Weekend Recap

Friday
Last Friday, Harper and I ventured out with her Auntie Brooke for her first girl's shopping day. We headed to do some shopping in Danville, Virginia (a city about thirty minutes away). We hit up Marshalls, Ross, Target, and Hobby Lobby.  I was impressed at how well Harper did. I had yet to take her shopping with me for fear of a meltdown in the middle of a store. We've done quick trips to Walmart before but no all day shopping adventures  But to my surprise she really did great. She woke up while we were in Target and started fussing so I carried her around the store with a bottle in her mouth as Brooke pushed the buggy around. When Harper finished, I popped her back in her car seat and she was happy as a lark. All in all, it was a great experience and I was able to get a lot of the items on my shopping list such as new shorts and some of the items for our bathroom update. Speaking of the bathroom update, I can't wait to finish to reveal the before and after photos!

Moving on, after our shopping adventure, I dropped Brooke off to get her car and then Harper and I went to spend the rest of the day with my parents. We stopped by my brother's house first to see what progress he'd made during the week on his house remodel. Mom and Dad were there so they took Harper and spoiled her for a bit. When we all left, we headed back to Mom and Dad's to waste some time until it was time to head to dinner.

At 7:00, the parents, Harper, and I headed to meet the Hubs for dinner at a local restaurant. My cousins surprised us by joining us. I had seen Craig quite a bit but I hadn't seen his daughter Chelsea in years. It was great to catch up. We all sat around talking until close to 9:00. We hadn't realized how late it had gotten until Harper let us know it was her feeding time. With that being the case, we grabbed our things, paid, and went! A screaming baby in a restaurant doesn't make for happy customers haha

Saturday
The Hubs had to work on Saturday so when I woke up I called my parents to see what their breakfast plans were. They usually go out to breakfast on Saturdays. Whenever the Hubs works on Saturdays, I usually join them. When I called, Dad said Mom had decided to fix breakfast at home but for me and Harper to come over. So I got the two of us ready and we made our way down the road.

After we ate breakfast, Mom and Dad decided to go do some home improvement shopping in Greensboro (another city about thirty minutes away). Since Kevin and I have began to do some more home improvements of our own, I decided to go with them. So we loaded Harper into Dad's car and we made our way to Greensboro. However, when we arrived at our first stop, Harper decided it was time she ate. So I left the car seat in the car and we walked around with a bottle in her mouth as we shopped. We spent a lot longer than I had intended at our first stop so she began to get pretty heavy. With that said, I may or may not have just plopped down on some of the warehouse's bar stools while Mom and Dad finished their shopping. haha

I ended up spending the whole day with my parents. I didn't get back home until close to 5pm. Kevin arrived home from work about an hour later. Since it was so late and I hadn't even began to think about what we'd do for dinner, we decided to head to Ruby Tuesdays with his parents. I was craving a salad and their salad bar definitely didn't disappoint.

Sunday
I woke up Sunday morning at 6:15 to realize that I had never woke up to feed Harper during the night. A slight panic set in and I jumped up to make sure she was breathing. Of course she was and then sheer excitement took over that our baby girl had just slept through the night for the first time ever! It made this mama smile real big!

Kevin and I headed to his church in Thomasville Sunday morning with his parents and his grandma. It's about an hour drive so we decided to spend the day there. After church, we had lunch with Kevin's aunt and uncle. His uncle happens to be the pastor at the church; hence, why we travel an hour to church!

After a delicious lunch of steaks, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, zucchini chips, and salads, Kevin took me to High Point to drop me off at my best friend's house. Her wedding dress had came in so we went to pick it up; as well as to pick out bridesmaids dresses for her upcoming wedding. After trying on quite a few, she decided on the dresses and we headed back home.

Since it was after 6 when we got home, we headed over to my parents house for dinner. Following supper, we swung back by Kevin's parents house. We both laid down on the couch while his parents played with Harper. I guess all the traveling from the day had gotten to us because we both fell asleep. I woke up to see that it was 11:00! I jumped up and told Kevin we had to get home. I knew it was about time for Harper to eat again. But thanks to my in-laws, as we had slept, they'd fed and changed her and she was ready for bedtime.


All in all, it was a great weekend and I can't wait to see what the week holds...especially since the Hubs is going to be off all week! Hallelujah! (: Hope you all had a fun-filled weekend as well. Happy Monday everyone!

Postpartum Workout

Before getting pregnant, I tried to make it to the gym at least three days a week. I'd usually do some cardio, hit a few weight machines, and take a workout class. When I found out I was pregnant, I was nervous about continuing my workout routine but my doctor assured me it would be fine considering my body was used to it. I knew she knew what she was talking about but it still worried me so I decided to cut back at the gym. In order to try to stay fit, I started walking three miles a day, three times a week. I kept this up until I was about six months pregnant. When I hit the six month mark, I started swelling pretty bad and was told to stay off of my feet. Unfortunately, this meant cutting out my workouts. So needless to say over the last three months of my pregnancy, the weight gain quickly started to rise. With that being the case, as soon as Harper arrived, I was ready to get back in shape.

The only problem was that I didn't have time to go to the gym so I had to start looking for alternatives. At our home, we don't have any workout equipment. We never had the need since Kevin and I both have gym memberships. However, we do have the INSANITY dvd's. Kevin and I have completed the INSANITY workouts twice before and they really do work. The only problem is they're about an hour long and if you stop in the middle of them, it's not as effective. And of course, with a newborn, just as soon as I start the workout, Harper needs to be tended to. So I had to come up with another solution. 

After spending a whole afternoon on pinterest looking up workouts, I finally settled on a few that I could adapt and do at home. It's been two weeks since I started working out regularly and I've seen a big difference in my post-preggo body. So I'd like to share my workout with you new mama's. Maybe it'll help you too!

Leg Circuit

20 squats

30 lunges

40 calf raises

50 second wall sit

100 jumping jacks

50 second wall sit

40 sumo squats

30 alternating leg raises

20 squats

Butt Circuit

20 alternating sliders

20 hip lifts

20 lunge kicks per leg

20 donkey kicks per leg

20 hydrant kicks per leg

20 booty kicks per leg

20 kneeling leg lifts per leg

20 hamstring curls

Ab Circuit

30 second plank

30 crunches

30 sit ups

30 Russian twists

30 V-crunches

30 bicycle crunches

30 alternating leg raises

30 side bends per side

30 second plank

Arm Circuit

10 pushups

20 arm circles (small forward)

20 arm circles (small backward)

10 dips

20 arm circles (large forward)

20 arm circles (large backward)

10 pushups

Each circuit takes anywhere from 10-15 minutes. I usually focus on two areas a day and try to get each circuit in three days a week. Though I feel better if I can get each in for five days a week. But as many of you know, life with a newborn doesn't allow much extra time (:

Life Lately

Life with a newborn has definitely changed things...especially where time is concerned. In the midst of trying to juggle keeping a house clean, cooking meals, doing laundry, and looking after Miss Harper Doodle, I don't have much time to sit down and put my thoughts to the computer screen anymore. I try but usually halfway through writing a blog post, something needs my attention so I don't get to finish. So instead of trying to write a bunch of posts about whats been going on lately, I decided to just write one blog with a hodgepodge of items until I have more time to sit down and really blog like I want to. So let's get started shall we.

Blog Name

You might have noticed that I changed my blog's name. When I started my blog, it was only my space so I had entitled it "Momentary Memories in the Life of SEM". After Kevin and I got married, it only seemed appropriate to change the name to "Momentary Memories in the Lives of S & K" since this space became our space. And now that we've welcomed a new member into our family, I felt that it was time I changed the name of the blog again. Not wanting to continue adding initials, I decided to just sum it up. Hence how I came to terms with the new name, Momentary Memories in the Holt Household. 

Grad School

As a teacher, education is extremely important to me. Since graduating college, I've had intentions of going back to school and getting my Master's degree. But for some reason, I just hadn't got around to it. So when a friend of mine heard about a cohort program happening within our county, I decided it was time I go back. So over the last two weeks, I've been working on submitting my grad school application to North Carolina A & T University. It's not the school I had wished to pursue my Master's at, nor is it the degree I had intended to get. However, with a baby, it's the one that works the best for us. The program will be offered off campus at a school located ten minutes from my house. We only have to meet once a week during the school year and for two straight weeks in the summer for the next two years. On top of that the program director is so unbelievably sweet and totally recognizes that we have lives outside of our jobs and school. She is extremely laid back and is willing to work with her students which is just what I need since I'll be juggling work, school, and the family life. I know it's going to be hectic at first but I'm truly looking forward to it!

Projects

Last fall, my brother bought his first home. It was a foreclosure property that needed a little work. However, my brother can never make anything easy. Instead of just fixing what needed to be fixed, he completely gutted the inside of the house and redid everything! Over the last few weeks the house has really taken shape and looks like a newly built home. As he prepares to move in, arrange furniture, and decorate, I've been inspired to make some changes to mine and Kevin's own home. There are quite a few things I'd like to get accomplished, so of course I made a list. Since I'm out of work until August 19th, one of the perks to being a teacher, I'm thinking I just might be able to tackle all of this before heading back in the fall. But we'll see. 

The first thing on my list is to have our fence stained and our yard landscaped. Kevin and I put up a privacy fence in our back yard two years ago as a wedding present to each other. Two years later, it's still unstained. Secondly, I want to redecorate the master bathroom. It looks the same that it did when we moved in three years ago! It's definitely in need of a face lift. Next on the list comes the kitchen. When we moved into our house, the only room that had wall paper was our kitchen. Our goal was to tear it down at some point and paint but here we are three years later and the fruit border is still staring down at me. I want it gone and a fresh coat of tan paint on the wall in it's place. The last item on my list is that I want to completely redo our dining room. By completely, I mean new paint, new wall decor, new furniture, and new curtains! Yes, I have big aspirations for this room. I'm seriously doubting it will be complete by the end of summer but I hope to at least have it started in hopes to finish it by the end of the year!  I'll be blogging about my hopes for it as soon as I get the chance!

Date Nights

I am happy to report that Kevin and I have successfully had two date nights since Harper was born. Our first night out we went to see Fast and the Furious 6 with my brother and another couple. It was an awesome movie and is by far my favorite of the six movies. A week later, Kevin and I went out just the two of us to celebrate our anniversary. We went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner and then went to see The Hangover 3. I was a bit disappointed in the movie but I was happy for the time with the hubs. Special thanks to my mother in law for keeping Harper doodle for us! It was hard being away but it made it easier knowing she was in good hands!

Getting Fit

One of the hardest things for me to accept after having Harper was my body. My hips are now wider, I have a "pudge", and I've got stretch marks on my legs and hips. On top of that, dressing after you have a baby is by far ten times worse than it is when you're pregnant. Maternity clothes are too big and your pre-pregnancy clothes are too small. What's crazy is the pre-pregnancy clothes I could wear while I was pregnant, I can't wear now that I'm not. How in the world that happened I don't know. All of this combined caused me to have my one and only melt down post baby. Yes, call me shallow but my emotional moment came from the way I looked. I had a crying fest because I didn't think I'd ever look good anymore and I couldn't find any clothes in my closet to fit other than dresses. Looking back I laugh. But it was because of that moment that I jumped back on the workout train.

I've started working out about five days a week and it feels so good to be back. I only make it to the gym a couple days of the week because of Kevin's work schedule. So the rest of the days I work out at home. It isn't nearly as effective as lifting weights at the Y, but it helps and for that I'm still thankful. On top of working out, I've started tanning. And a person can always feel better about themselves when they're tan! And I'll be getting my haircut later this week. I'll be going with a new look that I'm super excited about! Maybe I'll post pics soon... We'll see if I have time or even remember too haha

Over the last couple of weeks, I've seen a lot of progress and I definitely feel like I'm getting to the point that I was before getting pregnant with Harper. But even if I don't make it back to that point, it'll be okay. I've got her to prove for it and I wouldn't change that for the world! 

{Monthly Recap}: One Month

It's amazing to me that you're already one month old! It seems like the last few months of my pregnancy drug on and on and your dad and I thought we were never going to get to meet you. Now here you are already a month old. When I look back over the last few weeks, I can't believe how fast they've gone by. I joke with your Nana that that's what happens when our nights and days run together... we just lose all track of time!

  Weight You haven't been weighed recently but your last measurement had you weighing in at 8 pounds and 14 ounces and that was a week and a half ago. Prior to that appointment, you were gaining about 12 ounces every week to week and a half. So I'm going to guess that you're about to be pushing 10 pounds if you aren't already there. I remember bringing you home and your car seat looked like it swallowed you whole. Now you look like it was made for you. You fit in it so perfectly.  Health

As soon as you were born we had to put you on Keflex, a medicine to prevent you from getting kidney and bladder infections due to your hydronephrosis. Unfortunately, the medicine really didn't agree with you. Within five minutes of being given your daily dose, you'd start getting fussy. So Mommy and Daddy made the decision to stop giving it to you even though you're supposed to take it until you're twelve weeks old. Now don't get us wrong, if we thought you needed it, we'd give it to you anyways. But since you've been born, your kidneys and bladder appear to have fixed themselves. You have become quite the little pea-pot so there is no indication that your bladder and kidneys are retaining any fluid. If they are then you sure must have a lot of fluid in your body baby girl!   Sleep

When you first got here, you had the same schedule you had when you were in my belly. You liked to sleep all day and would start getting active around 8:00 at night and would stay active until the wee hours of the morning. That was all fine and dandy when you were in my belly but once you arrived, it was a bit tougher. So Daddy and I worked for a few weeks and we finally got you operating on a normal person's schedule; i.e. awake and playing during the day and sleeping at night. Over the last week, it appears you have finally adapted and no longer have your nights and days confused. With that said, you're sleeping in about 2-3 hour stretches during the day and sleeping in 3-4 hour stretches at night and that your daddy and I can handle! Routine At this point, you're still pretty much dictating what happens and when. However, after a couple of weeks with you, your daddy and I started noticing some patterns and started trying to follow them. During the day you want to eat about every 2-3 hours and about every 3-4 hours at night. You like to wake up and play after your late morning feeding and your late evening feeding.  But other than that, you're perfectly content to spend the rest of your time snoozing it up in your swing or bassinet.  Clothes

For most of this month, you have worn newborn clothes. The only problem is you only had a few newborn size outfits because Mommy thought you were going to be bigger than you were when you got here so she didn't think you needed many. Sadly, I was wrong and unfortunately you've had to wear the same few outfits over and over. When you were a few weeks old your daddy made the comment that you had a closet full of clothes and wore the same thing all the time. He didn't quite understand all of your clothes were not the same size but I did take what he said to consideration and decided maybe we should try to put you in some bigger clothes to offer you more clothing options. We started you out in a few 0-3 dresses because it didn't matter if they were too big, no one seemed to notice. But with your rapid weight gain each week we didn't have to keep you in just dresses long. Now you can fit in pretty much all of your 0-3 month clothes. Though you still wear some of your newborn clothes since they fit you great in the belly. You just can't wear any of your newborn clothes that are footed because you've gotten so long that they pull tight on your feet and Mommy's afraid they'll hurt your toes!   Diapers You are currently in newborn size diapers and I'm wondering if you won't be in them for a while. We only had two packs of newborn size diapers in addition to the two packs the hospital sent home with us when you were born. I figured that would be more than enough because you were growing so fast. I assumed that when we finished with those four packs, you'd be ready for size 1's. Yet, after finishing the packages, I tried putting a size 1 diaper on you and it came all the way up to your chest. It was quite amusing until I realized we didn't have many diapers left that you could wear. Mommy had a minor panic attack and your daddy and I had to ride out that day to get you a new package of diapers before you ran out and we had nothing to put on you!    Diet When you were born I was set on breastfeeding you. I had taken classes, read lots of information about it online, and talked to friends and family members. I felt confident that I knew what to do and I thought it would come naturally for you so I thought we would be good to go with it. Unfortunately, it didn't come easy for either of us. After meeting with three lactation consultants and multiple nurses, we realized it just wasn't working for you and me. You had a poor sucking reflux and Mommy's body made it hard for you to get any milk. The nurses and doctors told me that you were losing weight fast and you had become jaundiced due to the fact that you weren't eating since you had only been able to latch once. The doctor wanted to keep you at the hospital longer but Mommy and Daddy said there was no way you would stay there and we wouldn't. So we decided to go home because we thought when we got home, it might come easier for us since we'd be more comfortable but it didn't. The first night home you refused to eat. You hadn't ate in nine hours at the time and you were not happy. Finally, Mommy made the decision to just give you a newborn nurser. You sucked it down so fast and Mommy was so happy even though it was formula. That night while you slept, Mommy prayed and prayed for God to show her what direction to take. I felt like I needed to give up on the decision to breastfeed and only give you formula because that may be what you needed. But at the same time, I felt like that would make me a failure because breastfeeding is considered best for you and everyone I knew did it so I thought I had failed as a mom because I wasn't able to. Not being able to sleep, I got online and started reading information about formula feeding vs breastfeeding when I came across a blogger who wrote about her breastfeeding experience. Come to find out she and her daughter had the exact same challenges that we did and she finally came to terms to put her baby on formula and her daughter had turned out happy and healthy as ever. When I saw that her daughter's name was Harper too, I knew that this was God's way of showing me what to do. Since that night you've been on formula and we haven't looked back! You take it like a champ and are as healthy and happy as can be!   Baby Gear Love

 - We absolutely love the Aden + Anais swaddle blankets. I splurged on these myself for you because so many people recommended them. Thank goodness I did because so far, they are the only blankets we have used with you since we came home. You don't like to be covered but they are so lightweight that you don't seem to notice them. They also are made of muslin so they're pretty thin and you don't get too hot if they are laying over you. 
 - Your Fisher- Price Snugabunny Swing has been the greatest lifesaver ever. We keep it downstairs in the living room since we pretty much live downstairs during the day. Grandma thinks you enjoy your swing so much because it sort of cocoons you. I think she's partially right. I think you also like it because it rocks you and you're definitely going to be a rocker like your mama. You also like to just lay in it when you're awake if we have the bird mobile turned on. You like to watch it go round and round! - We love your Dr. Brown bottles. When we first put you on formula we didn't have many bottles since I had expected to breastfeed you. Thankfully we had gotten a small package of 4 oz. baby bottles at a shower even though I hadn't registered for them. We used those for a few days but you would spit up a lot and we wondered if the bottles might be the cause. I had registered for a few Dr. Brown's bottles and even though we only had the 8 oz. bottles and you were only drinking 2 oz. a feeding we decided to try them. You did great with them and we noticed a huge difference in that you pretty much stopped spitting up. So we put all the other bottles away and went out and bought more Dr. Brown's bottles and you've been taking them ever since! Crying

For the most part, you are not much of a crier unless you're really hungry. You really are more of a fusser. If you aren't happy you tend to start huffing and grunting. But when you start huffing, grunting, and start moving your arms and legs, your daddy and I know that we better figure out the problem fast. Once those hands and feet start moving, your crying will start. And boy oh boy do you have a set of lungs if you choose to use them! It's amazing how loud you can get when you're so little. And when you start using those lungs, you always turn red and splotchy from head to toe and you almost always ball up your fists. I joke with your dad that you're going to be a temper-tantrum-thrower. Let's hope that's not true though.    Milestones

Being that this is your first month of life, you've experienced so many milestones that I can't even recount them all. You have experienced so many firsts this month: your first bath, car ride, stroller ride, night at home, dinner out, trip out in public, trip to church, trip to Mommy's work, trip to Daddy's work, trip to the lake, trip out to the ball field to watch Daddy and uncle Duez play ball, and so many others. It's been amazing watching you take in the world through your eyes.    Likes - You absolutely love being on the move. You don't care if that means being rocked in a rocking chair, going for a stroller or car ride, or just being carried around as Mommy and Daddy do things around the house. As long as you're on the move, you're happy which makes for happy parents since we're always on the go. - You love your bath time. When you had your first bath at the hospital you screamed your head off. I was really worried that bath time was not going to be your thing. But that was definitely not the case. You are without a doubt going to be a water baby. You love laying in your bath tub. You can be fussy and we can put you in the water and you'll stop whining and start smiling right away.  Dislikes - At this point the only thing you really hate is having your food postponed. When you're hungry, you start moving your arms back and forth. I tell your dad you're practicing your backstroke but he thinks you're practicing your pitching skills; he has high hopes that you're going to be a left handed pitcher since that seems to be the arm you move the most. But regardless, once the arms start moving, we know you're getting hungry and we have about a minute to fix your bottle. If not, the feet start moving and then the cries and squealing will start.  - You're not a big fan of having your hands and feet messed with. I have to wait until you're in a very deep sleep to file your nails down. If you know I'm messing with your hands you get irritated. The same goes for your feet. Everyone wants to touch your little feet but as soon as they get their hands on them, you yank them back. Everyone comments that your feet are ticklish but it's not that. You just don't want them messed with. However, you will let Mommy touch them if she rubs the middle of your foot. Apparently you like foot massages! - You aren't a fan of being swaddled. When you were in the hospital you didn't seem to mind so much but once we got home, you decided you weren't having any of that. I contribute it to the fact that you don't like your arms and legs in a bind. You like to be able to move them since you're a little wiggle worm!

Harper: Four Weeks

Harper doodle is four weeks old! In just a few days, she'll be a month old! Whaaat?!

Weight: Harper won't be weighed again until her two month check-up. But my guess is that she's weighing somewhere between 9 and 10 pounds at this point. 

Health: I'm happy to report that Harper finally lost her umbilical cord stump last Thursday! We'd been counting down the days until it would fall off. It's barely been hanging on over the last couple of weeks. 

Sleep: Harper has finally gotten her schedule adjusted to ours in that she stays awake during the day and sleeps at night. She's also become much more alert this week and has been staying awake much longer. Typically she'll stay up for a couple of hours in the morning and usually later in the evening she'll stay awake for about five hours; though occasionally she'll dose for a few minutes in that five hour period. 

Clothes: Harper is still wearing her newborn outfits. However, due to her increasing length, I'm guessing this will probably be her last week in them. They fit her perfectly but her footed sleepers are just getting too tight on her little feet and she can't stretch out her toes. We've tried putting 3 month sleepers on her and they fit great in length but are absolutely huge everywhere else. So for the most part, she's wearing onesies all the time! Thank goodness she has a lot of cute ones!

Visitors: Harper got to see both sets of grandparents this week, her great-grandma, her aunts and uncles, and Kevin's best friend and his family. New this week, Harper got to meet the teacher I student taught with and her sweet seven-month old daughter. 

Baby Gear Love:  Still the usual... Aden + Anais blankets and burp cloths, Fisher- Price snugabunny swing, and her Dr. Brown's bottles.

Crying: For the most part, Harper is still only crying when she's hungry. Though, there have been a few nights this week that she was pretty fussy. However, after giving her some gas drops and gripe water she stopped so I'm guessing her little tummy hurt.

Likes: This week Harper has fallen in love with being on her play mat. If she starts getting fussy, we just lay her on it and turn it on and her fussiness instantly stops. She loves watching the musical mobile light up and she's fascinated by the fact that she can hit the toys that hang down and they move. It's been a real lifesaver this week as I've tried to do some things around the house. I just plop her down on the mat and she's perfectly content for an hour or so.  She's also gotten where she wants to sit up like an adult this week. We try holding her to sit her up but she gets irritated. So we just prop her up against the back of the couch, surround her with some pillows, and she's a happy girl. She'll sit and watch tv just like Kevin and I do. She's already trying to grow up too fast!

Milestones: This week Harper has started giving "real" smiles. Before she used to smile when she had gas, left us a "surprise", or while she was dreaming. But this week, she has started smiling when we talk to her or play with her. She absolutely loves playing peek-a-boo with her baby bib after she's ate. She'll coo and smile every time! It melts my heart <3 span="">

Postpartum: I started working out again this week and my tired and sore muscles have never made me more happy. I've been back at my pre-pregnancy weight for the past couple of weeks but I still have the "pooch" going on in my belly. After staring at it each day when I get out of the shower, I decided it was time to fix it. After all, bathing suit season has arrived and if I'm going to be sporting a two-piece, I had to get this belly under control. So after spending a whole day picking apart different postpartum workouts, I put together my own and started at it. I'll be blogging about my new workout in a week or so for all of you new mommies! 

Snapshots from the Week