Last week, Stepan and I had the pleasure of hosting his parents here in Austin. The main purpose of the visit of course was to introduce the new grandbaby (the baptism was coordinated to coincide with their trip as well). While they were here they also got to join us for one of our bookgroup meetings, go hiking on the Barton Springs Greenbelt, enjoy a day in downtown Austin, explore the Bob Bullock museum, enjoy great BBQ at the Salt Lick, and hike around the Burgess homestead in near freezing temps. All in all a fantastic week.
I finally got around to filling out a Wish List for Magda on Amazon. I mainly did it to keep track of books, videos, and etc. that I was interested in getting for her though I certainly wouldn't refuse gifts off the list from our many loving relatives and friends. Email me of you think of anything Magda might want me to add to the list. If the above link doesn't work, her list is searchable - she is the only Magdalena Anezka in the Austin area (I didn't include her last name in her personal info).
Magda did not pass her 4-month checkup with flying colors. Alarmingly, she has dropped from the 10th percentile for weight to below the 3rd. It turns out I've been starving her! Words cannot express the devastation I feel to know that she was in need and I failed to provide. After lunch, I met with the lactation consultant on-staff at the pediatricians. She helped me develope a plan to get Magda's weight up. This included figuring out how much Magda is getting (about 2 ounces) at each feeding and clueing me in to how much she should be getting (about 3-4 ounces). I have also rented a breast pump to help get my volume up and succombed to the evils of formula feeding to make up the caloric difference in the short term. I'm also tracking my own diet to make sure I'm getting enough protein. Hopefully, we'll be back on track (and breastfeeding exclusively) by Magda's 5-month birthday.
Since Magda's 4-month appointment, our life has understandably been centered around the baby and getting her fattened up. I feel we're slowly getting a handle on the situation and the routine is getting easier. Since I am getting more comfortable with our new feeding schedule, I was able to join Elizabeth and Kayleigh for a wonderfully relaxing afternoon of lunch and visit to the Austin Museum of Art. It's amazing what a beautiful day in Austin can do for one's outlook - especially when it's paired with adult conversation, an awesome burger, and an interesting art exhibit.
The exhibit featured photographs of environmental art by Andy Goldsworthy. His attention to detail and the obvious focus and perseverance he must have to create some of his works is inspiring. Time and inclination and memory permitting, one day I'll try to create my own work of art with the materials provided by Mother Nature in my own back yard.
Stepan, Magda, Homer, and I took advantage of the gorgeous weather we had in Austin today with a 2-hour walk through our favorite park. For this walk, Stepan and I both wore our heart rate monitors - I hadn't worn mine since a week or two before Magda was born and I don't think Stepan has worn his for over a year! I don't think I realized how much I missed using the monitor until I started using it again. Knowing what my heart is doing during exercise (even low-impact, heart-healthy exercise like hiking) is fascinating and makes the exercise that much more enjoyable. I'll definitely be using it more and more now that I remember how much fun I have with it.
BTW, we walked for 1:57:10.0. My average heart rate was 114 bpm and my max heart rate was 152 bpm. The calculated work load was 1494 (but I forget exactly what this number means on my monitor).