Wordless Wednesday ~ Decorating Fall Cookies

The Helper

The Watcher

The Result

We Have Baby Steps!

So many things have happened with the kiddos since my last post that I can't even begin to figure out how to catch up.

In fact, I'm not even going to try.

Instead... let's just celebrate...

BABY STEPS!

Caught on Camera

Sometimes, even when a picture doesn't come out perfectly sharp and in focus, you capture a moment that speaks volumes.

Like when I snapped this picture:

Rowan had just said he'd love to try a ride at the amusement park. Brave boy!

As he inched his way up on the ride, he even had a smile on his face.

Then the "exciting" part of the ride began. A brief free-fall from the top of the ride! Fun, right?

Kyle sure thinks it's fun.

But Rowan?

Not so much.

Not at all, really.

But don't feel too sorry for him. To make up for his less-than-stellar ride experience, we took him to the splash park.

Where he smiled plenty.

Yes, We Still Have a Baby

And here's a peek into what our family's littlest member was up to over the past few months...

Here's Miles at 4 months old. This month brought Miles' first weeks of daycare... and he has had a runny nose ever since. Not surprisingly, this also was the month that brought an end to my regular blogging. The constant stream of illnesses (mine, Miles' and Rowan's) was more than I could take. Thankfully, winter did finally end, and we all become well again... sometime around early July.


Here's Miles at 5 months old. Miles continued to have illnesses on and off this month, and I was struck by a bug as well. This month was honestly a bit of a blur. What I do remember is that Miles continued to be outrageously cute, and I was a good enough mom to capture his cuteness on film at a Target Portrait Studios. (Yes, this is a picture of a picture.)


Here's Miles at 6 months old. Let the army crawling begin! Miles also began to sit up somewhat unassisted during this month, although he remained rather wobbly until he reached 7 months old. Da da da da da was (and is) his favorite sound to make, much to my dismay. A doctor appointment around this time revealed that Miles weighed 19 pounds!


Miles at 7 months old. Sitting up is no problem! Miles also started to go from crawling back to sitting again as he neared 8 months old. He loves screaming matches, saying da da da da (still!) and being around other people at all times.

Ahhhhh. (That was a sigh of relief.) Now that you know what's been happening with our little guy, I can write an update about what he's doing now at 8 months old.

Wordless Wednesday ~ A Trip to the Zoo

Definitely Brothers

Rowan, about 6 months old

Miles, about 6 months old

Say Cheese! Please?

Taking...

pictures...

of boys...

is hard.

That is all.

The Thing About the Second Child

Some people say it's because you're busier.

Some people say it's because you have another child distracting you.

Some people even say it's because things just aren't as new and exciting the second time around.

But why do I think parents spend less time documenting their second child's every milestone?

I think it's because they spend more time simply enjoying them. (Or at least that's what I tell myself when I fall so darn behind in my blogging.)

When Rowan was a baby, I was obsessed with milestones. I had a stack of parenting books on my bedside table. I received daily email alerts from baby websites. I even frequented online parenting groups where women obsessed about their babies' sleeping, eating and pooping habits.

This time around, we're taking it easy.

So maybe I "forgot" that you're supposed to wait three days between introducing each new food to a baby... and instead I gave him ground up (homemade!) beef stew for his first meal, because that's what I was eating for dinner.

And maybe I wanted to see how he would react to a little taste of my ice cream, even though babies aren't supposed to have dairy (or sugar) quite this early.

And maybe when he liked the ice cream, I gave him a little more... because he squealed with each tiny bite.

Is that so wrong?

I think not.

After all, rules and milestones are great, but sometimes a little fun and flexibility is even better.

Postpartum Shape-Up: An Update

Why, hello there! Remember me? The girl that was trying to get in shape?

Well I am still trying to do that, but Illness and a lack of sleep have stalled my plan. No worries, though. I haven't gained the weight back or anything. I might even be down a pound or so.

Still, I have nothing interesting to report about my progress this week. So instead, I leave you with another adorable picture of my baby sticking out his tongue.


You're welcome. ;)

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday: A New Toy!

Why is our little guy so happy?


Because he has a brand new toy, that's why! Unfortunately, procuring the toy proved a bit more difficult than stopping by the nearest Target.

You see, a couple of weeks ago, we took Mister Miles to an ear nose and throat doctor to have a frenotomy — a procedure in which the frenulum (that bit of tissue that attaches the tongue to the floor of the mouth) is cut. Before the procedure, Miles' frenulum extended all the way to the tip of his tongue. As a result, he couldn't stick his tongue out. At all.

In the past, midwives and doctors routinely fixed "tongue tie" at birth. The current trend, however, is to wait and see if a child eventually experiences problems eating or speaking. Although Miles had no trouble getting nourishment (he weighed in at 16.5 pounds at 4 months), it bothered me that we were waiting to see if he might have speech problems as a toddler. Fixing a tight frenulum in a baby involves a simple snip snip. Fixing it in a toddler involves general anesthesia.

And even if he never developed a speech or dental issue, shouldn't a little boy be able to lick an ice cream cone? Or stick his tongue out at his older brother?

So we got it fixed. Was it hard to watch? Yes. Did he cry? Yes. Did I start sweating, turn completely pale and nearly pass out? Yes.

But I'm so glad we had it done. In no time, he had forgotten about the pain and was playing happily with his new toy.

See for yourself:

Wordless Wednesday: An Old Fashioned Toy

Who needs rattles, teethers and electronic gizmos when you have feet?

Four Generations

Yesterday, on Kyle's birthday, Kyle's Grandpa Obert passed away at age 91.

Whenever I saw him, he made a point to grab my arm and tell me that I had a really nice boy (and now boys). Of course I agreed with his assessment. And I always felt that he, having raised four boys himself, was exceptionally qualified to make such a judgement. A compliment from him surely meant twice as much.

We will miss him!

Wordless Wednesday: Instant Classic Girl/Boy Photos

It seems that girls are born knowing how to pose for the camera — to tilt their heads just so, look directly into the lense and smile sweetly.

And boys... well, they are boys.

Postpartum Shape-Up Week 6: Re-engaging After Illness

Just a quick post this week about my postpartum shape-up efforts. Miles, Kyle and I were hit with a nasty cold last week, so my Couch to 5K plan was put on temporary hold. I start week 4 today, though, and am also renewing my commitment to the No S Diet.

After losing 10 pounds last month, I have no intention of quitting now. Perhaps I can be back to my prepregnancy weight by spring! Wouldn't that be nice?

Current Weight (taken morning of 2/28/11):

145.2

Postpartum Shape-Up Weeks 4 & 5: "Before" and "In Progress" Photos

A month into my postpartum weightloss adventure, and I am officially down 10 pounds! My clothes are fitting better, and I’ve even zipped up a couple of pairs of pre-pregnancy jeans. Things are going so well that I'm even feeling brave enough to show some "before" and "in progress" shots:

The photo on the left was taken on January 16, the night before I began my own twist on the No S Diet. I was about 10.5 weeks postpartum, and I weighed 156 pounds. The photo on the right was taken just yesterday on February 20. As of this morning, I weigh 145.6 pounds.

Although it's easy to see that my overall shape has changed for the better, what really surprised me was the difference in my face. Those cheeks are looking less chubby, indeed!

Seeing these photos has given me a renewed sense of motivation. I've been a bit lax on the eating front this past week, due to Valentine's Day and two celebrations for my dad's birthday. I also missed my scheduled Couch to 5K workout yesterday due to a cold/flu bug and a mega February snow storm.

I ate well yesterday, though, and will be back at the gym as soon as I'm feeling better. The question is... do I move on to week four of Couch to 5K, do I complete one more week three workout and then move on, or do I start week three over again entirely? Hmmm. (Thoughts?)

Although I feel energized by the progress I’ve made, I can’t say that the last month has been easy. Why? Well, the truth is that if you want to maintain a healthy weight, eat great food and be physically fit, you pretty much have to do the exact opposite of what most people do… most of the time. And that is hard.

Most people are overweight. Most people eat poorly. And most people are inactive. I say these things not to judge "most people", but to underscore just how hard it is to make a change.

For the past month, I've had to say "no, thank you" to the near-daily office treats, the restaurant lunches, the moms night out appetizers, and the post-kiddo-bedtime sweets that have tempted me. And I can't tell you how many times I've succeeded in saying no to the aforementioned diet traps only to hear a well-meaning friend, colleague or loved one (or voice in MY OWN HEAD) say to me, "But it's a special occasion!" or "Everything in moderation!" or "You don't even need to lose weight!"

But is it really moderation when every other day is a "special" occasion? And just because you're thinner than a lot of other people, does it really mean that you shouldn't attempt to lose excess weight?

Like I said, it's hard. We are not a country — a culture — that does moderation very well. In fact, our sense of normal has become so skewed that I'm not sure we don't even know what moderation means.

So although I'm no diet or fitness expert, I can say with certainty that if you want to be healthy, you must be prepared to swim upstream. But hey, that has to burn extra calories, right?

Current Weight (taken morning of 2/21/11):

145.6