Saturday, March 31, 2012

Too Cute!

Another weekend is finally here. They always say Don't Wish Your Life Away, and now that Gwyn is here I try harder to savour the moments but it sure is easier to do on a Saturday for some reason!! :-)

We've had some fun this week and I managed to get some pics so I thought I'd do a quick recap of Gwyn's World....
We successfully tried some new food over the last week: prunes, pears and peas! I started singing a song to her yesterday about her foods while trying the pears and realized that half start with p: pears, peaches, peas, prunes, potatoes (sweet that is)! Hard to spit out, but she doesn't care, she loved the song!

I also had some cooked acorn squash so I gave her a mushy piece to play with; I'm still toying with this Baby-Led Weaning (BLW) idea and she really seemed to enjoy it. Not just the food but having it in her hands and in her control.

We're on a mission to get her a high chair this weekend and then I think it'll be much easier to do more of this. Obviously at school they feed regular baby food, but I'm thinking a mix between that and BLW will be both fun and good for us all. It is certain to make for some (messy) good pics!!


She's loved bathtime since about 1 month old, but it's really getting fun now. I said in her 5 month update that she loves rubber ducky, and not just because daddy sings her the song, but last night she actually giggled when he was put in front of her!That's the first one we've heard where someone didn't need to be trying hard to get a laugh out of her. Honestly, is there anything cuter than a baby's laugh? She also splashed like crazy and got water absolutely everywhere...time to find a new place for baths besides the counter, I don't know. like in a bathtub maybe! ;-)



I also tried like crazy to get a pic of those little teeth before she gets more but everytime I thought I got the shot, they were mysteriously missimg!!! She did get very excited about the photo shoot though!

Another week in the books and I can't wait to see what the next one brings!


Tuesday, March 27, 2012

The F Word

No, not that one! FAILURE. It's a strong word you shouldn't use often, like hate. So why do I feel it over little things sometimes? Must be that stubborn type A personality I have. Don't get me wrong, sometimes it serves me very well, and sometimes it just has me getting in my own way.

For example, I didn't complete the workouts in Week 1 of my 10 weeks to a 10k plan. So what, you ask? Well, for me, it means disappointment, a blow to my confidence and a repeat of that week. See I won't move on until I get it right. So is that sad, or is it good? I just don't know. But I do know I have a 35 minute run to do tonight!

I've also decided it's time to transistion G to formula. I'm extremely grateful for being able to breastfeed at all as I know some women just aren't able to for various reasons. It has definitely been an experience, a lot of learning amd some frustration along the way but also great bonding with my little one. And we've done pretty well as a team. She's gone from this tiny little foreign thing:

To this chubby little human:

And I'm proud of that. So I guess the F word doesn't quite fit here, but I do feel guilt over this one since I'm doing it for myself-not her. One thing they don't tell you : Breastfeeding is time consuming! I spend alot of time at work pumping, get up in the middle of the night to do it, get up early to nurse and her wanting it is commonly the reason we stop workouts early. And sometimes I let her cry a little longer than usual because I want those last few minutes on the treadmill or those last few reps. Am I a bad mom for that?  

So there it is, I guess...maybe guilt is a better title for this post. Or maybe I need to learn to compromise. Or maybe I need to recognize that happier mom makes a happier G. I think we'll all be perfectly happy with our new arrangement-once the adjusting period is over. I'll let you know how that goes! Cross your fingers for me! :-)

Friday, March 23, 2012

New Goals

I can't label myself as a newbie runner since I did first take it up several years ago after I had lost some weight (it suddenly seemed a little less daunting!) but I still don't really see mysel as a 'runner' per se. I want to change that. A half-marathon is a bucket-list item of mine and I'm hopng/working to cross that off the list in the next year.In fact, there's one in particular I'm reaching for: the Disney Princess half and as of post time...

Competition Begins In

 

335 20 14 55

 

Yes, thats's almost a full year away but a girl's gotta have goals-and if I'm gonna do this I want it  to be an overall fun event and experience. I have a couple friends already committed to making it a fun (and run!) in the sun girl's adventure so hopefully I can look forward to it.

I must admit I am comletely intimidated by the thought of running for hours at a time, so I need to step up my mental game. Seriously, if I can take 21 hours to deliver an 8 1/2 lb baby with no pain meds, what in the world would ever make me think I couldn't do this?
I have a few training plans I've used over and over so I've fallen back on them to help me get started. I already completed a 5k program and have moved on to a 10 weeks to a 10k plan. It's been much tougher than in the past, I'll admit but I'm back to prepregnancy weight and it feels good to be active ad have a goal.  I've never made it past Week 5 of this plan and I've never run further than 6 miles (once!) at a time, so there's alot to learn and I'll share my successes and inevitable set backs as I go.

My other new goal/pursuit is clean eating-but that deserves its own post. Plus that will give me more time to get rid of the 'dirty' stuff in my house before I start talking about it :)



Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Gwyn's World: 5 months

Part of the reason for this blog is to document all the goings-on in Gwyn's World. She turned 5 months old last week and I thought it appropriate to mention everything new. Of course I didn't have this for the first 4 months so I can't say exactly, but generally this is what's up with her!
She's just a happy baby, that hasn't changed I just wanted to get it out there! She has two little teeth on the bottom which I've been trying to get a pic of for the past month since they sprouted. So far they have eluded me! I also think a few more are on the way with the way she's been chewing & drooling lately. It's fine with me if they wait since I'm still nursing-yikes!

She also discovered her feet recently and when sitting up *still with help) immediately dives for them.
That's all great until we're in the bath!! Speaking of-she adores her rubber ducky and splashing around. It's hard to get the real business done, but we do have fun.

Gwyn started eating some solids a few weeks back. So far she hasn't refused any fruit or veg offered (here's hoping she isn't a picky eater like daddy!). I do think those women at daycare are magicians though as they are the only ones able to get her to eat cereal.
She literally turns her head when anyone at home tries...oh well. I am contemplating Baby Led Weaning where you give them fully cooked (mushy) pieces of real food and let them go...play, eat, squish, toss, whatever, instead of grinding it up. I'm not explaining it well, but I will do better if we decide to try it. You're not supposed to start that until at least 6 months so we'll see.

I also have to mention that she LOVES her puppies! :)

Nallah (pictured) & Jack love her too-until the first time she gets a handful of fur-then they may change their tune!! For now all parties are very curious and interested in each other. It's super fun to watch!

So, that's Gwyn at 5 months:
  • 2 teeth
  • some cereal, fruit & veg
  • rolls over (in her sleep!)
  • grabs, holds & pulls everything near (ouch!)
  • loves-rubber ducky, her puppies & her feet
Something new happens every day though so I'm sure I'll be updating much more than at monthly milestones.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

My First Post

So, blogging. I'd heard of it before but only recently even looked at someone's blog. And I got hooked. I love reading posts from people, well, like me! This one is not really meant for anyone but me and the few that may be interested in what I'm calling my Fruitful Pursuits.

A lot has changed in my life over the past 5 years: I took a job in the environmental field, moved across the country, lost a good deal of weight, got married, built a house, had a baby, discovered running, and tried about a hundred recipes...whew! These are some of the things I'm passionate about and wanted a place to keep track of. I wish I had a record of the journey to this point, so this is my effort not to have that regret again.

One of the biggest reasons has to be this beautiful face:
Seriously, I can't get enough of her and she changes every day-I just don't want to forget the details. With my family so far away it's also a great way to keep them up to date on the latest in Gwyn's World.

I also wanted a place to 'file' tidbits in my life: recipes I try, workouts I accomplish, green living ideas...these are my current Pursuits. Between diaper changes and feedings that is! I'm sure that list will grow; I'm an ever curious person always looking to try/learn something new. If someone happens to stumble o this and find something interesting or useful, that's great and I'd love to hear about. And id not, that's ok too, I know it will serve a purpose for me either way. Happy Pursuing!