Photos galore

This is a post of many photos. First, Susanne asked in the comments of a couple of posts ago about getting back into shape post-c-section. Here's a shot taken of me a few days ago. I definitely still have the post-pregnancy pooch and about 5-10 intransigent pounds. I looked and weighed the same at about two weeks postpartum, which I thought was sweet, but it seems less sweet seven weeks later. I know that some people retain about that much weight to breastfeed, so we'll see if it comes off now that I am starting the weaning process. In terms of training, my OB was fine with whatever exercise I want to do. For the half-marathon, I'll be following this schedule, though I am not starting it until next week at the earliest. It looks manageable. (As an aside, at my podiatrist appointment last week, they kept me waiting for ages, which meant I finished the New Yorker that I brought. I was then left with what was in the room, which included a home-design magazine from 1996! 11 years old! I felt quite altruistic when I left my July 2007 magazine there for the next waiting patient.)

Here's a photo from So.ren's two-month birthday on Saturday. Apparently, he thinks he's four, five, or six, depending upon how you want to read his hands. As you can see, he got to wear an outfit for the first time. Until now, it's been all onesies and sleepers. Check out that plaid! And that smile! He's also started to laugh, though not always at what we think is funny.


And today he had his two-month checkup, which included shots (and an hourlong wait, since the pediatrician didn't realize she was supposed to be in - pfffft). The beleaguered little fellow is currently sleeping, and we hope it continues until his appointed wakeup time at 1pm. He was 11 lbs, 13+ oz, and came in in the 50th percentile for everything - length, weight, head. What a champ!

Now that he's had his first round of shots, I'll be tapering off the breastfeeding. I'm already down to pumping three times a day. I'm hoping to cut one today, leaving two (in case you couldn't follow that math), and then I'll start cutting feedings. I have mixed feelings about all of this, but I am focusing on the pros of the situation, which include the following: (1) no more feeling like an abject failure every time I pump a measly 3/4 ounce, (2) new ability to leave the house for more than an hour or two at a time, (3) no more plugged ducts, thus allowing for jogbras and, relatedly, jogging, (4) caffeine!, (5) booze!, (6) sleeping on stomach, and (7) shortened feeding times, resulting in more playtime. (Note: I know many people do drink caffeine and booze while breastfeeding and that it is no big deal, but I just haven't done so, and then I decided to make them prizes for getting to nine weeks.) I have also decided to feel proud for getting to nine weeks (and probably ten total, since I'm just starting to drop nursing sessions) instead of lame. Yay!

We've also been interviewing nanny candidates. Around here, that means college students. We've seen some good ones and hope to make a decision soon. Since the pool is mostly college students, we may need to get two, given class schedules, etc. One nanny candidate did do something rather dumb - she had a 1:45pm interview with me and called at 1:45 to get directions. Then, in the interview, I asked what she could point to in her experience to demonstrate that she's very reliable, and she said punctuality. Ha!