11 weeks

Today I went for my first run and it felt so good! Although it was half running, half speed skating. I was not the only one out of shape - I practically had to drag Valentine. Can't wait to jog with Nina in the stroller!

Fun with Nina

Nina went on her first walk in the Baby Bjorn. The sun is finally coming out so we bundled up and took a walk down to Grand Avenue. Nina slept the whole time :)

Nina still loves her changing table. She gets so happy and vigorously kicks her chubby little legs, smiles, and talks. The other day she said gooo. Awww.....babies.....

Your Body is a Wonderland

John Mayer sings a song about mothers, but when he wrote "Your Body is a Wonderland" , he clearly was not thinking about moms. More like my body is a warzone. I seriously ache from head to toe. And I didn't even have a vaginal birth! I have had 1 professional massage and Chad and I give each other 5 minute massages almost everyday and I still feel like this:

My head hurts from my new hairstyle of perma-ponytail

My neck hurts from staring down at Nina while she is eating, its so cute I can't take my eyes off her

My shoulders hurt because that is where I carry all my stress, yes being a mother is stressful

Lets just say there have been times in breastfeeding that feel like a papercut on the eye. They should make an epidural for your boobs

My heart hurts because I only have 1 more week of spending everyday with my little girl

I have no idea why my lower back hurts so much. I think a combination of repetitive activity (again - breastfeeding), carrying heavy things (carseat, laundry), losing all my muscle after not working out for months, and all the bending and picking up of the baby (even though shes still pretty light). I think I should go to the chiropractor...

My legs and feet hurt from being on them all day long

My pregnancy was so easy and I thought I was in shape so I didn't expect to still feel like this. I shouldn't complain because its all worth it and most the time I really enjoy nursing Nina. Just wanted to document how I feel when I'm in the moment because I will forget when it gets better :)

2nd video on changing table

You can really see how Nina has grown when you compare these 2 videos:

Video of Nina

If the link doesn't work, search youtube.com for: Nina Suzanne 55105

Flashback

I can't believe how tiny Nina was! She still gets hiccups almost every day :)

10 weeks

Caught in the act

When Nina wakes up from a nap, she finds comfort in sucking any fist or finger she can find



So I thought I lived in a big city, but it turns out there is another Katy West somewhere in the cities also gave birth to a baby girl at Abbott in December - baby's name is Nila West! Crazy!

9 weeks 4 days

Nina likes to nap in her swing during the day. The best part about the swing is her pacifier doesn't fall out of her mouth when she is sitting up a little. Her absolute favorite spot is her changing table. She talks and kicks her little chunky legs when I am changing her diaper.

2 month checkup

Nina had her shots today and was very brave! She screamed but only for a minute. She weighed 8 lbs 14 oz (up 3.5 lbs from her birth weight).

Health Insurance Reform

This is not a political post, but the world of medical bills needs to improve. First of all, they waste so much paper! I have dozens of worthless reports from Medica in addition to all of the bills Nina and I accrued during our hospital stay.


Don't get me wrong, I am very thankful to have insurance to cover my c-section - the cost is ridiculous. And they overcharged me! If I would not have called Medica to inquire, would they have caught their mistake? Where would the extra money I paid go? It just makes you think - if you are getting tons of medical bills it probably means you were sick. And when you are sick it usually means you are not working which means you probably don't have the money to pay those bills. Or the time to sort through stacks of medical bills and call your insurance to make sure they have not made an error. Dealing with our messed up health insurance is the last thing you want to do when you are trying to recover.

Blowout

Sorry to embarrass you Nina, but mommy had to show everybody what you did the other night...

2 months

Nina now sleeps in her crib and can fall asleep on her own. The biggest problem in her world is her pacifier falling out. She actually enjoyed her bath today and even got a manicure! She is very active and loves people. She has outgrown newborn clothes and has moved from her sling to the Baby Bjorn. To begin nursing she opens her mouth when I say "ahhh" and she smiles when she is done.

7 weeks

Nina fell asleep upstairs and I didnt have a blanket so I covered her up with my sweater :)