8 Weeks Postpartum

What I did this week:  I'm mostly breastfeeding now, pumping only 1-2 times per day.  I starting a workout routine including the elliptical, 10 Minute Trainer, & P90X.  On the days that I'm not working out, I'm at least taking a walk (as long as it isn't 100 degrees!).

Weight:  139.5 lbs, down .5 lbs from last week.  Still have 8 lbs to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but I'm not focusing on the number on the scale.  I'm more interested in losing body fat and gaining muscle tone.

Measurements:  {Waist} 29.25 inches, {Hips} 37 inches

7 Weeks Postpartum

What I did this week:  Still breastfeeding/pumping.  I'm surprised I didn't lose anything this week with how little I ate (unintentionally, I promise).  I went home to Virginia to visit my parents and James didn't accompany me this trip.  So it was a little difficult to remember to eat properly and often enough since I was so consumed with Maxwell.  That just goes to show you, do NOT starve yourself (not that I did), you will lose more weight and be healthier if you eat healthy and don't skip meals!

Weight:  140, exactly the same as last week.

Measurements:  {Waist} 29.25 inches, {Hips} 37 inches

{DIY} Mint denim

So when you have a baby and/or are breastfeeding, clearly, most of your clothes don't fit you anymore or fit you much differently than they did before.  Thankfully, I've been lucky enough to fit into a good bit of my wardrobe, pretty much right out of the hospital.  However, pants are one thing that REALLY don't fit the same (or just plain don't fit at all).  I tried on every pair of pants I own and only maybe 4 pairs out of probably 30 actually fit and all 4 of those are jeans.  The other problem is not knowing how much my body is going to change over the next year or so...will I lose more weight, will my hips stay wider than they were, will my bra size go back down after I'm done breastfeeding?  There's no way to know what size I'm going to wear.  Since I don't know, I don't want to spend a fortune on a new wardrobe just yet.  But, I do need some clothes in the meantime because I refuse to don yoga pants and tank tops every day until I fit into my clothes again.

Hence...DIY!  I've never really done any clothing before, so this is a first.  I was DYING (no pun intended) to get a pair of mint colored jeans and I scoured the web for weeks trying to find a cute/affordable pair but couldn't find any that were in stock in my size for under $60 (+ shipping).  But then I stumbled upon this DIY tutorial using plain old white jeans and RIT dye.  I didn't use her exact instructions, but it got the wheels turning in my head.  So the next morning I went to Marshall's and found a pair of white skinny jeans for $14.99 and went to Michael's and purchased RIT dye (1 box each of kelly green and teal) for the project, costing me a grand total of UNDER $20!  Sweet!

Now for my tutorial:  

1. Fill up washing machine with HOT water.

2. Add 1 box of Teal dye and 1/2 box of Kelly Green dye (again, I used RIT).

3. Test color combination on a piece of white scrap fabric.

4. Submerge white jeans into mixture.

5. Let jeans soak for about 3 mins and then check the color, check every minute after that until desired color is reached (I let mine soak for 6 minutes).

6. Empty washer of dye mixture.

7. Wash jeans on a normal cycle.

8. Dry jeans to set color.

The finished result:

6 Weeks Postpartum

Back in my bikini for the first time!

What I did this week:  Still breastfeeding/pumping and a lot of walks this week since it was nice outside!  My midwife gave me the ok at my appointment yesterday to resume all exercise!  So I'll be starting a more rigorous routine when I get home from visiting my parents and grandmother next week!

Weight:  140, down 1.5 lbs from last week and 8.5 lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight.

Measurements:  {Waist} 29.25 inches, {Hips} 37 inches

5 Weeks Postpartum

What I did this week:  Still breastfeeding/pumping, but I didn't work out much due a major power outage and a pretty extreme heat wave.

Weight:  141.5, down 2.5 lbs from last week and 10 lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight.

Measurements:  {Waist} 29.25 inches, {Hips} 37 inches

Just when I thought my husband couldn't get any more thoughtful...

Last night was rough.  It was James second day back to work so I was home alone with Maxwell again.  The first night went pretty well.  Maxwell continued with his normal routine and I was able to go to bed at a reasonable time and got a somewhat decent amount of sleep.  But last night, he totally changed his tune.  He'd been on his normal schedule all day (eating every 2-3 hours and then awake for a bit and then back to sleep), he woke up to eat around 7pm when James left for work and he would NOT go back to sleep for anything.  I would nurse him, he would fall asleep, and then no matter what I did he would wake up again wanting more food or just to suck or just to be awake.  I tried just holding him, I tried the bassinet, I tried the swing, I tried the bouncy seat, I tried just walking around with him, I tried the Boba wrap....NOTHING would make that kid sleep.  He was still awake at 1am when James got home.  

So knowing that I only got about 2 hours of sleep the previous night, James stayed up to take care of Maxwell until 8am so that I could get some sleep.  I was so surprised to wake up on my own and see 8am on the clock!  I couldn't have asked for a better partner to experience parenthood with, James is just amazing.

1 Month Old

Maxwell's Stats

Weight:  {Will find out on July 9}

Length:  {Will find out on July 9}

Head Circumference:  {Will find out on July 9}

Clothing Size:  He still fits in his newborn clothes, but the 0-3 month stuff isn't super baggy on him anymore.  I think he'll be moving out of his newborn diapers in the next week or two and into the size 1 diapers.

Feeding:  He eats every 2-3 hours and he usually eats about 2.5-3oz per feeding when he's getting a bottle.  Breastfeeding is getting better, but he's still getting pumped breastmilk about 75% of the time.  We're not giving up though...the goal is by the time I go back to work at his 2 month birthday for him to be nursing all the time while I'm home and only getting a bottle when I'm at work.

Sleeping:  On average, he sleeps for about 2 hours at a time.  Sometimes he'll wake up and not go back to sleep for a few hours now, he's so much more alert and responsive during the day.

Loves: Baths, breast milk, sleeping on mommy's chest, his bouncy/vibrating seat, car rides

Hates: The 2 seconds it takes to get from the bath to the towel, when you fasten his diaper, putting a onesie over his head.

Favorite Moments

Thoughts on the first month

It's hard to believe you're a month old already baby boy.  In some ways it feels like it's flown by and it couldn't possibly have been a month already, but in some ways it feels like you've always been here.  You do new and exciting things every day and Daddy and I have enjoyed this time home with you even more than we imagined we would.  You can hold your head up on your own and are such a little snoop!  You want to look at everything and when you do, you always look so amazing to see everything.  It's so exciting to see you smile so much more now, even if you are still just practicing!  And it's so fun to watch you get excited to hear your own voice and see yourself in a mirror!  Your favorite toy is your bouncy chair...we discovered that you loved it when you had gas one morning and it was the only thing that would calm you down.  Ever since then, you've spent time in it every day and you coo at the animals that hang from it...you've even tried to take a swipe at them already!  We're so happy to have you home with us and healthy and we can't wait to see what the next month brings.  We love you so much.

Power is restored!

Sorry for the lack of a "One Month Old" post!  We've been without power since Saturday morning at about 1am and it just came back on about an hour ago.  So, I've been a little busy throwing away all of our refrigerated food and cleaning the crap out of our refrigerator and freezer.  Stay tuned, I will get a post up......with pictures of the peanut!