My hair

Last Christmas my hair was super long (probably mid-back) then I decided to cut it super short before I got pregnant. Basically I either like my hair in a short A-line, stacked bob or super long. Right now I am trying to grow it out and I hate the inbetween stage. I just don't have a hair style that I like and my hair usually grows fast but this whole after pregnancy hair is another story.

While I was pregnant my hair got super thick and I always had to get it thinned out because I already have naturally thick hair. After I had Olivia, it got all frizzy and dry looking and it basically was a mess. I got it trimmed and I colored it last week which helped. I have been waiting and waiting for my hair to fall out and for the past month I thought maybe it wouldn't fall out as much as I thought it would. My hair felt thinner but I hadn't noticed any hair anywhere.

Boy oh boy was I wrong. This past week my hair has been falling out in chunks it seems like. When I shower I have strands of hair all over and I have to clean out the drain every couple of days. When I brush or blowdry my hair, there is a pile of hair in the bathroom. Basically I am finding my hair everywhere. I am not worried that I will be bald or anything but I am just amazed at the after affects of pregnancy.

Treking along...

I haven't posted for a while and so much has happened it would be to much to post so I won't. I started back to work full time on Monday and I am still adjusting to the craziness. Mike takes Olivia to the sitter before class and I pick her up during my lunch break and spend about 2 hours with her. Then Mike comes home from school and I go back to work until five. I have been working late since I have been so busy but hopefully I can get home by five in the future.

It is just madness packing the baby and taking her to and from the house but hopefully after 2-3 weeks Mike and I can get use to this routine. My goal for next week is to start going to the gym in the mornings before work then Mike can go when I get home from work. Basically my life is madness right now trying to get into a routine and fit in all the things I need to do in life. Hopefully when I become a stay at home mom things will become easier but I am thinking probably not.

Bathtime

Olivia has been growing so fast and her infant bathtub was getting small. I don't mind giving her a bath in the big tub but since we live in an older apartment the water pressure stinks so it takes forever for the tub to fill and I don't want to worry about cleaning the tub after Mike to give the baby a bath. I found this great tub on amazon and it received awesome reviews. The best thing I like about it is it will last until Olivia is 24 months which is exactly what I was looking for. A tub that Olivia could use for a while. The bonus of the tub is there is a seat for a newborn baby to sit in at a reclined position so you can have both hands free. I received the tub about 2 weeks ago and I was waiting to get pictures of Olivia in her new tub before I posted anything about it but the funniest thing happened on Friday.

Mike has been watching the baby while I have been working this week. On Friday Mike didn't put Olivia's diaper on tight enough so when she had a BM it leaked out the back. Mike didn't realize the poo was all over her oneies when he took it off so he got poo up her back and in her hair. He was a good dad and gave her a bath and thankful the new tub was there because that was his first time. I had been a little worried about Mike giving her a bath in the big tub because Olivia's skin is so slippery when it is wet and I wasn't sure if he knew how to hold her during a bath.

Here is the link to the tub if anyone is interested. I got mine on sale for 17.99 but they are pretty pricey if you can't find it on sale. The pictures uploaded by customers are absolutely adorable: Primo Eurobath

A Belly full of Jelly

Post pregnancy weight. What a delight! Not really. I am really close to reaching my pre-pregnancy weight which is great. The sad thing is I have always wanted to be 10 lbs lighter than my pre-pregnancy weight. And even though I am within 5 lbs of my pre-pregnancy weight my body has totally changed.

I am not surprised that I got stretch marks and I know those take awhile to fade away. There were a few places I didn't realize that I had gotten stretch marks so that was quite a surprise once I could see my legs. My C-section scar has healed really quickly and I know that will take awhile for that to fade away.

I didn't realize how stretchy and jiggly the skin on my belly would be. It has lost all elasticity so when I poke it it just jiggles like jelly. I read an article last week that even if I get back to my pre-pregnancy weight my clothes might not fit the same since my body has changed so much. To say the least I sometimes feel unattractive and a little self conscience about my body.

I had these great plans to work out and lose all this weight but between working and staying at home with the baby and trying to do house work exercising has gone out the door. I did go running once last month and Mike took me to the gym a few weeks ago. The first week is always the hardest to get motivated and make it a routine and I am so out of shape it doesn't take me long to get winded.

With that being said hopefully someday soon everything will fall into place and I will start exercising consistently. My motivation is I refuse to buy any new clothes in a bigger size so until I lose weight my wardrobe is very limited.

First day back to work

Today was my first day back to work. I worked for 5 hours and it wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. I might feel differently in a few days. Even though I missed Olivia like crazy, I think I'll be able to do it full-time in January. The rough thing is trying to play catch up from being gone on maternity leave. On the up side I bought a new phone and even though it is a downgrade from the phone I had it is newer, smaller and sleeker.

Mike watched Olivia while I went to work today. Originally I planned to wake up and feed her, then pump and get ready for work and then wake up Mike before I left. He was really nice and fed Olivia while I pumped and kept her company while I got ready for work so I left for work early. I am hoping he can do this every day for the next two weeks then I can go to work 1 hour early and get home 1 home early too.

I think it was a learning experience for Mike to be home with the baby. He looked very relieved when I walked through the door. The good thing is he didn't call me when Olivia started to cry. I think the next two weeks will be a great learning experience for Mike and I.

Random thoughts...

Mike and I would like to have our kids fairly close in age and the other day I was thinking "I wouldn't mind trying to get pregnant when Olivia is 18 months old." Then I got sick yesterday and I threw up in the morning and since my stomach was empty I threw up bile. Then all the memories came flashing back of when I was pregnant and how I threw up everyday for 5 months. Not fun. Hopefully the next time around I won't be as sick.

I am going back to work next Monday and even though I will only be working part-time in December I am sad about it. :( Hopefully this month will help me transition into going back full-time next month. Mike and I found a great babysitter in our ward and she has a baby about 3 months older than Olivia so I am not worried about that. Ever since Olivia was born I have spent almost all my time with her and I know her schedule and everything she needs by heart. I bet every mom feels like no one can take care of their baby as good as they can not even their husband.

Since Mike is in school studying civil engineering I am the only one working. I work at the university so Mike gets half tuition and we get great health benefits and my salary is pretty decent so it makes sense for me to keep working. I am hoping that Mike gets a really great internship this summer and then we can reassess our options then. Next year Mike will be a senior and if worse comes to worse I only have to work another year.

I am thankful that I have been able to stay at home with Olivia as long as I have. I am thankful for having a wonderful job. I am thankful for having a great husband that is working hard in school so I don't have to work in the future and for him being supportive with everything I do. And I am thankful for my friends and family and anyone who has given me baby advice.

Thanksgiving

Olivia is a cheese ball

Olivia in her carseat right before family pictures

Olivia in her teddy bear sweater that Grandma J bought for her.

Olivia in her carseat right before going to meet the babysitter



We spent Thanksgiving at Mike's parents house this year because Mike's brother and his family came down from Oregon and they recently had a baby too. Here are some pictures of Olivia I took recently.