Being one of the older gals in my circles of friends, I've always lead the way on new adventures. I was the first one to get my license (and a car), first one to get married, and now first one to have a baby. All very incredible milestones and I was very much supported by some incredible people. But it's not always easy doing things first. I didn't have a friend to provide wisdom and guidance when I was failing to figure out a challenge. And now that I'm a new mom, I really could use the help.
I've been struggling to make mom friends, partly due to the fact that I love my friends and feel like I'm "cheating" on them in finding a new community. Another hinderance is my damn timidness. That's right, I'm down right shy. Put me in a big group and my voice gets lost in the chorus.
Case in point - I joined Mommy's Time Yoga, a yoga class for new moms and their babies. The first class was fantastic, my little Izzy slept for most of it, but it was a small group and I felt great speaking out when Linda - our yoga leader and pseudo den mother for pregnant women in our area - would ask the group questions. Not only did I participate, but I enjoyed it. I joyfully went to the next group class hoping for the same experience but was so turned off because the room was clogged with outgoing personalities. They're all wonderful people, but I couldn't compete. I dragged myself to the next one hoping to give it one more shot. This time I decided I would make every effort to make connections. And I did! One of the moms who I took prenatal yoga classes with sat right next to me. It was the first time I got to me her beautiful little girl. Things couldn't have gone better, and I even made facebook friends with a few of the women. Very encouraging.
So now I have to keep the ball rolling. Linda suggested we get a stroller club together. What a great idea, the sun is finally shining and what better way to spend a morning than walking with a group of women and their babies. It's times like these that I'm very thankful for facebook.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Not feeling so hot
No, I'm not sick. I just don't feel . . . attractive. I'm sure it's normal to feel this way after having a baby. But it would be out of character for me to be O.K. with that excuse. It's been almost 6 months since Izzy was born, and I'm really starting to hate my mushy middle, my clothes still don't fit and I'm dreading donning a bathing suit.
I've always been able to battle the weight by hitting up the gym, or running more. But now there's two new obstacles; 1) caring for Izzy and 2) breast feeding. Caring for Izzy is one of the highlights of my day after fighting through work projects. I want to spend every moment with her. Watching her giggle at Willow, seeing her slurp her cereal. I know pushing her in a stroller would count as exercise, but it doesn't yield the same quality time as tickling her tummy and dancing like a fool for her laughter does. And breast feeding is amazing and I'm so fortunate to be able to do it while working like a madwoman. But I'm ALWAYS hungry, and I'm fearful that if I don't eat enough my supply will deplete.
So how do I get my body back now? I suppose I have to start with the obvious. Eliminate the not-so-healthy but oh-so-yummy things from my diet. I tend to reward myself with treats (kind of like Willow) when I'm at work. It's as if having an oreo at 3pm somehow made the time spent away from Izzy bearable. Then there is the drinking on the weekend. No cause for alarm, I'm talking about one drink a night. But it's like watching your budget. If I saved $5 on every grocery trip for a month, I could buy a cute spring blouse. Saving 100 calories each weekend night (no beer) could lead to that blouse being a size small instead of a medium.
And now the part that I'm not sure of; working out. When will I find the time? How much can I do without it leading to eating more to keep up with the breastfeeding? I know 5:30 a.m. would work since it's just after Izzy's morning feeding, but how will I have enough energy to stay up, work out, and get through the rest of the day? And then what happens if I do too much and need to consume more calories to balance it out?
So here goes nothing. Today, I'm going to make three "resolutions."
1) No more sugary snacks.
2) No more alcohol, I did it for 9 months, shouldn't be that hard to do it for 1 month.
3) Stay up after Izzy's morning feeding and work out.
Hopefully commiting them to writing will somehow make me more accountable.
I've always been able to battle the weight by hitting up the gym, or running more. But now there's two new obstacles; 1) caring for Izzy and 2) breast feeding. Caring for Izzy is one of the highlights of my day after fighting through work projects. I want to spend every moment with her. Watching her giggle at Willow, seeing her slurp her cereal. I know pushing her in a stroller would count as exercise, but it doesn't yield the same quality time as tickling her tummy and dancing like a fool for her laughter does. And breast feeding is amazing and I'm so fortunate to be able to do it while working like a madwoman. But I'm ALWAYS hungry, and I'm fearful that if I don't eat enough my supply will deplete.
So how do I get my body back now? I suppose I have to start with the obvious. Eliminate the not-so-healthy but oh-so-yummy things from my diet. I tend to reward myself with treats (kind of like Willow) when I'm at work. It's as if having an oreo at 3pm somehow made the time spent away from Izzy bearable. Then there is the drinking on the weekend. No cause for alarm, I'm talking about one drink a night. But it's like watching your budget. If I saved $5 on every grocery trip for a month, I could buy a cute spring blouse. Saving 100 calories each weekend night (no beer) could lead to that blouse being a size small instead of a medium.
And now the part that I'm not sure of; working out. When will I find the time? How much can I do without it leading to eating more to keep up with the breastfeeding? I know 5:30 a.m. would work since it's just after Izzy's morning feeding, but how will I have enough energy to stay up, work out, and get through the rest of the day? And then what happens if I do too much and need to consume more calories to balance it out?
So here goes nothing. Today, I'm going to make three "resolutions."
1) No more sugary snacks.
2) No more alcohol, I did it for 9 months, shouldn't be that hard to do it for 1 month.
3) Stay up after Izzy's morning feeding and work out.
Hopefully commiting them to writing will somehow make me more accountable.
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