maki these days {hey y'all!}

Hey there! Still here? Sorry for the long hiatus, I don't have much of an excuse other than I didn't really feel like writing. The long truth is, my laptop is hanging on to life and power by a thread, so I don't move it from my desk. My desk sits near a window, and it's been pretty cold here in Wisconsin. So I just didn't feel like sitting at my drafty desk to type. But know that I think of blogging on the daily. {I even started a draft on my tablet... tablet posting isn't my thing.} Now that's it's warmed up {for now} here I am!

Anywho, I want to talk about Maki for a bit. He's this awesome little being who takes up all of my time and yet, I get so caught up in the home-y posts, that I neglect to talk about my original inspiration for starting this blog. So, I'll probably be a little bit all over in this post, but bear with me.

Staying home with Maki is one of the best decisions I've ever made. I can't imagine not being able to experience all of the awesomeness that he is growing into every second of every day. He is twenty-two months old now. Did I mention he's awesome? He's so smart, and expressive. I don't really have a word count, but he can say a lot of words and express his own ideas and wants. He wakes up every morning with a big smile on his face. I never know what his first word of the day will be. It might be "morning," in response to my "good morning" or "tov" in response to Papa's "boker tov." Or it could be a lingering thought crashing in from the dream he was just having: "Phant!" {elephant}, "Side!" {outside}, "Cup!" Or it could be a demanding directive to get the day on its way: "Potty!", "Coffee", "Elmo!", "Toons!" {cartoons}. Either way, he never fails to bring a smile to my face first thing in the morning.

Maki is a sweet but cunning little guy who has already mastered the art of using kisses and hugs as bribery ammo. A few days ago, he told me I'm his "favorite mama". He has a running "joke" where he calls for me, and when I answer he says, "BANANA!" He does it to his dad too. It's hilarious, because he does it at such random times it catches us off guard.  

He loves watching PBS Kids in the morning. I had all of these ideas about how little TV time my child would be allowed before I became a parent... and then I became a parent {and it's Wisconsin winter}. But really PBS isn't too bad. He loves Thomas the Train, Sesame Street, Curious George, Super Why and Daniel Tiger has recently made the cut. I enjoy watching the programming with him as it's very nostalgic for me. I grew up watching Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood {which is why I can't really get down with Daniel Tiger}. He also enjoys watching the local news and Judge Judy. Blame Mama for those.

Maki is obsessed with all things vehicles. Cars, trucks, motorcycles, airplanes, trains, tractors. If it's got wheels, he's into it: toys, books, shows, you name it. He loves to point out fire trucks, school buses, city buses and the different types of construction trucks when we're out running errands. I'm so amazed at his deep interest in vehicles. It makes me wonder if he'll keep and grow this interest into a passion later on in life. {cough! engineer? cough!}

Maki also enjoys reading {even books about things other than cars}. Of course he loves being read to. But recently I've discovered him babbling into books by himself. I was super excited to witness this as it puts us one step further on the path of developing a little book worm.

He's at that Independent stage that toddlers go through. It's charming and annoying all at the same time. Sometimes Mommy just wants to get something done and over with, but Maki insists on doing it himself. He gives it a few tries, gets frustrated, refuses my help and then looks up with those pretty browns and says, "help me please!" Love him. But to his credit, he can do a lot of things by himself. He can feed himself; drink from a cup, thermos, and water bottle; he can go to the potty all by himself, he knows how to clean up his toys, re-shelve his books, and he's always Mommy's little helper during my own chores.

Along with the Independent stage comes the Defiant stage. He's made "no" one of his favorite words. Seriously, I'm so tired of begging this little boy to do the simplest things. But it's like he gets a kick out of the fact that "no" actually means something. He's learned that he can essentially pick and choose what he will and won't comply with. Ugh. Why couldn't he learn "yes" first?!

Anyways, there's about Maki. I'll be back soon.

the haps

Hey there! It sure has been a while since I last wrote. The time goes by so fast, and the guilt builds walls so high. I think I'm still struggling fiddling with the focus of this blog. So until I find it, I hope you enjoy my shifting interests, babblings, and ramblings.
Here's a quick update on what's been happening in our lives: not much! I spend my days singing and dancing to keep Maki happy; cooking and cleaning to keep Husband happy and eking out a little me-time in between to keep Mama sane.

Happy Fall! Dear Summer has gone with no hope of its lingering around in this part of the country. We had a fun, but overall uneventful summer. It was fun playing and exploring outside with Maki everyday. Each day brought us new adventures and discoveries. While Maki was discovering the elements and bustling world around him, Mama was re-discovering all of the many things that we adults take for granted. {When was the last time a fire engine's horn put a smile on your face?}
We spent a lot of time going to the city parks, in our backyard and going for neighborhood walks. Even the days, when I'd rather just lay around in bed, I forced myself to get up and out of the house for Maki's benefit. It's a constant reminder that my life is no longer mine alone. I have to be cognizant that everyday is an opportunity to color and shape my little guy's world. I'm sure I'll need even more reminding of this as the temperature continues to drop around here.

Maki Updates:
We went to NYC to visit my family in July. Maki is a true blooded New Yorker. Something about that city makes him come alive. He's so at home there, it warms my heart. While in New York, Maki had his first accident and subsequent hospital visit! He was running in the apartment, slipped on a rug and busted his teeth through his lip. He had to get four stitches! We're still a bit shell shocked about it. Every time he runs, I imagine him toppling face first. It doesn't help that he has indeed toppled face first a few times since the incident, scoring him bloody gums and a busted lip. It's so scary. I'm just like, "How am I supposed to keep you alive for eighteen years!?" Everyone else, is just like, "Oh, girl, this is the first of many." 

Maki still breastfeeds. He eats some solids, but I'd say his diet is about 70/30 breast milk to solids. I'm really proud that we've been able to breastfeed this long. Even though at times (mainly in the middle of a sleepless night), I kind of wish we done or on our way to being done. But I can say that I truly enjoy it. I'll probably be sad when it ends, but for now as long as I am able to be blessed to continue breastfeeding, I will. I hope that he weans himself, because I don't even have the energy to take his "bobby" away from him.

We've been potty training. No pressure, just introducing him to the pot, and encouraging him to voice when he has to go. He's coming around, but like I said, we're not pressuring him.

Well that's the latest around here. As Fall begins to settle in for good, I'll be looking for fun indoor activities to keep us busy on days when it's too cold to go outside. Hopefully I'll find some fun things to share with you here.
Post soon.

catching up with the joneses

We're not the Joneses but you get the point. 
Okay okay, I know I haven't posted in quite some time. It's not for lack of content, I actually have possible blog topics run through my mind quite often throughout the day. The problem has been that I kinda don't have time. This may sound weird considering I'm a stay at home mom, but it's true. My "me time" is made up of stolen moments in between chores, Maki's naps and Daddy time. {break for cranky, teething Maki}
But here's a quick update of what's been the haps' 'round here:
Maki is nearing 9 months! So awesome. He's a super crawler. He pulls himself up to standing. He's beginning to let go just long enough to realize he's standing on his own and panic. He has 2 and 2 halves teeth {bottom two are completely in, top two are still coming in}. He's super active. He loves his activity table. We jokingly call it his deejay table because he loves the music mode and when he's on it he looks like a deejay playing a set. He's still breastfed {not technically exclusively, but pretty much exclusively}. We are still trying to introduce solids. He's not too interested in food. He just wants to be included in what we're having at the dinner table. He likes apples, oranges, veggie chips {and chicken bones}. He doesn't really like purees. He did them maybe for a week or so, and then was over it. So the Baby Bullet is basically Mommy's smoothie maker. We're still gluten, egg and dairy free. We are thinking of making our way to the meat free side as well, but for now we're just limiting our meat to no more than 4 times a week.
I think this about catches us up, I am committing myself to do a written post at least once a week. So be back soon!

gift of life

My son, Maki has been a gift to me in many ways. Aside from the obvious, one of the many gifts Maki has given me is, life itself.
I used to smoke cigarettes before I was pregnant. I was never a heavy smoker, and for that reason I used to tell myself that I wasn't addicted and that I could quit whenever I wanted. Well, funny thing is, I had wanted to quit for YEARS!!! But truth is, I was addicted and in denial. It wasn't until I was pregnant that I was able to accept that I was addicted and really needed to quit. I didn't need to quit for me- I'd had my chance at that, and clearly I wasn't enough motivation for myself. But I needed to quit for my baby. I knew this from the day I found out I was pregnant.
I would love to tell the awesome tale of how I found out I was pregnant and never touched another cigarette... but I'd be lying. What I did do was set a deadline. I gave myself two weeks to quit. Then extended those two weeks another two weeks. Then extended those two weeks a day at a time until finally, I had enough. I knew I was doing it again: lying to myself. I had been decreasing the number of cigarettes and eventually puffs per day I was having, and therefore allowing myself to smoke past my deadlines. I was so disgusted with myself. Me, who wouldn't even smoke around children, smoking with a child in my belly. It didn't make sense.
So one day when I got the urge to smoke, instead of heading out to have a puff I told myself, "I'm stronger than tobacco. This is the first thing I'm doing for my baby." And here I am, a little over a year later without even the slightest urge for a smoke, fresher breath and softer lips. I have Maki to thank for that. He was my motivation when I couldn't be. Quitting smoking adds years to one's life; he did that for me.

postpartum weight loss

One of my long held fears about getting pregnant was that I'd put on weight and never be able to get it off. I'm not much of a work out buff. I'm more of the damage-control type. I do enjoy working out, but my motivation is limited to when I'm tipping the scale too far to the right. During my pregnancy, I put on 60 pounds! {wow it's crazy just even thinking of it} I lost 40 pounds to birth and baby, leaving me 25 pounds heavier than my normal weight. {I had a 5 pound head start} I figured, I'd lose some by breastfeeding, and the rest I'd work off as soon as I healed from my c-section.
Well, as time went on, I realized and decided that weight loss wouldn't be a priority for a long time. I was more concerned with learning how to be the best mom to Maki that I can be. If that meant I'd be a little heavier than I'm used to for a little longer than I'd like, then so be it... the gym will be there when I'm ready. Now, that's not to say I didn't bemoan the body staring back at me in the mirror. Actually, to be honest, for a while I avoided full body mirrors. But anyways, my point is, I haven't actively been trying to lose any weight. However, the scale has tipped in my favor! Six months postpartum I'm down 20 pounds and back in my pre-pregnancy clothes. {bells ring and a choir sings somewhere on God's green Earth}
In a weird twist of fate, I have Maki's eczema to thank. It's his eczema which requires us to be on a gluten, egg and dairy free diet, which basically eliminates most of the usual suspects housing empty, hidden and excess calories, carbs and fat.
So, now that the hard part is done, it's time to add exercise to my daily routine. Even though I've lost most of the weight, my shape has changed and I'm a lot looser in places I'd rather not be. {namely, gut, butt and thighs}I haven't quite worked up the strength to be away from Maki yet, so I probably won't be making it to the gym anytime soon. But I've started this 24 day ab blaster as a way to get in the game. It's not much of a workout, but at least it's a start and I figure it'll help me to strengthen my abdominal muscles before beginning a hardcore workout.

I'd love to hear from you. What do you think? Do you enjoy working out? What are some ways you manage your weight?