(no subject)
Baby
Henrietta's first birthday is 11 days away. It's kind of mind-blowing: a whole year? Sharing this year with her has been an amazing experience. It's not been without its stress and frustration, but the other side is magic and wonder and watching this little learning machine go go go. Once she really mastered the whole mobility/walking thing, she turned her attention to language acquisition. Once we got back from the New Jersey trip, she started demanding to be read to, almost non-stop. She'd bring book after book to whoever was caring for her at the moment and say "Buh!". Then she'd crawl onto our lap for a snuggle and read. She's still doing it quite a lot. Her vocabulary is expanding pretty quickly. She uses hi, bye, eye, key, did-ddy (pretty), dada/daddy, papa and moo. She also uses buh to mean "I want that", "I want you to play with this", or "read this to me" depending on intonation.
Fitness and Wellness
A month ago, I decided that it was time to really get serious about taking care of my body. So, I've been trying to walk and/or do strength training on a daily basis. I've also been trying to increase my overall activity level--dancing around with the baby, playing with her more, standing up more during the day, just moving more in general. And it feels good.
I've also been making a more concerted effort to keep treats as something special rather than something I enjoy several times a week. M and I both have decided to cut dairy and eggs from our diets for ethical reasons (we're not strictly vegan, but practically so). But in a lot of ways we're eating better than ever. We've been doing a lot of our shopping at a local Asian grocer--which means we can buy more fresh produce, more tofu, and more curry paste!
As a result of small, sustainable changes I've already lost 9 pounds. Which is actually kind of insane. But it means that I'm 2 pounds from no longer being overweight. And I'm a couple pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight. Those of you who have been around for a while might remember that I was working on getting into shape before I discovered I was pregnant. So, I feel like I am finally catching up. I'm noticing that I'm having an easier time breathing when I'm walking fast or carrying Henrietta around a store. My back has not been bothering me as much and my sciatic hasn't been bothering me at all. My joints had been getting achy, but that's improved. I hope that I can continue to improve my lung function--because, you know, being able to breathe is awesome. I also hope that I can continue to build strength, because I want to be able to pick up my little girl for a long time.
On the mental front I continue to do well. The combination of effective medications, lifestyle changes, and improved sleep seems to have done the trick. I'll be meeting with the social worker again in a couple weeks to continue to develop strategies to manage anxiety.
Pop Culture
I've been watching Supernatural on Netflix. I watched a couple seasons of it live back when I lived in NYC. It's my current popcorn television, sort of like Buffy was about 10 months ago.
Genealogy
I've been taking a break from my research to focus on health and daughter. It's probably good to take a pause anyway, and then return with fresh eyes. Once I decide to start researching again, I think I'll need to set daily time limits on myself, though. It's easy to get sucked in and spend the entire day pouring over records.
Craftiness
Going to have a table at a holiday craft fair this year! Excited and nervous. I should probably make some more stuff to sell... but I told myself I can wait until November. I've got a decent stash of jewelry, knitted goods, and block-print cards. Even if I don't make much, we'll have a nice table.
Henrietta's first birthday is 11 days away. It's kind of mind-blowing: a whole year? Sharing this year with her has been an amazing experience. It's not been without its stress and frustration, but the other side is magic and wonder and watching this little learning machine go go go. Once she really mastered the whole mobility/walking thing, she turned her attention to language acquisition. Once we got back from the New Jersey trip, she started demanding to be read to, almost non-stop. She'd bring book after book to whoever was caring for her at the moment and say "Buh!". Then she'd crawl onto our lap for a snuggle and read. She's still doing it quite a lot. Her vocabulary is expanding pretty quickly. She uses hi, bye, eye, key, did-ddy (pretty), dada/daddy, papa and moo. She also uses buh to mean "I want that", "I want you to play with this", or "read this to me" depending on intonation.
Fitness and Wellness
A month ago, I decided that it was time to really get serious about taking care of my body. So, I've been trying to walk and/or do strength training on a daily basis. I've also been trying to increase my overall activity level--dancing around with the baby, playing with her more, standing up more during the day, just moving more in general. And it feels good.
I've also been making a more concerted effort to keep treats as something special rather than something I enjoy several times a week. M and I both have decided to cut dairy and eggs from our diets for ethical reasons (we're not strictly vegan, but practically so). But in a lot of ways we're eating better than ever. We've been doing a lot of our shopping at a local Asian grocer--which means we can buy more fresh produce, more tofu, and more curry paste!
As a result of small, sustainable changes I've already lost 9 pounds. Which is actually kind of insane. But it means that I'm 2 pounds from no longer being overweight. And I'm a couple pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight. Those of you who have been around for a while might remember that I was working on getting into shape before I discovered I was pregnant. So, I feel like I am finally catching up. I'm noticing that I'm having an easier time breathing when I'm walking fast or carrying Henrietta around a store. My back has not been bothering me as much and my sciatic hasn't been bothering me at all. My joints had been getting achy, but that's improved. I hope that I can continue to improve my lung function--because, you know, being able to breathe is awesome. I also hope that I can continue to build strength, because I want to be able to pick up my little girl for a long time.
On the mental front I continue to do well. The combination of effective medications, lifestyle changes, and improved sleep seems to have done the trick. I'll be meeting with the social worker again in a couple weeks to continue to develop strategies to manage anxiety.
Pop Culture
I've been watching Supernatural on Netflix. I watched a couple seasons of it live back when I lived in NYC. It's my current popcorn television, sort of like Buffy was about 10 months ago.
Genealogy
I've been taking a break from my research to focus on health and daughter. It's probably good to take a pause anyway, and then return with fresh eyes. Once I decide to start researching again, I think I'll need to set daily time limits on myself, though. It's easy to get sucked in and spend the entire day pouring over records.
Craftiness
Going to have a table at a holiday craft fair this year! Excited and nervous. I should probably make some more stuff to sell... but I told myself I can wait until November. I've got a decent stash of jewelry, knitted goods, and block-print cards. Even if I don't make much, we'll have a nice table.