To Do List Update
I posted a To Do list several days ago and thought I'd share how I'm coming with it. There are probably another 8 things I need to be doing right now, but really they are all just along the same lines as what I've already listed. I've e-mailed with a couple of friends recently about what to do at home alone all day with a baby (who is nearly 1 year old!), and they've given me some good ideas. Do any of you have any ideas to share? Games? Free outings? Anything?! Labels: SAHM, to do list, weight
Drink More Water
We are always being told that we should drink more water. it helps you lose weight. it aids digestion. I've even read beauty advice that swears water is the best kept secret of the stars. They say you can't have healthy skin if you don't say hydrated. And you know what? In my experience, it's true!
I am a die-hard Dr. Pepper fan but have not had a single one in the past week, instead opting for water. And you know what, my skin feels better and I feel better. The water was just one change I made this past week (I also started taking my multi-vitamin again) and I can really tell the difference.
One thing that has made drinking so much water easier, besides will power, is adding some flavor to it. I love fruity flavors and a couple of times I added something called True Lemon. I had received them as a free sample a while back and decided to give it a try. One packet was enough to give a touch of flavor to a large glass of water. You can get your own free sample here.
In a completely random twist to my planned water post, I received an e-mail from True Lemon Friday letting me know they would send me even more free samples if I posted something on my blog about their product. So, don't mind my plug - it isn't entirely shameless since you can get your own free sample too!
Oh... and a funny True Lemon story... last Christmas a friend was over and fixed herself a cup of coffee (hey, that's FL hospitality, good friends can help themselves) and added her cream and sugar. After a few sips, she asked me if I thought the hazelnut creamer tasted funny. "No," I said, "and I've already used half of the bottle." She insisted it tasted lemon-y and I just wrote that off to her getting a little long in the tooth. Because hazelnut and lemon taste NOTHING alike! The long and short of it is... when she went to add her Splenda, she accidentally added a tube of True Lemon that was stored in the same cup! Sure made for an interesting cup of coffee.
9-month Checkup
Charlotte is now 9-months old! I can't believe how fast time has flown past us. Just today I was looking at a 3-month old at daycare and trying to remember Charlotte at that age. Here's a photo to remind you: Labels: milestone, picture, weight
Her head looks so funny in this one doesn't it? And I just went looking for a recent picture of her in the Bumbo, but can't find any. I'll take one tomorrow if I think about it.
We also had her 9-month well baby visit today. There are no shots for her to get now which is good because I have decided to put her on a modified vaccination schedule and still need to figure out my plan for that. My biggest fear for these appointments is that the doctor will complain about how small Charlotte is.
But he never does. Today Charlotte weighed in at 15 lb 6 oz. Her length is 25 inches and her head circumference is 43 cm. (Don't ask why they use 2 different units of measure, I don't know!)
Since the doctor didn't even mention her height or weight I was curious to see where she was according to the charts and this is what I found (click on it to see a larger image):
The red dots represent where Charlotte is. Now, I don't think this chart accounts for the fact that Charlotte is still primarily breastfed so I am sort of dismissing it. You will note she doesn't even fall anywhere on the length chart. My family is short... that's genetic and no amount of breast milk can change that!
So, I went to my trusty Kellymom.com site and found this chart, which IS designed for breastfed babies:
Look at the right chart (for girls) and you will see she is 5th percentile for weight.
Charlotte has accomplished all of the milestones on the info sheet our pediatrician gave us.
She can
Overall, Charlotte is a wonderfully happy baby. We have some sleep issues to work out, but I know they will come in time. We love her more than words can express and can't wait until we get more time to spend with you over the summer!
Thursday Thirteen - 2nd Edition
My blog hasn't even been around a year, but people do go looking for it on occasion. I'm not sure why anyone would want to read my little blog, but they go searching for me (or completely unrelated topics) and these are 13 of the best phrases they use to find me. Go read more Thursday Thirteen fun here! Labels: blog, lactivist, thursday 13, weight
I Suck
Bad too. I had no idea just how out of shape I had gotten in the last year. About 1 year and 2 weeks ago I ran the majority of a half marathon. Now? I can't even keep up with my old running buddy during her walking warm up. How sad is that? Very, very sad. I gave up after 20 minutes when she graciously directed us back to her house. I stretched and left. She's super dedicated and climbed onto her elliptical runner. Labels: weight
A former student of mine asked me if I would go to Curves with her and while I wasn't planning to go back, I think it is much more my pace right now. I'll never be a runner, but I should be able to walk at a brisk pace without losing my breath and heaving!
Random Musings and Photos
Whew! I finally got caught up with responding to my comments for November. Sorry to took so long. (That apology is mostly for Rebecca since she is the only one who regularly comments on my blog.) I really want to try and leave comments for other people on their blogs too, but it is just barely enough to find time to read their blogs, let alone think of something insightful to share. I came across this article recently while browsing blog land. I hope you'll take the time to at least skim it. Even though I know not everyone who reads my blog agrees with everything I write, I'd be surprised if any of you are so concerned about carbon footprints that you would have an abortion to prevent global warming! I'm consulting my thesaurus for words to describe my personal reaction - ludicrous, ridiculous, preposterous, absurd, nonsensical, stupid, foolish, comical, silly, outlandish, unreasonable, etc... I could keep going, but I trust you get the gist of my reaction by now? Since when is the health of the planet more important than the life of a human being? Genesis 1.28 commands mankind to subdue the earth, not the be subdued by it. Stepping off my soapbox... This just might be the most random blog post I've ever made! Oh, and all 3 pictures were taken with the camera on my cell phone. Labels: bible, blog, news, picture, shopping, weight
I am trying to keep a commitment to myself to post at least 4 times a week. And I mean real posts, posts that are worth reading. I think at least one of those posts should have pictures too. Because, let's be honest, most of you 4 people who read my blog really just want updates on Charlotte Moon and endure the rest of my musings for the excitement of the pictures.
I do have some pictures too. And some commentary to go along with them.
First up, is this photo of a stainless steel sponge basket we saw at Lowe's. The price tag for this ~4"x4" basket is actually $146.08! No, that is not a typo! It is a custom basket to fit this really cool half-moon shaped sink meant to be installed in a kitchen island. This is what I call conspicuous consumption!
Next, we have this cute little picture of Charlotte sucking on her toes. I know, you saw a picture of her with her toes last week. But, I'm as obsessed with taking pictures of my little girl as she now appears to be with her toes. I knew babies would like to play with their toes... but my baby girl's fascination has reached obsessive levels! She would be more than happy to just play with them all day long except that I make her wear socks. I am such an evil mommy!
Thirdly, here is a picture of the sign at my Weight Watchers meeting the week before Thanksgiving. I actually have this as the desktop background on my computer. The acronym is a very good one for the holiday season.
My Legs Hurt
Today was a big day for the Sabin family. We took Baby Sabin to his or her first theme park - Universal Studios. What a day it was! I am beat and my legs are killing me. We arrived just before they opened at 9 am and stayed until 4:30 or so. Following our tried and true theme park advice, we went straight to the back of the park and started with MIB. Things were so slow back there, we were able to ride 2 times in a row and achieved Galaxy Defender status both times. Frostproof Aliens better watch out! By the way, thanks to the FL DOE for securing free tickets for us to visit the Studios. Being a teacher may not pay as much as working for Allstate... but at least I got to visit Universal Studios for free! Labels: fun, picture, vacation, weight
Our Galaxy Defender status aside... I want to talk a moment though about how much my legs hurt. The pain reminds me of how my feet and legs hurt before I lost a significant amount of weight last year. For those who don't know, or remember, in January 2006 I weighed about 211 pounds. A day of walking around nearly killed me. I'd have to take an anti-inflammatory and soak my feet just to make it through the next day. When I started losing weight through Weight Watchers that started to change, until I lost almost 60 pounds. Now, due to my pregnancy, I have gained quite a bit of that weight back. I don't feel bad about the weight gain because I know most of it is necessary. However, I am blogging about the pain I feel tonight to remind me to get back on track with losing weight once Baby Sabin arrives. I don't want to forget how I feel so I can use it as motivation to have a healthy weight loss after I am done being pregnant.
I guess you could say this blog is more for me than for you. But I needed to journal how I feel today so I can look back in a few months and find motivation if necessary. For your trouble in reading this, I give you 2 pictures from our day at Universal Studios!
Here I am posing with a classic car on the Universal Studios "Movie Lot." I think my round belly is a nice compliment to the round curves of this car.
Bruce couldn't resist saving all of the park guests from the killer jaws of this shark in Amity. Park guests were so fortunate to have him around today!
2 Days late
Good morning! Today is my last official day of work (at school at least) until after my maternity leave. Since there are no students, I am going in just a little later than usual. Labels: myth, teaching, weight
I realized as I fell asleep last night that I didn't tell you about Baby Sabin's progress now that we are at the 28 week mark. Here is what BabyCenter.com says:
"By this week, your baby weighs a little over 2 pounds and measures about 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can open her eyes — which now sport lashes — and she'll turn her head toward a continuous, bright light from the outside. Her fat layers are beginning to form, too, as she gets ready for life outside the womb."
I've noticed that, as I've tried to eat low-carb, I can feel Baby Sabin more regularly. I don't know if it is related to what I am eating or if I am just at the point in my pregnancy where the baby is stronger so I can feel him or her more often.
Old Wives' Tale:
I was told on Monday that I am having a boy. The reason? Because apparently, I still have a waist from behind. Truth be told, I was more excited to hear I had a waist from any angle than I was to hear Baby Sabin would be a boy. :-) Of course, Bruce's Magic 8 Ball also said we were going to have a son. He was right about Clay & Julie having a girl, so he is holding out that the 8 ball will be right about Baby Sabin. We'll see... 12 weeks to go!
Ho hum... its Saturday
I have had a very pleasant day so far. Try as I might, I could not sleep past 6:45 am. That was rather disappointing given my summer vacation is only a few days away. But, I woke up happy and well-rested so there isn't much to complain about here. After a while, I met Bruce out at our lot to check on the progress of our Dome Home (site last updated 5/19/7). We came back for a quiet lunch and I took a nap. Nap is over now and I am wasting away my afternoon browsing the internet. I'll probably work on my Beth Moore study of Daniel in just a little bit as well.
Since finding out that I need to take the 4-hour glucose test, I have decided to try and practice with the gestational diabetes diet. It hasn't been the hardest thing I've ever done, but well, let me tell you about it.
One thing I hate about trying to learn a new way to eat is the amount of time it consumes. On this particular diet (approved by a dietitian) I am to consume no more than 180 grams of carbohydrates a day. This is a vast improvement of Phase One of the South Beach diet plan. I can have no more than 30 of those carbs before lunch. For someone who typically eats cereal for breakfast then sometimes adds an English muffin with strawberry jam (homemade I might add), this is tough. My typical breakfast was probably close to 80 carbs, and fairly healthy by most standards because I choose high-fiber cereal, skim milk, and a whole wheat English muffin. Trying to find quick alternatives has not been easy. I ended up eating eggs (or egg beaters) every morning since Thursday, when I started trying to go low-carb. Preparing a breakfast with eggs takes more work than preparing cereal. Of course, as summer vacation is quickly approaching, this will be less of an issue.
But, what I was saying about time... I have become accustomed to choosing low fat foods. Making the switch to low-carb foods is a lot of work for someone who has never paid attention to carbs. I have to read every label or look things up online just to decide if I can eat them or not. Fortunately, I was able to turn to a favorite website of mine from long ago called FitDay. Here, I can plug in all my food choices and be able to instantly track my calories, plus my carbs, proteins, and fat grams. Hopefully, if I need to stick with this eating plan, it will get easier. I am going to have to restock my shelves and freezer though. They are not currently low carb friendly.
If anyone out there has any easy suggestions for low-carb meals, please leave them in a comment or e-mail me. I think I have an old copy of the South Beach Diet somewhere around my house... if I could only find it. I remember some good recipes in that book. I would especially be interested in any recipes that can be made in bulk and then frozen. I have time this summer to do that and plan to, just not with any of my old recipes.
I do want to tell you about my first baby shower, but this post has dragged on for a while... check back in a day or two for more information about how wonderful my friends and co-workers are!
