feed me

brette started cereal

and she doesn't like it.

she gives awful faces.

i'm gonna give her a week or two

to see if its just the consistency she doesn't like.

but i might start

to mix veggies in just so

maybe it tastes a bit better.

we'll see how it goes.

after all, today is just day three.

here is brette's first try:

 

 

 

 don't mind my outfit or the fact that i'm chewing gum like a cow.

 

brooke: six months

i post updates for brette every month

but haven't really said much about my progress.

i'm 6 months post partum on thursday

and there have definitely been some changes.

 

let's get truthful.

i gained 30lbs during my pregnancy,

tipping the scales at 185.

you can do the math.

that means i started at 155,

which is 10-15lbs heavier than i normally am.

note to self - do not get pregnant when you are already fatter than normal.

and seriously, when does this weight thing get easier?

the first two weeks after having b were the worst.

my stomach was (is?) jiggly,

i had to fill up a water bottle every time i peed,

my arm was killing me from the whooping cough shot,

ronnie made me cry once, which had never happened,
because normally i would just tell him to f off

and we had guests here every other minute.

yet, it still wasn't that bad.

brette was sleeping and eating just fine,
and i had already lost 20 lbs in the first couple weeks,

so i wasn't that stressed.

 

then around 3 months my hair started falling out.

i remember it was the week after my 30th birthday.

everyone sheds,

but i'm talking clumps and clumps of hair.

hello, hair grosses me out.

i hate it and its e v e r y w h e r e.

i vacuum all the time,

but its on me, brette, ronnie, our clothes, our floors.

and it has yet to stop. 

i'm don't know how i'm not bald by now.

not sure when the hair loss will subside,

but i hope its soon.

 

around 4 months i decided that i should maybe

look into losing the rest of the baby weight.

the first 20 lbs came off almost instantly

and then i lost another 3 over the next couple months,

but i was stuck at whopping 162.

(please note, that ronnie has always weighed 174,

until now and he weighs 168. i want to kill him.

it is against my law to weigh more than my husband.

i think he's doing it on purpose.)

one hundred and sixty two

pounds is too much for a girl of only 5'4 to carry.

its not healthy or flattering.

so at four months, i decided to work out.

i tried running,

but it didn't last long.

so in november, i switched to walking on the treadmill

every morning during brette's morning nap.

i lost 2 lbs in 3 weeks.

and then we had thanksgiving and i gained it back.

son of a bitch.

 

two things happened.

one - i met up with kassie and dana and we

decided enough was enough.

we're all headed to mexico in may for kass's wedding

and i'll be damned if we're wearing t-shirts in the pool.

we all measured/weighed each other (mortifying)

and said we were going to meet every friday

to check in with each other and make sure that we were staying healthy.

oh, and to remeasure and weigh-in. blah.

 

two - my mom and i joined a 21 day weight loss challenge.

it had the diet and exercise all laid out for me.

today is the start to my second week of "getting fit" and

it's going really well.

i've been working out and eating crazy healthy

and guess what?!

i've lost SEVEN pounds.

i barely slid in my goal of being back to

pre-baby weight by brette's six month birthday.

unfortunately, since i started fatter than normal,

i need to keep going.

i'd love to end up somewhere around 135,

but honestly, at this point, just get me back to normal

and i won't complain.

 

i'll update you when my 21 days are up.

wish me luck - - - or just wish my fat away.

 

friday funnies

i went to see catching fire with my friend angie

and a group of people. (so good, go see it!)

we got there super early to get seats all together

so we had some time to kill before the show started.

 

angie pulled up one of her recent pinterest finds

and said that she was dying when she saw this.

 

i literally lost it in the theater.

crying laughing.

and for quite some time.

 

 

hope you love it too.

happy friday!

sit up, buttercup

brette is working on sitting up on her own.

i only have her practice on me or on a bed.

i don't want her hitting her head on our wood floors,

but i do think sitting on something more solid would be helpful.

 

she's not quite there,

but getting close.

 

here's a play-by-play of one of our practice sessions.

 

 



wreath wednesday: birthday style

i know everyone is getting into

the christmas spirit,

but i wanted to start my wreath-making month

on a birthday note.

(but not in a jesus's birthday kind of way.)

 

once upon a time i was in a craft club

and one of the girls made this adorable wreath

that she planned to hang on her daughters' doors on their birthday.

i thought that was such a cute idea and i wanted to do it for brette.

i'm only six months ahead of schedule.

self high five.

 

i bought a ton of multi-colored ribbon bows (from the dollar store)

and a foam wreath. (from hobby lobby)

and i already had a glue gun.

 

i started placing the ribbons around to see where i wanted them

and started gluing.

that's really all there is to it.

glue the ribbons to the wreath and make it festive.
it only took me about 20 minutes.

 

 

 

 i'm all set for june door decorations.

 

 

thank (god we're home) sgiving

i'm sitting in bed surrounded by luggage

that has yet to be unpacked.

i haven't set out the first christmas decoration

or bought one gift.

its cyber monday and i don't even feel like

taking advantage of the deals.

i'm just so happy to finally be home and

back in my own bed that all i want to do

is lay here.

 

we traveled to illinois to visit ronnie's

family for thanksgiving.

it was a seven hour drive,

but we left in the evening so

baby boops slept through the whole thing.

unfortunately, that's where the easy part stopped.

we couldn't find a good way for her to nap

so after four days of lacking sleep,

she was one fussy baby.

we missed her swing and our quiet house.

instead she spent lots of time in my arms.

 

but it was nice to get back to the farm

and see all the family.

plus it was the first time ronnie's grandma got to see brette

and ronnie's mom hadn't seen her since she was born.

ronnie's sister and her family made their first trip to illinois too.

they soaked up four full days with brette

and we logged a lot of family time.

(a painting of the farm)

 

 

there is so much to be thankful for,

but right now

i'm just really thankful to be home and

in my own bed.

 

now someone come unpack my clothes and decorate my house.

thanks.


(this picture is a perfect representation of brette's mood.)

 

"what to do" wednesdays

are you getting ready for the big turkey day tomorrow?

you will need expandable pants and plastic containers for

an easy escape with leftovers.

you. are. welcome.

last year i shared

a free thanksgiving printable

and what to do with thanksgiving leftovers.

the year before i was giving out

my appetizer ideas for all the holiday parties.

veggie squares

pizza dip

bacon-wrapped jalapenos

chicken spinach pizza bites

this year i thought i might try to

find some cool and easy wreaths to make.

maybe start wreath wednesdays.

get ready crafters,

it's bout to get all crazy up in here.

so for now,

on this very first wreath wednesday,

i'm going to share the three/four wreaths i've already made.

(or tried to make)

yarn wreath.

feather wreath.

acorn... pinecone wreath.

 

i'll have a new idea next week.
happy thanksgiving eve!