Weekly Workout Recap: 10/19-10/25

Weekly Workout Recap: 10/19-10/25

 

Sunday, 10/19: 5 mile run & 3.5 mile walk

Monday, 10/20: None

Tuesday, 10/21: JM30DS & 2 mile walk

Wednesday, 10/22: 4 mile stroller run & 1 mile walk
Thursday, 10/23: JM30DS

Friday, 10/24: None

Saturday, 10/25: 2 mile walk (out of town)

Apparently I just need to accept that the only time I run is the weekend. Specifically, Sunday mornings. While I'd love to get out there more, it is what it is. And, I do 100% LOVE my Sunday runs right now. Brisk, fall colors, alone time... perfection. BUUUUT- I did get 1 more run in this week! Now that I learned how to make my stroller stop shaking violently when running, my excuses not to run with B are more limited (though don't worry, I still have plenty). It was fun to get out with her. Hard, but fun. :)

My Love

 

 

Honey you are a rock
Upon which I stand
And I came here to talk
I hope you understand 

 The green eyes

yeah the spotlight

shines upon you

 And how could anybody

deny you?
 

I came here with a load
And it feels so much lighter

now I met you
 

And honey you should know
That I could never go on

without you
 

Green eyes

Honey you are the sea
Upon which I float
And I came here to talk
I think you should know

That green eyes

You're the one that I wanted to find
And anyone who tried to deny you

Must be out of their mind

 Because I came here with a load
And it feels so much lighter since I met you
 

Honey you should know
That I could never go on without you
 

Green eyes

Honey you are a rock
Upon which I stand

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Anniversary, my love.

 

 

Weekend!

HAPPY MONDAY! Did you have a good weekend? I did! 

Friday night I took Bailey to a Trick or Treat event in our downtown area. It was her first Trick or Treat!!! 

Seriously, though. Tell me she's not the cutest monkey ever in life, ever. 

Even the Hubs got off a little early from work so he could make it out to the event. It was actually not the world's most fun event... lots of just standing in 1 giant line waiting to go from shop to shop to get 1 piece of candy. But, we went with my Mom's Club, so we had friends to keep each other company and chit chat. Win, win. 

After Trick or Treat-ing we met a friend who was in from out of town for dinner. First pumpkin beer of the season AND amazing conversation with a great friend? Another win, win.

Saturday we were supposed to take our family pictures and Bailey's 1 year pictures, but it was raining so they were postponed. BOO! But, we had a good day anyway. We went shopping to get the Hubs a new coat, lunch at Chipotle, and picked up a *FREE!!* new toy for Bailey from one of the other mom's in my Mom's Club (love the use and reuse philosophy of the moms in my group... I've gotten SO MUCH free hand me downs and plan to give them to someone else after we're done... SO SMART! And, FREE!!). 

We spend the rest of the day playing with her new toy. She's OBSESSED and looooves it. It's amazing how quickly she got the hang of it and figured out how to get up and down successfully. Smart little peanut. 

Sunday I went for a RUN! Yep!! Me! RUN! 5 miles!! It felt AMAZING and I loved every, single step. I finished in 49:30, so not the fastest, but I did get progressively faster each mile, with the last mile sub 9:00. WOAH! ME! It felt really nice to be out there and I hope to continue this Sunday morning tradition for a while. Famous last words, right?

After cleaning up, I went to hear a friend give a sermon at a local church and she rocked it. It was about bacon. Yep. Bacon. How could it not have been amazing? Then, the Hubs and I took Bailey and Sadie for a long walk. Love our Sunday walks. 

After the walk, we took Bailey downtown for a Chili Cook Off event.

Girl LOVED every bite! People looked at us like we were crazy for giving her chili, but she looooved it. It was a lot of fun, even if the Hubs and I couldn't agree on which chili we liked the best. 

 

And, that was that. Perfect, low-key, family-filled weekend. Love, love, love.  

Weekly Workout Recap: 10/12-10/18

Weekly Workout Recap: 10/12-10/18

 

Sunday, 10/12: 3 mile walk

Monday, 10/13: JM30DS

Tuesday, 10/14: JM30DS

Wednesday, 10/15: JM30DS

Thursday, 10/16: JM30DS & Stroller 5K Fun Run

Friday, 10/17: JM30DS & 1 mile walk

Saturday, 10/18: JM30DS & 2 mile walk

Who had a Stroller 5k Fun Run Race thing that at their local YMCA they forgot about til that morning WHILE they were doing Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred?? THIS KID!!

Whoops! It all worked out. I finished Jillian, changed into pants (it's chilly here all the sudden! Fall is HERE!), woke B up from her nap early (boo!), and hauled ass to the YMCA just in time for the start. I ran with a friend who is JUUUUST starting to run. We took 2-3 walking breaks and ran slooowly. I think we finished in about 39 minutes. It was fun to run with her and just to run, period. Turns out, just running when you feel like it with no paces or pressure in your mind is kinda nice. Oh, AND I got a shirt and got to run with B and a friend! Win, win!! :)

 

Grumpy

I'm grumpy. Consider yourself warned. And, this post is gonna be all over the place because that's my life today. And no pictures because I just don't have the patience for it today. Yep. It's like that.

Isn't it funny how we adults can wake up and be grumpy and in a bad mood just because but when a baby is off and grumpy we have to try to find a reason for it? Teething, bad nap, teething, hungry, teething, over stimulated, teething, under stimulated, teething, overtired, teething. Did I mention teething? Anyway- I find it interesting that we can't just let a baby have a bad day because of... nothing.

In case you were wondering, I DO have reasons for my bad mood today. In no specific order, here's what's causing my grumps...

1. My sister, who lost her job in a mass layoff over a year ago, did not get a job she phone and in-person interviewed for. She REALLY, REALLY wanted it and it just breaks my heart into 10 million pieces to hear her sad and disappointed. This is really the biggest & maybe only reason I'm REALLY grumpy today. Had this not happened, I imagine the other things would have rolled off my back. But, it did happen. It  SUCKS sooooo bad and it happened. So, the other things didn't roll off. They pissed me off way more than rationally allowable. What are they? Let's move on and find out...

2. My new iPhone (don't get excited... it's not the NEWEST iPhone... I don't roll like that) was delivered yesterday but since I don't sit home all day, everyday I missed delivery so I had to go pick it up. AND, I had to wait a WHOLE EXTRA DAY to get it. Woe is me.

3. I finally picked up the new iPhone from FedEx today and then decided to stop by Verizon to ask why I didn't get the trade in your old phone for a free new iPhone 6 deal they're advertising. After waiting OVER AN HOUR at the Verizon store with an 11-month old they basically tell me it's because I came in like 2 days before the deal started and that even though they're CURRENTLY advertising the deal, the deal is over and can't be given out anymore. SAY WHAT? I legit asked them to re-explain it like 12 times because it makes no sense. No explanation was any better. I left even more pissed off and confused.

4. More iPhone fun. Yes, I realize this is SUCH a first world problem. I get that. I'm a terrible, materialistic person. Got it. Let's move past that so I can keep bitching. I get home to activate my new iPhone, which the people at Verizon said would be OH SO EASY, only to find out that you have to call a number to activate your new phone. So, what's the problem? Your current phone has to be off. And your new phone isn't activated. So, you need a DIFFERENT phone. We don't have a landline, so I have to wait for the Hubs to get home from work. ARGH! Yes. Yes, I am making a GIIIIAAAANNNNNT mountain out of a molehill.



Pity party, Party of 1. Right here.

Ok, I'm done bitching and moaning. For now.

Bailey: 11 Month Update

Age:
Obviously I'm going to say it again. NO WAY IS GIRL 11 MONTHS OLD! How is it already mid-October?? In ONE short month you're telling me she'll be a TODDLER? NOOOOO WAAAAAY!!! I heard the expression "the days may be long, but the years are short" and it is SOOOO fitting.

 

Size:

Still no weight check this month, but I can't imagine she's gained much. We're still wearing some of our 3-6 month clothes, but wear a lot 6-9 month, too. I've put her in a few 12 month things and she SWIMS in them. Tiny little peanut.

 

 

 

Sleep:
So good! She's sleeping from 7:10pm-ish to 6:30am-ish every night. No dreamfeed, either! Yep- we officially cut it out! WAHOO!!! So, our schedule now is...

6:30am: Wake, Nurse, and Solids

7:15-8:30am: Play (a lot of times we go on a walk)

8:30-10/10:30am: Nap

10:30: Nurse

10:45-12:30pm: Play/errands/whatever

12:30pm: Solids, then more play

1:30pm-3/3:30pm: Nap

3:30pm: Nurse

3:45-5:30pm: Play/errands/whatever

5:30pm: Solids

6-7pm: Bath/books/play/etc.

7pm: Nurse, then bed by 7:15pm

 

 

Nursing & Solids:

Good! I am so grateful for our good our nursing has still been going. Yes, she gets distracted. Yes, it's time consuming. But, I'm so grateful the pro's far outweigh the con's.

 

We're officially down from 6 sessions to 4! Our first session in the morning is still the longest and the one I think we'll definitely keep well past a year. I'd like to keep our before-bed session til past a year, too, but girl isn't the most interested in that one. Maybe that will change when we cut the 2 middle of the day ones? We'll see.

 

 

Solids are still going well, too. She's a pretty good eater. She has her "No! I don't want any!" moods, but those are generally just if we're way off schedule and she's outta sorts. On normal days, she eats really well.

Her favorite foods of the moment are: cheese, yogurt, cantaloupe, pasta, blueberries, steamed carrots, sweet potatoes, and pizza (she's her daddy's daughter through and through).

Likes:

A lot of the same...

-She still LOVES the local indoor play place. Girl thinks she's a big kid and loves to crawl all over. I've had other moms comment NUMEROUS times how adventurous and active she is. Girl thinks she's 11.

 

-Bathtime. We've been having some her-trying-to-stand-in-the-tub issues, but overall she is really good in the bath and loves being in there.

-Watching videos of other babies or herself. Youtube babbies babbling and watch the one with the twins talking to each other. It's hysterical. Bailey cracks up when I put it on. Loooove.

 

 

-Her paci. Yep. Still here. I'm working hard to limit it to bed/nap and long car rides. It's hard because it will make her happy no matter how grumpy she is, so it's easy to be tempted just to paci her all the time. But, I really don't want it to turn into a HUGE habit, so I'm working on limiting it.

 

And a new one...

-TALKING! YEEEES!!!! We have babbling! And, now she likes to babble. A lot. LOVE IT!!!! More on this later.

 

 

Dislikes:

-Still not being able to play with my iPhone or car keys. I tell her a gazillion times a day "not for babies!" and girl just does not care. We're working on it. Everyday. The only "screen" time she gets is 2 minutes like every other day when I show her the 2-minute YouTube video of the twin babies babbling to each other. Somehow she still realllllly wants my phone or the iPad. How do babies just know? Technology, man.

 

 

New This Month/Special Moments/Milestones:
-TAAAALKING!!!! Ok, not really talking, but DEFINITE babbling. Ba's and da's and ya's and ga's and ha's. Lots and lots! She loves blowing raspberries, too. SO happy we jumped that hurdle. First Steps determined she did not need services (yay!!), even though when we had our appointment she wasn't yet babbling and now, she is! All. The. Time. And, I love it. I DO think there's some intentional talking there, too. She looks right at the Hubs and says Dada. We're still working on Mama. :)

-Hand, Foot, Mouth. That was fun.

-Standing unassisted and without holding on to something. She's only done it a few times and can stay up for several seconds, but she's doing it!

Nicknames: Peanut, Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter Jelly Butt, Bugs, B

Looking forward to: WALKING! She's SOOOO close. I can't wait!!! I also can't wait to hear "Mama". Warning: my heart might explode.

 

Weekly Workout Recap: 10/5-10/11

Weekly Workout Recap: 10/5-10/11

 

Sunday, 10/5: None

Monday, 10/6: JM30DS & 2 mile walk

Tuesday, 10/7: JM30DS & 3.5 mile walk

Wednesday, 10/8: 2.5 mile walk

Thursday, 10/9: JM30DS

Friday, 10/10: JM30DS and 2 mile walk

Saturday, 10/11: None

I didn't have time to get a workout DVD from the library, so me and Jillian have been spending a shit ton of time together this week. Girl still makes me sore and I still sorta love it. Again, running is still just not a priority and on the back burner. I don't like that and wish I had the time and energy to change it, but I just don't. Excuses, excuses. I know. If I really and truly WANTED to do it, I'd find a way. Right now, I just don't so I'm not. End of story.

DIY Tutu

Bailey is a girl. SAY WHAAAAT?!?!?! I know. Sometimes I forget, too.

Ok, ok-- I don't FORGET, per say. I just refuse to think of her as a GIRL first. She is BAILEY first. She is my daughter. She is adventurous. She is always on the go. She is an intense listener. She is a MILLION things just as important as her being a GIRL. I'm a firm believer we put SO MUCH pressure and just SHIT on gender. Girls like Barbies and pink and boys like blue and GI Joe and GOD FORBID a boy want a pink doll or a girl like trucks. Well, I say SCREW THAT. I want Bailey to like trucks. And dinosaurs.

 

True story: I bought these at a garage sale and I almost got into a fist fight with the lady selling them because she insisted they are BOY pj's and clearly I had a GIRL (Bailey was with me) and I needed to go down the street to one of their neighbors who was also having a garage sale because they had girls. I almost lost it. THEY ARE DINOSAUR PJ's. WHY DO BOYS HAVE 100% OWNERSHIP ON DINO?!?!?! Oh, and- get off me, woman. I'll dress my kid in whatever I want til she's old enough to fight me on it.

 

I digress. Anyway- I HATE all the princess shit for girls. HATE it. I 100% refuse to buy Bailey anything with the word princess on it. GIRL IS NOT A PRINCESS. Generally, I don't even buy her shit with pink on it. She's a PERSON, not just a GIRL.

 

Buuuuuuuuuuuuut-- she IS a girl. I also put hairbow's and dresses on her. Contradiction, party of 1, right here. I know. I admit it. I'm all sorts of conflicted and confused. I'm OK with it.

 

So, when it came time to think about what she would wear for her 1-year pictures I knew I wanted her to do a tutu for the cake smash pictures. SO CUTE!!! But, I also knew I didn't want it to be pink and I knew I didn't want it to cost like $50 (legit-- some BABY tutu's are sold for that much. Whaaaaaaaat????). So, I set out on yet another DIY project. Project tutu.

 

Step 1: Learn how the F to make a tutu. Research online. I used this and this as my main tutorials.

 

Step 2: Gather materials.

I got 1 yard of purple (See! Not pink!!) tulle for $.97. According to this site you'd need about 2 yards of tulle for a kids tutu, so I figured I'd start with 1 yard for a baby's tutu and get more if needed. I also got a pack of elastic. I had no idea what I was doing here. It was $.97, too. Wal-Mart (booo!!) for the win. I just picked one of the 5 options. Luckily, it worked.


Step 3: Wrap elastic around B's waist to see how much I'd need, cut desired length, and then sew the ends closed. I'm not a sewer, but this was easy.  

 

 

 

Step 4: Cut tulle into strips. See the tutorials for MUCH better explanations, but basically I measured out about 12 inches for length and then did about 1 inch wide strips.

Cutting all this tulle was a bitch and took forever and I was about as not-perfectionist as they come. My strips were SOOOOO not even or pretty. I went for speed not accuracy. Luckily, I don't really think it matters much.

 

 

Step 5: Tie all the strips onto the waistband.

I used an empty gallon of milk (yes, it is filled with green liquid... I let Bailey play with it, she LOVES it! It's just water with a squirt of green finger paint mixed in.) as a frame. It worked great! To tie the strips, I folded them in half and then did a sorta U-shaped fold over and pull through method. Again, see the tutorials for a MUCH better description. And then I just kept tying and tying. I used the entire yard and I think it was the perfect amount. I had none left over, but don't think I need any more. Done!

 

Yes, I used my shoes to give some size perspective.

 

 

The whole project took about 2 hours. I did it all during one of B's naps. Not too bad!  

 

So, how'd the final product look on her?

No, she is not playing with pills. I have rice and popcorn kernels in them as a shaker toy. Don't call DCFS.

 

 

 

I'm gonna have to straighten it back out, as she was playing with the material while it was on her like crazy. Hopefully it'll work for the shoot. She won't be crawling around or anything for the shoot, so it just has to look pretty from the sitting position.

 

 

Done! Look at me. Getting all crafty. Who knew?!?!?

15 Thing Friday

1. The internet world is a-buzz because Jennifer Lawrence called a gluten free diet the "cool new eating disorder." (source) I mean, I'm not one for joking about eating disorders, but I really don't think she was attacking the celiac community either. I think she was talking about the gazillions of people without celiac who choose to eat gluten-free for no true health purpose. Maybe I'm biased because I have a mega girl crush on Jennifer Lawrence.

(source)

Either way, I think people take shit too seriously.


2. Speaking of gluten free. Please watch this video.

Again, I am not making fun of people who eat gluten free because of dietary NEED. I am most definitely making fun of people who eat gluten free because it's a fad and who don't even know what gluten is.


3. I realized the other day I haven't painted my fingernails since before Bailey was born. Woah. I used to pain them semi-frequently. Why is this news worthy, I have no idea. 


4. I got nothing this week. We'll end it at 4 things before I bore you to death. Plus, I got about a million things to do before we head to the in-laws (like how I say that and make it sound like it's a huge trip?? They live 30 minutes from us.) for the night and then go to the Purdue football game tomorrow. It's amazing how much freaking shit a baby needs. SO MUCH STUFF.

Happy Weekend :) 

Two Thing Thursday

Two Thing Thursday....


Two Songs on Repeat
1. Taylor Swift - Shake It Off.

 

Judge away. I love it and I love Taylor and have no shame. Guilty pleasure and proud of it. And I'd way rather have Bailey listen to something like Taylor Swift than songs about smoking pot or abusive relationships.

 

 

2. Megan Trainor - All About That Bass 



Again. Some people hate this song. I love it. Get off me. It's catchy and fun. Why listen to music that isn't FUN? Life's too short. And again, I'd rather Bailey listen to something with a message about loving your body than glamorize stick thin models who just. don't. eat. And, ps- I listened to a few of her other songs and they're pretty good too.



Two Shows I'm Watching:
1. Scandal.

 (source)

Duh. Is anyone not watching this show? So good.

2. House of Cards.

(source)

I wasn't really sure if I would get into this show. I didn't watch West Wing and I'm not into politics. But, hot damn! This show is pretty good. It was slow to start and took like 3 or 4 episodes for me to get into it, but now I'm hooked. I'm watching it on Netflix (duh-- it's a Netflix show) and am about half way through season 2.

 
Two Things I'm Looking Forward to This Weekend:
1. Seeing Gone Girl Friday night!! WAHOO!! I read this book on the way back from our cruise on a whim (aka- I read all the books I brought on the actual cruise and ended up buying this one for WAY too much money in the airport so I wouldn't drive the Hubs crazy on the loooong, lay-over-filled way back). I wasn't thrilled with at first, but quickly couldn't put it down. Twisty and turns like WOAH! Loved it. I'm pumped to see the movie. Can't wait!

(Obviously it wouldn't be possible for the Hubs and I to have a date night to see Gone Girl without my wonderful and amazing in-laws and their bomb babysitting skills! THANK YOU!!)

2. Pretending to be a Purdue fan this weekend and going to the game on Saturday.

At a Purdue game, 2012

 

 

We try to go to one game a year and this will be Bailey's first game... sure, it's the wrong teams (GO ILLINI!!!), but it'll still be SO fun to go with the in-laws and have Bailey get to see all the college football hoopla.

 

 

Two Articles I Recently Read:

1. Ask Polly: Why Don't the Men I Date Ever Truly Love Me?

Very good read for women, whether dating or happily (or unhappily) married. My favorite part??

 

Fuck wondering if you're lovable. Fuck asking someone else, "Am I there yet?" Fuck listening for the answer. Fuck waiting, alone, for a verdict that never comes. Don't grow up to be one of those women with a perpetual question mark etched in her brow: Am I good? Am I lovable? Am I enough? You are here. Sit down. Feel your potential in this moment. You have accepted too little for too long. That is changing today. Breathe in. Draw a picture of yourself. Tape it to the wall, with the words: YOU ARE HERE. You are here. Cherish yourself.

 

Too many WONDERFUL women I know look to someone else to answer their questions. Look to someone else to tell them what to question, even. Look to someone else for everything. Fuck that. YOU ARE HERE. Be your own question and be your own answer.

 



 

2. How American Parenting Is Killing the American Marriage

Great read for married parents. My favorite parts??

 

"Sometime between when we were children and when we had children of our own, parenthood became a religion in America. As with many religions, complete unthinking devotion is required... Nothing in life is allowed to be more important than our children... Children always come first. In the 21st century, most Americans marry for love. We choose partners who we hope will be our soulmates for life. When children come along, we believe that we can press pause on the soulmate narrative, because parenthood has become our new priority and religion. Once our Gods have left us, we try to pick up the pieces of our long neglected marriages and find new purpose. Is it surprising that divorce rates are rising fastest for new empty nesters? Perhaps it is time that we gave the parenthood religion a second thought."

 

We all know-- I am OBSESSED with my child. I love her with every inch of me. She is me. She is the best parts of me. I made her. I genuinely LIKE my kid and love spending time with her. I MISS her when she sleeps. I'm excited to greet her each morning. I feel genuinely LUCKY and BLESSED to get her as a daughter and to get to spend as much time with her as I do. I feel proud to have the privilege of raising her.

 

But.

 

Matt comes first. Our marriage comes first. Maybe not every, single day. I'm a grown up and understand that things eb and flow and different things take different positions on the priority ladder on different days. Being a Mom is the most important job in my life. But- our marriage is the most important thing in my life. Yes, I just said that out loud. I'm prepared for the backlash. Bring it.