Infected

Fair warning: This post talks about boobs.  NOT in a sexual way (get your heads out of the gutter!) but about what they are MEANT to be used for: feeding!  Lol.

Yesterday my left boob hurt all day.  I thought it was just because Mara's been nursing a lot on that side, but then I noticed a sore spot on the inside that hurt really bad to touch.  Not long after I noticed that, I got a sudden fever complete with aches, chills and nausea.  This could only mean one thing....

...mastitis!

Oh man.  Like this is all I need!  Haven't I had enough trouble already with breastfeeding?? Let's add an infection just for fun!  (Click HERE to read about mastitis.)

I called the OB on-call and she prescribed me an antibiotic.  I can't remember the name of it.. it's dioxy-something-cillin.  I've taken 3 doses, 6 hours apart, and so far I'm feeling worse!  I ache all over and I cannot get my temperature to come back down to normal.  UGH!  And of course Mara decided to have meltdown after meltdown all day long.  By the time Corky came home from work at 7:45, Mara and I were rocking in the rocking chair, both of us covered in snot, drool and tears, sobbing.  Fun times.

Roll Over

Mara is not such a fan of tummy time, but she just looks so darn cute!  She finally learned to roll over on Monday (3/9/15)!!! She did it in front of Corky and me.  I was so glad Corky was there to see his baby girl roll over for the first time.  He was so excited!  It was the sweetest thing.  

It was funny because she was trying really hard to roll over her right shoulder and she just couldn't.  So she tried the left and over she went!  These video stills are from the second time she rolled, since I didn't have any warning that she was going to do it the first time and therefore I didn't have my phone handy.

So funny. Notice her pouty lip in the second picture!  She's going to get whatever she wants from her daddy with that lip!  But it won't work on me, since that's where she got it! 

This is a pic of me as a baby. Note the same pouty lip!  Guess she is my daughter after all. ;) 

More tummy time pictures (from today.) 

Little miss crab! 

There's that lip again!!! Silly little Mara! I love her so much! 

We took Mara to the zoo for the first time.  She wasn't terribly impressed but she did look at several animals - including these fish. She also liked the turtles and the penguins.  I'm seeing a water theme here... like daddy like daughter. 

This picture is really dark but we were seeing how we measure up against the bears.  The verdict: taller than a sun near but not as tall as a black bear. 

Corky and I took Mara to a New York style deli on Sunday, called Kornblatt's.  Here is corky eating matzo ball soup.  Mara and I posed for the camera too. 

I'm better at eating one-handed so I usually get baby-duty when we eat. Lol! 

Here's an action shot of me doing Zumba at my friend's Jam session. (Photo credit: Tyler O.) "I whip my hair back and forth, I whip my hair back and forth..." 

Three eight twelve - 3 Years

I know it's pretty anti-climactic to post about a major date 2 days after it.  I have just been so busy.  Last week was the week from hell and I'm just now feeling semi-recovered from it (just in time to do it all over again, to a slightly lesser degree.) This new job is kicking my butt!  

Sunday, March 8th was my 3-year Zumba-versary.  I'll never forget being so nervous and excited to get my Zumba Basic 1 training on 3/8/12.  Best decision I ever made!!  My 3rd year teaching Zumba had a lot of ups and downs.  Definitely the highlight was doing Zumba while 9 months pregnant! I got a lot of funny looks for sure. Lol!

Speaking of that, Mara is doing great.  She rolled over yesterday!  It was the cutest thing!  She was trying so hard to roll one way and couldn't, so she tried the other way and over she went!  It was adorable.  Here are some pictures of her: 

I just love her little feet! 

Not a fan of rice cereal! Lol! 

She will be 4 months old on 3/23.  Crazy!  She's the sweetest little girl.... I just love her so much it's insane! 

3 Months

I'll make a post later about NEDA week 2015, but first.....

My baby is 3 months old!!!

It feels like the time flew by but then it also feels like the right amount of time.  It's weird. 

But I have to say.... the hardest part of new mommyhood, hands down, was breastfeeding.  I cannot believe I've made it 3 months after the incredibly rocky, painful, flat-out unpleasant beginning I had with it.  The pain was horrendous.  I would walk up the stairs to feed Mara (because at the beginning I only did it in this one specific spot) and I would start crying before I even made it up the first 2 or 3 stairs.  The pain was the worst I've ever felt - worse than labor. 

At the beginning I had to use a nipple guard.  It's this little silicon shield thing that kind of looks like a teeny sombrero with holes in the top and it goes over your nipple to keep it from chafing so much.  I also used a breastfeeding pillow.

Now, however, I just haul out my boob and pop her on with no guard, no pillow, no paraphernalia at all!  I use a nursing cover when I'm out in public but other than that... nothing.  It's gotten so much easier! I didn't believe it was possible but I hung on. I almost quit a million times but I didn't and I'm so glad!

Little Mara is growing like a sunflower and learning new things every day. She is trying to sit up and roll over on her own.  She can grab things (and does... often!) and likes to play with toys.  She's doing great with tummy time.  She's a smart little girl.  She knows who her parents are and cries whenever anyone else tried to hold her.  She's my little buddy and I love her so much!! 

NEDA week

Sorry I've been MIA lately.... just been busy.  Being a mom and all that.  And I've honestly been struggling so bad. I just can't stand how I look!!! 

Anyway, it's NEDAwareness week this week and the theme is "I Had No Idea."  So here's a few statistics: 

Only 1 in 10 people who are suffering from an eating disorder will receive treatment.

10-15% of sufferers are male

Anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.

42% of 1st-3rd grade girls want to be thinner. 

That last one is scary isn't it?? Especially since I have a little girl of my own now and one day, not so very long from now, she'll be in that age range.  Will she think she's fat?  God I hope not!! I'll do everything in my power to ensure that she has a healthy mind about food and body.  I'll never call myself fat or skip meals in front of her.  I can't promise to be recovered but I can promise she'll never see me engage in symptoms!  I'll make damn sure of that! 

Here's a few pictures, since it's been a while! I can't believe my little stinkbug turns 3 months old tomorrow!!!

Mara and her daddy at a Mexican restaurant for dinner Feb 21, 2015

Jax getting some mommy snuggles 

 

Why Didn't You Cry?

A few days ago, Corky and I were driving somewhere in the car (with Mara in her car seat) and we were talking about Mara's birth.  He was, bless his big ol' heart, telling me how amazing I was during it and everything.  Aww.  Anyway, somehow the topic of the level of pain on a one-to-ten scale came up.  

"One hundred," I said.

"Really? It was that bad?" He asked.

"Yeah!" I was laughing, incredulous. "It really was!"

"Well then why didn't you cry?"

I guess I can see where that question came from.  You would think that a pain rated at 100 on a 1-10 scale would produce tears.  But the reality was that crying never crossed my mind.  It would have been too much work to cry!  By the time Mara was born, I hadn't slept in almost 2 days.  I hadn't eaten in 27 hours.  I wasn't allowed to drink water because of my epidural which, by the time Mara arrived, I had had for nearly 12 hours.  Crying would have wasted water, salt and energy that frankly I didn't have enough of to spare any! 

It took every ounce of energy and focus if had to just exist through each painful contraction.  Losing my mind wasn't an option.  Neither was passing out.  Crying didn't seem to be a good alternative because it was too hard.  I had to concentrate on just being.  So I did. 

After explaining all that, Corky looked at me with an expression that I've never seen before.  He looked awed.  It was rad!! Nothing like being validated for the very hardest (and most rewarding by far) thing I've ever done! :) 

Mara's Baby Photoshoot