1. Hair gone awry.
2. Clothes that don't match (but she insisted on wearing them because she picked them out herself).
3. 2 DIFFERENT SOCKS ON THE FEET.
4. Ugly shoes.
Anyone else want to return to the 80's??
NOTE: My 1 year old niece grabbed my arm right as I was taking this picture. It's blurry and doesn't even look like my daughter. Alas, it is!
I have gotten the "OK" from my OB to resume losing weight. YAY!
I have also gotten her "OK" to continue my right-carb diet. This is eating the right carbs (fruit, whole-grain bread, vegetables, etc.) instead of eliminating them all together.
SO - this means that my weight-loss tracker is now back up on the side bar. Every Sunday, I will weigh myself and update with how much weight has been lost.
Yes, it is embarrassing having that weight-loss tracker over there. It's exposing a side of myself that is quite a sensitive subject, and I feel like I'm putting it all out there for everyone to see. But it's accountability, you know? Truth be told, it's really for me...and not you. =)
I'll go to Curves 3 times a week (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday), and walk the other 2-3 evenings (sometimes Friday will be eliminated due to a date).
LONG TERM GOAL: I'm saying it now. Within the next couple of years, I WILL RUN A HALF MARATHON. Watch me.
Today, my sweet husband is exhausted. Really exhausted. The kind where you look at him, and he looks like he's been run over by a truck.
Why, you ask?
Because Friday night, he fed the baby at 4am which allowed me to get a full night's sleep and get up at 6:30 with our daughter. (He got to sleep in until 7:45.)
Because Sunday morning, he awoke with our very bright-eyed little girl at 6:35 which allowed me to sleep until 7:45. (He went to sleep at 10:15. Well, so did I, but his sleep was uninterrupted.)
I smiled a big, giant, secret smile of satisfaction as he explains his reasons for being exhausted to those in church who comment on his zombie-like appearance. Maybe he feels a sliver of what I feel - getting up for the midnight feeding AND getting up early with our girl.
I love both times - midnight allows me to spend some quiet, peaceful time with my brand new baby. Early morning allows me some uninterrupted play time with my growing big girl. I know I will look back and miss these moments, so I try my hardest to enjoy them while I can. (But I also do look forward to the day when my baby boy sleeps through the night!)
I still chuckle at the thought of my exhausted companion. His heart is in the right place by taking one of the shifts on the weekends. And I love him for it.
I have struggled my whole life with making cookies. I can never get it right! They're too hard, too crumbly, over-cooked, under-cooked, what have you. I have tried many different recipes, different pans, even different kinds of flour.
Well - today, I finally figured it out. The secret isn't the ingredients. It's the order in which you mix them! You have to WHIP your butter, eggs, and sugar until they're light and fluffy. Then, add your SIFTED flour slowly. WHO KNEW?!?!
To top it off, I put a piece of Lindt chocolate on each cookie. HEAVEN!!!
Have you ever gotten a quilt that is SO BEAUTIFUL, you don't want to use it?
I have.
Thus, the inspiration for "Ugly Bug Quilts," an ingenious idea by my sister's sister-in-law. They are quilts made with UGLY fabric.
They're big, soft, and won't care if they get spit up on, pooped on, etc. They're meant to be used!!
I got me an Ugly Bug Quilt for my sweet kids. Isn't it fun??
Happy Birthday my sweet, loving, curious, stubborn, inquisitive girl.
NOTE: I learned my lesson from last year. I didn't make my own cake. I bought this one from Costco. $17 for a giant cake that is amazing? NO BRAINER!
NOTE: Sariah's birthday was July 16. Yes, I am just now posting about it. =)
Why is it that newborn babies look like little old men? Wrinkly foreheads, weird hair, and pants that are way too big and sit up around the waist "Urkle"-style. But, just like little old men, we love them even more for it.
Is more naked exploration in a superb hat, sparkly shoes, and with your drink of choice.
When I became pregnant, one of my first thoughts was, "How much weight should I gain?"
I asked my doctor, because I wanted to be a healthy overweight pregnant woman.
Her response? "Try to stay under 25 pounds."
I gained 18 pounds with Sariah, so under 25 should be doable.
A total of 22 pounds later, we had an 8 pound baby boy.
I stepped on the scale yesterday morning, a little apprehensive about what I would see. I knew I had lost weight, and it's typical to drop quite a bit of weight really quickly (baby, blood, water, etc.). Because the scale and I have never had a friendly relationship, my heart raced as I looked down.
The 22 pounds that I had gained were gone.
Plus 2 more.
What???
24 pounds, gone.
"Yeah, right," I thought. To test this, I put on a pair of khaki capris that were a little snug before I got pregnant. You know, the "incentive" pair of pants you keep handy for when you start losing weight. They weren't snug. In fact, they were kind of falling off my hips.
I guess the 25 pounds I lost before I got pregnant really was starting to show. I just hadn't been brave enough to try on those pants - again afraid that 25 pounds wouldn't be enough to get them to fit.
I'm not allowed to diet because of milk production, but I am allowed to watch what I eat. This, in addition to a new walking regime, will help me start shedding the pounds once again. When I am emotionally ready, I will put my weight loss tracker back up on my sidebar for all to see - more accountability for me!
It's also amazing to me that in a matter of an hour, my uterus went from the size of a watermelon to the size of a large grapefruit. What an incredible creation our bodies are.
That's really the only way to describe going from 1 to 2 children. Having a baby who's got his nights and days mixed up. Feeling like a dairy cow who's constantly hooked up to something. Adjusting - but surviving.
Truth be told, there's something very peaceful about being up at 2am (and 12am, and 5am, and 6:30am) with a newborn. Just you and him, in a quiet house. Times I am trying my hardest to enjoy because they won't last.
Here are some pictures of our journey thus far.
First is Sariah meeting her baby brother. She was absolutely fascinated with his toes:
Lil' Miss Explorer opening up every nook and cranny:
Feeding her baby:
Sariah has taken this all in stride. She has been a wonderful helper, and is absolutely in love with her little brother. Who wouldn't fall in love with him, with cheeks like those??
All ready to go home:
Resting quietly in Grandma Franklin's arms:
And Sariah's newest favorite toy: the carseat! She is constantly putting something in there. Some days, it's her baby. Others, it's her monkey. On this day, it was her sheep:
The pictures wouldn't be complete without a cheesy grin to go with her handy work!
Love my girl. Love this baby boy. But most of all, love my husband who has taken a week off of work to help any way he can. Whether it's fixing our girl breakfast, taking her swimming, or cooking dinner, he has not bat an eye when it comes to helping out. Husbands are wonderful!
