The good and the bad

The Bad
Greta does NOT like being in the nursery. I have tried several times to leave her at the nursery at Sportsclub and I have gotten called back to nursery before 30 minutes have elapsed. I was very disheartened on Monday when this happened, especially when the nursery workers suggested I only leave her for 15 minutes until she gets used to it. In my mind I know their suggestion makes sense but at the same time it's so frustrating to not even be able to leave her for a short while so I can get some exercise!

The Good
Greta has become so much fun. She is happy almost all of the time (except as noted above). She's started really playing with things and trying to manipulate her environment - sometimes in dangerous ways! One day she was sitting on the counter top in her Bumbo helping make breakfast and she started trying to pull the knives out of the knife block! Yesterday I sat her on the floor of the bathroom so I could get ready and I had a package of toilet paper sitting there to be put up and she reached out as far as she could to get it and pulled it over to her so she could chew on it. It really is a lot of fun to watch her experience new things.

She also is doing so much better in the car. Previously car trips were entered into with great trepidation since they inevitably ended in tears for Greta and frustration for me. She still cries sometimes when you put her in her car seat but once the car starts moving she stops and either falls asleep or talks.

One of her new talents is blowing bubbles. She really seems to amuse herself (and us) doing this.


The Bad
We've had some difficulties of late getting her to stay asleep once we put her in her crib for the night. The first night this happened she would wake up within 5 minutes of laying down but as soon as we picked her up she would be right back to sleep. We finally figured out she was cold (it was the coldest night we'd had thus far and her crib is by a window). Once we got her comfortable, she slept. Since then we've had the same problem but it hasn't been because of temperature. I'm really not sure what is going on but it is quite frustrating. Maybe a growth spurt? She also now wakes up between 5 and 6 in the morning. On work days that isn't too bad since Graham gets up around 6 and then lets me sleep until 6:45ish when breakfast is ready. On weekends, it is killer. Graham and I laughed one day that we now consider 7 sleeping in. She also doesn't sleep through the night. She's been sleeping in her crib for a while now and at the beginning I tried going in there to feed her when she would wake up but I ended up more tired that way so I end up bringing her to our room to sleep the rest of the night. I know that before too long she will be sleeping through the night but at this point, that seems very far off.

The Good
My workout regime is paying off! My schedule has been to go to step class on Tuesday and water aerobics on Thurs & Sat. In between I try to get to the gym 2 other days during the week to do some other type of cardio (like the elliptical) and weights. I sometimes do weights after the classes as well to ensure I get 3 days of weights in per week. It's been a wee bit difficult for both Graham and I to get workouts in as we try to juggle who has Greta. Since she doesn't do well in the nursery we've decided for the time being not to push it at Sportsclub and just focus on her getting comfortable at the nursery at church. They are much more patient with her there and willing to work with us to get her adjusted. Oh, back to my workouts paying off. I forgot to weigh myself before we got started but this week alone (between Sunday and Wednesday), I've dropped 2 pounds. I also feel much more optimistic about myself. To me that's one of the best parts of working out - even if you haven't lost anything you still feel good because you are doing something good for yourself. Graham knew his starting weight and he's dropped 10 pounds. His results are also starting to be more visible. Each day I feel like I notice somewhere new he looks slimmer.

The Bad
Because I've been doing water aerobics I've been wearing swimsuits several times a week. I have one tank suit and two tankinis. The tank suit fits fine but one day I wanted to wear something different so I tried on a tankini. I was most upset to find out that neither fitted in the bust. They were my favorite swim suits (you can sorta see a picture of one of them here). Thankfully costco had speedo tank suits for a very nice price (19.99) so I was able to get another suit to wear to swim class. I'm hoping that by the time we go to the beach I'll be able to fit back into my other suits but if not I'll just buy a larger top.


The Good
Sportsclub offers "Mommy & Me" swimming classes for 3 months and up. I plan to enroll Greta and I during March to prepare her for the pool this summer. She so loves having a bath so I think she'll really like the "big bathtub".

New Years Resolution

This really isn't a New Years Resolution. It's more of a post-baby resolution. Per the scale I am 10 pounds away from pre-pregnancy weight. Yea for that but boo because my body is just not the same as it used to be. Particularly in the tummy region. We had been discussing joining a fitness club for a while especially because they are opening one up about 4 minutes away from our house. I had been a member of Curves for 3 years and did really well there but I grew tired of just doing a circuit program. The club we wanted to join isn't opening until April 1 but the other clubs were running an end of the year special with no joining fee and it's month to month vs a contract. We signed up on the very last day of 07. Talk about cutting it close! I'm very excited to start working out. They have tons of great equipment although what I'm really looking forward to are the classes. They also have a pool and childcare. I can leave Greta with them for an hour a day until she is 6 months old and then for 2 hours. I am really looking forward to some alone time while also getting my body back into shape. My goal is to lose the pregnancy weight and then some as I wasn't really at my goal weight when I got pregnant. I'm hoping to get all that accomplished before May (which is very doable) since we go on vacation then. I'm saving up all my Christmas gift cards to outfit myself with some nice vacation clothes. I've also heard it's important to set a reward for losing weight so I plan to purchase gift cards to the local spa with a dollar amount for each pound I lose. That way when I'm done I can have a nice spa day.

Getting Back to that Pre-Pregnancy Size

I, like every other woman who has had a baby, am eager to get back into my pre-pregnancy clothes. I bravely tried on some of my pre-pregnancy pants and shockingly they weren't that much too small. I expected much worse and it was so nice to be pleasantly surprised. I don't know how long it'll take me to get back into them but I'm hoping that with regular walks in the neighborhood (which Greta & I started last week), sensible eating, and nursing it won't take too horribly long. For jeans I am currently wearing some of the maternity jeans I bought at the very beginning of my pregnancy which I couldn't wear in the last few months. Even though they are maternity jeans it still makes me feel good that I can get back into them. Oh yes, I've also been doing a set of exercises the midwife gave me. Most of them are abdominal but there are a few chest exercises to keep those muscles toned. I'm supposed to do these for a few months and then I plan on transitioning back to pilates. I really missed those core workouts during pregnancy.

On the subject of maternity clothes I have decided that any future pregnancies will not involve pants bought at Motherhood. When I initially bought clothes there I was pleased with the prices and quality but over the course of my pregnancy I had two pairs of khaki capris rip from the fabric being weak - not because they caught on something. My shirts and dresses from there weathered much better - even with frequent washing so I'm still ok buying those items there. I did buy one pair of pants from Ann Taylor Loft and LOVED them. Even though they are a bit pricier I think it's worth it as they fit wonderfully and are really good quality.