Postpartum Running, Four Weeks in

As we are staring down the barrel of a move to SoCal, I obviously need to be bikini ready year-round, so I'm hitting this postpartum weight loss thing hard! 

Going almost as hard as this guy:

He's so cool. 

Flashbacks, anyone? 

Anyway, you know that's a joke. The bikini thing. My standards are much lower, like having clothes that fit semi-properly again (you know, spare tire troubles), and to be fit enough to keep up with the kids. In the physical, literal sense. Cuz I can only use terms like "fleek" and "TURNT" ironically nowadays. 

So here's where we're at:

Since starting to exercise again, I've been squeezing in runs three times a week between the BOB, the gym, and the treadmill in our garage. And I have ten pounds to go on the weight loss front (slowwwwly and steadily making progress… peaks and valleys, peaks and valleys). 

Finding time to exercise with two kids is hard. Like, wayyy harder than with one. At this point after having Little Will (we were a little farther getting into Spring), I was already running 5 milers and training for a marathon. Ugh, I was so annoying. Go away Theresa from two years ago. I will note that the we didn't make it to the marathon due to an ill-timed TDY. TDYs are just the worst!

But once the weather gets a little nicer, I think it will be a lot easier to increase my mileage per week. I will take the kids out in the Duallie with anything greater than 45 degrees and anything less than 20 mph winds. Unfortunately, that bar has not been met on most days. Illinois, y u so windy? And how is it STILL February? 

On Monday, however, 45 degree weather and mere 15 mph winds meant that I ran 2.5 miles with the Duallie and both kids fell asleep in the stroller and BOTH STAYED ASLEEP for OVER AN HOUR after we got back home. 

!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, Will insisted on bringing his mailman truck and his dad's golf glove that he likes to wear around the house. I know I'm a broken record, but toddlers are so weird!!! Boy do I love 'em. 

So I kept them both bundled up in the garage like that, ate lunch, and did various chores until they both woke up. Will's lips were blue for a while (oops) but I think he got over it.

The Duallie is SO HARD to push against the wind. I was able to maintain a decent just-barely-under-10 minute mile pace with the thing for those 2.5 miles. BUT, I ran with just Zelie in the single BOB and flew through 4 miles with no problem. So the extra work is paying off. Some day I will keep up with Sarah's Duallie filled 7-day step count. ;) Dream the BIG dreams, people.

I've considered workout videos at home or other classes/programs to get in shape and I'm just all, that takes too much mental energy! In addition to figuring out which bra won't be too tight or too loose (#nursingproblems) and whether everyone is fed and accounted for, I just can't. I need to be able to strap on some shoes and run for as long as I can for as hard as I can and call it a day. Can I get an AMEN? 

When Zelie gets a little older, I'll be more comfortable taking her to the Y childcare room. I can obviously head to the gym at night after everyone is in bed or in the wee hours of the morning, but WHO HAS THE ENERGY. Sleep > Fitness. Until then, 3x a week is actually going pretty well. I feel so much stronger already! Sweet sanity!

Latest & Greatest

My baby boy is TWO! We did it big with a mailman-themed Happy Birthday extravaganza. (AKA we invited three people over for cake.) Will's parents sent this HILARIOUS mailman get-up for his birthday, just in time for the little party. That mail carrier bag has seen all manner of vehicles . . . planes, trains, automobiles, you name it. It's not quite as beloved as his cowboy boots, but it has a special place in his heart, for sure.

He was pretty pumped for his b-day this year. He practiced blowing out candles leading up to the big day thanks to Advent. And we taught him the Happy Birthday Song through the whole month of January. He still bolts out a "Happy Bahhday, YAH YAHHH!" x 4 … blows air, "YAYYY" + claps every so often. 

All of his hard work definitely paid off. 

Those candles didn't stand a chance.

Hashtag fun fam!

Indulge me for a sec, because I really can't believe how old and big and smart he's getting. Every few days he'll really surprise me with something new he says or does. For example, he just started shouting "PANCAKES!!!!" every time we pass The Egg & I on 64. We love brunch. It's just odd because you really can't even see the building from the highway. In the same vein, he shouts "JESUS!!!!" every time he passes our church. (We have a Ordinary Time routine, okay?) 

He just started recognizing where we are when we drive around. He cries tears of agony every time we turn in the direction opposite of the base. Because he knows when we go on base we get to see airplanes, the occasional freight train, and, of course his favorite, his daddy. 

He's getting more serious with his toys and it kills me. 

When he wants to do something specific with his toys, he'll usually whine "HELP PEEEZ!!" and then just do it himself because he can. I really think he underestimates his own abilities sometimes and defaults to asking for help.

Toddlers, man. Keep you on your toes.

Hi Z.

Zelie's all, I'm bald!

Zelie turned two months old today. I'll have a full post that includes all your intricate poop deets, but I want to wait until after her checkup on Friday so I have her stats. She is still tall. (Pic above was from a couple weeks ago. And how cute is the bandit bib from Whole Parenting Goods? Obsessed.) 

You may have noticed I chopped all my hair off. I just finally had to take the plunge and get the mom lob. It was time. 

I had no idea that my cut and style would be free as a perk for donating. I was super pumped! And of course I haven't been able to get my hair to look as good as it does in the pic above, but c'est la vie, no? I could straighten my hair ALL DAY and nope.

Postpartum running is going well! I have been taking it slow. My longest run so far has been 3.66 miles on the treadmill. The weather is supposed to get really nice over the next few days, so hopefully I can hit the pavement with the duallie. I've managed to lose a couple more pounds, but I still have about 11 pounds to go to hit my pre-pregnancy weight. But I finally bought a pair of jeans that actually sort of fit, so I am in less of a hurry. 

Can't hang.

Lent is here! You may or may not have noticed I haven't been on social media much. Here's what I've been up to: 

• Deleted social media apps from my phone (Bloglovin', Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat). I can fire up the old MacBook to check Facebook or read blogs, but I generally don't because it. is. so. slow. I've been trying to especially limit time spent on my phone during the day when I am supposed to be parenting. So far, so good. So, so good. 
• I am working on the Blessed is She Lenten Workbook. I've been loving the journaling. (Big surprise right? I mean I do have this crazy blog.)
• I've been limiting processed sugar. I say limiting because I am breastfeeding and stopping my nightly chocolate milkshake is a big freaking deal for me. 
• Less screen time for Little Will. It got out of hand there for a while. I'm feeling like I have much more energy lately to get out of the house and/or figure out things to do with Will at home, so it's been a lot easier to implement this. 
• We are donating a portion of our tax refund.

I did a bad thing and tried to bring both children to Ash Wednesday mass by myself on base. It made this bad morning look like child's play. My first mistake was going to a different parish than our usual so that we could attend a full mass that didn't interfere with meal times or naps. We arrived early because it was snowing and I wanted to make sure I got a parking spot close to the building. Little Will was unusually hyper waiving and yelling "HIII" to everyone who walked in as the unofficial greeter. Once mass started, he didn't want to stay in the pew, which is normal, but when I took him out to the vestibule, he screamed his head off. Nothing would console him. I had Zelie in the Moby wrap because I knew I'd be in and out of the pew with Little Will. ANYWAY, once the meltdown of all meltdowns occurred a whopping five minutes into mass, I decided that we just needed to leave. WELL, I had to go back into the church get my bag. We slowly and quietly creep back in as not to be any more of a disturbance. At which point Little Will ran up the center aisle and bum rushed the priest as he gave the homily, yelling "HIIIII!" and waiving. I grabbed my bag and power walked toward the front. A parishioner grabbed Little Will and pointed him back toward me. At which point I made awkward eye contact with a gentleman who I'm sure was at least an O-6, probably a four-star general because that's what happens. Zelie's head was bouncing around in the Moby, pretty unsecured, while I make the looooong walk of shame down the aisle out of the church. More melting down while I buckle poor little sis into her car seat and we slowly make our way outside into the snowy white abyss.

So I guess what I'm saying is Lent started off with a bang. Just trying to make things extra penitential around here.

I promise the transition from 1 to 2 has still been pretty smooth! We've just had a few … moments.

Last, but not least, you may remember back in October when I blogged about how we would soon be getting our next base assignment. Well, that notification got pushed back to February. We waited and waited and waited as Will's colleagues got the news. And finally, today, we got the "unofficial" news of where we'll be living come July. Hint: it's NOT in the direction we were trying to go (East).  I won't jinx it by disclosing it here, but as soon as we get official orders (in a couple more months), you'll be the first to know. ;) 

Postpartum Running, Take 2

Time is blazing by as usual and I am about to be the golden 6 WEEKS POSTPARTUM, which means I'll [hopefully] get the all clear to start exercising again. 

Let's all pray that I can get back to it with this much panache:

Don't worry. I'll probably wear pants. No guarantees.

Last time, in true first time mom style, I wanted to show EVERYONE just how NOT FAZED by childbirth I was, so I went and ran 3 miles at 4 weeks postpartum. I was SO SORE for the next few days that I kind of freaked out and googled too much about prolapse (don't do it… don't do it) and took it easy until after my 6 week appointment when I was deemed fit for exercise. I've never been one to listen to my body, but that was more ridiculous than usual, even for me. 

But I got an Aria Fitbit scale for Christmas—don't worry, I asked for it—which lets me know that my BMI is obese at 26.6. I know, I know. I just had a baby, but the weight on the scale has pretty much refused to budge as well. With Little Will's pregnancy, I gained about 15 pounds more more and the number on the scale continuously dropped over that first month postpartum. This time? Not so much. It was all probably water weight, I got real swole, but it's still annoying to see the scale not moving. SURE, I eat ice cream every. single. day., but I'm BREASTFEEDING. The weight is supposed to FALL OFF OF ME, RIGHT? 

So here I am at 5.5 weeks postpartum (much more reasonable than 4.5 weeks, right?) and I am just itching to get back in the game. It's way too cold to take out the BOB Duallie occupying half the garage, so I am relegated to weekend runs outside or the treadmill. (I did take the Duallie out for a walk recently when it was unseasonably warm and HOLY HELL that thing is heavy to push with two children inside of it! So many props to Sarah for her blazing fast Duallie paces.) I also have a gym membership at the local Y which has a childcare room, but Little Will HATES being left there; they would always come find me to retrieve him within an hour when I was huffing and puffing on the treadmill during my third tri, reading self-help books that made me feel inadequate. And I'm not quite ready to expose Zelie to the petri dish of winter germs. 

This one, on the other hand?

Proudly packing on those pounds. 

Cheers to Health

It's so good to be home.

My dad was here for one day, and in that single day, he mowed our lawn, detailed our car (I'm talking washed, vacuumed, and scrubbed inside and out!), and even did some laundry. That guy does not sit still. Both of my parents are like that, actually. (Remember when my mom ran a marathon?) They seem to have endless, boundless energy during the day, unable to sit still and having to stay occupied lest they just explode.

I think that quality skipped a generation. Little Will seems to have it:

Exhibit A. Will shows off his new favorite activity of screaming at the top of his lungs.

Me? Pass the coffee, please. Like, I may go momma bear on you, but you can say I have the energy of a hibernating momma bear. 

(Pause to yawn.)

Speaking of coffee, when my Duggars finished playing on the DVR, the Dr. Oz program was showing a segment on addiction. Not just any addiction. Coffee addiction. I am only drinking about 4 cups per day right now, which is good for me, but when I stop, I definitely go through withdrawals. Dr. Oz says this is a sign of addiction. When I got pregnant with Will, I went from drinking 6+ cups per day to 0 cups per day, and I am pretty sure my "morning sickness" was actually caffeine withdrawals. We'll never know. 

Fascinating stuff.

So, I'm on a health kick right now, trying to eat better. I think I've mentioned before that my mom is a super crunchy, hippie propaganda pusher. Seriously, when I visit her house, she sneak attacks my eczema patches with coconut oil laced with lavender oil. She finally convinced me to give up dairy and go low(er) carb to see if it helps with my skin issues and overall well-being. "It all originates from the gut!"she says. I don't know. But almond milk! Not so bad.

Oh, and remember the marathon Will and I were going to run on Sunday? I've been kicking myself for weeks because I keep meaning to mention it, but I kept forgetting. You see, what happened was . . . of course, the Air Force decided to send Will away for the two weeks leading up to the marathon (he returns tomorrow night, late) and for the four days immediately following, so travel-wise it was just not happening. We did a 13-hour drive on Wednesday, Will would have driven 9 hours on Friday night, Saturday would have been a 6 hour drive, followed by a casual 26.2 MILE RUN ON SUNDAY MORNING, and a 6 hour drive back on Sunday afternoon with post-marathon seizing limbs.

We are crazy, but we aren't that crazy. 

Don't get me wrong. I was at the point where I was looking for every excuse to get out of it. I kind of pooped out at 12 milers anyway. Which just so happens to be when DEATH SUMMER fell upon St. Louis. 

But guess what this means. Now we get to go to the Air Force Ball! Getting all fancy schmancy twice in one month might just get to my head. Fashion blogging, here I come!!!! (Side Note: Boyfriend jeans. I bought some. Best decision ever.) J/K. But I'm planning on wearing this dress that I wore as a bridesmaid in my law school friend's wedding. I should probs drop a Hail Mary or seven for God's favor that it zips over the new post-baby bosom. 

I don't know how to wrap this up other than to say that little Will is beckoning me from his crib, so I must be going. His two bottom teeth finally popped through and he seems to have contracted a little bug, possibly from those 5 straight hours he spent screaming in his carseat during our trip home. I still have the itsy bitsy spider song stuck in my head. Where it will be on repeat forever and ever. 

Guest Post on Getting Back into Running

Do you read Erika's blog, Stethoscopes, Style, & Grace? Probably, but I'll just tell you about her anyway because she is one of my absolute favorites! (If you ever see me looking halfway put together, you can probably thank her. I mean, I didn't even know J. Crew Factory was a thing until Erika came into my life. Practically a crime.) Erika just graduated from med school and promptly gave birth naturally to the sweetest little baby boy. She is kind of a hero. You can be sure she handled her pregnancy with style and grace, and I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that there were stethoscopes involved as well. (Sorry, couldn't help myself. But seriously, check out her archives for some seriously stylish maternity fashion.) Anyway, I'm over on her blog talking about how running became so important to me in the early months in postpartum-land. 

Click it!

PS - LET'S GO USA!!!!!!!!!

Just Keep It Movin'

Currently: Will is out of town for work and I'm eating all manner of weirdness out of the pantry to avoid going to the commissary. I've been eating a balanced diet of pancakes, pancakes, and pancakes. Oh, and kettle corn. Like a normal person. So that's if you were wondering what my fuel/nutrition situation looks like. 

Up on the agenda, a running update. Humbling when you choose to start sharing marathon training details on a public blog 2 months after pushing a baby out.

In any case . . . .

Not only did I fall off the wagon, but I fell off it hard . . . . The wagon was traveling uphill at approximately 47 mph and I tumbled down to the bottom of that hill . . . and then rolled into a swamp . . . and got eaten by gata!

Okay, so that's a little dramatic, but a work deadline + sleep regression = no motivation. The new work project perfectly coincided with the great sleep regression. Tack on some 90 degree weather and the question, "Shall I run today?" was always, "Assuredly, I shall not." Eeeeven with the treadmill, which I declared would remove all impediments and excuses to get out of running. So lame. I am the worst.

Anyway, we are back in action, cruising these mean streets of Scott Aero Fuerco Baso. Will is out of the infant seat! Mildly exciting little milestone.

^^^Yo. This is not the same picture. I stepped back, switched to normal camera mode on my iPhone, and the kid literally just did not move at all whatsoever. At all! I mean, what in the world is he staring at? I thought that was odd enough to document. 

So here I was cruising along for a while, even thinking maybe I would PR. I had a few really great runs in Maryland. Then the wheels fell off for a couple of weeks. I decided just to try and hit the long runs and literally anything I could muster during the week would have to do. 

This past Saturday was our 12 mile long run so we went off to run a couple laps on the Scott AFB trail. Will and I alternated pushing the stroller and little Will napped the whole time like a pro. It was a pretty hot and humid day, but we were keeping fueled and hydrated and we were going to make it, albeit slowly. HOWEVER (dun dun dunnnn), by mile 10, we could hear thunder from an approaching storm. It had cooled off considerably so neither of us really wanted to stop running, even though the cooler temps were probably coming from the mother of all thunderstorms heading toward us. But we were so close to the end! And we could finish strong in the cooler weather. 

At this point, we were right by the golf clubhouse, but two miles from our car, so we had to make a decision. Could we outrun the storm? I should have known better in the face of temperamental Midwest weather, but I decided I would push the stroller and Will would run ahead to go get the car. If the storm came, he would drive back to pick us up. 

Well, the storm rolled in a little quicker than anticipated. It got really cold, really fast, and Little Will was not wearing pants (duh), so he was being pelted with the cold rain. I ran as hard as I could, mama bear style, but I was 11 miles in and I knew the faster I ran, the more rain he was hit with. I was really fatigued (hello! hadn't been running consistently for two weeks), and he started making unhappy grunting noises. I stopped and leaned over the stroller, and toweled him off with a burp cloth.

Thankfully, and I kind of knew this would happen if I stopped because Air Force peeps are the best, a car pulled over to rescue us in our distress. I got Will out of the stroller and we sat in the stranger named Ken's car until Will pulled up. Which felt like FOREVER. Forever and a day, you guys. We had to keep the doors shut AND the windows up because it was raining so hard. I was stinky and literally fogging up the windows of the vehicle faster than the A/C could beat it back. I was one hot mess (LINKING UP YO!). It was embarrassing, but it happens, I guess. We live to blog the tale. 

This week has been a lot better. I had my best ever 5 miler with the stroller yesterday, and in the face of a pancake famine, I managed a nice little run today. (Finally made it to the commissary afterwards. Yes I started this post yesterday.) 

I've come to realize this is not the season of life to be pushing myself so hard, expecting pre-baby paces, and getting discouraged after a bad run. Which---have you noticed?---is why I'm not sharing my actual run times anymore. I've resolved myself to take it easy, run for fun, and juuuust keep it movin'.

A Play-by-Play of a Typical Day

Copying off the likes of Sarah and Olivia to bring you a little taste of daily life here at the Brez casa. I thought about doing one of these when Will was at JAG School, but no day was really "typical" seeing as little Will's schedule was all over the place. Our days are way easier now, but I still want to document our little life together, so my future self can either laugh maniacally about all the free time I had and sleep I was getting, or sympathetically reminisce over the long-forgotten season of sleep-deprivation. (Dear Lord, please be the latter.)

This was my yesterday . . .

1:05AM: Will wakes for the first time for some food and a diaper change. He just slept for 5 and a half hours. HUZZAH! I was only asleep for two hours of it, but obviously he will go another 5 until our normal 6:30AM wakeup!

4:15AM: . . . Fat chance. I change a poopy diaper. Think to myself he should be good to go until morning.

5:04AM: Ha. Hahaha. I'm a chump. I get up, re-swaddle him, put the paci back in his mouth, and dive back into bed. 

5:28AM: Still fussing. WHYYYY, why are you acting like such a baby? I decide to nurse him and change him. 

7:37AM: It appears Will's first act of mercy for the day was giving me a 1.5 hour stretch. Our daily routine is kind of wonky now, but I'll graciously accept this freely given gift of 93 minutes of additional sleep. I change him, dress him, and bring him downstairs to discover Will already brewed some coffee before leaving for work. Today might not be so bad!

I stick Will in the Bumbo and sprint into the kitchen to grab some coffee, so as not to leave him unattended for very long. Not before snapping a photo.

I sit for a bit. Read. Pray. Sip my coffee.

I turn on the Today Show and watch a Jessica Simpson interview while on my second cup of coffee. Her lips look weird. She can't move her face. That's unfortunate. The dogs are being obnoxious fighting over their Kong tire, but at least Will is entertained. 

I try to ignore all the dog hair I'm sitting in. Didn't Will vacuum while we were gone? (He insists the answer is yes.) Decide vacuuming today is a must. 

8:27AM: He nurses less than five minutes. Not a very good one. Oh well.

8:36AM: WOWZAS. I feel the unmistakable rumbles on my leg. I change him. I'm still using leftover disposable diapers from our trip to Maryland, so I don't have to take him upstairs. He seems pretty content, so I put him in his pack 'n' play to get things done around the house.

8:42AM: Dishes from yesterday. The worst. Start the dishwasher. He's still entertaining himself, so I also start some laundry. Thankful I don't have diaper laundry today because there is a lot of laundry from our trip to Maryland.

8:54AM: I hear him start to fuss. I look at my BabyConnect app and see he's been awake for an hour and 17 minutes. Ready for a nap. I grab him and we head upstairs. I make fart noises in his arm as I carry him up the steps.

When I go to put him in his crib, by the light of the morning sun, I realize there is poop in his sleep sack. Ummm. The only clean one I find handy is a fleece winter one. This will have to do. I leave the legs unzipped so that he doesn't get too hot. Wonder whether my mom of the year app got lost in the mail because surely I should have been contacted for an interview by now.

8:59AM: Naptime begins. 

I tidy up a little and he's passed out before I even leave the room. 

9:00AM: Like a ninja with ADD, I run around and do a million chores around the house. I get dressed, brush my hair and teeth. Think to myself for the 18th time that I should probably eat something. I'll make the bed first.

9:24AM: Finally get around to eating breakfast. Kashi and Fage greek yogurt. Darn, Will bought 2%. I prefer full fat. It's still delish. I read some blogs and watch some TV while I nom.

9:51AM: I finally get around to vacuuming the entire downstairs and the couches. I feel so much better. I look at the clock and think maybe Will is down for a long nap. 

10:10AM: I finish vacuuming and dusting. At least one room in the house is clean. Here's a picture of my handiwork, highlight reel style.

That crease in the rug will be the death of me.

10:26AM: I head upstairs to tackle these guys while I wait for Will to wake up:

And I tidy up our bathroom, etc.

In the process of putting away laundry, I realize I need to go through my clothes and get rid of some pre-baby things that will no longer fit. (My pants just started fitting again, but the majority of my shirts and dresses that are non-nursing friendly and can't accommodate the new boobage/postpartum spare tire have got to go.) As a result, only one basket gets folded and put away and I now have a new pile of donation clothes sitting in our room. Whatevs. 

I change into my running gear, so that I can head out when Will wakes up. It's currently in the high 60s, but it's supposed to get up into the 80s later. I don't want to run with the stroller in 80 degree weather.

11:05AM: Wooo. That was a 2+ hour nap. We like those. I wish I had known, I would have done work instead of chores, but it's fine. There's always tomorrow. Weekends are when I get the bulk of my work done anyway.

11:19AM: He gets a nice, long nursing sesh in. My Bloglovin' app is malfunctioning for the 99th time, so I just browse Instagram and Facebook instead. I download Dropbox to my phone, so that I can read for work instead in such a desperate situation.

Done nursing . . . diaper change.

11:33AM: I hear him rip one. I go to change his diaper again. Aaaand just when I get a clean one under him, he has an accident. 

That's 3 diapers soiled within 10 minutes. This is why we cloth diaper.

11:40AM: I am just now finished cleaning up poop. 

So much poop.

I text Will to see if he's coming home for lunch because I want to head out on our run. He's leaving soon. I leave the dogs to roam the house instead of putting them in the laundry room as usual. We are testing out how they handle the freedom. I grab a berry lemonade Kashi bar and head outside with the stroller. 

Nah, this post is not sponsored by Kashi. 

I see Will pull up to the house. I say hello, a quick kiss, and head out for my run.

11:54AM: 5 miles. Will smiles at me for the entire last mile of the run and during our walk home.

12:55PM: We're home. I hear Will's bum rumble, but I learned my lesson from earlier, so I let him work the rest out while I catch up on missed calls, texts (a whopping 23 in one group text - you know who you are), and emails. A few minutes later, I bring him up to change his diaper. We switch back to cloths. 

1:09PM: I remember I wanted to do an ab workout today. I vacuum the floor of our bedroom for a workout. 

Will judges me the whole time as I huff and puff through the workout. I hate ab workouts.

We both tolerate only 13 minutes of the 15 minute workout. I pick him up so he stops crying and decide to use him in a modified kettle bell workout of sorts.

1:28PM: I wonder how much my kettle bell weighs, so I decide to weigh him. Everyone in Maryland wanted to know how much he weighed since they would be sore the next day from holding him. 17 pounds. I was on the money. Also, only 4 pounds away from my pre-baby weight. Cool.

1:45PM: He is still acting a fool so we nurse. Another wimpy 5 minute sesh.

1:57PM: It's really close to our nursing session, but I decide to try him for a nap. He didn't sleep much during the run. He starts to doze off, thank goodness.

2:02PM: He's asleep! I am starving. Food wins over showering, so I start on lunch. Even though I know I am documenting this day and will be sharing my food choices, I decide to make some mac 'n' cheese. Judge away. I eat an apple and empty the dishwasher while I wait for the water to boil.

2:30-3:30PM: Work. Eat the whole box of mac 'n' cheese. Feeling pretty gross, but I just ran, so it cancels out. Contemplate my future as a nutritionist and/or personal trainer.

3:31PM: Will wakes up angry. That was a pretty decent 1.5 hour nap, but he is not happy like he should be. I pick him up and realize his diaper leaked. Dangit, forgot to tighten it before putting him down. 

3:43PM: I nurse him again. This is a nice long one. He falls asleep on the Boppy pillow. I decide to let him sleep on me for a while and admire his rattail in the iPhone camera. I close my eyes and doze off a little, but mostly read from my phone.

4:40PM: It's been 45 minutes, so decide to wake him up. Don't want bedtime to be a struggle. Also, I still haven't showered and can feel Will's drool and sweat all over me. I feel so gross.

I change another diaper. 

He is all smiles, so I stick him in his rock 'n' play in the bathroom and hop in the shower. 

5:18PM: As I finish cleaning up, Will is home! He gets some chill time in with the little man.

We hang out and catch up on some family time. I feed the dogs and let them out back to run around. 

6:30PM: I start the bedtime routine while Will cooks dinner. Nurse, bath, etc., etc. 

7:06PM: It's a little early, but Will's been up for over two hours, so I put him in his crib. His eyes are open, but it's not long before he drifts off. 

7:07PM: I am in search of alcohol.

Will drank the last Summer Ale. I am distraught! He knows I don't like the IPAs he bought. 

Margarita it is. Extra salt, por favor.

7:20PM: Dinner of hot Italian sausages and grilled veggies. We watch the most recent Game of Thrones episode while we eat. I am very concerned over the direction Arya Stark's character is heading.

8:30PM: Clean up dishes and start getting ready for bed. I am especially tired from little Will's early morning antics. Will is taking his annual physical fitness test tomorrow at 6AM, so he is actually for once down with the early bedtime. Holla.

Brush the jammers, take out my contacts, etc. 

9:10PM: YES. I'm in bed for the night. Will and I talk for a while and then we finally doze off . . . 

. . .

Sweet dreamland.

. . .

Just enough to head into a deep sleep.

. . . 

But . . . 

11:14PM: Thought you saw the last of me? Think again! Will is up. He only went a 4 hour stretch, that rascal. I nurse him, change him, and he goes back to sleep immediately. I dive headfirst back into bed, where I remain for at least the next 30 minutes to round out this account of the happenings of the past 24 hours.

If you lost count, that was: 14 diaper bombs, 8 nursing sessions, 1 hour of exercise, 1 hour of legal work, 4 cups of coffee, 1 margarita, and 42 checks of the Instagram. 

A typical Monday.

Marathon Training with an Infant (Week 1 Recap)

Week 1 of the official training program is in the books. I wanted to start off with low expectations, so I already skipped a workout. (Relax, Jack! I added a new one at the end.) So. Will (aka husband/FORMER training buddy) pulled a hammy at JAG School, so he is under doctor's orders not to "go out and run 5 miles or anything." First day of training? A 5 miler. Luckily, I have another training buddy who is at least equally as cute . . .

My sole running buddy (10 weeks old). I like him.

(Will is doing physical therapy now, so hopefully he can start joining me and little Will on runs within the next couple weeks. At a minimum, he got one of those big foam rollers for free at physical therapy. Holla.)

Anyway, training with an infant has its own set of challenges. I took to the fitness blogs for tips before we ventured out with our beloved companion, Robert (more commonly known as BOB Stroller), so I thought I'd share our routine. Maybe it will be helpful to other running mamas out there.

Our Routine:

(1) Nurse first and double down. This is going to be pretty intuitive for the newly nursing mom. Feeding the baby before a run kills two birds with one stone. You won't have painful, full breasts during your run and your babe won't go hungry or want food right after your workout when you are all sweaty and gross. Also, double down on the sports bras if your chesty is still kind of sensitive. Once your supply regulates, you probably won't feel the need to do this.

(2) Head for the door. When we're home, I just change into my workout clothes while he's napping. I'm still doing the EASY routine, so I'll wait until he wakes up (or wake him up) and nurse him. (I just pull everything right on up. No special nursing sports bras or anything.) When we finish, I stick him right in the infant car seat, into the stroller, and get everything ready.

(3) RUN. Duh. But I've actually found that running with the BOB is more difficult than I initially thought. It's hard to keep a good running form when you are pushing a heavy stroller with one hand, especially against the wind. I have a tendency to lean back, so I really have to focus on leaning forward into the stroller a little.

(4) Cool down = nap time. At least for us, as soon as the stroller stops, baby Will's eyes shoot open. If I want any sort of cool down, I have to keep walking around our culdesac until I'm ready to pull him out of the stroller and go back into mom-mode. If you have one of those super-sweet babies that will, like, sit still for any period of time, then you can disregard this advice.

Some Other Thoughts:

Timing. I like to run in the late afternoon and time it so that Will gets home just as I need to shower. As we head into summer, I will probably need to re-think this and go out first thing in the morning. I am still lobbying Will for a treadmill so I can just keep an eye on Will on the baby monitor.

Lactic Acid. I've read that the lactic acid from exercise can change the taste of breast milk and babies will refuse to eat. This has never been a problem for us.

Milk Supply. No issues at all, but I've been refueling with plenty of water and ice cream.

Weight Loss. My weight loss has plateaued and I still have about 7 pounds (of the 43+ gained during pregnancy) clinging to me that have been sticking around the past few weeks. I'm interested to see if running gets rid of them or if I'll actually have to wait until baby Will weans and diet (i.e., stop eating ice cream for a few days).

Leave me a comment if you have any other tips!

Week 1 Recap:

So here is Phase I of the program, the first 4 weeks: 

And here is what was actually accomplished: 

Tuesday

5 miles, 55:07.90, 11:02/mile (with BOB)

Wednesday 

3 miles, 32:15.24, 10:45/mile (with BOB)

Thursday

5 miles, 56:29.97, 11:18/mile (with BOB)

Friday

3 miles, 29:05.78, 9:42/mile (with BOB)

Saturday

6 miles, my stinking watch ate my run, but it was completed in less than 1 hour. Last mile was sub 9-minutes! (no BOB)

Sunday

3.1 miles, 25:25, 8:12/mile (no BOB)

Total: 25 miles

Overall, it was a good week. I'm starting to feel like I have my pre-baby legs back. (The entire abdomen area, however, is another story.)

Crazy duckfaced post-run mirror selfie complete with Jesus photobomb.

One week down, 21 to go!

Diapers, JAG School, & Running (7QT)

1. I never really expect to get a lot of page views when I link up with 7 Quick Takes because like a million people link up---because it's the best ever---and I myself only click a link for an ultrasound photo or a cute baby photo of which there are aplenty (I know I am fickle, you guys), BUT post a picture of yourself covered in puke and . . . you'll get a ton of clicks. Guaranteed. Brez Blog goes viral!

No, no one really commented, or subscribed, or wanted to become my friend, but if alls you want is some page views, I share this info with you! 

Here's another bathroom selfie, sans spit up, for good measure:

He loves it.

2. A recent conversation between my husband, who is at JAG School, immersed in continued legal education, and myself, immersed in---ehh---other things:

Me: Oh my gosh, did you get that picture I sent with me covered in puke?

Will: Yeah. Hilarious! So I have this issue for my final trial. Do you think under the Federal Rules of Evidence, I could get in this toxicity report that concludes the accused was likely to have been intoxicated?

Me: Wouldn't it be hearsay? Or maybe speculative? . . . Did I mention Will had a HUGE poop in the bathtub tonight?

Will: Um, yes. What did you think about my sentencing argument? Should I plan on discussing the toxicity report or do you think it will be excluded? 

Me: I don't know, but Will just had the biggest fart, oh my gosh! The biggest fart of his life!

Will: Every fart is the biggest fart of his life.

Me: True.

Two lives diverging. Come home, Will! Not that I'll be able to help you with your specific legal questions, but I will throw some legal jargon at the wall to see what sticks. You never know, it could inspire you and save your mock client from mock prison.

3. Related, yet unrelated: Will loves bath time. Pre-bath dance sesh:

"Too much booty in the pants."

4. I posted the cloth diapering post and I'm already getting some great feedback.

People assure me that a spray plus a rinse is not necessary, making the routine even easier. I already knew this in my heart of hearts, but I'll try it out tomorrow and see how it goes. I've also had two whole friends (hi, Elisabeth and Daija) text me that they are TOTES MCGOATS gonna do cloth when they have bebes (soon, please, both of you) and that gives me warm environmentally-friendly fuzzies. Little Will, in an effort to save me more money and not make a liar out of me, obviously, has pooped through like 57 diapers so far today. All in all, I'll go take my e-victory lap for a blog post well done.

5. I want my blog-friends to know that their blog-solicited advice is not given in vain. I went ahead and ordered this baptismal gown for little Will's baptism that will be on Easter Sunday in front of the whole parish. Closed eyes, head first, can't lose!

Yay, boys in dresses!

Now I just need to see about finding myself a dazzling British hat.

6. Marathon training is underway, if not "officially" until Easter week. Today, of course not really wanting to run, sleep deprivation and all, I went out and ran 3 miles in less than 30 minutes! I'm feeling motivated.

7. Aaaand I discovered today, when going to put in my contact lenses, that I don't have any contact lenses. So I was cruisin' around base in my coke bottles.

Sup.

And I will be doing so for the indefinite future. 

Have a happy weekend.