truly man's best friend

I know this shouldn't surprise me, but as I was driving along on the PCH the other day, I passed a pet grooming store and noticed a sign on their window that read "Canine CPR Certified". I had to repeat that back to myself to see if I understood correctly. CPR for dogs? All I could envision was mouth to mouth resuscitation on a dog's snout and it wasn't a pretty picture. I can't even KISS a dog let alone do mouth to mouth. Yikes.

Don't get me wrong, dogs are wonderful creatures. I grew up with dogs, but they were outside pets in our household. A dog was treated like an animal. They ate crunchy, hard dog food and lived in the backyard. At one point, my sister and I insisted they should eat the wet stuff so my parents gave in for a bit. We even got them to buy Science Diet for Angus, our overweight German Shepard, but my parents went back to the generic Sam's Club bulk mix, and I can't blame them. We also rarely bathed our dogs. On occasion they got rinse downs in the outside shower or took dips in the pool, but that didn't happen often. As for brushing them, I think we did that seasonally. And teeth brushing? Our dogs always had dog breath.

Since I grew up with outside pets that were treated like animals, things like canine CPR blow my mind. I know I would have done it when I was young and in love with our dogs, and I would do it now if Win had a dog that he cherished, but it still kind of grosses me out. I can't promise canine CPR if you ever need me to watch your dog, but I can give you a good lead.

sunday best

We did it, we took our first ever Easter family photos. When I was little we always got new dresses for Easter Sunday and my dad would take pictures right before or after church. In keeping with tradition, Win got a special Easter tie. Since he doesn't have any siblings yet, I thought we could all sort of match. Cheesy? Maybe, but I enjoyed it.

(really happy with Uncle Lance our photographer)

I love Easter and the hope it brings. I'm glad we were able to spend time with both of our families this weekend and I'm grateful for the new little man that has joined Kent and me. We are truly blessed.

aftermath

The postpartum body is a wonder. For instance, every day I wonder what to dress it in and when or if it will return to its pre-partum state. I don't think it will ever be the same, which is fine, but this in between state is interesting. I've basically been wearing sweats (or "leisure pants" if you will) for the last 2 1/2 months. I know it's time to start dressing up a bit, but in what? A few of my regular pants fit; it's the tops I'm struggling with, and I am realizing that I wore some tight tops before I became pregnant. Now all I want are flowy spring-like shirts that button and give my body some room to breath. I really need to go shopping. Marshalls and Old Navy, here I come.

I'm grateful my body was able to successfully carry a child and that I can breastfeed, but I'm also grateful to be running again and for this crazy hard strengthening/toning class I've been going to that is literally 7 or so blocks away from our house. Ever heard of Pop Physique? Man, oh man. It is a combination pilates/barre class and it makes me sore every time.

Anyway, the baby calls. Three cheers for nursing, Pop Physique and time to get this body back in shape.

stats and such

Win is 10 weeks tomorrow and here are the stats from his 2 month appointment:

Weight: 11 lbs. 1 oz.
Length: 22 1/2 inches
First round of shots completed (not fun)
Shot Reaction: He cried, and I almost did. He was looking up at me with those trusting, blue/gray eyes content with pacifier in mouth when all of the sudden he felt a jab. It took a split second to register the pain and then his little face broke into a huge, red cry. I felt so bad. Good thing that nurse was fast and really nice. Before she gave him his shots she said, "He's going to cry harder than you've ever heard him cry." It was true. He slept the rest of the afternoon and evening though. Probably good for his little body, but it made me a bit nervous. He is just fine now and is his regular, happy self.

Current happenings and likes:
-Recognizes his fist, and it has found its way to his mouth
-Staring at Mom's hair (pulls it as well)
-Sleeping in Mom or Dad's arms
-Seems to understand the difference between complaining and crying now
-Likes the sound of running water
-Holds his head up like a champ; it is still wobbly, but he is a strong boy
-Falls asleep in the car seat every time we drive or walk somewhere
-Talks a lot (ah-goos, laughs, sometimes even high pitched squeals and other sounds I can't
decipher, but they're definitely communication)
-Doesn't sleep through the night yet...hopefully, that day is coming soon
-Spits up a lot, but is gaining weight
-Likes (or at least tolerates) being kissed all day long
-Enjoys staring at the ceiling fan
-Humming puts him to sleep

He is a really pleasant baby with a fun personality. There are days I want him to stay same age and size forever, but I'm looking forward to the new stages of development. I can't believe how much he has already grown physically, mentally and emotionally since birth. Time really does fly.

Here's a video of our most recent tummy time. Sorry the film is at an angle. I need to learn how to record on my phone better. Next time.

a jedi?

When Kent and Winston get together, something I refer to as "Chewbacca" time occurs. Kent will make this guttural noise (go here for an example) and Win will respond. Apparently, the boy understands the Wookiee language of Shyriiwook. Pretty soon, he's going to be waving a lightsaber around and using the Force to get what he wants. He is a very gifted child.

I love watching this boy grow.

sustenance

Eating healthy is a big deal to me. I kind of slacked while pregnant and I'm not doing that great while nursing (I made chocolate chip cookies on Saturday and a tater tot casserole last night), BUT I do try to get my daily allowance of fruits and vegetables. I has been hard finding time to do that with a newborn though. I feel lucky if I can take a quick shower and eat a bowl of cereal in one sitting.

Anyway, my friend gave me a recipe for a smoothie called the "green drink" and it is fantastic! It incorporates fruits and vegetables in one so I don't have to worry about getting my leafy greens at any other point during the day.

The Green Drink

It's definitely green, but it is good. Here's the recipe if you need an all-in-one drink that covers your food pyramid basics every day.

Place the following ingredients in your blender and blend until smooth:

2 or 3 tbsp almonds
1-2 whole carrots (or baby carrots)
1 banana
½ or whole red apple (Fuji, Braeburn, or whatever is in season)
2-3 kale leaves
1 or 2 handfuls spinach
4-6 frozen strawberries
1 handful frozen blueberries (you can use any kind of frozen or fresh fruit-I use raspberries because they have lots of fiber))
2-3 stalks celery
1 tbsp flax seed (whole or ground)

Liquid: OJ, soymilk, almond milk, or water

Optional:
½ avocado
¼ bunch of cilantro or parsley
1 tbsp raw unsweetened coconut
cucumber or zucchini
Ice (if you use fresh fruit instead of frozen, you will want to add ice)

The Ingredients

Note from my friend: My favorite thing about this is you can leave out whatever you are missing or add any extra veggies you have on hand. Just throw in any veggies that are starting to go bad, like leftover romaine or tomato. In the past, I have added kidney beans, oranges, pineapple, pears, dates, persimmons, (frozen) grapes, fresh ginger, and frozen green beans. I have added both uncooked and leftover cooked oatmeal like we talked about last night. Some concoctions have been a little gross so I usually stick to the tried-and-true recipe above, but there is definitely room for experimentation.

It really is great. I'm going to go make my green drink right now so I'll have some energy before this guy wakes up. I spoke too soon...

The Best Baby EVER

my boys

Photo by Daddy