Back in the Saddle

I dragged my butt back into the gym for the first time in two months...and I feel like a million dollars. After Jess left for South Korea, I was hitting the gym 5 sometimes 6 days a week for almost 2 hours at a time. I ended up losing close to 50 lbs and that was on exercise alone. I still kick myself for not changing my diet too, as I know there would have been a bigger end result. Anywho, after not being able to workout during my pregnancy with Patrick (due to low lying placenta and contractions), I gained pretty much all the weight I had lost the year prior. As soon as I got the okay from my OBGYN to work out (6 weeks post op from a csection), I was signing up at our local YMCA.

I really like the Y they have here (not as good as the Cooper Y in Lincoln), because they have a wide variety of classes. One of my favorites, Zumba. I just love being able to shake my bon bon and burn calories, 800+ to be exact. It's also great being in a group setting, because I feel like I'm being pushed more by others to keep up. For being on a two month hiatus, I did a pretty good job keeping up, but had to improvise towards the end due to a sore knee.

I'm hoping to stick with the program and lose the weight, because I love the feeling of accomplishments. Did I mention it's a great way to get two hours to myself, and for self-improvement none the less? I just need to be better at putting the gym back into our daily routine, which usually takes a few weeks of getting used to the new schedule. Let's just hope and pray the kiddos stay healthy, because that's what happened in December, it was one sickness after another and I never got to the gym.

Today starts a brand new day, and I'm "back in the saddle" for the long run. My goal is to loose 60 lbs before Jess returns home from the middle east, which is sometime in the fall. Not only am I going to kick my own butt in the gym, but my eating habits now will be replaced by new and healthy ones. I'm hoping to keep my calorie count below 2,000 a day, and to intake healthy protein and taking out all the simple carbohydrates. Wish me good luck, because losing weight is not a simple task. However, I'm looking forward to a great end result and be a very hot wife when my husband returns home.

Okay, it's been a while....

I really need to get back to blogging, but it's been difficult to sit down and type. Jess came home on his mid tour, so I definitely didn't have time to get on. Then, not even a few days after Jess left, W came down with a bad cold, which turned into a bad sinus infection. The dog also had a bad case of diarrhea that needed to be treated with antibiotics.....this is like the third time of them both being on antibiotics at the same time..... I don't know how mom's of multiples does it. Anyway, I thought I'd break away from taking a nap and type a quick blog before W wakes up from his nap.

I'm slowly starting to get back into the working out scene again after taking a break while W and the dog got better. I was going five days a week for 1.5 hours +. I've been going back to the gym three days a week now for 1.5 hours. I'm hoping once W is 100%, I'll be able to go five days again. I'm trying to lose another 25-30 lbs before my brother-in-law's wedding/graduation in May. I really want to look good on my husband's arm, because this will only be my 3rd time back to Virginia, and my 1st time meeting many of my husband's family and friends. This will also be W's first time to his daddy's hometown, and we're so excited to show him many things about the great state of Virginia. We were hoping to bring along some good news with us, but God decided now wasn't the right time. Yep you guessed it, Jesse and I tried for baby #2 while he was home on leave. It would have been okay timing (I would've been 9 months preggo at the time of all these family festivities in Virginia), but I was really looking forward to not only a June baby, but a baby brother or sister for W. I've been a big believer in things happening for a reason, and I just think the good Lord upstairs wanted Jess to be here 100% for not only me, but for W during my pregnancy. We hope to continue trying when he comes home in Feb. hoping and praying for a November baby.

W's definitely getting bigger and smarter by the minute. I can't get over the new things he learns every day. We're still using baby signs, but his vocabulary is growing so much he doesn't seem to rely on the sign language to communicate with us. Here are the list of words W speaks to us daily:

• Mommy
• Papa
• Daddy
  Doggie
  Kitty
  "phutball" a.k.a Football
  "butch down" a.k.a Touchdown
  Car
  Truck
  "Ca Ca" a.k.a Tractor
  Ball
  "eese" a.k.a Reese
  Eat
  Bye
  Hi
  Juice
  Baby
  "ilk" a.k.a Milk
  "loon" a.k.a Balloon
  Nona
  Bear
• Katie
• Cracker

We have our 18 month appointment coming up, so we'll see how great he's doing learning and growing wise. Oh, yes, and I forgot to add I have a climber. Yep, W loves to climb on everything. The other day I was putting dishes in the dishwasher, and W pushed Reese's kennel to the table, crawled on top of that, and then onto the table. He about gave mommy a heart attack.

Moving day is coming up quickly, and it's starting to hit home a little bit for me. I'm so anxious to get my family of three back together, and explore a new city. However, my comfort zone is going to be so far away and in the hearts of my family back in Nebraska. I'm just so thankful I have such a wonderful family to help me not only move, but paint, unpack, help with W, and help adjust me to a new city. I decided to move with out Jesse, because I want to enjoy his homecoming, and make the transition from an international duty station to his new one an easy and comfortable one. The big "M" day is set for Jan. 20th. I have the government moving our things around the 16th of January, so not only are the holidays going to be busy with shopping and seeing family, but preparing for a huge move to the great state of Ohio. Oh, and no, we will not become Buckeye fans. LOL! Here are a few pictures of our new residence in Ohio:

I'm going to save our Halloween adventure for tomorrow's post. I really need to get off and get some stuff done around the house. We were stuck inside this past weekend due to the Stomach flu visiting our house, so I have a bunch of cleaning to do. You gotta love disinfecting a house. YAY! Could you feel the sarcasm. LOL!

Weightloss...Oh My

Wow, I can't believe it's been two months since I've really blogged....I know I've been bad. Ever since summer started, W and I have been extremely busy. We go to the local pool once a week, and we're out at our cabin at the lake every weekend. It's nice being out on the lake with the warm summer sun hitting your face, and feeling the soft summer breeze. Oh, and having a jetski to ride is a definite plus! W is almost 14 months old, and is pretty close to walking full time....he still prefers the crawl as his method of transportation. I honestly don't blame him...it takes him 1/2 the time to get to his toys if he crawls. LOL! He can stand alone w/o assistance, and the face he makes is priceless....you can really tell his proud of himself (and so is mommy and daddy). I'm trying to think of what else he's been doing... he loves to talk in his own baby language and sign "doggie", so we're up to four signs learned. He says dada, mama, nona, papa, and "ilk" for milk. The one thing that's really impressed me is how good W's memory is.... the other day during a diaper change I went and waved my hand back and forth and went "stinky, stinky", and the next poopy diaper change, he was able to wave his hand back and forth. W definitely enjoys mocking everyone...it's the cutest thing.

I've been doing good...I can't believe it's been 5 months since Jess left for Korea.... he comes home in 51 days, and I'm so excited. I can't wait to run to him as soon as he gets off the plane and jump into his arms and lay the biggest kiss on his lips. I get a little butterfly in my stomach when I think about it. I've also been hitting the gym pretty hard core. Before Jess left, we decided to join the local YMCA. I've been working out 5 times a week anywhere between 1.5-2.0 hours. I usually do at least 60 min. of cardio, and 45-60 min. of weight training. I really do enjoy their classes at the Y....my fav. being bootcamp...oh and of course power pump! I've lost about 30 lbs to date, but I'll get a little more of an accurate weight loss when I visit my O.B. tomorrow. Here is a before and after picture of my weight loss.


Before, 8/4/07:





After, 7/8/08:





I'll make sure I keep you all updated on my weight loss progress. It really feels good to have some confidence back. I can't wait to show Jess the new me. My next goal is another 30 lbs, and I'm hoping to lose it before Jess comes home for good in Feb. :)

Spring cleaning and then some......

Well, it's that time of year to start putting away winter clothes and getting things ready for warmer weather. I've been working hard over these past few days getting my house really spic and span. Plus, with us being sick off and on, I've been trying to disinfect everything from toys, to our furniture, the nursery, and playroom. I even took W's high chair apart and scrubbed real hard to get old food and crumbs that fell through his chair. I'm going to finish cleaning the upstairs, etc today. I found it's a lot easier with a baby to do one level at a time, plus I can really spend more time scrubbing, dusting, disinfecting, etc.

Speaking of W, it was kind of sad going through a lot of his clothes he's grown out of and putting them away. I can't believe he will be one in just two months. My sister, Katie, and I have been busy starting to plan his special day. I think we're going with a John Deer theme, because he loves pushing his toy tractor around his room. I'm also going to put up a website for his birthday where people can go and RSVP and look through pictures of him in a musical montage. It's great having a sister in the graphic design program (she's graduating in June). She even said she'll make his b-day invites. :) I'll try and make a picture post so you all can have a sneak peak. My parents volunteered to host the party at their house, because my backyard is a muddy nasty mess. I'm really hoping with the $45 I spend each month on neighborhood association fee, they will get some pretty good landscapers in here to fix the yard problem. I'm still up in the air of what to purchase William for his big day, but I think I'm leaning towards the Radio Flier covered wagon. I think he would really enjoy our walks more, because right now he's not too fond of the stroller.

Now onto a completely different subject..... I can't believe how sore I am. I've been trying real hard to knock off my baby weight and then some before Jess comes home in Feb. It's been an awesome experience being a member of the YMCA. I love the classes they offer, especially the boot camp class and power pump. I've been working out 5 days a week since the last week of Jan. Even though I haven't seen much improvement on the scale, I can really tell I'm losing inches, because my clothes are so much looser. Plus, my face is starting to look thinner, which is exciting. My goal is to be 60 lbs lighter by the time we move to Ohio next February, and to maintain my weight even through my next pregnancy (we're hoping to start trying in June of 2009). I know now what I need to do to make sure I don't gain so much weight in the 3rd Trimester. So, wish me luck! :)

Well, that's all I have time for right now. I really need to get a move on cleaning the upstairs, plus I think William is starting to stir from his nap. Anywho, toodles for now!