Month Nine - Doin' Just Fine

Ahhh, Nunuboo - what would we do without you?



To sum it up in one word, life has been busy. With Jason back at school and my classes back in session, our lives seem like a bit of a whirlwind and the month-long vacation feels like it was over months ago!



Carmen is still getting around the room backwards and has yet to make any forward progression... I would worry more, but I'm kind of enjoying this last bit of freedom before she becomes really mobile and tries to stick chopsticks into the electrical outlets that we have yet to childproof!



Besides, who needs to crawl when she gets the royal treatment while travelling? Carmen has gone cross-country skiing, enjoys regular jaunts with Bella and I in the stroller, and is quickly outgrowing her first carseat - she is 18lbs! Most of the babes in Carmen's playgroup are much larger, but I can still (barely) remember when she was under 6lbs!



Going to the grocery store is one of Carmen's favourite destinations. She finally fits in the grocery cart, sitting up all by herself and ready to pull anything off the shelf that her little paws can get hold of. I'm sure that one day I will find packages of teething biscuits inside her jacket, stolen from the Famous Foods when I wasn't looking!



Speaking of teething - it's all the rage again these days. Drooling, crying, refusing to eat... and yet, NO TEETH!!! Seriously. Many days, the only thing she will allow in her mouth is the nice cold yogurt I offer up when all other nutrient sources are refused. Carmen cops a bit of attitude in the high chair, banging her feet against the foot rest and her head against the back of the chair, holding her breath until her eyes bulge out and her face turns red. Clenching her gums together, if I manage to get any food in between her lips, she will forcefully spit it out in my face... THIS IS ORGANIC BUTTERNUT SQUASH, kiddo! Homemade with love and the sweat of my brow! THE NERVE!



But the sleeping - that's the payoff. Our kid can SLEEP, better than most I've heard of. I can always count on Carmen's punctuality with her morning and afternoon naps. And the nighttime! We sleep! Hours and hours! LOVE IT!



As a couple, Jason and I have become addicted to boardgames like Carcassone and Settlers of Catan or Texas Hold'em in order to preserve some semblance of a social life, since our little girl hits the hay at around 7:30pm! We've gone out for many dinners on our own, while our sleeping babe is looked after by family or friends. It's sad that I don't manage to connect with many of the people I used to see on a regular basis. Times change, I guess? It's not for lack of trying, but it's hard to do "nights" now, or pubs, or anything else that is not baby-friendly.



While I'm working, Carmen is now getting taken care of by another SAHM with a son the same age as Carmen - her Italian boyfriend Nico! Carmen loves to hang out with Daniela and Nico and it makes my teaching SO MUCH EASIER and less stressful! Now I don't need to worry about Carmen pulling the hair of 6-week-old babies in my class, and I know she's having fun with someone her own age, not to mention getting meals and naps on a proper schedule. Thankfully my classes are full, so I am making enough to make childcare feasible!

Validation

I was part of the high-tech industry for over 10 years and I worked my butt off.

Nearing the end of my pregnancy, it was really hard to drag myself into work each day - I hated my job. Well, not all of it. I liked the people I worked with and I enjoyed using my brain when interesting problems arose. But for the most part, the work I was doing became more and more tedious... add to it the instability my company and the fact that I dreaded beginning the start-up/buy-out/layoff continuum all over again... well let's just say my job satisfaction had hit an all-time low.

But now!

Now, instead of monitoring fires hazards in supercomputers, or helping people download porn faster - I have a REAL JOB!!!

I get to help these bellies...



Turn into these babies...



This past Monday, I had my very first class of Prenatal Fitness clients over to my house for a reunion with their brand new babies! And now my prenatal clients are my POSTnatal clients! I have former moms-to-be in my Stroller Fitness and Mom & Baby Fitness classes!

How cool is that???

From these moms, I got many gifts and thank-you cards, but my most favourite was the email I got from the wife of a former co-worker, who came to me as a client:

I really wanted to say thanks... for the beautiful handmade gifts, the great classes, all the advice and helping me to have more confidence to squat and lunge this baby out! I was really quite nervous at the beginning of this pregnancy about being fit and having the endurance to get through labour. My fear was that I would not make it, have to have lots of medical interventions and go down a birth path that I don't want. After lots of thinking, reading and learning, I now realize that I may in fact go down a path that I don't want/hadn't planned but I'm okay with that because I feel like I've made the effort to work towards the kind of birth that I want for me, my husband and our baby. (okay - I'm welling up now!!).

When I walked into your class, I was a tad nervous of what was ahead. You were wearing your one of your Tri shirts and I had heard lots of rumours of "super fit Callie" from my hubby... Through all your classes though, you kept the class at a level that everyone could accomodate to and there was never any judgement for the level of energy you had or how far you pushed on any one day. I walked away from class each night feeling great. It was also my first "mommy" contact. Soooo great to be around other pregnant moms to gab about stuff that I am sure is not on the priority list of other non pregnant people. So I am glad that we ran into each other again. Even though I didn't really know you before, I do remember you as one of the "cool kids" at the Alcatel Xmas parties...

Anyhew, I was just on the website and there is no section for "what are people saying about Fit 4 Two?"... so I don't know where you want to keep this, but please feel free to use this email however you wish...

Here is the more official testimonial...

Going to Fit 4 Two classes during my pregnancy was a blessing. Both Callie's prenatal classes (Balls and Bands and Prenatal Fitness) gave me a safe and supported way to work out and meet other Moms. Callie creates an environment of non judgement and fun in her classes and genuinely cares about the participants. Even though there are (many) days where my energy levels were low during this pregnancy, I always felt re-energized at the end of class and great about what I had accomplished for me and the baby. I attended classes from early in my second trimester until my 39th week. Callie provided ways to modify exercises as I grew and changed so that I could participate as fully as possible and get a great workout at whatever stage I was in. I would recommend Callie's classes to anyone looking for an informative, fun and inspiring place to exercise during pregnancy!

Looking forward to sending out that birth announcement!!!


Talk about validation. These moms & babes are the better than any performance review I've ever had!

Cross-Country Carmen

Our little girl's got 'tude!



We just back from Whistler, where we stayed with Grandma & Grandpa Wolff... Carmen was dying to hit the slopes! We made it out for a day of cross-country skiing and had a blast! Daddy made a great sled-dog for Carmen's little cross-country chariot...









Carmen and I, after a trip to the warming hut for some boob!



Grandma & Grandpa Wolff ready to go!



Jason, oh-so-good at taking pix of the two of us!



Carmen helping me and Grandma knit!

Resol-WHO-shuns?

Ah yes, it's that time of year again... I believe my last year's resolutions were something about not fretting so much about finances and to do the Squamish Tri.

Sigh.

0 for 2.

After eight months of stroller-fitting my way back to my pre-pregnancy weight, the idea of doing triathlon training on top of my 5-class per week schedule is less than appealling! Not to mention that my weight has NOTHING to do with my shape - although my muscle-tone is great, I am just beginning to start running again and I haven't swam since I was PREGNANT... don't even get me started about the bike. Mine has flat tires and hasn't seen the light of day for over a year. Poor pretty blue Trek.

I really need to change the title of this blog to "lil-tri-mommy, waiting until after second baby to return to training".

I could open a rant about the finances thing, but I won't. Money will always stress me out.

So this year I resolve to watch what goes into my body... not that I'm so bad - we eat home-cooked meals almost daily. My only real vices are Kraft Dinner, natchos and Caramel Macchiatos! BUT we do eat a lot of meat, dairy, and non-organic produce. Since I've been making Carmen's food, I've been so careful to make sure everything she eats is organic, pure and natural and homemade... I should really do the same for myself, no? After all, I'm still breastfeeding her, so some of the nasties could make it into her body, right?

So far Jason is off to a great start helping me by stocking the fridge with organic milk from the local dairy, organic swiss chard and spinach, non-medicated chicken breasts, you name it! I try, but every time I go to the grocery store (Famous Foods!!!), I cringe at the higher prices demanded for the better-for-you foods - that damned money thing again.

Anyhow, I resolve to get past that. And to try and do some extra Yoga, Pilates, or stretching everyday, so my back no longer makes me feel 90 years old.

Oh yeah, and I did go and watch the Squamish Tri last year - they changed the course into a much suckier version. I'm doubtful that you'll see my name on the 2007 registration!

Month Eight - First Christmas!

Okay, so I'm a little late! What can I say? Carmen's first Christmas has been a busy one!



It's been a great month. With Jason and I both on break from school and work, we have lots of time to go for walks with Carmen and the dog, entertain at the house and enjoy each other's company. For Carmen's first Christmas, we decided to hit the Island before the big day to visit my parents, grandparents and brother & sis-in-law. Surprisingly I was able to take a break from my email for 5 days to relax and just hang out! I even went curling with my mom and managed to win a bottle of wine for being one of the best "seconds"... who knew?



On Christmas day, we opened gifts - mostly Carmen's - and then went on a walk through the Endowment Lands. I think this is something that will become a tradition for our little family! I cooked a turkey and we had a few people to the house to join in the feast - I served it on my late Grandma's china and it was great!





Since then, we've been having many visitors from out of town over to the house, as well as family. Carmen has gotten to know their kids a little bit, and has even learned to share her toys with them! However, for the first time ever, Carmen started to cry when I pried a little playmate's watch out of her mouth. She's also started to throw toys over the edge of her Exersaucer and then peer down below, silently willing them to come back into her grasp!

Carmen's fully standing in the Exersaucer and on our laps, but hasn't started pulling herself up yet. She gets around on her tummy quite well. Backwards, that is. She still hasn't got the forward movement thing going!



She is a happy happy girl, chuckling and giggling, chatting away in her own little language. She has said "Dada" to Jason, but is not doing it consistently. Right now her favourite word is "Diggy diggy diggy", but we can't figure out if she's trying to say "Doggy" or "Tickle"! Either way, it's pretty cute to listen to!



Lastly, I think all our signing to Carmen has paid off - I swear that she signed "Milk" to me today! I know she recognizes it when I do it, but I saw her little hand grasping at close to her chest and I asked her "MILK?!?" with the sign and she laughed and got really really excited! So cool!