Motivated to Move

When I was on bed rest with Lily, I milked it. Didn't get outta bed unless I had to pee or eat for a while. When Eamon was home I said "But I just had a baby" more than I even thought possible. But the pass few weeks, staring at these same four walls, with the same 21 month old bouncing off of them, being hooked up to a newborn mouth...I've been ready to get out and about.

I've been itching to start working out already-no, really. I gained 26 pounds this time [take that 40 pounds during my first pregnancy!] and still managed to grow a slightly bigger baby and a placenta that I was VERY proud of :]  For some reason I've got this motivation to get out with the stroller [that should be here any day now...tick tock UPS!] and just walk my way back into my pre-maternity clothes. It's such a frustrating stage being too small for your maternity clothes and too chunky for your regular clothes. I've decided that the perfect postpartum gift is a $50 gift cert for new clothes. For real.

I've been very carefully studying the pages of Bleubird [especially Mama Style] and Dear Baby and I've come to the conclusion that button up shirts/dresses are the way to go. Last time with Lily I went for the Old Navy look of unstructured tees and sweaters that all of the cute, skinny as a rail, but I reiterate, adorable mamas out there tend to sport...but that just does not work for women with Salma Hayek-esque features [boobs]. So hopefully when I get a few extra bucks I can get down to Thrift Town and get some hot, old school button ups and a pair of shorts to outfit my body this summer.

Before I go, what post baby work out do you like best? What did you do?
Eamon saw me looking at Stroller Strides last night and said it was a good idea. But when I said I was looking for price information he said "Wait, what?! You pay for that!? No...that's something you just do with friends" So I'm on the hunt for something to do. Who knows, maybe lugging the girls up and down the stairs and pushing them in the stroller for a mile or two a couple of times a week will be enough!

Two horrible web cam pics of before and after [Lily lost our lens that goes on the camera...oy.]

 A few days before the birth

2 weeks pp still lookin about 3 months preggo ;]

Have a great weekend! I think I'll be getting out of the house!

Mae

Two Weeks

First of all, thank you all so much for the encouraging comments, emails, texts and phone calls over the past few days. Your support has been, well VITAL in this time of change.

These past few weeks have been extremely humbling, difficult, and fruitful. I can't believe how gracious God is. Something really weird has been happening too. I keep hearing things like "you're so strong," "you're such an encouragement," "you have such grace" and I want to be like "What the hell are you talking about?!?!" I tend to just say "It's not me, it's Jesus" but I feel like that's such a poser answer. I know so many fake people who would say that sort of thing and I know they don't believe it. But I do! I've felt so close to God since Norah's arrival, and I know Satan always uses times like this to put doubt in my heart-even if it's by pathetically making me concerned with what other people think.

These past two weeks have made me extremely ambitious. I have plans for these little girls, big ones. I've talked about having a specific charge from God to raise Godly, beautiful women before, and in the days leading up to Norah's birth I thought "Well what if we have a boy? Will that mean the Lord didn't really send me that message?" I don't think that at all, but raising up another little girl to my chest totally reassured me that I'm meant to spend some time raising these little women, and I'm more than excited.

Norah @ 2 weeks
She sucks her thumb sometimes. However cute you think that is, multiply it times ten, and your still not even close, it's adorable!
She nurses SO well and has the milk tongue to prove it.
She scoots close to me at night if I roll away...seriously!
Her baby acne is OUTOFCONTROL...I guess my hormones are a little crazy, sorry baby girl!
Her jaundice is finally clearing up out of her eyes! It never got really bad in her skin, but her eyes were yellow/green for a long time.
She smiles SO much...it melts my heart.
When she nurses, she sounds like a goose! Lily would hum and moan, but Norah honks like a goose!

I'll have an update on how the whole family's doing soon, until then, have a wonderful week!
Mae

Transition

Today was...weird.

It seems like I'm going through another time of transition, and this one is going to be long too. Something I learned from my labor with Norah though, is that I dare not fight it.

Lily cried almost every time I nursed Norah, which lead to me putting Norah in her swing a lot [and using a pacifier...shoot me] Norah couldn't sleep for more than about 15 mins since 2 pm, and couldn't nurse for more than 5 for some reason [I FINALLY got her to sleep an hour ago by strapping her in the Moby and rocking her. I'm terrified to take her out and try to go to sleep myself though.] and I feel like I'm at a breaking point, but actually have no idea what that means.

I've had some amazing friends ask to take Lily so Norah and I can get some rest, but it's been such a hard thing to deal with. Since we don't have any family here, Lily's never been anywhere without Eamon or me. So we have to deal with, "No, I promise she'll bring you back" on top of  "No, we aren't sending you away because Norah's here" on top of  "Please don't kill my child with peanuts, here's the Epi-Pen." I just don't know what to do at this point.

I read on another mom's blog recently

"But then, I remembered some advice I had heard a long time ago about bringing a new baby home and having an older child (or children) act out.

YOU PUT THE BABY DOWN.
Yes.
You put the baby down as soon as your older kid's behavior has reached a point where you need to act, and you take care of the situation. You discipline. With the same firmness and resolve you would have if you didn't have a newborn in your arms.
Your baby will probably cry.
Oh well! 
It's really not the end of the world.

You show your older children that they can not walk all over you, and then you go pick the baby back up again and continue nursing/soothing/smooching the wee one."

and dangit, I have been, but I feel like I've been ignoring my maternal instincts to a certain extent. All of a sudden I have a baby who wants to sleep in a swing and suck on a pacifier...uh...NOT MY KID!! It feels weird, it doesn't feel like I'm being the mom I know I can be, the mom I was for Lily, the mom I WANT to be for Norah. I feel like I'm sneaking in moments with Norah between telling Lily "No", cleaning up her messes, and trying to keep her from freaking out.

I know this is probably all very temporary...but I'm very ready for it to be over...

Oh transition...

Mae