Resolution Progress 11 Days

Happy Saturday! I hope you are all doing well and enjoying your weekend. I for one am enjoying the warm weather we've been blessed with here in coastal Georgia. Sure beats the ice that is probably still on the ground in Kansas! I don't miss those winters AT ALL. There is only so much cold a southern gal can take!

Today marks the eleventh day of progress towards my new year's resolution. I can't say that I'm jumping for joy yet (although Jillian Michaels has me jumping plenty anyway!) but I am seeing some results. I have lost a whopping 1/2 pound, but I tell myself that's better than a gain. Also, I can see my belly and waist shrinking already so that's a good thing. Here are the pictures from today.

  

As you can see, I still have quite a way to go, but I'm proud of myself for sticking with it. My exercise routine consists of two twenty minute workouts on our elliptical daily, and I do the thirty day shred by Jillian Micheals every other day. The shred includes strength exercises.  I'm also tracking my calories by keeping a food journal using a calorie counting app on my phone.  

I'm going to measure myself tomorrow morning so that I can track inches lost as well. How are you doing on your resolutions? I'd love to hear from you. Have a great weekend!

Happy 2012! And Other things I'm Late Posting

Happy Tuesday! This is literally the first time I've had more than five minutes to sit in front of my laptop (or under my laptop...however that works) to write a post in quite some time. I apologize to you, my patient readers, for the long hiatus. If you would like to speak with my bosses about this, well...the three year old will be more than happy to talk your ear off!

Seeing as this is my first post of 2012, I suppose I should tell you all about my goals for the year. My main goal is to get in shape. I have two main reasons for this. Reason one, and the more pressing of my two reasons, is bathing suit season. We live very close to the beach, which means we will be taking the girls out to the islands to play quite often, and the vain little person inside me says I can't be seen there looking like some vain housewife stereotype. To keep me focused on this part of my goal, I already have a suit picked out.

  

Hellooo gorgeous! I absolutely adore the retro look of this bathing suit. And hello? It's red. Which automatically makes anything awesome in my book. It's from ModCloth, and if you love anything vintage and haven't checked them out, you should. It's like a candy store. 

Moving on to my second reason for getting in shape. Ben and I are planning to go to Dragon*Con in Atlanta again this year. It's not until Labor Day weekend, but I want to look amazing in my costume. We are planning two costumes. World War 2 era zombies (He the soldier, me the pin up, naturally) and Captain America with Agent Carter. Both of those require a cute figure, so I need to look good! 

Ben bought me an elliptical machine over the weekend, and being the awesome husband that he is, he put it together for me tonight all by himself. I can't wait to start using it tomorrow! Which brings me to the part of this post I've been dreading...the awful "before" pics. 

  

This is me, mondo breastfeeding boobs and all. When these pics were taken a week ago, I weighed (GULP) 170 pounds. I lost 4 lbs during the week, which puts me at 166. I want to lose 30 lbs total by the end of my journey, but for now I'll be happy with 20 by spring, which will put me where I was when I got pregnant. 

Here is my plan of attack. (Ben would love that...lol) I have cut out ALL fast food. No pizza, no McDonald's, no nothing. I'm cooking our meals at home, using healthier choices. I'm exercising as much as I can each and every day, using Ben as my personal trainer. He has to do PT every morning, so I figure he knows a few exercises to help me out. 

So far I've been able to stick with it. I hope that continues, because I want my confidence back and my kids deserve to eat healthy food. Y'all are going to be my "watch dogs' so to speak, to keep me on track. Which is why I'll be doing weekly check-ins. I need cheerleaders! :)

Well folks, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have a hungry baby to tend to. Tune in next week for my progress! 

Samantha Jane's Birth Story

If you are in any way connected to my little corner of the universe, you are no doubt aware that as of 2:48 pm last Thursday, November 3rd, Ben and I are parents again! We welcomed our sweet baby girl Samantha Jane after a short and very easy labor. I know some people like to hear how the birth went, and some people don't, so rather than posting it on facebook for all to see, I decided to make a blog post about it. (Hey- I needed to update the blog anyway!)

I went in for my weekly OB checkup on November 1st, thinking I would at least find out if I was making any progress. The doctor checked me, and told me I was about 2-3 cm dilated. I gave consent for my membranes to be stripped, hoping to get things moving on my own. (And let me tell you folks...that little procedure is no picnic!) Ow. After that was done, the doctor told me I was at 3. We then discussed induction due to my climbing blood pressure, and it was decided that Thursday would be the day.

I was a little uncomfortable Tuesday night, with cramping off and on, but I expected that after the procedure. I went to bed thinking of all I had to do the next day to get ready for the baby. Wednesday morning came, and I was still uncomfortable, but not unbearably so. My mom called to check on me, and I told her I felt pretty good and that I didn't think anything would happen that day. Well...needless to say, about 2 hours later, that changed.

My cramps got more intense and I started feeling major contractions. These were much worse than any braxton-hicks contractions I had ever had, and they were starting to form a pattern. I tried to ignore them and kept making my preparations around the house. When the pain got really bad, I poured myself a hot bath and soaked for a while, which seemed to help. For about 20 minutes. When the pain came back, I knew this was it, since my doctor and my pregnancy book told me that real labor doesn't go away for anything, until the baby is born. So, I dressed and went downstairs to tell Ben it was show time.

We got our hospital bags into the car, strapped Sadie into her seat, and drove to the hospital. When I got to the Labor and Delivery department, they hooked me up to monitor my contractions and the baby. I was checked again, to see if the contractions were making any more progress. I was unchanged, and since the contractions were between 5 and 8 minutes apart, I elected to go home and wait it out for a while.

I was given strict instructions from Ben to remain in bed for the rest of the day. I got the laptop and settled in. We had dinner delivered, and the waiting began.

I had contractions all night, and was very uncomfortable, but after another bath I was able to get some sleep. At 5:30 Thursday morning, Ben called the hospital to see when we needed to come in. We were told 7:30, and so we got dressed and ready to go.

We arrived at the hospital, I was prepped, and signed a lot of paperwork, and we settled in to wait for baby. I was 4 cm dilated the first time they checked me. Which meant I had made some progress overnight, hooray! They started the pitocin around 9. I got my epidural around noon. Ben's mom arrived around noon to take care of Sadie for us.

My midwife (who is awesome by the way- love her) came in at 1 to break my water. She said things would go very quickly after that, and she was right! Within an hour it was time to push. I pushed for 20 minutes at the most, and our beautiful Samantha Jane was here! She weighed in at 6 lbs 9.9 oz, and was about 19.5 inches long. She had (and still has, so far) a head full of thick dark hair, and midnight blue eyes. We fully expect them to turn brown like her father's eyes.

She has been a champion breastfeeder, and she really only cries when she's hungry. Of course, she's only a week old, so that could all change, but so far she seems to be very calm in contrast to the banshee baby that was her big sister! We all love her to death and are very happy that she's finally here! Even big sister Sadie is more fascinated with her than jealous of her. I can't wait to get her home to South Carolina and introduce her to everyone!

I'm Turning into my Mother

If my husband was to read the title of this post, I know exactly what he'd say. "What do you mean turning?!" He would say I already am my mother. He may be right. However I prefer to think it's still in progress. Denial is not just a river in Egypt...

This "me into mom" transformation tends to happen most often around the holidays. This year is no exception, and although we don't technically have a house to decorate yet, I've already started my planning. When I placed my first order it became quite apparent to me that our house was definitely going to scream "Kathy's daughter lives here!"

I know y'all are just dying to see what I bought, right? Of course you are. I should preface these photos by saying they are all from potterybarn.com, and I bought them all with a coupon I received when we moved. I would never have convinced Ben to let me buy them all otherwise!

  

First we have my favorite piece, the Paros mercury glass lantern. I adore this thing! Can't wait to see it glowing with a candle inside. These come in 5 sizes, and I opted for the tall cylinder to get that "wow" factor without breaking the bank. 

  

Burlap ribbon, another look I love. This will serve as garland on our tree. I'm planning to use this with red, white, and silver ornaments for a look that blends rustic with shine. My mother would love that! 

  

Last but not least, our stockings. I love the classic look of these. Ben, Sadie, and I already have one with our name on them, so all I had to do was get one for the new baby. 

I pretend that being like my mother is something I don't want. Truth is, I'm glad I am. Thanks to her, I know how to cook, decorate, keep my home in order, and most importantly be a mother. I hope my girls will feel the same some day!

The Possibility of a House

As most of you know, Ben and I are moving next month! We are having our baby, then packing our things and moving from Oklahoma to Georgia. I am so excited, and I can't wait to settle into our new life as a family of four.

This week, my sister-in-law Sarah generously took time out of her fall break to go down to Richmond Hill, GA to look at some houses for us. We had a list narrowed down to about 10 houses, and she worked with the realtors to look at each one and help us decide which ones were the best. After two days of appointments, we decided on two houses, one of which is in our favorite neighborhood!

The first house she looked at is the front runner at the moment. It's in a great neighborhood, with a park, preschool, and primary school right outside the subdivision. It's also very convenient to shopping and grocery stores. So...who wants to see pics?!

 

This is (obviously) the front of the house. Love the dormers and that porch! I already have plans for that porch...

  

Living room with gas fireplace. Loving the fact that we'll have a fireplace! Not sure  how often we will need it in south Georgia though, haha. I'm loving the big windows too. 

  

Living area continued, with dining area. I adore the hardwood floors..and guess what? They are brand spanking new! Explains the shiny-ness. In this photo, you can see one of the only two things I don't like about this house. The vine stencils. They are on this wall, and on the wall going up the stairs. But, I'm willing to deal with those for such a pretty house. 

  

Check out this kitchen!! It's huge in comparison to what we are used to, and I love the white, and the fact that it has a window overlooking the backyard. This kitchen also has a large pantry, which will be so helpful in saving cabinet space. 

Stairs leading to the second floor, and there are the rest of the vines. Like I said, not my style but I think I can deal with it. 

  

Master bathroom, and helloooo garden tub! I intend to make very good use of that! These photos show you the only other thing I dislike about this house: the sponge painting in the bathrooms. But again, I will deal with it for this house. 

  

Back of the house, with another lovely porch and a patio. The back porch is not screened in like I originally thought, but it is covered. We'll just have to invest in some citronella candles for the summer! 

  

This is the back yard. While it's not huge, it offers plenty of room for two little girls to run around and play. We might have to get a play house :). 

  

And finally, our carport and storage building. This has a spot for one car, but there is plenty of driveway for parking our other vehicle. The storage will come in handy for seasonal things or outdoor stuff. 

So there you have it! Our potential house. I am so excited to finally have a house, even if we don't own it. It will be such a nice change from living in duplexes and apartments. We are submitting our application today, so keep your fingers and toes crossed that it will go through for us! 

Telling Stories

I received an email today from my grandmother. This always brightens my day, but this time it really made me smile because she told me about her trip to the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN.

The National Storytelling Festival is held annually on the first weekend in October. It's a gathering of storytellers, musicians, and the like that takes place in the tiny town of Jonesborough. Everyone gathers in large tents to listen to the folk tales and different stories and listen to the music. I've only been one time, back around 2004 I believe, but I really enjoyed it.

My grandmother told me that my favorite storyteller from the festival passed away in June at the age of 93. Her name was Katherine Windham and she was such a fascinating lady. She grew up in Alabama, the youngest of 7 children, during the great depression. Her stories were always so interesting to me. One of my favorites is the little anecdote she told about buzzards. Did you know, if you see a buzzard gliding through the air, you should watch it until its wings flap, or it's bad luck? (I don't advocate doing this while driving...)

I listened to some audio of her last performance at the festival last year, and one of the things Mrs. Windham said really struck a chord with me. She said  (I'm paraphrasing) "there is no way of saying 'I love you' that is more pleasant than telling someone a story." I really agree with that.

People have always told stories in my family. I think maybe it's a Southern thing, but it's something we've always done, and I grew up hearing some really good ones. From dairy farmers to biochemists, I have a lot of characters in my family tree. Which leads to what my next "project" is going to be.

I would like to start compiling my family's stories into a book. My goal isn't to be published, I just want to collect them in one place so that my daughters can always have them to read and cherish the way I have. I'm going to start by talking to my grandmother when I get home, to see which stories I should include and to ask her for details. I'm really excited about this, and I can't wait to get started. Wish me luck!

I Heart Gymbucks!

What do I love about little girls? Let me count the ways! The pink, the frills, the decorating, the bows, the endless clothing choices, I could go on. What do I not love about little girls? How much it costs to clothe two of them! 

Having a little girl and expecting another one has really forced me to shop efficiently for their clothing. Gone are the days that I can just walk into a store and pay full price for an outfit. Unless, that is, I'm not planning on buying something for the other little girl. And I know it's silly, but I already feel guilty when I buy something for Sadie and not the new baby, or vice versa. 

Luckily (or if you ask Ben, not so luckily) my favorite children's store is Gymboree. At full price, the clothing in this store is very expensive. However, they tend to put lines on sale pretty soon after they release them, or at least put out a few coupons before then. They also have a WONDERFUL thing called Gymbucks. 

During Gymbuck earning periods, for every 50 dollars you spend, you receive 25 dollars in gymbucks, good toward a future purchase during the gymbuck redemption period. The 25 gymbucks will get you 25 dollars off a 50 dollar purchase, so essentially these are 50% off coupons. The best part is, there is no limit to how many gymbucks you can use in a single transaction! As long as you purchase an amount equivalent to double the amount of gymbucks you have, your transaction will work. This is done four times I year, I believe, so it really  helps when building little wardrobes. 

This time around, I finally caught on to what I believe is the "secret" to using these gymbucks effectively. Buy the items already on sale! I didn't do this before, and it really limited the savings I got. This time I had 75 dollars in gymbucks, and I bought only one full priced outfit, and I only bought that outfit because I felt that Sadie had enough items from the sale collections. Here is what we came away with. 

Ribbon top and brown velour leggings from the "Sweet Treats" collection. This was the full priced outfit. I can't wait to see her wearing this with some brown boots and a red bow in her hair! 

  

Adorable Rise and Shine jammies. Sadie has already had these on, and she loves them! I really like the colors and the stripes. 

  

Pink mouse jumper from the "miss mouse" collection. Normally I'm not a huge fan of "characters" on clothes, but I thought these little mice were adorable. I think she'll wear this with a white turtleneck, gray tights, and some black boots. 

  

These are the baby's dresses! A black and white corduroy jumper with a blue bow at the waist. I bought the matching headband as well. Pink sweater jumper from the Sweet Pea line, and a corduroy jumper in pink with a giraffe print. Couldn't pass up those cute little baby socks either! 

This is 150 dollars worth of merchandise that I paid 89 for after shipping and taxes. Not too bad, huh?  Granted, I probably won't be able to spend this much each time gymbucks are offered, but I'm very satisfied with my purchases. So mom friends, keep an eye out for gymboree coupons and sales! I promise you won't be disappointed with the clothes.