Unpredictable...That's What You Are....

Unpredictable...at home or in the car...


I've always thought that one of my strong points is my ability to be spontaneous and just go with the flow. However, now that all I can do is go with the flow, I find myself getting antsy thinking of all the things I should or could be doing.  Thankfully, Little Mister has finally been going longer in between feedings, giving me a little extra time to get things done- including getting back on my treadmill for the first time in....ummm....a really long time. (!!)

You have no idea how happy I am about this! No, I wasn't able to run quite yet, but doing more than just waddling along like a bloated duck sure felt good. I was extremely concerned about the gaining weight part of being pregnant- especially since I wasn't able to be as active as I had planned on being. For a normal weight woman, a healthy weight gain is 25-35 pounds. Of course I thought that, being a nutritionist who was going to exercise throughout her pregnancy, I would be able to get away with gaining no more than 15 pounds which would magically disappear as soon as I gave birth. HA!

I actually was gaining weight appropriately and was on target for gaining around 30 pounds, which even though wasn't my personal ideal, I know was a healthy weight gain.  Well, Little Mister ended up overcooking and I ended up retaining a butt load of water. Seriously- it was insane how bloated I was! I ended up gaining 40 pounds, but I knew that a good portion of it was water, so I wasn't too freaked about it.

However, the part of me that was still freaked out about it was futilely trying to be "healthy" and "professional" with my postpartum weight loss goals and told myself that it'd be ok if it took a few months to lose all the weight. However, with a combination of shedding a ton of retained water, birthing a fairly large baby, and breastfeeding around the clock, 30 pounds melted right off the first two weeks. BOOYAH! "Healthy" and "professional" took a backseat to "totally wickedly awesome" and "cover of People magazine" in a blink of an eye.

Even though I still have 10 pounds to go to reach my pre-pregnancy weight, I actually have almost 20 pounds to go to my regular weight.  Unfortunately, I had gained around 10 pounds in the last year due to my first pregnancy and subsequent loss. However, I figured that if I could lose 30 pounds in 2 weeks, then 20 pounds should take only a week and a half, tops, right?  ("Rational" left the building, as well.)

Well, since I got used to eating ice cream fairly regularly at the end of my pregnancy, and since I'm burning around 500 extra calories a day by breastfeeding (one huge selling point for me), I've been continuing my dessert eating ways and thus have only dropped 1 more pound. ARGH.

Now, I'm still trying to be as rational, healthy, and professional as I can be and not totally freak out. I know that once I'm able to exercise regularly again, that weight will eventually melt off, too. So, the fact that I was able to exercise twice this week really was a very good thing for me. It may have prevented "total freak out"...for reals.

So, even though I'm usually able to just go with the flow and not worry too much about planning things, I am working on a postpartum weight loss plan to help me not go insane. One thing that has to change is my new found sweet tooth. Sorry butter pecan ice cream- yes, our affair was quite amazing, but I'm afraid I need to break up with you. I'll miss you terribly, but distance does indeed make the heart grow fonder (and in this case, the thighs get smaller).

I'll also start slowly incorporating exercise back into my life. (I need to keep reminding myself to take it slow....take it slow, Gege!) I think that, since crunches are not the best exercise for postpartum women, I'll start trying pilates (on DVD) and see how that goes. 

Hopefully Little Mister will cooperate with me and become slightly more predictable. Right now? Not so much, but that's ok. I'll still keep him.

Night, y'all.

Lessons Learned

My Little Mister is starting to sleep a little bit longer in between feedings- at least during the afternoon and the first watch of the night (AKA from 8pm-12am). Gives me a little free time to get some things done....like take a mid-morning nap with him. Ahhh...feels so good to cross at least one thing off my to-do list. I've also been trying to reorganize things around the house- my craft zone for one. It's once again become overrun with yarny goodness as well as unfinished projects that seem to accumulate faster than poopy diapers after a feeding frenzy.

Now that I"m a m..m...m...mother, I feel like I've become oh-so-wise in my new life experience and must unburden my new-found wisdom to those of you out there who are not as wise as I am. (Apparently along with wisdom comes patronizing condescension. Huh. Who knew?) So, here are some random lessons learned in these last few weeks:

1) Babies somehow find ways to break the space-time continuum. I don't know how he does it, but dang- two hours (in between feedings) has never gone by so quickly, ever.

2) My crocheting speed is inversely proportional to the speed at which those 2 hours pass. Seriously- WTHeimlich? Getting one row done is quite an accomplishment. Granted, both projects I'm working on are of the shawl/wrap variety, so since I'll most likely never wear them, it makes sense that I'll most likely never finish them.

Half Granny Scarf...I'll be a Full Granny by the time I finish it.

3) Sleeping Baby Farts can bring laughs to even the most sleep deprived grump. 

4) You always hear that breastfed babies' poop doesn't stink.  Yes. Yes it does. What they mean is that it does not stink as bad as a formula fed baby's poop, which is very true. But it's still poopy smelling, none the less.

5) Do not be discouraged if in the first few weeks your baby is eating non-stop. It does not mean that you do not have enough milk for the little one. It just means they are growing...a lot. The goal for the 2 week checkup is to be back up to the birth weight.  We so totally blew by that milestone! He was 8lbs. 12oz at birth, and 9lbs 15oz at his 2 week checkup.  He gained almost 2 pounds (including the weight he lost in the hospital) in less than 2 weeks! And all because he was eating non-stop. I should have named him Huey.

6) Car seats are great for sleeping in. (I wonder if the baby would like to try it, too?) They are also great for maternal muscle development. I'm going to have some major guns toting that thing around!

7) Either the Force is strong with my Little Mister, or he is the new Lord of the Dance.

I feel the Force is strong with me.

Alpaca- My New Favorite

Thank you all for your words of encouragement! One more step in the adjustment process happened today when I bravely ventured out to the grocery store…alone…with Little Mister. I was extremely anxious since I’m pretty sure he’s been going through a growth spurt which is why he’s not been leaving me alone for the past few days. However, he slept pretty well last night (I got a full four hour stretch (!!)) and I thought I’d risk escaping my nursing stronghold for an hour. I’m pleased to report it went extremely well! I used a Moby wrap and, aside from being afraid of both of us overheating, I was able to run through the store and got everything off my list. (No seriously- I ran through there. I really didn’t want to risk him waking up and having to nurse somewhere in public. I’m not ready for that adjustment quite yet.) Successful baby-wearing grocery store visit? Check. Milk for My Mister's cereal so he won't be a grump in the morning? Check. (Totally see where Little Mister gets his grumpy I-need-milk-now! face.)

Something that I wasn’t able to blog about when it happened in May was my trip to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. My sister and Lyteyz joined me on Day One and we had an absolute blast! I went back by myself on Day Two, which just so happened to be Mother’s Day. Yep- I spent my first Mother’s-to-be-Day by getting a really bodacious high on all sorts of fiber.  Best.Day.Ever.

Oh yes- be jealous of my photography skills.

During Day One, my Sister, Lyteyz and I all found out the importance of an A and B conversation, as well as C-ing one's way out of it. We also learned the difference between a cow and an alpaca. (Right, Lyteyz?) The difference being that cows are udderly delicious while alpacas have incredible wool and are now officially my new favorite fiber in the whole world. 

I can't think of anything witty...I'm laughing too hard at the poor skinny little thing. And then snarfing his wool.

Since my Sister was the only non-fiber enthusiast, (I know!! I think she's adopted, too!) I told her that I'd make her something- anything- she wanted. She actually saw a (knitted) cowl she loved and asked if I could make her one. After once again explaining the difference between crochet and it's pointy-sticked, ugly step-sister, I told her that I could indeed make her a cowl. I then let her pick out the yarn with which she'd like me to make it. 

(Side note: I was able to be generous with this offer, and was able to splurge (relatively) guilt free, since I had just booked an acting gig that week and told My Mister that it was a sign from Heaven that I was supposed to buy all the yarn I could get my grubby little hands on. I was not only able to score on yarns that I would not normally have access to, but I also have an acting video of me while preggers. Teehee!  It was for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, but I'm still waiting for the video to be posted on their website.) 

My Sister chose this absolutely gorgeous, buttery soft fiber that I just wanted to roll around naked in.  Say it with me, folks: AL-PAC-A. *Swoon* 

My Sister tried out a skein around her neck to see if the color would work on her. I thought it looked great. Lyteyz came on over and said, "That looks like a cow." We then went into the whole "A/B conversation" discussion and how the fiber was alpaca- not cow- derr Lyteyz. And then we realized she actually said COWL and subsequently realized my Sister and I can be a rude couple of turd buckets together. Even so, we all may have laughed hysterically over this conversation and may have laughed even harder when a girl passed by and we heard her say, "I want to give worsted weight to my aunt and I want to give fingering to my sister." (It didn't help that the yarn my Sister chose happened to be fingering weight. I now want to retract my desire to roll around naked in it.)


Among other fibers, I was able to get light cream, grey, and natural black skeins of alpaca. Such loverlies! After my two days at the Festival, this was my score:

Lots of sheepy and alpaca-y goodness!

The one thing that irked me about the black alpaca was that it was a bear to wind. It was full of knots and drove me crazy!

600 yards of a natural black alpaca HEADACHE

After untangling and winding my new stash additions, I was then able to plan out my Cow(L). 

It's a mobius, which, as I mentioned earlier, I've been wanting to do forever. Lyteyz loved it and volunteered to test out my pattern for me. (Crossing fingers it will be published this weekend)

The gorgeous purple one that Lyteyz made is made out of wonderful, beautiful alpaca, which she said was wonderful and beautiful to work with. You see, she had to let me know this since the one I made for my Sister was NOT made out of alpaca.  *HUGE SIGH*


Even though it is very wonderfully soft and gorgeous, my Sister happens to be allergic to it when around her neck for an extended period of time. Also, she has a pair of cats that would make mince meat out of it. Oh, and it needs to be hand washed and air dried- a deal breaker for my wash-n-wear sister.


So, the one I made is out of Patons Stretch Socks- a cotton/wool/nylon/elastic blend.  Wash-n-wear, baby. It's also fingering weight.*snortle*

Ok- the Little Mister is a-callin'.  Peace out, y'all.

Ch...ch...ch...Changes....

....of life....of diapers....of clothes that have been peed on while changing said diapers....of normal.

One of the first things you hear when people find out you're pregnant is, "Life is going to change for you!" Of course I, with my overly confident outlook on life, said, "Well, it's only going to change as much as we let it change.  Just because we're having a baby doesn't mean we have to stop living!"

Ha! Oh so naive and optimistic me of a few weeks ago!  (Actually, no- it was a very angry, moody, and miserable me of a few weeks ago.  The naive/optimistic me was much, much longer ago.) Not only have I stopped "living" the way I was used to (who knew that having a baby perma-attached to your bosom would limit your ability to just jump in the car and go to the grocery store anytime you needed to?), I've stopped sleeping, eating, and even grooming the way I was used to. (I finally was able to brush my teeth and put on my contacts at 3 this afternoon.  Maybe that's why he was so cranky today- mama's all-day-morning breath probably wasn't such a treat.)

Granted, I still have a newborn and am still trying to figure out this whole, "Oh-My-Lanta- I am a MOTHER now!" thingy and I do need to give both myself and my baby time to actually adjust to all of the changes that have occurred in our lives (Me: having a tiny little being completely dependent on me for everything in his life. Him: getting mama back for all of the gas noises he heard throughout the nine months in her belly.  Seriously- he totally did a lift the leg, grunt, and push out a fart while nursing yesterday.  I laughed so hard, it startled him awake.  That's our boy!)

One of the changes I've been dealing with is his inability to sleep in his crib at night. Or during the day. I know newborns need to feel secure and there's really no way you can "spoil" them at this age, so I don't feel entirely too guilty for co-sleeping with him at this point. I never thought I'd let him sleep with us since I was totally afraid of smothering him in his sleep.  And because I never thought I'd be one of "those" moms. However, we tried the whole swaddling him and shushing him to sleep from Happiest Baby on the Block. (TOTAL PACK OF LIES, by the way!) But he completely HATES being swaddled. He would cry bloody murder every time we would try it and then he'd grunt and fuss and wriggle his little arms out so that he could sleep with them above his head. If I let him sleep with me, he actually sleeps!  Me? Not so much.  But I'm adjusting. The crazy thing is that *I* actually feel comforted when he's sleeping with me instead of in his bed or swing. At first it was a pain to keep him with me. Now? I really enjoy it. Didn't see that one coming.

FINALLY taking a nap in his crib today!  (Nooo! I need you! I mean, you need me, remember?!?)

Another change is in the way I want to spend my day.  It's really weird.  Before he was born, I'd have no qualms spending a day off in bed or on the couch either crocheting, napping, reading, surfing the net- just being totally lazy chill and enjoying my day off. Now? For whatever reason, being a mom somehow makes me want to- I can barely get the words out- clean my house.  What the what?!? I KNOW! It must be the hormones and lack of sleep talking. Maybe I need to lie down until the urge passes....

Actually, I think it's the fact that I now have no choice in the matter.  Before, I could do chores around the house if I wanted to. ("If'" being the operative word.) Now? That choice is gone- I'm at the mercy of this tiny little hungry baby in order to do anything at all.  That's another change I didn't see coming.  I'm pinned to my bed and have the prime opportunity to do everything I normally enjoy doing guilt free and all I can think about is, "I really need to clean the bathroom." I don't know who I am anymore!!

Well, I'm going to take advantage of his napping on me (I was burping him and he crashed on my chest.  I love it!) and finish my Half Granny Scarf I've been working on for a while. Easy stitch and easy pattern for an easy time of enoying my Little Mister.  I could get used to this change. :)

The Gege Bag Pattern- FINALLY available

Ok everyone. This one has been a looong time coming. 

It is the first project I listed on my blog when I first started blogging.  It's the first pattern I ever came up with.  It also took me for freakin' EVAH to finalize it as a pattern. (Maternity leave being utilized as much as possible.  There's not much I can do with one hand while sitting on my butt for feeding times.)

But now, I'm so very pleased (and relieved! One less monkey on my back!) to announce that the pattern for The Bag that started it all for me is finally available!  WHOO HOO!

Check it out in my Etsy store.  Now there are: one, two- TWO GegeCrochet patterns available! AhAhAhAhAh! (Is it weird that one of the reason's I'm psyched to have a kid is that I get to watch Sesame Street still again?)







Yay! One down..... many more to go.  ;)