Tranquility at 4:00 a.m.

At 3:30am this morning Reagan did her usual “mom get up and feed me”. After she finished her bottle and fell asleep, I laid back in my bed. I also wanted to go right back to sleep. However, today, I changed my mind. Lately I’ve been trying to figure out a way to drop these 10 extra pregnancy pounds so I, somehow, motive myself to go to the gym- at 4:00am! It sounded very painful at the time and, quite frankly, insane. But it turned out to be complete serenity and a serious battery charger.
My workout at the gym was great, refreshing, energizing, etc, etc, etc- but it was the time I got to myself upon returning home that was awesome! I walked into the house- SILENCE!!!!! Everyone was still asleep. I took my shoes off- went into the kitchen and made myself breakfast- uninterrupted. I sat at the dining table and, as I ate my breakfast, I thought I’d turn on some tunes. I enjoyed my breakfast with the likes of Simon and Garfunkel, Neil Diamond, the Beatles, Lionel Richie and other classics. Expecting my time was going to be up soon, I looked at the clock, only to find I likely had a whole 45 minutes left!
I moved to the couch and turned on the television. No Barney and Friends, no Special Agent Oso… no football, no car repair shows that usually take over my television. This morning---- it was all about my long overdue Greys Anatomy episodes! Rerun- but that’s ok- so I moved to some magazine time and dove into some Parenting magazines I received from the group exchange last week. It didn’t matter what I read, but more, that I could take my time and just enjoy!
Well, it wasn’t going to last forever-at 7:00 am the family came down and our day began. Back to rushed meals, 2 minutes showers, on-call mom, preparing lunches, tackling a to-do list (with high hopes of getting at least 2 tasks done), walking dog, laundry etc, etc. But those special three hours were mine/just for me—and so worth the pain of getting up before the sun came up.
I can’t promise I will do it again tomorrow, because right now, I am exhausted from being awake for 18 hours. But I will be doing this on a more frequent basis- for my sanity and in efforts to, once and for all, loose these preggers lbs.

New Life As a Mom

My daughter joined our family 6 months ago (actually 16 counting pregnancy). Every day I look at her, and appreciate what a miracle and blessing she is and what joy and happiness she has brought to our lives- I can’t imagine my life without her. Being a mom is such a rewarding experience but I never really grasped the full concept that MY life, as it was, was going to change forever. And boy did I get a reality check when Reagan was born. My life was flipped upside down, backwards, sideways….every which way.
I am (or rather, I was) a big scheduler. I live by lists, day planners and appointment times. I am (was) prompt to every meeting and always fulfilled commitments I made. As you fellow moms can relate, scheduling is out the window with a newborn/infant and your daily schedule revolves around naps, feedings, fussiness and exhaustion.
Before I was pregnant, my husband and I were spontaneous travelers and loved to take last minute adventures to the south pacific, ski weekends and finding desolate, untraveled locations. For some crazy reason, I though having a baby would just mean one more person to take along on our adventures. But when we learned we couldn’t take Reagan in the car for more than 10 minutes without her screaming hysterically, a flight anywhere was out of the question.
My girlfriends and I always made sure to schedule a few weekenders together to Palm Springs, Las Vegas, anywhere we could get away and just be girls. I’ve tried a few overnighters since having Reagan, only to find I’m so worried about her at home or feel guilty about leaving her that these weekends of de-stress are MORE stress for me.
For the first few months of Reagan’s life, I couldn’t wait to get back to our normal life. However, normal has changed for us- for the better. Watching my daughter learn something new or laugh hysterically at her dog are priceless moments compared to an adventurous vacation. Feeding Reagan a new food for the first time and watching the expression on her face as she tastes it is so much more exciting than sitting in some swanky restaurant ordering overpriced steaks. And, hanging out with my daughter, watching “Special Agent Oso” and “Barney and Friends “, watching her eyes light up at her favorite characters beats a trip to Las Vegas any day. Don’t get me wrong, I still need a little R&R (adult time) here and there, but I no longer wish for my old life back. I now only wish I could stop time and have this time with daughter forever. I know it’s going to go fast.

Moms Day Off

Today my husband decided to give me the day off!!! He likes spending time with our daughter on his own and he was sick of hearing me complain that I never get time to myself (and he does get time to himself when he golfs). I'm not sure what the split was but I'm so happy to have had the day.

It's funny, though. I have all of these hours to myself and I didn't spend the entire time on "me." It's almost impossible to do.

6:30am- Brett wakes up, my husbands gets her, changes her diaper and brings her to me to breastfeed
7:30am- pumped because Brett was too distracted, as usual, to breastfeed. I pumped 4 ounces and put it in a bottle- WENT BACK TO SLEEP!
10am- woke up to find Brett in the middle of her morning nap and my husband watching football. Wonderful!
10:30am- Brett wakes from her nap and I breastfeed her. I am also now realizing I am getting a nasty clogged duct on my right side. ouch.
10:45am- I take a LONG shower (I know there is a draught but I think I make up for it with my usual 5 minute showers)
11:00am- out of the shower, helping the husband pack up to take Brett out. He is going to go buy new running shoes and then take her to Gymboree. I'm a bit nervous about this but I get over it quickly.
11:15am- Say 'bye bye' to my baby and get ready for the day. I actually am able to put on make-up and blow dry my hair! I also decide to strip the bed and throw the sheets in the wash and put all of the dishes in the dishwasher to start it
11;45am- arrive at nail salon for my eyebrow wax and pedicure! I didn't feel rushed at all and enjoyed my hour and a half there
12:15pm- run errand to ship off a gift to a girlfriend who just had her second daughter
12:45pm- arrive home. move the the sheets to the dryer and start a load of towels. Unload the dishwasher. Ate Top Ramen for lunch- I really don't know why it sounded good, but it did, and it was easy to prepare and clean. I also did the People Magazine crossword puzzle while I ate. I didn't turn on the tv or any music- I just enjoyed the peace and quiet while I did this.
2:00pm- blogging and waiting for my husband and baby to arrive back home!

So, sorry if this was too boring but I wanted to show that even when a stay-at-home mom takes a day off it is nearly impossible to not take advantage of the time to do some things around the house. They still haven't returned yet so I am going to go pick-up toys!

Girls Night Out

Tonight, as I sat with a bunch of other new mommies around the dinner table, I realized how important it is to take time for yourself. I noticed that some, not all, were checking phones to see if any texts or calls were coming in from the daddies at home. I didn't check my phone once. I felt confident that my husband could handle Brett (especially since he was with my parents for most of the night). All daddies, except one, seemed to manage through the dinner and we had an enjoyable night.

I got home to a sleeping baby and a tired daddy and I feel completely refreshed. It was so nice to get out and talk with other women (though we did talk mostly about our labors and our babies) and have an uninterrupted dinner.

Here's to more Moms Nights Out!!!