4 Months and Growing!

Hello Sweetest Bloggie Friends!

Where does the time go?  I can hardly believe my eyes when I look at Lleyton and see how he's grown.  Has it been 4 months already?

Time is flying....just last week I finally made it to the photographers studio to view his newborn images and my maternity images.  I sat there in front of a huge viewing screen and looked as she flipped through the shots and    just minutes into them I started to cry.  This was my life unfolding before my eyes and it took me back to a place where a baby was only a dream and all I had to fill the void was HOPE & FAITH.  Now, I was looking at the beautiful little miracle God has given to us and I was so incredibly humbled and immensely grateful.

As I looked at the images it seemed surreal.  I couldn't believe that I no longer have an infant, but a little boy.  He has grown and changed SO much!  His expressions are priceless and he is now "talking" all the time.  Not to mention he is rolling over and trying his best to crawl...not sure I'm ready for that yet ;)  He loves watching his baby Einstein baby Mozart and baby Beethoven DVD's, to which my husband and I laugh, as we just can seem to see what Lleyton finds so amuzing about them, but he LOVES them!  I ration out his time watching or he would sit there all day.  We rotate between his little play gym, the bumbo seat, his jumparoo and playing on his play mat or playing in the floor in his nursery.

I love this little boo boo beyond words...I soak up every minute I have with him and smile all day long!  Yes, there are many things that don't get done around our house, but he will only be little once and I'm not going to blink and miss it...the rest can wait!

As for sleeping, our sleeping pattern has improved.  Just this week, as my husband has been away traveling, I began to establish a bed time.  I decided that 8:30 was a good time for me to put lovie down and he slept 6 hours the first night and 7 1/2 the next.  I was amazed!  Speaking of bed times, it's time for me to call it a night too.  I could continue to write a novel, but I need sleep.

I'm reading your blogs, promise...however, my new computer won't let me comment and I've yet to have time to figure our the snaffu, but I will.  Just know I'm reading, following and sending love and well wishes to all.

Much Love and Hugs always,



4 Marvelous Months!

PS.  No spell check...not enough time

Life's Happenings and Target Sucks!

Hello Sweetest Bloggie Friends!

Wow, what a week!  There is so much going on here!  For starters, Lleyton has worked tirelessly to roll over onto his tummy and finally he did it!  Monday, we played in his nursery and he was trying, trying, trying to roll over and just couldn't do it.  Then, when I wasn't looking, he did it!  I looked at his sweet little self on his play mat and there he was....on his tummy!  And he did it just as his Daddy was walking through the door.  This Mama had a smile on her face as wide as the Mississippi River!  Way to go Lovie!

In other news, Lleyton got his new wheels yesterday!  Thanks to his sweet and generous Sydee and Poppie, he is now the proud owner of the Bumbleride Indie stroller.  Can I just say that a good stroller makes all the difference! And this one is PERFECT!  We took his new wheels on their maiden voyage last night and it was dreamy.  No more bumpity, bump where the sidewalk sections join and no more being harnessed in his carrier and uncomfortable....Nope, now he can just relax and ride, as he was such a happy boy on his stroll.  He smiled and coo'ed and laughed, which is a big difference from when we would take him in his Snap n Go with his carrier attached. 

I knew I wanted a stroller that was well built and had lots of features, relatively light weight, etc...and I found the Bumbleride on line, but the only problem was there was no store even remotely near us to go and try it :(  And just as I was about to go out on a limb and order it on line, sight unseen, a local baby boutique took my advice and adde the line to their store!  Can we say ahhh...I went and test drove it and it met all my expectations and then some.  Highly recommend it and its worth the price.  And we are very grateful to his grandparents for the awesome gift!

On other fronts....TARGET SUCKS!  Now, I hate the words sucks, but I couldn't come up with a better short word to describe my experience. 

DON'T create a BABY registry at TARGET!  The return policy is just plain awful!  Thinking I was doing a good thing that would be convenient for people we registered at our local Target store.  After mulitple showers we received duplicates of many gifts....6 Bumbo seats, 5 Diaper Genies, and the list goes on and on.  However, not all of our sweet friends gave us gift receipts and not everyone told the clerk that the items purchased were off of a registry.  Thus, let the chaos begin! 

For starters, if you return items, the clerk will politely (or maybe not) ask you to print off your registry and then look to see if the item is on it.  Then, you will be asked to produce a gift receipt.  If you have no gift receipt, you can give them your drivers license and return up to $75 worth of items WITHOUT a receipt...this is a one time thing!  After that, if you return items they will only allow you to swap dollar for dollar from the SAME DEPARTMENT, and I don't mean the general baby department, but you have to get it specifically from department 30, etc...who has time for that?  Or, who knows the departments and their location?  What a nightmare!  It took me an hour to return the 6th Diaper Genie and an item that had been recalled!  Not to mention I had an item that was purchased by a friend for $40 that the clerk told me was only worth $7 as of today!  What?  Thanks, but no thanks, I'll keep the item and pass it along to someone who can use it.

In hind sight, I would have registered at Babies R Us, as they were wonderful when it came to returns!  And there is always good old Wal Mart, which takes back most everything with ease.  At one point I had to laugh when the Target sales clerk suggested I ask the gift givers to produce gift receipts....um, no, that would be a wee bit tacky.  So, with that said, I will tell every expectant Mother to NOT do a TARGET BABY REGISTRY or you will be stuck with countless things you don't need or can't use.  Or, in our case, we will be donating and passing along to those in need, which isn't necessarily a bad thing :)

As for something positive, while I was waiting to exchange the items and the sweet clerk was working to try to help me, Lleyton started having a meltdown, as it was time for his bottle.  A very sweet clerk on her lunch break of all things, started trying to entertain him as I stood and made his bottle.  Then, another sweet lady in line behind me asked if she could feed him while completed the transaction...and another precious lady loaded my items into my cart.  Angels on Earth is all I can say....and it really does TAKE A VILLAGE! 

I hate for this to seem so negative, but I am a stickler for customer service.  My clients expect it and I stand on my head to be kind and appreciative of the business that comes my way.  And I hate when corporate policies seem to disrespect hard working customers.  After all, Target has a sophisticated tracking system that tells them if a product is actually theirs according to the skew number.  Enough on that...just learn from my mistake of registering there or be ware of the hurdles if you do :)

Other than that, I'm continuing on my weight loss journey!  I am doing the Weight Watchers plan and lost 2 pounds exactly last week, my first week on the program.  The plan is easy and I get lots of great things to eat.  I started at 138 and am down to 136 and my clothes already feel better having lost such a small amount.  And, yesterday, I actually went to the pool and wore a cute swimsuit!  Following WW along with working out has totally changed the way I see myself....I'm no longer feeling frumpy and dumpy, but see myself as a work in progress!  On the to do list this week is to call my trainer and get her to work with me on Pilates moves to strengthen the core, post C-Section, as training is different for us Mommies who had surgery.  Oh, and Kudo's to my friend Jamie over at Forget Me Not O Lord, who lost 3 pounds last week on WW!  Woo Hoo Jamie!

Last, but not least, a BIG CONGRATULATIONS to my friend Brie at Two of a Kind Working on a Full House...she is pregnant!  I'm beyond thrilled, as she was so sweet to me following the loss of our baby and then supported me through infertility.  Big Hugs sweet friend, I'm so happy for you!

Lots of Love and Big Hugs to all....and for those of you out there still struggling with infertility, my heart is with you.  Don't give up, just be positive, persevere and be patient.  And I will be praying for your miracles.

Body After BABY Part 2

Happy Monday Bloggie Friends!

After reading all of your comments on my original post "Body After Baby" I was comforted to know that not everyone jumps right back into their pre-pregnancy clothing or into a bikin!  For those of you who did, Kudo's to you!  But for this C-section Mama it just didn't happen ;)  As many of you said and my cousin reiterated, it took 9 long months to gain the weight and it will take a few more to get it off...it just doesn't happen over night.

So, what's a girl to do?  Well, this morning, as Lleyton slept, I got on line and enrolled myself in the Weight Watchers on line program.   Me being the type A personality that I am the structure is good...although, I wish I had more time to peruse the site and find recipes, etc..but that will come!  And today has been great!  For breakfast I had my usual Kashi Go Lean cereal with 1% milk.  For Lunch, I had an 8" tortilla with 2 tbsp of Hommus, salad greens, chick peas, red bell pepper and cucumbers.  It was tasty!  On the side I had more cucumbers with a little drizzle of red wine vinagrette.  And for a snack, later I will have a bananna!  Dinner is going to be grilled chicken breast and veggies.

On the plan I get 29 points each day and thus far I have used 15.  It seems easy so far and I like that I'm accountable to tracking what I'm eating.  And I also get extra points pending how much I work out, which is nice!  Overall, when I got pregnant I weighted 119-121 lbs and I currently weigh 138, Yikes!  So, I have about 15-17 lbs to lose.

In the meantime, I suppose I will take all of the "EXCELLENT" advice that all of you gave me.  I'm going to try and not focus on what I used to look like, but try and focus on the fact that I'm working toward my goal.  Easier said that done, but doable ;)  And I'll continue to add a few "tide me by" items of clothing to the wardrobe...I just wish Fall would hurry up and get here!  You sure can "hide" the fluff alot better under layers!  LOL  Also, I plan to reward myself with a particular belt that I have always coveted.

Other than that, I talked with a personal trainer friend and asked about the varying opinions on doing crunches and ab work post C-section.  The controversy is in that going straight to crunches and sit ups will cause the abdoment to protrude, as the smaller, deeper muscles won't be trained first.  It all goes back to the theory of training the transverse abdominus.  Anyway, his advice was to go ahead with crunches, but don't do a full crunch.  Instead, come up slightly and pulse several times.  And of course, he recommended pilates moves.  So I will be taking this advice as well and talking with a pilates instructor to incorporate moves along with cardio and strength training.

Whew....and to think I used to do all of this without even thinking about it!  If I just had more time!!!

BUT

This is what makes it all worth while....even being fluffy....

Thanks again for all the comments and support....I appreciate it beyond words.  Sending everyone sunshine for a wonderful week ahead.  And if you have any great Weight Watchers tips or recipes to share please do!  I'd love to hear about them :)