Day 2 Lesson: It's going to take more than nursing...

Yup, I did it. This morning I rejoined Weight Watchers in an attempt to finally say goodbye to what I not so fondly refer to as my "infertility weight." Three years of failed cycles, depression, and drugs were not kind to my body and now it's time to make things right.

I've been pretty lax (okay, totally lax) with my eating since AJ was born for a couple of reasons. First of all, I'm breast feeding and you need extra calories for that. Second, gestational diabetes kept me from eating what I wanted during pregnancy so I felt like I "deserved" some free time. Despite the food free for all, I've managed to lose 41 pounds I gained during pregnancy. That would be a much bigger achievement if I didn't swell up like a balloon in those final weeks. I'm pretty sure 20 of those 41 pounds was water retained in my legs and feet!

The nice thing about Weight Watchers is they make the plan friendly to nursing moms, so I have extra points to account for the extra calories I need to keep my supply up. I'm committed to the program for 2 months. We'll see how it goes.

Learning Something New Everyday: September 1st

Ah, September. This time last year I was getting ready to begin the cycle that we conceived our little monkey man. It's totally hard for me to believe how much has changed, and how much I've learned in the last year.

Last September I did a daily mini album to document the month. This year I don't have the time to devote to such a project, but I am going to *try* to blog through the month. Emphasis on the word TRY people. We'll see if A.J. decides to cooperate :)

So what did I learn today?

September 1st: Salisbury Steak doesn't photograph well. Today, Barb and I kicked off a new blogging project :Cook. Eat. Repeat? Over the next year we're going to cook our way through the stacks of cookbooks and recipes printed off the web we've aquired over the years.

Tonight, I made my first new recipe and quickly learned why the picture in the Light and Tasty magazine is very small. This recipe definitely doesn't get high marks for presentation. You'll have to wait a bit to find out if it tastes better than it looks. The recipe and my review wil be posted on the Cook. Eat. Repeat? blog tomorrow!

Back to School

Fact: I have a slight obsession with this time of year. There's just something about the school supplies popping up in the stores, the kids shopping for new clothes and new shoes, and the college students returning to town and dragging their parents to target to stock their dorm rooms. I love the return of a little chill in the air, even if I can only pretend for so long that fall means winter is right around the corner. So while September means my teacher friends are heading back to work and won't be around to entertain me on a daily basis, there are new adventures to look forward to in the coming months.

I'm not going back to school myself, but I like using the new school year as an excuse for new beginnings, new projects to tackle. I guess I consider it an early start on new years resolutions. So in honor of the new year, and inspired by the lovely Miss Em, I'm throwing out a few goals for the school year ahead:

• New Year, New Schedule: I know they say all babies do is eat, sleep, and poop but really...that eating, sleeping, and pooping seems to take up a LOT of my time. In the coming months, I really want to find my new groove as a mama. There are so many things I want to do, many things I NEED to do, but on some days the idea of doing ANYTHING, while juggling the needs of my little monkey man seems more than a little overwhelming. I know the name of the game is flexibility, but having even a rough schedule will go far in making me feel like something is getting accomplished in my life.
  
• Home Ec: I love to cook. I love to eat. I love to surf the interweb for appealing new recipes. Unfortunately, those new recipes have been little more than bookmarks on my computer for the past several months and little has been going on in my kitchen aside from preparing things that are "quick and easy", "tried and true," or my personal least favorite "prepackaged for convenience." So my new thing that I'd like to learn this year is how to cook. Like for real. I'm going to menu plan. And I'm going to try new recipes. And if something really sucks...we'll just eat cereal for dinner. I've got big plans for this goal that involve culinary adventures with my very favorite foodie Barb. More details soon :)
  
• Physical Education: Ah, gym. NEVER my favorite part of the school day. Well, there was that one time I nailed my elementary school nemesis during dodge ball....but that was a long time ago. But when it comes down to it, being a mom requires quite a bit of endurance. We're talking late nights and early mornings. There's lots of crawling around on the floor, not to mention the squatting and lifting and carrying of a baby that's growing bigger every day. And we won't even talk about how heavy some of that baby gear is! So, it's time for me to get back in shape. A.J. deserves a healthy mama who can keep up with him. I joined the Y. They have child care. The elliptical and I are getting back together.
  
• Dating an Upperclassmen: Truth be told, I kind of miss my husband. Being a mama is more than a full time job and sometimes I think the being a wife part takes a backseat. But we're trying. Date night is back in the Homburg household and unless there is some extenuating circumstance, Friday night is just for us. Sure those Friday nights might involve nothing more than take out and a trip the the redbox, but every little bit counts, right?
  
• Economics: Oh, budget. Such a bad word. But since it's going to be a few years before AJ is making millions and taking care of us, budgeting is important. I'm lucky that photography allows me to stay home with AJ, but not working full time means we have to make some sacrifices when it comes to spending. I need to remember that.

And since blog posts without pictures are taboo, here's a few recent pictures of my contribution to the Class of 2027:

Chilling in the tub
Pondering the meaning of life while looking out the window with Mama.

Too young to protest taking pictures with his "uncool" parents.

I heart Faces Week 29: Funny Silly Faces

A.J. showing off his personality July 2009

This week I stumbled upon a fun photography challenge blog called I Heart Faces and it looks like I have perfect timing since this week's subject is funny silly faces. While this photo might not be technically perfect, (snapped with our little canon point and shoot) it makes me giggle uncontrollably.

I love this boy.

Seriously.

Summer Lovin

I'm currently having a love affair with summer, soaking up every lovely thing this season has to offer. Last year I was too busy for weekends of summer fun. We had weddings to shoot and very very little time off. This year there are still weddings, but they are spaced out and I'm currently not the one shooting them.

Of course I also have a very good reason to slow down and soak up the summer this year. He's 11lbs 2oz and he's just started smiling at me like I'm the coolest person in the world. I know he'll only feel that way for a few years, so I want to take advantage of every moment.

This weekend pretty much sums up all that is wonderful about summers in Wisconsin.

Friday night we took AJ to his first drive in double feature. I've decided the drive in is the best idea ever for new parents. We sat in the car with AJ in my lap and when he wasn't eating he slept like...well....a baby. I plan to make many more trips to the drive in this summer.

Saturday morning we were up early to walk the streets of Downtown Appleton with Barb. It never fails, the farmers market makes me wish I lived in a big city where you walk to the grocery daily to buy fresh ingredients for dinner.
Since there's no move in my future I'll have to settle for taking pictures of pints of perfect berries.

Spent Saturday afternoon at home with this little man, enjoy a lazy little nap on the couch. Please note the super cool bib that came in the mail from our favorite Finn Torm!
Sunday, we fired up the grill and invited a few good friends over for an afternoon in the backyard.

The monkey man was too little to enjoy the food, but he did seemed pretty content to sleep in his swing as the grown ups ate and talked and laughed around him.

We wrapped up the afternoon with what just might be the best cake I've ever tasted, courtesy of Barb. I know that sounds like an exaggeration, but I'm serious. Cake that contains vegetables has no right to taste that good.

The only downside of this weekend is the knowledge that summer will be over before we know it!

If you're happy and you know it...

AJ is a man of many expressions and now we can add smiling to the list. Here he is yesterday when all was right with the world and the playmat was the coolest place to be.

Unfortunately, that was yesterday. Today we're seeing a less desirable expression:

Don't feel too bad for the little guy. I promise he wasn't being tortured.

Unless you consider being asked to nap in his crib torture.
He has a rough life.

The Other Side of the Camera

As photographers it's not often Karl and I find ourselves in pictures, especially not together. But when our little monkey arrived, we knew it was important to document our new family just as we are right now.

Enter our good friend Heidi of HJ Selch Photography:
We also took some shots with my family since they were in town visiting.


And ofcourse we needed a few shos of the little monkey all by himself.
Looking at these images, I can't believe how much he's changed already! So thankful for our little family of three.