Jen Russum

Talitha Joy – One Month

Talitha Joy – One Month

Growing // Talitha came into the world at eight pounds even. On her three day appointment with her pediatrician, she was 7 lb. 15 oz. - just an ounce below her birth weight. On day six, she was 8 lb. 6 oz, and at her one month well check she clocked in at 10 lb. 15 oz. (approximately 92nd percentile). She was 21 inches at birth and at one month she is 22.8 inches (95th percentile). Eating // Talitha eats super well, as evidenced by her weight gain, but she is not a bottomless pit like her sister. With Zianne, I was a stickler about her getting a "full feeding" on both sides, but sometimes Talitha can't keep up with that. I try to nurse her on both sides, but sometimes she can only handle one and if  I feed her too much she will literally puke on me and fall asleep instantly. I'm learning to back off my rigid sleep/eat schedule and let her be "Tiny T" for awhile... Wearing // I took full advantage of the fact that Talitha was not quite as big as her sister and I squeezed her into any and all newborn size outfits I could for the first two weeks {but honestly, we only have like 5 items in NB size since Russums don't typically make small babies}. Now she is wearing 0-3 month items and I'm sure we will be transitioning to 3-6 months within the next few weeks, since she is already 11 pounds. We moved from NB to Size 1 diapers around 2 weeks.   Doing // Other than the eat/sleep routine, Talitha enjoys being held. If she starts crying in the bouncer, she will stop the second another human picks her up. She prefers to be propped up on the left shoulder if she's trying to fall asleep, and if she's fussy she calms down as soon as I put her in the Solly Baby Wrap. We introduced Talitha to the bottle right at two weeks. She takes a bottle a few times a week and doesn't seem to mind it. She likes the pacifier much more than her sister ever did. I don't use it at night, but it helps when she is fussy or hungry and mom needs a couple more minutes to get to her. Talitha also attended two movies at the theater in her first month of life. When she was about ten days old, Micah's sisters convinced me to go see Inside Out with them. Talitha was a champ in the movie. We held her the whole time and she nursed once. She did such a good job that a few days later Micah and I decided to go see Jurassic World. We had planned to see it before she was born, but when she came one day early our plans were foiled. I was worried it would be loud for her, but we kept her bundled up with a blanket over her ears and she slept the WHOLE time. I couldn't even convince her to eat during the movie. The girl is completely indifferent to dinosaurs.  Loving // Being held, the Solly Wrap, looking at Dad, the ceiling fan, having her cheek stroked Loathing // The hours between 7-10pm, being fed too much milk, when sister puts toys in her face or swats at her head {we are working on being "gentle"} Nicknames // Tiny T, Sweet T, Squeaky T, T-Rex, Baby Mishaps // We've only had one super rough night in our transition to a family of four, and it happened when Talitha was about 4 or 5 days old. It was around 10pm and Talitha was hungry. She was starting to cry right when Zianne woke up in her crib bawling. Z happened to get a cold the weekend Talitha was born, so our toddler was a worse sleeper than the baby those first few days we were home from the hospital. Zianne has never woke up as upset as she was this night. She only wanted mom, of course, and Talitha needed to eat. My hormones were crazy and Micah was stressed but couldn't really help and all three girls just sat on the couch crying for a few minutes.  Thankfully, this was our only instance like this. I was expecting the first month to involve way more tears than it did! Milestones // Met Grandma, GaGa, Pa, Auntie Kayla, Aunt Malea, Cousin Haaken, Aunt Wanda, Krunkle; umbilical cord fell out with ease {much better than Z's}, newborn shoot with Shal-Shal, first two movies in the theater; lots of smiles; has already slept a six and a seven hour stretch at night! {although it's still not the norm}; goes to church every week; went for a brief swim in Ga and Pa's pool ... Read more

Dear Talitha {one month}

Dear Talitha {one month}

Dear Talitha, I had forgotten what it was like to have a newborn. I forgot about all the squeaking noises and the gurgling milk and the coos and the cries. I could vaguely recall "womb knees" in my mind, but I had forgotten what it feels like to have them folded up against my chest. I forgot how tiny you would be, even though you are not very tiny at all compared to most babies. In some ways, you are so familiar. You are big like your sister, though not as big. You are a good eater and sleeper. You are pretty relaxed and you love to smile, unless it's between the hours of 7pm and 10pm. You wear Zianne's hand-me-down clothes and sit in the bouncer and are as easy as can be most of the time. I've slipped back into infant mode almost seamlessly. This tired, slow season is familiar and good. But in other ways, you are unfamiliar. For all the similarities you have with your sister, you also have so many differences. I love watching your unique personality unfold. You don't like too much milk and quickly throw up on me or cry if I try to overfeed you. You are strong and alert and have been pushing your head up on your own since the day you were born. You love to be held or worn, and we spend your fussy evening hours doing housework together. I clean up dinner and your sister's tornado of toys with you strapped to my chest. I feel your breaths slow and calm as you listen to my heartbeat, and I savor the fleeting days I can fold you up like a newborn and press you close to me in your little cocoon. Your dad and I are learning new things every day as we juggle a toddler and a baby. We literally swap your little body back and forth as we tackle bath time and bed time each night. We are learning to communicate better and are giving each other more patience and grace than ever before. This is just the start of the many ways we will grow and change and learn now that you are a part of our lives. This busy, changing season is unfamiliar... like the best mystery just starting to unfold. I love you, sweet baby girl. I cherish this season with you and eagerly anticipate the seasons to come. All my love,  Mama ... Read more

Running While Pregnant {Round 2}

Running While Pregnant {Round 2}

My original "Running While Pregnant" post has recently been popping up on Pinterest, so I thought it might be time for an update now that I successfully ran throughout my second pregnancy. Many things were the same... I didn't run long distances or particularly fast. I am not one of those women who runs a half marathon at seven months pregnant. I ran 4 days a week until my third trimester when I dropped to 3 days a week. I usually did light weights after running at least two days a week. I ran on the treadmill because I am gym rat... and I live in the desert where it is way too hot to run outside most of the time. Some things were different this time... although I've been a consistent runner for over ten years now, I went into this pregnancy in very good running shape. I got super motivated after Zianne was born and was running some of my fastest paces ever before I got pregnant again {which again is not fast, but I was running around a 8:30 mile pace for 3-4 mile runs, which is fast for me as I'm usually a 9-10 minute miler}. I also ran much more in my first trimester, but tapered off my distance earlier in my pregnancy. However, I actually ended up jogging until almost the very end of my pregnancy this time, because I was in better running shape overall and I didn't deal with severe hip pain this time around. Weeks 0-14: I ran a lot. I ran a 5K on the day I missed my period {4 weeks pregnant} and was disappointed that my time was about a minute slower than I was hoping for. I had no idea I was pregnant and thought I was sluggish due to traveling and not eating well during the month of September. I immediately signed up for another 5K happening a few weeks later, determined to beat my time, and convinced a bunch of my girlfriends to run it with me. A week and a half later I found out I was pregnant and had committed myself to running another race on the day I would be 10 weeks. Since I was already in good running shape, I just laughed and went with it. I did not beat my time like I wanted to, but I was only 2 seconds slower at 10 weeks pregnant, so I considered the whole ordeal a success. I continued to run 3 miles at a 9:15-9:30 pace until the end of my first trimester and then I cut back to 2.5 miles. Weeks: 15-28: This is where I tapered off more quickly than my first pregnancy. I ran 2.5 miles for a while, but then dropped down to doing 20 minutes runs by 20 weeks. I was running just under a 10 minute mile pace, so I would run just over two miles each run {example: 20 mins, 2.03 miles, 20w5d}. Weeks: 28-34: During this time I reached my goal of running up until two months before my due date. I dropped to 15 minute runs and slowed my pace, so I would usually run just under 1.5 miles. Up until 30 weeks, I ran a 10:15ish pace, and after 30 weeks I dropped to a 10:30 pace. Weeks 35-40: After I hit 34 weeks, we went on trip and I told myself I didn't have to run any more when we got back. But then we returned and I still felt like running. I dropped down to running just one mile at a 10:45ish pace. At one month before my due date {about 35 1/2 weeks} I planned to stop running and move fully to incline walking as I had done during my first pregnancy, but in those final weeks before my due date, I still felt like jogging a little bit {which I think is due to the fact that I was running so much before pregnancy}. I would often only do cardio two times a week at the very end, and I would walk a lap, jog a lap, walk a lap, jog a lap for a total of one mile. The last day I did my jog/walk cardio was June 8th at 39w2d. Talitha was born four days later on June 12th. Postpartum: With my first pregnancy, I took a full six weeks off from all exercise. I didn't even consider it, since the doctor told me not to. I had third degree tearing during my first delivery and was completely overwhelmed by breastfeeding the first time around, so running did not even cross my mind during those first few weeks. However, on the day of my six week check-up with my OB, I went directly to the gym afterward and ran one mile as fast as I could. This time around I thought I would take a full six weeks off again, but I found myself feeling antsy to start exercising after just two weeks. My delivery was much easier this time, but I retained more weight and just felt ready to get active. I waited until 3 1/2 week postpartum and returned to the gym. On my first day back, I ran for 12 minutes at a 10:03 pace (1.19 miles), did planks, lunges, and a light leg workout. I will probably continue to do short distance runs and light weights for the next couple of months. When Talitha is three months old and can attend childcare at the gym {and breastfeeding is less demanding}, I will ramp up my running again. I'm hoping to do a half marathon this winter at seven months postpartum. I never imagined I would start running again so soon after labor, but every pregnancy is different and every woman in different. I would encourage you to do what feels healthy and safe when exercising during pregnancy. Go fast if it feels good; go slow if it feels more comfortable. Talk to your doctor if you have questions about what types of exercise are safe for you, but also know that a lot of it depends on your own body and your previous exercise regimen. I was able to run faster and longer this time around because of my running habits between pregnancies. If you have any questions, please ask below! ... Read more