Good-bye Summer, Hello Fall

Today is officially the first day of fall.  I've already said good-bye to my maxi dress, flip flops, and shorts (I'll miss you).  And, I'm actually excited to start sporting my boots, scarves, and trench coat.  The last weekend of the summer, hubby and I decided to have a date night and get a babysitter for the evening.  We didn't do a nice dinner, or even a movie....we decided to go to Beer Fest!!  That's right...we drank beer for 5 hours.  Different vendors from all over the west coast of Canada and the US come to Victoria to show off their new flavors of beer; and we love beer.
Here are some pics from our 'romantic' date night (hehe):

Maxi dress from Club monaco

This summer has by far been the best summer yet, even beats last year when I married my hubby.  Having my baby has been the most rewarding job yet to date.

Today is also my puppy's birthday.  For those of you that don't know, we have a ONE year old boxer puppy named Boston.  I think he's been feeling a little neglected since Nathan has come into the picture, so today we bought him a few treats and a birthday cake.
Here are some pics from today as well:

It's been a rough week!

2 main reasons:

1) Nathan is rejecting my boob.  My one fail-safe method of calming him and making him happy (and of course, feeding him as well) is partially gone.  Since I've started working again last week I think the increase in bottles have made him a lazy breastfeeder.  I'm hoping this is just a phase because it's really starting to hurt my feelings...even though I know I shouldn't take it personally.

2) He isn't sleeping.  Naps have always been a struggle since day one.  He was the only newborn I knew that didn't sleep all day.  When he was 10 days old, I remember him staying awake for 8 hours straight..ugh!  Now, sleeping at night has gotten worse too.  He used to only wake once per night for a feeding and then quickly go right back down.  Now he's up somewhere between 2-4 times per night!!!  Just in time for me to start working again (great timing, Nathan!).  I'm hoping this is just an extended 3 month growth spurt and he'll be sleeping through the night any day now (a mama can dream, right!!!).

Here he is 'napping' in his crib.  And another pic of the nursery if anyone is interested!!!!

Outfit on sale at BabyGap

I love his storyboard hanging above his crib

Otherwise, he's been pretty happy this week.  We're even hearing a few giggles.  Yay!!!

Exercise rut!!!

Since week 6 pp I've been given the all-okay to start exercising again.  Once I hit week 25 in my pregnancy I stopped all forms of exercise except walking our dog (he's a crazy boxer puppy and needs one long walk daily).  I complained so much about not being able to run anymore and couldn't wait for the day to get back at it.  Well it's been 3 months now and I've been on ONE run thus far.  For some reason I can't seem to muster up any motivation.  Any ideas???

I think part of the reason is that I lost the baby weight WAY sooner than expected.  Within 2 weeks I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight and even fitting into some of my regular clothes.  My goal was for this to happen within 2 months.  Within 2 months, I was back into all of my clothes and even started sporting a 2 piece!!!!  My goal for this was 5 months.  I know, I know, I've been very lucky.  I 100% contribute this to Breastfeeding if anyone is looking for motivation to continue when it starts getting tough.

The only thing I'm not liking about my body right now are my huge milk jugs boobs.  I can't wait for them to return to normal human size.  I'm a petite 5"2, 110 lbs woman; these double D's don't look quite right.

Here are some pics of us a few weeks ago at the beach.  It was Nathan's first 'dip' in the water.

Nathan turns 3 Months!!!!!

Where does the time go??  I can't believe my chubby  little boy is 3 months old already.  He really is an amazing baby; only cries when he's hungry or tired.  Here's a re-cap of how things are going so far:

Sleeping:  Since he's been 2-3 weeks old, Nathan has been giving us at least a 4-5 hour stretch at night and then another 3 hour stretch.  At 2 months old he started to give us 7-8 hour stretches consistently.  But now, at 3 months, let's just say he's regressing a little.  It looked like he was finally on the path to sleeping through the night only to go back to the 2-3 week stage.  Except now I think he's even worse.  Waking up at least 2-3 times at night.  Oh well, let's hope it's just the 3 month growth spurt.  He's never been a great napper either , but we're working on it.

Eating:  Nathan is exclusively breastfed, meaning he gets nothing except breast milk.  Breastfeeding is HARD at the beginning.  I thought about quitting so many times.  But mama's a stubborn girl and was determined keep with it.  Breastfeeding was something that was really important to me so I'm glad I stuck with it.  Now, I love it.  The bond you create with breastfeeding is unbelieveable.  Not to mention the health benefits.

Milestones:
-Can roll over from tummy to back
-Can stand on his own with a little assistance
-Starting to grab things (like my nose and hair...ouch!!!)
-TONS of smiles, and we've even heard a couple of little giggles (still waiting for more though).
-Sleeps and naps in his crib for a month now
-He's somewhere between 15 and 16lbs of cuteness

-Eyes are still a deep blue (I hope they never change)
-Favorite thing is that handsome baby in the mirror (hehe)
-Likes his playmat and even starting to like tummy time a little more
-Still addicted to his pacifier

We love you Nathan!!!!

First day Back

Today was officially my first day back to work...booooo!!!  My 3 month maternity leave is over!  Honestly, where did this summer go??  I've had a few meltdowns about leaving Nathan a few weeks ago so when today finally did come, I actually felt okay about it.  The next month will just be part time so that also makes it a little easier.

What makes it more difficult is the fact that I'm officially a 'cow' while at work (and I don't mean that I look fat).  For all of you breastfeeding / working mamas you know exactly what I mean.  To keep up my supply and to keep Nathan fed on exclusively breastmilk, I'll be pumping every 3-4 hours.  I'm using the Medela Pump in Style Advanced and I love it.  I would highly recommend a good, double electric pump for anyone in my situation.  It makes feeling like a cow a little easier.

Next time I'll try and update a little more about the little one!!!!!!!!!