Hello navel! I've missed you

Six weeks post baby and half the weight gone. I've become reacquainted with my belly button and some of my regular clothes. However that was the easy weight and the next half isn't going to be quite so easy.

Having been given the all clear by my doctor last week we went for our first family run on the weekend. It was a moment I have been waiting for for 10.5 months. My double jogging stroller was my first purchase when I found out about pregnancy number 2. I'd enjoyed my morning runs with Master R along the Hudson River and couldn't wait to start again. My single jogger was left in the caring hands of Mama A (I hope you're using it!).

When we moved back to London the main criteria for a house was proximity to a large park so I could jog. We're right near Victoria Park, one of London's best kept secrets. At one stage deer roamed free but now it's just a huge park with great running paths and gardens.

Mr M and I were a little concerned about Master T's head wobbling around too much but we secured it with blankets and did a few test runs and he seemed very content nestled into the side of the seat.

The last time I went for a run was December '08 so I wasn't expecting much. However I surprised myself, and Mr M, by running the full planned distance of approximately 6kms/4 miles. I did feel it the next day though.

Both boys loved it. Master R loves looking at the ducks and "eich", abbreviated German for squirrels, which we have to acknowledge every time he sees one. Master T just slept. Let's hope it continues because I still have quite a few lbs to lose!

Aqua mama

Source: www.jccsf.org

When I was pregnant with Miss L I practiced yoga everyday and was enjoying headstands (against a wall of course!) up until delivery. This time around I can't get enough of the pool.

We joined the Jewish Community Center, which is just three blocks from our house. I love that I can walk over in a few minutes (especially when I feel I am always running late trying to get out of the house with a toddler). Our family membership is the same cost as my single membership was at Equinox so I feel like I am getting great value for our money. Miss L and I have created a nice pool routine that we share together twice a week.

After breakfast on Tuesdays and Thursdays we put our suits on and pack our swim bag and head off to the JCC. I take Miss L to the children's pool (which is heated to a lovely 90 degrees) from 8:00 to 9:00. She practices paddling, kicking and putting her head under water (her favorite thing to do right now). The more we go the more comfortable Miss L has become in the water. Today she started walking around the shallow end scooping up the pool toys and dipping her head under water on her own. Of course, I am always at arms-length to be safe. We also spend some time hanging out on the steps playing with plastic whales and turtles and pool rings. We also blow bubbles, sing songs and do a few seated jumps into the water from the side of the pool.

After pool time, Miss L loves to have her own shower to rinse off. We get changed (while Miss L chats it up with the other women in the locker room, saying "pool" and pretending to blow bubbles) and then we head over to JCC's cafe and have a snack. Then I drop her off at the JCC child care for some play time while I get to have my own time in the pool.

I take an hour long prenatal aqua class. It takes place in the deep end of the adult pool (not quite as warm at 80 degrees, but once you start moving it feels just perfect). We wear little flotation devices that fit right under the shoulder bones on the back with a belt that snaps in the front and sits right above the pregnant belly. This gives a great feeling of buoyancy in the water. The class is spent moving up and down the length of the pool doing cross country, running, breaststrokes with bicycle legs as well as some stationary work like side kicks, jumping jacks with weights and wide-leg pedaling.

The classes are taught by two doulas so when we aren't too out of breath we discuss our pregnancies and questions/thoughts on labor and delivery. The class is a nice mix of regulars, including first-time and second-time moms. After class we often go to the warmer children's pool to stretch, hang out and talk about maternity clothes and what we are going to eat for lunch after class.

When I pick up Miss L from child care she is happy from the full morning and ready for her midday nap by the time we arrive home. By noon she is asleep in her room and I can prepare my lunch and read the Times (Thursdays being the best with House & Home and Styles).

I just love how my body feels after spending most of the morning in the water. I feel refreshed and relaxed. I feel more energized later in the day to take Miss L to the playground. And I sleep so soundly at night.

For all of the pregnant mamas, I highly recommend booking some pool time this summer!

Excercise on Demand

Happy Mother's Day mamas! So, its been a while since you've seen Mama L posting, but I've been thinking of you, and admit that I just haven't been able to focus, and find the energy lately with some other things happening in our lives. I hope you all enjoyed your day. I felt so lucky to spend some time with my own lovely mom, and family today.

Speaking of time and engergy mamas, I have 3 little incredible words for you that have me fired up. Excercise on Demand! Yes, it's true! Who knew that finding the time and range of excerise options could be so easily available? You see, after the birth of Master L, I became an obsessive fan of Kula Yoga, and found myself treking to the studio several times a week. But, after more than a year of intense dedication, I confided to Mama H that I was starting to burn out from my Kula practice. Then, to my horror, I had let week after week slip by on what was intended as a little break. Before I knew it, it had been almost 3 months since I attended. Though I substituted my fitness regime with other (somewhat fulfilling routines), I started to really miss my practice. As Mama H knows, once you miss a few weeks at Kula it becomes way too scary to go back. I would never be able to keep up. So, desperate for a quick yoga fix the other night, I decided to cruise through our hundreds of unwatched cable channels with the hope of finding some kind of yoga infomecial I could, at the very least, follow along to. Ready to give up, I stumbled on channel 1025. Yoga (all levels), pilates, cardio sculpt, aerobics, sexy beach bod, post baby bod, hollywoood bod, YOU NAME IT, its offered!! Mamas, I tell you its been a yogathon weekend! While its not my beloved Kula studio, at least I'll be able to keep up once I can set foot back there again. If you're in the big apple, Time Warner has most likely hooked you up too!

After this amazing discovery, I couldn't anticpate more for a weekend, but it was also Mister M and my 5 year wedding anniversary. I hope to share more on this in another post. Now, I am heading to the coach to recuperate from it all.