6 Month update

I know I know, I should be posting a 7 month update but I am really far behind.  It has been a busy couple of months that I am going to recap in a few posts.  Currently, I am holed up inside my house waiting out the second of two typhoons in as many days so I have some time to get everything posted.

Now I Can: consistently roll from back to front, say "da-da", feed myself puffs

I Love: playing with the puppies, eating solid foods, and playing peek a boo

Daddy's Home!!!

DH finally came home from his "Guamazing" trip and we couldn't be happier.  Even though I kept myself busy (Does watching 8 seasons of Grey's Anatomy count??) I did miss talking to my best friend everyday.  These little trips are good for us though, what is the saying "distance makes the heart grow fonder"?  It keeps the relationship fresh and new and prevents falling into a rut. 

I tried to keep up with the photos everyday but that didn't happen but here's what I got off my iPhone.  I'll load the ones from my computer later...

Missing Daddy Project

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Unfortunately, I forgot :(

                                                                           Day 6

5 Months Revisited

So, I completely forgot about the 5 month update with a picture...  I'm beginning to think pregnant brain is becoming a chronic problem :)  I've also decided that while DH is on "vacation" I'm going to take a selfie with Ethan everyday he is gone so he can still feel connected to us while he is so far away.  Enjoy!

5 Months

I Love: playing with my feet, laughing, sucking on my hands, rolling from side to side to see what is going on, splashing around in the bath tub, and sitting in the ocean with mama at the beach.

Now I Can: almost roll from my back to my tummy, make sounds like "ma-ma", eat oatmeal, scoot around the floor on my back to see things, finally touch the ground in my jumperoo, and wear 3-6 month clothes. 

Missing Daddy Day 1

Day 2

photo bomb courtesy of Blitz

August Update

August is the month where my workouts and diet take it to the next level.  DH is off on a vacation for most of the month and it gives me time to regroup and get my shit together.  I plan on going back to the states in September and I don't want to be carrying around all this extra weight.  

Today was another exhausting workout in the middle of this Okinawa heat/humidity.  I don't know how the locals deal with this heat, I saw a woman today in a turtleneck, jeans, and stockings under the jeans.  I almost had a heat stroke FOR her.  

Anyways, neither here nor there, here is the workout we did today with my time posted below:

August 8, 2013 WOD

Run 400m

~THEN~

3 rounds of:

12 Ring Dips

8 Strict Pull-ups

~THEN~

Run 400m

Time- 13:35

Here's the photo of the day: Ada getting her cuddles on with her favorite little man.  They are going to be best friends. 

Getting Rid of the Baby Weight!

So it has been five days since I started my diet and I've lost a total of five pounds!!  I still have a long way to go and I hope to get within 10 pounds of my goal weight by the end of the year but the Crossfit workouts are really helping.  Everyday is a trial and error to find what foods I can eat and still lose weight while breastfeeding because I have notice my milk supply dropping since I've started working out regularly.   However, since Ethan hasn't been gaining much weight, we have been supplementing with formula for the last two months so the drop in milk supply hasn't been an issue.
In order to keep up with my progress at Crossfit, I am going to start logging my daily WOD with my time/reps.  Here is what we did today...

WOD 7/29-

50 Dbl Unders

9 V Ups

9 KB Swings (20#)

50 Dbl Unders

15 V Ups

15 KB Swings

50 Dbl Unders

21 V Ups

21 KB Swings

Time: 10:00 min

And finally, here is my little man who turned 5 Months yesterday!! 

4 Month Photos!

A friend of mine here on the island is an amateur photographer and offered to take some of me and Ethan for his 4 month pics this last week and they turned out amazing!!  I can't wait for her to take some more!  I might have to get a nice camera as well and take up photography.  I couldn't ask for a better subject matter...

"Don't mind the naked baby in the basket in the park.  Nothing to see here."

The locals thought we were strange.

Baby Weight Resolution

It has been 4.5 months since I had Ethan and I have reached a plateau with losing the baby weight.  Of the 30 lbs I gained, I have lost 20 lbs (all within the first 3 weeks) but haven't been able to lose any more.  I've been watching my food and exercising more but I haven't seen any noticeable results.  Off and on for the last few weeks, I have started doing CrossFit workouts and they are intense!  I have to pull myself together and attend regular workouts so I can hopefully see the scale go down.
I honestly thought losing the baby weight would be easy if I was exclusively breastfeeding but alas that was not the case.  I was overweight when I got pregnant and now with the baby weight, I am getting desperate to lose the weight.
As I continue down this weight loss journey, I will keep updates on my workouts, diets, and whatever else seems to work for me.  My goal is to get within 10 lbs of my goal weight by the end of the year so wish me luck!

On a completely unrelated note, here are a couple of photos from last week-

Enjoying a nice Sunday lunch with my boys 

I can't get over how cute this little boy of mine is!!

Photo Dump

We've been having so much fun this summer, I thought I would highlight some of the photos from my iPhone to share.

Trying to beat the heat at our 4th of July squadron BBQ 

Mommy's little helper

Such a turkey!

I can't believe my boy is getting so big.  It's true what they say, they really do grow up so fast!

This week's milestone was starting cereal mixed with breastmilk.  Ethan was a little unsure of it the first day but I think he really started to enjoy it by Day 3.  So far we are only doing cereal at one feeding per day.  I still mostly breastfeed and supplement one meal with formula, don't want him to grow up too fast!  He will only be this age once.  The doctor said we can start purees at 6 months so I went out and bought a small food processor to experiment.

4 Month Check In

It seems like the time is flying by and I'm afraid I might miss something.  My boy is getting so big and so is his personality!

This is my favorite picture of my little man so far...  how can I say no to that smile???

Ethan @ 4 Months

              I Love: chewing on my toys, cuddling with mama, "talking" and laughing with daddy, and having mama wake me up in the morning her special way

Now I Can: roll from my tummy to my back, hold my head up and check out what's going on around me, recognize and mimic the sounds mama and daddy make, and sleep 12 hours at night (mama sure loves that!) 

Baby Must Haves

So I was talking with a friend today and even though I have been a mom for a few short months, I told her about some of my must-have baby items for when she has kids.  When I put my registry together, I didn't have very many friends with babies so I had no idea what items were amazing and which were... not.  So I had to do my own research and am pretty happy with the items I came up with, so I am going to share with y'all some of my favs...

First up is the Graco 2 in 1 Glider/Bouncer, now this isn't the exact one I have but this one seems a little more efficient than the one I have.  I have the Graco Duo 2 in 1 Swing/Bouncer which is a traditional swing where the seat is removed and used as a bouncer.  It's great because if your child prefers one over the other you don't have to clutter your house with two machines and you can easily pick up the seat and move it around the house.  The only difference is the item pictured "glides" and takes up less space, which I would've loved but I didn't even know this existed last year. 

Again this is very similar to what I have (Graco Pack and Play with Newborn Napper) but in the model pictured, the Graco Pack n Play with Cuddle Cove LX Rocking Seat, the Napper station is removable so you can move the baby around the house.  This would have been perfect for us since from Day 1 Ethan has slept in his crib swaddled but he would wake himself but rolling to each side, but he slept great during the day in the Pack n Play downstairs.  This would've allowed us to remove the Napper (which rocks by the way) and place it IN the crib like a bassinet.  Also, this model has a noise machine which is great!

For the longest time, I thought the Baby Bjorn carriers were a waste of money but it has taken me two mediocre carriers to finally break down and get one and let me tell you, it is worth it!  We were using a Mei Tai sash but it was a fiasco putting it on and Ethan never sat in it correctly so we were both uncomfortable.  I found a used Baby Bjorn and wonder what took me so long.  Ethan is on the smaller side and this carrier fits him perfectly and he really seems happy in it.  Not to mention it is super easy to put on and get baby in it.  Definitely worth the money, but let's be honest, it is probably only $20 more than most other carriers out there and this was the third one I had to get.  

This is the Baby Einstein Baby Neptune Ocean Adventure Gym, it comes with various toys that hang from the arch and a wonderful whale pillow that we use to rest Ethan's head and to prop him up during tummy time.  One of the best features is the mini soother that attaches to the arch that plays music and has flashing lights.  Ethan can't get enough of this thing and I love the ocean theme so it is a win win.  

This was an item that I did not request but was given at my shower and it has been amazing as a soother in Ethan's crib.  This is the Cloud B On the Go Sound Machine.  It is slightly smaller than it's full size sibling and it attaches to any car seat, stroller, or crib.  It plays four different sounds at varying tempos depending on what you want.  I currently use it in the crib at night to put Ethan to sleep but I can also attach it to his car seat when we go for trips and he loves it.  

I had always heard about the benefits of swaddling so I purchased only one of these before Ethan was born when I was still in the States and boy should I have stocked up.  We tired swaddling him with receiving blankets but I was not very good at it and DH went to bed long before me and the baby so these SwaddleMe things from Summer Infant were a lifesaver.  Summer Infant also makes a Swaddle Pod which zips up and is super easy to use, especially for newborns.  But now that Ethan has outgrown the pod we upgraded him to the SwaddleMe which has velcro wings that wrap him up like a burrito and keep him happy.  I believe these things are why Ethan is sleeping 8-12 hours at night and that makes me happy!

Last but not least is the Wubbanub.  I had never heard of these before but they are so great, I own three and buy them for every baby shower I attend.  It is basically a Soothie pacifier with a small stuffed animal attached, this keeps the pacifier in the baby's mouth and allows the baby to grasp the animal to hold for comfort.  These are great at night when Ethan is swaddled, the Wubbanub (we have two of the red dogs in the picture and a green frog) lays on his chest and keeps the Soothie in his mouth even when he moves  around.  I keep one in his crib at all times and one downstairs in his carseat.   They are also machine washable for easy cleaning.

So there is a rundown of my favorite products.  Enjoy!!

May Days

It is so funny blogging, I never know how to start a post or what to call it :)  I have never been good at writing or keeping a journal but I'll eventually figure it out.  

Ethan is 11 weeks today and is an absolutely perfect baby.  Now I know this can change at any time but for now I will enjoy what an amazing baby he is.  Around the time he was 8 or 9 weeks old he put himself on his own schedule.  The book The Baby Whisperer calls it the EASY schedule, E is for eating, A is for activity, S is sleep, and Y is you.  Every three hours, like clockwork, Ethan has been following this schedule.  He will eat, then play on his activity mat or jumperoo for around 45 mins then he will show signs of being tired and will go down for a 1 - 1.5 hr nap which gives me time to clean the house, craft, or whatever else I want to do.  I will enjoy it for as long as I can :)

Here is a photo my first Mother's Day.  DH got me some beautiful roses and a ballon and took me out to lunch.  It was the perfect day as we spent the rest of the afternoon cuddled up at home (we even got to take a nap!)

Next on the iPhone photo dump is a great picture of a boy and his dog.  Ada is happy to sit and pose for a picture, she can hardly contain her excitement.  I just love Ethan's little faces he makes all day, it melts my heart.

Now I just had to include this silly picture.  This was when he discovered his tongue and that he could stick it out at people... such a turkey!

More pictures and adventures to come!

Has it really been two months??

My little boy is two months tomorrow and I can't believe how time flies.  I know it's cliche but it seems like only a few days ago we were bringing him home from the hospital.  Each and everyday more of his personality is starting to show and we are realizing we have a pretty chill baby on our hands.  We have taken him everywhere with us, trying to expose him to as many things as possible.   
DH and I consider ourselves blessed to have such a perfect baby in our lives and can't wait for the many more adventures to come.

One month old 

Earlier this month Ethan attended his 1st "First Friday" at the Bat Cave and had a great time.  He has been to a couple playdates, getting to meet all the new babies around the squadron and making new friends.  He was an allstar at Warrior Banquet where, despite the loud noise, he was happy as a clam and didn't fuss at all the entire night.

Not sure if he loves or fears Sparky aka Papa in a Rooster Costume

Ethan's First Easter

DH and I consider ourselves blessed to have such a perfect baby in our lives and can't wait for the many more adventures to come.

Ethan has made his arrival...

I know it has been over a month but I am so happy to say that he is finally here!  After four false alarms and 15 hours of labor we welcomed Ethan Ray into the world February 28th at 7:46 pm weighing 7 lbs 1.4 oz and 21 in long!!!

It all started at 4am when I began having very noticeable, painful contractions.  After timing them for 4 hours, we made the decision to go to the hospital around 9.  DH was thinking this was another false alarm but I had a feeling it was the real thing because it was so damn painful.  We get to the hospital and I am put in the triage room where after checking me out, the Dr. determines I am only 4cm dilated (apparently you have to be at a 5 to be admitted) and tells me to go home and come back in a couple of hours.  Mind you, I had 3 contractions just getting dressed so I knew this wasn't going to be a fun ride home.  Sure enough, we barely get back to base and while driving around trying to kill time, I get a wave of nausea immediately throw up on myself in the car.  After going home and cleaning up, we head back to the hospital because at this point I cannot handle the pain any longer.  The Dr. says I haven't progressed any but they would check me in to give me some morphine for the pain but while they are checking vitals and doing paperwork, I finally make it to a 5 and they bypass the morphine and go straight for the epidural Thank the Lord!  By 1 pm I was sitting pretty comfortable and even got a nap in.  It wasn't until 7 when I began pushing and 46 minutes later Ethan come out with little trouble and no interventions.  The Dr. remarked at how once he got in the room, it was three pushes and the baby was out!  Ethan came out a perfectly healthy and very alert baby and momma and papa were very happy.  

Ethan has been such a joy to our lives, filling a space we didn't even know was missing.  Watching him grow more and more each day is such an amazing experience, it makes the cluster feedings and sleep deprivation all worth it. 

It's Time!!!

Well my due date came and went and still no little Ethan...  However, I was fortunate enough to finally get the nursery together in time for his arrival, whenever that may be.

This last month of pregnancy has been the most challenging, both mentally and physically.  We have been to the hospital two times with false alarms and with each passing day, my body is becoming a wreck.  I just want this baby to make his arrival soon.  I am not a fan of this waiting game but what choice do I have?  Here is a photo of me at 40 weeks 1 day, let's hope the next photo I take will be with little Ethan!!

Life is good...

A lot has happened since my last post and DH and I are embarking on the next big adventure of our lives.  We have successfully moved to Okinawa, Japan!!! 

Both dogs made it here ok and baby is doing well and I am so thankful for this amazing adventure that we get to experience as a family.  Pregnancy update: I am currently 34 weeks along and as the due date approaches next month, I still have so many things to get done.  Our household goods have not arrived yet so there is nothing in the nursery except paint on the wall, which makes me a little nervous but I am told our stuff will be here soon so no worries.  

In preparation for how much life is going to change after Baby Easter arrives, I have been reading a handful of pregnancy books and the latest one is called "One Hot Mama" by Erin Cox.  Erin Cox is another F-15 spouse and her book is all about ways to pull yourself together after having a baby.  

I am currently only a few chapters in but one of her tips is to start a journal (which means I am going to have to take this blog a little more serious and write more) and in that journal make sure you include 5  things you are thankful for each day to put everything into perspective.  

The five things I am thankful for today are

1) Having an awesome husband who supports our family and gets up everyday and serves our country

2) To be given me the opportunity to not work for 3 years while we are on our overseas tour so I can be with our son and pursue my Masters in the future

3) I have had a relatively symptom free pregnancy with no complications, when I hear what other women have gone through it makes my food aversions, occasional back pain, and handful of stretch marks not seem so bad.

4) For the on base housing roof over our heads that provides all the space we are going to need while in Japan

5) That our two German Shepherds made the trip safely because they bring joy and happiness to our lives everyday 

I haven't used this blog very much I will be filling it soon with pictures and stories of all our Okinawa adventures including the birth of our baby boy in February so stay tuned!!!