{{Weekend Mornings}}



 

A slow, easy-going, Sunday morning. It truly is ironic how I never really was a morning person until our little came along. Now, mornings are our absolute favorite. Most mornings we bring Finn into bed with us until we're all ready (or if we're talking a week day, forced) to get up. He's always the happiest, snuggliest little bub first thing in the morning and I dread the day that he is no longer.   

As a boy that's constantly on he move, we literally have to dress him as he's in motion.

{{Gratitude}}

Gratitude. What does having gratitude, being gracious, even mean? I typically live my life thinking and feeling as though I'm a grateful human being. Which I am, truly; I think. But how much of being grateful is that of me just saying I'm grateful and how much is that of me actually being grateful? I'm mind-screwing myself right now, I realize that. But every once and awhile I feel as though a reality check is owed to myself. A time to process my life, my intentions, my thoughts...it's necessary. And maybe by processing them on this little corner of the web, I can help others process their own thoughts and bouts of "feelings," like the ones I'm about to spill all over.

I pray every day, and I count my blessings. That I do. I have a great job, a loving husband, a beautiful baby boy, an adorable little home, a generally positive attitude, food to nourish myself with every day, and family and friends I wouldn't trade for anything...and I'm thankful for that. But being grateful goes so much beyond that, doesn't it? It's sick and it's twisted...but posts like these, and mindsets like these where I question my level of gratitude are typically a consequence of tragedy. Not even personal tragedy...but tragedy that I happen to come across  while reading headlines in the news, for instance. Terrorism, animal abuse, prejudice...this time in particular, my husband and I came across the story of Joey and Rory Feek. Joey is a young, beautiful women who happens to have cervical cancer. She and her husband Rory also happen to have a gorgeous baby girl with down syndrome. Joey is at home in hospice, and is at peace with what is happening to her.

{{8 Months Old; What?}}

I'm a little late in getting to this, but some time, some how, our little man turned 8 months old on us. This month has been a big one with regard to developmental milestones, and amongst other fun things. His looks, what he's capable of doing, so much has changed in the last month and it just blows my mind and rocks my world all in the same.

 

 

Developmental Milestones:

 

Crawling anywhere and everywhere.

 

Pulling self to standing on almost anything and attempting to take steps. (Though his wobbly little legs just aren't ready for that yet, resulting in many crashes and a bruised up little melon).

 

First 2 teeth are in!

 

No words yet, but lots of babbling.

 

Facial expressions are out of control and absolutely hilarious! Mimics our expressions.

 

 

 

Eating: Still at about 5 to 8 oz. every 2.5 hours. Two solid meals a day. Recently started offering more "solid" solid foods and bits + pieces of what mom and dad are having for dinner. Also introduced a little bit of cottage cheese, which was his first encounter with dairy. He typically eats whatever we offer him, but gags when given peas. I think its the chalky texture that gets him there.

 

Weight: 21. 2 lbs.

 

Height: 28 1/2

 

Hair: Ugh the prettiest, strawberry blonde hair.

 

 

Play: Loves to roll balls back and forth, his interactive "chair," stackers, and really anything that makes noise. Fine motor skills are getting so great too and you can really see that in his play! Anything you give him he'll analyze and look over with the most serious face for a few minutes before really playing. Loves his fur brothers and sisters...especially capturing all of their tails. He's been testing his limits too lately and going after "no-no's" like plugs/cords and the fireplace. Also, this kiddo loovess shoe laces and rummaging through the diaper bag.The breast-pump hose, however, continues to be his ultimate favorite thing to gnaw on/play with.

{{Finn is 7 Months!}}

Time has flown yet again and our little bubs is now a 7 month old. I must say I've absolutely adored each and every stage of our Finn man, but, I think this might be my favorite age yet! He is just so interactive, so intrigued by all that's around him. I love watching him learn and he's developing such a funny little character! Here are some of this months' goodness:

Developmental Milestones:

His first 2 teeth are cutting in! And wouldn't ya know it, it's his top two teeth. My little beaver. <3 (7 months, 10 days).

Officially started crawling at 7 months, 12 days.

Pulling himself to standing.

Eating some non-pureed solids, such as teeny pieces of banana and organic teething wafers.

Actually turns pages of books- rather than holding and shaking the book like a little maniac.

Holding own bottle.

Eating: 5-7 oz. every 2.5 hours plus 2 pureed meals of a fruit/veggie, single grain oatmeal, and small, chopped up solids.

Weighs: 20.1 lbs.

Inches: 28 1/4

Play: Oh this boy is definitely demonstrating his curiosity for new things and moving around constantly. Especially now that he's crawling, that's a green light for him to take off the instant he sees something remotely interesting (or something he'd like to put into his mouth). His favorite things right now are an interactive, talking chair he got from his Aunt B., reading books, riding his sweet Christmas cruisers, and chewing on the hose to momma's breast pump (ha).

Sleep: Sleeping decently. Typically up at 1am and 5 am for feedings.

Size: 9-12 and some 12-18 month clothes. Size 4 diapers.


What He Loves: 

Chewing on momma's phone, the remote, etc.

Sid the Science Kid

Bath time and splashing around in water

Swimming!

His newfound independence from learning to crawl (sobbing)

What he DOES NOT love:

Teething.

The snot-sucker. Bloody.murder.screams. when the nose sucker comes out. The poor child has been scarred for life after a nasty cold and having that thing in his face 24/7. 

{{A Laskowski Christmas}}

Our first Christmas as a family of three has come and gone, already! I was totally in the Christmas and holiday spirit early on this year. All I could think about was how much joy this time of year would bring to Finn from here on out. That notion in itself was enough for me to dig into our holiday décor early November and flood the homestead with some good ole' "cheer;" and naturally, Home Alone, Christmas Vacation, and Rudolph were on blast mode in the background since the day after Thanksgiving...actually...since Thanksgiving night. No shame here. The sounds and smells of this time of year are so comforting and cozy and I just couldn't get enough of it!

Our little bubba came down with a nasty cold the week prior to Christmas, and was at the tail-end of it by the time Christmas morning came; thus, a snot-covered, miserable, snuggly little man is what we had. Despite, he had so much fun ripping into his presents (and we were totally shocked at those fine motor skills in doing so!). Our hearts were spilling over, and I was a blubbery mommy mess. Oh the joy, oh my heart.

Snippets from our Christmas:

{{6 Months of Finn }}

Another month has gone by and this one is a biggy. We are officially at the half of a year old mark. Six months old, six months young, six months of pure sugar, six of the best months we've ever had in our lives.

  

Developmental Milestones:

Eating two "meals" of puree a day.

Wiggling all around on the floor to get where/what he wants.

Sitting up unassisted for about a minute before toppling over

Grabbing ANYTHING and EVERYTHING he is interested in (and then putting it in his mouth).

Has officially outgrown one of his swings. :(

Reaching for momma, daddy, gramma, and his papa.

Cooing and babbling up a storm.

Throwing things on the floor and then watching them on the ground until someone is able to come pick it up, in which he then throws it on the ground again. :)

Looks Like: Daddy mostly, but again starting to see more of myself in his face around his little mouth.

Eating: 5-7 oz. every 2.5 hours plus 2 pureed meals of a fruit/veggie and single grain oatmeal.

Weighs: 18.9 lbs.

Inches: 27 1/2

Play: Is really interested in anything he can reach out for and actually accomplish grabbing, mainly, interested in things that are not his toys (remote, phones, I-pad). Loves his exersaucer, playing with toys on his belly, and anything that allows him to be in motion.

Sleep: Still some nights of struggle, but for the most part he's back to only getting up once in the middle of the night for a feeding (typically 2am).

Size: 6-9  to 9 month clothes. Size 3 diapers.

Hair: Blondie. More and more each day. It's so soft I just rub my cheeks all over that fuzz.

Eyes: BLUE. <3

What He Loves: 

Putting all things in his mouth

Reading (chewing on) books

The movie "Home"

Bath time

Dancing with momma

Avocados

Currently obsessed with our kitty Jappetto

Grabbing cheeks and pulling us in for wet smooches

Yoga After C-Section

Before getting pregnant you could say that I was more infatuated with the physical aspects of yoga and focusing on what new inversion/pose I could nail than anything. I loved how yoga allowed me to see progress in such short amounts of time. One day during my practice I'd still be an inch or so away from letting my toes tickle the hair on my head, and then BAM... just like that my toes would be resting on my head the very next day. Don't get me wrong it was all hard work, but I just loved that physical evidence of progress. It was addicting. In my first trimester of pregnancy I was still very much into the physical aspects, though I slowed down a bit. When my body did start growing  my practice without a doubt began evolving. By the middle of my second trimester I was no longer concerned with the physical challenges anymore. Each day on my mat was my time to practice mindfulness, to focus on my breath and to connect with the life that was growing inside of me. I started to feel such a sense of fullness and peace at the end of each practice as opposed to a sense of "accomplishment." I started to crave that feeling of connectedness throughout my day, and that's when I realized that my practice had become whole. I was making progress, but it wasn't just physically. It was mentally, emotionally, mindfully. And truly I don't know that I would have ever improved in those areas had there not been a beautiful little heart beating inside of me. I am forever grateful that our little guy gave me the gift of not only himself, but the gift of deepening my practice on so many other levels.

Anyway, I continued to practice all throughout my pregnancy and actually up until the day of  (though at that point my practice consisted mainly of staying in malasana/squat pose for 30 minutes). My plan was to have an unmedicated, vaginal delivery and return to regular practice as soon as I possibly could. Well, we all know how birth "plans"rarely ever actually go to plan, and long story short we ended up with an emergency cesarean. (If you DO want the long version, you can find our birth story here).

After weeks of bearing myself down to cough/sneeze, hugging walls just to walk down the stairs, and feeling as though my guts were going to fall out of my belly button at any moment...I knew that I was really going to have to start over in my practice. And boy was I right. It really, truly, was, starting over. Initially even the basics such as tree pose and down dog were difficult! It's amazing how much you do use your core in everyday life, and having had diastasis recti in addition to a cesarean made for a double challenge. Though I had to go back to the basics, I wasn't disappointed in the least! Mainly because the reason I had to go back was the best thing that ever happened to me; and also, because in the past the foundational poses came all too easily. So working on them and really paying attention to my posture, breath, form, and mindset was all so revitalizing!

• With that said, I initially only did some light stretching postpartum in addition to some daily walking. After my 6 week check-up I was told that I was healing beautifully and given the go-ahead to slowly get back into a regular routine (with MY sense and comfort in mind). From about 6 weeks to 9 weeks I was simply sticking to the basics. Honestly, a couple of Sun Salutations, a little floor work (cat, cow, balasana/child's pose) and some standing poses made up my practice for the day.
•  I returned to taking classes at a local studio at approximately 10 weeks postpartum...and WHOA, was that a challenge. The classes I attend are very much dedicated to the traditional Ashtanga yoga practice and typically run through most of the primary series. A lot of modifications were needed but I didn't mind a bit, the instructors were more than helpful.
•  I initially avoided twisting and used blocks for a lot of the sitting asanas. I became comfortable with twisting and going without blocks at about 16 weeks PP. At that time and even to date (baby boy is 5 months old) I still have reservations when it comes to inversions or anything that requires me to bend backwards. I have irrational thoughts of my incision site bursting at the seams, but I'm learning that those fears are okay. It allows me to celebrate small victories like holding bridge a second longer each week or moving another inch away from the wall when doing inversions.
•  Don't let your mind wonder and focus on all that you used to be able to do.There's no use in getting upset over things that don't go to "plan." We set such high expectations for ourselves but life has it's own flow in mind, we have to learn to just let go and to flow with it.

(Photos taken by the amazing Vienna Glenn Photography)

Reflecting on my experiences, my birth, and my practice, I wouldn't change a single thing. Being pregnant allowed me to deepen my practice to where mindfulness and breath became more important than the physical aspects; and having gone through a cesarean allowed me to appreciate the power of foundational yoga poses. I didn't appreciate them the way I do now. The basics. The deepening of each simple pose. Though I am progressing and working on my inversions once again, I without a doubt get the most out of the simplest asanas.

For you yogi mommas who have gone through a similar experience, my best advice is to take it slow. Go with the flow, literally. Welcome the challenge of having to go back to the basics. Love and appreciate your bodies for what they've beautifully grown and endured.

xo
Kelsey


NOTE: I am in NO WAY a certified yoga instructor/teacher. Though I've had wonderful teachers along the way, a majority of my journey through yoga has been that of self-discovery and curiosity to learn independently. This post is simply based on my personal experiences with returning to a yoga practice post c-section. Know that each woman's healing experience is unique to them and may look entirely different than my own. Always play it safe and consult with a professional/physician before returning to physical activity post-babe. <3

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