Quick update: P90X3, mid block 3

Today was the beginning of week three of the third block, which will be five weeks long. The first two blocks are only four weeks long.

Anyhow, it seems that rest weeks are when the changes start to occur. The scale is beginning to show a slow shed, and I am bouncing between 130 to 134lbs these days. The waist "looks" better, but my taping is only showing a small decrease that averages between 35-36", which puts me back into several pairs of my non-pregnancy pants; enough that I won't need to buy more for winter.

More importantly, my energy is so much better than it's been. Today was absolutely manic; speech and OT therapy, dance class/ kids to the park, voting, dance class/ return home for playing in the back yard, followed by another dance class/ with a quick trip to Costco. I wore the baby, who has got to be pushing about 20lbs, nearly all day, with a couple intervals of wearing both 20lb baby on the front and the 26+lb toddler on my back... and I made it!

No breaks

If we're going to take any time off from our studies and learning activities it's going to have to be scheduled... and I haven't worked up the nerve to schedule down time... though I know I should. But.. but.. but...

There's so many new things we're integrating into our routine, one of which is Integrated Listening Systems (iLs), which our Occupational Therapist began with our oldest a couple months ago. We're increasing our sessions by doing more at home.

The regular task of washing clothes, cleaning, cooking (at which I genuinely lack talent), and keeping little folks safe remain. 

While doing dishes my toddler brought me this Mei Tai carrier I completed a few days ago, and wanted some up time. Given his baby sister was sleeping happily in her swing I was glad to oblige. After a minute he whispered over my shoulder, "Jesus." At which I realized he was identifying our statues. So I asked him to name everyone else in the Holy Family. He said, "that's Mary," and as I pointed to the tallest figure, he insisted, "that's Jesus." It's actually Joseph, so we had to work a while to convince him of this, because he wasn't buying it. Finally, he conceded that Jesus was the baby, and the tall statue was Joseph.

Wrap a day

...Keeps the grumpy at bay. Little allergy man gets wrapped up when he gets very grouchy. I've taken up wrapping since my soft structured buckled carriers became less comfortable around the waist. A wrap allows me to put all the support up on my back and shoulders and off the hips. However, after a while the extra weight does become burdensome. Still, if he's tired enough, and I'm stealthy I can sometimes transfer him from my back into his bed after he's fallen asleep. Sometimes he falls asleep before I've even finished the wrap. I suppose it's kind of like swaddling, only with a heartbeat.

He's two

Yesterday was his birthday, and now he is finally two years old. So this means my husband will begin referring to him as the three year old. It's just how it seems to work in our house, ages become more advanced than they actually are.

Yesterday, before our back to back service calls, I'd found a splendid back wrap carry with my size 7 girasol diamond weave wrap, which allowed me to handle all the issues going on in my basement while keeping the birthday boy happily sleeping and out of the way. However, today I couldn't quite get it together. After wrestling with the wrap for about 10 minutes I decided to hang it up and suffer the lower belt of my soft structured carrier (which I just can't seem to get comfortable with now days.


The kids running stir crazy in this snowed in day, an idea struck me, and a way to utilize this extra long woven fabric came to fruition. It's not my idea, but something I'd seen elsewhere before, and it was a hit with the three youngest restless people in my home. We used to have a hammock in our backyard, but it was rendered totally destroyed a couple years ago. I think the big kids are going to lobby for a replacement come spring time.

HighBack ruck wrap with ring assist

Less than a minute after getting little one into this back carry, he was sound asleep, which was the goal. Yeah for internet tutorials!

A new trick, Double Hammock wrap carry with a shorty

So I'd purchased a size 2 Girasol diamond weave cotton wrap with the intension of converting it to a soft structured carrier. However, being at the beginning stages of uncomfortable having anything touch anywhere near my belly, I've been finding my soft structured carrier waist buckles harder to work with. So when this super soft wrap arrived yesterday it was love and my chopping notions went out the door. However, it's a really short wrap, and I needed to do some research in to how I could make it work for me.
Thanks to the video below, I was able to double hammock both my younger boys into a back carry, using my squishy size 2 wrap, and not have any straps or buckles around my expanding belly. I'm so stoked! I had to show my husband as soon as he got home, because I was just so excited with my new knowledge.