6 months already...

Mark turned 6 months old on Christmas day!  I can't beleive how the time has flown.  I still feel like Shawn and I just were driving to the hospital and getting ready for him to be here.  The past 6 months have gone by so quickly that I can only imagine how the next 6 will go until his first birthday.  I have been doing a lot of thinking the past few days about how much I love being his mother and what an amazing thing it is to be a mother.  I have always known that I wanted to have children but it wasn't until I held him that I fell in love.  Being pregnant was difficult and I certainly wouldn't say I would "love" it :) but I would do it a million times just to experience what I have with Mark.   Motherhood is not what I thought it would be.  I thought about diapers and feedings and general things that go along with taking care of a baby.  I had no idea what an incredible bond exists between a mother and a child.  I love him more than anything in the world and wonder what I was doing before he came along.  I love watching him grow and learn and explore the world.  His smile brightens up my days and his giggles make me giggle.

I have also been thinking a lot about breastfeeding.  I have officially been breastfeeding for 6 months straight....no bottles...no pacifiers....ever.    It has been one of the hardest, most enjoyable things I have ever done.  I love the time that we have together and I think it has made our bond even stronger.  I have really enjoyed breastfeeding him and am proud that I have done it this long.  I have had many dirty looks and stares when I am in public and need to feed him.  Im not sure why people feel so threatened by it??  I know many people have negative experiences but unless it's for a medical reason I think there is no reason you shouldn't be doing it.  Given the time and the patience it's an unbelievable experience.  I plan to continue to breastfeed him until he is a year old.  He gets rice cereal as well now and today we started carrots for the first time but I will also nurse him....no bottles.  Thank you to all of the people that have supported me and not given me negative stories/advice about the subject.  I appreciate all of you!

First time with carrots...not sure if I like them!!

I love my new wagon!

 

Up and running...

Tomorrow I will get back on the treadmill and attempt a 2 mile run!  I haven't run in a few days and even though I think about it often just don't seem to be motivated for some reason....but I WILL do this!  Stay tuned for tomorrows update :)

We had a great weekend...doing things around the house and my in laws came over to play with Mark and have lunch.  It was great visiting with them and enjoying the new house.  We are hosting our first Christmas Eve and Christmas this year so I'm excited about cooking a big meal and enjoying the holiday.  There are just so many things to be thankful for this holiday I don't know where to start :)

The "weight" is not over.....

When I was pregnat I thought losing the "baby" weight would be easy.  I have lost lots of weight in the past and God knows I know weight watchers inside and out.  I thought it would be no big deal to lose it but here I am 6 months later and still 22 pounds to go.  Granted I have lost 47 pounds so far and I am proud of that but come on!!  I feel like I'm stuck at this spot and there is no difference in my body.  I have decided that as a stepping stone to get myself back to a healthy weight is to sign up for a half marathon.  I miss the days of running before I had Mark.  I'm signing up for a half in June with Liz and plan on sticking to that.  It's not easy to get back into it though!  I started this week and did ok...I was able to run a mile and a half without stopping but it definitely was work!  It's amazing how fast you lose all of the muscle in your body!  I know I will never take for granted being in shape again.  So as I continue to blog about mother I will also dedicate a little spot on my training for the half marathon. 

Holiday craziness...

It seems like I always think about updating my blog and never get around to it!  I will blame it on the holiday craziness of the past month.  We have been really busy with shopping and decorating and baking!  Mark made his very first xmas cookies too!  We joined a mom's group which has been great...we have been meeting a lot of moms and kids.  It's so nice to talk to other mom's and get some advice from people who have already done this!  I'm able to get some girls nights out as well as playdates and fun activities for Mark.  We went to see Santa and Mark loved it!  He was smiling and staring at him...trying to figure the whole thing out :)  Christmas is so much fun watching through my sons eyes :)

It's been awhile...

I realized tonight that it has been a few weeks since I have updated my blog!  It has been a busy few weeks as the holidays usually are :)   My grandmother has been sick so we had to travel to New Jersey.  It was Mark's first plane ride and he was such a good boy!  Everyone complimented me on what a well behaved little boy I have!  I was very proud :)  Mark also turned 5 months and started eating rice cereal!  He loves it :)  He is such a good boy and opens his mouth up when he sees the spoon coming :)  It's exciting to watch him gro up!  We had a great Thanksgiving this past weekend and celebrated my mother in laws 60th birthday. 

Getting Stronger!

Today we practiced sitting up again and he seems to be getting stronger and stronger!  He tries so hard and then tips over :)  It's a lot of fun watching him try to steady himself.  He definately seems to understand that he needs to keep his head up!  Today was a cold and windy day so we decided to stay in and play  :)  

On another note I started getting a toothache this past weekend and it seems to be getting worse :(  Time to find a new dentist in the new neighborhood.  Im not looking forward to that...

Sitting Up!

Today we started to practice sitting up on our own!  He seemed to like it and found it very funny that he was surrounded by pillows :)  He can stay sitting up for a few seconds on his own and then gets lazy and leans back :)  It was a lot of fun trying to get him to stay up!  I can't believe in a few short weeks he will be sitting on the floor without me! 

Last night he did really well with the one arm out of the swaddle.  He woke up around 10:30 and was crying for about 10 mins but went right back to sleep and didnt get up again until 3:30!  Tonight he was asleep in prob 10 seconds :)  He's growing up so fast!