My New Start

So I ended my last entry with a bit of a cliffhanger (but not the "Who shot J.R.?" kind, so thanks for hanging in there with me, folks) about making positive changes in my life. Here goes.
As far as I can remember, I've always had issues with my weight. I was a chunky toddler, an average adolescent, an overweight pre-teen, and then high school hit and I grew 10 inches without gaining weight. Cheerleading, basketball, cross-country, and being a teenager in general helped keep me slim and trim.
As soon as I went to college, I fell into the trap. 10 lbs freshman year, lost that summer, then 15 lbs the next, lost again. By the time I started grad school, I was about 30 pounts heavier than when I was in high school. So, I worked my tail off at the gym and watched my diet thanks to the help of my roommate, who was into protein shakes and fairly clean eating most of the time.
Clinical rotations came during my last semester, putting the stress on, which is when I started putting weight on. By the time I graduated from P.T school, I was about 15 lbs heavier than when I started 3 years before. Gaining and losing the same weight (plus a little more) became frustrating.

Then came the wedding. I lost a good 20 lbs to get ready for that. Nothing is as motivating as everyone staring at you for an entire day, followed by a honeymoon in Hawaii!
Soon, married and work life took its toll, and I regained that 20 lbs plus 5 more. Then BAM! Pregnant. Gained more. Fast forward to 3 weeks ago, (4 months shy of 3 years postpartum) stuck at 15 lbs above my pre-pregnancy weight, depressed with a low self esteem, and ready for the old me again...sexy, confident, fit.

So.....with the unending support from my fabulous husband, I started Medifast on August 1st. Yes, it sounds like a fad diet, a scam, whatever you want to call it.

BUT it's NOT!!!:

Two and a half weeks in, I am half a pound away from losing 10 lbs. At the 2-week mark, I had lost 7 pounds and 6 inches. Medifast uses a plan called the '5 and 1 plan', which is high in protein, low in carbs and sugar, and also contains many of the daily requirements for vitamins and minerals. I eat 5 small pre-packaged meals (shakes, protein bars....heck, even brownies and chocolate chip pancakes!) and one meal I prepare myself called the "Lean and Green", consisting of a lean protein and 3 servings of vegetables. I eat about every 2.5 to 3 hours, and I chug water like you wouldn't believe! The first 4 days were the worst, for sure, as I detoxed from the caffeine, sugar, and carbs. Since then, I'm feeling a bit more energetic, sometimes a little hungry, but almost 10 pounds lighter!!!!

I managed to make it through my birthday weekend last week without one cheat (I actually haven't cheated at all), and I'm so proud of myself.  Will power has always been my weakness, and I feel like I am in total control this time around!

I really look forward to the future and regaining "the old me"!!

Cobwebs and ticking clocks

It's been well over a year without a post from me. Life got busy, I fell into a bit of a slump for a while, and to be honest, it felt like too much work to write. I don't really expect anyone to read this now, since it's been so long, but I thought it would be cathartic for me to get my thoughts out here. So if there is anyone out there, thanks for reading!

Katelyn is now 2 years, 8 months old, and a bundle of energy! She amazes us every day with her vocabulary and speech ability, as well as her extroverted, people-loving personality. She is physically the spitting image of me and just like her daddy in the personality/entertainment department. She's completely into singing like her daddy, but much to his dismay, her latest music fave is "Boys, Boys, Boys" by Lady Gaga.

Yeah.

Mom of the Year Award here, right?

She's not wearing raw beef as an outfit or smoking cigarettes, so keep the judgement at a minimum, k? :)  It's actually pretty funny how she knows the words better than I do!



We just got back from a weekend at Lake Merwin, where K got to swim (wade) in the lake for the first time! She is quite the little fish in the pool (with her floaties, of course) and loves to dance, too. As bad as terrible twos-almost-threes can be, our world wouldn't be the same without this little girl!

Summer is winding down, weekends will start to become less busy, and I have more to come regarding a journey of self-improvement I started on two weeks ago. Yesterday was my 32nd birthday, and I've been frustrated with my body, my attitude, and my (lack of) energy as of late. Even after run-walking the Portland Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon in May, I still am having a hard time with my self-esteem.  Tune in for more! (only if you really want...)

Now off to clean the cobwebs of this blog....thanks for reading!

I'm Back!

I'm pretty sure no one has been waiting with bated breath for my return, but I finally feel like my head is above the water enough to resume some sporadic blogging!

::crickets::

Life is busy but good, as much as you'd expect with a 17-month-old in the house! As any good parent would, we, of course, believe that Katelyn is the smartest baby in the universe.  She amazes us with her physical and verbal skills, and I can't help but want to turn back the clock a little and enjoy the baby girl that is quickly growing into a spunky toddler.

Just a few of her words:
mom-mom, dada, dah (dog), ball, key (kitty), moon, chee (cheese), ba-ba (bottle), nie-nie (night-night), mine, shoe, Teh (Tech), Cai (Calliou), sie (outside), Papa (grandpa), Ma (grandma), AnaMana (Aunt Amanda), Pane (plane), he-cop (helicopter----it's true! she knows!), bye-bye, boom (which is accompanied by her giving you a fist bump), and probably a few words I've missed.
(Note that I haven't included any 4-letter words that may or may not have slipped out of my mouth unintentionally a few times. Yeah.)

She's finally starting to grow more hair! The poor thing has been called a boy so many times that I feel like I have to cover her in pink for people to know she's a girl---and sometimes that doesn't even work.

She knows what the potty is and is able to tell us "poop" when she has pooped, but that's as close as we've gotten with potty training. A little early, but we'll see how it goes.

She is infatuated with shoes (sorry daddy), my makeup, sunglasses, and purses. I don't think I have a tomboy on my hands!

I know that's not a very long return post, not witty or funny, but I'm not getting paid to do this like some people. :)  My goal is to post 1-2 times a week. We'll see! Until then, enjoy a few pics of my growing girl:

Happy 2011!

I wanted to start off the new year with a nice, long post, full of pictures and stories I've been promising for months now.Needless to say, I should have made a 2011 Resolution to be to keep up with my blog more often, but it will have to wait just a bit longer.I am studying for a big specialist certification exam in March (specifically, to be an Orthopedic Certified Specialist in Physical Therapy), and I really need to use every free second to study! (That's part of why I'm so behind!) It costs WAY too much to take this exam once, not to  mention the thought of not passing on the first go-round and needing to re-test.
For what it's worth, I have tried posting pictures, but nothing happens when I click on the "insert picture" link above the text box. Is anyone else having a hard time inserting pictures into blogger posts? Am I an idiot who is all of a sudden doing something wrong?

Here's our card!

Holiday Dazzle Christmas Card

Shutterfly Christmas cards

View the entire collection of cards.

Christmas Cards

Since I was a little girl, I have always loved receiving Christmas cards. I looked forward to one day being all grown up with my own little family, sending out greeting cards with a cute picture tucked inside.  I also looked forward to writing out a family letter letting everyone know how our year went. When digital cameras came into play, that little tradition of sending a hand-written card changed. Photo cards became all the rage, and they keep getting better. There are TONS of companies that allow you to do this, but none easier than Shutterfly.
As the mom of a one-year-old, I have no.extra.time.whatsoever. Ask my husband. The house never seems to stay clean, I've been knee-deep in crafts preparing for Katelyn's birthday party (which was a blast, by the way), and then decorating the house for Christmas.  Now, I feel that my one duty as a good mother is to send friends and family a Christmas card that depicts my new family. Since Katelyn was all of 18 days old last year on Christmas day, I didn't do a card. I was too busy with a newborn to even think about that. This year will be different, because Shutterfly makes it easy. Through their website, you can upload and print pictures, make Christmas Cards, calendars, photo books, and other photo gifts.

I always have a hard time picking a card layout, because there are so many options to choose from: traditional, modern, cute, etc. :

 




I'm also using Shutterfly to make a calendar for the moms, a mousepad for Grandpa, and photobooks for others.  You can even pick a favorite portrait and create a wall canvas on their website. Who would have thought you can do all of these things on a website? 
I need to go finish up my calendars and photo gifts, but stop by Shutterfly and fall in love like I did! Check out their Special Offers to get a discount!

(and if you're wondering, yes, I did whore myself out for free holiday cards. :)

One year.

My sweet little baby girl turns one today. At 10:58 a.m. one year ago, I gave birth to the best thing that has ever happened to me. Funny how the best things in life can be the most difficult. Once I laid eyes on my 8lb 2oz bundle of joy, I fell in love. I have grown as a woman, as a wife, as a daughter, as a mom.  I have always had a profound respect for mothers, but one can never understand how much respect they deserve until you become one.

The first two weeks: absolute torture. Yes, that includes all the physical pain and suffering that no one speaks of in those first weeks after delivery...I focused so much on how the actual childbirth would feel that I gave not one thought to how I'd feel afterwards.  That, combined with the onset of the flu when she was a mere four days old didn't help matters AT ALL (yes I got both flu shots last year).

All I could do was tell myself that every mother goes through this phase, and that I'd get through it. And I did, with the help of a little thing called Prozac. Those first 3 months, while I was on maternity leave, was most certainly a learning and adjustment period for all 3 of us. I was just hitting my stride when I had to go back to work, and that was another time of adjustment. I just wanted to stay at home with my precious little baby, to smell her sweet smell, to watch her as she slept, and to witness every single milestone.

The sleepless nights were the hardest to get through, as all you mothers out there know. I never wished more for a desk job in my life. One that involves sitting at a computer and having to speak to almost no one.  My job is 90% human interaction, and some days all I wanted to do was to tell my patient to quit complaining about the back pain that he inflicted upon himself and suck it up. I would think to myself, "I'm only sleeping 3 hours a night, I have spit-up on my shoulder, and after I see you I have to go milk myself. Get over it, whino. " Then I realized I knew what I was getting myself into when I wanted to get pregnant, and I sure as hell knew how hard it would be to be a working mom. Again, I had to remind myself to suck it up. That's when I stopped taking my happy pills.

Fast forward to the 8-month mark. Katelyn practically weaned herself from nursing, as she figured out that the bottle was much more efficient. I enjoyed the last nursing session we shared, though it was very short, as I knew it would be the last. I pumped once more the next day, and the clouds parted. I was no longer chained down to a milking machine.  I could stop wearing breast pads! I could splurge a little more on cocktails every now and then! I could eat spicy food!  The tides definitely turned.

At the 10-month mark, this little kiddo finally started sleeping (mostly) through the night, and I started feeling like myself again. She'd greet me in the morning with a huge grin, a full diaper, and an empty belly, and I couldn't be happier.  Her personality started growing by the second, not to mention her inseam.

Now, today, I got to pull my little baby toddler out of the crib and sing "Happy Birthday", kiss her soft cheek, put her down, and watch her walk down the hallway to say "Hi" to doggy Tech.

My heart is full. Happy Birthday, sweet Katelyn.

I give up

I have 3, yes THREE unfinished posts that I've written over the last 3 weeks. Why? Well, I started one, forgot I didn't finish it, a few days later started another, and etc, etc. One of these days I will have more time to write out a cute, long, interesting post....right? (fingers crossed)

While Katelyn decides to completely wreck my house, I just wanted to pop in and say "Hi!" I miss all of you, and I promise to catch up on your blogs soon. I'm preparing for Katelyn's 1st birthday next Tuesday (more like saying, "my baby is growing up way too quickly!") and her official party on the 11th, decorating/shopping for Christmas, and everything else that needs to happen at this crazy time of year.  Love you and see you soon!

I also just realized I lost my cute little siggy. Hmmmm. That's what I get for not posting regularly, eh?

sick and tired

It's a good thing I'm not relying on this blog for income, because I would be flat. broke.  For 3 days now, I've been battling a yucky head cold that is finally creeping to my chest---yay. (sarcasm heavily laid thick today, in case you didn't notice.) Luckily, I have a WONDERFUL husband who got up with Katelyn this morning and let mommy sleep in, and now he's at his parents' house with Katelyn to let me rest and relax. 
I've done quite a bit of resting, but all you other mothers out there know the guilt we feel when we're on the couch and there's laundry to be done, floors to be vacuumed, toys to be picked up, and dishwashers to be loaded. Granted, I'm not a neat-freak, per se, but I do enjoy a picked-up house that my mother-in-law wouldn't cringe at if she just happened to show up. So, I've done some housework to make myself feel better. (Oh Boy, my 15-year-old self would have said,"What the H-E-L-L?" to that statement, as well as my mother.)

Yes. This 30-year-old woman has come to terms with the fact that sitting on my lazy ass all day actually feels damn good, yet it gets me nowhere. My next project: getting ready for Katelyn's birthday party (details to come when my attention span is a bit longer than it is today). It will not be anything overboard (at least that's what I say now), considering Christmas is 2.5 weeks later. If anything, it will be a "we made it through the first year" type party for grown-ups, complete with adult beverages and just enough pastel colors to remind us that we're at a birthday party and not a cocktail party.

Photo credit

10 months and counting

My dear sweet Katelyn Grace,

You are 10 months (and 9 days) old! The time since you were born has crept by and flown by all at the same time. I can remember when you used to fit on my chest, and now when I hold you your little chubby legs have to curl up on my lap with your head on my shoulder. Mommy is no longer having left shoulder pain because she's gotten so strong carrying around your 20-pound body!

10 days old:

10 months old:

You are now crawling at the speed of light, cruising along the furniture like nobody's business, and you have learned to lower yourself down the stairs and from the couch to the floor all by yourself! Mommy and daddy have a friendly wager going based on when you'll take your first steps walking. Daddy says Thanksgiving weekend, and mommy says by your 11-month birthday. We'll see!

You are a super eater! (just like mommy and daddy) You eat everything from chicken to veggies to any kind of fruit, cheese, yogurt, and pasta. You are slowly phasing out of wanting formula, but we have to make sure you get enough calcium!

Some of your favorite things include:

Woof-woof doggy Tech

His water/food bowls (and his food)

Bathtime:

Naked time:

Your mini ball pit:

You are now wearing mostly 12-month clothing, as your torso is getting so long that you grow out the crotch length in EVERYTHING! You weighed 20 lbs and 26.5 inches at your last doctor visit, and you are now sick with your first bad head/chest cold. You had a cold when you were 2 weeks old and another mild one 3 weeks ago that lasted 2 weeks, but this one has been a doozy. We continue to wait for you to consistently sleep through the night like your friend Riley. She is 6 weeks younger than you and sleeps 12-13 hours a night...that's twice what you sleep in one span of time...so catch up already!!

You only have 2 bottom teeth at this point, and we would have sworn that more were on their way with your last cold, but no....so it's now a waiting game for the rest of those toofers. You continue to say "mama", and now you say "dada", "hi", and "bye", but sometimes you don't say them at the most appropriate times. You do mimic us when we're on the phone and we say "bye", and we get such a kick out of it. You do like to scream and talk in baby-speak, and we swear that some days you must be having conversations with your toys. :)

Mommy is also trying to mentally prepare for your upcoming first birthday. Never in a million years would I have thought that the first year would go so quickly. I now understand why so many people say to enjoy every moment, because they truly do pass by too quickly.  Don't grow up too fast, my darling little girl. Mommy and daddy love you so much, and we don't even want to think about the terrible twos.

Love,
Mama