Back to workin it out everyday... oh goodness.
I've been blessed since having a baby. I lost all of the weight I gained within 2 weeks of my delivery and haven't had any trouble keeping it off. But, anyone whose had a baby will tell you, it doesn't quite sit the same once you lose it. I'm actually smaller than I was before I got pregnant, but have just a bit more of a pooch in my lower tummy than I did before and my abs aren't as strong. I just look more skinny now and less toned. And that's just not gonna work. We all know I like to have my muscles toned and I like my cardio everyday.
I had been doing some yoga and stuff on and off since I was cleared for working out at my 8 week check up. Then, last week, I decided it was time to start back with my old work out routine. This includes my elliptical (BEST PURCHASE EVER EVER EVER)... since purchasing it 2 years ago, I haven't been happier. I have paid for the thing over and over and over again by the usage I have gotten out of it... it kicks my tail, has 8 workouts and you can even make your own. Anyway, I digress... sorry. So, the workout includes my elliptical, which is a different workout everyday and I spend anywhere from 30 min to 1 hour and 15 min. on it just depending on what I'm doing that day and the workout. Afterwards I do crunches and pushups and on certain days yoga.
LET ME TELL YOU.............. I FEEL GREAT! I worked out when I was pregnant, but it just wasn't the same. I couldn't feel the crazy adrenaline that I always love when I work out because I couldn't get all crazy with it while carrying an extra 30 pounds! I'm a junkie for exercise! It completes my day.
SO, YAY for me getting back on the saddle with the workouts! I'm super pumped and can't wait for tomorrow's routine.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
there's a first time for everything...
last week was a week full of firsts.
it was opie's first full week away with his new position at work. he was in manning, sc which is about 4 hours away in the most muggy, yucky part of the state, right below columbia. he worked his tail off to get back here by friday. he even worked a 24 hour day on monday-tuesday. i'm so proud of him. all he could think about was getting home.
it was also the week that annabelle decided she wanted to get a little more fiesty with her coos and noises. and on tuesday she had her first squeal... you know, like a delightful squeal. it was so precious. she was lying on her back in her gym, staring at the fan like usual and just trying her hardest to talk to it. just cooing and google eyed and then she just smiled real big and squealed so loud... i loved it! it just stole my heart! of course i immediately called her daddy to share the excitement. and he was sad he wasn't here for it, but he's gotten to see her do it a few times since he's been back home. the greatest part is she actually squeals at me now, which is awesome because it lets me believe that she actually might think i'm funny! i'm just waiting for that first laugh! she's "talking" a lot more now. or at least i like to call it talking. she just plays and makes noises all day long and i love it! she tries to copy noises that opie and i make to her. she's so smart!
on a darker note, it was also the first week we had to help her poop. she had a similar issue the week before but finally ended up going on her own. and we weren't too worried because she wasn't constipated. well it happened again this week and this time she never went on her own. since breastfed babies usually don't have to push at all, early on, cause it just kinda comes out, they usually have a time learning how to use those muscles when it's time. so, now that she's having to learn to use them now that her bowels are more developed i think she was just having some trouble pooping on her own. so, we had to help her. we used a q-tip and some vaseline (per the pediatrician) and didn't expect for it to work like right away... but, oh boy!!!!!!!! we were not prepared and we had quite a mess on our hands. i won't go into detail. let's just say it was a crazy first that we will definitely be prepared to handle the second time if necessary.
it's also been the first week our dogs have stayed outside full time. we finally got their place set up in our back yard and it works better for everyone. they can come in when i'm home alone or when it's raining or whatever, but for now it's best that they stay outside. i've got too much to take care of with the baby and really don't have time to worry about them all the time. i know that sounds a little rough, but they are very needy when they are inside and Annabelle is my number one priority. she comes first now.
it was also our first "taking out the trash" weekend. i stole this term from scarlet and matt. they do this like every year and i am so glad i learned from them. opie and i have lived in this house for almost 2 years and have never done a thorough "taking out the trash". and by that i mean, just getting rid of junk that we don't need anymore. our house is typically clean and nice and tidy, but i can't get over that we just have so much stuff that we have held onto that we don't need. the rule for the day was if we haven't used it this year, it gets thrown out. so saturday, opie and i went through and got rid of sooooooo many things that we have no use for. and man, it was soooooooo freeing! i love it. i think i wanna do it twice a year.
Saturday was also Annbelle's first Spittoono ever! we will make this an annual tradition for her since it has been an annual one for both of us. it's a great way to give money to charity and see old friends in clemson. good music, good atmosphere, good people and it's outside in clemson and you know opie and i love being outside and especially in clemson! Annabelle loved it and she did so well just hangin out with us in the grass!
so, it's been a week of firsts and annabelle is already starting to show signs of sitting up early. i'm just waiting. she's so smart. no matter what she does, i'll be proud.
i'm so excited about everything we have accomplished since the baby has arrived. i love my family. i can't wait to see what kind of firsts God has in store for us next! yay!!!!!!!!
it was opie's first full week away with his new position at work. he was in manning, sc which is about 4 hours away in the most muggy, yucky part of the state, right below columbia. he worked his tail off to get back here by friday. he even worked a 24 hour day on monday-tuesday. i'm so proud of him. all he could think about was getting home.
it was also the week that annabelle decided she wanted to get a little more fiesty with her coos and noises. and on tuesday she had her first squeal... you know, like a delightful squeal. it was so precious. she was lying on her back in her gym, staring at the fan like usual and just trying her hardest to talk to it. just cooing and google eyed and then she just smiled real big and squealed so loud... i loved it! it just stole my heart! of course i immediately called her daddy to share the excitement. and he was sad he wasn't here for it, but he's gotten to see her do it a few times since he's been back home. the greatest part is she actually squeals at me now, which is awesome because it lets me believe that she actually might think i'm funny! i'm just waiting for that first laugh! she's "talking" a lot more now. or at least i like to call it talking. she just plays and makes noises all day long and i love it! she tries to copy noises that opie and i make to her. she's so smart!
on a darker note, it was also the first week we had to help her poop. she had a similar issue the week before but finally ended up going on her own. and we weren't too worried because she wasn't constipated. well it happened again this week and this time she never went on her own. since breastfed babies usually don't have to push at all, early on, cause it just kinda comes out, they usually have a time learning how to use those muscles when it's time. so, now that she's having to learn to use them now that her bowels are more developed i think she was just having some trouble pooping on her own. so, we had to help her. we used a q-tip and some vaseline (per the pediatrician) and didn't expect for it to work like right away... but, oh boy!!!!!!!! we were not prepared and we had quite a mess on our hands. i won't go into detail. let's just say it was a crazy first that we will definitely be prepared to handle the second time if necessary.
it's also been the first week our dogs have stayed outside full time. we finally got their place set up in our back yard and it works better for everyone. they can come in when i'm home alone or when it's raining or whatever, but for now it's best that they stay outside. i've got too much to take care of with the baby and really don't have time to worry about them all the time. i know that sounds a little rough, but they are very needy when they are inside and Annabelle is my number one priority. she comes first now.
it was also our first "taking out the trash" weekend. i stole this term from scarlet and matt. they do this like every year and i am so glad i learned from them. opie and i have lived in this house for almost 2 years and have never done a thorough "taking out the trash". and by that i mean, just getting rid of junk that we don't need anymore. our house is typically clean and nice and tidy, but i can't get over that we just have so much stuff that we have held onto that we don't need. the rule for the day was if we haven't used it this year, it gets thrown out. so saturday, opie and i went through and got rid of sooooooo many things that we have no use for. and man, it was soooooooo freeing! i love it. i think i wanna do it twice a year.
Saturday was also Annbelle's first Spittoono ever! we will make this an annual tradition for her since it has been an annual one for both of us. it's a great way to give money to charity and see old friends in clemson. good music, good atmosphere, good people and it's outside in clemson and you know opie and i love being outside and especially in clemson! Annabelle loved it and she did so well just hangin out with us in the grass!
so, it's been a week of firsts and annabelle is already starting to show signs of sitting up early. i'm just waiting. she's so smart. no matter what she does, i'll be proud.
i'm so excited about everything we have accomplished since the baby has arrived. i love my family. i can't wait to see what kind of firsts God has in store for us next! yay!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
He's the potter, I'm the clay...
i just wanna share what's been on my heart recently. i love the book of Philippians from start to finish, so i could probably write a 20 page blog about it, but i just really wanna share a piece of it that has meant a lot for my hungry soul lately.
"... He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." -Philippians 1:6
He'll be faithful to complete it........ if I let Him. No matter how much I mess up or have pushed Him away in the past, He holds onto me. He has a plan for me. And when I let Him, He wants to show me what that plan is. He will mold me and make me in His image every day that I let Him take control. I've been reminded of this so much lately and I'm so thankful that when i start to slip, He brings me right back to Him. He constantly reminds me that He is the potter and I'm the clay. What an awesome God!
I pray everyday that I am able to be a good example for Annabelle and that she'll come to know these things about our amazing God too! I pray that she will be whoever she wants to be, but that God will always be at the center of her world.
"... He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." -Philippians 1:6
He'll be faithful to complete it........ if I let Him. No matter how much I mess up or have pushed Him away in the past, He holds onto me. He has a plan for me. And when I let Him, He wants to show me what that plan is. He will mold me and make me in His image every day that I let Him take control. I've been reminded of this so much lately and I'm so thankful that when i start to slip, He brings me right back to Him. He constantly reminds me that He is the potter and I'm the clay. What an awesome God!
I pray everyday that I am able to be a good example for Annabelle and that she'll come to know these things about our amazing God too! I pray that she will be whoever she wants to be, but that God will always be at the center of her world.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
are there golf carts in heaven?
So, this past week has been an emotional rollercoaster. Last tuesday Opie found out he'll be traveling to Asheville for work for about 2-6 months. I was really angry at first, but then I realized that it's just another way God is providing a way for us to financially allow me to stay home with Annabelle. Then, his boss decided he needed to go to Manning, SC for some training this week. Well, that threw a bit of a kink in our plans. We were supposed to be going to Columbia to see my family Saturday and Sunday and then coming home to Seneca. (Side note: Manning is about an hour and fifteen minutes below where my family lives... so, I decided to stay in Columbia for the days that Opie spent in Manning.) Boy, God works in amazing ways. If it weren't for Opie's job we would have never stayed in Columbia for a few extra days and I may have never gotten to have a sweet talk with my grandaddy before he left this world.
We got into town on Saturday and spent a great day with my dad's whole family for my cousin Aleesha's graduation party. It was sad because my grandaddy wasn't there and was in the hospital again. My sister and I both had our babies and husbands there and my grandmother and aunts and uncles got to meet Annabelle for the first time! Oh, I forgot to mention, this was also the first time that Jackson (my sister's baby) and Annabelle met and the first time I got to see my handsome nephew and my sister got to meet Annabelle. It was pretty emotional. Since we had the babies 2 weeks a part, neither one of us could travel when they were born. Anyway, after the party Opie, Annabelle and I went back to my sister's and hung out with her and Stephen and Jackson. In the middle of the night we were woken up by a terrible phone call from my dad saying they had moved my grandpa to ICU and we should get down there quickly if we wanted to see him. He was bleeding internally and had stopped breathing. They had him on a ventilator, as he could not breathe on his own. What I saw when I got there was awful and I cried for the rest of the night and kept seeing his face over and over. I never ever wanted to remember him that way. We stayed until about 5 a.m. and decided we needed to go home and rest. The next day my mom had a baby shower planned for me at my sister's. I never had one with my family in Columbia when I was pregnant. So, we were having a post-baby baby shower.
Sunday came and we were all exhausted. Opie was leaving for Manning to work and we had a baby shower planned. The baby shower was so much fun and I got to see my mom's family and they all got to meet the baby too! Opie left me on Sunday night to go to Manning and I spent the evening with my mom and sister. I kept seeing that image of Grandaddy that I didn't want to remember. I had decided I couldn't see him again that way. Monday was good. Mama took me and Whitney to lunch and we went shopping... I went to mama's dance class and dinner with her. All the while still waiting on news about Grandaddy. They had told us early Sunday morning that there wasn't very much they could do for him because he wasn't stable enough for surgery to stop the bleeding and his kidneys were shutting down. So, we were waiting to hear what to do next. Tuesday morning they ran some tests on him to see if he could come off the ventilator and make it on his own. My dad came by and spent some quiet time with me and Annabelle. I know he needed it. My grandaddy was my daddy's best friend and I've never seen my daddy so torn up in all my life. I sat with him and let him talk and cry and just listened. While he was spending time with us, my aunt called and said my dad needed to get there. They were saying that Grandaddy would probably pass that day. Daddy called me as soon as he got there and said I needed to get down there by 1:30 because they were taking Grandaddy off the ventilator at that time and he would have to breathe on his own and may not have much time after that. I packed up Annabelle and met my sister and family there. I didn't want to go back and see him again. I remember what I saw Saturday night and I couldn't handle it again.
My daddy convinced me I needed to go and promised he'd hold my hand. So, Whitney, my daddy and myself went to the room to say our goodbyes. AND I am sooooooo very grateful that I did. I saw him peaceful. He looked better than he did when I saw him Saturday and I was able to stand and talk to him and cry with my daddy and sister. I will never ever forget those moments. I thanked him for loving us so much, because he did love us more than any grandparent in the world. I thanked him for all the candy before dinner and all the golf cart rides through the woods and to the catfish pond. We waited in the waiting room for a while afterwards until the nurses came to tell us it was time to take him off of all the machines. My whole entire family (probably 20 something people) stood in the hall near his room and waited. When they opened the door, he was there, breathing, on his own. We all crammed into his room and stood around his bed, for what seemed like forever. He breathed and made noise, but mostly he looked comfortable and peaceful and that's what we all wanted to see. My daddy stood next to him the whole time, never letting go of his hand. When it was time for me to leave, I leaned in and kissed him and spoke something in his ear and daddy told me later that he shook his head while i was whispering to him. THAT MEANT THE WORLD TO ME! I know he heard me. I know he knew I was there. I knew then that I could let him go and have a sense of peace knowing that he knew how much I loved him.
Daddy stayed by his side all night and Wednesday morning at about 10:15 he took his last breath. My daddy was there holding his hand and loving him. The hardest part of this whole thing has been watching my daddy hurt so much. His dad was his best buddy and it's gonna be a long time before my daddy is okay. That's the hardest part. I've never had to lose a grandparent and I didn't know what it would be like, but it's been the hardest loss of my life. And it's hard to watch your parents hurt so much too. I hate that Grandaddy never met Annabelle. It kills me everyday. I know he would have adored her and she would have just loved him to pieces! But, I know they will meet one day and he'll be walking. He won't be cripple anymore. No more polio holding him back. No more crutches and scooters and no more pain. He will walk or run right up to us when we see him again... OR MAYBE he'll be riding a shiny golf cart. He loved our golf cart rides... nothing will ever compare. What I wouldn't give for just one more ride with him...
We got into town on Saturday and spent a great day with my dad's whole family for my cousin Aleesha's graduation party. It was sad because my grandaddy wasn't there and was in the hospital again. My sister and I both had our babies and husbands there and my grandmother and aunts and uncles got to meet Annabelle for the first time! Oh, I forgot to mention, this was also the first time that Jackson (my sister's baby) and Annabelle met and the first time I got to see my handsome nephew and my sister got to meet Annabelle. It was pretty emotional. Since we had the babies 2 weeks a part, neither one of us could travel when they were born. Anyway, after the party Opie, Annabelle and I went back to my sister's and hung out with her and Stephen and Jackson. In the middle of the night we were woken up by a terrible phone call from my dad saying they had moved my grandpa to ICU and we should get down there quickly if we wanted to see him. He was bleeding internally and had stopped breathing. They had him on a ventilator, as he could not breathe on his own. What I saw when I got there was awful and I cried for the rest of the night and kept seeing his face over and over. I never ever wanted to remember him that way. We stayed until about 5 a.m. and decided we needed to go home and rest. The next day my mom had a baby shower planned for me at my sister's. I never had one with my family in Columbia when I was pregnant. So, we were having a post-baby baby shower.
Sunday came and we were all exhausted. Opie was leaving for Manning to work and we had a baby shower planned. The baby shower was so much fun and I got to see my mom's family and they all got to meet the baby too! Opie left me on Sunday night to go to Manning and I spent the evening with my mom and sister. I kept seeing that image of Grandaddy that I didn't want to remember. I had decided I couldn't see him again that way. Monday was good. Mama took me and Whitney to lunch and we went shopping... I went to mama's dance class and dinner with her. All the while still waiting on news about Grandaddy. They had told us early Sunday morning that there wasn't very much they could do for him because he wasn't stable enough for surgery to stop the bleeding and his kidneys were shutting down. So, we were waiting to hear what to do next. Tuesday morning they ran some tests on him to see if he could come off the ventilator and make it on his own. My dad came by and spent some quiet time with me and Annabelle. I know he needed it. My grandaddy was my daddy's best friend and I've never seen my daddy so torn up in all my life. I sat with him and let him talk and cry and just listened. While he was spending time with us, my aunt called and said my dad needed to get there. They were saying that Grandaddy would probably pass that day. Daddy called me as soon as he got there and said I needed to get down there by 1:30 because they were taking Grandaddy off the ventilator at that time and he would have to breathe on his own and may not have much time after that. I packed up Annabelle and met my sister and family there. I didn't want to go back and see him again. I remember what I saw Saturday night and I couldn't handle it again.
My daddy convinced me I needed to go and promised he'd hold my hand. So, Whitney, my daddy and myself went to the room to say our goodbyes. AND I am sooooooo very grateful that I did. I saw him peaceful. He looked better than he did when I saw him Saturday and I was able to stand and talk to him and cry with my daddy and sister. I will never ever forget those moments. I thanked him for loving us so much, because he did love us more than any grandparent in the world. I thanked him for all the candy before dinner and all the golf cart rides through the woods and to the catfish pond. We waited in the waiting room for a while afterwards until the nurses came to tell us it was time to take him off of all the machines. My whole entire family (probably 20 something people) stood in the hall near his room and waited. When they opened the door, he was there, breathing, on his own. We all crammed into his room and stood around his bed, for what seemed like forever. He breathed and made noise, but mostly he looked comfortable and peaceful and that's what we all wanted to see. My daddy stood next to him the whole time, never letting go of his hand. When it was time for me to leave, I leaned in and kissed him and spoke something in his ear and daddy told me later that he shook his head while i was whispering to him. THAT MEANT THE WORLD TO ME! I know he heard me. I know he knew I was there. I knew then that I could let him go and have a sense of peace knowing that he knew how much I loved him.
Daddy stayed by his side all night and Wednesday morning at about 10:15 he took his last breath. My daddy was there holding his hand and loving him. The hardest part of this whole thing has been watching my daddy hurt so much. His dad was his best buddy and it's gonna be a long time before my daddy is okay. That's the hardest part. I've never had to lose a grandparent and I didn't know what it would be like, but it's been the hardest loss of my life. And it's hard to watch your parents hurt so much too. I hate that Grandaddy never met Annabelle. It kills me everyday. I know he would have adored her and she would have just loved him to pieces! But, I know they will meet one day and he'll be walking. He won't be cripple anymore. No more polio holding him back. No more crutches and scooters and no more pain. He will walk or run right up to us when we see him again... OR MAYBE he'll be riding a shiny golf cart. He loved our golf cart rides... nothing will ever compare. What I wouldn't give for just one more ride with him...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)