Losing the Weight Breastfeeding...

...is a myth. When I heard stories of how the weight would just melt off if you breastfeed, it sounded too good to be true, and it turns out that it is (just an fyi - I'm not breastfeeding just to lose weight, but it definitely would have been a welcome bonus). The first two weeks I lost all kinds of weight, so I was hopeful there would be some truth to it. Turns out that weight was mainly Ezzy (almost 8lbs), the amniotic fluid, and all the water weight I was carrying around those last few weeks. Ezzy will be 7 weeks on Monday and I haven't lost a single pound since week 2, so it's on to plan B for losing the weight: salads + working out. I'm curious if anyone out there actually has lost weight from breastfeeding, and if so, how long did it take?

Thankfully all this summertime heat is perfect for a yummy, refreshing salad. We've also developed a bit of an obsession with the salad bar at Whole Foods (if driving all the way to Pasadena three times in the last week counts as an obsession). Ezzy loves it there too, as you can see in the pic above.

Mmmm:

Grilled Veggies, Sauteed Mushrooms, Pineapple, Tofu, Hardboiled Egg & Tangerine Dressing

Same salad as before + strawberries, cabbage, southwest couscous & veggie samosa

Joe's Pasta + Indian Food

Joe's food, round 2

Joe's food, round 3 (mmm, spaghetti squash)

Grilled pineapple & veggies, kobucha, sauteed mushrooms, oranges, beans, & tangerine dressing (love that stuff!)

Claim Jumper has a pretty good salad bar too:

 

And we even got these fancy salad bowls from Cost Plus to make eating salads at home more appealing:

Stirfry veggies, pineapple, fake chicken, brown rice, spinach, & sweet chili dressing

Ezzy's First Bath!

One day he'll hate me for posting these. Sorry, Ezzy! We actually gave him his first bath last week, but I haven't had time to post pics. We were just giving him sponge baths until his belly button scab went away, and he wasn't too fond of the sponge baths, so none of us were looking forward to the real thing. The first minute or two in the tub he was fairly content. Then came the actual washing part, which he wasn't thrilled with. By the time I got to washing his hair, he'd had it. I'm sure one day he'll love bath time, but for now we just try to get in and out as fast as possible.

And here's a few cute Ezzy pics, cause we just can't get enough:

Life Lately - Lots of Family Time

This past week was filled with lots and lots of family time. I have a feeling now that Ezzy's here that will be pretty common around here, and we couldn't be happier. Ezzy made his first trip to his grandma's house and met his cousins for the first time last Tuesday. To mine and Joe's surprise he spent a lot of time awake and not hungry for once. Our little boy is growing up! Then Ezzy got a double dose of grandparents over the weekend when my parents came down for a few days. Last time they saw him he was only a few hours old and slept through the whole visit, and this time he was so alert and gave lots of smiles (along with a few scowls and cries). Apparently they have the "boring grandparents" touch or something, because they managed to put him to sleep just by talking to him, which was much appreciated. 

This kid cracks me up

No more pictures, Dad!

Such a serious lil guy

Visiting the farmers market and the grove

And because I'm sure you were wondering what James has been up to, here's a little update: He's been busy guarding our yard and expanding our territory. He'll be king of the neighborhood pretty soon. In the above pic he's showing us what a bada*s he is by demolishing the tree in our front yard.

Happy First Father's Day!

 

Happy Father's Day to the most loving and playful father a son could hope for. The past ten months have held so many moments of intense love and happiness for our little family. From that morning when I first found out I was pregnant to the first time we saw Ezzy's face on the sonogram to that first cry in the delivery room, it has been such a joyful journey. I will never forget the ecstatic look on Joe's face in those early morning hours when we met our son for the first time. Or how he went from being careful and timid the first time he held Ezra to never wanting to set him down. Now he confidently zooms Ezzy through the air like a little rocket ship (Ezrocket ship, to be exact). And Ezzy loves it. He'll stare around wide-eyed taking in his new surroundings while Daddy narrates everything they pass. Nobody can entertain Ezzy like Joe, and he was the first one to coax a real smile from Ezzy. It has been so much fun watching their bond grow as Ezra becomes more aware and involved in his surroundings and I'm so excited for all the fun adventures we'll share as a family. I love my boys so much.

Happy 1 Month Birthday, Ezzy!

The past month flew by! Ezzy is getting more comfortable and fascinated with his surroundings and we're getting a little more comfortable as parents. I know everyone says they grow up so fast, but I really dp feel like he's already grown and changed a lot. Right around the time he turned 4 weeks old he started taking interest in a few things that used to either annoy or terrify him.

Exhibit A: His swing. I tried putting him in his swing when he was two and three weeks old and he would go from perfectly content to red faced and screaming in a matter of seconds. I tried again at 4 weeks and suddenly he's happy as a little clam for 15 - 20 precious minutes that I usually use to throw together some food and eat.

Exhibit B: Pacifiers. I started trying pacifiers at week 1 when he would act fussy even if I was feeding him, but he would just spit the pacifier out and keep fussing. A lot of other bloggers recommended Nuk pacifiers and thankfully Ezzy loves those. That bought me at least half an hour during dinner tonight.

Exhibit C: Carriers. I tried 3 different carriers and Ezzy hated all of them, so we pretty much just stuck with his stroller, which he used to love. But suddenly he decided he hates his carseat and after a few walks that resulted in one of us carrying a screaming baby while the other pushed the stroller home we gave up on walks for awhile. Then I found the Infantino carrier, a gift from my cousin, buried in the closet and I gave that a go. Success! We took him for a walk in that last night and he spent the first half of the walk looking around all wide-eyed and the second half he was knocked out. Now I can carry him around while doing chores or take him out on errands without worrying about him throwing a fit.

Exhibit D (my favorite): Smiling when we talk to him. Mornings tend to be his most content time, and for the past week or so he'll spend about 30 - 40 minutes watching me talk to him and giving me big, adorable smiles. It's those moments that make any sleeplessness, smelliness, and fussiness completely worth it.

Exhibit E: Toys are beginning to catch his attention. He has two rattle-type toys that seem to intrigue him. He even tried grabbing for one (we think). It will be so much fun once he can start grasping things and playing with his toys.

A Day In Our Life: 24 Hours With a Newborn

Back when Ezzy was about two weeks old I decided to keep a little log of what our average day looks like. Mostly I was curious why I have so little time to do anything, even though he sleeps so much. I was also curious exactly how often and for how long this little guy eats, because some days it feels like eat at least 16 hours a day. So in case you're wondering what a day in the life of a newborn and first time mom looks like, here you go:

7:45 - I feed Ezzy in our bed (where he's been since 4:30). Both of us doze back offer to sleep.
8:20 - He wakes up and starts fussing because my nipple fell out of his mouth. I get up, pour myself some cereal, and move to the couch where we both eat breakfast.
8:40 - I have to pry Ezzy off my boob so I can use the bathroom. I come back to find him happy and alert  so we lie together in bed and I tell him about some of my favorite books that we'll read together one day. He smiles while he audibly goes poop. I take it he's had enough of story time once he starts letting out short bursts of crying (not coincidentally right around the time he stops pooping).
9:05 - He's freshly changed (after screaming bloody murder the entire time he was on the changing table). Back we go to the couch for some more nursing. Still a little traumatized from the diaper change, he pauses from sucking every now and then to let out little cries while shaking his head (and my nipple) back and forth like a rabid dog. I turn on Netflix for a Once Upon a Time marathon and make a mental to-do list: shower, litter box, dishes, blog.
10:15 - I start dozing off and Ezzy is already asleep so I attempt to move us to bed. Rookie mistake. He wakes up acting ravenous. We both fall asleep while he's nursing.
11:45 - I wake up to Ezzy wanting (what else?) more food. First I change him while he screams bloody murder again. Them he eats on the couch while I drink some water. I'm hungry too, but nothing that I can make and eat one-handed sounds appetizing yet.
12:20 - Ezzy has been eating and fussing for a few minutes. Then his hands get in the way of his mouth so he spends a few minutes trying to eat them. Suddenly he settles down all content and alert while he poops. We listen to the Mumford and Sons station on Pandora which keeps him in a good mood for over an hour - even through a diaper change! Best. band. EVER. We even managed to dance around for a few songs before he tried feeding through my shirt.
1:30 - Back to the couch. Items completed from my to-do list: 0. Items I should probably add to my to-do list: lunch & brush teeth.
1:50 - Apparently dancing wore him out because he falls asleep a few minutes into eating. I carefully slide him off my lap onto the couch and scurry off to the kitchen to microwave some popcorn. I've officially reached the stage of hunger where anything sounds appetizing. I manage to finish half the dishes while the popcorn's popping. I go back to check on him and find him lying there, eyes wide open. I tiptoe away hoping he'll fall back asleep. He instantly starts fussing. I sit on the couch with my popcorn and both of us eat again. He falls asleep within minutes again.
2:00 - This time I place him in his cradle and try to finish the dishes. I hear him screaming as I'm scrubbing the last pot.
2:10 - I'm back on the couch feeding him.
2:15 - He's asleep again. I'm afraid to move.
2:40 - I flip through a magazine for half an hour before I finally decide he's asleep enough to be out down in his cradle. I rush to take a 5 minute shower. He's awake and fussing by the time I get out.
3:00 - Time for another diaper change. This time he pees on himself and screams even harder than usual (if possible).
3:10 - We're back on the couch nursing. So far I've finished the dishes, showered, brushed my teeth, and ate "lunch" - however I'm only wearing underwear at the moment.
4:00 - Daddy gets home early and I finally get to put on some clothes. We eat an early dinner of leftovers while Ezzy sleeps in his cradle.
5:30 - Ezzy wakes up just as we finish eating. This is probably the first dinner I've eaten with my boobs tucked away since we got home from the hospital. Daddy changes him then I feed him.
6:00 - He's asleep so I try putting him back in his cradle. His eyes immediately open so I hold him until he's asleep and then pass I'm off to Daddy.
6:15 - I sit down at my computer and start working on my blog. I can hear him going poop while sitting on Daddy's lap. Once the smell becomes unbearable Daddy changes him. He wakes up and Daddy keeps him occupied for a little bit before passing him back to me for another feeding. I feed him at my computer while blogging with one hand.
8:00 - I pass him off to Daddy for yet another diaper change. He's fussing so we decide to go for a walk and see if he calms down. We make it halfway around the block before he's screaming and Daddy has to carry him home, shushing in his ear.
8:45 - We're on the couch nursing again. The only thing left on my to-do list is the litter box. All in all this is as productive as my days get lately. We watch Breaking Bad while I feed Ezzy on and off until 9:40. Not willing to risk him waking up, I hold him for the next hour.
10:40 - I put Ezzy in his cradle. We get ready for bed and we're in bed playing Family Feud by 11:20.
11:50 - I change Ezzy then nurse him in bed with us. We both fall asleep.
2:00 - Ezzy wakes up fussing. I change his diaper then feed him in the rocking chair in his room.
2:25 - I put him in his cradle.
5:00 - I pull him into bed for another feeding. We both doze on and off until 7:30.

Ezzy loves being held. It doesn't matter if he's asleep, awake, or nursing, he wants to be in someone's arms. One day soon he'll be running all over the place and I'll probably have to force him to cuddle with me, so I'm soaking this up while it lasts. Kudos to all the parents with two or more young children. I'm not really sure how anyone manages to take care of a newborn AND a toddler. I guess it's one of those things in life that you can't really plan for, you just figure it out as it comes. Or maybe there's some magical secret about how to have enough time for everyone - in which case I'd love to hear it. I know I've said this several times in the past few weeks, but once again, thank God for Joe. He works all day then comes home and entertains Ezzy so I can get a few things done. He's such an amazing dad.

Weekend Recap: Our First "Real" Outing with Ezzy

This past Saturday was our first "real" outing with Ezzy. When I say real, I mean we actually did something fun, and were able to sit and talk with other adults, as opposed to running into a grocery store and splitting up so we can grab everything we need before Ezzy throws a fit. I can't say for sure, but it may have been the first time that week when either Ezzy or I wore real clothes. His adorable little crab onesie was a gift from our landlord. Our agenda for the day was to meet up with some of Joe's old co-workers at Barneys Beanery in Burbank, and then, depending on Ezzy's mood, we wanted to try out SubZero Ice Cream, which was featured on Shark Tank this past Friday night. You get to pick your own ice cream base, choose the flavor, and then pick mix-ins. They mix everything right in front of you, and then freeze it using liquid nitrogen. 

After a couple minutes of crying in the car on the way to Burbank, this is what Ezzy looked like all through lunch: 

I think Joe's co-workers may have been a little disappointed that Ezzy never budged from his carseat, but Joe and I were thrilled. We actually got to eat a meal and converse with people. Originally we were planning to just pop in and say hi, then leave as soon as Ezzy woke up, which we assumed would be within 15 minutes. So his three hour nap was a really pleasant surprise.

Irish Nachos

After almost two hours, Ezzy was still asleep so we decided to push our luck and head to SubZero. He woke up screaming just as we were parking, but I put him in the Infantino carrier, covered him with a blanket, and nursed him while we were walking around the mall and he fell right asleep. Oddly enough, he seemed to get more attention with just his feet poking out of the bottom of the carrier than he did at the restaurant. It seemed like every other woman we passed either pointed at him excitedly or commented on his tiny little legs. It was like carrying around a mini-celebrity.
                  

SubZero was yummy. We got a soy milk base, with marshmallow and vanilla flavoring, and almond joy and nilla wafers mix-ins. Even better than the ice cream was the fact that we were actually able to eat out in public. 

It was also my first time nursing him in public, and it went more smoothly than I had imagined. We have three carriers, the bjorn, chicco, and infantino, and I think the infantino is best for him at this stage. It's completely open in the front, so it's easy nursing access, and I think it's more comfortable for Ezzy. I covered him with an Aden & Anais muslin blanket and it was discreet but he didn't get too hot. The only difficult part of the day was when he screamed half the way home. It's heartbreaking to hear him crying when there's nothing I can do about it. 

On a brighter note, Ezzy is officially giving us giant, heart-melting smiles now: