I'll use the term "race" loosely.

Back in March, I thought signing up for the Summerfest 10K race was a great idea. I thought it would be great motivation to get back into shape before my girlfriend's wedding. I thought my body would be somewhat back to normal three months after having a baby. I thought wrong.

Even while training for a half-marathon years ago, I never could "get into" running. Honest? I hate(d) it. It suuuuuuuuccccccccccccccckkkkkkkkksssssssss. I never experience "runner's high" and I have the knees of an 80 year old. Seriously, I have really painful osteoarthritis in both of my knees and had gone about five years without having any issues - until pregnancy! Earlier this month, I saw my orthopedic surgeon and I asked if pregnancy had anything to do with my knee "flare up." He reminded me that pregnancy touches EVERY system in your body - and yes, pregnancy has helped my knees sound like popcorn every time I reach down to scoop up Ingrid. Here's the other kicker - I've only been "allowed" to work out for five weeks (c-section, you rear your ugly head again). Ok, enough bitching.

I'm over the idea of running in general. I have limited time and ability to work out - and when I do, I'd much rather practice yoga, lift weights or go on multiple walks with the fam. So, I'll be using the term "race" loosely and will most likely be limping along around mile four on July 10.

Summer Bucket List

Summers in Milwaukee tend to be over in the blink of an eye.

This weekend, Ingrid and I hit up the South Shore Farmer's Market and then drove up to Cedarburg to see husband's booth at Strawberry Fest (and to enjoy from stratch's almond tea and yummy mac n' cheese). On our ride home I started thinking about what else I wanted to do before the summer is over, because before you know it we'll be exchanging our sandals for winter boots (tear).

Note: I thought about creating one of those blogger Photoshop collages, but I opted to shop online instead. Sorry for the non-visuals! 


1. Become a regular at the South Shore Farmer's Market.
2. Grab some grub at Cathedral Square during Food Truck Friday.
3. Drive through a weird parking lot and end up at Barnacle Buds (no longer a hidden gem!)
4. Brunch at Trucadero and Roots.
5. Brewer game.
6. Sing along with Amos Lee at Summerfest.
7. Irish Fest.
8. Catch some rays at Atwater Beach.
9. Chill on the Hill.
10. Camp!

I really love summer because everyone gets out of the house and chills out. I think everyone stops scheduling so much nonsense and they just enjoy what matters most - family, friends, food and fun.

Here's a look back on some summer memories...

Hiking around Jenny Lake, Grand Teton National Park 

Best birthday ever - brunch, day drinking, pedal tavern and summerfest with friends. 

Bachelorette parties galore! 

Summing up summer - Faded Glory, 4th of July and Dave Matthews at Alpine Valley! 

Fiddler on the Roof, Skunk in the Alley

Dan's mom took us to see Fiddler on the Roof last week - what an incredible show! I had zero expectations about this musical and was blown away by the acting and singing (Tradition! If I was a Rich Man! Sunrise, Sunset! Love it!). The colorful yet subtle lighting made the set so beautiful. My mom was Ingrid's babysitter for the night, and I think she was happy to have some one-on-one time with Ingrid.

Photo courtesy of Marcus Center

We arrived home around 11 - way past our new bedtime of 8 pm and were ready to get some sleep before Ingrid woke up (anytime between 1 and 5). As we were getting ready for bed, we all started sniffing around. Someone asked "Does it smell like burning in here?" and we agreed, yes, it indeed did smell like burning. And the smell was getting stronger. Dan turned on the lights and saw that Harper's eyes were bright red and she was smelling more and more like skunk-spray by the minute.

Dan carried Harper to the front porch and my mom started opening all of the windows while I frantically Googled "Can a skunk spray smell like fire?" and "Dog sprayed by skunk." Turns out, you are not supposed to soak a skunk-sprayed dog in water - but instead mix hydrogen peroxide with baking soda and rub all over your pooch. Thank goodness Ingrid was asleep because the apartment was a circus.

After Harper was dried off and given a sufficient amount of treats, Dan "investigated" the skunk-incident and we determined that the back gate was left open, and Harper wandered into the alley and encountered, what she thought, was another playful puppy. After the circus calmed down, I thought about how incredibly sad and scary that must have been for her.

Poor little Harper. Neglected by her owners. Visitors push her away to cuddle with this little screaming meatloaf. So, she searched for a little buddy, a normal little friend (sometimes I don't think Kitty cuts it). The dogs next-door are psychotic and the downstairs dog is so dumb it doesn't recognize his own name - or have the ability to make eye contact (so creepy). Harper made her escape, found a little friend and must have thought, "Ahh, a local puppy - a glimmer of hope!" And then, got a rude awakening when she was sprayed in the face. She hung her head in defeat and came home.

It's hard balancing attention between Ingrid and Harper. I love Harper just the same as I did before we had Ingrid - but, I need to do a better job to make time to play with just her.

Harper - gifting her armless frog to Ingrid, in hopes of earning additional walks. 

I think they're going to be buddies. 

Weekend Away

A few weeks ago, me and my college girlfriends visited Minneapolis to celebrate our friend's upcoming nuptials with a good ol' fashioned bachelorette party. I love getting together with Market girls and love the bride-to-be's Minneapolis friends and family too. It was a weekend of good friends, good drinks and good times.

This was also my first "night(s) away from Ingrid" - and I was nervous about missing her. Honestly, I was nervous about having one too many cocktails and breaking down in the bathroom of some bar while sobbing uncontrollably to Dan. Luckily, that didn't happen. Thank goodness for picture text messages. Dan and Grandma Carolyn sent updates and pictures all weekend long. And, there were four pregnant women and moms at the party - so I felt comfortable talking about Ingrid with these women without sounding like a nutcase. Confession - I did loose it toward the end of the night and continued to show my friends the same picture on my cell phone and ask "Isn't she too cute? Couldn't you just eat her cheeks!" a few too many times. Painful.

The best decision we made while planning this trip was to fly (vs. drive) to Minnesota. Knowing that I'd see Ingrid and Dan in 46 minutes vs. 6 hours made Sunday more bearable.

Next month, we'll be driving with the whole fam up to Minneapolis for their wedding - I can't wait to toast to the happy couple soon.

Market (missing Andrea) 

Note To Self - You Are No Longer Pregnant.

As I mindlessly munched on my third organic oreo a wave of food-guilt came over me and I reminded myself that I was no longer pregnant.

During my pregnancy, I gained the standard 40 pounds. I know, it sounds like a lot - but after doing some quick polling of friends and family, it's really not that uncommon. I ate what my body wanted and needed - and didn't stress too much as the scale slowly but steadily climbed. I did not subscribe to the "I'm pregnant so I can eat whatever I want" thinking - but during weeks 39-41 Ingrid, boredom, stress and tiredness ran my appetite.

Two weeks after delivering Ingrid, I dropped about 20 pounds. I was naive enough to think that the remaining 20 would be shed just as easily. Boy was I wrong. I've been at this weight before and I am so mentally motivated to lose these pounds - but my schedule and physical-state (exhausted) have been getting in the way. And so have my food choices. I didn't realize it at the time, but Dan and I got LAZY about our menu planning and food choices during my pregnancy. Add all of those together and I've inadvertently been inviting these unwanted pounds to stick around. Ugh. So, after ridding our fridge and pantry of these beasts and scheduling workouts and yoga classes - I'm now re-motivated to seriously (once again!) lose this weight.

I'm going to go back to Bethenny's 10 Rules (how I lost the weight prior to getting pregnant) - what are you go-to tips and tricks to dropping pounds?

That's Logistics!

You know that UPS commercial? The one with the catchy tune.  I think of this every now and again while out and about with Ingrid. Our life is now all about logistics. I plan my day based on her four big activities - eat, play, sleep, poop (repeat). I know it sounds easy - but if you have to accomplish more than two things in a day - you better have your shit together.

Many people advise to "sleep when the baby sleeps" - but, if you're like me - you can't sleep on command, and you like things like "groceries, eating and showering."

I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of this whole motherhood thing and actually showered, worked out, went to Mom group, went shopping (to the mall AND grocery store) - and currently have a sleeping baby cooing away in the living room - ahhh, life is good.

{Forever} On my playlist: Oh, Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds

Do you know when you listen to a song you've heard a million times and you finally listen to the lyrics?

That's what happened this week at the gym. I listened to Dave explain this song, and he explained that it was about his grandfather. I've heard this song before but never understood it's sweetness until now. And for any of you non-Dave fans (or Dave haters), I'll give you the same advice Bobby Flay gives when it comes to cilantro - just keep trying it! Seriously, someday, you'll love it...or him.

Two Months

When Ingrid turned 6 weeks old, it's like someone gave us a new baby. She started smiling, cooing, batting little toys and talking. She already loves to babble to me and her toys (the toys get all of the good stories). Big news - she's now sleeping in her crib, for stretches of 5-8 hours at a time (most likely, 5). Ah-mazing! 

We're enjoying the summer while Dan is off making the big bucks etching and getting ready for a series of art fairs. Here's what we've been up to: 

Ready for New Mom Group - Harper is sad to see us go.
This Monday networking group has been my sanity-saver and Ingrid gets to chill with other babies. Win-win. 

Hanging out with Dad after a bath. 

Milk-drunk/fighting sleep. 

Ingrid's favorite - hitting her little owl friends. 

I don't know what to think of you, rattle-bird. 

Ahh, your first visit to a bar - at 6 weeks, how "Wisconsin" of you. Seriously though, this was for my best friend's college graduation party - everyone was happy she attended.

We packed up the Newborn clothes and busted out the 0-3 months. Enter dresses, dresses and more dresses. 

First (of many) road trips! Off to see Grandma and Grandpa Atkinson in LaCrosse. 

"Hiking" (walking a quarter mile) along the bluffs in LaCrosse. 

Can I look any more awkward? I'll put my hands down at my sides, that will look normal. Painful. 

Dining alfresco at The Root Note in downtown LaCrosse. I guess I CAN look more awkward! But look at how cute Ingrid is?  And those little long fingers! I digress. 

Happy or pissed? 

 I'm looking forward to the start of summer in Bay View - Chill on the Hill starts tonight and in a few weeks, the South Shore Farmer's market. Fests, camping, good food, drinks, sun and a cute baby - I think we're in store for a good summer! 

There's Harper.

I love Harper just as much as I did before we had Ingrid - but it's been a little sad to watch Harper's progression from "top dog" to #2. She's not as bouncy as she once was, but she has Ingrid's back - wherever she goes.

After looking at these pictures, it appears as if we have a gloomy, depressed dog - she's just extremely unphotogenic. 

On Breastfeeding

While pregnant, I dreaded the question "Are you planning to breastfeed?" I answered yes - and then proceeded to listen to (or nod along to) yet another horror story about someone's lack of milk production, latching issues, you name it.

It's weird how even the word "breast" feels vulgar and wrong outside of the "motherhood" circle - so if it feels too weird - just X out of this blog! But seriously, I won't get too TMI on you.

I was nervous about two things during my hospital stay. #1 - Having a c-section. #2 - Having trouble breastfeeding. After getting over the c-section - mentally and physically - I realized how wonderful it is that we don't have any issues in the breastfeeding department (knock on wood). 

Just because Ingrid is a natural and my milk production is A-Ok, this is still literally (said like Rob Lowe on Parks & Rec) one of the hardest things I've ever done. Everyone talks about the physical limitations surrounding breastfeeding - but I've found that it's just so insanely physically, mentally and emotionally demanding. Think about it, every two to four hours she needs to be fed, and if a feeding takes between 15-30 minutes (it used to be around 40) - it leaves little time for anything else. Which is fine - this is what I'm supposed to be doing. But, every now and again, I feel like a leaky cow, glued to my glider. Thank goodness I'm committed to breastfeeding otherwise, we'd be saddling up to the formula aisle and forking out some dough. Here's why I'm committed:

During my Plants and Society class at UWEC, we learned about the benefits of breastfeeding (why during a Plants and Society class? Who knows.). I always knew it was the best stuff, but I didn't realized HOW amazing it truly was. A mountain of health benefits for baby, mom drops the weight (still waiting...) - and a recent study shows that there are reduced behavioral issues too. I remember saying that it was basically magic and my teacher dramatically responding - "It's BETTER!" So, then and there at Phillips Hall I told myself that I would breastfeed my baby as long as reasonable possible in order to provide this "better than magic" magic.

Also, all of the other obvious reasons, it's free, we bond. Yada, yada, yada.

So why do I even bother typing or pondering this issue? Because there's a lot of conflicting information coming at me from a few angles. I am now inundated with formula coupons and samples. "Parent" emails and sites encourage breastfeeding (slightly) but really make a big stink about how "if breastfeeding is challenging, don't beat yourself up about formula feeding!" Let me be clear, I completely agree - if it's challenging, why stress about it? Feed your kid! And, Ingrid gets a formula bottle everyday (as I work on building up a supply). But, don't let every woman off of the hook by simply giving them an out at the peak of their frustration. It's such a great marketing plan - but I'd really like to get off of these mailing lists! 

Sandwich Board

Last week we finally got a taste of summer. Our consistent 40 degree weather was happily replaced by something in the 90s. As Dan turned off the heat and dug out the window air conditioner in the same day, I stared at a closet full of clothes - with nothing to wear. I thought about creating a sandwich board - or perhaps, a fashionable mumu (I'll call it a tunic) for new mothers, mine would read:

I just had a baby. I have nothing to wear except for a handful of pregnancy clothes. I was pregnant in the winter, so I can't wear most of them - ok? It's either this tunicy-thing or shirts that are too tight, muffin-top inducing pants, a bizarre array of skirts or yoga gear (aka, "daytime sweats"). I don't have a job waiting for me after my maternity leave - and I don't want to get to comfortable at this weight, so I'd rather not invest in new items at this time. Thanks for your patience and understanding. Sincerely, Lindsay.


I would honestly consider this - if it was a button-down or zip-up (who knew breastfeeding would determine your wardrobe?).

I just finished packing my three go-to outfits for our trip up to LaCrosse today. Now, I'm off to pack up Ingrid's gear for three days. Here's to a great weekend with family and good friends.