I am definitely in the market for a new pair.

And I am SO pumped about the new TOMS ballet flats that just came out this week!  But why are they $80??  I was so disappointed to see that they are much more expensive than the originals.  For now, I think I can get away with holes in my shoes.  It’s very Seattle.

2.  Trader Joe’s has started selling coconut oil!  This is one less thing that I need to go to a different store for now, and I love any added convenience these days.  I still want to do some research to find out if it’s cold-pressed though, since the jar doesn’t specify.

3.  Cullen has decided to stop taking bottles.  I wrote more about it over on Babble this morning, but I’m pretty worried he’s going to be tied to my boob for the next year.  We’re going to keep trying but I am more than concerned.

4.  The timing of the bottle refusal is particularly bad for two reasons.  The first being my in-laws arrive tomorrow for a week-long visit.  I had hoped that with some extra assistance around I might be able to go for a few extra runs, and a few date nights with Casey.  Those hopes are quickly disappearing!

In preparation for their arrival, I went to the grocery store yesterday while I was very hungry.  Things got a bit out of control.  I hope they are looking forward to eating a LOT of vegetables!

5.  We definitely need to eat through all that produce because… we are going on vacation next Friday!  Which is the other reason the bottle refusal is less than ideal.

We booked our trip months ago, and I can’t believe it’s finally here.  It will be the first trip that just the two of us (now three of us!) have taken since our honeymoon in 2009.  I’m looking forward to relaxing, unplugging, napping, running, and most of all – seeing Cullen in his adorable baby bathing suits.  :)

We are headed to MAUI for a week, and I am so freaking excited.  Neither of us has been to Hawaii, and it’s been on my bucket list for a while.  We knew we wanted to travel somewhere with Cullen while he’s still so young (and relatively easy), and February is a big vacation season here in gloomy Seattle.  In preparation for our trip, I ordered what is quite possibly the cutest thing ever made…

BABY SUNGLASSES!  But seriously, Cullen’s eyes haven’t seen much bright sun in his three short months, and I didn’t want them to feel over-sensitive in sunny Hawaii.  I can’t even deal with the cuteness.  They are absurd!

If any of you experienced travelers have tips or suggestions for what we should do in Maui, I’d love to hear them!  Keep in mind we’re traveling with a baby, so hard core adventure stuff or snorkeling trips are probably not going to happen.  But I’d love to hear if there are any “must do’s” while we’re there!

I am hoping that our trip will be a chance for all of us to catch up on some much needed sleep.

Have a wonderful weekend!

While my spirit is certainly there, and I hope to do another one at some point this year, I’m also finally ready to be realistic about what I am capable of both mentally and physically right now.  As soon as I let go of the pressure to do another marathon so quickly, I felt like a big weight came off my shoulders.

I am not a very good self-motivated runner.  I have a really hard time just deciding “I will go for a run today!” without a training plan and something to work toward.  I need the validation of checking off a box on a training calendar.  So for me, it’s still important to have goals and plans, rather than just casually trying to get back into regular exercise.

My desire to run is much more about my love for the sport than it is about getting back into shape.  I really miss running.  It’s strange to think that I am essentially starting over at something that used to be a huge part of my life.  For the past few years, that outlet has always been through marathons, so it felt natural to me to make that my goal again.  But just as my body is different and my life and time are so different now, I realize that my goals need to be different too. 

I have a hard enough time juggling being a mom with my work and writing projects, along with finding time to cook and exercise, and do all the other things that keep households afloat.  I also want to make sure that I let my body adjust to training slowly.  I don’t want to do anything that interferes with my milk supply or continued healing.

Now that I have new goals and new races picked out, I’m excited to get started on this new phase of running.  The first race I’m training for is the 500 Festival Mini Marathon in Indianapolis!

(source)

I have always wanted to do this race, but every year it falls on the same weekend of the Flying Pig (which I ran in 2008, 2009, and 2010).  I thought it would feel weird to run the half-marathon at the Pig since I’m used to the full course, so it works out perfectly to do this race instead.  It is a Saturday half-marathon, and Casey will be running the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati the next day.  We’ll be able to turn it into a mini vacation to visit both of our families in Indianapolis and Cincinnati, and we can cheer for each other on the sidelines with Cullen!

When I was trying to just get back into running on my own, I found that trying to do 3 and 4 mile treadmill runs felt like torture.  In order to build up a good base for training, I downloaded the Couch to the 10K app on my iPad.  It combines running and walking, and gives voice prompts and countdowns until your next walk or run segment.  Since I’m not totally starting from scratch, I decided to start on week 4, with intervals of running 2 minutes, and walking 3 minutes for 62 minutes.

I did my first run/walk with the app this weekend, and felt great afterward!  It was my longest postpartum run to date, finishing out at 4.5 miles.  I zoned out and watched Grey’s Anatomy on Netflix (I’m only on season six – no spoilers!), and the run went by quickly and easily.  Once you finish your run you get a very validating checkmark at the end, which I love.  I think starting with this run/walk approach is definitely the best way for me to get back into shape.

The other race I am signed up for is the Rock N Roll Seattle Half Marathon in June! 

This will be my first race in our new city, and I’m so excited to finally get to do some running here now that we have lived here almost a year.  Casey will be running the full marathon too, and it’s fun for us to plan and train together.

I’m happy to have new, much more realistic goals in place now, and rather than pressure I now feel hopeful.  Run number two starts now!

In addition to running, I’m also doing as many at-home strength workouts as I can.  Today on Babble – Five (More!) Exercises for Mommies and Babies!

I always assumed that once the baby came, I’d go back to eating like I did before.  I’m finding instead that I’m now eating more than ever!  It makes sense though, as my body is working overtime to help Cullen grow from this…

To THIS!  Clearly he got his appetite from his mama. 

The trouble is, now that I am hungrier than ever, I’m also finding that I have absolutely no time to eat.  I always heard moms joking about this back when I was pregnant – that I would never sleep, shower, or eat again.  I’ve got the showering thing down (I refuse to go without one!), but I’m finding the sleeping and eating to be a bit more challenging. 

I don’t usually share much of my daily meals here on the blog, mostly because you would likely find it to be very repetitive and boring.  But I thought I would share a bit about how I’m fueling now that I am truly eating for two.

Our day typically starts out between 7 and 8am (although recently it has been starting between 4 and 5 – kill me!).  I typically wake up STARVING, often to the point of being nauseous.  But I need to get Cullen taken care of before I can think about my own breakfast, so I feed him, change his diaper, and get him dressed for the day.

Once I get downstairs, the dogs are pacing and following me everywhere, desperate for their own bowl of grub.  I try to get Cullen settled with some toys so I can dash down the stairs and fill their bowls.  Usually by the time I get them settled, Cullen is cranky again and wants to be held or entertained.

Once I sense I might get a short break, I run into the kitchen to make myself a giant breakfast.  This is typically about 1 to 2 hours after I actually wake up, depending on how our morning is going.  First things first, I look in the fridge to see if there is a smoothie waiting for me.  Casey will often make a blender full and leave half behind for me.  It’s so nice to wake up to!

While I chug my smoothie, I fix the rest of my breakfast.  I try to always remember to set up steel cut oats in my rice cooker the night before, so that it’s cooked and waiting for me when I come down in the morning.  I make a full cup of (dry) oats, and split it in half with Casey (who takes his half to work).  The 1/2 cup portion is 300 calories of just oats, and then I usually add sliced almonds, raisins, and occasional peanut butter.  I would guess that my final bowl is between 500 and 600 calories. 

Eating for breastfeeding is a complicated game.  Not only am I always hungry, I have to make sure I’m packing in as many calories as possible during the few chances I get to eat, so my meals are typically really big and very dense.  Big breakfasts are key!

I try to eat oatmeal on most mornings, even when I am sick of it, since it’s a natural lactation enhancer.  If I forgot to start the oatmeal in the rice cooker, I’ll eat cereal instead.  Depending on the cereal, I usually fill my bowl to the top – and then refill it one, maybe even two times. 

Cullen isn’t really into laying on his back with toys anymore.  He’s in this new exploratory phase where he always wants to be standing (with assistance obviously) or carried facing out so he can see what’s going on.  That doesn’t leave much time for anything else.  His vision has also developed so he notices if I walk away from him (and subsequently screams).  If I’m lucky, I can get him to play on his playmat for five minutes while I sit next to him and scarf down my breakfast. 

Once he finally goes down for the first nap of the day, I immediately go into the kitchen to assemble lunch.  Sometimes this is only around an hour after breakfast, but I have to use the small bits of time I am given, or else I will lose my window of opportunity.  My lunches are really repetitive, and usually look like this…

Two slices of whole wheat bread, topped with a few big smears of homemade hummus, half of a large avocado, and one sliced Field Roast veggie sausage.  So delicious!

This is a reaaaally dense and filling sandwich, but I know that dinner will be late and it will have to hold me over for quite some time.  All meals are washed down with at least one bottle of sparkling water from the SodaStream.  I probably drink four full bottles each day!  I can’t stand drinking plain water, so having bubbly water readily available is a lifesaver.  We go through CO2 tanks like crazy!

I eat my lunch in front of my computer while Cullen (hopefully) naps.  Once he is up we spend our afternoons playing together, often taking a walk outside either with the dogs or with friends.

I can’t usually make it to dinner without a snack, so I try to have things on hand that I can grab and eat quickly and easily.  I eat a lot of these Clif Mojo bars, along with handfuls of almonds and crackers.  My diet is a little more carb and sugar-heavy than I like, but I’m doing my best to keep it healthy and keep myself full.

Once Casey gets home, he is usually able to take Cullen for an hour or so while I start to get dinner ready and catch up on the five million things that have not been done during the day, despite my best efforts (like writing this post!).  Since Cullen goes to bed at 7:30pm, we always eat after that – sometimes not until 8:30 or 9.  I spend from 6:30 to 7:30 winding down with Cullen for the day – bath time, reading, jammies, feeding, and 400 kisses goodnight. 

Even though it’s already around 7:45 by the time I get back to the kitchen, I have been determined to make home-cooked and healthy meals a priority.  We fell into a bit of a takeout rut for a while, but we’ve been back on track since the holidays have passed, and it feels so much better.  Since the rest of my day is so carb-heavy, dinners tend to be centered around protein and vegetables.  The more the merrier!

A sample dinner might be something like this – two gigantic roasted portabella mushrooms, topped with one-pot quinoa and greens. 

Or another plate piled high – roasted mushrooms (can you tell I love them?), sliced roasted eggplant, a big cup of mixed grain rice, and a block of tofu.  I am slightly embarrassed to admit that Casey and I often cook two blocks of tofu for the two of us.  We only eat it once or twice a week, so I’m not worried about too much soy.  I know a lot of people have mixed feelings on it, but I love tofu!

Other things we make for dinners – large vegetable stir-fry, roasted potatoes and bean burgers, big bags of Trader Joe’s frozen green beans, baked sweet potatoes, raw kale salads, and more.  We try to think of things that are healthy, fast, and provide a good variety.  My goal is to always have vegetables on at least half of my plate.

Despite ALL of this food, I often find myself hungry about an hour after dinner.  Depending on how strong it is, I will either resist the urge to eat more, or I’ll eat something light like a popsicle.  Occasionally I’ll scarf down another granola bar because I know I won’t make it to morning.

So there you have it – a breakdown of how I fit in my meals, and what they generally look like now that I’m eating to fuel both myself and my giant 15 pound baby.

Believe it or not, despite my massive food consumption, I now find myself three pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight.  I say that not to be obnoxious, but only to show how crazy my metabolism is due to breastfeeding.  I feel incredibly lucky that both his feeding and my weight loss have been relatively smooth!

Workouts are of course, a whole other post, but I’m not really doing enough at this point to make a big difference as far as calorie burn goes (there is no time!).  I really think that I have lost all 34 (+3!) of my pregnancy pounds due to feeding around the clock, and eating (a LOT!) of good, healthy food. 

It will be interesting to see how this changes as breastfeeding continues, and if my appetite will go back to normal once he eventually transitions onto solids.  With that, it’s time to go figure out what’s for dinner…

Cullen is going through a maaaaajor sleep regression, and I’m only averaging about 4 hours of sleep each night now.  I know it’s normal for his age and his development, and I know I did it before when he was a newborn, but it is TOUGH to go from sleeping 7-8 hours to suddenly only getting 2 at a time. 

So this weekend involved naps, couch time, recovery for all of us.

And in between we did a few walks, and I even did a 4.5 mile run!  I have some new (more realistic!) running plans in place that I’m going to share more about this week.  I’m excited to finally have a plan that feels comfortable and attainable. 

I also ate a TON of food. 

I’ve always had a huge appetite and often get made fun of for my gigantic portions, but breastfeeding has taken this to a whole new level.  I now feel like I eat twice as much as Casey, and often find myself still starving at the end of the day.  I can’t keep up!

Even though I’m running on very little sleep and feel pretty overwhelmed these days, I can’t help but continue to just feel so blessed every time I kiss Cullen’s little cheeks.  Yesterday I got him dressed, and had a flashback to when I bought his little cardigan sweater.  I was 11-weeks pregnant, and it was the very first baby item I bought.  I remember thinking it looked so BIG!

And here we are ten months later…a perfect fit.

It’s the little, simple things like a baby sweater that make every minute so worth it, and each day so special.  Of course I appreciate those moments a little bit more when we sleep a little longer, but for now I’ll take what I can get. 

Just in time for the Super Bowl, this cheese-free-but-tastes-cheesy bean dip would be a great thing to serve or take along to a party.  I’m from Ohio (Who Dey!) and Casey is from Indiana, so we don’t really have any vested interest in this year’s game, but if forced I will always pick a Manning.  Even more than loving to see the Giants win will be watching Brady lose, and I’ll be snacking on this dip while cracking jokes about him being sponsored by Ugg and Stetson. 

If you are looking for other delicious appetizers and snack ideas for your Super Bowl celebrations, I would highly recommend my Healthy Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip.  If you check out the new recipe search engine over on Recipage, you’ll can also search by the keyword “Super Bowl” and find many more great recipes, new blogs, and tasty ideas!  (Seriously, check out the adorable Candy Footballs from Sugar Hero!)

Prepping and Washing

I was not one of those smart pregnant women who prepped all her diapers ahead of time so that they would be ready to go when the baby arrived.  Nope, I avoided them and left them all in their packaging for months and months.  I knew that having a baby was going to be a MAJOR life change, and I didn’t want to make things more complicated at the beginning than necessary.  For the first 10 or so weeks, Cullen wore Seventh Generation disposables, which worked out great for us. 

Finally after 2.5 months, I pulled them all out and got them ready.  To prep them for use, I washed all the diapers and liners in cold water for 6 or seven cycles (and extra rinses).  Then I hung them all to dry on our drying rack, before folding them and getting them ready for action. 

Now that they are in use, I do a load of diaper laundry pretty much every day.  I’m planning to buy a few more diaps to hopefully stretch this out to every other day (I currently have 16).  When the dirty diapers come off his little bum, they go into one of my two hanging wet/dry bags.  This system is working out fine for now, but I may consider doing a trashcan lined with a bag down the road, since the bag isn’t always easy to get into with one hand.  I don’t do any spraying or rinsing yet since breastmilk poop isn’t actually very smelly or gross. 

Once the bag is starting to get full, or I looks like I’m going to run out of diapers soon, I take the whole bag and shake it out into the washing machine.  Then I toss the empty bag right in with the laundry.  It’s nice to not have to touch any of the dirty diapers!  I do two washes – one on cold, and then one on hot – and I have been using the same detergent we use for our regular laundry, either Seventh Generation or Biokleen.

Once the diapers are washed, I toss them into the dryer for one round on low heat – this tends to be enough to dry most of them.  If any are still slightly damp, I’ll hang them on his crib to dry for a few hours before putting them away.  Once they are dried, I dump the whole load into Cullen’s crib, and he hangs out and usually stares at his mobile or watches me while I put them all together again. 

It takes about ten minutes to stuff the inserts back into the diapers and fold them up to go in the drawers.  While the cloth diapers do tend to take a bit more pre-planning and time than disposables, I find that the extra tasks don’t bother me.  Folding laundry is kind of therapeutic sometimes.  Once they are folded, they go into three stacks in his dresser/changing table, and the extra inserts are piled on the sides. 

What Diapers Are We Using?

When I first decided to do cloth diapering, I felt really overwhelmed by all the different options and recommendations.  Ultimately, I ended up getting three different brands and figured I would see what worked best for us.  I have actually really liked having three different options because I tend to use different ones for different times of day.

bumGenius 4.0 One Size Snap diapers

I bought six of these because they came so highly recommended and all of the reviews I read were good.

Pros:  Easy to snap and put on.  Option of thin daytime or thicker nighttime inserts.  Thin diapers dry the fastest.  Pretty colors.

Cons:  For some reason these are Casey’s least favorite – he thinks the snaps are bulky.  They tend to leak out the front at night now that Cullen has decided he is a stomach sleeper, but they are great during the day.

Bummis Easy Fit Tots Bots One Size

I received six of these as a gift from my big sister, since these are her personal favorites (she cloth diapers too!).  They are a UK brand and not as easily available online, but I really love these!

Pros:  Adorable patterns (see above).  Velcro is MUCH faster to put on, more adjustable, and easier to size.  Also, the inserts are attached, so you don’t have to remove the wet or poopy insert before putting into the wet/dry bags (HUGE pro).  In the wash, the insert comes out automatically.  Rebecca has been using these for 7 months and says the velcro is still holding up very well.

Cons:  Inserts are a bit thicker, and since they are attached they take a bit longer to dry.  Hopefully velcro continues to hold up over time – some people using other brands have said velcro doesn’t last as long.

These are my favorite diapers to use at nighttime, because the velcro is easiest when it’s dark and I’m tired and don’t want to mess with lining up snaps.  I’m planning on ordering a few more of these!

Charlie Banana One Size Diapers

I received six of these from the company in exchange for a giveaway over on Babble (going on now – make sure to click over!).  I don’t typically do product reviews other than a few things for Babble, but after receiving a few to sample, I have since ordered six more regular diapers, and a SWIM diaper for our upcoming vacation!

Pros:  These are by far the softest and coziest of the three.  The diapers are lined in a super soft fleece, and they seem like the gentlest fabric to be up against Cullen’s tiny little bum.  The inserts are also fairly thick, which allows for maximum absorption and no leaks (so far!).  Cute colors and patterns available too – always a plus!  They are also an eco-friendly company that uses all green materials and no chemicals.

Cons:  My only gripe with these is that the insert pocket is in the front of the diaper instead of the rear.  Sometimes I think this makes the front a little bulky.  Also the thicker pads (which are a pro!) take a bit longer to dry.

The Bottom Line

Even though it seemed overwhelming at first, once I started actually putting the diapers in action it became quite easy.  I explained it to Casey once in about ten minutes, and he was on board from day one – very simple.  I am glad we waited to start using them though, as I think I would have found the additional laundry and folding to be too much when I was still adjusting to an itty bitty newborn.  Plus, they fit him better now anyway.

All three brands are very comparable in price, with diapers running $18-$20 each.  It’s a decent investment upfront, but will more than pay for itself over the course of Cullen’s pre-potty-training days.  I’m hoping we can use them for any future kids that may come as well!

They also have a much lower environmental impact than disposables.  The detergent and water used to wash each load is pretty minimal.

The only thing that surprised me at first was how bulky they are at the beginning, and how much room they take up in his little clothing.  He’s just three months old now, but with the cloth diapers, he’s already pushing the limits on some of his 3-6 onesies!

Overall, I’m really glad we decided to switch to the cloth diapers.  Since I’m home all day, it just made sense to give it a shot.  So far so good, and I’ll be sure to share any additional tips and tricks I may learn along the way!

For any moms or future moms, don’t forget to enter the Charlie Banana diaper giveaway over on Babble!

A lot of times I rely on those dinners to be good sources of protein and vegetables, and this recipe provides both.

Absolutely packed with flavor, this “loaf” of lentils and quinoa makes for  delicious entrée to serve to your family or friends.  Pair with green beans and rosemary mashed potatoes, for a hearty, filling, and healthy meal. 

Now that Cullen has passed the 12-week mark, I’m going to start doing his updates each month, rather than each week.  Of course I will still post about family life and what we’re up to, but since he doesn’t change as much week to week anymore, I though monthly updates from here on out made more sense. 

I can’t believe three whole months have passed since we welcomed him into our family.  And at the same time, life before Cullen feels like an eternity ago.  Look at how much he has changed these last few months…

1 month…

2 months…

And suddenly, three months!

He looks like such a fragile little peanut in his one month picture, and it’s strange because I don’t actually remember him being that way.  But look at this comparison of the day he was born vs. today!

He’s weighing in at over 15 pounds now, almost double his original birth weight.  Hard to believe he has changed that much with nothing but good old fashioned breast milk.  I will admit that when I look at his chubby little cheeks, I feel proud that I’ve been able to fatten him up so well.

I feel really lucky that breastfeeding has gone so well for us.  It is much trickier and more complicated than I ever imagined, but I have also enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.  We still have bumps in the road, and just this morning I made a teary phone call to a lactation consultant.  But I find myself looking forward to our bonding time in the glider while he nurses, and I’m hoping to keep it up as long as is reasonable for both of us.

Back during the tough early weeks of crying and frustration, a lot of moms told me that there is a magical turning point that happens right around the 12-week mark.  I can’t pinpoint exactly when it happened, but now I know what they mean.  Cullen has gone from a confusing and high maintenance little newborn, to a happy and relatively predictable baby. 

Of course not every day, or moment is perfect…

But we’re getting there.

THREE MONTH MILESTONES:

• Starting cloth diapers
• Finding his hands
• Sucking on fingers
• First baby LAUGH!
• Going to the grocery store alone with mom
• Grasping and holding into toys
• Long-distance eye contact
• Moving from our bedroom to his crib
• Stopping the swaddle!

And a new one he added to the list just this morning:  rolling over!  I watched it happen in the video monitor, as he rocked side to side and eventually ended up like THIS!

He didn’t seem to mind one bit, and it made me feel reassured that we quit the swaddle just in time.  We also have the Angelcare video and movement monitor that alerts us if he isn’t breathing, which allows me to sleep peacefully at night!

During the days, he’s getting more into toys  – grasping, flailing, tossing, and hugging.

I’m starting to think we might be running out of things for him!  Can babies get bored of looking at the same playmat day in and day out?

We still love going for our daily walks or outings to the coffee shop, and it’s fun to take him out now that he’s so much more alert.  I love showing him new surroundings and new places, and watching his eyes as he looks around outside.

This week we’ve been snowed in all week long, and we’re both starting to go a little stir-crazy.

Looking forward to a weekend of relaxing, and another month of milestones!

For more family posts, you can visit the parenting page.  You can also read the recent posts on Babble…

• Knowing When To Ask For Help
• Quitting the Swaddle Cold-Turkey
• 5 Exercises You Can Do (At Home!) With Your Baby
• Starting a New Mom’s Group
• Getting Started With Cloth Diapering
• Transitioning Into the Crib

Huge snowstorm coming?  No big deal!  We have plenty of fuzzy bear suits to get us through the worst of it.

Wednesday morning we woke up to a winter wonderland outside! 

So we got bundled up and stayed in our warm cozy house all day long.  Casey was able to work from home, so it was nice to all hang out together.

While I was up in the middle of the night last night feeding Cullen, I heard freezing rain hitting our skylights.  Then when I woke up this morning and saw MORE snow coming down, I knew we were in for another day of hibernating.

Last night was also our first night trying to put Cullen to sleep without the swaddle.  It went pretty well, but we all needed a little extra time under the covers this morning.

The snow has continued to come down all day long, and I’m really starting to wish we had figured out how to get rid of that stupid Christmas tree…

Since Casey is working from home again today, I made us a hot breakfast.

While Cullen play on the playmat with 40,000 of his favorite toys. 

I thought I would make it a true snow day and do something I never do – turn on the TV and watch the morning news (I LOVE the news!).  Too bad our cable doesn’t seem to be cooperating with the storm.  (I can’t complain though – I’m just happy we have power, since many don’t!)

After a few days of hiding out indoors, by this afternoon we were all starting to get a bit of cabin fever.  The dogs in particular…

We decided to take them for a short walk so that they could eat snow and prance around.  Since I knew there was ice underneath the snow, I didn’t feel comfortable wearing Cullen in the Ergo in case I slipped.  Thankfully, we have a badass stroller with wheels designed for bumpy terrain.  We bundled Cullen under many layers of blankets, and used all the shields so that he wouldn’t get hit by too many snowflakes.

He didn’t seem to mind the cold or the snow one bit.

We just went for a short walk, but it was nice to finally get out of the house and see what’s going on out there!  This snowstorm is really not bad compared to what other parts of the country get, but Seattle doesn’t have a lot of snow resources since it happens so rarely.  This street below is the main road that runs down my neighborhood, and it hasn’t seen a single plow or piece of salt.  In fact, someone tweeted this morning that there are only four plows in the whole city!

The dogs loved all the snow – I think it reminded them of back home!

We just did a short walk since there were cars slipping and sliding everywhere, and I didn’t want to risk having someone slide into us.  Getting hit by a car once was plenty for me!  Cullen snoozed through the whole outing – his car seat bundle looked pretty cozy.

Now we’re back inside warming up and eating a delicious lunch.  I love days when Casey is home and I can make something more than just a quick grab and go.  A big pile of green veggies…

And Trader Joe’s vegetable masala burgers.  The fanciest lunch I’ve had in quite a while!

Large flakes are still coming down outside, and I have a feeling we’re going to be snowed in for quite a while.  I’m starting to feel quite anxious about the lack of chocolate and garbanzo beans in our house – major oversight!  I might have to brave the outdoors again if this goes on much longer…

Cullen is most definitely a full time job, and since Casey works long hours and we don’t have any family here, he’s my sidekick for 95% of my days (and nights!).  Finding time to fit in workouts has been tricky, but it’s important to me, so I’m making it happen.  Casey has been really helpful in taking over baby duties so that I can squeeze in runs or even get out of the house for a yoga class.  Here’s how things are going at the 12-week mark…

Running and Marathon (?) Training

I have a training schedule in my Google Calendar, and I’m still hesitantly trying to train for the Flying Pig Marathon.  I have run this marathon three times in the past, and it’s my absolute favorite race.  My hope is to run the full marathon, but I’m also willing to be realistic that my expectations might be too high.  If I end up deciding to run a half marathon instead, I’ll likely choose a different race.  I think it would feel funny to run the half in Cincinnati, since the full marathon is so familiar to me.

So far getting back into running has been sort of slow, but a big part of that has just been finding the time for it.  Now that we’re developing more of a family schedule, it’s getting easier.  I’m running weekdays on Tuesday, Wednesdays, and Thursdays – usually shorter runs of 3 to 4 miles.  Most of these runs have been on our treadmill since I have to do them either early in the morning or late at night, when Seattle is too dark for outdoor running. 

I do my longer runs on Saturday, and I try to do them outdoors if at all possible.  I truly HATE treadmill running, so trying to convince myself to do much more than three miles feels like torture.  I find that my runs are much stronger and much faster when I’m outside.  This past weekend, my pace was between 8:30 and 9:00 minute miles!  On the treadmill, I’m still running closer to a 10:00 minute pace.  Now that I have tested out the jogging stroller at Greenlake, I’m planning to take as many of my runs outside as possible. 

I’m not sure that the marathon will happen, but I’m going to give it my best shot.  I’m using the basic training program from Hal Higdon that I’ve done in the past, so we’ll see how it goes.  My biggest concern is that my milk supply might drop, and if that happens I will have to readjust my goals.  Keeping my body in good shape for breastfeeding is my top priority.

Returning to Yoga

When I lived in Charlotte, yoga was a huge part of my life.  Depending on my work and school schedules, I would try to go every day.  On weekends, I would often go twice a day!  I find there to be something so calming and energizing about the yoga studio  – no cell phone, no distractions, just me focusing both my mind and body for 60 minutes of bliss.

When I lived in Alexandria, I never found a studio that I really connected with, and sadly I let yoga drop out of my life for a bit.  Now that we’re in Seattle, there is a yoga studio on practically every corner.  I did prenatal yoga classes during my pregnancy, but I’ve been itching to get back into the more intense, heated classes. 

This past weekend, I tried out a new hot (95 degrees!) studio here with my friend Lacey.  It felt amazing to stretch and sweat again, and it reminded me how much I love incorporating yoga into my fitness routine.  It also reminded me that I am out of shape – OUCH!  I have been sore for days…

My hope is to be able to take a class once every week or two.  I know that’s not enough to make great improvements to my practice , but yoga is expensive, and that’s all I can budget right now.  It’s still a great way to relax and de-stress, and also to get out of the house for some time to myself.

Strength Training

Lifting weights and doing strength training has always been a big priority for me, and I think it’s essential for any complete workout program.  I haven’t been able to go back to my gym quite yet since I don’t have childcare, and Cullen is too young for their playroom.  Instead, I’ve been doing some great at-home workouts using the built in 15 pound weight that I lug around all day long…

To see the rest of my at-home workouts, you can check out the 5 Exercises You Can Do (At Home!) With Your Baby over on Babble today!

So that’s how I’m doing now that I’m 12-weeks postpartum.  I’ll do more of a body/postpartum update when we get to the 3-month mark too.  I’m still getting the hang of it, but so far I’m happy with what I’ve been able to do to get back on track.

For more baby stuff, check out my guest post over on Fitnessista today!  Thanks, Gina!