I Can, I Will, I DO!

A Mommyhood Survival Guide

  • Blog
  • Videos
  • Food
  • mommy must haves

MONTH 3 – YIPPEE!

Jun 29 by Alex Leave a Comment

Month three was all about breaking free from our now-accustomed house arrest. But, to where?! Truly, it didn’t matter. The art of packing up a baby, absurdly heavy stroller base, ditto car seat, complete diaper bag (which is so much more than just diapers), milk, pump, pump parts, a cooler, ice pack for said cooler, and to remember your wallet, keys, to put on pants, and to brush your hair (this is not a requirement, just socially encouraged) IS basically like a pre-pregnancy trip prep to Europe.

But, it really is so entirely worth it.

First of all, it got me out of my sweats and slob (no literally, there was slobber everywhere), secondly it was an excellent distraction for a little baby who needed endless action, activity and attention (and was not yet aware of the concept of napping), and thirdly we had things we really needed! Groceries, toilet paper, coffee for mom, much-overdue catch ups with friends, to meet the Easter Bunny (yes, this counts as a “must”), and the list goes on and on.

By far though the best out-of-the-house adventure of them all was signing up for our local Mommy & Me. I needed to join a mom gang and needed to do so stat. Don’t get my wrong, my girlfriends are FABULOUS, the best of the best, but I quickly learned that they were less than eager to hear about excessively full diapers, leaky boobs and/or the woes of tummy time. These topics required being able to relate, at minimum, and beyond that I had a laundry list (well, yes I actually had a literal laundry list but also a metaphorical one…) of questions of right vs. wrong, and do’s and definite don’ts.

And Mommy & Me was astonishingly able to answer every single one of them … and then some.

A biggie, was learning that there was a world of “pumpers” out there, who could give their baby breast milk without having to force a latch at each and every feed.

I so wanted breastfeeding to be, as advertised, “magical” and “magnificent”. I understood that it was important to feed “X” breast milk if I could provide it, but latching her onto my boob 8x a day quickly became the most difficult and stressful job of them all.

We tried everything… private and group lactation lessons, every boob-support pillow on the market, breast shields, you name it. Xena was not a happy camper, and in turn, neither was I.

I started my pump journey as a part-time thing, to give Jordan a chance to feed her a nighttime bottle, but I was quickly tempted to do it more and more. I found that Xena and I were actually having much better bond-time with her cuddled up in my arms, sucking on a bottle that I knew I made for her, than both of us crying while pinching my nipple into various “sandwich shapes” (yes, this is a real thing).

My Mommy & Me crew validated that it was okay, well more than okay, this was perfectly normal and pumping didn’t make me a bad mom in any way. That’s when I decided to, other than the middle-of-the-night feedings (which were easier to put a sleepy baby on my boob vs. trek downstairs to heat up a bottle), become an exclusive pumping machine – and yes, you do feel like a cow being machine milked often in the process. For me? It was totally worth it.

Other notable mentions this month included finding my saving grace, the Merlin’s Magic Sleepsuit, which upgraded my night’s sleep during this month from four to seven hours, and even more importantly, convinced Miss X to actually NAP. Think of the weighted blanket for adults that went viral, very similar, but even better as it makes your baby look like the Michelin Man in the process.

AND then I ALSO embarked on my first 36-hour trip away to attend my dad’s wedding. Solo, sans baby and baby daddy (who was home with said baby). This experience was a big one as it taught me that I’ve never been more grateful for my husband. I realized after many-a-deep-breath, that I needed to understand that he wouldn’t follow my schedule perfectly, or at all, which is OK, that FaceTime is a lifesaver, and so is a martini (or five). What?!?! I had a lot of lost time to make up for!!

This was also where my pumping stock-pile came in handy. Baby X had a mix of frozen and fresh milk ready for the weekend, and I could leave and “pump and dump” without worrying that she wouldn’t be eating.

Talking about eating, it’s time for me to get after a “Boobie Bar” (don’t ask, just try, they are next level incredible, and yes I absolutely learned about them on Shark Tank), and smush up some banana oatmeal for baby (but we’ll get to this in month 4…).

TTYL. Ta ta for now!

Xoxo,
ICIWID

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

icaniwillido_

Hello world of sippy cups, early wake-ups, caffeine cravings, dookie diapers and a whole new toddler P.O.V. Welcome BACK to I Can, I Will, I DO! 🍼💩

Instagram post 2193433719490238292_1514886525 Feeling all kinds of loved today and counting my stupidly full basket of blessings ... a martini, extra hot shower and eight hours of sleep help too! 🍸💐
Instagram post 2192694269558782440_1514886525 You are not alone. It’s been a disheartening fertility day, another “not pregnant” stick staring me in the face, but I have to keep reminding myself that there really MUST be a PLAN here. A plan so much bigger than I am. If you’re in this “waiting on the universe” phase too, I am here for you. It sucks and doesn’t usually make sense {especially to a control freak like me} but let’s stay strong for the good now and the great that’s to come. There’s lots of both. ❤️ #inthistogether
Instagram post 2191920168158216639_1514886525 Coming to a mailbox near you. Now just need to wrap all the presents by next Wednesday ... ho ho oh my goodness 💌
Instagram post 2191200628512276418_1514886525 Just a hound and some houndstooth 🐾 #happyhowlidays
Instagram post 2189808903365389873_1514886525 Oh what a tealightful weekend 🍵
Instagram post 2189067440956487990_1514886525 Spa la la la la 🎄🍷 a day with these girls makes me the merriest #congratspandrob
Instagram post 2187286954462415512_1514886525 SEA-zing today to count all my THANKS 🌊 it’s going to take me a while... but I’ll start with my husband’s willingness to put up with my many matching outfit requests.
Instagram post 2186523921931042057_1514886525 Konnichiwa! In just two short weeks Jordan and I will be adventuring off to Tokyo, Xena-free, which is both completely nerve wracking and absurdly exciting. I will only be there four nights so need to pack in bucket list items and am asking for any/all “must do” recs! Until then, I’ll be counting down the days and “pre-gaming” the best way I know how... with copious amounts of sushi 🍣
Instagram post 2184456482850311939_1514886525 Beachy keen 🌊☃️
Instagram post 2183078936866879808_1514886525 Cheetahs and tigers and bear hugs oh my! #unclewill 🐯
Instagram post 2178818684927472898_1514886525 Truck stops have never looked better 🚜🚛🚕🚚
Instagram post 2177911793833681808_1514886525 Happy birthday to the very best mom in the whole Tam world 🥰  We love you!
Load More...

You’ve got it! Get the latest and greatest right here. You CAN you WILL you DO want to do it. Promise!!

If anyone gets what it’s like, to feel like you gain weight from simply LOOKING at food, it’s Alex. And as soon as her handsome hubby-to-be got down on one knee, she knew she needed to DO something about it.

That’s when it hit her, “If I CAN lose the weight, I WILL feel my absolute best before I say “I DO”!”.

So that’s just what she did.

With a LOT of hard work, mental motivation, burpies and a few bumps in the road, she ultimately said “I DO” to herself FIRST and danced down the aisle with ease.

But as the story goes, first comes love, then comes marriage and now, yep you guessed it, she’s pushing that little baby in a baby carriage!

This journey may have begun with a ring but certainly didn’t end at the altar. Can she shake the pregnancy pounds and maintain semi-sanity as a working stay-at-home-first-time-new mom? Not without you, a cup of coffee or two, and her ever-so-loved mantra of “I Can, I Will, I DO!”.

alex@icaniwillido.com
Copyright ©2019, I Can, I Will, I DO!. All Rights Reserved. Custom design by Pixel Me Designs