New Look

I was able to get the baby down early tonight and realized I had some time to play. While I sat with the girls watching a horrid movie on the Disney Channel, I was able to upload some new photos and worked on downloading videos from the video camera.While I was at it, I played around with the format here.

While doing laundry last week, I got an actual shot of a load of all pink (with some purple) laundry!

Off to bed before Emma wakes up!

Here are a few shots taken this week. The first two are from Pat's promotion ceremony and the last one is from last week when Emma got to see her first snow!

Weigh in Wednesday!

Unlike yesterday, I actually checked on the status of school before getting out of bed this morning. Thankfully, I was able to sleep in this morning! This will, of course, cause us some problems if we get much more snow this year. Thanks to having inauguration day off, we now only have 1 more snow day built into the calendar!

This morning I am down 1 lb from last week. for a total of 2.8 lbs since Jan 2. I know its slow going, but I am nursing and don't want to drop too much too fast since I already struggle with my supply.

I was able to get my hands on a Wii Fit this week as well! I love it. I need to get some games to go with it, but the software that comes with it is pretty good. I've done some yoga, strength training and aerobics. My kids are having a ball with it too! I don't like the fact that it changes your mii person to look like what your BMI is though. I look like I've got a spare tire! Hopefully that will change soon enough!

My oldest opted to go to daycare today, so I am home with the 4.5 year old and the baby. That means no fighting! Yay!!!

What a day!

Last night the weather forecast called for snow starting midday and into this evening. Sometimes, these forecasters are wrong. Often, here in the Washington DC area, what is supposed to be snow ends up being rain, or just a dusting. As someone who works for the school system, I love a good snow day. However, I rarely get my hopes up.

This morning, I got up at my usual time, knowing that there was only a slim chance that the "storm" with "significant accumulation" would come in early. I certainly didn't want to risk waking the sleeping baby snuggled in next to me. So, I went into the bathroom and looked out the window. Nothing on the ground...I knew it! Those weather men/women were all wrong. I took my shower and prepared for my day.

As I walked down the stairs, I noticed a dusting of snow on the street. Hmm, we might get out early today, I thought. I fed the dog and let her out back. What I thought was a dusting was actually about half an inch on the deck. I turned on the TV and then learned that schools were cancelled for the day. I could have slept in!

I crawled back into bed and snuggled for a little while until Pat got up for his shower and Emma wanted to nurse. I got breakfast underway while Pat went out to start his car and clear off the snow. A few moments later, he came back in the door a little flustered. Evidently the key fob lock malfunctioned and as soon as he shut his car door he heard the doors lock automatically. There he was, the car was running and the keys were now locked inside. He did not have a spare key and was stuck. We live pretty far from his station or any co-workers that could help him out. I was getting ready to go out and help him with a coat hanger when his brother (who lives down the street and is also in law enforcement) called and told Pat he had a "slim jim" so he could jimmy the door open. Only 30 min late for work, Pat finally hit the road!

I used the snow as an opportunity to get my aerobic work out in today once Emma took a nap. IT felt good to get out there and the snow was pretty easy to shovel.

Sarah and I each had orthodontist appointments this afternoon. I was dreading them since she is a thumb sucker. I was sure I'd leave there knowing that I would soon be thousands of dollars in debt for braces for both of us. Before we could even get there (with all three kids in tow), Megan was dragging her feet and giving me grief about having to go. She called for to come help her upstairs. I reluctantly headed upstairs and found her standing in the corner of my bathroom facing the shower door. I thought she had possibly closed her hair in the door and was stuck. She turned around and then I saw the blood. I couldn't tell exactly where it was coming from and she wouldn't tell me. I finally figured out that she had been playing with her father's razor sitting on the counter. I rinsed it out and determined that it wasn't as deep as I thought and bandaged it up.

Once at the Orthodontist's office, the girls were a handful. Sarah sat in the chair first and Megan was doing her best to keep my attention on her and not her sister. Turns out, Sarah's bite is not as bad as previously thought. Braces aren't needed yet. However, she has to stop sucking her thumb NOW. The Dr gave her a good talking to and wants to see her back in a month to see if she stops. If not, he will install some sort of blocking appliance on the roof of her mouth,

My TMJ related jaw problem is not a bite issue either. He has referred me to an oral surgeon to explore some other possibilities and once we diagnose and discuss whether I want to treat it, then he will address my "snaggle tooth" that keeps pushing out further and further.

Dinner was homemade chicken noodle soup made with the stock from the chicken I roasted on Sunday. Pat and I loved it, the big girls barely touched it, Emma inhaled it! This kid is an eater!!

For a snow day, it was a busy one, but all in all a good day!

Here Comes Bessie

I feel like a cow.

No this is not a post about my weight loss attempts. This is a post about being milked...you have been warned.

I absolutely love breastfeeding my little one. I always have. There is nothing more special than the bond you form with your baby while feeding them the way nature intended. I love to watch her nurse and see her little jaw quiver as she suckles. The look in her eyes as she gazes up at me just melts my heart. Her little hand reaching out to touch my face as she snuggles in for the long haul. She fits perfectly in my arms and knows how to find her way with her eyes closed. It is a comfortable routine. It is home for both of us.

I have many friends who were not successful at breastfeeding and a few who never tried it. I respect their choices, but part of me feels as though they've missed such a wonderful part of motherhood that cannot be replaced. When I see another nursing mother, I am always reminded of my own experiences (past and present) and often feel as if I am a member of a special club. I was sad when Sarah weaned herself at 15 months. I wasn't as sad when I had to help Megan wean at 20 months, but I missed it none-the-less.

While I love nursing, I CANNOT STAND PUMPING! As a working mother, I need to pump at work so that little Emma can reap the benefits of breast milk while at daycare. I dread pulling out that pump and hooking myself up to it. It is time consuming, uncomfortable, an inconvenience, and a total source of stress for me. I struggle with supply and often am not able to pump enough to cover the next day. I use the weekends to "catch-up", but usually have to thaw a bottle's worth from my freezer stash once a week.

Since Emma is now 9 months old, I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. As it is she is eating more and more "food" and slowly dropping off on how much milk she gets. I just keep counting the months and hope that April gets here soon!

Goodbye Christmas

The tree has been down for weeks. The lights stashed away until next December. Gifts open, played with, and broken. But one last remnant of the holidays remained; finally, the holiday weight is gone!!

I put on a few pounds over the holidays and am pleased to be back to where I was the last time I weighed myself before all the delicious cookies, dinners and drinks.

I am down .4 from last week. Not great, and I am a little pissed at myself for having a bad weekend. Sunday morning I was down over a pound, but then came playoff football. My husband is a die-hard Steelers fan and we threw a party with way too much good food on Sunday afternoon. While I am pleased that the Steelers will be headed to another Superbowl, I am not pleased with the backslide on the backside :).

This week will be better!!

Weigh-In Wednesday

Ok, I am feeling good! Down 1 lb from last Wednesday. For many of you, that may seem like a pretty meager loss, but I'll take what I can get. I am trying to eat better and move more. My building is huge and I often have to head upstairs and walk to the other end of the building. Lately, I've been jogging up the stairs when I do need to go up there (one flight of stairs is a total of 26 steps!) and then walking the long way to meetings throughout the building.

I am trying to get my hands on Wii Fit, with little luck. I've been trying since before Christmas and can't find it. Last Friday, I saw it available through Circuit City's web site and by the time I was able to get back and order it, they were sold out. I will eventually find it, hopefully without some horrendous bundled game that I don't want, so I am soliciting advice from other Wii Fit users on what accessories are truly needed to get the most out of my experience. If you have any suggestions, leave me a comment (thanks).

Here's hoping for a better week to come and thanks to all my friends at the Sisterhood for their support!!

Overcoming Irrational Fear

My husband thinks I'm crazy.

Not for the usual reasons, but for my irrational fears of getting food delivered and car washes. I know, not the usual suspects. I've checked the list and I can't find an actual name for my phobias, but I have them anyway.

I don't like to order food for takeout or delivery. It's not that I don't like to eat take out, I don't want to be the one to actually call it in to the restaurant. I don't know why, I just don't. I can if I have to, but I prefer not to and usually find a way to make my husband do it.

The strongest of my food related "phobias" is actually paying the delivery person for the order. I panic on how much money to give them and over think the whole process and find it easier and less stressful to be the one to hold the dog from escaping than to pay the kid at the door. My husband likes to tease me about it every single time we order food. Over the years I have been doing my best to overcome my fears. What works best is paying online or if we have the exact amount of money to cover the food and tip. I panic when I need to do backwards math and figure out how much money to ask in return so that the food is paid for and the delivery person gets a decent tip.

My other bizarre issue is with the car wash. I don't do it often enough to know what the system is. Do I stay in the car or get out? Do they hand dry the car or not? What package do I get? What is included in the package? How much do I tip and is there a jar or do I hand it to someone? So much to think about. Pat tells me to go to an automated car wash...I'm not sure that's any better. I worry about getting the wheels lined up on the track right; what if I mess up and have to re-position the car. I don't want to be embarrassed in the line not knowing how to take my car through the car wash. So, what do I do...wait until he does it for me. My car ends up looking like crap because I can't handle the simple task of a car wash.

Recently, I discovered the gas station I hit on my way home from work (the cheapest in my route) also has a car wash. They discount your gas $.10/ gallon if you purchase a wash. The car was disgusting and I needed gas so I decided to give it a go. Pat explained the process to me the other day and I felt like I could handle the simple wash at the Exxon...all I had to do was drive into the bay and everything happened around me- no track or conveyor belt to worry about.

I prepared myself for my adversary. I got my slip from the cashier with my pin number for the automated car wash and got in line behind a pick-up truck. I used my wait time to familiarize myself with the process. I figured out that I had to pull up to the machine, enter my code and then when the green light went on, I drove in until the stop light turned on. Easy peasy...so I thought. I pulled in slowly, watching the light to see it turn red. I went over a bump and at the same time the light turned red. I put the van in park and waited. Nothing happened. I waited. A little man showed up next to me and motioned for me to back up. Evidently, I wasn't supposed to go over the bump! i managed to get the van back over the bump and the wash began. i wasn't exactly sure when to begin driving out of the car wash, but I managed to figure it out. I think I will be able to do it again, but I may just need a drink afterwards!!

I hope that some day I will be able to move past my irrational fears, or at least train my children to deal with them for me!

New Resolve

Don't be confused by the title of this post. I know that I said I had goals not resolutions, but I do want 2009 to be a more healthful year. I need to not wake up with pains in my back and feet and I need to be able to feel better about how I look (granted most of that back pain is from carrying around a 18+ lb baby much of the time). So, I am energized to make some changes this year. Not huge changes at the moment, but changes nonetheless.

I have not lost all the baby weight from Emma and it is driving me crazy. The weight came off easily with Sarah and then I proceeded to lose more. With Megan a few years later, it was harder, but I was able to do it no problem. I have always been on the heavier side, so even losing the baby weight I wasn't at my ideal goal weight, but I still felt ok about it. This time around, being 37, I definitely feel my metabolism has slowed to a crawl. Where breastfeeding caused the baby weight to just melt away with the other two, I am still hanging on to 10 pregnancy pounds. Plus, I would love to drop at least another 20 on top of that.

Of course it doesn't help that we spent a few days over the holiday in Poundsburgh...oh, I'm sorry, Pittsburgh. I love going to visit my in-laws, but man it does not help the waistline to have goodies everywhere and lots of big meals. My mother in law is a great cook and definitely enjoys making big meals; it is hard to resist temptation. Also, she baked over 10 different varieties of cookies this year and they just sat on a platter on the table begging to be eaten. I feel like it is non-stop grazing when we are there. I inevitably put on a few pounds while we are there.

That being said, Pat and I are determined to do our best in 2009, especially since we are heading to the beach with half of his extended family this summer. I am worried what dieting will do to my milk supply (since it is a daily struggle for me), so I am hesitant to cut my caloric intake too much. But I will be watching what I eat and attempting to get off the couch a lot more. Once we get closer to Emma's first birthday, I will kick it into high gear since my milk won't be an issue then.

So, I weighed my self on Jan 2 (had to wait until after my New Years Day meal of Pork and Sauerkraut) and am using that as my starting weight. While I am not confident enough to share that number with you, I will let you know that as of today (I am going to try and use Wednesdays as my weigh-in day), I am down .4 lbs (I need to stop getting on the scale every day, because 2 days ago I was down over 1.5 lbs). I know, that's essentially nothing, but I'm going with it anyways! I haven't exercised this past week, but plan on getting some time on the treadmill, or at least walking the halls at school this coming week. The junk food and goodies from the holiday have all been pretty much consumed at this point and replaced with veggies and healthy snacks.

I feel good about our commitment and hope that we don't lose focus.

Beginnings

I am not one of those people that love New Years Eve. I was never the type to party it up and get sloshed ringing in the new year. I tend to opt for the more laid back celebrations at home or at a friend's house. This year was no different.

We got together with Pat's brother Brian and his family that live a few blocks away, and his brother Jeff and his family who were visiting from Philly. We did a gift exchange for the kids, had a lovely dinner and played a few games. It was a fun evening. Almost everyone made it to midnight, and we toasted the new year as one big family.

I am also not big on resolutions. I feel like making resolutions is like a making a promise you know you can't keep. Instead of clear cut resolutions, I tend to focus on goals for the year. Lately, I've begun making yearly "to-do" lists. On our drive home from visiting family in Pittsburgh, Pat and I usually start this list and it often continues to grow and change throughout the year.

Here is this year's list in no particular order (some items will be completed this weekend, others may not be done at all):

Refinance house/take out HELOC
Steam clean carpets
Organize closets
Re-do Closet (buy system from container store in Feb on sale)
Find time to work out
Paint Family room/kitchen/dining room
Burn home movies on to DVD's
buy curtains for Dining room
Go through girls clothes and pack/give away
Book Sarah's bday party
Storm door
Landscape side of garage
bulletin board for kitchen
screens repaired
thank you notes written
figure out camp schedule
buy and install new baby gates
buy new car seat

The list will continue to evolve, but this is the beginning of getting my head straight for the new year. Today (or tomorrow) I will also set up my calendar for the year; another one of my ritualistic traditions for the new year. Of course, I must have my pork and sauerkraut this evening as well.

May your New Year be full of hope and may your goals and resolutions be attainable!