Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Happy Leap Day!

I'm a big girl look what I can do...



Happy Leap Day! And in honor of the day I wanted to document the leaps that Niley made over the weekend... She can now sit up like a big girl all by herself. She is also trying hard to figure out how to scoot and get from one place to another, I'm thinking it won't be long now until she is crawling. Also, during church on Sunday we discovered that a little tooth on the bottom broke through! You can hardly see it but you can definitely feel it. And here is just a picture that shows how she loves to eat now, yum yum prunes..


And today is a special day for me because 4 years ago today, the man that God created just for me asked me to marry him... or actually offered me M&Ms with "Will you..Marry Me" printed on them :). So the question was finally answered as to what he was waiting on for four years... Leap Day, I guess?! Right?!So of course I said Yes and here is a pic from our honeymoon in Jackson Hole, WY.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Blessed with 6 months of Joy!

I can not believe that my little baby is now a 6 months old. Wow, time really does fly. I can not imagine my life without her now. I mean, what did I used to do with all of my time? (I know one thing that I used to do, walk/jog, and on that note...I've lost 1.5 lbs, but I haven't been faithful to my diet and exercise the last week. I've got to stay focused on this project!! But, oh did I mention that we partially moved this past weekend, so I did do some weight training lifts. )
Anyway, I am reminded everyday how awesome God is! He created such a amazing thing all because two people feel in love. Her little eyes, mouth, nose, arms, heart, lungs, kidneys,... and the list goes on and on... He created all of that and makes it work together in sync perfectly, it is truly a miracle. If one doesn't believe that there is a Creator and a purpose for life after the birth of a child, then I'm afraid they never will. When I slow down for a second and think of the blessing that God has given to me I truly become overwhelmed.
My heart is also so full today with joy and happiness as I have learned that a close childhood friend of mine and his wife have adopted twins! (You can see pics of their initial emotions as they completed the process on Maureen Wilson Photography facebook page.) God has a purpose for all children and He choses different ways to bless them and use them. My prayer today is thanksgiving and blessings for them in their new journey as parents.

We took Niley in for her 6 month checkup on Friday. I cried more than she did (again) at this checkup. Yancey and I were shocked that she did not even shed a tear, only a whimper, when she got her shots. Of course Yancey takes credit for her being tough like him about shots, but maybe he is right because she definitely did not get that from me! As I was waiting in the doctor's office (for 2.5 hours) I thought back of each time that we had been there and how much she has grown, changed and developed each visit. Once again, I am truly amazed at God's work. I am so thankful for the awesome father that Yancey has become and the joy that I see in his eyes when he looks at Niley makes my heart smile. And here is a picture of them in the doctor's office as we were trying to keep her (and us) entertained.

I loved the expression on her face in this picture that I took last week:

And for the baby book...
Here is her official "6 month" photo
(and yes it was taken the same day as the Valentine's picture so the outfit is the same.)

-I am 6 months old
-I weigh 14lbs 10ounces(yes, I am a petite lil girl) and 26 inches
-My favorite foods are oatmeal, sweet potatoes and pears, yum
-My favorite toy is Sophie the giraffe and I love my baby einstein play gym
-I sleep all night and I have for about 3 months (go to bed at 8pm and my mommy wakes me up at 6:45 am) I hope her and my da-da know how blessed they are!
-I love my snuggle blankets!
-I sleep on my back and use a pacifier only when I sleep and when I'm in the car.
-I can roll over like a pro and I can almost sit up by myself for more than 10 seconds.
-I can say "ma ma ma" and sometimes make other consonants, ba ba da da ga ga, and I love to sqeal!
-I put my hands straight behind my head when I get my bottle and when I sleep. Here's a pic of how I take by bottle:

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Happy Valentine's Day!!

I am blessed with the sweetest Valentine ever!


Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Blessed with Workout Buddies!

Well it is Day 3 of my challenge and so far so good. You have got to start somewhere so I am at least making small steps towards my goal. On Monday I walked/jogged with Jennifer. I can not tell you how much exercising with a friend motivates me!
I went straight for the "couch to 5K" challenge because I have done this in the past and it really does work. So on Monday I had a 5 min. warm-up walk then I walked 90 seconds, jogged 60 seconds for 20 minutes, followed by a 5 min. cool-down walk. Can I just say " Oh my goodness, I am out of shape"?! During the first few jogs I thought, "oh I've got this, this isn't that bad"...well then the last jogs kicked my butt! I could have never made it without Jen's motivation!
THen on Tuesday morning I was at the fitness center and on the treadmill at 5:45 am, thanks to Mel K. Once again, I would never have done it without a friend. I am blessed to have my workout buddies!! We plan to do the early bird workout two mornings a week and I will do the "couch to 5k" challenge 3 other days of the week.
I've also tried to increase my water intake and decrease the diet cokes.

Now I just have to keep this up for...81 more days!

And to brighten my day....

And this is a pic that I took last week of how Niley has starting sleeping in her car seat.

Monday, February 6, 2012

I still can't believe that I posted this!

Ok, I am stepping completely out of my comfort range for this post, but I'm going to give it a try. I need/want to lose 15 pounds so I'm going to use this blog for the next 12 weeks for accountability and motivation. (but of course pics of Niley will still come)

Some things before I get started....

I've never been a skinny chick and I'm ok with that, I just don't want to be a chubby or fat chick.

I don't drink, smoke, gamble.... I eat, and this too is sinful.

I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight and I am proud of myself for that, but let's be honest I needed to lose these 15 lbs before I ever got preggers.
And even though I am at my pre-pregnancy weight, my mom friends didn't lie when they said that your body will never be the same after a baby.
I'm not complaining about this though, because I am so thankful and blessed to have been able to become pregnant and carry her full term!!

I've always been heavy on the bottom and I had become ok with that, but now I'm feeling the heaviness in the middle and I am NOT OK with this!

I'm still breastfeeding, so all of you who think "the weight falls off if you nurse" are mistaken! I do believe that it helped the first 6 weeks to shrink my uterus, but as far as melting the weight off, I'm not a believer.

I don't believe in diet pills, I think that's cheating.

I enjoy exercising but only with a friend. I have never been successful at self motivation exercise.
About 3 years ago, I attempted my first 5K. When I started, I thought, I can never do this, but with Jennifer we were able to motivate each other. Since then, I have jogged in 3 5Ks and I can't describe to you the feeling I had as I crossed the finish line and I miss that feeling. I walked 30 mins 4 times a week up until the week Niley was born... since then I've walked 4 times in 6 months.
I have got to figure out an exercise program that will work for me and my new life as a mom. I work, so when I get home, all I want to do is snuggle with my munchkin, not leave her again to go jog. So I have decided if I am going to be successful at exercise, it will have to be early in the am when my family is still sleeping. Now, most of you reading this are probably laughing because I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON! But I really want to do this! So my plan is to wake up at 5:30 am 3 mornings a week for a 30 min walk/jog/run and work in an afternoon exercise 2 days a week.

My future goal is to run a half marathon...but let's be realistic and stick to the current goal.

I want to be healthier example for Niley as she grows up.

Current Date: February 6, 2012
Current Weight: 158 (wow, can't believe I put that!) My normal weight has been 150 for about 10 years but the holiday season that I got pregnant, (before I knew that I was) added on the additional 8lbs that won't go away.
Current pant size: 10, but tighter than I want
Target Date: April 30, 2012
Target Weight: 143
Target Size: 6/8 comfortably

Ok, so here it goes... The journey begins, pray for me!

"I can do all things through Him that gives me strength" Phillipians 4:13