Morning friends! It’s been quite a while since I did a coffee chat post and the relaxed pace of this Sunday morning at the beach seemed like the perfect opportunity for one. Finn just went down for his nap (after quite the fight to avoid it) and I just made my second cup of coffee.
I’m sitting out on my grandmother’s balcony. The weather is so incredible this weekend. Around 70 during the day, sunny and low humidity. Around 50 at night. Please tell me where the weather is like this year-round because I think I could live there. (My hair would also like to live there.)
Related to the coffee conversation…do you have a favorite mug? At my grandmother’s place I always drink my coffee out of this same cup. At home I have 2-3 that I rotate between. Oh and my favorite tea mugs are different from my coffee cups.
One last coffee thing…I have a “How I French Press” tutorial coming for you very soon!
Okay…for that coffee chat…
If we were having coffee this morning, I would tell you that I can’t believe Finn’s first birthday is around the corner.
Finn turned 10 months old last Monday and I can’t believe we’re getting so close to one! I snapped this photo of him on Saturday morning and he looks so much like a toddler here! He’s getting so big.
I’ve started getting questions about how we’re celebrating his birthday so I’ve been thinking about that. My desire is to have a small celebration with family and a few close friends who have been like family this past year. I’m not sure that I see myself throwing a big party for it.
I would ask you how you celebrated one!? Big party, small intimate gathering or just a low-key family thing?
If we were having coffee this morning, I would share that I’m feeling a lot better in my body these days.
The postpartum period is a weird time for a woman. I never really understood the whole “you don’t really get your body back until you stop breastfeeding” thing until I carried a baby for 9 months and have been breastfeeding one for 10. That’s a long time “sharing” yourself with another being!
It’s been a very special time but I can see how you might look forward to “having your body back.” (I’m not sure that’s the right terminology but you know what I mean.) All of these hormonal changes have done a number on me in both good and not so ideal ways. I have the craziest hair regrowth happening right now (I can legit blow dry baby bangs right now and it’s not cute!). Also, my skin has been a little all over the place and while I haven’t had a ton of breakouts in the postpartum period, I have had some random psoriasis patches and now some mild perioral redness/dermatitis stuff going on. My derm told me most of this is estrogen related so we’ll see if it all evens out once we wean.
Perhaps the most surprising postpartum/breastfeeding twist for me was losing too much weight. I wrote about it in this post and haven’t addressed it since then. Some of you have left comments asking for an update and I finally have one to share! Ever since Finn has really started eating solids (last 2 months or so), I’ve been gaining weight. I’m happy to report that I am now back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but with a lot less muscle mass. I think I was at my most muscular ever when I got pregnant with Finn! I was teaching strength like 5x a week (that class I usually do with my students).
This photo was taken when I was maybe 5-6 weeks pregnant!? You can read this post I wrote when I was 38 weeks pregnant about how I actually really loved my pregnant body and having some curves for the first time in my life. I’ve always been pretty flat in the chest department and built muscularly.
I haven’t changed anything about how I’ve been eating and I’ve actually been exercising a little MORE (because I finally feel like I have the energy for it). I really think the fact that he’s eating solids and getting some nutrition from sources other than me has made the difference. That said, my supply has remained the same so I don’t understand these things at all.
Okay, that was a lot of information but you guys ask about it so I hope it was useful/insightful/I don’t even know. Haha. Let me know if you have any other questions. Happy to answer.
If we were having coffee this morning, I would share how excited I am for my retreat this summer! And nervous…
I am partnering with Studio B Power Yoga to lead a yoga and fitness retreat in Montego Bay, Jamaica this summer! It will be my first Caribbean trip in over two years and I am PUMPED! That said, I am also so freaking nervous about it.
When we planned it, I thought to myself…”Finn will be 13 months old, it will be okay for me to leave him, I’ll probably be ready for a break.” It seemed SO far away. Well now that it’s just a few months away, I am still excited but also sad/nervous to leave Finn. It will be the longest I’ve been away from him. I also thought he would be weaned by then but now I’m not so sure so I’m anxious about how that’s all going to play out too.
On the topic of the retreat, we have a few more rooms available if any of you want to join us! You can get all the info HERE or shoot me an email and I’ll get you more details. If you don’t have a roommate, we do have some people who are looking!
Oh and I’ll be in Pennsylvania at Studio B Power Yoga NEXT WEEKEND for two master classes and three workshops! I’d love to see you there if you are a local reader. I’ll also be teaching a master class at Ethos Fitness on Friday night. 🙂
Questions for you!
How did you celebrate your child’s first birthday?
When did you feel like your body was “yours” again after having a baby? What changes surprised you the most?
Have you left your child/children for a solo vacation? If so, how did you feel about it all?
