Monday, April 20, 2009

When the Rubber Meets the Road

Today I had to give a presentation to a 150 person audience. Let me tell you...I like public speaking just about as much as I like having splinters removed. I spend copious amounts of time preparing and practicing to what usually amounts to "no big deal." So, this past week I didn't get to put in my typical exercise and yesterday I didn't have time to do much of anything at all. Plus, my MIL was here this past week. I feel too guilty to exercise 2x a day when someone else is watching Nathan. It seems excessive. Maybe because it is excessive? I think I am starting to get the sense of how much I will be able to exercise "when the rubber meets the road" and my first priorities (family, putting $$ in the bank, SLEEP, etc.) push exercise lower down on Maslow's Hierarchy after I start working.

Weekly Mileage:
Monday, April 13, 2009: 8.6 miles
Tuesday, April 14, 2009: 10 miles
Wednesday, April 15, 2009: 9 miles w/ 3 miles @ 6:18 and 3 miles @ 7:30
Thursday, April 16, 2009: Body Pump, 8.6 miles
Friday, April 17, 2009: 16 miles @ 8:05 pace
Saturday, April 18, 2009: 7 miles
Sunday, April 19, 2009: 30 minutes of Power Yoga Video (baby decided he needed my attention, so I couldn't finish the video)
Total Mileage: 59.2 miles

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Cheater Cheater Chocolate Eater

Diet Update
I am on Day 3 of the basically-eat-nothing-fun diet. OK, so maybe I haven't ACTUALLY stuck to the diet YET. On Day 1, I ate a chocolate granola bar (the last Chex Mix Turtle Bar) and a HUGE handful of chocolate chips. And, today, Day 3, I ate 5 pieces of chocolate candy that my MIL brought for Easter. Oh, and I have had 6 strawberries each day on my tastes-like-cardboard-diet-approved-high-fiber-organic-oh's because I bought these delicious strawberries before I found out that I was going to be on this diet. As soon as they are gone, I won't eat any more. Same goes for the chocolate. I have about 2 handfuls of chocolate chips left. I have NOT eaten ANY dairy though, which is HUGE for me. And, rice cakes in sunflower seed butter has become my new obsession. I ate 6 rice cakes with sunflower seed butter yesterday.

A shot of my new grub a la Trader Joe's:

Sleep Update
Nathan is still sleeping in only 2-3 hour increments. I have started to keep a nap and sleep diary to help identify sleeping trends/problems. I am starting to notice some consistency in his napping and have been making an effort to actually put him to sleep rather than just letting him fall asleep whenever. I have also been trying to wake him up and put him down around the same time every day. Based on my calculations, Nathan is getting 3-4 hours of sleep during the day in 3-4 naps and 8-11 hours of sleep at night. According to this new book I am reading, the No-Cry-Sleep-Solution, babies Nathan's age should be getting 14-15 hours of sleep total. If we put Nathan to bed at 7 rather than 9pm, he's pretty close to this amount. Not that it has helped him sleep any longer.

Nathan seems to be having an identity crisis. Cute bunny or carnivorous monkey eater?

Monday, April 13, 2009

An Intolerable Diet

All--thank you for your wonderful, thoughtful comments. I guess the thing about motherhood is that we really shouldn't compare ourselves or our babies to others....I think that's a lesson I've been trying to learn since childhood!

I have been hoping to have a break through with the breast feeding and lack of sleep....or at least a better attitude about it. I'm sad to report that I am the same miserable grump that I was last week...only this week I am more frustrated because I went to the Breast Whisperer and even she didn't have any answers about Nathan's breastfeeding/sleeping issues. The only thing that she could recommend was that I try to eliminate foods from my diet that might be causing him gastronomic distress (aka "The Elimination Diet").

I love my baby. A lot.

But, MAN, do I really have to give up ALL of my favorite foods????

On the not to eat list: ALL DAIRY (a mainstay of my diet...goodbye milk, yogurt, icecream, cheese, sour cream...everything I LOVE TO EAT); ALL GRAINS (are you freaking kidding me? No BREAD? No CHEX MIX TURTLE BARS? No OATMEAL?); citrus fruits (oranges? berries? WAAAAH); NO CHOCOLATE or PEANUT BUTTER.

So, basically, all I can eat for two weeks and perhaps until I stop breastfeeding: turkey, lamb, sweet potato, rice, millet, potato, pears, squash.

The elimination diet makes me want to eliminate myself. Oh well, maybe this way I will eat healthier. Heck, I will be baring my body in a swim suit in two weeks.

...although Sour Patch Kids and Peeps were NOT on the eliminate list....hmmmm......

I ate all my favorite things today and will start the diet tomorrow.

Last Week's Mileage:
Monday, April 6, 2009: 8.6 miles, Body Pump
Tuesday, April 7, 2009: 8.6 miles, MTV Yoga Video
Wednesday, April 8, 2009: 9.4 miles, MTV Yoga Video
Thursday, April 9, 2009: Body Pump, 60 minutes elliptical
Friday, April 10, 2009: 9.4 miles, Kristin McGee's Power Yoga Video (new!)
Saturday, April 11, 2009: 14 miles @ 7:41 pace on TM b/c it was POURING
Sunday, April 12, 2009: 8.6 miles, Power Yoga Video (love it!)
Total Mileage: 58.6

P.S. I LOVE my new Power Yoga DVD....I did it Friday night and my hubby squeezed my arm on Saturday and I yelped because it was so sore from the video!! The music is a little cheesy, but ot was a good workout--hard, but I felt all stretched out afterward.
P.P.S. Some Easter pictures!!
The only good shot of Nathan's Easter outfit:
Mr grandmother, aunt, Nathan (wearing the sweater and hat my grandmother knit him), and me
My nuclear family and Poppop (love the double sweaters, Poppop!)

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Avoiding Blogs

I've been avoiding the blogosphere lately....because I am a bitter woman.

Nathan is still waking up every 2-3 hours at night and I am exhausted. I thought by 5 months he would have grown out of this and sleeping through the night. I find myself getting really frustrated reading other people's blogs...so I have stopped checking them so often...that and I have been working 2-4 hours a day while breastfeeding, during naps, etc. and it doesn't leave too much spare time on the internet.

I've also developed a complex about Nathan's weight. He's barely above the dr's required weight gain minimum of 3 oz a week. I took him in for his 5 month appointment today and he only weighs 13lb 12oz...only 14 oz up from 4 weeks ago. He continues to resist nursing more often and we still have to walk around on eggshells to keep everything quiet so that he eats. I see chubby little babies and wish I could make my little guy chubby and feel that I have failed him. Oh to have a 90th percentile baby instead of my 10th percentile runt (that I love).

I guess I'm just frustrated with everything and desperately tired. What would I do for the more than 2 hours of sleep in a row. I miss the days when he would at least sleep in 4 hour increments.

I keep thinking that maybe if I hit the end of my rope...things will change...but, they aren't...and the doctor doesn't want me to do sleep training because he is getting food several times in the middle of the night.

The doctor suggested that I take some herbal supplements to increase my supply. Part of me feels defeated by this and doesn't want to admit that I am not making enough, but clearly, I must not be.

At least I am not working right now...but I only have about 6 more weeks off and am starting to worry that he won't be sleeping when I do go back to work.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Cherry Blossom Race!

It was a gorgeous day for a race! I swear every time I run Cherry Blossom it is either windy, snowy, or rainy. But, today it was PERFECT! Hubby and Nathan went to cheer me on and a lot of friends were running the race. I actually got a PR! 1 hr 5 min 23 sec. Woohoo! That's a 6:33 pace. I have NEVER run that fast at a race before! I don't know whether it has been the speedworkouts on the treadmill, the fact that I actually tapered for this race, the miles that I have been logging, or the massive consumption of carbs (thank you Pizza Paradiso) that helped me PR. Here are some pictures:




Weekly Mileage:
Monday, March 30, 2009: 60 minutes elliptical, MTV Yoga Video
Tuesday, March 31, 2009: 5 mile run, BodyPump
Wednesday, April 1, 2009: 5 mile run, MTV Yoga Video
Thursday, April 2, 2009: 7 miles w/ 5 miles at 6:22
Friday, April 3, 2009: 5 mile run
Saturday, April 4, 2009: 60 minutes elliptical
Sunday, April 5, 2009: 10 mile race and MASSAGE!
Total Mileage: 32 miles

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

April Fool's

I should have known better.

My husband is the KING of April Fool's Day jokes.

And, once again, I forgot that it was April Fool's Day.

He created an elaborate email that he forwarded to me that said that managers were not going to be promised positions at the new firm that acquired his company and that those managers the new company did choose to keep would get 40% pay cuts. The source of the email that he forwarded (complete with the new organization's logo)? A lady in HR from the new company whose name was...April First. I don't know how I missed that one.

I have to remember to get him really good next year for scaring me so badly this year. I am SO GULLIBLE!