Show Me How You Burlesque...

Throughout my life I have always been active in some way, either with dance, gymnastics, or my unsuccessful attempts to go to the gym.  When I was pregnant I did some yoga because my best friend swore by it.  For those of you who don't know me, I really hate yoga.  I signed up for a  prepaid series of classes by my house and I just took the lost and stopped going because I would become so relaxed that I would get annoyed and irritated...I did a lot of walking instead..

My main concern when I found out that I was pregnant was bouncing back after...Today you see all these celebrities who have babies and a few months later they are on the red carpet looking better then they did before their pregnancy.  I don't have the money for a private trainer, I knew that joining another gym would be a waste of money; I needed to figure out what would work for me.

I have been very lucky because it was been such a mild winter that I've been able to go on many long walks in the park.  I've also played a lot of just dance on my wii, now before you start laughing let me explain how that video game is a really good cardio workout and you really build up a sweat.  My husband told me to do push ups, and then he got me a kettle ball that came with a DVD that have three 15 minute workouts, I did that a couple of times (did I mention how much I hate to workout).

Okay....we all know that if your going to get into shape you also need to change your eating habits.  Now I was not the only one in my house that was trying to get back into shape.  My husband and I decided that we would do a detox for the month of January (after all the major eating holiday's).  This meant no alcohol, sweets, or carbs for a whole month.  Have you tried to go a whole month without eating bread?? it sucks!!  For about 2 weeks I was very grumpy, mainly because I was hungry and I've never been hungry on purpose before...I actually yelled at my husband about the amount of potatoes he was serving me...


During this crazy month of hunger and grumpiness I also became very frustrated with the fact that I was not getting out the house enough on my own; I needed me time in the worst way...So I was hungry, grumpy, and frustrated with cabin fever.  If I didn't schedule some serious me time someone would get hurt (my husband since he was withholding the potatoes).  I finally said, I need to invest some money into a couple of classes this way I a scheduled to leave the house and my husband would need to be home to take care of the baby. 

I decided to do what every woman does when she is trying to get rid of those last 5 baby pounds, I took a burlesque class...Okay, so every woman doesn't do that, but that's what I did and it has been so much fun and a great workout.  Once this class is over I plan on taking more dance classes, not just to stay in shape but to keep my sanity...I no longer feel frustrated, I'm eating bread again and now I have a sexy dance I can do for my husband...Sorry was that too much info??

If your interested in taking a burlesque class, or any class with a Broadway theme check out broadwaybodies.com . They also teach classes that focus on popular music such as Micheal Jackson, Lady Ga Ga, and Britney Spears. The teachers are awesome and the workout is great!

Baby talk...

 

Before I had a baby, was pregnant, or got married, I had a lot of interesting things going on in my life...I had so much to talk about, and I always had some place to go or someone to meet. I was passionate about my job, my family and my friends. When I was 28 I started dating my husband. We are both social butterflies and we went out all the time and had a great time, dancing, traveling, hanging out with friends, playing football and so much more....

Then it happened....I got engaged and that is when it started, the only thing people brought up and that I seemed to talk about was wedding related topics. Did you find dress? Where is the wedding? When is the bridal shower? Is there a theme? What kind of cake? Who are your bridesmaids? For almost 2 years my life was all about my wedding and all wedding events leading up to the wedding. I annoyed myself with the inability to talk about anything else. On the up side I still had my job which I loved and I still spent a lot of time with my friends, family and my fiancé. So from time to time I did have other things to talk about..

The wedding was over everything went back to normal for about 3 months. Then I got pregnant and it happened again, the only thing on my mind and the minds of others was my growing belly...and the conversations became, it's is a girl or boy? Are you planning a natural childbirth? What does it feel like when he kicks? Will you be moving from your fabulous upper west side apartment that has a backyard for something with more space?, and of course, can I see the ultrasound pictures? Mind you I didn't care about all the questions, it was the fact that I didn't seem to having anything else to talk about either....but wait it gets worse...

Finally on August 30th 2011 at 2:31am my son was born. I was so excited that I was finally a mother and I had a whole year off from work to enjoy with him. When I was getting married and pregnant I still worked and went out regularly so I had experiences and life to laugh and talk about with friends. Now, it's all baby talk, I literally have nothing else to talk about.

Unless you want to hear about how his diaper exploded at 5 Napkin Burger and how I was tempted to bath him in the bathroom sink, or how I was so excited that he held his head up for a full 7 minutes without crying, or about the time I had to breastfeed him while getting a pelvic exam because he was crying, then come on over and bring a large bottle of your favorite wine...lol

I have become the boring stay at home mom that only talks about her kid, yes I've become that woman. Not only is it the only topic I have to talk about, but I'm so cheerful about it. I think when I get started I'm just so happy to be talking to another adult that I don't notice the glazed over expression on their face. It turns out that other stay home moms are the only other people that don't mind all this baby talk. Mainly because they are in the same boat and also have nothing else to talk about.  It's great when I find another mother who has a child around the same age to hang out with.

I have worked very hard to schedule in adult time, not just with my husband but with other people.  I think people find it so funny how excited I get when I have a couple of hours without the baby. A couple of hours without drool, or singing, or diaper changes; it's very exciting. My advice to all the men and women out there who stay home with there kids all day, take classes, read or listen to books, magazines or watch the news when you can because you need things to talk about when you're with all the adults out there who don't have kids...good luck. :-)

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Location:Starbucks

Some Advice for New Moms

For 9 months I felt my baby grow inside of me and I prepared for his arrival.  I read books, did research online, talked to my friends with children, and asked my mother many many questions.

When I came home with my son I still couldn't believe that I finally had my baby.  I tried to remember everything I read about being a new mom, and all the advice people gave me.

Of all the advice from family, friends, books & websites there where 5 things that I was told by almost everyone:

• Sleep when your baby sleeps.
• Ask for help.
• Don't freak out if he gets a fever.
• Don't forget to eat.
• Follow your instincts

All of this advice is great and should be followed, but I came to find out that when you have a baby, life is very unpredictable.  This is my experience...


Sleep When your baby sleeps:

• I was very lucky to have my husband home for the first two weeks.  This made it very easy to take naps because I knew that I could take real naps without out interruption.  Once my husband went back to work I did take a nap here and there when my son was sleeping but it became difficult because I wanted to clean up, organize baby stuff, and I just wasn't always tired when he was asleep (I'm not much of a napper).  Eventually my husband and I came up with and overnight schedule that allowed me to sleep for at least 4-5 hours straight and that gave me a good amount of energy to last most of the day.  It's important that you rest because you need to have energy for your baby, but we all know that life gets in the way so make sure you give yourself time to relax even if you don't sleep.

Ask for help:

•  This is a big one that I had no problem with.  Asking for help is so important because if you try to do everything on your own you will drive yourself crazy.  I made sure to let my husband know what I needed from him, and I was so lucky to have my parents around whenever I needed them.  My mother and my sister work close to me and came over to help whenever I asked.  My mom even came over once during her lunch break so I could take a shower (I wasn't comfortable leaving the baby alone yet)  Ask for help its so important for your own mental health.

Don't freak out if he gets a fever:

•  One of my girlfriends told me that I shouldn't freak out the first time my son gets a fever.  I was sure that I wouldn't because I knew that a baby's temperature can range anywhere between 97-100.4 degrees.  Then my son got his vaccination shots, and that night he became feverish.  With all my logic and good sense I freaked out.  The doctor told me that I shouldn't worry because it was normal for him to get a fever and if I wanted I could give him baby Tylenol.  After getting 4 shots I didn't want to give my son anymore medicine.  I stayed up all night checking his temperature every 30 min and keeping him cool.  His temperature never went above 100 and he hasn't had a temperature since.  My advice is to do what is comfortable for you, and my sister-in-law says if you give them some baby Tylenol before that vaccination appointment you can avoid the fever all together.

Don't forget to eat:

• This is easier said then done.  I never forgot to eat, I just didn't always have a chance.  Eating is important because you need to have the energy to take care of your child, and you need nourishment so you can breastfeeding.  I live near a great supermarket but it is not stroller friendly and I can't carry much if I have the baby in the carrier.  Don't feel bad about ordering food now and then, and try to prepare food when the baby is sleeping not just for that moment but for later too.  Its much easier and faster to just reheat something.  These days my husband does most of the food shopping, and on slow days at work he comes home and cooks me lunch.

Follow your instincts:

• Any mother (especially yours) will tell you to follow your instincts, when it comes down to it this is so true.  Books can only tell you so much, and in the end you need to relay of your feelings.  Every baby is different and what works for some baby's might not work for yours.  My instincts always tell me to stay calm because I am sure my son can feel how I feel.  I know that he doesn't always feel good and I don't want my feelings to make him panic.  I truly think that my son is so chill because I am so calm around him.

Every woman has a different experience when they bring their baby home, good luck and remember to take some time out for yourself..