I did(n't do) it!

It is very important for me to share that during a high pressure lunch buffet at a culinary arts school, I stayed on track, and skipped dessert. BOOM!

That is all.

Clearly. . .

I suck at follow-up. A lot has happened since the last blog post. Patrick and I have an amazing little boy who we named Jesse (pronounced Jes - not Jessie, which irritates me when mispronounced). He is now 11 months old. Haha!  Time flies, right? I'll talk all about him through the blog, don't worry. He is the sunshine of my life! The reason, however, that I've picked back up with this blog is to track my weight loss journey in some way that holds me accountable. I'm particularly inspired by a blogger called Mama Laughlin. She cracks me up! I'm also inspired by my dear friend Casi who looks AMAZING! I'm sure I'll be talking about her quite a bit too.

In January, I picked up with the Atkins diet. It worked beautifully. 12 pounds melted off of me. Then, I decided to eat ice cream and bread. . .lots of it. I didn't gain that weight back (by the grace of God), however I knew I needed to do something to keep myself on track. Weight Watchers had always worked for me in the past, so I joined the online version and dropped another 11 pounds, which brought me to my pre pregnancy weight. I've been stuck here since then. Mainly due to my insatiable appetite for fried foods and cake lack of discipline.

So here I am. Not really at a point where I feel the need to make some melodramatic finalizing statement after which I'll buy a bunch of expensive workout gear, stock my pantry with high-end diet food, work out every day for a week, and then proceed to fail miserably all over again. But rather, I am at a point where I am ready to take things slow and steady. I want to do it right, and I want a record of it.

I'm not sure how this will shape up, but I'll do what feels constructive until I get some kind of pattern going. I'm using myfitnesspal.com as a tool (introduced to me by the fabulous Malazarte family). It seems to work a little like Weight Watchers, except it is free based on calories rather than points.

I'll start by throwing the numbers out there. Here we go:

Height - 5'10''
Weight - 178 lbs.
Arms - 12.5 in.
Thighs - 25 in.
Waist - 39 in.
Hips - 42 in.
BMI - 25.5

Wow. Yep, I just put all that out there. No turning back at this point. If I could find my camera, I would also put an official "before" picture up. Instead, I'll put a few up from the past year. . .and there you have it!

Leaving the hospital

Our precious son!

Me in April (feeling pretty good)

Me this month (Yes, I bought that top!)

Our little man at 11 months

Our little family (Jesse thinks I need to lose weight too)

One day to go?

So, we are nearing the end of this pregnancy journey and I've got a mixed bag of emotions. I'm completely comfortable physically, as the baby has dropped significantly. However, I'm starting to get really anxious to meet the baby.

I believed it. . .I fell for the hype. . .

My doctor (who is AMAZING!!!!) Told me a few weeks ago that my body was progressing faster than usual, and that I could come at ANY MOMENT. That, of course, put me in overdrive. I got everything cleaned and organized thinking that at any hour, I could have our sweet baby in my arms. Here we are almost 3 weeks later, and I'm still pregnant. Don't get me wrong, I feel fabulous, and ultimately want the baby to come when he/she is ready. My due date isn't until Wednesday of this week, so I'm not trying to rush things one bit. I've always known that first time moms usually deliver late.

It's just that with all the excitement, I thought the baby would be here by now, and I'm having a harder time with that emotionally than I thought I would.

I know that all good things are worth waiting for, so I just need to be patient, and let things happen as naturally as possible.

Baby O

34 weeks and counting! I've started journaling to our little one. Every day I write to him/her to talk about the days events, or doctors appointments, or hopes for the future, etc. It's been very nice to spend that time each day focusing on our baby.

Our shower happened last weekend and was a beautiful success. It was nice to have all of our family and friends in one place. There are only a few things left to get now! Today, we took care of getting the car seat. I still can't believe we are so close.

Friday's doctors appointment went great. The doctor says that I've dilated 1 cm, am 50% effaced, have a soft cervix (on a scale of hard, medium, soft), and the baby's head is stationed at -2. All signs point to an early or on time delivery. . . which freaked me out a little, but I'm so excited.

At this point, I'm not yet tired of pregnancy. Some discomfort has set in. I'm peeing 7 times a night, and have a fortress of pillows around me for support. I don't know how Patrick puts up with it, but he's so wonderful.

That's the update for today!

Slowing Down

Hey friends. First, I want to say that my bed is my new best friend.

Things are moving along so fast. We are 28 weeks and 5 days today. Unbelievable! It seems like yesterday I was observing that there were 204 days to go. . .now we are less than 80. Until about 2 weeks ago I felt amazing! I could do what I wanted, had lots of energy, and all that jazz. Now, I'm slowing down a bit. I have to give myself breaks when working on projects, and at then end of the work day (particularly one where I travel a long distance and give several presentations), I just have to "take it to the sheets"

Also, I'm HOT! And, not in the good way, but in the menopausal way. Thank goodness there was some relief in the weather this weekend. We've been holding out on the air conditioner as long as possible. I don't want to freeze poor Patrick out! I did, however, buy a kiddie pool, which I plan to spend the entire summer in! I find that by simply standing outside, I drip sweat in all kinds of new places. . .ugh!

On a brighter note, we started the nursery yesterday! At first, we were going to paint yellow and green. Then we thought about 2 years from now when our little prince or princess would need a definite gender-specific room, so we went with a tan color. That way we can accessorize accordingly. Patrick is going to get a second coat up on Tuesday, and then we are going to get the crib set up over the weekend! We also have a shelf system with 9 cubbies which we'll use for books and toys. I'm on a hunt for a dresser now. We would love something that is low and long with 7 drawers in it (three staggered on top, and four on bottom) preferably in espresso. I've found a few that would work at consignment shops, but I'm keeping faith for the right one. Other than that, we'll have a glider, lamp and lots of wall art to complete the room. YAY!

The neatest feeling is that of my precious child moving inside me! It's strong enough for Patrick to feel now, and his first reaction was so sweet! Patrick makes a point to talk to our baby every day when he gets up, and every night before bed. I adore our little family already!

I'm going to make an honest effort to blog more, especially now that it's getting close. Being able to reflect once the baby is here will be nice!

21 weeks today. . .22 tomorrow!

Rub my belly!!

I totally mean it! Some people get super annoyed by that, and perhaps by June/July I will too. For now, however, I'm feelin' the love!

We have our next ultrasound on Thursday. I thought we were going to see the baby last time, but I was mistaken. I can't wait until Thursday. Patrick has been to every appointment, and gets to come again this week, even though it means totally disrupting his teaching schedule. What a champ! Also, my mom is going to come, which I'm super excited about.

The last few weeks have been busy with work and sleep. I'm a total slacker. In fact, our house was a complete COMPLETE wreck until I was able to convince my mom and sisters to come over and help clean today. It was actually a wonderful day! The weather was amazing, I got some work done for the job, was able to buy some cleaning supplies, take a nap, wake up in time to clean with the fam, make dinner, watch some March Madness. . .and now a quick blog before bed.

The pregnancy seems to be progressing just fine. I'm feeling like we really need to start on the nursery. I just want to get things ready, you know? I've gained about 20 pounds, and am feeling HUGE. I don't mind it so much, though. Patrick continues to be rock solid! He's now talking to the baby every chance he gets. Oh yeah...I felt the baby kick during Patrick's Disney concert last night. I think it likes hearing Daddy play on stage!

I'll have to post some pics when I get a chance, and it's not past my bedtime!

That's all I've got for now, folks.