Sweet P's 6th Monthday

I've been slow to write this month. I blame it on the weather! It's been absolutely beautiful, and I find myself outdoors often with the little man. We've finally settled into Little Rock, and we've done a little traveling this month. Things have never been better!

So. Guess who's 6 months old? Sweet P is!

My happy little boy's personality is showing through. He's a firecracker! So what's new with the little man? He still loves laughing, and I can tell he's going to be just like his dad. This is a highly motivated baby, folks! 

Happy baby!
Baby Gap onesie with comfy Carter pants

Milestones and Achievements

Sitting: Little man sits! He can hold himself up (no hands, ma) for 20-30 seconds at a time, but he still needs some help holding himself up for longer. The boppy is great help, but I usually watch him when he's using it. Sometimes SP suddenly flings himself forward, so I make sure to sit close by so he doesn't get hurt. Because he can hold himself up, I'm finally able to hold him with one arm, which gives me one free hand! Woo, freedom! He can also go from crawl position to a side sitting position.

SP eating his shirt
Janie and Jack shirt with Carter drawstring shorts

Getting around: Little man is a creepy crawly. I wouldn't say he's crawling, but he's certainly mastered creeping. It's a mix of both. He can get to point A to point B at a turtle's pace. He has one great technique which involves him going from all-fours, to plank position, to belly flop, back to all-fours, and so on. Once he zeros in on something, he's after it! He especially enjoys creepy-crawling underneath his jumperoo, and tries to reach up for it. He's looking upward, which means soon enough he'll be trying to pull himself onto things, which means he'll be walking before we know it. Scary! I'll finally have to baby proof the house! I went from using two yoga mats for tummy time to a queen-sized quilt. He's outgrowing the quilt and quickly moves past the perimeter. As for his jumperoo, he's a hopping machine! He loves it, but, like most activities, will only enjoy it for 20-30 minutes before it's "on to the next activity, mother!"

Sleeping: Don't get me started! We've regressed. He starts out in our bed nursing to sleep, then to his crib, then back to our bed. Some nights are great (wakes up at 5am) and others not so much (wakes up at 2am). I don't like sleeping with him in our bed. I'm a very light sleeper, and I prefer to sleep sprawled out on my belly. Recently, he hasn't been napping so well during the day. I've found that in order for me to ensure he stays napping for more than 10 minutes, I'll nurse him. My arms are very sore from holding him, and from sleeping in an awkward position. Hope I can resolve this sleeping issue soon! Nursing has become one of the three ways little man will fall asleep (the other two being driven around in his carseat and being walked in his stroller or in a baby carrier). I'm hoping within the next 6 months, I can find a way to put him to sleep that doesn't involve a boob or traveling.

I've also discovered Sweet P's silly way of sleeping. Apparently, SP's cousin sleeps the same way, and his father used to sleep similarly as a baby! 

Interesting.

Breastfeeding: I still love nursing him! I used to be icked out before pregnancy at the thought of nursing. Now that I am though, I think it's just the cutest thing. It is really one of those bonding moments you can cherish. SP still loves the ninny. Though, I'm starting to worry about his dependency on it to sleep. On good nights, he'll only want ninny once a night, on a bad night, he'll want ninny 3-4 times. Lucky for me I'm highly adaptable when it comes to sleep, so it doesn't faze me on his worst nights. Sweet P still won't take a bottle or pacifier, and actually LAUGHS when I offer it to him. However, a mom I recently just met (she is my age and has four children, one of whom is also 6 months old) told me that some babies this age can drink from straws! So I tried it out, and it works!

Chatterbox: Little man has an interesting way of talking. It mostly consists of dinosaur noises (speaks while inhaling), raspberries, and squeals. No "bababa" yet, although he does gab a little. I also sing to him quite a bit, and he loves to try and sing along. SP loves highly repetitive songs, and some of his favorites are "On top of spaghetti" and "Too-rah-loo-rah". I also use my creative mommy brain and make up songs to entertain him. I'll sing about the dogs, or an activity he's doing, and little man tries to sing along. When he gets upset, I find that singing to him is a quick way to him settle down.

Teething: I think he may be starting to teeth. I'm not 100% sure though. I'm still hoping that he'll begin teething after nursing is over with!

Eating: Lately, I've been able to use the Baby Bullet that my SIL gifted us. So far he enjoys his organic bananas and organic avocados. I've also let him taste mangoes, oranges, and watermelon. He loves it, and when he sees oranges he starts smacking his lips.

Travels: Sweet P has scaled Mount Pinnacle and has traveled to Dallas this month! He's great at traveling now, and I'm no longer stressed out about driving him around! He's even gotten over his fear of driving around at night. He just either falls straight to sleep or plays with his toys. SP tolerates traveling in the car, but he is an adventurer and loves hiking.

In our Dallas hotel 

Sleeping in his sling at the Presidential library

Calamari and Raspberries/ traveling around Dallas

Halfway up Pinnacle mountain. In Arkansas

Sweet P with dad

Sweet P's Favorite Things: The ninny, sleeping on mom, playing with his Fisher-Price Cell Phone, playing with his Bright Starts Remote Control, staring at himself in the mirror, tasting new foods, going on long walks in his B.O.B. revolution stroller or Zolowear sling, sleeping on his belly, laughing at the dogs, being sung to, Neptune activity mat, and his rainforest jumperoo.

Loves his walks!

Mom's Favorite Things: Same as the last monthday post, J.Crew and Gap button-up as nursing shirts, Baby Bullet, and boppy.

Here's some other favorite moments this month:

Boys hanging out

Watching mom blow dry and style her hair 

Obligatory nakey baby photo

Yes, I'm cute! 

Squee! 

Back to mom duties!

xo,

Alexandra

To my depressed dog...

To my sad little Suki-dog who misses being the center of attention,

Things will get better! Before Sweet P came along, you were the absolute center of our 'attentions'. Sure, Charlie is cute, but we all know he lives in his own world. And let's face it, all he cares about is food.

Charlie doesn't want 'attentions', just food.

But you, Ms. Attention-craved little furbaby, have always sought out love and affection from your humans. You loved the freedom of pre-baby days, of visits to the beach and the park, and of long uninterrupted cuddle sessions.

Pre-baby fun

So far you've been a great little beast. At first, it was hard. Mom didn't give you any loving when Sweet P was born. At some point your recognition upgraded to a photo prop. You were a little depressed at that point, wondering if things would ever get back to normal.

Suki the boppy

And they have. More treats were handed out, and Dad gave you extra 'attentions' to make up for Mom's lack of. 

Dad + Furdog cuddle sesh

Now that Sweet P is 5 months old, you are starting to reclaim your 'attentions' from us. You are being re-recognized for your cuteness...

...and we have begun to indulge you again.

We love you little Suk, and just know things will improve. Pretty soon there will be another set of hands to give you doggy massages! Isn't that worth the sacrifice? 

xo, 

Alexandra

Yums and Exercise

Note the baby fingerprints occluding the mirror!

Losing the postpartum weight hasn't been the easiest for me. I've always struggled with my pounds, yoyoing up and down over the years. Getting pregnant, it was easy to gain the weight. I was always nauseas and the only way to fix it was to snack (on Silk Soymilk and Sunbelt Bakery Chocolate Granola Bars yum yum). Thirty pounds were gained, who knows where (my butt!), however, postpartum, I saw the effects of the pregnancy on my body. I certainly gained weight here and there, but I was happy and proud to show off my boy, so at first, I didn't care.

Then three months went by. The weight didn't seem to fall off as I expected (especially since I was breastfeeding, c'mon!), nor did the belly spring back quite so fast. So it worried me. Of course, it being winter and being inundated with baby duty, I didn't work out nearly enough. I had many people assure me that nine months I spent growing a baby and filling out my body, and so nine months I should wait for my body to return back to how it was.

Unfortunately, I also had lofty goals of losing extra weight. Going into pregnancy, I was not at the level of fitness I wished to be, and my fitness steadily declined during pregnancy. I felt awkward and unfit, so I often daydreamed of my postpartum body, strong and toned, after long crossfit workouts as I left the baby with Hubby for hours at a time. Hah. Postpartum reality, things did not fall into place quite so easily. The cold and unpredictable Arkansas weather kept my Sweet P and me indoors, and my motivations were low since I was tired from being on-call 24/7.

Five months later, I have seen progress in my weight, thanks in due to dieting and breastfeeding. However, frustratingly enough, I still cannot fit into my favorite postpartum pants (crazy muffin top/maybe they shrunk in the wash)? Now that Spring has rolled around, we are always outdoors. I'm determined to fit into those pants, sans muffin top!

Walking with a stroller, rather than a sling or BabyBjorm, I've found this really makes a difference in my pace. We have been walking, sometimes running, nearly every day, and my stamina is increasing steadily. I even took a Stroller Strides class (which kicked my butt, gotta say). My body is returning back to its former glory, and my stomach has flattened, but dammit those jeans! My Puerto Rican behind is being extraordinarily stubborn.

GapFit Top (color only in-store?)
GapFit gFast Leggings
KSwiss California

I haven't weighed myself yet, mostly because I refuse to have a scale in the house. I find that weighing oneself can become an obsessive game that is not conducive to one's self-esteem. Scales can make me unnecessarily unhappy. So, I go by sight, which ultimately comes down to "do I look good in a bikini"? My ultimate goal is to be bikini ready, and I am getting closer! And I'm no longer squeamishly yelling at my husband "don't look at meeee" when I'm in my undergarments, which is a huge milestone!

I've been asked for postpartum diet recommendations from some friends and readers. So I thought I might go over what I've myself been doing. This has been my "diet" diet thus far:

Breakfast!

Every morning, I wake up and eat the same thing. Morningstar bacon and sausage links (they look icky, but I promise they are quite tasty), a banana, and a cutie orange. With a small cappuccino with reduced fat milk. Sometimes, I'll exchange the fruits for a half a whole wheat bagel with light cream cheese. Throughout the day, if I get hungry at all, I snack on cuties and bananas. My morning breakfast usually stays under 500 calories, but it usually keeps me full and content up to lunchtime.

Lunch!

Ingredients!

For Lunch, I make a salad. Yes, I'm addicted to Cuties (have you tried them?? Hubby and I go through at least two bags a week). This is my favorite salad, and it leaves me feeling content every time! It is just hearts of romaine, cuties, goat cheese, dried cranberries, oven roasted almonds, and last but not least... Annie's Goddess dressing (so amazing!) Strawberries, or any other kind of berry for that matter, pairs wonderfully with goat cheese. I haven't measured the calories in this, but it's certainly under 500.

For dinner, I tend to splurge a little on calories, so it is usually 500+. An example of a meal we eat up to twice a week is Turkey tacos! When trading turkey for beef, be careful. Turkey can be just as high in saturated fat as beef, so look at the label and make sure you're getting lean turkey.

Turkey Taco Dinner! 

Mangomole, my favorite

Turkey tacos are so easy to make. Just lean ground turkey, red bell pepper, garlic, and some olive oil cooked in a pan. For flavoring you have multiple options, like making a mole sauce or using those premade taco seasoning packets. I like to do a mix of both.

Then for add-ons, I make a Mango Guacamole, which is ridiculously delicious and makes for a tasty dip. I have a very special way to make it, but the only big difference ingredient-wise from other guacamole is the addition of mango and my top-secret preparation methods. Then there's the whole wheat tortilla, lettuce, and sour cream--which you can omit for calorie-sake.

How has my diet changed overall? My diet consists of foods low in the glycemic index now. So instead of white processed grains, I eat whole grains now, which keeps me fuller longer. It is more difficult for your body to digest whole grains, so even though they provide more energy, the energy lasts longer. It doesn't spike your insulin as white bread or rice does, so you're not left with cravings. I also eat more fruits and vegetables, especially as snacks throughout the day.

I also allow myself little treats during the week, so I have something to look forward to. One treat is my Samoas ice cream. Yes, my favorite girl scout cookie is in ice cream form!

Crack.

 And my other food splurge is hubby and my Saturday brunch, which always consists of Loveless Cafe Bacon and usually some sort of cheesy egg skillet.

Brown cheesy goodness

Skillets are supremely easy to do. Just cut up some of your favorite veggies. The one above has sweet onions, red potatoes, and yellow bell peppers. And cut up some of your favorite meats (we chose a local sausage, petit jean). Cook them up on an iron skillet, throw some eggs on there, season (paprika, black pepper, salt), let cook for a few minutes. Sprinkle some cheese on top, then throw in the oven at 375 for about 5-10 minutes until eggs are just the way you like them (we like 'em medium). Bam! The tastiest skillet ever.

Now that I'm working out more frequently, I should be in tip-top shape in no time!

Any ladies have some favorite food splurges I should try?

Enough talk of food and exercise, here's some Hubby/Sweet P cuteness:

xo,
Alexandra