happy birthday to mii

Happy 26th to me! Hurrah!

Birthday with baby definitely changes things a bit. It’s not as easy to run off to a movie or dinner, or take an impromptu trip to Portland or Bar Harbor… everything has to be planned more thoroughly with Elspeth in tow. Thankfully we have awesome family and friends to help pick up the slack. My parents came to visit last weekend and watched Ellie for a few hours while T & I had an evening out–we saw the new Daniel Craig movie, Defiance. And the lovely Danielle was kind enough to sit for us on Thursday so T & I could have a birthday dinner at Olive Garden and do a little shopping. Both outings were a welcome reprieve from diapers and feedings, but each time I was more than ready to come home and snuggle our baby girl. It’s funny how I miss the freedom and spontaneity, but I wouldn’t trade her for my old life, not for a second.

So what would a birthday be without birthday goodies? First, my wonderful husband took all the baby duties on himself so I could sleep last night (oh, delicious, delicious sleep!)–that was enough of a present in itself, but then he bumped it up a notch by surprising me with a Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit! Yay!! I’ve been eying the system ever since they introduced the fitness component… I’m all for things that make exercise bearable, if not (dare I say it?) fun. We justified the expense by reminding ourselves that a year-long membership to the campus rec center costs about the same, and a new treadmill or elliptical would cost even more (but let’s ignore the fact that I have a perfectly good working treadmill upstairs, ok?). Plus, have you looked outside lately? It’s cold–like, below-zero cold. Icy and snowy and generally not baby-friendly… a brisk walk with the stroller is a great idea in theory, but we’re basically stuck in the house until spring.

So until then, I’m going to get down and dirty with my Mii.

It’s the perfect way to get back on track after almost a year of slacking in the exercise department… and boy, am I in need. Feeding Ellie requires that I have my butt in a chair for most of the day, so I haven’t been all that motivated to get up and move, and over the last couple weeks the sluggishness has taken its toll. When I don’t move, I get cranky, and crankiness can quickly spiral into depression–depression that is only magnified by the intense life change of having a new baby, and my usual vulnerability to these long, cold winter days. It’s not even about weight loss–I just want to feel better and take care of my body. For that reason, my fitness goals are not about shedding pounds or toning muscles–they’ll focus on the fact that I’m moving, period. My aim is to start with at least 20 minutes of Wii Fit time, five days a week, then I’ll bump up the time as I go along. I think it will be fun!