5 months ~ and working on my fitness

My lil' man is 5 months already and I still can hardly believe it :) I am so so blessed to be his mommy and I thank God every day for sending us this happy, active, curious little boy. 

Some highlights of the past month so I don't forget: 

• Caught on video: Elliott's first continuous laugh outburst (you know, those contagious baby laughs lol) when I asked my hubby to distract him while I was cutting his fingernails - my DH started waving his hands with a silly face and saying 'whohoohoo, whooohooo' over and over again and for some reason, it cracked him up, for like, 2 minutes straight lol

• He hates sitting back in his bouncy chair now, he's always lunging forward and wanting to sit upright - although, I borrowed a Bumbo* from a friend and he doesn't seem to want to sit in it for too long

• He started grabbing his toes and feet while lying on the changing table 

• Still working on his grasping skills - he can usually grab his toys and shove them in his mouth but sometimes I see him getting frustrated and instead of grabbing the toy his fists are balled up and he basically uses his forearms to shove it into his mouth 

• He's had the odd wake-up-fussing-turn-into-screaming-bloody-murder a few nights after sleeping for 2 hours or so - I would try to shush and re-assure and rock but would eventually have to nurse him back to sleep - hopefully this was an outlier and not a habit - happened a few times in the past week..for the most part, he is still sleeping 10-12 hours a night so I am praying that will stick

• Every day E gives the biggest grin and laugh when Daddy comes in the door from work - melts Daddy's heart that's for sure ;) I smile too because then I get a break! well, if making dinner counts as a break LOL

• We went to our first Mommy and BabyFitness class together last week! It was pretty intense and I loved working out with E and I really think he enjoyed it too - loved seeing other moms and their babies and especially the last half hour dedicated to the babies with songs, puppets, bubbles and parachute 

• E loves it when I dance and make a fool out of myself in front of him

• DH started putting E on a workout ball for his tummy time last week to help strengthen his arms and he loves it! We're noticing a difference in his upper body strength now

• my wrist is still not doing so great - I'm pretty sure I have tendinitis but I haven't had time to go see a doctor so a wrist brace is helping somewhat - those darn heavy carseats and just repetitive baby lifting :(

• OH almost forgot this - not that it's a highlight - well - neither is the previous bullet - but I got my period back last week.  I was a bit surprised it came back so soon and frankly, I could do without having to worry about that again but alas, no such luck. I guess it's time to think about birth control. huh. I don't want to go back on the pill so I need to see what other alternatives are out there - Any input would help! 

I met up with some of my co-workers today for a baby shower/lunch and the more they talked/vented about work, the more I felt like I really did not want to go back to work. or at least, back to that job. I'm really dreading it and every month that goes by I feel more anxious. I know I am really lucky to have 12 months for maternity leave. I really am. But I think that I will start looking at what other jobs in the same field are out there and see if it is worthwhile to make a change now that I have some time to think about it. 


Still catching up on some blogs but I think of you all often and I hope you are doing well!

Spring is in the air

and Elliott is approaching 5 months next week! Whaaat? How the heck did that happen already? It's been a while since I last posted so forgive me if this post is a bit random and scattered. 

Let's see, where to start? Elliott is such a happy baby, I really am so blessed that for the most part, all he does is jump up and down on my lap and shriek with happiness and babble endlessly. We have the best conversations during the day - sometimes I feel like he really understands everything I'm saying to him! 

Our daily routine is pretty much set now, and the whole napping thing has definitely improved although if I miss that "window" - then it is a whole other story.  I have gotten him used to going down for a nap while he is still awake (and in his crib), and he'll talk to himself for a bit, fuss and then usually fall asleep on his own.  Only on some occasions do I have to intervene and rock him a bit and put him down but we are trying hard to wean that out since we never have to do that at bedtime. Thankfully he is still sleeping like a champ at night - now he goes down just before 9pm and up the next morning at 9 am - but lately I've noticed a few times he would wake up in the middle of the night (3 am or 4 am) wanted to eat, then going back to bed until the usual wake up time. I'm hoping that it is just a growth spurt and nothing permanent - I know I'm spoiled with long sleep but I would like to keep it that way thankuverymuch!

At the last ped appointment, I told the doctor that I thought my little guy was showing signs of teething so she felt around his gums and confirmed that she could feel a tooth coming up on his bottom right side but she said it hasn't cut through the gums yet. Isn't it a bit early for teething?  He's been a drooling machine (we go through at least 5 bibs a day if not more) and loves shoving anything into his tiny mouth to gnaw on. 


He's on the 'smaller side' for babies his age, but when I think about it, Elliott was born 2 weeks early and also started at 5 lb 6oz so he had a lot of catching up to do - he is now 13.5 lbs.  I'm not bothered by his weight until my friends (who've also recently had babies) start commenting "oh he's so tiny" or "wow he's super lean" - it makes me feel like a bad mother and that I'm not feeding him well enough!  Most of the time I just bite my tongue and remind them that he was born early and was at least 2 - 3 lbs lighter at birth than their 'big' babies and just hope that they get the hint and shut up. Then I go home and vent to my hubby that I can't stand how they keep saying E is small when I think he has been doing great at gaining weight and his pediatrician still says he's doing great.  Am I being overly sensitive here? How else can I get my friends to stop making those comments? (and it's only the ones with babies) 


As for my weight, well, that's a whole other story.  I haven't been great at taking care of myself and well, it shows.  I still have the flabby pouch and at least 20 lbs to lose before my ideal weight, and given that I'm a small frame gal, every lb shows :(  I know that it will take a while to get off but I get frustrated when I look at pictures of myself and just feel uncomfortable in this body that is so foreign to me.  I signed E and myself up for a Mommy and Baby Fitness class starting next week - so if all goes well, I'll be on the right track to getting my body back! 


Right now hubby and I are looking into where we can go for a family vacation.  We want low key, but also love trips with activities where we can go and do stuff, vs. just lying around on a beach (plus I ain't getting into no swim suit just yet).  Any suggestions welcome - especially love to hear where you've been with your wee one at this age. 


My grandpa (mom's side) passed away last week at the age of 91.  I never knew him well as my grandparents all live in Hong Kong so I've only met them a total of 6 times in my life, but the sadness of his passing still hurts as it hurts to see my mom sad.  My parents are flying back for the funeral tomorrow, and will be there for 7 weeks.  I am a bit of a mess because ever since E was born, my mom has been around to help out and we hang out at least a few times a week, sometimes I'll even drop E off and go get some errands done.  Now that they will be gone for so long, I won't have that support that I'm so used to and frankly, I'm a bit scared to 'go it alone'.  I know I'm lucky to have family so close by, but because I've always had it, it will be the first time I will be 'on my own' without my mom here and I hope I can survive.  Hubby and I tousled around the idea of joining them in Hong Kong for a few weeks but the reality of bringing E on an international trip for our very first family trip seemed a bit too daunting of a task, and we are not brave enough yet to embark on a 15 hour flight with a complete time change that would throw us all off.  These upcoming weeks are going to be tough but I hope that I can keep busy by the new class I'm taking with E and hanging out with friends.  We still may end up taking vacation in April if we can find something that makes sense financially and fits what we are looking for. 


I will try to keep up with my posts more often as I miss writing and keeping up with you all! 

"Mommy Time"

It is so easy to get caught up in everything baby these days, sometimes I'll catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and just shudder at the sight: spit up on various parts of my shirt (that I may or may not have been wearing for two days straight lol), hair a tad on the greasy side because I just wanted to crash the night before and not wash it before going to bed and sometimes the odd milk leak or two on my shirt during the tossing and turning at night (gee, I sound so lovely don't I lol) 

But I do have to admit, now that Elliott sleeps in pretty much most mornings until 8:30/9 am from the night before, I have gotten some much needed "me" time in the mornings before he wakes up - I'll throw on a little makeup and "do" my hair, and eat some breakfast while catching up on the morning news.  I've really come to enjoy my mornings to myself but the best part still is, when I hear Elliott wake up and call for me.  Literally, the boy sounds like he's saying 'eh' - eh moom! LOL 

I also love the once and awhile, on the weekends, I'll get a few hours of "me time" outside of grabbing groceries.  Last weekend, I went to Star.b.uc.ks and bought a tall decaf half sweet extra hot caramel.mach.iatto and just sat there (fer reals) and enjoyed every last sip of it, while chatting on the phone with my sister.  Afterwards did a bit of shopping and by the time I got home I was recharged and refreshed again.  It was just glorious. 

How do you spend your "me time?" ;) 

Napping woes

At this very moment, it has been 20 minutes since I put E down for a nap and he is still screaming at the top of his lungs.  I am feeling so so guilty for hearing him cry but I am trying to let him fall asleep on his own and break out of the rock to sleep that we unfortunately started doing every now and then.  It is SO hard and I don't know how else to help him sleep. I watched for his cues: the fussiness, rubbing eyes, and put him down during the 'window'...ugh this crying is killing me!

He doesn't do this at night thankfully, but it's the daytime naps that are always so tricky. I've tried the white noise and the blankets, but not really helping. I know the key is to be consistent but I can't stand hearing my baby cry - ughhhhh I feel like a terrible mom!
  

Year of the Rabbit

Happy (1ST) Chinese New Year E!

The outfit is way too big for him (my parents brought it back from Hong Kong a few months ago and it's more for a 1 year old but we couldn't resist!) 
Last year around this time we were just given the 'green light' to start trying again after a round of testing and a mandatory break. What a difference a year can make! Praise God!

Belated - Maternity pics

We recently got our maternity pics from our friend N who took them for us just a week before Elliott was born - she did such an amazing job and we were so blessed to have such a sunny October fall afternoon :) 

Hope you all are doing well - I am still catching up on blogs but I am thinking and praying for all of you often.