Life in the Zoo

Shrinkvivor Weigh in (Nov 9)

2011-11-09T13:05:00.003-07:00

It's time to weigh in once again for Shrinkvivor over at the Sisterhood. Total fitness minutes: Um, Daily Mile says 21, but I think I forgot to log some stuff in... And, what was our mini-challenge last week? Oh, yeah. Deep breathing. I didn't do any of that. Oh, well. The good news is I'm down another 1.1 pounds and am officially a pound UNDER my pre-pregnancy weight! Woo hoo! 4 more pounds til my goal weight!

Shrinkvivor Check in (Nov 2)

2011-11-02T13:35:00.002-06:00

It's Shrinkvivor Check-in time again. This week I am down 1.7 and only 0.1 up from my pre-pregnancy weight and 5.1 up from my goal weight. Yay me! Which is surprising, because I weighed myself a couple days ago and was actually UP (and then cried and felt fat all day). Weird. Anyway, exercise minutes: 60. Candy bar eating: WAY more than 2. But I didn't even TRY on that one. But I always run out of candy by the end of Halloween night, since our house gets mobbed by Trick-or-Treaters. As in, I usually clean out the candy bowl and anything else I find stashed in the house. :) And then turn out the lights after we run out and hope we don't get egged! I actually had exactly the right number of pieces for the last group that came by (thankfully, because the last little alligator was adorable). Sorry, back on track. That means that we have no candy left in out house, so I should be good this week! The challenge this week? 10 deep breaths every morning. I will try my best. But I usually wake up to having an 11-month-old tossed on top of me, so I'm not sure how that's going to work! So, how did you do? Go over to the Sisterhood and check in!

Shrinkvivor Check In (Oct 26)

2011-10-26T12:00:00.004-06:00

Okay, so it's time to check in again at the Sisterhood. And I'm gonna make this short and sweet. I got sent to Exile Island last week. Darn. But I'm still in this thing, so here's to making it count! Last week's mini-challenge was 64 ounces of water per day. No problem. This week? Only 2 mini candy bars and NO OTHER CANDY. Um, I can tell you right now that this is not going to happen. But I'll try. I logged in a measly 95 minutes of exercise last week, mostly walking the dogs. But I am trying, I promise. I am down 1/2 pound this week, so that's good. 1.8 pounds of baby weight left. Yay!

A Recipe for You: Lion's Head Meatballs

2011-10-24T09:37:00.000-06:00

So, last week I posted my menu here. It included one of my very favorite recipes from the Rachel Ray cookbook 365: No Repeats. I've made this a million times. As I was cooking it again on Thursday, I decided that I should share my slightly-modified version with you. Because it is SO good. You're welcome.

Lion's Head Meatballs

(They are called this because you have large meatballs surrounded by a "mane" of cabbage.)

3/4 cup brown rice

1-4oz. can sliced shitake mushrooms

5-6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 pound ground beef

1/2 pound ground pork

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 egg, beaten

Black pepper

Corn starch

Canola oil

2 cups chicken broth

1 small head green cabbage, thickly shredded or chopped

Place rice in a pan along with 2 1/4 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40-ish minutes or until done.

Meanwhile, chop the canned mushrooms and place in large bowl. Add garlic, ground beef, ground pork, soy sauce, egg, black pepper to taste, and 2-3 Tbsp. of corn starch. Mix together. The mixture will be very sticky and wet.

Dump about 1/2 cup additional corn starch on a plate. Form meat mixture into large-ish meatballs for a total of 12-16 meatballs. Roll in the cornstarch to lightly coat.

Heat canola oil in a large stockpot. Add the meatballs and fry on all sides until deep golden brown. (Don't worry if the meatballs aren't cooked through - they will finish cooking later.) Remove meatballs and set aside.

Drain remaining oil from stock pot. Add broth to stock pot and scrape up any browned bits fromt he bottom of the pan. Bring broth to a boil. Add half the cabbage then place meatballs on top. Cover with the remaining cabbage. Place lid on pot, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 15-20 minutes or until cabbage is cooked down.

Serve meatballs, cabbage and broth on top of rice. Serves 4.

Menu Plan Your Butt Off (Oct 23)

2011-10-23T09:57:00.002-06:00

So, it's time to menu plan over at the S isterhood again. I know, how has another week gone by already? It's crazy. And my husband is going elk hunting this week, so my menu might not look as fabulous as normal, because cooking for 1 (okay 1 1/2- the baby doesn't eat as much as me!) isn't all that exciting.

Sunday - Balsamic Glazed Pork with Lentils that I posted last week, but it didn't get made Saturday night as we went out to dinner with my in-laws instead
Monday - Leftover Lion's Head Meatballs from last week (recipe to follow tomorrow)
Tuesday - Pasta with Spinach, Bacon, and Lemony Ricotta from Rachel Ray's 365: No Repeats (You'll probably be seeing more recipes from this book. When I bought it, I tried a lot of the recipes. Then I got burnt out. Because I love Rachel Ray, but her stuff all starts sounding the same after awhile. And I love the recipes from Real Simple magazine which is the best magazine ever. And I make those a lot. But after awhile those all seem the same too. So, I'm switching back to the Rachel Ray cookbook a little, because there is no way I could have possibly tried all 365 recipes yet.)
Wednesday - Leftover Balsamic Pork
Thursday - Pasta (My husband made and froze extra fresh pasta when he was making homemade raviolis last week - I know you're jealous - so that I wouldn't starve this week. Yum!)
Friday - Fall Minestrone from the above-mentioned cookbook. My mother-in-law is coming over to watch Sammy that day, so I can get my hair cut and then is staying the night, so we can take him to Boo at the Zoo the next day.
Saturday - I have a Halloween party to go to, so I'll take an appetizer or salad with me.

Shrinkvivor Check-In (Oct 19)

2011-10-19T14:26:00.002-06:00

Okay, so I missed blogging last week about Shrinkvivor over at the Sisterhood. I did check in, though. Last week I was up 0.2 pounds. This week I am exactly the same as last week. Boo. But I understand that if I don't up the exercise, I'm gonna continue to have problems. I had 80 minutes of exercise last week. I can't even remember how many minutes I had the week before that. As far as mini-challenges, the previous week's challenge was 7 hours of sleep per night. I think I did that. Of course, as far as sleep goes this week? Don't ask. Last week we were supposed to eat something green every day. Um, I think I failed miserable at that. Oh well. This next week we are supposed to get 64 oz. of water every day. I can do that. And we continue to log exercise minutes. And at least I am maintaining my weight. Now if I can just kick it in high gear, maybe I can lose the last of the baby weight before my baby turns 1 in a few weeks. Seriously, people, how has a year flown by already?

Menu Plan Your Butt Off (Oct 17)

2011-10-17T10:41:00.002-06:00

It's time to menu plan over at the Sisterhood again. And just so you know, even if I don't post it here, I ALWAYS have a menu plan. I'm crazy like that. So, here goes for this week:

Sunday - broiled salmon with peas and parmesan orzo
Monday - date night/eating out
Tuesday - chicken paprikash and veggies
Wednesday - homemade ravioli and salad
Thursday - leftovers
Friday - lion's head meatballs from Rachel Ray's 365:No Repeats cookbook
Saturday - balsamic glazed pork with lentils

Shrinkvivor Check-In (Oct 5)

2011-10-05T12:42:00.002-06:00

So it's time to check-in yet again for the latest challenge over at the Sisterhood - go Team Gold! This last week's challenge was to log our exercise minutes. My grand total was 154 minutes - which totally seemed like a lot to me until I saw that my teammates logged in 300 or 400-something minutes each - they rock! They also threw in a mini-challenge of no fast food, which was easy for me. Unless you count Starbucks. But I'm totally not counting Starbucks. Coffee is the essence of life, yo. And I only went to Starbucks once last week.

Next week we are supposed to log in our exercise minutes again. And the mini-challenge is to get at least 7 hours of sleep per night. Which is something I need to work on. Having a baby challenges my sleeping.

And the final verdict is... I lost 1.4 pounds last week. I was expecting a loss, but am quite surprised it was this much. Of course, with all those exercise minutes, my teammates lost like 3 pounds each, so I might get voted off the island this week, but that's okay. I can only lose it so quickly. I am still breastfeeding after all and have to feed 2. Overall, however, I am very happy with these results. Only 2.1 pounds of baby weight left!

Menu Plan Your Butt Off - October 3

2011-10-03T20:39:00.002-06:00

So, I missed the menu planning with the Sisterhood last week and this week I'm not getting it posted until the end of the day Monday, but at least I'm trying. :) Acutally, I have it all planned out, it's the blogging that I'm slacking with, so that's good. Without further blah-blahing, here goes:

Sunday - Fend-for-Yourself night (Because I didn't get any meat out of the freezer in time)
Monday - Broiled salmon over salad with homemade mustard vinaigrette
Tuesday - Crockpot curried chicken with quinoa/veggies
Wednesday - leftovers
Thursday - Burgers with baked beans and veggies
Friday - Loaded flank steak with lemon and dill potatoes and veggies
Saturday - unplanned, because something usually comes up

Shrinkvivor - Week 1

2011-09-28T12:21:00.002-06:00

So, it's time for the next challenge over at the Sisterhood again already. This time it's Shrinkvivor. Kinda like Survivor, only with shrinking and stuff. This week we are checking in with our starting weight and then logging all our exercise minutes for the week. This might be challenging, as exercise is my biggest problem, but I'll do my best to kick butt. I'm on Team Gold for this challenge with 6 other lovely ladies - go team! Every week someone is going to get kicked off to Exile Island. Let's hope it's not me. :) The winner will be the one who kicks the most butt (and kicks that butt right on off of her body!). So, my starting weight is... 138.5. If you remember and are keeping track, that's down 1.3 pounds from the end of the last challenge - woo hoo! And it means that I only have 3.5 more pounds of baby weight to lose and 8.5 more pounds to get to my goal weight. So, let's get started!

Menu Plan Your Butt Off [September 18]

2011-09-19T09:53:00.003-06:00

The title says September 18th. Except that it's September 19th. Because I don't post on Sundays. But anyway, here we go on the menu plan for this week:

Sunday - homemade pizza
Monday - pork roast with veggies
Tuesday - shrimp (either sauteed with lemon and garlic or with rosemary garlic bread crumbs - they are both so good, I can't decide!)
Wednesday - bacon Swiss penne pasta
Thursday - leftovers
Friday - no plan yet (I try to leave one day a week open, so I can shuffle stuff if things come up.) If nothing comes up, and there are no leftovers, maybe I'll make my husband take me out! :)
Saturday - spaghetti and meatballs

Link up at the Sisterhood and let us know what you're eating this week!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-09-12T20:11:00.003-06:00

It's time to menu plan again over at the Sisterhood. Actually, did I mention last time that I have the whole month planned already, thank-you-very-much. Yay for me! Okay, so here goes:

Sunday - venison (which the hubby turned into not-low-fat-chicken-fried-steak, but oh yum!) with mashed potatoes and carrots
Monday - book club (I eat there - the hubby is on his own.)
Tuesday - I work, so usually I eat at my in-laws when I pick up Sammy, but the in-laws are watching him at my house this week (unplanned), so I guess the hubby can cook whatever he can find, and I'll eat it when I get home. So, apparently this isn't a very good menu plan but oh well! :)
Wednesday - Crockpot Chicken Taco Chili (the recipe is from Roo at Color Me Crazy and it's awesome!)
Thursday - leftovers
Friday - leftovers again (Notice a theme? Jerrod will be out of town for work, and that crockpot chili will last me for DAYS.)
Saturday - BBQ chicken thighs with pea, Feta, and prosciutto salad (Yes, I posted this last week, but then I was sick that day and just wanted soup, so we didn't make it.)

So what are you eating this week?

You like recipes don't you?

2011-09-08T08:54:00.002-06:00

Okay, so Christy from the Sisterhood insisted that I post a recipe that I have on my menu for this week. I can't guarantee it's any good. It's a new recipe for me. I haven't tried it, but it looks delicious. And because I hate to plagiarize it's from Real Simple magazine's April 2011 issue (yes, I'm a little behind reading the recipes and actually making them - don't judge me!). And I'll apologize in advance for the formatting. I'm sure it's screwed up. Blogger hates me. Any tech-savvy people out there wanna help me figure out why???

Pea, Feta, and Crispy Proscuitto Salad

Hands-on time 10 minutes, Total time 15 minutes, Serves 4

2 thin slices proscuitto (2 ounces)

Kosher salt and black pepper

1 1/2 pounds fresh peas in the pod, shelled (about 2 cups) or 2 cups frozen peas

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 ounces Feta, crumbled (1/2 cup)

2 scallions, thinly sliced

Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Place the proscuitto in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until beginning to darken, 10 to 12 minutes, Let cool (the proscuitto will crisp as it cools), then crumble.

Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the peas and cook until tender, 5 to 7 minutes (1 to 2 minutes if frozen). Drain and rinse under cold water to cool.

In a large bowl, toss the peas with the oil, Feta, scallions, proscuitto and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper.

Per serving:

188 calories, 12g fat (4g saturated fat), 24 mg cholesterol, 80mg sodium, 10g protein, 13g carbohydrates, 5g sugar, 4g fiber, 2mg iron, 94mg calcium

Enjoy!

Menu Plan Your Butt Off

2011-09-06T09:18:00.002-06:00

Okay, so the Sisterhood is starting something new. No, it's not a new challenge. Not yet. It's menu planning. I love menu planning. We are supposed to plan our menu for the week and link up here. Fun! Here's mine:

Sunday - We were at the cabin; no menu plan for home
Monday - Pesto chicken and potatoes
Tuesday - Grilled garlic lime shrimp with southwest medley
Wednesday - Rosemary pork tenderloin
Thursday - leftovers
Friday - BBQ chicken thighs with pea, Feta, and proscuitto salad
Saturday - We have a wedding to go to, so we'll eat there!

And of course all of this goes with the usual assortment of veggies and/or sides. I just don't always plan all of that stuff out.

Burst in Summer - Final Weigh-in

2011-08-31T13:09:00.002-06:00

Well, the Burst into Summer challenge over at the Sisterhood has come to a close. Boy did the summer fly by! Last week we were supposed to make goals for the final week and stick to them. I was on vacation visiting my family which always makes things difficult. My goals were to exercise everyday and to eat like I was at home. I did get a walk in everyday except one, so that's pretty good. And I ate reasonably. Well, as reasonably as could be expected considering that my trip included eating out 5 times, 2 regular sodas, at least 1 diet soda, a chocolate shake, burgers, hot dogs, etc., etc. Of course it also included a LOT of fruit. The peaches were coming off the trees, so I indulged a lot. And the final weigh-in is... 139.8! Holy cow. I'm out of the 140's. I'm not sure how long that will last or even how that happened, but woohoo! That's down 1.8 from last week and 3.5 for the challenge overall. Now let's just keep it off! So, how did you do? Go check in and let us know!

Burst into Summer Check in Aug 24th

2011-08-24T12:27:00.002-06:00

How is summer almost over already? Oh, well. The good news is my weight is the same this week. The bad news? My knee still hurts. And I wasn't feeling good Monday (thankfully that didn't last long!), so exercise has been lacking a little. And I'm going to visit my parents this week. So, the last check in should be interesting... As far as the mini-challenge goes, um I guess I'm not good at remembering to breathe! :) I didn't get my deep breathing in everyday, but I tried to remember. Oh well. This week we are supposed to meet all our goals for the week. So I guess I'd better set some, huh? Well, I guess I need to remember that just because I'm on vacation, it doesn't give me room to slack off. So I need to exercise everyday that I'm out there (even if it's just a quick walk or some crunches) and I need to eat as if I was at home. Easy enough, huh? How did you do? Go on over to the Sisterhood to check in!

Burst Into Summer Check in August 17th

2011-08-17T11:14:00.002-06:00

How had another week gone by already? Time to check in again with the folks over at the Sisterhood. This week I'm back up 0.5 from last week's awesome loss, but honestly I'm not surprised or disappointed. I ate like crap on Friday and Saturday. Friday night was date night, and I probably ate enough calories for 2 days! I normally try to be good when we go out, but it was my favorite, favorite restaurant, and we haven't been there since I was pregnant. This was only our 2nd date since Sammy was born. We really need to work on that, huh? :) Also, I usually don't maintain a loss, so the fact that most of it is still gone makes me happy. As far as the mini-challenge to eat one new fruit and one new veggie? Big, big fail. I bought a new fruit, but I haven't eaten it yet. And by the time I made it from the fruit section to the veggie section at the grocery store, I totally forgot that I was supposed to be looking for something new. Mom brain! This week we are supposed to focus on deep breathing in the morning and as needed throughout the day. I totally need this, so thanks Lissa for the suggestion! Anyone else feel like checkin in today?

Burst into Summer Check in August 10

2011-08-10T13:39:00.003-06:00

So it's time to check in again over at the Sisterhood. And I have bills to pay and about a million other things to do, so I'd better keep this short and sweet. Last week's mini-challenge was no ice cream. I didn't have any - and now I must go stab whoever came up with that challenge, *ahem* Thea! After reading Mel's check-in though, she counted a fudge bar. So, in full confession, I did have serveral 20 calorie sugar-free popsicle thingys. But that totally doesn't count, because 20 calories? Come on! Mel challenged us to try 1 new fruit and 1 new veggie this week. That might be hard. There's very few left to try, but I'll see what I can do! This last week was a total workout failure, because I was trying to rest my knees, but I'm jumping back on the workout bandwagon (slowly!) this week. And the grand total is that I'm down 2.6 pounds this week. Huh? Without working out? I have no idea. But I'll take it.

Burst into Summer - check in Aug 5

2011-08-03T11:33:00.002-06:00

My goodness this last week just flew by, didn't it? I spent the weekend and the last couple days with my good friend Kirsten and her family. That was a lot of fun. And involved a lot of eating out and travel-eating (which involves a category of terrible eating decisions all on its own). And very little exercise. I did go for a walk Monday, but my knees are still hurting. Crap. The good news is my weight is only up 0.4 which is pretty much maintaining, as we all go up and down a little. And my clothes are still fitting better. So that's good. Well, hopefully it's good. I keep having to adjust my wardrobe options, because things do not fit like they used to. Anyway, last week's mini-challenge was 3 servings of dairy a day. I have no idea how I did. I am usually very good at this, so it's not really an issue for me, but traveling screws everything up. This week's mini-challenge is no ice cream. Um, that does not sound like very much fun. And boot camp is over. I didn't get the last week done due to sore knees, and my workouts are going to be non-existant this week due to a hectic schedule and the fact that I STILL need to rest my knees. Oh, well. How did you do this week? Go on over to the Sisterhood and link up.

Burst Into Summer Check In - July 27

2011-07-27T09:45:00.002-06:00

How is that time again already??? Time to check in. This week was not so good. My mother-in-law left all her birthday cake at our house. And we went to Carl's Junior for dinner and Dairy Queen for dessert last night. Ooops. But it was tasty. And I'm still down 0.7 this morning. I didn't drink soda all week except for last night's fast food extravaganza. I didn't do boot camp last Wednesday (as previously already confessed). And Christy forgot to post bootcamp on Monday. So I did week 4 that day instead. Today is time for bootcamp again. It's the last week, but honestly? My knees have been hurting. Not good. So I think I'm gonna change it up this week and just do the elliptical and some other non-leg kind of workouts. Honestly I've been doing the sprints on the elliptical anyway. But I think all the squats and lunges are more than my poor knees can handle right now. This week the challenge is to get 3 servings of dairy a day. No problem there. I'm still breast feeding. That means I need 5, count them F-I-V-E servings a day. And I'm pretty good at fitting in at least 4. So, anyone else feel like this is the longest challenge ever already? :) See who else is shrinking over at the Sisterhood.

Thankful Thursday

2011-07-21T19:13:00.002-06:00

So, my lovely friend Bari has been doing Thankful Thursday posts for the last couple months. And she has inspired me to list what I am thankful for. I need to do this more to remind me of the blessings in my life. In fact, I've been trying to do that lately anyway since reading this post by my friend Brooke. Anyway, this is what I am thankful for this week:

My sweet baby. He is such a happy thing. He was laughing this evening for no reason at all (that I could tell), and then I would laugh and he would laugh harder. Baby laughter is probably the best sound in the world.
A husband who cooks dinner and takes the baby for short periods of time, so that I can get something done.
Falling asleep before midnight last night for the first time in who-knows-how-long.
Playdates. And meeting new people. And getting out of the house every now and then.

Burst into summer check in July 20

2011-07-20T16:18:00.003-06:00

Well, it's that time again. And I have had a hard time getting anything done today, so I'm going to try to keep this short and sweet. I got a new scale this week, so it said today I was up 1/2 pound, but who knows what that means. It seems pretty consistent with the other scale though. And this new one measures body fat too - which is cool and scary all at the same time. All for $30. What a deal. As for the mini-challenge, I did not do well. Getting 7 hours of sleep every night when you can't fall asleep before midnight and have a baby that is up at 7 (and sometimes once during the night)? Not a good combo. Oh well. In fact, I even forgot what the mini-challenge WAS this week. Next week's mini-challenge is no soda. Nada. Zippo. Zilch. I did this for our last challenge, so it should be do-able. And last, but not least, is bootcamp. I've done every single one. Until today. Somehow I just lost track of time this morning and couldn't fit it in. And, yes, I could do it tonight, but am I going to? I seriously doubt it. Crap. So, go on over to the Sisterhood and see what everyone else is up to (or down to!) for this challenge.

Burst into Summer #4

2011-07-13T15:35:00.004-06:00

Okay, because Blogger hates me, and I can't seem to get the formatting right, I am doing bullet points. I swear I've typed in paragraphs in my previous posts, but you wouldn't know it by looking at my blog. Agh.

So, it's time to weigh in again over at the Sisterhood. Woo hoo! That's the best day of the week! I can't believe it's already here again! *Um, can you tell I'm feeling a tad bit sarcastic today?* Might have something to do with a baby that woke up early (and cranky) from his first nap. I didn't get to do bootcamp til it was time for a (very early) second nap. Then he woke up and interrupted my workout. Can you see how this day is going???

So, as far as this challenge goes, I'm still trying to rock bootcamp. I haven't missed a single workout, though I will admit that my attitude sucked today so I may have been phoning it in a little, okay a lot. As far as the mini challenge goes, I definitely didn't have any fast food last week. But I rarely do. I did go out to eat once (NOT fast food) and had shrimp on a salad (and a margarita, but you totally can't count that, right?). This week? We are supposed to get 7+ hours of sleep a night. Um, yeah. Before I had a baby, I had that locked down tight. In fact, I really needed 9 or 10 hours. But now? 6 is good. I try for 7. So this week I'll try harder.

As far as weight, I'm down 0.2 pounds. That's it. It's rather a bummer as I feel like I've been working my butt off. Of course I've also been enjoying some ice cream that I should have totally left at the store when I went grocery shopping. Oh, well. My clothes are still fitting better, because I've been working out. What am I going to do when boot camp is over???

Insaneroadtrip

2011-07-11T09:08:00.003-06:00

So, better late than never, I thought I'd post a few pics from Kirsten's visit last week. She was on this #insaneroadtrip with her girls. She drove over 8000 miles across the country and back. She's nuts. But we love her anyway. And if you didn't follow along while she took her trip, you should really check out her blog. She saw lots and lots of our bloggy friends along the way. I'm a little jealous. Anyway, I got to see her on her last leg before she finally headed back home.

I told the girls to make their silliest face. Obviously they complied!

I call this Kirsten's I'm-SO-done-with-roadtripping face. :)

I totally wish this one lived closer. She'd be old enough to babysit soon. She's already old enough just to help out. I wish they still lived two house down! :(

Anyway, that's it in a nutshell. I would have posted more pics, but I've been having trouble uploading stuff - it's taking forever. And I'd totally blame Blogger, but I've been having trouble with Shutterfly too, so I think the problem is ocurring on my end. Technology is just passing me by these days!

Burst into Summer - week #3

2011-07-06T12:58:00.004-06:00

It's that time again - time to weigh in. I'm down 1/2 pound this week - woo hoo! And I was half joking last week about the weight gain being muscle, but I went through some of my pre-pregnancy clothes that I hadn't been able to wear before and stuff fit that I hadn't worn in a long time. So, I really do feel smaller even though my weight isn't shifting that much. This makes me very happy. I might have to adjust my end goal weight if I keep gaining muscle, but I suppose I can live with that. :)

The mini-challenge this last week was fruits and veggies. I'm not sure if they said HOW many we were supposed to get. I ate some every day. But I always do. I'm better with fruit than veggies though. Especially this time of year. Next week is NO fast food. I don't really eat it that often, so this shouldn't be a problem. But now watch - I'll get offers to eat it 3 times at least since I'm not supposed to have it!

Oh, and boot camp? I'm still plugging away. I didn't get it done on Monday. And it really had nothing to do with the holiday. I was feeling lazy Monday morning, and I thought I'd wait til evening since we were at the cabin, and I had no internet access and wasn't sure what I was supposed to do anyway (I was just going to do week 1 again only with more sprints). Well, Monday night I still wasn't feeling motivated. Especially when I saw that we were doing ALL the exercises from both weeks 1 and 2. So, I did it yesterday instead. And then again today since Kirsten and crew are visiting. We kicked butt if I do say so myself! But I'm gonna be sore tomorrow. I can feel it. We were supposed to time the strenth exercises as well, and I beat my time today from yesterday by more than a minute. Woo hoo!

So, are you kicking butt at taking names? Head on over to the Sisterhood and check out the other comptitors or join us for boot camp.

Burst into Summer - check in #2

2011-06-29T14:52:00.002-06:00

Okay, so it's that time again. Boy time flies when you're having fun, doesn't it?

This week I did great with the mini-challenge of breakfast. But I always eat breakfast, so that's really nothing new. I also kicked butt at bootcamp. Or maybe it kicked MY butt. Holy cow, that was hard. And I sweated. A lot. I'm feeling a lot stronger, so that's always an added bonus.

As for the eating? Well, seeing as how that's what I DO for a living, you think I'd be better at it, huh? Right after the last weigh in I had a battle with my arch nemesis: cookie dough. I lost. Today I had Olive Garden for lunch. 5 cheese ziti? Yummy, but certainly not low calorie. And I can't really remember the stuff in between.

The weight: up 1.6. That's the story of my life. Down 2, up 2, down 2, up 2. And now I'm just mad. And hoping that the weight gain is just muscle from bootcamp. But I know better.

Weigh in Wednesday

2011-06-22T18:01:00.002-06:00

Okay, it's that time again. And please don't ask me why this is all underlined and font is wonky (unless it's just wonky when I'm typing it, and then please ignore this statement). It's time to weigh in for the latest challenge over at the Sisterhood. How did everyone do this week? I did great with the mini-challenge which was hydration. I got at least 8 8-oz. glasses down every day. The next mini-challenge is breakfast. Easy-peasy. As for the rest of it, well, if my mother-in-law hadn't made brownies for Father's Day... Or maybe if I just had more self-control when it came to refusing brownies (or even just eating ONE)... Oh well. And the bootcamp that I was so scared of? Kicked. my. boo-tay. I hurt. Thanks, a lot! As for the weight, I'm down. But only by 0.7. Stupid brownies.

Testing

2011-06-21T08:12:00.001-06:00

So I've never done a blog post from my phone before. I know, I know. I'm sure it's easy as pie & works like a charm. But I'm not a fan of typing on my phone. Way. Too. Slow. I learned typing skills for a reason! Anyway, I kind of just wanted to see how/if this would work. So here you are. Oh, and that boot camp they are doing over at the Sisterhood? It started yesterday. And it kicked my butt. Really. My butt is sore, my arms are sore, my pecs are sore. Oh my.

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Because it's Friday...

2011-06-17T14:21:00.005-06:00

...And because I am trying to post about more than just weight loss, here is one of my recent favorite pictures of Sammy.

I just love that smile!

Burst into Summer Challenge Begins

2011-06-15T13:51:00.005-06:00

So, the latest challenge kicked off today over at the Sisterhood. Yep, another one. Because they are awesome like that. And this time we are on teams. For 11 weeks. Because they are awesome like that. And there's boot camp 3 times per week for 6 weeks starting on Monday. Because they are awesome like that. Oh, who am I kidding? CRAZY is probably a more appropriate word for boot camp than awesome. I'm downright scared. But I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

And I will. I am on a team with the following awesome ladies: Christie, Laura, Mel, and Megan. We are going to kick some boo-tay. Our mini challenge this week is focusing on water, and I've so got that down, so I'm already starting off with a bang. (Quite frankly I don't have a choice. I'm still breastfeeding, and it requires tons of hydration.) And my starting weight for this challenge is... *drumroll please*... 143.3. Crap. That's about where I was when we ended the last challenge but I actually LOST the first week after the last challenge and then gained it all back. Well, I feel like I maintained the last week not gained, but I just ate lunch. I know, I know. Don't weigh in after eating. I need to pick a time (and wear the same clothes), so I get more consistent results.

Also, I would totally love to actually start posting real stuff here again besides just fitness stuff. And I'm thinking of then moving all this weight loss junk to a new blog, so only those who are interested have to look at it. Because I totally blog enough for 2 blogs *note the sarcasm here*. What do you think? And what would I call this new blog? Any suggestions? And who else is doing the challenge with the Sisterhood this summer? Come on - you KNOW you wanna!

abc food

2011-06-11T20:32:00.003-06:00

Okay, since we are between challenges at the Sisterhood and I am pretty much only using this blog to write about fitness and food these days, I thought I'd take a cue from Mel's latest post and answer this fun survey.

A: is for Apple, what’s your favorite variety?

I'm pretty picky. I pretty much only eat Galas or an occasional Fuji.

B: is for Bread, regardless of nutrition, calories, or whole grains what is your favorite type to have a nice big piece of?

Sourdough... mmm...

C: is for Cereal what is your favorite kind currently (just one!)

Life. I just can't seem to get enough of it.

D: is for Doughnuts, you might not currently be eating them but what kind do you fancy?

I miss Dunkin' Doughnuts. We don't have one here, but their Boston Creme-Filled is the best. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

E: is for Eggs, how would you like yours prepared?

Over easy. Very easy. It grosses out Jerrod's family. Or soft-boiled. I missed good eggs when I was pregnant and had to eat them well-cooked.

F: is for Fat Free, what is your favorite fat free product?

I'm going to go with Mel on this one. I'm currently addicted to Chobani.

G: is for Groceries, where do you purchase yours at?

Winco, Costso, the local farmer's market

H: is for Hot Beverages, what is your favorite hot drink?

Coffee. Can't live without coffee.

I: is for Ice Cream, pick a favorite flavor and add a fun topping.

I will eat any kind of ice cream I can get my hands on, but my favorite is cheesecake fantasy from ColdStone.

J: is for Jams or Jellies, do you eat them, and if so what kind and flavor?

Apricot or raspberry.

K: is for Kashi, name your favorite Kashi product?

Go Lean Crunch cereal

L: is for Lunch, what was yours today?

Um, I'm ashamed to admit that I had extra greasy pepperoni pizza from Costco. It's so good. And a Diet Coke because that cancels out all the calories in the pizza, right?

M: is for microwave, what is your favorite microwave meal/snack?

Um, about the only thing I microwave these days is baby food.

N: is for nutrients, do you like carbs, fats, or proteins best?

Carbs. Yep, I'm a carb junkie.

O: is for oil, what kind do you like to use?

EVOO except on eggs or stir-fry. Then I use canola.

P: is for protein, how do you get yours?

Meat. And a lot of dairy. Baby needs protein. :)

Q: is for Quaker, how do you like your oats?

We usually eat old-fashioned oats and I just put brown sugar and milk in them most of the time.

R: is for roasting, what is your favorite thing to roast?

Did someone say roast? As in pot roast? Okay, now I'm hungry, thank you very much.

S: is for sandwich, what’s your favorite kind?

Turkey. Or peanut butter (no jelly).

T: is for travel, how do you handle eating while traveling?

I take my own snacks for the traveling part, but while I'm away I usually eat like crap. I try hard, but it usually does no good.

U: is for unique, what is one of your weirdest food combos?

I like sliced bananas with peanut butter and chocolate chips. Jerrod thinks it's the grossest thing ever.

V: is for vitamins, what kind do you take?

I take a prenatal still and calcium and vitamin D and fish oil. Our house looks like old people live here.

W: is for wasabi, yay or nay?

Yay. In small amounts, anyway.

X: is for XRAY. if we xrayed your belly right now, what food would we see?

Well, for dinner we had steak, corn, asparagus, and bread. But it's feeling a little empty now. We ate over 2 hours ago. I'm hungry a lot!

Y: is for youth, what food reminds you of your childhood?

Spaghetti was always my favorite growing up.

Z: is for zucchini, how do you prepare it?

Steamed with parmesan cheese on it.

YOUR TURN!
Let me know if you try it!

May Your Way Final Weigh-in

2011-05-31T19:28:00.002-06:00

Okay, so the May Your Way challenge at the Sisterhood is over. I wasn't good at posting every week, but I was trying my best to improve my eating and exercise habits this month and feel very happy with my progress. Here's how I did:

Get back into the habit of exercising - at least 5 days a week.

Okay, I totally didn't get 5 days per week in, but I finally started exercising again. And I even did a couple walk/jog sessions (I must be losing my mind!) and some time on the elliptical along with my usual walking routine.
Cut out sugar (or cut WAY back) - only 1 small thing each day &/or a large dessert only once a week. Trust me, this is cutting back.

I am SO, SO happy with how I did on the cutting back on dessert and sugar thing. I am not keeping much in the house, so I can't eat it which is nice.
NO soda! Period. At all.

Okay, I had like maybe 3 sodas this month, but that was after not having anything for the first 2 1/2 weeks at least which cut my cravings out, so that's good.
Lose at least 2 pounds this month. Slow & steady wins the race.

My weight is 143.1 for the final weigh-in. That's down 1.3 pounds from the beginning of the month. And quite frankly that's all in the last 2 weeks. I was feeling thinner and healthier. I thought for sure it was all in my head, but I'm glad the scale backed me up on this one.
Take at least 5 minutes at least 5 days a week to purposefully relax.

Um, I didn't do well on this one. I might have gotten it in 3 days a week, but I sort of forgot about it most of the time.
Finish the first stages of relandscaping my yard. This can help with being more active as well!

AGH - I wanted to get more done on this goal. I did get a lot of yarwork in, though. If the weather would cooperate and it would finally warm up and STOP RAINING in the northwest part of the country, I might actually accomplish more.

So, how did you do this month?

Weigh In Wednesday

2011-05-18T14:22:00.003-06:00

Hi, again. It's time to weigh in again for the latest challenge over at the Sisterhood. Sorry I missed last week. I was out of town. But I'm trying really, really hard (okay, not so much when I was gone, but I'm back to trying hard, I promise!). Here's how I did:

Get back into the habit of exercising - at least 5 days a week.Um, okay, I'm trying really hard. I've been regularly exercising at least 3 days per week which is a huge improvement. I might have been trying to hard to fit too much in too soon. But 5 days a week was what I was doing even while 8+ months pregnant. We'll get back there...

Cut out sugar (or cut WAY back) - only 1 small thing each day &/or a large dessert only once a week. Trust me, this is cutting back.I've been doing awesome at this while home. While I was away, I ate everything in site and ate out a lot. But I did make these cookies which are totally awesome and very, very low in sugar and high in fiber and really just count as a snack in my book.

NO soda! Period. At all.

I rocked this one!

Lose at least 2 pounds this month. Slow & steady wins the race.

I am at 144.8 this week which is still up 0.4 pounds from the beginning of this challenge but not bad considering my poor eating habits from being on vacation.

Take at least 5 minutes at least 5 days a week to purposefully relax.Crap, I forgot I even MADE this goal. Whoops!

Finish the first stages of relandscaping my yard. This can help with being more active as well!I am well on my way to getting this done...

So, how did you do this week?

Why does Blogger hate me?

2011-05-04T13:39:00.002-06:00

So, I tried to edit the last post, but I couldn't. Hmmm... Anyway, I love the new mantras for this month at the Sisterhood. As I was exercising today, I just kept saying, "I am strong. I am strong. I am strong." I forgot to say that on the last post. Okay, you may carry on now.

Weigh in Wednesday

2011-05-04T13:26:00.003-06:00

Okay, it's time to weigh in for the latest challenge at the Sisterhood. Today I was 145.1 pounds. That's up 0.7, but I weighed in at a totallly different time of day. So who knows? As for my goals so far:

Get back into the habit of exercising - at least 5 days a week.
(Um, I'm trying.)
Cut out sugar (or cut WAY back) - only 1 small thing each day &/or a large dessert only once a week. Trust me, this is cutting back.
(Not perfect at this, but better so far.)
NO soda! Period. At all.
(Good to go.)
Lose at least 2 pounds this month. Slow & steady wins the race.
(Not there yet.)
Take at least 5 minutes at least 5 days a week to purposefully relax.
(Again, I'm trying.)Finish the first stages of relandscaping my yard. This can help with being more active as well!
(Got a lot done over the weekend, so I'm getting there.)

And sorry, but I can tell already that the formatting on this post is going to be totally screwed up.

May Your Way

2011-05-01T10:41:00.004-06:00

Okay, well I said I wasn't going to blog much anymore. But it's time for a new challenge over at the Sisterhood. So I'm going to try to blog about it this month. And it's only for a month. It starts today (May 1st) and ends the 31st. It's the May Your Way challenge - a personal challenge to encourage and motivate us to be our personal best! So, here's the details:

Starting weight: 144.4 pounds

Goals:

Get back into the habit of exercising - at least 5 days a week.
Cut out sugar (or cut WAY back) - only 1 small thing each day &/or a large dessert only once a week. Trust me, this is cutting back.
NO soda! Period. At all.
Lose at least 2 pounds this month. Slow & steady wins the race.
Take at least 5 minutes at least 5 days a week to purposefully relax.
Finish the first stages of relandscaping my yard. This can help with being more active as well!

So, there you have it. Wanna join? You can sign up here.

Absent

2011-04-25T16:59:00.001-06:00

As you can obviously tell, I've been a little absent from my blog lately. And unfortunately I think it's going to stay that way for awhile. If you subscribe to my blog, stay tuned in case I change my mind, but it's crazy these days and I just can't seem to keep up. If you aren't friends with me on Facebook and want to be, let me know - I seem to be able to update that once in awhile! :)

Peas, Please

2011-04-06T20:07:00.002-06:00

He is beginning to resemble the Incredible Hulk!

Power of One - week 6

2011-02-10T15:47:00.001-07:00

***disclaimer: I typed this yesterday, but Blogger wouldn't let me post for some reason***

So, it's Wednesday, er Thursday, and it's time to weigh in. And it's been awhile since I've weighed in. I forgot 2 weeks ago. And last week I had a gain of 0.9, so I just didn't really want to post. This week I'm down 1.1, so I guess that puts me down 1.8 pounds overall for this challenge. Not too bad I guess. It would be better if I didn't love cookies. And ice cream. And chocolate. And cookies. Wait, I already said cookies. I really love cookies...

Accent Vlog

2011-02-09T16:08:00.002-07:00

Since, I can't figure out how to get a YouTube video to embed properly (see the videos on previous posts where the left side is all you can see - don't ask me why), here is the link for my Accent Vlog. Because I'm cool like that. Only don't ask why I cut the top of my head off in the video. I just don't have an answer for that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x76F7hNoDls

If you want to follow along or do the Accent Vlog yourself, here are the words/questions: Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught

•What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?
•What is the bug that when you touch it, it curls into a ball?
•What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?
•What do you call gym shoes?
•What do you say to address a group of people?
•What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?
•What do you call your grandparents?
•What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?
•What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?
•What is the thing you change the TV channel with?

New Pictures

2011-02-07T08:31:00.000-07:00

I thought I posted this picture the other day, but I got distracted the other day apparently. We took a new picture, a posed one. I thought it came out very cute.

Dumb YouTube

2011-02-04T18:38:00.003-07:00

Okay, I don't know why you can only see the left half of those dumb YouTube videos. Or is it just me? They didn't want to embed properly. But here's the links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mK8aOVXGfM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FneAwCu3YnE

Smiling at Daddy

2011-02-04T18:33:00.000-07:00

Video #1

2011-02-04T18:16:00.002-07:00

Sammy was playing and tried to roll over - and I was recording it!

I Love the Bumbo

2011-01-26T07:12:00.000-07:00

I forgot this one...

2011-01-25T07:05:00.000-07:00

More camo... and Ugg boots. Well, not real Uggs. That would just be ridiculous.

Family Visit

2011-01-24T19:17:00.016-07:00

So, a couple of weekends ago, my aunt, uncle, and cousin came out for a visit. We always have a great time with them, and 3 people were snapping pictures like crazy, so I have about a million photos to share.

Saturday, we had brunch at our house...

Aunt Bruna with Sammy

Saturday night we had dinner. Bruna made her famous lasagna (which is awesome!). Her god-mother lives out here, and it was her birthday, so pictured are Bruna, her god-mother, her god-mother's daughter (and her husband), me, Jerrod, and my cousin Stephanie. My uncle Tim was taking most of the pictures, so he isn't in very many of them! We ate dinner at this incredibly cute condo they rented.

Bruna, Lynn, Bruna's god-mother, Bruna's mother - Leila

Uncle Tim and Stephanie

Yes, she is drinking two glasses of wine. No, she is not drunk. Just amused.

Flying like Superman...

More Superman

Bruna and Sammy again

Sunday, we went wine tasting. I know, rough life, huh? Frist we went to Koenig. Awesome wine. And they make good vodka as well. Then we went to Ste. Chappelle. Their wine honestly isn't very good, but the winery was pretty, and they had a very cute gift shop. And I can't even remember the name of the third place. But all-in-all, it was a fun day.

Cousins

Tim and Bruna

Beautiful Ste. Chappelle

Winos :)

One last shot

Working with Daddy...

2011-01-21T11:47:00.002-07:00

Ooops...

2011-01-19T20:13:00.002-07:00

Well, last week at the weigh-in I was bragging about my over-three-pound weight loss. In one week. And this week I'm up 2.1 pounds. It might be that decadent chocolate cake. Or the wine tasting. Or my aunt's scrumptious lasagna. Um, oops. Back to the drawing board...

Other Photos

2011-01-14T08:12:00.002-07:00

I found a few more pictures on my computer that I forgot to share earlier. Here is Sammy in his "bear" suit.

smiling & happy

in his Cabela's camo overalls

New Year's at the Cabin

2011-01-13T07:54:00.005-07:00

We went to the cabin for New Year's weekend. These aren't all the photos, but I don't have the shots from my bother-in-law's camera yet.

Sammy in his reindeer suit (with Gramma Jo)

with Gramma Jo & Grampa (& his favorite rattle)

with Uncle Justin

Don't I look like I'm having fun? We barely stayed awake til midnight.

Our dogs had a blast in the snow.

happy & smiling with Daddy

naked baby! after his first bath at the cabin...

Wednesday Weigh-In

2011-01-12T13:28:00.003-07:00

So, it's time for Wednesday Weigh-In over at the Sisterhood. This is going to be a short post, as the baby has a cold and is cranky and sleepy today and wants to be held. In fact, it's 1:30 in the afternoon, and I'm still in my pajamas. And I need to eat lunch.

Anyway, weight last week (which for me was the start of the challenge): 147.3 pounds
Weight today: 143.6
Difference: I'm down 3.7 pounds! Holy cow!

As for those goals I set... I am well on my way to getting to 140 pounds by the end of this challenge. I've been watching what I eat and really have been avoiding the sugar, but I think I need to eat MORE. I know, I know, sounds like a real dilemma, huh? But baby needs milk. Breastfeeding gives an unfair advantage, but I'll take it. I only walked 2 days last week, but that's 2 days more than the week before. By the end of the challenge, I really will have worked my way up to 4 days per week.

Well, that's it for now. How'd you do?

Christmas Day - continued

2011-01-11T07:37:00.001-07:00

Christmas Day, after opening presents at home, we went to the visit the in-laws for dinner (Chinese food - yum!) and to see the family. We opened gifts late that night.

Great-Grammie Bess holding Sammy

Great-Grandma Viv holding Sammy

Auntie Steph giving Sammy some love

Uncle Justin lulls Sammy to sleep

Sammy got a new chair from Cabela's from Grampa and Gramma Jo

Gramma Jo made Sammy a teddy bear

Uncle Mike holding Sammy

And last, but not least - Brenna decided the wrapping paper made a soft bed

Christmas Day - Presents

2011-01-10T07:15:00.000-07:00

On Christmas morning we opened a few gifts at our house before driving over to Jerrod's parents' house to have dinner and spend the night.

Sammy is so excited - can't you tell???

Christmas Eve

2011-01-09T05:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, yes I know I'm VERY late getting all my pictures posted, but I have a newborn. Sue me. :) Anyway, this week I'll get up pictures of the holidays and such. Here we are on Christmas Eve reading "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" with Gramma Jo, Grampa Gene, and Great Grammie Bess.

And, yes, Brenna (my dog) was listening to the story. Sort of.

Goals

2011-01-07T04:30:00.004-07:00

Okay, so I promised I'd post my goals for the Power of One challenge over at the Sisterhood. Then I got distracted by a sick baby and well, you know how it goes. So, while my husband is holding him briefly, let's see if I can type this out. Because I haven't figure out how to post from my phone yet. And that's all I have time for these days.

My goals:

I would really like to be down to 140 pounds by the end of this challenge, which is basically losing a pound a week. Which before I would have said was impossible for me. But that was before the power of breastfeeding was introduced. I might make it.

Try to balance my eating so that I'm getting enough food to make food for the baby but still lose the necessary weight. (I will NOT be hungry!)

Cut out the sugar. Or most of it. I ate like crap over the holidays.

Resume walking. We walked every day when I was pregnant (and before) and now have totally stopped doing that. Exercise is good. By the end of this challenge I'd like to be back to walking at least 4 days per week.

Find balance. Between baby and housework and me time. And not stress about what is not done. Like for instance, my Christmas decorations are still only half put away. Yes I know it's already January 7th. Who cares?

Okay, that's probably enough. If I give myself too much to do it'll never happen. So, do you want to shrink with us? Head over to the Sisterhood and join in!

New Challenge

2011-01-06T06:57:00.002-07:00

So, there is a new challenge over at the Sisterhood. It is called the Power of One. I need to do this. As you know, I had a baby a few weeks (well, almost 8 weeks) ago. I still have a little extra pudge that needs to go. So, I am participating in this challenge. I think I should have done the last challenge. They were doing teams, and we SO would have one. I mean on the day they induced labor I was 181 pounds (a whopping 45 pounds up from where I started the pregnancy), and then 2 1/2 weeks later at the doctor I was 28 pounds lighter. Woo hoo! 3 weeks after that I was down another 4 pounds. Then I stepped on the scale yesterday for a starting weight for the challenge and was down another 2 pounds. And, oh, I'm a week late starting this challenge. Because I'm stellar like that. But my starting weight is 147.3 pounds. I think. The Wii is the only scale I have and it doesn't list the point-whatever part. I guessed. But anyway, we are also supposed to list our goals for this challenge, but I'm going to have to come back for that part. I only came downstairs for a bowl of cereal. I'm going back to bed before the baby wakes up again!

What to say...

2010-12-17T18:28:00.003-07:00

... well, not much right now

My life is kinda boring. I mean, it's great. I have a baby. But oh my I don't don't. do. anything. I wake up. I feed the baby. I change the baby. I hold the baby. I do make an effort to shower and get dressed everyday. I'm lucky if I have time to pick up and do a load of laundry. Maybe. Mostly my husband has been doing the laundry, which is scary. And he does the cooking. And the dishes. Yes, I'm very lucky. I'm gonna cry when he goes back to work. Of course he'll still do the cooking and dishes even then. That's just a given. Unless he's out of town. Then I eat mac n' cheese and let the dishes overflow until there's no sliverware left. Yep, that's me. I can't imagine how it'll be once he goes out of town now. Well, he did that for a few days recently. Boy, I was tired. But on a brighter note, the baby slept almost 6 hours straight last night. I might be able to make it now.

Now if I can just get him to let me put him down during the day, so I can get something done...

Though Kirsten is going to have to give me a lesson on using the sling while she's out visiting next week, so that I can carry him around. If I can't figure it out I may have to buy one of these.

All dressed up

2010-12-14T12:43:00.000-07:00

We actually dressed him in real clothes (not p.j.s which is all he lives in these days) AND shoes to take him to the hospital to show him off to all my former co-workers last Wednesday. He did very well, but mommy was exhausted!

More of my favorite pictures

2010-12-13T05:24:00.000-07:00

Bath time!

2010-12-10T17:16:00.002-07:00

So, Sammy had his first bath a week ago. He obviously enjoyed it SOOOOO much! :)

Though afterwards, he seems okay. And after he got tightly wrapped and ate for 10 minutes, he was out cold!

5 1/2 hours... Really?

2010-12-05T09:59:00.003-07:00

So, Sammy slept a full 5 1/2 hours last night. In a row. Amazing, huh? Too bad for me that I didn't! We gave him his first bath last night (pictures to follow) and he screamed the whole time. Yep, he loves his bath-time! :) I'm kind of assuming he wore himself out. Or maybe it's that Jerrod swaddled him extra-tight afterwards. But he only nursed for like 10 minutes and then was out cold. At 10:00pm. I'm not used to going to bed until somewhere between 11:00 and 1:00 these days, so I couldn't fall asleep until closer to 11:00. Then I woke up at 2:20. I was sure he'd be up any second. I was already thinking that I was surprised by how long he had slept already. Normally he's up at 2-something anyway after going to bed much later. So, I laid there waiting for him to wake up. And wishing I could go back to sleep. Around 3:00 I got up to pee (and checked to make sure he was still breathing). You'd think that would assure me, so I could go back to sleep. But no. I was starving. I tried to ignore it, but I had to get up and have a snack. He finally woke up at 3:50. Crazy. I did eventually get him back down for another 4 hours where I got to sleep some more. And he's asleep again now and has been out for an hour or so. Which means the house is now mostly picked up and I ate breakfast and I'm caught up on Facebook. Now to tackle the dishes. And the laundry. And change the sheets on the bed. Maybe.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving to all!

2010-12-01T17:46:00.002-07:00

Yep, he was enjoying having his picture taken. And then not long after this, he peed on me. And no, it was not the "fountain" of pee. I was feeding him, and his diaper leaked. Fun times. But at least we got a picture (or 5) in his cute outfit first. And, no, he wasn't crying in all the pictures, but this one is WAY more funny to post!

New Week

2010-11-23T12:40:00.004-07:00

So, here I am in another week. Samuel is now a week and a half old. It's funny, because it's been a L-O-N-G week yet it's flown by at the same time. I can't remember when I posted last, but here's the short version of what's been going on.

Friday I got a mammoth case of the flu - vomiting and diarrhea for 6 hours straight (TMI, I know!). Throwing up 7 times in 5-6-ish hours is NOT my idea of a good time! :) Then I slept all afternoon and spiked a fever, which concerned me since I had just had surgery (aka the C-section) a week before. So, off to quick care we went. I was fine, but needed a liter of fluids via IV. Fun for me. I knew I was dehydrated. While throwing up, I had honestly never been that thirsty in my entire life. I kept guzzling water and then it would all come back up. The only way I could finally keep anything down was to force myself to take 15 minutes to drink 1/2 a Sprite. So that day pretty much sucked.

The rest of the weekend was boring. I sat around and didn't do much and tried to recover as best I could. Now my poor hubby is feeling ill today. I hope no one else I came in contact with gets ill. I'd feel terrible.

Today I'm finally trying to get some stuff done around here. My house is cluttered. The laundry has somehow multiplied, even though we were doing some, and my mom was helping get it caught up. Welcome to life with a baby. And of course, the kiddo won't sleep during the day unless he's held. So, today we are trying out the sling. I'm feeling paranoid. I worry that I'll drop him, or he'll stop breathing. So, it's a little hard to get chores done efficiently even with the sling, but it does make it nice to sit in front of the computer and type. And pay bills, which is what I really need to do next. I'm just procrastinating. And I think he's going to need to eat again soon. I feel like a gas pump. Or something. I calculated it out. I spend about 4 hours every day just feeding the baby. 4 hours - holy cow this kid can eat! :)

Anyway, not much else is new. I'm just enjoying his sweet, precious baby face. Gotta love that face!

Sleeping...

2010-11-17T16:08:00.002-07:00

Well, so far so good in our household. Jerrod and I have been taking turns at night. I feed the baby and then he follows with a bottle, as my milk finally just came in today. Tonight might be harder if we give up bottles altogether, but I actually got 8 hours of sleep last night, just in 2 hour increments. The little guy has been awake all night and sleeping all day, but I think that cup of coffee and coke I had today kept him up long enough that maybe he'll sleep tonight! Not much else is new. Just living day to day in a new baby household. Can't believe I'm so lucky... just can't stop looking at him and cuddling with him...

Another Day...

2010-11-14T06:30:00.002-07:00

Just thought I'd let everyone know that I am indeed feeling much better today. Thanks for all the good thoughts and prayers. We are still at the hospital, and they took Samuel to the nursery last night for a little bit, so we could rest. Poor Jerrod was just exhausted after I scared him to death and kept him up most of the first night. And then we jumped every time he made the slightest sounds. Yep, this is why I did not buy a bassinet. I think it'll be good for the kiddo to be in a separate room... Anyway, we got a good 5 or 6 hours of sleep tonight (not all in a row), which feels like a miracle. We just got the baby all settled in again, and Jerrod went back to sleep. For some reason I am wide awake. But I think I'm going to try to get a little rest anyway. I just wanted to let you know we are all doing okay over here. Hopefully they'll let us go home tonight. Hopefully I'll be ready for that. Yikes!

Baby Samuel

2010-11-13T20:09:00.004-07:00

Well, after 30 hours of labor (give or take - 17ish hours in the birthing center, 13ish at the hospital) and an eventual C-section, Samuel joined the world on 11/12/10 at 6:59PM, weighing in at 7lb., 8 oz., 20 1/2 inches long. And please forgive me if I don't post more right away. Due to blood loss and a lot of pain meds, I ended up getting a chest x-ray, an EKG, labwork, and 2 units of blood last night for problems with excessive, uncontrollable anxiety and an elevated heart rate and low oxygen saturations. Fun times! I'm feeling better but am still rather tired today! I'll keep you updated eventually - I promise!

Baby Update

2010-11-12T13:45:00.002-07:00

Okay, so here is the longer version of what I posted on Facebook...

We went to the doctor at 10:30 yesterday morning and decided to induce. At noon, we headed over to the birthing center. I took Cytotec about 1PM yesterday. At that point, I was only dilated to 1. The Cytotec got me up to 3. The doctor broke my water about 10:30PM. I got up to 4 and then no more! So they started some Pitocin and still nuthin'. About 17 hours after we got started I was having hard, pretty painful (but not regular) contractions, but was STILL at 4. The doctor decided I needed better monitoring to see what was going on. I was sent from the birthing center to the hospital at about 6 this morning. I figured that since I was already here and natural childbirth was not working, I'd get an epidural. So, currently, the pain is gone. I got about 3 whole hours of sleep this morning. And I'm just now at 6 and fully effaced. The contractions are more regular but still not strong enough. And the baby is turned a little funny, so we're trying to get him to move. He is being a stubborn little fart already - good news for things to come, I'm sure! :) Thank you so much everyone for the loving thoughts, prayers, texts, and comments. I will keep you posted!

Nothing new...

2010-11-09T16:23:00.002-07:00

Just in case anyone was wondering, there is nothing new to report. Not one darn thing. Well, I did get a new dishwasher, washer, and dryer today that the hubby is currently busy hooking up. That makes me very excited and happy. It's funny how easily amused I am. But on the baby front, there is nothing. My next doctor's appointment is Thursday morning, and if this little guy hasn't decided to make an appearance by then, we are going to go ahead and induce - because I have had enough! I can't wait to be able to easily touch my feet again. Or bend over. Or be able to eat a full meal. Or sleep comfortably (even though I know I won't be sleeping ENOUGH). So, um, yeah. When I know something, you'll know something. I promise. And I've been posting plenty on Facebook. So if you see me over there, you'll know too.

Why Am I Awake?

2010-11-06T00:18:00.003-06:00

Because I can't shut off my brain. It's fun like that. But is there anything swirling around in my brain that would make a great blog post? Oh no. That would be too easy. So, here I sit. At almost 12:30. That's AM, people. I only slept 5 hours last night and only got a 30 minute nap this afternoon. And, YES, I'm tired. But for some reason I'm still awake. Well, I got up almost half an hour ago to pee and then to get a bowl of cereal, because I'm. Always. Hungry. And now here I sit. Guess it's time to go back to bed and practice my relaxation exercises to see if I can fall asleep. I mean, hey, I'm going to need those exercises for labor anyway, right?

I can still see my feet. Sort of.

2010-11-04T08:48:00.000-06:00

It's Ready. Now where is the baby?

2010-11-03T12:31:00.007-06:00

I know, I know. It's a post 4 days in a row. I must be losing it. Or maybe I'm just tired of cleaning windows today and need a break. But the baby's room is ready. And I wanted to share it with you. 'Cause I'm generous like that.

Jerrod's Grammie Bess embroidered these cute quilt blocks, and then his mom (Grandma Jo) pieced them together and quilted them to make this cute wall hanging.

This crib just needs a baby in it!

I think this is the perfect place to rock a baby to sleep, don't you?

38 Weeks

2010-11-02T10:15:00.000-06:00

These are from the final set of pictures we took last week out on the Nampa greenbelt. I really should have been posting pics throughout the pregnancy to keep you updated, but that obviously hasn't been happening, now has it??? Oh well. Better late than never, right? So, here they are. Now if I can just convince this baby that it's time to show his face, I'll have a lot more pictures to post!

35 Weeks

2010-11-01T12:11:00.000-06:00

We were sitting outside a few weeks ago, and Jerrod started snapping pictures. I wasn't very happy since I wasn't wearing any makeup (yikes!), but he managed to get a decent one. And he was being so sweet and taking the nasty polish off my toenails for me, so how do you get mad at that??

Finally

2010-10-31T17:59:00.006-06:00

Okay, so I'm finally getting around to posting those pics I promised. I know it's been a month since I mentioned it. I can't believe how time flies or how busy I've been lately. Getting things ready for the baby has taken every spare moment. And I've reached the point where I'm finally obsessing about cleaning the house every. single. moment. Yes, I know it's called nesting, but really I feel like the dog hair is never gone! Anyway, I am finally done with work, and am ready for the baby (well, the house is never clean, but the room is ready and the stuff is purchased), so here is a pic of me at 33 weeks - the last time we took pics in front of the mirror. And we just took some more, so I'll post those in the next day or two as well.

Remembering...

2010-10-01T08:07:00.002-06:00

...Um, yeah, so after the last post (which was a million years ago), I remembered what I was going to post. I have new belly pics. But I don't have time to load them right now. I know. I'm such a tease. I'll get them up soon. I promise! I would have done them earlier, but drama abounds these days, and my husband came home from hunting and actually wanted to hang out and stuff. I mean, really - why would my hubby actually want to spend time with me??? Silly boy!

So, anyway, the moral of this story? Um, maybe something about patience. Or maybe about the fact that I should have posted those pics when I first thought of it instead of waiting and then forgetting again. ...I'll try to get back to you on the moral. But I'll also get back to you with pictures!

Blank

2010-09-22T07:33:00.003-06:00

Um, so I totally had a blog post in mind recently, and do you think I can remember what it is??? Of course not! So, I haven't posted. Because I'm cool like that. Yep, you know you wanna be like me...

When I remember what it was I had to talk about that was so stinking interesting, I'll write again. I promise. Until then, think happy thoughts, people!

Last Weekend

2010-09-17T07:56:00.005-06:00

So, my dear friend Kirsten (and family) came for a visit last weekend. I didn't get very many pictures, but I bet she did with that fancy camera of hers! Actually, she did a couple of posts on their trip. You can go on over to her site to check it out. This is what I captured:

The youngest "riding" my dog, Brenna. It's a good thing that dog likes kids, isn't it???

Her oldest being a silly goof-ball and wearing a hot water bottle on her head...

A walk to the neighborhood park.

(That's the youngest and middle girl with my hubby and 2 crazy dogs!)

Fun times on the climbing wall at the park. Of course this was before she decided to throw a royal fit when it was time to leave. :)

Yes, even in a skirt, a girl can climb!

Aunt Kathy

2010-09-08T21:29:00.004-06:00

I was just looking through some old pictures on the computer. We got a new laptop, and mostly I was just playing with it. Then I came across a picture from this past January. It's been almost a year, but it's the last picture I have of my aunt Kathy. She died 2 weeks ago tomorrow. It's funny, because when my dad called to tell me, I wasn't surprised. I knew her health wasn't good. Her kidneys were failing. They were talking about dialysis. She had more lumps in her breast. We thought she had beaten the breast cancer, but it seemed to be back. I figured that my trip home last week was the last time I would see her. But I was wrong. She didn't make it that long. And when my dad told me, I didn't cry right away. It took awhile to feel sad. In fact, I felt bad for not feeling MORE sad. They only part that makes me sad even still is not looking at her picture but hearing her voice and her laugh in my head. For some reason, that still brings me to tears. She was larger than life. She had LOTS of personality. She could never be missed when she was in a room. And I was her favorite niece. She'd tell that to anyone. And she was so excited that I'm pregnant. She never got to see me pregnant. And she'll never get to see my kids. And it makes me sad that they will never know her. She will be missed.

9 weeks

2010-09-07T20:40:00.003-06:00

Um, so Jerrod and I just realized the other day that we only have 9 weeks left until this baby is going to be here. How did time get away from me???

I know I haven't been blogging much. I've been busy and overwhelmed and trying to get stuff done. On top of all the daily stuff (laundry, house cleaning, paying bills, etc.), there's all the stuff to buy and get ready for the baby. And there are all the projects I swore I'd get done before the baby arrives, but let's just face it: I am NEVER going to get my photos in albums or get any sewing done. I don't even think I'll get anything made for the baby like I want to. Oh, well. That's why I have a mother-in-law. To sew the stuff I don't have time to make. I'm pretty sure she doesn't mind. I hope.

Anyway, on top of all that, did I mention I took a second job? It's only a couple of days a month on top of the 3 days a week I already work, but now I have less time to do all the extra stuff. Oh, yeah, and I'm pregnant. So I have no energy to do anything anyway. Yay, me!

So, um, where was I? Oh, yeah. I have 9 weeks (give or take) to get a whole lot of crap done. Yep. And then I get to not sleep for the next 18 years or so. Because I'm pretty sure that's how it works. I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

Okay, enough complaining. But really. Nine weeks??? Seriously, how did that happen???

29 Weeks and Counting...

2010-08-23T20:33:00.002-06:00

I've been a little stressed and overwhelmed lately with all I have to do. I had a meltdown late last week. My back is killing me. Oh, and I get have a glucose tolerance test tomorrow - woo hoo! But my sweet dog, Brenna, decided to lay her head in my lap tonight, and sometimes things are so sweet that you forget about all the other crap...

Woo hoo!

2010-07-13T09:47:00.006-06:00

Okay, so it appears that my computer has finally decided to cooperate with me. I tried several times to upload belly pics (all while in a a hurry, of course) and it wouldn't work. And people keep asking... Yes, I'm such a slaker, I know. Anyway, this first pic was taken at 13 weeks. It was right after Hooker Retreat 2010. I got a look at myself in the pics we took there and realized that I finally was starting to look pregnant, so I made Jerrod take pics the following weekend. This one also came out better than the others we took. And I think it's probably time to take some more again!

These next couple of pics are at 19 weeks. They are a little fuzzy - Jerrod was having issues with the camera. But I love them anyway. And I wore that shirt again yesterday, and it reminds me of these every time I put it on.

Anyway, hope that satisfies all the curiosity! Oh, and for those of you who don't follow me on Facebook (but really, I think everyone SHOULD follow me on Facebook - you are much more likely to "see" me there) - it's a boy. No, we don't have a name picked yet. But I'll keep you posted.

I'm a Loser, Baby...

2010-06-17T11:16:00.002-06:00

Okay, so that song is stuck in my head since I was catching up on episodes of Glee last night. But anyway, yes I know I'm a blog slacker. I'm a loser. Sorry. I can't seem to stay caught up. How do you people find time for this??? I'm trying, really. Most importantly, though, I walked my 1/2 marathon in San Diego a week and a half ago. It was hard, painful, anguishing, and I am SO glad it's done. All my crazy friends (and I mean that lovingly) who did it with me are now planning more 1/2 marathons. They are nuts, I'm telling you! Of course they ran or ran/walked, and it took them far less time. It took me 4 hours, 3 minutes, and 4 seconds to walk 13.1 miles - with all the allotted pit-stops! Now I'm looking forward to leisurely strolls for a change. Though I do have a friend that wants to start walking for exercise purposes, so those might not be so leisurely, but at least it won't be 13 freaking miles!!! Anyway, my lovely hubby has been taking some preggo pics of me, so I will post those soon (as soon as I get them on my computer instead of his). Ta ta for now, lovelies!

The Texas Backwoods (Part 4 of many)

2010-05-03T10:02:00.000-06:00

Okay, I think this is going to be my last Hooker Retreat 2010 post. There was so much fun that it's hard to fit it all into words and pictures, and I want to draw out the fun for as long as I can, but I guess all good things have to come to an end.

So, Saturday after the famous haircut, we exchanged "hooker swag". We all brought some of our favorite things for each of the other girls.

Then we (and I mean "we" in the figurative sense, since I didn't participate in this part) did shots. Kirsten promised me she would do a shot at Hooker Retreat if I was pregnant, and surprise! It was the first shot she'd ever done!

Thea read us a bedtime story (and and she is NOT passed out in the above picture, but I think that is one of my favorite shots!).

Then we hung out by the fire, talking, and making awesome s'mores with caramel waffle cookies instead of graham crackers.

Sunday we went out to lunch early. We had our (very cute) waiter take a group picture.

On the way back from lunch, we took the scenic route (not that the regular route wasn't already scenic) and got to drive through the river at this gorgeous spot!

After lunch Sunday, 1/2 our group headed home. *sniff, sniff* Kirsten, Elaine, and I were left alone for awhile and went for a nice 3.5 mile "recovery walk". That evening was more campfire and s'mores, and then the next morning after breakfast we headed back to reality. We really are going to have to do this again soon, hookers!

The Texas Backwoods (Part 3 of many)

2010-05-01T09:57:00.000-06:00

Definitely the most exciting and adventurous part of our trip came Saturday afternoon. Kirsten had been wanting to cut her hair for awhile. It was long and thick and driving her nuts. She wanted to donate it and knew she barely had enough for that . So, she knew she would need to chop it ALL off. And she wanted to do it with us, how fun is that? ...So chop it all off she did!

Before...

One down, 3 more to go...

Don't worry - we cleaned up the faux-hock!

Ain't she purty? We love her and her adventurous spirit. Hookers unite!

The Texas Backwoods (Part 2 of many)

2010-04-30T08:17:00.001-06:00

We all went to bed as soon as we got there Friday evening (after unloading our gear in the pouring rain). This was so we could get up bright and early Saturday morning. I know, I know. This was a vacation, right? Well, 2/3 of our group is training for the San Diego Rock n Roll 1/2 Marathon on June 6th. We had to get our run/walk out of the way. Okay, I would have been fine with "getting it out of the way" a lot later, but whatever. We all headed out for our first time running/walking as a group.

I had a blast talking to myself and getting myself motivated. I decided that I needed to push myself past 6 miles. I hadn't gone any farther than that before and had a mental block about doing it. And I missed the 3 mile marker anyway. I turned around at 4. The last 3 miles were l-o-n-g and slow. The last 2 my feet started to hurt. When I got to the last mile, I almost hopped in the sweeper car that Amanda was driving. But instead she drove slowly and talked to me most of the way. Thanks, hooker! And I did 8 miles, people! Woo hoo!

Our whole group did well. We all did 8-10, and one *crazy* girl even did 12!

Then we went back and soaked our feet and legs in the Frio River. It was a blast. All that was missing was a cabana boy. (We are still taking applications.) While soaking the day away, I learned 2 lessons. One is that I should soak in cool water after every long walk - it felt amazing, and I didn't hurt much the next day. Two is that my pasty skin really needs sunscreen! I didn't burn terribly, but I really should know better!

Oh, and thanks again to Amanda for all the pictures on this page!

The Texas Backwoods (Part 1 of many)

2010-04-29T10:36:00.005-06:00

So, I promised more posts about my weekend. Well, after Jerrod and I spent Thursday night in Nevada, we woke up Friday morning (under a disco ball), and I got ready to leave again. Kirsten and I flew to San Antonio to meet up with our "hookers" from the Sisterhood for lots of fun and laughter. Christy picked us up at the airport, and we all met for a Mexican dinner feast (complete with very loud mariachi band).

Shown in the pic are (back row): Lisa, Amanda, Heather, me; (front row): Christy, Thea, Kirsten; (Elaine was taking the picture).

Then we drove 2 hours to Christy's beautiful piece of land in the middle of nowhere (otherwise known as Leakey, Texas). We got to witness an awesome Texas thunder storm on the way there. We got to experience raindrops as big as golf balls (okay, I may be exaggerating a little). We got to know the thrill of hydroplaning along a narrow, deserted highway. We learned to fear Christy's driving. :) We joked that instead of getting axe-murdered while visiting people we'd never met that we were going to die by driving off a cliff instead. It's much less dramatic and news-worthy to die in a car accident, don't ya think? But, eventually, we got to see Christy's awesome views. Aren't we lucky?

New Habits

2010-04-28T07:58:00.003-06:00

Okay, it's time for a new challenge over at the Sisterhood. Yes, I'm participating. No, I'm obviously not trying to lose weight. My preggo body needs to gain, but my preggo body also needs to be healthy. And this challenge is all about forming new habits. Healthy habits. And these habits are things I want to continue, during pregnancy and after. So, I'm on board. It's a short, 21-day challenge. Because it takes 3 weeks to form a new habit. So, over the next 3 weeks, here's what I'm aiming for:

Drink my alloted 8-8oz. glasses (64 total oz.) of water per day. It's important to stay hydrated while pregnant as body fluids increase, and if you know me, you know how much I hate water... I may have to go buy some of that crystallized lemon to put in my water, as I've given up artificial sweeteners for the most part in the last year (which means no Crystal Lite).
Exercise at least 5 days per week. No more just doing my long walk on weekends to train for that 1/2 marathon I'm doing in June. I also need to make karate Tuesday and Thursday and make the effort to walk several other days as well (and not just walking the dogs!)
STOP eating dinner in front of the TV once and for all. 'Nuf said on that one.

So, what new habits do you want to form? Head on over to the Sisterhood and link up!

Fun Gatherings

2010-04-27T18:25:00.005-06:00

Okay, so I promised more details on my weekend. And my weekend actually started on Thursday. Here's the story of Thursday (mostly in pictures). Jerrod and I...

...flew into Reno and went to see Kirsten and her lovely hubby...

...and family.

Then we went out to dinner for said lovely husband's birthday. Kirsten's brother is a chef, and he just kept bringing us course after course after course... until I thought I might explode. It all tasted wonderful!

After dinner, we had to head home and straight for bed, because the next morning was the beginning of a new adventure!

The Weekend is Over

2010-04-26T16:09:00.003-06:00

Well, Hooker Retreat 2010 has come to a close. As we mourn its passing, let's reminisce on a weekend, well-spent.

We ate...

We drank... (or attempted to)

We played... (though we are still taking applications for cabana boys)

We scalped Kirsten...

We had the most fun ever!!!

So, who is coming next year??? Hooker Retreat 2011 in I-da-HO! And don't worry, there will be many more posts to come about this weekend. (Oh, and thanks to the other girls for sharing their pictures.)

I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane...

2010-04-23T13:25:00.002-06:00

...Okay, well, I've already left. But I'm still SOOOOO excited! Kirsten and I are on our way to Hooker Retreat 2010 in the great metropolis of Leakey, Texas. We are going to hang out with like-minded hookers for relaxation, food, fun, laughter, oh yeah and walking/running til we drop tomorrow morning. I know you're jealous, right?

We've had this planned for months. We've ordered t-shirts for the occasion. We've picked gifts to exchange. We've emailed (oh, how we've emailed!!!). And now we're finally going. Most of us are getting to meet in person for the first time. This is going to be an epic event. And then most of us are getting together again in June (with a few more people) for San Diego Rock n Roll 1/2 Marathon.

Wahoo! We are so excited. I just can't wait til we actually get there!

Happy

2010-04-21T10:32:00.003-06:00

Um, okay, so I'm a slacker. I just caught up on 3 months worth of Kirsten's blogs and realized that she tagged me on this. So, I love a reason to post something that I don't have to invent. Here goes...

As always, there are instructions:

1. List 10 things that make you happy.
2.Try to do at least one of them today.
3. Pass on the award to 10 bloggers who brighten your day.

Okay, I'm probably not gonna pass this on, but at least I'll post it!

1. I am happy that I am pregnant. Finally. I can't believe it took 3 years of trying or that I'm 32 years old. I thought I'd have kids much younger, but I am SO happy that it's finally happening.

2. I am happy that I get to go see some of my bloggy friends in Texas this weekend for Hooker Retreat 2010. (For those who don't pay attention, "hooker" is a term of affection that my friends use. And we are so excited to get together.)

3. I am happy that en-route to Texas (like tomorrow - yikes!), Jerrod and I are stopping in Nevada to see Kirsten and family. Kirsten and I are going to Texas together, but I haven't seen her girls in awhile, and I miss them terribly.

4. I am happy that I live in safety and security. I really should not take that for granted. We don't have to worry about walking outside. We don't have to worry about having enough to eat. How lucky and blessed we are!

5. I am happy to be back at karate. I didn't go when I first found out I was pregnant since we weren't telling anyone yet, and I couldn't do anything that required contact. The exercise is a good thing! And, yes, in case you were worried, I'm on a restricted training schedule.

6. I am happy that I have decided to stay home and not work after I have this baby. Work is driving me nuts lately!

7. I am happy on any day where I feel like I accomplish something!

8. I am happy that the weather is nice, and it finally feels like spring here! I'm sure it'll feel like summer in another few weeks, and then I'll want winter back, but oh well!

9. I am happy for chicken and rice soup. Yes, I know it's not the weather for that, but it feels so good on a sicko-preggo tummy!

10. I am happy for good friends.

I Need a Library Card

2010-04-20T11:02:00.002-06:00

I know. It's hard to believe I don't have a library card. I really need to get one. In fact, I need to see if the library has the next book I need for book club, so I can get it read while I'm on a plane to see my friends this weekend! I don't think I've had a library card in years. I can't even remember the last time I was in a library to actually look for a book. I used to study in the library in college, but I did all my research online. I mean, who actually looks through those dusty volumes these days anyway?

Well, I guess it's time I move back to the days of being an official library-goer again, huh? I mean, it's so convenient. These days you can reserve a book online and pick it up right inside the door. And books are getting expensive, and I'm really trying to put myself on a budget! Of course, I don't read as much as some people I know. (Yes, you people know who you are...*ahem* Daphne.) But I need to find a cheaper way to feed my habit anyway!

Tell it to me Tuesdays - It all Started

2010-04-20T07:57:00.003-06:00

So, my friend Kirsten has been participating in Jade's blog carnival for awhile now, and I love reading her posts. So, I thought I'd try it. The challenge this week:

Complete the phrase “It all started…”

It all started with my friend Angela. When I was growing up, my mom used to watch Angela after school and all day during the summer while her parents were at work. Angela was a grade behind me and was my best friend. For 4th and 5th grade, we were inseparable. Everyone thought we looked like twins. I couldn't see it at the time, but I found an old newspaper clipping many, many years later. It was folded in half. We were dressed in matching outfits on either side of a group of school kids for a variety show we were doing. I looked at the 1/2 of the picture I could see and said, "That's me." Then I unfolded the picture and realized that was indeed NOT me. It was Angela. Guess we really did look alike.

Anyway, Angela reminded me on Facebook the other day that when we were little, we used to walk around with pillows under our shirts and pretend we were pregnant and then pretend we were moms. I had kinda forgotten all about that. But, yes, that's how long I've dreamed of becoming a mother. Angela became a mother a long time ago and now has two adorable girls, and now, finally it's my turn to get to be a mom. I can't imagine anything more fulfilling in life. Can you? And obviously I've wanted this for a very long time...

Monday Planning

2010-04-19T09:46:00.001-06:00

Okay, I haven't participated in Kirsten's Monday planning in a long time. Well, I haven't blogged in a long time. Everyone is probably overwhelmed by the onslaught of new posts I've done this last week or so! But it's Monday, and once again, I'm planning to:

1. Fly to Nevada on Thursday to go see Kirsten and spend her lovely husband's birthday celebrating with them.

2. Fly to Texas on Friday to see some of my bloggy friends from over at Shrinking Jeans for Hooker Retreat 2010.

3. Pack for said trips without bringing the kitchen sink!

4. Walk 6-8 miles while at Hooker Retreat on Saturday.

5. Get the house cleaned up before Jerrod's boss comes over for dinner Tuesday night.

6. Finish painting the guest room that we started working on over a week ago (or was it 2 weeks ago, now?).

7. Write thank you notes for everyone who donated money to me for the 1/2 marathon I'm walking in June for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I've been very lazy on this one and need to get it done!

8. And most importantly, I'm gonna have fun! I can't wait for a relaxing vacation weekend. Woo hoo!

Only ONE Baby

2010-04-16T08:57:00.000-06:00

By the way, just to clarify for anyone who might be a little confused...

There is only ONE baby in my tummy! No, I am NOT having twins. Everything is pretty standard. I know, I know. This is hard to believe. Okay, no it's not. But why does everyone I know seem to think I'm having twins? I have never given any indication that this is true. Not even a little bit. I know we did a lot of fertility treatments, which really increases the chance of multiples, but really people! Stop the rumors!

Ultrasound #2

2010-04-15T09:42:00.003-06:00

So, we had our second ultrasound on Tuesday. It was also our first official doctor's visit. In our 1st ultrasound that we did at the fertility clinic, we got to see a little heart beating away. In the second one, the baby was moving around and we could see little arms and legs. It was too cool. We also got to hear the heartbeat, but I think it was cooler to see the baby moving. It was surreal. Everything at the visit went well, so that's good. I'm finally starting to feel a little less scared and more excited. This has been such a long process that I can't help but be nervous about every little thing. And my mind wanders a lot, so that's never a good thing! :) Anyway, it's finally starting to feel real. Now if I could just get some energy and stop feeling nauseated...

But I did find a nursery bedding set that I absolutely LOVE. Wanna see it? Click here.

Yes, the rumors are true...

2010-04-01T10:50:00.003-06:00

Okay, I realize I'm a slacker when it comes to posting these days. I'll also admit that I haven't read a blog in a month or two. Yes, I know. I'm terrible! :) I just can't keep up these days. There's too much going on (and too much farming to do over on Facebook!).

But I'm sure you'll forgive me. That's what I love about my bloggy friends. Also, I have a good reason for being distracted lately. I'm sure most of you have heard already, but in case you haven't, I have some big news! I AM PREGNANT! Yes, I know this is a shocker. But it's true.

I was convinced it was never going to happen, so I'm still in shock and a little pre-occupied. But we are also very excited. We have been trying for 3 years with no success. Even fertility treatments with all the great drugs (*note the sarcasm here*) and IUI (insemination) didn't work. We were just getting ready to do in-vitro (which is about the most expensive thing in the world) when it happened. I had taken a few months (or maybe 6) off from treatments, because I just needed a break.

I know that everyone says that these things happen when you stop thinking about them, but really that's not true. You never STOP thinking about them. Every month you wonder and hope and pray you are pregnant. And every month it turns out that you have to try again. A positive pregnancy test was a real shocker this time.

I had felt tired right after I conceived (and had no idea I was pregnant). One evening I couldn't get off the couch. Then I went to bed early, slept 10 hours, got up the next morning and was still tired! Thankfully that didn't continue forever. But a week later I was so tired I had to take a break while vacuuming the couch. I knew my period was due any day, so I decided to pee on a stick, just so that I could see the negative result, stop thinking about it, and get up off my lazy butt. But it was positive. Barely.

The line was light blue. In fact, my husband didn't believe it. He used to work for a company that sold those things, and he knows they are not very accurate. But I told him that it had never even been the slightest bit blue EVER before. I tried again the next morning. Still blue. So I called the fertility office, and had them fax over an order for a blood test to the lab. I got blood drawn that morning and had the results around noon. I was sitting at work at the nurses' station and had to leave and run to the nurses' lounge for privacy. I immediately called Jerrod, and I think we both were in total shock.

I had another blood test 2 days later to make sure the numbers doubled like they were supposed to. Then a few weeks later (last Tuesday) I had my first ultrasound at the fertility clinic. The baby didn't look like much more than a blob on the screen yet, but we could see the little beating heart, which made me cry. We started telling people this weekend, and now I think practically the whole world knows. We have our first doctor's appointment in a week and a half, which will fly by I'm sure.

At this point, I'm at 8 1/2 weeks, which is SO silly, because technically the first two weeks that they count are before you even ovulate, but oh well. I'm due in early November. I am still really nervous, but everyone keep your fingers crossed, say a prayer (or 10), and keep us in your thoughts!

It's a Party!

2010-03-15T07:51:00.002-06:00

For the next 2 weeks over at the Sisterhood, we are having a Team Shrinking Jeans Bash! What is this Bash I speak of, you might be asking? It's a HUGE party with door prizes and an awesome Grand Prize of $400 cash! Yes, cash!

What is Team Shrinking Jeans anyway? Well, a group of 16 Sisters and one Brother are training to run the San Diego Rock N Roll 1/2 Marathon through the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team in Training Program (TNT). Through TNT, Team Shrinking Jeans will be training for the race AND raising $48,900 for LLS. Isn't that amazing?

You can read more about our amazing team here, and find out why each of us is doing this here.

How can you join the Bash? Simple! Donate to Team Shrinking Jeans through our secure online team fundraising page. For every $5 you donate, you'll be entered to win one of over 30 fabulous door prizes. If you donate $25, not only will you get 5 chances to win door prizes, but you'll also be entered to win the granddaddy of all prizes: CASH!

Did you know?

Every 4 minutes one person is diagnosed with a blood cancer.

An estimated 139,860 people in the United States will be diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma in 2009. New cases of leukemia, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma account for 9.5 percent of the 1,479,350 new cancer cases diagnosed in the United States this year*.

Overall incidence rates per 100,000 population for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma are almost identical for data reported in 2008 and 2009 [(leukemia 12.2, 2009 vs.12.3, 2008); (NHL, 19.5, each year); (Hodgkin lymphoma, 2.8, each year); (myeloma, 5.6, each year)].

Leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma will cause the deaths of an estimated 53,240 people in the United States this year. These blood cancers will account for nearly 9.5 percent of the deaths from cancer in 2009 based on the 562,340 total cancer-related deaths.

Every ten minutes, someone dies from a blood cancer. This statistic represents nearly 146 people each day, or more than six people every hour. Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children and young adults under the age of 20. In general, the likelihood of dying from most types of leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma decreased from 1996 to 2005 (the most recent data available).

*Facts and statistics from Leukemia, Lymphoma, Myeloma Facts 2009-2010, June 2009.

Those are some pretty eye-opening statistics, huh?

So head on over and join in the Bash! Check out the fabulous prizes, click on over and donate, and be sure to check in everyday for Happy Hour!

Yard Designing

2010-03-12T08:29:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday's post reminded me of a saga in yardwork that is beginning here on my house. You see, it's spring here. Well, I guess it's technically not spring yet, but it's close enough.

We've been busy cleaning out all the dead stuff from our yard. And I decided that I'm going to redo all my flowerbeds this year. I don't know why I think this is a good idea. I just have lost my mind. I mean, I love having a pretty yard. I love being outside and enjoying the yard. I just don't love actually WORKING in my yard. But then again, I don't really love work. It's, well, so work-like, ya know what I mean? And yard work involves sweat and heat (or right now cold and wind) and muscle strain and, in my case, anxiety.

I do try to live by my Aunt Kathy's philosophy that if it dies, it wasn't meant to be... but I have trouble with the vision of how I want it all to look. It doesn't help that the flower bed in my back yard is ridiculously HUGE! My husband didn't want as much lawn to mow, so he convinced me to put in this monstrous flower bed. What was I thinking? I'm going to have to remember to thank him for this brilliant idea he had.

So, anyway, I downloaded design plans and looked up where to buy each of the plants. The front yard and side yard are pretty cemented in my mind. It's that stupid backyard that is killing me! It's hard to find a pre-done plan that is the same shape and certainly the same SIZE! And I need something that works around my existing bushes and is good for heat and sun and low-water conditions (since if I'm gonna re-do it, I might as well go eco-friendly, right?).

Well, okay, I actually found one that I like, but I just still can't "see" it, ya know? And, quite frankly I am still going to have to modify it, 'cause it has lavender in it, and lavender always stays in small little clumps in the plans, but turns into 5 foot wide mammoth bushes in this neck of the woods. So, what do you put in place of lavender that stays in small clumps yet is kinda the same texture ('cause I'm sure that's why they use it) and is drought-resistant? And I have to move the plants all around to fit in the shape of MY yard.

Do you see why I'm confused? Is anyone any good at this? Am I just being silly? Does this concern anyone else? Does someone wanna come visit me and just tell me what to do? That would be the easiest solution...