How Come She Seems So Little?

2 Comments July 16, 2013 drworobec

***This post was originally written as a Guest Blog post for Momstown.ca.

Every child is different, aren’t they? Every parenting experience unique. Every milestone individual. So why am I surprised that being a parent the second time around is so different than the first?

My kids are just over three years apart; thirty-seven months to be exact. My son is now four-and-a-half, my daughter sixteen months. You would think I’d be getting used to this motherhood gig. And yet every stage along the way makes me stop and think.

How come she seems so little when he seemed so big at this age?

I was always looking ahead with him- to a time when he could roll over, then sit up, then crawl, then walk. I was excited to see what the next stage brought, while trying to appreciate the present one. It’s the opposite with her. I want her to stay my baby forever.

How come I don’t feel like I know her as well as I do him?

Is it simply that he’s older, and therefore his personality has had more time to develop? Or is it that I haven’t spent as much one-on-one time with her? But what the second-born lacks in individual time, they gain in sibling interaction.

How come things aren’t such a big deal this time around?

The big stuff is still a big deal- her accomplishments, her growth, her celebrations. But the small stuff is not a big deal- she gets woken up from naps if we need to be somewhere, she wears dirty clothes on occasion, and she’s eaten lots of sand.

She’s likely my last baby, and I’m soaking her up. My experience has grown, my haste has shrunk, and my perception has changed.

Burpees and Babies

Leave a comment July 9, 2013 drworobec

Let me take my ‘professional hat’ completely off. I will keep both my ‘mom hat’ and my ‘athlete hat’ on while I write this post.

~~~~~

“Can I still do Crossfit (insert other forms of exercise here) when I’m pregnant?”

I get asked this question quite often around my gym. My short answer is “Yes”. This is my long answer:

In 2008, I was pregnant with my son and continued to run until about a month before my due date. I am a runner, and so, I ran. I had lots of encouragement along the way- friends applauded me, family supported me, running partners slowed down for me, and people were generally accepting of my choice. The response was very different three years later when I continued to do Crossfit, my newfound love, during my pregnancy with my daughter. Aside from fellow Crossfitters, I found a hesitant, reluctant, skeptical response from others.

“Are you sure you should be doing that when you’re pregnant?” “Is it safe?” “Do you think that’s good for the baby?”

Yes, yes, and YES.

You see, the beauty of Crossfit is that it can be adapted, scaled, and modified to suit nearly all fitness levels and abilities, including pregnant women. These were my rules:

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. And then hydrate again.
Do not go breathless. I kept my workouts aerobic rather than the gasping-for-breath-wanna-puke-may-die anaerobic feeling I often get from non-pregnant Crossfit workouts. It seems to me that if mom is oxygen-deprived, then baby would be too.
If it doesn’t ‘feel right’, don’t do it. For me, that meant no kipping pull-ups, no box jumps (I did step-ups instead), and no backsquats. They just didn’t feel right for me, for my pregnancy. Every situation is unique, every pregnancy is different, every judgement call is individual.

Trust your body. Trust your baby. Pregnancy is not a condition or affliction, ailment or disability. It is a chance for you to give your baby the healthiest mother that you can. Make no mistake, labour, delivery, and recovery are physical events in which fitness can be a huge help.

So should you continue to do Crossfit when you’re pregnant? Absolutely. Should you continue to run when you’re pregnant? Absolutely. Should you continue to swim and walk and do yoga when you’re pregnant? Absolutely. If you’ve been doing it pre-pregnancy, if you have a low-risk pregnancy, and perhaps most importantly, if it feels good to do so.

3, 2, 1, Go.

On my due date in 2012: I did a ‘7-minutes-of-burpeess’ workout. I got 52.

***I understand that some mothers experience high-risk pregnancies in which exercise is not appropriate. I was lucky to have two uncomplicated, low-risk pregnancies, and the above post is based on my own personal experiences. It is not meant to be taken as medical advice. Always check with your midwife or doctor… but listen to your body too, you know it best.

Happy Father’s Day: A Letter to My Husband

2 Comments June 11, 2013 drworobec

Dear Chris,

For the past four-and-a-half years, I’ve seen you grow and learn and thrive as a father. I’ve seen our children grow and learn and thrive with you as their father.

Last Father’s Day, our baby daughter was only three months old, and I found myself reflecting on the father/daughter relationship that I have with my dad. This year, with 15 months of being a father-of-two under your belt, I’ve noticed some amazing things about your relationship with our children from my vantage point:

-You are their hero. They watch everything that you do, learn from everything that you do, and want to do everything that you do. You are, and will continue to be, a big player in their self-esteem. You’re teaching them to be confident, self-assured, and proud.

-Little girls are just as capable as little boys, and little boys are just as capable as little girls. You are teaching our daughter to have strength, and our son to have sensitivity. You are ignoring gender roles and raising our kids as people. You’re teaching them equality.

-They’re watching how you treat me. They’re watching how you never leave or enter our house without kisses and hugs. You’re teaching them how to be a great partner. You’re teaching them about the important treasure that is family.

-The kindness you show to other people rubs off on them. They see you help others and give generously. You’re teaching them compassion and respect, manners and appreciation.

-Your humour is a staple in our lives; how quiet our house would be without laughter! They expect tickles with your hugs and whiskers with your kisses. You’re teaching them to smile, to find joy, and to feel happiness.

-The father/daughter relationship and father/son relationship are both unique. One is not better or worse, more or less, stronger or weaker than the other. But they are different. You are providing both of them with what they need. You’re teaching them to love and to be loved.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY! We love you!