Day with Friends!

We got together the other with some friends and made Valentine's.  Here are a few pics that my friend, Kim, took for me..........THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!  I'm so glad that you're GREAT at taking pics.  Can you rub off on me?!  hahaha

Here is Z and I inking his hand to make handprints on his V-day Cards.  He did surprisingly well while doing this b/c I kept inking his hands and then mashing his hands on the cards.....hahaha  He was fairly fussy if he wasn't IN MY ARMS!  Thank you, April for holding him for me a few times..........MUCH appreciated. 

Here he is LOVING the tunnel.  He kept crawling through it back and forth.  Logan had been in the tunnel, but had crawled out.  So, we did have 3 kids in there at once and it was really cute.

Here is Z and the others eating lunch.  He LOVED the baked cheetos, so I am going to get those for him next time I go to the grocery store.  He has the Gerber "cheetos", but they're a lot more expensive and he loved them all the same, if not more!  He has become soo independent while eating, well, pretty everything........hahahaha  Looks like Logan is either sharing with Z or eating off his tray too.  So cute!

Here is a GREAT picture that Kim took of Z crawling in the tunnel..........I think it is sooo cute!!!!  My new goal is to try to take more unique and fun pictures.  I just seem to always forget my camera or if I do manage to bring it; then I don't think to take any pictures.

This morning we took Zachary to the docs office b/c he woke up about every 5-6 hours crying and normally he sleeps all night.  He said that his ears looked good; which was GREAT news to me, so since Z only had like 1-2 days of medicine left, he said that we didn't have to finish those last few days.  YEAH!  While Dr. E was looking over Z to see if he could find anything else, he noticed another tooth.  So, Z is cutting in the top 2 teeth that are in beside the 2 front teeth.  He said that shouldn't be waking him up and he wants us to call him tomorrow if he wakes up again tonight.  I hope that he sleeps all night b/c Les and I are both are kind of tired.  I guess that I slept more than I thought b/c overall, I do feel good. 

Tonight I am excited about Ladies Night out with the ABF (Sunday School class) gals.  We're going to get together and have dinner (chili frito pies......yum!!) and just talk.  I am so excited about this b/c we haven't had a LDO in a while.  So, it will be good to be baby free and have time with the girls.  Hopefully the major storm stuff will be over with, but if not, well, that's okay.

Geez

I was wondering WHY, oh why, are we having another fussy night and not wanting to eat a lot.  Well, when Les got home and was playing with Z, I saw our point of fussiness.........LOL  He is working on getting his 6th tooth.  This one is coming in next to the right front tooth.  I can see it, so it won't be too long till it cuts through.  I can only imagine what it's going to be like when the molars come in...........OUCH!

Today, Z went to see the pedi b/c he had a little infection on his middle finger.  He said that he must have had a hang nail that got ripped off (hmmm.......probably) and caused a minor infection.  So, he opened it up and drained it.  Z didn't flinch, tear up, or anything!!!!  I was so proud of our little guy.  He looked in his ears while we there and the infection is gone in the left ear, so he's all clear for now.  He has like 3 more days of medicine and then we'll be done.  I wish that was over now b/c he's not liking the taking of the meds...........hahaha  So, I have to trick him into taking it, but I get it down him w/ minimal spitting it out or drooling it out........CRAZY!!

His fave thing to do for several weeks now is to feed the dog(s) his food.  He will be looking at me, while I tell him "no" and then drop it over.  I think that we're going to have a strong-willed boy on our hands.  I told him no again after he dropped it and his little lip drew in and he was about to cry.  I asked him if he was not hungry yet and got him out of his seat and let him play till the pork chops were done.  Then I got him back in his chair, he ate with me, and was so happy to see dad come in the door too. 

He's so sweet and growing and changing like crazy.  He's at SUCH a fun age and I love when he Les will get up and get him out of bed and he'll come crawling down the hall toward our room.  He's so excited to see me and just grins super big!  I love getting him out of bed too in the mornings b/c he has such a big smile and just so excited to see me/us.  :)  One thing that has stuck with me was when Marcy blogged about being happy and letting them know that you're happy when you see them (totally paraphrased.......sorry, Marcy!!!).  I try to always let him know how happy I am to see him, let him know how much he is loved (he gets TONS of kisses), etc.  I can't remember exactly how Marcy put it in her blog, but that's what I got out of her blog.  He always grins as big as his mouth will allow when we come to get him out of bed, playing with him, or even getting him out of the bouncer.

I count it as a true blessing and reward from God for allowing us to be Z's parents.  He brightens my day everyday and I am always soo excited to spend time with him.  Makes me tear up right now just thinking of how blessed I am to have the husband that allows me to stay home and raise Z.  I am also so blessed to have such a great little guy, even on the hard days.

Here's a few pictures to leave you with:

4 Wheelin' w/ Our Little Guy

Here is a picture of Zachary and I on the 4 wheeler!!

Here is a picture of Zachary on the 4 wheeler by himself - he LOVED riding on it!


Here is a close-up that I took of Zachary and I.


Here is daddy and Zachary on the 4 wheeler as the sun was setting.

Then, I had to throw thi picture in the blog too!! This is Zachary after eating Ravioli's for the 1st time - as you can tell, he got it ALL over him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think this picture is funny with the way his hand is. I can picture him thinking," mom, what's the big deal, all I did was eat dinner?!" hahahaha

Now, to tell you about his 1st 4 wheelin experience. He sat in the front and I held onto him with 1 hand. We just stayed on our land, but we have some hills around the pond that Les made when digging the pond out. So, we went on those, played by the dog (she was scared!), and just rode around. At 1st he was holding onto the front of the ATV and then I realized that he had let go w/ 1 hand and had it in the air and he was squealing out of excitment. Then, a few moments later he was totally relaxed and had both hands in the air and just loving it!!! The 3 of us did get on it at 1x and that was fun. Zachary started off between Les and I, but he didn't like that as much b/c he couldn't see anything, so then we moved him back to the front. We used to talk about this moment when I was pregnant with Zachary and now we FINALLY got to experience it. It was really neat and we both enjoyed sharing it together. I know Zachary won't remember it, but it was fun and he just laughed and giggled and squealed the whole time - SO FUN!!!

Zachary has had several rough days - he is cutting his 5th tooth (bottom right) and ear infection to boot. They said that his left ear was infected, but since he has started medicine, he has been really rubbing/scratching his right ear too. So, I'm so glad that he's on medicine to help him feel better. He has woken up every night for a week now, but since Les had a few days off in there, he helped by getting up with him too. Thank goodness he has only been getting up 1x a night for about 15 - 20 min and then going back to bed. He usually takes 4-6 ounces. When we were at the doctor the other day, Zachary had gained a whopping 3 lbs in 1 month - WOW!!! I told Les that he was feeling heavier and stocky, well, there we go!!! He is now 21 lbs!!!!!!!!

Hope you enjoy the pictures and our update on Zachary!!!!!!!!!!!

OH YEAH!!!

Not sure where this was taken, but it is us!!!

Caitlyn, Zachary and Caleb (2 of his cousins on my side).

Here he is.......he crawled under the tunnel. LOVES crawling through this. Zachary got this from the triplets when he was about 2-3 months old.

Here he is standing up and giving me a big grin!

I was eating an apple one day and he REALLY wanted to bite the apple too. He would cry if I didn't let him bite it too. It was so funny - he loved that! He is still that way, if you have an apple, be prepared to share with Z.

Our baby is 10 months old - where has the time gone?! He is so much fun. Here are a few things about him:

1. He hums as he is going to sleep - SOOOOOOOO cute!

2. He loves mandarin oranges, blueberries, and applesauce.

3. He now has 1 leg up and foot planted when crawling. He keeps the other leg under him like he is crawling and he is very fast at crawling now.

4. He is cruising along the furniture - has been for about 3-4 wks now.

5. We have 4 teeth (2 top and 2 bottom).

6. He sleeps about 10 hours at night.

7. He is starting to kiss me - he hasn't done this with anyone else yet.

8. He has said dada and mama. He has other "words" too that he repeats when he wants to.

He is such a sweet little guy and we're so blessed to have him as part of our family. We really enjoy spending time with him, playing with him, loving on him, and just being his parents.

Zachary, we love you oh so much!!!!

____________________________________________________________________

NOW, for my update on last weeks weight loss. I am excited to report a loss of 10 lbs in the last few weeks. When I was at my docs office they weighed me............Oh how I love this part.....haha Well, according to what their scale said and what I weighed today, I have lost 10 lbs. I was very excited about that b/c I have avoided the scale as much as possible. :) I don't really care what the number is, but how I feel, but I did give in and hop on. I went and found Les' scale and hopped on, but to my amazement, I was excited. So, now I only have 40 lbs to go, but that is still a very long way to go. I know that I can do it!!!! Especially if I blog about it and am honest. I need the encouragement to keep going and not give up.

Some things that I did this past week to start changing my habits. I worked out 3 of the 7 days and on those other days, I would do little stuff around the house. So, everyday, I really did something. 2 days I did the 30 Day Shred. 1 day I did bellydancing. That was fun and I was a little sore the next day!!! haha Who would guess that I would be sore after that, but definitely not as sore as after 30 day Shred. This week, it's supposed to be warmer and I am SUPER excited by that b/c Zachary and I will be able to get out in the afternoon and play outside. He loves riding on the bike with us, so I know that we'll do that a few times this week. Nothing like good ole fresh air! :) I have also worked on trying to not snacking as well. That has been a little bit more challenging, but I am doing the best that I can.

Have a Magnificant Monday!!!!!!!!!!!

A New Year and A New Me

Yesterday I started my new weight loss plan (not a diet). I hate the word diet b/c the word "diet" is so cliche and means (to me) that I can't eat anything that I want, etc. and I'm stuck with well, salads. I love ice cream - so my weakness!!!! However, I am going to limit how much I eat, watch the rest of the food I eat (limit quantity), and eat only when I'm hungry.

I am also going to be doing 30 day shred; which I had done about 5 minutes of it before and could hardly walk the next day........LOL However, today, I did the full 20 minutes and my legs were pretty wobbly, but I made it through with several breaks! It talks about how your stamina would be higher in a few days, so I am looking forward to that. When I was in high school - I could do a full 5 minute kick routine and do fine AND have a smile across my face. Could I do that now.........NOOOOOOOOOO WAY!!!!!!! I am also going to be doing a few other videos that I have had that have been collecting dust!! hahaha They are pilates, belly dancing (I love this video), and I think I have a few others, but can't think of them. I get bored doing 1 video every day, so I need something to alternate with. I also LOVE getting outside and jogging or riding my bike. However, I just can't pull myself outside to jog when it's a mere 35 degrees........too cold for this gal!! Also, I bought several months ago a seat for Zachary to sit on on my bike, so once it's warmer for him; then we'll get out more. We have been out several times and Zachary LOVED it.........he would smile, laugh, and just look around. Occasionally, I could feel him grabbing for my back and laughing. So, it'll be a lot of fun once it's a tad warmer, but don't see that with THIS weeks forecast...........BRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

I am also going to be competing against a close friend of mine to lose weight (her name will remain anonymous since I don't know if she wants to be named on my blog), but mainly for accountability. I want to lose weight and drop a whopping 50 lbs! I am not alone in my quest and look forward to doing this with Blair too. She is a fellow momma who has some weight to lose. Even though I don't KNOW her personally; we are in the same shoes. Now, I can't say that I am ready to post MY picture quite yet, but I am ready to finish losing the rest of my baby weight and then some. I want to get back in my old clothes AND to be ready for baby #2. NO, I'm not prego either!!!!!

Here we go...............Wish me LUCK!!!

p.s. the picture above was taking of Les and I when we ate at The Melting Pot for my 30th birthday this past November. :)