For years now I have had the same workout routine. My location of choice is the YMCA (because they have free daycare while I'm there). The fitness room has plenty of weight and cardio machines. I typically would spend half an hour on each of these, give or take, during a workout session. But after so long, this just gets boring. It feels so repetitive doing the same thing every day. So a month ago, a friend of mine suggested going to a Zumba class with her. These are offered at the Y almost every day, and they are free (with membership)!! I have never done a fitness class, so I felt very intimidated about going. I thought I would look silly, not knowing what I was doing.
Well maybe I did. But I didn't let it stop me. That first class was by far the most fun workout I've had in a long time! So if you are looking for something new and different, and you like listening to upbeat music while you exercise, I highly recommend trying it out. Now I do an hour of Zumba per day to get my cardio workout in. I also try to do 20-30 minutes of strength training either before or after Zumba class, so I can keep up on that. So far, I have lost a pound a week using my new routine. I also feel so much better and have tons more energy than I used to.
Today my daughter AE, 5, will be going to the newest class at the YMCA, Zumbatomic, which is Zumba for kids!!! She and I are both very excited to see how she likes it. AE played soccer last spring, and I think her father and I had more fun at her games than she did. It's time for something new, so we'll see how it goes!!
Friday, August 5, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Formula Fails and Successes
We have had a huge breakthrough here in our household. KM is finally taking a bottle of formula, without screaming through it!! So we talked to different people and looked online for advice, and we had tried just about everything to get her to take a bottle of Alimentum formula. The only thing we hadn't tried until last night was switching formulas. There is only one other hypoallergenic formula out there, as far as we know, called Nutramigen. And so it seems that Nutramigen must taste better! At least KM thinks so! It's still not her preferred method of eating, but we are making tons of progress!!!!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
How to Feed an Infant?
KM joined our family on April 8th this year. We had a hard time from the start getting her to breastfeed properly. For the first week, we had a latch problem. We were persistent and didn't give up, but as soon as she figured out how to latch on properly, the colic began.
We researched and talked to doctors and basically found out that colic is a term used to describe the fact that something is wrong and causing the baby discomfort or pain, and we don't know what it is.
The pediatrician suggested finding a chiropractor that will work with infants. She said that 30% of all colic issues are because of spinal misalignment that occurs at the time of birth. We tried that once, but less than a day later, the screaming episodes persisted.
Just to make things worse, KM also began getting hives all over her face. A friend suggested changing what she eats; and since she is breastfed, that means changing what I eat. Cow's milk and other dairy products are common foods that cause intestinal discomfort, so we tried that first. So my diet became dairy free. And what do you know, the very next day the screaming stopped.
But, the hives stayed. And over the next month, they got worse. At KM's two month check-up, the pediatrician called an allergist so that we could find out how serious her issues are with the milk. After she got off the phone, she said the allergist wanted us to either switch her to a special formula, like Alimentum or Nutramigen; or restrict my diet even more. Children who have dairy allergies also commonly have allergies to one or all of the following: soy, wheat, eggs, nuts.
After a week on the newly restricted diet, we still saw no change in the hives. In fact, some of the fussiness was returning. After a few more days, we notice that the hives are getting worse, covering nearly all of her head and face on a regular basis.
At this time, we were finally able to get in for an appointment to the allergist. He did allergy skin tests on her for cow's milk, soy, wheat, eggs, peanuts, and corn. Sure enough, she tested positive for being allergic to cow's milk, but surprisingly nothing else.
The allergist said that testing on babies so little isn't always very accurate, so he didn't want to test for anything else at the time.
I was convinced, and still am, that there is something else she is allergic to, but we just haven't found it. So I started watching my diet closely to see what I am eating that she hasn't been tested for.
We narrowed it down to tomatoes, peaches, bananas, and berries. We are fairly convinced that she is allergic to one or more of those. We returned to the allergist yesterday after the hives spread to her arms and legs. We also wanted to present him with our theories, but he doesn't seem to think testing will help much. He did agree to do blood tests though, so we should get those results within a few days, if they were conclusive.
The most devistating part of our doctor visit yesterday was when he told us we should switch to feeding her formula. We already had some sample cans of Alimentum at home, and he gave us an additional case of Nutramigen to get us started.
We feel this is a good decision because KM has been in so much pain and discomfort. We hope that the benefits of formula feeding will outweigh the benefits of breastfeeding for her.
Our only problem now is... How do you get a baby to switch to formula?
She has been refusing it, for up to 10 hours at a time. She screams at me like I am torturing her! It has only been a day since we started trying, so I won't give up yet. Time to start my search for advice.
We researched and talked to doctors and basically found out that colic is a term used to describe the fact that something is wrong and causing the baby discomfort or pain, and we don't know what it is.
The pediatrician suggested finding a chiropractor that will work with infants. She said that 30% of all colic issues are because of spinal misalignment that occurs at the time of birth. We tried that once, but less than a day later, the screaming episodes persisted.
Just to make things worse, KM also began getting hives all over her face. A friend suggested changing what she eats; and since she is breastfed, that means changing what I eat. Cow's milk and other dairy products are common foods that cause intestinal discomfort, so we tried that first. So my diet became dairy free. And what do you know, the very next day the screaming stopped.
But, the hives stayed. And over the next month, they got worse. At KM's two month check-up, the pediatrician called an allergist so that we could find out how serious her issues are with the milk. After she got off the phone, she said the allergist wanted us to either switch her to a special formula, like Alimentum or Nutramigen; or restrict my diet even more. Children who have dairy allergies also commonly have allergies to one or all of the following: soy, wheat, eggs, nuts.
After a week on the newly restricted diet, we still saw no change in the hives. In fact, some of the fussiness was returning. After a few more days, we notice that the hives are getting worse, covering nearly all of her head and face on a regular basis.
At this time, we were finally able to get in for an appointment to the allergist. He did allergy skin tests on her for cow's milk, soy, wheat, eggs, peanuts, and corn. Sure enough, she tested positive for being allergic to cow's milk, but surprisingly nothing else.
The allergist said that testing on babies so little isn't always very accurate, so he didn't want to test for anything else at the time.
I was convinced, and still am, that there is something else she is allergic to, but we just haven't found it. So I started watching my diet closely to see what I am eating that she hasn't been tested for.
We narrowed it down to tomatoes, peaches, bananas, and berries. We are fairly convinced that she is allergic to one or more of those. We returned to the allergist yesterday after the hives spread to her arms and legs. We also wanted to present him with our theories, but he doesn't seem to think testing will help much. He did agree to do blood tests though, so we should get those results within a few days, if they were conclusive.
The most devistating part of our doctor visit yesterday was when he told us we should switch to feeding her formula. We already had some sample cans of Alimentum at home, and he gave us an additional case of Nutramigen to get us started.
We feel this is a good decision because KM has been in so much pain and discomfort. We hope that the benefits of formula feeding will outweigh the benefits of breastfeeding for her.
Our only problem now is... How do you get a baby to switch to formula?
She has been refusing it, for up to 10 hours at a time. She screams at me like I am torturing her! It has only been a day since we started trying, so I won't give up yet. Time to start my search for advice.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Why I Came to Georgia...
Three years ago, I quit my full time teaching job just before my second daughter made her arrival into this world. Her older sister was not yet 3, so with two little ones to care for and worry about now, I decided that formalized daycare was not in our family's best interest.
Little did I realize that my husband's retail company would be hit hard by the recession only 6 months later. The news that they were going out of business was like a slap in the face. So there we were with an infant and a toddler, and both of us unemployed!
And so began the job hunt. The first flop was a retail company that promised DH a low salary +high bonuses. Well, the bonuses turned out not being as high as promised.
And so we continued the job hunt. The second flop was another retail company that paid on commissions only. Advice for families struggling through this recession: Do not rely on commission sales. Not a good move.
Once more, the job hunt goes on...
We decided that we had tried all avenues in the area we were living in. It was time to make some serious decisions. So we looked for an area of the country with a low cost of living, where we could buy a new home to take advantage of the tax perks, that also had new retail opportunities for DH to seek out.
And so, today, DH is a shoe store manager and we have bought our first home in an Atlanta suburb. It is a beautiful 2-story home that sits on a quarter-acre land. We absolutely love it here and are thrilled to be settling here. We also have been blessed with yet another beautiful daughter this past April, and so my Stay-At-Home life continues...
Little did I realize that my husband's retail company would be hit hard by the recession only 6 months later. The news that they were going out of business was like a slap in the face. So there we were with an infant and a toddler, and both of us unemployed!
And so began the job hunt. The first flop was a retail company that promised DH a low salary +high bonuses. Well, the bonuses turned out not being as high as promised.
And so we continued the job hunt. The second flop was another retail company that paid on commissions only. Advice for families struggling through this recession: Do not rely on commission sales. Not a good move.
Once more, the job hunt goes on...
We decided that we had tried all avenues in the area we were living in. It was time to make some serious decisions. So we looked for an area of the country with a low cost of living, where we could buy a new home to take advantage of the tax perks, that also had new retail opportunities for DH to seek out.
And so, today, DH is a shoe store manager and we have bought our first home in an Atlanta suburb. It is a beautiful 2-story home that sits on a quarter-acre land. We absolutely love it here and are thrilled to be settling here. We also have been blessed with yet another beautiful daughter this past April, and so my Stay-At-Home life continues...
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