Hopeful Thoughts

I began my commitment to seriously working to lose the weight on July 26th.  Tomorrow will mark one month since I began my journey, so I thought it would be appropriate to “weigh in” today and report my progress.

I’ve done OK at maintaining my work out goals.  However, I hit a bump in the road when I injured myself.  I’m pretty sure that I pulled some kind of muscle in my knee as a result of poor form.  To other mom’s out there, form is important, and it’s hard to keep it when a toddler is floating around your workout space!  G is REALLY curious about the blue lights on the heart rate monitors I wear for the PS3 game I work out with. He’s ALWAYS underfoot.  He plucks the resistance bands, sits on my back while I do push ups, reaches for my hand weights, insists on being picked up while I do squats… I think he enjoys watching, but it’s easier if I can do it well before his nap time or while he’s asleep.

Anyway, I had to sit out for a week as a result of the pain.  I started back Monday, and things seem to be healed.  I’m really enjoying the program and it’s nice to be able to keep to a routine that I can do indoors with this INSANE summer we are having here in TX.

Now, drum roll, please!  In the last month, I have lost TEN pounds!!!!!!  I can officially say this because even at my heaviest time of day, the weight loss is clear!  I’m so excited!!!

I think I only have another 5 pounds to go to be where I was when I got pregnant.  I can’t find where I wrote that down at the moment.  :( I have another 15 pounds to go to make it to my goal weight.  Yup, I gotta keep going.  When I got pregnant with G, I’d just returned from almost three weeks in Argentina.  Three weeks of eating empanadas, the best ice cream EVER, and polishing off an entire batch of brownies (or whatever chocolate treat we decided to make) with my three moth post-partum friend and her husband was NOT the best way to prepare for pregnancy weight gain!!

I’m finding it pretty easy to stick to the program.  It helps SOOO much to have those extra points for nursing.  I wish I’d focused earlier when he was nursing more often.  The weight would have flown off!  But, here are a few stats to illustrate my eating habits.

Week 1:  Used 19 extra points (G’s birthday cupcakes)  Had one or two extra points remaining on 3 days.

Week 2:  Used 7 extra points (dinner at Chuy’s).  Had 2-7 points remaining on all other days

Week 3:  Used 12 extra points (ate out twice that weekend) Only 3 days with remaining points

Week 4: Used 5 extra points (Uncle Julio’s!) 6 days with remaining points, all but one day 3 or more

It’s taken me a lot longer than I had planned to shed my baby weight.  Everyone assured me that if I kept nursing I would be surprised when it slowly but surely melted off.  Well, Grayson turned one year old on the 29th of July, and I still was nearly 20 pounds heavier than when I got pregnant, and the same weight I was two months after his birth.  I knew something had to change.

So, I determined to change and boldly announced to all my Facebook friends (might as well have been the world) that I was going on a points based eating system (you know the one, but the old version, because that’s what I’ve used before) and committing to exercise.  I knew that by telling everyone, I would have to stick to it.  Sure enough, I’ve had a bunch of people asking me how it’s going.

I’ve made it through two full weeks so far.  Most days, I have an overage of points at the end of the day, and I’m not starving.  I’ve barely had to delve into my extra weekly points allowance.  I’m in a weird place when it comes to the points allowance.  As a nursing mom, I get 10 extra points per day.  However, G is getting some solid food, so I’m wondering if I even need all of those points.  I’m seeing some small weight loss, and feeling better, but I bet if I started using all of my allowed points, I’d be stuck.

The question I am faced with is whether or not to drop my daily points value.  As it stands now, it’s pretty easy to stick with it.  I know that if it becomes too hard, then I am less likely to stick with it.  However, it’s all just a numbers game.  I can’t decide if I’m better off using the higher daily points total and not dipping into my extra, or dropping my daily points and using the extra.  It seems I’d probably end up using the same number of points either way.

Not to mention the fact that, as G weans, I WILL have to drop my consumption to keep losing weight.  I’m inclined to leave well enough alone for a few more weeks, giving me time to learn the “secrets” of this program, so that, hopefully, when I do get less, I’ll know better what to eat to keep hunger at bay.

So far, I have learned a few staples to help me stay on my points target.  Fiber and Protein seem to be the keys to feeling less hungry.  Here are a few ways I’ve packed them in.

Smoothies are great for both fiber and protein, and you get a good dose of dairy.  I’ve even learned that a couple of handfuls of fresh spinach blends right in without ruining the flavor.  You wouldn’t even notice if it didn’t turn the smoothie a lovely shade of green!  In an attempt to pack more punch into my smoothies, I tried adding protein powder.  I experimented with it a couple of times, but it seems to mess up the flavor.  Especially if you use soy powder.  Soy powder is NASTY!!!  However,  I mixed some vanilla flavor whey protein powder into a glass of milk this morning and it was pretty tasty!

A good nutrition bar is also a lifesaver.  I’ve learned to keep one in my purse in case the munchies hit.  Most are 3-4 points and contain lots of protein and fiber.  I like the Luna bars (just not the protein ones) and I recently discovered Odwalla bars.

Sandwich Thins and Bagel Thins are also great.  Choosing the whole wheat versions give a big dose of fiber and makes for one tasty little sandwich.  Whole grains in general stick with you longer and are lower in points.  One sandwich thin (top and bottom) is a single point, but two slices of white bread rack up four!   I also choose Miracle Whip over Mayo, although today I discovered the olive oil version of mayo.  Pretty tasty and just 1 point per tablespoon!  I was excited!

For exercise, I’ve been using EA Active 2 for the PS3.  It’s a great circuit trainer with lots of variety.  I haven’t been bored yet and it’s totally kicking my butt.  In fact, I have to take a breather for a couple of days because I think I hurt myself.  Most likely because it’s difficult to watch your form when a 12MO is dancing in your workout space and climbing on your back when you try to do push ups!

I’m looking forward to seeing the benefits of my choices, and excited to learn more about eating well.

Almost a year ago, I took a bunch of pictures to post on my blog.  A sweet lady in my church launched a quest to get the other crafty ladies to band together to create matching handmade gifts for Grayson.  She found an adorable fabric collection called “Chirp.”  I received SO many cute things, and we have gotten so much use out of everything over the past year.  So, here they are for all to enjoy.

The inspiration for all my diaper crafting. Two wet bags, two diaper pail liners, and a cute little water proof changing pad. All crafted by G's Aunt Bee.

Unique circle blanket crocheted by my dear friend Bethany. This size and shape was PERFECT for the stroller and the car seat. Not to mention keeping little guy warm for naps without having too much bulk around his face.

Quilt, pillows, and coaster made by Colleen (special mention to Megan who designed the owl on the little pillow). There was a lot of "tummy" time spent on the quilt, and the pillow and coaster were indispensable for nursing.

Hand-hemmed receiving blanket made by G's Grandma on his Daddy's side. Extra large size made this a perfect swaddling blanket.

Great Granny Gwen did the needlework on this cute little quilt. This got some tummy time, too!

OMG! Cutest diaper bag EVER!!!! Keri is amazing! Came with a burp cloth and extra bag to tuck inside.

Super cozy crochet afghan crafted and sent by my high school BF. G loved the weight of this all winter long, and still loves to cuddle with it! I'm so excited I get to return the favor and craft for her expected little one!!!!

Miss Lori made this colorful, useful little knapsack. It's served as diaper bag for air travel, and overnight bag to Grandma's. I expect G to get lots of use out of this over the years.

The satin lined receiving blankets are a family tradition. My Granny made them, and then my mother, and now my sister and I both make them as well. Here are the two that G's Ma (my mom) made for him. Jungle animals and Little Boy Blue.

Last, but not least, the beautiful work of Miss Vicki, the brains behind the whole craft crusade. Reversible bibs, a grab ball (oh my! What a lot of pieces to stitch together!) and a sheet for the pack n play (not pictured).

I am so blessed to have friends and family who would spend their precious time to create gifts with their own two hands rather than quickly buy something.  LIfe is hectic, and spare time is sparse.  These are gifts crafted with love, and I love the givers.  Thank you all.

As I have a few minutes here and there, I’ve been working on a few crafty things since G’s arrival last year.  I’ve continued to make the flannel receiving blankets, but I was forced to cut back on my crochet and knitting due to some pretty painful postpartum carpel-tunnel syndrome.  I have a few projects on hold that I hope to get back to, but this post is about my newest focus:  sewing.

I was fascinated by the diaper pail liners and wet bags that my sister made for me.  When my friends Allison decided that she was going to cloth diaper her new baby, I resolved that I was going to make a few things for her.  With the help of my little sis, I got fabric ordered and cranked out four diaper pail liners (2 for Allison and 2 spare for myself) and 4 cute little wet bags.

Upon seeing how cute these turned out, I kept going back to the site where we ordered the fabric, Kids in the Garden, and just looking.  The lady who runs it makes and sells cloth diapers.  She also sells a couple of patterns for making your own.  I’d noticed LOTS of sellers on Etsy who make cloth diapers.  It was so tempting, but I was completely freaked out by the idea.  The idea of working with the elastic scared the heck out of me.

Eventually, curiosity got the better of me.  I HAD to try.  So, I ordered a pattern (The Nikibaby One Size Diaper) … it was less than $10.  I purchased some cute fabric, and a set of snap pliers with plastic snaps.

Yes, the elastic is a super big pain, but it turned out not to be as difficult as I’d expected, and I quickly cranked out this cute little number:

I was SOOOOO excited!  Here’s a shot of my little guy modeling it.  Sorry for the bad photo.  It’s really hard to get him to stop moving!!!

After getting comfortable with this pattern, I thought about how to modify it to make a cover for pre-folds.  I took some measurements of the covers I had around the house and made a pattern.  Putting the diapers together turned out to be another challenge, as there is the added difficulty of binding the edges with fold over elastic (FOE).  After 3 attempts, I finally got it down in time to make a gift for my friend Paige.  Wish I had a picture of that one, but here is G in one of the first attempts:

Making diapers has turned out to be a lot of fun.  You can do so many creative things.  If you are a wanna be cloth diapering expectant mom and a friend of mine, expect some cute “fluff” in your baby gift!

Come Friday morning when I wake up, the little guy that snuggles next to me each night will be a full blown one-year-old.  As I consider how quickly the time has flown, I’m also blessed to reflect on what has transpired in the last year of our lives.

July 29, 2010 at 5:40 in the morning, after nearly 24 hours at Inanna, Grayson emerged into our lives with my little sister and my best friend standing by.  In the days and weeks that followed, we were showered with love from visitors.  We hosted my entire immediate family…(Mom, Dad, sister, 2 nieces, nephew), with the exception of my brother in law, but including my parents dog.  Ryan’s sweet mother was waiting patiently in her car, already in town, for the moment’s notice to come and see her new grandson.  To top it off, several families in our amazing little church brought us meals.

We settled into a little routine and in September, I started my little tutoring business.  This kept me busy four afternoons a week, but it was a great way to be home with Grayson.  Thanks to Hawley, Gus, Allison, Joey, Kaycee, Nathan, Emily, and Kim for helping make that possible by watching my little guy.  The business is flourishing and I love being able to work with the kids in this way.

Ryan has continued to enjoy his job as a game programmer, though his official title is “Senior Software Engineer”.  He started in September of 2009 at Bonfire Studios (while I was in Argentina).  In October of 2010, Bonfire was bought out by Zynga, providing more stability to his position.

Just before Grayson was born, we closed on our house.  We’ve experienced lots of ups and downs during Grayson’s lifetime, though we are so glad to be in a house with the little guy around.  In September, we were able to put our home buyers’ credit to work and pay for a complete replacement of our HVAC.  Then, we turned around and spent whatever rebate we got from that overhaul on a brand new water heater when the old one exploded in December.  The joys of an old house!  Our AC unit was 35 years old, the furnace dated almost as old as the house, and the water heater was over 20 years old.  Recently we’ve had the roof patched from wind damage, and replaced a belt on the tenant’s dryer.  I think we need the kitchen drains worked on next.

We have been able to get some work done improving the house in addition to all the repairs.  Grayson’s room got a fresh coat of Viking blue paint, thanks to the help of his Grandma, and it’s looking better and better as we add to it.  This spring, we hired a crew to do a major overhaul on the yard.  Trees were trimmed and brush was cleared and the result is impressive.  Next on the list is an exterior paint job, scheduled to take place in the next few weeks, and landscaping with new sod in the fall.

The house is such a blessing.  We’ve hosted two baby showers here this year, as the size and layout of our living and kitchen areas works great for big crowds.  We still have great tenants in the apartment, who plan to stay for awhile.  Not to mention the amazing neighbors in the houses on either side.

And speaking of babies, in Grayson’s first year, we’ve welcomed 3 new babies into our church, two new babies into the neighborhood (one right next door), and are anticipating 5 more over the next 8 months in our little church.  Add to that my high school BFF, and we are just bursting with excitement over the babies!

In March, we were finally able to trade in my old car for something more safe and appropriate for mommy stuff.  Goodbye  rusty white 1999 Camry, hello shiny graphite grey 2011 Outback.

We live pretty far from my side of the family, but thanks to Ryan’s great job and my tutoring income, they haven’t seemed so far away this first year of parenthood.  We traveled to my parents’ house for Christmas, I was able to visit my sister in MI over spring break, my mom came for a two-week visit in April, and G and I were able to meet my sister and her kids in NC in June.  We’ve been blessed with 3 or 4 visits from Grandma (she’s a great babysitter) and made a couple of road trips to see her in Austin as well.

In December, our dear friends, the Rambows, returned form their stint in Argentina.  We were blessed to have them back in our lives for 6 months before they left earlier this month for New Jersey.  Emily kept Grayson some for me during tutoring and we are so grateful that he was able to play with their little girl.

I could go on and on about the things that have happened over the last year, but it would take forever.  Of course, it would have been easier if I’d blogged all along than to try to cram it into one post anyway!   Suffice it to say that it’s been an eventful time, but we are grateful for all we’ve been blessed with.

The days pass quickly with our current routine of waking up, eating breakfast, running errands, napping, lunch, napping, time with friends, my tutoring business, and more napping.  The naps are short, so the mommy time is pretty limited.  Before you know it, four months has passed in between blog posts.

Grayson is growing like a weed.  In just a little over a week, he will turn a year old. I simply cannot believe how fast the time has passed.  It seems like yesterday that we left the birthing center, yet it feels like he’s been a part of our lives for years.  He has won our hearts forever.

He’s growing up way too fast.

I’m not into politics AT ALL!  But, a friend of ours is running for city council in District 1 and we are totally behind him.  We want Kevin Roden in office.  For Real.  Vote for Kevin.

I’m going to have to be more careful when I offer advice on my blog. Kids live to make liars out of us. Especially mine!  He refuses to follow any kind of regular pattern, and don’t ever expect him to fit the profile of any book you read.

Most recently, we’ve faced problems with sleep YET AGAIN, just a matter of weeks after I posted my sleep solutions tips.  Grayson figured out how to get out of his swaddle wrap and refused to sleep without his arms tucked inside it.  This posed quite a problem.  His source of sleep security was gone, so what were we to do?  We had to find him another way to feel secure.

Our solution has been for him to move into the bed with me, and for my husband to sleep on the fold out in the living room.  Obviously my husband and I would prefer to be sleeping together, but this arrangement is allowing all three of us to get the sleep we need.  Grayson feels secure, I’m not losing even more sleep by waking up completely to walk down the hall every time G wakes up to nurse, and my husband is not worried he’s going to roll on top of a baby…or that his wife is going to go crazy from sleep deprivation!  It’s actually working out great for all of us.

G is sleeping so well, that I suggested to my husband that we might be ready to move him back to the crib.  He responded that we should just keep the status quo for a bit longer, since we were all getting the rest we needed.  Quite honestly, I’m not ready to change things yet, either.  I actually kind of like to snuggle with my fuzzy headed little buddy!  I also love knowing where he is and that he’s OK.

One day, this will not be practical.  Whether it’s back to the crib or to a toddler bed, he’s going to have to have his own sleep space.  But, for now, we’re happy and rested.

Yet again, I will say that you have to do what works for YOUR family.  What we’re doing is not what’s best for everybody, but it’s what is best FOR US.

A few weeks ago my mom was telling me about my friend, Ginger, who was asking about where to get some good nursing pads.  My sister had picked up some organic ones for me while she was here when my baby was born, and mom wanted to let Ginger know where they’d come from.  My response was that the organic ones weren’t actually my favorites, but, in fact, I was more likely to wear the sets I had made from some scraps of flannel and terry left over from previous sewing projects.  I agreed to send Ginger the directions.

I never posted about this particular project.  Nursing pads seemed a bit too personal.  However, at Ginger’s encouragement, here’s the “how to”.

Supplies needed:

Circular object in the size diameter you desire for your pads (Mine was about 4 inches, but I decided this was a bit too small), another circular object that is a bit smaller in diameter than the first, cotton flannel, cotton terry (if desired), white thread (a good one that won’t shrink in the wash)

Directions:

Begin by washing all your fabrics hot to make sure that your final product won’t shrink.  Cut circles of flannel using the larger diameter object as a stencil to trace.  If you want a thin pad, layer three of these together.  If you want a more absorbent pad, cut a circle from the terry cloth in the smaller size and layer it between two pieces of flannel.  Pin as needed.

Sew across the diameter of the circles 4 times as if you were slicing all the way across a pizza to create 8 “slices”.  At this point, you can sew in darts.  Stitch two on opposite sides of the circle.  This creates a more cup-like shape.

Finish by doing a wide zig-zag stitch around the edge of the circle.  I also did this on top of the darts to help them lay flat.

Wear your pads with the darts facing in so that you don’t get lines under your clothing.

Do you remember your first car?

Mine was a 16 year old Toyota Corona (yes, a Corona) station wagon with a manual transmission and a matt grey repainting job that my father had done in our carport one year. (He hung plastic all around the exterior sides of the carport and we had to use the front door for weeks! ) Most kids would have scoffed at having to settle for this, but I was thrilled to have something to drive at all.  I also really liked the power of the stick shift, even in an old car!   It got me to school, home from practices, to my piano lessons, football games, and even back and forth to my summer job at Camp Don Lee a couple of times.  So many fun high school memories!

However, it was OLD, and I was heading off to college.  My parents wanted me to have something more reliable, so they bought a used 1980-something Mazda 626 from some church friends.  It was Champagne with burgandy interior.  It was a good little car, and it got me back and forth to school for the first two years, but it wasn’t really anything special.  The summer before my Junior year, I let a camp friend borrow it to go to the doctor, and he rear-ended a little old lady.  It was never the same after that.  Far from the reliable car that my parents had hoped I’d be able to drive back and forth to college an hour and a half away.

But then, out of nowhere, my dad got a call from a man he’d known since before I was born.  He was getting rid of his 1986 (I think) Chevy Cavalier and wanted to give it to me!  There’s a sweet story behind why he did it…a sort of pay it forward kind of thing.  There are lots of stories I could tell about that car and how many times it left me on the side of the road.  There’s also a silly story about how I got engaged, but all for another day!  I wish this man could have lived to see how that car impacted my life!

I graduated form college in 2000, and had driven 3 different cars over the 6 years since I got my license.  So many memories!  But none of these cars meant as much to me as the one I got in April of 2001.

I had my first job.  I was on my own.  A real grown up with my own life and my own bills.  I decided that I was going to buy myself a car.  My aunt works for a pre-owned dealership, and she tracked down a gently used 1996 Camry.  I saved my money, I lined up my financing, and I bought my first car!  36 months, 7.25% interest, and just over $7000 financed.  I was so excited!  My parents had always owned REALLY old klunkers that dad kept running by spending his weekends doing constant tune ups.  My 5 year old car was the newest, nicest thing I’d ever driven.

This one was special because I worked hard to get it.  I was the one responsible to make the payments and set up the insurance. It was a right of passage for me.  I was a successful adult because I could buy a car.

I would drive this car halfway across the country twice to visit my future husband.  It would take me back and forth to my teaching job for nearly 8 years.  It would take me to pre-natal visits, and my baby to check-ups and play dates with friends.

My pretty “new to me” car, didn’t stay that way.  The dash lights quit working over 8 years ago , so I had to learn to monitor my speed by feel or the light of my cell phone.  The interior lights soon followed in failure.  The plate around my stereo controls wasn’t properly attached after installing an after-market CD player.  The CD player itself hasn’t worked for the last 8 years.  We noticed nearly 4 years ago that the car made clicking noises when turning and found out that the CV joints on all four wheels were going bad and  could give out any day, leaving me stranded.  The brakes were repaired last summer, but I was told a couple of weeks ago that they need work again.  I can’t even remember how long it’s been since my wiper fluid system worked.  The timing belt needs replacing.  The paint is chipping off and the car is beginning to rust.  There’s a giant dent in the front passenger side that smashed the headlight.  Finally, I can’t forget how hard it’s been to go to any drive though because the driver’s side window gets stuck every time I power it down.

It’s basically falling apart and unsafe.

So we decided that we needed to replace it.  It’s taken us awhile to save up the money to buy something newer, but this weekend, we did it.  And in doing so, we traded in the Camry for a tiny $500.  The car that meant so much to me turned out to be worth so little.  It made me a little sad to say goodbye, but we’re happy to be providing a safer vehicle for our family.