Life After Birth

When you have a child your suddenly understand that your body is an amazing thing.  You actually carried life inside of you for nine months! Amazing! I still can't comprehend everything that happened to my body during those nine months or even during delivery which is why I'm so shocked at how my body is performing now.  Even after the whole experience of the Doctor patting me on the back at my six week check up, and giving me the okay to start working out again I had no idea how what condition my body was really in.

Truthfully, I thought I was going to pick up where I left off.   I was running well into my sixth month, and turned a lot a heads when I walked a 5K a few weeks before Nolan was born.  I'm not bragging I just hope  you understand my sudden surprise when I first stepped foot in the gym and could barely run a quarter mile on the treadmill.  Everything hurt, abs, legs, lungs, head, everything.  What happened?!  I still don't know, but I do know that I am starting from ground zero.  I am going to have to retrain in every area; Pilates, Yoga, and Running.  And worst of all I'm going to have to take my own advise.

I'm always telling people who want to make running or any other exercise a habit that they have to start slow and really make it an escape instead of a chore.  Well, right now working out is really hard and almost painful. I remember enjoying it, but my lungs, my abs, how could this be fun again? Once, again I have to take my own advise.  What I say in instances like these is, "Slow and steady wins the race.". Results come slowly, but they do come if you keep at it.

Today, was the first day that I could run outside. The temperature reached 50 degrees, and after running inside on a treadmill (okay truthfully it was walk/ running on the treadmill) I was excited to run outside like I use to do.  Just like when I first stepped on the treadmill I thought, "This will be fun, and easy".  It's amazing how realistic treadmills can be. It was hard but totally worth it, and I improved! Instead of running just a quarter of a mile at first I ran an half mile, walked, and then jogged a little longer.  The round trip was a mile and an half!     More to come on my retraining experiences.

Going Cloth

What can I say they are a need, but at the cheapest 16 cents per diaper they are an expensive need.  Up till now Nolan has only been in disposables but that is about to change.  gDiapers have come to save the day.  What are gDiapers you ask?  They are the reincarnated plastic cover for cloth diapers.  Instead of being a bubble of white over your child's cloth diaper they come in multiple colors.  They come with a choice of disposable inserts or cloth inserts...I am being cheap and just using the classic cloth diaper folded to fit. 

In theory it should be a quick switch between disposables and reusable cloth...but it's not.  When going cloth there are a few things you need to set up in order to make your cloth diaper experience enjoyable.  First, like you did with the disposables, make a stack of cloth inserts that are easily accessible (since, I am using classic cloth diapers as the insert I need to pre-fold them to fit).  Second, you need a place to put the soiled diaper.  Right now I'm using a trash can filled halfway with soapy water.  Just throw the soiled diaper in the can and either at the end of the day or every other day, depending on how many diaper inserts you have, wash the inserts. 

For newborns don't worry about pre-washing the poopy diapers.  Instead, just throw the whole mess of soiled diapers and water in the washer, and set on pre-wash and then through a regular cycle.  For older children, you will have to rinse the poopy diapers in the toilet, but friends that have older children and also use cloth diapers say if you just place the diaper in toilet, while still holding one corner to keep it from going totally in the water, and flush it gets the job done. ALWAYS use hot water when cleaning diapers and NEVER use softener or dryer sheets; the softener and dryer sheets will hamper the cloth's ability to absorb.

BONUS! Make your own cloth wipes and throw them all in the same soiled container!  To set up your area for cloth wipes you will need small scraps of cloth (any type of soft cloth will do.  We got a lot of swaddling blankets from Nolan's showers, so, I just cut two up for his wipes.), and a plastic container that can hold water. In your plastic container mix water with a squirt of baby bath wash and a couple of squirts of baby oil. When you are in need of a wipe, grab a dry piece of cloth and wet it down with the mixture.  

Adventure

Happy Friday!
This is my very first post on my very first blog. I really hope to have an adventure with this blog, and with you my guest. As of right now, I am exploring the new life of being a mother, which means diapers, cleaning, cooking, exercise, beauty, the almost ignored art of style (I've noticed the first few months of motherhood are much more comfortable in sweats), as well as enjoying my husband, new son, and two dogs.

Right now I feel as though I'm in between adventures. As I sit at my computer, typing with one hand and holding my son in the other, I'm relaxed. Nolan only woke up once last night (He's two months old), and the weather looks as if we will be able to take our second walk outside. Our first walk was very short, and much colder than originally thought. The day is looking great and the weekend even greater!

What are some fond memories that you have with your new born child?