Losing the Baby Weight

Seriously, this lady must have just had a baby.

When I was pregnant, I did what a lot of pregnant women do.  I completely overindulged... to the tune of gaining 50 pounds.  I read the articles that promoted only gaining between 25 and 35 pounds (at six months pregnant, I hit the over).  Rather than heed the advice given, I ate pizza and GiGi's cupcakes my entire first trimester.  My second trimester I ate donuts...daily.  And they weren't the plain kind.  My favorite were cream filled, chocolate covered with sprinkles.  I also didn't stop at one.  Davis and I ate Sonic every other night.  I had cheeseburgers and tater tots.  Then I discovered a love for Little Debby oatmeal cream pies during my third trimester.  Oh, and lest I forget consuming copious amounts of ice cream.  Did I mention I didn't work out?  Like at all?  Because I didn't.

In a recent interview, famous momma Jessica Simpson told USA Today "I let myself indulge in everything I wanted because it was the first time I was pregnant, and I wanted to enjoy it."  I can definitely relate to that statement.  That's really how I felt.  The only problem is no one is paying me three million bucks to lose my baby weight, and Davis isn't footing the bill for a personal trainer, a nanny to watch Tripp while I work out for hours at a time, or a chef to cook my every meal.  It is really difficult to look at postpartum celebs who lose their baby weight in three weeks and not have the same expectations for myself, even after knowing they have access to resources that I will never have.  Not to mention the fact that I can't imagine spending my baby's first months in the gym, rather than with him.  The whole "nine months on, nine months off" (which has been quoted to me over and over for the past two months) mantra is unacceptable in my mind, so I've started the arduous journey of getting back to my pre-preggo size (even if I never return to my pre-preggo body).  

I've started trying to eat healthier and have begun the Couch to 5K training program.  No one tells you that getting back into running after a year off is super hard and that you really and truly have to start back from scratch.  Because I'm breastfeeding, I can't diet, but I have been making healthier choices in the food department. 

When we brought Tripp home from the NICU, I had lost nearly half of the weight I had piled on.  But since then, I haven't lost a pound.  You read that right.  Not one pound.  I did go shopping at Old Navy because I didn't want to wear maternity jeans another day.  The size I bought was three sizes bigger than my old size. I never thought I'd see the day when shopping wasn't fun - at all.  

I'm going to continue to exercise and eat healthier because I genuinely enjoy being healthy - even if it never gets me back to where I was before.  And when I begin to feel disheartened, I am going to look at my precious, precious baby boy.  Because at the end of the day, he was worth every. single. pound.

My Least Favorite Three Words Right Now...

...are "He is crying," said by none other than my very own Captain Obvious, Davis.

Let me explain. At Tripp's two month checkup, our pediatrician told me he can sleep eight continuous hours now. The good doctor told me when he wakes up before his eight hours to let him cry for about fifteen minutes to let him go back to sleep on his own.

In an earlier post, you might've read my bragging about how he was sleeping his eight hours, and most nights, he has. However, the last two nights, he has awakened, crying at 5 AM (an hour early). I have let him cry for his 15 or so (okay, I admit, I usually cave at 10) minutes, then I travel up the stairs (worst floor plan ever by the way for a newborn) and stick his blessed paci in his mouth.

The 15 (or 10) minutes he cries is excruciating for me for several reasons. One, I hate seeing my baby upset. Two, I'd rather be sleeping. And three, let's face it, "crying baby" noise is really pretty annoying. And I must say, I am a pretty considerate wife. When Tripp starts crying, I always turn the volume down on the baby monitor. Trust me, if there was a mute button, I'd have hit it already.

So anyway, last night, oh, about eight minutes in to Tripp's 5 AM cry-athon, Davis tells me, "He is crying." Seriously, honey? I'm well aware. In fact, I'm watching the baby monitor intently, crossing my fingers that he drifts back off to dreamland (what do babies dream about anyway?). In two minutes, I will be walking back up those stairs to his nursery, where I will put his paci back in and turn his mobile back on and hope he sleeps for one whole hour more, so I can sleep for one more hour more. (And in case you were wondering, he didn't sleep in his crib. Finally, I held him and rocked him in the dark until 6, when I fed him.)

I feel the need here to provide the following disclaimer: I have a great husband and Tripp has an amazing father. Davis loves spending time with him and often takes over in the late afternoons/early evenings, so I can run errands solo or jog around the neighborhood. Tripp and I are both very lucky. With that said, he can be annoying in the wee hours of the morning. :)

Crib Training Update

Ahhhh... He has finally made the big transition to the crib! All it took was Grandma D-D coming to the rescue with a mobile that lights up, spins monkeys around, and plays Bach. It doesn't match my nursery, and for all of two seconds, I cringed at the primary colors that blinded me and the rainforest animals that clearly didn't match my nursery theme, but hey, whatever gets the job done, right?  Did you hear that sound? It's a huge sigh of relief made by yours truly!

Behold the Fisher Price Rainforest Mobile!

Did I mention he is also sleeping 8 hours now?  When Tripp sleeps, Mommy sleeps, and when Mommy sleeps, everybody in the house is happier.  :)

Yep, that's my child sleeping in his crib!  I love my baby monitor by the way... it's Motorola.
Is he not the SWEETEST thing when he's sleeping?!

Operation: Wake Tripp Up

I have been trying to implement a good sleep and wake schedule for Tripp for some time now.  He sleeps pretty well at night, but still, I would like him to be on a better and more predictable schedule.

I have read Baby Wise several times, and I have had some success.  My baby is like his momma...  he is a sleeper!

So, anyway, this morning, after his 10 AM feeding, he wanted to go back to sleep, and I thought this would be a good time to keep him awake.  

Milk Coma

"Let me help, Mom!" says LuLu

Sweet Success

2 Months with Tripp

Tripp is 2 Months Old!

You have had quite an eventful month!

You went back to Kentucky and visited with cousins, aunts, uncles, Grammy, PopPop, and your great grandmother.

You with Hayden, Hannah, and LuLu of course

Aunt Ellen put you to sleep!

Your Great-Grandma tried to teach you to say
"Woo Pig Sooie!"

You give the best smiles, and you smiled a whole lot more this month!  You're so happy in the mornings, which you must get from your daddy because you sure didn't get it from me.

You still refuse to sleep in anything but your Nap Nanny, which is a cause of concern for us!  We've tried to put you in your crib several times and you SCREAM.  Daddy and I aren't very good at letting you cry, so we scoop you up and put you back in your blessed Nap Nanny.

Crib training advice would be appreciated!!

On a positive note, you get up once during the night (usually between 3:30 and 5).  

You love your activity mat, which I refer to as the "Neglectomat" because I always get a solid 30 minutes of stuff done while you're on it!  LuLu likes it, too.  

You've really figured out that if you kick the giraffe, the music will play, and you've gotten really good at bopping the hanging toys.

You watch lots of football with your daddy.

You hate when the Rebels lose.  :)

You have met Mary Kiley Lovorn and Collins Waldrop.  You're going to be surrounded by pretty girls!

You love sticking your tongue out!

Your Aunt Kelley came all the way from Atlanta to meet you!  You are so loved!

The last month really flew by!  I'm trying to memorize your precious face and fingers and toes because you're not going to stay this little for very long.  Dear Time, slow down already!

Tripp is One Month Old!

"No matter what the world, you'll always be my baby."  - Dave Matthews

Tripp is ONE whole MONTH old! 

No doubt, this has been the greatest month of our lives.  Life is so much sweeter with you in it!

Your "big sis" LuLu kisses you when you cry.  

You spent three whole nights in the NICU the first week of your life.  It was traumatizing for Mommy and Daddy, but you made friends with all the nurses.  You're already a charmer.  You get that from your daddy.

You can roll over on your side.

You looooooove to sleep, which makes me very happy because I get to sleep, too.  You must get that from me. 

You prefer to sleep in your nap nanny.

You have already been to Kentucky and spent the night with your Aunt Ellen, Uncle Chuck, and cousins, Hannah and Hayden.  

You also met your great grandmother, Uncle David, Aunt Marsha, and cousins, Emily, Justin, Molly, Kelly, and Hunter.  You are loved!

You are the greatest, sweetest, most perfect thing in the world.  And you're growing up entirely too fast.

You're Really Not That Busy

So, I recently saw this on Pinterest, and it really got me thinking.  Why is "I'm so busy" grounds for bragging rights?  

My daddy has also been on my mind a lot lately.

Naturally, these two trains of thought collided.  I was reminded of how I would call Daddy, and he'd say "Well, it's about time you called me back," or he would leave me a voice message, reminding me of how I was supposed to call him when I got home.  I would explain away how incredibly busy I was with Davis, lesson plans, the dogs, or whatever else was going on in my life.  But the truth of the matter is I wasn't too busy.  

We all have time for what we make time for.  I'm not saying I didn't have a lot going on because I'm sure I did.  I'm also not saying I was blatantly lying to Daddy.  I'm sure I thought I was too busy to call him.  But now that I can't get him on the phone, I see things with great clarity.  Now that I realize just what I would give to talk to him, I know that I wasn't busy at all.

Call your daddy.  And call your momma and your brother and sister and best friend and tell everyone you love how much you love them.  You're not too busy.  Sadly, one day you may not get the opportunity and no matter how long your to do list is, all you'll think about is how much you'd like to call them.  Stop the glorification of busy.

Aaaaaaaand He is Here!

"Every good and perfect gift is from above." - James 1:17

After much anticipation...

Tripp is here.

We finally met our little handsome fella on Wednesday, August 15th at 10:04 PM.

He was 8 pounds 3 ounces, 20 inches of sweetness. Also, he has a ton of hair.

Everyone adores him. Team Grandma is no exception.

Even LuLu.

He looks just like his daddy.

Davis                                                        Tripp

Who knew life could be so grand?

Approaching the Finish Line...

I will not cause pain without allowing something new to be born, says the Lord.  Isaiah 66:9

Well, my friends, we are officially nearing the finish line...like steps from the finish line.  {Don't mind the racing metaphor...  I've had Olympic fever.  So much so that I dreamed Usain Bolt helped deliver Baby.}  But I digress.  I can count now down the days versus the weeks and months (the countdown is at 2 days, by the way).  Baby Boy isn't super eager to enter the world on his own, so he is being evicted on Wednesday morning!

Thankfully, my "To Do's Before I'm Due" have dwindled down to near nothing.  Our bags are packed.  The car seat is installed.  Everything baby is Drefted.  All essential baby products have been bought.  Even LuLu has had a bath.  

So, now we wait, but I'll leave you with this little jewel of a family photo...

I'm not so sure what's shocking...  that we're having a baby? I mean, we've had a whole eight and a half months to adjust to that idea.  Is he shocked that I'm so big?  Maybe that's it.  

And here is our last photo as a family of 3...

 I imagine LuLu will long for these days very soon!  :)

Next post, Davis and I will be PARENTS!  Eek!

Patience is a Virtue {or so they say}

"Adopt the pace of nature:  her secret is patience." - Ralph Waldo Emerson


I am not a patient person, to put it mildly.  This whole pregnancy flew by....until about three weeks ago.  Since then, we're moving at a snail's pace.  I am at the point where I don't feel like my little boy is ever coming out to meet us.  Apparently, he likes chillin in my belly and ice cream....and making his knee push my skin out.  That's seriously a little wierd.  I feel like I've been possessed, like in those horror movies I enjoy so much.  I'm being a little dramatic, but then again, I'm in a very dramatic mood as of late.


So, anyhow, while I wait on Tripp to make his grand entrance into the world, I've tried to get projects done.  Since we moved fairly recently, there is no shortage of things to be done.  


Painting the fireplace in the living room has been on the to do list since we moved in, but I had to wait until we had someone clean out our chimneys and evict the colony of birds who had taken up residence there.  Davis had someone come take care of the job this week, so I decided the "Project of the Week" would be to paint the fireplace.  


Here is a shot of the ugly gold glass screen:

Apparently, folks in the 80's loved some gold hardware.

I took a whole slew of "before" pics when we moved in, but when my phone took a swim in the washing machine, I lost them all.

Here is the fireplace in its original red bricked splendor:

Prior to diving into the project, I did my research.  I found a tutorial and deemed the job easy enough.  Apparently, there needs to be a warning label that reads:  "If you are very, very, VERY pregnant, this job may prove to be extremely frustrating and may result in a complete breakdown."  Because that is EXACTLY what happened.  Poor Davis, he comes in the living room, and I have painted maybe five percent of the fireplace and had gotten paint on the wall and completely. broke. down.  I got super overwhelmed.  I think hormones were partly to blame.  Maybe.  So, anyway, Husband to the rescue.  He calls in assistance from his mother, and together, they painted the entire thing.  I helped a little bit.

LuLu didn't help at all.


This morning, Dear Husband finished the job.  


TA-DA!  

Love my chevron painting by Ashley Buse!

Now we need a screen and fireplace tools (or whatever you call them).  

Because he saved the day, I rewarded him with a night out with the boys, which probably means I'll go into labor tonight...  Ha!  

Continuing to wait and trying to do so patiently...

Tripp's Room

"I deeply believe that a beautiful decor can have a beneficial influence on our lives." - Albert Hadley


So, like five minutes after the preggo test came back positive, I was already thinking about the baby's nursery.  This is perhaps a slight exaggeration, but I started dreaming dreams of perfect little nurseries very early on.  Now that I'm 8 months along, the nursery is finally nearly complete but for some monograms on pillows and a shade for the window.  So, without further adieu, check out Tripp's place!

View from the Doorway

For inspiration, I scoured Pinterest and projectnursery.com and decided I wanted a kind of "rustic farm" theme.  I ordered some things from Etsy and made others using barn wood from barns on my family's property.  There are also several nods to my father throughout the nursery.

Door Hanger

A friend of mine had an awesome door hanger on her nursery door that she had made in Tupelo.  I decided to try to come up with something similar (and undoubtedly cheaper), so I googled wooden letters and found Craft Cuts, a shop online where I was able to choose the font, thickness, and height of letters for a reasonable price.  I then painted on chevron stripes and added a burlap ribbon bow (Hobby Lobby).  The colors in my nursery are tans, light blues, and orange.  Wonder why I didn't paint the "T" orange?  Then, you don't know me very well.  ;)

Instagram Canvases of Murphy Farms

While visiting Chuck, Ellen, and the kids back in June, I decided to traipse through the field to take pictures of some old barns.  Now, mind you, I am NO photographer but I love grainy Instagram pics, and I thought these turned out decent.  I ordered the canvases off of Canvaspop.com, which specializes in Instagram shots.

Bookcase and Window

The bookshelf is unfinished, so I felt no need to get a close up picture.  When the baby comes, there will be pics added and books will accumulate, so I'm not very concerned with it right now.  The valence I made and will monogram sooner or later.  I also bought a matchstick shade, but it was missing some hardware, so exchanging it and hanging another is on the to-do list as well.

Changing Table/Dresser

The changing table is a dresser that Davis's father, Dennis, made years ago.  I love how the bottom drawer is a different wood than the top three drawers.  I believe this was one of the first pieces Dennis made.

The mirror is one that we had that came from Decor Direct (oh how I miss that place).  The "3" is not a tribute to Dale Earnhardt. I repeat, the "3" is not a tribute to Dale Earnhardt.  Tripp is the third, get it?  Apparently, this has been a source of confusion.  I ordered the "3" off of Craftcuts.com, spray painted it, and hung it using hemp rope from Walmart.  The picture that is framed is of me on my daddy's chest.  I love that picture.  I have struggled with the thought of Daddy never holding Tripp, so I thought by putting the picture here, it would be a daily reminder that he is with us.

I ordered the bedding from a shop called Cottage and Cabin on Etsy.  The owner/seamstress was so easy to work with.  She sent fabric swatches quickly, and her turn-around time was very reasonable.  I highly recommend her!

The wood I used for the letters is from a barn on my family's farm.  Dennis cut a board into equal parts for me.  I wonder why he doesn't trust me with his wood working equipment?  ;)  I painted the letters on and used the same hemp rope to hang.  Here is a closer look.

  

Glider and Ottoman

On a whim, I decided to go with an orange glider, and I'm glad I did.  I like the pop of color.  I made the pillow and will monogram it soon.  The ottoman came from Momma's house.  Oh, and how about that deer head in the top right corner?  I found it on Etsy.  When I showed it to Davis, he said, "Why did you order a fake one when we have three perfectly good ones in the next room?"  Oh, I don't know, maybe because I don't want a dead deer with dead eyes glaring at me at 3 o'clock in the morning when I'm up with your son?  :)  I thought it was a nice gesture, myself.

The Deer Head

This print is another Etsy purchase and came from Katie Daisy (or thewheatfield).  If you love watercolor prints, check out her shop.  My daddy and I danced to Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" at my wedding, and the song was also played at his funeral, so it's very special to me.  I thought this print would make a pretty tribute.

Well, that about does it.  Thanks for checking out the nursery, which happens to be the only near finished room in the house.  :)  Its inhabitant will be here very soon!