July
Nolan has always been very attached to me when it comes to nursing. He was a frequent and slow nurser. After he turned one, I started trying to cut down on feelings do that I could eventually wean him. But we discovered his milk allergy right away which meant I had to hold off weaning until I could find an alternative milk source. We eventually started him on almond milk, but then Nolan got sick for a week....probably the worse illness he'd ever had. There was lots of diarrhea, some vomiting, refusals to eat or drink, and he had no energy. The only thing Nolan would do was nurse and sleep. So I gave up weaning for a little while. Then, we took a couple of trips to Utah in may and June. During each trip, we were much busier than we normally are at home and I noticed Nolan wouldn't ask to nurse nearly as much. So, by the time we came home from Utah at the end of June, I had cut down his nursing to twice a day and made it my resolution for July to really make the effort to finish the job. I started right away by cutting out the evening feeding and eventually the morning as well. The surprising thing is it only took about a week and Nolan never even asked to nurse again. I guess he was just ready!
As a side note, I really don't think there is a problem with nursing to 18 months or even 2 years, but it was really important for me to wean once I found out about Nolan's milk allergy. Basically I wasn't willing to make the giant lifestyle change of cutting out all dairy when it wasn't really necessary for me to continue nursing him. Since weaning, Nolan's eczema is completely gone and only shows up once in awhile if he accidentally eats something with dairy in it. (He also gets little hives on his face and a diaper rash when it eventually passes through his system).
August
I actually started my August resolution in mid July when I finished weaning Nolan. I've really been struggling to lose the last 10-15 lbs of baby weight and I gain weight really easily right now. I actually gained another 5 when I was in Utah in June. So I decided it was time to start exercising regularly again. We have a gym in our apartment complex and its actually just across the street from us, so I really have no excuse not to! I started going 3 times a week and doing a mile on the treadmill or 15 minutes on the stair master and then 3 reps of 10 on all the arm and leg machines. I know it's not a ton, but its definitely a stat. I haven't really lost any weight, but I can definitely tell a difference in my overall fitness and my arms a lot more defined. I did really awesome with this goal until we took our trip to San Diego. I really need to get back at it!
September
Sorry, but this month i'm also working on weight loss. I've decided to follow a diet from a book I've been reading to hopefully change my eating habits for the better (and healthier). I've never really gone on a diet before so this is new to me! The diet starts out with a 2 day cleanse and then three weeks of cutting out all of your problem foods. After that you can basically start reintroducing all the foods you like, in moderation. Following these guidelines, you should be able to lose half the weight you want to in about 3 months. I'm hoping to lose about 10 lbs in that time. I just began my cleanse today, so I'll have to update you as I really get into it.
