The Plan: Colorado

I love this place!

Okay, so the news has been announced and we are moving back home. I just thought I should take a moment to update you all on our plan. Here it is--much simpler on paper than it is actually going to be to execute!

1. Purge house of all unnecessary junk.
2. Pack (long process--has already begun)
3. Find a place to live in CO. Still not sure where exactly we will be yet--anywhere from Broomfield to Fort Collins is still a possibility.
4. Say our good-bye's in Texas. Much harder than I originally anticipated. I have come to love some really wonderful people here!
5. Pack up house on April 30th and begin trek to CO with two dogs and a baby in tow!

Yikes! No wonder I have a cold sore right now. I'm a little stressed about it. Excited. Nervous. Giddy. Happy. Sad. Basically all the same emotions I experienced moving from CO to TX...it's all coming back to me now.

The Goal: Days 3 and 4

Since both days were the same: failures...I will pose only this question: WHY IS THIS THE THING I SEEM TO BE MOST WILLING TO FAIL? I refuse to fail at anything else, and I can't seem to get this under control. My brain and my body are at war.

http://ashley-chatterbox.blogspot.com/2010_03_01_archive.html

Where is my Jillian when I need one? That is all.

The Goal: Day 2

http://www.zazzle.com/i_love_food_tshirt-235632202258801328

As usual, Day Two of my little experiment was much harder than Day One. I was able to do pretty well during the day, but as the night came and dragged on and on (Nick was out of town for work) I found myself turning to food. So, basically, I had a horrible eating day yesterday. I know that I am a stress eater. I stress. I eat. I worry. I eat. I'm bored. I eat. You would think that a newborn--and a preemie at that--would keep me busy enough to stay away from food. She kind of does. She kind of doesn't. Once again, it all comes down to breastfeeding. I never seem to feel full. That should probably be a good thing, but for someone who has spent her whole life eating until I felt full, this isn't so good. I am glad I am putting myself through this process though. I am learning a lot about my relationship with food--and if anyone who watches The Biggest Loser knows--it is an important relationship to explore.

The Goal: Day 1

Day One was yesterday, and I have to say...giving myself a checklist of what I should be eating has totally worked for me. I honestly should have thought of this years ago! I am much more prone to follow something when I can cross it off the list as having done it. However, I didn't actually get through every serving of everything I should have had according to the chart.
I probably should mention that because I am a nursing momma, I am not trying to diet. I am frustrated because, while so many women lose weight while breastfeeding, I have gained weight. And since I haven't lost all the baby weight yet, I am heavier than I have ever been. This makes me miserable. Since I can't diet and workout excessively, this self project is all about re-teaching myself to make healthy eating choices. This is something I have never been very good at. When Q was in the hospital, we ate whatever was fastest or available at the hospital. This didn't afford us the healthiest of choices, and Nick and I soon discovered that we were truly fast food junkies! It is a hard habit to break, and with a baby who depends on my food choices for her food choices, I need to be better! Granted, I am hoping that eating healthier and walking more (Nick and I have been going several times a week with Q) I will be able to gradually watch that extra weight disappear. If I can be back to pre-pregnancy weight by the time I am done nursing, I will be happy.
I was full and happy last night with what I had to eat for the day, and since I got to workout yesterday too, I say it was a productive day!
Starting weight: _ _ 3--I'm not giving that all away!

http://web.mit.edu/athletics/sportsmedicine/wcrfoodpyr.html

The Goal

To eat healthier and to get back into my exercise routine! With the help from THIS website, I was able to see exactly how many servings of each part of the food pyramid I should be eating daily. Check it out for yourself. I'll be reporting on how this goes and mostly on how I feel!

Ah, Life!

I figured it was about time that I update the blog. I have a small window of time since Q just put herself to sleep--for the first time! Yay! Anyway, we have been so busy and not all at the same time. My days fly as Q and I try to keep a semi-normal schedule. We have tried to stay on the same kind of feeding/sleeping schedule she was on in the NICU. I can always tell when we have strayed from that schedule. We both have rougher days when that happens!
Because it has been so much warmer here the past few weeks, we have been able to go out lots more. Here are a few pictures from some of Q's adventures!

 Here we are on Q's first official outing! We took Flat Stanley to the Fort Worth Stockyards. She slept the entire time!

We went to the Cowboy Museum down there as well. We are standing in front of a hearse carriage. It was the prettiest one.

 Her first Sunday at church. Daddy was sick, so it was just Q and me! She slept through most of it.

Here Q is with Ruth at the shower she, Ang, Julia, and Katy threw for us. It was kind of Open House style with people coming and going as they pleased. It was so nice to be able to show Q off a little.

This is Q's Uncle Mikey. We went to celebrate his upcoming marriage (that actually happened on Saturday) and to wish him and his bride, Trish, well as they move to Belgium to live for two years.

And this is just a stylin' baby girl!