150s and Counting!

When I first found out I was pregnant with Easton I was at a birthday party for one of P's buddies. I engaged in conversation with a friend and an acquaintance about how much they had gained during one of their pregnancies. I had to work hard to not let my jaw drop because I was amazed at the ending weight both of the ladies had been at before giving birth. At the time I remember thinking, "How can anyone get that big? It's not like you're eating for 2." Well, 9 months later I found out. I don't feel like I ate differently than when I was pregnant with P but I definitely didn't make exercise a priority like I had the first time. I packed on the weight and towards the end I told my doctor that I needed to have Easton soon because I couldn't handle gaining any more weight. Luckily the nurse gave me the option of getting weighed at my last appt before I had Easton. I declined so I don't know what my true ending weight was but I know I had gained way too much! Because a lot of it was water retention, I lost quite a bit within a week of having Easton. Then I plateaued. Because of my sweet tooth and not being cleared to exercise I struggled to lose any more weight than I initially had. Last week I was cleared to resume normal activity so I was quick to use my treadmill again. For 1 1/2 weeks I've used my treadmill pretty much every day. I'm also trying to watch my portion size because giving up my sweet tooth still seems to be a problem. Today I am proud to say that when I got on the scale this morning I was FINALLY in the 150s! I was also able to put on some non-maternity jeans...and button them up!! A month after I had given birth to P I was able to fit into non-maternity jeans. (I also had gained 15 lbs less with P) A month after giving birth to Easton I couldn't pull my jeans up much past my knees. Although I am still 16 lbs away from my starting weight and 22 lbs away from my target weight I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel. Wahoo!

Blog Layout

I don't know why I do this but I always try to change the layout and then get frustrated when I mess it up. I'm aware that the pictures aren't the right proportion. Give me a day or two and hopefully I'll get it to where I like it, to where it's supposed to be. Until then....bear with me.

our man, P

last week rob was sick, running a fever and coughing up a storm. we had hoped he wouldn't share it but sure enough he did. poor p has been congested for about a week and got the horrible cough that goes with it earlier this week. i kept him home from school on tuesday because he had woken up around midnight with a 101+ fever. i took him to the dr and was told it's a common cold that has to run its course. by late afternoon p was acting just fine. he was acting fine yesterday as well with no fever. so i didn't think twice about sending him to school today. bad move! by naptime his fever was back and he was coughing so bad he was close to throwing up. i tried to get both of the boys to take a nap together in our bed with me. another bad move! between p coughing and easton crying none of us really got any sleep. i have a feeling that it's going to be a rough night. hopefully p will get better soon and easton nor i will get it.
on a much happier note, i had my first parent/teacher conference today and i can tell you that as a parent and a teacher i enjoy conferences much better as the parent. p's teacher had nothing but great things to say about him. she was impressed with his number readiness and his verbal skills. she said that she loves his extensive vocabulary. she went on and on for about 15 minutes about what a wonderful, smart boy he is. to top off the conference she made a passing comment that made my heart soar. she said she felt like she didn't really need to have a conference with me since i am so involved and have open communication with her already. to me, that's one of the most important jobs i can have....being involved in our sons' educations. one of the things i enjoy the most about being a sahm is being able to volunteer in p's class. i left the conference beaming because of his great report!
since p and i were told that we could get a little dog to be an indoor dog for the boys i'm thinking this great report and p being sick entitles us to get the shihtzu that we want sooner rather than later. wouldn't you agree??? :)

***can you tell that i'm holding a sleeping baby in my arms while trying to type?***

Picture Withdrawals

OK, I admit it......I'm addicted to FB and having major withdrawals! Mainly because it's the way I posted pictures of the boys for family and friends to see. So, here are a few pics I took this week and don't know where to post them. :) A friend was in town and she's into photography as well so we took a short road trip to try to take pics of bald eagles. We didn't capture any on film but I got a couple water pics that I liked and then we ran into Rob's crew on our way to lunch so I got a couple pics of him working. I don't normally post pics of P but I thought it was too cute that he was so worn out from his time with Gee and BobBob that he laid down and fell asleep in the middle of playing in his room. Of course it wouldn't be a photo blog without a pic of our most adorable baby boy. Enjoy....

I Can't.........

I can't begin to tell you how nice it is to be able to sleep on my stomach again for the first time since last July! I can't begin tell you how nice it is to not have to sleep with a pillow in between my legs for comfort. I can't begin to tell you how nice it is to be able to wear non-maternity tops. I can't begin to tell you how nice it is to be able to carry in all the groceries at once, not having to worry about the weight I'm carrying. I can't begin to tell you how nice it is to be able to RUN on the treadmill. I can't begin to tell you how nice it is to know I'm training to do a 5K with a friend in June. I can't begin to tell you how nice it is wear whatever shoes I choose instead of just flip flops and rain boots. I can't begin to tell you how nice it is to not have to worry about waistbands anymore, worrying about if they'll hurt my incision. I can't begin to tell you how nice it is to be able to wear my real wedding ring again. I can't begin to tell you how nice it is to know I'm slowing working my way back into pre-maternity pants. I can't begin to tell you how nice it is to be able to shave my legs in the shower...and to be able to see them all the way to my ankles. I can't begin to tell you how nice it is to be able to sneeze or cough without worrying about pain. And, most importantly, I can't tell you how nice it is to be able to wrestle P, hold him on my lap and carry him in my arms. Oh, how I've missed being a hands-on mom with him for the past several months. Now when he's hurt I can hold him the way a mom is supposed to hold their child. I can't begin to tell you how nice it is to be a healthy mom to 2 very sweet, loving boys that are my world!

DU.......

This has been another busy weekend! My parents came to town Friday to take P for a weekend getaway at a hotel they like to stay at here in town. Them being in town meant a date night for me and Rob. I can't remember the last time we went to the movies so, although the movie wasn't a favorite of mine, it sure was nice to go on a date. Saturday Rob started the day early by setting up for the DU banquet. While he did that the boys and I hung out with my parents for a few hours. That afternoon my friend came from Sacto and brought a BEAUTIFUL quilt that she had hand sewn for the DU auction.
It was a chaotic banquet, one that Rob and I weren't exactly able to enjoy because we were so busy. Between him running the gun wall before dinner and helping with the live auction after dinner he was running around like a chicken with his head cut off. Between me being the unofficial photographer and taking care of Easton, I didn't have a chance to really visit with any of our friends.
The highlight of the night was hearing about the quilt being auctioned. Items weren't going for very much so I was worried about the quilt bringing in its monetary value, let alone the hours it took for Kirsti to make it. I was on pins and needles, waiting for it to come up for auction. Moments before it was auctioned, Easton started crying and I knew I couldn't hold him off from eating much longer. So I stepped out to nurse him and tried to listen to the auction. I was happy when I heard "$500"! But when I went back into the banquet I found out that I had heard wrong. The quilt had, in fact, been auctioned off for $700, only second to a dove hunt to Argentina!! It would've gone for more but the auctioneer didn't see a man raise his hand for $750 right when he was ending the bidding. I was thrilled that the quilt had raised that much money!

The rest of the night was a blur because of a killer headache but I'm happy to report that I won the silent auction for nursery decor for Easton's room (once we move). Rob also won a gift card to a local basque restaurant. AND it's the least amount of money we've ever spent on raffle stuff. It was a fun night and of course Easton was the life of the party. He was even introduced in front of everyone as the newest Greenwing, making him a banquet celebrity! Great night with great people for a great cause! 

happy hallmark day!

this is jen typing....or rather doing hunt n peck while holding a baby.

when we first started dating i asked rob to do me one favor on feb. 14th. don't celebrate the hallmark holiday. he was more than happy to oblige so, in 5 years, we have yet to celebrate anything on this day where candy and flowers and, yes, hallmark sales soar.
i have to say that this has been my best hallmark holiday ever. p had school so i got to volunteer for his valentine party. he was actually excited about school today! we had fun doing different activities with his class. he also made me a vase with a silk red rose. it melted my heart when he gave it to me! after school he was his sweet self again so we had a nice time together. although rob and i don't celebrate today we want p to celebrate until he can form his own opinion about today. so we gave him candy, a special cup and a Dale Jr car. then we went to an early dinner and i thoroughly enjoyed eating a huge brownie a la mode for my dinner. one of the best parts about today was a few minutes ago when i ran for the first time in 10-11 months. i couldn't win a race but it felt so good to do more than walk for a few minutes. all in all it's been a great day from beginning to end and i hope you've enjoyed your hallmark holiday as well!