Post-Partum: Day 40

Motherhood.  It's finally happened to me. I'm tired, frustrated, happy, and feeling very grown-up.
 Baby V is my world and puts me into a new generational timeline, I'm no longer the child, but the parent, my parents are the grandparents, and time presses on faster than I want. She's a month old already.  I thought it was time to open the blog up again as both a journal and presumptive guide for any new moms who are interested. Today I want to talk about my pregnancy and being post-partum and bequeath any knowledge I gained during this time.

10 Things That Got Me Through Pregnancy

1.  Nutella



This should be fairly self explanatory but personal to my pregnancy.  Indulge in your cravings but make sure you are walking every day to stay healthy and get ready for labor. My husband sings my praises about how I handled labor but I wish I'd been in better shape, especially during the pushing...

2. Belly Band

 

I didn't wear this all the time because it's a little warm for under pants but this helped me feel comfortable when wearing dresses and gave me extra belly support when I started getting bigger. I liked the BellyBandit Flawless Belly, but there are probably others that would be just as good.

3. Maternity Pants

Still wearing them.  Soo comfortable.  Get a bunch and enjoy.  Invest in a good pair of maternity jeans because you will wear these the most and you need a pair that can take a belly beating. 

4. Mother's Oil

Don't hate me too much, but I have zero stretch marks on my belly.  Zero.  I had an 8 lb baby and nadda.  I'm going to give 50% credit to my genes and the other 50% to this product, Mother's Special Oil. Used in tandem with drug store cocoa butter, twice a day, I definitely got nothing.  Also it smells amazing.  Use in combo with the Flawless belly and you are go to go!

5. Fitness Ball



This was so helpful in dealing with back pain, which you WILL get.  And it sucks.  I used this alone and instead of a chair sitting at my desk.  I still had back pain, lots of it, but this helped.  Any ball will do, make sure you get the right one for your height, this is the one I got.  I did not end up using it in labor, I honestly don't think it would have helped, but I did bounce on it a bit during early contractions.  Also good for postpartum exercises.

6. IKEA Elephant



I bought a pregnancy pillow. I didn't end up using it, for whatever reason it just didn't work for me.  I got really stiff.  So, I used this to snuggle with, to help with side sleeping, and it worked great.  To each their own though.  Plus the elephant is adorable and it was a gift from my husband when he went off to basic training.

7. Pregnancy Chalkboard



I was really unhappy with the peel and stick variety I bought for this purpose but ultimately making little drawings and tracking the belly progress was a joy and fun for both me and my husband.  Invest in a good one, it's fun.

8. Ovia Pregnancy App

 

I loved getting updates every day about what changes my baby was making as well as having a place to track milestones, find medication and food safety info, and information about doctor appointments.  Perfect for the type A expectant Mommy.

9. Belly Buds



Seems silly, but as a musician these were an essential in our house.  It was so fun having the baby react to different types of music, or in our case, different classical composers.  Also, baby's first kicks came at 17 weeks with Handel on my belly.  It was amazing.  Belly buds isn't an essential, but it was so much fun.

10. My Husband

My rock. My step stool. My chef. My housekeeper. My best friend. My lover. My coach. My support. My mirror. My comfort. My masseur. My chauffeur. My baby daddy. My partner. My life. I don't know how single women do it alone...

Post Graduation: Day 274

Another year come and gone.  Another year.  I must say, while I had many beautiful moments during 2014, it has definitely been a year of tremendous growth and some difficulties.  After an amazing 2013, I hope that 2015 will be a much more positive and positive year.  We have spent six months trying to grow our family, nearly succeeding, and now back to the drawing board again which has been very trying, especially for those who are lacking in patience.  This time has truly strengthened the bond with my husband and our marriage.  For that, I am grateful, I am blessed to have the most kind, understanding, patient, and supportive partner.  He has gotten me through this year.

I have not had a physical day planner in awhile, since iPhones can accommodate most of my calendar needs, but I thought this year I should revert back to this:

I have so much coming up in 2015, I love writing out daily to-do lists and making daily goals for myself to stay active and organized.  I have two major auditions coming up which will require a lot of preparation.  With so many possible changes coming, I need to stay focused.  For the first time in forever, I will be starting the New Year in the same place (geographically) as I will end it.  This is our home now, and I am so excited for what lies ahead!

Post Graduation: Day 229

Yes, I'm back. Hi there. It's been a really, really long time since I posted.  I'd like to say it's because I've been too busy, but in reality it's because I haven't been busy enough.  I know, it doesn't make sense, but in reality, I'm not going to post about long boring days doing house-wifey things.  But today, I came across this on my phone:

Wow.  A whole year has gone by since I sent my soldier off to become GI Joe.  Wow.  That kind of blew my mind.  Not just how fast a whole year had gone, but how slow it felt, and how much has happened.  Barely three months into marriage, a few weeks before Thanksgiving, my man was off, not knowing the next times I'd speak to him, with just the promise of letters.  I still can't believe it was real sometimes.

I'm going to recap how much has happened in the last year since he left:

• I left my job in Philadelphia.
• I left Pennsylvania and moved to DC.
• I was unemployed for four months.
• Enough family drama with my sibling to last a lifetime.
• My husband graduated from basic training.
• My husband started his new job.
• Auditions and master classes.
• A death in the family.
• We celebrated a year of marriage.
• My niece turned one.
• I got a new job.
• I got pregnant.
• I had a miscarriage.

All of that feels like enough for more than just a year.  Even a lifetime.  It's been a difficult year, I'm not going to lie.  There has been a lot of hard break and difficulty and negative things, but so many positive things, so many successes.  Even though it's not New Years yet, I feel compelled to begin contemplating the things I hope for this upcoming year, a year as an official Army Wife.

Now, before you leave with too much seriousness.  LOOK!  Vanilla extract in the making!!!

Post Graduation - Day 21

Howdy Internet.  Bet you thought I had completely abandoned you.  Well, I almost did, it's just been a little nutso around here.  My weekends have been reserved only for my husband these days, which pretty much stops the productivity in my life for that time and keeps me on my toes to catch up the rest of the week.  Such is the life of a commuter couple.

Most recently I did get a day off from work for Good Friday and we drove up to New York City to visit our music family.  There are only a few people for whom I'd visit and spend my day singing a nearly two-hour mass, haha.  It was a nice time, never long enough, but the drive up was pretty brutal.  Good 'ol New Jersey traffic.

Saturday was simply the best.  Errands followed by egg dying and visiting with my Mom, then baking and decorating Easter desserts for the rest of the day.  A little sample of the fruits of our labors!

Minion Egg!

Chocolate Covered Peeps

Sprinkles, sprinkles, and more sprinkles

Cake Pops

The cake pops were the biggest hit!  They taste kind of like petite fours, I might need to use this recipe for all family gatherings from now on.  I got the recipe from SkinnyTaste.com and it was delicious.  We had so much fun decorating these.  Great idea for an at home date too.

Post Graduation - Day 4

No words Internet... just a picture in summation... after a most wonderful series of days...

I'll be back soon with more, but an extra special thank you to all of those who helped us get through this challenge.

Week 13 - Day 1

Hello everyone!! I am so excited I can barely type this blog post!  This time Wednesday I will be eating lunch with my husband!  In less than 48 hours I will be on a plane bound for the army fort.  I feel proud that I've made it this long without my hubby, not that I doubted that I would, but I took this time for myself.  And I feel that I've thrived.  I loved writing and receiving letters too, I will treasure those for the rest of my life.

Now, let's see how I did with my goals....

1) Work out, 2.0

I wish I could spell out a tongue raspberry, haha!  Although, again, another health issue sort of put a damper on this goal.  As it is, I need to talk to my doc, I'm probably getting close to when I can exercise again.  I'm kind of thinking it would be a lot more fun for my husband to train me when he gets home... 

2) Lose 8 lbs

As of this morning, I am 6 lbs down from where I was, so I'm giving myself a pat on the back for this.  As long I keep up my routine, I should reach this goal in a week!!!  Time to go shopping for some cute summer clothes!

3) Audition for local community theater

CHECK!  And actually, it was a professional theater and even though I didn't get anything it was a great audition in my opinion.  My definition of a great audition is coming out feeling confident, which rarely happens.

4) Get re-certified for CPR

CHECK! Done!  I'm good for two more years...

5) Do something new every week
I am pretty confident I have done this, from outings, to diet stuff, recipes, my bulb project, I haven't kept track that well, but the goal of this was to keep life interesting.  Success.
6) Finish book about Grandmother

This is the second raspberry... I did not keep my promise on this.  I need to get on this.

Tonight is a free night for me and I think it will include a manicure, packing, and catching up on some TV!

Week 12 - Day 5

Happy Friday everyone!  This has been an amazing week, I have been so busy.  So busy that I haven't had time to set-up my new phone.  So busy that my DVR is completely full of shows from the week.  Now that's busy.

Yesterday I went to see the new production of Phantom of the Opera at the Academy of Music.  Those of you who know me, know that this is my favorite show, to the point of obsession.  I first saw the show in Philadelphia at the Forest Theater when I was eleven years old, and this viewing was my 7th (I think).  I was anxious to see what the new production would bring to the table promising new sets, costumes, choreography, and other surprises.

All in all it was fun to see something new and different, especially the remarkable sets they added to the production.  Ultimately, I prefer the original staging production.  I'd like to be in the show...

Day 3 of the Dukan Diet and I am done with the Attack Phase and on to Cruise.  I can eat veggies now, yayyy!!  Actually, after two days of just proteins, a salad feels like a welcome change.  Eating out last night was tricky but I made it work, diet coke with lemon, a burger, pickles, and some bacon, which is technically not allowed, but it was only a little.  I'm going out again tonight with some friends and I'm looking forward to some roasted veggies and a steak  Yummm!

As the days go by I get less and less cravings for no-no foods.  My appetite seems to have plateaued which is great, although the evening is still my time of greatest difficulty.  It's when I crave all of the bad things.

I'm going to see Divergent tonight, I've been looking forward to this movie for awhile so we will see!  I have another fun and full weekend ahead of me!  So grateful for my friends and family who have helped to keep my life so full and happy during these long months.  I'm a lucky girl.