Jul 24, 2010

The vintage pearl giveaway

I hope I win this, because I LOVE LOVE LOVE the vintage pearl! Here's the link, http://thevintagepearl.blogspot.com/2010/07/midsummer-blog-party-giveaway.html So don't you enter and ruin my chances. :) I think I'm going to pick one of these up if I win

https://www.thevintagepearl.com/products/thinleathercuff_p80

PS dont forget to go to my new blog
http://ourmoopoints.wordpress.com

Jun 23, 2010

New Blog!

Okay, so I've been using wordpress for my running blog and I LOVE it. So I ported all my stuff from this blog over there. I hope you won't mind updating your subscriptions or favorites or however it is that you click to get here. As a reward, there is an eleven month post up over on my new blog with pictures of my sweet one's adorableness!

Just go here! This will be my last post on this blog!

http://ourmoopoints.wordpress.com/

Jun 21, 2010

Like/Don't Like Edition One!

I'm putting off writing C's 11 month update till we have pictures, so I'm doing a fun little post that was on my mind this morning!


Like: All the Laundry basket's being empty (I think this has happened once since C was born. Maybe once since we've been married.)

Don't like: Realizing at 1030pm that B has no clean pants for work.

Like(new like!): Baking cakes.

Dislike: the 9000 things needing to be washed after baking.

Like: running

Dislike: injuries

Like: Mornings (I'm a morning person!)

Dislike: Mornings that start before 6! (C needs more curtains in her room, apparently)

Like: Twitter, Facebook, Blogging and Reading Blogs
Dislike: wasting so much time!

Like: Currently Reading: Sally Clarkson's "Mission of Motherhood"
Dislike: Not having time to read!

Like: shopping on etsy! REALLY wanting this for C's birthday... or this...
Dislike: Budgets and Math!

Like: Writing this!
Dislike: Having to stop to go do laundry!



Feel free to link back to your own blog of Likes/ and Don't Likes! :)

Jun 5, 2010

10.5 Month Update!

Well, yesterday was an exciting day! After a few days of thumb sucking (new) and extra clingy-ness, mama finally saw another tooth popping through! Yay. So that makes 5. and I think number 6 (and more!) are on their way. Looks like her 1 year molars might be starting up as well. Might be a loooong couple of months!

For awhile now, I've been wondering if C really knew the baby sign for "more". Yesterday a friend confirmed it- she also thought she was signing it! The sign is similar to clapping, so i had been thinking she was sort of clapping for herself. But, she just watched Baby Signing Time again(i let her watch it during those clingy teething days!!) and then the next day she was doing it! I realized that she only does this type of clapping or whatever when she is eating, so it is definitely a sign! yay! I'll try to capture it on video.

She's also putting more and more effort into talking! It's so cute. Sometimes she imitates us really well.Me: "C, say, 'book!'"
C: "Boo!!"

Other times, it goes more like this.
Me: "C, say, 'Ball'!"
C: "djo!"

(which reminds me of the Friends Episode, "The One Where Joey Speaks French" )
She also does this little gremlin type voice when she's excited. It's super cute, but also kind of weird. :)
Finally, she's also started cruising a bit. Mostly, it's only a step or two. But, she is definitely much less timid at her play table lately! And she climbs on more objects than me and B. Yesterday, she pulled up on her baby gate (AKA my sanity saver!)

Is she not the cutest thing EVER? I know, I know, she is. :)

May 24, 2010

In other news...


C cruised today! She's been getting slightly less scared of standing & holding an object (she's actually standing with objects other than me!) and has even pulled herself up to her playtable on her own a few times! Today, she cruised from one side of it to the other (motivated by trying to reach a basket of laundry, of course!) Very exciting to see her gain courage!

She's eating like a champ, but is a mystery sometimes- Today, wouldn't pick up carrots, but if i fed them to her off a spoon, she would eat them! There are many of these funny little quirks that change day to day with her eating... I wonder who she got these quirks from? :)

She still LOVES to swing, and I'm itching to get one at our house set up for her, she loves it so much! I think we will have to head to the park today! We went to the park on Saturday and met another baby her age- she LOVED sitting next to the little girl and exchanging toys back and forth. I'm looking forward to a lot of fun park days this summer! (also, love that the local parks for me, are on the OCEAN! How cool is that? :)

Poor B is still recovering from getting his wisdom teeth out, so he's on the same sort of diet as C!
Hopefully he will be feeling better soon!!


This is from our Family 5 Miler we did the day before Mother's Day. I'll spare you the one of me crossing the finish line, but there is one the photographer snapped of the three of us!

This is a picture filled post! Here are some of the other pictures I considered for my contest entry. I ultimately went with the one in the post below because of her expression. Some of these pictures are definitely more "Yellow" though, so it was tough! I love this yellow hat, I'm sure we will be seeing many more pictures all summer long!

May 24th- I Heart Faces- Yellow!




This is my entry to this week's I heart faces Contest (http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com/). The theme is yellow... What do you think? :)

May 17, 2010

May 17th- I heart Faces Entry: Flowers





This is my first time entering I heart faces weekly contest... (http://www.iheartfaces.com) ...wish me luck! :)

May 15, 2010

C is 10 Months Old!


Which means I'm freaking out! I can't believe she's in the double digits. And that I'm starting to plan her first birthday party! eep. Daddy was unable to take C's 10 month pictures on the actual DAY she turned 10 months, so Mum gave it a go. Which proved to be very difficult with a baby who is on the go while she is awake. She is NOT one to lay still (which makes diaper changes a tiring challenge). Therefor, this solo photo shoot resulted in our first real good bump on the noggin. There were only a few tears, thank goodness!She is now a great crawler. She used to stick pretty much to the room I was in, but now she is making her way around the house. We are in need of some baby gates ASAP! Fortunately, she is kind of timid and definitely not into EVERYTHING. (Just, ALMOST everything!). She can and will pull up, but doesn't cruise just yet. She almost seems afraid! She will pull up on something, but then check to make sure I'm still close enough for her to grab on to. It's pretty cute, actually. :) She definitely WANTS to stand and pull up more than she will actually attempt. She often will be crawling and then pick up her knees and do "downward dog" while lifting up one hand, so she is trying to be upright, she's just nervous!She definitely still has book preferences. She loves "Brown Bear Brown Bear what do you hear" (every parent's fav...NOT), and a few others. But her selection is definitely limited. She won't let me read my favorite, "Guess How Much I Love You"... I guess she already knows how much I love her! :)She claps and waves all the time still. She doesn't have any words, though she said "Bah" yesterday at the appropriate "Bye Bye" time.. so I think we are getting closer. She also will say something close to "water" and "that" or "this" occasionally. We will see!Naps are pretty consistent these days, Thank Goodness. She definitely does NOT like to nap in the car, and so we are tied to home a lot of the time, but a well rested baby is worth it! So much easier to deal with. When she is tired now, she gets to be even MORE clingy and needing Mummy. Which is sweet, but also draining!! We are still nursing 4x a day most days. Not sure when the transition away from that will be started... But I'm so thankful to have made it this long!

She's eating great, I'd say about 80% regular table food. I give her all kinds of cooked veggies and soft fruits. The only thing she hasn't really taken to is Raspberries! (though she will eat raspberry yogurt). She mostly feeds herself, but sometimes needs Mum to get her started. She loves meatballs, chicken and turkey burgers. I hope she keeps up this eating! (Though I'm sure things will change once she learns "No!"). It's funny how sometimes if you give her something likes, if it is unexpected, she will spit it out. But then, she will eat it a second later. Silly Girl.

Alright I better go and clean up the living room before she wakes up from nap one! Crap, i think I just heard her stir on the monitor... :)

May 13, 2010

New Blog Post about a New Blog!

So I read a lot of blogs while I was breastfeeding C in the wee hours of the morning. I like reading them. I've been clogging this blog lately with posts about running. I decided to separate them (a bit, I'm sure there will be crossover, but I'd like to share even MORE than I have already on here:)

Any way, I hope you will read it and comment and give me feedback. I'd love to encourage others with this. I also just really like to write blogs (though we all know I'm not always the best at keeping up with them, I'm working on it!). I think it will also give me some accountability for my running.

and i just watched Julie and Julia. Who doesn't want to blog after that, LOL?

Anywhoo, here's the site. Feedback is appreciated! I hope you like it! :) Share with your friends. :)

One Running Mum

May 10, 2010

Mother's Day!

We celebrated Mother's Day a day early, and it was a great day!! B and C and I ran in a road race together (I pushed C in the stroller, we didn't make here crawl!). It was a 5 mile race. We had a lot of fun running together, hopefully I can add some pictures soon! I surprised myself and ran about a 940 mile. That's about the same time i cranked out when i ran my first 5k, way back just before I got pregnant with C. I'm really pleased with my time, but the rest of this week has been tough on me for runs! I picked up some insoles for my shoes... We will see if that helps! I gotta crank out two more long runs before the 1/2 marathon which is just over 2 weeks away. No more about that. I might break out in hives.
Weight loss wise things are still going really well, yay! I'm glad that im feeling like it's really do-able. I'm still getting plenty of "treats" AND I'm losing weight! Of course, I'm not sure things will still be as great when i stop breastfeeding (I get like 10 extra points on weight watchers while I'm nursing!) but I'll cross that bridge when i get there! (kinda the way i fee about the sagamore these days... When will that construction be done again??)

Anywho, the rest of my first mother's day was nice and relaxing, we just hung around the house and then went out to get Chinese... Mmmm. :) On actual Mother's day I went in to Boston with C and met my mom. We walked a lot and had a good time. C seemed to have a lot of fun too. :) what more can I mom ask for?

Promise to post pictures soon!!

May 5, 2010

Time sure flies!

I can't believe how long I've gone without a post. There's so much going on, but also not a lot going on. Yeah, I know that made sense. :)

C is into everything, so curious. She's super adorable right now! She "talks" a lot. When we were at B's parents house, she seemed to be asking for "Da-da" and called B's Dad, Dada also. I don't think we can yet call it her first word though, since it's still the only consonant sound she is consistently making. She also will imitate me if I sneeze or cough in the car! So cute. We had a great time in TN. The flight down was awesome since she actually slept! The flight back was not so great. We were delayed bc of all the rain in Nashville (praying for the people there still!) C did really well under the circumstances, but it was still a really long day! She had a great time with Nan and GP though! We miss them already!

On the running/weight loss front, I crested losing 20 pounds! (then went back up a half pound, but we will just go ahead skip over that and hope for a loss again this week!) I decided to go ahead and train for a half marathon! Yikes. I wasn't even seriously running before the end of March, and now I'm running a half marathon on May 30th! I have some great support from my family and I have two friends running with me, so we are checking in daily, which is great. Another challenge is the new heat and humidity. I'm still adjusting! Yesterday's run was tough because of the heat!! I did 8 miles in Chattanooga and I was SO HOT at the end. I am hoping for warm weather on the 29th for my friend's wedding, but then for a cool down overnight on the 30th! If you're in the area I'd love to have you come and cheer me on! Here's the race info!

http://www.greathyannisroadraces.com/halfmar/

Sorry no adorable pictures right now since I have to go get the wee one! :)

Apr 17, 2010

9 Months old!





I can't believe C is already 9 Months old. Time flies when you are having fun! And fun, we are definitely having!! Now that she is napping pretty consistently, both Mum and baby are happy! Here are the 9 Month Stats:
  • Weight: 18 pounds, 6 oz
  • Length: 27.5 inches
  • Head: 18 inches
Everything is about the 40th percentile, which is down from the 60th, but normal do to her increase in activity! We saw the nurse practitioner who I LOVE this time, and C loved her too. She was very happy with how well C is doing! Yay!
And she's been going going going while awake! After months of "almost" crawling, this week she has achieved the true movements of crawling. She's still a bit slow, but each day she is speeding up faster and faster... which means I'm getting faster and faster! Her current favorite "forbidden" objects to crawl to include electrical wires (particularly the ones attached to floor lamps! EEK!) breastpump tubing, my booklight, and of course, the never boring remotes and iPhone. You should see her GLEE when she gets a hold of the phone for one moment!She loves waving and clapping for "the baby in the mirror" and tries to squirm from my arms to get to "her". Speaking of waving, for awhile I've been wondering if she is waving, but I'd say for sure, in the last week, she does a sort of "frankenstine-esque" wave intentionally. Other times she will do a small hand opening and closing wave (she did it a lot @ last night's red sox game) but still with her hand low by her side. But she's getting there. Since I didn't post about it in my 8 Month update, it must've been in the last month that she's been clapping for herself, the cat, pretty anything. It's pretty much the cutest thing ever. :)She seems to have developed preferences for certain books, shutting others when we attempt to read them. It's cute, but also tough to find something she actually wants to read! Her favorites are "Peek-a-Who?" and "Grow Up" both of which feature a mirror at the end!
She does so well when we have outings, I'm so thankful. Last night we got the opportunity to get some GREAT seats for a Red Sox game at a GREAT price. She didnt have any great naps yesterday, had her 9 month appointment (didn't even cry at her shot!), and then spent the day in the car, stroller, or baby carrier. (Speaking of which, how many WW points do you think I earned babywearing an 18 and a half pound baby for the better part of 5 hrs?). She slept a little bit in her carrier till Youk got tagged out when he was trying to bring us into the lead. The Boos from the crowd woke her! She passed out again on the train ride back to the car and slept the whole way home- but still, wasn't in her crib till nearly one am, and never really fussed! We are so blessed! I hope she wasn't too badly scarred by everyone thinking she was a boy because she was in Red Sox colors! :) And yes, we are letting her lay low today!
Besides the return of the Red Sox, spring also has brought so much nice weather. As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, it's been SO awesome to go running with C in the stroller. I ran a new personal longest run with my friend down on the Cape Cod Canal last week- 4 miles! (we stopped every mile or so for water, but we pretty much ran straight through, doing a 10 min mile!) C seems to enjoy it. We even ran to Starbucks to get our free coffee on Tax day. :) I'm looking for a race to run in soon!

Apr 2, 2010

It's not an April Fools Joke, I swear!

So, did I tell the story of the missing sneakers on here? I think it was around mid-February when it began. I ran on the treadmill one morning, and took off my sneakers. The treadmill (and therefore, the sneakers) is in our house. The next day, I go to look for the sneakers and I can't find them. I didnt have time to look, so I just wore something else. The third day was a day to run, so i really needed them. I could.not.find them ANYWHERE. I mean, Over the course of the next MONTH I tore apart my house looking for them! I even put away stuff that had been out since December! (On the one hand, that's a good thing, on the other hand, I had obviously NOT wanted to put it all away, LOL!) B also searched high and low for them. People in our small group looked also. I finally give up and buy new sneakers. But because of Murphy's law, I wait a few more days to take the tags off the new sneakers. ( I was sure buying new sneakers would be the key to the old ones turning up!). No dice. I finally give up and walk with my new sneakers (which cost more and I didn't like NEARLY as much!). At this time it's mid- March.

Fast forward to two nights later when I go out with some girlfriends. God bless my husband, who is much neater than I am, he was cleaning/straightening the basement (it's finished, but we don't use it for more than working out) up while I was out.
I come home.
There, sitting on my stairs, my old sneakers sat! I was shocked! Apparently he had found them in between a pile of clean sheets that I had folded by the laundry room. (yes, I had CLEAN sheets, folded, but not put away, for over a month!)

So that whole story explains why I hadn't run for over a month. Then even after the sneakers were found, I still have my very inconsistent napper to deal with. So I wasn't really into exercising.

But now we have our new (FAB!) jogging stroller. It's a BOB revolution, and if you're in the market for a jogger, I highly recommend it. Anyway, so yesterday, I decided to take it for it's inaugural spin. After a month and a half off, I had no idea how long i could run for, or how far, pushing a jogger. I started out trying to make it (on the flat side) to the end of my street. I kept going. I did it again, then I did the hilly side and back! I ran for about 30 minutes and for about 2.7 miles (according to B)! I can't believe it. So here's hoping I can do it again tomorrow or Sunday.

I also ended up walking with my neighbor for a few miles in the afternoon yesterday, I'm a workout machine!

In other weight loss news, I thought I'd post some about what I'm eating. I'm a snacker, that's my downfall. I've found eating some of the following things satisfies my need to snack without sacrificing my diet.
  • I found out microwave popcorn is TERRIBLE for you (even the fat free kind, they are all very chemically), so I've been popping my own on the stove for awhile now (so easy, no need to buy an air popper or anything!). I put a little "Molly McButter" on it to make it taste SUPER yummy. Popcorn is actually a great source of fiber and better for you than chips and whatnot if you make it like this. I find it to be filling and it's only a few points for a LOT of it!
  • I love eating a few pretzels and dipping them in trader joe's bean dip. The bean dip is no points and super yum. And a bowl of pretzels is MUCH less than 7 or 8 tortilla chips! I use the pretzel trick for guacamole also.
  • I also started eating the Laughing Cow light cheese wedges. TWO wedges is only 1.5 points. And with a few pretzels or reduced fat-wheat thins, this is a low point and filling snack!
Another downfall of mine is drinks. I love me some sweet drinks. I've banned soda (diet and otherwise) from the house, though we treat ourselves to a diet or regular drink when we are out and about. I sometimes will buy diet snapple to satisfy a craving, but I'm not wild about artificial sweeteners in everything (i use them in my coffee and try to limit it to that). But, I'll tell you what, it's easy to not drink em when we don't have any in the house! That's my main strategy. Now that it's warmer I've been getting Passion Tea at Starbucks because it's sweet without syrup or anything and I like it! I'll also make tea for myself at home (I like Harney and Son's Hot Cinnamon Spice) that is so flavorful I don't need to add anything (sometimes a little agave, but not even all the time).

It's so true that as you cut out some of those things, you crave them less. I really am enjoying my water, most of the time! And my milk at the end of the day! :)

Alright this is long enough and I want to get some downtime in before the wee one wakes from her nap!

Mar 27, 2010

What I love(d) about being pregnant/being a Mom.

On my message board the other day someone posted about all the trials of pregnancy. That served as a good reminder that I could wait awhile before attempting baby #2! :) But then some people also posted spin offs about what was great about pregnancy and having a new baby (these made me ache to be pregnant and have a new baby again!) Here are some of mine:

Best parts of pregnancy:
  • How (mostly) everyone is so nice to you!
  • Feeling the baby move!
  • Having such an intimate connection with the baby. You get to have a relationship with someone who isn't yet born...it's pretty awesome... I wonder if God sort of feels this way about us before we are born also?!
  • Eating Ice Cream. (Though I've resolved, repeatedly, to not do this as much next time!)
  • Being infinitely interesting. People (including strangers) always want to know about you, how you're doing, when you're due, what you're having... I think it's probably because they know how awesome what you're about to do is!
  • Getting to park in "expectant mother parking".
Best Parts of Mommyhood, so far:
  • feeling the weight of her little body rest against mine.
  • getting to experience all those "firsts!"
  • her smiling at me just because I'm me.
  • seeing her try to peek over the crib rail to see if I'm there.
  • breastfeeding, for me, has almost always been a very positive experience.
  • watching her learn and explore "simple" things has made me appreciate them more.
  • feeling pretty darn productive even if "all" i did that day was keep her safe & fed.
  • teaching & playing Peekaboo.
  • a sense of pride that is so inexplicable
  • understanding, a sliver, a tiny bit more, the love that God must have for us. :)
There are many many more, but that's all i got for now. ;)

Mar 23, 2010

8 Months (and change...)




I was so excited about my weight loss that I forgot to first post this post on C turning 8 months old! She is just SO much fun right now. I definitely think 8 Months is my favorite age so far. She already had her two bottom teeth so aside from a FEW wake ups from teething, she's been sleeping well at night and that makes mama happy. She can sit unassisted for a long time and seems to know how to "fall" without hurting her self if she is done with sitting. She is so interactive now. She imitates us and does things she knows we will imitate. Her favorite is to fake cough or clear her throat. She gets such a kick out of that! On 8 months, one day, she finally started making consonant sounds. B swears she says "Hi Daddy" but I think it's wishful thinking, since she also says "haaa dadadada" to her exersaucer. :)

She continues to really take in the world. She is a pensive baby. She can sit and play independently for quite awhile usually. She will pick up a toy and really inspect it, like she wants to know how it works. (Maybe she will be an engineer like daddy!) Although, in the last few days, we have had a case of "the Mommies". She seems to be fine with Daddy or a stranger even, if I'm not within sight. But if Daddy is feeding and Mum is in the kitchen... Look out, there is sure to be some hollering. It's cute, but also tough sometimes! Yesterday I was trying to make her food, but she wouldnt even play in the kitchen in her exersaucer and I was RIGHT THERE. Fortunately I can put her on my back now in my babyhawk (highly recommend these!) and get some stuff done when the Mommies hit.

Yesterday she took two awesome naps- but naps are still inconsistent for me, and TWO awesome naps is very rare. B was pleasantly surprised at how productive i was- it helps so much when she sleeps! My best guess is that every other day she will take better naps. So I'm gearing up for a not so good nap day and will be pleasantly surprised if I'm wrong!
She still loves to eat, and of course prefers the sweet food, but usually I can get her to eat mostly anything, just certain things take longer! Her dexterity seemed to have progressed overnight, suddenly she is REALLY into feeding her self. (you have to have some puffs for her to hold while she's eating or she gets mad!) She also gets EXTREMELY excited when you go to the fridge, I think because she thinks she MIGHT get a piece of cheese. She loves cheese! So cute!

We also "celebrated" St. Patrick's Day by dressing C up in the appropriate attire. Of course, we aren't Irish, but we'll just skip over that bit. :) I love the way all of these came out! I'm SO glad to be married to such a wonderful photographer. There's more pictures from our "shoot" on our photo website. Email me if you need the link.
Speaking of links to photos, I also took C to get some photos done with a real live bunny. SO freaking cute. It's password protected, so just shoot me an email if you'd like to see them!! B was a bit miffed that he got passed over for his photography, but really, it was just about the bunny...if he lets me adopt a bunny then he can take her pictures with it next year!! :)

I'll try to add some video later, but here's some pictures of recent adventures!

Mar 21, 2010

I did it, I did it!

Yeah!! I reached my pre-pregnancy weight! While it's not a great weight for me, certainly not where I'd like to be, I'm very excited to have reached my mini goal. "Nine months on, 8.5 months off!" Wahoo!

I've also dropped 4 sizes (in the Gap) since October, which means since 2007 I have been 10 different sizes at the Gap! (Not including Maternity!) LOL. I'm excited to get closer to those lower sizes before I jump into pregnancy pants again. I'm so glad to have lost the 5oish lbs (yes, I'm coming clean that I gained about 50lbs while pregnant). And though I birthed an 8lb 11oz child, I only lost about 10 pounds post delivery and lost another 5 in the first few weeks home. I was not fortunate enough to have the weight melt off me while breastfeeding. The weight I've lost has mostly to do with my eating habits (thank you weight watchers!) and the rest is from just trying to increase my workouts/exercise. I've been off the exercise wagon the last month or so due to traveling and C's (and therefor mine!) sleep issues. But I cannot WAIT to get our jogging stroller so that C and I can start hitting the road despite her lack of naps. :)

So, I still have about 20-25 to lose to be where I'd LOVE to be, but I'm aiming to just keep losing and being healthy until we decide to have baby #2. The lighter I am before becoming pregnant again, the healthier I'll be.

And I'm vowing not to eat nearly as much ice cream this time!

Mar 2, 2010

Princess and the Pea...or the hardwood floor, as it were.

C is doing well! Not too much to report. We still have trouble with naps, though we think the culprit may be vibrations... I think because her crib is on a hardwood floor, when we walk by it must creak or something, and the vibration gets her up (if she is at the "light" stage of sleep). At night it is no trouble, but in the wee am hours when B gets up or during naps, she ALWAYS wakes up if we walk by. (I know it isn't sounds, because we have a white noise machine AND a humidifier in there!)

So I'm in the market for carpet, since I can't be banished from the upstairs for a few hours a day! (And I NEED it to be a few hours a day, LOL!)

Otherwise, she's doing great. She's eating lots of foods, she loves to gnaw on a bagel or a piece of toast- helps me get the dishes done! She's still not quite crawling, but anytime now!

We're off to meet my new nephew this week, so excited about that!

and I'll leave you with this picture, which I've named "It's hard to hit a moving target!"

Feb 22, 2010

Update on Me!

Mostly I know everyone checks in here to see how cute C is getting. However, since I did post about our new weight loss regime, I will go ahead and do a 6 week update! Since January 7th, I've lost 11 pounds (as of Feb 20)! My hope to be back to pre-pregnancy weight by the time she is 9 months old is definitely becoming a realistic reality! While that is still pretty far above my ultimate goal weight, I'm still pretty excited about it.

I'm a pretty big snacker, so my big challenge is finding things I want to nibble on that aren't too bad for me, or limiting the really bad (good!) stuff to it's ACTUAL portion size. It's really working for me to count out how many pretzels or wheat thins I'm going to eat, rather than mindlessly reaching into the box.

I'm also getting "into" running again. For me, once i am at the point I'm at now (actually able to run) it's pretty enjoyable. I'm considering signing up for a 9K in May, but I need to raise a 1000$ to do it. (Proceeds go to local veterans and victims of traumatic brain injury. Let me know if you'd be willing to sponsor me- I'm still about 500 away from being able to sign up!). If I can't do this particular 9K, I'm pretty sure I will sign up for something, just so that I have something to shoot for.

Hopefully C stops waking up during her naps soon so I can get a longer run in! (I find it hard to focus when she's babbling on the monitor!)

Feb 20, 2010

opposite of a super-mom...

C's been having a rough week with her teething, or who knows what else is getting at her... but it's been rough. And the other night she was inconsolable. Neither B nor I could calm her, we pulled out all the stops. She wouldn't even nurse. I was really upset that not only was my baby screaming in my ear, but that i no longer was capable of soothing all her pains. It used to be that nursing could cure all evil.

What did I think, I could nurse her through her first bump on her head after falling off her bike? That I could nurse her through her first fat lip, first stitches, or first heart break?

Obviously not.

But, it was still difficult to have the realization that i could not and will not be able to ease her pain.

But with great relief I realized I'm glad that that responsibility is His alone. He is always there for all of us, with the ability to soothe even our worst pain (even worse than teething. :) . We just need to call on Him. I'm looking forward to the opportunities I will have to point C to Him in her pain. Thank you for your reliability Father!

Feb 16, 2010

7 Months Old!

We had a little photo shoot with B's new photography lights for C's 7 Month birthday- enjoy! :)












Big developments this month. Besides continuing to grow even more cute (it IS possible!), she now sits unassisted (but I still supervise as when she gets tired or overly excited by a toy she is still wobbly!), has TWO (sharp!) teeth poking through, is still unable to consciously roll from tummy to back, but knows that screaming will eventually get mummy or daddy. Blowing lots of Rasberries creates a need for a lot of wardrobe changes (fortunately, she has PLENTY to wear!).
She has figured out how to initate/play peekaboo, which is really fun! It cracks us up when we aren't paying attention to her and then we catch her playing peekaboo with, well, no one! Here's a video of a little peekaboo action:


We've discovered her first food that she doesn't LOVE is green beans. (I don't blame her- i wouldn't like them without some salt or something either!!) However, green beans are palatable if mixed with a little breastmilk and cereal (okay, so that's not how i like them!). Her food selection is still quite limited, but I'm still really enjoying making her food. Here's what's on C's menu at 7 Months:
  • rice cereal
  • oatmeal
  • carrots
  • apples
  • pears
  • avocado
  • peas
  • green beans (a la mum)
  • banana
  • sweet potato
And, as of yesterday she can give me a high 5! Still doesn't wave buh bye, but gives me a high 5!

She made her first art project with Mum- some Valentine's for her special someone's. (we had a play date valentine's party!)

We had a rough week last week with the teeth, but it seems like things are back to normal now that they aren't bothering her as much anymore. She's still the most awesome thing ever! :)

Feb 5, 2010

She sits unassisted! (Very Temporarily!)

I realized a few weeks ago I should probably give C more practice sitting up. So, I would let her sit with my legs kind of froggied around her to keep her from falling. Anyway, so on Monday, she was still really wobbly. Then Tuesday? Tuesday she could sit alone. CRAZINESS. How does that happen overnight?

Oh, and now she's getting closer and closer to what look like crawling movements... I'm terrified!

Anyway, I tried to take video a few times before actually catching her sitting alone... Enjoy. :)







also, enjoy this "video" of her with the cat! (it was supposed to be a pic but was accidentally a video!)

Feb 1, 2010

Super-Mom


So C is doing really well with eating solid food. It's been really fun introducing new foods to her each week. So far she's had peas, carrots, apples, avacado and cereals. I want to save money, and feel good about taking advantage of my time at home with her, so I'm making baby food.

And for some reason, making babyfood makes me feel like Super Mom. I have no idea why. But, last night I was cranking out batches of food and I felt so empowered.

For what it's worth, I don't make the peas (ew! Though she LOVES them!), so I don't have anything against jarred food. But this was my supermom moment, last night.

This post from MckMama was what got me thinking about my SuperMom moment, and I couldn't come up with one when she wrote it.. but now I have it!!

Jan 26, 2010

Need Hat, Will Knit...

I feel like writing a long letter to baby clothing companies and explaining that "one size fits all" is BS when it comes to baby. a hat that fits a newborn will not fit a 6 month old. (admittedly, my child has a large head). I could not for the LIFE of me find a hat for C for the rest of the winter. The one I had from ON was perfect, but she outgrew it, and of course, now they are all gone, selling swimsuits... in January.

But I digress.
Anyway, I decided to pick up my needles for the first time in over a year & solve my problems.


I think it came out really well! :) And I'm excited to be knitting again!

Jan 21, 2010

Expectations...

Expectations have come up a lot lately in my life. Expectations about being a mother. about being a daughter, a friend, a bible study member, a church go-er, a God follower, a wife... you get the idea.

I really don't think expectations have a place in our lives. I can't think of an instance where it's appropriate to expect something from anyone. Shall I expect my husband to come home and be perfectly willing (after a long hard day's work) to take the baby, change her, feed her, play with her AND take care of MY emotional needs. (And, expect that he shan't expect anything in return, of course.) On an even more basic level, I can hope that he honor's his commitment to me, but do i have the right to EXPECT that? (PS I have no doubt that he does/has/will honor this commitment, I'm just showing how deep our expectations can be...)


Should I expect my friends to call me and keep in touch (not thinking of ANYONE in particular, don't worry girls), so that I won't have to call them?

Should I expect that my daughter will never challenge me? Expect that she will grow up to be a God fearing woman just because I want her to?

Shall I expect to have a perfectly safe, protected life provided from my God? What right have I to expect anything from Him, when He has already given me His All?

I think not.

I loved when my church showed the video's from North Point Ministries called "iMarriage". I think everyone (married or not) will benefit from watching these. You can find them doing a youtube search. This video is from that series, just sort of a funny commentary on our expectations from Marriage...


I want to empty myself of my expectations. This is a daily struggle. Especially since I keep uncovering a new expectation I didn't realize I had, almot daily.

Expectations ruin my quest for contentment as well. Expectations that I have of myself, or (worse) think others have of me just cause me to struggle. Perhaps it is okay to expect things of ones self... but I'm not sure.

This post isn't really going anywhere, but I just wanted to share the idea that we all need to let go of our expectations, whatever they may be, and just seek Him first.

Jan 12, 2010

C's First Meal!

Daddy got to feed me!

I Love this one!!

Mommy gave it a go too!


Jan 8, 2010

9 months on...3 months off?

So, I know the saying is 9 months on, nine months off, but that means I only have about 3 months to lose that baby (ice cream) weight! While the big guys on the Biggest Loser (my new favorite show) can lose 30lbs in a week, I don't think that is super realistic for moi.

Sadly, SBL was a big fat (pun intended) failure. We did decide to buy a treadmill as a Christmas gift for each other. We've committed to the Couch to 5k running plan, so far B has completed week one. I've completed 2/3 of week one (I would've completed it today but SOMEONE woke up early from her nap, cutting my work out by 10 min or so. So I'm going to do re-do it tomorrow!) Ultimately, I'd like to run a marathon someday, but i think it will have to wait until my child bearing days are over! One of my friends mentioned doing her "daily 5" which i've been trying to do as well. You do 5 push ups and 5 situps a day, and then add 5 each week. It isn't much, but it's enough to start making it a habit. I've found that incorporating the baby in my workouts makes it even better; I do my push ups over her face and kiss her each time i go down. She LOVES it! And it's more fun for me! I also try to hold her over my head and bench press her a few times a day for a few reps- she's probably 17-18lbs, so that's something! I'd like to do some work out videos on my days "off" from Cto5K... But I dont want to waste money either. So please recommend your favorite workout videos! :)

My longterm goal is to lose 35 pounds. This would put me at a pleasant, but not too thin, weight for my height. I have no idea how long it SHOULD take someone my size to lose that much weight.

Losing the baby (ice cream!) weight would mean losing about 15lbs. Can I do that in 3 months? Maybe if I only eat salad? (not realistic! but i could cut out my 1/2 a jar of PB a week...what? I LOVE PB!)

Another goal I have is to cook more. I really want to love to cook, LOL. I am trying to cook (or eat leftovers from a homecooked meal) 6 days a week & include more veggies. I'm planning on making C's babyfood, so I'll definitely have more fruits and veggies around for her! So hopefully we will snack on her left overs! :)

I'm putting this all out there (again!) so that I have some more accountability... If you're trying to get healthier too, feel free to let me know so we can encourage each other!

Jan 7, 2010

Surprise!

So after a few (wonderful!) days at home where we totally relaxed and just enjoyed ourselves, we (of course!) hit the road again. We headed to PA to visit with a few friends we have there-- little to B know, it was also a trip for his surprise 30th birthday party! The party was a huge success, (largely thanks to the O'Toole family! Thanks again!!) he was SO surprised and we had an AWESOME turnout. I'm so thankful so many people came! It was a long drive for a lot of people, but because they love B they came!

Here are a few of the pictures. If you want to see the rest go here!
He was surprised!








Somebody partied too hard! (actually, she was sick, still is sick with her first cold :( )