Shoes-day Tuesday!

Hi friends

How was your weekend?  And your Monday?  Mine were both pretty darn good.  Sawyer’s Poppy (my FIL) was in town and we spent majority of the weekend hanging outside (of Peets, ha!) in the sunshine and heat.  It felt oh-so-good.

Friday night, however, Zach and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary with a fancy dinner out.  I’ll recap our eats later, but for now, I want to finally show you my leopard pumps!

Thanks to ShopItToMe, these shoes were just 1 click away from being purchased a few weeks ago.  They are Nine West Chesley leopard pony pumps with a maryjane strap, 1” platform and 4(+)” heel.  They retailed for $129, but I got them for $51 –> score!  I have been in search of a good leopard print shoe for some time and this one was too good to pass up. 

This is what I wore with the shoes:

The striped tank and top are both from Express.  I went with a simple color palette since I was mixing patters.  I’m not the most adventurous gal when it comes to pattern combinations but this was in my ‘safe’ zone. 

The best part?  The shoes were actually comfortable all evening! 

What animal prints are you liking?

How do you mix patterns?  Send a link for great combos!

HLS: to go or not to go

Hey there!

This week has seemed…weird.  I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I’m feeling a bit off.  Maybe it’s due to weaning from breastfeeding (less oxytocin hormones?) – not sure. 

On a happier note, it is Zach and my 3 year anniversary today!!!  Amazing  

We have plans for a decadent dinner out on Friday night:

Anyway, I started to notice that Healthy Living Summit comments are surfacing for 2012.  I was able to attend in 2011 and have made the decision to not go again.  There were a few wonderful aspects of my experience last year: meeting and rooming with Jillian of Sprinkle Massacre (she’s faboosh, btw); getting one heck of a swag bag (I’m a sucker for free food goodies that I actually enjoy); visiting / exploring Philly (and seeing an old college friend).

My reasons for not attending this year are in large part due to the ‘negatives’ of last year:

•  I assume it won’t be near SF, therefore will require a plane ticket and hotel fees –> mucho dinero = blah
•  I now have Sawyer…not that this would hold me back if I wanted to do something, but if I’m going to be away from him for a weekend or longer, I want to make sure it’s worth it
•  HLS wasn’t what I wanted/hoped for:
• No structured fitness classes – only loosely schedule runs (guess what, not everyone likes running )
•  Only 1 short day of activities – it’s a big commitment to fly to the other side of the country for approximately 8 hours of a conference
•  I didn’t learn much else that could not have been gleaned from reading the recap posts off my Google Reader
• It felt very cliquey and there was no impetus to meet others
• Lacked a definitive upfront schedule (I ended up booking an early AM flight on Sunday only to find out there was a brunch scheduled that day)
• Based on the 2010 Chicago HLS recaps, I had a different set of expectations for 2011, and from what I’m told, 2010 was enjoyed more by the attendees

Let me add that I did have a nice time overall and was particularly happy about meeting some fabulous ladies who I’ve had the pleasure of seeing again since then.  And quite frankly, there are probably things I could have done to have a more enjoyable experience, but I figure for the cost/time/effort, meh, not worth it this go ‘round.

How about you?  Are you planning on attending 2012 HLS?  I think we should all just meet up in the middle somewhere and spend the day wine tasting…ha!

….aaaand literally since drafting this up, I see that it is in Boston.  Well heck, that just throws me for a loop!  Why?  Because bestie is in Boston so I could bunk with her and maybe just try to meet up with some of the gals I’ve met before and skip the actual conference part.  Hmmm, something to think about, no?

Weaning the Bean

Good morning!

The last few days (since last Wed), we’ve been lucky enough to have another visitor, my Mother-in-law (aka Cookie).  Sadly she had to return home yesterday so we are once again a house of 3 (well 6 if you count the 4-legged sort).

Instead of a weekend recap, I’ve got a baby-related post for you….

When I became pregnant, I knew that I wanted to (try to) breastfeed.  Not only did the doctors and class instructors highly recommend it – no, they pretty much said it was the only way to go – but it was also something I wanted to experience as a new mom.  Regarding the doctor-comment above, Zach and I did feel like those who wanted to go the formula route could feel  ‘less than’ or chastised, which we did not like.  It’s a personal decision to breastfeed or not, and no new parent should feel pressured one way or the other. 

Anyway, I intended to breastfeed for at least 3 months (until I went back to work) with 4 months being a  nice goal and 6 months being a very lofty goal.  I am at 3.5 months and still breastfeeding to some degree (anywhere from 3-4 times a day/night).  As you may recall we began supplementing with formula in week 5,  which was anywhere from 2-6 oz per day.  When I returned to work that amount drastically increased since I never was able to pump enough for a large freezer reserve. On average, the bean gets about 12 oz of formula a day since my return to work – sometimes more, sometimes less.  I breastfeed when I can, namely in the mornings, at night before he goes to sleep, and again if he wakes in the middle of the night.

But I’m ready to stop.

And there are three honest reasons behind that:

1. Bean is A-OK on formula – he likes it, has no issues taking a bottle, and seems to be thriving
2. Pumping at work is a huge pain.  I have to account for the time I’m not working and that means more time away from bean.  No thanks.  Besides, I can only get about 3 oz a session which isn’t even enough for one of his feedings
3. I want my body back.  Yes this is selfish to some extent, but it’s also honest. 

Now I’ll clarify: If for some reason Sawyer could not stomach formula or wasn’t taking bottles very well, I would be doing everything under the sun to keep my breast milk supply healthy and long-lasting.  Since that is not the case, I feel that nearly 4 months of breast milk is a good decision for me and the bean.

I’ve gone to several websites seeking information how to best wean and many say the same thing: space out feedings/pumping more and more each day to week and feed less each time.  So that’s what I’ve been doing.  Now when I pump (1x/day), I only ‘let down’ – I don’t actually pump to emptiness.  Same for feedings.  I start Sawyer off and then finish with formula.  It seems to be working quite well.  And while some engorgement and knots have occurred, nothing has been overly painful.  I can go about 8 hours in between at this point.  My desire is to migrate to formula completely by May 1st. 

And if it’s not evident that my baby is thriving, he is now 14 lbs 6 oz as of last Friday!  His 4 month appointment is the first week of May and we’ll get the full report then. 

If you’re a mom that breastfed, what drove your decision to stop?  And when?  Any tips?