Eleanor Isabella was born Wednesday, January 25, at 10:03am. Six pounds, two ounces, and 19 inches of perfection and sheer cuteness! Eleanor is already such a love. More updates to follow!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Introducing...
I know I don't update this blog very often, but my current reason for not being on is that I was busy having a baby!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Nesting
First, an updated belly photo at almost 38 weeks:
I remember hearing a lot about the "nesting" instinct, a.k.a, when a pregnant woman obsessively prepares for childbirth by getting the house ready for the baby. I heard it can manifest itself in bizarre ways, from obsessive cleaning with only a toothbrush or organizing and reorganizing the silverware. A few weeks ago, I was paranoid that since I wasn't nesting (a.k.a. obsessively preparing my house), that it meant I wasn't ready or prepared to be a mom. I was worried there was something truly wrong.
And then I got on a laundry kick. Suddenly, all baby clothes and baby paraphernalia needed to be laundered and folded immediately. If she was going to touch it, it needed to be washed. I panicked when I saw that one of her lovey blankets was instructed to be spot cleaned only, and should never be emerged in water. Turning to my husband for solace and advice, he told me to calm down and not worry about it -- the baby would survive. And four loads of laundry later, I felt quite accomplished, until I realized I had forgotten to wash her changing pad cover. Dang. Now, I'm terrified I'm turning into one of those hovering, panicked mothers I swore I'd never be. Or, I'm just letting my primal instinct take over.
The next episode of nesting manifested itself in making sure my pantry and house were stocked with essential items, a.k.a hoarding. I just HAD to have enough toilet paper (I think we have over forty rolls of Charmin in the house right now), and I was hellbent on ensuring we had plenty toothpaste, shampoo, and face wash to last through the Apocalypse. The cats need food -- $120 later at Petco, I was finally satisfied that we just might make it through and the cats wouldn't starve. And I purchased the largest bottle of olive oil made in the Western world.
My last phase of "nesting" has been stocking the house with enough food. I wanted to make sure we have plenty of healthy options to eat in the house so I'm not tempted to order pizza every night for the first few weeks of our daughter's life. Recently, I've made butternut squash soup, meatballs and sauce, and a beef stew. I ran to the grocery store to stalk up on frozen fruits and vegetables, constantly questioning if I had enough. I started buying snacks of nuts, dried fruit, Larabars, and Clif Bars (full of junk, but at least they keep in the pantry and are cheaper than Larabars), although I now need to go out and purchase more dried fruit and nuts (it never ends!). Here's the end result:
I realize that yes, we will have to go to the grocery store once she's here, but at least it's a start.
So, my nesting instinct has started to kick into full gear, and we have the essentials for her once she comes: outfits, diapers, wipes, blankets, bassinet, and a pack 'n play. I'm realizing that I'll never fully be prepared for the change that's about it come, and I'm trying to be mindful of the fact that she doesn't need a whole lot of stuff to be a healthy, well cared for newborn. And after all that cooking, I think it's time for bed. And who knows -- maybe I will grab that toothbrush soon.
And then I got on a laundry kick. Suddenly, all baby clothes and baby paraphernalia needed to be laundered and folded immediately. If she was going to touch it, it needed to be washed. I panicked when I saw that one of her lovey blankets was instructed to be spot cleaned only, and should never be emerged in water. Turning to my husband for solace and advice, he told me to calm down and not worry about it -- the baby would survive. And four loads of laundry later, I felt quite accomplished, until I realized I had forgotten to wash her changing pad cover. Dang. Now, I'm terrified I'm turning into one of those hovering, panicked mothers I swore I'd never be. Or, I'm just letting my primal instinct take over.
The next episode of nesting manifested itself in making sure my pantry and house were stocked with essential items, a.k.a hoarding. I just HAD to have enough toilet paper (I think we have over forty rolls of Charmin in the house right now), and I was hellbent on ensuring we had plenty toothpaste, shampoo, and face wash to last through the Apocalypse. The cats need food -- $120 later at Petco, I was finally satisfied that we just might make it through and the cats wouldn't starve. And I purchased the largest bottle of olive oil made in the Western world.
My last phase of "nesting" has been stocking the house with enough food. I wanted to make sure we have plenty of healthy options to eat in the house so I'm not tempted to order pizza every night for the first few weeks of our daughter's life. Recently, I've made butternut squash soup, meatballs and sauce, and a beef stew. I ran to the grocery store to stalk up on frozen fruits and vegetables, constantly questioning if I had enough. I started buying snacks of nuts, dried fruit, Larabars, and Clif Bars (full of junk, but at least they keep in the pantry and are cheaper than Larabars), although I now need to go out and purchase more dried fruit and nuts (it never ends!). Here's the end result:
So, my nesting instinct has started to kick into full gear, and we have the essentials for her once she comes: outfits, diapers, wipes, blankets, bassinet, and a pack 'n play. I'm realizing that I'll never fully be prepared for the change that's about it come, and I'm trying to be mindful of the fact that she doesn't need a whole lot of stuff to be a healthy, well cared for newborn. And after all that cooking, I think it's time for bed. And who knows -- maybe I will grab that toothbrush soon.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Quick Updates
Primal update: the week started out strong, but hit a huge blip over the weekend, mostly from going out to get food in social settings, which lead me to eat greasy pizza, lots of rice, and some bread. I'm looking forward to putting the weekend behind me and getting in protein and veggies tomorrow. The pantry is clear of any non-primal food, with the exception of the sugar that I kept (even though I rarely use sugar, I just didn't know how to part with it for some twisted reason). The crackers and pasta are completely gone, because I knew if I had them around once baby made her appearance, I would eat them like they were going out of style. I also have plenty of almonds, almond butter, almond meal, coconut flour, and coconut oil. I just need to figure out how to incorporate the coconut into my diet, as it's something I've rarely used before.
On the plus side, I've given up my addictive granola habit cold turkey, and I'm quite pleased! And I haven't made myself hot chocolate in over a week. Minor victories! In a way, I feel like I'm relearning my primal ways. I slowly eliminated foods before, and I feel like that's the same route I'm taking now. Hopefully this upcoming week will be easier.
CrossFit update:
I've been getting a lot of pelvic pain from this child recently. It usually happens when I stand up from a seated position, and disappears pretty quickly. But on Friday at my box, as we were warming up with air squats before our WOD, it came back with a vengeance. I was perplexed. I had just back squatted 100 x 10 a few days ago and felt fine. Why would air squats bother me? I sat down for a few minutes until it subsided, and decided I would continue with the strength portion of our WOD (which for me, was push jerks). I ended up at 85 x 2, which felt like a comfortable weight -- not heavy, but high enough that I didn't feel like going any further. So, I took a quick trip to the bathroom, and the pain returned again. And it just wouldn't go away. My fellow CrossFitters and coach knew there was something wrong by the look on my face, and we all agreed that I should sit the WOD out. So, I acted as cheerleader, kept track of scores, and called my midwife. She said the pain was nothing out of the ordinary, but it seemed like I was pushing myself too hard, so she told me to park myself on the couch for the rest of the day, drink water, and take it easy this weekend. I have an appointment tomorrow, so I'm hoping I'll be cleared for some exercise; perhaps some "CrossFit Lite." Worst case scenario, I hope I can at least go for walks! We'll see what this peanut lets me do.
Baby update: The nesting instinct is kicking in high gear. I'll write more about this next time, but I've been obsessed with cooking and freezing food (so far, I've made almost five pounds of paleo meatballs and spaghetti squash), and I had a burning need to make sure we had plenty of soap, toilet paper, and frozen veggies in the house. I've done three loads of baby laundry and still have more to go. This week, I'm hoping to make a paleo stew and butternut squash soup to freeze, and the car seat base is in the car. Slowly, things are falling into place, but I'm hitting the anxious stage. Time's a-ticking away! I'm so hyped up, this "take it easy" thing is kind of frustrating.
Question: are there any laundry detergent alternatives to Dreft? It's just so expensive, and I don't know if it's really a necessary expense. Are there other products out there?
On the plus side, I've given up my addictive granola habit cold turkey, and I'm quite pleased! And I haven't made myself hot chocolate in over a week. Minor victories! In a way, I feel like I'm relearning my primal ways. I slowly eliminated foods before, and I feel like that's the same route I'm taking now. Hopefully this upcoming week will be easier.
CrossFit update:
I've been getting a lot of pelvic pain from this child recently. It usually happens when I stand up from a seated position, and disappears pretty quickly. But on Friday at my box, as we were warming up with air squats before our WOD, it came back with a vengeance. I was perplexed. I had just back squatted 100 x 10 a few days ago and felt fine. Why would air squats bother me? I sat down for a few minutes until it subsided, and decided I would continue with the strength portion of our WOD (which for me, was push jerks). I ended up at 85 x 2, which felt like a comfortable weight -- not heavy, but high enough that I didn't feel like going any further. So, I took a quick trip to the bathroom, and the pain returned again. And it just wouldn't go away. My fellow CrossFitters and coach knew there was something wrong by the look on my face, and we all agreed that I should sit the WOD out. So, I acted as cheerleader, kept track of scores, and called my midwife. She said the pain was nothing out of the ordinary, but it seemed like I was pushing myself too hard, so she told me to park myself on the couch for the rest of the day, drink water, and take it easy this weekend. I have an appointment tomorrow, so I'm hoping I'll be cleared for some exercise; perhaps some "CrossFit Lite." Worst case scenario, I hope I can at least go for walks! We'll see what this peanut lets me do.
Baby update: The nesting instinct is kicking in high gear. I'll write more about this next time, but I've been obsessed with cooking and freezing food (so far, I've made almost five pounds of paleo meatballs and spaghetti squash), and I had a burning need to make sure we had plenty of soap, toilet paper, and frozen veggies in the house. I've done three loads of baby laundry and still have more to go. This week, I'm hoping to make a paleo stew and butternut squash soup to freeze, and the car seat base is in the car. Slowly, things are falling into place, but I'm hitting the anxious stage. Time's a-ticking away! I'm so hyped up, this "take it easy" thing is kind of frustrating.
Question: are there any laundry detergent alternatives to Dreft? It's just so expensive, and I don't know if it's really a necessary expense. Are there other products out there?
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