4 Months with Josie

We went on our first little road trip as a family to Highlands, NC. I thought it would be the perfect first getaway as a family of 3 since it’s only about a 2.5 hours drive. The mountains are beautiful up there this time of year, and the fall foliage did not disappoint. We went during the week so things would be less busy.. but it was surprisingly still lively during the week. I have a full travel guide if you’re visiting Highlands, NC anytime soon.

Gosh I feel like so much has been changing this last month with Josie! Developmentally, she has started rolling on her tummy (and sleeping on it!), reaching for things, playing more with toys and objects, and having more and more “cooing” conversations with us. She loves to HOO like an owl and it’s the cutest thing. I’m still patiently waiting for her belly giggles, though.

OH and she finally started taking a bottle again! I think the key for her was heating it up pretty warm. As soon as we did that she had no hesitation (as long as she was hungry) and she even took the bottle from me, too! That gives me so much more peace of mind to leave the house. I actually had a long successful trip to the mall last weekend and used my new Elvie pump twice while on the go. It was so convenient to be able to pump in the car! I wore an oversized sweater and even pumped while I was eating lunch in the Nordstrom cafe.

How are you doing?

I’m still dealing with high blood pressure, which is frustrating because I don’t want to continue this medication forever. Luckily when I switched to taking it before bed I don’t deal with the redness/flushing side effects while I’m sleeping. It took me a few months to get in with a new primary care doctor, so I’m hoping we can find a way to manage it and wean in the near future.

In the meantime, I plan to try a few lifestyle changes to try and manage it the natural way. I recently re-read the book How Not to Die (specifically the chapter on High Blood Pressure) and it recommends to decrease salt intake (which is hidden in a lot of meats), 1/2 cup a beet juice, flaxseed, and Hybiscus tea. Tim primarily eats vegetarian, so I may give it a try and see how my body responds. I know I could used a lot more fruits and veggies in my diet! If you’re curious about the book, it goes through the most common causes of preventable deaths in the US, and goes through the research of reversing those comorbidities with a plant based diet.

I did start adding in a very simple workout routine this month. I’m not usually good at taking things slow, but this time I’m trying to set very small goals and go at a much slower pace to help my routine adjust and hopefully I actually stick to it. I’m starting the sweat app post pregnancy workout, and they are very quick (15-25 min) workouts. It’s a 6 week program and then I plan to start her beginner program before starting more HIIT training in the new year (about 6 months PP when I don’t have to worry about my milk supply as much). My goal is to follow the program, and add in the peloton 2x/week.

Here are a few things I’ve mentioned on stories this month:

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