The Escape Artist

Posted in Cora by teamtradermom

When all babies are born, the hospital wraps them up tight in a swaddling blanket because babies like to feel safe and warm.

Not Cora. From the beginning she has hated anything that constrains her arms or legs.

This was her second day of life. Notice how she has her little arm popped out.

At night, we would put her in a sleep sack that wraps around her arms and she would work and work until her arms were free. So we stopped trying to force it and just kept them out.

She also is not a fan of having her legs or feet covered up. As soon as we put socks on her, they come off.

I’ve pretty much given up trying there.

I remember when Isabella was a baby my mom would insist on keeping her covered with a blanket all the time, and she loved it.

Not Cora. As soon as any blankets are put on her, she kicks them off. It’s become a little game and we use it as a form of exercise for her now.

Observe:

No blanket in the world can survive the kicking legs of this baby!

See what I mean? As SOON as anything is put over her legs…BAM!…it’s kicked off.

Hey, at least it gets her little legs a-movin’!

Fast forward 16 years in the future and I’m envisioning a gangly teenager sprawled out on the bed sleeping with all covers kicked off. Just you watch…

I’ll end with this other fun little video. I was trying to get footage of Cora talking and smiling. For over a minute she’s just laying there making faces when all of a sudden she lets out a little mini rock n’roll scream! It’s hysterical!

She sounds like an old cassette tape being rewound really fast….

Wanna read more?

Life A.D. – Month 1 | A Day in the Life: Baby Edition | Cora’s Birth Story

20Jun2013

Light Bright

Posted in House and Home, Photography by teamtradermom

Today I snuck out over lunch to run errands. Namely, buy new clothes that will get me through this interim stage where both maternity and pre-pregnancy clothes are unflattering. I’ve been putting it off because I didn’t want to spend money on items that I view as temporary (oh and they will be temporary!) but since I’m going back to the office next week, I need something to wear.

I think they frown on associates showing up naked. Or in jammies.

I was feeling a tad discouraged because everything I tried on made me look ginormous (or is it those damned dressing room lights and mirrors?). I left the store with a few pairs of jeans that will suffice for now and about 4 shirts…and some Weight Watchers meals.

Upon pulling in to my driveway I was struck by just how beautiful all the flowers in our yard look. For some reason they have really blossomed and popped over the last week and it almost took my breath away.

There were pops of pink and red and yellow jumping out at me, all against a background of luscious green.

I can in no way take credit for any of it either. I do not have a green thumb. My potted plants are lucky on the days I remember to water them. Fortunately we’ve had a rainy spring which has been the main contributor to our gorgeous garden.

I plan to enjoy it while it lasts because I’m sure as we get in to the real heat of summer, many will start to dry up and fade. But boy are they spectacular now!

Funny how the glory of nature can put things in to perspective and make a few pairs of jeans seem pretty silly.

Interested in reading more? Follow these links!

Summertime One Liners | Out with the Old | What I Will and Won’t Miss…

18Jun2013

Time Flies When You’re Up Every 2 Hours

Posted in Body A.D., CJ, Cora, Family by teamtradermom

Or “How the last 5 weeks got away from me.”

I can’t believe I haven’t posted anything in 5 weeks. Here I thought that I would be blogging at least once a week during maternity leave since I’d be home and have so much time on the computer.

BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Boy was I wrong!

Free time? What’s that? I definitely have less of it now than I did before. It’s so much harder to schedule and plan for things when you have an infant who eats every 2 hours. Just when you think you’ve got a few minutes to get something done, she wants a bottle or to be held or have her diaper changed.

She’s, like, so demanding…

And of course the moments when Cora is sleeping quietly and I start to think “Here’s my chance!”, her big sister wants attention. Gees kid, make your old meals would ya!

Seriously though, it has been challenging at times but we’re getting it figured out. Sure, there are 2 of us here but that doesn’t necessarily make it easier. We each have our own agenda of goals to accomplish. Sometimes they align and sometimes they don’t.

As of this week I’m back to work so we’re adjusting to a whole new routine. CJ is figuring out the intricacies of being a Stay At Home Dad to 2 little ones while I get used to sitting at a computer all day and having to think about things besides spit up and play dates.

It’s all good though and establishing this new routine will help us in the long run. Fortunately Isabella is pretty adaptable and old enough to help out.

Both girls are doing great. Cora had her 2 month check up a couple weeks ago and is up to 10 lbs. 8 oz. and 23” long. Other than a bad case of cradle cap and dry skin, doc says she’s doing great. She’s very alert now and likes to “talk” a lot.

It’s so much fun to sit with her and just “chat”. Those moments are priceless.

And when she smiles at me…fuhgeddaboudit!

In terms of my recovery back to normalcy, it seems to be taking longer than I had hoped. Sure, I’m all healed up “down there” but there are other things. My tailbone got bruised during labor and delivery and it’s still sore. Sitting all day at work has aggravated it all the more so I’m using one of Cora’s tummy time Boppy’s to sit on and provide relief. I also have to ice it a couple times a day. I tell ya, I have sat on more ice bags in the last 3 months than anyone should ever have to…

My weight is still an issue too. I haven’t lost a single pound or inch in these last 5 weeks since I posted. I’ve been working out 6x a week and watching my calories but it’s not working.

My “Before” pic – it’s a silly one but you can see my belly pretty good. Ugh. (FYI this was taken at Morrill Hall in Lincoln, NE)

So, last week I joined Weight Watchers. I had hesitated for a while because I was worried about the cost commitment but enough is enough. I know several who have done it and had success, and group support tends to work well for me anyway so I figure, why not. It’s still too early to have results but I’m hopeful this program will be what I need to drop these pesky 20 pounds.

Also, we are officially done having kids. CJ had a vasectomy last week. We’re both getting too old to go through this all over again. We’ve been so blessed to have two beautiful, HEALTHY, girls and I’m very content with that. So instead of going on birth control for years to come or not using anything and risking a pregnancy, we went this route. CJ is feeling pretty good, with occasional soreness.

That’s about it from the Team Trader camp!

8May2013

Life A.D.–Month 1

Posted in Body A.D., Cora, Family by teamtradermom

It’s hard to believe that a whole month has gone by. Where does the time go?

A lot can happen in 4 weeks.

Babies get bigger and Mommies get smaller.

One of those is true and the other is a big fat lie. Can you guess which is which?

Yeah.

Funny thing is, I feel smaller but the scale says otherwise. Here’s how I looked just one week after delivery, to refresh your memory.

I think the belly has shrunk down a little bit, but not enough for my liking. Then again, as everyone says, it took 9 months to put it on, it’ll take 9 months for it to come off.

It doesn’t help my cause that I can’t exercise yet. Things are still sore “down there” (though getting better) and it’s another 2 weeks before I see the doctor and (hopefully) get the all clear.

In the meantime, I do what I can. I do my nightly pushups and ab work. I’ve added in some leg moves that can be done on the floor. I think once I can add in some cardio, I’ll start to see some change.

I’ve also started tracking calories again, just to see about what I’m eating a day. I think I’m doing pretty good with that, making healthy choices most of the time. It’s hard but not as hard as it’s been for me in the past. I think I’m more determined this time around.

Oy do I look tired.

As I said, I’m healing up slowly but surely. That too is taking longer than I had thought it would. For the most part I feel fine and have stopped taking any kind of pain medicine. But I do start to feel it if I overdo it, by walking too much or being too active.

CJ has actually had friends come over to “baby-sit me” because I’m not very good at asking for help. At first I was embarrassed but it ended up being a good thing and I’m grateful he made me accept the help.

CJ’s sister even came in from Michigan for a week, which was awesome. Isabella has loved all the playtime and attention she’s been getting from all the visitors too!

Cora is doing great.

She’s eating more and staying awake longer throughout the day. That first week or 2 she pretty much slept ALL THE TIME – day and night. Now she has more periods of being alert, which is fun. She still wants to eat every 2 hours or so, which kind of sucks during the night. We’re hoping she starts stretching it out here soon so that we can get more sleep.

Big sister Isabella has come around to loving her little sis but is still trying to figure out how to interact with her. Isabella wants to play with her like she does her dolls, not quite understanding that Cora is a little more fragile than they are. We have to constantly remind her not to jump around her or poke at her. It’s a fine line to encourage her interaction while at the same time teaching and sometimes scolding.

But we’re all still getting used to everything and the changes that come with a new baby. I think in this next month we’ll really start to settle in and get our groove!

Check out these links!

A day in the life: baby edition | Cora’s Birth Story | Body A.D. – Week 1

27Apr2013

A Matter of Perspective

Posted in Isabella/Munchkin by teamtradermom

I am not ashamed to admit that I love Barry Manilow.

And, I have passed that love on to Isabella. She too, is a Fanilow.

From listening to the CD in the car, she knows all or most of the words to Copa Cabana, Even Now, I Write the Songs, American Bandstand and Mandy.

This morning, as I was driving her to Grandpa and Grandma’s house for the weekend, we were, of course, jamming to Barry (can one really “jam” to Barry? It’s arguable…). When “Even Now” came on, she started belting out the lyrics in the highest range she could muster.

Even now! When I have come so far….I wonder where you are…I wonder why it’s still so hard without you! Even now!

When the song ended, she said, “Mommy, I think that song is about how Barry misses his mom when she’s at work.”

That statement caught me a bit off guard and made me think. Of course, as adults, we know that he’s singing about a lost love and broken heart. But to a 3 year old, who has never experienced such a thing, she has to relate it to what she knows. A parent leaving, even just for the day to go to work, is what made the most sense to her. A 3 year olds world is much different than my 36 year old world.

I said, “Do you think that’s what it’s really about?”

“Yes,” she replied, “His mommy went to work and he misses her and is sad.”

“Is that how you feel when I go to work?” I asked her, ready for a heart wrenching moment when she was sure to say yes. “Do you miss me when I’m at work?”

“No.” she answered.

Well ok then. Way to keep it real Isabella.