Diet update

So, this is day 4 of the diet, and it's been difficult. The first two days went great, but then company came (my sister-in-law and friend from WI), and the birthday party prep went into overdrive, and it hasn't gone so well since. I've still done better than I would have done without being on the diet, so I'm okay with that. We've been sleeping in Sam's room with him so our company could have our room, so I haven't had access to our computer to load pictures, but hopefully I'll be able to tonight.

I'll also load pictures of the party soon too. I was quite pleased with the decor. Stephanie and Christa helped out a lot, as well as Jeremy. It was a group effort, and it went great. It was a small party, but it was almost perfect. So, pictures and updates to come, hopefully later tonight.

ONE YEAR!!!

It is unbelievable to me that my baby is now one whole year old! Wow. Where did this year go? And is it a little strange that this seems more like a new year to me than January 1st did? I almost started making a list of my yearly goals. It's probably because this is also the end of breastfeeding. Yay!!! Not that I didn't love breastfeeding my baby, but I'm hoping to get my body back to myself for awhile now. Mostly what I loved about breastfeeding Sam was that it was what was best for him. Last week I started weaning him, cutting down his feedings to about once, sometimes twice a day, and he got sick! Ugh. It's the first time he's been sick in his life! A few other times he got a runny nose from teething, but that's it. Now he has a horrible cough, and is all congested. :-( I started him on infant vitamins, and went back to breastfeeding him whenever he wants. So, hopefully he'll kick it by his big 1st birthday bash on Saturday. But, it's Thursday, so I'm not holding my breath. So, today he hasn't had any breastmilk at all, yet. When he got up this morning, well, afternoon (1ish) I fed him cereal mixed with applesauce and thawed stored breastmilk. I'm pretty excited that now, I can leave him with a sitter (mom & dad) without worrying about how he'll eat. Not that we have the money to go anywhere, since we spent it all on the big birthday bash.



So, the real deal that I'm totally ignoring is why have I ignored this blog for over 2 months? I don't know. I guess because I started working again, preparing taxes for Jackson-Hewitt, and I didn't adjust real well to having two jobs (J-H and mommy). I was tired, A LOT! But, things have slowed down at work now. I've only been working 2-3 days a week, so I feel more like myself. I'm back in the world of the blogging! Even if no one reads my blog but me.



Today is also my D-day!! (D stands for diet). I'm so unclever, I know. I'm going on a diet, counting calories, exercising, and trying to drink 8 glasses of water and eat 5 fruits & veggies for a variety of reasons: 1. Samuel is one year old ( therefore, I don't have to worry about my milk drying up, and I can't use baby weight as an excuse anymore), 2. I M.U.S.T. be thinner/more fit before getting pregnant again, which we want to do in about 3-4 months so that Sam will have a sibling about 2 years younger than he, 3. I am outgrowing all of my clothes 4. I am soooo out of shape walking up the stairs a few times at my sister-in-law's house wore me out 5. I don't feel/look beautiful anymore. I could probably come up with 100 reasons, but those are the most important to me. So, the diet begins. I've done fine so far today, but night time is always when I am weakest. I have lots of fruits and veggies stocked up at home, so being prepared is half the battle. I WILL DO THIS!!! My short-term goal is to lose 20 lbs by March 31st. I weighed in at 265 lbs. this morning! Unbelievable!!! Okay, it's believable since I have weighed more than that, but still embarrasing. I'm going to use this blog as a way to keep up with my weight loss. I am keeping a Food Journal also, but I plan to put pictures, etc... on here. Soon, when I'm at home (I'm at work right now) I will post a before picture. So, by the end of March, I will weigh, at most 245 lbs, my clothes will fit much better, and I will be healthier and more fit!



My Daily Goals:



1. Eat between 1500 - 1800 calories

2. Eat at least 5 fruits & veggies

3. Drink at least 8 glasses of water

4. Exercise for at least 30 minutes

5. Keep a food journal of everything that goes in my mouth



I'll keep you posted on how awesomely I meet my goals everyday from here on out.

Day 4 - Book

Day Four of the best of 2009 blog challenge is the book that impacted me the most in 2009. I didn't read a whole lot in 2009 (see last post), but the book that affected me the most was "What to Expect In the First Year". Lame, I know. It's a book about how to care for your baby throughout the first year. It tells you what milestones to expect when, ect... When my baby was newborn, I devoured it to make sure that we were doing everything "right" and that our baby was normal. I really like that this book is sure to reassure parents that just because their child hasn't reached a milestone when other babies around did or when it's the "average" time, that it doesn't mean there's something wrong with your baby. This book helped me keep my cool and my confidence.

Day 3 - Article

Okay, so today's post is supposed to be about the article that I read in 2009 that changed me the most. But, to be honest, I had my baby in February of 2009, so I spent most of this year with a newborn for the first time. Hence, I didn't read hardly any articles. About the only things I read had to do with either pregnancy, birth or babies. But, I could say that these articles changed me. I didn't know anything about babies when I got pregnant. I never liked babies. I didn't have any younger siblings. I was pretty much in the dark. So, these articles gave me so much information and advice in how to deal with all things baby. I certainly don't do everything to the letter concerning my son, but I feel so much more secure having the knowledge to make an educated decision on how I'm going to do things. So, all the articles I read, in everything in Parents, American Baby, Cookie, and the zillion other magazines, books and websites I devoured while pregnant (honestly, there hasn't been much reading since he was born) have changed me in that they took me from being super-insecure about this whole motherhood thing, to be pretty confident about it. :-) And that's a great feeling!

Restaurant Moment

Today's post for the Best of 2009 Challenge is the most memorable restaurant moment in 2009. The one that keeps coming back to me is when we went to Nashville, TN in May. They have a big mall there called Opry Mills and in this mall is the Aquarium Restaurant. We (me, Sam & J) went with our friends Debra & Jonathan & their kids (Brooklyn, Abygail, and Ceira). Deb is one of my best friends from back in the day, but now she lives in TN, and has 3 kids, and I lived in Wisconsin at the time with a baby, so we never get to see each other anymore. So, it was great to be able to spend some time together, catching up. The restaurant is very cool, with a tunnel under an aquarium when you first walk in, so the fish are all around you. Then, in the dining area, there is a HUGE floor to ceiling aquarium with all kinds of fish, sharks, and I don't know what all sea creatures in it. So, you get to watch it while eating. Neat-o! Too bad that the food wasn't as good as the decor. The food was pretty much awful and extremely overpriced. That was the only drawback of the whole experience. But, mostly, it was a great experience.

Trip

Okay, I know I've already posted today, and it's supposed to be Wordless Wednesday, but I just found this really cool challenge that I want to participate in called The Best of 2009 Blog Challenge. There is a different topic that we're supposed to write about each day in the month of December, and yesterday's topic was Trip. The best trip that I took in 2009. I started a day late, so I have a bit of catching up to do.

I took a lot of great trips in 2009, but the best one would have to be the road trip that I took out to New Jersey with my family to see my brother and his family. It totally rocked! Even with a 5 month old (Sam) along for the ride. Sam and J both got to go to a bunch of states they'd never been to before, so we made sure to stop and take some pics along the way.We stopped for a tour of Hershey's Chocolate World in Hershey, PA. Yummy!
It was both Sam & J's first time to see the ocean on the Atlantic shore of New Jersey! Sam was not impressed. The waves scared him.
It was such a great trip for so many reasons. It was the first time Sam got to meet his Unkie Josh and cousins, Erin, Ashley and Drew. It was the first time J got to meet my nephew Drew. It was the first time Sam went to Chuck E. Cheese, the first time he tasted cotton candy (he loved it!), and the experiences just piled up. It was a tough trip to tackle with a 5 month old, but I'm so glad that we did it.

Wordless Wednesday

Sam, ready for church on Sunday morning, but not happy about it. He doesn't like mornings.
Sam and J at the Fox Theatre, going to see Little House on the Prairie, Sam's very 1st play!