Henry: Five Months

We're almost to Henry's half birthday! I don't usually celebrate that kind of stuff but sheesh, it's my first kid and he's a big boy! This month has been so much fun. Henry is revealing his personality more and more everyday, and he's a pretty fun guy! Here are some highlights from this month:

• Henry continues to grow and now weighs 15lbs 12oz. Oy he's heavy sometimes.
• HE LAUGHS AT ME NOW. I get about one laugh a day, and it's the best part of my day for sure.
• Still no teeth, but sure signs of them coming are ever present: massive amounts of drool, gnawing on everything, especially his hands, and being just a bit crankier than usual.
• Henry entered sleeping through the night and it is glorious. On the night before my birthday he slept from 8pm-7am without waking up. HAPPY.BIRTHDAY.TO.ME! Alas, the time change threw a wrench in his/my sweet spot of sleep, so we're back to 4am prayers of desperation rocking and soothing. I'm thankful for the sleep I get, I still shutter thinking about the early days.
• We ran our first stroller race as a family! Henry BOB'ed it around Roosevelt Island with us for a 5k on my birthday and we had a lot of fun.
• Henry went to the Today Show for Halloween as a lion! He appeared on their Twitter and Instagram page. Like a boss.
• Puppy brother...oh puppy brother. What am I going to do with Lambeau!? He faked me out by being gentle, licking Henry, and letting Henry touch him. This resulted in Henry grabbing a large chunk of Lambeau's hair, which I calmly  quickly freed. Lambeau didn't freak out....because he snatched Sophie and tried to run away. It was all his master plan to get the squeaky giraffe. He's on a bad streak this week. Naughty puppy!
• Henry is eating rice cereal like a pro. Sometimes he gets a lot down, and at other times he spits it out. Eh, I don't care, it's not his main source of food anyway. It's just teaching him how to handle something other than liquid in his mouth. 
• He is SO close to rolling over. Part of me wants him to do it, but the other part of me does not. Once it starts you can never go back. Wahhhhhh.
• He is very contemplative when we take walks, and he watches everyone in the apartment. Feeding him can be challenging because he is getting distracted (Re: Lambeau barking and whining).

Overall, we're really enjoying our time with him. He's a cool little man, so happy go lucky. He makes us laugh constantly and loves interacting with people. He doesn't seem to get scared of people or nervous when I'm not around, he just chills (Although I hear six months is when THAT fun stage starts!). We continue to count our blessings that we get to be his parents.

Happy Five Months Little Lion Man!

I have tripped over that darn rubber blue bone so many times it's ridiculous. It's a miracle I haven't broken something because of it.

Feel free to check out my articles on SmartMom! 
- Kids Doing Chores: A Great Lesson in Discipline
- The Importance of Extracurricular Activities in School
- The Truth About Girls and Math

November is a Great Gear Month

First of all: HUGE CONGRATS TO ALL YOU NYC MARATHONERS!!! And for that matter, all you fall marathoners. You're giving this runner the itch. Stay tuned and see if it gets scratched! 

The Queensboro climb. 

I love November. October is fantastic because you get those crisp mornings and warm afternoons. I felt like October was warmer than September this year! I love November because (usually) the second the calendar switches to this month, it becomes fully fall with cold mornings. With that colder weather comes layers, thumb holes and leggings...or rather compression socks and shorts these days.. Yes to all of it. I have been waiting to try out some gear from Fit Blog NYC, and this morning was the perfect opportunity! Here are a couple of my latest items I've been layering up with.

Eddie Bauer Incendiary 1/4 Zip Pullover  I was so excited to try out this shirt. I worked for Eddie Bauer for five years, and I know their items are always quality. Though their casual clothing isn't my style, their outerwear never disappoints (I still wear a jacket that I purchased nine years ago, and it keeps me toasty in the worst cold). This was a great top! Since it helps with staying warm I haven't had the right moment to try it until now. I decided to go with just the shirt, no tank underneath, and it was great! I didn't feel cold despite it being 46 degrees and staying in the shade (Henry hates the sun in his eyes!) It has great thumb holes too. The only thing I wish it had was a storage pocket.

Look! A bear! He's so cute.

"Clifton" shoe by Hoka. I was SO stoked when we were gifted these at Fit Blog NYC! Stephanie is a huge fan, as well as my sister (Who is running a 50 miler this weekend! EEK!). If I had gone through their site and chosen a shoe that I would get, it would have been this model. I took them out for a spin this morning, and they are crazy! SUPER light, like WAY lighter than my cross training minimalist shoes, and really supportive where they need to be. I felt that my feet were comfortably falling correctly on the pavement, like my mid sole strike was spot on! Sadly, this love affair only lasted a mile, as the bear decided to be grumpy, and we don't keep grumpy bears out. I'm excited to try them out again, but so far, I think these could be a great solution for my sore foot.

Lambeau was in his basket for the run. He hasn't made a blog appearance in a while. He has willingly licked his brother a handful of times. Progress from completely ignoring him!

Head Digital Sport Running Gloves. Alright, I'm a Costco lover! These were not gifted to me, and I feel like they were a fantastic find. Mr. Miller and I each purchased a pair from Costco for around $12 and they were 100% worth it! First of all, they carried women's size extra small. My hands are super small, like child sized small. These gloves actually fit my hands, allowing me to use my iPhone while wearing them! My finger doesn't go all the way to the end of the slot (Re: mini hands), but my iPhone still picks up the sensor and allows me to push buttons easily. They also have grips on the palm side, allowing me to use them for driving as well. Yup, I love gloves, and these were a great find! (In case you didn't know I love winter running, and getting all bundled up and running in the cold is my favorite.)

How about you? What are your latest and greatest gear finds? Do you loathe the cold? Have you found gloves that ACTUALLY efficiently work with your smart phone? TELL ME ABOUT IT!

Disclaimer: I received the Eddie Bauer shirt and Hoka shoes while attending Fitness Magazine's Fit Blog NYC. I was not compensated for writing this, all opinions are my own.

Postpartum Workouts: Week 20

So, clearly I miscounted along the way. I think I started in week 8, but it was in fact the end of week 8. Oh well, back on track!!!

This will be my last postpartum workout post for a while. Although I have loved tracking my progress and looking back on what I have done, these posts have started to be less exciting and more dutiful to me. My tendinitis is basically healed up, but I see it flare up when I do too much too soon. Also, my foot still isn't right. I don't want to keep droning on and on...really it feels like giving excuses...as to why I haven't been as consistent as I would like to be. I would rather post when I am really excited about a workout or a run than mechanically list them. 

I have had a lot of thoughts lately about "body after baby". Guess what? It's not like I thought it would be. I was all: I can work out all day because I won't be working! Uh, no. Not even close. Although I did find a great rhythm for a few weeks, and the initial days of being back at it were great, I have faced tons of bumps in the road, the least of which has been a weight stall. I was stuck at 18 pounds above my pre pregnancy weight for weeks, and slowly lost three more pounds. I'm still 15 pounds away from my pre pregnancy, not even CLOSE to where I thought I would be. So, for all you mamas out there who are muffin topping your jeans, clinging to the hope that sweater and legging season is close at hand, and love that flouncy tops are in, here are my thoughts on "body after baby".

1. It's different. Everyone says it, and we all nod and agree that we know it will be different, but the "different" is, well, different for everyone. I personally didn't have serious hip shift (From what I can tell), my chest isn't that much bigger, but my stomach. Oh my stomach. It's a baffling part of my body that won't change. I didn't think that it would disappear overnight, but man, it's hard (Actually, it's soft...)! 

2. Finding a healthy eating balance while breastfeeding is difficult. I never know if I'm eating too much or too little. I don't want to deprive myself which could affect my milk supply, but this hunger is intense! I was at a normal hunger level until around the time Henry turned four months, and then I was ravenous. Despite giving up soy and dairy, I haven't seen "incredible results". (Re: I need cheese in my life. Proof is in the pudding.)

3. The pressure I put on myself is loaded with other issues. My emotions were being dictated by my weight loss, and it wasn't pretty. Between my lack of "success" and the hormones still ever present, I was a hot mess. It's hard seeing people who effortlessly lose their baby weight, whereas I'm sitting here with plenty of it hanging on for dear life. Thankfully I have a husband and friends who talked me off some emotional ledges. But seriously, if you are reading this and you had a baby and you're upset about your weight loss etc, talk to someone about it. Get ALL your feelings out there. Don't bottle it up. 

4. The weight doesn't fall off if you're breastfeeding. Maybe for some people it does, but for me, no way. I have fought for every ounce I have lost. Yes, you burn calories when you breastfeed, but breastfeeding makes you hungry. Do they cancel each other out? I am not sure. What I am sure of, is that this is a very individualized process. All I can do it is eat as healthy as I can, provide food for my son, and do what I can to stay active.

5. It will always be worth it. ALWAYS. Throw that 20 pounds back on. He's worth it. Every single day he's worth it. I would rather skip runs to be with him than get a 5k PR. There is nothing more worth my time, energy, and body, than Henry Joseph Miller. It has helped me to remind myself of this in the moments when I am truly upset with my lack of progress.

So, on to a much lighter topic: my last workout rundown for a while! 

Weekly Workouts: 20 weeks Postpartum

Tuesday: I got in a morning run! After I put Henry back to sleep after his 5am wake up, I laced up and ran two miles. It felt great...minus the nauseous/pukey feeling I had! I forgot how hard it is for me to run in the morning, requiring that I eat SOMETHING beforehand. Half a banana wasn't enough apparently! I also got to participate in a fantastic Nike Women's NTC event! We did a great workout on the Highline. Great way to start my "birthday week"! 

 That little mini gal in the pink ran a FANTASTIC Chicago marathon!!! We always laugh together. She's great. Photo Credit: Nike

New and old fitness friends, thank you Nike for a fun event! Photo Credit: Nike

Saturday: It was my birthday! Mr. Miller and I got Henry all strapped in for his very first 5k! We had a great time running around Roosevelt Island in the NYC Runs Haunted Island 5k. They allowed the jogging stroller, but asked if we would start at the back. Well, that put us with a bunch of walkers and we had to do a ton of weaving on a very narrow course! Once we got past mile one it was mostly smooth sailing. Henry did great, watched the trees the whole time and didn't make a peep!

Pre race photo! Henry is creeping over the top!

 A beautiful lighthouse along the way! Holding up the requisite 3-0.

Secret: He was in Christmas jammies! Great costume choice, Henry!

So there you have it. Between the crazy rainy days last week and birthday celebrations, it was a nice easy week filled with some workouts, friends and time spent with my favorite guys.

How about you? Any revelations about your post baby body? Have you been enjoying some (ridiculously) warm weather running? Do you wear themed pajamas no matter the date? TELL ME ABOUT IT!

Postpartum workouts: Week 18...or rather, Recovery Week

Unfortunately, this post doesn't have any workouts. Between my tendinitis and my formerly (?) broken toe acting up, I decided to rest until I felt better. Easier said than done. We experienced some pretty great weather, which got us out and walking, but nothing more. However, my recovery week was made completely tolerable with some really fun events.

We went out to a wedding! I *technically* exercised by dancing...and fueling with champagne. It was the first time we left Henry with a non-family member, and mama cut loose! So thankful to my girlfriend who took the best care of Henry.

Congrats Edward and Ashley!

I went to Fitness Magazine's Fitblog NYC! I was so excited to be able to attend this event! I've wanted to go for the past couple of years, but I can't take a day off from teaching and be tweeting and Instagramming all the fun things I'm doing. Uh no. So, this year I finally got the chance! Another amazing friend watched Henry. I'm so grateful for fun opportunities AND amazing friends! So happy to have the opportunity to reconnect with or make new blog friends Here are a few fantastic details from Fitblog NYC!

There were great speakers in the morning session. Trainer Holly Rilinger talked about fitness. Two biggest takeaways: You need sleep to be healthy, and we need to do more pulling than pushing in workouts to compensate for hunching at computers.

 I'll get right on that. Especially the sleep....HAHAHAHA

We got some pretty fantastic swag! These Hokas are ITCHING to be used, I can't wait to try them out! Hint, it will be very soon, my recovery week worked!

That bag was filled with goodies from Fitness Magazine. It was filled fantastic health, beauty, yummy, and creative items, and had to weigh 30lbs! Lambeau hopped on it the second I got home to get the most coveted item: stress balls. Well played Lambeau, well played.

A great big thank you to Fitness Magazine for putting on a fantastic event! I loved hearing the speakers, enjoying yummy treats and trying out fantastic products. It was my first big "mommy" outing without leaving my baby boy with his dad, and it was well worth it.

We went on our annual Bear Mountain trip! This year I couldn't complete the hike because of our young man, so my two girlfriends stayed with me while the boys hiked. We had a great time as always!

The back of that shirt says Bear Hug. It's the best. So is he.

I'm thankful for the results of my recovery week. I decided that taking a step back was better than taking many steps back. I'm feel a lot better in week 19, and I'm hoping to go onward and upward from here!

How about you? Do you tend to exercise through injury? Have you ever dealt with an overuse injury? Have you done any fun fall excursions lately? TELL ME ABOUT IT!

Postpartum Workouts: Week 17

Mommy and me yoga? Try Puppy and me yoga! Lambeau didn't get the memo that Beautiful Belly is for human babies and mommies.

There's not much to write about. I was finally feeling like I was getting over my cold and got back to working out on Monday. I eased in with a 23 minutes yoga routine from Beautiful Belly, and we loved it! Tuesday I did a killer Fitzala workout and felt fantastic. But then, I didn't. My wrist and thumb started hurting. A lot. I blamed it on the dips and planks I had been doing over and over in my workout, so I took Wednesday off. Only the pain got worse. I winced simply trying to brush my hair, and I couldn't even turn the key in my car. At first I thought it was carpal tunnel, but then another mom heard my complaints and said, "Oh you have mommy wrist!" I was all WHAAAT?! But then I did some googling (Often not a smart thing to do when injured...) and found De Quervain's Syndrome, basically tendinitis from overuse, is a common thing in new moms. Combine awkward breastfeeding positions (re: I'm too lazy to get out my pillow), my workouts (which I was conditioned for), and the fact that I broke this wrist twice as a child seem to have been the perfect storm.

So, just when I thought I was crawling out of my cold setback, another one reared its ugly head. On top of that, Mr. Miller went out of town for a wedding this weekend, so pushing the stroller was not an option because of my pain level. I didn't want to overuse my left wrist by pushing the Bob, which was already compensating for my struggling right wrist. I'm not distraught like I thought I would be. I'm resting and trying to calm down my wrist/thumb pain. I have seen improvement, and I will be getting a brace to promote stability. My only sadness is that I can't really do much working out because so many things I do involve arms/hands/wrist action. We're brainstorming ways for me to start trying to run at night. Basically, I'm looking for the lemonade to make with these lemons! 

I definitely drank some wine this weekend. Source

I really enjoyed swimming in the summer. It was my "me time", I got out of the house, I got some exercise, and I was alone with my thoughts. I lost that once the pool closed, and now I'm starting to think I need that time. I love spending time with all my boys after Mr. Miller gets home from work, and I'm often cooking dinner while he's on baby duty. So this week will be one where we experiment with night running. I will report back to see how things go!

How about you? Have you ever felt like you're constantly injured? Are you a morning or night runner? Have you ever dealt with tendinitis? TELL ME ABOUT IT!

Postpartum Workouts: 16 Weeks

Well, it finally happened. I got sick. I hadn't been sick since, oh, wayyyyy before I got pregnant (Minus the case of food poisoning  I got while seven months pregnant...that kind of sick is in a category of its own). I was healthier than I had ever been while sick, which is pretty crazy as a teacher who regularly gets colds. It started with a scratchy throat on Sunday and Monday, which I attributed to sleeping with the windows open etc. Nope. By Wednesday I was groggy/coughing and by Thursday night I had a full blown cold meltdown. Went to bed at 8:30...and this just so happened to be the night that Henry decided to start sleeping through the night. Thanks Henry Jo, you knew mommy needed it! Here's a recap of my workouts, from a high place to a low place.

Weekly Workouts: 16 Weeks Postpartum

• Sunday: 5 MILE RUN! Furthest run postpartum. Henry had awoken bright and cheery at 5am, so I decided to "start our day": feed him, play with him, and then put him down for a nap. He was tired within an hour, and went right back to sleep. I decided not to go back to sleep and go for a run! I had wanted to run 5 miles, and I did it. I was SO happy.

No jogging stroller was a nice boost for this Postpartum PDR!

As close to a sunrise run as I'll get for a while!

• Monday: Rest day. I had a baby fighting a nap. NOT. GOOD.
• Tuesday: Fitzala workout! Three circuits, and each move had a number of reps. I like counting down so it was a great workout!!! 
• Wednesday: Two mile walk. Starting to feel sick. In total denial.
• Thursday: Fitzala workout in the morning, about two miles of walking in the afternoon. By 6pm I was SICK. 
• Friday: Rest day. SICK.
• Saturday: Rest day. SICK.
• Sunday: Rest day, kind of feeling on the mend.

I'm kind of sad that I crashed and burned after a great start to the week. I'm excited to get out there and get some decent weekly mileage happening. Now that Henry is going to bed a bit earlier these days, I'm considering taking up night running. Stay tuned!

How about you? Are you in the taper?! Have you found yourself with a seasonal cold yet? Do you stick to running at one time of day? TELL ME ABOUT IT!

Henry: Four Months

Many people have asked where we got the nickname "Henry Little Lion Man". Well, Mr. Miller and I are huge Mumford and Sons fans. In fact, we saw them in concert just before we found out that we were pregnant! Henry was an emergency C-Section, so we kept telling him that he was brave like a lion cub. We remembered the song Little Lion Man and decided our hashtag for his photos would be #HenryLittleLionMan. (The lyrics aren't exactly kid friendly, but it's just the nickname we chose for Henry!) Now that that's out of the way, here are a few highlights from this month:

• Henry weighs in at a hefty 14lbs 8oz and isn't stopping! Every day I feel he is a bit heavier.
• HE FOUND HIS HANDS.
• He's now kicking and batting things like a madman. He is so noisy on his play mat!
• It appears that we are at the beginning stages of teething. Drool on drool on drool, constantly sucking on his hands, we are in for it soon!
• He has laughed. Not at me. I've gotten a chuckle, Mr. Miller has gotten some laughs, but my MOM got the five minutes straight of continual laughter. Will do anything and everything to get him to do it again. Will report back on progress.
• Puppy brother Lambeau has been slowly accepting him into the pack. He can now be caught on the reg snuggling near him...albeit Lambeau pup likes soft blankets, so jury is still out on his motives for the snuggles.
• There was the first eight straight hours of sleep. No, mommy did not get up to check on you in a panic...I GUESS I WAS TIRED. We changed his bedtime to be earlier, and as a result  he is sleeping longer. He is now consistently sleeping 9+ hours a night. Please dear God, let this trend continue.
• He's scooting while laying down...rolling over is not far behind...WAHHHH.
• Henry is the happiest baby. Even when he's crying we can usually get a smile out of him. His spirit is so sweet and happy go lucky...like his daddy.

Things are going to get interesting. We are entering the era of teething, rolling over, food...eek. I am so grateful to be staying home this year, getting to experience all of his moments as they happen. 

Happy Four Months Little Lion Man!!!

Guys, he can stick his whole hand in his mouth. So proud.

Feel free to check out my articles on SmartMom! 

- Can I Exercise While Breastfeeding

- The Truth About Bullying in School

- Book review "One" by Kathryn Otoshi

- What you Need to Know About Having a C-Section