blurry

We have been busy, and sick, and then not so busy, and now back to busy again! Yes that was all of us. Let's see, for accurate recap: over the past few weeks we have had two sinus infections, one virus, several LONG days of teething, reduction to a single income, sleep disorders, and a minor malfunction with the A/C unit.
In a picture this is how Baby H dealt with the drama:

Snuggled close to dad with her paci and watching a little of the Today Show. I would much prefer this method of coping, rather than having to be all grown up about it.

At the moment I am trying to make Isaiah 12:2 my theme verse: "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation."

I think the most interesting part to me is where the author says that God is their song. I mean first you have to trust - right, ok, working on that. And then overcome fear - getting there. But then after overcoming two HUGE hurdles God is their strength and their song. THE SONG. Think about it. How do most people have to feel before they are ready to sing? Sing out loud even?
I will let you know when I get there...

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Ever feel like your life is just the same thing on a different day? Like all you do is stumble to the shower, blur - blur - blur, crash into bed? I have been feeling like this lately. I hate that feeling. Because I know it is not really that way.
I do have some brilliant squeals and drooling grins to break it up, but those are so brief it seems! However, I think I have figured out a way to combat this feeling: Early morning workouts! Now stay with me here. I got up this morning at 5:09am and went to the gym and 2.3 miles and some sit-ups later felt like a new woman! I am serious. I used to do this on a semi-regular basis, pre-marriage, pre-baby...oh wait those happened at the same time. But I really did - early morning boot camps with mom and Dr. Rock and some half-marathon training as well.
This morning I got that feeling, you know the one - the one that is like "man this is awesome, WHY have I not been doing this all along?" Check back for the recap later tonight, I might be singing a different tune. But I am sure with some schedule adjusting I will be fine. And one of the best parts about it? There were no Nike shorts clad collegiates to content with! AWESOME!  There were maybe 5 people in the whole gym, I loved every minute of it, plus the quiet baby-free car ride there and back.
I am really hoping to keep this up. Today was day one. I am thinking I can do at least 3 early mornings at the gym, and then get in some other work outs at home. With all of the crazy happening in my life right now, I just had to make this happen. I didn't want to sacrifice time with Baby H or the Hubs to have some 'me time' so in the words of Gregory Alan Isakov "I'm saving all me sleep for oh another life..."

Follow up to that last one.

I couldn't figure out how to comment with the way I posted that video...
OK the ONLY reason I put it up there was because I thought it was HYSTERICAL!! I mean really funny. With all my trials and tears with nursing Baby H I have to say if I had seen that video then it would have given me the laughs to help me make it through. There is no judgment here at all. Some women love it, some hate it. Some do it for years, some for weeks. I will say that some is better than nothing, but above all the most important thing is a happy momma. Because a happy momma = a happy baby.
I know that it just doesn't work out for some people. I know two people who physically could not do it for one reason or another and you know what? Their babies are FINE.
And yes, all of you who are or may be nursing in the future, you can thank me for thinking about Fergie every time you unclip your bra!

Sure to get stuck in your head...

Learning to be flexible...

Thought you guys would like to see the latest sleeping position. Apparently she was playing and then just passed out, so funny! We have found her like this on more than one occasion. I have no idea how she gets that way because we always put her down on her back. Of course she has been sleeping on her stomach for a couple of weeks now, but this takes it to a whole new level!

Balloons in a bag...

If we can't laugh at ourselves through this crazy journey of motherhood we will make ourselves, and everyone around us miserable! Right?
So this weekend, because I love self-torture, I decided to go bra-shopping for the new post-baby 'ladies' and swimsuit shopping, for the new, but improving post-baby body - IN THE SAME TRIP. Hoo boy! They don't make words for those experiences, but at the least I provided some giggles for my mom and sister. People close to me know I am not modest, and I was not about to leave my support system out on this one - especially in the venture of new support.
Thanks to technologies and advances in textiles the outlook was not nearly as bleak as it could have been. Have you been bra-shopping lately?? It is mind blowing. The last time I went it was, hmm, well...I really can't remember, close to 2 years ago. Shameful I know. I also peel off the last paper towel shreds off the roll and have been known to wear jeans until they are transparent. Anywho...after gathering no less than 32 options, off to the dressing room I went to wrangle and wriggle into some form of womanly shape. After a lot of sweat and a few tears I had marginal success, but success nonetheless and ended up with two that look some what nice and manage to perform the miracle of lifting the worn and torn leftover 'baggage' of my baby's sole source of nutrition for some seven plus months.
Moving on, part two: the bathing suit search! Cue scary music: Duh da DUH!! So there I was 3 pounds short of my weight-loss goal for Memorial Weekend in a sea of Lycra and floral prints. Again thank you to the person who realized that maybe a little ruching and smaller patterns might be more flattering to those of us who are waist-line compromised. So I took an armful of sizes and shapes back to the dressing room, hopeful with all of my options.
Side rant: because you love these - what the hell is wrong with shopping mall designers? It's like they do the whole building and then go "oh crap, what if they want to try the clothes on?!" and then find the dankest place because they are stumped for space, and get the cheapest lighting because the project is already over budget, and the throw up a few ply-board walls and expect us to feel all pretty and sexy? I CAN SEE MY PORES in those lights! Why would seeing my pores make me want to buy a swimsuit - now a sweatsuit is another story but that just isn't practical in 100 degree weather.
I had suits of all shapes and sizes, in desperate hope to find the perfect suit to cover up all the imperfections and not make me look like a...uh...well, MOM! So after lots of wailing and gnashing of teeth,(because yes my idea of hell just might be trying on swimsuits, but trying them on in public, with people watching and the devil purposely hands you suits that are two sizes too small) I found one that I really like. I mean it actually made me look smaller! But of course they didn't have it in the correct size. Sob.
But my sweet mother, who had put up with SO much already whisked me away to Target to find an emergency suit for a memorial day event. I was determined to get Baby H in the pool so we found one that would work - although I still have fears of someone asking me if I am pregnant because it is a loose tankini. I mean how do you answer that question, really? No ass, I am just still fat from the first one, but thanks for pointing it out. Sometimes I secretly want to say yes - just to see the look on their faces, but don't because I will want to slap them for the question that inevitably follows "Oh, so were you trying?"

Man, squeezing my softness into stretchy things really brings out my pretty side doesn't it? Oh well it was all worth it for this precious face!

Sorry about the boob shot - this is the cheap-er bathing suit! :) Oh and later that same weekend my sweet husband ordered THIS ONE in green, online for me since I loved it so much. And yes I look exactly like her when I put it on too!

Similarities

So I just read Dooce's most recent post - about baby vomit and it was sort of a mirror image of my morning yesterday...the one that started off with Harper coughing so hard that she threw up body temperature formula and a matching amount of mucus. Did I mention I was holding her? And that my saggy boobs provided the perfect container in the form of a shelf bra in my sleep tank top.

Good morning everyone!