WW

today was weigh in day. last week i stayed the same, no gain or loss. today i was down 2.2 lbs for a total of 13 lbs. i wish weight loss could be instant, or i could just take a magic pill, but it doesn't work that way... it takes hard work and dedication. i am proud of myself for sticking with it. the weight is coming off slow and steady, and i am 1.5 lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight. (i think i gained 38 lbs during my pregnancy). my body still needs a lot of work, and it will take more than the 1.5 lbs to get into most of my clothes, but i am doing the best i can.

i like to stay for the WW meetings, and the leader is funny. today she mentioned that it is good to have a visual aid to see how much you lose, and to know that every pound does make a difference. you wouldn't want to carry around a pound of butter, or a 5 lb. bag of flour, etc. this week i have the perfect visual aid for what i have lost - Hadley. she had her 2 month appointment this week (a little late) and she weighed 13 lbs. 2 oz. (this picture is from today)

of course craig is losing more than me... why is it always easier for guys???? he is down 21 lbs. he is really looking good, and i am proud of him.

when i started WW after the new year, my goal was to be at my pre-pregnancy weight by April 5th. that is when i found out i was pregnant last year. i am on my way to achieving that goal...

nothing new

nothing new is really going on here... just hanging out and waiting for the spring to come. today was a good day. we didn't have to rush around this morning and get ready for anything. we were able to hang out and relax, and i even got to enjoy a cup of coffee! we met some friends at Panera for lunch, and that was our big outing for the day.

here are some pictures from today. hadley loves to sit up, so we have been using the bumbo seat. she had fun watching me get dinner ready tonight.

i also added a picture of hadley's new hat and booties. i have a bit of a vent. i had a $25 gift card for a children's boutique in town and decided that hadley really needed a new hat. all the ones we have were either too small, or too big and would cover her eyes. i picked this cute green hat with a butterfly. it is a little big, but i could just cuff it up so she could see. i didn't want the booties, but they were sold as a set. they cost $49 which is more than i thought it was worth, but since i had the $25 gift card, i just deciced to go for it. well, the hat is stretching and now is getting too big, and i tried the booties on today, and they were too small. i guess if i keep putting the booties on, they will stretch out too. any tips on how to shrink the hat down a bit???

funny video

happy valentine's day

(here is the yummy edible arrangement that craig got us for valentine's day)

WW

today was my weekly weigh in. last week i wasn't able to make it, so this is for the last 2 weeks.

truth be told, i wasn't so good last week, since i knew i was skipping the weigh in, but i did get on the treadmill this week and go for a walk outside, so that must have helped.

me -3.4 lb. (total loss of 10.8) it feels so good to finally get over the 10lb mark!

craig is down 16.5 lbs. total.

vacation ideas

so, i had 2 cups of coffee at dinner time and now it is 11:30 pm and i am wide awake.

so, next summer (2010) craig and i will be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary. at first i thought it would be nice to go away, just the 2 of us, but i just don't think we will do that. i don't know, something seems wrong to me about going away without the kids. don't get me wrong, we love to go into the city for a night, or head up to maine and stay at a cute little inn and get some alone time. but for a big vacation we want to take the family.

anyways, now i am on a mission to find the perfect vacation spot. craig would love to do a cruise, but they kinda freak me out. any suggestions????

Spring Fever

today was beautiful outside!!! it was about 55 degrees and sunny. today is a tease, because it makes me want the spring weather to hurry up and get here, but i know tomorrow will probably be back to winter.

i was able to use my new stroller for the first time today. after lunch we went for a nice walk, now that the sidewalks are clear. hadley seemed to do what she loves to do - sleep. mason was a non-stop talking machine. we talked about all the houses we saw, the cars and trucks on the road, and the dogs that were all fenced in their yards. it was a good walk.

Valentine's Day = Love

in honor of valentine's day, i am going to list a few of things that i love.

• my husband - craig is really my best friend, love of my life and soul mate.
• carter, mason and hadley - i feel so blessed that i am able to spend my days with them.
• dvr - what would i do without it???? i am able to keep up with all the tv shows that i love.
• my blackberry - i am not addicted to it at all, but it is quite handy.
• my sequoia - i really love my car!
• baked goods - it is my weakness... i love cake, brownies, breads, muffins, and bagels. you name it and i love it!!! (which is why i am now doing WW)
• hydrangeas - i think they are the most beautiful flowers.
• august waves - i love going to the beach in august. the water is usually warmer and there are the most amazing waves.
• girl's night out - it is the best way to have fun, catch up, and get out.

this year we are not doing anything big for v-day. once the kids are in bed, we are hoping to get some chinese take-out, and watch a movie. it will be the perfect date night!

hadley and the tutu

when i was pregnant i came across some pictures of baby girls wearing the cutest headbands and tutus. i remember thinking that if i ever had a girl, i would just have to get her one. honestly, i have said it so many times, i never thought in a million years that i would have a daughter. i was convinced i was going to be the mom to 4 boys - and i loved that idea. well, 2 months later, i am really enjoying the fact i have a girl now and i can dress her up. here are some pics from home - i don't have any to scan from the studio. i can't believe my baby is already 2 months old!!!

potty training

i think potty training is the hardest thing for a parent to do. it can be so easy if your child wants to use the potty, but to teach them when to go, is hard... or maybe it is just my kids.

carter was so hard... he had a bladder of steal and would hold it for 16 hours. he was afraid to even sit on the potty. it was a long year of fighting, and crying. finally 1 month before he turned 4, i told him (as a last resort) that his friends wouldn't want to play with him anymore and they would call him names. i don't think this method is advised in any parenting book, but i was at the end of my rope. it worked, the next day he was fully trained and never had an accident.

mason started to sit on the potty last august. we were thrilled, he wasn't afraid of the potty. whenever we told him to sit on it, he would. he would tell us when he had to poop, and would use the potty. i thought this was going to be easy. i didn't want to push him, and then with the holidays, the baby, etc. i got lazy. we are now in potty training mode.

so last friday i was stuck at home all day, so i thought we should give it another try. i got the potty chair out of the bathroom, put down a towel and set it down in the kitchen. we took off his pants, and just left him in pj's. every 15 minutes i would ask him to go, and he would. he still didn't know when he had to go... by nap time he had 3 accidents. as soon as he woke up from his nap, we were back in undies and for the rest of the afternoon he stayed dry!!! we were thrilled!!! by saturday he was letting us know when he had to go, and the potty was back in the bathroom. i still put pull-ups on him when we went out, and they were wet when we got home. but at least we are making progress.

i would love to be diaper free by his 3rd b-day!!!!!! it is truely amazing how all kids are different... i wonder what it will be like to potty train hadley??? i hear girls are easier, and i hope it is true!

my poor baby

my poor baby girl... she had her first trip to the ER yesterday. like everyone in our family right now, hadley has a cold. her nose is a little stuffy, and a slight cough, but not too bad. sat. night she went to sleep at 10 pm for the night. around 4 am she started to cough, so i picked her up so she was elevated a little, and we both went back to bed with her in my arms. i woke up at 7 am and she felt a little warm to me. i unswaddled her, and let her stretch while i made her bottle. after i fed her, she still felt warm, so i took her temp. and it was 101. i called the doctor's office, and talked to a nurse. b/c of hadley's age she told me to go right to the ER b/c they were going to have to do a lot of tests. it is standard for any baby under 3 months old. so off the the ER we went. they tested her for RSV, the flu, strep throat, they did blood work (which was the absolute worst), they needed a urine sample and a chest x-ray. turns out she has a severe ear infection in her right ear. they gave her a shot of an antibiotic and some tylenol. she was such a trooper!!!

i guess this is the downfall of being the 3rd child. carter has never been to the ER. mason went when he was 5 months old for asthma, and now hadley at 8 weeks. i pray that she doesn't have the same problems with ear infections as mason, but if she does then we know what we are in for.