Saturday, March 29, 2014

pictured, not pictured.





I stole this lovely post idea from one of my favorite blogs, Longest Acres.  Her photographs and writing about life on a farm in Vermont are just beautiful.  Check it out!

Pictured:

1.  Ingredients for my dad's famous oatmeal.  Seriously, I was never an oatmeal fan (the texture is just...so...vomitty, right?) until my father forced me to eat this concoction.  The secret is an ample (AMPLE) amount of cinnamon and a bit of maple syrup.  Put these two things in first, to taste.  After that, the sky's the limit!  I, personally, always have bananas, apples, walnuts and craisins on hand, but have been known to add peaches, dried pears, blueberries and almonds as well.

2.  This happy chickadee.  She is so into books lately, which is great, but she has this new found love for baby books...like...colors, sounds, touch n feel....which I guess is okay, right?

3.  Our redone serial killer bathroom.  It's hard to get a decent picture of the whole thing, but it looks SO MUCH BETTER.

4.  Me and babyKO2.  I am so excited to meet her and can't believe I'm soon to be entering trimester THREE.  Whoa.

Not Pictured:

1.  The terrible weather we've been having.  It's gone from 20 degrees and blowing to 50 degrees and raining all day.  Last night, I took Lua to the park at 7pm, because the rain had stopped for just a second and we were both so stir crazy.

2.  The now-infamous orange tutu (size 6-12months) that Lua insists on wearing all day, every day.

3.  Poor old Tank, who needs a good spring brushing, but keeps being put off because...well...he's an asshole.

4.  The pile of baby things on the dresser, just begging to be set up into a little babyKO2 corner.  I've promised Andrew that I won't buy any more clothes until I've gone through what we already have in storage (I pretty much saved everything) and I am feverishly itching to get to that 0-3months box!  Something about those tiny tiny clothes, you know?

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!!!

Thursday, March 20, 2014

10 things I wish I would've known as a new mama.




So, I've been thinking a ton about this lately.  Maybe it's because I'm going to be a mama to TWO very soon.  Maybe it's because a few of my friends are becoming new mamas this year.  Whatever the reason, I thought I'd jot down my 2 cents.


10.  Starting here.  Don't listen to anyone's advice.  Ha!  Or, rather, don't take any advice as fact.  Someone tells you, "the only way to do this one thing is THIS WAY." Run.  Or smile politely and think about Ryan Gosling.  Babies are each their own, special, incredible beast.  Some need 5 forty minute naps, some sleep for two hours at a time.  Some babies love to be held/swaddled, some would rather have their space.  And to go with that, every family is different.  It works for some mamas to babywear their wees all day long.  Some mamas can't even sort of entertain that idea.  It never hurts to listen and try-out advice to see if it works for your family, but in the end, don't be afraid to chuck it all out the window.


9.  Get in the bathtub!  Seriously, don't buy a silly baby tub.  Just get in with that babe.  Put a towel over your legs (it's going to get wet in the water and can double as a washcloth) and enjoy that soaking time.  If you can't do that, or plain-old don't want to, the sink is a nice alternative:)

8.  Get some postpartum clothes that are comfortable and make you feel good.  Seriously.  You're going to feel like a hot mess and you're not going to have time to shop or even think about what you're wearing.  I'm not saying to go buy some skinny jeans.  Maybe more like yoga pants?

7.  Breastfeeding hurts at first.  Why some (most) lactation consultants tell you that, if it hurts you're doing it wrong, I will never ever ever know.  It hurts.  Don't say it doesn't.  Even if you have the most perfect latch.  Your baby's mouth is small.  Your boobs are 17x larger than they ever have been before.  Both of you are new to this. And this is (most likely) the first time someone has sucked on your nipples for an hour at a time, ten times a day.  So, it's not comfortable.  Or kumbaya.  But I'm here to tell you that it will be.  Stick with it.  MAKE SURE you have a proper latch.  Stick with it.  It will become kumbaya.

6.  Make time for daddy.  Not baby/daddy time, although that is important.  Mommy/Daddy time.  Whether it is a 30 second hug in the kitchen or catching up on the latest episode (or 13) of House of Cards.  You're not going to be able to (read: feel like) get down and dirty with daddy for over a month after baby and while he totally understands that, remember that this whole baby thing is as much of a life changing experience for him as it is for you.  He suddenly has a whole new set of responsibilities and worries and it's pretty easy to feel neglected when almost all the attention is piled onto you and the wee one (as well it should be:).

5.  Figure out how to use the shit you bought before that baby comes.  Take two hours before you get too close to your due date (2 weeks, maybe?) and figure out how the car seat attaches to the stroller.  How to use your Moby wrap.  How the heck to swaddle.  I'll never forget, 3 days after Lua was born, we had to go down to her first pediatric appointment.  We didn't have time then to figure out the whole car seat-to-stroller thing and ended up carrying the car seat onto the subway and for about 10 blocks after.  If anyone has carried a car seat before, you know that you kind of have to carry it up and away from your body, so baby doesn't bang against your legs.  Let's just say we barely made it.


4.  The whole "sleep" thing.  Ya.  So.  I was pretty determined NOT to sleep-train my babies.  I personally thought sleep training was stupid and inhumane and if you weren't willing to be sleep deprived, then maybe you shouldn't be a mama.  Please don't take me seriously.  I was pretty sleep deprived at the time.  I will say that this time I plan to make a teensy effort to help babyko2 by creating a distinct difference between night and day.  No more midnight movie screenings with lights and sound.  This doesn't mean that I've hopped aboard the sleep train (get it?), but I do think that you have to do what makes you the best mama.  There were some days after I'd only gotten about 45 minute stretches of sleep that I felt really crazy.  Crazy enough to do something stupid?  Not quite.  But I would be bouncing/shhhhing/rocking/dancing Lu to sleep for the 50th time and she would be wailing and I would think, I can totally see how some people throw their children.  Don't throw your kids.


3.  Frozen witch hazel pads and a postpartum support band.  Both of these are for vaginal deliveries only.  Get some witch hazel and pour a bit into a large, cheap sanitary pad (or 10 or 20...I recommend closer to 20).  Then, stick them in a couple plastic bags and pop them into the freezer.  After you get home from the hospital/birthing center/wherever you pushed that baby out, you will most likely be SORE in so many delicate places.  Take a pad out and let it thaw for a few minutes, then use just like a normal pad.  So heavenly and cool and relieving.  The postpartum support is not just to get your pre-baby body back sooner, but also because every time you stand up, you may feel like everything is just going to fall out of your butt.

2.  Relish the immobile phase.  We are in full toddler mode around here, complete with imaginary forts, lego-building, monster-hiding and games where the rules are little more than, chase me around!.  How I long for the days when she would stay where I put her:)  When the activity mat counted as exercise.  When I could wash the dishes without someone trying to climb me like a tree.

1.  Take your time, but not too much.  Four months after Lua was born, I found myself, still in sweatpants, in front of the computer, finishing another season of Parenthood while Lua slept.  I realized I had taken the take it easy 's from everyone far too seriously.  I found out later that I had undiagnosed Hashimoto's disease, but I think if I would've gotten moving sooner, I would've realized sooner that there was a problem.  Give yourself time to just sit in your pj's and enjoy your brand new baby, but try to move, even a little bit, every day.  I like this rule of thumb: 5,5,5 - 5 days to just enjoy your new family.  Don't get out of bed if you don't feel like it!  5 days of sticking around the house.  Take it slow, stretch and breath every day.  Take the last 5 days and try and make it out for a walk at least once a day.  Continue to stretch, breath and enjoy your new family!!


Sunday, March 9, 2014

thirty-one.

What better way to celebrate my 31st birthday, than to share a (guilty pleasure of mine) little peek at BabyKO2's wishlist!  There aren't many things we NEED for this babe, especially because she's a she and we saved everything.  There are a few things though, that I have discovered in my wise-old-two years as a mother ;), I think will surely be of use.  These things I kinda wish I had purchased last time, and I'm saving our pennies for this time around.  Though, to be honest, most of our pennies will probably go to a double stroller...how are the nice ones so expensive!?!



*Baby K'tan - I feel like this will be much more efficient for city living than was the Moby.  I liked the Moby - all except for the football-field-length fabric.  Hopefully, the K'tan is an answer for that.

*Blessed Nest Nursing Pillow - Now, I know.  Ringing in at just under 100 bucks, this little number might have you scratching your heads.  Why am I dying to try this pillow?  Mostly because my back is pretty much humped from the first two years of nursing.  Even with the Boppy, it was difficult for me to get Lua up high enough (without 5 extra pillows) to be effective.  My hope is that this buckwheat-filled number is super conform-able to baby's shape and will allow this nursing journey to be less of a strain!

*I've heard from numerous new mamas that the Fisher-Price Rock n Play sleeper is where their baby lived for the first few weeks.  It's portable and its sloped design keeps baby semi-upright.  A feature I wish we would've had for Lu!



These last two wish-list items are a bit frivolous, I'll admit:)

*The headband from wildjuniper is a perfect alternative for a summer baby newborn cap, don't you think?

*I labored in a too-tight sports bra with Lua.  This time, I want to be beautiful and comfortable.  So there.

Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes.  I am so so so so lucky.   I mean, just look who I get to hang out with today...


check out BabyKO2's entire wishlist here.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

So many things.

Well, we are just feeling a little overwhelmed here lately.

We moved into this apartment exactly a month ago, signing a two year lease to lock in our astronomical rent (this apartment is not rent-stabilized, meaning every year the landlord could raise it to whatever he sees fit).  We looked at a ton of apartments and settled on this one, because, well, it's big.  And in a nice neighborhood.  It has an elevator and laundry. That's pretty much it.  I'm embarrassed to say that I grossly neglected to really check out the bones of this place when we moved in and it seems like every day I find something else crusty and old and outdated in this apartment.  Every time we find a crumbling wall or loose outlet, the go-to phrase has been, "whoever did this/repaired this/built this - sucked at it."  It could be a beautiful, old apartment if someone had just taken the time to, when things went wrong, repair it the correct way, instead of - literally - slapping a coat or two of white paint over it.  I swear, this 'someone' even used white paint to fill in the missing tile grout.  This all sounds very negative, but don't get me wrong, I'm still really happy overall with our decision and think that this apartment is going to be great for us for two years (or more) while we grow our family.  It's just scary and disappointing to think that we're spending so much money on something so neglected.  Hopefully soon, we can stop spending money to fix this place up and just enjoy what we've created for ourselves.

Also, taxes. Yuck.

Also, insurance and medical bills.  Yuck.

Also, Andrew is still in rehearsals and gone 10 hours a day.

Also, it's freaking freezing STILL.

Ok.  I think I'm done.

Life is not all crap, all the time, I have to mention.  Lua is beautiful and the most amazing and funny kid ever.  So funny, that we're thinking of starting a twitter account to remember all the funny stuff she says. BabyKO2 is kicking and moving and hiccuping all day and this trimester of pregnancy has been a breeze compared to the first.  I love my new midwife and I can't believe we're already pretty darn close to having a teeny, tiny, weensie babe in our lives again :)




Saturday, March 1, 2014

Nana & Popop.


We are pretty lucky to have two sets of super amazing grandparents for Lua (and babyKO2!).   We don't get to see them nearly often enough and, while we had planned a trip back to the midwest after Canada, we just didn't have the time (or cash) to make the trip this year :(  A few weeks ago, my parents - Nana and Popop - came to NYC instead!...at just the right time.  They were here for our big move and we are forever grateful for all of their elbow grease and emotional, financial and more financial support as we transitioned to our big, old apartment:)  My mom is basically Martha Stewart when it comes to cooking, cleaning and organizing and dad can make/fix/repair anything.  I mean, ANYTHING.  He completely rearranged our kitchen appliances in one afternoon using a hacksaw that he borrowed from the superintendent.  Really.  And it looks great.

As you can see, Lua loved having them here.  Maybe it's because of the pregnancy and my general sluggishness this winter, but my parents seem to have boundless energy - especially when it comes to playing neverending imagination games with a two year old.  Like I said, we got pretty lucky in the grandparent department.

Speaking of pregnancy, we decided on a homebirth this time around (more on that later) and I have my first prenatal visit with our new midwife today.  I've only had three prenatal appointments this entire pregnancy (one of which was an ultrasound - it's a girl, btw!), and I'm ready to have some regularity.  They say the second babe is quicker in every way and, so far, that's absolutely the case.  Where did that first half of my pregnancy go?!  I feel like there are so many things I still need to do...potty train my first child, perhaps? ;)