Briefly

Things at our house are still a little crazy. Mom and Vannah have been approved for their new apartment, so we're just trying to figure out when they should move in. They don't have a lot to move at this point, other than clothes, but we've had several offers of furniture. Hopefully, we'll be able to pick up some things soon and help get them settled into their new place. 

The weekend went by way too quickly, with very little downtime. I'm tired. Danny's tired. Sophie is not sleeping well with all the change. But I know that I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm thankful that while we don't have a ton of extra space, we do have enough for mom and Vannah to stay with us during this time. Everything in life is time-limited...the good times and the bad times. It's been nice to have extra company this week, but when the time comes, it will be nice for us to settle back into our routine. 

I went to my WW meeting last night. I hadn't been able to go in two weeks, so I was glad to get back. I've now lost 22.2 pounds. The group leader mentioned that in the Jewish tradition, three 2's is a sign of good luck. She said that a few years ago, a man lost 22.2 pounds, went to the boat, played the second slot machine and on the second pull won $10,000. Mom and I really wanted to go to the boat last night, but didn't have a sitter. :) I know we could all use some better luck these days, so even if it's not a $10,000 jackpot, I'll take whatever is headed our way. 

We are just a little over a week away from Sophie's first birthday. I haven't had any time to work on planning her birthday party, but it won't be that big of a shin-dig, so I'm sure all will be fine. I did get the invitations in the mail before the fire last Sunday, so at least people know when to show up. I am looking forward to celebrating my sweet little girl and the week long vacation that follows. Sophie continues to grow and change every day. When I came home from my meeting last night, it was almost 7 p.m. and she was so tired. She nearly jumped into my arms, tucked her little arms between her body and mine, leaned her head on my shoulder and kept saying "Oooooo, ooooo, oooooo." It was absolutely the best part of my day.

A little overwhelmed

Wow. This week has been really, really crazy to say the least. Mom and Vannah had a fire at their apartment on Sunday night, and basically lost everything. Mom has found some pictures and a few other sentimental items, but overall, it looks like a total loss. I took off from work on Monday and Tuesday to just try to figure out what to do. This is a new one for us. The last several years have been so difficult for my mom and the rest of the family. They lost the house we grew up in, we lost my dad, and now my mom has lost most everything that has been important to her. Vannah had a lot of nice things...cameras, guitars, movies, books, etc. And it's all gone. My heart is truly breaking for them. Mom has had her ups and her downs over the past few days, but seems to be motivated to rebuild and move forward. Vannah has taken it all in stride and has been so strong.

Until mom and Vannah can find a new place to live, they are staying with us. We don't have a huge home, so when everyone is there, we are nearly on top of each other. We've been so blessed to receive help from the American Red Cross and from family and friends. Vannah has already received a lot of clothes, and I know that there are more coming her way. I took this picture of our living room/Vannah's temporary room this morning. It's a little overwhelming, really.

I know that the days and weeks to come will continue to be difficult. Danny has been the most wonderful husband I could ever ask for during all of this. He was quick to the scene on Sunday night when Vannah called to tell us about the fire. He stayed with my mom at the hospital until the wee hours of the morning. He has helped organize donations, picking things up from folks and making arrangements for more. I don't know what I've done in my life to deserve him, but he is truly wonderful. This is and will continue to be difficult for all of us. But, like in all the trials we've faced before, we will all come out stronger and better because of it.

In other not so dramatic news, I met my first weight loss goal. My first short-term goal was to lose 20 pounds by Sophie's first birthday. As of Tuesday morning, I've lost 20.2 pounds on WW. It's nice to experience some success! I'm doing the best that I can to stick to the plan in the midst of all of the craziness. It's been difficult at times, with girlfriends bringing over Chinese food and taking me out for Mexican, but it will all be okay. Danny has lost 10 pounds already. I'm sure he will pass me up quickly on his journey.

Getting closer!

I weighed in at WW last night, but wasn't able to stay for the meeting as Danny had to make it to work. I lost another 2 pounds this week, bringing me just 1.6 pounds away from my goal (well, my small goal, with a lot more to go). I set a personal goal to lose 20 pounds by Sophie's first birthday (March 2nd). I still have several weeks until then, and am thinking I could possibly hit 25 before that time. I'm proud of the progress that I've made. Danny and I are both working hard and doing what we can to shed the pounds. One thing I did this week was give up my beloved diet coke (and diet mountain dew and diet dr. pepper...). It hasn't been that difficult. I thought I would have some caffeine headaches, but I really haven't. I've stuck to mostly water and coffee a few mornings over this week. I did "cheat" on Saturday - I had diet pepsi at my friend's daughter's birthday party and one of my girlfriends came over for dinner on Saturday night and brought with her a cherry coke zero...my favorite! Danny read an article last week about how terrible soft drinks are for you, even diet, and I just said that it was time to give it up and only have them as a treat. I think it's a little harder for him, as he is a Mt. Dew loyalist. I stole his water bottle (which was covered in dust, so I didn't think he would mind). My goal is to drink two bottles a day at work (a total of 64 oz) and then I just drink water when I go home as well.

I can't think of anything else I've done differently this week. I did have dinner at my sister's one night and we ordered Domino's pizza. I must say, their new cheesy bread is out of this world. She ordered the jalapeno and bacon kind. Oh my. It was so good, and so was I. I decided that one piece wasn't enough, but one and a half pieces were plenty. It does feel good to indulge a little and not feel like I'm blowing my plan.

I did make some baked cheese sticks for Super Bowl. Danny and I watched it at home together and had a few light snacks. The cheese sticks were pretty good. Not nearly as good as the fried variety, but they did the trick.

Saturday night, I made chicken enchiladas. I didn't calculate the points for them, but I don't think they were very bad. Normally, I add some cream cheese to my chicken enchilada mixture, but opted not to this time. That saved a lot on the points, but we didn't miss it at all. Sophie loved the chicken! I was worried it would be a little spicy for her, but she was fine with it. We also started Ms. Sophie on some whole milk this weekend. I'm mixing two ounces of milk with four ounces of formula. She hasn't had any issues, so it looks like we're one step closer to saying goodbye to formula! Now getting the bottle away from her will be another issue!

month 11

Today, Sophie is 11 months old! We celebrated with goldfish and yogurt...it was very exciting! We also read books, she took a bath and we sang song together. It was pretty much a typical night at our house. :) She continues to be a little chatter box. Most things, she calls "cat" or "that." Today, she started saying a word that sounds like "happy," but I'm not sure what she is talking about. She's also started saying "bop," which I think she says when she wants a bottle, but I could be wrong about that. She loves reading so much! If you sit down and ask her if she wants to read a book, she'll walk over to her books, pick one out and bring it back for you to read it to her. She's also really great about playing alone. She'll sit and "read" her books, turning the pages and babbling away.

We don't take it lightly how very blessed we have been over the past 11 months. Sophie has never been sick, except for a bit of a runny nose once or twice. She is so unbelievably sweet and loving. Tonight when I came home from work, I sat down for a few minutes before starting dinner, and she would walk over to me and just lay her little head on my leg. Those sweet moments are so precious to me.

I told Sophie to give the monkey kisses...she's so sweet!

And hugs for the monkey!

Nose! 

Such a goofy girl!

After her bath...

Success!

After some deliberation today, I decided to come to my WW meeting. I'm so glad I did! I lost nearly 3 more pounds this week, bringing my grand total of weight loss to 16.4 pounds! I'm so glad I still lost this week after having two days of fun!



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A new week!

We had a really great weekend - maybe a little too great! Saturday evening, we had a few friends over and had lots of great food! I tried to be good - even making WW buffalo chicken dip and salsa roll ups...but then proceeded to eat too many! Yesterday was only a little worse...Danny and I were feeling the crave and headed to White Castle for lunch. Those little cheeseburgers are 5 pts each...not too WW friendly. I didn't track anything I ate yesterday and only tracked half my day on Saturday. I should go to my WW meeting tonight, but don't want to feel too frustrated with myself. Oh well, I guess we all need to indulge once in a while! Even if I did backslide a little this weekend, I'm pretty sure it was all worth it to have a great night with some really great friends. I'm back on the wagon today...even remembering to track the little bit of sugar I added to my coffee this morning since I'm out of the not so healthy, but point free artificial sweetener! 

Danny weighed himself on Saturday and had lost 5 pounds! I'm so proud of him and hope we can both keep this momentum going!

This marks a big week for us...Sophie will be 11 months old on Thursday! Time is flying by! We are planning her first birthday party. It seems like we just brought her home from the hospital yesterday. 

We went to the Boat and RV Show this weekend....here she is, taking it all in!

 And showing off her new trick - climbing on the coffee table!

Another successful week! I went to my WW meeting tonight and have lost 2 more pounds. That brings my exact total to 13.6 pounds since December 27. I'm happy with that - nearly 2 pounds a week on average, which is what WW says you can lose on their program. I'm on my way to my 20 pound goal by Sophie's birthday!

I tried a new recipe for chicken chili yesterday. It was so, so good! Danny and I both liked it better than the last recipe (though that was a good one, too!). This one has lime juice and cilantro - which make it extra special. You can find the recipe here. I am loving this website - www.laaloosh.com. There are tons of recipes here and I've found lots of inspiration for making meals at home. 

Danny has officially joined WW. We'll see how his first week goes! 

Good morning world!

A better week...

I went to my WW meeting last night. I've been going on Tuesday nights, but Danny's work schedule is changing and it looks like it will be easier for me to go on Mondays now. I liked the leader a lot better at the Monday night meeting (although she scared me just a little - she's very empowering, but almost militant!). I am happy to say that I'm down 5.6 lbs this week! That makes my total loss at 12 lbs! It's not as hard as I thought it would, especially when I'm surrounding myself with good choices. The best thing about WW is that I do have lots of choices. Danny and I had a date night this weekend and went out for a late lunch/dinner. I had a philly cheese steak wrap and some popcorn and cherry coke at the movies. I also went out to lunch one day last week with my boss and the CEO where I work (how could I turn down that invitiation!?) and had a fajita quesadilla, chips and salsa and some cheese dip. I like that I can make those choices, and balance out my day with a lighter dinner and still lose weight! My daily points value dropped again, but I think I'll manage that just fine! Hopefully this will be another successful week! Danny says that he's joining on Friday...we'll see how that goes for him! :)

This week...

A few updates from this week..

I went to my WW meeting on Tuesday. I didn't lose any weight. I didn't gain any either, but I didn't lose any. I was frustrated, but after talking with the woman sitting in front of me, I was encouraged again. She said that she had the same experience. So I'll continue on this journey. I've done pretty well this week. My new favorite meal is an omelette! For dinner, no less! It's so quick and easy. I can make one while Sophie plays. I've made it twice for dinner this week and it's about a 3 point meal, which is nothing. I use 1/2 c. egg beaters (1 pt), 1/4 c. reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese (2 pts) and whatever veggies I have (0 points!). I haven't had much to choose from this week. The first time, I added onion and green pepper...mmm! Last night, I only had green pepper, but it was good. I put salsa on top (0 points). Last night, I also had two pieces of toast because I had plenty of points to use.

Another recipe I made this week was Lemon Cake. I've looked forward to having a piece just about every night. It's just a box of lemon cake mix with a 20 oz bottle of Diet 7-up! I think I bought the wrong cake mix, as my cake ended up being about 5 points per slice (plus a serving of light Cool Whip - 1 point), but the original recipe said it was only 1.5 points per serving. I'll try to find the non-deluxe cake mix next time! It's been a nice treat and I've been quite selfish with it. I think Sophie would love it, but I've only had it after she's gone to bed!

Danny and I are planning a date night for this weekend. Nothing too crazy...probably just dinner and a movie and a quiet night at home. My sister is keeping Sophie for us, so I'll once again get to experience the glorious-ness that is sleeping in! I can't wait! I'm also thankful for the long weekend since Sophie will be gone one night! I'll have plenty of time with her on Monday!

Sophie has learned a new trick this week. She now knows how to shake her head "no." It's so cute. I'll say, "Sophie, can I have a kiss?" She'll shake her head no, but always ends up giving kisses. The sleeping thing remains inconsistent. Last Saturday, she fell asleep around 8 and we didn't hear from her again until 7 the next morning. Other nights are not so great. The last few nights, I've actually just let her cry for a little bit. I have to be able to get the dishes done and house picked up so she just has to learn how to sleep in her bed. The first night, she fell asleep standing up, resting her head on the side of the crib. It was pitiful. Last night, she about did the same thing, but after about 20 minutes, I went in a laid her down and she fell right to sleep. She was up a couple of times, but it's getting better. It's hard to set those firm limits with her. I want her to know that when she needs something, Mommy and Daddy will always be there. But when she is just standing in her crib doing her fake cry, she will have to learn to go to sleep!

I'm ready for the weekend! Hope you have a great one, too!

A few videos

Sophie laughing at me pretending her socks are stinky

Walking!

I vaguely remember a time when these were her coolest tricks:

Trip to the zoo

Macy and I took Sophie to the zoo on Saturday afternoon. We had a really great time and Sophie really seemed to enjoy the animals. I'd like to get us a family membership so we can go more this spring/summer. Here are some of the highlights from our day. 

Enjoying the ride!

Petting the goats

Here's Sophie talking to the goats!

10 months!

Sophie is now 10 months (and almost a week) old! This has been quite a month! She now has three teeth and is WALKING!! She's a little wobbly, but she is absolutely on the move! She has recently entered into a very sweet phase - giving hugs and kisses all the time! She is talking all the time, too. Her favorite word? Cat. Everything is "cat." We took her to the zoo yesterday and she called all of the animals "cats." She also has mastered "hi," "bye," "uh oh," "da-da," "ma-ma," "sock" and "hot" - which is what she says when she wants a bite of something.

Here's Sophie at one month:

And here she is now!

Success!

I went to a WW Meeting last night after really working hard and following all of the rules over the past week. I have "removed" 6.4 pounds in one week! I do realize that not every week will see such high numbers, but for goodness sake, I was beyond excited! I have done my best to make healthier choices all week, even though we did have Taco Bell and Skyline during the week. I just made sure to eat within my points, and it really did pay off. This week, I'm 6.4 pounds lighter (with many more to go) and can have 1 less points plus per week. My goal is to lose 20 pounds by Sophie's first birthday in March. We'll see how it goes. I'm committed to tracking what I'm eating and to making healthier choices. One of my biggest motivators in this whole journey is to set a better example for Sophie. I remember my mom going on diets when I was younger and she'd always lose weight...but she would eat maybe one meal a day consisting of a baked potato and a piece of fish or chicken. I want to Sophie to see her parents making better, healthier choices so she can be healthy, too.

Speaking of the little stinker, she's now 10 months old...only two short months away from being a year old. I haven't taken her 10 month pictures yet...things have been a little crazy at our house. We're doing some, um, remodeling of sorts in the bathroom. Meaning that this morning, there was a big hole in the bathroom and no water in the house. That was fun. I'm hopeful that all will be normal (minus the leak) by the time I get home from work today. Sophie (and I) could both use a bath tonight! Plus, washing bottles with a jug of water was not too fun this morning!

Enchilada Chicken

Today, I made enchilada chicken in the slow cooker. It was really easy and turned out pretty well. Since I made the recipe up, I thought I should make a note of it so I don't forget what I did!

-1.5 lbs chicken breasts
-2 cans green enchilada sauce
-minced onion
-chili powder
-cumin
-paprika
-crushed red pepper flakes

I put all of this in the slow cooker (not sure how much of the spices I used...) and cooked it on high for about 3 hours. Once it was ready, I cooked bell peppers (one red and green) and a half an onion with some cooking spray, salt and pepper. For a late lunch/early dinner, we ate this like a burrito - with reduced fat cheese, sour cream and salsa. If I did my math correctly, the chicken mixture came out to about 5 points for a 1 cup serving. Not too bad! Plus, the peppers and onions are free, so I really loaded up on those!

I wouldn't mind for the chicken to have a bit more spice, but Sophie seemed to really enjoy it the way it was. If it were spicier, she probably wouldn't have been able to enjoy it.