Busy Busy Busy

Everyone's life is different, mine is very blessed but that's not to say that it doesn't come with its struggles.  My husband and I are both self employed, he running a busy computer sales and service business and I am juggling the role of stay-at-home mom and Realtor.

My husband works a lot, and there are some days where I wonder if he had the typical 9-5 job would things be different.  He will get up at 6am head to the office (we have an office attached to the house) and dive into work. Yesterday he worked from 7am until well after 7pm, that's a 12 hour day. You can imagine that 12 hour days are tiring and so by the end of the day his brain is totally burnt!

This is where my difficulties come in, when things are busy with him like this he has little time to even think about anything else.  So these are the days where I am juggling everything else and trying to stay cool, calm and collected.  I keep the house up, watch the kids, pay the bills, cook, grocery shop etc.  And there are some days where I get frustrated and want him to have a break so I can have a break. When we finally have time to spend together its after Mia's goes to bed and by that time we are ready to go to bed, especially since the baby has me up twice a night.

Its hard because I feel like we are barely communicating and that scares me. I hate not having time with Guy, I need time with him to keep me sane and to feel like things are okay between us.  I worry about him being busy with work and me being busy with the kids that we are getting lost in the shuffle.  I miss him like crazy and look forward to a time when things are a little more settled and we can try and get back to more us time.

Truthfully I am looking forward to any sort of time to myself,  right now when I have small chances to steal away I am showing houses, grocery shopping, running errands and if I am lucky hitting the gym.  And the scary part is even that is enjoyable to me, I can just zone out and listen to some loud music in my car, and those few moments are usually enough for me. Although I find myself constantly checking my watch as I am on the breast-feeding clock and have limited away time.

So that is where I am right now with everything.  Mentally I am in a pretty good place, no post-partum depression here.  I am thankful that for the most part my kids are angels.  Mia is really well behaved and Little Guy is also a great baby.  That alone is a blessing that keeps me afloat.  The only thing bugging me right now is the lack of Guy time and his insanely busy work life. And I know this is selfish but its my blog and I am going to write it.  With all that he has going on, I sometimes wish he would pause for a second and tell me that I am doing a good job handling it all. I know I am doing a good job, but some days you just need a little encouragement and someone to acknowledge all that you are juggling on 2-3 hour clips of sleep.

Well time is up, little man is squeaking. xoxo - Mellycup

Where does time go?

As we progress things get busier!  Having 2 kids is a whole other ball game.  Can't believe my little man is already 1 month old. Time is flying.

Both kids are still doing great. The baby is growing like a weed! I cannot believe how he fills out 0-3 month clothes already, I am curious to see how much he will weigh at his check in next week.

I am trying to find time to blog but honestly I have been busy, just fitting in time to go shopping, get everyone fed, play with Mia, nurse the baby, do laundry, pay bills and try and find time to squeak in a workout here or there is exhausting. And to tell you the truth I really have nothing of interest to blog about currently. But I will try to come up with some better material soon.

So for now I am wishing you a Safe and Happy Memorial Day weekend!!  Hoping the sun will shine and I can actually enjoy a beer by the pool with friends and family!

xoxo - Mellycup

Speed bumps.

Its been 4 weeks since my little prince arrived and for the most part I have been cruising along on the road to recovery and getting back to normal "Mel". Everything has been going well until the weekend, towards the end of last week I started to have some back pain which evolved into pain in my uterus area. It would come and go and get worse when I nursed the baby or moved too much.  Also my incision started looking red and not so great at least to me. 

I called the Dr. Saturday morning and was advised that I had probably strained my back and should just rest and take a pain killer. Well that proved to be a huge mistake, about 10 minutes after I took it I started to feel worse.  My body did not handle it well and I went from feeling like crap to feeling like crap that got run over and trampled. Nauseous, dizzy and extremely sleepy.  Thankfully my mother-in-law was able to come by and take Mia out for a few hours and my sister stepped in to help me with the baby while I slept off the effects of the pain killer.  

The rest of the weekend was pain filled to the point where I wanted to cry from the pain and I was not going to risk taking any more pain meds so I just popped tylenol here and there. 

I called my doctor this morning and got an appointment.  I was course fearing infection or something worse.  After 40 minutes of waiting, I finally saw the Dr. and he said the incision looked fine and that my pain was just part of healing.  As you get further from your surgery you start doing more and your body has to adjust and heal.  His advice was to take pain meds.

Ughhh.  Well I am relieved that I am fine and that I am still healing on course but I am disappointed that there is nothing I can really do except take pain meds. Which I am not going to do.  I guess I just have to tough it out and take tylenol or advil to get through this period.

I am just so ready to feel normal again which seems like it will be a bit more of a process this time. When I had Mia, I was able to rest more and this time around I have her watch as well as take care of the baby so I don't have that rest time. Plus I have also thrown myself back into working out.  That really explains the pain.  

I am very bad at resting in the first place and I am just impatient.  So for all my moving forward and feeling good efforts I have hit a small speed bump.  I have to remind myself that only 4 weeks ago I had major abdominal surgery and healing time and pain are to be expected.

Other than that the baby and Mia are great. I am getting sleep for the most part.  I just have to concentrate on the good things and work through the pain!

xoxo - Mellycup.

Happy Mother's Day!

The 2 best gifts I ever received were the gift of Mia and the gift of little Guy.  They made me into a mama, and on this day I feel honored to have carried them each for 9 months and brought them into this world.

Becoming a mother has changed my life and made me realize how lucky I am to have 2 amazing children and that my husband and I are so blessed, each day is a gift.  I never thought being a family of 4 would be this rewarding.

Happy Mother's Day!

My husband and I make pretty cute kids if I do say so myself! (Thanks G3 for making me a mama!)

xoxo - Mellycup

Let's get physical.

I went to the Dr. on Wednesday for my c-section incision check and the top thing on my list of questions was: When can I workout?  I was expecting him to tell me I had to wait until my 6 week postpartum check up but much to my surprise he said I could start doing cardio.  Which was music to my ears.  I was thrilled at the thought of getting back into shape sooner than later.

With regards to my weight, I gained about 30lbs with Little Guy and so far I have lost 22lbs of it.  I am happy with that but my goal is too lose the rest and more.  I am going to put the power of breastfeeding on my side and get myself into great shape.  Breastfeeding is supposed to be a great help in shedding pounds.  Unfortunately when I was breastfeeding Mia, I didn't take getting in shape seriously, and didn't harness my bodies ability to lose weight. I went right on eating, so I didn't lose too much weight.

This time around I am determined to get back into shape, before I got pregnant with Little Guy I was on the right path having shed 20 lbs doing P90X. And I worked out throughout my entire pregnancy. My goal is to get even more fit than I was when I got pregnant. Those O'Neill jeans are still calling my name!

Guy is also trying to get back into shape, he too fell off the workout/diet wagon.  So we are supporting each other and encouraging good eating habits. I have been really trying hard to pick sensible foods and not over eat. When I was pregnant I wanted sweets and carbs and now I have noticed my need for those items has really diminished.  I will have a skinny cow ice cream now and then but I can do without the bagels, bread, pasta and ice cream sundaes! 

So today was my first day back at the gym and it was a nice feeling after 4 weeks of not going. Although it was weird not working out with a giant baby bump.  I enjoyed being able to push myself a little harder while doing cardio and not have to maintain a heart rate under 140. I know I won't be able to hit the gym everyday like I did before the baby was born but thankfully I can use the elliptical at home on the other days.  All in all today's trip to the gym was successful, I felt really good, had no pain from my c-section incision and I fell right back into a groove, like I hadn't lost any time at all.  

Looking forward to getting back to this body again! Circa Summer 2007 - 5 years ago!  And those are infamous O'Neill jeans!   This is my inspirational pic! 

xoxo - Mellycup

Juggling two kids.

Today I successfully went out and ran errands by myself with both kids.  (Patting myself on the back).  I had to go to the bank, Carter's and a stop for Mother's day gifts.  Okay so that bank was drive up but still I went into my 2 other destinations and successfully shopped with Little Guy in the stroller and Mia walking. She was good, listened and held my hand.

All in all it wasn't so bad and my fears of going places with 2 kids are starting to ease.  The grocery store is going to present a challenge and that is one I am most worried about. I thinking I will have to keep Mia in the cart and Little Guy in a wearable baby holder. You know like in 'The Hangover', except his name is not Carlos and I won't be putting sunglasses on him. 

One small hiccup that occurred and almost gave me a heart attack was when we got home. I unbuckled Mia and put her down in the driveway and asked her to stay with me. Then I went around to get the baby and diaper bag out from the other side of the car.  Well Mia went to the front door when I was planning to go into the garage.  And I turned around and could not locate her. I was screaming her name and running with the baby seat all over the front and after what seemed like an eternity she popped her head out and said, 'Mommy I here!"  I got so scared, it only took 2 seconds for her to get away from me, granted she was still in the yard and thankfully we have a long driveway so I know she wasn't near the road.  BUT STILL,  I think I aged 10 years in that 20 seconds.  And it scared me enough to know I have to keep my eyes on her even more so now.

I know over time I will learn all the tricks of balancing 2 little ones and these are the lessons that come with the territory.  Glad that it happened at our home and not somewhere else.  

xoxo - Mellycup

Boy parts?

I can't believe my Little Guy is 2 weeks old!  Time seems to be flying but the at same time I feel like so much time has gone by that I can't remember what life was like before he was here.  Weird I know.

When I found out I was having a boy I was filled with excitement and a little anxiety.  I have 2 nieces and a daughter and therefore no baby boy experience.  Therefore I had no idea how to change a baby boy or how to even deal with "boy parts". It really freaked me out - right up there with worrying about breastfeeding. 

And here we are 2 weeks in and truthfully its not as bad as I was expecting. I immediately got over the different items under the diaper and got into mom mode, changing my son with no issues.  Okay there is one issue, the peeing. As most people know boys have the sprinkler ability and that has been something to work out. So far Guy and I have not been peed on but we've had some fountain experiences.  I also need to ask my fellow boy moms how to tuck his manhood into the diaper so the pee doesn't end up leaking out of the back all over his outfit. This has happened to me a lot, and here I was worried about blow out poop diapers!  I am sure in due time I will figure it all out.  

So there is my brief piece on baby boy parts - ladies expecting boys, don't worry about it, its not a big deal and you just go with the flow. On a more exciting note, he had his 2 week checkup today and he is now 8lbs 4oz, up 13 oz since his last visit at 4 days old.  Which means he is eating and gaining weight, and I am thrilled.  He also grew 3/4 of an inch taller.  Its amazing how fast they grow and it scares the crap out of me that he will be a big boy before I know it.  I started dressing him in 0-3month clothes today and have to pack away the newborn things already. Sigh! 

Well off to enjoy my 2 darling kids before I blink and they are too grown up for snuggles with their mama!

xoxo - Mellycup

Us Time.

We have been home for just over a week and Little Guy is almost 2 weeks old. Time seems to be flying already.  We are settling into a groove and things have been going well.  And the only complaint I have is my lack of "Guy" time, as in my husband (not baby).  I have been concentrating on the kids and he has been super busy with work, by the end of the day we get Mia into bed, I nurse the baby and we go to sleep.  Usually by 9pm. Most of our time together is spent playing with Mia, tending to the baby, eating, cleaning up, laundry etc.

I miss him, and I miss us. But I know its just temporary.  When we had Mia that was really hard on us, the fact the someone else needed my attention 24/7 made it hard for us to just have time together.  We both agreed that this time around we needed to communicate more and support each other and not lose us in the equation. After all we are the 2 people that came together and made this beautiful family and we need to be a team to make it work.  Last night after we got Mia to bed, we decided to hang out downstairs for a while instead of running to bed for sleep.  The baby was sleeping in his bassinet and so we just hung out together on the couch and chatted. It was nice to snuggle and laugh and just have some one on one face time with Guy.

We both agreed that we needed to fit in a date night sometime soon, even for just a quick bite.  Next week I am going to start pumping so that I can have a little more freedom when I need it and then maybe we can find time for a date.  I know there are people out there that don't leave their kids for months and months before finding time for date night.  That's just not my style, as hard as it is leaving my kids I know that a much needed break and adult time is important to my sanity.  Even if its for an hour!  Guy is my best friend and we enjoy being together and having kids won't change that.  Plus its okay to leave the baby and Mia for a bit, they will be fine.  (I have to keep reminding the control freak in me!)

All in all things are good and I am so thankful.  Mia is wonderful, and has been adjusting so well,  the baby is also doing great, and Guy and I working together on this parenting thing and at the end of each day when I lay in bed I say thank you out loud to god, the saints and my angels for blessing me with this beautiful life.

xoxo - Mellycup