Hi! Lots of changes going on over here in "Making It" as Mamaland, so I've been an absentee blogger. Let's see if I can try to remember all the things that have changed in the past month and a half:
Lily is big, giant, huge. Too close to a toddler for my comfort. She has six (!!!!) teeth and little wisps of hair curling out behind her ears to make her look decidedly non-babyish. She will be ten months old on Friday and can stand by herself for a few seconds at a time. She was THISCLOSE to taking her first step today.She had her first ear infection (or double ear infection, actually) lately. The doctor discovered it at her nine month well check. He gave me a prescription for it, just in case, but said it was totally fine not to fill it, or to at least wait a few days before filling it. I held off for two days, but she just seemed to be in a good deal of pain, and I couldn't find any natural remedies that seemed appropriate for a baby, so I filled it. Wow, what a change in her! I guess I hadn't noticed that she wasn't as happy as she used to be, because the only thing that seemed "off" about her was not sleeping through the night. After a few days on the medicine, she is CONSTANTLY smiling, squealing, chattering, and laughing. My poor baby girl was in pain! In the past few weeks, she's sampled broccoli, cucumber, grapes (cut into TEENY pieces, put your stones down), eggplant, kohlrabi...and loved it all.
I guess that's a good segue into the next thing that's been occupying my time lately: food research. Understand that as a kid, I grew up on eggs from our own chickens and OJ from our own citrus trees, so this is not a situation of me jumping on board the "real food" train late in the game...ever since I got married and moved, I didn't have easy access, knowledge, or money. Now that I'm back and I have a baby, it's more important to me than ever to give her the best possible nutrition I can provide. There are things I cannot provide for her right now, but darn it, good food is NOT one of those things.We are fortunate enough to have some great produce stands nearby, and Mr. ABC123 and I joined a CSA at one of them. We get a bushel of fresh, local, pesticide-free produce for $35. It's a pretty good deal for all we get. I'm already making zucchini chips and banana chips in my grandma's old food dehydrator, we'll be having fresh green beans this week, and we've been enjoying our fresh, pesticide free apple slices with sunbutter! Plus, I found this fantastic local dairy that sells milk and cream from grass-fed cows, so I've been making my own butter! It's super easy, and I love that I know there are no chemicals or preservatives in it. Soon, I want to try my hand at making our own cheese! I also found organic stone-ground whole wheat flour, so breadmaking is next on my list. If you want more information, two of my favorite sites for food research are Foodrenegade.com and 100daysofrealfood.com. I'm looking into taking an e-class on fertility health next. It covers how to make sure you're in optimum condition for TTC, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and raising a healthy eater. I have tons of books I want to read on the subject as well....I'm excited about all that I'm learning!
We've been discussing Baby #2 lately, and while it won't be immediate, I do want to get my body in shape both inside and out. I want to make sure I have the proper amounts of vital nutrients and minerals in my diet, that I have some meals in the freezer for those nights when I just can't cook, and that I'm doing some cardio and strength training. I still can't get back into the groove of exercise--not for lack of desire, though. I have my Jackie Warner Crunchless Abs DVD sitting out on our entertainment center and the jogging stroller ready to go, but I just don't know where I can fit it in. I already wake up at 5 am and go,go,go until I bolt out the door at 6:30. When I get home at 4:30, Lily is *usually* still asleep from her ride home in the car, so I typically have about 30 minutes while she naps to change, get Lily's dinner, prep our dinner, and set the table. Then, she wakes up, she gets her dinner, she plays while I cook, Mr. ABC123 gets home and we eat dinner, he bathes her while I pump, I nurse her, we get her to bed, and then I head back downstairs for more meal prep for the following day and do my daily chore (I've put myself on a rotating chore schedule--for instance, Mondays are vacuum/dust day, Tuesday is laundry day, etc.). By then, it's about 9 pm, and if I exercise that late, I will have a hard time sleeping. I know exercise is important, but I feel like I'm still doing a decent job of working 40 hours a week and keeping home running, so I'm not going to beat myself up about it...too much.
We have a vacation coming up soon. Mr. ABC123 is going to be performing his aunt's wedding ceremony, so we're headed to Alabama for a week to visit our families. I am already starting a list of all the things we need to pack between the three of us, and it.is.long. Par for the course, though.
Kudos to you for reading this far. Your reward is getting to hear the biggest news of all:
MR. ABC123 GOT A PROMOTION AND A RAISE! WOOOOOO!
This means it will help us save more quickly for the down payment on a house, AND chances are good that I will be able to get health insurance--which means we wouldn't have to plunk down cash for a baby like we did with Lily!
I am excited, and so thankful for this good news. The first half of the year was rough on our family and I really needed this encouragement.
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