Wesley's Adventures

Wesley is going to grow up thinking that everyone is as exercise crazy as our family. He has already participated in 10Ks, and 5Ks, taught aerobic classes, went for bike rides, etc all while I was pregnant.

4 days before Wesley was born, we went to cheer on DH in a duathlon. This was good cheering practice for the Ironman in the fall.

Yesterday, he had his first opportunity to cheer on DH as an outside baby in the spring 5x5 relay race! I had run this race the past two years with my coworkers, so this was the first time as a cheerleader. I also got to introduce my coworkers to Wesley for the first time. It was a great night, but needless to say, we were ALL tired and up way past our bedtime of 9PM. Of course, in the madness of getting us all out the door, I forgot the camera.

We will spend today getting ready for DH's parents to visit tomorrow! They will be staying for one week, and the weather looks fantastic.

Here is a picture of Wesley from this week: He has just stolen my heart.

Walking and Weights aka "Amber Time"

So, I feel ready to get back into "fitness" and being active. I have to pace myself because doing too much too soon, will just delay the recovery.

While DH was at work last Friday, I created a workout plan for me the following week. I did this to communicate to him that I need to carve out an hour of the day for ME. I think it is important that I take the time to have a break. I definitely agree being a mom is a 24/7 job. If I don't make an effort, I could let it consume me, and lose interest in the activities that make me happy. He agreed, and has been so good the past couple of days in making sure I get out of the house by myself and do something more than shop for groceries.

I am only walking every other day for 30 minutes to an hour, and doing weights or Bodypump on the "other" days. The last time I lifted weights or went to Bodypump was uh, uh, maybe last year? I am a cardio queen, and get bored with the weights even though I know it is good for me. Maybe this is what I need to get into it?

Today is my walking day, and good thing, because the weather is great!

Takeaway message today (when did I get so wise?): Make time for yourself. Read a book. Listen to your Rent Soundtrack. Go for a walk. You deserve it!

Wednesday Wesley Update!

I am one of these mommies, that takes about 10 pictures a day of her baby, plus videos. I send about half of them to the family, so they can enjoy him as much as I do.

I sent the following picture to the family the other day:


Aunt Kelley then realized the similarities to a celebrity. Aunt Katie then found the picture as proof:


Does Wesley have a future as a professional wrestler?!?!?!

Monday Recipe - Chili plus leftovers!

Last week, the weather was gray, rainy, and only about 50 F (10 C). DH and I decided it was perfect chili weather to warm us up.

DH gets frustrated with me sometimes when I cook, because I never follow a recipe. If I "use" a recipe, I usually see it as a "guideline" and just do my own thing. This chili recipe is like that. He begged me to write it down so he can make it sometime, so here is my best attempt to document my chili recipe. This recipe is great for mommies or busy people, because it is forgiving in cooking times (1.5hr - 3hr on simmer, doesn't make a difference), and you don't have to babysit it (stir it every 1/2 hour).

Quick Chili

Ingredients:
1 onion
2ish TBS of olive oil
1lb-1.5lb meat (ground beef, stew beef, whatever looks good)
2 cans of stewed tomatoes
2 cans of beans (kidney, mixed beans, etc)
1/2 can of water (or use beef stock, I was being lazy)
2 small sweet potatoes
1/2 red pepper (it was in the fridge, and needed to be used)
chili powder
cumin powder

Start with a big soup pot with a lid. Saute onion in olive oil for a couple of minutes. Add meat, and brown until no pink is left. Add tomatoes and water. Add chopped sweet potatoes and red pepper. Add chili powder and cumin to your taste. Remember you can always add spice, but it is hard to remove from soup! : )

Let simmer, covered, for 1.5 hours or until potatoes are cooked. Rinse and drain beans, and add to the pot. Let it cook 5 more minutes. Serve with sour cream, jalapenos, cheddar cheese, and Jiffy cornbread.

This is a great recipe to use up veggies you have. Add in zucchini or corn, for example.

There were probably 5-6 servings of chili from this recipe. You can also use leftovers on tortilla chips for nachos.

Wednesday will be a Wesley Update!

Ok, baby is on the outside! Let's workout!

Ha!

I guess I never considered all that your body goes through during the pregnancy, and then finishing the "race" with the labor and delivery. In my mind, I thought it would take a week or maybe two, and I would be ready to ride my bike, go jogging (not running), back to the gym for classes, etc.

Reality check: It is going to take 6-8 weeks until I am back.

I am ok with this now. I know the best thing for me is to take care of myself and my family. A healthy mommy means a healthy baby. If I don't make sure I am getting enough rest, staying somewhat calm, and eating right, it won't let me do my job as a mommy very well.

I plan to use this "break" to take long walks with Wesley in his pram, and get some fresh air as much as possible. I picked a great season to have this baby. I also want to slowly start doing some weights at home, so my arms look nice in all of the post pregnancy clothes I plan to buy.

When I use my Beco carrier, I think I have to call that a modified "workout." I have to use my core and legs more to compensate for the extra weight.

What are your stories about getting back into an exercise routine? Did you listen to the doctor and wait the right amount of time? Where there activities that you found easier on your body that you picked up after the baby?

No more Hump Day, Bump Day!

Can you tell I am excited? I love my outside baby!

So I guess I can use Wednesday to update you on Mommy Life.

I feel I could write a book already on what I have learned. Such as:

1. Babies, cry. This does not mean that Mommy has to at the same time I did this a few times. When he had his hearing test (he passed) I told DH that he was going to have to hold him, because I was close to tears. Damn hormones!

2. Breastfeeding is good for mommy and baby. Wesley has gained weight since he has left the hospital, and mommy has lost weight. That is a win-win!

3. We are not into buying every baby thing on the market, but we have found a couple of things that have made our lives easier. One is the Beco Baby Carrier. DH had it on yesterday and was able to make his lunch, and do laundry all while carrying the baby. The other is our pram. It also serves as a great napping place for Wesley, and I just push it back and forth in our living room to get him to calm down or fall asleep. I am sure there will be many others that come along that just work for our baby. If you have anything baby related that you feel you could be the spokesperson for, let me know!

Have a good Hump Day! Almost weekend time. : )

Monday Midnight Post

Hi everyone!

It is almost midnight, and I have a sweet baby boy resting in my lap. He is a "light" sleeper so DH and I are taking turns watching him so we can get a few hours of decent sleep.

It is amazing how so many things I thought were important seem so minor compared to this precious boy. Babies put EVERYTHING in perspective. I feel like I have learned so much in the first 4 days of his life.

One thing I have to give up are long lazy meals. I usually get a 10 minute window to make something for lunch or dinner. It also needs to be something that can be eaten with one hand and would be ok if it was room temperature. Any suggestions? So far, quesdaillas and sandwiches are good, as well as fruit, cut up veggies, and dried fruit. Any more ideas?

FYI, I wrote this entire post with my left hand. : )

Wesley Adam is Here!

Hi friends and family!

Just wanted to give you a quick update. We are now the proud parents of Wesley Adam who was born Thursday, May 12 2011 at 8:22 in the evening. I had a good labor and delivery and looking back am so thankful to have DH and my friend Majken with me. We made a good team!

We stayed two nights at the patient hotel where we had nurses nearby to ask questions and to make sure little Wesley was ok. They also checked me feeding Wesley to ensure I had the right technique.

We came home today, and now we are getting back settled. Wesley has been sleeping off and on, and is such a joy. I just want to hold him in my arms and watch him. He is amazing.

Thanks for all of the notes, comments, sms messages, etc from our friends and family. We are so blessed to have so many people who care about us and our sweet baby.

So I guess we will change "Hump Day, Bump Day" to "Wednesday Wesley Update"?

I am looking forward to sharing my experience as a "Fit and Phat Mommy"!

Hump Day, Bump Day! Getting Closer!

So tomorrow is my due date, and I am just pretending it is another day out of probably many more that I will be preggers. I looked online and only 4% of woman have their babies on their due dates. I am staying positive though! As much as I am looking forward to meeting Baby Weeks, I know he is happy and healthy in his dark swimming pool.

Here is a little something to make you laugh too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1x5ZBLn4JYo&feature=related

I am going to waddle myself down to the store to get some more pineapple. It is a good thing, I like it so much! : )

Awesome weekend! (Recipe included)

This weekend was awesome! The weather was warm and sunny, I was feeling "pretty good", and DH did a duathlon yesterday and finished 3rd overall. Me and Baby Weeks cheered for him and took lots of Flip camera video to document the event. We joked around saying we can show this to Baby Weeks and say "this is what we were doing the week before you were born!"

So in celebration of the race, I made one of DH's favorite desserts last night: Banana Pudding

I will put the recipe here, but be warned, half of the ingredients came from The States. The recipe serves 6, and I suggested to DH to try to eat a little less than half of the pan in one sitting. : )

SOUTHERN BANANA PUDDING
1 lg. pkg. vanilla pudding and pie filling mix (from US)
2 c. evaporated milk (from US)
3 tbsp. butter (I used a little less. I thought this sounded like a lot.)
1 (8 oz.) carton whipped topping (I used whipping cream to make "Cool Whip")
1 sm. pkg. vanilla wafers (Danish cookies called kammerjunkers)
3 bananas, sliced

Prepare pudding in saucepan according to package directions, using evaporated milk and 1 cup water. Remove from heat. Add butter; mix well. Cool. Fold in half the whipped topping. Alternate layers of vanilla wafers, bananas, and pudding in serving dish, ending with pudding. Spread remaining whipped topping over top. Chill. Serves 6.

Enjoy!

Something Weird Is Going On!

Yesterday I did things that are very uncharacteristic of me:

1. I ironed two of DH's shirts.

2. I cleaned out my closets, drawers, shoes, and took it all to the donation center.

Have I reached the point, where I will clean to resolve my boredom? I told my midwife that I am running out of things to do. She told me to take a walk everyday. Yes, I already do that, but that takes only 1 hour out of my 16 hour day!

Today, I am going to Salling, a department store to see if there is any post pregnancy clothes that are calling my name. I may have to limit my visits to the city if I start shopping too much.

I know some of you might be thinking, just shut up and enjoy it! It is hard because most things in life we can control. This is one time, when I don't know when it could happen. The baby will come when HE is ready and not a moment sooner.

Have a nice weekend. : )

Hump Day, Bump Day: 39 Weeks out of ?????

I went back to midwife yesterday, and everything is fine. The baby is in the right position, and the heartbeat was good and strong. We made an appointment in two weeks in case he does not come by then, and we would talk about what our options are then. So technically, I can all the way to 42 weeks before they will induce me. I know, I know, cross the bridge when we come to it, but but but I might go crazy! (More crazy, I guess. )

FYI, I used the leftover dill last night from the Monday recipe post in some Bisquick cheddar dill biscuits. They were so good.

The weekend is near....get over the hump!

Maybe I should add "Food" to my blog name

Because I sure do talk about it a lot! What can I say, I like to eat. : )

Monday Recipe!

Background:
So I had some potato salad on our trip to Skagen that was so yummy. It was made with mayo, which I usually don't like to cook with, but don't mind eating it if it is already in something.

DH and I talked about grilling out yesterday, but because the weather was a little cooler, and we were being lazy, we decided to stay at home, and to make a pork tenderloin, steamed broccoli, and the following potato salad:

Dilled Potato Salad with Feta

2 pounds small red potatoes, unpeeled
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh or 1 tablespoon dried dill
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 cucumber, cut in half lengthwise and sliced
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 (4-ounce) package crumbled feta cheese

Bring potatoes and water covered to a boil. Cook 25 to 30 minutes or just until tender; drain and cool. Cut potatoes into quarters.
Whisk together vinegar, oil, dill, salt, and pepper. Pour over warm potatoes.
Stir in chopped bell pepper, cucumber, and green onions; add cheese, and toss to combine. Cover and chill at least 2 hours.

Here are our "modifications":

I roasted fingerling potatoes instead of boiling them. Just 35 minutes at an oven temp of 400 F (200 C). I also used balsamic vinegar instead of red wine vinegar, and added a little more dill since I could barely taste it. This is a great salad to take to a picnic since it is mayoless. Was that a word?

Any suggestions on what to do with all of this leftover dill?