Friday, December 23, 2011

Day 355 - Re-purposed Holiday Kleenex Boxes


Earlier this holiday season I got sucked into buying the pretty holiday decoration kleenex boxes.  Now, I'm not surprised by any means that I bought them, but I did have a bit of distress about spending the extra money for less kleenex's and a pretty box.  Elliot has been using the empty boxes to put his toys in, then shake them out, then do it all over again.  But he's kind of lost interest in that, leaving me with the empty pretty boxes yet again.  

Today I am working on wrapping some of our gifts before we head up to La Crosse for the weekend, and I needed to wrap a Christmas ornament for the Hall Family ornament exchange.  Of course the ornament didn't come in a nice box that I could wrap up, and I had already used the small bags that I had (and I really didn't want to buy another one).  Then I remembered all of these empty pretty boxes!  And ta-da!


I taped a ribbon to the inside of the box, added some pretty tissue, and I think I have a pretty good looking gift!  Now I find myself wishing that our other holiday kleenex boxes were empty so I could wrap more gifts this way!

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Day 353 - A Very Merry Pinterest


Well, today was my last day of school for a while!  I won't know all of my grades until 4:00 on Friday, and I'm getting really antsy about knowing.  I know that I should be glad that I'm taking a break while having another baby, but I'm actually really bummed that I can't get into classes spring semester.  I have a really good momentum going, and I want it to keep going.  I also really don't know what to do with myself right now.  I know that Elliot will fill my time, and once Caroline is born I'll be even more busy, but after I put Elliot to bed, I wasn't really sure what to do.  So, I went on Pinterest.com and picked one of the crafty things I wanted to do.

I was thinking of giving a homemade sugar scrub as a Christmas gift, thankfully I didn't make that a plan.  I tried the brown sugar scrub that I found on this blog.  I really really liked the scrub, but it definitely needs to be used right away.  I think if I was going to gift it I would have to put the wet and dry ingredients into separate containers and then the recipient would have to mix it themselves.  A present that you have to work at to use, not very much fun.  As far as working, it definitely did the job!  I also prefer it to a scrub I bought at Target a few weeks back because of how smooth my skin feels after.  I mean the store stuff also made my skin feel smooth, but the extra virgin olive oil in the homemade stuff really made my skin ultra smooth! 


The recipe makes a ton of scrub, so I would definitely recommend making a half batch, especially since it won't keep.  Within an hour the left over scrub was already starting to separate and the EVOO, honey, and vanilla were starting to melt the sugar.  But, like I said, only making a half batch would solve that problem.

With my new addiction to pinterest.com, and the extra time on my hands I hope to be able to blog about some other crafty things I've done.  I made my own Christmas cards this year from an idea I found there, so my next blog will probably be about those :)  I also am working on another gift from pinterest.com, but I'll have to wait until after the holidays to blog about that one :)  

 


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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Day 332 - yikes! it's been a while!

Song of the day: Justin Bieber ft Boys II Men - Fa La La  ... really this could be my song of the month!  I've been listening to it non stop, and definitely reccommend getting Justin Bieber's entire Christmas albumn... no, I'm not trying to be cute or ironic - I'm completely serious!!

Wow, so it's been almost 2 months since I last wrote!  I've been meaning to, quite a few times now, but I just haven't gotten around to it :/  School has been going really really well, and Elliot has a great time at daycare!  I'm actually now worried that he's going to be made when he's not going anymore!  I have 8 days left of class and 4 days of finals, then the semester is over!  I was going to take a wintrim class and 2 online classes this spring semester, but the spring classes were full before my registration date opened, and I figured that I could take the winter class next year if I didn't want to take it during a full semester.  Either way, I have 45 credits left to take, then I'll be done with undergrad!  Because of my capstone class I won't be done until December 2013, but I guess better late than never :)

On the baby front, everything is going really good!  We did have a slight scare that I had low amniotic fluid - which can mean anything from absolutely nothing to birth defects (note to everyone - don't use google!  It only makes you worry more!).  Thankfully we had another ultrasound and found out that everything looks great, and they weren't really sure why we were even there!  We also found out that we're having a girl!  Her name is going to be Caroline Dawn :)  We had a girl name picked out from Elliot, so thankfully we didn't have to think of a boy name.  Otherwise the baby would be "baby boy" probably until after birth :) 

This blog started as a weight loss journey, and strayed for obvious reasons, but I'm still feeling good about the weight I've gained.  At this point with Elliot I had gained 36 lbs, and to date I've only gained 20 lbs!  So I'm at 10 lbs a trimester instead of 20 lbs like last time!  A few months ago I bought a maternity dress to wear to Miranda and Ryan's wedding (this Saturday!!) and I kept the tags on just in case I needed a bigger size.  Well, I tried it on this weekend, and it still fits and looks great!  I would have been okay having to get a bigger size, cause well, I'm pregnant, but there's still something nice about not having to go up a size :)  Also, all of my maternity clothing from Elliot is way to big for me!  That also feels great :) 

We recently got out all of our winter stuff and my winter jacket that I bought last year is a little big for me.  We bought it around Christmas time, which was right before I first started my blog.  Right now I weigh 5 lbs less than I did last year at this time.  And I'm 6 months pregnant!  That's awesome!  And kind of sad... but mostly awesome!  The only downside of the pregnancy is that I have heartburn constantly!  It started the day before Thanksgiving - so completely unfair!  I'm going to ask my doctor about a all day heartburn medication the next time I go in.  Currently I suggest buying stock in Tums or Maalox because I'm buying a ton! 

I think that's all I really have for right now.  I have a ton of homework to do tonight, and for the next 3 weeks!  So, it will probably be after the semester the next time I write :)

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Day 276 - Accidental Suffocation

Song of the day:  Adele - Someone Like You    Ah, I could listen to Adele ALL. DAY. LONG.


It's been a while since I last wrote, and I've been meaning to write for a while now, but just haven't sat down to do it.  School's been busy, but it's going pretty well.  It's really nice that I have Friday's off because I think I would go crazy if I had to make the drive to Whitewater and back another day of the week!  Elliot has finally completely adjusted to daycare!  When I drop him off he goes to play right away and today he gave me a kiss then waved and said "bye."  He's so cute :)  Yesterday I got a call from daycare letting me know that he was running a slight fever and tugging at his ear.  I left school (missing my Social Psychology class) and took him to urgent care.  Turns out that he has a ear infection and has stuff in his lungs.  Since the medicine for the ear infection would also treat pneumonia the doctor didn't want to expose Elliot to any unneeded chest x-rays.  So, he has medicine that I think tastes like bubble gum.  Today he was completely fine and had no issues.  If it wasn't for the fact that the doctor confirmed that he was sick I would accuse him of faking it.  It's nice to have him back to normal though :)


This past weekend we bought... a mini-van.  That's right, a mini-van.  I'm finally accepting that I'm at that place in my life.  Really, if we were only going to have two kids we could have gone the SUV route, but we know that in a couple years we'll have a third, and we're not completely against the possibility of a fourth.  So, a mini-van it is.  Granted, this isn't your mother's mini-van.  There are two dvd players that can run together or independently of each other, a  full  navigation system, blue tooth sync for cell phones, leather seats, heated front row seats, stow and go seating in the third row, and so much more!  It's a 2010 Volkswagen Routan, and it makes me okay with driving a mini-van.  Granted, I don't really get to drive it until I'm done with school.  There's only about 10,000 miles on it, and we want to keep the miles low.  I drive about 112 miles a day, so that wouldn't work out.  Also, the Elantra gets better gas mileage.  So I get to be a weekend warrior in my mini-van.


Today before my Psychology of Personality class I stopped at one of the shops on campus and got a giant m&m cookie.  The baby and I love these cookies and I've been trending about two a week...  anyways, I didn't finish it all before class so I decided to finish the cookie while walking down the two flights of stairs to my Psychology of Perception class.  There was quite a bit of cookie left, but I figured I could eat it in about two huge bites.  SIDE NOTE: I don't chew with my mouth open.  I hate it when others do it, and I hate it  when I do it.  So, I take a huge bite of cookie and close my mouth while walking down the stairs.  About 1.5 seconds later I realized that my nose was extremely stuffed and I couldn't breath.  I was suffocating on an m&m cookie.  I was going to die.  Haha, okay, that's a little dramatic, but I did have a quick mild panic attack.  I swallowed, regained my breath, then did it again!  I'm an idiot and the whole scene played out again.  Thankfully that was the last bite I had so I didn't have to, ugh, suffer again.


Well, I have two quizzes tomorrow that I need to study for.  Hopefully I won't put as much time in-between this and my next blog entry!
  

Friday, September 16, 2011

Day 257 - emotional day

Song of the day:  Foster The People - Pumped Up Kicks


I probably should have started the last entry describing how terrible the first day of daycare went.  It was so hard.  Elliot started crying as soon as we walked in the door, he cried harder when we walked into his room, he cried harder when I put him down, and he cried even harder when I left.  I cried, and then bawled through the whole thing too!  Thankfully the teachers were really great and let me know that this is really common on the first day.  But as soon as I got in my car I sat in the parking lot for about 3 minutes bawling, then cried the entire way to school, then for about another 3 minutes in the parking lot at school.  So the fact that by day 2 he was already loving it there was awesome :)  He still is loving it there.  He whines a little bit when I leave in the morning, but could care less when I get there at night.  Unfortunately he's already gotten sick.  There's been a few kids in the center, some of them from his room, that have been sent home sick :(  He has a runny nose and a cough still but hopefully he'll get better this weekend.


School has been going really well.  I think it's because I'm older and have had more experience with responsibility, time management, and organization, but when I hear others complaining about the work load or "how hard" something is going to be, I just don't get it.  I don't think any of my classes are overly hard, or have a tough amount of work.  Of course, I also don't spend the entire class texting, so that may help with my knowledge retention.  I also don't find myself losing focus during the class period.  Maybe it's because I want to be there now, whereas I was there because I thought I was supposed to be back in the day.  Also, when I first did school I got C's and was stoned 90% of the time, so imagine how well I can do sober :)  That probably explains some of my focus issues back then...  


Today I had a ton of stuff I had a ton of stuff to do.  First I went to the chiropractor, then got the oil changed in my car, got my ring cleaned, then headed to my baby doctor appointment.  The nurse took my vitals and then started to use the hand doppler to check the babies heart rate.  The nurse couldn't find the heart beat and started asking me if I had been feeling the baby move.  I have felt the baby move, but it's not constant and it's more of a pressure than the butterflies that come in a few weeks.  She said she was going to see if they wanted to do a bed side ultra sound.  As this point I'm starting to freak out a little.  I had just told Kyle the night before that I was worried about the baby because I always get that way before an appointment because it's been a month since I last heard/saw the baby.  My doctor's regular nurse came in and she started using the hand doppler to see if she could find the heart beat while they were getting the bed side ultrasound machine ready.  I've met his nurse before and I am very confident in her skills, so I was sure that she was going to find it.  About 30-60 seconds later (but what felt like 10 minutes) she still hadn't found the heart beat and when to get the machine.  The doctor came in with the machine and by this point I'm full out crying.  [Let me just mention here that Kyle wasn't with me.  So I'm thinking that I had a miscarriage and my husband isn't even here to help me through it.  I also started worrying that I wouldn't be able to get a hold of him and I wanted him to come home right away.]  He and the nurse did a really good job of calming me down, and of course to make it a little worse Elliot see's me crying and starts crying too (which in a way made me feel better that he didn't like to see me cry).  At first the baby just looked like a lump and then it started to move.  There was only about 4 seconds between spotting the baby and seeing it move but it felt like 4 minutes.  The doctor found the heart beat and it was going strong at 151 bmp.  So, long story short, the baby and I are doing just fine :)  It was extremely emotional, but I'm glad I got to see the baby and that the baby is okay. 


After my appointment I had to get blood work done and since I was already at the clinic I decided to get my flu shot as well.  We finally got home at 1:00, which meant we were out for 4 hours, and Elliot did a really good job considering he had to spend most of the time in a stroller or the car.  When we got back we had lunch then he went down for a nap and I lounged around in bed but never actually fell asleep.  Either way, with the emotional rollercoster of the morning it felt nice just to relax.  


Good news is that we just got a loan for a new car and might go shopping this weekend, but most likely will be going next Saturday.  We are having lunch with one of Kyle's friends from work and his family tomorrow!  They have three boys so Elliot will have a lot of fun :)  More fun is that next Friday we're going to the Brewer's game!  I also have two quizzes next week so I guess I'll finally find out if I really am retaining knowledge, or if I just think I am.  :)

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Day 248 - sigh of relief

Song of the Day:  David Crowder Band - How He Loves


Today was great!  Elliot had a great time at daycare and was excited to see me when I got there, but not excited enough that the blocks near me weren't more important, lol.  But the best part is that there were no tears!  I also got to see his art work on the walls and pictures of him working on his projects :)  He's having such a good time which makes it easier to go back to school without any "mommy guilt."  Right now I'm filling out his school pictures form.  Yep, school pictures happen at daycare too.  I just don't know how the photographer is going to get him to sit still long enough!  


I'm starting to realize what Kyle's been going through for the last 15+ months.  On Monday's and Wednesday's I pick him up at 4:30, but on Tuesday's and Thursday's I pick him up at 5:30. Picking him up at 5:30 means we aren't home until 6:30, then it's time to eat, time for a bath, then time  for bed.  I feel like I barely get to see him or spend any time with him.  It's really sad and has been kind of a hard adjustment for me.  The only silver lining is that I'm completely exhausted and ready to go to bed at 7:30 myself!  


I've slept really well the past two nights and I think school has really helped out with that!  I walk a ton and am up earlier than I would be if I was staying home.  Also I don't get my afternoon nap/lay-in-bed-while-Elliot's-napping time, so I've been sleeping longer.  Before I was waking up between 1 and 3 and staying up for 2-3 hours.  Now the earliest I wake up is 6:00am, and that's an hour before I would get up anyway so it's not terrible to get up a little earlier. 


I'm not really sure what it is, but I'm finding myself much more "at home" at Whitewater.  I think a lot of it has to do with where I'm at in my life.  When I was at Winona State University I had no idea who I was and was more concerned with looking in all the wrong places for my identity instead of working on school and having an involved college experience.  I spent a semester at Western Technical College and was there just for class.  Really tech school's aren't about the experience, and that's what I liked at the time, but I knew I wouldn't finish there.  I spent part of a semester at University of Wisonsin- La Crosse, but I was going through so much emotional crap at the time that I didn't even finish the semester yet alone work to become a part of the school.  I couldn't even tell you where the cafeteria is at UWL.  I went to my classes and that was it.  I took a class at Madison Area Technical College when I was pregnant with Elliot mainly to see if I was able to focus on doing well in school.  I aced the course and knew that I was finally ready.  But I still was just at MATC for my class and that was it.  I did go to school online through UWW this summer, but that's not really the same as being in school.  I've only been at UWW for two days, but already I know where everything is, and I feel like I'm a part of the school.  I've actually been asked where things are by other people walking around.  I don't know if it's because I look confident in being there or if it's because I look so much older than everyone else that they figure I am either a super-super-senior or a grad student... I'm going to pretend it's the confidence thing, lol.  


It's also been great that Ethan (my brother) is also at Whitewater.  We had lunch together Tuesday, and today I took him to Walmart to get some supplies for his art class.  We're having lunch together tomorrow.  It's been great to be able to spend time with him and to know someone else on campus!


Well, I have homework to do, and not a lot of energy left to do it...


AND I got a call that our bed is going to be delivered Friday between 1 and 3!!  I CANNOT wait!!!!

Monday, September 5, 2011

Day 246 - Last Day.

Song of the day:  Ryan Cabrera - On The Way Down  ...this song was huge my first year in college (2004).  I'm sure I have it on about 27 mixed cd's that are somewhere in a box (at my parents house), but I may be making an Itunes purchase tonight...


Well, today was my last day of summer and my last day as a stay-at-home mom.  Tomorrow I'm back in school and Elliot's in daycare.  I'm a mix of emotions about how I feel about all of this.  I feel okay about sending Elliot to daycare.  In fact, I'm kind of excited for him to get to socialize with other kids and they have a great learning program in place.  I know he's going to have a great time.  Also, as much as I have loved being a stay-at-home mom, and would love to do it for each of our kids, it's not my life's calling.  I'm  going to miss being able to hang out with him every day and to see all the cute new thing he does, but it will be good for him.  Hopefully.  He was not excited about going to the nursery at church yesterday, so hopefully tomorrow goes better than that experience!


I'm excited to be back in school.  And I'm extremely nervous.  I just feel so out of my element.  I feel old.  One of my dad's fears is to be that old guy that just thinks he's cool.  I now have that fear.  Lets get one thing straight.  I'm not old.  I'm 24.  But, I'm 24, married, with a 15 month old and another baby on the way.  To most college kids I'm ancient, and mine as well be their parents age.  UW-Whitewater does seem to have a really good adult student outreach/support, but I don't know if any of those other adults will be in my classes.  Ugh.  I don't know why I'm so nervous.  I hope I'm able to sleep tonight, but I'm not sure if that will be possible.  In good news, I've gotten used to getting up at 7 and being ready by 7:45 when I need to get Elliot up, and we've both been completely ready by 8:30.  I think that after tomorrow I'll feel fine about everything.  (Again) Hopefully.


Besides being nervous, this weekend was super packed!  We spent almost all day Saturday figuring out which bed we were going to buy.  We shopped around like good consumers, and ended at the first place we went to.  We ended buying a Sealy Posturepedic King plush bed!  It's being delivered Friday and I can't wait!  Sunday we went to church, then spent the afternoon shopping for a comforter set and sheets.  With it being labor day weekend there was a ton of sales.  We went to quite a few stores and checked online, then ended up buying everything at Target.  This weekend I learned that shopping around is a good idea, but sometimes you know what you like, and should just stick with what you know.  


There are all of these side effects of pregnancy that I had with Elliot but had completely blocked out.  Whenever I describe what it was like to be pregnant with Elliot I say that it was completely normal, and easy, and I didn't even have morning sickness.  Yes, I didn't have morning sickness, and yes it was normal, but I felt terrible for the last few months.  I had really bad insomnia, exhaustion, terrible lower back pain, and my sinus's were always swollen and I could barely breath.  Also, with Elliot I got huge, but it was a different kind of weight gain.  I was in my regular pants until 25 weeks.  Granted, I probably should have gotten into the maternity pants sooner, but I was bent on not wearing them (I quickly learned how much more comfortable they were!).  I completely forgot how miserable I was for the last few months, and now looking back on it I remember complaining and Kyle asking me if I was sure I wanted to have more kids someday, lol.  You take one look at the adorable newborn in your arms who you love with an intensity that's impossible to really describe and completely forget the months that, well, sucked.  Right now I am a few hours shy of 15 weeks and am already experiencing insomnia, exhaustion, terrible lower back pain, and swollen sinus's.  To add insult to injury I am nauseous all day, but that has gotten a LOT better in the last week and a half or so.  I've also already been sporting the occasional pair of maternity pants for the last two weeks.  My hips have gotten wider quicker, or maybe maternity pants are just more comfortable... either way, I'm wearing 'em!  Are these just symptoms of a second pregnancy or maybe do the differences mean we'll be buying lots of pink?  I don't know, but either way, God Bless Kyle for being such a patient and amazing husband!  :)


...and now to attempt sleep...

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Day 241 - The Best of Intentions

Song of the day:  Taylor Swift & Nicki Minaj - Super Bass


This morning I had every intention of doing a school day run through.  Well, kind of an intention.  My plan was if I woke up between 6:30 and 7:00 that I would do a run through.  Well, I woke up at 6:56 and tried to time out if I really need to get up by 7:00 or if I can wait until 7:30...  I fell back asleep trying to figure it out.  I got up again around 8:30 which is about when we need to be leaving for the day, so we'll try again tomorrow I guess!  


I filled out all of Elliot's daycare papers yesterday and I'm still so torn about the whole thing.  I know it will be really good for him to spend time and socialize with other kids, not to mention that it's really good for me to get back in school, but I am already missing the time we get to spend together.  Really, it's only for 16 weeks.  Then we get 9 weeks (or so) together before the next baby gets here!  I'm glad that we'll have a few more weeks to spend together before his world gets turned upside down!  And I'm glad that he'll learn about sharing with other kids before the baby gets here!  I keep thinking about trying to start potty training Elliot, but he has no signal at all that he's going to the bathroom.  TMI:  It used to be really obvious when he was pooping, and now he does it and you don't know until he runs by you and it smells.  And I tried to just let him run around naked and see how that went, and within 30 seconds he had already pee'd all over one of his toys (that was thankfully cloth and easily washed).  Hopefully being in daycare will also help him realize that going to the bathroom should happen in the potty and not in his diaper.  We'll see, I guess!


I can't wait for Kyle to get home.  I'm just so bored at night without him here.  Not that I'd be doing anything different, but the house gets lonely when he's not home :(  He had cleaned the house when Elliot and I were at my parents, so I'm going to be spending the next two days getting it picked up again.  Yesterday I went through all of Elliot's clothes and packed away the ones that are too small, and put away all his new clothes.  I actually need to buy more hangers because he has so many clothes.  Looks like we may have gone a little overboard when we went shopping for him!  The good thing is that most of them are 18 months or 18-24 month clothing so they should last a really long time!  


Today the high is 84, tomorrow 92, and Friday 91.  YUCK.  But thankfully a cold front is coming in Friday night and the weather will be in the low to mid 70's for the rest of the week! That's the perfect weather for me!  I love the fall!  I love layering clothing and wearing jeans.  And since I'm always warm (with the baby being my own personal furnace), anything over 73 makes me feel horribly hot!  And the fall is just so beautiful :)

Monday, August 29, 2011

Day 239 - Last week of summer.

Song of the day:  Justin Bieber - Pray


It's been two weeks since I last wrote.  I'm not really sure why I haven't written anything.  Probably because the only thing to write about would be how nauseous I have been :/  I've tried some over the counter meds (okay'd by my doctor), different flavors of suckers, and eating small foods every two to three hours.  Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't.  I'm 14 weeks now, and have been hoping for a little give on the sick feeling, but it's still around.  Thankfully it's not as bad as it was a few weeks ago, so hopefully I'm on the down swing.  


I  realized that this is the last week that I have as a stay at home mom.  It's a bittersweet feeling.  I am really excited to be back in school, but it's so sad to not be spending every day with Elliot.  Kyle's in Michigan this week, but will thankfully be home for the first two weeks of school so I'll have some support in case I'm starting to feel overwhelmed.  I realized that since I changed my class schedule around that Elliot only has to be in daycare for 4 days a week instead of 5, and that he'll only be there for 28 hours a week which puts him under full time - and saves us $55/week which is awesome!  


We've also taken a real look at our budget and we'll be out of debt (except for student loans, which we don't really count) by the time the baby gets here!  That's a huge relief since we're also looking to get a larger car and hopefully a house.  We're 95% sure that we're staying in Madison for at least another 3-10 years and we're sick of renting.  The only thing keeping us from buying a house in Madison would be if the most amazing perfect job ever opened up to Kyle in La Crosse.  That's highly doubtful.  We've started looking at houses online, but who knows what will still be available in 6 months, or what else will be available!  I always hate not knowing what's will be happening.  And everything is going to be happening really fast.  Our lease is up March 31st and the baby is due February 27th, and we're going to have to be house shopping, and moving, and having a new baby (not necessarily in that order) all in about two months.  Lots of prayer will be what gets us through this!


Tomorrow Elliot has his 15 month check-up and then sometime this week we're going to head to Whitewater to turn in his daycare papers and hopefully get the rest of my books.  Thankfully UW-Whitewater seems to have a lot of adult students so I don't feel totally alone and old going back to school.  Hopefully it will take two years to get done, but I'll already have to take a semester off this spring for the baby, and who knows how quickly I'll get pregnant again!  Lol.  Okay, I think it's time for 1st lunch...

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Day 226 - looking for some energy

Song of the day:  Adele - Turning Tables


We had such a fun weekend!  Kyle and I went to the Great Wolf Lodge in Wisconsin Dells Friday- Monday.  Elliot spent the extended weekend at my parents house, and as much as we missed him (and even thought of bringing him to the Dells for a few hours), we had a great time just the two of us.  It was nice that we each got to sleep in!  We spent almost all day Sunday at the outdoor water park and only applied spf 10 once.  Not a good combo!  Thankfully the sunburns weren't as bad as they initially seemed, but Kyle had stripes and that was pretty funny :)  


Monday we got up early and drove to Whitewater to return my summer books and pick up my parking pass.  Then we drove to West Salem.  Five hours of driving was not fun, but seeing Elliot was totally worth it!  He was so excited when we walked through the door!  He had a huge smile and kept screaming like a 11 year old girl meeting Justin Bieber, lol.  It was like he couldn't believe it was really us.  He gave us a ton of hugs and kisses :)  As soon as we showed him the new shoes we got him (found out right before we left that none of his shoes fit anymore!) he wanted to put them on and go o-u-t-s-i-d-e.  Yes, we now have to spell outside.  As soon as he hears it, he heads for the door!  We played outside for a while, then we all took a nap!  


I'm still really really tired from this weekend, and unfortunately the morning sickness still hasn't gone away :(  Elliot just went down for a nap, and I plan on napping as well!  Tomorrow afternoon we're going to go play with Kynzley and Maria and Thursday morning I have an appointment in Madison, at 8:00 am.  Thankfully Aunt Carrie is going to come babysit!  Having family and friends here makes me wish we were able to move back, but we're slowly accepting that the time is just not right.  Hopefully someday :)

Monday, August 8, 2011

Day 218 - I wouldn't call it giving up, but...

Song of the day:  Rebekah Hulse - I've Always Wanted To Do This


I have been gaining weight, and I'm going to continue to gain weight, until about February 27th.  :)  And for those of you that still haven't figured it out, I'm pregnant!  My appointment on Friday was my first ultrasound!  We were able to tell the rest of our family and friends (and thank you to the ones we already told for keeping a secret) this weekend, and now I can finally say that I'm 11 weeks along!  The picture below is a close up of the ultra sound.  It's super fuzzy, but the bottom circle area is the head, and the top circle area is the body.  The babies heart rate was 163 bpm.  I can't wait for the next ultrasound (in about 11 weeks) to find out if we're expecting a boy or a girl!




This pregnancy is completely different from when I was pregnant with Elliot.  I am extremely nauseous and the only thing that helps is grazing all day, mostly on carbs.  My favorite snack is buttered popcorn with pickles.  Not mixed together, cause then the pickles would make the popcorn soggy, but eaten one after another.  SO GOOD.  I'm also into every kind of noodle dish.  And, just like when I was pregnant with Elliot, meat is grossing me out.  I don't know what it is, but I don't want any meat.  I've been subbing peanut butter, nuts, and beans to help keep my protein up.  


As far as weight, my goal is to stay active (which I have yet to do) and eat healthy (which I'm doing okay at) and not gain as much weight (unless that's just what my body does) this time around.  I'm just glad that I had lost all of my pregnancy weight before getting pregnant again!  I see the scale going up, and I'm trying to be okay with it, but it's actually been harder this time around.  With Elliot I embraced the weight gain, but now, I just worked so hard to get rid of the weight, that seeing it creeping back up is psychologically taking it's tole on me.  I'll add though, that I'm not trying to lose weight or cut calories or anything.  I still know that I'm pregnant, and that I'm gaining weight, and that's good, I'm just not fond of it, lol.


I'm not sure if I'm going to do a weekly weigh-in.  In fact, I'm probably not going to.  I will do a monthly weigh-in though on the 27th of each month, just to keep everything in-check.  I also wrote down my weight gain from when I was pregnant with Elliot, so I know where I'm at in comparison.     


I had to get a new doctor since I had a c-section with Elliot, and I will probably have one again.  I have yet to meet him, and I hope he respects my wishes to wait until my due date to have the baby, but I guess we'll cross that bridge when it comes.  :)


Oh, and, if you clicked on the song link, you've just been Rick Roll'd!

Friday, August 5, 2011

Day 215 - Answers Coming Soon...

Song of the Day:  Wizard Love - Meekakitty featuring Heyhihello


We've had a really fun last couple of days.  My brother Logan was originally supposed to come down Thursday night and watch Elliot Friday afternoon while Kyle and I go to my doctor appointment.  Instead he decided to come down Wednesday afternoon so he could hang out more.  We've been in the pool a few times, and went shopping, and Elliot's really enjoyed having him around!


Today I am going to spend the morning packing for the Hall Family Rendezvous.  We'll be in a tent in the middle of the woods for the next few days!  I'm really excited because we have family coming in from California that don't get to make it every year.  It will be great to see everyone!  This afternoon I have a doctor appointment, and hopefully Monday I'll have some answers, and be able to tell everyone what's going on and how it's affected/ing my weight loss goals and progress. 


Well, I need to get some packing done, and I don't have much else to say.  I just wish it was 1:00 already!  :) 


  

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Day 212 - Try (almost)Anything Once

Song of the day:  Nicki Minaj - Super Bass


Okay.  So yesterday morning I tried the glowing green smoothie.  It was... okay.  It's one of those things that I really want to like because it's so good for you and jam packed with all these healthy things, but it wasn't as great as I was hoping it would be.  I think maybe if I would have added a little more fruit, it would have been more tasty.  The first problem with the smoothie is that all the ingredients are way too much to fit into either my food processor or blender so I had to do it in shifts.  It makes 2 quarts of smoothie!  Which is way more than I'm going to have in a day, even if I really liked it.  I let it cool in the fridge, then added a little bit of V8-fusion juice and some ice cubes.  This made it drinkable and I finished about 14 ounces.  I'll try some more later today when it's colder.  I also ended up adding the juice from a whole lemon, and I should also say that I used regular produce instead of organic produce.  I think that there is merit in some organic produce (specifically anything that you don't peel first), but I think that produce is a healthier choice to processed food any day, whether they are organic or not.  Also, I wasn't about to spend an extra $2 per item when making something that I'm not sure if I'm going to even like.  And considering how much it makes vs. how much I'm going to drink, I think going with non-organic produce was a good choice.  I think that maybe this smoothie would be better with an extra pear, or maybe a nectarine or peach in it.  I also slipped up a little bit when cutting the lemon in half and cut my finger.  Not fun.


The avocado pesto pasta was really good.  We decided to not use the chicken, so it was just a pasta dish, which made it lighter.  In comparison to the pesto I made a few weeks ago, I'm not sure which one I like better.  I really like the creaminess the avocado adds, but I like more of a basil flavor and the avocado really overpowers the basil.  Maybe adding only one avocado instead of two would give the creaminess without the major avocado taste.  


Yesterday morning I opened up the windows and the patio door.  It was almost cold in our apartment from having the air conditioning on every day for the past month or so.  Also the air was feeling dry and over processed.  In about 10 minutes it was so humid and thick that I felt like I was in a sauna.  Even though it wasn't "perfect weather" it still felt really nice to get fresh air in the house, so I kept them open... for about 30 minutes, lol.  


I was exhausted yesterday.  I napped every time Elliot napped.  I'm feeling the same way today :/  We have a heat advisory from 1-7 today with thunderstorms from 3-7, so it looks like we'll be spending another day inside.  Kyle took Elliot swimming when he got home from work yesterday, and the temperature had finally cooled down a bit, and he said it was actually enjoyable for once.  


For dinner tonight Kyle has requested chicken with lemon-leek linguine.  I think I only have angel hair pasta, but I really like linguine with this meal so I may have to grab some when I get the leeks and garlic.  Or maybe I'll have Kyle get it on his way home depending on the rain, lol :)  

Monday, August 1, 2011

Day 211 - makin' food

Song of the day:  Boyz in the Sink - Belly Button


Again, it's been a while since I wrote.  Life has just gotten so busy and I haven't really had time to write!  As far as weight loss goes, I haven't lost any.  This week I'm focusing on making food at home.  We have been ordering out, A LOT, and that definitely needs to stop.  Kyle is home all week, so that will hopefully help me make food.  It doesn't really make sense, because I make Elliot food, but Kyle and I end up deciding between Noodles and Pizza Hut.  


We had a really great weekend!  Saturday we went to the Farmer's Market and got breakfast there, then walked along State Street.  I found a store that sells essential oils for a pretty good price, and I think I'm going to try my hand at soap making.  I took a soap making class with my mom and Carrie while we were up north, and I think I could do it at home.  I'm waiting to see if I still want to do this in a few weeks because the oils are really expensive so I don't want to buy them and have them sit here.  We also went grocery shopping, and swimming as a family.  Elliot loves going to the pool and as soon as he gets any hint of the plan he's standing at the door!  


Sunday we spent the day getting our house in order.  Since Kyle's home this week, we are finally all done living out of suit cases, for a while at least.  We also rearranged our living room into every possible layout, just to give up and put it back how it was.  We then realized if we moved one of the couches over three feet then we would get the feel we were looking for.  If only we would have tried that first!  I also made some salsa, and it was so good!  Kyle and I ended up having tacos and salsa for both lunch and dinner.  


In honor of making food at home, tonight I am making avocado pesto pasta with chicken!  It looks really good, and we love pesto, and anything with avocado in it!  I'm hoping it turns out well, and that my basil stays looking good all day!  For breakfast this morning I'm going to try a glowing green smoothie.  I have seen this made on the Today show a few times, and it looks really good, so I'm giving it a try!  I am waiting until Elliot goes down for a nap though, because anytime I'm in the kitchen he thinks he's getting something.  I also have to share if he's awake, lol.  


I'm not really sure what we're going to do today.  It's supposed to be in the 90's and sunny.  We may head to the pool, but the problem with the pool is that it's heated.  This was nice when it was only 75 degrees, but now that it's in the 90's it feels more like bath water than a refreshing pool.  We may go to one of the aquatic centers, but I'm not really sure if I want to make the journey over there, and pay for 45 minutes (tops) of swimming.  But we'll see, because there's not really anything else to do that doesn't involve being really hot outside.





Friday, July 22, 2011

Day 201

Song of the day:  Jenna Rose - My Jeans  ...made by the same people who did Rebecca Black's "Friday" I think it's worse (or better?) than "Friday."


It's so nice to have Kyle' home!  I sleep so much better when he's home and Elliot gets so excited!  Of course, when he goes to work the next day Elliot spends most of the day asking for "dada."  Last night Kyle and I ordered a ton of chinese take out, and even though I know it's bad for me, it tasted so good!  We haven't had it in a really long time, and it was worth the extra calories.  And really, I'm not even sure if it's extra calories because I didn't eat a high calorie breakfast or lunch.  In fact, I think lunch was just snacking on carrots and some crackers.  For breakfast, yesterday and today, I had Captain Crunch Crunch Berries.  SO GOOD.  They were on clearance (because of the limited time retro box) at Target, and so so good!


The heat wave is officially over!  But we're still inside today.  I've just been so exhausted and apparently Elliot is too.  He napped from 9:30-12:30 this morning!  I woke up from my nap at noon and was really confused as to why I didn't hear Elliot.  Half an hour later he was up.  When Kyle gets home we're going to head to Verizon and finally get me a phone!  I'm still not sure if we're going to have to add an extra line, or just buy a phone, or what, but either way, I'm getting a phone today!  It was kind of nice not having one, but really really annoying at the same time.  And like I said yesterday, Facebook Chat sucks.  


I'm not really sure what we're going to do this weekend.  It all depends on the weather and what we're feeling up to.  Kyle's been traveling a lot, and has a lot of travel ahead of him, so I'm okay if he just wants to lay low at home.  Also, it's supposed to rain, so I'm not sure what we'll even be able to do.


And I'm already tired again.... maybe it's a two nap day....   

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Day 200 - it's been awhile!

Song of the day:  Jack's Mannequin - The Mixed Tape ...forgot how much I love this song!


Wow!  It's been over two weeks since I last wrote!  Last week we went up to YMCA Camp du Nord (which was featured on the Today Show this morning!) with my family and I was without a computer for a week!  It was amazing!  Everyday we walked 2-6 miles, hiked, canoed, swam in the lake, and just had a great time!  Elliot had so much fun being able to be constantly outside!  It was so nice to get away on vacation and to just lose ourselves in the week.


Elliot broke my phone right before we left, so I've also gone without a phone for the last 2 weeks!  There's so many options on what we should do since we're in the middle of our contract, so I just decided to wait until Kyle got home to take care of it.  Hopefully either tonight or tomorrow night I'll have a phone again!  It was actually really nice not to have a phone, at first.  Now, it's just annoying.  Facebook chat sucks and trying to have a real conversation on there is harder than you would think.


I actually did weigh myself on Tuesday morning, but I never got around to writing a blog until today.


1/3/11 - 232.6 lbs
1/31/11 - 217.4 lbs
2/28/11 - 206.0 lbs
3/26/11 - 208.8 lbs
4/25/11 - 206.0 lbs
5/31/11 - 203.2 lbs

6/28/11 - 206.2 lbs
7/5/11 - 207.4 lbs
7/12/11 - on vacation7/19/11 - 208.2 lbs

Weight loss for Week Twenty-Eight:  +0.8 lbs
Weight loss Total: 24.4 lbs

Weight loss since my heaviest (5/22/10 - 264 lbs): 55.8 lbs



I did a lot of exercising at camp, but we also had a ton of really good food, and dessert every night!  It was so good!  


That being said, I was planning on getting out this week and continuing walking a few miles a day, but we've been under a heat wave advisory so Elliot and I have been inside all week.  It's supposed to be over now, but it's still 92 degrees outside right now.  And muggy.  I don't like sweating while working out, I really hate sweating when I'm not even moving.  Yuck.


This morning I took a shower, shaved my legs, and blow-dried my hair when I was done.  I feel like a new person.  I don't know the last time I actually "did" my hair.  I feel like Kyle and I should find a babysitter and go on a date!  Lol.  I'm really excited to do nothing this weekend!  Hopefully the pool won't be too packed and we can go swimming - or maybe we'll try out one of the local aquatic centers.  I also want to check out the library near us.  I need a new library card, and I think I want to read the Hunger Games books.  I know they're for teens, but whatever, they look good.  Although, I don't know how much extra time I'll have for leisure reading because I have another class starting Monday.  But the professor is still listed as TBA and the class isn't open on D2L yet, so who knows if the class will happen or not.  I go back and forth with how I feel about that.  I really want to take this class now so I have it done, but I wouldn't mind having another three weeks of no commitment, but I'll probably be bored without it.  


My goal for today is to get the house picked up, possibly cleaned before Kyle gets home.  Every time I pick something up, Elliot puts it back on the floor.  I think he likes the dvd's on the floor better than on the shelf.  He also really likes taking plastic bottles out of the recycling and carrying them around the house.  Thankfully their clean, but they're everywhere now!  I just need to take them out because I'm getting sick of picking them up, lol.  






Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Day 185 - Hot Town, Summer In The City

Song of the day:  The Lovin' Spoonful - Summer In The City


I'm glad to report that this morning was much less eventful than yesterday morning!  I don't know if it was the stress of the morning, or just me giving into temptation, but I ate pretty horribly yesterday.  I just wanted to eat everything in sight!  I had bought some Oreo's Monday night because I had a coupon, and there was a sale, and Kyle's been talking about wanting something sweet lately.  Well, Kyle's gone, which leaves all the Oreo's in my hands.  I ate 6.  Good news is that I also drank a glass of milk, bad news is that I also dipped 2 of them in peanut butter (but it was all natural!), lol.  That was the worse thing that I ate, but I also had yogurt, 3 hard boiled eggs, 4 pieces of watermelon, a cheese quesadilla, a lean cuisine, a green bell pepper, and one of those single serving bags of popcorn for a late night snack.  Okay, I guess it just looks like more than it really was.  Watermelon is pretty much nothing, and a green bell pepper is really good for you too.  I think it looks like more in a list than it does in calories.  


This morning I've kept the trend going.  I had a piece of toast with peanut butter and a banana for breakfast, yogurt, 1/2 red bell pepper, 1/2 green bell pepper, 1 cup rice, and lots of szechuan sauce for lunch, and those Oreo's are trying to call my name.  I've already decided that I'm not going to give into them today!  We have a ton of fresh veggies, fruit, and salad items left since we had thought that Kyle's brother was coming here Thursday and Friday, and I didn't know that Kyle was out of town this week.  So, food that was supposed to cover 2-3 people is now all supposed to be eaten by me before it goes bad.  Good think it's healthy!  


Elliot and I had a fun time at the pool yesterday.  It was really busy and Elliot wasn't really sure what to think about all of the other kids.  He was really interested in watching the older kids do cannon-balls into the pool.  He really likes the water, and was ready for a nap after we were done.  He's definitely getting back into his schedule, and that makes me happy :)  Tomorrow we have to go to Children's Hospital for his 1 year post-NICU developmental appointment, and I'm feeling confident that everything will go great!  


It's already in the 80's so we'll be heading back to the pool today!  I'm also going through all of our stuff and getting rid of what we don't need, and cleaning everything else.  I guess it's a little late for spring cleaning, but it needs to get done.  We've been living out of suit cases for the last month with all of our traveling, so our house is just in disarray.  Of course, we're traveling again this weekend so part of me doesn't see the point in cleaning, but it will be really nice to come home to everything in it's correct place!     

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Day 184 - Tuesday Weigh-In Week #26

Song of the day:  Sugar Ray - Every Morning  


We had such a great weekend!  We had a great time in Pembine and a fun time at Bay Beach on Monday morning.  Elliot was definitely feeling the 5 days of travel though, and was crabby because of it.  He doesn't really like to sleep in the car unless he's so tired he can't fight it anymore.    


We headed home at about 3:00 yesterday and thankfully Elliot slept the whole car ride home!  This never happens!  It really helped the car ride be a little more enjoyable instead of us trying to tune out his yelling.  Once we got home we unpacked the car and Elliot ate dinner.  Afterwards he was started walking around the house and taking inventory of all his toys, lol.  He and Kyle went on a walk while I did some coupon grocery shopping!  I got a ton of great deals including dawn + olay hand renew dishwashing soap for .50 a bottle!  We are stocked up on diapers for probably the rest of the summer, lol.  Kyle and I didn't eat dinner until about 9:00 and the fast choice was frozen pizza.  We ate way to much pizza.  Enough that I can probably attribute it to my weight gain this past week (along with doing some over indulging this weekend).  


1/3/11 - 232.6 lbs
1/31/11 - 217.4 lbs
2/28/11 - 206.0 lbs
3/26/11 - 208.8 lbs
4/25/11 - 206.0 lbs
5/31/11 - 203.2 lbs

6/28/11 - 206.2 lbs

7/5/11 - 207.4 lbs


Weight loss for Week Twenty-Five:  +1.2 lbs
Weight loss Total: 25.2 lbs

Weight loss since my heaviest (5/22/10 - 264 lbs): 56.6 lbs





I guess I should just be glad that that's all I gained over a holiday weekend.  We're back home this week, so that should help me get back on track.  


Oh- and besides my weigh-in, I have already had an eventful morning.  Kyle went in to get Elliot at about 7:30 and very quickly came back in our room.  -thing to remember: Kyle is heading to Milwaukee and needs to be at work by 7:45 to meet the other people who he is going to Milwaukee with- Elliot had taken off his poopy diaper and got poop all over his crib - and partially on the floor from throwing the diaper out of his crib.  He had also peed in his crib.  Fun.  So, I started a bath and cleaned him up, then got him in his high chair for breakfast and started cleaning up.  I didn't yell at him or anything, but he was just crying through the whole bath/getting dressed.  I think he knew that he did something naughty.  I just threw away the sheet because it wasn't worth trying to clean it.  Thankfully I have some really great cleaner that kills germs as well as it kills the smell.  30 minutes later, everything was clean and back to normal.  


I think I deserve a nap today!  We're going to head to the pool this afternoon, and probably go for a walk as well.  Hopefully tomorrow morning will be less eventful!

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Day 181 - It's July Already??

Song of the day:  A-Ha - Take On Me


Kyle took off on Thursday and Friday and we headed up to Waupaca to visit his mom and his brother Aaron.  We haven't seen his brother in about a year (he lives/works in Australia) so it was great to get to spend some time with him!  Yesterday Aaron, Kyle, Elliot, and I came up to Green Bay to have dinner with Kyle's dad (Brian) and his wife (Peg).  I love coming up here.  It's just so relaxing and comfortable.  This morning for instance, I slept until 9.  Awesome!  It's very similar to when we go to my parents house.  


Today Kyle's Aunt Michele and Uncle David are coming up from Ohio!  It's been about a year since we've seen them too, so it will be great to spend some time with them!  Today isn't supposed to be as hot as yesterday, so we're thinking about taking a trip to the zoo!  


We've been eating out a lot, but I'm glad to report that I've been making some good choices.  Kyle and I split a side of fries at lunch on Thursday, I only had two pieces of pizza for dinner on Thursday, and for breakfast on Friday I stopped eating when I was full.  Crazy right?  I stopped eating when I was full!  Someone call the press!  Oh, but I didn't want to stop.  I ate the two eggs, bacon, about 75% of my hash browns (with cheese) and 1.5 pieces of the most amazing homemade whole-wheat toast I've ever had.  I didn't really care about finishing my hash browns, but I really wanted to eat more toast.  But I realized that I was full and didn't need to do that.  I also have been drinking unsweetened ice tea and water instead of sugar-y drinks and soda.


Tomorrow we're heading up to Pembine with Peg's family.  It's so nice up there and there's a ton of trails and waterfalls to see.  There's a lot of kids too, and another little boy named Elliott who's about 5 months older than Elliot, so he should have a lot of fun!  There's also a couple of "pup-pups" and "kiki" (we think this is kitty since that's what he says as he's chasing Brian and Peg's cats, lol) so Elliot is going to be really excited!  


I'm not really sure what we're going to do Monday, but there's bound to be fireworks involved!


Okay, it's 9:45.  I should probably take a shower, or do something productive.... maybe :)  

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Day 177 - Tuesday Weigh-In Week #25

Song of the day:  All Time Low - Coffee Shop Soundtrack


Okay, so this week I'm finally getting back to being healthy.  It definitely makes a difference being back into our normal routine at home.  I hadn't been here in 3 weeks!  I napped a ton yesterday and it felt so nice!  The weather has been so nice, but unfortunately I left my swim suit at my parents (it's currently being mailed back, lol) so I can't take Elliot to the pool :(  I went to Target to try and find a new one, and I can't find anything that I really like :(


Last night I made Pesto Chicken with black spaghetti.  The black spaghetti is from Target's Archer Farms brand and was on clearance, so we thought we'd try something new.  It was really good, and I don't think that it tasted any different.  It was really pretty looking with the chicken and the pesto colors.  It almost looked professional, lol.  I even made the pesto with the basil from our porch!  It turned out really well!  I'm really excited for the leaves to mature again and then I'll make the meal again!  I did change the recipe from almonds to sunflower seeds because that's what I had in our cabinet.  I have a lot of mint so I'm planning on making wings with mint leaves and honey for dinner tonight!  Except I'm exchanging wings for chicken breast.  We also have some amazing honey that we got at our last visit to the farmers market, so it should be really good! 



We went grocery shopping on Sunday and got a ton of food!  Which was good because the only thing in our fridge was mountain dew, coke, a lemon, a lime, and kraft singles.  We stocked up on Lean Cuisines to help curb our eating out habits.  Now when we don't feel like cooking, we can just have one of those instead of spending $40 on Thai takeout.  Good for the body, good for the budget!  


This is my last week for two of my classes, then I have a break until July 25th!  There's so much to do this week, and Kyle's brother Aaron is visiting Thursday and Friday, so I'm trying to work ahead.  Hopefully I can get everything done!


1/3/11 - 232.6 lbs
1/31/11 - 217.4 lbs
2/28/11 - 206.0 lbs
3/26/11 - 208.8 lbs
4/25/11 - 206.0 lbs
5/31/11 - 203.2 lbs
6/7/11 - 202.5 lbs
6/14/11 - 204.0 lbs

6/20/11 - ??
6/28/11 - 206.2 lbs

Weight loss for Week Twenty-Five:  +2.2 lbs
Weight loss Total: 26.4 lbs

Weight loss since my heaviest (5/22/10 - 264 lbs): 57.8 lbs



Well, I saw this coming.  Thankfully the last two days I've eaten really well, and am planning on keeping it up!  I also did some yoga last week and plan on doing it some more today and throughout the rest of the week.  I'm still under my pre-pregnancy weight, and that was my main first goal, so I don't feel like a complete failure, lol.  Okay, back to the day!  Hopefully I'll have more time to write this week!