Back in the saddle again...

It was an awful week for exercise, truly awful, I did none. Nothing, zilch, nada, whatever you call it, the amount of exercising added up to a big fat pile of zero. So, today is new leaf day again and I will be exercising after lunch. I know that I am entirely to blame, however, I don't mind shifting a small amount of that on to my husband. He has been grumpy the past week, and then I feel guilty asking for time to go and run. I should just do it anyways, but hey. So, now that Sebastian is at the dayhome, I will get the groceries unpacked and put away, have a snack, feed the baby and then go and exercise. I am craving it. I miss it. I need it!!

Bits and pieces

We had a pretty nice weekend. Of course it snowed again. This is becoming the norm for these parts. I am so tired of it. I really want to move to the Caribbean. Anyone know how I can go about that? I'm serious. I just need to figure it out and then we're outta here!!

So, anyhow, with all the snow, because it's relatively nice otherwise, we built a snowman. Not once, but twice. It was fun. Sebastian was fascinated with the part where the snowman got a carrot for a nose.

We also experimented with slime. Basically it's a mixture of cornstarch and water. The recipe I found involved boiling it. This was slightly different than the slime I remember as a child. I think the slime I played with was just cold water and cornstarch. I will maybe try that another day. But, the slime we made was fun. We coloured it blue. Sebastian and I both played with it. He was not entirely sure what to make of it at first but we had fun with it. Then, he was done, and rubbed his face, and he got it all over. Oh well, it was an adventure to say the least.

Sebastian also got to hang out with his uncles on Saturday who took him to a play place.

I also went through two boxes of baby clothes to sort out the sizes and then reorganized the kids clothing in the dresser to make room for more things for Sullivan. I also took a few pictures of items that I just might try and sell. Like cloth diapers. We love them, and I'm so glad we decided to give it a try. Totally worthwhile. However, Sullivan is such a big baby, that he has outgrown the small size. Who knew we'd have a preemie the first time, and then a chubby baby the second time. They couldn't be more opposite on sizes. But anyhow, haven't tried this online selling stuff, so we'll see how it goes!!

Hurtful actions...

So, yesterday, we went to a play place and met up with a friend. I lost part of my appreciation for these types of places though. To start with, there were a lot of older kids there. I'm guessing some of these kids were more like 7 or 8, then the maximum age 6 that is apparently supposed to be there.

Well, Sebastian was having a fun time. He got up the courage to climb high into the structure there, and was having a blast. I figured out that he had pooped in his diaper and was encouraging him to come down so I could change him and then he could go back to playing. Well, about a minute later, I was waving at him, and one of the employees comes up to me and says, "is that your little boy with the glasses and blonde hair?" and I say yes, and she says, "someone told me he pooped his pants" and I told her that I knew that, and I was getting him to come down so I could change him. Keep in mind he's three, and maybe he should be all potty trained by now, but he's not. So, he was in a diaper, and there were no messes or anything. Well, I continue to encourage him to come down, but he's just having a blast in this tunnel and as I go to the other end of it, I see these older kids, and as he's coming out of the tunnel, they are holding their noses and making "ew" sounds and stuff like that. I thought it was rather mean and hurtful, and I'm glad that Sebastian didn't really get that they were making fun of him.

Now, I realize that he will get made fun of multiple times in his life and I do expect that, but he's only three and I sort of thought that this type of playplace wouldn't get into that type of thing. I thought that is part of the reason the age maximum is 6. I fully expect hitting and fighting over toys, but not mean hurtful actions that my child is too young to even comprehend.

So, he did come down, and I changed his diaper and he happily went back to playing again. However, a few moments later, one of the older boys comes up to me and says "is that your son, cause he pooped his pants again... I could smell it from the top". Sebastian wasn't even playing near him. And, for the record, he wasn't poopy or anything. I didn't know what to say. Here was some kid dictating to me about how to be a parent and didn't even have his facts straight.

Needless to say, the whole situation just left a sour taste in my mouth. I think this boy and a couple of his friends were too old to be there in the first place and because of that, brought in a whole set of actions and experiences that I didn't think my son would be subject to until he was in school.

I did have a nice visit and I know Sebastian had a lot of fun. But, where are the parents of the older kids and do they not see anything wrong with their kids making fun of a three year old (and keep in mind, he only just turned three that day). I know I just need to get over this, and really, I will, it just saddened me that a fun play place for little kids was suddenly not quite so fun at times.

Oops...

Okay, I waited until after midnight to post that letter to Sebastian, yet it still came up as being on the Monday, what gives!! Anyhow, just so you know Sebastian, I didn't mix up the dates, and I know your birthday is on the 24th. So there!!

Happy Birthday Super Trooper!!

Dear Sebastian,

Wow, I can't believe that today you are 3 years old. It might not seem like a lot of years, but you are a true miracle. I remember the day you were born so well. We went to the ultrasound that morning, and of course, got the very scary news that you were super sick with fetal hydrops and if we wanted any chance at all of you making it, we needed to deliver you straight away. I was so scared for you that I didn't even have a chance to get nervous about the surgery I would undergo in order to get you out!!

We arrived at the hospital and you were born within a couple of hours at 1300hrs. You did not come out screaming the way parents typically expect. You needed to be intubated immediately. You were very tiny, weighing only 830grams (1lb 13oz). In case you are wondering just how small that is, it is less than 2 blocks of butter. And, by comparison, your brother was born weighing 8lbs 13oz. You were very sick. Almost instantly, they had you on all sorts of medications to control your blood pressure, your enlarged heart etc. That first weekend, you just kept getting sicker. They had to move you to the oscillating ventilator (seriously, that machine looked like it came straight from the 1950s!!). Next up they had to add nitric oxide, apparently a super expensive machine to operate. There was not much left they could do, and thankfully, you started to improve. Of course at one week old, you had a cold blue when your bowel perforated. That was another scary day. Luckily though, after the bowel perf, you started getting a lot better. And, 72 days after you were born, we finally got to take you home. Of course, two weeks later you were back in the hospital for ROP laser surgery on your eyes and to fix the hernia from the incision from the surgery for the bowel perf. And it was so scary again knowing you'd be intubated again. Luckily, you came through that good as well.

It has been such a treat to watch you grow and learn over the last three years. It took you a bit longer to do some things, but at three years old, you have caught up to wear you should be developmentally. We have enjoyed all the moments along the way. The first time you rolled over, stood up, crawled, walked and talked. I love reading stories with you now as you finish all the sentences in the books. You are so much fun to play with too!! Building trains, playing play-doh, reading books, drawing sidewalk chalk, playing in your playhouse, cuddling on the couch, getting hugs, making up stories, doing puzzles. You are fun to hang out with. I love your imagination. Every day you become more creative and interesting.

Thanks for being our little miracle. We never realized just how much of a miracle you were until this past year when we were questioned by so many doctors about you. Many of the doctors tried very delicately to ask about whether or not you made it. One even came right out and said "he didn't make it, did he?". So we know now, that you truly are a miracle. How you overcame all the hurdles that were in your path, I will never know, but I do know you had a lot of people on your side, hoping and praying for you.

Happy Birthday Super Trooper, and I look forward to what this next year has to offer. You are an incredible little boy, and I'm so proud of how far you have come. I am excited for what the future brings you!!

Love, Mom

They Might Be Giants

A very long time ago (like about 20 years ago, how scary is that!!), I was introduced to music by They Might Be Giants, in the form of the their album, Flood. I loved it instantly. They were quirky and fun and so different than almost any other music out there. I fell in love. I listened to it on a cassette tape. About ten years later, I upgraded to the cd. I loved every single song on the cd. My favourites were Istanbul and Particle Man, but seriously, I loved them all.

Recently, I was reintroduced to They Might Be Giants all over again. This time however, from my son's new favourite show, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. They sing the opening song and the Hot Dog song at the end of every episode. I should have known that such a great group would someday meld with Disney. Turns out they have a few kids offerings. I downloaded the 123s by They Might Be Giants and instantly fell in love all over again. The best song by far is Seven Days of the Week (I never go to work). Click on it to see the video, it's great. It is just hilarious and it makes Sebastian laugh now too. He is already learning the best songs (his other favourites are Paper Planes and Shut Up and Drive).

Watch them play

On the weekend, we watched a documentary all about how children these days just don't play like we did as kids, and the possible ramifications of that. It was quite interesting and it really made me think about just how paranoid we are as parents these days.

So today, I had a playdate (because that's what our children do now) and we went to the local rec centre and watched our kids play. We interacted with them too, don't get me wrong, but mostly, it's nice to see the kids playing without the need for an adult to intervene in their every move.

At one point, there was music playing from a cd player in the corner. And, it was a perfect example of kids being kids, they were dancing around and having fun. Soon, other kids would join and at one point about 15 kids were dancing and playing, including Sebastian. It was so fantastic to see him joining in what the other kids were doing and just loving it.

Childhood is such a precious time in our lives. Playing is special. It's something you can't just seem to do as an adult. I think we stand to learn a lot from kids and playtime.

The battery died...

So, I was going to step on the scale and check my weight, but the battery died. I am thinking this might be a good thing. I mean, I'm not obsessed with the scale or anything, but it was always nice to check and see where I stood. I was about 5 pounds heavier than my prepregnancy pudginess, so now it was more getting back to where I should be, rather than where I was. But, now, I think I might not worry about it for a little bit. It can't be that bad, right? See if the changes in my body come along just naturally from the exercise program...

I've now been following my new program for 2 weeks. I go back to the trainer this afternoon. I am excited for that. I need to clarify a couple of the exercises that I am just not sure I am doing properly (in other words, I'm wimping out and doing some sissy version). So, it will be good to get clarification. This is the last session I will have one on one with the trainer. Next week, I will be meeting with the trainer and another person. I am excited for this. First, I don't have a lot of friends that are into running or exercise (or at least none that ever want to go run with me), so it will be nice to meet someone who is all into exercise. Maybe it will offer extra motivation. Second, it makes the meetings cheaper, and that is important because I don't have huge wads of cash to be throwing into training. And third, it will be just to not be the only one the trainer is putting through a gruelling workout.

Now, as for the program. It's going pretty good. Last week was my birthday, and I ended up having 2 rest days in a row. So, on Sunday, I did a longer run. I am really trying to keep at the running but not doing too much too soon. I want to try and get the Melissa's 10km done in under an hour. That's the goal. It's not until September, so I have lots of time to work on it. I know hills and sprints will become part of the program eventually, but for now, we stay the course until about June. That's three months to get established with this strength workout. The two funniest parts are watching me do pushups and chinups. Let's just say I offer myself a little more resistance than I am capable of using. But, hopefully, that will change over the next few months.

My next hurdle will be the eating. I am fairly reasonable at portion control, but need to make smarter choices sometimes. And maybe find some better snacks. And eat some more veggies and fruit. I haven't been concentrating much on the eating yet. But with the exercise in full swing, it's time to add better, cleaner fuel to my body.

Two months ago...

It is hard to believe that it has already been two months since Sullivan was born. We have had a second child for two months now. Granted, it's been a whole bunch of no sleep on some nights, but slowly we've developed somewhat of a routine. He is smiling now, lots and lots and has been starting to try the beginnings of rolling over. He enjoys kicking his musical mobile and makes the cutest little sounds. He is gaining weight well. I would say he's pretty huge actually, and this is just something we're so not used to. Sebastian took forever to put on any weight, and to this day is still pretty slight. He's currently hovering around 27 pounds. Sullivan, on the other hand, has already outgrown his small fuzzi bunz diapers, and his newborn clothes. Even some of the 3-6 month clothes he is actually filling in pretty nicely. It amazes me really to see a baby with little rolls on him, since Sebastian has never had any kind of rolls to speak of. And, it's so nice that he is home with us. No daily visits to the hospital, he's been home since he was two days old. That, truly is something to be thankful for!!

Life is still busy. It takes effort to fit in time for exercise but so far it's happening. Today I got my exercises done, and once again, was totally exhausted by the end of it. It amazes me how such a simple program can be so tiring. And, how such a simple program can have me sweating buckets, and it's not even the cardio. Truly, it's almost like running is a break from the real work; how scary is that?? I know it will take time to truly see results, but it feels great already. And, gearing up for the Mother's Day Run (in support of Neonatal Intensive Care of course), I hope that I will see results on the running front!! I know that is a bit soon, but hey, I can always hope!!

So, Sullivan, happy two months. Thanks for keeping us on our toes!! And thanks for all the smiles!! We love you!!

Week One - Finished!!

So, I have reached the end of week one on the program my trainer gave me. It was good. I managed to complete everything I was supposed to. I ended up having 3 days of the strength workouts (sort of really only 2 days though since it was split between upper and lower at home), and 4 days of running. Not bad for the first week. I think tomorrow might be a rest day... we'll see...

On a side note, poor little Sebastian was sick last night. After tracing back everything he ate and drank, we've figured out that he had sour milk. I feel so incredibly bad. I never noticed it was sour when I was getting it ready for him. Only later, when I realized he didn't drink much, did I take off the cap, and it smelled off. He ended up quite sick from it, throwing up several times over the course of the evening. This is the not so fun part of having kids. He managed to require a complete change of pj's three times, changing the sheets, and poor Ratatouille, Banana, c-squirt and Zach all required a wash as well. Oh well, all fixed now. I'm super grumpy about the milk though, it was supposed to be good until March 17th, which, is still a long way's away from now. Luckily, he seems to have gotten past the worst of it now. But I still think I'll keep milk at a minimum for the next day or so!!

FInding balance...

Life is busy. Having two boys to hang out with every day certainly keeps things busy. The fact that one is a newborn (well, not really anymore, at almost 8 weeks old), and the other is a high energy non-stop almost three year old, leaves very little time for much else. I am making it a priority to fit in exercise, but even that can be a bit tricky. I can't really do the treadmill with both boys around, and waiting until Jeremy comes home means I will be exercising in the late evening, and that is often a tough time to feel motivated. So far so good though.

But the house... the house is a disaster. It looks like a tornado blew in. There is stuff everywhere. I am managing to keep up on the laundry, but still have to put it away. And the dishes, same thing. I get them done every day, but it feels like I'm so busy playing catch up. We have the amazing robot vacuum, which is great, but that requires a cleared off floor. There are toys everywhere. We try and clean up every day, but you miss one thing, and before you know it, it has expanded exponentially and suddenly it feels like you can't go more than one step without stepping on something. It's crazy.

So today, Sebastian is spending the day playing at his dayhome. Maybe I'll get something done? I'll have more time, but I still do have a baby that will require a bunch of my attention, so I am not even sure how much I will actually accomplish.

So how can I balance all this? Well, my favourite strategy is to make a list. If I start out with a list at the start of the day, I generally will be able to accomplish some of what I set out to do. Time will tell if this can actually happen. If my list is long, I make it a rule that I need to finish a minimum of three things. If I do more, great, but I can't do less than that. It's fairly effective. So now I will go and write my list and see if I can actually fit in everything I am hoping to, so the house is somewhat back to normal again!!

The training begins...

So, today was the first attempt at doing the strength workout at home. It's a great workout. I was totally spent. I brought up the tubing and brought down the fit ball. I had Sebastian counting reps with me for the various exercises. It was tough. A couple of them I had to stop mid set even because I was so tired. And sweating. Who knew that such a simple plan could be so tough!! I still have to do the cardio, but I am waiting until my husband gets home to do that.

I liked my first meeting with the trainer. She went over all the exercises with me as well as some of the other stuff that was in my binder. It's a great binder full of good stuff. Workout information, nutrition information, goal setting stuff, pictures of some of the exercises etc. I was surprised that I didn't have to weigh in or anything like that, and they didn't take any measurements either. We're doing this entirely for the goals I have.

My first goal is to do a fitness test and complete it successfully. And my second goal is to run a 10km race in under 60 minutes. I truly believe I will achieve both, but that I must be patient as I start to build back up again. That part is hard since I want results today!! Oh well, we'll get there eventually.

And hopefully I'm setting a good example for my sons and that they will learn to include exercise in their lives on a daily basis. I'll get more of that in when we do the kids marathon with Sebastian. He will love it, I'm sure of that!!

In the meantime, I'll sit here with my very sore abs, reminding myself that someday I might get back somewhat of a stomach after having a fullterm kid!!

It's the first day of real training...

So, tonight, I will be meeting with a trainer for the first time. I will be given a program that I will be expected to follow. This program will help me reach some goals. I want to do a fitness test of sorts. I also want to run a 10 kilometre race in under an hour. I am hoping that my new program will allow me to accomplish both. Oh, and a side, that I will also lose some weight in the process. Of course that means I have to be a little more aware of what I'm eating. I have high hopes for this program. I have high hopes for the trainer. I have high hopes for myself. Then, only time will tell...