The New Year: For Better or For Worse

Well, the new year is here. I think. I slept through most of the festivities that evening. I'm old and tired and going to bed was much more appealing than staying up and watching a bizarre Dick Clark count down to midnight.

Of course, I spent my week off carb loading before the Monday, January 5 deadline. I think it's normal for most people to gain 5 pounds over the holidays. I must have done 10-15 in damage. I'm such a carb junkie!

On Monday, I started my South Beach diet again. I've been very very successful with this in the past and hope to reap some rewards. I must admit, it's been hard this time. For one, I had to give up caffeine and the headaches I've gotten because of that have been murder. The other is the amount of food I'm eating has been reduced and I'm hungry. The only thing that seems to stave the hunger and the headaches is to eat a little bit of cards. I have about 5 crackers with cheese or some chocolate (polishing off the last of my Santa...I should throw it out but I just can't!).

Today is Thursday and things seem to be going a bit better. The headaches haven't come yet today and I started packing more food. I make a salad and meat for lunch. I bring 2 Jellos instead of 1. I picked up sugar free gum to keep my mouth busy.

Of course, I was too chicken to get on the scale on Monday so I wouldn't know if I lost any weight this week or not. But I'm trying not to worry about it and go by how my clothes are fitting. I do know I'm eating a lot move veggies than I was before, so if anything that's a plus. And I've cut out the bagel with butter and Coke everyday, which also has to be a major plus.

Being fat sucks. Dieting sucks. I keep doing all this work time and time again and never seem to stop going back to the bad habits once the weight has been lost. So, here I go again.

On a positive, fun note I saw the Off-Broadway play Rock of Ages for New Years. The most fun I've had at a play in a long time. The 80s songs are worth going for! It's moving to Broadway and I think will do great. Highly recommend it!!

Christmas is Coming...the Mommy is Getting Fat

Well, getting wouldn't be the right word. Is fat would be a more accurate statement. I keep thinking about the New Year and what I'd like to do to remedy the situation. A few years ago I did a diet challenge with some ladies at the office and lost about 50 pounds doing South Beach. I'd like to say the diet is hard and easy at the same time. When you're a picky eater like me, breakfast can be hard. Eggs every morning gets to be unbearable...and it's still hard for me to swallow the thought. But the diet works. My commute was hard and I didn't have time to make it to the gym much and I still lost the weight. I'd love to start a diet challenge, even without cash, but as a motivator with other mommies. Who knows...maybe I'll put more thought into it. There's a great website/blog called Mommy Later Than Sooner that might be an avenue for it. I wouldn't want to know anyone's actual weight (God knows I wouldn't want to share mine), but would want to know inches lost and pounds lost. I'll add it to my to do list.

On a positive note, I have started taking my vitamins again in the morning. I can't remember the last time I ate a real veggie, so I definitely need to be a person who takes their vitamins. One teeny tiny small step in the right direction.

I want to try the recipes in that Jessica Seinfeld books as well. I own it. It sits on my kitchen counter. Guess osmosis isn't really going to happen. Nor will be hiring a chef, so I'm thinking I might have to open the pages and add items to my grocery list.

I'd also like to try adding a new thing to my life each week. You know, ridding ones self of bad habits, adding healthy habits into my life, trying new things, etc. For example, (and I don't know when this stopped happening) to brush my teeth each night before bed. A horrible habit to get out of, I admit. I think these kinds of things are doable, and instead of failing at all my New Year's resolutions, these are ones I can be successful at. Oh, joy!

I'm also hoping that little voice in the back of head that keeps going "I don't want to be the fat mommy" becomes louder and louder and forces me into action. Anyone have a used treadmill they'd like to sell me?????

They Meet: Bugs and Santa

This past weekend, my mother's company held a huge family holiday party complete with having our picture taken with Santa. We stand in line (for about 5 minutes, not too bad) and let her toddle around watching what everyone is doing, seeing the other kids sit on his lap, pointing to him, the works. Once it was our turn, sour grapes. We didn't cry exactly, it was more of a "who is this strange man and why do I have to sit on his lap and you better get me off now before I scream." So, the look on her face is priceless and I will probably laugh about it a lot more in years to come. All I have to say is, I'm happy I didn't stand in line for an hour and pay $40 for the same face. Other than that, she had a blast. She loves to watch other kids and see what they are doing. We had lunch, tried to sit through a magic show, but that wasn't happening. She got some balloons to take home which thrilled her to pieces. All in all, it was a nice day spent with grandma and great-grandma.

This Saturday her other grandparents have a Christmas party at their 55+ village and Santa will be joining us. Maybe try 2 will go better, since he won't be such a 'stranger' to her. I have fun anyway, dressing her up and showing her off. What's not to like.

It even seems that grandpa is going to play Santa on Christmas Eve and make a surprise visit to our house. Her two other little cousins will be thrilled by this. I doubt she'll care, but I know it will make grandpa happy.

On a side bar, her walking is vastly improved and it seems to become the approved mode of transportation. Her walking to crawling ratio must be about 85%/15% and grows every day. The time she crawls is when she wants to move super fast and crawling does that. We don't know how to run yet. It's so cute to watch her walk around like Frankenstein with her arms straight out in front of her. She's getting so big!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Although no one is hear to read my posts, I'm still sending happy wishes out to everyone.

I know I am thankful my family will get together this holiday and have a feast on our table. I'm thankful my daughter has three sets of grandparents and 2 great-grandma's who love her dearly and are able to witness her growing up. I'm thankful I have a roof over my head, a car to take me to and fro, and a job. I'm especially thankful to the people (fur and skin) that I go home to each night...my husband, my daughter, my Sammy dog and my Tigger kitty.

Blessings everyone!

We've Been Hit...By The Croup

My daughter has come down with Croup. Sounds just as horrible as the name. Poor girl is up during the night coughing and hacking like a seal. Most evenings, around 2 am, she coughs so hard she throws up. Not like changing her crib is a pleasurable experience normally (bumpers) but at 2 am, it's even less so. So, I rock her and comfort her as best I can and do all the things the books say. Not sure what benefit they are really having, but it makes me feel better like I'm contributing to her recovery.

This is going to be my daughter's second Thanksgiving. Last year she was 3 weeks old at Thanksgiving and slept through the vast majority of it. She was so cute and so little then! Last night when she was sitting on my lap reading a Thanksgiving book with me, it was so emotional to think back to life a year ago and all the changes that have happened. I'm sure next Thanksgiving I'll have her on my lap reading a story and have the same exact thoughts. Time really does fly by. I try every day to enjoy my daughter and be thankful for her.

One Step For Babykind

She did it! She took her first tentative steps toward Toddlerhood. Of course, being a working mom I missed the real actual first steps. She did those at daycare and when I arrived to pick her up they had her ready and waiting to show me her new skill. I was such the proud Mommy!! This is one of the last big milestones in her life...walking. I know there is reading, bike riding, words, to follow this, but this seems like the send off from babyhood into toddlerhood.

The hardest part of all of this? Not sharing with anyone! I worked on her last night to take a few steps for my husband as a surprise. I think she used most of her skill and energy up earlier, and it took some major bribing with Puffs on my part to get her to take 3 steps for me. But we were both so thrilled. I haven't said a word to the grandparents, which was so hard because my mom called last night. We're going to see her tomorrow and I want Bugs to surprise her. I want to tell everyone, but really want to see the look of happiness and surprise on their faces when they discover her new skill. Her one set of grandparents have walked up and down the halls of their condo with her Wednesday evening and after Wednesday evening. They will be overjoyed!

Such major developments going on in our house with the little person. I look at the pictures on my desk from as soon as 4 months ago and the changes are just incredible. Her hair is fuller and fuller in each shot, her face is more mature, she's grown...ugh, it tugs at the heartstrings. I just love this little person more than anybody in the world and more than I ever imagined.

No Walkie Mommy

We have a contented cruiser in our house. We'll walk around and around the coffee table, from end to end on the couch and even take the wee minor step from the coffee table to the couch. Beyond that, nothing! My daughter will even stand on her own and when coaxed to take the one little step towards you, down she goes. Right on her bottom. Give her the push cart or anything on wheels, and she'll zip around the house like a devil. Seriously...get out of her way or get run over.

The "experts" say that most children start to toddle around the 13th month. I'm hoping so, because I think she will be so much happier with this freedom. And the knees on her pants will be happier too, they are the only dirty spot on her! I'll be happy because it will be less carrying around this 23 pound ball of fun. Such a monumental achievement in her life. I can't believe we're already at this point...it really seems like just yesterday I was cheering her on to holding her head up, sitting up, clapping, crawling. I'm feeling old!

Just yesterday I was thinking about where I was a year ago, home on maternity leave with this little bundle that wouldn't sleep. Sometimes I yearn for that baby, all those adventures again. Then I think about how tired I was and how I feel like now I'm just catching up on my sleep and my life again and would I want to go through it all over? And I had concerns and worries the last time I was pregnant due to my "advanced age" and the possibilities it brings with it. I was blessed with a healthy, smart, beautiful little girl who is the light of my life and who knows what another round could bring. I truly worry about it, even though I know we would get through it and love that child just as much. But who wants to even for a second have to think about making a decision on a child's life?

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the day when I can send all the grandparents a video of Bugs doing her wobbly walk!