7 snapshots - Sickies

Sorry about the neglect of the blog... we have all been sick with a mean cold around here. Last Tuesday (after not sleeping at all) Lydia woke up with a runny nose, cough and sore throat. We kept her in her nursery most of the day with our humidifier that can administer Vick's. On Thursday I called our doctor just to give the symptoms and make sure we were doing everything right. They said it just sounded like a cold... and they must have been right because David and I woke up on Sunday feeling pretty awful.

Lydia is starting to feel a little better I think. She still has symptoms, but has been sleeping a bit more consistently and seems to have more energy. She hasn't really eaten solid food for a week because her throat is so sore, but I have been letting her nurse on demand, so all of her rolls are still intact :)

Anyway, we are all feeling very tired - and obviously I am already more busy with teaching. But here are some pictures of our girl who is still so darn cute even when she's sick!

 Peeking over her crib - we adjusted it to the lowest setting last night. What a big girl.

 Standing and playing. This is what she does most of the day.

 Hello, blue eyes.

 Trying to pull herself up. I really think she may walk before she crawls!

 We got a new round of hand-me down clothes and man, are they cute.

 Love her!

Being too big as usual. These days photo shoots are a little bit more difficult because she moves so much more.

Post-Partum Update: 8 Months

I have been putting off writing this post for about a week. For so many months I was able to proudly say how much baby weight I had lost and how I was fitting into more and more of my old clothes. However, in the past 2 months I have gone from being a little bit discouraged to being very discouraged at times. Not only am I not getting into better shape - but I am gaining some weight back again. And it really isn't all about the weight... I just don't love how I look and feel these days. I have definitely plateaued in getting back into shape after baby and since I am all about honesty on this blog I thought I should share this side of things too.

For a while I was getting good at making excuses - We were on vacation, Lydia started nursing less so I wasn't burning as many calories, I was starting jobs so I was stressed. But the truth is I have developed a terrible diet. When we moved to NKY I was in the glorious stage of being able to eat whatever I wanted and still losing weight. Up here we have access to a lot of junk food via our parents that we never kept in our own apartment. We also eat out a lot more (again, with the family) and this is another habit which David and I stayed far away from when we were in Lexington. So the combination of a huge appetite, super fast metabolism and access to junk food led to some bad habits for me. Just to clarify, I don't eat fast food every day or anything, but I also don't eat as much fruit or yogurt that I used to, and the amount of salt, sugar and ice cream that I consume has drastically increased from 4 months ago.

In the past few months I have come to terms with the fact that my eating habits aren't great and just like any other time in my life when I wasn't happy with my body, I just decided I would work out more. And I have been! I teach aerobics 2-3 times a week (which includes classes from weight lifting to circuit training to Zumba), and then usually I walk or jog at least twice a week. I feel my body getting stronger for sure, and my cardio endurance is getting a lot better too. About a month ago I decided to randomly go for a jog one day - and I ran 2.5 miles no problem! Since then I have been working on running this same distance and trying to increase my speed a little bit, but I have been so surprised that something which I hated so much pre-pregnancy is now a workout that I really enjoy. It is crazy how pregnancy and birth can change everything about your body.

So this is where my frustration comes in, I think. In the past working out more has always worked. It has always gotten me in better shape and helped me to lose any weight that I wanted to. But this time, it isn't working. And no wonder! I know that I can't have a flat stomach if I eat ice cream 4 times a week and choose to drink Coke instead of water. The change has to come in my diet, along with my exercise routine.

And that is where I am now. For the first time in my life (other than when I returned from Chile and had gained 20 pounds...) I am going to intentionally improve the way I eat. Mainly for me this will mean restriction from empty calories and trying to add in the foods that I know are good for me. What I mean by this is that I am not going to go on some crazy diet where I count calories and take out all of the carbs in my diet. I know that I can eat things that are higher in fat and carbs (like cheese, milk, and cereal) as long as they also are nutritious and get to a healthy weight. What I can't do is eat Oreos, Fritos and white bread. I also want to make yogurt a staple in my diet again, as well as make sure that I eat fruit and vegetables twice a day. I plan on still eating the things I really enjoy (ice cream! pizza! Skyline!), but limiting the frequency of these treats. Another thing that I am really going to try is cutting out all red meat (with the exception of the aforementioned Skyline chili), because I know that chicken and fish are much healthier alternatives. Also, David is up for me experimenting with some vegetarian dinners which I am excited about.

All of this is common sense, and I am sorry if you are bored. But maybe after you have a baby you will struggle with the same thing. Everything changed about my body, and for a while I had to just focus on consuming as many calories as I could for nursing purposes. But now, Lydia's needs have changed and so have mine. I am left with some bad habits, but just like all habits they can be changed and transformed into good ones again. It is hard to be in a place where I feel so distant from being pregnant, yet still dealing with the affects that it had on my body. It has been difficult to not compare myself to other mommies (she only had her baby 6 months ago, and she is so skinny already!!) because I really do know that all of us are different. All I can do is focus on being healthy again and regaining a perspective on food which is right. And of course remember that in the end my body is awesome and I am so thankful for all that it accomplished.

7 snapshots

I know, I know... late again. And this week I didn't even take any new pictures! I am a slacker... really I just had to get ready to start work. But luckily we took tons of pictures on vacation, so those will just have to do again :)

Job Description(s)

I have posted quickly a couple times about going back to work part-time. It was kind of a difficult decision to make, but since David is still searching for a job and we live right next to all of the grandparents we really felt like me going back to work for a bit was clearly the best choice. One of the biggest reasons that I decided to go for a Master's in math rather than one in education was because I realized early on that I would like to work part-time rather than full-time (since David wants to be a lawyer). A lot of people see it as a downside, but I really like that with my degree I can be hired on a semester-by-semester basis to teach a class at a college or university. There obviously aren't great benefits to this kind of work, neither is there much job security. But given the kind of responses that I got as this fall semester neared, I would say that my degree and skills are pretty high in demand even in the bad economy.

So, when I say I got two jobs I should also tell you that I will still be working very part-time, about 15 hours a week, to teach two different courses at two different places. Tomorrow I will begin teaching College Algebra at NKU and it will be pretty standard as far as teaching college goes. I write my own syllabus, give lectures twice a week, assign homework, and write and grade exams. I am nervous to have all of this responsibility since at UK I was only a TA (teaching assistant), but at the same time I am excited to experiment a little bit with all of the extra time that I get to see my students. I will have 37 students who range from freshmen to juniors, and I am anxious to see how my first class goes tomorrow.

My other job is a bit harder to explain. My first day was today, although I mostly just did some observation and finished up paperwork. Officially I am an Adult Education Math Teacher at Gateway Community and Technical College. Gateway (as well as 7 other of the KCTCS institutions) have a big grant which is partially funded by the Gates Foundation (as in Bill Gates). The grant funds a program called Accelerated Opportunities and basically it tries to help students at technical college pass up any developmental education courses. They don't want students who are working toward 2 year degrees or even certifications to get stuck in remedial math or reading and then never finish. The goal is to help students with "basic skills" (reading, writing and math) within a setting where they already are - i.e. their technical courses. So my job is to team teach a technical course on how to work these huge machines - clearly, my part in the team teaching is to help with the basic skills when students have problems and the other teacher guides them on making the drill bits.

I literally had no idea what to expect (and to be honest, I am still a little fuzzy). Today I walked into a classroom that looked more like a warehouse - there were machines 3 times my size and huge overhead lights. The class is made up of 17 guys, all of whom had on their cammo hats, work boots, levi jeans and safety glasses. To say I was out of place with my dangling earrings and plum eyeliner would be a huge understatement. But, I had to say I enjoyed observing the class. All of the students were so respectful and clearly motivated. Most of them are already on the job and their employer is paying for them to take this course in "Machine Tool", so their attitudes are vastly different from most of the college students that I have encountered. I also feel like I am going to learn a lot: today I learned how to use a fire extinguisher, that diamond is made of carbon and thus can't cut through other high-carbon materials (like iron), and that even when using a drill press you still need a pilot hole.

The job at Gateway is going to stretch me a lot - but I think NKU will also be a challenge, in a different way. All in all I am really excited to start teaching, because I think that being an educator is an opportunity to really change someone's life. I am trying to be confident in the fact that I am qualified to do this and if I am just myself all of my students will like me and respect me. It is a funny feeling actually having jobs which require the highest degree that I earned. In so many ways I don't feel ready (Professor Harrison???) but at the same time, these opportunities are exactly the reason that I worked so hard for 2 years. I keep thinking about how blessed I have been in my educational experiences and the abundance of opportunities which have come my way. I know I don't deserve them, but I also know that I am passionate about education and that I have been given skills and experiences which have prepared me very well for the job(s) that I am about to do.

8 months

My baby is 2/3 of the way to a year old... how did that happen?? This month has zipped by so quickly as we were very busy, but Lydia has continued to grow and thrive. Lately people have looked at her and said things like, "She isn't a little baby anymore", and "She looks more and more like a little girl". Her personality is also just pouring out lately which is awesome, but oh so scary too! Now onto the details.

Her stats: We won't have numbers until next month but Lydia's rolls and dimples just keep on multiplying. I have been noticing that her legs are getting much longer and her hands aren't tiny newborn hands anymore. She is in 6-9 month clothes all the time, which means I had to put away lots of adorable barely-worn outfits!

Eating: Lydia now nurses 5-6 times a day and once at night. She eats breakfast, lunch and dinner (since anytime she is awake and I am eating, she demands that she also eats). She loves food... real food. I can't list all of the things that she has tried this past month because there are just too many but asparagus, blueberries, tomatoes, corn on the cob, bread, and shredded cheese are just a few of the things she loves. She isn't a fan of bananas (bummer! They are so easy and cheap!) and lately she has been spitting any kind of baby food right out. I love to watch her eat... seriously, our dinner conversations are barely existent these days because David and I just look at our girl the whole time.

Sleeping: Night sleeping hasn't been very consistent this whole month. Part of this is our fault since we dragged her to Detroit, then Florida all within two weeks. On vacation we kept her up way past her bedtime most nights, so then the nights would be rough and we would give in and bring her to our bed.

Now that we are back from vacation and settling into our fall routine we are trying to be a lot better. We are back to bath around 8, and then I nurse her right to sleep. On good night she wakes up once around 1 (David soothes her at this time since she doesn't need to eat), and then usually again around 4, when I go feed her again. On bad nights she is up 4 or 5 times... exhausting. I think her bedtime needs to be moved a bit earlier, but lately I have been teaching aerobics later and I just wouldn't be home in time to nurse her. I would really like to take a few steps toward self-soothing this month although I am not sure what that will look like. We are definitely in a transition period in this area, and hopefully we will find our way soon.

Naps have been amazing lately though, which is a blessing. She naps twice a day, once around 10:30 and then again around 2:30 or 3. If we are home she naps in her crib, and if not she will fall asleep in a stroller or car seat and then we can transfer her to her crib once we get home. Both naps are right around an hour and a half, although sometimes she will surprise us and sleep for 2 1/2 hours.

What she loves: Her Uncle Josh.. she laughs at everything he does. The pool, swinging outside, jumping in her jumper, eating, yelling in restaurants, and... THE STROLLER! I am so happy. She still is quite fond of nursing, although she has started to be a bit distracted which isn't so fun.

What she hates: When I leave the room... she throws fits, people. I am not sure what to do about this, but my guess it that starting work next week will kind of help solve this separation anxiety issue. She is angrily rejecting pacifiers again lately, and she hates diaper changes all of the sudden. All in all, she kind of has a temper about things these days.

Personality/Milestones: She has started to scoot on her belly! Usually if we sit her down on the floor she will lean forward onto her hands and eventually get to her belly. From there she pulls her legs up under her, then reaches her arms forward to pull. I never thought I would say it, but I can't wait for her to crawl. She has been sitting up well for 3 months now and she is clearly tired of it. I think that at this point chasing her around as she crawls and plays would be more fun than trying to constantly entertain her and she sits still.

If crawling doesn't happen soon, I really think that walking will. Lydia stands up so well while holding onto things and she often lets go for seconds at a time without falling. She has pulled herself up to standing a few times, but it has never been on something as high as a coffee table or couch. Also, with us holding on to her a little bit, she will transition back and forth from the coffee table to the couch to our arms all on her feet. She loves to stand.

She is still babbling like crazy, and as I mentioned above she has started to test out the volume of her voice, particularly in public places. During the wedding that we at in Detroit Lydia would not stay quiet! But no one has seemed to mind hearing cute baby sounds, so I am not too worried about it.

Heaven-sent baby items:
If you have a baby who remotely seems to enjoy jumping, you should get a jumper. Gigi bought Lydia this one, and she loves the thing. Plus, I highly recommend anything that you can put you child in where you know they won't be able to go anywhere. Not so you can neglect them or anything, just so you have the freedom to go to the bathroom or make yourself a bagel whenever you want.

Also, I am not sure what we would have done on vacation without this baby float. Lydia used it like a walker in the baby pool, but I am sure she would have loved it in the big pool as well. It collapses so it is easy to pack, and the little shade on top really protects baby from the sun.

No words from Daddy tonight... he is currently in with Lydia trying to get to her go back to sleep and I probably need to get ready for bed here soon.

I know it probably sounds cheesy, but I love my little girl more and more each day. I thought I would be so sad to see her grow up and pass milestones, but to be honest I love everything about it. There are definitely times when I want to slow time down to make sure I am savoring the moments, but seeing her grow, learn and experience the world is a miracle that I can't describe with words. Everyday I am so proud of her and I surge with gratitude when I think how blessed I am to be her mother and watch her as she gets older. Plus, she is just so much fun! I know I will never stop seeing her as my baby and I will only continue to love her more and her future excites me like nothing else.

Angry Face

Today Lydia started making this face.

She does it when she isn't happy... which has been quite often today.

It is bratty, adorable and so hilarious and it is neat to see her personality really start to come out! Neat and slightly terrifying.

7 Snapshots - A List of "Firsts"

 First plane ride.

 First family vacation.

 First time feeling the ocean.

 First walk on the beach with Daddy.

 First time playing with sand.

 First time meeting her Great Grandma (and her Great Aunt Lois).

First time in this awesome float!! She lived in this thing when we were at the pool :)

Here is to hoping that all of those firsts will be repeated many times.

We made it back from vacation! And I am exhausted. Lydia was pretty much perfect on our return trip and she is now sleeping in her crib, glad to be home. As for me, I already miss my grandma and the ocean; the strawberry daiquiris and the good books.

I could share tons of photos with you, but I think that will have to wait till tomorrow. I got 4 job offers while I was in Florida... Yep, 4. After lots of emailing, thinking, praying and talking with David I accepted two of the offers. Starting next week I will be teaching 2 courses, working about 15 hours a week. Tomorrow I have to begin the process of being hired at both institutions, getting my offices together, meeting my coworkers and bosses and preparing lessons foe this semester. To say I am nervous would be an understatement, but I am also very excited. I think it will be nice to return to work, especially on such a part time level. And an income will be nice too :)

So now I will go paint my nails and watch an episode of pretty little liars (since the bachelorette ended I needed a guilty pleasure show...) and then I will sleep in my own bed for the first time in 10 days!

Buenas noches.

Vacation on Hutchinson Island

Vacation thus far has been wonderful. It always goes by too quickly... I can't believe it is already Thursday! There isn't too much to report since from day to day we don't do very much, which is what vacation should be like. Most days we have gotten up early and exercised (I am into running lately... weird) and then we get all packed up and head to the pool by about 10. Lydia has taken long morning naps both by the pool in her stroller and back at our condo, and she wakes up right around lunch time. We take a break from the sun for lunch, reapply sunscreen, and then go to the beach for a lot of the afternoon.

Lydia loves all of it..., the pool, the sand, the ocean. She loves to watch new people and play with her uncle Josh and she doesn't even fuss very much over the sunscreen and heat. Everyday I am so proud of her and I love watching her experience new things! She talks to the waves and uses her float like a walker in the baby pool. She is so friendly toward strangers and is totally accepting of my parents and sister to take her off my hands every now and then.

After a long day outside we come in and shower before dinner. Sometimes we cook, and other times we eat out. Either way we have lots of fun all together, and most evenings we have gotten to see my Grandma which has been so wonderful! I love to watch her love on Lydia like the rest of us do, and it is great to see how Grandma continues to thrive and be her same self even though my PopPop is no longer here.

Each evening we have kept Lydia up way past her bedtime and yet she is happy! She has been sleeping pretty well in her pack and play and in the bed with us. Once we get home her routine and independent sleeping will be a priority but for now we are just doing whatever works.

My mom has said many times that David and I probably can't wait to go n our own little family vacation without parents or siblings. But honestly, this vacation is perfect. We have our own little condo that gives us plenty of space and privacy, and at the same time we have lots of people around to love on Lydia and take her while we read, sun bathe or play on the waves together. It is going by way too quickly, but we will just try to enjoy these last few days together!

Photos to come soon. Have a good day :)

7 snapshots - In Detroit

We got back from Detroit this morning and we are just about packed up to leave for Florida in the morning! To say we are tired is an understatement... but the wedding was a blast, and tomorrow we will be laying on a beach, so we can't complain. Here are some snapshots of our first time in Detroit.

 As I told you already Lydia did great in the car, both on the way there and on the way back today.  She slept in the car for 4 straight hours and then we stopped to get a good breakfast before we reached the city.

 Having fun in her pack and play!

 We spent plenty of time in Detroit doing this... Lydia took really good naps and I got into a good book (The Night Circus).

 One evening David and I decided that a family date was in order so instead of dinner we opted to go to Astoria Bakery for dessert. Here is our spread of a brownie, a cookie, a chocolate covered strawberry and two scoops of ice cream. It was all so delicious that we finished every last bite.

 When we left the bakery we randomly hopped on a an old school bus which was serving as a shuttle to the Detroit Lions baseball game. Even though we weren't planning on going to the game we thought it would be fun to take a little guided tour through downtown and see the huge crowd that was at the game. Apparently baseball is a big deal in Detroit because there we tons of people. It was a fun little adventure!

 Lydia and I got ready for the wedding on Saturday alone since Daddy and the rest of the family was in it, but it was fortunate because she got a really good nap in beforehand so she was great during the ceremony and reception!

She is so close to crawling... you can't tell in this dress but she is starting to pull her knees up under her. And now when you sit her down on the floor she leans forward onto her hands and sometimes ends up on her stomach. I am excited and I little nervous for this milestone.

All in all it was a great trip. Obviously things were very different having a 7 month old, but it was still a ton of fun as we explored the new city together as a family. I continue to be so proud of our little girl - she is such a good, easy, happy baby!

Good news

I have a few really good things to tell you!

1. We made is safely to Detroit and Lydia was a champ in the car. We left around 4 am when she woke up to eat and after a few minutes of talking and whining in her car seat she was out until 8:30. We stopped at a cracker barrel about a half an hour outside of Detroit and ate a good breakfast while Lydia babbled and got the attention of just about everyone in the restaurant. After breakfast we made it the rest of the way (Lydia fell asleep again in the car) and we checked into our hotel around 10:30. Unfortunately Lydia definitely has a cold... Her runny nose, which I thought was sue to teething, now has congestion, sneezing and a slight fever added to it. She is fighting naps and sleep pretty badly, but when she is awake she is our normal happy girl. I continue to feel so blessed to have such an easy baby, and as corny as it may sound I am more and more proud of my daughter each day. Today we plan on exploring Detroit a bit and tomorrow is the big wedding of my brother-in-law! Pictures and a post to come one that soon.
2. I got a job!! I had an interview this past Wednesday to be an adjunct professor at NKU in the fall and I guess it went pretty well. I will be teaching college algebra in the fall and I am really excited about it. I was bummed when I didn't get the first job that I interviewed for, but honestly the NKU job probably uses my skills better and is more similar to the teaching experience that I have already had. I have another job proposition which is currently playing itself out also. Since I am only teaching one course ay NKU I could teach another course at another school too. I am still trying to decide how much I want to take on this fall, but I am really excited that I found a little something.

That is all for now... Back to watching the Olympics and reading my book as baby girl takes a nap.

July Abs Challenge: Lower Abs and Back

Darn, it's August 1st. As I explained in the previous post I have been kind of busy enjoying my non-studying husband and packing for the trip(s) that we leave for tomorrow morning! But since we are leaving tomorrow morning I figured I should get this up - I plan on trying to write while in Detroit for a wedding and then in Florida with my family, but I guess I'm not making any promises.

So, here it is. The last abs post all about the lower region of you abs. Here are a couple exercises to help strengthen them:

1. Leg lifts

Instructions: Lay on your back and place your hands underneath your tailbone. Start with both legs lifted up at a 90 degree angle to your body. Inhale as you slowly lower your legs toward the ground, then exhale as you raise them back up.
Modifications: You can do these at all different speeds. I usually start by doing them slowly, and then do them double time, and then end with quickly alternating individual leg lifts on the left and right side.
Common Mistakes: Don't let your lower back rise up off the ground as you lower your legs. Also, try to keep your legs straight and your toes pointed - the idea is that you want your legs to be as "heavy" as possible.

1. Reverse Crunches

Instructions: Lay on your back and bring your legs up at a 90 degree angle to your body. Bend your knees and flex your feet so that they are parallel with the ceiling. Exhale as you curl in your lower abs and try to make a "footprint" on the ceiling with your feet.
Modifications: Add in a standard crunch for more of a challenge. Then you will focus on squeezing the upper and lower parts of your abs together.
Common Mistakes: Don't swing your legs forward and then up - you want to minimize the amount of momentum and instead focus on control.

That is all for the abdominal exercises. There are obviously a ton more, and I am sure you can find a lot online and on YouTube. Just be sure to be careful as you try new things and always focus on having good, safe form.

Before I end this series I have to mention that as you work your abs you should also strengthen your back. These are opposing muscle groups, and a general fitness rule is that when you exercise one muscle group you should also work its opposing group. To work your back planks are an great option. You can also lie on your stomach and slightly lift your chest off the ground (with your arms extended out to the side) or gently lift your legs off the ground. At first, do not put these two movements together, but as you get stronger you can try them at the same time.

I hope that this was relevant and helpful to some of you. As I said, I am no fitness expert but it is something that I am interested in and I feel I have a little bit of wisdom to offer. Let me know what you think of the series... I like to hear your opinions out there!

Have a great night and wish us safe travels (and a happy baby in the car... please Lord!).