The Pyramid Challenge

After eating for two for 2 years, it's been hard for me to adjust to eating less. When I was pregnant and nursing I couldn't get enough to eat. I ate huge portions and still ended up feeling thin and frail. That is no longer a problem. For the past couple months I've been eating those same big portions and feeling really bogged down from the excess calories. And it's starting to show on my waistline too.

I found a great tool to help re-train myself to eat like a normal person. It's called mypyramidtracker.org, a website that tracks what you eat every day against the recommended amounts of fruits, veggies, meats, etc. It's free and it makes more sense to me than the fad diets. So I'm going to make a big effort to eat the right foods and track them for the next month. Along with following the diet recommendations, I'm also going to get 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week and get 7-8 hours of sleep every night. (That's not always up to me but I'll give it my best shot.)

I always thought it would be impossible to eat the recommended fruits/veggies, but I was surprised to find that the recommended portions are so small that a salad at lunch and a side of veggies at dinner takes care of the veggies. This week I bought a bunch of salad fixings at the store and made a big salad for my lunches. It took more effort than buying a sodium-packed frozen meal, but it's worth it. I put dried cherries in it today, so I'm getting in a fruit AND it's delicious.

Springtime

We have been back in the Midwest for exactly one year! When I think back on where we were one year ago, I'm amazed we had the energy and nerve to do it. Moving cross-country with a baby and no jobs was a big leap of faith, but it's worked out really well. Some things have gone better than I anticipated, especially finding a job similar to what I had in Seattle. I was convinced that wouldn't happen. And some things have been harder to adjust to, mainly the culture and financial changes.

Brenden was very serious about his Easter egg hunt

With cousins on Daddy's side


With cousins on Mommy's side

He has Daddy's chin and Mommy's chocolate addiction

First Haircut

I am so glad it's spring, even with the apocalyptic weather we've had the past week. I've never seen such severe thunderstorms that lasted this long. Brenden misses playing outside, but he didn't mind getting woken up at 10 pm to huddle in the basement and watch Pee Wee's Playhouse. "Wee Wee" is one of his favorite shows, along with Sesame Street and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

Watching Pee Wee brings back memories of my 80's childhood, which is getting further and further into the past! I'll be 30 in just a couple months. I'm actually looking forward to it. Being 20-something is overrated, in my opinion. I think my 30's will be fun. I've mellowed out but I'm still young enough to enjoy it.

Being a mom is so much more fun every month! Brenden keeps us laughing every day with some new antic. The things he says are just so cute. His speech is pretty clear for his age. He has a few words that he pronounces his own way, which is so funny:

Toe-pac=ketchup

Tapas=pretzels

'da bade=the bed

And speaking of ketchup, if he can dip it, he'll eat it.

His favorite song is "Wild Horses" by the Rolling Stones. He calls it "Wa Wa." I used to like that song, but now have to hear it at least twice a day.

I am so glad tomorrow is Friday. We're supposed to have 2 days off from the rain, so we're going to get outside and enjoy it. I love working in our yard, and it was hard to stay inside during B's naps last weekend while it poured down rain.

Gotta refuel before unloading all these groceries.

Helping Mommy make Sunday dinner

Ready to go for the gold

Things are good! We are so glad spring is well on its way. Hopefully Adam's recent hospital stay for a severe bout of the stomach flu was winter's last blow to us. It's been a rough one.

Brenden's language development continues to amaze us. He can say just about anything he hears. Of course his favorite form of communication is barking back at the "dogga" across the street.

I've been making a big effort to cut processed foods out of our diet. I've tried to majorly overhaul our diets before, but failed when I tried to go "health nut" overnight. So far I've been making things from scratch that I used to buy pre-made: pizza crust, biscuits, rice, french fries, soups, etc. With a little planning it's not that hard. I hope we eventually eat more organics and a wider variety of vegetables and beans, but for now we're doing what works within our budget and time constraints.

Brenden is closing in on the big 2! Every now and then I feel a little sad to leave the baby stage behind, but usually not so much. I'm having a lot more fun now than I was when I was exhausted out of my mind.

Just Wait a Day...

On Wednesday of this week I was starting to wonder how much longer I could stand the monotony of my job. It was making me crazy trying to think of things to do to keep myself busy. I was starting to get nervous, wondering if I was expendable. I was really stressed about it all Wednesday night. But then I came in Thursday morning, and surprise! I was assigned an additional project, and it sounds like a good one. I've also been worried (or trying not to worry) about being assigned to a job that's really far away, but this one is only 45 minutes away and I only have to travel there once a week. Not bad! Suddenly I'm busy starting up this new project, and I felt great today, rushing around getting things done. I was always slammed at my job in Seattle, and I liked the hustle and bustle.

As for my new new years resolutions, I'm doing pretty well. I was a couple minutes late a couple days this week, but the worst day was 3 minutes. I'm starting to make time to call family, and I've also worked out twice this week. Both times were really tough. I did a Biggest Loser DVD one night and was sore for 2 days afterwards. I checked out some additional workout DVDs from the library today to keep it interesting.

I'm weaning Brenden this week. Tonight was supposed to be our first night without nursing, but he's sick with a cold and I didn't think it was the best night for a big change. We'll make the switch sometime in the next week, so he'll be ready for my trip out of town. I'm heading to Indianapolis for 3 days of training, one of which happens to be on Valentine's Day. I'm not thrilled about it, but it's not the end of the world. And since I have no choice, we'll just deal with it.

My New New Years Resolutions

My original new years resolution was to worry less. Three weeks into the year I'm sticking to that resolution pretty easily. It helps that life is simpler now than it has been in years. Brenden's new ear tubes are a big help too - knowing that he's happy and comfortable makes life a lot smoother for all of us.

I've found a new way to deal with worry that makes a big difference. If I'm worrying about something stupid (and 98% of the time it's stupid), I make time to focus on the problem and identify possible solutions. I like to do this in a sort of "worry journal." I focus on how the problem makes me feel, and a lot of time that helps me realize the worry is causing a lot more grief than is warranted. Trying to identify solutions is the most helpful part of all. If there's nothing I can do, what's the point in worrying? If there is something I can do, I write out the steps to take, then mark them on my calendar. Voila, problem solved. Whether there's a solution or not, after my worry session I realize there's no point in fretting over the problem anymore.

As for money worries (the bulk of my worries), Adam and I have started having a "money meeting" every week. We check to see how well we're sticking to our budget and take care of paying bills. This is a big relief for me. We share the responsibility of managing our money, and I only let myself fret about money during that time. The rest of the week, it doesn't really matter how little money we have!

So I found some new things I'd like to improve in my life. These are things that I had to let go of during Brenden's infant stage. Looking back I'm blown away by how hard life was back then. Every spare second of my day was filled to the brim with demands. Now Brenden is sleeping well and he doesn't need 5 things from me all at the same time while he's awake. So here are the things I want to accomplish:

1. Be to work on time (I am cursed with tardiness. I am always 2-5 minutes late, every day. I cannot explain this phenomenon, but I plan to beat it.)

Plan of Action: Get up 5 minutes earlier, every day, until I start getting to work on time. Knowing that I'll get less sleep the next night if I don't get my butt in gear should help motivate me to move faster.)

2. Keep in better touch with my family.

Plan of Action: To keep time from getting away from me, I will make a note on my calendar to remind me to call my family members who live far away. I know that's a bit Type-A, but that kind of stuff works for me.

3. Exercise

Plan of Action: We just cleaned up our basement and have a nice area with a TV to do workout DVDs. I can do a 20-30 minute workout after B goes to bed and still have plenty of time to read or watch TV. I'm also going to go walking over lunch with a friend on nicer days. In all I'd like to exercise 3 times a week, whether that's an exercise DVD, a walk, or even a fun yoga class.

It's Been a While!

I haven't posted a blog in a while! We've had a lot going on, with the holidays, and most recently with Brenden's surgery to put tubes in his ears. He has suffered through awful ear infections since October, so he desperately needed them. The surgeon told us the fluid in B's ears was some of the thickest he's ever seen. I feel bad thinking of all the pain he's gone through. But now he's all fixed up and he should feel better and hear much better.

He has started talking more and more, and I'm amazed how well he understands us. This morning he didn't want to put his shoes on to go out, so I explained to him that we had to put his shoes on so he could "go with Mommy to the store." He calmed down and put his shoes on right away. Then when we got home, he didn't want to get out of the car until I told him we were going inside to have lunch.

Some of Brenden's first words:
Mama
Dada
uh-oh
no
dogga (doggie)
ki-ki (kitty-kitty)
nana (banana)
hot
cold

It is really fun to be able to communicate with him more. Being a mom gets easier and easier for me. I'm able to do things around the house as we go through our day on the weekends, so I don't have to wait until those precious moments when someone else is watching B or he's asleep. Today I was able to vaccuum with him in the room for the first time. (I used to have to make an elaborate plan to find a time to do it.)

Adam and I still miss some things about Seattle, especially my job. I had a job I LOVED with awesome insurance and a great salary. We went from coasting along just fine financially to dog-paddling desperately until help comes along. (In the form of a raise or better job for Adam.) I really like some things about my current job, but I have to deal with some drama I'm not used to. With my job in Seattle I just threw myself in 100% and did great. But here I have to worry about politics and watch what I say really closely.

Hopefully I will get more comfortable at work. It's stressful at times but it's well worth being close to our families and living in a great house. I love this house so much I would give it a big hug if my arms were long enough. Someone could offer me a bigger house in a better neighborhood, with a dishwasher and an attached garage, and I wouldn't want to move. (though I might try to talk them into just giving me the dishwasher!)

Ok, time to wake B up from his nap. He's been fighting his naps lately and didn't go down until 3:30 today. I will pay for that big time tonight when he refuses to go to bed!

Brenden Pics

What's a boy have to do to get some scrambled eggs around here?

Brenden loves riding around in his doll stroller - we're not sure what we're going to do when the wheels finally fall off

Busted during a love-fest with Momo

Brenden's favorite play room

Story Time

Nap Time on the couch

Brenden Potter

Corn on the cob - he can eat a whole ear in 2 minutes flat