My mom comes over on thursdays to hang with baby Davis- it's such a great deal for all of us- and we are so thankful that she uses her day off to be with him. On top of driving over and taking care of him all day, I come home every Thursday and she has done the laundry or cooked dinner or something like that. It's such a treat and it makes me feel so good. I started thinking about why she is so nice to me last night- and it was the first time that I realized that she feels about me the way I feel about baby Davis. Thinking that- I felt so loved and almost overwhelmed. I remembered the first time I realized how selfless my mom was...we were at Chi Chi's (the only Mexican restaurant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota) and I didn't like my meal. Without skipping a beat- my mom said "Do you want mine? I'll trade you." I thought, and I think I said, "Mom, you are so nice, you always offer to switch meals with me even though you like what you ordered."
I couldn't get over it. Switching meals seemed like such a sacrifice to me. And while that is a funny story- it made me think a lot about how much love moms have for their babies...and I was and AM thankful.
Oh and p.s. stayed EXACTLY the same at WW this week. didn't gain or lose even an ounce. At first I was so agitated- but then I considered how it might give me the opportunity to have a good loss next time. Optimism.
2/26/10
2/25/10
2/23/10
The Bennett Charm
is already in full effect. Apparently Davis has picked up on flirting, playing coy, being a ladies man. This weekend while shopping at the mall, I was holding Davis when Nikki came up close to him, smiled and said "Hi Davis..." He grinned so big, stared, and then quickly turned his head away and buried it in my shoulder. It was like he was so excited he just couldn't take it anymore. I thought it was a fluke because no way can a 3.5 month old baby pick up on this social interaction, but he did it over and over. It's so adorable, first of all, and so exciting to see him actually interact like a little person.
He loves his aunt Nikki.
He loves his aunt Nikki.
2/20/10
In a Nutshell...
This week was CRAZY. Big Davis and I have been sick the past two weeks and then, sadly, little Davis got sick on Monday and his fever was so high we had to take him to the ER. Poor little guy was poked and prodded in ways I am glad he will forget. He was fine- just had a viral infection- but it was incredibly scary and sad. That was Monday and he is just now getting back to himself.
Other than that I realized I haven't been tracking the things he's been doing lately- so here's a short list.
1) he started sleeping through the night a couple weeks ago- which is AWESOME!
2) he grabs everything he can reach- he's like the claw game at Pizza Hut and HEB where his little arm comes down- he reaches around- and about 2 out of 10 times he makes contact and gets a good grasp
3) he is rolling from stomach to back
4) he babbles a ton
5) he smiles more and more
And here are some pics!
P.S. down two pounds this week!
Sam
2/17/10
Fashion Week
So I've been reading a bit about fashion week- and maybe I'm a curmudgeon when it comes to creativity- but some of the "inspirations" for the various designer lines make me want to spew my diet coke in laughter. For example: Rodarte.
While you might not recognize the name, you can be sure that many of your favorite celebs wear their designs (Kirsten Dunst and Natalie Portman, to name a couple). How do you think those celebs are going to feel this year- wearing their frocks to the Oscars or the Emmys- knowing that said designs were inspired by "the night-shift factory workers in the melancholy border town of Juarez, Texas and the idea of girls getting dressed while sleepwalking"?
Sometimes I think these fancy famous people tell reporters (from New York Magazine, in this case) absurd things like this and then go home and laugh to each other, saying "Can you believe she bought that?"
Seriously- who wants to look like they got dressed while sleepwalking (especially when most sleepwalkers are also known to pee in recliners, thinking they are toilets)? And tell me the last time you wanted to look like a late night factory worker...
Things like this just kill me.
While you might not recognize the name, you can be sure that many of your favorite celebs wear their designs (Kirsten Dunst and Natalie Portman, to name a couple). How do you think those celebs are going to feel this year- wearing their frocks to the Oscars or the Emmys- knowing that said designs were inspired by "the night-shift factory workers in the melancholy border town of Juarez, Texas and the idea of girls getting dressed while sleepwalking"?
Sometimes I think these fancy famous people tell reporters (from New York Magazine, in this case) absurd things like this and then go home and laugh to each other, saying "Can you believe she bought that?"
Seriously- who wants to look like they got dressed while sleepwalking (especially when most sleepwalkers are also known to pee in recliners, thinking they are toilets)? And tell me the last time you wanted to look like a late night factory worker...
Things like this just kill me.
2/13/10
Twinkies?
Today has been lovely. The weather was amazing- which put us all in a great mood- I got to pick out some new tunes from Waterloo as part of my valentine from Davis- and I found an old friend, who has reinvented himself...Mr. Twinkie. I know, I know, they're sort of gross...but on long road trips, Nikki and I would occasionally get to go in the Love's convenience store (you know that's the only place we stopped) and pick out a junk food treat. Without fail, Nikki would pick Ho-Hos (the black cupcakes with the white swirl on top) and I would pick Twinkies. Anyway- I haven't had a twinkie in probably 20 years and today while shopping at HEB I noticed a weight watchers dessert called "Golden Sponge Cake"- which look quite a bit like twinkies- so I bought some and they are sort of an awesome treat. One point a piece and I'll be honest, I've had three today. Don't get too grossed out- the reason they're only one point a piece is because they are tiny.
So here's to making new friends, and keeping the old.
One is silver and the other is GOLD. Golden sponge cake, that is.
2/12/10
Good Friday
Not in the bibical sense- but good nonetheless. Lost just about 3 pounds this week on weight watchers and it wasn't incredibly difficult- I even indulged on super bowl sunday. YES! Little Davis, on the other hand, laughs in the face of ladies weighing in, trying to lose weight. He gained again- so brazen. HA!
2/10/10
Unsolicited Baby Pictures
I've been sending them around to random people at work- so I might as well keep it up here. Here are some pictures of Davis from the past couple weeks- at Kreuz's BBQ, in his little carrot suit, with Honey, etc. Can you believe he turned three months on Super Bowl Sunday? He wore a tuxedo for the occasion.
2/9/10
One Day at a Time
So, like I mentioned a week or so ago, I'm back at work. And I'm having a really hard time with that. It's hard to leave him every day- to know all day that I am missing out on so much. I have about 30 minutes with him in the morning, and most of that is spent hustling around trying to get the two of us ready for the day, and then by the time I get home at night, I have about 30 minutes until he goes to bed. Its nothing short of heartbreaking.
I'm trying to see the positive- that I like my job and I love the people I work with- and/but I really don't see how this is going to get easier. And I don't know, as a parent, if it should.
2/8/10
Love the Weekends...
I thought I enjoyed the weekends before- but I truly LOVE them now because I get to spend three consecutive days with little Davis- and the traditional two with big Davis. Having that extra day has made all the difference in finding a good work/life balance. I'm so thankful for that.
Anyway- to the point about this past weekend- this is just a quick blog to talk about Saturday. We started the day with a walk around town lake with Carrie and Porter- went home and relaxed a bit- and then Davis, Davis and I drove to Lockhart for some world-famous BBQ. We talked while we drove- which was so nice- and we took a ton of pictures. We looked like ridiculous tourists. It was a gold star day that ended with an early night because we all haven't been feeling so great lately.
Pictures to come.
sam
Anyway- to the point about this past weekend- this is just a quick blog to talk about Saturday. We started the day with a walk around town lake with Carrie and Porter- went home and relaxed a bit- and then Davis, Davis and I drove to Lockhart for some world-famous BBQ. We talked while we drove- which was so nice- and we took a ton of pictures. We looked like ridiculous tourists. It was a gold star day that ended with an early night because we all haven't been feeling so great lately.
Pictures to come.
sam
2/5/10
On Second Thought
Maybe I'm in a canyon. I just went to WW for my first post-pregnancy session and found I have 30 pounds to lose to get where I want to be. As you can imagine- that is both VERY motivating and VERY overwhelming. Nonetheless, I left feeling really positive about the whole situation...for several reasons:
1) I am really excited that the one session where you can bring your kids is on Friday when I can actually go, and
2) that the teacher for the session is good. She's great, actually. She reminds me so much of my aunt Linda- she looks like her and has the same southern drawl and tell-it-like-it-is mentality.
3) One thing I forgot I loved about WW is the actual group meeting. This one was great. It was small- about 10 people total- and four babies came. Most of the women were older than me- and they just loved seeing all the babies. Anyway- the talk today was about thinking about weight watchers like you do your relationships (marriage and partnerships in particular). Jamie, the teacher likened it to her relationship with her husband and basically looked at the class and said "I'm not gonna lie to you- I could divorce Tony (her husband) just about once a week...and I feel about the same with weight watchers...so I have to remind myself why I fell in love with him 30 years ago and why I first walked through the front door at weight watchers 25 years ago. You've got to remember why you started the relationship in the first place."
Anyway- there was this sweet lady there named Gail- who definitely has a lot of weight to lose. Jamie mentioned aloud that Gail was a perfect example of someone who has come so far- but probably wants to quit. I looked at Gail and thought "well, exactly how far could she have come?" And right about then, Jamie said "Gail- tell them how far you've come..." She smiled sweetly and said she had lost 70 POUNDS. Everyone clapped and her eyes started to well with tears. I'm such a gosh darn softie that my eyes welled up too and I thought to myself "Maybe I've met my new best friends in this group" and then started to picture all of us gathered around my dining room table eating veggies and low fat spinache artichoke dip, exchanging great recipes and sharing stories about our lives...I can really get carried away in the moment.
Anyway- it was great- beyond the simple weight loss aspect of it.
Oh and one more quick story- there was another gal there who also had quite a bit of weight to lose. I looked at her and I wondered how she had gotten to this point- not because I don't understand how it can happen so quickly- but moreso because she was so put together otherwise. Her look was a little dated- but her effort was undeniable. She had amazing feathered back hair, and her makeup was flawless. I pictured her standing in her bathroom, looking into one of those 3 way Clairol mirrors with "city night" and "evening dusk" variables for lighting. Anyway- she was telling us about how frustrated she is that her husband just recently decided to lose weight on an all plant diet and he has already lost 8 pounds. She had lost 1/4 of a pound this week. Jamie responded perfectly by saying "Well, we don't care about him. In fact, we don't even like him. If he is not in this circle- then he is on his own...and good luck!"
Okay so that's all for now.
Thanks for tuning in.
1) I am really excited that the one session where you can bring your kids is on Friday when I can actually go, and
2) that the teacher for the session is good. She's great, actually. She reminds me so much of my aunt Linda- she looks like her and has the same southern drawl and tell-it-like-it-is mentality.
3) One thing I forgot I loved about WW is the actual group meeting. This one was great. It was small- about 10 people total- and four babies came. Most of the women were older than me- and they just loved seeing all the babies. Anyway- the talk today was about thinking about weight watchers like you do your relationships (marriage and partnerships in particular). Jamie, the teacher likened it to her relationship with her husband and basically looked at the class and said "I'm not gonna lie to you- I could divorce Tony (her husband) just about once a week...and I feel about the same with weight watchers...so I have to remind myself why I fell in love with him 30 years ago and why I first walked through the front door at weight watchers 25 years ago. You've got to remember why you started the relationship in the first place."
Anyway- there was this sweet lady there named Gail- who definitely has a lot of weight to lose. Jamie mentioned aloud that Gail was a perfect example of someone who has come so far- but probably wants to quit. I looked at Gail and thought "well, exactly how far could she have come?" And right about then, Jamie said "Gail- tell them how far you've come..." She smiled sweetly and said she had lost 70 POUNDS. Everyone clapped and her eyes started to well with tears. I'm such a gosh darn softie that my eyes welled up too and I thought to myself "Maybe I've met my new best friends in this group" and then started to picture all of us gathered around my dining room table eating veggies and low fat spinache artichoke dip, exchanging great recipes and sharing stories about our lives...I can really get carried away in the moment.
Anyway- it was great- beyond the simple weight loss aspect of it.
Oh and one more quick story- there was another gal there who also had quite a bit of weight to lose. I looked at her and I wondered how she had gotten to this point- not because I don't understand how it can happen so quickly- but moreso because she was so put together otherwise. Her look was a little dated- but her effort was undeniable. She had amazing feathered back hair, and her makeup was flawless. I pictured her standing in her bathroom, looking into one of those 3 way Clairol mirrors with "city night" and "evening dusk" variables for lighting. Anyway- she was telling us about how frustrated she is that her husband just recently decided to lose weight on an all plant diet and he has already lost 8 pounds. She had lost 1/4 of a pound this week. Jamie responded perfectly by saying "Well, we don't care about him. In fact, we don't even like him. If he is not in this circle- then he is on his own...and good luck!"
Okay so that's all for now.
Thanks for tuning in.
2/4/10
A Rut
In college, when things were a little rough, Katie would say "You're probably just going through a rut..." I think that is the case right now- specifically as far as how I feel about myself post-baby. I have about 15-20 pounds I still need to lose, so everything feels and looks uncomfortable. I stupidly decided to experiment with my hair at a time when I wasn't feeling amazing about my looks in general- so I'm also currently dealing with a cruddy haircut and color- AND I can't really fix it right now because I've been there three times in the last two months and my hair is feeling a little dry too. UGH.
I suppose many women feel this way after they've had a baby...so I'm trying to balance the fact that this is normal with the fact that that doesn't mean I should accept it or become complacent. So anyway- I've been making an effort to eat healthy, work out, and I start weight watchers tomorrow. I guess as far as the hair goes- unfortunately I just have to wait it out. I'm encouraging myself by saying that this will set me up for a a new chapter in the spring- that things will all come together around the same time and it will be like a fresh new start. And there's nothing I like more than a fresh start. We so rarely have the opportunity for them- so I'm telling myself that I have to create mine. I've been telling myself a lot lately if you can't tell. :)
Anyway- I might begin to post my results each week from WW- simply so I feel even more accountable. I might hate myself for writing this- but oh well. Gotta try something. Gotta keep moving forward...becuase whereever you go- there you are.
P.S. I write this in bold because I am going to be writing a series on cliches on www.w5ran.com which is an amazing site Nikki and a friend recently started. I encourage you to go check it out and submit your thoughts, writing, photography, etc. I had a little snippet featured there yesterday (http://w5ran.com/2010/02/phillip/) and I plan to contribute more moving forward.
There is a section called "Admit One" which is sort of like a lighter version of Post Secret. I just thought of one while writing the above...it goes as follows:
"Sometimes I pretend that I have thousands of followers on my blog...and it makes me feel a little fancy."
Sam
I suppose many women feel this way after they've had a baby...so I'm trying to balance the fact that this is normal with the fact that that doesn't mean I should accept it or become complacent. So anyway- I've been making an effort to eat healthy, work out, and I start weight watchers tomorrow. I guess as far as the hair goes- unfortunately I just have to wait it out. I'm encouraging myself by saying that this will set me up for a a new chapter in the spring- that things will all come together around the same time and it will be like a fresh new start. And there's nothing I like more than a fresh start. We so rarely have the opportunity for them- so I'm telling myself that I have to create mine. I've been telling myself a lot lately if you can't tell. :)
Anyway- I might begin to post my results each week from WW- simply so I feel even more accountable. I might hate myself for writing this- but oh well. Gotta try something. Gotta keep moving forward...becuase whereever you go- there you are.
P.S. I write this in bold because I am going to be writing a series on cliches on www.w5ran.com which is an amazing site Nikki and a friend recently started. I encourage you to go check it out and submit your thoughts, writing, photography, etc. I had a little snippet featured there yesterday (http://w5ran.com/2010/02/phillip/) and I plan to contribute more moving forward.
There is a section called "Admit One" which is sort of like a lighter version of Post Secret. I just thought of one while writing the above...it goes as follows:
"Sometimes I pretend that I have thousands of followers on my blog...and it makes me feel a little fancy."
Sam
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