May is for Mommy

I'm not sure May is really all about Mommy but I do celebrate my birthday and Mother's Day within a few day span (and occassionally even on the same day!). 

On the day before my birthday, my mom came over and brought some birthday cupcakes and dinner (always nice!).  She also got to see Luke's t-ball game and him be given the game ball!  She must be good luck!

My actual birthday was a gorgeous day that I spent in the office.  While that part of the day wasn't too exciting, Luke did have another t-ball game that night so I did get to enjoy the weather then!  Wally also had a baseball game so I was flying solo with the kids that night.  We still had those cupcakes from the day before so while it may be sad, I had the kids sing "Happy Birthday" to me before they could eat one - ha!  Hey - everyone deserves to at least be sung to!

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I didn't really ask for much for my birthday.  I just wanted a particular book and to go on a date.  Because really, these two precious babies are the best gifts (except when I seriously want to pull my hair out during the 5 o'clock hour everyday and quite often many other hours of the day - we are deep in the trenches of parenting over here and life is not all rainbows and butterflies lately...).



Wally and I went out last Saturday night.  We started with church.  Seriously, you forget how peaceful church is when you aren't separating kids, dragging a toddler out from the pew behind you, grabbing books before they are ripped to shreds, and bribing your children to be quiet.  Church was wonderful!  We then headed to dinner followed by bowling.  We tried to go bowling on our last date, but we couldn't get a lane until after 10 PM.  This time we were there to bowl by 7 and it was perfect (if you want to bowl in the daylight and with other young kids - ha!).  Seriously, it was fun, but we were done bowling by 8, it was still light out and we seriously were so full we had a hard time finishing our bucket of beers.  It wasn't a late night for us, but we had a good time!



Sunday of course was Mother's Day.  Wally made breakfast and then we headed to the grocery store (we needed groceries badly!) and the rest of the day was spent at home relaxing.  Well, I relaxed and caught up on the DVR while Paige napped and Wally & Luke did yard work!

I did enjoy the best Mother's Day party at Luke's school but I think I will share that day separately.


As exhausting as mommyhood is these days, I truly truly truly love being "mommy" to Luke and Paige.  At the end of the day, I count my blessings and they are two of the biggest!



I hope all of the momma's out there had a great day however you spent it.  And a big Happy Mother's Day to my Mom who I love so much and is always there for my whole family!

Race Day

Last Sunday was the 5k Run at Brookfield Zoo.  It was actually a perfect morning for a run.  Sunny and cool - maybe 45-50 degrees.

Wally and I couldn't believe all the cars we were seeing as we got closer to the Zoo.  The line was backed up to get into the parking lot.  I guess I should have known there would be a ton of people, but it really took me by surprise.  I told Wally, "I guess I'm not going to win now".  A joke of course!

Here's the crew!  It grew from just my sister and me to cousins, friends, and co-workers.



Once the run finally started it was a little overwhelming for me.  There were so many people that I felt like I just was speed walking in the beginning.  I was just trying to find a place and get to the pace I was comfortable with.  Once I got going though, it was pretty good.  I even got to see these faces twice cheering me on :)  Luke was yelling "Go Mommy!".





And then at about the 2.5 mile mark, the outside of my right knee started to bother me.  It wasn't anything I couldn't run through, but it was definitely uncomfortable and I knew I was so close to the end.  So I finished and was so happy but once I stopped, my knee just tightened up and I literally could not bend it.  I mean, seriously.  I have been training for about 2 months and loving it and feeling great and then bam!  I was quite upset about it (still am)!



I found my little crew though and I limped along as we headed off to see some animals.









I am so happy that I finished my first 5k.  I set a goal and accomplished it!  It felt good!

I finished at 33 minutes even.  Deep down I was hoping for a faster time, but really, that is pretty good for my first race, the number of people and my bum knee at the end.

The outside of my knee is still bothering me.  It finally felt good on Wednesday and then Friday morning it started hurting again.  I haven't run since last Sunday and was hoping to get out there this weekend but this pain is still there.  I think it is my IT band but who knows.  I am going to work on strengthening my hips and see if that makes a difference.  Hopefully there will be another race in my near future!

Tough Week

:sigh:

Well, I survived.

My baby girl is officially a daycare baby with her big brother.

She (of course) did amazing. I (of course) did not.

Monday was terrible, just terrible.

I cried all morning while getting ready, I cried when I dropped the kids off, I cried on my way to work, I cried at work, I cried on my way to get the kids, I cried when I saw Paige.

All of the teachers raved about what a good baby Paige is and how she is easy to please. Once she starts fussing, it is just time to move on to something else or eat or change her diaper and then she is back to being a happy camper. I was told multiple times during the week what a joy she is and how her smile melts their heart - I hear ya teachers - she is awesome!

I was curious as to how Luke would be with her there, and as expected, he didn't care too much - ha! He got to introduce her to the other kids at group time and pushed her in the baby swing a bit, but that's about it. He has said multiple times to his friends that she is HIS baby sister - in a possessive way - which is cute!

But today I am off and home with my kids and will be with them every Friday (which I love and am so thankful for). 4 days of work and 3 days off - I'll take it!

Both kids are napping and really I should be too since this week's sleep has been less than stellar, but I thought I would blog and catch up on my almost maxed out DVR!

Before I go though, here are some tummy pics of Paige.

In case you didn't know, she is NOT a fan of tummy time. She usually screams her little head off. The other night though, she mostly just grunted and groaned but stayed on her tummy for about 10 minutes - definitely a record for her.



Check out those brows - ha!

I Am...

Sad. Really sad. I officially become a working mom again next Wednesday. This time is proving to be more difficult than last time. I thought it was supposed to be easier the second time around??? I can't really explain why it is harder, but I know there have been a lot of tears lately. The tears seem to come at random times of the day, but a lot come when Wally and I are laying in bed talking. I am the face Paige has seen and the voice she has heard all day and every.single.day of her life thus far. I know that will continue, but it still makes me upset. The transition starts with Grandma Z. coming next week, then Grammy the following week, then the dreaded daycare drop off. I may be sad, but I know that I have wonderful support and an understanding workplace to help me get over this hump and into our new normal. I am sure this is not the last post you will read about this transition.

Thankful. Very thankful for having a job that allowed me to take nearly 3 1/2 months off to spend with my family. I know not everyone is lucky enough to have this much time, and I made sure not to take this time for granted.

Hopeful. Hopeful that it will get a little easier every time I have to leave my baby girl. It does help seeing how happy Luke is at Punky's and knowing that he will be there with Paige, but it still isn't easy.

Blessed. Extremely blessed to have 2 beautiful, healthy children, a wonderful husband, and amazing family and friends. I do not for a second forget that I am truly blessed in life.

Don't Laugh, I Still Got It, and...

kids' pics in between! (a.k.a. A completely random blog post!)

This is the 'don't laugh' part for my family! Luke was at Punky's yesterday, and I decided I need a hobby. You know, because in between 2 kids, a dog, a husband, a house, and a full-time job, I need something else on my plate. Seriously though, I need to DO something that doesn't consist of watching television or at least something I can do WHILE I am watching tv :) So with a little inspiration from Pinterest, Paige and I hit up Hobby Lobby. After an hour and a half of walking around and feeling completely intimidated and overwhelmed, I made some purchases! I will keep you posted on how all that goes!

Luke's new favorite thing is emptying and filling his piggy bank!


Polka-dot love






Hey! Who stole my headband?!?!


Future American Idol????


For the 'I still got it' part, I went to my first Zumba class in over a year last night. I can't say that I look good doing those moves, but at least I catch on to the choreography right away unlike some people...I feel bad for some of the others because there really is no 'teaching' in Zumba. You just have to follow along and that seems to be quite difficult for some, but I guess I am tooting my own horn here, but I still got it! :)

I am really looking forward to the weekend! My best friend will be holding her baby in her arms by tomorrow (boy or girl? I can't wait to find out!), I get my hair did on Saturday morning, and Luke and I are heading to see the Lion King 3D (I am not sure who is more excited to see it, him or me!). It's gonna be a good one!

Postpartum Update

6 weeks after Miss Paige was born this is what's going on with me!

I had my 6-week checkup last Tuesday and all is well!

Pounds gained during pregnancy - 36

Pounds lost so far - 26.5

I have worked out once since Paige was born (at 4 weeks) and haven't done anything since, although I did buy new tennis shoes so that's a start, right?!?!

Dress shopping for Will's wedding was no fun! I was feeling pretty good about the direction everything was going until I started trying on dresses and things weren't fitting the way I'd like. That is when I really realized the changes in my body. Yet I still haven't worked out...

Problem areas = hips, butt & thighs.

Oh and my boobs = huge! That is where those last 10 lbs. are sitting right??? Ha!

I am hoping with Wally going back to school this week that will help with the weight loss. We were having too much fun at the end of summer and not eating very good so that couldn't have helped much!

My rings are still snug. I think my left knuckles are still swollen. I can get my rings on, but it is killer some nights to get them off! Maybe some finger workouts are necessary :)

Sleeping is wonderful! Every night I sigh in relief knowing that I can sleep on my stomach or my back or my side or however I want. There is no belly in the way or back hurting!

Overall, I feel great! I really have from the second I delivered Paige - it was instant relief! And I have to say that I am happy with the way my body has bounced back post baby #2. Now the rest is up to me and well, once college was over and I stopped dancing, physical activity has been very rare. I get on a kick for a week or a day and then stop. I think this time might take some effort on my part - stay tuned!

Oh and I have 8 more weeks of maternity leave left so that makes me really happy :)