Sparkle Me Wild

A 5K? Did I really commit to doing a 5K? Ah! Peer pressure + sleep deprived state of mind = crazy talk. Well, at least I now have yet another excuse to get healthy & in shape....? The local new moms group threw the idea out for a bunch of us to attempt this Sparkle Me Wild 5K event. Groupon had a deal going on for registration. Of course, I forgot about it & still have not officially registered. However, I did commit to attending the event via the mom's group website. What was I thinking? This is what my mom had to say about it, "Why you pay money for walking? Walking free. Silly girl! No pay money for walking. What? They throw paint on you?!? Oh, you crazy! No pay money for walking & paint! What about baby stroller? Silly girl!"

On another note, last weekend's Twitter feed headlines included a sad story about a dying 2 year old participating in his parents' upcoming wedding as the best man before he passes away. Heartbreakingly beautiful & ruined my makeup. I cannot even begin to imagine what that family must be going through. This sweet toddler has been fighting to survive his entire life & hopefully he finds peace, relief & everlasting love. I still cannot wrap my head around such a sad story & why something like this would happen to such an innocent child. Heartbreaking.

Also, in the "news", Megan Fox & Brian Austin Green are expecting baby #2. Their baby Noah is 1 month older than my baby Noah. I hope Megan Fox is not plagued with too many early pregnancy ailments, while chasing a now mobile infant around. I find it exhausting trying to find the energy to chase my 8 month around. I do even want to think about how I would juggle multiple infants. For fun, I clicked the "Are You Ready For Another Baby?" quiz link. The quiz supported my already known opinion, "Hell no!!!" However, we are currently revisiting the idea of future maybes verses Noah being an only child, like his mama. Perhaps, Lane has noticed more of my unfavorable "only child" traits or maybe he truly does want a baby Norah or Zoe? We shall see what the future holds for us....

Last weekend kinda rocked! It was filled with a ton of "firsts". My sleepy baby semi-napped in my arms all morning last Friday vs attending a SPCA petting zoo event. I gave him a small bite of fruit & baby showed mama the difference between spit up & vomit. :(  He is fine & the pediatrician said it probably related to teething, moreso than the fruit. No fever or loss of appetite = good sign. So, first actual vomitting occurance for Noah.

Saturday was brunch with high school friends + hubby + Noah. It was the first time Roylinda & Kim saw Noah + my first time seeing Kim's little one, Hannah. It was also Noah's 1st trip to 1 of my favorite lunch spots in downtown Norfolk, 3Way Cafe. It was nice getting out & catching up with girlfriends. I even splurged & grabbed a coconut mocha iced coffee from Bean There - quaint coffee shop that could run circles around any Starbucks. Unfortunately, hubby's semi-foul mood clouded his taste buds. Rather than admit liking his sandwich & dessert beverage, he was sulky & broody. Male PMS, perhaps.

Sunday was errand & fun day. We bought way too many items for Noah, including a larger family-sized inflatable infant pool, baby safety float, toddler plastic golf clubs for a future birthday gift, new brand of diapers, safe for baby bug repellant for mama & baby, baby food, formula, an area rug for the living room (and for our little mover)... I can't remember the rest, but I know we originally went in for a steam mop, which we did not purchase. We then met up with my not-so-little cousin Tim, who was in town helping a friend paint/move. I guess the big moving portion will take place next weekend. Sporting yet another new car, I will definitely admit that Tim's Audi is freakin' sweet! He got a pretty good deal, but then again, he did work in car sales for nearly a year after college. Noah did not cry when Uncle Tim held him for the 1st time. (Yeah, we decided long ago that any future spawns would call him Uncle Tim & me, Helen Emo. Noah decided it was time to bounce & jump, when Tim held him, which rattled his nerves. It was pretty funny to see his expression.

After Tim headed back to DC/NoVa, hubby, baby & I headed to Ft. Monroe to show Noah the beach. He had this look of seriousness & confusion as daddy helped him stand on the shore. He immediately decided to try jumping & bouncing in the wet sand & was taken aback by the splash & sudden cool water from the small waves. He tolerated this new environment for about 30-45 minutes before letting out his 1st cry of fear. He sat in mama's lap on the edge if the water & the water tickled his toes. Once we turned around to face the water, he decided it was just too much stimuli. So, we packed up quickly & headed to the truck. The young military photographer parked next to us stuck up a sweet conversation & commented on how beautiful Noah's eyes were. It was a proud moment for us weary parents. I love how friendly people are whenever a baby is around. (:

Saw my new doctor the other day. I really liked her. Not only was she thorough & answered all of my questions,  she did not make me feel guilty about slowly losing the baby weight. I was shocked that I had managed to gain 10lbs, after losing 20 by 6 weeks postpartum. She said breast feeding or EPing does not always aid in weight loss for all women. Apparently, many women continue to plateau in weight loss while nursing, because the body requires extra calories for milk production. Because of my continued hypertension issues & apparent swelling, she wants to start me back on a diruertic & make some changes with my blood pressure medication (once I stop pumping completely). I told her my goal was to wean off of the pump by the end of the month, mainly because EPing is very tough with a mobile infant. She gave me some helpful tips & also exercise/nutritional information. For my back/hip pain & numbness in right foot, she agrees that it is muscle related & possibily sciatica. She gave me a list of back/core stretches & strength training exercises + said I should definitely consider starting back up with yoga. I asked her about the possibility of doing this 5K & she highly suggested interval training, similar to the methods utilized in the "couch to 5K" training (I.e., run for a set time frame & then walk...repeat). That is exactly what I used to do on the treadmill, when I was slowly getting back in shape during college/grad school years. I started with jogging .25 mile & walking .25 mile. I would do this for about 30-45 minutes. Eventually, I worked my way up to jogging the entire mile. Then, I worked on my timing & after a few months, I was running 7-8 minute miles, which was faster than my high school years. I think for birthday/Christmas, I am going to put a treadmill or elliptical on my wish list, especially since I cut the gym membership out of our budget. (: My goal is to be at least 50-60lbs light this time next year. My doctor said losing about 1lb a week is the healthy way to do things & we set a small goal for my next checkup in 2 months. I feel motivated to take control of my health + I'm tired of feeling frumpy & pudgy. I definitely want to be healthy for the sake of being around for Noah....

Well, it's currently Friday Eve & the weekend is filled with family dinner plans, more unpacking & organizing & more errands. I think hubby needs to being his vehicle in for service. LuLu the Beetle needs an oil change & tire rotation + tire check. Front driver side tire is slowly leaking air...again. Ugh. Time to upgrade to a more baby friendly vehicle. Looking at stupid 4-doors & sporty alternatives. Crossovers look to much like ugly minivans to me. SUVs guzzle gas & hybrids are too pricey. I really do NOT want another monthly car payment. I think Subaru is a safe option. Toyota 4Runners are decent looking. I do like the  cobalt blue that Ford is plastering on their newer models. Maybe the Flex? I'm so damn picky. It's going to take forever to find the right vehicle. Rawr :(

Until next time - XoXo - HMBC