Woo-hoo!

Down 4lbs since starting WW and going back to the gym 10 days ago...hopefully, I can keep this up!

Super 2 month old...and Awesome Super Bowl

Where has the time gone? My little angel turned 2 months old today! She celebrated by taking 2 long naps, staying awake to watch the football game with our friends Jeff and Megan and their 3 week-old daughter Riley, and then ending the night with an hourlong nonstop cryfest. The poor girl just gets an uspet tummy and gas so easily...something I'll mention to the pedi on Tuesday at Katelyn's 2-month appointment.
I am very proud of the fact that I made it to the gym 5 of 7 days this past week...and I actually kicked butt! The first day of hardcore cardio and weight lifting (separate days) were tough, I won't lie. But by the end of yesterday's workout, I feel my body responding. It feels great! I'm proud to kickstart this quest for fitness so well. Today I pretty much undid it with all the sinful noshing, though. Can you say chicken wings, mushroom turnovers, margherita pizza, and peanut butter pie? Umm, yea. Oh, and I shouldn't forget the 2 lemon drops I snuck in there with it all....The treadmill is definitely on my to-do list tomorrow! At least I got in 2 servings each of fruit and veggies..that counts for something, right?

Congrats to the N.O. Saints on their Super Bowl win! They were the underdogs, but it was nice to see something good happen for New Orleans.

Until next time, another pic of the little cutie:

Mourning my old self

So with the birthing of a baby, I have gained so much...a beautiful daughter, confidence in my skills as an inexperienced mom, appreciation for what my body can do, and the realization that WOW do I have a great hubby who can change diapers! I feel like the one thing I have lost is time.
Before Katelyn, I have no idea what I did with my time. Well---er, um, I take that back. I have every clue: internet shopping, blogging, reading blogs, organizing and reorganizing the closet(because of the shopping), painting my fingernails, taking nice long walks with the furbaby, lovin' up on the hubby, and having the freedom to work out (or not) anytime I wanted. Oh, yeah, and working (which I return to on March 1st---so soon!).

After 7 weeks of having a baby on a boob for 30 minutes every 2 hours, changing 10-12 diapers a day, rocking/cradling/shooshing the baby to please-for-the-love-of-heaven-SLEEP!!!!, I came out of the new mother fog and saw myself clearly in the mirror. I had to turn around and look over my shoulder because I swear, that is not me. The old Stacia didn't have love handles. She didn't have saggy boobs. And as far as I can remember, she used to wear makeup and fix her hair every day. HA!!! I am no longer the girl that I used to be.

Damn. Not pretty.

Sure, you can say that the stretch marks are battle scars, the love handles "will go away with breastfeeding", and Victoria's Secret has the hottest push-up bras! Granted, all of these things are trivial considering I birthed a perfect, healthy baby girl. I am not complaining about that. When reality hits (and my own critical eye), I have to admit I am VERY vain. Those stretch marks mean that I can't wear that bikini that I wore on our honeymoon. Those love handles, in fact, are not going away, despite my breastfeeding. And heaven forbid I buy a $50 bra...especially one that doesn't allow easy access for my sweet little one with a suction cup face.

I am now embracing my love handles and doing something about them. That gym membership that we've paid for month by month, the one that I didn't take advantage of for oh, 6 months last year, is now getting used. I've gone more in the past 2 weeks than I did in the entire first quarter of 2009.

IT FEELS GOOD.

Not only do I feel my abs working again, but I feel mentally lifted. I'm sleeping better. I'm waking up with energy. When I go to pick Katelyn up from the in-laws' after my workouts, I realize how much I missed her. All of those things work wonders when you're sleep deprived and have been wearing spit-up covered PJs for weeks.

I'm no doctor, but my prescription for post-baby blues? Mommy time.

And for all the SNL fans out there, more cowbell will have to wait.

By the way, my little girl will be 2 months old on Super Bowl Sunday!
Today's eye candy:

Lots of Randomness

So I'm slacking with the blogging....and still haven't posted Christmas pictures. We really didn't take as many as I thought, but here are a couple:

Jimmer and Katelyn:
















Us:


On another note, Katelyn will be 7 weeks old tomorrow! I can't believe how fast my little girl is growing! I stood with her on the scale this morning, and it shows her as 10 lbs!!! Just 5 weeks ago she was 8 lbs 5 oz, so if we go by the 1 oz per day she's supposed to gain, that's just about right on schedule.

Katelyn is definitely showing her personality. She has multiple facial expressions, she kicks and flails her arms, and she smiles and coos! She likes to cluster feed during the day, eating only 7-8 minutes every hour to hour and a half...but at night, she'll sleep 2.5-3 hours in between feedings. I have to say I'm ready for longer stretches of her sleeping (and in her own room) so that I can sleep a bit better. Last night, she did sleep through the night, from 10 to 5, but I won't believe it until it happens for at least a week. :) We're putting her in her crib for naps, but I don't want to have her sleep in the crib until we get a monitor. You'd think that as small as our house is, we wouldn't need one; but her room is just far enough away that it's hard to hear her cry from the living room and our bedroom when she's in there.

We went for our first girls' day out with Aunt Amanda last Monday, and we HAD to christen Katelyn to the joys of Nordstrom! We had fun, but I think auntie realized how much goes into carrying around an infant. One trip that should have lasted 1.5 hours max, ended up lasting almost 4 due to having to stop and change/feed/burp/console Katelyn. It's hard work!

Last weekend, Glen let the cat out of the bag that he booked us a trip to Las Vegas for my 30th birthday in August! Even better is the fact that our good friends Wes and Amanda from TX and Ryan and Lori from CA will be meeting us there! I am SOOOOOO excited!

SO: My goal is to fit into pre-pregnancy jeans and to buy a hot birthday night dress in a single-digit size.

Oh...the angel is awake from her nap...will start my next post with more pics!

Happy New Year, Happy 4 weeks!

My baby is 4 weeks old today! It seems as though it happened just yesterday...but the sleep deprivation reminds me that it's been longer than that. :)

We hit another milestone today: I was making those typical high-pitched "mommy voice" noises and kissing Katelyn today when she smiled!

Could this be gas?

:: I give Katelyn a second kiss::

ANOTHER SMILE!!! So my baby girl recognized her silly mommy and smiled twice. My heart has melted.

On other fronts, I can't believe the holidays are over and the new year has come. I've sucked up 4 of my 12 weeks of maternity leave, and it seems to be passing quickly. It didn't help that for the last 2 weeks I have had the flu, and the 2 weeks before that were difficult due to typical postpartum recovery. I finally feel like a semi-normal person!
Who would have thought that I could be happy with an interrupted-multiple-times night of 4-5 hours of sleep total? I have also learned that I don't have to have the room completely dark to sleep, and that 6:30 a.m. is not so early anymore!

Katelyn had gained 3 oz by her 2-week appt on 12/21 to make it up to 8 lbs 5 oz, but I believe she might be well on her way to 10 lbs by now! You wouldn't think so by looking at her in person, but I definitely feel the extra weight when I pick her up from a nap or when nursing her. She is a great latcher, and she also takes a bottle from daddy, grandma, or auntie Amanda without a problem! This is so nice when I need a break.

Tonight we will run out of newborn sized diapers and will try the size ones...they were big on her last week, so we're hoping she doesn't have a leak when we try them tonight! She is still wearing newborn sized clothes, as all of the 0-3 month sizes completely swallow her...but I can tell that her little legs and arms are getting a bit longer every week. I bet she goes up a size in the next 7-10 days, but we'll see!

2009 was a great year for us, and of course, Katelyn was our greatest accomplishement...and the tax deduction won't hurt. :)

Christmas pics to come!

No sleep + physical exhaustion= sick. Ugh.

I am on my 8th day of a head/chest cold and feel awful! Add to that caring for a now 3-week-old that is a bit congested too = bad mommy. I feel so guilty that all I want is for her to immediately go back to sleep after being changed and nursing. Hopefully, this fog will lift to allow me to blog a bit more with pictures of my cute, growing lady.

A Love Letter to my Daughter

Dear baby girl Katelyn,

You are 9 days old already! Daddy and I still can't believe how lucky we are to have a healthy, beautiful girl like you! We think you have my nose, lips, and cheeks and daddy's chin and hair. We were certain that you would be born with full-on strawberry blonde hair like mommy was, but it's more blonde like your daddy's was when he was born. Although, in some pictures, I see a strawberry tint to it...we'll have to see what happens! For now, you have blue eyes, but the pediatrician thinks you will have hazel eyes like daddy's. Oh, so many things to look forward to seeing!

Just like in the womb, you have your days and nights mixed up. I guess you get this from your night-owl mommy. You can sleep all day long and only eat 3-4 times, but when 9 pm comes, you are fussy, you want to eat every hour, and you go through diapers like nobody's business. (You definitely have your daddy's GI tract...ha!)

You only like to be swaddled from the waist down because you are very active with your hands, and you breastfeed like a champ. I love it when you're finished, because you'll latch off, half asleep, and give the biggest smile. Every time! Now, I know this is 99.9% just a "gas smile", but it's cute, nonetheless! I can't wait for the day when you smile on purpose. :)

You are coming to terms with the fact that I will not give up on you sleeping in the bassinet...the first 3 nights at home, you refused to sleep anywhere but on top of my chest, cradled in my arms, or in the bed next to me with my arms around you. Mommy never wanted to do the cosleeping thing, but to get some sleep, I've allowed it a few times . (look at you, already getting your way) Now, you've slept in the bassinet for 2-3 hours at a time, as long as we've preheated it with the electric heating pad and kept the space heater running nearby to keep you cozy.

I do admit, I've become frustrated, teary-eyed, and helpless at times...but I remember that the same things are happening to you. But if I take a moment to gaze down at your pretty little face in the midst of your crying fits, the tears I have are those of joy, because I've never been happier in my life. Yes, the day I married your daddy was incredible, but I didn't quite fall in love with him at first sight like I did with you. (Don't tell him I said that!)nYou are my pretty baby girl, my first born, my angel. I love you more than I thought I could ever love anything in this world.

Love,
Mommy

She is here!

Katelyn Grace was born on Monday, 12/7/09 at 10:58 am, 8 lbs 2 ounces, 20.5 inches, at 40 weeks 2 days. We are in love! I will update more with pictures soon!

40 weeks today and no baby, as predicted

How far along? 40 weeks and counting...

Total weight gain: 28 lbs (I was hoping to keep it under 30, but I dunno)

How big is baby?: who knows by now?

Stretch marks? Oh, boy, yes! Zebra stripes, thank you very much.

Sleep: Better since being on maternity leave. I've slept in until 9 almost daily. (I have to admit, even the crappy sleep I've gotten while pg will be missed once Katelyn is here)

Best moment this week: Today. I got to hang out with my loving, handsome hubby and loyal furbaby...we went out and got a fresh-cut Christmas tree, I had a yummy peppermint mocha, came home and decorated said tree, and then watched "Four Christmases" in peace and quiet. See? I'm trying to enjoy my baby-less time!

Food cravings: since Thanksgiving, pumpkin pie!

Gender: Girl

Labor Signs: now 3 cm dilated, 85% effaced. Frequent Braxton Hicks.

Belly Button in or out? innie still

What I miss: Driving in my car without difficulty breathing. Getting up from the couch in less than 60 seconds.

What I am looking forward to: seeing Katelyn's pretty little face and finding out what color hair she has!

Milestones: Made it to 40 weeks...hopefully, I don't make it to 41!

Nothing yet

I'm 2 days away from my due date, and no signs of baby yet.

LeSigh.

I know that one can walk around 3cm dilated for weeks, but geez! I've been "favorable" for a spontaneous delivery for 2 weeks. At least I didn't take my OB's words (completely) to heart when she expected me to go at 38 weeks.....And the calls/texts are starting to come...baby yet? how's your progress? why isn't she here yet?

I don't know!!!

And Jenny---I know Patrick was born at 39 + 2, so you have no say in this. :) (Yes, I am a blog stalker...)

Love ya!!