Trick-or-treat and birthday wishes

Last week was a busy one. Halloween popped up, seemingly out of nowhere in my book, and even faster, E's second birthday.

As her parents, M and I were actually somewhat organized, probably because we didn't arrange a party for her. Parties for two year olds? Well, family comes to mind as the crowd that you invite to a 2 yr old's gig and since we don't have any here, we decided to stick with the 3 of us. Worked better for me, as I am not the world's greatest organizer. I have visions of botched birthday parties and missing bits of Halloween costumes and unpurchased birthday gifts for those little girl birthday's she will undoubtedly go to.... Eek!

Anyhow, Halloween went without a hitch. It was still dark when we put on her costume and the "hood" lasted about 10 minutes before it came off. We had to put it back on and bribe the child finally so we could get a few photos. You'll see the form of bribery in the photos no doubt. Here's the lot of them, there are quite a few, be forewarned!

Trick-or-treating did not take long to explain. The neighborhood near our daycare had a sponsored events - all the businesses handed out candy to the trick-or-treaters from 3-6pm. Although it had rained cats and dogs all day, somehow when it was time to pick up E, the clouds parted and the sun shone down on the lot of us. It was a nice evening! We walked around with all the other kids and got candy from people waiting to give us candy. I did try to teach good manners - say "Thank you" although it's more like "Tn do" so no one really knew it was thank you but us. At least she said it a few times! One time she actually got to select her own candy (rather than the person handing it to her) and there was definitely some thought process going on behind the piece she chose because she moved a few pieces around to get the one she wanted!
As a parent, I love to see that stuff. It just lets you know they are becoming their own little person! After about an hour of walking, well, me carrying, we went to see a friend who wanted to see E's costume and she got a lot more candy. Finally we stopped at another friend's house and helped them hand out candy. It was a good night! She definitely enjoyed the night, I think.

The next day we woke early, unfortunately, but it was E's birthday and there were presents to open! She got some cute gifts from abroad and then our gift, which was a trike. More photos here. We also went to IHOP and got the smiley face pancake with ice cream for dessert (yes, at 10am!). We opened another present and got a couple balloons from IHOP and spent the rest of the day recovering from the onslaught of sugar in the morning. I think she liked it her day!

Sunday was another lovely birthday celebration with our friends that we handed out candy with and Monday she had a little birthday party at daycare replete with ice cream and a crown. Needless to say, we are still coming OFF that 4 day sugar binge!! But it's all good.

She is definitely TWO now. It seems the switch has switched. ;) More about that later.

TGIF

You would think from that title that this post is going to be something about Friday but that would imply that I plan out what I'm going to say. I don't. I have such a hard time coming up with titles, that just seemed like the easiest thing to say! (It's now Tuesday and I'm still working on this post!)

Last week(now two weeks ago) was a lovely one. My parents were visiting and spending quality time with their granddaughter. It was nice to see. E is talking a lot now and repeating words (note to self: watch the F-word) so we got her to practice "Nana" (easier than grandma) and "Granddad" and my parents loved it. She was only shy with them for a few minutes and pretty soon was all over my dad. E has a thing for men. She does. My pop-psychology brain says it's because she's around women all day at school. Anyhow, she goes after all the dads. Flirts, etc. Anyhow, that was great - we told her to practice saying "Granddad, $10?" but she wouldn't bite. Maybe at Christmas!

I'm still going on WW. You may have noticed that I've stopped writing about my losses. That's because I'm stuck around the 158lb mark. I really need to start tracking my food again, with guests visiting and a couple of "date" nights, I wasn't keeping great track which means I was probably going way over. Now, 5 days after I originally started posting this, I'm way off track. Tack on a cold and no workouts, eating comfort food and trying to feel better and I'm sure I've gone overboard. It's amazing how it only takes a few days to start feeling like a slug and actually enjoying sleeping in. I really have to keep up with the workouts and running to keep my weight down. Something about this time of year though - getting ready to cover up and be cold all year just tends to make me want to put on a layer... of fat. ;)

I am totally bummed because I had to miss seeing G when she was in town last weekend. I swear if I wasn't such a happy person these days, I'd think the world was conspiring against me that I didn't get to meet G, Ang and RG at The Melting Pot for dinner. I love fondue and I love those ladies and its just the pits that I got a cold. Seems we've all got it. First E, then me and now M. I want to get healthy fast, if nothing so that I can play with girl. It's so hard to do anything with a sinus headache! Hopefully one more day of recovery and I can get back to the gym too.

Not much going on here lately. Getting ready (which means at least we are aware of it) for E's birthday on Saturday. No parties because it doesn't really make sense for a 2 yr old to have a party, although there will be plenty of gatherings no doubt and we'll make her feel like a princess on her day... now if I can just get her to say "Two" when I ask how old she'll be on her birthday. I'm sure that will arrive sooner than I think.

Bye for now.

Results.. for now

I had an incredibly hard time finding very many "before" photos that would show exactly what I needed to show. I covered up well so it just looks like I'm frumpy rather than fat. And frankly, the "after" photos don't really make me look all that trim in my opinion but maybe I'm being hard on myself... Fact of the matter is that I will never be a size 6. Ever. As M likes to say, 'get a ladder and get over it!'

First before photo is Christmas Eve 2007 and really shows off my post-baby belly (way post baby, she was a year old here). Second photo, sometime before that, just me looking frumpy. Too show off, because I don't get to brag too often and most people don't see my stomach anyway, I'm putting up two "after"shots. Me in my way-too-expensive 7 jeans and my ever flattening tummy. I'm pretty proud of it, I must say. ;)

Before:

Look at that tummy, how unflattering!




After:







BTW, I am still on WW, I just haven't gotten below 158. It's been up and down for 2 months now. My MO with weight loss is the same. Lose it and get comfy and eat again. It just can't be done. ;)

No surprise really...

Your result for The Perception Personality Image Test...

NBPC - The Daydreamer

Nature, Background, Big Picture, and Color

You perceive the world with particular attention to nature. You focus on the hidden treasures of life (the background) and how that fits into the larger picture. You are also particularly drawn towards the colors around you. Because of the value you place on nature, you tend to find comfort in more subdued settings and find energy in solitude. You like to ponder ideas and imagine the many possibilities of your life without worrying about the details or specifics. You are in tune with all that is around you and understand your life as part of a larger whole. You are a down-to-earth person who enjoys going with the flow.

Isn't that a gorgeous photo?

BTW, I had M do this as well and after grumbling about how absolutely stupid it was, he did. He got almost the total opposite of what I did. I laughed when he told me he was "The Humanitarian".... yeah, right. ;)

Too lazy to write?

There's kind of a lot going on these days and although it is exciting for me, I don't know how exciting it will be for you.

Biggest news, I suppose, is appearing in the post below. Cute as a button, we got ourselves a new family member. Cara is our new dog, almost 2 yr old black Lab that is as sweet as pie and fairly well-trained even. We had been looking but no decisions had been made - since M had his heart set on a white golden retriever like he used to have. Finally one day, M decided we could stop by a shelter on our way home from camping. We came close to a golden retriever but it had a few more problems than we were ready to deal with. Then we went to a lottery for 2 puppies available in a town nearby. We were one of two people who put our names in for one puppy and still didn't get it! Obviously, it wasn't meant to be. So we had put off thinking about it for a couple days until M (who was also looking for a used SUV) found the vehicle he was looking for on cra1gsl1st and we decided to head down to P0rtland to have a look. We stopped at the 0reg0n Human3 Soc13ty and found Cara. Oh, we bought the truck too. M had to go back during the week to pick up the dog. So she's almost been with us a week and she's great! E keeps calling her "Bella" which is the name of our friend's dog (who is also a black Lab). She doesn't realize (I don't think) that's it's a different dog. I keep saying "it's Cara" but she keeps saying "Bella, bella, bella" all the freakin' time! There's no hope and I'm thinking we might have to change the dog's name to Bella. LOL

A week ago I had my first ever mammogram. It took about 5 minutes, which basically means it took me longer to drive over to the clinic than to be seen by the tech doing it. I'd heard all sorts of stories about what it feels like and yes, as a matter of fact, it does feel like placing your boob between to steel plates and pressing them together. Fortunately for us mostly boob-less population, it wasn't too bad. I will find out the results in a week or so.

That same day I had scheduled my flight - the instruction that M got me for a birthday present. He drove me over to the local airport (not the international but a littler one that we can see from the freeway when we drive that way) and I met up with my instructor. Do you remember ever having a dream, something you've always wanted to do but as the years pass and it sits on the back burner, it truly didn't seem like something you always wanted to do? Like you've forgotten how much you wanted to do it? That's what flying is like. I always wanted to fly a plane. It seemed so out of reach, cost wise, I don't know I just never thought of doing it for myself.... Anyhow, I was reminded of it when we were taking off from that little airport in the 4-seater DA40 plane. The talk from the tower was Japanese, I hadn't a clue who or what they were talking to but I tried. I concentrated but it was definitely not to be. Fortunately, my instructor knew and we took off to the north and flew over Seattle on the gorgeous sunny day that it was. It was a perfect day. As we turned to the east, I could see my 'hood to my left, ferries down below, and the Pug3t S0und out in the distance, I don't know if I'd even seen it look so beautiful. When he actually let me "take the wheel" and I turned and dipped the plane a bit, oh my god, what a rush! A bit like driving for the first time, where you know you are behind the wheel of a powerful vehicle but you still have to find out what it can do. Scary and exhilarating all at once! The flight was only an hour but definitely the best way to see our city on a beautiful day. Who knows if I will take lessons - just not ready to give up that much time with E right now? But it's definitely on my mind and maybe in my future! :) Oh, did I mention that he let me land the plane as well?! Eep!

Our new addition

Don't have time to say much but meet Cara!

Happy Labor Day!

I haven't written lately. I've been busy. Working even. ;) I'm a big procrastinator when it comes to work projects - not enough daily satisfaction to sit well with me. I've had a looming project, I've slowly been working on and I've now moved into the most challenging part - coordinating cable broadband installation in an area where we have limited support but really need it. The cable company will only bring the cable to the offices and at that point, we have to network our office computers. Having the office employees do this would be next to impossible, having me travel down there to do it would be painful.... So, I'm working on coordination... I've got the contracts signed and am now waiting for the installations to take place. It's been keeping me busy.

This weekend has been a challenge. I have the munchies, a sick husband and a child that also wasn't feeling great/napping for the last few days. I've let myself eat a bit even though I went to yoga today and only burned 100 calories! Why does the class feel so hard yet you don't burn anything?! It was relaxing and I needed that too. I'm up to 30 minutes of running in my 5k training - the run is at the end of September and I'm fairly sure I will be ready. After that, I think I will set my sights on a 10k (it's been a few years since I've run one). I don't know if I can train for a 10k on the treadmill so I may have to move it outdoors - which at 5:30am is not going to be easy. Brr!

I've had a challenging weekend with the girl. I think I've mentioned before that I find it hard when she's sick. She's more demanding and needy of me. Yes, I know she is my child. But that doesn't mean I have to handle it gracefully each time she needs me more than normal... I'm only human! :) Anyhow, because she wasn't feeling well, she hasn't been eating much - it's normal, I've seen this before. She is going through a phase where she wants to open the fridge, pull herself up on the bottom step and stand there indefinitely, then ask for something that eventually she eats two bites of and hands back to me. Usually she eats like there is no tomorrow. Anyhow, getting used to the change always takes me awhile and then once I get used to her eating little bites, she's usually fine and eating again.... I know, my problem, not hers. :) I also know she's not well because I could not put her down for a nap yesterday -she cried or talked for over an hour- before we decided to go and look at an open house. She had a lot of energy, running around and having fun in the empty houses, only to fall asleep for almost 2 hours after we got back in the car. She was zonked. And still went to bed last night... I think she is getting a tooth (or two or four) - not sure. I was hoping to her move into her big girl bed this past weekend but with being sick.... well, it just doesn't seem like the right time. We have to kind of hurry though - the crib belongs to a friend whose brother is having a baby either in late Sept or October, I can't remember which.

I'm still managing to lose a bit of weight even though I haven't been right on plan (in fact, I've recently exceeded my alloted food points for the week the past 3 or 4 weeks) but with working out, I manage to stay even. I really have to be organized and sometimes that can be hard... now that the fruit season is starting to fade too - the blueberries taste a bit crappier and the strawberries get furry a lot faster than they were.... fortunately, I've been okay with vegetables and keeping my meals smaller. I made a mean green curry chicken dish - a recipe that I got from ww - although it needed a bit of red chili paste to make it the way I like it - spicy. Still the flavor wasn't bad!

We have one last summer camping trip next weekend, provided that this sh1tty weather we've been having improves a bit. We are going to Deception Pass State Park again - we were there a few weeks ago and had a lovely weekend and pretty nice weather. E truly seems to love camping and we finally have our bikes working and were able to take advantage of them around the campsite. I honestly can't wait until E is old enough to ride her own bike and play with the other kids in the campground... I wish I could say that it would be nice for her to have a sibling to play with but we all know that ain't going to happen. But, suffice it to say that I contemplate it a lot more than I have in the past two years. We better hurry and get a dog, is all I can say!

I'll leave you with a few memories of our last trip...

Building a fire with dad:


Practicing our "Cheese" for photos:


A shot with Deception Pass bridge in the background:

Two posts in one week!

We need help. As you may remember, we had given up hope on remodeling our current house and had instead been looking for a new-to-us house in a more 'family friendly' neighborhood. Recently, a few events occurred - SUMMER, for one - that have caused us to reconsider. lol Also, we had a Bl0ck Party and met a group of our neighbors and realized that there are a lot more kids in this 'hood than we ever would have guessed. SO, we've gone back to talking about popping the top. The dilemma being cost vs. satisfaction given. I am attaching a series of photos - a before and after if you will - and we want you to judge for yourself. The first shot is a view from our current deck level. The second shot will be a view from a ladder at roof level. Not quite as high it would be (since I wasn't actually standing on the roof) but fairly close.

Looking northwest, from deck:

Looking northwest, from roof:

Looking west, from deck:

Looking west, from roof:

Looking southwest, from deck:

Looking southwest, from roof:

Looking further south, from deck:

Looking further south, from roof:

My personal opinion is that there isn't enough "going on" in the water (it IS a weekday, however) to make the view more interesting. Yes, there's more view but it is just more water and mountains. I actually think our view is pretty spectacular as it is. Too bad the house is the size of a shoe box!

The end of a great visit...

I would love to show photos of our guests but as I haven't asked them about it, I couldn't upload any photos with their girls. As you can see, I had to cut someone out of the photo... this is our friend that E is going around calling "Daddy". Let's just say it's getting confusing around the house. Our friends have two daughters - K, 7 and A, 4 1/2 - and E has had the best time with them. Particularly A. They are as close to friends as I've seen E be with anyone, she adores them. Because K and A call their parents, "mommy" and "daddy", E apparently thinks that that is their names and she calls them "mommy" and "daddy" (as well as M and I, she isn't confused about it, just knows that that is their names!). It's hilarious. She loves her other parents to bits and often at the exclusion of M and I. :)) It doesn't bother me though, it's nice to have an extra set of hands. Anyhow, this photo of E and her other daddy was taken because she saw her friend A having HER photo taken and wanted to get in on it.

Yesterday we drove over to my friend's house, she was having a dinner for our guests last night. A sat next to E in the car and although I couldn't see what was going on, they were literally giggling about something for the whole 5 minute ride. Of course, the next minute A wants to hug E and E makes this screeching noise and looks at me like "Save me!". But there were plenty of hugs, E definitely has figured out the hug. It is sooooooo cute. She's really going to miss these girls.

On the plus side, they have been good company for E and she probably does more than she would because she's hanging out with older kids and trying to "keep up" as well they have been like babysitters because we can enjoy a moment of peace while the kids are on the back deck playing with bubbles or something. I don't have to be the play person. On the downside, they probably aren't the best behaved kids (although to be honest and fair to them, I don't know ANY kids their age nor have I spent the amount of time with their age kids like I have these two so they could ALL be like this) and the little one eats Nutella sandwiches for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Don't get me wrong, I like the stuff but if this is all E wanted to eat, I'd struggle. I've had some issues with her wanting string cheese for the last couple days - like she goes to the fridge, opens it and points to the place the cheese is - but really, it's cheese so at least there's a protein and dairy mixed in with her saturated fat and cholesterol. :)

I don't know if you can see in the photo but E looks like she has a little eyeshadow on her right eye... she got a bug bite (maybe a spider?) while we were camping and it swelled up and looked like she got in a bar brawl or something. It's only now 9 days later starting to fade. It didn't seem to bother her at all though, but it sure bothered everyone else. I got lots of comments on it at the daycare... sigh... you try putting bug repellant (or sunscreen) on the face of a squirmy 21 month old!

So, anyhow, it's been a really, really nice 3 weeks. I actually love when people I don't know so well stay with us because I've really gotten to know them... I've gone out for a glass of wine and a pedicure with S and she and I had a nice chat. We've sat in the hot tub together, the four of us, and drank copious amounts of wine/beer (yes, my weight loss program has taken a hit this month!). I feel like I know them, that I've made friends which I haven't done in a long, long time. Yes, I'm ready for them to go, because frankly our house is too small to keep 7 people for too long. But if they wanted to live next door, I would be completely happy with that. :)

Right ON!

Weigh in last night brought me back down to 158.6. Unfortunately that, along with turning 40 took my points per day down, which is always a bit depressing. However, I've eaten crazily the past 2 weeks so I can't complain. I just need to settle down again. :)

Still working out though and I'm up to running 20 minutes without an walking breaks. Damn it's hard. The days of running 10k's are long ago... But I'll be ready for my 5k in late September!! That's all for now.

Wk 1 - 180
Wk 2 - 176.4
Wk 3 - 171.4
Wk 4 - 168.2
Wk 5 - 164.6
Wk 6 - 162.8
Wk 7 - 166.8 (I know exactly what this was)
Wk 8 - 163 (which shows here)
Wk 9 - 159.6
Wk 10 - 162
Wk 11 - 158.6

Checking in...

Hi all

It's been awhile since I've written, it's been a busy two weeks and last week I was in a fog of hangovers (hey, when you haven't been drinking at all, two glasses of wine CAN produce a hangover!) from my wonderful 40th birthday.

Let me start by saying that WW got put on the back burner last week. I mean, the minute I hit 159, I decided that I could relax a bit and I've gone back the other way! Our guests are only here for one more week so I will be able to "dry out" again after they go. In the meantime, I'm completely enjoying having friends here and chats in the evening, etc.

Let's see, where did I leave off? Did I mention that I weighed at 159 the week before my birthday? Then I proceeded to eat pizza Wednesday night (after my meeting), had a dept dinner at Trader V1cs in Palo Alto where I had a lovely prawn curry (which apparently is high in po1nts) and by two days in I was already over my extra points for the week. Oops! Our guests arrived on Friday, there was more pizza and beer, then the weekend (wine, beer, steak), then my birthday (actually not too bad, too busy talking with guests to eat and drink too much) aside from the birthday cake. Then just downhill from there until this weekend we were camping and drinking a lot of wine and eating Pringles and s'mores for breakfast and.... well, you can see where this is going. LOL

On the plus side, I worked out every day but the day after my birthday and only gained 3 pounds at my last weeks weigh in (could easily have been water weight!). I also, for some strange reason, booked a hydrostatic fat test on the day after my birthday. It was really cool. I'd been wanting to do it forever. You basically lay down on a scale that's in water and blow all the air out of your system and they measure your body fat. It's the most accurate way to measure body fat. Anyhow, it's probably good that I waited until I was 40 to do it because if I'd gone the day before, I wouldn't have been healthy for the 'guidelines' - lol - but on Wednesday I was healthy! 20% body fat, not bad. I was surprised. I guess I have a lot of lean muscle mass under all my blubber. :) I talked with the guy about WW and he said that it is a good program but rather generic - basically for people like me who burn more calories at rest since my lean mass is higher, I am probably not getting enough calories (which may be why I lost weight so quickly?) but that for most people it's really good. He gave me some things I could try to get my body fat down more but I really need to get back on plan before I start doing that! Anyway, I was pretty happy with that. I think 30% body fat would have ruined my day! lol

Let's see... what else? OH! The coolest birthday gift ever. I get one hour of instruction in this with M along for the ride (if he dares...). I cannot wait!!! The weather was crummy on my b-day, of course, and although I did go for the 90 minute massage I also got, we didn't schedule the other. Waiting for a nice day (which actually would've been any day but my birthday!). I had a lovely day with M (my boss gives her dept the day off to celebrate our birthdays which is FANTASTIC) and then we got the house ready for guests. We had an eclectic group but it was great fun. There were some balloons around the house and all the adults (about 15 total) were sitting around when one went into the air. We were batting it around the room and having a laugh. Then someone went and got two more and threw them in the mix and it was hilarious, trying to keep the 3 up in the air - something so incredibly simple and goofy and we laughed about it for 15 minutes, it was good fun. There was diving involved at the end and some close saves and just laughter. I wish I could say I got some video of E dancing (her new dance move involves jumping and slapping her knees) because she was absolutely hilarious but I didn't. She is having a great time with our friends two little girls though and it's great to see her interacting with the big kids.

I better get back to work! I'll let you know what happens next WI on Wednesday! bTW Joe, thanks for the birthday wishes... :)

Count down to visitors....

Hi all,

I'm back with no photos at all this week. Last week was a tough one. I don't know what was going on with E but she was sick for the majority of the weekend and well into the week. I looked it up in my toddler guidebook and it was most likely a NSV (non-specific virus) because she had a low grade fever and also got a rash on Wednesday. She was super clingy for ME and it was verrrrry difficult to have her around while I was working. On Thursday I left to go to our office in Bellevue because she was just too hard to be around AND get work done. I think out of that week, she was in daycare one day and they sent her home two other days. She was unconsolable for them but happy as clam when she got home. Go figure. We started to think maybe something had happened at the daycare but after a full week, she had a good day yesterday at school so I'm guessing all is better. Poor thing. It's hard when they can't tell you what's wrong.

She's got all sorts of words these days - "wots dat?" being the funniest because it's said exactly as I've just spelled it. She's taken to calling M "daddy" now instead of "mama" (that's a relief) and calling me "mommy" which is cute. She says our titles ALOT. She calls herself, I think, meemer which I mistake for mommy but I have deduced that she just hasn't been able to clarify her name yet. It constantly amazes me. We read an incessant amount of "book"s and "choo" (shoe) is another one or and if her diaper is wet or worse, she points at it and says "gicky" which is hilarious because there's no guessing if she needs her diaper changed because, well, she tells you! I guess this isn't too exciting to anyone but me.

WW is still working for me. I broke the 160 lb mark last week and I was shocked. I lost my 10% which is the original goal they give you. I don't know what to do now so I just continued on the losing points values. I'm still doing the sculpte class 3 times a week (although I should really mixed it up) and running/other cardio for an hour the other 2 days. If I'm lucky, I get a weekend workout in but usually not. The sculpte class is really toning my arms, shoulders and legs/butt but does not do a thing for my chest and back. I just don't have the days to fit in more weight training so I'm letting that go for now. I have signed up to have a hydrostatic fat testing on the 30th. I've always wanted to know what my body fat is and this should be interesting. Hopefully it won't make me cry. ;)

Besides that, next week is the big Four-OH. I never thought I would get to this age and needless to say, M doesn't let me live it down about living with an "older woman".. doesn't he realize some day he will be 40 as well. And I will always be older than him. We have some friends coming in to town on Friday night and we'll invite a few other friends for drinks/appetizers/cake (oh yeah, I'm having cake!) that night. Other than that, I'll usher it in quietly, I hope.

Wk 1 - 180
Wk 2 - 176.4
Wk 3 - 171.4
Wk 4 - 168.2
Wk 5 - 164.6
Wk 6 - 162.8
Wk 7 - 166.8 (I know exactly what this was)
Wk 8 - 163 (which shows here)
Wk 9 - 159.6

Back, briefly

I don't know why I haven't posted lately. I only have one photos from our recent camping trip over the 4th of July. You know how sometimes you have those trips where you want to go home when you just got there? Yep, we had that trip. The drive up was nice. We stopped to see some friends with a cabin and that's where we had the photo taken. We picked up a couple fresh, already cooked crab from my friend and took off within the hour. We arrived at the campsite, it wasn't the best place I've ever booked (site that is, the park itself was beautiful) but somehow we managed to get the tent up with no problem. We have this 'pavilion' for lack of a better word that has 4 posts and a top that goes over our table, keeps the bugs out in the evenings etc. We struggled getting that up for some reason, everyone was cranky. E kept falling off the bench seat of the picnic table, or screaming for food even though for once, I had food ready for her. There were mosquitos and we forgot a few things and the start did not look good.

Other bad signs:
- Sat morning, E was playing with bubbles and fell backwards into the firepit. Needless to say, there was no fire (thank god!) in it, not even a smidgen because it had rained on us the night before! Crying ensued.
- All night (felt like it) fireworks - M80s or bottle rockets or whatever they were called. E managed to sleep through it though.
- Rain. Period.
- Touristy resort nearby. You can imagine.
- Managed to plan my WW menu but didn't bring enough stuff for M and E! lol

Sigh. Maybe not so bad in the grand scheme of things but I would've gone home in a minute if M wanted to. LOL

We are going again this weekend!

Last weekend dawned hopeful as we headed out to our local street fair. Although she didn't spend much time in the sun, E became kind of sick on Sat night - hot, listless, didn't want to eat - and it continued on until yesterday. She seems better now but I don't know what it was. Not bad enough to warrant a visit to the dr but definitely not herself. She's been very clingy and emotional lately too which is wearing on our nerves. Maybe as a parent, we aren't supposed to actually SAY that but there it is, I've said it. I've been challenged. Today seemed better as she headed off to daycare.

Needless to say, not much more going on. I'll post weight loss stats (or non-weight loss stats as the case may be) - I'm happy with how things are going so that's all that matters. I wish I had a before and after shot at this point but I'm not sure you can see any difference, but I can!

Wk 1 - 180
Wk 2 - 176.4
Wk 3 - 171.4
Wk 4 - 168.2
Wk 5 - 164.6
Wk 6 - 162.8
Wk 7 - 166.8 (I know exactly what this was)
Wk 8 - 163 (which shows here)

Our little dancer

We went to Irish day at Emerald Downs on Sunday, which really means nothing we found out. M joined the Irish Heritage club, hoping he'd meet some fellow Irish but to this point, we still have met none. It wasn't even anything where you might easily meet anyone but really just a bunch of people watching the horse races. It was a nice day out though and E loved seeing the horses (although she calls them 'puppies'). She would even pump her arm in support as they would run by.

We were wandering around and a good Irish sounding song came on the tannoy and our girl started dancing, as she does. There were a couple ladies standing by watching, that's why she is kind of leaning over at the end to see if they are still watching her. ;) We took a couple of funny videos but by far, her dancing is the most entertaining. Oh and she had her first s'more camping this weekend, THAT was funny too.

I don't know if I mentioned that E is in swim 'lessons'. Well, I searched high and low for a swim class with warm water so that we could work on e getting over her dislike of water. Although she doesn't really dislike water, she will splash around in a wading pool or even Puget Sound (last week when we were camping) and we all know how damn cold that is! But she doesn't like getting her face wet. We'd gone 6 times and she was progressively hating it more and more, screaming crying when the instructor would take her across the pool.. basically take her FROM me or her dad and then swim across and hand her back to one of us at the side of the pool. I guess it makes sense but the instructor was not really telling us what to do until she told M not to wait by the edge of the pool. M doesn't like the water and just being in an enclosed swimming facility was likely making him sick each time we went. It's highly possible that she was feeling a vibe off of him but more likely it was us handing her off each time to the instructor. She was freaking. I eventually called the registration area and told them I wasn't feeling the love, the instructor wasn't giving us any idea of how to handle things and I was not signing her up for the next session. We had a good chat and she suggested a bunch of things to try, starting with getting in the water. We've gone 3 sessions with me in the water with her and her dad stayed home. Last night was by far the best, there was a bit of apprehension and crying before we got in but I took her in the water and had her practice holding onto the edge while we waited for the instructor.. I warned her when it was almost her turn so she knew what was coming and when the instructor came over, e went with her and i swam beside. She even high-fived the instructor each time (even when the instructor blew in her face and then dunked her face in the water - blowing on it makes them hold their breath), which was a big deal because the last two times she was like 'no way' to the instructor. She wasn't sure she wanted to but she went down the little slide into the water and she even 'jumped' into the water as well (the instructor hangs out and 'catches' her). All in all, it was a GREAT class. She was really relaxed and we had a fun time together.

Last but not least, I am 1 pound or so away from my first 10% loss. I haven't weighed this since I graduated from college and frankly, I don't know where to go from here. Lose more or stop here and see what happens... I still have flappy underarms and leftover baby belly (much less than before) and I know I need to keep toning... I just wonder if I need to keep losing too. As you might see from the video, I don't look all that 'thin' to me.

Wk 1 - 180
Wk 2 - 176.4
Wk 3 - 171.4
Wk 4 - 168.2
Wk 5 - 164.6
Wk 6 - 162.8

Recovery

We are still in recovery mode after our guests left last Sunday night. The nice thing is that M has gotten back to work finishing the little jobs that will make this house sale-able. He and his dad put up a fence out back, cleaned up some junk and mowed the grass. So we no longer look like The Clamp3tts out back... well, maybe a little. We still need a run to the dump but you've got to start somewhere!



I don't know why I like this photo - maybe because her eyes look blue (I don't know how clear it is but there is a brown speck in her left eye - left eye in the photo - and I like the fact that she truly has a bit of us both) and they are usually so dark that you can't see that. Anyhow, she had a great time with the grandparents... it was wonderful that she got to spend more than a few days with them and really got to enjoy them. M's dad would feed her breakfast every morning and they'd share a bit of his morning sandwich as well. We got a lot of lovely photos of the two of them sitting on the chairs facing each other and munching on a bit of bread.

As beautiful and fun as she can be, she seems to have become the devil's spawn during the in-between moments. Oh.My.God. Some days I have to laugh because really it's all I can do. The poor thing is mostly frustrated with the fact that she can't communicate what she wants all the time but it comes out in whining, screeching, shouting, laying on the floor in hysterics (that one makes me laugh, I don't know why) and it is truly a trial. I read that the "Terrible Two's" is very similar to having a teenager so in that case, I'm worried. ;) Mostly though, she a joy to be around, she laughs a lot (hysterically at times) and it's the best sound in the world. When did we stop laughing like that?? I wish I knew.

I got the coolest gift for M on Father's Day! I was reading kirida's website again and she had a little video on it and I followed the link to her review of the Fl1p Ultra camc0rder. M had been talking about getting on and this is about the size of a blackb3rry and super easy to use. He loved it. Hopefully I'll be able to post some boring videos in the near future! It's sooooo awesome!

I was truly sad to hear about T1m Russ3rt passing. I was a fan of M33t the Pre$$ (seemed like the only show that got real answers out of politicians) and we always watch the nightly news with br1an w1lliams and he was the political go-to guy. He seemed like a really nice guy - everyone has been telling the best stories about him... you wish that you'd known him!

Finally, last but not least.... WW is working! I bought a pair of jeans and shorts 2 sizes down!!! I guess since you know how much I weigh I can embarrass myself by saying I was in an 18 and now in a 14. With room to spare. Woo hoo! I actually saw some obliques showing up in the mirror this morning! I'm training with Couch to 5K so I've started running and I'm doing sculpte classes at the gym 3 mornings a week right now. Hopefully I'll find some Pilates Reformer classes soon, just to try something different. I better go and get to work!

Wk 1 - 180
Wk 2 - 176.4
Wk 3 - 171.4
Wk 4 - 168.2
Wk 5 - 164.6

Short, but sweet

Weigh-in post:

Wk 1 - 180
Wk 2 - 176.4
Wk 3 - 172.8
Wk 4 - 171.4
Wk 5 - 168.2

WOO HOO!

Just for fun

Stolen from my pal Mostly Risible. I didn't think I'd have time to do it but I did. :) It's kind of fun.

1. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.


2. Using only the first page of results, and pick one image.


3. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Big Huge Lab’s Mosaic Maker to create a mosaic of the picture answers.

The questions:

1. What is your first name?

2. What is your favorite food? right now?

3. What high school did you go to?

4. What is your favorite color?

5. Who is your celebrity crush?

6. What is your favorite drink?

7. What is your dream vacation?

8. What is your favorite dessert?

9. What do you want to be when you grow up?

10. What do you love most in life?

11. What is one word that describes you?

12. What is your flickr name?

Happy days!

A couple weeks ago, I met up with kirida (who, by the way, if you have time to read another blog, cracks me up continuously) and her cutie patootie son N. She's a photographer starting her own business and she took this very cool shot of E. While she was taking it, I thought, 'oh this is going to be very cool, why didn't I think of that?' and I guess the answer is that I am usually following my child around making sure she doesn't fall off of things (we were at the park) so carrying my spiffy camera around can be cumbersome.

It's been awhile since I've written mostly because I've been busy working and on weekends, entertaining Irish folks. M's family is here since mid May and we are settling into a routine. The weather has been brutal which makes life difficult in this small house, also because keeping E in the house all day isn't something I relish. We've been sending to daycare most days, although picking her up early so the grandparents can have some fun. She and her grandad definitely have a bond - there is a LOT of hearty laughter from the upstairs that I can hear while I am still working. It's great to see. I'm sure it has a lot to do with this great age she is at - somehow I manage to block out the tantrums because there are so many smiles and words. She still calls M 'mama' (although when asked "where's mama?" she points at me and "where's dada?" she points at M) most of the time but we continue to correct her. I'm sure she's just playing with us anyway to see how frustrated we can get....

We started 'swimming lessons' on Monday. I did this because she does not like the bath. I figure a bit of time in the water can't hurt. I researched places and we drive about 30-40 minutes to go to a 92 degree pool for 30 minutes. I don't care, it's worth it to me. She has 2 classes a week, 4 other kids of varying abilities with her. She wears little styrofoam thingy's around her waist and the instructor managed to dip her face in the water with no crying! She blew on E's face just before she dunked her face. I think E was so shocked she didn't know what to do but she didn't cry. It was fantastic! There's also a small slide that goes directly in the pool, that's the last thing the class does and she LOVES the slide. I can't wait to see her jump in like the other kids. It may be a ways off but it'll be so worth it. She's amazing. Every day she amazes me.

I love my life.

Week 1 - 180
Week 2 - 176.4
Week 3 - 172.8
Week 4 - 171.4

another day in the month of may....

We've got this lovely expensive camera and yet we still can't manage to get a photo in focus! I don't know if that's because the girl is always moving or we are just really bad at taking photos with an auto-focus camera. (How can you be bad when the camera focuses for you?)

Anyhow, this was E heading to school last week. We put on the new coat but she put on the hat. Now that she can put them on herself, she likes to wear them. We had to laugh because she looks like an old British lady. ;)

The irish contingent are upstairs while I am working. E is with them and I can hear the irish music and E dancing away. She gets this look of concentration on her face when she's dancing (since it involves doing a circle) but she loves it. She is hilarious. Needless to say, the endless clapping for her isn't hurting her ego one bit! She should be fun to be around when her grandparents head home in a month! NOT!

I debated mentioning this or not because I've gone down the weight loss path before on the blog only to quit once I started to make some good headway. (Beware, posting poundage can be hazardous to your health). Anyway, last January I started watching what I was eating and cutting out alcohol. By the end of March (February), I had lost 15 pounds (from 195 to 180). Because that was my pre-baby weight, I guess I thought it was an okay benchmark, in which to adjust my eating and went back to a normal sort of eating pattern. For the last 2 months I have held steady at 180 with workouts and limited drinking, not snacking too much. Two weeks ago I decided to join We1ght Watcher$. I had been debating for a long time about what the best course of action would be for someone having a problem with how much food she eats, rather than WHAT she eats. I have been too comfortable for too long with this number on the scale... telling myself that I still look fine... that I hadn't weighed what the guidelines suggest I weigh for years.... but I also knew that if I kept going the way I have been going, I'd be 200 pounds before you know it. It used to be that 180 was my upper limit but 200 became the upper limit when I was pregnant. See how easy you can move the bar up?! Anyhow, my 10% goal, which WW uses as the first benchmark regardless of what you need to lose, will take me to 162. I haven't weighed 162 since I don't know when. My head can't even wrap around the number 162! I have to change that line of thinking because we all know the power of positive thinking. I WILL BE 162! And possibly less than that. Who knows? I know I have a lot of work ahead of me. And besides the work, I have to think of it as a change of lifestyle, which has always been the hard part... but should not be impossible! Wish me luck!

And by the way, I probably won't be mentioning the weight loss but will put a little calendar at the bottom of each post to record it for myself. :)

5/14 180.4
5/21 176.4

Can you say 'hair afire?'

Martin's parents and sister arrive today. If we thought our house was small before, imagine the next month or so. Pray for us! :)

Needless to say, I don't have time to write and I have some really cute photos of the girl. This one of all of us will have to suffice for now. Ciao!