With a little help from my friends

It's Wednesday! What does that mean... that's right, folks - it's time for the Wacky Wednesday Weight Woss Wesults! Drum roll, please...

Another 2.6 lbs. gone. Trust me - I don't think I would have pulled that number if it weren't for the time I spent in the bathroom over the last couple of days. If you know what I'm sayin'. Sick of me saying that, yet? Good. Me, too.

So far, I've been fortunate enough to be able to put up pretty consistent numbers each week. I'm preparing myself for the fact that it could all come to a halt and get a lot tougher at any moment. Preparing for the worst... hoping for the best...? Is that how it goes? Not really true - because I'm working my butt off (literally) and preparing for the best and to be successful each week. But sometimes the scale just doesn't cooperate. Case in point - watch "The Biggest Loser" sometime. These people are working out all day long, eating right and living in a controlled environment, and sometimes they're only able to lose a pound or two. Crazy.

This challenge has seriously been a very life changing event for me. I haven't talked about it all that much except to update on my progress. And I still can't quite find the words to describe it. Or, should I say, if I get started, I just may not stop. I can't give enough credit to my friend, Nicole, enough for starting this challenge and for being everyone's cheerleader, motivator and role model through it all. You amaze me. Thanks for making me wake up and take control of my life.

Stuck.

I've got a bug. An annoying little bug. I've got a tummy ache, and uh, don't want to be too far away from my own bathroom. If you know what I'm sayin'. Drives me crazy. There's so much to DO - unfortunately none of it is that close to my bathroom. At least I can sneak downstairs to switch laundry, so that's something. Rest assured - I'm not typing this from the bathroom.

Yet.


We had a weekend in there somewhere, didn't we? Let's see... we went to Chatfield on Friday afternoon for a fast and frenzied overnight visit to see my brother, Steve, and his wife, Amy. They drove up for a long weekend from Cookeville, Tennessee. Saturday we came home, fed the girls some lunch, put 'em down for naps and that night went to a 50th bday party for Pat's aunt, Val. Sunday - uh, Sunday... Oh - our friend Dave came over and installed a baseboard heater in the dining room/Eve's room/playroom. Currently, it's still the playroom. If Eve doesn't straighten up, it may become her room, again - now that she won't freeze. She's decided to scoff at going to bed, again - and has kept her sister awake much past bedtime for the last couple of nights. *sigh* One night at a time, I guess.

Otherwise, same old. Gotta go. If you know what I'm sayin'.

Brainwashing

Another 2 lbs. gone.

We're halfway through the challenge, and I'm pretty pleased with myself so far. I think that makes 14.4 lbs gone so far. It's hard. Especially considering that my brain is all programmed to be like "Hey! Congrats - you're breathing today. Let's celebrate with a King Size Twix."

Funny thing is - my clothes are fitting better, but I don't really think I look like I've lost 14 lbs. Then again, pregnancy and childbirth has left various parts all mangled and twisted - anyway. I'll probably never recognize some things ever again, regardless of how much weight I lose. I'll have to make sure to add that to Josie and Eve's bill.

Out and about.

We took both girls for well-child visits on Friday morning. Jo's 3-year stats: Height: 37" (50th percentile.) Weight: 36 lbs (90th percentile.) Eve's 18-month stats: Height: 31.25" (25th percentile.) Weight: 21 lbs. 2 oz. (less than 10th percentile.) Head: 48.6 cm (95th percentile.)

It was a good visit, overall, for both girls. Jo did remarkably well (at least that's what the nurse kept telling us) at the hearing screening and pretty well at shape identification during the eye test. Both girls were reasonably chipper and well-behaved. The doc said as she came in the room that she was told there were a "couple of rays of sunshine waiting for her."

By the time we left - one of the rays was considerably less sunny and shiny than before. Eve showed off her screaming abilites while we were waiting for their shots, then had to endure the agony of being restrained on the table with that horrid paper covering to add insult to injury. Needless to say, she was not a happy camper. But she survived unscathed. And Jo was very tickled with the Tinkerbell sticker she got as a reward.

Friday night I got to go out with some friends. We ate at Don Pablo's, then went to play Bingo. That's right - you read it correctly. B. I. N. G. O. And it was a blast. A bit stressful at first - that's a lot of pressure and a lot of things to keep track of when you really don't know what the heck you're doing. I'll have to find a lucky charm to bring with next time - I didn't win a darn thing. Or maybe I did... and I just didn't know what the hell was going on.

Saturday we took the girls to the mall (which is just about as close to The Best Place On Earth, as far as Josie's concerned) so we could get mamma a new pair of shoes. Tennis shoes, that is. I've plum worn mine out. Granted, they were over 3 years old to start with, and then I started to really give them a workout as of late. I'm gellin' in my new Asics. Love 'em.

Pat and I got a little outing all to ourselves after dropping the girls off at Grandma Di and Grandpa Mike's house Saturday afternoon. Brian and Sara bought us tickets for Christmas to see the comedian Frank Caliendo at the Orpheum in Minneapolis. So we had a couple of drinks and some appetizers at Rossi's first, then took in the show. He's the guy who does the impressions for the FOX NFL Sunday pregame show, and has his own tv show, Frank TV on TBS. He's hilarious - and we had a blast.

And here we are today. Another laid-back Sunday. Love it. I'm itching for the weather to get warmer. And stay warmer. Can't wait to be outside more.

I'm not sure what flip got switched in Eve's head all of the sudden... but for the past couple of days, she's decided that maybe it's actually okay to eat. A lot. She's even having seconds. And sometimes even thirds. We're not sure where our finicky Evie went, but we're going to cram as much fat in this new kid while we can. It's been fun to see her enjoy a meal. Pat's parents said they actually ran out of food when the fed the girls supper last night. That's a first.

Overheard.

At the table during lunch on Friday:
Josie: "Santa knows if I been good or bad so I better be good. For goodness sake. Or NO PRESENTS."

At her 3-year checkup on Friday:
"I want the doctor to give me a ketchup now."

After lunch on Friday:
Josie: "I wanna sucker."
Me: "No. You're all done."
Josie: "NO. I not. You're mistaken."

Playing with Eve on Friday afternoon:
Josie: holding hands up, exasperated. "Why are you so CRABBY?"

Playing in the living room, directed at me after I asked her to stop standing on the couch and falling down:
Josie: in a very serious, deep tone. "Don't ever say that again."

Every time she needs to use the bathroom for number 2:
Josie: "Please close the door. I need privacy."

Playing with her baby:
Josie: "WHOA. This baby's diaper is LOADED."

In church today. Pat promised her that they'd get to have donuts and juice after the service.
Josie: whipsering, right after the service started. "Daddy. When do we get donuts?" a few minutes later, leaning in. "Psst. Daddy. I have a question. Come here. Is it almost time for donuts, yet?"

During the nighttime ritual a couple of nights ago. I was singing songs. Pat was snuggling with Eve, when he, uh - tooted. Loud.
Eve: in a perfectly clear, matter of fact voice. "POOP." a couple of seconds later. "ICKY POOP." then, still not ready to let it go. "'TINKY POOP."
It's awfully difficult to jump back in the middle of a quiet, calm rendition of "Silent Night" when you're crying from laughing so hard.

Hello, Darlin'.

It's nice to see ya. It's been a long time. Finally found the time to download some pictures today. Haven't showered or gotten dressed... but one thing at a time, right? Pardon the random nature of the pix. You get what you get and you don't have a fit. Various stuff from January, and the first part of February, I guess.

***Update - 2/18. Yeah. So we're idiots. Whichever one of us set the date on the camera last set it for 2007 instead of 2008. That's really going to throw us off in like 40 years. Dammit.

Contemplating.


Silence.


She's got places to go.



A "hat girl" through and through. Just like her sis.



Watch out. She might try to sell you a used car.


Apparently I'm not allowed to have picures of my kids without food on their faces.


Shocked.


Dismayed.



The 3rd birthday party.


You can't see it, but I just shat myself. My new laptop.


Jo and Great Grandma Janet.


Busted. Doing what, I'm not sure.


Pretty Princesses.



I'm 3 today. Where are the presents?


Baby Will. He's going to be president someday. And Jo will still call him "Baby Will."


The Family.


Sesame Street Live.


Jeremy. The newest Sandeen. His brother, Matthew is in the red shirt in the party picture above.



Sisters.


The Gifts. Trevor and Paige, with Josie.


More friends. Vivian and Addy Jo.


Godfather Ryan.


I couldn't make up hair like this. I promise - I didn't do this on purpose. It has a mind of it's own.



This is all natural, too.

"Can I have a cupcake now?"

Josie's words when we walked in the door at daycare this morning. She'd been talking all night and morning about the lovely pink frosted cupcakes she saw in a container at Betty's house before we left yesterday. Cupcakes for breakfast. The perfect day. Thankfully, Betty was on the same page as us, and told her that she needed to have breakfast, first. Then maybe lunch, and a nap, THEN a cupcake. *sigh* It just may be the longest day of Josie's little life.

Happy Valentine's Day! We're having a super-romantic day. Pat is going to have lunch with his supervisor's supervisor. Then we're going to get crazy and go have our taxes done this afternoon. That's hot.

Oh, yeah! $350 worth of puddin'.

Who's 2.2 lbs. lighter today?

Hmm... hmm... OH - would you look at that, I'm raising MY hand!

That's right. Since the initial weigh-in on January 9th, I've lost a total of 12.4 lbs. That means I'm 17.6 lbs. away from my goal, with 7 weeks of the challenge remaining. Not quite where I wanted to be at this point... but it takes a while to figure out what works and what doesn't. You know - like finding out that the cream filling in Oreos doesn't really count as dairy.

Winding down

So my afternoon is winding down, and I wanted to jot down something Josie said on the way to daycare this morning before I forget.

Since we're *usually* on the road between 7:00 and 7:10 going to Betty's, it's prime school bus sighting time. Counting buses is a good distractor from taking off mittens or complaining about how they were still sleeping and does it have to be "awake time?" And the girls enjoy it, too. :)

Josie has been counting everything lately, and usually does a pretty good job getting all the numbers in the right order. So she was excited about counting buses this morning, and we finally saw one... and then watched for the next. She spotted one out the window - and when Pat asked her what number that was, she said, "One... and.... that's a COUPLE of buses!" Where do they get this stuff? Just like the other day when we picked her up and were reciting the usually breakdown of where we live... our street number... city... house number... and she says, "in Minnesota, right?" It's just funny when you don't expect it. She doesn't miss much, anymore! Not good when I use my favored phrases. Like "oh, crap." Then I hear a little voice behind me, "Why you say oh, crap, Mommy?"

So we're going to tour a preschool next week. It's only a mile or so from daycare, and is supposed to be a pretty good program, and a good private K-8 school. We'll see. I'm hoping it's just going to be one of those gut reactions that tells us if it's a good decision or not. We have some other options to explore, too. Who says kids have to go to school, anyway? Oh, yeah. I guess there are laws and stuff about that, huh. Oh, crap.

It was a day.

My favorite kind of day. The kind of day in Minnesota that is so cold it’s labeled “dangerous.” The kind of day where an empty calendar is a joyous event because it means that you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. Yesterday was one such day. Yes, dear reader, I remained in my pajamas ALL DAY LONG.

The constant hum of the washer and dryer was masked only by the sounds of oh, so happy children who got to play, play and play some more with their own toys in their own house and not be bundled up and rushed about to anywhere. It was the kind of day when Josie didn’t answer to anything but “Doctor” as she made her sick baby dolls better, and her little sister, too. If I mistakenly called her Josie, she’d gently remind me that “I’m the Doctor, ‘member?” It was the kind of day when Eve finally was herself again after a marathon cuddle session with Daddy on the couch in the morning followed by toast and banana and a healthy dose of water. She graced us with “normal” diapers after 4 days of ungodly alien poops capable of bringing those with the strongest of stomachs to their knees. It was the kind of day when I was able to workout. Twice. And who would have ever thought that would be my definition of a good day. It was the kind of day that the clock didn’t consume too quickly. Josie bowled in the basement while Eve snuggled on Brewster and watched the Barney movie for the 417th time. It was the kind of day that allowed Josie to ask Daddy to make pizza for supper, and demand that we eat it in the basement. And we did. It was the kind of day where supper was done, and the kitchen was clean and the noise of the dishwasher was battling the hum and rattle of the dryer by 5:45 pm. It was the kind of day where Monday’s lunch and healthy snacks were packed and assembled and in the refrigerator by 6:00 pm. It was the kind of day when Mommy and Daddy got to say “yes” when Josie asked if she and Evie could play just a little while longer after supper.

It was a day. My favorite kind of day.

Pluggin' Along

It's February. And that's about it. If there's a large time lapse between posts on my site, you can safely assume that there just isn't that darn much going on with us.

Eve's vocabulary is growing as fast as her hair. Which, finally, has decided to thicken up. She's watching and copying her sister and the kids at daycare. Josie likes to jump, and Eve tries so hard to do it, too. She puts all her effort into bending her little knees and concentrates on getting those tiny feet to leave the ground - but to no avail. But it doesn't discourage her, she just lifts one leg in the air and pretends. The drama is thick in this one - she can throw a tantrum quite unlike anything I've seen before. (I can guarantee a couple members of my family just gave each other high-fives as they celebrate the sweet justice of history repeating itself and biting ME in the butt.) She got so mad when I took the bag of suckers away from her last night before supper without letting her have one that she banged her head against the wall. Hard. Twice. Guess what? It hurt. But just as quickly as the anger consumes her, she's back to her charming, sweet self. Every day is an adventure. Some days the adventure is like muddling your way blindfolded through a dense, scary forest while getting kicked in the shins and wearing cement shoes. And then the next day, not so much. It's the "not so much" days that keep me going. The tide finally turned for me this morning as she made me the Chosen One over her Daddy for snuggling. She has had nothing to do with me for the past couple of weeks - making Daddy the sole object of her affection. While it does free me up a bit, I'd be lying if I said that it doesn't sting just a little. But she turned her little back and cuddled in on my shoulder when Daddy held out his arms for her while she was visiting with me after waking up. Ahh.

And Josie. She's counting everything, and saying her ABC's, and "reading" books, and singing songs and soaking up anything that we throw at her. She wants to know what everyone's full names are, what our address is, where everyone lives... and on and on. She just "gets" so much - it blows me away that her 3-year-old brain is capable of reasoning and justifying and contemplating and processing. She's so sweet and sensitive that it makes my heart hurt. I know I'm going to shed a lot of tears over her tenderness in the years to come. I'm really going to have to toughen up. Or buy stock in Kleenex. As much as I try to talk to her about sticking up for herself, joining in and not being afraid to speak up, she continues to let her shyness overcome her. All this is pointing us in the direction of searching out and researching our preschool options. She's ready for more challenges and in need of more socialization, no doubt about that. Now I just have to figure out how I'm going to handle letting her go.

My "get-healthy-and-lose-my-butt" challenge continues. Another 1.2 lbs gone. I sabotaged my week, which was going quite well, at an awards banquet for work on Monday night. But amazing (meaning rich and creamy and chock full of a bazillioin calories) food catered from the St. Paul Hotel, an open bar, and waiters who won't let the level of wine in your glass dip anywhere near empty will do that to you. *sigh* But that is what this challenge is all about. Living life and finding balance and being healthy while doing it.

For the love of PETE...

JUST GO TO SLEEP ALREADY, Genevieve Kathryn!!!

As I sit here, Eve is singing E-I-E-I-O, saying "uh oh," calling for me, calling for her Daddy, saying Josie's name... all the while, Jo is blissfully, quietly, contentedly... asleep. How she can sleep through all this is completely beyond me.

Wait... wait... can it be... I think I hear... nothing. THANK GOD. They're both asleep. I swear. I was going to have to go into the kitchen soon and crack a cold one. If I survive parenthood without a drinking problem, it's going to be a miracle. (I'm *mostly* kidding. Please don't plan an intervention. Yet. And seriously, I don't have the calories to spare right now to start drinking. Heavily.)

Belated congrats to Dawn and Gary on the birth of their beautiful daughter, Brynn. I can't wait to squish her little cheeks and put her little feet in my mouth! Okay, I won't actually put her feet in my mouth. But I'll want to. Love you guys!