My starting weight

I have gained 6.5lbs since losing 10.4lbs on August 24th. That's not TOO bad considering it's been over 2 months.

Goal weight: 140
Starting weight: 176.5 (yuck)!
Weight to lose: 36.5

I know I can do this because before I lost over 100lbs! Losing 36lbs should be easy, right? WRONG! Losing weight is never easy. It takes dedication and having total control over your choices. I'm ready for this - I want to fit into summer clothes this summer!

Let the losing begin! :)

Weight Watchers on our own!

James and I are going to try doing WW on our own. Not even exactly WW - just eating healthier, smaller portions. I'm fine with breakfast and lunch - but as soon as I get home all I want to do is snack! So I went through some food and threw it/gave it away so it couldn't tempt me anymore. Bye bye Cheetos :(

We are going to weigh in tomorrow morning and that will be our starting weight. We are going to make Friday's our official weigh in day. We will have each other to keep us accountable and also for support. James gets paid tomorrow so we are also going to go to the grocery store and get new food!

During the summer when I started WW I lost 10.4lbs in about a month. That was with just eating right and going for walks with my friend and Logan. I need to accept the fact that I will not lose weight as fast as I did before...it took me 9 months to gain 40lbs, so let's see if I can lose this weight in 9 months. If I can manage to lose 4.4lbs each month I can reach my goal. Of course I'd much rather lose it quicker than 9 months - so we'll see how dedicated I can be. I want to be healthy for myself and for my family. I felt so much better when I was thinner. It was fun trying on clothes, getting dressed for work, even taking pictures. Now I hate getting dressed for work (hardly any of my old clothes fit), I hate taking pictures, and trying on clothes is a PAIN! I don't want Logan to look back at all his baby pictures and think "Wow, mom was fat!" I know I'm not HUGE...but I am for sure overweight.

I am inspired by my friend Allyssa. She is doing WW and has been losing weight every week with pretty much just eating better. She posts her monthly goals and updates with her weigh ins and what she eats. I am going to use her idea with the monthly goals, I think that will help me stay on track more.

During the month of November I would like to:

• Lose at least 5lbs.
• Do some kind of movement/exercise 3-5 times a week, even if it is just walking.
• Increase my water intake A LOT.
• Increase my fruit/veggie intake A LOT.
• Start to feel better about myself.

I'm going to end this with a picture of me when I was my smallest weight and super happy about how I looked!

Me: around 138 pounds.

Yay for the Holidays!

We are finally feeling better in this household. James' fever went away and my voice came back! We ended up going out to dinner to celebrate Dave's birthday - it was a surprise party. And he was very surprised. My mom did a good job organizing it, it turned out very good! And the food at Heidi's is always delicious!!!

We still haven't went to a pumpkin patch - even though Halloween is less than a week away. We are hoping to go Sunday, which is kinda silly because Halloween will be the next day. Oh well, it will still be fun! I might get a couple bigger pumpkins for James and I from a local grocery store and then we can get Logan a tiny one from the pumpkin patch. I was thinking about carving his name onto one (if I can manage that, not sure how hard it's going to be) and then empty out another one and put him in it. I will try and line it with a towel or something, unless it's really clean inside. And we'll take some pictures! I have his Halloween costume, we won't go trick-or-treating this year...it would be odd going door to door with a baby knowing that he can't eat the candy. Probably not even next year, but the year after that we can start going. His costumes will just be for pictures :)

Logan has been a little off for the last couple of weeks, not sure if he's having growing pains or more teeth are trying to come through. I've checked every night for teeth and I haven't felt anything yet. He just doesn't seem as happy as he usually is. Everyday he's growing and changing though, I love him so much (even when he's grumpy)!

The pumpkin pie didn't turn out very good. So I'm going to try another recipe and I'm going to make something called Pumpkin Squares - I hope those turn out better than my pie! I'm super excited for Thanksgiving! And then Christmas - that will be so fun, too! :)

Pumpkin Pie?

Tonight I made a "test run" of a pumpkin pie recipe I found. I honestly can't say yet how it turned out. I tried a piece about an hour or 2 after it came out of the oven - so it was still warm. I think pumpkin pie is supposed to be cold when you eat it. I made my own crust - and that was kinda tough. It was hard to cut with my fork...but it had a good flavor. Maybe I just messed with it too much before rolling it out? This is why I wanted to test run it. I want it to be yummy and perfect for Thanksgiving! I'll also be making an apple pie. I've made one before, so I probably won't make one before Thanksgiving.

I'm finally starting to feel better! I feel like after Logan it's been one thing after the other. Healing from my labor was a very long process. I look back and nothing can compare to how much pain I was in after having him. For those of you who don't know - I had a very bad delivery that sent me straight to the OR for repair (down there). I'd say it took a good 3 months before things felt normal down there. THEN I get a huge kidney stone and have a stent shoved up my urethra! 2 weeks of having that in...THEN I get really sick, I lose my voice! Tonight I feel like I just have a small cold, a stuffy nose and a little headache. My voice is still kinda scratchy, too. Anyways, I'd just like to feel 100% again. And I think I'm headed in that direction.

Now that I'm getting better, James woke up this morning with the flu! He has all the flu symptoms but he's not throwing up. He has a really high fever, which is scary. I don't want Logan to get it! So after dinner I took Logan to Target and we looked around for about an hour. I carried him in the Baby Bjorn and it's so nice to hear when people look and say "Awe, what a cute baby!" :) Makes me feel like a proud mommy. I really enjoyed spending time with him tonight - he is such an amazing little being. I can't believe that I helped create him, it's crazy to think about.

We were supposed to go to the pumpkin patch tomorrow, but with James being sick we are going to try for next weekend. We were also supposed to celebrate Dave's birthday tomorrow - but my mom has been sick, too! So we won't be doing that. Sarah is going to come over and her, Logan, and I are going to go shopping for an outfit for Logan's 6 month pictures. I'm having them done on November 13th. I'm a little worried though because we are having his 6 month appointment (with shots) done on the 11th - I just hope he's over the funk that the shots put him in by the 13th. I want some cute, smiley, happy boy pictures!

Stent Removal...

I had my stent removed on Tuesday the 18th. It was a terrible experience! It was just an office procedure. I had to undress from the wait down, the nurse came in and prepped me for the doctor. She had this syringe thing full of "numbing gel" that she shot up my urethra (gross, I know). For the procedure he stuck a scope up my urethra and it had a tube and a camera on it I think, because they were watching a TV. I was crying out in pain - hoping that it would end soon. That numbing gel did nothing...I felt everything they were doing. The feeling of the stent coming out was disgusting. I really hope I never have to experience that again!

I've been sick for the past week or so - just started with a sore throat, then I lost my voice, and now I have green snot coming out like crazy. And I can't stop coughing! I really hope I don't pass it on to Logan and that I get better real soon!

Bedrooms!

Logan has been sleeping in his room for almost a whole week now. The first few nights were hard (on me) but now it's fine. He's such a good boy, I'm lucky he sleeps so well!

Here are pictures of his room ALL finished!

It finally looks like a bedroom :)

All finished - so happy with how it turned out.

And we also re-painted our bedroom (too much blue in the house). We painted it a tan color, but it kinda reminds me of caramel or peanut butter. James and I both like it though :)

Our bedroom before - YIKES we were crammed in there.

Our bedroom after - Ah, much better!

5 month update!

Here are his monthly pictures/stats:

Newborn, 6lbs 9oz - 19 1/2 inches long.

1 month old, 7lbs 10oz - 21 inches long.

2 months old, 9lbs 15oz - 22 1/2 inches long.

3 months old, 11lbs 6oz - 24 inches long.

4 months old, 13lbs 3oz - 25 inches long.

5 months old, 14lbs 7oz - 26 1/2 inches long.

Logan is now 5 months old! Next month we will celebrate his half year birthday with a yummy butternut squash OR sweet potato dinner (I haven't decided yet which will be his first veggie). He is growing so fast and he is so smart. He can now recognize his bottle if you show it to him. He will hold out his hands and reach for it and open his mouth. He looks so cute while doing this - almost like a little bird :) We are going to try and get a video of it soon.

Lately he hasn't been as happy - I find it harder to get smiles and giggles from him. I'm wondering if he has more teeth coming in (the ones on the top). In my baby book it said that I got my top ones 2 months after my bottom ones. Well, Logan got his 1st tooth when he was almost 4 months...so he's getting close, I wouldn't be surprised if that's what was bothering him.

We are feeding him rice cereal a couple times a day now. Usually breakfast and then dinner. I might introduce some oatmeal cereal to him later today :) Mix it up a bit, give the boy some variety! He still rolls over a lot, and when he's on his belly he likes to flail his legs and arms around - almost like he's surfing :) He will tuck his knees under him but he can't figure out his arms yet. I think one day he will just take off crawling!

We bought him an exersaucer off Amazon last week. He seems to like it. His legs are a little short right now (they don't reach). So we put a very thick blanket underneath to help. He loves playing with the toys, but a few of them are too short to get into his mouth - and he doesn't like that!

Grandma Betty and Grandpa Lou are coming to visit for Thanksgiving this year. We are looking forward to it very much. I think the visits with them and Logan are going to just keep getting more fun - he changes constantly! I think he gets more fun as he gets older. He's so much more interactive and doesn't just lay there (like when he was a newborn). Don't get me wrong - I miss him being a tiny little cuddly baby! But I love my big boy :)

Procedure Update & Logan's Room.

I had my "Lithotripsy" procedure done on Monday. It was scary. Being put under is never fun. The last time I was under was for my breast reduction in 2007. We got to the hospital around 9:15am and they took me to a little room. I changed into a gown and sat in the bed and waited. A nurse came in to ask me some questions and then another nurse came shortly after with her tub of IV supplies. When I saw her walk into the room I lost it. I started crying and freaking out. I hate needles! Funny because I have 3 tattoos and multiple piercings...I can't stand shots or IVs though! The nurse tried to get my IV in my right arm 2 times and she couldn't get it. I wanted to scream at her! She left and the other nurse tried in my left arm and got it on the 1st try. They also gave me a numbing shot before trying to put the IV in - so total I was poked 6 times!

My surgeon came in and explained the procedure to me. He said I would be placed on a stretcher and lowered into a tub of water. Then they would use shock waves on my back by my kidney to break up the stone. Around 10:45am the anesthesiologist came in and gave me some kind of sedation medication through my IV. After that I don't really remember anything - not even saying goodbye to James (who was by the side the whole time)! Later I told him I didn't remember saying goodbye and he said we did and he even gave me a kiss on my cheek and told me he loved me.

I remember waking up in the recovery room and looking around. I had an oxygen mask over my nose/mouth. And I had a huge bump on my lower lip - like I had bit it or something. My throat was really sore and I started to cough. A nurse came over and took off my mask and used a sponge type thing to wipe out my mouth. She told me to keep coughing and that my throat would probably be sore because they had to put a tube down there (yuck). They wheeled me back to a room and then a couple minutes later James was brought to me (he had to wait out in the waiting room). It took me about 30 minutes to fully wake up. And after an hour and a half I was getting dressed and they were sending me on my way! It felt so good to get home and snuggle Logan :)

I have to go back to see my doctor on the 18th. I have a stint placed in my kidney and bladder and out through my urethra - lovely, I know. I'm terrified of that day...he will remove the stint, not sure how but he said it's just an office procedure so it better not hurt! I also have to strain all my urine to catch any pieces of the stone. I've found a lot, but it just looks like sand.


Now onto Logan's room. We are finished painting in there and I'm leaving the window open all day today just in case to air it out. The acrylic paint we used doesn't really smell though, so I think it will be fine. James used chalk to draw everything and then we just painted over it. He painted the tree - I did the leaves and the owl. I'm very happy with how it turned out. I think Logan is going to love it when he gets a little older!

We'll be going to Target later to get some little things for his room - like curtains and maybe a lamp or something. I ordered a cute night light and light switch plate cover off Amazon, can't wait for them to arrive.

Now here are some pics of his room!

His room before.

Painted blue with the tree.

The leaves :)

All finished!

Hello cute little owl :)

I will add more pics after things are set up! I can't wait to see his room when it's all finished!

KIDNEY STONES!

On Wednesday night I started having really bad back pain. It hurt so bad it was hard to sleep. I went to work the next day and by my break time (11:10am) I was calling the doctor to make an appointment. Luckily they had an appointment that day at 1:45pm. I got off work at 1:00 and went to the doctor. They took a urine sample and there was blood in my urine. My doctor couldn't tell me if it was a kidney infection or...? They had to do a culture on my urine which takes time - and she said she would call me the next day. The nurse called me the next day and said "No kidney infection - doctor wants to send you to the hospital for a CT scan." I was freaked out - what the heck is a CT scan? I quickly googled it and it didn't seem so scary anymore.

James and I were at the hospital at 5:00pm for my CT scan. After checking in, and some paperwork I was finally able to go back to the room. The machine was big and scary the the guy operating it called it a "donut." They took some pictures and then we did some old school x-rays and they sent me on our way.

About 30 minutes later I get a call from the "on call" after hours doctor and he said "You've got a large one on your left side - here is the urologist's number, he can help your further." So I called that guy and he said it was very big. The normal size of a kidney stone is 1-4 mm (that is able to be passed). He said mine is measuring at 11mm! Almost 3x the size of a normal one. He also said I have another small one in there with it. He scheduled my procedure for Monday morning.

Well...now it's Sunday night and I have my procedure tomorrow. I guess it's not really "surgery" because they aren't going to be cutting me open or operating. It's called "lithotripsy" - shock waves that get sent through my back right on my kidney to shatter the stone into tiny little sand pieces. They do have to put me under just because of the shock waves - I hate being put under, but mostly the terrible IV!!! Right before I had Logan they gave me an IV and the nurse was terrible, she couldn't get it in my arm and I was crying because it hurt so bad...anyways, I hope that tomorrow goes better and I will be out of this pain!

I've read that to prevent them you need to drink a lot of water each day - like over a gallon. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to find time to drink that much water while I'm at work. I guess I will have to chug before and after work. Also, drinks like lemonade and orange juice will help because they are acidic.

I'm super nervous and scared and just hope everything goes well! I can't wait to be home tomorrow afternoon snuggling Logan!!!