How an awesome day got even awesomer

So, after the baseball game on Saturday and M enjoying it, I was excited and nervous all at the same time. We haven't been to the beach in almost a year, and I wasn't quite sure how M would do. So, at 530 this morning I took this picture...

Sorry about the photo quality, I don't know how to use the flash on my iPhone. Anyway, she kept saying "go Mama go." I guess she couldn't wait to get there either.  She slept most of the way down there, and when she was awake she wanted to watch Rocket (Little Einsteins). While I love having the ability of watching Disney Junior shows on my iPhone, it has reaffirmed the need for a portable dvd player and Little Einsteins videos when we fly to Chicago. But, that is an adventure for another day. Anyway, in less than 2 hours we were at the beach. Tell me this isn't an awesome view...

We were like the 3rd car of people there. With a view like this, and weather like we had today, it reaffirmed my love for the beach and my need to go there more often. Hmm, random road trips coming anyway.

Here is the first picture I took of the day, when M was going for a walk with my mom.

Guess it was safe to say that she loved it. She always needed her "dig" to go with her wherever she went. Of course, being there since 8 am led to needing to eat. So, when she wasn't digging somewhere, or rolling around in the sand and getting covered head to toe, I was able to get her to sit down to eat, of course, in "Mama seat."

I couldn't get her to nap, and she wasn't really fussy.  She just wanted me for everything. When it was time to leave, I was able to rinse her off and get her changed. She said she wanted her seat, I put her in her car seat, and before we even left our parking spot this is what I saw.

I guess you could say she had an awesome day.  But, that was only half of it for me. Before all of this cuteness was captured, I took this picture...

I just thought it was a nice picture, and now, it has more meaning.  My cousin went with us to the beach. Him and I used to spend time together when we were both younger, we just hung out. Went to lunch, made fun of people, you know silly stuff. Anyway, I don't see him that often because he is busy being a college junior and swimmer and working and you know living life.  Anyway, there was a person at the beach that I perceived myself as looking like. It's a long story, and writing this is helping me admit that I have low self-esteem issues.

Anyway, I asked him if he saw me that same way. Now, he is not one to lie. If you ask him a question he is uncomfortable with, he either laughs when you ask it or he quickly changes the subject. Well, when I first asked the question, he without hesitation said, "No, you don't look like that. Not at all. You look really good. Much better than you used too." He then continued, "Whatever it is that you are doing it, keep it up!" While he has no idea how much hearing that meant to me, or how hearing that helped push me through this little funk, his words re-energized me. 

Later, on the way home, he was looking at Runner's World Magazine and saw this add for people hiking through the desert. He started laughing, and when I asked him what he was laughing at he said, "I don't know. For some reason, I can picture you running this." I laughed, he has no idea that doing an ultra (maybe not running through a desert) is on my bucket list.

Thank you cuz! You really helped make an awesome day awesomer and you really made me feel like all of this running, these early morning trips to the gym, all this stuff is actually working and maybe, while I cannot see it because I am so critical of myself other people can see it. People who I never would have known noticing actually are noticing. Maybe just maybe, one day I will be comfortable in my skin again?!?! Wow!

Speaking of that, I am almost half way through my August Ab Challenge. I took a picture when I started and I will take one half way through and then at the end. Here's hoping that I will even see changes. In the meantime, I have to remember this...

From Pinterest



So, here is to the start of a new week, and a new outlook on life! Have a great week! Happy Monday!

I feel good..

Yesterday, I did a double workout. Today, I feel good. A little sore, but after I tell you what I did, I think you will agree that it is acceptable. On Saturday while running with Bob from Breakfast Club Runners, we talked about running stadium stairs at Lafayette later in the week. Well, yesterday was the day. Of course, I was running late, but I made it anyway. Of course, I brought my entourage, but it was good to have Makayla there for these steps. Anyway, Bob didn't wait for me (thankfully) and Brian (I was just meeting him for the first time) was already doing the steps. So, I had asked Bob how many of these things he does...10. OK, I will shoot for that number. DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY STEPS THERE ARE FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE STADIUM TO THE TOP?!?! I will tell you A LOT!! Check out Brian's website for a picture of these steps. Anyway, I ran up the steps all the way to the top and back down. Then did crunches. Then all the way up again and back down. This repeated one more time, and realized that I didn't want to overdue it. The next 4 times I only ran up to the tunnel and then finally for the last one all the way back up and down again. Between each run, I was greeted by this kid...


Next week, Bob will not be joining me at the stairs, he has the nerve to go on vacation (just kidding) but I know I will DEFINITELY be back at them again.



After the 10 reps of stairs, I was worried that my IT band would hurt, but it didn't. That is good because after that I knew I had another date with another running friend Holly. Off to a LVRR FREE 5K. What's better than free running and free food and running with awesome friends?!  Brian, who I had met earlier in the day, was there, and he captured as much of the run as he could. I word it that way because this particular race we were able to run in 2 different directions, makes it harder for the photographer to capture the race.  Anyway, I didn't know much about this course, so I was really just running it to stretch out my legs since I hadn't run since Saturday. I am so glad that I went. I ran all of the hilly course except for one hill, and my IT band didn't hurt at all. I didn't care for my time so much, but again I was just running it to run, and while my legs felt great, my cardiovascular and lung capacity is still terrible. I NEED to get out and run more. 

Today, my legs are just a little sore. A LOT less sore than I was planning and that makes me happy. I think today I am going to keep it light, stretch and relax it today, and tomorrow head back to the gym. Sat, I have another 5K, this time it is a cross country course which will remind me of Jacobsburg. Speaking of which, I wonder if anyone is up to running that again?!? Hmm.

Happy Thursday!What did you do this week so far?

Sneak Peak

As you know, Halloween is coming up. I usually skip it because I am too old to go trick or treating. This year, I will be working from 3-11 on the actual day, but the weekend prior we will be partaking in as much of the festivities as a 10 month old allows. See, as you know this is my daugther's first Halloween. There have been a lot of first's in this 10 month, and Halloweeen isn't any different. Her Birthday in less than 2 months rounds out her "firsts" but let's not rush past time. So, here is a sneak peak at what she looks like in her Halloween costume. Enjoy.

Her costume probably looks better with a black shirt underneath, but we don't have one. Plus, the shirt I did put on her does say trick or treat! If I do say so myself, she is a cute ladybug.
Apparently when I was at work, my husband got a hold of my camera. Here are some pictures that he took.

HAPPY THURSDAY!

I have a 6 month old!

This was supposed to be posted yesterday, but I had blogger issues...
Oh my goodness where on earth did the last 6 months go? How on earth did 6 months go past and why did it happen so fast? So, in honor of my sweet babes being 6 months old, here are the traditional monthly posed pictures.


Makayla,
Every month you grow more and more independent, and your personality grows bigger and bigger.
You now know how to roll over, and you love to show me how.
You cry whenever you can't see your mama, and laugh whenever I come back into a room so that you can see me.
You love your exersaucer, but love the walker at Nana and Pop-Pop's too.
You can make the walker go backwards, but soon I am sure you can get it to go forward too.
You love when the dogs play with you, and I can't wait to see how you will get along when you are walking on your own.
You went swimming for the first time on Memorial Day, and fell in love with it immediately, Mama loves that about you.
You love to eat, and you love food. We have only been giving you fruit and vegetables, but I think you are ready to move on.
You love sitting up by yourself, you look like a big girl when you do it.
You love your cousins, your legs go a mile a minute when you hear the names of Shae and Joey.
You and mama go for a walk everyday, you have helped mama lose 20 pounds so far!
I love it when you are cranky, because as soon as you see me, you laugh and giggle!
You still sleep through the night, but there are times when you still need your mama! I can't wait to watch you continue to grow.
We go to the doctor's on the 24th, I can't wait to see how you grew!
Mommy loves you! I love you to the moon and back!

Saturday morning...

Me:Look at her sitting up
Hubby: Yeah, she's getting so big
Me: She needs to stop now!

These Glasses Crack Me Up...

Happy Valentine's Day

It's Makayla's first Valentine's Day! Here's wishing you a day filled with love.

I told ya so...

Yesterday I told you I was addicted to cuteness. If you don't remember click here. Well, today...the cuteness continued. See for yourself.



Do you now see why next week is going to be TERRIBLE!!

Morning News

As you know, this is my last week of Maternity leave. While I would love to say that I have a routine worked out with the babes, if I said it, I would be not telling the truth. Yesterday, we tried some belly time...
and the jury is still out on if she liked it or not.

This morning I thought I would give the neglected Boppy a whirl....

Maybe if it wasn't the news on the tv she would still be interested?

I do have to admit, this kid melts my heart...

See why? I? could watch her sleep FOREVER!

You take the good, you take the bad

And there you have the facts of life. What did that show really teach us? Did it teach us how to fall graciously from grace and then how to get back? Did it teach us to value ourselves? This is going to be a spiritual post, one I don't make often, so if you need too, you can leave now.
Still there? Good. I truly believe God has spoken to me by giving me my sweet daughter. The journey of becoming a mom was the introduction to what he wants of me, but actually meeting her and seeing her is what he built the 9 months on. I am one to go to Church on Sunday. I try to never miss. Heck, my daughter was 10 days old when she went to her first Church service. Then we missed a couple of services because well neither one of us was getting sleep. However, we are back on the right track. I don't think that just going to Church is what God wants of me. I believe he wants me to be a more active participant in my faith. Faith, it's a 5 letter word that means so much to many different people. Part of my new year's resolution is to be a better me. Being a better me also includes the spiritual me. So, I am trying to do just that. I am looking for ways that I can be a better Christian. One way is to go to a Bible Study. A local Church has one during the day (will be perfect when I go 3-11) and this same Church also has Parish Nursing. What is a Parish Nurse? Well, it is "a registered nurse with a minimum of 2 years experience that works in a faith community to address health issues of its members and other members in the broader community or neighborhood." What a better way to serve God and my community than by looking into other ways to serve him. I am more interested in the Bible Study at this time, I don't want to bite off too much and then not be able to do something 100 percent.
Another part of my resolution to being a better me, is actually doing something that I say I am going to. How easy is it for me to say on a blog that I read that I am going to do something, have the intentions of doing it and then life gets in the way. I am trying to change that. I will start with my blog friend Kristen. Kristen started a new blog Krit's Krazy Life, as a way to start a new chapter in her life. 2010 was not a good year for her, so as a way to start fresh she created her new blog. In 2010 she got divorced, lost a child, and moved back in with her parents. While she did not ask for me to post her personal life on her, and while I am not asking you to feel bad for her, I think that it is important that we don't take anything for granted. I think that it is important to remember what we have in life, that it all can be gone tomorrow and that we need cherish it. So, if you want to read about some one's new journey, go on over to Kristen's page.

And just because this seemed like a heavy post...some pics of the sweet one.

Silent Sunday Newborn photos

Sleep

What is sleep? According to Merriam-Webster, sleep is "the natural periodic suspension of consciousness during which the powers of the body are restored." I put that out there because I have no idea what sleep is. Yes, I do get some rest, a nap per se, but I cannot recall the last time I had 8 hours of continuous sleep. Wait, I can..sometime last March. Yep, right before we found out we were expecting. Now, I am lucky to get sleep in 3 hour increments. She was doing well, giving me at least 4 hours, but the last couple days, I was lucky to get sleep in hour increments before she decided she had enough. Take last night for example. She would fall asleep with us holding her, as soon as we would put her in her crib, she was wide awake! All.night.long. Finally, at 2 am, with me holding her, me sitting up in the futon, she fell asleep. Until about 4am. Then the process repeated itself. Finally at 6 am, she went back to sleep until 10am. Yeah, slept through our first 2 daycare tours. Called them, able to successfully reschedule one appointment, left a message about the other one. She is sleeping now...something I am about to do in a moment, so I will be rescheduling another tour. I guess we are staying in today...it's ok...apparently snow is on the way. So, be safe out there, and hopefully there will be sleep in our igloo tonight.

Pink

This is what happens when you put your baby, wearing pink, into a crib, decked out in pink, which is in a room with pink curtains, that cast a pink glow...

2 weeks

My sweet babes is almost 2 weeks old. Can you believe it?! I can't. She will be 2 weeks old tomorrow. We went to the doctor's today for a 2 week appointment. I found out today from the nurse practitioner that baby's don't usually have a 2 week check-up. Anyway, last week she was 8 pounds 4 oz, and today...she is 8 pounds 10 oz! She is back to her birth weight. That means that she is healthy! The nurse practitioner was happy with how she looked. We chatted a little about my inability to breast feed, even though I was tearful when talking with her, she said that my baby is healthy and that is all that matters. We also discussed what we can do in the future (I know I want one more child) and how she can help get me the help I need to breast feed next time. Babes is now scheduled for her 1 month check-up! One month. I also found out that she gets shots at every visit until she is 2 years old...oh my heart will just break. Anyway, just wanted to update you on the sweet babes. She is resting now, happy to be visiting with Pop-pop, waiting for her cousin Joey to make it in from Chicago and looking forward to meeting her Aunt Jaime for the first time. Hope you all have a happy week between Christmas!

Monday Moments

My sister R took this picture, and with my cousin the Princess' help we made it ours. Hope you enjoy this Monday Moment.

(Ok, so we only made it black and white, but still)

Introducing...

For the first time on this blog, I would love to introduce my daughter.....

Makayla Noele

Born Dec 14, 2010 @ 2050

8 pounds 10 oz 21 1/4 inches long.

Mom and baby are adjusting to life outside of the hospital and hope to get back to blogging soon. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we make this transition. Thanks!

Reflections...

Yesterday was my 32nd birthday. 32 years ago my mom was preparing to give birth to her third child, her second in a little over a year. Here I am 2 days before I give birth to my first child. While yesterday was a sweet day, lunch with my folks at the local casino, then shopping the local TJ Maxx Homegoods Store. We finished off the day with some time with my grandparents. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, it was just another day, and for that I am thankful. Last night the hubs and I made our "delivery favors." It was something I always imagined doing, it just always depended on the time of year our sweet babes would be born. I will take pictures and post them after she is here. I have realized this morning that there are several reasons why I am keeping myself so busy. It is not only because I want to save all of my time off for when the babes gets here. I am petrified. Scared. Anxious. Nervous. You pick the adjective, and I am sure I can tell you how I am feeling that way. Petrified- yes, of the whole birthing process. Scared, I wasn't scared until the hubs asked us what happens if she doesn't like us. I know it is crazy, but that is in the back of my mind now. Anxious to meet her, anxious to see what kind of mom I am going to be. Nervous...the whole process makes me nervous. Don't get me wrong, I am excited beyond belief, but at the same time, nervous. While I am ok with working at a hospital, I don't like being in one. First I have to get an IV, then they are going to give me some medication that might stress out the baby. What if that happens?! What if something goes wrong? What if I labor all day?! Then, they are going to put a foley catheter in me, but not for peeing this time. (Well, maybe there will be one for that too) I asked a cousin who is a labor and delivery nurse and said that they will fill the balloon in the foley to massage the cervix to make it dilate. The whole idea perplexes me. Perplexes me to the point that I need to go to confession. It's not a matter of want anymore. It is a NEED. I need to go and confess my sins so that God will watch over us both on Tuesday and keep us both safe and healthy. Yes, I know that women have been doing this for thousands of years, and I am sure that after she comes I can look back on this post and see how crazy I am being. In the meantime, I will keep myself busy. I will go to work on Mon, then the doctors, then have and early dinner and take a nap. Then, wake up and head to the hospital to welcome the birth of the babes. Please, keep us in your prayers this week. Thanks!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..

Yes, we know that our precious babes will be the best Christmas present ever, but our tree is finally up! Hubs and I purchased it on Monday, and let it sit until yesterday to fall into place.

Here it is not in the dark...

(Our sweet little Douglas Fir)

The stockings are hung on the wall with care...

(Really, her stocking is the best, so you didn't need a picture of ours)

All while anxiously awaiting for the arrival of our bundle of...

Hope you are feeling the Christmas season!