Our Friday Fun

This morning I woke up feeling particularly gung-ho to get out of the house and do something. And by "something", I mean something fun! There are three reasons I don't get out more with Audrey:
1.) I'm a homebody by nature. I like staying inside in my pj's, watching TV, and playing with Audrey.
2.) I usually try to make Monday-Friday my "work week". I give myself a list of things to do (clean the house, grocery shop, etc). When you've got to work around a baby's schedule, that list of things takes 10 times longer to accomplish. Plus, I try to make sure I'm doing activities with her that she likes so she doesn't get bored.
3.) It's a LOT of work going out with her! Pack the diaper bag, make sure we have plenty of formula (and I hate having to stop and feed her while we're out. She gets soooo distracted by all the sights and sounds), so I really try and work our errands out to where we'll be home before her next feeding time. Now that she's on a 4-hour feeding schedule, it's a lot easier.

So, as I was feeding her this morning, I had already decided it would be a perfect day to go to Hobby Lobby and buy some stickers to bling out her helmet! I also wanted to go to Mardel to get myself a Bible Study book to go along with my February goal. However, those were errands that would get us out of the house, and I always talk to her as we shop to keep her entertained, but I really wanted something for her. So I looked on the Wylie library homepage (I knew they offered read-alouds for all ages), and that happened to be this morning! We suddenly had something to do! I finished feeding her, got us both dressed and somewhat put together, and we left.

First stop = Hobby Lobby for helmet bling!

Second stop = Mardel (just a short walk away). Here's my study I'll be doing in February:

 There was a nice man helping us in Mardel. He had a very clean-cut beard and mustache. He was talking to Audrey, again, very sweet, about mid 50s or so, and she started crying...crocodile tears-crying!! Facial hair scares her :( She has to get used to my dad every time she sees him which is 1-2 times per month because his facial hair scares her. It's sad, but kind of funny/cute at the same time. I have a feeling next Christmas she'll cry in her Santa pictures!

 Finally, off to the library. Story time is divided into 4 different brackets: Babies & Books (ages 0-12 months),  Toddler Time (1-2 years), Big Kids (3-5 years), and then an All Ages time. Their story times state that each time is very age-appropriate in what books are read, and how they're presented, so I knew this would be something that Audrey would enjoy because it would be geared towards her age level.

Waiting for the library to open!

Audrey looks happier here...selfies are hard with a 4 month old

Each baby got their own copies of the books

We started out following the book Baby Beluga while the song played (which is now permanently stuck in my head). Audrey enjoys helping me turn pages. Then we did a lot of finger plays and rhymes where lots of body movements were included. The lady presenting the story time carefully explained why we were doing what we were doing, how important it is to expose your kids to print and phonological awareness at a young age, so the teacher in me loved hearing that!

Side note: last year when I was teaching preschool, I had 4 out of 7 of my kids who had no idea HOW to look at a book. They didn't know how to hold a book, which way the pages turned, they didn't even care about the pictures, and they had NOTHING else wrong with them aside from being deaf. Parents are the most important part of a baby's development, and I make sure to read to Audrey and point out pictures and help her point to pictures every day. OK, I'm off my soapbox. :) But teaching has probably made me overly sensitive to making sure I expose Audrey to the right things!

I didn't take pictures while we were in story time, but Audrey LOVED it! While we were doing hand motions, I did hers hand-over-hand, and she had a huge grin on her face the entire time. Eventually, she got bored and started eating the book, but the librarian had told us from the get-go if that's what they wanted to do, it was fine, so I let her chew on the book, and it kept her entertained. The librarians also included basic signs of animals that were in the book, and explained how signs help a baby communicate before they have the ability to talk. I can't say enough wonderful things about story time! Once we got home it was time for Audrey to eat, and then she needed a nice, long nap because she had not had one all day due to our day of fun. I ate my lunch and then worked out. Whenever I work out inside, I usually have a "helper" with me. Today was no different :)

That piece of paper he's laying on had my workout written down on it. Do you notice how the rest of the table is empty?? There was plenty of other room to lay down, but noooo...he needed to lay on my paper. He's a stinker sometimes pretty much always.

We had such a fun Friday, and will definitely go back to story time more often! If anybody else knows of fun, free, child-centered things in the Wylie area please let me know :)

Shapin' Up and Slimmin' Down!

This week, I lost 0.2 pounds. This week has been an off week for me (I'm still not eating junk food). There was one day that I took a nap (at 9:45 in the morning!) right after I had put Audrey down. I had planned on working out at that time, but I was soooo tired! I've had a major sweet tooth, and I just haven't had any energy. I know...it makes it sound like I'm pregnant, right? Well, thankfully I'm not (we do want at least one more, but not anytime soon!), but the proof that I'm most definitely not pregnant is what's lead to a week of feeling tired, munchy, and lacking energy. I plan on being MUCH better with everything next week.

Some successes of mine this week:
1. We went to Twisted Root for burgers one day. I got a turkey burger. I really wanted something crunchy on the side, so I asked Michel to stop at a gas station for me and I got a bag of Cheez-Its, ha! Plus, the bag had 3 servings in it, so I counted out one serving, and threw the rest away. We don't normally keep chips or crackers in the house because it's so easy to sit there and munch on them and lose track of how much you've eaten. Snack foods of any kind are my absolute weakness.

Here's to a new week of eating better, and definitely working out better! Hope everyone's enjoying their weekend! Audrey and I are going to get outside and walk and enjoy some much-needed fresh air!

Physical Therapy Eval

Audrey and I had a fun day out today! She had her PT eval at 1:30, and one of my friends works there, so we met up for lunch beforehand. Once again, when I'm eating lunch with a friend, Audrey will cry. As soon as I get her out of her carseat, she is all smiles! She just wants to see the action! I wish I had gotten my camera out quickly because Courtney was holding Audrey at one point, and Audrey just had the biggest smile on her face. It was precious. By the time I got my camera out, the smiles were over (of course!).

Anyways, Audrey had a blast during her PT eval. The therapist just had awesome toys out to capture Audrey's attention, so that she could see Audrey's range of motion in turning her head from side to side, she had some toys out to try and entice Audrey to grab in order to see if Audrey can bring both hands to midline, and some that were trying to entice Audrey to roll to her right side (she always, and only, rolls to her left). So she definitely does favor the left, and is a bit stronger on her left side, but the therapist said that she has full range of motion with turning her head, she can reach out and grab for objects no matter what side of her they are on, etc. We are continuing the exercises that we've been doing (well...we did them very diligently up until Christmas, and then kind of fell off the bandwagon...oops!), but the therapist only is going to schedule 2-3 follow-up appointments just once a month, and she said after that we should be good to go! Audrey has come so far from when we made this appointment in the beginning of December!

On a side note...in my last post, I was complaining about all of the appointments that we have to go to right now with the helmet, torticollis, general pediatric needs, etc., but being in Our Children's House today where kids go for PT and OT needs, I am so thankful to have such a healthy baby! Fixing a flat head and a stiff neck is nothing compared to the needs of some of the kids that I saw today.

Again, no pictures! Ultimate Mommy Fail!!!

Drama, drama

Man, I have not done any postings other than a quick weight post in awhile! Between the stress of trying to make sure Audrey was eating enough (for a couple of weeks she was only eating 2-3oz. at a time rather than her regular 5-6oz, which caused her to lose weight, and Mommy and Daddy to stress), going for many fittings and checkups with her helmet (we had to go again today because she had a red mark across her forehead, so the clinic asked if we could come in for them to take a look at - she developed a heat rash and can't wear the helmet until the redness goes away), and just everyday life I have not taken any pictures since Christmas other than her 4-month pictures. I need to fix this quickly! Our sweet little baby is causing so much drama! I say this jokingly...she's really an easy baby. Except for trying to get her to eat, but she seems to have gained her appetite back, so I think we're all good in that regard, too.

Hopefully, her heat rash will go away, so that we can resume helmet-wear soon. Also, tomorrow is her physical therapy evaluation, but I feel like her neck strength has greatly improved, so I won't be too surprised if she doesn't qualify (I also won't be sad if she doesn't qualify...I feel like we have medical appointments out the wazoo, and Audrey's actually a healthy baby!)

So that's a quick update on our life. I hope to get back to blogging and overloading FB and the blog with cute baby pictures very soon! :)

Shapin' Up and Slimmin' Down!

I went down 1.4 pounds this week!! Woo-hoo!

The weather has been so much better this week than it was last week, so I have gone running every day this past week - either by myself, or with Audrey (but then I have to walk). I grabbed lunch at Subway one day, and we went to Texas Roadhouse again last night (I am so much of a "meat and potatoes" girl), and again I just ate my meal - no rolls. Let me add....I really wanted a roll last night! In my head, I was thinking, "Just one won't hurt, right?" but I knew that I would have to blog about it because I can't keep secrets, and the few seconds of deliciousness that I would experience was not worth the guilt I would give myself for breaking my own "cleanse" that I've put myself on.

Since starting my Operation: Lose Baby Weight at the beginning of November, I have lost 9 pounds exactly! I'm 18 pounds away from my goal weight, and hoping to be back in all of my old clothes by May/June - just in time for summer :)

Look Whooo Is 4 Months Old (Updates have been added!!)

My sweet baby is 4 months old! She has learned so much between last month and this month, and has developed so many new skills! It's so much fun to watch her learn and grow! She continues to be the happiest baby ever, just with a couple of exceptions this week. We've had very fussy moments - not days, moments. I took her to the pediatrician yesterday because we were concerned about her - she's not eating as well, she's curling up when eating sometimes like she's in pain, she's definitely not sleeping well (though she still sleeps well at night - if she's going to pick a time to not sleep well, I'd much rather her daytime naps give us problems than the nighttime). We don't know if she's devleoped reflux (can they develop it later in life??), is having some tummy/gas issues, is trying to cut some teeth, or what, but either way, I want to find out the problem so that we can figure out a solution. I hate seeing her upset and not knowing how to fix it.

Anyways, onto the fun stuff:

Length: Her 4-month well-visit is on Tuesday, and I'll update then (Update: 24 inches/50th %ile)

Weight: 13.6 lbs/50th %ile (she was measured when we went to the pediatrician) (Update: she dropped down to 13.3 lbs - still 50th %ile when we went for her well-check, so if you've been hearing Michel and I stress about Audrey's food intake, this is why. Luckily, it seems to be resolving itself now - about 2 weeks after it all started)

Head Circumference: see length :) (Update: 15 3/4 inches - 25th %ile)

Sleep: She continues to sleep through the night!!! I feed her at 8, put her down at 9, and she sleeps until 8am! Normally, she takes 3 naps that are each an hour and a half-ish, and still has a late evening nap that I'm trying to cut out. Every time I plan on cutting it out, she falls asleep! You would think that means that she doesn't need it, but then her other naps are only like an hour-ish long, so I'm trying to re-vamp our schedule

Eating: It's all over the charts! Sometimes she'll eat 6 oz., sometimes she'll only eat 3! She's chunked up nicely since her 2-month well-visit - gaining 3.4 lbs, and going from the 25th %ile to the 50th in weight, so I'm not too worried about how much she eats.

Clothes: All 0-3 months, but some of her onesies are getting very snug in the length. I see us moving up to 3-6 months in the next couple of weeks, I'm sure. She's also in a size 2 diaper all the time.

New Achievements this Month:
12/21/13: Mommy and Daddy watched her roll over from her back to her tummy for the first time (this isn't the first time she's done it because there were times I got her up from a nap, or nighttime sleep and she was on her tummy though I put her on her back. This was just the first time others witnessed it.
1/3/14: Audrey laughed her first, true, big girl laugh! Before today, it was her smiling while making a "huhhhhh" sound, but today it was a continuous big girl chuckle! So precious! Yes, Mommy cried :)
1/11/14: (since I'm late on posting this anyways) She activated a musical lion for the first time, intentionally. It hangs above her on her bouncy seat and she grabbed on to the string and pulled, rather than just hitting at it with her hands
- She explores her daddy's face with her hands all the time. We think she likes the texture because his face is much rougher/scratchier than Mommy's face (unless he shaved that day).
- Can hold her bottle with her own two hands (though I don't let her, but if I have to scratch an itch or get a drink, it's nice that she usually hangs on to it for me)
- Gives "kisses"! After me or Michel kiss her, she will put her open mouth onto our cheek. I don't really know if it's a "kiss", but she does only do it after we've kissed her, so I do think she's understanding that we do it to her, and then she wants to do it to us. I don't know...maybe I'm trying to make her too advanced :)
- Is really starting to understand how to manipulate her hands to hold desired objects and put those objects in her mouth intentionally (pretty much everything goes in her mouth right away!)
- She has gained some AWESOME neck control! This girl is being evaluated for physical therapy because of her torticollis in a couple of weeks, and after seeing all of her improvements with all of the exercises we did with her, I don't know if she'll qualify (which would be great!)

Things she likes:
1. Talking! This still remains true :)
2. Swinging - she loves talking to her "swing friends" as I call them. Sometimes they seem to make her angry as her tone of voice reflects that :)
3. Car rides - she will either talk to her toys hanging above her carseat the whole time, "sing" to the radio (I swear she can match her tone to the music she hears, and she DEFINITELY didn't inherit that trait from me or Daddy - if she turns out to be a good singer), or she will sleep most of the ride
4. People - anyone who talks to her, whether she knows them or not, is guaranteed to get a big, precious, gummy smile from her!
5. Being tickled by Daddy - still guaranteed to get a laugh
6. Sucking her thumb
7. Sleeping on her tummy - I still put her on her back, but 90% of the time, she rolls over almost immediately
8. Her bouncy seat

Things she doesn't like:
1. Men with facial hair (she had to get used to my dad the first couple times she saw him at Christmas, and she has seen him on a fairly regular basis since she was born!) - she cried when he would first hold her though :(
2. The Wheels on the Bus - also made her cry
3. Being in a carseat while Mommy's eating lunch also makes her cry. I had lunch with a friend today, and she cried when I put her in the sling. As soon as I took her out, she was happy as could be! She didn't even cry when I left the table (she was with my friend) to go to the bathroom. She just wanted to be out where she could see what was going on, and interact with everyone. 

I just love this lil' stinker!!!

Shapin' Up and Slimmin' Down!

I only went down 0.4 lbs this week, but a loss is still a loss. Considering how much I run/walk, I was hoping to see more than that. Oh well!

I have a few things I want to highlight that I'm proud of myself for doing:
1. Trying to run/walk 70 miles in the month of January when I don't have access to a treadmill, or a gym was craziness on my part. I'm still trying to get it done, though! Rain and cold weather has been my disadvantage this week. I got creative and walked Wal-Mart for about 40 minutes (pretty sure the employees thought I was nuts because I was just walking with a baby stroller and obviously wasn't buying anything). Yesterday I walked for about an hour at Stonebriar. It's bigger than Wal-Mart, so I could walk way faster, and nobody was paying attention to the crazy lady walking with the baby stroller :)
2. Last Sunday, Michel and I went to Texas Roadhouse to eat lunch after church, and I didn't have ANY rolls! Do you know how much I love their rolls with the sweet butter?? Mmmm.... :)
3. I remembered that the Wylie Rec Center will let you pay $8 for a day pass, so I went there on Thursday while Michel was home to stay with Audrey and ran over 4 miles on a treadmill!
4. Though it's only been 11 days, I'm still way proud of the fact I haven't had a morsel of junk food, yet I don't feel like I've deprived myself in any way. I have Weight Watcher candy, and Skinny Cow candy, as well as fat-free, sugar-free pudding to help me out when/if my sweet tooth hits, but mainly I've just been saving them as my weekend indulgence :)

Shapin' Up and Slimmin' Down!

I weighed in today, and I lost a full pound!! Woo-hoo! That's amazing, considering from last Saturday through today, I've consumed almost an entire 1-lb slice and share Snickers bar (apparently I don't share well, haha!), half a bag of M&Ms (the big bag - not the single portion size...see? I don't share well), I've eaten at Whataburger twice, and we ordered a pizza on New Year's Eve. Wow...I feel like a huge cow after seeing all that I've eaten! Since Wednesday, I have stopped eating junk food, and gone running everyday. Let's see what happens next Saturday when I continue on with my healthy habits!

Monthly Measurements

I forgot to post yesterday with all of the craziness of un-decorating for Christmas (boo!). I did measure myself. In fact, I started adding measurements for my calf, bicep, and chest to see some inches (hopefully) falling off!

So here's where I stand:

Waist: -1 inch (since December)
Hips: - 1/2 inch
Thigh: stayed the same (really?? these thigh measurements are not budging, and this is where I gained quite a bit :(

Here's my comparison pictures:

I feel like the side view is where the loss is the most noticeable. I'm going to keep on going, though, until I get the results I'm looking for!

If anybody has any great healthy recipes I should try, let me know. Definitely let me know if you know any great workouts to tone those thighs - both inner and outer!

January 2014 Goals

In case you're wondering about my January goals, I thought I'd explain them a little bit better.

Personal goal: Do not eat any junk food
It's my own, realistic, version of a "cleanse", but one that I can stick to. If/when we go out to eat, I'll choose healthy options: chicken, steak, fajitas eating meat only (maybe ONE tortilla, at most), skipping the free chips, rolls, whatever. If I'm craving junk food, I'll make a healthy swap at home (i.e. hamburger craving = grilling one at home using lean ground beef, a whole-wheat bun/bread, light mayo, light cheese). 

Fitness goal: Run/walk 70 miles
This averages out to running/walking 3 miles a day, 5 days a week, plus fitting in 5 extra miles somewhere. I'll be getting up at 5 a.m. most days to do this before Michel goes to work. On days that he's working, I'll to wait until he comes home, or if he won't be home until late, I'll have to take Audrey with me and just walk 3 miles that day (our jogging stroller is for independent sitters, so for now I have to continue to use our regular stroller that her infant seat fits in).

Spiritual goal: Spend 10 minutes per day EVERYDAY in some type of personal quiet time
I am horrible at being in the "all or nothing" mindset. I either feel like I need to spend half an hour in quiet time, or if I don't have that time, I do nothing at all. Ten minutes a day is totally attainable, and something I need to do. It's very important to me that Audrey grow up knowing the importance of God in our family.

I really am looking forward to changing my life, one day at a time :)

Goals for 2014

 

I decided to do something a bit different for my New Year's resolutions this year.  I decided this year I was going to make a resolution for each month! This way, I already have them planned out, so I know at the start of each new month, I have new goals to strive for. I'll post the full list now, and then each month I'll give an explanation of them (if they need one). Also, each month I will be completing a personal goal, a fitness goal, and a spiritual goal. I'm actually really looking forward to this! This is designed to be challenging, yet attainable, and hopefully make me a little better in my personal life, physical life, and most definitely in my spiritual life.

January:

Personal: Do not eat any junk food!

Fitness: Run/walk a total of 70 miles this month

Spiritual: Spend 10 minutes per day EVERYDAY in some type of quiet time (reading the Bible, praying, etc.)

February:

Personal: Continue refraining from any junk food until 2/26/14 (my 30th birthday)

Fitness: Do this entire workout once a week, every week

Spiritual: Read through an entire book of the Bible, and do a study on it

March:

Personal: Complete one Pinterest project (a craft - not a recipe)

Fitness: Complete the 500-calorie-torching treadmill workout that I pinned

Spiritual: Do a study of a woman of the Bible who I don't know much about

April:

Personal: Do an Audrey-centered, new activity once every week (I have a couple things pinned already, and plan on pinning more)

Fitness: Do cardio twice a day, three days a week, every week (hopefully this means I can run by myself in the morning and take Audrey on a nice, long walk in the afternoon and we can enjoy some beautiful weather

Spiritual: Do an in-depth study on the book of Revelations

May:

Personal goal: Plan a fun, family outing

Fitness: Follow the 30-day Paleo challenge, diet and exercise plan found here

Spiritual: Continue the study of Revelation

June:

Personal: Read a new book by a new author

Fitness: Do 100 push-ups once a week, every week ("real" push-ups or "girly" ones)

Spiritual: Invite someone to church/share God's word with someone/both

July:

Personal: Do an act of service for Michel that will make his life a bit easier one day a week, every week (i.e. take out the trash, clean the litter box, etc.)

Fitness: Do 100 walking lunges, holding Audrey (if she'll let me!) 3x a week, every week

Spiritual: Do a daily devotional

August:

Personal: Make sure Audrey's baby book is up to date

Fitness: Do 100 burpees/squat thrusts, once a day, three days a week, every week

Spiritual: Memorize 5 new Scripture verses that have significant meaning to me

September:

Personal: Throw Audrey the most fun, awesome, special first birthday party ever on a budget! I'm thinking Pinterest....

Fitness: Do the "Want a Brazilian Butt?" workout (pinned on Pinterest) 3x a week, every week

Spiritual: Do a study focusing on becoming a better/more God-centered mom (in honor of Audrey's birthday)

October:

Personal: Do something special for Michel in honor of our anniversary

Fitness: Add 10 minutes to every workout I do - even if that means waking up 10 minutes earlier!

Spiritual: Do a study focusing on becoming a better/more God-centered wife (in honor of our anniversary)

November:

Personal: Do a fun, Pinterest-inspired, Thanksgiving-something with Audrey

Fitness: Do 100 REAL push-ups - just once the whole month, but they all have to be done at the same time!

Spiritual: Do a book study on one of the Old Testament books that I'm not that familiar with

December:

Personal: Bake cookies/prepare some kind of treat to give to all of our neighbors in an effort to get to know them better

Fitness: Run the White Rock half marathon!!

Spiritual: See my "personal" goal for the month - whatever I pass out to the neighbors will have a Scripture/real meaning for the season with it!

What are your goals for 2014???

I can't believe it's been a year already!!

On January 1, 2013, I was expecting a "visitor." Think...the kind of visitor you expect every month when you're a woman :)

I knew that it could still possibly be too early to test, but I decided to give it a shot. One year ago today, I got the best, most surprising, most terrifying, most wonderful news in the entire world:

However, like in true first-time mom fashion (or maybe it's just me), one test was not validation enough, so just to be sure....

...I took, not one, but two extra pregnancy tests! I think it finally sunk in when two pregnancy tests confirmed that I was, in fact, pregnant!



One year later, this is the result of that positive pregnancy test:

OK, so this picture is from Christmas Eve, so it's a week shy of being a true year from the positive pregnancy test, but i just really love this picture of all 3 of us :)

I love my sweet family of three, and Audrey is just such a blessing on our lives! Seriously, when I got that positive pregnancy test, I had no idea how much she would change our lives in the best, possible way! I got the best news of my life on January 1, 2013 :)