First time for everything

I nursed Will for 18 months. We had our fair share of trials, but managed to work through all of them. Evan has been nursing for less than a month and we've hit the big one. Mastitis has found it's way into our home - and into my bra.

Yesterday I started aching. Last night when I went to bed, I was sore and tender to the touch. I was freezing - I couldn't get warm, I cranked up the furnace and piled on 2 extra blankets in bed. I shivered and shivered and finally fell asleep. I woke up at midnight in a fair amount of pain - and still cold. I took some tylenol and made Todd hold me to try and keep me warm. I finally fell back asleep about 1:30.

This morning I woke up and checked the mirror. The tell tale red streaks where all over the upper portion of my left breast. My whole body ached and I felt like I'd been hit by a truck.

Thankfully the doctor's office got me in this afternoon and I was able to get a prescription for antibiotics. Hopefully I'll feel better quickly - this weekend is our shower and we have family in town. I certainly don't want to feel horrible all weekend.

Let's hope I never get mastitis again. Eep!

As if the numbers on the scale weren't motivation enough

I'm calling this a "before and after" shot. The picture of our family was taken at Easter last year (that's my dad next to me - Hi Dad!) I knew I was fat then, but look at my face. It almost looks swollen.

This picture was taken in Feb - 1o months after the group picture. And 8 months pregnant. Now look at my cheeks and my neck. Wow, oh wow!! Can I just say "damn, I look GOOD!"

That's the first 25 lbs. Can't wait to see what happens with the next 25. Woot!

Positive motivation

Last fall I packed up all of my summer clothes and put them away to make room for my maternity clothes in my closet. Today I pulled them back out and packed up the maternity clothes. I also had 2 bags of clothes a friend of mine passed down to me when she lost weight. Unfortunately for me, when I got home with the clothes, they had all been too small. So I packed them away.

Welp, they fit. They're a full clothing size smaller than I was wearing before I got pregnant. Actually, when I got pregnant, my current size was too tight anyway. So in reality, they're 2 sizes smaller than I was wearing when I got pregnant last July.

That feels awesome.

Only thing that will feel better is when they're all too big for me to wear!

I've been working out, also. I did 3 thirty minute workouts on the treadmill this week - Mon/Tues/Wed. I even ran 2 of the days. It felt great to get back to running. I can't wait to push it up to running a full mile. Today I took it easy and did a lower body workout video online (via youtube - gotta love it) and I'm taking the boys for a stroller ride around the block in a bit.

Todd will be home next week and I'm planning on hitting the gym for the first time. I figure if I nurse Evan and top him off well, I can run out for an hour and a half to go workout. Worst case, there's pumped milk in the freeze for Todd to give him. It'll feel good to get out for an hour and exercise my muscles.

I've set a goal for myself - I'm going to do a Sprint Tri this summer. The one I've selected is a 200 yard swim, a 7.5 mile bike and a 2.5 mile run. That's pretty much as small of a triathlon as you can get, so I think it's a good start. If that one goes well in July, then there's another in August. It's a 200 yard swim, a 9 mile bike and a 3 mile run.

Once I get released at my 6 week PP checkup, that'll give me just over 2 months to train. I'm going to go to spinning classes and swim laps at the gym. I just need to find a bike to use for the actual races.

I feel like a one legged man

........in an ass kicking contest.

Being a "single" mom of 2 is exhausting. We're doing well, no major catastrophies, thankfully. It is tough, but we're surviving. Everyone is still getting bathed, fed and the house is mostly clean. Okay, somewhat clean - but it will be clean again before Todd gets home. I've even worked out the last 2 days.

We only had 1 "accident" worth reporting. It involves marker and the living room carpet. Thankfully it almost all came out. Todd's more detail oriented than I am, so he can finish getting the rest of it up off the floor. ha ha

Our non-event

With everything else going on in our lives lately, Todd and I were both concerned about the stress a new baby would cause in our house and to our marriage.

Little did we know that by a week or so old, we'd dub Evan as the "non-event". He is the easiest, most laid back baby EVER. Todd even said it's almost like having a baby only part-time. He never cries - well, unless we're in the car or he's getting a bath. He's a great eater and a fantastic sleeper.

Seriously, fantastic sleeper. I don't think Will slept this well until he was about 5 months old. Last night Evan went to bed in the pack and play at 9:00. He woke up to nurse a little after 1 this morning. Then he woke again at 4:45 and slept until 7:30 after that. The night before he went down at 8:30, woke at 12:30 and then at 5:30. After his 5:30 feeding, I had to wake him up at 9 am so we could leave for Mom's group.

He makes me want to have a half dozen more.

Okay, not really, but you get the idea.

How lucky am I?

I lay mostly awake in bed this morning breathing in the scent of the baby snuggled up to my body, nursing at my breast. The sweetest smell in the entire world. Just past him I see the form of my sleeping husband in the half darkness. The sight of him is comforting and reassuring. In comes my other son. He climbs into bed and snuggles up to my other side and kisses me and whispers "I love you, mommy". The best words ever spoken.

My senses were overwhelmed this morning by how lucky I am to be surrounded by these three men.