The dead tree stands....thankfully!!

First...let me start by thanking everyone for all of their sweet comments and prayers....they worked!!!  Not only is my neighbor's dead tree still standing but we managed to get through the storm and keep power the WHOLE time....whoa, I never in my wildest dreams thought that was a possibility.  We were VERY fortunate in that we really have nothing to show for a Category 1 hurricane barreling through our area...a few very small branches in our yard and some pine straw.  We have no idea how or why we got so lucky but are SO thankful we did as we know millions up and down the east coast did not fare as well.  My thoughts and prayers go out to all of those whose lives have been affected by this horrible storm.  I can only hope that recovery from this storm will be swift and painless.

My blogging will continue to be sporadic as we decided to head out to Charleston for a shortened vacation with the fam - I hesitate to blog about that because I'm a worrier...BUT don't even think about touching my house....a large burly man and his little friend are watching it.  OOHH...and 90% of my neighbors are retired so we've got neighborhood watch like whoa.

J

I think we've battened our hatches

As I sit here writing this post I can't help but lament on the fact that we should packing our car for a one week vacation in Charleston...instead, the proverbial "waiting game" has begun for Hurricane Irene.  Things are looking better this evening than they were yesterday with the storm showing some signs of weakening but we are still being warned that this will be a very bad storm with widespread damage to property, flooding, and prolonged power loss (defined by our local news as 4+ days).  The hubs and I have spent the last 3 days ensuring we have the proper supplies and done everything we can to secure our property.  We've stowed away all of our outdoor furniture, bought tons of water, purchased a generator for a small fee (ouch! those things are pricey), organized our fridge and devised a meal plan for no power, filled every tank we own with gas, bought plenty of charcoal for grilling, taken pictures and video taped a tour of our house for insurance purposes, and screwed any loose doors shut (screen door on back porch and shed doors).  I'm exhausted from not only all of this hurricane preparedness that has consumed us but also from a crazy, long, and stressful week at work.  My largest concern right now is the 100 ft. pine trees that line our property line but belong to my neighbor so I can't touch them....yet, they could slice my house in half if any go down.  And just as fate would have it...one of those suckers is dead...like all of the needles are brown and bark is starting to rot off...which as a responsible homeowner would generally mean you would have the tree taken down.  Nope...not my neighbor...he has brand new windows and a new roof on his house...but the dead tree stands.  At this hour...that is what is scaring me the most.  We do not live in any form of flood plain and are actually located on some of the highest land in Virginia Beach (see....there are perks to not living on the beach:)) so I am not concerned about water coming into my house as a result of flooding.  The thought of power loss is unsettling but I've excepted that and know that it's temporary.  But the thought of a tree coming through my house...terrifies me.  They are calling for sustained tropical storm force winds for approximately 21 hours with hurricane force winds and higher gusts in there as well...starting tonight.  Tomorrow will be nerve rattling and I'm sure by Sunday when Irene has left to wreak havoc on other parts of the east coast I will fall flat.

I have no idea what will happen to my blogging...I suppose power will be key to that so don't expect to hear anything for awhile but I am hoping to tweet during and after the storm.  I too want to apologize for not reading and commenting on blogs this week...as you can see, I've been a bit....uummm, distracted.  The good news though is that the crazy amounts of rain we are expecting should be enough to put out the dismal swamp fire!!  I'm sending prayers and hugs to everyone tonight that is sitting in the same boat we are...crazy....stay safe!

J

A first for us and a change in perspective...

What a day...I spend so much time blogging about all of Addie's firsts but thought I should also mention that today we all experienced a first...think ground shaking and hysteria....yep, an earthquake on the east coast.  While chatting with a co-worker about the United Way campaign we paused to take in what we first thought was some work going on in the building...until we noticed the whole building was shaking.  As if in slow motion, we filed out into the hall to find everyone else doing the same...we all exchanged confused looks and systematically headed to the stairwells to file out of the building.  And not because an alarm had sounded...I suppose it was just our gut reaction to get out of the building....down 16 floors we all went.  Exiting the building was like joining the street party...people were every.where - it was surreal and at this point we still had no idea what was going on.  Honestly....earthquake didn't even cross my mind in those first 5 minutes but soon after joining the rest of my co-workers at our designated meeting spot we had it figured out.  Confusion set in as stories of shaking in New York and Roanoke spread from those that had been engaged in conversations with people in those locales when the quake hit.  Fortunately there was no damage...I forgot my phone and no one was able to get calls out anyhow...but soon after returning to my desk I got an email from my hubs and was able to get a call out to my parents to make sure everyone was doing well....everyone was safe...albeit a bit startled!  So...here I sit...reflecting on the fact that I experienced my first earthquake today...weird, right?!

And just because mother nature threw a curve ball at us today doesn't mean she isn't also up to some of her old tricks...according to my friend Jim Cantore at the The Weather Channel (insert sarcasm here - he's not exactly the person you want visiting your neck of the woods) Hurricane Irene currently has her sights set on our area..or at least somewhere close by.  It's amazing how much my perspective on these events have changed...prior to being a mother, homeowner, and responsible adult these scenarios were actually kind of exciting for me.  Losing power was an excuse to light all of those candles my mother stored away in the drawers and grill a freezer worth of meat...and it always seemed like the community really united during these times...and part of me really enjoyed that.  I didn't mind picking up branches and debris or taking cold showers...cold meals were ok in my book too.  But today as I sit here and type this...I must admit...I'm terrified.  I worry about the pine tree farm that my neighbor behind me has growing (these trees are literally like 100 ft tall) and what they will do to my house.  Losing power is my worst nightmare...we have SO much meat frozen and trying to give Addie a cold bath would be disastrous.  I love my neighbors...I really do...but spending what is supposed to be "vacation" for me next week in the streets exchanging stories of how we rode out the storm is not the least bit appealing.  So...please, send up prayers to send this thing off the coast.

J

Bye-bye Baby Weight - Week 7

Two words to describe this journey: ROLLER COASTER...ha!  The overall trend is that I am still losing but I wish I had consistent week-to-week weight loss instead of this up and down...you'd think my scale was tied to gas prices.  Head over to visit the amazing Tami who is gracious enough to host this link-up and is only 3 pounds away from her pre-pregnancy weight...and sneak a peek of her precious little Emerson!!

This Week's Loss/Gain: +2.6

Total Weight Loss: 26.8

Weight to Go: 23.2

Food:  I spent a good part of the week out of town for work and although I did my best to pick the healthiest choices I could find (not an easy feat when you are dining out for every meal) I slipped up a few times and all in all had a pretty bad week food wise. 

Fitness:  Not too stellar in this department either...being out of town, the smoke from the wildfires and then getting sick over the weekend = failure on my fitness goals and:(  The two workouts I did manage to get in felt awesome and I know I'm in MUCH better shape than I was 7 weeks ago!

Week 7:

Monday - nothing

Tuesday - Day 1 of Week 5 of Couch to 5k + 35 sit-ups

Wednesday - Day 2 of Week 5 of Couch to 5k

Thursday - nothing

Friday - nothing

Saturday - nothing

Sunday - nothing

Last Week's Goals:

- Work out 3 times this week

- Complete 25 sit-ups three days this week

- Eat breakfast every morning

- Only have dessert once this week

- Drink more water and no soda 

This Week's Goals:

- Work out 3 times this week 

- Complete 35 sit-ups three days this week 

- Eat breakfast every morning 

- Only have dessert once this week 

- Drink more water and no soda


Thanks SO much to everyone for all of the wonderful and encouraging comments from everyone throughout this journey...it means so much to have people cheering me on:)

Saturday Morning Scene

I'm joining up with the fabulous Katie from "Loves of Life" this Saturday morning to share our Saturday Morning Scene!

After being out of town all week for work...it is SO nice to be back home with the hubs and little one.  Everyone somehow managed to get sick while I was away but Addie seems to be feeling much better this morning, despite the 2:30am wake-up call:(  Lots of coffee and love from the little one are making this Saturday much better.  After such a crazy week....we are planning to lay low and get all of those wonderful house chores done this weekend...hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Addie says "good morning" too!

It's the simple things...

Things have been a bit hectic around these parts to say the least so I thought I'd take a minute...or ten...to remember all of the wonderful things that I tend to take for granted while getting so caught up in the daily grind.  The sweet and fabulous Jesslyn Amber hosts this wonderful link-up every week...head over to her spot on the world wide web to see what everyone else is appreciating this week and join in on the fun too!

I'm appreciating...cooler days we've been having as of late...fall, are you out there?!

I'm appreciating...football back on the box...it's really such a comfort thing for me.

I'm appreciating...the amazing deal on Starbucks Iced Vias that my dear friend scored for me at Sam's Club ($5 for 10!!).

I'm appreciating...the sweet relationship our furbaby Junior is creating with Addie.

I'm appreciating...Addie dancing to the "Elmo song."

Almost Wordless Wednesday

I'm a proud wifey and wanted to share a picture of all the dolphin (not like Flipper...think "mahi-mahi" like they serve in restaurants) and tuna my husband, dad, uncle, and 3 cousins caught on their deep sea fishing trip while we were in the Outer Banks a week and half ago.  I'm pretty sure we have enough filets and tuna steaks to get us through the winter!!

Addie's favorite things...

As much as I'd love to do a giveaway of Addie's favorite things...it's just not possible...unless of course I'm willing to have no means of communication, no way to change the channel, no way to drive my car, and no place for my dogs to get water.  I sometimes wonder why baby toys aren't designed to look a little more grown up....that seems to be all Addie is interested in these days.  I try hard to keep her occupied with HER toys and books and music but she bores quickly...like in 2 minutes...and is on the hunt for the dogs' water bowl, the remote, the computer, or my cell phone.  There are days I give in...well, with the exception of the dogs' water bowl...thats dangerous and disgusting so we have actually relocated the bowl to the garage.  Just for fun I thought I'd share a video of her dancing to the "Elmo song"...all the while doing all sorts of fun things to my computer...just watch the screen (on my computer she pounds away at)...or don't...its definitely a minute or two of your life you won't get back!  Ohh...and the annoying mom voice...that's mine!

Bye-Bye Baby Weight - Week 7

Whoa...7 weeks of joining this fabulous link-up of my journey to my "healthy weight"...based on my age of 29 and height of 5'8 they tell me thats 145 pounds.  I've been there before so I totally know its attainable and I also know that it looks better on me than the current 166 I'm sitting at.  So...I've found this link-up to be the best thing to help hold me accountable...although this week was not my best work-out week I did manage to shed some considerable weight!  So, here are the deets:

This Week's Loss/Gain: -5.4

Total Weight Loss: 29.4

Weight to Go: 20.6

Food:  I did better with the food this week and thanks to my hubs, who's a wonderful cook, we had some delicious and rather healthy dinners! 

Fitness:  Uuugghhh....this week was a bad one when it came to achieving my fitness goals.  It seemed like every night I had a work-out planned something else came up...so frustrating!  It's no excuse....I've simply got to do better this week!

Week 6:

Monday - 25 sit-ups

Tuesday - Day 3 of Week 4 of Couch to 5k - Week 4 completed

Wednesday - 25 sit-ups

Thursday - nothing

Friday - nothing

Saturday - worked in the garden for 1 hour

Sunday - 25 sit-ups

Last Week's Goals:

- Work out 3 times this week

- Complete 25 sit-ups three days this week

- Eat breakfast every morning

- Only have dessert once this week

- Drink more water and no soda 

This Week's Goals:

- Work out 3 times this week - I fell flat on my face with this goal this past week so it's super important that I don't fall off the wagon for another week.  I'm actually hoping to squeeze in an extra work-out to make up for some lost time last week!

- Complete 35 sit-ups three days this week - This seemed pretty easy so I've increased the number to 35 for this week's goal!

- Eat breakfast every morning - I've done well with this but I need to focus on making sure I make healthy choices when it comes to breakfast as well.

- Only have dessert once this week - This has been easier than I thought...so I'm sticking with once just to keep my metabolism up...ha!

- Drink more water and no soda - I had one soda last week but did make up for it by drinking extra water that day....we had pizza to celebrate a co-worker's return to her home office and so I indulged a little!

J

You can find me here...

Today you can find me over at Becky's blog - "From Mrs. to Mama."  If you don't already read her completely honest and absolutely hysterical blog I totally advise you to do so!!!  She shoots it straight...has an amazingly beautiful little girl who is only a month younger than Addie and is a working momma like myself.  She also manages to find time to take some awesome photos of her little girl and this girl really knows how to coupon!!!  A huge "thank you" to Becky for sharing a piece of her blog with me to talk about some baby stuff and tell a funny story or two....

Almost Wordless Wednesday

I just wanted to share some pictures from our wonderful weekend spent in the Outer Banks with family...

we enjoyed the views of the sound

we hung out in the pool

we dined on some delicious food

we hung out with this cutie

Charlie giving "baby" a hug...melts my heart

It was SO hard to come back to the real world Sunday night but we thoroughly enjoyed our time with family!!

J

Bye-Bye Baby Weight - Week 6

Yikes...we spent the weekend in the Outer Banks and its taken me a day or so to get my life back in order and start catching up on the blogging I've missed so I'm a day late!!!  I'm linking up with Tami over at "Little Moments Like This" to share my weekly update on my post-baby weight loss!  If you're also in the process of trying to take off a few pounds and live a little healthier you too should link up with everyone else or just head over and share some words of encouragement!

This Week's Loss/Gain: +1.4

Total Weight Loss: 24.0

Weight to Go: 26.0

Food:  I really think the weekend did me in and I'm really ok with that...I was on vacation after all!  I did only eat dessert once but the cinnamon rolls I had in the morning and all of the high calorie foods I thoroughly enjoyed throughout the day totally messed me up.  I actually had a good week and was down some going into the weekend...looks like I have some work to do this week! 

Fitness:  I was able to squeeze in 3 workouts this week but didn't complete Week 4 of Couch to 5k this week - I got 2 days done but still have the last one!

Week 5:

Monday - nothing

Tuesday - nothing

Wednesday - nothing

Thursday - Day 1 of Week 4 of Couch to 5k

Friday - Day 2 of Week 4 of Couch to 5k

Saturday - nothing

Sunday - 1.5 mile walk

Last Week's Goals:

- Work out 3 times this week

- Complete 25 sit-ups three days this week

- Eat breakfast every morning

- Only have dessert once this week

- Drink more water and no soda

This Week's Goals:

- Work out 3 times this week - I've done so well with this the past few weeks and I know its been the one thing to really help me shed some of the pounds and tone my body.

- Complete 25 sit-ups three days this week - I did not do this at all this week which is pretty pathetic!  I really need to work on re-shaping my stomach muscles and tightening up that area!

- Eat breakfast every morning - This was actually easier than I thought last week and it certainly helps me snack less in the morning at work.

- Only have dessert once this week - If I made it last week despite being on vacation - I can do it this week for sure!

- Drink more water and no soda.

I'm giving myself a pass this week because the weekend was a total bust with being on vacation!  It would have been nice to not gain weight this week but I feel confident I can get this weight off if I just get back to the basics!

J

A little ADDIEGATOR with a whole lot of ADDIETUDE...

our little Addiegator

Diaper changing has been a chore since Addie was about 4 months old...and not because I mind changing diapers...its the production that diaper changing has become.  At 5 months we stopped using the changing table because of her rolling around and my severe anxiety of her rolling off the table.  We used the crib until we had to lower that because she was starting to pull up and now we are on the floor in the living room most days with a changing mat.   It never fails though...any diaper change involves one of more of the following:

1.  Big crocodile tears - Loud wailing and lots of crocodile tears over the diaper change...she generally stares right at me while doing this as if to say..."momma, are you really putting me through this-can't you see you're breaking my heart?!"

2.  Flipping to her stomach - Despite me holding her legs she will flip her body over and do her best to crawl away from me - if I stop her...cue #1 above.  The worst part is that she usually does this before I have a chance to wipe her...and for the sake of my rug which just so happens to be dark brown - it's kind of a mess.  She is one feisty and determined little girl...wonder where she gets that from?!

3.  Playing with her just removed dirty diaper - uugghhh...gross.  I try to keep it as far from her reach as possible but sometimes she gets it...a tug-of-war match generally follows.

Any mommas out there have any advice for this momma on how to make this process any easier??  I have seriously almost started sweating before over a diaper change because of the amount of energy it takes some days.  My best trick has been to hand her something to keep her occuppied and work as quickly as possible but with a 3 second attention span - it just doesn't buy me much time these days!

J

Happy 10 month Birthday, Addie!

Our girl is growing before our very eyes and as bittersweet as it is I am loving every minute of her.  She is such a happy baby and lights up even the worst of days.  I am so lucky to be her momma...I just love that girl to pieces.

What she's wearing - Addie is wearing pretty much all 6-12 or 9 month outfits but she has completely outgrown her 9 month sleepers...almost overnight.  I made a mad dash to BJs to get some more Carters sleepers (my favorite spot to get Carters stuff - selection is limited but the prices are almost always cheaper than anywhere else).  I can remember looking at that stuff a year ago and thinking "gosh, that stuff looks so big" and now we're there....our girl is SO big!!  Her cloth diapers are still on the second set of snaps and she is still doing well without extra liners at night.

driving the golf cart

Eats - Addie is eating about five 5oz bottles a day and no longer nursing for her first feed in the morning - after two days in a row of being bit - true story - I had to stop. I just recently stopped pumping but am saving the details for a later post about the whole transition we just made a few days ago.  In other news...this has been a huge month for solids...she is pretty much eating everything we eat...within reason.  She had her first taste of meat this month (some roast beef from a roast I cooked in the crock pot) and really seemed to like it.  She kept coming back for more so I let her eat as much as she wanted!  I share table food with her and am really looking to start weaning her off of the pureed baby food and onto table foods.  We also recently bought her some of the more toddler-ish snacks and she really seems to be LOVING these!!!

Moves - Addie is still crawling all.over.the.place and getting into everything.  She is also getting much more daring with her standing and even letting go of things and standing on her own.  She also really enjoys her "walker" that she can push around....its still crazy to me to see her "walking" even though she is holding onto something.  She also really enjoyed walking around the baby pool in her float...what a difference 2 months has made.  I remember those first days at the pool at the end of May when she would just lounge around in her float...those days are gone.

Addie's point!

Teeth coming in and more to say - Still no new teeth...just the two on the bottom - but they also don't seem to be bothering her right now which means we have a very happy household.  My girl still loves to hear herself talk and she's also recently taken up pointing at everything.  Her dogs and her bottle seem to be two of her favorite things to point at...no big surprise there.  

Out and about - We really haven't ventured far this month.  Addie did make her first trip to the beach and loved it.  She also celebrated her first 4th of July and surprisingly enough - she really seemed to enjoy the fireworks.  There were no tears and she laid in grammas lap and watched the display!  We celebrated quite a few birthdays this month with family and friends and Addie joined in for all of the festivities!

Counting sheep - Addie sleeps great at night and has actually started going to bed a little later! We usually put her down around 8:30pm and she usually gets up around 6:30ish. 

July goals - PASS or FAIL?!?!

It's that time again....here's the truth on what did and didn't get done this month!!


1.  Develop a timeline for Addie's first birthday party planning AND a budget!  I've already started picking some things up and thanks to this great momma, I already have the banner for Addie's party and the color scheme set.  I just really need to organize and put it all together...oh, and I need to set a budget!!  PASS - Thank you, Microsoft Excel for making my life so much easier.  I've created a "master spreadsheet" to track my budget, guest list, decorating ideas, and menu planning for Addie's party.  I've set a timeline of things that need to be completed over the next two months in the hopes that I won't be a complete stress ball the week before her party!

2.  Work-out at least 3 times a week  Ok..so if you read my last post here - you know where I have stood on this one for the past 2 months.  This is one of my busiest months at work so I know I'll be working late some nights so I hope this doesn't sabotage my goal here (see...see...look at me - already lining up my excuses for why I won't get it done - thats my problem!). Almost PASS - I missed this by one week and that week I missed it by one day!!  I've decided to drop this goal from my monthly goals because I'm finding it's more effective for me to include this in my weekly goals as a part of the Bye-Bye Baby Weight link-up I'm participating in to hopefully shed some extra pounds.

3.  Complete our pantry/mud room/laundry room - As long as our contractors cooperate, I feel certain we will make some great progress here and have an awesome shot at accomplishing this goal which would seriously make me SO happy.  I have NO storage room in my house and I'm hoping this will give me a chance to get better organized! FAIL - Really...we aren't even close.  As expected, working with the sub-contractors didn't work as planned so we had some unexpected delays but the plumber finished up last week so the ball is now in our court to get it done.  If this isn't done by the end of August I'll probably go crazy - I don't handle living in a construction zone with ease.  The hubs and I are certainly realizing that we aren't able to get projects done around the house as quickly as we did before having Addie.  I really hate hiring people do things that I can do but we may find ourselves doing that more now so that our projects don't drag on for.ever!  

4.  Re-configure our side flower bed - I feel so bad for our neighbors.  We "put in" a lovely side flower bed complete with rose bushes, shrubs, and my favorite weeping cherry tree - as well as a rock walkway to the gate on the fence and because its out of sight and we have a little something that takes up a bit more of our time these days (love my girl:)) its been severely neglected.  And I don't have the time for all of the weed pulling it requires...so we need to do something similiar to what we did here and turn some of it back into "lawn" and leave a small portion as the actual flower bed! FAIL - Sad to admit but this still isn't done.  It's been insanely hot and digging up bushes and leveling out the ground is pretty tough work so I think we'll postpone this for the fall.  

5.  Clean out our drawers and closets - I didn't quite get around to sping cleaning this year but "better late then never," right?!  The hubs and I both have tons of clothes that never get worn not to mention all of my handbags that won't be necessary thanks to a diaper bag so I need to clean this stuff out and donate it to charity (and maybe for those nicer things...a blog sale?) and free up some drawer and closet space. FAIL - This really still needs to be done and I have no excuse for not getting it done...pure laziness on my part here.  You will see this again as an August goal as we really need to create some extra space and get rid of all of the extra "stuff" we have hanging around!

Bye-Bye Baby Weight - Week 5

Happy Monday...always the toughest day of the week but I'm back for Week 5 of Bye-Bye Baby Weight with Tami over at "Little Moments Like This."  If you're also in the process of trying to take off a few pounds and live a little healthier you too should link up with everyone else....misery loves company, right?!

This Week's Loss/Gain: +0.6
Total Weight Loss: 25.4
Weight to Go: 24.6

Food:  This was not my best week for food.  I did well only eating dessert twice but I ate more sausage and bacon (seriously) this week than I really should have.  I also enjoyed a few too many Starbucks iced coffees this week so I'm going to make a conscious effort to limit my trips there too.

Fitness:  I completed Week 3 of Couch to 5k this week and while the first two days were tough the last felt great!  I also spent about 45 minutes on Sunday pushing around a lawn mower in my backyard (yes, I was cutting the grass - not just pushing the mower around) and I could really tell a difference in my stamina.  I did it with ease and was pouring sweat (which never happens until I start getting in shape - sorry for the gross detail!) and felt great!

Week 4:

Monday - Day 1 of Week 3 of Couch to 5k
Tuesday - nothing
Wednesday - Day 2 of Week 3 of Couch to 5k
Thursday - nothing
Friday - nothing
Saturday - nothing
Sunday - Day 3 of Week 3 of Couch to 5k - Week 3 completed

Last Week's Goals:
- Work out 3 times this week
- Complete 25 sit-ups three days this week
- Eat breakfast every morning
- Only have dessert twice this week
- Drink more water and no soda


This Week's Goals:
- Work out 3 times this week - I've done so well with this the past few weeks and I know its been the one thing to really help me shed some of the pounds and tone my body.
- Complete 25 sit-ups three days this week - I was only able to do this once last week which is a complete failure so I'm hoping to make sure I do this this week!
- Eat breakfast every morning - This was actually either than I thought last week and it certainly helps me snack less in the morning at work.
- Only have dessert once this week - I can't seem to break the 170 lb. mark for good and its really driving me crazy so I'm taking away another dessert and no I don't think this is going to be the difference but it certainly can't hurt!
- Drink more water and no soda.

Overall, despite the sligt uptick in my weight, I noticed some considerable changes in my body this week.  I had several pair of shorts and capris that I had bought at the Ann Talyor Loft sale I blogged about here in late April that were borderline too small when I purchased them.  I am so excited to report that they are going into my maternity tote after wearing them this weekend and realizing they were baggy on me....my husband even gave me a hard time about how big they looked.  I was able to take them off without unbuttoning...which hopefully means I can start getting back into some of the smaller items in my closet soon!

Thanks to everyone for all of the sweet comments and support over the last 4 weeks - blogging about this weekly and joining Tami's link-up has really helped hold me accountable and work towards getting these unwanted and unhealthy extra pounds off!!

J