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Lyla has changed so much in the past 10 weeks. Even just the past four!

She smiles a lot now. It's tough to catch on camera- she always looks bewildered when one is put in her face- but they're there and just melt my heart. There are times now when it looks like she's trying to get a smile out of me instead of the other way around.

With the smiles come the cutest gurgles and coos I've ever heard. If she's feeling very talkative I'm treated to a marathon of sweet sounds. Watching her experiment with her vocal cords is one of the highlights of my day.

She has really discovered her hands, spending lots of time holding them and putting them in her mouth. Today right before her nap and after she nursed, she tapped her open hand on the couch cushion behind us for a while, enjoying the texture of it and how her hand moved. It was really fun to watch!

The drool is coming too, her chin is often a little wet. The days of always wearing a bib are nearly upon us.

The last two days she seems to have discovered her hair too. She's been touching and playing with it while nursing more and more. This rivals the cooing for cuteness.

She is more comfortable being held by women than men, as she is here with my friend Alex. I think boys tend to be more loud and a bit more awkward, so she trusts girls more.

And she does like TV. It's quite fun to sit with her and watch a show in the evening. In the coming months we'll stop and replace with a bath-stories-songs-bedtime routine, but for now we all enjoy this. I love seeing her nestled in Ray's lap so happily :)

Speaking of Ray, he is the master swaddler but the past few nights she has been escaping from them! She squirms and wiggles in her sleep until her arms get free and she gets upset. Last night it woke her on the early side around 1am, and Mommy was not happy about it! We have a velcro swaddle that has been too big for her until now, but it may be the only way to keep her happy and contained now.

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This is my favorite outfit on Lyla right now:

a pink corduroy jumper with a long-sleeved onesie and little ballet socks. It's comfy, cute, and girly without being fussy.

And one of my favorite pictures. I love the concentration on her face!

so happy ::::

Getting Back to Working Out

Seven weeks ago I said I would post about the state of my six-week postpartum body.

Oops.

Six weeks came and went. No post, no pictures. I wasn't kidding when I said it wasn't a high priority, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't matter to me. I thought I'd lose more weight naturally in that month, but it turns out I didn't. The scale said the same thing at six that it did at two. Guff! That month was filled with Christmas and lots of treats, but still. When I looked in the mirror and through my wardrobe my heart sank a little. I'm not in any of my old jeans; nothing but my sweats fit properly.

Periodically Ray has gently asked me how I'm feeling. Not physically, but emotionally- he's tentatively trying to ask if I feel depressed or not. Since I'm naturally more of a 'glass is half empty' type, the fear of postpartum depression was real for him. Every time I confidently say I feel great. Yes tired, yes maybe a little cranky, but no depression in sight. Life is great, but I admit that any sadness that I have does relate to my thighs and abs and their present state of jello. Maybe I had high expectations but I hoped to be much closer to my 'normal' by now. Because honestly, my goal is less about what the scale says and more about fitting into my old clothes.

At 6 weeks postpartum I was given the go ahead to work out again. This is great, but finding the time to do seemed like an even bigger hurdle than the workout itself. Unless I wait for naptime I don't have more than 20 minutes together to keep Lyla happy and occupied. If I want to shower, or eat, I have to factor in that time gone too. Housework must be done too but many things can be postponed since I make exercise more of a priority.

It's been 3 weeks now and while I'm not melting away, my body is looking and feeling a little tighter. I've decided not to weight myself for a while, but to keep with my new routine as much as possible. Here's what is working for me so far:

• 20 minutes of exercise first thing in the morning. I feed Lyla when we wake up, then change into my workout clothes and set her up on her play mat in the living room. I recorded a bunch of workouts on FitTV while I was pregnant that are 30 minutes long with commercials, and I'm also borrowing a new set from The Firm that my Mom got for Christmas. It has 12 workouts that are 20 minutes long which is perfect for me. Just as I'm finishing Lyla loses interest in playing and wants to be picked up. I'm not missing out on any time with her since she'd be on her play mat anyway, and I'm starting to entertain her; she spends more and more time watching me jump around. Always doing this 20 minutes first thing means that no matter what the day brings, I've gotten that much exercise in.
• At the end of this morning workout, I pick Lyla up and lay her on my chest while I do some crunches. This gives me some extra ab work and gets in more tummy time for her.
• Depending on the morning, I can sometimes fit in a second 20 minutes while she is awake and happy to sit in her bouncy seat or the play mat again. If not, I can do it during Lyla's midday nap between 12:00 and 3:00pm. On a really good day I can do a third but right now 40 minutes is pretty good.
• Now that it's January and the holidays are over, I'm trying to be more cognisant of what I'm eating and how much. Nursing does make me more hungry sometimes but I'm not always reaching for the healthiest snacks. I know that I eat more in the evenings because I'm tired and it feels good. I'm striving to rein in my cravings without feeling deprived. Some days are better than others.

With three weeks until Lyla hits the magical twelve, my hope is to be back in at least one pair of pre-pregnancy pants.

post nap

 

 

 

 

Leaps and Bounds

I can't believe Lyla will be 8 weeks old next week!!! She'll hit 2 months by calendar date 5 days later but I'm more excited about the weeks.

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She's growing lots, probably 8 pounds and some ounces. I can definitely tell when she lays across my lap to nurse. Some clothes are getting a little snug, like this newborn shirt~

Her face and body are chubby with lots of rolls- cleaning in her neck crevices is quite a challenge! And speaking of baths, she still doesn't like them- but she gets one every other day now because #1, it helps both of us get used to them, and #2, they are needed to combat the spit-up residue that ferments into a nice cheesyness. On day 1 her neck is a little sour-milky, but by the end of day 2 it's more like parmesan. She also has so much hair, it's nice to wash it.

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Lots of smiles! Lots and lots of them, and little cooing sounds. I know she's talking to me, I just don't know what she's saying. Especially on the changing table, she really likes being there. I don't blame her, getting a fresh diaper must feel really nice.

Her neck control is really good. I can tell when she's feeling tired because it starts to bobble more, but she is able to hold her own head and look around when you carry her upright on the shoulder or in front of you.

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And also sit in her Bumbo seat. Lyla has been spending more and more time there.

I think its use typically begins with older babies, but she likes it when I put it on the kitchen counter so she can look around. I like it because it gives a little more time to prepare food. And how cute does she look?

Last weekend we took Lyla to her first restaurant- Sam's Chowder House in Half Moon Bay. The weather was really beautiful, clear and crisp. We ate outside for lunch, and Lyla got her first glimpse of the ocean.

She did ok- I held and nursed her most of the meal, to soothe as much as feed her. Lots of new sights, smells and bright light! I found it challenging to balance her, shield her from the sun, and eat at the same time. But it worked, and we had a nice lunch.

Last night we went out a second time, grabbing an early dinner close to home. She fell asleep in her carseat for much of dinner before waking up and needing some soothing. Not bad though! I want to continue taking her out so she is used to it and becomes comfortable in restaurants.

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She falls asleep on errands more, and is less upset about being in the carseat. Here she is in Target this week, snoozing away.

And oh dear, she does like the TV. The movement and colors catch her eye and she likes to sit in my lap on the couch and stare at it. We won't let her watch so much when she gets older, that's for sure!