through the night more often

Photos from the past month:

You still love your play mat and have gotten much better at grabbing the toys.

You are wearing the same shirt your daddy wore when he was a baby.

My little Pirate! Maybe you'll go to ECU one day like your mama did.

"How you doin?"  One of my favorite pictures.

Daddy, Mommy and Hunter hands

We Love You Hunter!

Super Pooper

**I'm sure when he's older my child will want to kill me for posting this on the Internet but this is too funny not to document**

So my little Mr. Hunter hadn't pooped in a day and a half which is not typical and usually means that we have a massive blowout in store for us. When he didn't poop again this morning before daycare I warned his teacher she might be in for a treat later in the day. **Sidenote- he spit up all over his outfit yesterday and had to be changed so I had to bring more clothes to daycare as a backup today and thank goodness I did**

Well Kristian just picked him up and called me to let me know that he did in fact have a massive blowout while at daycare and needed not only an outfit change but a bath!!! I didn't even know they gave baths at daycare but I guess in extreme cases they do. And the best part is that on his daily report where they list all of his wet and poopy diapers they just wrote "WOW" when they noted his poopy diaper change. I can't even imagine what that mess looked like. Better them than me though!

I suspect he felt much better once he was all cleaned out though I'm not sure I can say the same for his daycare teacher. I can't wait to hear all about it when I drop him off tomorrow.

My Hunger was Satisfied

Along with what seems like every other blogger, I went and saw The Hunger Games this weekend. I had bought tickets for the 11am show on Sunday but when my mom showed up a bit late to watch the Huntsman we had to switch our tickets to the 11:30 show. Good thing we did because even the early shows came close to selling out and we wouldn't have gotten great seats had we rushed to make the 11am show.

I have to say I really enjoyed the movie. Did I like it as much as the book? No. But I never do. With that said I thought it was a great adaptation and despite a few changes and needing to leave certain details out I thought it stayed very true to the book. I do wish they had gone ahead and made the movie rated R because even though I'm not a big fan of violence and death I thought the fight scenes were very watered down and the games itself were pretty rushed due to all the time it took to get to that point in the movie. But despite those few criticism I did really enjoy it.

Kristian also really liked the movie and said it was WAY better than any of the Twilight movies that I have dragged him too. He is actually looking forward to the next two movies. He hasn't read any of the books (though I keep telling him he needs to) so he was a little confused over the sponsors and how that all worked. His only critique of the movie was Katniss's form when shooting her bow and arrow (since he's a bow hunter he's particular about that kind of thing) and of course insists he could have shot that apple as well. Sure thing sweetie. HA!

In other weekend news, I finally got my haircut again (it hadn't been cut since June! I know!) and my mom, brother and his girlfriend came over yesterday to see the baby. Oh and Hunter slept through the night both Friday AND Saturday! Horrah! But then woke up SIX times last night. Sigh. Oh well. Still progress.

Hungering for the Games

Like thousands of other people I'm SO excited to see The Hunger Games this weekend. I've already purchased our tickets for Sunday at 11am.

Kristian and I don't go to the movies very often primarily because it's ridiculously expensive and most movies I have no trouble waiting to see on DVD or OnDemand. However, when we do go to the movies we always go on a Saturday or Sunday morning when the tickets are the cheapest $6/ticket vs. $11.25/ticket for an evening movie. Plus it's far less crowded and let's face it nowadays I like to be in bed by 9pm (yeah I'm a wild woman for sure).

I read all three books last summer and have been eagerly anticipating seeing this movie since finding out the opening date. We were having an issue trying to figure out who could watch Hunter but thankfully my mother is able to come down for a few hours. Kristian is actually somewhat excited to see this movie unlike the Twilight movies I've dragged him to. I filled him in on the plot and he's excited that this one has more action, fighting and a cool chick that likes to hunt with a bow and arrow (his preferred method of hunting as well). In fact while reading the book I told him if we ever have a daughter I bet she'll take after her father and be a lot like Katniss.

My coworker went to the midnight showing last night (super jeals!) and said it was good though of course not as good as the book but I don't care, I'm still excited.

Anyone else seeing the movie this weekend?

My Little Leprechun

Hunter celebrated his first St. Patrick's Day on Saturday by spending some quality time with Grandma and two of her friends who hadn't met him yet while daddy went fishing and mommy went to lunch with a friend. I think both my mom and our little Huntsman enjoyed their time together even though little man has been fussy all weekend due to a very stuffy nose. Kristian and I were up every hour with him last night, saying that I'm tired right now is a massive understatement. So pardon this super short post and just enjoy a few cute pics of the boy.

Hunter's "Good Luck Charmer" onesie from Old Navy

My MIL bought him this "I'm a McCutie" bib, I think from Carter's. He's been drooling and spitting up so much lately I try to keep bibs on him at all times so he doesn't ruin his tops.

This is how I found my mom and Hunter when I came home from lunch in their matching green tops and jeans.

We had intended on going out to dinner on Saturday to celebrate St. Patty's Day but Kristian was so tired from fishing and I was so full from my lunch that we just stayed in and went to bed early. Lame I know.