Silly me. Remember in my 1 year motherhood update, when I asked if you all were still interested in me continuing these updates? Well, my thought process was that not much would change on a month to month basis… so I wouldn’t have that much to write about. Oh how naive I was. So. Much. Changes. My little baby from last year is a full blown firecracker. Things change daily. She grows daily. I am challenged daily. So, I give you my 13 month motherhood update…..

General Thoughts/Feelings:

When I envisioned becoming a mom, this month is what always came to mind. As much as it challenges me, and as tired as I am, it’s been my favorite by far. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the newborn snuggles, but at this age, there is so much reciprocal engagement. I love her smiles when we go to greet her in the morning… that she copies me cleaning up a mess on the floor (she literally grabs a towel and makes circular motions)…. and how she talks to us in her own little language (that she assumes we must understand…. I mean “Boooya”…. duh….). Of course, there are the challenges that come with a reciprocal relationship…. you know, taking something away that she should’t have and the whole world crashing down around her (read: stiff back and screams….. you know what I’m talking about….)…. or the mini tantrums (we’re at the stage right now where we go in and out of cries….. and are juuuuust starting to lay down on the floor…. I assume full tantrum mode isn’t far behind….). Oh, and there’s this fearlessness that abounds within her…. just the other day we were at the park and she took one step quicker than I could, and down the slide she went (she was completely fine…. thank goodness)…. so it’s like I have to be one step ahead of her…. #TiredMomma

In all honesty though, it feels good to have the first year behind us. I can’t verbalize exactly why….. but it just feels comfortable. I know there will always be change and transition with a child around, but I feel a sense of comfort right now. Like the groove we are in really works (I’m sure that next week I will feel completely different…..). There isn’t as much uncertainty and unknown as I felt in the first year of motherhood. I mean, I’ve never been through the toddler years, but I feel more confident in this phase. A lot of my work as a therapist was with parents with toddlers (albeit slightly older) and I do find myself using a lot of the skills I worked on with families.

Feeding/Sleeping:

As of late, this girl has been sleeping soundly (I mean, no peeps throughout the night) for the past few weeks (knock on wood…). Even when she slept 12 hours, there were still moments throughout the night where she would become a little restless for a minute or two, and then fall back to sleep…. lately though, nothing (she’s probably exhausted from all that running around….). We have yet to transition to one nap…. She is still going down for a nap around 9:30ish and then again at 2:30…. although, there have been a few times when she has missed her morning nap and has then only taken one… when that happens, her nap time is around 1:30, and she tends to sleep about 2.5 hours.

As for feeding, this gal is like a “hallow lake.” Seriously. I think she eats just about as much as I do. Her favorites include strawberries (I mean, who doesn’t like strawberries), blueberries, carrots, and peas… she’s also a fan of almond butter and oatmeal mixed together, veggie burgers, and cheese sticks. Come to think of it, I can’t really recall giving her anything she didn’t like. I’m sure that’ll all change as she gets older and develops more preferences, but for the moment I’m rolling with it…. Oh, and there are also inedible items that she loves too…. like sand at the park (I seriously can’t get her to stop putting it in her mouth) and dog food (she’s literally obsessed… as in races for the dog bowl if we forgot to put it up and shoves a handful in her mouth… and we have to pry it out…..).

While that’s all good and positive, the OCD tendencies towards cleanliness within me are at an all time high! Toddler eating is no joke. I turn my back for a moment and food is everywhere. Literally. Sometimes she tries to mimic our pup Captain and I catch her trying to lick up her food…. or, just give him her food in general (it’s worked wonders for their budding relationship). I’ve done a few things to address the issue of food throwing… and it’s had some success. I’ve removed her food from her tray, modeled for her, and told her what we do with food (other than throw it), and then wait for her to ask for more again (she signs this). I know she’s not old enough to completely understand it all… but I know she’s watching… and I know she can hear… so I figured I’d start there. It’s successful sometimes… and sometimes I think she’s just done and bored sitting in her highchair….

I plan on doing an entire post in the coming weeks on my favorite products for eating, yet, if you’re curious, we’ve graduated from a bottle to this sippy cup, and are attempting to use these utensils (still have a ways to go there). We also just started using this high chair, so I’ll report back soon as to how I like it.

Working Out/Body:

So… I decided that I wanted to try BBG again…. and again, I got bored (after week 2). So, I’ve started creating my own HIIT workouts that I can easily do from the comforts of my own living room…. they challenge me… incorporate weights… and go by quickly since I try to make them different all the time…. I have been able to enjoy a couple of spin classes here and there… and it’s something I’m hoping to be able to commit to once a week (there is just something about the music and someone pushing me to work harder that is invigorating!).

I did grossly under estimate the amount of time it would take for my body to get back to “normal.” And I actually try not to use that as a word to compare my post-baby body to. I mean, what’s normal after you’ve carried, birthed, and fed a baby for a collective 2 years (almost)…. and don’t get me started on the post-nursing bodily changes (I think you all know what I’m talking about… one word comes to mind “deflated.” TMI?? Sorry, just being honest.). I was having a conversation with TJ about this last weekend. I was mentioning to him that I don’t want to loose weight. My goal has never been to be skinny. My goal is to be toned (sometimes I wonder where that pre-prego muscle mass went)…. so I’ve been incorporating HIIT workouts, as well as heavier weights into my routine. It’s challenging, and I’ve been enjoying it as of late…..

In all honesty, the process of accepting and loving the post-pregnancy body has been filled with highs and lows. Maybe that resonates with you, maybe it doesn’t. If it does, you’re not alone. Something I am trying to do is appreciate my body for what it can do for me…. which is why I have started increasing my mileage in my weekend runs. I always feel a sense of accomplishment with my body when I am able to increase by a mile… or shave a few seconds off my mile time. I’m amazed at how much resistance my legs can handle in a spin class… and how my arms can support me in my favorite yoga poses. I tend to feel most confident when I’m actually working out… and I hope that’s something to pass on to little miss…. because I know she hears and sees everything, so I must be mindful of the message I send!

Those thoughts may not make any sense (it’s a little late, and I’m a little tired) and they might just be some random musings… but thought I’d share them with you all.

Relationships:

I have found so much comfort in chatting with moms who are going through this stage with me. Swapping stories… swapping #MomFails…. it all makes you feel like you’re not doing as badly as you think.

I shared in this post that I wanted to be better about getting together with my girlfriends this year… and I am happy to say that my girlfriend and I have booked a Saturday night away in LA… just the two of us… to take a spin class, eat some delicious food, sip a little vino, and have a little uninterrupted (read: no schedule) time together. So. Excited…..

Which lends me to the fact that I feel lucky to have TJ who encourages me to take this time. TJ was gone this entire week for a work trip to the East Coast… and it’s crazy how used to a routine you get, and how much we help each other out. Having to be in charge of everything was tiring… It’s typically not until a person is away that you truly realize and appreciate the help…. and I certainly can’t wait for him to come home! I talked a little bit about how we invest in our marriage, post baby, in this post. For us, it’s all about the small moments. We are hoping to get back to some of the things we loved doing as a couple before little miss arrived… long bike rides (considering getting one of these….) and long hikes (considering this for those)… and just being outdoors for workouts (we currently take turns working out on the weekend mornings, unless we go for a run, and are missing that aspect!).

{Outfit Details || Top | Harper’s jumpsuit}

Favorite Moments: 

This gal loves butterfly kisses… and when I stop, she immediately grabs my head and asks for more….

She also loves to be give big ol’ open mouth kisses…. yet, she’s selective as to when she gives them out….

It melts my heart that she now grabs my hand when she wants me to follow her…

When we first brought her home, our pup Captain wasn’t too keen on her. Wait, that’s putting it nicely. He pretty much wanted nothing to do with her. It was around the time that she started eating solids, and accidentally dropping them over the side, that their relationship started to flourish. I love watching her take his leash and walk him around the house… or when she tries to give him kisses too.

How her favorite word is “dddddddddddyyyyyyy” which is her way of saying “daddy…” she loves him so….

When she suddenly becomes shy she clasps her hands together and moves them around in little circular motions. It’s adorable…..

How she loves books. She brings them to us, we read a page…. and then she walks away and brings us another one… Her current favorite is this one.

Favorite Products From The Month:

Now that she is officially out of her baby tub, we bought this whale to cover the spout of the faucet (in the tub)… it’s major peace of mind. We also love this bath toy organizer (she loves playing with these). These fleece pajamas have been a lifesaver…. they zip (no buttons) and keep her incredibly warm and cozy throughout the evening. Oh, and she is #obsessed with his little pink buggy. She loves going on walks to the park in it…. and I’m wondering how odd I would look taking it to the mall (she loves it more than her stroller at this point).