April and May Happenings 2016

Kinda weird, but this post was originally named just "April and May Happenings", but I had a suspicion that I had already named a post that...which I did last year. Heh. Guess I get lazy at blogging in the month of April. ANYWAY...

Happy Belated Mother's Day to all the mothers out there! Last year, Owen was only a little over two months old (and I was still on maternity leave) when I celebrated my first Mother's Day. Now that he's over a year old and I'm working as a part-time nurse, I now realize (MORE THAN EVER) why Mother's Day exists. It really is the hardest job out there; however, being a mother is the best thing that could have ever happened to me.

For Mother's Day weekend, we went to Grayson's first birthday party on Saturday, had dinner with my family Saturday night, then had lunch with Ralph's family on Sunday. I'm not sure why, but I barely took any pictures this weekend. The heck was I thinking?!

Grayson (on the right) was born on STAR WARS day! You know who else was born on Star Wars day? ...

...Owen's cousin Max (little boy in the firetruck on the right)! This was taken a couple of weeks ago at Christopher's birthday party (Owen's other cousin). Christopher was born on Earth Day. :)

Christopher smashing his cake! His birthday party theme was Where the Wild Things Are.

It was also my mommy's birthday in the beginning of April. Lots of special events this past month!!!

Okay, now that this post is officially all over the place, I think now is a good time to jump to Owen's updates:

Eating

Owen continues to be a good eater, and we're very fortunate that he still likes his fruits and veggies. Sweet potatoes remain his favorite food, and they're the first thing he goes for (and finishes) before he even looks at the other stuff on his plate. Oddly enough, he likes peas and green beans, which he NEVER liked in pureed form.  And because he's not averse to veggies, I don't really have to "sneak" them in his foods anymore (like spinach in his omelette, or sweet potatoes in his pancakes)...though I do make him green smoothies every so often.

Sleeping

Owen having a sleep schedule and sticking to it is--for lack of a better term--awesome. Nap times aren't even a battle anymore. All I have to say is, "Owen, ready for a nap?", and he heads for his bedroom. It almost worries me how well he eats and sleeps...because I'll expect it from the second child, who, of course, will probably be the worst eater/sleeper ever. (No. Do not read between the lines. I am not pregnant.)

Being Bad Playing

So...Owen's idea of playing is doing things that drive his Mama and "Datton" (that's how he says "Daddy") up the wall. Here's a list:

• Taking all the small toys from his toy bin and throwing them at Wendy.
• Bringing pillows into the bathroom.
• Dipping his hands in Wendy's water bowl.
• Pulling all the tissues from the Kleenex box. 
• Attempting to dump Wendy's kibble from its container.
• Pulling his dad's socks out from our closet.
• Opening and slamming shut cabinets/drawers.
• Opening the pantry door and taking out his snacks.
• Pulling the kitchen towels from the oven handle.
• Attempting to run down Wendy with his scooter.

Poor Wendy, right? At least Wendy gets to eat all the food he drops on the floor....

When I need Owen to sit down and relax (like when I'm doing chores or just NEED a moment to not chase him around the apartment), I put on Inside Out. Oh. My. Goodness. He doesn't MOVE! Unfortunately, he only likes the first 15 to 20 minutes of the movie; after that, chaos resumes.

Bubbles are another great way to get him to stay still for more than 5 minutes.

Talking

I knew it was coming, but I was surprised that he didn't learn this word sooner - my son knows how to say "no"; and he doesn't say it just once. Oh, no. He says it several times, and it's usually after WE say "no", as if he was mocking us or something. Hmph.

Other words he has learned to say are:

• "cacker" - cracker
• cookie
• Mum-mum (crackers for toddlers)
• "chee" - tree
• "buh buh" - bubble, ball, balloon, or bye-bye (he waves his hand when he says bye-bye)
• "nana" - banana
• "appuh" - apple

He still doesn't call for me, which makes me sad. He always calls for Ralph. Even when I ask him to say "Mama", he responds with, "Daaaaaatton". Whatever.

Not an Owen update...but still...

Mama's Weight Loss

With a little help of the stomach flu towards the end of last month, I hit my monthly weight loss goal (and then some). I lost 5 pounds in April, which is a total of 14 pounds since January 1st of this year. 20 more pounds to go!

Until next time!

April and May Happenings

June is coming too fast, people. Too. Fast. And why is this a concern for me? BECAUSE in three short weeks, I'll be going back to work. I really shouldn't complain about the amount of time I've had (and still have) to stay at home and be with my baby, but...let's be honest...I don't want to go back to work, and I don't want to be away from my kid. June 4th is going to be a horrific day. *Sigh* Can't I just win the lottery or something and be a stay-at-home mom?

But anyway, here's what's been goin' on (also, this post is long and all over the place, sorry!)...

Owen's Doctor's Appointment

A couple of weeks ago, Owen had his 2-month doctor's appointment, and he got his *DUN DUN DUN* vaccinations! Surprisingly, he did very well. I was expecting a different kind of cry when he got his shots (you know, the one that sounds like a shriek and that you betrayed him or something), but he just did his normal cry for a few seconds then stopped when the nurse left the room...and that's when I cried. Ralph just laughed at me (*scoff* rude). 

I think the worst part about that whole ordeal was that I had to hold him down when the nurse gave him the injections. But afterwards, he was just a little fussy (especially when he changed his diapers) and had a low-grade fever. The next day, he was back to normal. The doctor also instructed us to start giving him Poly-Vi-Sol, which smells absolutely disgusting and makes Owen's poop smell 150,000x more disgusting too.

At the doctor's. He weighed in at 12+ pounds! Fatso Peanut is still a fatso!

The doctor also told us to really push Owen's limits while he's doing Tummy Time, but he'd always get agitated after a few seconds. So Ralph and I found this infant visual stimulation app that we show to Owen whenever he gets fussy during Tummy Time. It keeps him "focused"...kinda like how we listen to music while we workout. :)

Star Wars Day

On Owen's first Star Wars Day (May 4th), Owen and I just stayed home and geeked. I took pictures of him with his Ralph's Star Wars stuff, which I got in trouble for because I took some of the itty bittys® out of their box. Oops. (Don't worry, I more than made up for it. Wait till you see what Ralph is getting for Father's Day.)

Yep, I made that.

We finally purchased Han, Leia, Chewbacca, and Yoda a few days ago.

Owen's first language.

His "I'm DONE taking pictures, woman!" face.

Trying to Lose Weight

So this is a hard topic for me to talk about because I have always been, according to BMI calculations, overweight.  Even at my skinniest, I was borderline overweight, and right now, I am technically obese. Losing weight and maintaining it has always been a struggle for me, but I really thought I had turned over a new leaf in 2013 when I lost a bunch of weight and, for the most part, kept it off throughout the year.

And then I got married.

You often hear of people letting themselves go once they're married, and I'm sad to say that I'm one of those people. I didn't exercise, and I ate poorly; and it wasn't that I didn't want to exercise - I couldn't. We all know that I stepped on the hem of my wedding dress on my wedding night, which resulted in a knee injury that would plague me for months. But I do take full responsibility for having a poor diet, and I blame only myself for gaining back all the weight I lost before (and then some).

And when I got pregnant, I knew that weight management was going to be my biggest issue. I didn't want to gain a ton of weight and put more strain on my already weak knee (now knees), so my doctor advised that I gain no more than 25 pounds. I gained 28. Fail. Thankfully, my left knee is, more or less, back to "normal", so now I'm literally working my butt off to lose weight.

Now that I'm 11 weeks post-partum, I'm happy to report that I have lost 29 pounds; and no, this doesn't include Owen's weight! Lol! I am way too embarrassed to post how much I weigh, but I will say that I would like to lose 25 to 30 more pounds. I've accepted that I'll never be 110 pounds or have Jennifer Aniston's body, and I'm okay with that. I just want to be healthy and fit, and I think I will be from here on out.

Because my left knee is still a little meh, I've been walking a lot (with Owen in his Bjorn or stroller), and recently just started to jog at a very slow pace. And I really do mean slow because jogging puts major strain on my knees...and my extra weight doesn't help. I also recently went rock climbing with my buddy Jenesa (who is also on a weight loss journey). I can see myself going rock climbing again in the very near future because I absolutely loved it! You're not only working out your entire body, but you're using your critical thinking skills too. I thought it'd be tough on the knees, but it wasn't that bad!

This picture doesn't do this wall justice...it's a LOT taller than what it looks like!

Not bad for a first-timer!

Once I reach my goal weight, I WILL post a picture of what I looked like today (yikes) and a picture of what I will look like when I'm 60 pounds lighter. Promise. 

Mother's Day

It sucks that Ralph works every Sunday...he misses out on Mother's Day, Father's Day, Super Bowl Sunday, Easter, blah blah blah. So yes, he worked on Mother's Day, but he gave me the sweetest gift the day before - a ring with Amethyst stones, which is Owen's birthstone! When we decide to have more kids in the (very) distant future, I'll be able to get more rings with the baby's/babies' birthstones and stack the rings together. And then I joked that we'd probably have only February babies, giving Ralph the excuse to not buy another ring, since I shouldn't need more than one Amethyst ring lol.

Thank you, Ralph (and Owen)!

Since Ralph had work, my parents and brother came over because they didn't want me to spend my first Mother's Day all by myself. They brought over lunch and a couple of gifts (a workout headband from my brother and a fancy food processor from my parents...thanks, guys!), and we spent the day watching Disney movies and playing Scrabble (which has become a Sunday tradition for us).

Similar to my present from Ralph, I gave my mom a bracelet with Peridot (my birthstone) and Tourmaline (my brother's birthstone) charms.

Then in the evening, Ralph came home from work, and we watched Game 5 of the Ducks/Flames series. The Ducks ended up winning that game and that series, and I honestly could not have asked for a better Mother's Day.

  

Like mother, like son. Let's Go Ducks!

Owen's First Trip to Disneyland!

Ralph and I have been meaning to take Owen to Disneyland because: 1) I'll be going back to work soon, and the chances of Ralph and I having the same day off would be very small; 2) We'll be blocked out half of June, all of July, and most of August; and 3) It's starting to get hot...there is no way I'm taking a baby to Disneyland during the summer time. It's just way too hot and way too crowded for my liking.

So we went yesterday. The weather was perfect, but it was unusually busy for a Wednesday...don't people have school/work these days? Sheeeeesh. Because of the long lines, we didn't stay very long and only went on two rides - King Arthur Carrousel and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Afterwards, we ate lunch at Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante and called it a day. Still, it was enjoyable, and Owen did not cry ONCE. He hadn't taken a nap all day, and we thought he'd be cranky, but nope! He just absorbed the sights and sounds.

He was SO good during the Winnie the Pooh ride!

Ralph took this picture while I was getting a snack at the Jolly Holiday. He says it's Owen's first selfie. Lol!

We had major issues with taking pictures...one of us was always blinking (Owen) or looking elsewhere.

We all had a great time, and I think this mini Disney trip will give me and Ralph the willpower and encouragement to do it all over again. Until next time! :)