Weigh-in Wednesday

Not only have I been slacking on working out, I also completely forgot to weigh myself this morning. So only God knows if I have lost or (GASP!) gained weight. I am going to continue to be optimistic and say that I lost. Even though my sister was so kind to point out how big my butt is! Anna you are banned from Marlee for a week!

Pumping at work sucks so bad by the way. Blogging makes it go by a little quicker... Still about as uncomfortable as it gets. I feel bad for cows. 

This week I made some awesome peanut butter cookies which had no flour in them which practically makes them healthy. Right? They were moist and really tasty. Besides the couple I treated Brusco with, I actually ate the whole batch. I did have to bake while holding my fussy Marlee which was a workout in itself. I can cross 'one handed baking' off my bucket list. 

 

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

 

1 egg
1 cup Peanut Butter
½ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

 

Mix everything together.

Form balls. (Hopefully you have two hands for this part.)

Make pretty patterns with a fork.

Bake @ 350 degree for 11 minutes.
Eat!

 

 

Work has been decent this week.

Isaac had his first football game and won!

Breastfeeding is actually (dare I say it!) enjoyable this week. I think being away from Marlee makes our time together so much more special and feeding is a huge part of that.

Marlee met her oldest cousin Taya.

 

Here are some other pictures from the week.

 

 

 

 

Not too exciting but definitely busy!

 

Hopefully this gives Aunt Lin her Marlee picture fix for the week :)  

One Month Old!

Hello.

My name is Marlee Josephine and I am one month old today!

I like the Browns but this makes Daddy very happy. 

My likes include my binkie, wearing pajamas all day long, and being carried around. 

I also love my swing when it has batteries ((D batteries cost an arm and a leg!)), warm baths, and sucking my thumb ((ugh we have a thumb sucker!)).

I get the hiccups a lot, prefer to lay on my belly, and sleep 3-4 hours at a time. 

Overall, I am perfect! ((At least I think so :))

Weigh-in Wednesday!

This week has been a little hectic so no progress has been made on getting the treadmill to its new home in the basement. So therefore there is no new weight loss to be shared. 

Nick, Grandpa Jim, Marlee, and I did go on a nice walk down in Magnolia yesterday which did have me breaking a bit of a sweat. Then I came home and ate 9 bratwurst for dinner. They were delicious, I was starving, and I would do it again! Once again, food is going to be my enemy number one. 

Now back to playing with Marlee since I have to work tonight. 

Deep in thought

Happy Four Weeks Marlee!

Baby girl and I have made it to four weeks! She has been a bit of a pistol at night time lately so I gave her a nice warm bath tonight and she finally fell asleep. 

I think she out grew her first outfit. Tonight is the last night for these PJs. 

I started back to work last night and as mentally prepared as I thought I was, it hit me pretty hard once I left the house. Pregnancy and motherhood has made me sappy. I cried the entire way to work. I missed her something fierce. I couldn't stop thinking about her sweet face. And I couldn't get home fast enough. I snuggled with her all day today. She smelled like heaven. Nick did really well with her too at night, which will make my next night of work a bit easier. I won't have to worry as much about how the both of them are doing. It's a good thing I only work 3 nights a week. I'm not sure if I could do the regular five days a week shenanigans. 

Now after a rough start to the week, hubby and I are going to enjoy our time together and watch some Suits. Love, love, love some Harvey Specter! 

All Clear!

I was able to get an early doctors appointment in on Thursday and the doctor said I was allll clear! 

Healthy as an ox!

(I elaborated on that last part.)

I can return to work on Monday and can even start exercising so I can get this body back in shape! I am not expecting to ever fit into my wedding dress again but getting back to pre-baby weight is definitely a goal of mine. I need a plan of action but haven't exactly figured that out yet. We acquired a treadmill from the in-laws and once it is in place, I plan on running everyday. Nick is going to set it up in the basement for me with a TV and the Wii programmed with Netflix so I keep some kind of interest. The girls at work have been insisting I watch 'The Walking Dead' so that will be the first series I focus in on.

Apparently this is THE guy.

I already know that my food choices are going to be my constant hurdle. I love food. I love carbs and sweets and diet coke. Crackers, cheese, pasta, bread, cake, cookies, wings, beer, etc. etc. This list could go on forever. So my diet is going to need revamped too. I need to make sure I am still taking in enough calories so my milk supply doesn't suffer either. This is going to be an ongoing process.

Nothing? Nothing! Oreo blizzard? Chocolate chip cookies? Nothing. Calling BS on that. 

Before my wedding, I lost 35 lbs over a year and a half. This time around, I would like to lose 33 lbs and am being realistic that this could take another year. I am already down 22 lbs since labor which will put me at a total weight loss of 55 lbs once I hit my goal. I was going to post pre-weight loss pictures but I think I will save those till the end. Or at least once I see some kind of progress. Right now I am just a blobby mess. 

So some general goals would be:

1. Drink more water.

2. Exercise 4x/week

3. Lose 55lbs total

4. Eat cleaner snacks

5. Maintain milk supply

6. Be realistic!

Five and six are priority goals. Feeding Marlee is the most important and being realistic about my goals and progress are the only way this is going to work. I have to make sure I focus more on how I feel rather then how I look or the number on the scale. 

I will try to update weekly. Weigh-in Wednesday? I like the sound of that.

It Does Get Easier!

Baby Marlee is three weeks old today! She is growing right before my eyes! I seriously just sit and stare at her for the majority of the day, soaking up every bit of her being little. And she loves my company as much as I love her. My husband keeps telling me to put her down but it's hard when she has such a sweet face!

Naked babe.

Things are getting easier and more routine around the house. Last night was a bit of an exception. Usually she falls right to sleep after feedings but decided she wanted to play instead - that and needing her diaper changed every hour. Breast milk is a natural laxative which means 83738743 diaper changes a day. Usually it is a feed, change, sleep cycle. Not last night. She wanted to stay up and play. Play is generally just her staring at the funny faces I make but she seems to enjoy it - even in the dark. So I thought this morning, she would be super tired and I could nap then. Marlee felt differently. She wanted more playtime. She wanted to stare out the window at the sunlight coming in. So I propped her up and we looked out the window. 

After deciding there was no way I was getting back to sleep, I placed Marlee in her swing and made some coffee. BAM. Sleeping Marlee. 

I really wish that swing had some kind of new music uploader... the same classical songs are being embedded into my brain.

Her appointment went wonderfully the other day. She gained 1.3 lbs which made me feel better about all the trouble we have been having with feeding - which has been getting easier! Not any less painful, but easier. She also grew 1/2 inch. The doctor said she is impressed with her advanced head control too! I was one proud momma :)

Overall Marlee is one happy babe!

Busy Bee

Wow where does the time go! 

Marlee is two weeks old already and it seems like the time is just flying by. I really would like time to stop for a second so I can collect myself and really take it all in. I'm a mom! And I have a daughter! And she is pretty freaking awesome. I really didn't think I could be so in love. I feel really lucky to spend these last two weeks with her and I need to really enjoy these next couple weeks before I return to work. If only I could take her with me...

Today has been a great day. We both had a bath, I was able to brush my hair (always my daily goal), I did some laundry, ate lunch, and even have time to blog! This is a rarity so I am trying to take advantage. Marlee is napping peacefully. 

Yes she is on her belly... and no, I don't leave her unattended. She prefers this position! Who am I to deny her comfort? 

Still having the same problem since day one: breastfeeding. I have done so much research on breastfeeding between school and my own personal time but I don't recall ever reading about how difficult it can be! I mean we are constantly fighting with each other. Bonding? Yea we bond while crying with each other. And the pain! Ugh it is so painful! I do not recall reading anything about needing nips of steal. We did finally wean off the shield... which only happened after I lost it (I think it's in Brusco's belly), so that is a plus! Everyone says it gets easier. We will see. 

Oh good morning sleepy head! 

Besides the feedings, Marlee is a happy girl! She loves kisses and hanging out with her family. She has started to smile more regularly and is very alert when awake. She can even hold her head up on her own! We battled her first diaper rash which was more traumatizing for me then for her. All clear now and our days are generally uneventful which is fine with me! 

We have a doctors appointment on Friday to make sure she is gaining enough weight and all that jazz. 

Now back to playtime with MJ - she demands it!

Pre-coffee Post

I am feeling a bit sleep deprived this morning so my thoughts might not flow together. Mostly because Marlee did not sleep well but I also have not had my morning coffee. Marlee requests breakfast though and does so in a very demanding way. So I post while I feed - multitasking momma. 

Feeding has still been difficult at times. I can see why people throw in the towel after a couple weeks. Don't get me wrong, I know how healthy and important breast feeding is and I'm not at the point of quitting, but it would be nice to have her latch without so much resistance. 

It doesn't help that poor baby has diaper rash and is as red and sensitive as can be. So feeding and diaper changes are both exhausting times for her and I. I read to try to keep it open to air as much as possible to help dry it up so here I am trying to feed with a naked babe, praying she doesn't pee on me. Far from the precious pictures of breast feeding I had in my head. 

Not real life.

Yea this generally never happens for us. 

But it gets done and Marlee seems happy about the final outcome. 

Ok enough of my bellyaching.  Marlee is already 9 days old! Where has the time gone!? She is already so expressive and is definitely a sassy babe. I literally just sit around and giggle at her all day. She makes me smile and I really can't imagine my life without her. Motherhood is exactly how I thought it would be - busy, messy, frustrating, and absolutely worthwhile. 

And lots of pictures have been taken! She has had lots of firsts this week.

Marlee's first bath

First ridiculous bow

First time in her swing - It almost ate her.

First time meeting Great-Grandma

First time going for a walk

First tummy time

First time swinging with Grandma

First time in a bar - haha

First time attending big brothers football practice

And of course just hanging out with mom and dad. 

Excited to see what week two has in store for us!