It all began a month ago when my son started sprouting molars. Unlike any other of the 8 teeth that came before, these caused major crankiness, multiple wakings at night and fever. Fever means he can't go to school and the things mommy really needs to get done get put on hold. The worst of it lasted about 7 days and it was painful for the babe and for me.
Then came the intensive German course I signed myself up for so willingly. 5 days a week, 90 minutes a day and homework (Class is 16 weeks long. Today we started week 5. UGH!). I haven't worked in 3 years and I think I actually forgot what it was like to get myself dressed and out of the house by a certain time each day. I didn't anticipate the part about getting my son out of the house as well making week 1 of German a bit rough. We finally got the hang of it and seem to be ready to take on the world with our coats, hats and gloves on at 7:30am.
After I got settled into my course, the real madness began. My husband's birthday arrived and I made special arrangements to surprise him with a group of our friends stopping in for pizza and cupcakes. His mom was also flying in that same day and I had to travel an hour to pick her up from the airport. It was all ok because the baby was at daycare and I had the whole morning to get what I needed done. So, I made the cupcakes and pizzas from scratch, set the table, chilled the champagne, made his birthday card and wrapped his gifts. I finally made it into the shower only to discover a missed call when I got out. It was the daycare. My son had a high fever and needed to be picked up. Party cancelled, baby traveling with me to the airport (a 3 hour car ride roundtrip because of rush hour traffic) and 3 large pizzas and 24 cupcakes made for a dinner for 3. My son had a fever for another 4 days. A bit of a disappointment for me but we had a nice evening in spite of it all.
The hubby and I took advantage of his mom visiting and went to Berlin for 2 days. We enjoyed seeing the sites and saw The Kooks in concert. We got to sleep in and have a leisurely breakfast then we flew back home in time for dinner Sunday night. It was the first time I was away from my baby so my stress level was very high, but we had a great trip.
After returning from Berlin, it was time to get ready for my son's birthday and my wedding anniversary. I made a video of Mickey's first year and also finished up his baby book. It was a nice reminder of where we were a year ago and how much he has grown. His party was full of the people here in Switzerland who have known him since birth and it was neat to see how much this little guy is loved. We have amazing friends all over the world and I was reminded how blessed we are by all of them.
Last night Michael and I went to dinner and had a great time together. We have had an amazing amount of transitions in our 3 years of marriage: Getting married (twice!), moving to Singapore, moving to Switzerland then having a baby 8 weeks later. Each transition has taught us more about each other and the more I learn about my husband, the more I love him. It was nice to be together after a busy weekend and celebrate our anniversary.
So...my mother-in-law leaves tomorrow and I think life will return to a bit of normal for a few weeks. I will do my best to blog more and maybe even post some pictures. But for now, my eyes are closing and I can't wait to turn out the lights and sleep. It has been quite a month...wonderful and busy and full of new adventures and celebrations.
Off to bed I go...
Monday, November 14, 2011
Friday, October 14, 2011
Hitting the Wall
Literally...I hit my head so hard on a slanty European-architecture weird wall in our bedroom while cleaning up toys and that's when I decided to call it a day. It hasn't been a bad day, just a loooong day.
Yesterday, my friend and I set out with out our children to Mulhouse (pronounced Ma-Lose), a town in France about 30 minutes from our town, to look for a store she was interested in seeing. We found ourselves (and the store) in a mall and ate at the equivalent French Olive Garden. I haven't set foot in a mall in Switzerland/France/Germany (we live where all 3 countries intersect) since moving here over a year ago so it was a tiny thrill. The bigger thrill for me was discovering the Toys R Us/ Babies R Us next door. The Toys R Us portion was huge but the baby section was pretty dismal. So, I decided to explore further and found more Babies R Us stores in Switzerland. I drove 30 minutes this morning to another store (in Switzerland) and was pleasantly surprised. It's not the huge big box stores we are used to in the US, but there were some interesting things to look at. $400 later I was home with a new stroller, some new toys and the things that stick on the bottom of the bath tub so the babe doesn't slip and slide while bathing. This was great. Then...
I go to pick up Mickey at daycare at 1:30pm and was told he had just woken up from a nap. Great for him, baaaaad for mommy. This means he wouldn't nap when we got home so we had lots of time to kill before his 7pm bedtime. We explored around town, ran a few errands and ended up at the park. There were two other moms there with their babies (all around the same age) so the kids played together for a bit. It was very cute. Mickey fell backwards into the covered sandbox where there was no sand and had a good cry but quickly recovered. He also tried to eat lots of leaves and sticks and attempted to snuggle with one of the other mommies so he could grab her glasses (that's my boy!).
After returning home, watching a short video, eating a snack and taking a bath, my little guy was in no mood for the world. He had had enough. It was way past the numbers of hours in a row that he is usually awake and he was letting me know it. I tried my best to keep him entertained but nothing would hold his interest. At this point, my head was pounding and I was feeling ready for bed myself (at 6pm, glamorous life!). This is when I decided enough was enough and started to clean up the toys. As I stood up from where the toy basket was BAM! I hit my head so hard I had to sit down and catch my breath. I wanted to cry my eyes out because ouchie!! It really hurt. But a crying adult and cranky baby would get us no where. This is when I decided it was a little early and will probably result in an early morning wake up but oh well, time for bed.
Mickey drank 1oz of milk and promptly passed out. It's 7:15pm and I am about to do the same. It's amazing how Friday nights have changed since having a baby. Hopefully hitting my pillow will knock me out. Luckily, hitting the wall didn't! :-)
Yesterday, my friend and I set out with out our children to Mulhouse (pronounced Ma-Lose), a town in France about 30 minutes from our town, to look for a store she was interested in seeing. We found ourselves (and the store) in a mall and ate at the equivalent French Olive Garden. I haven't set foot in a mall in Switzerland/France/Germany (we live where all 3 countries intersect) since moving here over a year ago so it was a tiny thrill. The bigger thrill for me was discovering the Toys R Us/ Babies R Us next door. The Toys R Us portion was huge but the baby section was pretty dismal. So, I decided to explore further and found more Babies R Us stores in Switzerland. I drove 30 minutes this morning to another store (in Switzerland) and was pleasantly surprised. It's not the huge big box stores we are used to in the US, but there were some interesting things to look at. $400 later I was home with a new stroller, some new toys and the things that stick on the bottom of the bath tub so the babe doesn't slip and slide while bathing. This was great. Then...
I go to pick up Mickey at daycare at 1:30pm and was told he had just woken up from a nap. Great for him, baaaaad for mommy. This means he wouldn't nap when we got home so we had lots of time to kill before his 7pm bedtime. We explored around town, ran a few errands and ended up at the park. There were two other moms there with their babies (all around the same age) so the kids played together for a bit. It was very cute. Mickey fell backwards into the covered sandbox where there was no sand and had a good cry but quickly recovered. He also tried to eat lots of leaves and sticks and attempted to snuggle with one of the other mommies so he could grab her glasses (that's my boy!).
After returning home, watching a short video, eating a snack and taking a bath, my little guy was in no mood for the world. He had had enough. It was way past the numbers of hours in a row that he is usually awake and he was letting me know it. I tried my best to keep him entertained but nothing would hold his interest. At this point, my head was pounding and I was feeling ready for bed myself (at 6pm, glamorous life!). This is when I decided enough was enough and started to clean up the toys. As I stood up from where the toy basket was BAM! I hit my head so hard I had to sit down and catch my breath. I wanted to cry my eyes out because ouchie!! It really hurt. But a crying adult and cranky baby would get us no where. This is when I decided it was a little early and will probably result in an early morning wake up but oh well, time for bed.
Mickey drank 1oz of milk and promptly passed out. It's 7:15pm and I am about to do the same. It's amazing how Friday nights have changed since having a baby. Hopefully hitting my pillow will knock me out. Luckily, hitting the wall didn't! :-)
Monday, October 10, 2011
Weekly Wrap Up
I really should have written this on Sunday but yesterday I was busy playing blocks, reading "Moo, Baa, La La La" and watching Elmo with the babe. We've had a lot of rain lately, so indoors is where we have to stay. It's not ideal but we're making it work.
Highlight of the Week
I talked about Friday being the first real cold day of the season and me hoping to get a nap. Mickey seemed to have some sniffles when he woke up that morning and when I picked him up from school, it had turned into a full blown cold. He was tired so I immediately put him down for his nap when we got home. 20 minutes later, he was standing in his crib crying. I thought I would attempt to rock him back to sleep. My attempt worked and I decided that instead of trying to put him back in his crib and risk waking him up, I would sleep there in the rocking chair with him. We both had the most glorious 90 minute nap, snuggled together under a few baby blankets.
I woke up before he did and just thought about how peaceful it is in his nursery. I'm not sure what it is about that room. Maybe it's that it was the first room in the house I painted while 9 months pregnant, home alone and in a new country or the sweet memories I have of times spent in there with my new bundle. Even when Mickey is gone, I sometimes go in there and sit for a few minutes to just relax. Having my son on my chest that afternoon forced me to shut everything else out and just close my eyes. It was exactly what I needed.
Weight/Exercise Update
(Data according to my fitness watch)
Exercise Goal: 6 hours 20 minutes
Achieved: 7 hours
Calories Burned Goal: 1600
Calories Burned: 1191
Weight at Start of Week: 131.8
Weight at End of Week: 129.8
So...my calories burned were low and I think it's because I only had about 2 hours of high intensity workouts as far as my heart rate is concerned. I walked a lot and also took a body pump class (focused on lifting weights) that does not elevate my heart rate to a huge calorie burning level. However, I lost 2lbs, which is great!!! The gym was also closed for a few days for renovation, which threw me off my routine.
This week I want to be sure to keep my eye on my goals of exercise and eating healthy. I am happy to see my weight going down but know this is when I tend to cut myself a little slack and that is absolutely the wrong thing to do. I am getting dressed right now to head for the gym and will give it all I've got!
Happy Monday everyone!!
Highlight of the Week
I talked about Friday being the first real cold day of the season and me hoping to get a nap. Mickey seemed to have some sniffles when he woke up that morning and when I picked him up from school, it had turned into a full blown cold. He was tired so I immediately put him down for his nap when we got home. 20 minutes later, he was standing in his crib crying. I thought I would attempt to rock him back to sleep. My attempt worked and I decided that instead of trying to put him back in his crib and risk waking him up, I would sleep there in the rocking chair with him. We both had the most glorious 90 minute nap, snuggled together under a few baby blankets.
I woke up before he did and just thought about how peaceful it is in his nursery. I'm not sure what it is about that room. Maybe it's that it was the first room in the house I painted while 9 months pregnant, home alone and in a new country or the sweet memories I have of times spent in there with my new bundle. Even when Mickey is gone, I sometimes go in there and sit for a few minutes to just relax. Having my son on my chest that afternoon forced me to shut everything else out and just close my eyes. It was exactly what I needed.
Weight/Exercise Update
(Data according to my fitness watch)
Exercise Goal: 6 hours 20 minutes
Achieved: 7 hours
Calories Burned Goal: 1600
Calories Burned: 1191
Weight at Start of Week: 131.8
Weight at End of Week: 129.8
So...my calories burned were low and I think it's because I only had about 2 hours of high intensity workouts as far as my heart rate is concerned. I walked a lot and also took a body pump class (focused on lifting weights) that does not elevate my heart rate to a huge calorie burning level. However, I lost 2lbs, which is great!!! The gym was also closed for a few days for renovation, which threw me off my routine.
This week I want to be sure to keep my eye on my goals of exercise and eating healthy. I am happy to see my weight going down but know this is when I tend to cut myself a little slack and that is absolutely the wrong thing to do. I am getting dressed right now to head for the gym and will give it all I've got!
Happy Monday everyone!!
Friday, October 7, 2011
Fall
It's Friday and the true start of Fall for us here in Basel. Just yesterday I was at the park in the morning with the babe enjoying the beautiful sunshine. Today, we were bundled up while walking through wind and rain to daycare. I usually greet this time of year with glee but this year I am a little apprehensive. Mickey is so active that the park has become a daily activity. Playing inside the house just doesn't cut it. We will have to get creative. Hmmm...
Mickey is at school for a half day today. I should have used my time wisely and gone to the gym but instead I was enticed by the weather and put together a lasagna to bake for dinner tonight. Sounds so yummy and comfy. A perfect way to kick off the chilly season in my opinion. The gym can wait until tomorrow. I was also up with my angel almost every hour from 1:30am on last night for apparently no good reason. Mickey was as cheerful as ever, standing in his crib and chatting. I, on the other hand, was not as cheerful and am hoping he takes a nice afternoon nap when he gets home from school so mama can take a nap. If that happens, this will truly be a perfect Fall day.
Mickey is at school for a half day today. I should have used my time wisely and gone to the gym but instead I was enticed by the weather and put together a lasagna to bake for dinner tonight. Sounds so yummy and comfy. A perfect way to kick off the chilly season in my opinion. The gym can wait until tomorrow. I was also up with my angel almost every hour from 1:30am on last night for apparently no good reason. Mickey was as cheerful as ever, standing in his crib and chatting. I, on the other hand, was not as cheerful and am hoping he takes a nice afternoon nap when he gets home from school so mama can take a nap. If that happens, this will truly be a perfect Fall day.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Biting and other Random Things
My son is just the sweetest thing. He has a really calm personality and is usually very happy and playful. I realized over the weekend while at my neighbor's house that he has started biting as part of his playfulness. I didn't think much of it until my neighbor said we have to break him of that habit before he starts biting kids at daycare. What happens??? Monday when I pick the babe up from school, the teacher tells me he has been biting kids and thinks it's fun. YIKES! I felt a little sad hearing this. It's mostly my fault, as I let him bite when we play, and now it is my responsibility to make him stop. This really signals the end of the baby stage for me. He is not a little blob anymore. He is starting to understand this world he's been soaking in for 11 months and soon he'll start to understand you can't just do what you want. Lots of life lessons await this little guy and mommy too. I'm not sure I'm ready but full steam ahead!
My hubby was gone all last week and it was nice for him to return home on Friday. The weekends are so much easier when he's around. I was able to visit some friends and go to the gym alone. We had wonderful dinners Friday and Saturday night with our neighbors and had some serious competitions on the Wii. Then we enjoyed the beautiful weather on Sunday and spent the afternoon at the park. The weather forecast is saying this is the last week of 70 degree weather so I'll be taking Mickey out to enjoy the sunshine before it ends.
Exercise is going very well. Here are the stats for last week:
Time Goal: 6h 20m
Time Achieved: 11h 33m (about 5 hours of walking, 6.5 hours gym time)
Calories burned goal: 1600
Calories burned Achieved: 2782
Weight start of the week: 133
Weight end of the week: 131.8
Amount lost: 1.2lbs
These stats are all based on my fitness watch which calculates calories burned by my heart rate. It's frustrating sometimes because the machine says I burned 550 calories in a hour while my watch says 300. I guess it's not important (even though I am so numbers focused). I am doing the work so that alone makes me feel better.
Last topic for today: My house. I have a serious itch to organize. I am starting my list of drawers that I want to clean out and closets that need to be purged. We've been here for over a year now, so if it hasn't been used in a year, it is going away. I am so excited about this. I guess I'm weird that way. I'm going to start now actually while my son is napping. Woo-Hoo!
My hubby was gone all last week and it was nice for him to return home on Friday. The weekends are so much easier when he's around. I was able to visit some friends and go to the gym alone. We had wonderful dinners Friday and Saturday night with our neighbors and had some serious competitions on the Wii. Then we enjoyed the beautiful weather on Sunday and spent the afternoon at the park. The weather forecast is saying this is the last week of 70 degree weather so I'll be taking Mickey out to enjoy the sunshine before it ends.
Exercise is going very well. Here are the stats for last week:
Time Goal: 6h 20m
Time Achieved: 11h 33m (about 5 hours of walking, 6.5 hours gym time)
Calories burned goal: 1600
Calories burned Achieved: 2782
Weight start of the week: 133
Weight end of the week: 131.8
Amount lost: 1.2lbs
These stats are all based on my fitness watch which calculates calories burned by my heart rate. It's frustrating sometimes because the machine says I burned 550 calories in a hour while my watch says 300. I guess it's not important (even though I am so numbers focused). I am doing the work so that alone makes me feel better.
Last topic for today: My house. I have a serious itch to organize. I am starting my list of drawers that I want to clean out and closets that need to be purged. We've been here for over a year now, so if it hasn't been used in a year, it is going away. I am so excited about this. I guess I'm weird that way. I'm going to start now actually while my son is napping. Woo-Hoo!
Monday, September 26, 2011
No Brain Power
I have been trying to blog but my brain has flat lined. Seriously. It is hard to put sentences together lately. Moms seem to always joke that they lose some of their brain power after children. It's no joke. There are just days when the only things I can remember to do are feed, clothe and entertain my son. Forget other things like paying bills and making appointments and trying to keep in touch with my friends and family. With hopes for future children (none on the way people), I don't see this problem resolving itself anytime soon. With that said, here is the latest in my world:
My weight loss was pretty disappointing this week. It was .3 lbs. Not even 1 pound! UGHHHH! Since I did well with exercise, I have to blame my poor eating habits. When the hubby is away, I don't plan my meals well. It's kind of like "hmmm, I should eat something" at 8pm and all there is in the house is baby food and popcorn. Then an hour later I'm hungry again and eat something like cheese and crackers. So this week I am really trying to focus on healthy, balanced meals that provide some nutrition.
I was able to head to the gym today for 2.5 hours. It felt great! Then I went on a long walk with my neighbor. The weather is absolutely beautiful here. We just had to go outside. With the walk and the gym, my fitness watch clocked 4 hours and 28 minutes of exercise and said I burned 943 calories. I'll accept those numbers. :-)
My brain is now officially blank. My pillow has never looked so good!
My weight loss was pretty disappointing this week. It was .3 lbs. Not even 1 pound! UGHHHH! Since I did well with exercise, I have to blame my poor eating habits. When the hubby is away, I don't plan my meals well. It's kind of like "hmmm, I should eat something" at 8pm and all there is in the house is baby food and popcorn. Then an hour later I'm hungry again and eat something like cheese and crackers. So this week I am really trying to focus on healthy, balanced meals that provide some nutrition.
I was able to head to the gym today for 2.5 hours. It felt great! Then I went on a long walk with my neighbor. The weather is absolutely beautiful here. We just had to go outside. With the walk and the gym, my fitness watch clocked 4 hours and 28 minutes of exercise and said I burned 943 calories. I'll accept those numbers. :-)
My brain is now officially blank. My pillow has never looked so good!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Busy Day
Today is looking like it will be a busy and fun day. I have to head to the gym in about 20 minutes for 30 minutes on the elliptical machine and 30 minutes of personal training. I always feel like "why did I sign up for this?" before I do a training but always feel great afterward so I am trying to stay positive about this morning. Then I am meeting a friend for lunch and tonight a few of my mom friends are having a much needed girls' night! I should really be doing some cleaning right now but ah, that can wait.
I called this morning to register for my German lessons. I am going to take a 16 week intensive course that is 5 days a week, 90 minutes a day starting October 17th. It's a little scary because it's a huge commitment, but it is one that I need to make. Living in a country where you don't speak the language is frustrating. It's hard to understand what is going on around us and it leaves me with a feeling of being out of the loop. It's also tough because a lot of people want to chat with me about the baby when we're out and about and we just can't communicate. I feel like the language barrier has been the number one thing that is keeping me from embracing Switzerland as my home. So, let's just get that out of the way and be done with it! I know it won't be that easy. They speak Swiss German here, which is a dialect and something not taught in language schools. The swiss write in High German (which is what I'll learn) so they can understand it and speak it if necessary. I won't be a fluent German speaker but I am hoping for a little bit more understanding of the things around me.
OK. Time to exercise!
I called this morning to register for my German lessons. I am going to take a 16 week intensive course that is 5 days a week, 90 minutes a day starting October 17th. It's a little scary because it's a huge commitment, but it is one that I need to make. Living in a country where you don't speak the language is frustrating. It's hard to understand what is going on around us and it leaves me with a feeling of being out of the loop. It's also tough because a lot of people want to chat with me about the baby when we're out and about and we just can't communicate. I feel like the language barrier has been the number one thing that is keeping me from embracing Switzerland as my home. So, let's just get that out of the way and be done with it! I know it won't be that easy. They speak Swiss German here, which is a dialect and something not taught in language schools. The swiss write in High German (which is what I'll learn) so they can understand it and speak it if necessary. I won't be a fluent German speaker but I am hoping for a little bit more understanding of the things around me.
OK. Time to exercise!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Kenpo X
I was trying to decide what exercise to do this morning when M went down for his nap. I put in a yoga dvd and that lasted about 7 minutes. I wear a heart monitor and am addicted to getting my heart rate up and watching the calories burned go up and up. Yoga does not provide the instant gratification I am looking for. So, I popped in the P90X Kenpo X dvd. It was more enjoyable than I had anticipated. It wasn't super difficult but it was challenging and before I knew it, the heart rate was up and I was burning those calories. Woo-Hoo!!! I clocked an hour and 12 minutes of exercise and burned 271 calories. This has earned me another smiley face on my goal chart which looks like this:
The visual is really helpful for me. Tomorrow I have a personal training appointment at the gym so I know I'm on way to a good exercise week.
Not much else is going on around here. We had a nice weekend running errands and spending time together as a family. Michael was traveling all last week and came home late Saturday morning. It was nice to have him with us again.
Well...M is awake so I have to run. Hope you all are having a great day!
Not much else is going on around here. We had a nice weekend running errands and spending time together as a family. Michael was traveling all last week and came home late Saturday morning. It was nice to have him with us again.
Well...M is awake so I have to run. Hope you all are having a great day!
Monday, September 19, 2011
Kid Fight
I broke up a kid fight today. I was walking to pick up my Bubba from daycare and passed by the school next to our house. In front of me were three kids who were probably in third grade. They were goofing around (or what appeared to be that) when two of the boys got angry and started kicking and punching each other! It was strange because I thought for a moment about what I should do. Then the mama bear/lunch lady in me sprung into action. I got right in between them and yelled "knock it off!" They immediately stopped (thank goodness) and the young girl started explaining to me in German that one of the boys was trying to break her umbrella. I told them it didn't matter and they should keep walking and leave each other alone. One of the trouble makers walked the other way so it was all good. It was one of those situations that caught me off guard because suddenly I had to be the adult. I realize they probably thought I was a kid myself until I jumped in. Sadly, they were about as tall as me. Sigh...
Other than the afternoon 3rd grade brawl, today was a productive day. I decided to head to the gym and got a 90 minute workout in. Combined with walking the babe to and from daycare, my total exercise today was 2.5 hours burning 650 calories (according to my heart monitor). This is excellent progress for a Monday. Tomorrow I will do a P90X dvd while M is sleeping. I made myself a chart today that has 56 days on it. My goal is to put a lot of smiley faces on it (for the days I exercise) and be down 10lbs by the time the chart is complete. I will continue the P90X as well as go to the gym and eat lots of healthy food. Let's hope for good health for me and the baby so we can make days like today part of our routine. That would make this mama very happy!
Other than the afternoon 3rd grade brawl, today was a productive day. I decided to head to the gym and got a 90 minute workout in. Combined with walking the babe to and from daycare, my total exercise today was 2.5 hours burning 650 calories (according to my heart monitor). This is excellent progress for a Monday. Tomorrow I will do a P90X dvd while M is sleeping. I made myself a chart today that has 56 days on it. My goal is to put a lot of smiley faces on it (for the days I exercise) and be down 10lbs by the time the chart is complete. I will continue the P90X as well as go to the gym and eat lots of healthy food. Let's hope for good health for me and the baby so we can make days like today part of our routine. That would make this mama very happy!
Friday, September 16, 2011
TGIF and after 8pm
It's Friday and after 8pm. Yes! I don't go to work so I guess the days of the week don't matter much. Every day is usually the same. I wake up around 5:45am when the babe gets up and get to relax after 8pm when he goes to sleep. But today really felt like a Friday. It was a loooooong week. Having a very sick baby was no fun and waiting for his fever to go down seemed like forever. We finally got an antibiotic today and hopefully that will help. I think we are both ready to return to the park, see our friends and get back to our usual routine.
This is short and sweet. My bed is calling my name. It's 8:17pm. I know. I'm a wild woman!
This is short and sweet. My bed is calling my name. It's 8:17pm. I know. I'm a wild woman!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Life Happens
Oh how life throws a wrench in my plans. Tuesday morning at 2:30am my sweet bubba woke with a high fever. He was acting pretty normal all day (eating, drinking, sticking to his nap schedule) but the fever kept climbing so off to the doctor we went. All seemed ok. Just a virus to be treated with tylenol and ibuprofen.
Yesterday (Wednesday) was a whole other story. The bubbster woke up at 5am and was miserable. He would not let me put him down the entire day. I watched tv while he napped on my chest every 30 minutes and in between we read books, sang songs and tried to do quiet activities. He had no interest in toys, food or moving for that matter. Poor guy. He was so sick. By 6pm, his fever was 105.5 and I was on the phone with the emergency room. I was instructed to double the tylenol and wait an hour for the fever to go down. Luckily it did. By 8:45pm, both me and the babe were sound asleep. He woke up this morning with no fever but still wanting to be held and no interest in his toys. Hopefully as the day goes on, he'll regain his energy.
Michael is gone this week so the baby being sick has made it difficult to get anything else accomplished besides attending to his needs. I am not going to be hard on myself though. Life happens and sometimes focus needs to be shifted. I am doing well eating healthy so as soon as Mickey gives me an hour, I will get right back to my P90X. Today I'll be lucky if I get a shower. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
Yesterday (Wednesday) was a whole other story. The bubbster woke up at 5am and was miserable. He would not let me put him down the entire day. I watched tv while he napped on my chest every 30 minutes and in between we read books, sang songs and tried to do quiet activities. He had no interest in toys, food or moving for that matter. Poor guy. He was so sick. By 6pm, his fever was 105.5 and I was on the phone with the emergency room. I was instructed to double the tylenol and wait an hour for the fever to go down. Luckily it did. By 8:45pm, both me and the babe were sound asleep. He woke up this morning with no fever but still wanting to be held and no interest in his toys. Hopefully as the day goes on, he'll regain his energy.
Michael is gone this week so the baby being sick has made it difficult to get anything else accomplished besides attending to his needs. I am not going to be hard on myself though. Life happens and sometimes focus needs to be shifted. I am doing well eating healthy so as soon as Mickey gives me an hour, I will get right back to my P90X. Today I'll be lucky if I get a shower. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Day 2: Tough Stuff
I was giving myself every excuse not to exercise today. I didn't fall asleep until midnight last night then my son woke up at 2:30am with a 102 fever. He didn't fall back to sleep until 4am and then was wide awake by 6am needing 110% of my attention. By the time he went down for his morning nap I was already exhausted and in need of a break. BUT...I know myself. I know no matter how much I tell myself I'll exercise in the afternoon, I won't do it. It's best for me to do it and be done! The second day of P90X was much harder than the first and I found myself trying hard to do what I could then running in place. If I can do some of these exercises by the 2nd or 3rd month like the guy in the video says, I'll be really impressed with myself.
The rest of the day kind of fell apart as my son's fever only got worse. We were in the doctor's office by the end of the afternoon. Hopefully with some medication and a good night's sleep he'll be on the mend but unfortunately he can't go to school tomorrow. Not great for trying to get him to love his daycare but that's life. It means more snuggling, reading books, playing with blocks and trying to keep him from busting his head open as he tries to pull himself up on absolutely everything! Hopefully he'll nap long enough for me to do Day 3 of P90X. I can hardly wait. :-)
The rest of the day kind of fell apart as my son's fever only got worse. We were in the doctor's office by the end of the afternoon. Hopefully with some medication and a good night's sleep he'll be on the mend but unfortunately he can't go to school tomorrow. Not great for trying to get him to love his daycare but that's life. It means more snuggling, reading books, playing with blocks and trying to keep him from busting his head open as he tries to pull himself up on absolutely everything! Hopefully he'll nap long enough for me to do Day 3 of P90X. I can hardly wait. :-)
Monday, September 12, 2011
Day 1: P90X and the Journey begins...
I was doing really great in the exercise department and having a lot of success. I was going to the gym every week day and most Saturdays and eating healthy foods (mostly). My gym had free childcare while you were working out and the lady was wonderful. My little guy loved going there to play. It was win-win as far as I was concerned. Then, I received a letter in the mail from my gym saying they were closing the childcare center to build some fancy spa area. UGH!!! They gave all the parents 3 weeks notice and would not change their minds no matter how much we protested. As soon as the childcare ended, my exercise went on a serious hiatus along with eating healthy.
This is really a vicious cycle for me. I get focused, lose some weight and then go back to bad habits. This time I am deciding to take a different approach and not focus so much on pounds but more on the journey to getting back to a healthier me. This includes mind, body and spirit. A lot has happened this year and I feel like I am just starting to reconnect with myself. So, I am setting a few goals and making my declaration today publicly so that I can hold myself accountable. Here they are:
1. Focus on the positive in my life by giving thanks everyday while learning how to let the negative go. There is so much to be thankful for but it has been more difficult for me this year to embrace my unique circumstances of living far away and in a country where I don't speak the language. I want to be more present in my life. It is going to take some soul searching and some work but now is the time.
2. Complete 90 days of P90X training and make better food choices on a daily basis. This is completely doable and I just have to do it! Today I completed Day 1. It was 45 minutes of hard work and it felt great. I know I feel better when I am exercising and there is nothing from keeping me from doing it daily except myself.
3. Be a better friend to my husband. This sounds weird. My hubby is my best friend in the whole world and he works so hard for our family. The hard work means lots of travel and late nights so we often have opposite schedules. By the time he is home, I am ready for bed. I want to focus on a few small things like staying up an extra 30 minutes so we can eat dinner together and planning some fun family activities on the weekends so we can explore the cool things in Switzerland together. The main word being together. :-)
That's it. Nothing too extreme (I think) but some small changes that will lead to big changes. I will start to blog more too (yay for having some extra time) so you fabulous readers can track my progress. This will be good. I am excited to begin work on these things.
This is really a vicious cycle for me. I get focused, lose some weight and then go back to bad habits. This time I am deciding to take a different approach and not focus so much on pounds but more on the journey to getting back to a healthier me. This includes mind, body and spirit. A lot has happened this year and I feel like I am just starting to reconnect with myself. So, I am setting a few goals and making my declaration today publicly so that I can hold myself accountable. Here they are:
1. Focus on the positive in my life by giving thanks everyday while learning how to let the negative go. There is so much to be thankful for but it has been more difficult for me this year to embrace my unique circumstances of living far away and in a country where I don't speak the language. I want to be more present in my life. It is going to take some soul searching and some work but now is the time.
2. Complete 90 days of P90X training and make better food choices on a daily basis. This is completely doable and I just have to do it! Today I completed Day 1. It was 45 minutes of hard work and it felt great. I know I feel better when I am exercising and there is nothing from keeping me from doing it daily except myself.
3. Be a better friend to my husband. This sounds weird. My hubby is my best friend in the whole world and he works so hard for our family. The hard work means lots of travel and late nights so we often have opposite schedules. By the time he is home, I am ready for bed. I want to focus on a few small things like staying up an extra 30 minutes so we can eat dinner together and planning some fun family activities on the weekends so we can explore the cool things in Switzerland together. The main word being together. :-)
That's it. Nothing too extreme (I think) but some small changes that will lead to big changes. I will start to blog more too (yay for having some extra time) so you fabulous readers can track my progress. This will be good. I am excited to begin work on these things.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
My First Real Day Alone
Yesterday was my baby's first real, long day of daycare and I had 8 hours all to myself. It was very tough dropping him off. He immediately started crying and I felt awful. I stood outside the door for a few minutes (probably the wrong thing to do for myself. He couldn't see me) and convinced myself he had stopped crying before I left. The house seemed very empty when I walked in and I had no idea what to do. I felt like just walking around and doing nothing but knew it wouldn't help so it was time to get busy. Here is a list of what I accomplished:
3 loads of laundry folded and put away
Ironing
Cleaned kitchen
killed a big, hairy spider (ick!)
Took out the garbage
Did the recycling
Went to the bank, the pharmacy and the grocery store
Cleaned my desk
Filed papers
Paid bills
Vacuumed
Made baby food
Ground coffee
Changed sheets
Put things away downstairs in storage
Once I picked him up from school, I realized I hadn't sat down all day. Amazing what nervous energy can do. The teachers told me he did great! He settled down and played, ate and slept. Everything a mother could ask for so I really had nothing to worry about. And now that all my work's done, I might be able to sit down on Wednesday and watch tv or something. Pretty soon I'll start my German lessons and should start going to the gym again but for now I will enjoy the quiet time on Wednesday (and miss my son terribly!).
3 loads of laundry folded and put away
Ironing
Cleaned kitchen
killed a big, hairy spider (ick!)
Took out the garbage
Did the recycling
Went to the bank, the pharmacy and the grocery store
Cleaned my desk
Filed papers
Paid bills
Vacuumed
Made baby food
Ground coffee
Changed sheets
Put things away downstairs in storage
Once I picked him up from school, I realized I hadn't sat down all day. Amazing what nervous energy can do. The teachers told me he did great! He settled down and played, ate and slept. Everything a mother could ask for so I really had nothing to worry about. And now that all my work's done, I might be able to sit down on Wednesday and watch tv or something. Pretty soon I'll start my German lessons and should start going to the gym again but for now I will enjoy the quiet time on Wednesday (and miss my son terribly!).
Friday, September 2, 2011
Daycare Day 1
My baby went to daycare today. It was tough but I am hoping to pick up a happy child who had a great morning. He will go 2.5 days a week so I can take German lessons. I guess I might have a little more time to blog too! A lot has been going on. My babe is crawling and standing up on things. He is trying hard to stand on his own and finding more independence as each day passes. He is also super attached to mommy, making daycare a tough transition. I am recommitting myself to my fitness routine and will have a lot to say about that soon. So stay tuned...
Thursday, May 12, 2011
How Time Flies (flys?)
Wow. I can't believe the last time I posted anything was last November. I guess that shows the status of my life -- not that I'm ultra busy or anything but I am just not up to speed on so many things that used to be easy to accomplish. The babe is 6 months old and really growing quickly. It's amazing how he has grown from this tiny little thing that just slept to this fun big boy that giggles and rolls all over and wants to explore his world. He has kept me busy and tired and practically hibernating.
But, winter is over and now the weather is just too nice to stay indoors (well, not today but more on that later in this post). I have come to the conclusion that it is time to get out and meet new people and really try to establish my life here. As I look back on our move to Singapore, it seems like the transition into a "normal" life with good friends and activities happened much more quickly. It is more difficult to venture out, volunteer and be social with a small babe in tow. We've almost lived in Switzerland a year now and it still doesn't feel like home. Some parts do -- like our home. It is beautiful and I am glad we made the effort early on to decorate and fill it with the things we love. I am missing the outside community though that makes the place you live a wonderful place to be (for me).
I decided a few weeks ago that I can't let anymore time pass without trying to take advantage of this place. So, today I will venture out to a coffee for the mommies in our neighborhood. Of course it is pouring rain (which makes me desperately want to put on pjs and snuggle all day with my baby) but I am determined to get out. The baby haze is officially over and we are ready to take on our new world!
But, winter is over and now the weather is just too nice to stay indoors (well, not today but more on that later in this post). I have come to the conclusion that it is time to get out and meet new people and really try to establish my life here. As I look back on our move to Singapore, it seems like the transition into a "normal" life with good friends and activities happened much more quickly. It is more difficult to venture out, volunteer and be social with a small babe in tow. We've almost lived in Switzerland a year now and it still doesn't feel like home. Some parts do -- like our home. It is beautiful and I am glad we made the effort early on to decorate and fill it with the things we love. I am missing the outside community though that makes the place you live a wonderful place to be (for me).
I decided a few weeks ago that I can't let anymore time pass without trying to take advantage of this place. So, today I will venture out to a coffee for the mommies in our neighborhood. Of course it is pouring rain (which makes me desperately want to put on pjs and snuggle all day with my baby) but I am determined to get out. The baby haze is officially over and we are ready to take on our new world!
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