Seven Snapshots Sunday

Here are some true snapshots into our lives lately. Our little girl is on the move! And there is no stopping her. With the outlets covered up and all cleaners and sharp objects put up high we let her wander around and get into whatever she can find. She is so, so, so much fun lately - and also quite the handful.

 Just crawling around with a big grin.

 Big eyes!

 Lydia has rediscovered her bottles, pacifiers and old sippy cups. They are great toys.

 

She also loves to pull down all of her books off the shelf. Clearly she thinks it's hilarious.

 

 Interested in Daddy's law books...

She is giving herself kisses in the mirror before bed... so sweet!!

 Even though she moves like crazy Lydia still loves to spend time in mommy's arms.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend!! 

Post-Partum Update: 9 months

Almost 5 weeks ago today I wrote this post about my body 8 months postpartum. I was frustrated that I had gained some weight back, and was determined to make changes.

I am happy to say that I did in fact change things and my body has really responded! Like I said in the previous post, I decided to cut out junk food and red meat and incorporate yogurt and more fruits and veggies into my diet. I usually do not weight myself often at all, but I decided that since I was really trying to lose some weight this time, I should have some way to measure my progress. So a few days before the 8 month post I was 6 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight, and after 2 weeks I had gotten rid of all of it. It happened so quickly and it really surprised me! For the past 3 weeks I have kept all of it off, bringing me back down to where I was before getting pregnant, and happily sustaining there instead of jumping up and down all the time.

More importantly, I feel a lot better. I am getting back into a groove of eating to fuel me throughout the day, and am adjusting yet again to the amount of food that I need to support me and to continue to breastfeed Lydia. In general I try to be good during the week about working out (4 times a week is my minimum goal), and I have a pretty strict no junk food rule. On the weekends I allow myself a little wiggle room and like to take advantage of it by getting ice cream with my family or eating a hamburger. I hope that I can keep this good balance up, and that I just continue to feel better and better.

Since I can now say that I have comfortably lost the baby weight, I want to move onto other updates. First of all, apparently at some point I lost a lot of hair, because lately it has started to grow back in little sprouts all across my hair line. I look very silly sometimes, especially in this humid weather, and a part of my daily hair routine now includes pulling out the hairspray and getting the fly aways under control!

Also, I thought I should tell you that I have mom biceps by now. They aren't beautifully tones or visibly bigger, but I can lift my baby no problem and carry her on my hip like it's my job. I remember when Lydia was a newborn thinking I would never be able to hold her when she got bigger because my arms and back would get soooo tired. But now, it really is barely noticeable to hold Lydia for long periods of time. I really enjoy feeling like I am stronger now, and I have to say that a cute baby girl is the best free weight a woman could ask for :)

The last thing may be a little bit TMI... but you are reading a post-partum update so you probably should have been ready for it. This is the first month where my tail bone doesn't hurt after sitting down on a hard surface. I suspect that I bruised or damaged it during delivery because for so many months I would have trouble standing up after sitting due to the pain. Last month I was still noticing it every so often, but in the past couple weeks I think that it has finally gone away. It is so nice to be able to sit at Starbucks and have coffee with a friend without dreading the moment when I have to stand up!

I think that is all... and I am a little sad to say that this will be my last post-partum update. I have now not been pregnant for as long as I was pregnant, which is surreal! These 9 months sure went by a lot faster than the 9 when I was throwing up all the time and carrying around a ginormous belly. But I really wouldn't trade any of it; the changes and stress that my body has gone through have been completely worth it. And I think it is awesome that at this point I feel normal again. Aside from a few light stretch marks and some jiggly parts here and there my body is back to where it was before ever getting pregnant. It is truly amazing what it went through, and I am so proud of what I did in supporting and birthing Lydia Grace.

A loaded statement

A few mornings ago I was disappointed that I couldn't run because it was too cold outside. This brings up two things I have been wanting to write about lately:

1) It is fall!

I am not sure if it is a bad idea to state the obvious in a blog post, but the seasons are in fact changing and I just love it. All of the sudden it is the end of September, the mornings are cool, canned pumpkin is on the shelves and I get to wear scarves. Each year when summer begins to fade into fall I remember how much I love autumn, and how the changing of seasons is so exciting. It reminds me how seasons in life also come and go which is especially encouraging for me while David and I are in this in between time. Eventually things will change which is sad in some ways, but beautiful in others.

2) I want to run!

One day a few months ago I woke up and wanted to run, so I did... 2.5 miles no problem. Which is totally crazy for me. During my junior year of college I decided I wanted to be a runner, so I tried 4 times a week for an entire 10 months to run. People told me that it would take time to "hit my stride" and to get in "running shape", but that eventually it would feel good to run. Nope - not for me. I hated every minute that I ran. So, I decided that I would never run another day in my life. I like aerobics and power walking, and even though that may make me a little lame I had resigned to the fact that I just wasn't a runner. It seems that pregnancy and labor changed soooo many things about my body, one of which is how it responds to a jog. For the past couple months I have tried to run at least twice a week and I have been doing pretty well! I am working on speeding up the 2.5 miles a bit but mostly I am enjoying time to myself to listen to music, sweat and get a great workout. I hope to run a 10k in the spring, but we will see how running works out through the winter months.

Random post... but sometimes I just want to write about the little things that I am thinking about.

7 snapshots

Yup.. it is Tuesday. BUT, this weekend I am not late because I have been to busy, but because I wanted to wait until after Monday so that I could show you pictures of the cutest thing ever...

Baby open gym!

For the past couple Mondays Lydia has been joining her cousin Lincoln at the gym where Aunt Katie works. We hope that we can keep it up because it is so much fun! (Unfortunately it interferes with Lydia's nap... so we will see.)

 This week she went with Daddy and Gigi... so this whole infant in the balls thing wasn't my idea ;)

 This whole sequence is pretty exciting. She is starting to climb by herself!

What a big girl! She is definitely a mover lately and it is so, so, so much fun. I absolutely love this stage of babyhood. I am proud of my little Lydia Grace each day.

So Big

Lydia had her 9 month pediatrician appointment today and it went well! She is 18 pounds, 6 ounces and 27.5 inches long. She is in the 50th percentile on height and weight, and her head is still larger than average, around the 60th percentile.

Developmentally she is right on track, and maybe even a little ahead... Whatever that means :) All I know is that within the past two weeks we have gone from having a bored baby who sat still and whined to one who crawls, pulls herself up to standing, transfers herself from object to object, climbs stairs, frowns and giggles, and goes from room to room happily playing with anything that she can find. She also has started to finally cut her first tooth! It has been a really big two weeks.

Lydia is such a joy to be around lately and she is starting to feel like more of a little companion and less like an adorable, helpless, precious parasite. Tonight David and I went on a real date with our good friends (who are due to have a baby any day now!) and it was a blast! But both of us were so excited to get home to our girl because we had really missed her unique personality and her entertaining company.

I love watching Lydia Grace grow and learn. It is a feeling that I have a hard time expressing, but if you are a parent I am sure you understand.

9 months

Lydia is 9 months old... which just sounds so old to me! It is crazy that at this point she has been in this world with us for about as long as she was in my belly. As usual I don't know how the month flew by so quickly, but is has been a fun one.

Stats: At 9 months old Lydia is 18 pounds, 6 ounces and 27.5 inches long which puts her right at the 50th percentile for height and weight. Her head is still big... around the 60th percentile. Her legs have gotten so much longer, but she is still chubby too. These days her 6-9 month clothes are very snug which is so crazy since she just transitioned over into them. She is in size 3 diapers (!), but still has no teeth and very little hair.

Eating: Every day she loves to eat more than the day before. We bought some baby food again (the kind in the pouch) because sometimes what we are eating isn't easily adapted for a toothless baby, but she doesn't really enjoy the baby food at all anymore. We have started feeding her bigger breakfasts, such as yogurt and cheerios or a banana and some oatmeal. At lunch she usually has cheese, just like her mama, along with some fruit and possibly some bread. During dinner she eats whatever we are eating - tonight it was asparagus, some baked potato and pumpkin pie for dessert :) I let her snack on some raising and puffs throughout the day but in general we try to have her eat healthy things while we eat. She is also loving drinking water out of her sippy cup.

She still nurses 6-7 times a day and once at night on top of all of her solid food! Her appetite has drastically increased over this past month.

Sleeping: Blahhhh.... that is how I feel about her sleeping habits. We said we would do something about it, but then we didn't. At this point David is the only one who can put Lydia to sleep, him and our Hyundai. So when Lydia is with me or with Nana or Gigi she simply doesn't nap which is really bad. She may fall asleep in her stroller for a few minutes, but I know she isn't getting the rest she needs.

At night she has continued to wake up 3-4 times a night. Except now she won't go back to sleep for me after nursing... so David and I both get up. It is pretty ridiculous so starting tonight we are going to push night weaning. The plan is for David to soothe Lydia back to sleep anytime before 5 a.m. Hopefully this will remove the incentive for her to wake up, be fed, then be held by Daddy for 15 more minutes. We will see!

Obviously things need to change in this area. I think Lydia is really starting to communicate that she wants space as she falls asleep, so once the nights get figured out (if that ever happens...) we may start to encourage self soothing. We are pretty tired over here, but we know that all in all a year or so of little sleep isn't too long - it just feels long in the moment.

What she loves: Food, moving around, Rooney, Josh, music (we finally got a children's CD and she loves it!), Daddy and going for walks. She loves when we dance with her and she likes to feel like she's big.

What she hates: Diaper changes and getting dressed! When she is in a room alone, left with strangers, or sleepy.

Personality/Milestones: She is crawling! And pulling herself up, and almost walking. All of the sudden our girl is moving like crazy. It was so strange how it happened because as of a week and a half ago she was showing no signs of crawling. She still wasn't rolling over consistently and hated being on her tummy. But how she hates sitting still and being held and instead wants to get around on her own. We bought the outlet covers and anchored the bookshelves, and now she just moves around on her own from room to room. It is so much fun!

She is still learning new sounds and some days she will babble away, while other days she is too focused on moving to talk. Lydia has started to wave intermittently and if you have been following along at all you know she loves to frown.

In case you missed them, you can go here to see videos of the crawling and talking.

Our baby girl is developing her own opinions and is not scared to voice them. Sometimes while eating she yells when she wants more, and during diaper changes she protests laying still by screaming. We try hard to not react to this behavior and instead to stay calm while still making her comply with what is happening. Ignoring her stink face has seemed to cause her to smile more often, and I just hope that she will continue to learn good behavior as we focus on praising her for it.

Heaven-sent baby items: We have a couple toys that she can hold on to while standing up or walk behind while pushing and they are definitely sent from heaven. They allow her to practice her walking, crawling and pulling up to standing and they give me a big time break. When Lydia wasn't moving yet everyone would say, "Well enjoy it, because once she starts your job will be so much harder!" I think that this applies in certain situations, but being home with Lydia has actually become a lot easier lately. Since she can move now she can be so much more independent and can entertain herself for quite some time. With her separation anxiety kicking in I actually have to remind myself each day to pick her up and hold her close because she is so often happy to be playing alone.

Also, this may seem like a strange time to mention it, but high chairs are pretty awesome. Before having a baby I questioned having one thinking we could get by with her on our lap on in a Bumbo. But, you should definitely have a high chair. In fact your enlaws and parents should have high chairs, and maybe get them for your close friends' houses too :) There is just nothing that can really replace a high chair and I wish I had gotten one sooner. We have a Graco that we bought at Walmart for 70 bucks... and it was totally worth it!

Words from Daddy: A dream come true! This past weekend I got to take a nap with Lydia asleep on my chest. She is getting so big in so many ways but she is still so little.

Time to cheer the Broncos on to a comeback (you have to love Peyton Manning, right?). Have a great night!

Seven Snapshots Sunday

Lydia Grace is 9 months old today! So crazy... I will write an update here soon, but for now here is what our adorable, chubby perfect daughter looks like at 9 months.

 Monday night football with Daddy.

 Lydia is loving her frown lately...

 But she still smiles too!

 Diaper changes and getting dressed are quite the feat, but I don't mind letting her crawl around naked after bath time :)

 She is scared of the nasal aspirator and it is hilarious.

 She is hard to snap pictures of these days because she is always moving.

She looks more and more like her daddy each day I think.

Working Mama

When I look back on the past 9ish months I realize how long of a 9 months it has been. We have gone through so many changes: having a baby, getting through grad school, moving, David taking the bar, looking for jobs, finding jobs, taking trips... it has been a lot. For the past 9 months I really feel as though I have been just trying to get by, and while I in no where feel like we are settled yet (in terms of where we are going to live and what we are going to do) I feel a bit more settled as an individual.

Becoming a mother has changed so much about me - it has drastically shifted my priorities and the way that I see myself. I know that my identity lies ultimately in God, but this role as a mother also plays a big part when I define who I am. I can't fully explain this feeling, but deeply I know that being a mom is the most important thing that I will do on this earth. When I first found out that I was pregnant I was so crushed that I would have to balance grad school with being a new mom and that my newborn baby would have to "share" me with anything. I wanted so badly to be home all the time and watch her every smile and soothe her every cry. As summer approached David and I decided that I could take the summer to stay home with Lydia, and I am so grateful for the time that I devoted to her each day. I think it was important over the summer to get her into a routine and provide security for her as everything around her changed.

Once the summer started to wind down I questioned whether I should go back to work, and we decided that I needed to, at least until David found a job. God opened so many doors for me to get a few adjunct positions, but as the semester started I was scared that working part time and splitting my energy between home and work would feel like it did when I was in grad school. However, after about a month of working part time I have decided that I love everything about it.

I have to admit that I am a little self conscious about this confession. Part of me really wants to love staying home full time, and maybe someday I will. But for now I am greatly enjoying my time as a working mom. It helps that I work 15 hours and 4 days a week; that my mom and mother-in-law watch Lydia (for free) on the days when I am gone; that my financial contribution to our little family is of utmost importance; that my baby is happy while I am away. I realize that in so many ways I am very fortunate to be in this position, but I didn't think I would love it as much as I do.

I love that every day I have to take a shower and put on mascara. I love having adult conversations and that people call me "Mrs. Harrison". I love teaching college students and Mazak employees about math. And I love coming home to a gummy smile with renewed energy and enthusiasm.

Too many times in the past I have wanted to change who I am. I haven't been happy that I am a go getter - that I am so darn disciplined and inflexible. I used to feel as though I was boring, and wished that I could be a content free spirit who could take lazy Saturdays to watch movies. But, that is just not me. I definitely still want to work on my weaknesses, but I also want to embrace my strengths for what they are - a good thing! When I was working on campus ministry a couple years ago the whole staff took a Strengths Finder test. When I finished it, it told me that my #1 strength (by far) was that I was an achiever. I was so sad, and wanted to take the test again (typical achiever thing to do), but later I realized that the test helped me to learn so much about myself.

It isn't bad that I like to feel productive each day. It is only negative if I define myself by my to do list. I am not a bad mother because I like to work. In fact, I feel that now I am a better mother to Lydia than ever. Now I have so much more energy to give to her, and I take our time for granted much less often. I feel like I have the best of both worlds because I still get to be with her the vast majority of the time, but I can also feel like I am doing something purposeful for the outside world on a daily basis.

Things may change, and in a few months I may want to stay at home full time again. I am just very grateful to be where I am today and I am still learning how to navigate through all of the changes that motherhood has brought with it. As usual I have come to the same conclusion in this area as with so many others - there is no one right answer for everyone. Every family is different and each person  has to decide what is best for them and for their child. I have also learned that with babies, things don't always go how you think they will. I thought I would love staying at home with a baby full time, but as it turns out I think I may enjoy the experience a lot more once Lydia is a little bit older.

It is truly amazing what being a parent teaches you about yourself, and all the ways in which it makes you grow. I am so very thankful for all that my baby girl has taught me.

Seven Snapshots Sunday!

Yay! It is actually Sunday this time. However, the title is still misleading because I don't have 7 pictures for you... only 4. This time I blame it on chasing our girl around because as of two days ago...

She is crawling!! It is awesome to see her do it and she is so much happier now that she can move on her own. David and I keep talking about how ridiculously proud we are. I love being a mom!

Now for the photos.

 Daddy encouraged this behavior... so he got to clean it up.

 On Saturday we had a great time participating in the national Buddy Walk in Cincinnati. We walked alongside our cousin George who has down syndrome and took advantage of a beautiful day. Since Lydia has been struggling with separation anxiety lately I used the Ergo and she did wonderfully.

 And, just as a treat, here is some cute babble as well - with a whipped cream container hat of course.

Separation Anxiety

I mentioned briefly in Lydia 8 month post that she isn't a fan of strangers lately. But in the last couple weeks we seemed to have dived head first into some serious separation anxiety with our girl. As with all things baby I decided I would share my experience with you, both for your sake and for mine.

Around 4 months and 6 months Lydia showed some signs of separation anxiety when I would leave her with a regular sitter to go to school and in situations where there was a crowd of people. Looking back she would be bothered for a few days, but then it would pass by rather quickly. When we moved to NKY Lydia began being around groups of family a lot more frequently. At first she was freaked out and clung to me the whole time, but soon enough she got used to the familiar faces. Now she will consistently let my mom, sister, brother and dad hold her, and although David's side of the family is much larger she is getting more comfortable being held by other people when we are all together too.

As I began thinking about going back to work I decided that it would be really good for Lydia to be without me for some amount of time each day. Toward the beginning of August she was getting very dependent on me again so I was excited for the opportunity that going back to work would give us. When I work she stays with my mom, David's mom and David, and in general she does great for all of them. Obviously daddy is her first choice when mommy isn't around, but she doesn't throw fits at all when I leave her with Nana or Gigi.

So in a lot of ways Lydia is doing well on this front, but she has some big problems with strangers.
Most of the time when we are out in public people approach Lydia and give her a smile or say hi and every time she frowns, sticks her lip out and starts to cry. She has the same reaction to extended family members that she doesn't see very often and I just don't know what to do! I feel bad that my baby is being so mean to other people, but at the same time I know it is completely normal and other people probably understand.

Another instance where her fear of strangers is obvious is the church nursery. We have officially gotten to the point where David and I can't pay attention in church with Lydia with us. She is distracting to us and the people around us because she either wants to nap, nurse or play. We try hard to choose a service time that fits in with her nap schedule, but in the end it doesn't seem to matter. For the past 6 weeks we have consistently tried to put her in the nursery and every single time we are paged after 10 minutes. We return to the nursery to a hysterical little baby, and last week it took her 20 minutes to recover even after I had gotten her. I have no idea what to do about this issue. I want to keep trying, but at the same time it is frustrating and I hate that last week she seemed to be upset by the experience even after I showed up. Also, since we haven't chosen a new church yet I can't volunteer in the nursery and I know that being there with her would probably help. Any advice? I feel like I ask the same questions over and over... ultimately should I let her cry? Or avoid her getting upset at all costs? It is so hard to know when to guide your baby toward independence and when encourage their dependence.

The last way that I think her separation anxiety is showing up is at night. She has started to wake up more often each night and she is clear that she wants to nurse and nothing else is okay. Last night David went in to soothe her and she cried for 20 minutes, then I went in and tried to rock her and she screamed for another 15 minutes straight. Finally I gave in and let her nurse, but I knew she wasn't hungry and I really don't want to create bad habits. The same thing happens at nap time, so lately what we have had to try is David putting her to sleep after I have nursed her in a different room. Sometimes this works, and sometimes it backfires big time. It is obvious that Lydia knows what she wants, and that she will cry until she gets it. She is still so young so I know these responses aren't manipulative on her part, but again I don't want to encourage more dependence on nursing as she gets older.

Hearing my baby cry hasn't gotten much easier. And I know there aren't right and wrong answers to these questions, which makes things even harder. Some days I feel so comfortable being a parent - like I was truly made for this role and like it comes so naturally. Other days I feel like Lydia is a newborn again and I have no idea what she needs/wants and what is best for her. 

I know that we will get through this phase, just like all the others. And ultimately we won't mess her up forever. I guess that these decisions and issues seem so much bigger when you are only functioning on 4 hours of sleep.

So on that note, goodnight!

Today

Today Lydia started saying "ba" and hasn't stopped since.

Today Lydia started walking behind a walker. She transferred herself from the walker to the couch, to my legs, to the coffee table. For the first time I left the room and came back to find her in a different spot.

Today my littl girl has reached up to my face and leaned in for a big open mouth kiss at least 20 times.

Today I love Lydia Grace more than ever before.

7 snapshots

Another week of no picture taking! What is happening? I could list a few things, but I won't. Instead I will be thankful that this week my dad shared his vacation pictures with us and they are so good! So I will share them with you.

 Generations pictures always make me happy!

 Lydia chowing down at the Hibachi grill. She didn't like the fire, but she loved the cucumbers.

 Fun with Aunt Jen!

 I think this is my favorite picture of her and I thus far. She looks so big.

On vacation Lydia really started wanting to move. Now she is moving constantly and I think she might be getting close to walking. It is crazy how much changes in a couple weeks.

I hope you had a nice long weekend and are ready for the week! I don't feel too ready sitting in my robe with wet hair drinking my coffee... but maybe once I get into lecturing on factoring it will be better.

Not My Week

On Tuesday (you know, when I got around to posting the 7 Sunday Snapshots) I apologized for not writing for a while. At the time I had a cold and was starting my work week, but little did I know what was about to come.

Don't worry, nothing that crazy happened and sometimes when I think that my life is busy these days I remember being in grad school with a newborn and just say prayers of thankfulness over and over again. But on Tuesday night during the Zumba class that I teach I pulled a muscle in my back. Yep - it made me feel kind of lame and very old. I don't really know how it happened... but I am blaming it on all of the working out I have been doing lately (!!) combined with the huge increase in lifting and holding Lydia, and sitting on the floor with her as she climbs all over me. She isn't a fan of sitting still all by herself with her toys, so I am definitely moving around more and more with her everyday. Mostly, I think it was just kind of a fluke but it hurt really badly.

After pulling the muscle I tried to hide it and I finished teaching my class. I got home and immediately put a heating pad on the pain and took a few ibuprofen. That night I didn't sleep at all because I couldn't get comfortable in any position. I also couldn't pick Lydia up out of her crib or lay her back down after I had nursed her, so David didn't get much sleep either. Wednesday and Thursday were rough as I realized how much I used my back to do everything, and how difficult it is to not have full mobility with an 8 month old.

Slowly but surely I am feeling better. At this point I feel pretty much healed, although at the moment I am sitting in bed with a heating pad again. Sometimes it just starts to hurt again and of course David is being awesome and allowing me to rest whenever I need it.

That was pretty much my week... but other than the injury things were really good. Lydia is just a joy to be around lately! And even though work obviously adds some stress and busyness to my week I am really enjoying it. I am excited that this weekend is a long one and that we have lots of plans to spend time with family.

Just wanted to keep you updated, and really, really I will try to start writing more regularly again soon!