September 2009 vs. September 2010

Sarah's comment got me thinking...and looking for pre-pregnancy pictures to see what exactly the changes have been.

This time last year, C and I were in New York for a little...pre-babymoon. A chance to celebrate our first wedding anniversary, relax in the whole stressful babymaking process, and really to spend time together before what we knew was going to be the craziest time of our lives.

Wow. I knew that I've changed, but it really hit me this morning just how much. Here are a few of our New York pictures, and then a few pictures from after Owen was born (and yesterday)

After picking out my birthday present!

By the lake in Cooperstown

After breakfast at H&H Bagels


Anniversary dinner at Del Frisco's (this is the picture that really hit me)

7 days post-delivery

2 months post-delivery

3 months post-delivery

Holy moly...it's even more emotional and overwhelming to see the difference right there in front of me!

Progress Report!

Today I was going to blog this ridiculously cute video that I took yesterday morning while Owen and I were playing peek-a-boo, but...it seems that something wonky is going on with my camera's memory card. I'll hopefully get that fixed and show off my Monster soon :)

In other news, I had training session #3 last night...and did it ALL! I was incredibly proud of myself because Todd doesn't really like the word "no"...therefore I just keep saying "yes!" when he asks if I can do it, or have anymore in me.

Our routine last night:

5 minute treadmill warmup, 15incline, 3 speed (4.6 yesterday almost made me fall off!)

4 sets of:

- 10 squats with 12.5lbs weights in each hand
- 10 burpies
- 2 minutes on the rowing machine, keeping the speed above 30

20 minutes on the treadmill for cardio at the end

First and foremost, let me just say that burpies are the single hardest exercise I've ever done in my life. The up and down really messes with your balance and blood pressure, and it took me a while to get through them (my resting bp is 90/50 and I have vasovagal syncope...so Todd and I had to have a little chat last night...)

Secondly...I almost burst out in tears last night from sheer exhaustion. I know that this routine and going to the trainer is worth it...but damn am I tired!

However, at the end of it all he rewarded me with a high-five (about the 6th one for the day...he's all about the high-five) and...a weigh in!

Lbs lost: 7
Inches gone: 10.5

Who knew I would actually be excited for a weigh in!? That means I have lost 7lbs in one week. ONE! Craziness! And I was kind of shocked when he did the measurements. I've lost 3" on both my abdomen and waist (individually, not combined!), 2.5" from my hips/booty, .5" from each thigh, and .5" from each bicep...all the while building lean muscle.

Today, I've walked 10km and am not in near as much pain as I was last week at this time. Well...until I went to bend to pick something up. Oi! I pulled something back by my booty and hamstring...it does not feel good.

Me...12wks post-delivery

The Belly Crawl

For the past few weeks, Owen has been making some great strides...well, squirms...with his motor skills. He's getting ridiculously strong, and within a week of his first roll-over, he was trying to scoot his way across his playmat to get to Mom or Dad on the other side.

Last night was amazing. We were over at Nana and Papi's for dinner, and after we were all done, I put Owen on the floor on a blanket (about the size of a crib quilt), on his tummy. Really, I was hoping that he would just roll over and show up his amazing head-holding-up skills.

What happened was really amazing. He started about 3/4 of the way down the blanket, and would pull his knees up under his chest, inch forward, lie on his belly then look up at me. His arms sort of stayed where they were under his chest, but he'd work them out and slide them forward ever so slightly then move his knees up under his chest again. He was belly crawling his way over to me!

I really wish I had the video camera there to catch it. He started trying to crawl and pulling his knees up under his chest last week, and we sort of resigned ourselves to the fact that we have an early developer on our hands...but I really didn't anticipate that it meant within a week he would be figuring out how to crawl. We were placing bets on if he'd be full out crawling by Halloween, and I think it's safe to say...YES!

Training Session #2 and Baby Development #1

Last night marked training session #2 with Todd, and I went in with a little hesitation. I totally bailed on him last thursday when I couldn't even lift Owen to feed him (thank goodness Nan is only 3 minutes away and took care of Owen for me for the afternoon so I could soak my weary body and rest for a while)...and I definitely thought he was going to kick my booty for bailing on him.

Well...he did, but it felt awesome! Our routine last night consisted of:

- 5 minute warm up on the treadmill, 15 incline, 4.6 speed

4 sets of:
- 20 squats/stepups (squat, stepup onto a 2.5ft bench, step down, repeat)
- 10 pushups
- 20 lunges

rest for 2 minutes

4 sets of:
- 10 pullups (like a reverse pushup)
- 10 chinups
- 2, 30sec. planks

End with 20 minutes of cardio on the treadmill, 9 incline 4.6 speed until my legs felt like jello and I went down to 3 speed and 4 incline so I didn't fall on the floor.

Yes, he kicked my booty and that is the exact spot in my body that I'm feeling the burn today.

But it's good! I took preventative measures last night - epsom salt soak for about 30minutes or so, RubA535 on my quads, traps and butt, and 2 advil. It definitely helped as I can move and lift Owen today with no problem...even though my legs are a little bit stiff.

We had our first visit today with Sue, the home care visitor who travels around our city to show new parents how to stimulate their kiddos and understand brain development at the different stages of the first 6 months of their lives. She'll bring DVD's with her for Owen, we'll get on the floor and play with his toys and figure out what works best for him in terms of stimulation and brain development. She said that it looks like we've got all the right toys and gear, and that she'll also focus on keeping our house safe (cords, outlets etc.) for when he starts really moving and shaking.

It was kind of nice, and she'll be coming once a week on fridays at 9:30am for the next 8 weeks. Then, she and Gaetane (my health nurse/lactation consultant) will be coming for the 9th week to debrief and get my feedback about the program.

Oh! and he was weighed today!! Chunker, I think not!

13lbs13oz

Lean, mean, pooping machine!

My Kid is NOT a "Chunker"

Time for a little rant and rave.

Last week, Owen and I met C, Nana and Papi out at the Club after their round of golf for a little dinner. As always, there seemed to be a never ending flow of well wishers and baby watchers coming our way, most of whom were awesome and fell in love with our little Monster pretty immediately.

Well...then there was a lady, we'll call her Mrs. Too-Outspoken for our purposes (plus I don't even know her name), who came over all excited to see the new Szem. I kid you not, her words were...

Oh my! He's a real chunker!

Excuse me? Did you just call my kiddo fat?! He's 2 1/2 months old, about 26"-30" at this point, and probably about 15lbs. He's a big kid, but by no means is he a chunker.

Everyone at our table chuckled and made it seem like no big deal. I tried very hard to bite my tongue, but I'm getting really tired of everyone saying how big he is, insinuating that he's fat.

She didn't stop there, though. Somehow the topic of sleeping through the night came up, and we said that he's not quite there yet, he usually wakes up at about 3am. We did not in any way insinuate that he wakes up for a bottle.

That's because he's a chunker and he's used to his food!

Okay...enough lady.

a) my kid is NOT a chunker, and I said as much when she was going back to her own table
b) he wakes up out of habit, not to be fed necessarily as he only drinks 3oz. at most in the middle of the night
c) you're a jerk

A Tribute to My Dad

As most of you know, my Dad passed away 5 years ago this coming October. Halloween to be exact...such mixed emotions about that "holiday" but I'll get into that in another post this month.

I don't write alot about my Dad. It's hard.

He was the singlemost important person in my life...until C and Owen came along, and while I know that he's watching down on us, and firmly believe that he's already met Owen and taught him a tonne of things that I could never even fathom...I grieve in in a totally different way now. I grieve the relationship he would have had with my son, and how I would have been able to witness the joy that he would have gotten out of making him giggle, teaching him how to play hockey and the drums, and even just snuggling with him for some quiet time.

This past weekend, C and I took Owen to my hometown for a tribute that the Pipe Band was having for members that had passed away over the past 5 years. In lieu of flowers, my Mom wanted donations to the Pipe Band or Heart&Stroke Foundation (my Dad had a massive heart attack at the age of 52). Well...we got to see what they put those donations toward.

They planted a tree in 2009 in honour of my Dad, and had it blessed by our minister yesterday in a beautiful celebration at their 100th anniversary. There were four trees that were being dedicated yesterday, and family members cut ribbons tied to those trees. There is also a stone cairn that was blessed as well.

It was misty throughout the celebration, then started to rain fairly hard while a single piper played Amazing Grace. It really took my back to my Dad's funeral, where we had the entire pipe band into the sanctuary of my church to play Amazing Grace. I snuggled Owen up tight and had a good cry while he nuzzled in and tried to stay warm.


Before it all began




Mom about to do the ribbon cutting






Owen and I under Dad's tree



The memorial stone








Owen and I listening and watching the pipers and drummers...




The sky on our way home...I think someone was watching from Heaven...

I miss you more than ever, Dad.

Backgrounds and Personal Training

Ugh...

As you've probably noticed, the background for this blog is ever changing. I have a fabulous new header from Blondie over at Transatlantic Blonde, and I have yet to post my fancy new button, but finding a background that I like to tie everything together is becoming quite a challenge!


My issue is colour coorindation. I'm a wee bit anal about things matching. I guess it's the artist in me, but everything must be coordinated....beit complimentary, split-complimentary or primary colours. And I want to play off the Momma, Daddy and Baby ducks on the header, and not get too stripey (is that even a word??)


If you know of any places to go to for blog backgrounds, feel free to drop them and your suggestions in the comments section. Right now I'm flitting back and forth between Hot Bliggity Blog and The Cutest Blog on the Block (which just the name of makes me want to puke a little...so cutesy)



In other news, I started with my personal trainer on Tuesday night. My little routine consisted of:

- 5 minute warmup on the treadmill, 15 incline, 4.6 speed

- 10 squats with a 2kg medicine ball (it was on the floor, I had to squat, pick it up, squat up, raise it over my head, squat down and put it back on the floor, then back to starting position. 10 times...)

- 10 pushups

- 4, 15sec. planks

- 20 minutes of cardio on the treadmill (which my left leg gave out afterward, and I had to giggle at myself on the floor of the gym, making it look like I was bending to get my keys)


When I was there, I felt amazing and slightly like Wonder Woman. I could totally do this, twice a week, for the next four months.


Two days and a daytrip to Niagara-on-the-Lake later...I can barely move. My traps and quads are screaming from the inside out and I have never been in this amount of pain in my entire life. Lifting Owen and playing Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes or Old MacDonald is out of the question today. Going up and down the stairs with a little boy in my arms is also out of the question.


Child birth has nothing on a training session with Todd!

How in the world am I going to do this, twice a week, for four months?!