Dairy, Weight, Bear, Pictures!

It is amazing how busy you can be staying at home with an infant. Between feeding, diaper changes, crying, holding, laundry, etc. the days just fly by.

Bear is going through a needy phase where he really wants to be held most of the time. I am attributing it to the fact that he has a cold, he got diaper rash and he was dealing with some serious gastrointestinal issues. He would fuss when put down, but would be fine when held. This makes getting things done more difficult, but then again, it is nice to have an excuse to hold him a lot – and my left arm is getting super buff while I try to one handed do most everything.

With Bears cold, he has not been happy being laid flat on his back because I am pretty sure he is stuffed up and cant breath. He has gotten to sleep in bed with us several times propped up on a pillow which he seems to think is just great.

He is almost smiling. There are times where I catch a fleeting, possible, maybe smile. I can’t wait until he is smiling in response to stimulation or happiness.

We have already had to go through the closet and pull a bunch of clothes that he is too big for. Anything that was from the Gap and is 0-3 month is too small. There are some jammies that are too small that are labeled 3 month but I want to say this is because they have been washed a ton and have shrunk. Bear is really long so I think that is why he has been growing out of things. Most of the sizes are based on length and he is just a really long baby so he ends up growing out of things that he shouldn’t even fit into – like 3 month clothes when he is only 5 weeks and 4 days old.

I am still off dairy. When people think about dairy, they think – oh, not so bad. Just cut out cheese and milk and stuff. Not so much. Think of all the baked things you make – most of them have butter or milk in them. Those things are all out for me. Think about stuff you buy in a box. Risotto for example. There is milk in the seasoning packet. Anything that has milk, caisin, whey, letchin, and a bunch of other less known names that milk goes by – all out. We are pretty much sure the issue was diary related. Get this – I had like 3 sips of a hot chocolate that was made with water and non-diary creamer…but oops, the powder had milk in it. And later that day, Bear had another green poo with traces of blood in it. Apparently, his inability to digest it is pretty severe. I am coping thanks to some great tips from people with websites and cookbooks to try. I have had to read every label in the store when shopping. I now have things in my fridge like cultured almond milk (aka, almond milk yogurt), hummus, pita, lettuce, lunch meat, tofu, coconut milk, almond milk, coconut milk creamer, sprouted grain bread, some type of veggie burger (ps, did you know that gardenburgers have milk in them?) etc. Ultimately, I believe this will make me healthier because I really did use milk as a crutch.

One thing that I have discovered through choosing things like dairy free Fig Newmans is that dairy is a natural and subtle sweetener. Things have a bit of a bitter twinge to them when they are diary free. Who knew. I am already thinking that when I can have diary back, I may not take it back. In some ways, I feel healthier being forced into this diet. I also wonder and worry what the dairy stuff will do to my system once I let it back in…I am starting to think and believe that dairy is less good for us that we would like to think – and I am also starting to wonder if there isn’t something behind the whole Paleo trend. When I was reading about Paleo (and no, I won’t go full paleo or anything while breastfeeding, I think that it would be difficult to get all the nutrients that I need and I have already gone drastic by eliminating dairy) it turns out, back in the day when they were hunter/gatherer types, they ate like 200 different species of food. In today’s diet, despite what appears to be tons of choices, we eat like 20 different species of food. Which makes sense when you think about it. Most food that you find at the grocery store is basically corn disguised as something else. Seriously. Watch Food Inc. if you need proof. Or better yet, read labels on the foods that you buy. Most of what you will find is chemical names that you can’t pronounce and that you don’t know and you will be almost sure to find either corn or soy somewhere. Try it.

All that to say, Bear is better when I don’t eat Dairy.

He is now wearing a bib most of the time as of yesterday. It cuts down on clothing changes. He is also 100% cloth diapered which I am thrilled about! At night, they work like a charm and I see no reason why people who cloth diaper would opt to keep their kids in disposables when sleeping.

My weight is down to 153, which is 8lbs above my starting weight and 13lbs above my final goal weight. Ultimately, I feel my best when I am 135-140 rather than 140-145. I can now button my jeans that I wore before having a baby. That is not to say that my body is the same. I still have a ponch and I am sure I will continue to have said ponch until I start doing some serious cardio.

I have been on several walks (weather permitting) and I have resurrected my ADAPT training exercises, when Bear will let me put him down long enough to do them.

I am definitely a bigger wimp than before and have a long way to go. I can do 10 girlie push-ups in a row. I used to crank out 25-40 regular ones in a row…but I will get there. I will be back in fighting shape before I know it and I am so excited to get there. What I really need is either a treadmill or an EFX in the house. That would make work-outs so much easier. Especially since the weather outside makes getting out and doing things with bear next to impossible.

The good news about when Bear was born is that the weather will start getting nicer when he will be fully able to run with me in the Jogging stroller. My plan is to run in the Pacific Crest ½ Marathon again this next year. I missed it in 2011 but did it in 2010 and it is a really great run! I will get to train with Bear in the Jogger and then run it without so I should be decently fast J