Thank you, Gerber

We love your Spaghetti!

The images you are missing are the way Mia styled her hair with this new found product, and the pretty ways she tie-dyed her adorable clothes. The adventure into new dietary options resulted in a "Picasso in the making."

Giggle, Giggle

The sweet, innocent sound of a little one's giggle. There is nothing more precious. The wrinkling nose, the quickly grasped hands, the squinted eyes...it just melts your heart!

Daddy, by far, is our biggest form of entertainment. He is such a wonderful daddy! These are some things daddy plays:

Baby helicopter

Football carry

Chasing bunny rabbits

"Snugs" (snuggling)

Jumping off the couch and daddy catching

Funny sound effects and silly faces

Each of these fun activities are followed by a rewarding giggle and full out body excitement. It's the only reward and motivation daddy needs to continue on in the same pattern. Mommy gets so jealous that so much glee is aimed in daddy's direction, that she tries to join in, BUT, it just isn't the same. That father/daughter connection is just too strong in our house (I even heard daddy tell Princess Pretty that she had him wrapped around her precious little finger! ... it's true! I heard it!).

So, alas, mommy has settled for trying to capture these endearing moments on film. But the moment Mia sees the camera she just poses, enamored by what could be happening with that "small, shiny thing"... So, until I can be sneaky enough, you will have to settle for this:

Fun times with Aunt Emily

Aunt Emily gives me cookies...

Aunt Emily snuggles with me...

Aunt Emily plays with me and buys me toys...

Aunt Emily makes me laugh...

I love Aunt Emily!

Because you asked

Thank you, all, for your encouragement off of my last post! I'm encouraged by everyone's stories of the same struggle to lose the baby fat and the dreams of the "what used to be" bodies. It's fun to suffer through this change with others.

In an effort to answers your "what works for you" questions, I have pondered, polled, and investigated the things in my life that may be helping. Unfortunately, I'm not coming up with anything that looks significant. However, there are a few things that, in theory, could be contributing to my weight loss victories:

1. Green Tea - my husband read a few studies on the fact that green tea can help with weight loss. He uses a natural green tea extract that has no sugar, no flavor...no thank you. However, I've tried my hand at the green tea phenomenon, drinking the all so delicious "Green Tea and Orange Spice" combination, and have notices a more rapid decrease in weight since then.
2. Portion Control - I'm not even going to pretend that I'm anywhere near being great at this, however, I'm trying to train myself to eat only when I'm hungry and to slow down in my eating so my brain can catch up. I have noticed that my snacking desires have slowed down because of this, and that I'm not overly stuffing myself at dinners. Plus, I do have an 8 month old who requires most of my time at the dinner table. So in the midst of feeding her dinner, my bites get few and far between!
3. Sugar - My husband and I have been fairly sensitive to items containing a lot of sugar. We have tried to stay away from these things, and use substitutes when necessary. Yes. We do have a box of Fudgecicles that forever reside in our freezer, but we do get the "no sugar added" kind (which are amazingly delicious and fudgy) and they have much less carbs then the regular kind. I have also tried to cut down on the continuous candy munching. This proves to be difficult when wherever I turn there is a candy bowl full of all my favorites...but it helps!
4. Chicken, Chicken, and, did I mention, chicken? - We eat a lot of chicken. Yes, because it has good protein, but mostly because it is cheap. Canned Chicken, Chicken Breasts and Ground Turkey are staples in our house. You can make numerous healthy and quick meals with all three, so we stock up. As you already know, chicken provides your body with many things you need without the added "junky" stuff.
5. Working Out - Anyone who knows me pre Mia, is aware that I did my fair share of working out. My husband is a regular at the local gym, and I would eagerly (for the most part) tag along, working out beside him, and watching my body slowly tone up. Even during pregnancy, I was at the gym, doing all I could between nausea fits and Braxton Hicks, trying to keep my body healthy. Post Mia has been a different story. In the first few months, I could tote her along to the gym, as I tried to shed those ugly leftovers, knowing she would sleep wherever she was. However, as her schedule solidified, trips to the gym for mommy has become more of a past-life. So, I am now stuck with Saturday and Sunday being my workout days, and the occasional day off work. As my husband tells me, though, "every little bit helps."

Ok. I know it's not that helpful, but I have noticed that through implementing these the last few months, the pounds have disappeared much quicker. Hope this gives you some ideas! Good luck on your efforts, too...I feel the pain!

Success

pre-pregnancy weight. 148 lbs.

pre-delivery weight. 202 lbs.

7 months post-pregnancy weight. 147 lbs.

So. We celebrated! Beer brats and fudgecicles. YUM!

Final goal. 140 lbs.

And we will celebrate then, too. Fancy style.

Happy Day!

It's Fall!

warm spiced cider...

burnt orange and cranberry red...

homemade pumpkin pie under fluffy whipped cream...

turtle-necked sweaters and knee high boots...

smell of wet leaves underfoot...

roasted pumpkin seeds with cayenne pepper...

brisk wind blowing through ones hair...

crusty boogers on the baby's nose...

hay bails and scarecrows...

Ah, yes! It's Fall!

Why's it so dusty...

I sit. Staring. Trying to get my fingers to communicate the thoughts mixed up between my heart and my head. I can't even sift through the mental and emotional boxes scattered across the confusion I call a brain, and yet I hope that my fingers can magically categorize and inventory all that is happening.

******

This lids dusty. *cough cough* Really dusty! That's what I thought. "The Lottery." This box contains all those exotic trips, time offs from work, dreams of grand adventures. A huge house, many children, - both adopted and natural. The beach house. The vacation house....yes. We probably shouldn't open this lid...

Over here is the "Options" box. I try not to visit this one too much, but keep it close for easy access. There are job options in here. Housing options. Children options. Areas where we can improve or do something different that would benefit our family.

Is this a box? Oh yes. This is what I call "Drama." Need I say more? It's been kicked, tossed, damaged and bruised. I get so stinking sick of this box I could just scream! There are memories of nasty comments and cutting remarks. There are engraved plaques of pointed out failures and rulers of just missing the mark. There are awards for the "biggest loser" and IOU's to those we love. I get so frustrated with this box and the hurt that it tells of, especially from those where "blood flows thicker than water." It's more full than it should be, and that's unfortunate, for these things are never forgotten - especially between those you once trusted and held in high regard. You just don't do that to family. This box has been abused and all because of pride and selfish ambition. Can we throw this one away, please?

Ahhh...the "Creative" box. I love this box! I want to make this box a little bigger so I can fully crawl inside and be enveloped by all of the creative juices that continually flow. I desire to see my creative visions of home and entertainment come alive - to relax in the comfort of pure creative makings. I want to smell nothing else but the hot glue gun, scraps of paper, or hear the constant sound of, what would be, my sewing machine making beautiful masterpieces. I want to splatter acrylic paint across my jeans and call it a work of art! I love to escape to this box. Unfortunately, this box has more cobwebs than I'd like to admit.

This box is a mess. Actually, I need to get an over sized, Rubbermaid tub for this box. The sides are busting at the seams; the duct tape will no longer hold it all together. "Real Life." The bills. The priorities. The schedules. It's all out of control with no way to reign it all in. The minutes that fly by. The hours that turn into days that seem wasted through the toil of everyday labor. The wants that slip through the cracks, as the list of needs grow longer. The headaches that plague from who knows where. It's all there. Bursting at the seams. Ready to explode at anytime. This one we hide, under a pretty, fuzzy blanket, so no one can see the true chaos that we call "real life."

It shines. I polish it. It's "Family." I crave the time when I can pull the lid of this box and let all the contents escape into pure perfection. I crave the moments when we gather around the table for dinner and talk to Jesus, thanking him for all of our blessings. I love the moments where we sit to watch Jeopardy and Mia tries to talk louder than the volume of the TV. I love sitting by the bathtub as I watch Mia splash with so much excitement that she topples over in the most un-graceful way possible. I love wrapping up my little "papoose" in her purple towel and carrying her to daddy for her "wet kisses." I love driving in the car as Casey and I sing made up songs to Mia Bella. I love listening to my handsome husband tickle Mia to the point of hysterical giggling. I love listening to Casey's baby voice as he whispers sweet nothings to our beautiful daughter. I'm proud to be known as Mrs. Casey Gerster, and proud to be known as Mia's mommy.

***

I'm exhausted. No more box hunting for now.

Wordless Wednesday

PLAY TIME!