6 month growler and a marathon!

Is it just me or does that title sound like our son is a beer?  Anywho!  We celebrated Jack's 6 month birthday in Chicago, where Matt and I ran in the Chicago Marathon!  This was a big deal, especially for me.  I signed up as motivation to lose the baby weight I was putting on and Matt wanted to get his first marathon under his belt before our schedules became too busy.  It's tough to train with a baby, and we couldn't have done it without living with my parents and having my mom watch Jack every Saturday.  Not only did I have to worry about running, I had to worry about Jack's feeding schedule.  I'm still exclusively breastfeeding and while I did pump some milk for when we were on really long runs I prefer not to bottle feed.  We timed our runs with that in mind.  Easy enough for training, but race day was another story!  My mom brought Jack down to the race start so I could nurse him as close to start time as possible (more for my sake than his!), then she had 2 bottles to give him while we were running.  About 30 minutes after I finished there I was, sitting in the grass with all the other runners nursing him again. 

Unfortunately, I didn't really account for the extra calories burned, so I started out the race pretty hungry.  Matt and I ran together for the first 13 or so, and then I had to tell him he could go on without me.  I was crashing big time and had to down a bunch of gels and pretzels to get my calorie intake up.  I walked a bit until I felt better and then went at it again, finishing in a SLOW 5:19....and didn't care one bit!  Matt did better with a 4:56.  It was a great weekend with my mom, sister Carrie, cousin Debbie and her husband Brian.  I'm proud to say that Matt now loves marathons and I reconfirmed my belief that marathons are not fun!  But hey, at least I lost all my baby weight! 

As for Jack at 6 months - he is cracking us up with his growl noises, he is reaching for objects while sitting and most the time falls on his face, he loves bath time with dad, and laughs and smiles all the time!  Love our boy! 

September Updates!

I have a good excuse for not updating the blog in over a month - a great dane sat on my computer!  I always think a blog is more fun to look at with pictures, and since I haven't been able to access mine I haven't wanted to blog either.  But enough about that....I stole my sister's computer for a bit for an update. 

Let's see....highlights in September included some serious training for our marathon in October, a visit from Matt's parents, a trip to Grand Rapids to see ArtPrize (where Jack's birth was featured at an exhibit by our doula), and lots of progress on our house in Holland! 

Jack started sitting up unassisted and is a happy, smilely boy!  I love my days with him even more as we do lots of singing, book reading, block building, and peek a boo....I'm so happy I'm content being a stay at home mom, as I can recognize it's not for everyone.  For me, I wouldn't be anywhere else!  Here are a few September pictures:

Summer travels!!!

Woah, what a slacker on the blog huh?!?!  We've had a busy month since I've last posted.  Where to start.....

We took our longest road trip yet (7 hours!) up to Shawano, Wisconsin to Matt's grandmother's house.  Jack was a trooper.  The whole crew was there - Matt's parents, sisters and families, and a whole slew of cousins and extended family and friends.  His grandmother's house is the hub for everyone in the summer, which is so special.  Jack met everyone and was his adorable, laid back self!  Matt's sisters also threw us a baby shower (surprise!) and we were so honored that everyone could make it.  We had a fun weekend with lots of sun, good food and laughs with family!  Oh, and happy 31st birthday to me!  :)

Next up, a trip to New York City!!  We had never been and thought we'd go while Jack is the perfect age to take everywhere.  He did awesome on his 2nd airplane trip, and it helps that we got another upgrade to first class.  He was awake a little more than his 1st airplane ride to Seattle last month, but just full of smiles!  Once we landed we took a cab to our hotel in Times Square....with Jack on my lap.  It seemed very unsafe to travel that way and I can't believe you don't need a car seat in taxi cabs, but when in Rome.... 

While in NYC we saw all the major sites:  Rockefeller Center, Empire State Building, Central Park, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, World Trade Center memorial (must see....life changing!), Times Square and Grand Central Terminal.  Jack was so amazing the whole time - content as can be in the Ergo exploring the sites or taking a nap.  We took him out of the Ergo at many of the sites to stretch, nurse, and rest my back.  On a side note, I breastfed him at all the sites below and didn't get one weird stare at all......refreshing and so very easy!! Matt and I were even able to get a 6 mile run in around Central Park - a special treat!  We took turns watching Jack while the other one ran and we'll be looking forward to being able to use our BOB Revolution running stroller in a couple months.

The downside of traveling with a 3 1/2 month old is that he doesn't sleep the day away anymore, so we weren't able to eat more than 1 longer sit down dinner or stay out drinking until the wee hours like we would have liked.  :)  Oh well!  Even though we had him to bed most nights around 10:00pm, he still slept like a champ until around 8 or 9am most days.  Love our boy!! 

Granola Momma Ramblings....

While in Seattle I spent some time with my cousin's wife Jennifer and my other cousin's friend Mary, both with new babies.  They both have other children, but are exclusively breast feeding their little ones and therefore brought them to most of the weekend's festivities.  In watching and talking with them and going through my own experiences, it became clear just how inconvenient breast feeding can be.  I don't mean inconvenient in a bad way, more like in a way that forces you to be unselfish in not only your every day activities but special events as well.  For example, Jennifer and Mary were both in the wedding party and were going to a salon to get their hair done.  Mary had to bring her baby along, even though her husband was home with their other child.  Jennifer left her baby at home with her husband, but he had to bring the baby to the salon when the baby was ready to nurse.  I had to time my own trip to the salon around Jack's feeding schedule as well.  Easy?  No.  But as mothers that chose to exclusively breast feed our children, we automatically chose to be unselfish - and sometimes that's hard to deal with.  Am I doing what I think is the absolute best thing for my child?  Of course! 

After the wedding ceremony, it was about time for Jack to nurse again so I went to find a quiet space.  There happened to be some couches where the bridal party had their stuff, so I sat down and nursed Jack.  Side note:  my dress for the wedding was chosen specifically with ease of nursing in mind!  My number one dress choice?  Nope.  Sigh.  After several minutes, I was joined by Jennifer and Mary and there we sat, nursing our babies.  And it was then that I realized that even though I sometimes have a difficult time being unselfish, I don't have to be lonely.  And that, my friends, felt good! 

Okay, enough about boobs.  When you think you're headed down the "granola" route of parenting, you hear lots of talk about immunizations.  HOT TOPIC ALERT!  Don't do any, wait til he's older, they cause autism, etc etc etc.  While I was pregnant and after Jack's birth we read several books on immunizations, and a favorite became The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears.  After reading this, it didn't feel right to us to begin vaccinating until 6 months of age.  Since Jack is now 3 months, we've been looking for a pediatrician that will do his well child visits and be open to an alternative vaccination schedule.  I can tell you that 5 phone calls later to 5 different pediatrician offices warranted 5 big fat "We can't take you as a patient if you won't follow the required vaccination schedule".  Seriously?  Aren't we living in the good ol US of A, the land of opportunity, free from discrimination?  I was spoken to as if I was the most negligent, irresponsible parent (and I'm sure at least one person reading this thinks that we are....).  How frustrating.  I'm not going to argue the validity of our point, but encourage you to do your own research.  Now I'm going to make some calls to a Family Physician and see if we have any luck there. 

On a more positive granola note, getting new cloth diapers in the mail makes me happy! 

Oh!  And in terms of co-sleeping Jack has moved out of our bed (did I tell you that already?) several weeks ago and sleeps in a Pack n Play next to our bed.  The arrangement is working perfectly and I love being able to meet his needs without having to wait to hear him cry from another bedroom. 

That's all!  :)

Seattle, a wedding, and 3 months old!

Jack took his first flight last Wednesday to Seattle to see my cousin Debbie get married!  I was a little nervous, but he did great (would you expect anything less from our little guy?!).  I had no qualms about nursing him on the airplane, which helped him drift off to sleep on the 2 flights there and 2 flights back.  Once in Seattle he did a pretty good job adjusting to the time change and our busy schedule.  Through late nights at the Rehearsal Dinner, Wedding and cook out at the Klarich's he was a champ....not getting to bed most nights until midnight!  No worries, he slept in the wrap quite a bit (even allowing me to get on the dance floor at the wedding!).  Matt made it to the wedding reception late Friday night after flying in after a long day at work, which made me a happy momma!  Saturday we headed downtown to Pike Place Market and the Space Needle.  I must say, Seattle in the summer is a good time! 

 Sleepy time at the wedding!

 Yea!  Dadda made it for a family picture!

Jack - 3 months with Bruno - 5 months

Top of the Space Needle

Oh yes, and Jack is now 3 months old!  He has definitely found his fingers and uses them to help him get to sleep.  Speaking of sleep, he now gets anywhere between 7-9 hours in a row (YIPPPEEEEEEEE!) at night before nursing and then sleeping another couple hours and takes 2-3 naps a day.  He likes being on his tummy, lifts his head up high, and is just beginning to realize that his arms can help hold him up.  His daily "conversations" with Matt crack me up - they coo back and forth and Jack's expressions during this are so serious.  We love our happy little boy!  :)

Summertime!

We finally had a warm and sunny day to take Jack to the beach on Sunday over the 4th of July weekend!  We tried on Saturday, but it was too windy for our little tent so we had to cut the day short.  Our good friends had given us some swim trunks and a long sleeved swim shirt, so we were all set!  Jack loves bath time and it was no surprised when he liked Lake Michigan as well.  We held him as he put his toes in the sand and his legs in the water - no crying necessary!  Jack napped in the tent and we were even able to take the jet skiis out!  A perfect day.  

The fireworks were on Sunday, so we wrapped Jack up and went down to the beach to check them out.  When Jack is in the wrap I can pull one side over the ear that's not against my body so he's cozy and secure - he slept through the whole show! 

I was so happy for a nice, sunny weekend and to top it off Matt had Monday and Tuesday off (yea, Gentex!).  He's such a good dad and I know he loves when he can spend extra time with Jack (and me of course!).  Happy Independence Day!  :)

Marathon Training has begun!

I'm happy to report that Matt and I have begun training for the Chicago Marathon, which is on October 9th.  I'm so looking forward to the training and the race!  The race falls on Jack's 6 month birthday and it's pretty impressive to run a marathon 6 months post pregnancy (if I do say so myself...!!).  My sister Carrie will be racing with us, as will my cousin Debbie and her soon to be husband Brian from Seattle.  It will be Matt and Brian's first marathon - woo hoo!   

It's been an adjustment fitting in a run together with Jack, but we're determined to make it work.  Luckily, living with my parents and having my sister Amanda next door makes it a lot easier.  Right now Jack is on a pretty consistent schedule with a 7:30pm bedtime, so Matt and I are able to head out the door by 8pm.  We'll see how that schedule goes as Jack grows and starts teething, but in the meantime, it works!

Magic!

As you know by now, I'm a big fan of using cloth diapers.  Seriously, I can't imagine why everyone doesn't use them in one form or another!  Our favorites are still Grovia All-In-One's and then Fuzzibunz at night time.  We're doing some traveling this summer, and Grovia makes these great disposable liners (that look just like big maxi pads!) that you can attach to any waterproof diaper cover and presto!  You have a great travel option that is better on the environment, your wallet, and your baby.

One thing I learned along the way is that even though breast milk poop doesn't stink, it sure does stain!  I read that if you put your stained diapers out in the sun for a couple hours the stain disappears, but I had to see it to believe it.  Now....here's proof! 

BEFORE

AFTER 

 Amazing, isn't it?!?!  Whenever we get a sunny day here in Michigan I look through my diaper stash and get as many stained diapers out to the sun as possible.  After a couple hours, they're as good as new!  :)

Father's Day

Happy 1st Father's Day to Matt!  He was the best dad to Jack from day 1, when he did a lot of diaper and clothing changes and baby wearing while I was recovering.  Now he makes Jack smile with silly noises and signing "dad" in sign language, singing Itsy Bitsy Spider even when he doesn't really know the words, bathing him, and cuddling him at night. 

We spent the day at the Gilmore Car Museum (at my dad's request!) and then had lunch and some beers at Bell's Brewery.  Lately when I wear Jack he spends more time looking around instead of sleeping, and he was certainly wide eyed looking at all the cars.  By the end of the day though, he was out!

Running!! Happy momma!!

Finally!  I feel like I have my running mojo back!  On the weekends we leave Jack with Aunt Amanda and Uncle Joe so we can get a long run in, and that's worked out great for my running and our relationship.  Last weekend Jack and I volunteered in Chicago for the Ragnar Relay that Matt and Carrie participated in and I was feeling down about not being able to race too.

However, this weekend we did a 5k followed by an 8 mile run home and I felt like a new woman!  The 5k was a small, free race at the Van Buren State Park.  It was a blast - mostly because Carrie was able to get 1st in her age group, I got 2nd in my age group, and Matt got 3rd in his age group!  We ran home with our medals around our neck!  My 5k time was 27:16, definitely not a PR but something to be proud of 2 months postpartum.  The 8 miles home felt pretty good too thanks to Matt and Carrie keeping an easier pace for me.

Thanks also go out to Amanda, who brought Jack to the race to cheer us on and then watched him while we ran home.

2 months old!

Jack seems to be growing so much every day!  At 2 months we enjoy singing the Itsy Bitsy Spider, reading lots of books, taking a bath and going for walks on the beach with Clifford.  He smiles and laughs a lot now too!  Oh!  And he's also mastered a mean pouty face!  :)

Smiles!

At 8 weeks old we finally started getting some consistent smiles and even a few laughs from our little man, especially when Matt and Nana make silly noises and do sign language with him! 

Wisconsin bound!

Memorial day weekend we took our first trip to Madison, WI to see Matt's family.  It's normally a 4 hour drive for us from South Haven, but it took quite a bit longer with Jack.  He did great though!  Jack got to meet his Uncle Jeff and cousin Ben for the first time and spent lots of time cuddling with Grandma, Aunt Sara and cousin Maddie.  We didn't have much planned, but it was nice!

Right now we spend a lot of time wearing Jack while we're out and about.  It allows us to be hands free while having him close to us.  Plus, we don't have to manuver a stroller around!  I was absolutely flattered when my niece Maddie wanted to wear her baby too.  Of course Grandma Z immediately found a scarf to use and helped her copy my tie.  We both wore our babies on a trip to the UW campus, and it was the cutest thing ever!

Tulip Time!

Last weekend Jack got to meet one of my favorite friends, Samantha!  Sam, originally from Michigan, was my roommate in Arizona for several years before moving back to Michigan last summer.  Sam, Matt, Jack and me all went up to Holland for Tulip Time and met up with the Jansma family again.  It was so nice to be with friends and complain about the weather (since we all moved from Arizona in the past year).  Jack was such a great baby, sleeping in the Moby most of the time with a break to eat and have some cuddle time with everyone!