at least according to me.
(picture to come after i bake some this week, so i don't have to steal a photo from someone else on the internet)
1 box duncan hines red velvet cake mix
3 large eggs
1-2 TBSP oil
mix above ingredients
add chocolate chips of your choice (i like to use a little bit of dark choc/mint chips and white choc. chips, but plain old milk/semi-sweet chips work great, too)
bake at approx. 350 degrees for roughly 8 minutes (give or take depending on the oven). cookies should be fluffy, but will flatten and become chewy as they cool off.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Reflecting on Week 1 of Neeley Biggest Loser Challenge
So, after my first week in the family challenge, I'm not the biggest loser yet. Not even close. though I stuck to my plan really well, it hasn't produced the results i'm looking for yet. then again, it's only been 1 week. so i'm gonna keep going. I'm just feeling a little frustrated right now.
I got 185 points out of a possible 195. And I GAINED 1/2 a pound. But i think i'm more upset/jealous of other members who have lost 4-6 lbs this week. Seriously? I worked out harder than ever. 6 times instead of the required 4, and for a minimum of 40 minutes or more each time. i'm eating healthier-- filling myself up with fresh fruits and veggies and water instead of unhealthy junk.
SO why does my body insist on doing the opposite of what i want it to do-- and get rid of all the unnecessary weight? part of me is thinking-- maybe i'm not eating as healthy as i should... maybe i can make a food journal for everything i eat, check my calories, stop eating meat and sugar all together. but that only leads me down a road i don't want to visit again. in high school, i developed some disordered eating habits. like only eating celery and lettuce because some one told me they have "negative calories" because it takes more calories to digest it than they contain, and working out for 2-3 hours everyday after school until the school gym closed. i'm purposefully stopping myself from writing it all down and counting calories, because i am afraid i could go back down a road that ultimately is unhealthy.
anyone have any tips on how to get my body to do what it should when i eat healthier and exercise more-- lose weight instead of starting to hoard it? i'm serious. has this happened to anyone else, or am i crazy. i'm really frustrated right now.
I got 185 points out of a possible 195. And I GAINED 1/2 a pound. But i think i'm more upset/jealous of other members who have lost 4-6 lbs this week. Seriously? I worked out harder than ever. 6 times instead of the required 4, and for a minimum of 40 minutes or more each time. i'm eating healthier-- filling myself up with fresh fruits and veggies and water instead of unhealthy junk.
SO why does my body insist on doing the opposite of what i want it to do-- and get rid of all the unnecessary weight? part of me is thinking-- maybe i'm not eating as healthy as i should... maybe i can make a food journal for everything i eat, check my calories, stop eating meat and sugar all together. but that only leads me down a road i don't want to visit again. in high school, i developed some disordered eating habits. like only eating celery and lettuce because some one told me they have "negative calories" because it takes more calories to digest it than they contain, and working out for 2-3 hours everyday after school until the school gym closed. i'm purposefully stopping myself from writing it all down and counting calories, because i am afraid i could go back down a road that ultimately is unhealthy.
anyone have any tips on how to get my body to do what it should when i eat healthier and exercise more-- lose weight instead of starting to hoard it? i'm serious. has this happened to anyone else, or am i crazy. i'm really frustrated right now.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Anti-Climatic Adventures in Hospitals
so, yesterday, I let you in on the pain I woke up with... but here's the full story.
5am: I was peacefully sleeping on my back, but wanted to roll to my side to cuddle with brad. the second i start to roll over, my lower right abdomen just kinda explodes with some of the worst pain ever, barring childbirth without an epidural. i'm only semi-conscious, so i think it's a charlie-horse in my abs (since i get these in my calves all the time when i'm asleep), so i curl up and think that if i wait a few seconds it will subside. but it doesn't. it doesn't get better or worse, the pain just stays there. i wait 1 minutes, 2 minutes, 5 minutes... it's not going away. i'm crying from the pain now, brad is freaking out and asking me a bunch of questions. he thinks it could be an ulcer and wants me to go to the bathroom to see if that will help. but i KNOW that whatever is causing my pain has nothing to do with any part of my digestive system as i understand it. i've had digestion issues before and this isn't like that. i starting crying for a blessing, so he just places his hands on my head while i'm writhing with pain on the bed and crying and gives me a blessing in the name of Jesus Christ. it helps me calm down a bit, but the pain doesn't change. i go to the bathroom-- no change in the pain. brad looks up what it might be online. i'm thinking either my muscle wall just ripped apart and my guts are spilling out and the only thing stopping them is my skin, or my ovary just exploded, or i have appendicitis. at least that's what it feel like to me; i don't know how else to explain the sheer amount of pain i was in.
every single thing brad looks up on the internet says go to the ER asap. i don't have health insurance and I hate the ER, so i tell him to go back to sleep, and if it still hurts after he gets home from class tomorrow, then we can go to urgent care. i fitfully try to go back to sleep. it's hard to breath, my (for lack of a single word to describe my lower right abdomen, i'll just say "my side") side is still in pain feeling like i was stabbed with a knife and it just keeps twisting in my gut. but eventually i must have fallen asleep because i had some of the craziest dreams ever, and a bunch of them.
8:30am: Brad wakes me up for fmaily prayer before he goes to work. my side is still in excruciating pain, but i tell him to go to work anyway, and it'll go away.
10am: i wake up to naomi crying. i get up and take a shower. it's so painful to move, to stand, to do anything.
10:30am: i get naomi out of bed. it takes all of my strength to not cry. i feed her, adn remember that i'm supposed to babysit for a friend at 11 or something around there. eat breakfast and feed naomi.
11:15am: baby girl shows up for babysitting. I'm starting to cope with the pain. it hasn't increased or decreased, but i'm getting used to it, so i don't say anything to friend. i figure i've lasted so long already, i can last until 4 when my friend will come pick her up.
12noon: brad calls, he's about to go to class, but wants to know if i need help babysitting, how i'm feeling, etc. i tell him nothing has changed, but to go to class, i can make it for 75 more minutes.
1pm: after 1 hour of trying towatch, entertain, feed, change diapers, and chase two very moblie children... the pain in my side has escalated to "i think i might be dying" proportions. i call brad in class and ask him to come home ASAP.
1:15pm: Brad comes home. I try to sit and relax, hoping the pain will subside, but we've decided that i probably need to go to the doctor, so I call my friend and see if there's a way she can get her daughter a little earlier because i need to go to the doctor. since our car is in the shop, we call some friends and find a ride to ther urgent care center.
2:30ish: i begin to lose track of time around here. we get to the BYU urgent care center, and i'm take back to a room pretty quickly. the dr feels my abs, makes me try to lay down and sit up...i start crying...dr. says that my muscles aren't engaging like they should because even when i try to lift my head while laying down, my abs should feel firm, but mine are soft. the intense pain in located in one very specific spot in my lower right abdomen-- anywhere else she could feel, but touching that spot was excruciating beyond my standard won'tt go away twisting knife in gut feeling. she orders a bood test (CBC) and urine test to test for pregnancy, and an ultrasound to test for anything abdormal with my ovary.
4:30ish: i'm told to drink about a 1/2 gallon of water in 15 minutes, and then hold it til 5:20 when the ultra sound tech is supposed to arrive. silly me, i drak it in more like 5 minutes.
5:25: i'm crying in pain. don't know if it's because i need to pee, my side, or a combination of the two. the ultrasound tech is late and i'm about to further embarrass myself by not only literally crying in the dr's office, but also wetting my pants when the u/s tech lady arrives at 5:30.
5:35pm: apparently, my bladder is too full... i have to let out "just a little bit of urine" because my bladder is so full she can't see my right ovary on the u/s. stopping midstream is one the list of things very hard to do when you really need to pee.
5:40pm: ultrasound shows everything dealing with my ovaries and uterus are normal. this mrans they are sending e to the ER to get a CT scan to check for something else. the dr thinks maybe a kidney stone, but it seems unlikely. or appendicitis, but that also seems unlikely.
6ish: we arrive at the ER and no one is in the waiting room so they take me back right away. they're all assuming appendicitis, but i'm not throwing up, so that seems odd. maybe a kidney stone, but the type and intensity and location of pain doesn't fit for a kidney stone. they start me on an IV and warn me that if it is my appendix, i'll have emergency surgey that night.
6:15ish: i go back for the CT scan. i have to have radioactive contrast put in through my IV. the first time, i guess the IV isn't in right so it leaks all over my hospital gown, and it has to be fixed. when it finally goes in, it makes me feel all warm inside. weird.
6:40pm: even weirder-- when the results come back, everything is normal. pretty much. i have a double kidney pelvis on my right kidney, and a kidney stone the size or the tip of a ball point pen in my right kidney, but the dr's don't think that has anything to do with what i'm feeling. my appendix looks happy and healthy. so they tell me to go home and take some ibuprofen or tylenol and come back in 12 hours for another scan if the pain stays the same or gets worse.
7ish: we leave, go buy 2 six-packs of jello, since i'm on a clear liquids diet until tomorrow, and then pick up munchkin from the babysitters. in fact, our good friends who were watching naomi agree to come back to our place and help take care of naomi while i just veg on the couch in pain while brad goes to bowling and hockey that night. they were wonderful.
10ish: casey puts naomi to bed and the picketts leave for the night. i try to go to sleep, but naomi wakes up after about 40 minutes. she's crying a lot and wants to get up. she knows that i'm here, she can stand up in her crib adn see around the corner into the living room, and i'm on the couch. i try to get her out of her crib, but my side is still hurting, and now i have an IV in my arm (they didn't take it out before i left because they figured i'd be back in the morning and didn't want to stick me again). i struggle to lift her with just my left arm, and put her on the floor. she continues cry until brad gets home close to midnight. he takes over so i can go to bed. i struggle to go to sleep of an hour or more because of the pain. i continue to be uncomfortable, thought the ibuprofen really helped, through out the night.
7:30am Wed: I wake up and don't feel anything. the pain is gone! we go to the hospital, they take out my IV and tell me that i don't need another scan since i feel better. we don't know what it was, but am so glad i feel better. i think it's really a miracle, and i'm so glad i didn't need surgery.
here's a happy pic to make you smile after all that drama...
5am: I was peacefully sleeping on my back, but wanted to roll to my side to cuddle with brad. the second i start to roll over, my lower right abdomen just kinda explodes with some of the worst pain ever, barring childbirth without an epidural. i'm only semi-conscious, so i think it's a charlie-horse in my abs (since i get these in my calves all the time when i'm asleep), so i curl up and think that if i wait a few seconds it will subside. but it doesn't. it doesn't get better or worse, the pain just stays there. i wait 1 minutes, 2 minutes, 5 minutes... it's not going away. i'm crying from the pain now, brad is freaking out and asking me a bunch of questions. he thinks it could be an ulcer and wants me to go to the bathroom to see if that will help. but i KNOW that whatever is causing my pain has nothing to do with any part of my digestive system as i understand it. i've had digestion issues before and this isn't like that. i starting crying for a blessing, so he just places his hands on my head while i'm writhing with pain on the bed and crying and gives me a blessing in the name of Jesus Christ. it helps me calm down a bit, but the pain doesn't change. i go to the bathroom-- no change in the pain. brad looks up what it might be online. i'm thinking either my muscle wall just ripped apart and my guts are spilling out and the only thing stopping them is my skin, or my ovary just exploded, or i have appendicitis. at least that's what it feel like to me; i don't know how else to explain the sheer amount of pain i was in.
every single thing brad looks up on the internet says go to the ER asap. i don't have health insurance and I hate the ER, so i tell him to go back to sleep, and if it still hurts after he gets home from class tomorrow, then we can go to urgent care. i fitfully try to go back to sleep. it's hard to breath, my (for lack of a single word to describe my lower right abdomen, i'll just say "my side") side is still in pain feeling like i was stabbed with a knife and it just keeps twisting in my gut. but eventually i must have fallen asleep because i had some of the craziest dreams ever, and a bunch of them.
8:30am: Brad wakes me up for fmaily prayer before he goes to work. my side is still in excruciating pain, but i tell him to go to work anyway, and it'll go away.
10am: i wake up to naomi crying. i get up and take a shower. it's so painful to move, to stand, to do anything.
10:30am: i get naomi out of bed. it takes all of my strength to not cry. i feed her, adn remember that i'm supposed to babysit for a friend at 11 or something around there. eat breakfast and feed naomi.
11:15am: baby girl shows up for babysitting. I'm starting to cope with the pain. it hasn't increased or decreased, but i'm getting used to it, so i don't say anything to friend. i figure i've lasted so long already, i can last until 4 when my friend will come pick her up.
12noon: brad calls, he's about to go to class, but wants to know if i need help babysitting, how i'm feeling, etc. i tell him nothing has changed, but to go to class, i can make it for 75 more minutes.
1pm: after 1 hour of trying towatch, entertain, feed, change diapers, and chase two very moblie children... the pain in my side has escalated to "i think i might be dying" proportions. i call brad in class and ask him to come home ASAP.
1:15pm: Brad comes home. I try to sit and relax, hoping the pain will subside, but we've decided that i probably need to go to the doctor, so I call my friend and see if there's a way she can get her daughter a little earlier because i need to go to the doctor. since our car is in the shop, we call some friends and find a ride to ther urgent care center.
2:30ish: i begin to lose track of time around here. we get to the BYU urgent care center, and i'm take back to a room pretty quickly. the dr feels my abs, makes me try to lay down and sit up...i start crying...dr. says that my muscles aren't engaging like they should because even when i try to lift my head while laying down, my abs should feel firm, but mine are soft. the intense pain in located in one very specific spot in my lower right abdomen-- anywhere else she could feel, but touching that spot was excruciating beyond my standard won'tt go away twisting knife in gut feeling. she orders a bood test (CBC) and urine test to test for pregnancy, and an ultrasound to test for anything abdormal with my ovary.
4:30ish: i'm told to drink about a 1/2 gallon of water in 15 minutes, and then hold it til 5:20 when the ultra sound tech is supposed to arrive. silly me, i drak it in more like 5 minutes.
5:25: i'm crying in pain. don't know if it's because i need to pee, my side, or a combination of the two. the ultrasound tech is late and i'm about to further embarrass myself by not only literally crying in the dr's office, but also wetting my pants when the u/s tech lady arrives at 5:30.
5:35pm: apparently, my bladder is too full... i have to let out "just a little bit of urine" because my bladder is so full she can't see my right ovary on the u/s. stopping midstream is one the list of things very hard to do when you really need to pee.
5:40pm: ultrasound shows everything dealing with my ovaries and uterus are normal. this mrans they are sending e to the ER to get a CT scan to check for something else. the dr thinks maybe a kidney stone, but it seems unlikely. or appendicitis, but that also seems unlikely.
6ish: we arrive at the ER and no one is in the waiting room so they take me back right away. they're all assuming appendicitis, but i'm not throwing up, so that seems odd. maybe a kidney stone, but the type and intensity and location of pain doesn't fit for a kidney stone. they start me on an IV and warn me that if it is my appendix, i'll have emergency surgey that night.
6:15ish: i go back for the CT scan. i have to have radioactive contrast put in through my IV. the first time, i guess the IV isn't in right so it leaks all over my hospital gown, and it has to be fixed. when it finally goes in, it makes me feel all warm inside. weird.
6:40pm: even weirder-- when the results come back, everything is normal. pretty much. i have a double kidney pelvis on my right kidney, and a kidney stone the size or the tip of a ball point pen in my right kidney, but the dr's don't think that has anything to do with what i'm feeling. my appendix looks happy and healthy. so they tell me to go home and take some ibuprofen or tylenol and come back in 12 hours for another scan if the pain stays the same or gets worse.
7ish: we leave, go buy 2 six-packs of jello, since i'm on a clear liquids diet until tomorrow, and then pick up munchkin from the babysitters. in fact, our good friends who were watching naomi agree to come back to our place and help take care of naomi while i just veg on the couch in pain while brad goes to bowling and hockey that night. they were wonderful.
10ish: casey puts naomi to bed and the picketts leave for the night. i try to go to sleep, but naomi wakes up after about 40 minutes. she's crying a lot and wants to get up. she knows that i'm here, she can stand up in her crib adn see around the corner into the living room, and i'm on the couch. i try to get her out of her crib, but my side is still hurting, and now i have an IV in my arm (they didn't take it out before i left because they figured i'd be back in the morning and didn't want to stick me again). i struggle to lift her with just my left arm, and put her on the floor. she continues cry until brad gets home close to midnight. he takes over so i can go to bed. i struggle to go to sleep of an hour or more because of the pain. i continue to be uncomfortable, thought the ibuprofen really helped, through out the night.
7:30am Wed: I wake up and don't feel anything. the pain is gone! we go to the hospital, they take out my IV and tell me that i don't need another scan since i feel better. we don't know what it was, but am so glad i feel better. i think it's really a miracle, and i'm so glad i didn't need surgery.
here's a happy pic to make you smile after all that drama...
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
wishing i had health insurance...
so, last night/this morning around 5am... I was just laying in bed on my back, adn decided i wanted to roll over onto my side and cuddle with brad... but my abs didn't like that idea.
the second I tried to roll over to my side, i felt as though I had been stabbed with a knife and it twisted in my gut. I was writhing in pain in my lower right abdomen. I kept thinking it would go away, but it wouldn't. a minute passed, two minutes, five minutes passed, and the pain was just as intense and sharp as when it first happened. I lied on the bed, crying in pain clutching my side, thinking my guts must be spilling onto the bed. it HURT. so freakin' much! on a pain scale of 1 being a mosquito bite and 10 being labor without an epidural, I gave it an 8-9.
no matter what position i got into, it was a non-stop intense pain that would not go away. Brad gave me a blessing right away. And checked online for things it could possibly be, if it was serious, etc. We couldn't find anything. That seemed to fit.
I tried going back ot sleep, but it was hard to even breath through the pain. Eventually I must have, because the next thing I remember is Brad waking me up to say family pray before he went to work this morning. My side is still hurting, but I guess it's a 6-7 on the scale now as i'm getting used to it.
i can barely pick up naomi. any movement hurts, but not moving hurts just as much. i'm not sure what it is, and there's no way to know. i don't have health insurance now because we don't have the money for-- and that obviously means we don't have the money to go see a dr without insurance. i'm hoping this is just a pulled ab muscle. has anyone ever had that before?
the second I tried to roll over to my side, i felt as though I had been stabbed with a knife and it twisted in my gut. I was writhing in pain in my lower right abdomen. I kept thinking it would go away, but it wouldn't. a minute passed, two minutes, five minutes passed, and the pain was just as intense and sharp as when it first happened. I lied on the bed, crying in pain clutching my side, thinking my guts must be spilling onto the bed. it HURT. so freakin' much! on a pain scale of 1 being a mosquito bite and 10 being labor without an epidural, I gave it an 8-9.
no matter what position i got into, it was a non-stop intense pain that would not go away. Brad gave me a blessing right away. And checked online for things it could possibly be, if it was serious, etc. We couldn't find anything. That seemed to fit.
I tried going back ot sleep, but it was hard to even breath through the pain. Eventually I must have, because the next thing I remember is Brad waking me up to say family pray before he went to work this morning. My side is still hurting, but I guess it's a 6-7 on the scale now as i'm getting used to it.
i can barely pick up naomi. any movement hurts, but not moving hurts just as much. i'm not sure what it is, and there's no way to know. i don't have health insurance now because we don't have the money for-- and that obviously means we don't have the money to go see a dr without insurance. i'm hoping this is just a pulled ab muscle. has anyone ever had that before?
Monday, January 17, 2011
Being Munchkin
So... our doctor isn't worried about Naomi's weight at all. He told us that looking at her, she seems perfect. That her munchkin-ness is likely a genetic trait and that if we knew our family history, we would likely find a few people who were "petite" while growing up. (Family... is this ringing a bell for anyone?)
Here's the low-down--
jan 8th at WIC office for breastfeeding consult
Weight: 14 lbs. 6 oz.
Height: 26.5 in
Head Cir: 17.5 in.
Jan 17th at 9 month well-baby check-up
Weight: 13 lbs. 15 oz. (0.42%ile)
Height: 27 in. (33rd%ile)
Head Cir: 17 in. (27th%ile)
and on Friday, we're going to the WIC office for a follow-up appt.
Weight: TBD
Height: TBD
Head Cir: TBD
Now, I noticed that some of these measurements are off. At the WIC appointment, it was later in the day, and Naomi had already eaten twice and had not pooped in a couple days. today, Her appointment was first thing in the morning, and she had pooped a TON last night. So that probably explains the weight loss... hopefully. I don't think her head shrunk, they are prolly just off on their measurements. Same goes for height, unless she grew a half inch the past week and a half.
On another note, she's super healthy and active.
We sure do love our munchkin!
Here's the low-down--
jan 8th at WIC office for breastfeeding consult
Weight: 14 lbs. 6 oz.
Height: 26.5 in
Head Cir: 17.5 in.
Jan 17th at 9 month well-baby check-up
Weight: 13 lbs. 15 oz. (0.42%ile)
Height: 27 in. (33rd%ile)
Head Cir: 17 in. (27th%ile)
and on Friday, we're going to the WIC office for a follow-up appt.
Weight: TBD
Height: TBD
Head Cir: TBD
Now, I noticed that some of these measurements are off. At the WIC appointment, it was later in the day, and Naomi had already eaten twice and had not pooped in a couple days. today, Her appointment was first thing in the morning, and she had pooped a TON last night. So that probably explains the weight loss... hopefully. I don't think her head shrunk, they are prolly just off on their measurements. Same goes for height, unless she grew a half inch the past week and a half.
On another note, she's super healthy and active.
- The doctor mentioned that he could tell that she loved her veggies and ate them well because she has a slight yellow tinge to her skin, but her eyes are perfectly white, meaning she has an abundance of beta-carotene in her system (from veggies), not biliruben or jaundice, which Brad asked about.
- She's physically healthy, her organs and glands are all the right size and shape and in the right place. Her eyes and ears work awesome.
- And she is really active. She's was trying to crawl and explore the dr.'s office the entire appointment.
- She's socially advanced-- babbles conversationally with varying tones and pitch, imitates speech, and understands simple words and phrases, like, "where's daddy?" and will look or point at Brad, or "Would you like some puffs?" and nods aggressively then looks to the diaper bag where the puffs are usually kept.
- She's pulling herself up to a standing postion.
- She's walking along furniture or with help from mom or dad holding her hands.
- She recognizes familiar faces and shows mild stranger anxiety, but gets over it quickly and becomes friendly if mom and dad seem to know them.
- She picks things up with her thumb and forefinger.
- Beginning to self-feed.
- Can do high-fives and clap.
We sure do love our munchkin!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
I'm Going to be The Biggest Loser!
So, the Neeley's are doing a little tradition that I've recently joined in on-- a Biggest Loser Challenge. We set goals for health, fitness, and diet. Depending on how we do at achieving our goals each week, we get awarded points. Who ever gets the most points after 6 weeks wins.
Wins what? Confidence. Hopefully better health. And a pot of cash (composed of entry fees paid by all family members).
Here's my goals for each week:
1. Do not eat after 8pm.
2. Do not eat more than 3 desserts in 1 week; do not eat more than 1 dessert in a day.
3. Eat at least 1 fruit and 1 veggie per day.
4. Exercise at least 5 times per week for a minimum of 30 minutes.(*The challenge goal is 4 times for at least 20 minutes, but I'm raising my personal standard.)
5. Drink 2L of water per day.
6. Communicate daily with a Neeley Biggest Loser participant for encouragement and motivation.
7. Get at least 6 hours of sleep per night.
And if you get your Ultimate Fitness Goal, you get bonus points.
My Ultimate Fitness Goal after 6 weeks is:
1. Lose 8 pounds.
2. Be able to do 15 full sit-ups at a time.
And my motivation...
Being a fit and healthy momma for my very mobile munchkin; and shrinking that post-preggo belly pudge!
(I went to a Pilates class a few days ago, and I was embarrassed because I was the only one in class who couldn't do a full sit-up. Not a single one. Thanks, Munchkin. I sacrificed my body for you to come into this world, and I hope you will appreciate it someday.)
Wins what? Confidence. Hopefully better health. And a pot of cash (composed of entry fees paid by all family members).
Here's my goals for each week:
1. Do not eat after 8pm.
2. Do not eat more than 3 desserts in 1 week; do not eat more than 1 dessert in a day.
3. Eat at least 1 fruit and 1 veggie per day.
4. Exercise at least 5 times per week for a minimum of 30 minutes.(*The challenge goal is 4 times for at least 20 minutes, but I'm raising my personal standard.)
5. Drink 2L of water per day.
6. Communicate daily with a Neeley Biggest Loser participant for encouragement and motivation.
7. Get at least 6 hours of sleep per night.
And if you get your Ultimate Fitness Goal, you get bonus points.
My Ultimate Fitness Goal after 6 weeks is:
1. Lose 8 pounds.
2. Be able to do 15 full sit-ups at a time.
And my motivation...
Being a fit and healthy momma for my very mobile munchkin; and shrinking that post-preggo belly pudge!
(I went to a Pilates class a few days ago, and I was embarrassed because I was the only one in class who couldn't do a full sit-up. Not a single one. Thanks, Munchkin. I sacrificed my body for you to come into this world, and I hope you will appreciate it someday.)
BEST HUSBAND EVER! and In-Laws too!
Brad is the Best. Husband. Ever.
- He makes me feel beautiful, even when I'm just a frumpy mess.
- He spoils me in all the ways a best husband ever should spoil his wife, and then more.
- He's a great daddy. He changes even the poopy diapers sometimes!
- He's quick to apologize if he did something that upset me (which isn't often).
- He's quick to help me when I'm feeling overwhelmed by mother and wifehood.
- He works really hard at school and his job to provide for us.
- He hasn't run away screaming after getting to know the craziness that is my family or my past.
- He gets up at night when the munchkin is crying.
- Even his ghost self promises me that he'll love me forever and always be with me.
- he comes with the best in-laws a wife could ever dream of. Seriously- I love the Neeley's!
- They wrapped me in their giant arms of love the second I met them.
- Meeting Sam, my sister-in-law, was like meeting my long lost spirit twin. She's so amazing and I love her. She's serving a mission in Vegas right now-- seriously; isn't she just incredible?!
- Mom Neeley is the kindest person with one of the biggest, most giving hearts. She has always made me feel like a daughter born into the family.
- Dad Neeley. Basically, Brad is just like his dad. Patient, calm, listening. A great man.
- And all the aunts, uncles, and cousins. There are dozens of them! Some I have been lucky enough to get to know better, others, I'm still getting to know. But they are great. They have always been like family since I met them. In fact, I met most of them before I met Mom, Dad, and Sister Neeley.
- they are all so supportive of each other, and me too!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Bad Dreams
Ever have a dream that, even though you knew it was a dream when you wake up, still shakes you to your core and leaves you feeling the emotions that you felt in your dream so intensely that it's ridiculous? i had one of those last night. They rarely happen to me-- I can usually wake up and just realize the I was just dreaming and everything is ok. But not this morning. This morning I was a total wreck.
If you want to read my entire dream, check it out at my dream blog: All You Gotta Do Is Dream. but the short version is that Brad died in my dream, and his ghost told me that I couldn't hug him, and that after he left, I would never see him again until I died, even though he would be my guardian angel. I was so out of my mind with sadness and wanting to just have a hug from Brad, that when I woke up, and he was in the kitchen filling the dishwasher, i just ran to him and gave him the biggest hug and would not let him go.
I know I've got the sweetest husband ever. Even in my dreams, he reminds me that he's always there for me. But this morning, he stayed with me for about 30 minutes, just reassuring me that he was, in fact, real and alive. he even offered to call in at work and skip class to stay home with me today. but eventually i came to my senses and told him that he needed to work and go to class and turn in his homework. But he could only do that if he promised to not die today. he promised.
i love my husband so much! I couldn't imagine living with out him in my life everyday.
If you want to read my entire dream, check it out at my dream blog: All You Gotta Do Is Dream. but the short version is that Brad died in my dream, and his ghost told me that I couldn't hug him, and that after he left, I would never see him again until I died, even though he would be my guardian angel. I was so out of my mind with sadness and wanting to just have a hug from Brad, that when I woke up, and he was in the kitchen filling the dishwasher, i just ran to him and gave him the biggest hug and would not let him go.
I know I've got the sweetest husband ever. Even in my dreams, he reminds me that he's always there for me. But this morning, he stayed with me for about 30 minutes, just reassuring me that he was, in fact, real and alive. he even offered to call in at work and skip class to stay home with me today. but eventually i came to my senses and told him that he needed to work and go to class and turn in his homework. But he could only do that if he promised to not die today. he promised.
i love my husband so much! I couldn't imagine living with out him in my life everyday.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Munchkin. Peanut. Nugget. Teeny. Squirt.
All the nicknames Naomi has been given. Yep, she's small. There are 3 and 4 month old that weigh more than she does. But you know what? She's healthy, happy, and growing strong.
I've gotten kinda... ok, maybe A LOT, defensive about munchkin's size lately. I've always known she was on the smaller side as far as her weight was concerned. I'd asked her doctor about it at every well-baby check up, and he never seemed concerned. She was gaining weight consistently, even if it wasn't very much (about 1 lb. per month). At about 6 months old, we went to the WIC office for munchkin to be weighed, measured, and just checked up on. The nutritionist came in and weighed her and said, "Looks like she's gaining about 1 pound per month. that's right on target for a breastfed baby." then she pulled out her growth chart and then said, "It looks like she's dropped off her curve. Let's work on feeding her more so she can get her weight up." I was confused, but I just let it go and remembered that only a few seconds before she had told me my daughter was gaining weight perfectly. The chart doesn't matter.
Our neighbors also had a son who was on the smaller side. But his doctor was really worried about his weight, though he seemed to be growing about the same rate my munchkin was. So our neighbors went to a lactation specialist and found out that their son wasn't getting much when breastfeeding. this started me on a trail of constant worry that the same thing was happening to my munchkin. i started reading up on how to breatfeed well, but it was tough since it seemed all the material was meant to newborns, not a 6 month old or older and trying to balance introducing new "solid" baby foods. I continued to worry, but kept pushing my thoughts to the back burner since it seemed like munchkin was happy, energetic, alert, etc. She was meeting all her develpmental milestones on time or early. She was always moving, chattering, playing, smiling.
Then, fast forward to our holiday trip back "home" to visit my family. I was constantly bombarded with "advice" and comments about how I must not be feeding her enough because she's so small. She weighed "nothing." She was as small as a peanut. I continued to feed her as normal. When the family saw how much solid food she ate, it started a whole new round of comments, including, "You feed her too much!"
Seriously?!
She would breastfeed 5-6 times a day and have 2 solid food meals which consisted of 1 serving of cereal (approx 4 Tbls.), 1 serving of a veggie (a 4 ox jar) and 1 serving of fruit (anywhere from 1/2 to 1 whole 4 oz jar).
I was quick to defend my little girl. Repeating that the doctor said she was healthy and growing well at the last well-baby visit. The nutritionist said she was gaining perfectly, but she had "dropped off her curve." This began new accusations that my doctor was stupid and I should switch providers because if he wasn't concerned, then obviously there was something wrong with him. Needless to say, by the time I got home on Tuesday, I was thoroughly worked up into a complex about whether my daughter was getting enough breast milk, if she was eating too much solid food, if she was healthy, yada yada yada.
So I called the WIC office because they offer free consultations on breastfeeding and nutrition and scheduled an appointment. They weighed munchkin, then I fed her for about 10-15 minutes, then they weighed her again. She didn't eat very well; she was very distracted, looked around at the new surroundings, and just wanted to play and not eat. Turns out, she only ate .2 oz. The consultant said that normally that would be cause for alarm, but after looking at naomi, decided that it was prolly because she wasn't very hungry and just wanted to play. Normally, they woud like to see 2-4 oz transfered for a "light meal or snack" and 6-8 oz for a large meal. They observed her playing and interaced with her, and also measured her height and head circumference.
Results:
I've gotten kinda... ok, maybe A LOT, defensive about munchkin's size lately. I've always known she was on the smaller side as far as her weight was concerned. I'd asked her doctor about it at every well-baby check up, and he never seemed concerned. She was gaining weight consistently, even if it wasn't very much (about 1 lb. per month). At about 6 months old, we went to the WIC office for munchkin to be weighed, measured, and just checked up on. The nutritionist came in and weighed her and said, "Looks like she's gaining about 1 pound per month. that's right on target for a breastfed baby." then she pulled out her growth chart and then said, "It looks like she's dropped off her curve. Let's work on feeding her more so she can get her weight up." I was confused, but I just let it go and remembered that only a few seconds before she had told me my daughter was gaining weight perfectly. The chart doesn't matter.
Our neighbors also had a son who was on the smaller side. But his doctor was really worried about his weight, though he seemed to be growing about the same rate my munchkin was. So our neighbors went to a lactation specialist and found out that their son wasn't getting much when breastfeeding. this started me on a trail of constant worry that the same thing was happening to my munchkin. i started reading up on how to breatfeed well, but it was tough since it seemed all the material was meant to newborns, not a 6 month old or older and trying to balance introducing new "solid" baby foods. I continued to worry, but kept pushing my thoughts to the back burner since it seemed like munchkin was happy, energetic, alert, etc. She was meeting all her develpmental milestones on time or early. She was always moving, chattering, playing, smiling.
Then, fast forward to our holiday trip back "home" to visit my family. I was constantly bombarded with "advice" and comments about how I must not be feeding her enough because she's so small. She weighed "nothing." She was as small as a peanut. I continued to feed her as normal. When the family saw how much solid food she ate, it started a whole new round of comments, including, "You feed her too much!"
Seriously?!
She would breastfeed 5-6 times a day and have 2 solid food meals which consisted of 1 serving of cereal (approx 4 Tbls.), 1 serving of a veggie (a 4 ox jar) and 1 serving of fruit (anywhere from 1/2 to 1 whole 4 oz jar).
I was quick to defend my little girl. Repeating that the doctor said she was healthy and growing well at the last well-baby visit. The nutritionist said she was gaining perfectly, but she had "dropped off her curve." This began new accusations that my doctor was stupid and I should switch providers because if he wasn't concerned, then obviously there was something wrong with him. Needless to say, by the time I got home on Tuesday, I was thoroughly worked up into a complex about whether my daughter was getting enough breast milk, if she was eating too much solid food, if she was healthy, yada yada yada.
So I called the WIC office because they offer free consultations on breastfeeding and nutrition and scheduled an appointment. They weighed munchkin, then I fed her for about 10-15 minutes, then they weighed her again. She didn't eat very well; she was very distracted, looked around at the new surroundings, and just wanted to play and not eat. Turns out, she only ate .2 oz. The consultant said that normally that would be cause for alarm, but after looking at naomi, decided that it was prolly because she wasn't very hungry and just wanted to play. Normally, they woud like to see 2-4 oz transfered for a "light meal or snack" and 6-8 oz for a large meal. They observed her playing and interaced with her, and also measured her height and head circumference.
Results:
- Her weight isn't even on the charts anymore. She's like, -5th%ile at 14 lbs. 6 oz.
- She's 26 1/2 inches long/tall. That's about 70th%ile.
- Head circumference is 17.5 in. somewhere around 50th%ile, i think.
- She's "cruising," or walking while holding onto things for stability.
- She has plump cheeks and a baby double chin, fat pads on the tops of her fingers, and her feet. No rolls on her arms, legs, or belly.
- She is very social and interacts appropriatly with others, like responding when someone talks to her, smiling, lots of conversational babbling, etc.
- She is very curious and likes to explore her surrounding.
- She is very active and alert, not lithargic at all.
- No physical deformities, like a sunken head or eyes. good complexion.
- Excellent motor control for her age.
Ring Out the Old, Ring in the New
We went to visit my family for the holidays. It was a good trip, but also very stressful. I'm not sure how much of this stress was of my own making and how much was unavoidable. But overall, it was "good." Being back home now, there are things I realize that i take for granted.
1. my own shampoo, conditioner, and body wash with spongie
2. deciding what i want for dinner
3. my own transportation (i really don't like having to rely on others to go places)
4. my routine-- just being able to plan my day, now what others are doing and where they are, and most importantly, sticking to a nap and feeding schedule for the munchkin
5. my bed! i missed my bed so much! it's comfy and big and mine.
6. munchkin's crib. she always sleeps better in it than the playpen.
7. my diet and exercise plan. i didn't have control of what i could eat or when, i didn't have my work out dvds or my WiiFit or JustDance2 wii game; i didn't have alone time to work out without people watching me, etc. so my diet was out the window. I'm glad to be back and put it back in place.
8. privacy. while i love a house full of family, i also love our small apartment with just the 3 of us.
9. my working washer and dryer. the one at my grandma's stopped working while we were there. ugh!
10. christmas sweets. they just weren't there... i was craving Mom Neeley's chocolate covered oreos ALL the time!!! and the Neeley fondue.
but i'm also going to miss "home." There were lots of perks that pampered me while there, adn now i gotta grow up and be the mom and homemaker again. I'm gonna miss...
1. not having to do dishes. my grandma can't let a dirty dish sit in a sink if she knows about it.
2. not having to cook dinner.
3. not having family to watch the munchkin while brad and i run out for a bit.
4. my home ward family. I was baptized in the Carbondale Ward; the members there are seriously like family. I love them all so much. it was great to go to my home ward twice while there adn show off my adorable family. i owe much of my happiness in life to the members there. they opened their arms and hearts to me, they wouldn't let me get lost from the fold, and they pushed me to be greater than i thought i could be.
5. the crazy weather. it was about 30-ish degres when we gpt there, then one day it suddenly shot up to 55, then 70 degrees. then we had tornadoes. adn then 20 degree temperatures.
6. the humidity. i'm back to lathering myself with layers of lotion every morning so i don't dry out.
7. Mr. Miles-- Naomi's new best friend (my 2 year old cousin). He was so great to her, adn she looked up to him so much and learned from him. I'll especially miss waking up and meeting him outside the room to ask me, "baby Naomi sleeping?"
It was fun. Pictures to come after I get them from family, because i didn't take any pics while there. opps!
1. my own shampoo, conditioner, and body wash with spongie
2. deciding what i want for dinner
3. my own transportation (i really don't like having to rely on others to go places)
4. my routine-- just being able to plan my day, now what others are doing and where they are, and most importantly, sticking to a nap and feeding schedule for the munchkin
5. my bed! i missed my bed so much! it's comfy and big and mine.
6. munchkin's crib. she always sleeps better in it than the playpen.
7. my diet and exercise plan. i didn't have control of what i could eat or when, i didn't have my work out dvds or my WiiFit or JustDance2 wii game; i didn't have alone time to work out without people watching me, etc. so my diet was out the window. I'm glad to be back and put it back in place.
8. privacy. while i love a house full of family, i also love our small apartment with just the 3 of us.
9. my working washer and dryer. the one at my grandma's stopped working while we were there. ugh!
10. christmas sweets. they just weren't there... i was craving Mom Neeley's chocolate covered oreos ALL the time!!! and the Neeley fondue.
but i'm also going to miss "home." There were lots of perks that pampered me while there, adn now i gotta grow up and be the mom and homemaker again. I'm gonna miss...
1. not having to do dishes. my grandma can't let a dirty dish sit in a sink if she knows about it.
2. not having to cook dinner.
3. not having family to watch the munchkin while brad and i run out for a bit.
4. my home ward family. I was baptized in the Carbondale Ward; the members there are seriously like family. I love them all so much. it was great to go to my home ward twice while there adn show off my adorable family. i owe much of my happiness in life to the members there. they opened their arms and hearts to me, they wouldn't let me get lost from the fold, and they pushed me to be greater than i thought i could be.
5. the crazy weather. it was about 30-ish degres when we gpt there, then one day it suddenly shot up to 55, then 70 degrees. then we had tornadoes. adn then 20 degree temperatures.
6. the humidity. i'm back to lathering myself with layers of lotion every morning so i don't dry out.
7. Mr. Miles-- Naomi's new best friend (my 2 year old cousin). He was so great to her, adn she looked up to him so much and learned from him. I'll especially miss waking up and meeting him outside the room to ask me, "baby Naomi sleeping?"
It was fun. Pictures to come after I get them from family, because i didn't take any pics while there. opps!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)