It has been about 7 months since my last post. Wow - that is a long time. Here is what has been going on.
1) I am no longer coaching volleyball.
2) I am not running - I would like to, but I just haven't gotten back into it. I have been using http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ to count my calories and been doing as many Insanity workouts as I can. Go to http://www.beachbody.com/ for Insanity and other workouts. My coach is Lea Fanelli - she has been a great source of encouragement and information.
3) We moved out of our apartment and started renting a house.
4) I started seedlings for a garden.
5) I bought Vibrant Health from http://www.getpurevitality.com/ to learn about eating whole, raw foods that provide the body with the nutrients it needs. It has great recipes - even deserts! I love that my shopping cart is 85 - 90% fruits and veggies. I took a break from working out to begin to eat this way to allow my body time to "build itself up" with all the nutrients it had been missing. It has made working out easier is terms of having the proper nutrition my body needs to keep up with the demands of working out.
6) I am still nursing Jadon - almost 12 months now! I am super proud of this and enjoy the time and special bond with my son. Jadon will be a year on Easter! How fast time flies. He is crawling and cruising all over the place. He loves playing in his playroom and watching his movies.
7) We paid off almost all of our debt - we only have my car payment left and that will be paid off in October of this year! Praise Jesus!
8) We bought a new living room and dining room set - first time my husband and I have bought furniture together since we have been married. Oh, and we paid for it all in CASH! I am saving up for the hutch.
9) I linked up with West Cobb Moms on Meetup and I am the Baby Young Toddler Event Coordinator. I host a play group at my house biweekly and find other activities to do.
10) I am praying about my area of ministry. I am thinking about getting back into Youth Ministry. Not sure of where this will go - call me crazy, but I miss interacting with high school kids (missing my teaching days, but not the teaching!)
That is about it in a nutshell. More blogs to come!
Showing posts with label Nursing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nursing. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Georgia Aquarium
I am a huge fan of zoos and aquariums. I grew up going to Brookfield Zoo and the Shedd Aquarium. My favorite thing to do a Brookfield Zoo was to watch the dolphin show. I loved it so much that I dreamed of becoming a dolphin trainer when I grew up. At the Shedd Aquarium ,it was watching the Beluga Whale show. The Beluga Whale tank is right on Lake Michigan, so it looks like the whales are swimming in the lake.
This past Sunday, my Brother and Sister in law asked us if we would like to go with them to the Georgia Aquarium. Absolutely!
The Aquarium is set up by different regions or water climates. Cold Water Quest, Georgia Explorer, Ocean Voyager, River Scout, and Tropical Diver. Each one is unique and beautiful in its own way. I love watching the otters play and see the brilliant colors of the tropical fish. Ocean Voyager is amazing with its four whale sharks and the only manta rays in the US, not to mention all the other fish in the exhibit. It was great to see wildlife specific to Georgia showcased in the Georgia Explorer section.
This past Sunday, my Brother and Sister in law asked us if we would like to go with them to the Georgia Aquarium. Absolutely!
The Aquarium is set up by different regions or water climates. Cold Water Quest, Georgia Explorer, Ocean Voyager, River Scout, and Tropical Diver. Each one is unique and beautiful in its own way. I love watching the otters play and see the brilliant colors of the tropical fish. Ocean Voyager is amazing with its four whale sharks and the only manta rays in the US, not to mention all the other fish in the exhibit. It was great to see wildlife specific to Georgia showcased in the Georgia Explorer section.
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| Josh and Jadon at Ocean Voyager |
The Aquarium was crowded, so navigating with a stroller was interesting and was hard to linger at a tank to fully take it in. I would have loved to a few minutes really looking at each tank without any disruptions.
We were at the Aquarium for half a day, so that meant I would have to nurse Jadon a few times. One time I was standing in the Ocean Voyager observation room and nursed Jadon standing up. I use a Bebe au lait nursing cover and after over 3 months of nursing, I am not nervous about nursing in public. I try to be discreet and respectful to those around me, but if I flash someone accidentally, oh well.
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| Lionfish |
I was enjoying myself and was thinking about my next visit to the Georgia Aquarium (we bought season passes) - I will be going during the week next time! We decided to go to Taco Mac by the Georgia World Congress Center instead of eating at the Aquarium - $5 for a hotdog - I rather get real food. The walk over there was about 5 minutes or so and it was enjoyable since it was cooler Sunday.
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| Stingray - In a shallow tank so you can touch them |
When we got back, we decided to by tickets to see the Dolphin Tales Show. I was excited because I love dolphin shows! BIG MISTAKE!!! Don't waste your money!!!! The seats are VERY uncomfortable and close together. It was difficult to see what was going on at the front of the tank. The performance centered around a man singing and telling his story. I would have rather the dolphins be the center of the show. The performance had great special affects, lights, sounds, wind blowing, water spouts, etc. For how much money was spent on the auditorium, the show was very disappointing. The only good thing was that a mom that sat next to me said that she was glad to see me nursing Jadon and wished more mothers would nurse in public.
All in all, I liked the Georgia Aquarium and will go back (we have season passes), but I won't be going to the Dolphin Tales Show again.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Co-Sleeping
Co-sleeping is one of those topics that people are strongly for or strongly against. My midwife suggested co-sleeping during my prenatal care. I decided that I would have our pack'n play right next to the bed and use that instead of having the baby in the bed with us. Remember what they say about best laid plans? Well, mine flew out the window and Jadon began sleeping with us.
A few weeks ago, I decided that I just can't co-sleep anymore. Jadon was an active, noisy sleeper who would somehow scoot himself sideways and put his head in my back and his feet in Josh's. Or he would scoot right up against me, pushing me to the edge of the bed. How in the world could this little thing take up so much of the bed?! My sleep really began to deteriorate - I was crabby and my body was sore.
I came to the conclusion that I do not like to cuddle while I am sleeping and that I need my space to be able to move around. I talked to Josh about getting a King sized bed, but I don't think that would have helped. Jadon would have scooted right over next to me anyways.
As I thought about a solution to this, I felt guilty. How could I not like cuddling with my son? (I really do, just not when I am sleeping.)
About that time we took a trip to Florida. Where we stayed had 2 twin beds. One night Josh said that he would sleep with Jadon and wake me up when he got up so I could nurse him. It was music to my ears. I slept so good that night.
When we got home a few days later, I decided to try putting Jadon down in his crib at night. At this point he was 11 weeks old and sleeping a good 6 hours at a time consistently. He immediately took to sleeping in the crib and only wakes up once during the night for a diaper change and to nurse. Had he not taken well to to sleeping in the crib, I would have kept him in bed with us for a bit longer and tried again in a few weeks.
If anyone would ask me about co-sleeping, I would tell them to give it a try and see how it goes. I did really like it the first few weeks and it made nursing every 2 to 3 hours easier.
A few weeks ago, I decided that I just can't co-sleep anymore. Jadon was an active, noisy sleeper who would somehow scoot himself sideways and put his head in my back and his feet in Josh's. Or he would scoot right up against me, pushing me to the edge of the bed. How in the world could this little thing take up so much of the bed?! My sleep really began to deteriorate - I was crabby and my body was sore.
I came to the conclusion that I do not like to cuddle while I am sleeping and that I need my space to be able to move around. I talked to Josh about getting a King sized bed, but I don't think that would have helped. Jadon would have scooted right over next to me anyways.
As I thought about a solution to this, I felt guilty. How could I not like cuddling with my son? (I really do, just not when I am sleeping.)
About that time we took a trip to Florida. Where we stayed had 2 twin beds. One night Josh said that he would sleep with Jadon and wake me up when he got up so I could nurse him. It was music to my ears. I slept so good that night.
When we got home a few days later, I decided to try putting Jadon down in his crib at night. At this point he was 11 weeks old and sleeping a good 6 hours at a time consistently. He immediately took to sleeping in the crib and only wakes up once during the night for a diaper change and to nurse. Had he not taken well to to sleeping in the crib, I would have kept him in bed with us for a bit longer and tried again in a few weeks.
If anyone would ask me about co-sleeping, I would tell them to give it a try and see how it goes. I did really like it the first few weeks and it made nursing every 2 to 3 hours easier.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
First Doctor Visit
I got to the office and had to fill out new patient paperwork ~ Jadon started crying,
Vitamin D for Jadon was suggested since I am exclusively breastfeeding.
- Nursed, checked phone for information, and filled out 5 pages of paperwork at the same time!
Talked about vaccination schedules.
- Decided to follow Dr. Sears' Alternative Vaccine Schedule with possibly a few of my own changes.
- I was scared about Jadon getting a shot ~ he did great! Hardly cried at all!
- Realized that I will be at the doctor's office once a month for the next 5 months.
Vitamin D for Jadon was suggested since I am exclusively breastfeeding.
- Shook my head that I understood, but it wasn't brought up again.
- Still unsure how I am going to do it. I will use the swing more - he falls asleep on his own in it and if he wakes up he will go back to sleep.
- Biggest concern is not creating problems down the line.
- Sometimes I just love holding him while he sleeps and other times I want to get things done.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Fit Friday # 1 (A Day Late)
On Monday I went to Swift Cantrell Park to walk 2 miles. Before I left I made sure Jadon had a clean diaper and was fed, hoping that would keep him happy while on the drive there, during the walk, and home again. What I didn't realize is how much time it took to do all of this.
During the day, Jadon usually wants to be fed every 2 hours or so. I was hoping to get to the park, walk and home again before he wanted to be fed again. After I fed him, it took me almost 20 minutes to get in my walking clothes, get my water bottle, and make sure I had everything I needed in the diaper bag, then it takes about 15 minutes to get to the park and about 35 minutes to walk 2 miles.
Jadon slept on the way to the park and for the first mile. At that point he had his fill of the infant seat in the stroller. Luckily I learned to bring my Bjorn with me on outings for when he wants to get out of the seat. He really doesn't take a pacifier well, so that doesn't help calm him down - he shoots it out of his mouth like a missile! Mile 2 was completed with Jadon in the Bjorn while I pushed an empty stroller! It was hard to tell what people thought when they saw me, sunglasses hid their eyes, but I did get a few smiles - not sure if they were laughing smiles or friendly smiles, but I smiled back.
After I was done walking, I decided I didn't want to leave just yet and headed to the pavilions. I changed Jadon and feed him hoping it would buy me more time but it didn't. Nursing on a bench with no back isn't all that comfortable, so it didn't go that well. Time to go home - after 5 minutes in the car, the crying began with increasing intensity. When that happens, I just try to get home as fast as I can.
Thursday I wanted to walk again, but decided I am not going to the park again for awhile, so I just walked around where I live. I have this awesome app on my iPhone called Log Your Run- its is free. It uses GPS to determine how far and how fast you are going, plays music from my iPod, saves the data, and posts to social sites. Now what am I going to do with my $150 Garmin Watch?
When I had finished walking my 2 miles, I was wondering why it was so hard. Before I got pregnant I was running up to 9 miles! Then I did some math - I am pushing a stroller up hills that has a 10+ pound baby, in a 10 pound infant seat, in a stroller (not sure how much that weighs), and I have an extra 10 pounds of baby weight from being pregnant. That equals 30+ pounds of extra weight! Now I don"t feel so bad!
During the day, Jadon usually wants to be fed every 2 hours or so. I was hoping to get to the park, walk and home again before he wanted to be fed again. After I fed him, it took me almost 20 minutes to get in my walking clothes, get my water bottle, and make sure I had everything I needed in the diaper bag, then it takes about 15 minutes to get to the park and about 35 minutes to walk 2 miles.
Jadon slept on the way to the park and for the first mile. At that point he had his fill of the infant seat in the stroller. Luckily I learned to bring my Bjorn with me on outings for when he wants to get out of the seat. He really doesn't take a pacifier well, so that doesn't help calm him down - he shoots it out of his mouth like a missile! Mile 2 was completed with Jadon in the Bjorn while I pushed an empty stroller! It was hard to tell what people thought when they saw me, sunglasses hid their eyes, but I did get a few smiles - not sure if they were laughing smiles or friendly smiles, but I smiled back.
After I was done walking, I decided I didn't want to leave just yet and headed to the pavilions. I changed Jadon and feed him hoping it would buy me more time but it didn't. Nursing on a bench with no back isn't all that comfortable, so it didn't go that well. Time to go home - after 5 minutes in the car, the crying began with increasing intensity. When that happens, I just try to get home as fast as I can.
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| Jadon Relaxing on the Table |
Thursday I wanted to walk again, but decided I am not going to the park again for awhile, so I just walked around where I live. I have this awesome app on my iPhone called Log Your Run- its is free. It uses GPS to determine how far and how fast you are going, plays music from my iPod, saves the data, and posts to social sites. Now what am I going to do with my $150 Garmin Watch?
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| Asleep in the Jogging Stroller |
When I had finished walking my 2 miles, I was wondering why it was so hard. Before I got pregnant I was running up to 9 miles! Then I did some math - I am pushing a stroller up hills that has a 10+ pound baby, in a 10 pound infant seat, in a stroller (not sure how much that weighs), and I have an extra 10 pounds of baby weight from being pregnant. That equals 30+ pounds of extra weight! Now I don"t feel so bad!
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