The End of Our Journey

So it's been a million years since I last posted and I'm not going to lie- it will probably be a million years before I post again. If you're wondering how I'm doing with my P90X journey, I'll let you know- I'm not. I did it religiously up until my brother's wedding in South Carolina (which was AWESOME) and then the summer was so busy and full of travel that I just couldn't keep up with it. I will say that it 100% worked for me the way I needed it to and I fully intend to use it again in the future. When I feel like it.

 I felt like I needed to write this post to document a milestone in my life as a mother to Tenley. This past weekend was the end of our nursing journey together. I have been nursing Tenley since the day she was born. Although it was a bit difficult at first, I didn't have near the trouble that I had feared and it became a pretty easy relationship between her and I. Aside from the fact that she ate every two hours for the first 3 months and took 40 minutes to do so, the rest of the time has been pretty effortless. I can only hope that future children (God willing) take to it as easily as Tenley did and, in turn, my body takes to it as easily as it did this time around.

 I had been thinking for a few months (at least 4) that I should start to try and wean Tenley. No part of me really wanted to stop nursing- it wasn't inconvenient in any way, I wasn't having to do it anywhere away from home or any time except for when she first woke up and before bed, and it was such a special time to spend with her when she is at her cuddliest. On the other hand, I didn't feel like she was getting a whole lot when she was nursing and worried about the amount of milk she was actually drinking. She wasn't taking to whole milk (or any milk) very well, so in my mind it meant that she wasn't really getting much milk overall. When we went to her 15 month appointment, the doctor told me that if I am still nursing twice a day then I shouldn't be giving her any other milk because it will use up her calories and she won't be hungry to eat meals. We went with that for awhile, but in the beginning of October things changed a bit.

 During late September we were in the kitchen and I opened the fridge to get some water. Tenley came over and kept frantically reaching for the middle shelf. I asked her what she wanted and after going through several items, I deduced that she was reaching for the milk. We weren't even keeping whole milk in the house because she wasn't drinking it fast enough (or at all) to warrant the purchase, so I gave her a bit of our skim milk and she sucked it right down. For the next few days, she did the same thing. What I did notice, though, is that her appetite was suppressed because she was drinking the milk (score one for Dr. Stroman!), so on a weekend trip to my mom's, I just decided to cut out the morning feeding. She didn't protest at all. It's like that feeding never existed and she drank her milk out of a sippy and has done so in the mornings ever since.

 The before bed feeding was one that I wasn't willing to give up so easily. She still readily took it and would even pop her pacifier out of her mouth when she saw me reaching for her Boppy. At least, up until last week. I noticed that when I went to get her into position to nurse before bed, she didn't take her pacifier out. I wondered if this was a sign that she was ready to be done but didn't really want to believe it. Then, on Friday night, John and I decided to go to a movie and John's mom watched Tenley. She gave her a sippy of milk before bed and she went right down. I decided to do the same the next night and she took it without any protest, hence (a bit) abruptly ending our nursing-before-bed tradition.

I know it's all a part of her growing up, but it made me a bit sad. I even teared up a little as she was drinking that milk the first night, but had to tell myself that it was a GOOD thing because she is growing and knows what she needs. Now, we are getting into a nice morning and evening routine which still includes snuggle time, just not any boob action. I don't let her watch TV during the day (not because I have any problem with it, more because we try to play and get work done) but I have started settling down with her before bed, giving her a sippy of milk, and watching one episode of Little Einsteins. She loves this and, when I tell her it's time to do this, she takes my hand and leads me to the bedroom. She knows that this means it's time to get cozy for bed. In the mornings, we snuggle, drink milk, and watch a bit of Sesame Street or Doc McStuffins. This again is a time for us to snuggle, wake up, and get some milk. I am coming to love these times just as much as our old routine and, a week out, am actually kind of happy to have my body totally to myself again for a bit.

 So that's my story. My baby girl is growing up in so many ways and this is just one of them. She talks more every day, even calling Rudy "Ru Ru" which is pretty much the cutest thing ever. I look forward to more milestones that we will go through together, even if they make me a little sad at first. I am proud of myself for nursing her for 18 months and realize it is only because my body and my baby cooperated with me and that I'm lucky that it happened that way. If it doesn't work for future children I may be disappointed at first, but know that formula feeding can be just as special as long as we make it that way. I'm just thankful that I had this time and experience with Tenley and will look back on this time of my life fondly forever.

Lean Days 12 and 13: It's the Weekend!

Here's all I have to say about working out on Day 12: It didn't happen. I kind of have a feeling that Fridays and Sundays are going to be rest days instead of just Sundays. Whatever- I'm ok with it. Yesterday was a great day- we got to spend a big chunk of it with Betty and baby Clark and then we went to Jeff and Julie's to celebrate Laney and Carol's birthdays. We didn't get home until almost 10:00, so Tenley went to sleep fairly quickly. All in all, a good day. Today is Day 13 and my workout is done. I did Kenpo X and, I'm not gonna lie- I only did 30 of the 45 minutes of actual working out. Once I got to the block sequence I had had enough. Plus John took Tenley to the mall to find a new shirt (for him, not her) which means that I have time in the house to myself. That doesn't happen often. So I decided to cut my workout short and I am in the midst of doing Tenley's laundry and packing for a quick overnight trip. We get to go spend the night with Carrie and her nephew Charlie while John hits up a bachelor party downtown. It should be another great day and I just need to find the motivation to get my stuff done so we can hit the road! 77 days to go

Lean Day 11: Quick Cardio

Today was a pretty good, extremely low-key day. Tenley woke up around 7 and miraculously went back to sleep after she nursed so we got to sleep in a bit today. Once she got up we ate breakfast and I managed to get the rest of the silverware rolled for my sister-in-law's bridal shower which is happening next Saturday. After that and some play time it was time for Tenley's nap and lunch. This is kind of how every day goes and I feel like we really don't "start" our day until lunch is over around 1 or 1:30. Today we chose to be outside ALL afternoon. We played in the sandbox and with toys on a blanket. It was great. Once John came home, he took Tenley so I could work out quick and then get ready to go to my nephew's baseball game. Today's workout was Yoga which meant that I did Cardio. It was fine- nothing to comment about. I think at this point I am just trying really hard to do something every day or as close to 5/6 days a week that I can. I am still hovering right around the weight I was at on Day 90 which is fine with me. I wouldn't mind losing just a couple of more pounds before the summer, but overall I am OK with where I am at as long as I can just stay there. I have noticed that I am kind of sore this week, so I'm not sure what that is all about. The soreness in my legs is from running last night and it will take a while to go away- working out or not. Once my workout was done I packed a dinner for Tenley and we set off for Community Park. It was a beautiful night for a walk (and a baseball game) and we arrived at the park right around 6. I fed Tenley dinner (a really random dinner that included a peanut butter/jelly sandwich, peas that I had warmed up from the freezer, lil' crunchies, a cereal bar, and a mango packet of baby food) and we played with Clara while Casey played baseball. It was really nice and Tenley had a blast. On the way home, I stopped in to Subway to pick up some dinner and we arrived home around 7:30 or so. John was nice enough to watch Tenley so I could eat in peace and then we watched Grey's Anatomy together which I can't even get in to because it was one of the most disappointing yet kind of gripping season finales yet. I guess I am used to finales leaving you hanging, just not this much. And that is all I have to say about that. Tomorrow we are hoping to go see Betty and Clark and then we will go to Julie's house to have cake for Laney and Carol's birthdays. We are really looking forward to a fun (but busy) day and also hope to get a little sun/water table time in during the afternoon. 79 days to go...

Lean Day 10: Slight Change of Plans

Today has been another pretty excellent day. It has also seemed like a long day for some reason, but not in a bad way. Since it was going to be a little cooler today, I decided that it would be a good day to go to the mall and get some birthday gifts that are needed for later in the week. I usually try to run these errands in the morning, but since Tenley has been napping more often than not before lunch, I decided to just take things as they came. It seemed to be a wise decision because things went pretty well. Tenley woke up about an hour earlier than usual today so she was a bit crabby all morning. She went down for a nap at around 10:30, but slept until after 12:30 which is rare. We at lunch and headed out the door to Orland Park. When we got to Orland, I tried to do the things that really needed to be done right off the bat. Usually when I go to the mall, I tear around like a mad woman because I want to get everything done before Tenley decides that she has had enough. Today we took our time and, instead of getting flustered when she started getting antsy, I just changed things up. The first time we changed her diaper. The next time we spent time in the play area. The last time we got frozen yogurt and watched the carousel. Overall, we were able to be there for a couple of hours and I got everything done without any tantrums...an accomplishment. I still would not try to take her shopping with me when I really need to get things done for me (i.e.- try on clothes) but that is just for now. :) When we got home, John had decided to run to the grocery store and brought home Jimmy Johns. I was supposed to do the Shoulders and Arms workout today but it is 59 minutes long and it was already 6:00. I fed Tenley dinner and decided to go on John's run. It was such a perfect night for a run even though we had to bundle Tenley up a little. It was nice to run again- I haven't done it in so long but I found that it came pretty easy which means that the P90X must have done a little in the stamina department as well. We went for about 3 miles but did it in a run/walk by streets. Who knows how much of a workout it really was but I know it got my heart rate up more than the Shoulders and Arms workout would have. We have no plans for tomorrow but I have a feeling most of the afternoon will be spent outside with the water toys since it is supposed to be hot. My nephew has a baseball game at 5:30, so we may walk down to watch that for a bit. Otherwise, tomorrow is Yoga which means tomorrow is really Cardio. :) 80 days and counting...

Lean Days 7, 8, and 9: Good at Working Out, Bad at Posting

I can't believe I have forgotten to post for the past few days. They have been kind of busy, at least during the times I usually try and post. Day 7 was Sunday and it was a rest day which was good because it was Mother's Day. We had a nice day that included brunch with the Terry family, a nice day at home, and Coldstone Creamery in the evening. The only thing that would have made it better would have been if I could have seen my mom and grandma but we are trying to alternate holidays and I was at home for Mother's Day last year. Day 8 was spent cleaning our filthy house and then we had a great visit with Finn and Becky. Finn and Tenley were able to play out in our backyard with the water table and sandbox which was awesome. It was such a beautiful day and I was happy that we were able to spend part of it with two of our favorite people. John came home shortly after they left and he eventually took Tenley on a run with him so that I could work out. Yesterday's workout was Core Synergistics and I did everything but the "bonus round" because I wanted to be able to shower and eat before John came back with Tenley. Overall I consider it a success. Day 9 (today) has been wonderful. Tenley and I got up and did our usual morning routine before getting ready and having lunch at WWMS with Kathy, Julie, and Barb. It was great to catch up with them and I wanted to see Kathy at school one more time before she retires. While I was there I learned that my resignation was accepted by the school board last night, so I am officially a stay at home mom and couldn't be happier! Once we were done with lunch, Ten and I headed over to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to pick up a gift for my future sister-in-law's shower and then came home to spend around 3 hours in the back yard. I LOVE it back there. We kept on hanging out after John came home and he again (eventually) took Tenley on a run so that I could do the Cardio X workout. I did it in its entirety and managed to shower before they came home. I then fed Tenley a hodgepodge of a dinner (because she is kind of refusing to eat a lot of any one thing at the moment), gave her a bath to get the sunscreen and watermelon juice off of her (she is finally swallowing the watermelon!), and now we are ready for bed. Hopefully tomorrow will produce another good workout. It is the Shoulders and Arms workout that I enjoy but it is SO LONG. So we will see what happens. Tenley and I will be heading to the mall tomorrow afternoon to get some birthday gifts, so everything will have to center around that little outing. 81 days to go...

Lean Days 5 and 6: Some Good, Some Bad

Since I am writing this post on Saturday and neglected to post yesterday, I am sure you have assumed that I did not work out yesterday. You assumed right. Yesterday was such a beautiful, fantastic day and working out just didn't fit into that picture for me. But let me back up and let you know a little bit about Thursday night. So as stated in my last post, John and I were gearing up to go to The Cubby Bear and see George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic. We left home around 8:00 and made it inside The Cubby Bear by 9 or so. It was a pretty thin crowd at first and I wasn't sure what to expect. Initially, there was a little bit of this and a little bit of that- lots of flannel, some tie-dye, a few hipsters, and some kind of weird-ish old people. As the night went on, I decided that I was a little out of place in my cute sequined shorts, salmon top, and heels. But that was OK- mama doesn't get to dress up very much. John kept trying to prepare me for what I would see as we waited (another hour!) for the band to come on. I couldn't figure out what the big deal was- they were only a band, right? It turns out that nothing in the world could prepare me for the strangeness that I would witness in the next 2 hours. Holy. Cow. First of all, when the whole band is on the stage there are about 25 people up there. NOT exaggerating. The fist layer of people (at the back of the stage) included a bass player, a (white) keyboard player with a shirt that read "I Love Mary Jane" (which at first I thought was in homage to his girlfriend but later figured out it had another meaning, another keyboard player whom I realized later had a lit joint hanging out of his mouth the ENTIRE show, and a guy who had a double guitar and a stocking hat with a spelunking light around his head. The next layer of people included a guitar player that looked like Lil' Wayne, a saxophone player that looked like he just rolled out of bed, a trumpet player with a camouflage shirt, a backup singing guy in a suit from the 70s, another backup singer in a really smooth looking modern suit, a girl backup singer in a psychedelic striped dress with her bra hanging out and a huge afro. Then, to top it off, there was George Clinton's son in a denim tuxedo whose shirt kept coming more and more unbuttoned as the night went on, a girl who appeared to be on crack in a "sexy" nurse's uniform and wore roller skates part of the time, a ripped guy in fuzzy white pants and no shirt with a fake nose and a cheesy fake gun, and at one point a guy in white face paint and Mickey Mouse gloves. And then there was George himself in a suit that was too small, a tie that was too short, and suspenders. At one point, the guy who was keeping the band supplied with water came out and rapped and George's granddaughter came out and rapped a NASTY song about weed and female private parts. And those are only the people I can remember. I think I could have gone up there and no one would have even noticed! It was quite a night. The music is DEFINITELY not my thing but John was in 7th heaven and thought it was the greatest show on the planet. It could have something to do with the contact high I'm sure we contracted from the white 20-somethings to our right who came to the show in a limo (??), but then again John is a true fan. He told me last night that they were going to be in Traverse City and the first thing I thought was "Dear Lord not when we are going to be there. Please. Because this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me." Thankfully he's going to be in TC in mid-May, NOT late July. After that eventful night, we slept in a little on Friday and then I spent all day with Tenley. John had the day off so he did lots of work in the yard and Tenley and I went to the park, played with her water table, and napped. By the time the evening rolled around, we decided to have a fire pit and make S'mores and I decided that workout was NOT in the cards. What a great day :) Today was a little bit better on the working out front. We got up, had breakfast, and then John took Ten and I did Kenpo. After that we got ready and took Tenley to see Sesame Street Live which was incredibly cute and she sat through the whole thing pretty riveted. It was a success :) I see a lot of Sesame Street in our future, more because John seems to be becoming obsessed with it. Once we left the show, we went to Babies R Us to get Tenley some new shoes and then came home. John just took off to go to a Sox game and Ten and I are here for the evening. I am ready to go to bed and it's only 5:30. Instead, we are going to run to Target to get some last minute Mother's Day cards and then take it easy together. :) 84 days to go...

Lean Day 4: Gearing Up for a Good Night

Today has been a really good day. Still no poop in sight for my child, but she slept a bit better last night and was in a great mood all day. I called the doctor about her bowel issues and they told me to increase her medication and to call them in a few days. It is beyond me why these people aren't more concerned- I feel like I need to take her to their office as she is going so that they can hear the gut wrenching cries that come out of her. It is so sad. It is even more worrisome that she hasn't gone in going on three days, especially now that I have doubled her medication. Yikes. I just hope she feels OK. John and I are getting ready to go downtown for the Parliament Funkadelic show at Cubby Bear and, as I write this, I am realizing that I should be in the shower. Instead, I am blogging while pumping. I DESPISE pumping and know that I am lucky that I don't have to do it very often. That still doesn't make the times I do have to pump any better. I really don't get a lot anymore when I pump which makes me wonder how much Tenley actually drinks when she nurses. She only nurses at morning, before her nap, and at night and I really don't thing she gets much. I've tried whole milk with her a couple of times and she just wrinkles her nose at it so I think it might be time to get a little more aggressive. What she eats and drinks is slowly becoming my new obsession. Along with her poop. Sigh. Although we are having kind of a random night, I was able to work out once John came home from work. I substituted Cardio for Yoga tonight and am glad I did. Then I blew it because we ordered a quick pizza for dinner. Oh well- at least I worked out. Sorry for the randomness of this post but I am not fully concentrating and I HAVE to get in the shower now! 86 days to go...

Lean Day 3: Shoulders, Bi, Tri...Shoulders, Bi, Tri

Today has been a very typical, normal day in the lives of Tenley and me. Besides the fact that she didn't sleep AGAIN last night, our day today went pretty much as it usually does. Breakfast followed by playtime/chores followed by a little time outside followed by lunch then a nap, then more playing/laundry until John gets home. John agreed to take Tenley this evening so that I could work out, so I fed her dinner around 6 and they have been gone shopping for Mother's Day (isn't that cute?) ever since. After calling my grandparents, I dove into Day 3 of P90X Lean. I already love this (as much as one can love working out with Tony) program more than the P90X "Classic" because the first three weeks are all of my favorite workouts. Today was my favorite Wednesday lifting workout which incorporates Shoulders, Biceps, and Triceps. The only bad thing about this workout is that it clocks in at 59 minutes and 40 seconds or something like that, so I did everything but the "bonus round" tonight since I thought I would be cutting it close on time to work out, shower, and eat. It was a good workout and my arms should feel it tomorrow. Tomorrow is supposed to be Yoga which means that it will more than likely be Cardio instead. That is if I get a chance to work out. John is a huge fan of George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic and they are playing at the Cubby Bear tomorrow night. He has talked about seeing them since we met (6 years!) and we have never made it to a show together. Now, this is not my first choice of bands to see. Let's face it- the best concert I've been to besides DMB was N'Sync where I screamed like a 9 year old girl- so Parliament Funkadelic is not really my bag. But, John is so beyond excited to see them that I couldn't say no. We will see how tomorrow night goes. :) It will be a late night but John is taking the day off on Friday so at least I won't be caring for Tenley alone...in theory... Speaking of Tenley, I have discovered two funny things about her. First, She loves to fake laugh and it is pretty much the funniest/cutest thing on the planet. It's somewhere between a laugh and a cough but she makes no facial expression while doing it. Second, she does a funny thing when eating watermelon. At first I thought she didn't like it, because she was spitting it out. But, in actuality, she takes a piece, puts it in her mouth, chews it up and sucks all the juice out of it, and then sticks her tongue in and out of her mouth until the piece falls back out. It totally reminds me of the Sex and the City episode where they go to LA and Miranda goes out to eat steak with her friend who used to live in New York. He's lost all of this weight to try and fit in with the LA scene and Miranda finds out that he does so because he doesn't actually eat his food- he chews it up to get the taste and then spits it in the napkin so he doesn't have to digest it. Totally gross, but totally Tenley. What a nut! 87 days to go...

P90X Lean Days 1 and 2- Here We Go Again

For anyone who reads this blog and hopes to find something new and exciting, I am here to apologize to you. I don't feel like I have any time to write anything fun like I used to and the few minutes I do have that I have devoted to this blog is the only way to keep myself accountable for working out. Like writing it down every day is a small victory. So, as the title of this post reads, here we go again. I decided to take about 2 1/2 weeks off from working out, more so because of life circumstances than anything else. You see, I have always been someone to start something new (or again) on a Monday because if I start at any other point in the week I don't have the motivation. So last Monday when I was determined to jump back in, John would not watch Tenley and that was the end of my workout reboot. Thankfully she cooperated yesterday and took a late afternoon nap allowing me to get Day 1 in and tonight John took her to our nephew's baseball game (which I really, really wanted to go to but passed on for THIS) so I could get Day 2 in. I have opted to go with the P90X Lean program because it incorporates all of the more cardio-esque workouts that I enjoy so much. My main goal is just to stay toned until at least our vacation (June 9th!) and then beyond if I can. Summer always presents difficulties for me in the workout arena because I am always traveling to my mom and dad's and we all know how well I stick to a workout regimen there. :) SO, yesterday Tony's Lean program called for Core Synergistics which I did (even the 'bonus round') and today I had Cardio X which I did even though I had a massive headache. Either the workout or the Motrin that I took before the workout must have worked because my head feels much better. Now I have to jump in the shower before John and Ten come home because I think we are going to have S'mores around the fire pit. So much for that workout. lol As a side note, I have to put in a few words about my child. In the past couple of days, someone has stolen my sweet little girl and replaced her with a screaming whiny monster. She is not sick (aside from her pooping issues which we have medicine for) and she is also not sleeping well. Whomever this is, I wish that they would give me Tenley back. My head can't take any more of the piercing screams when I tell her no or don't feed her fast enough. 88 more days to go...

Day 90: Dear Tony Horton

Dear Tony Horton:

My name is Chrisanne Terry and I am, as of today, a "P90X Graduate." Going into this program, I'm not sure what I expected. First, I was very unsure as to whether or not I could stick with it for 90 days. Second, I was hoping that if I DID stick with it, I would see my body in a condition that I had never seen it before. I'm here to tell you that I survived the 90 days (with a few missed workouts here and there) and I am feeling pretty good.

When I started this program, I had not worked out in months if not over a year. I was very hesitant that I didn't even know if I was in good enough pre-shape to actually start the program. So hesitant, in fact, that I did not even do the fit test and just dove in to Day 1. I have to tell you, Tony, you were not my favorite person at first. I found your jokes to be annoying and wanted to throw things at the TV during 90 percent of the workouts. Gradually, my way of thinking shifted though. I started to look forward to seeing you every day with your perfect smile and rippling muscles. I grew very fond of knowing that your dad once threw a no-hitter, your friend from Chicago gave you your Navy Pier muscle top, and that you like to wear "What's loose, what's comfortable" during Kenpo X. Every time you said the phrase "This is a horse stance. THIS isn't. This is just standing up" I giggled a little. You have turned out to be a wonderful motivator and almost a friend over the past three months. Thanks for pushing me without even knowing me.

To Dreya Webber, Joe, Eric, Scott, Pam the Blam, Vanessa, Jason, Jackie, Aaron, Tim the Marine, Tony the Former Marine, Laura, Katie, Lorraine, David, and all you other P90X demonstrators that I have worked out with over the past 90 days, I am OBSESSED with knowing what happened to you. Did Jason and Vanessa get married? Did Dreya ever date Tony? Did David ever find a teaching job? It almost kills me not knowing more about these people, so much so that I tried to look several of them up and found a fellow P90X grad who put a little more into his research here:

http://www.fitbomb.com/p/p90x.html

Now for my results. I want to show you, Tony, because my body is actually not what I expected it to be. I expected more muscle tone, more "ripped-ness" but I realized around Day 30 that this was probably a little unrealistic. You see, although I followed your workout plan pretty closely, I DID NOT follow your meal plan at all. Like, I finally found the nutrition guide when I was cleaning yesterday...on Day 89. But I am happy with my results. I am going to try to post some pictures and forgive the bra and underwear shots- it didn't occur to me to put a swimsuit on until Day 30. Since it is too hard to figure out how to post them all in the correct order, here is a link to the album I kept them in. I have no plans to print these off or do anything with them, it was just the easiest way I could figure out how to do it.

http://photo2.walgreens.com/walgreens/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=14094553002/a=7393609_7393609/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=walgreens/

So, Tony, my journey with you is now over for the time being. I am planning to take a week or so off and then meet you back fro the P90X lean program. Until then, I will miss your wisecracks and testosterone-driven rants but my body will enjoy a little time off.

Love,

Chrisanne Terry

PS- I'm sorry about the inconsistency with the pictures. The mirror that I was using in our bedroom took an unfortunate turn for the worst between Days 60 and 90. :(

Day 89: A Great Day

So today has been really good. Like, incredibly good. I have been looking forward to today for the past couple of weeks and it did not disappoint.

Tenley woke up around 7 and she was fed and out of bed by 7:30. I ate my breakfast and then cleaned our bedroom and the bathroom. All that is left to do before Carrie comes tomorrow is sweep the remaining floors and clean the kitchen. Oh, and to figure out where I am going to put all of Tenley's party stuff since it is piled a mile high on the guest room bed. Either Carrie will have to sleep on the floor or I need to get crackin' on a new home for that stuff for a week. It would have had to be moved anyways because I will have my mom and brother here next week. Hopefully I can work on that tonight.

Once Tenley had eaten breakfast, had a bath, and I had showered, I nursed her one more time and then I was off on my own to shop! I started off at Walgreens where I picked up some new pictures for the party, then swung by Cakes by Karen to order Tenley's smash cake. I had intended to make the cake myself and even practiced it once, but my mom convinced me that I was going to have enough to prepare next week without stressing out over that cake. I am happy to hand the reins over on this one; they always do great work. Once that was taken care of, I hit the road for Orland Park. As I was approaching the Target plaza, I spied a Party City out of the corner of my left eye, so I turned in and managed to get all of the party supplies for next weekend. This was a huge relief because I was planning on having to go to Highland for that and knocked it out today instead. My last (and longest) stop was to the mall to find some new clothes suitable for a night on the town, new jeans, and a couple of shirts so that I don't have to keep wearing the same 6 things over and over. It was a successful trip.

I was a bit bent out of shape when I left the house at 10:30 because John was supposed to get someone to watch Tenley when he had to leave for class at 3:30. Of course, he waited until the last minute (ie, 10:00 this morning) to check with anyone and, shocker, no one was free. Which is fine, I just wish he would have checked with someone BEFORE today. So that meant that I had a deadline and I DID NOT want to have to be home at a certain time. I was envisioning this shopping trip to be awful because things wouldn't fit right/I wouldn't be able to find what I wanted/I would get discouraged. Exactly the opposite happened. I found a BUNCH of cute things at Express including the perfect wash of jeans and ended up getting an outfit for Saturday night as well as some interchangeable pieces while I was there. The best thing was that I had a $75 off coupon AND a $50 gift card from my brother for Christmas so it all ended up being waaaaaay cheaper than it could have been. I swung through Forever 21 but didn't find anything I loved, then picked up a couple of shirts at H&M. I stopped in a couple other stores and decided to go look at swimsuits at Victoria's Secret. I thought I might be pushing my luck with this since the trip had been pretty fulfilling thus far, but John had given me a gift card to VS and I had told myself that I was going to look for a good quality swimsuit with it. I picked up a few that I liked and then also grabbed an emerald green one on a whim. It was a type of top I had never worn before and I wasn't sure about it but LOVED it when I tried it on. Well, I loved it as much as anyone can love being in a swimsuit a year after having a baby and still lactating. The bonus was that the sales attendant took my measurement and I have apparently lost 2 inches around my ribs (or whatever that measurement is). I still ended up in the same size top as I've usually worn but have the option to hook the swimsuit top further if it seems big.

This whole trip left me feeling pretty good and wishing that I could hug Tony Horton. For now, I will just enjoy my purchases and look forward to tomorrow- DAY 90!

1 DAY TO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day 88: Crabby Pants

You would think that the name of this post would refer to my almost-1-year-old but sadly, no, it refers to me. I have been in the WORST mood all day and I don't know why. I think part of it has to do with the funky schedule (or total lack thereof) we've been keeping for the past three weeks. I am ready to go back to the normal do nothing for awhile schedule. The thing is, everything we have been doing has been lots of fun but there has been a bit of a lack of normal sleep which could throw a wrench in anything. All of this to say, I'm grumpy. :(

Last night was pretty fun. We did end up hitting Goose Island for dinner and they had Cubby Blue which I have been waiting to have for two summers now. The summer before I got pregnant, we literally went there ten times and they were out of it EVERY SINGLE TIME. Then, last year I only went to one game when we took Tenley over Labor Day and we didn't chance going to lunch AND the game for fear of her mood and nursing needs. Needless to say, I was super excited when I saw it on the board and on the menu AND that it was in stock. I also had the salad that I love, so food-wise I did great. I didn't even have any junk food at the game. Hooray!

Today we woke up and had to go out to our Mortgage company to sign some papers for our refinance. Then we swung by the church where we are going to have the birthday party to pay for the room. I can't believe how expensive a child's birthday is. Holy cow. Our RSVPs were due today, and over half of the people we invited haven't RSVPd which is extremely annoying because we had to pay based on the number of people. So we could end up owing more if we go over the initial limit which would be good to know upfront. Oh, and we have to make food for the people coming and I would like to know how much to make. Sorry. Just a little side rant. I told you I was grumpy, right?

Once we got home, I laid down with Tenley for a nap hoping that this would help. It did a little bit. Then John took Tenley so I could Kenpo it up. That helped my mood a lot. Now that I'm done, we are going to get John's car (yes, it's broken AGAIN after he told me that it was good-as-new after the last repair) and then we should be in for the evening. I don't know what we are going to do for dinner since this is the only day this week that we are going to be home all together. I need to do some laundry and get some motivation to clean a little.

Tomorrow should be a fun day for me. I am going shopping sans baby for some new clothes and a shower gift for my brother and Sarah. John starts a class tomorrow night from 5-9, so I am hoping that I can get back in time to work out before he has to leave. We'll see.

2 MORE DAYS!!

Day 87: First Core Workout in a LOOOONG Time

Today has been a pretty typical day. Although John is home for Spring Break, he has been laying around all day watching movies and apparently recovering from his night last night. So Tenley and I have conducted business as usual. We got up, ate breakfast, and cleaned a little bit of the house. I was able to dip all of the chocolate covered ladybug cookies for her party, so that was a major accomplishment. Having those and the pretzels out of the way makes me a little bit less anxiety-stricken for all the baking to come next week. :) After we ate lunch, Tenley fell asleep and I was able to put her in her crib where I am assuming she is still sleeping. I put the monitor next to John's unmoving zombie head and headed down to the basement to work out.

Today's workout was Core Synergistics and I have not done this one in probably four weeks. I really liked it the first times I did it but today I did not. I'm not sure why because it is an excellent workout but I was hating it today. I did the whole thing in it's entirety, but it was not fun. At least it's done for the day and I don't have to feel so bad about whatever I consume at the game tonight. I am really hoping we will go to Goose Island before the game (our little tradition which I LOVE) so that I can get a salad and then not have to worry about eating at the game. The total opposite end of that spectrum would be to go to El Burrito before the game (which I DO NOT love) or to just eat at the game (which I am not amped about). We are meeting friends down there at 5, so if it is a 7:05 start then we should have time for Goose Island. We shall see.

In the next two hours I need to shower, bathe Tenley, feed her, and get everything around to be gone for the evening. Carrie is coming over to watch her tonight (I have THE ABSOLUTE BEST FAMILY) and I hope Tenley is OK. She always does well for both Carrie and Julie, but this will be a bedtime babysitting gig and I am hoping it goes smoothly. I can't say that I won't get her up to nurse and cuddle her when I get home, but it just depends on how well she is sleeping.

I bit the bullet today and weighed myself and was grateful to see that I was up less than a pound from when I went to my Mom's which made me extremely happy. I am hoping that by Friday I will be back down and then some, making my total loss right around 10 pounds.

3 more days! Eek!

Day 86: A Very Busy Day

So I am picking up where I left off by trying to pretend last week didn't happen in the land of P90X. We hiked as a family again for over an hour on Saturday and our Easter was absolutely wonderful. It was a day spent with family and the only way it could have been better is if the Terrys could have been there too. I HATE having to split holidays. :( Overall, it was a wonderful trip home and I had mixed feelings about coming back.

This morning we got up, packed the car, and headed for Munster. We arrived around 11 and the next few hours were spent unpacking all the junk we had to bring back with us. I had purchased a bunch of stuff for Tenley's party from Sam's Club and it all had to be hauled back and given a temporary home in our basement. Once that was done, John took Tenley so I could work out. I chose to do Cardio X today to get back in the swing of things and will do Core tomorrow, Kenpo on Wednesday, Cardio on Thursday, and Core on Friday. Then I will be done...for the time being. After a hiatus for Tenley's party preparations, I will hopefully start in to the P90X Lean program until after the wedding.

Once my workout was done, John got ready and left for the Cubs game. Tenley and I played for awhile, then I dipped some pretzels for her party. About halfway through that process, Julie and Laney stopped by which was a great surprise. They stayed for over an hour and played with Tenley while I kept working on the pretzels. Julie made the comment that she thought I am thinner now than I was before my wedding (which I'm not, but it was really nice to hear!) and that made me feel good. Especially after eating everything in sight and not working out for a week. I am dreading stepping on the scale and I am tempted to put it off until Friday. We'll see.

OK- Tenley is asleep and I have a DVR full of shows to catch up on. Hopefully I will have time to write tomorrow- John and I are going to the Cubs game (hooray!) and won't be home until late. I'm determined to get my workout in, so if I can't post tomorrow it will be a double-post day on Wednesday.

4 days and counting...

Day...-Day...: Pretend Like These Never Happened...

So, as you can tell by the title of this post, the days at my parents' house have been an epic fail. I am kind of disappointed in myself because I am so on the home stretch, but this week has been so stinkin' busy that there has been no time for working out until today (and it wasn't even P90X which I will explain later). Just to give you a recap of my week, I will list my activities by day below:

Monday: Woke up at 5:00 to get myself and Tenley ready to leave the house for Mom's dr appointment in Indy. We arrived in Indy at 9:30 and kept ourselves entertained while Mom had her PET scan. Katherine met us for lunch and then we hit the road for Ohio. We arrived at my aunt's at around 5:00, ate dinner with them at 6:30, then headed to my cousin Sarah's beautiful new house for the rest of the night. Needless to say, we were exhausted.

Tuesday: Woke up in time to eat breakfast before Sarah went to work then proceeded to get ready and run errands with Mom and Aunt Sharon. Once we finished all of that, it was around 4 and we went back to Sarah's to wait for her to get home (a 1/2 hour later) and then we made the hour trip to Findlay to eat at the Hibachi grill with our other cousins and then headed to their house for a bit to let the kids play. We left their house at 11:30 (yes, PM) and didn't go to bed until 12:30 AM after Tenley was fed and changed. And, yes, my child was up that whole time. Poor baby. :(

Wednesday: We got up, got ready, ran more errands, ate lunch, then headed back to Mom and Dad's. We were going to be home in time to walk the nature trail with my Dad, but my grandparents called and wanted us to stop by. By the time we got back home, it was 6:30 and time to eat dinner and get Tenley ready for bed. Another day with no workout.

Thursday: We spent the whole day at my Aunt Irma's and didn't get home until after 6.

Todday: We got up and readied ourselves to leave the house by 8:30 to head into Michigan to look for my Mom a dress for Brandon's wedding. The good news is that we found a dress. The bad news is that we didn't get home until after 1:30. Then my cousins came to see us and by 4 I was headed up for a haircut with my other cousin Staci. Once that was done, I headed home where my grandparents had stopped by for a visit. Once they left, my Mom, Dad, and I headed to the Pine Knob nature trail where we walked (more like hiked) for over an hour and fifteen minutes. That has to count for something, right?

All of this to say, I am extending my P90X by a week. I am hoping to be able to workout Monday-Friday next week and make "Day 90" Friday. This will butt up perfectly for my trip to Indy on Saturday, so that is my plan. I hope to post my "after' pictures at that point if I do not chicken out. So, until I start back up on Monday (fingers crossed), this is it.

5 days to go...I guess :)

Day 83: Whew! I'm Exhausted!

Today has been quite a day. Looking back at it, I am wondering if it even happened. I woke up early this morning to get my workout in (cardio, like I'd planned) and was back upstairs and ready to start the day before 8:00. I hate, hate, HATE working out in the morning, but I am so glad I did seeing as how there would have been zero time anywhere else in the day to do it. After I worked out, I nursed Tenley and then got the two of us ready to leave the house by 9:30. We were pulling out of the driveway at 9:28 to head to La Porte to meet my mom to look for her dress for Brandon's wedding. It was a pretty successful trip and although she doesn't have a dress in her possession, she has her eye on one that can be ordered with just a simple phone call. We may look for other options while I'm home with her this week, but the one that she found in La Porte was really pretty. After we shopped, we went to BW3's to have lunch. Tenley was so incredibly good through this whole experience and had fun eating and reading with her Grandma during lunch.

After we ate lunch, we made the 45 minute drive home and went straight to Jeff and Julie's house for a visit and to see Katie and Stella. Stella is just so beautiful and Katie is such a loving and good mom. It was great to see both of them and great (as always!) to see Jeff, Julie, and the kids. We were there for quite awhile while I exchanged text messages with John about our evening plans. My plans were to go home, do laundry, and pack for the week but things didn't quite turn out that way. A bunch of John's basketball friends (for lack of a better way to describe them) were going out to dinner in Frankfort/Mokena and wanted us to come. I told him I would be happy to go as long as we could take Tenley so I headed home from Jeff and Julie's, fed and changed Tenley, and then we were back on the road once again. Dinner was really nice and we were able to catch up with these friends that I don't get to see very often. They all have great wives and I really wish we lived closer so I could get together with them more. They are just a really good group of people to be around. Words cannot describe how good Tenley was through all of the running we did today. She only fussed a few times at dinner and almost fell asleep in my lap before it was time to go home. Once we headed home, we stopped by The Creamery for a Rainbow Cone (yum!) and then finally hit the road. Now that I am back, I have done two loads of laundry (waiting on a third to be done), packed Tenley's food for the week, managed to pack some of her clothes that aren't being washed, and resigning myself to the fact that the rest will have to be done tomorrow. I really wanted to go to church in the morning but am afraid that I won't have time to get everything done that needs to be done before Ten and I leave around 2.

Now back to the workout. The Cardio was just fine this morning- I bit harder than usual since I did it right when I got up. Tomorrow is supposed to be a rest day, but I am going to try to get a workout in because I know I won't be able to do anything on Monday. Tenley and I will be traveling with my mom to Indy at 6:30 am for her annual doctor appointments and PET scan and then we will head straight to my aunt's in Ohio after that. I feel like if I take Monday as my rest day, maybe I can try to be conscious of my workouts from Tuesday-Saturday. Because Saturday is DAY 90. Can you believe it? Something tells me that this next week isn't going to go well with the traveling and Easter, so I may tack on a "bonus" week and really "end" on the 13th. I guess I will see how it goes. Until then,

7 days to go!!!

Day 82: A Wonderfully Fantastical Day

Today was seriously such a great day. I wish Spring Break lasted all year round because it has been so much fun hanging out with my friends and their kiddos this week. Becky and I had been talking about taking Ten and Finn to the zoo today for the past week but when we woke up the weather indicated that this would be a VERY bad idea. Becky text messaged me at around 7:15 to ask if we wanted to take the kids to see the Easter Bunny and then try out Bellaboo's in Lake Station instead. I was of course onboard and it turned out to be an awesome day.

First the Easter Bunny. We got to the mall around 10:15 or so and were the only people within miles of the Easter Bunny's lair. Or whatever. Becky said that it might be a good idea to stand outside the ropes and let the kids see the Easter Bunny first, so that's what we did. Tenley was so funny- she saw the bunny waving at her right away and was smiling and waving back which was seriously so cute. Finn was a little more tentative, so Becky told us to go ahead. I took Tenley right up to the bunny and she was smiling, laughing, and waving at him...until I tried to hand her over. Then she kind of freaked out and cried but settled down long enough to get some pictures of her with an extremely skeptical face. It was the next best thing to a smile and we will definitely remember this experience for years. :) Finn did a great job and he, Santa, and The Easter Bunny are all BFFs forever. After The Easter Bunny experience, we took the kids to Carson's to change their clothes and then it was off to Bellaboo's.

For those of you who don't know what Bellaboo's is (I didn't until last night), it is wonderful place to take your kids full of fun activities. They have little rooms that each have a different theme with different activities. We dropped by each room but spent a lot of time in the baby room which was fully padded and had a miniature ball pit, a little ballet barre in front of a mirror that Tenley spent a whole lot of time pulling herself up on, and a kind of padded house that had toys inside. We also liked the pretend area that had a grocery store, kitchen area, and dress-up clothes. The kids really liked the Reading Room, but mostly because it had a step that they liked to climb up and (almost) fall down. We ended the day in the Water Room which is hard to explain but a lot of fun. Someone left that area looking like she had peed her pants and it wasn't Becky, Finn (obviously) or Tenley. The only negative part of the experience was lunch because they were SO SLOW in taking orders and getting the food out. I didn't realize how hungry Tenley must have been because as soon as I put her in that highchair she wanted food RIGHT NOW. When the food finally came it was awesome, and Tenley and Finn very sweetly shared a grilled cheese sandwich. We left around 2:30 and had two very tired babies. Tenley ended up napping all the way home and for a bit once we got home. When she woke up, I nursed her and she fell asleep again until John got home. What a day!

Since we had a big day, we decided to take it easy tonight. John watched Tenley for an hour while I did my workout which I greatly appreciated. I decided to do Kenpo tonight for two reasons. One, because it was either that or Cardio and I didn't want to do Cardio two days in a row and two, I want to try to workout first thing tomorrow morning and Cardio is the shortest workout I can do. It felt pretty good and, as always, I'm just glad that it's done. We are meeting my mom in La Porte tomorrow morning at 10:30 to help her find a dress for my brother's wedding (hooray!) so I really hope to get my workout in early and not have to do it when I get home. We'll see how that goes tomorrow.

8 days and counting...

Day 81: At Least I Worked Out..

After the last few fun-filled days, I knew that I was in for an annoying one. And that annoying one just happened to be today. I knew that I had to run a bunch of errands before going to my mom and dad's this week and when I woke up this morning I thought I better suck it up and make it be today. Things got off to a rough start because Tenley woke up about an hour earlier than usual and didn't want to go back to sleep, so I should have known that it was going to be one of those days. Nevertheless, we got up, got showered, and headed over to Highland for a Kohl's and Target trip. Tenley was really crabby throughout the morning but thankfully slept in her stroller through most of Kohl's which was a blessing. After Target, we headed out to Crown Point to Tiny Toes Ribbons and Bows to pick up Tenley's birthday outfit. Which is RIDICULOUSLY, RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME. The biggest bright spot (besides Tenley) to my day. Once we returned home, we ate lunch and played until John came home. He then needed us to take him to pick up his car and Tenley thankfully fell asleep on the way home (she needed a nap in the WORST way) and slept until after my workout was done. The rest of the night should be uneventful (I hope).

Today's workout ended up being Cardio because I was afraid Tenley would wake up and I wanted to get something in. The workout was just fine and I'm happy it's done. I think I will try for Plyo tomorrow and Kenpo on Saturday. That's all I have for now- the baby's awake!

9 days to go!

Day 80: Another Fun (Fast) Day

Today was another beautiful, fun day. Becky and Finn picked us up around 11 and picked up lunch to take to Betty's house. We spent the afternoon eating and talking about Clark's upcoming entrance into the world and It was a great time. If only Beth had Spring Break and Rachel could have been there...but it's just not a perfect world. :( After we left Betty's, Ten and I played outside until John came home and then ate dinner. Once dinner was over, I was finally able to work out.

Today's workout was the last time for Biceps and Back. I tried to do as heavy of weights as possible and I am going to be feeling it tomorrow. I feel like it was a good workout and I am feeling very jelly-like. Hopefully tomorrow will be a good day for either Plyo or Cardio. This has be be a short post because it's time for Tenley to go to bed, so until tomorrow...

10 days to go!

Day 79: An Unexpected Missed Workout

Yesterday was a fantastic day in so many ways, but unfortunately not on the workout front. Becky, Finn, Tenley, and I headed out to Orland Park around 9:00 for a little Easter dress shopping (for Tenley) which was a big success. We picked up Potbelly's for lunch (YUM) and ate it back at our house. John had called me during the morning to see if Tenley and I would accompany him to the Math Honor Society induction ceremony and then to dinner and at first I thought I would just send Tenley so I could work out, but later changed my mind and decided to go. I am so glad I did because we had a great time together as a family. The ceremony was nice and short and then we headed to Champps for dinner which was delicious. By the time we got home, it was almost 9 and I had a pounding headache (the only bad part of the day).

Today I am going with Becky and Finn over to Betty's to help organize the goods from Clark's shower. I am hoping that I will get a workout in later today or this evening. Yesterday was supposed to be Plyo and I hate missing that one, but I think I am going to stick to the schedule and do Biceps and Back today and then substitute either Cardio or Plyo for Yoga tomorrow. That is the plan. We will see how it goes. :)

Hopefully there will be a successful workout post later today.

11 days to go!

Day 78: Last Time for Chest, Shoulders, and Back

I can't believe I am in the last week of muscle work for this program. When I think about it, 90 days have gone by pretty fast! Today was a day full of less than no motivation, so I am happy I got a workout in at all! Tenley woke up around 7:30, nursed, and then conked back out until 8:30. That was just fine by me except for the fact that as soon as I poured myself a bowl of cereal and sat down to eat it, she popped up with a great big smile like, "Hello, world! I'm ready for action!" She was in a great mood all day and even allowed me to get some more stuff for her party accomplished. I think that we are pretty much all set to go for that party aside from the food which obviously can't be done until closer to time. The invites are all addressed and ready to go out as soon as I slap stamps on them, so hopefully they will be in the mail tomorrow. Once some party planning and playing was accomplished, we ate lunch and then I actually laid down with her for her nap. She slept from about 1-3 which was great. I knew John would be home after school and after him being gone all weekend, I had no qualms about asking him to watch her for an hour while I worked out. Once the workout was in, we had a nice dinner of roast beef, mashed potatoes, and corn and now the night lays before us. It will include a bath for Ten, a shower for me, a call to my mom, and bed.

Today's workout is one of my least favorite because it's tons of pushups and I'm happy to be done with that one until I start the program again. My arms are sore, but I can do all of the moves (except for the one arm pushups- WTF? I think I would have to be a freak of nature to get those right) and I am proud of how my arm and chest strength has improved over the past few months. I won't be winning any pushup contests any time soon, but at least I don't laugh at Tony every time he demonstrates a move. That is an improvement.

Tomorrow I am planning on heading out to the mall to find Tenley an Easter dress. I am going to try to go in the morning (maybe with Becky and Finn- hooray!) so that we are home in the afternoon to nap and get dinner. We will see how it goes. Becky is going to take Tenley's one year pictures at some point in the next month so it will be fun having her along to pick out a dress so we can use it in those pictures. Hopefully I can get my Plyo workout in tomorrow afternoon while Tenley naps, otherwise it will be another Daddy/Daughter bonding session while Mommy gets her butt kicked.

12 days and counting...

Day 77: A Break for Mommy

Today was a great day. I had been looking forward to today all week and now that it's over, I'm a tiny bit sad. Today Tenley and I got up, ate breakfast, showered, and then I took her over to Pete and Carrie's around 10:30 so I could head over to the theater and see The Hunger Games again with Betty, Mike, Becky, and Randy. That movie is seriously so good and did not disappoint me at all in the least. Not one little bit. It is so close to the book and I appreciate how much thought seemed to go into making sure of that. But, since this is not a movie review, I will not go into that any more. After the movie, we went to BW3 for lunch and then I ran some random errands that I needed to get done without Tenley. By the time I picked her up, it was 4:15 and John was home. We played with Ten for a little while, I fed her, and then MADE myself work out. Now that I am done, I'm happy I did. I did the Kenpo workout and it made me feel a bit better for missing two days in a row. So, since today was supposed to be a rest day, I technically only missed one workout this week. This is what I'm telling myself.

That's all I've got for now.

13 days to go!

Day 76: ANOTHER Missed Workout

Today has had some fun parts and some not-so-fun parts. The fun parts included spending time with great friends at Betty's baby shower in anticipation of the arrival of Baby Clark. I am so, SO excited for this baby to be here and the shower was like an appetizer to hold us over. Or something like that. Tenley was pretty good during the shower and had fun playing with Finn and being entertained by Beth fun songs. The not-so-fun parts of today? The fact that I am so tired for some reason (I don't know why) and that Tenley's only nap was for the half hour car ride from the shower making this a loooooong day by myself. We have nothing going on tonight and with John gone, it's just a really long time to not have a break from a baby who is getting increasingly fussy. I keep looking at the clock and we still have 2 hours until bedtime, so I am hoping that we can truck along until then.

Tenley's no napping situation is what kept me from getting my workout in. I could probably do it tonight after she goes to bed, but I know I won't. I set my alarm to get up and do it this morning but sorely misjudged the time it was going to take us to get out to the shower in Crown Point and had to skip it altogether. My plan is to do Kenpo tomorrow when John gets home so he can watch Ten. Let's hope that this happens.

I have exactly 2 weeks left until we hit Day 90. I'm not too worried about this week although it is LC and Munster's Spring Breaks so I may end up having more plans than I think. Which is fine by me because I would much rather spend time with my friends then work out. I am REALLY worried about the week after, being in Ohio and my mom's house. I might have to extend this whole program a week just so I get everything in. I guess we will see how it goes. So far I am happy with the results and fully intend on doing it again starting after Ten's birthday.

Pray for my sanity the rest of the night.

14 days to go!

Day 75: No Workout :(

Today has been quite the day. And it is all because of what I chose to do last night. Last night (well, technically this morning at 12:01 AM) was the premiere of The Hunger Games and I went. This was not the plan until about 8:30 pm. Julie had invited me to go to this months ago because she had offered to take Casey and all of his friends. I was totally planning on going until John told me that it was the same weekend he would be gone and, in years past, they would leave for their trip on Thursday after school leaving me with no one to watch Tenley. When I found out that he was leaving on Friday, it was after Julie had purchased tickets. When I checked online last night, there were still tickets available so I decided to go. And it was awesome. The best movie I have seen for a long time (although I did really love Breaking Dawn for totally different reasons) and totally did justice to the book. That is all I will say except for the fact that I am seeing it with Becky and Betty (and their awesome husbands) on Sunday in IMAX and I. Can't. WAIT.

Because I got home at 3 AM, I was not really looking forward to today. Thank goodness Ten didn't wake up when I got home and slept until about 7:40, so that wasn't too bad. She barely ever takes a morning nap anymore, but she started getting cranky around 11 so I fed her and she fell asleep. I nodded off as well and we both woke up at 1:00. Which was awesome. Unfortunately, that meant that she did not take another nap today and I did not work out. I'm not sure I could have if I wanted to- my body felt like a cement. The rest of the day was spent cleaning, running errands, and then Carol came over to play with Tenley and visit which was the perfect end to the day. I ordered Jimmy Johns and am now watching the IU game while Tenley sleeps.

I am so looking forward to tomorrow- it is Betty's baby shower. We have to be in Crown Point by 10 and I am hoping to set my alarm for 7 so I can possible work out before Tenley gets up- we'll see. I really want to get my Kenpo in tomorrow and if not Kenpo then at least Cardio. Regardless, the shower will be fun and the rest of the day will be up in the air. For now, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a Hoosier win and a baby that sleeps well tonight.

15 days left!

Day 74: A Little of This, A Little of That

The title of this post describes my day perfectly. Although I haven't done any cleaning today, I have done a bunch of random stuff that needed to be done. I worked a little bit on things for Tenley's birthday party, organized the chaos that is the guest room full of party supplies, played and read to Tenley, and took her outside to play in the pool in the backyard. Once we got in from "swimming", she ate and went right down for her nap. That gave me just enough time to work out.

Today is Thursday so I should have done Yoga but I substituted Cardio instead. I just feel like I get such a good workout from the Cardio and it's only 43 minutes long (which is about as much time as I would have spent on the Yoga). Plus, the first 10 minutes of this workout is Yoga, so I'm not totally cheating, right? It's a good thing that I decided to do this because Tenley slept until the second I shut the DVD player off and then started to cry. She must have my workouts memorized by now.

On a totally separate note (and maybe a TMI moment for those of you who don't like to hear about personal stuff) I feel like crap today because my monthly cycle decided to return to me for the first time since August 2010 yesterday. Exactly 11 months to the day from when Tenley was born. Isn't that weird? I was so enjoying not having to mess with all that and am kind of surprised that it took this long to return. Now I have to deal with a few days (hopefully) of cramping an feeling gross. I hate this part about being a woman. Enough said.

Tomorrow starts my weekend of just me and Tenley while John lives it up with his friends partying in St. Louis. I am beyond jealous. Thank goodness we have Betty's shower and The Hunger Games to look forward to. I think I'm so jealous because he gets to leave this house and not worry one second about anything but how he's going to get his next drink, meal, and cab ride to the next location. Will that ever happen for me again? I know that when I go away for 24 hours to Indy next month I will have Tenley up to the last second I get to the car and he will be shoving her back at me the first second I walk in the door. I can't imagine how he would react if when he gets home on Sunday he walks through the door, I hand him Tenley, and then take off to do something. We'll see how it goes.

16 days to go.

Day 73: Nothing Could Ruin This Day

So today I decided to weigh myself on a whim. Something has been happening in the past few days; I have seen definition forming around my stomach, in my arms, and in my legs. So, first thing after nursing Tenley this morning I jumped on the scale and about lost my mind- I am down another pound and a half which put me at 120.8. I haven't seen this number for a couple of years let alone in the last 12 months. As I said in the beginning, this journey was never really about the numbers and more about getting toned and my clothes fitting again. At this point, I feel like I have been able to have it all. I still don't feel quite like myself and I really feel that my perception has been skewed by this pregnancy. Regardless, I am really pumped to see what these last 2 1/2 weeks bring.

After that surprise this morning, I feel like I was on cloud 9 all day. Tenley and I had a busy day planned and we left the house around 11:30 to pick up lunch and take it in to school. We had a great time visiting everyone and ended up staying there until after 3:00. Tenley was SUCH a good girl the whole time. She never got upset, never whined, and let everyone hold her. All in all, a VERY successful outing. Once we came home she went down for a nap and I was able to get my workout in.

Today's workout is probably one of my favorites, the "Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps" workout. It is a 59 minute workout with a short warmup and even shorter cool down, so you are really lifting a lot for the whole time. The last 7 minutes before the cool down is a "bonus round" according to Tony and I wasn't able to do it because Tenley woke up from her nap early. I also didn't get to do abs. But, as I sit here my arms are sore and I think I got in what I needed.

Tomorrow we will be spending the whole day at home and I think I should probably use this time to clean. I am hoping it is nice so that Tenley can go in her pool again since we didn't get a chance to do that today. Regardless, we are going to spend some time playing together because she didn't get a lot of Mommy time today. I love her so much. :)

17 days to go!

Day 72: What a DAY!

Today seemed incredibly busy and I know it really wasn't, but I am sitting here writing this blog with a snoozing baby beside me and wondering where the day went. Tenley and I got up and had a fairly relaxing morning before going to visit Carrie at Carson's at around 11. I wanted to see if they had an Easter dress for Tenley (they didn't) and it's always nice to visit Carrie. After that, we ran to Target to pick up a few things. After returning home, we ate lunch and Tenley took a (short) nap before we had to leave to get Cameron from school. Once we had Cameron, we ran to pick up some things from a friend's and returned home where Tenley splashed in her baby pool which had to be about the cutest thing ever. The fact that I had my baby in a pool in the backyard on the first day of spring is mind blowing, but I'll take it! Since Cameron was here to watch Ten, I was able to put dinner together and it was ready a little after 6. The bad thing was that I had not yet worked out and since my workout was supposed to be Plyo, there was no way for me to eat meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and corn directly before doing said workout. So I grudgingly left that yummy dinner on the table for John and Tenley and went to the basement to work out. Once my hour of torture was over, I was able to eat with Tenley on my lap, take a shower, and call my mom. Those are the events leading up to the state I am now.

A great thing happened today. I pulled more of my summer clothes out of the closet to try on because I NEED to get rid of some of the junk I don't wear anymore. The clothes I pulled out today were clothes that I bought to wear on our trip to Vegas a couple of years ago and everything fit. And not just fit, but looked OK too. I'm still not exactly where I want to be, but it sure does feel good to know that I really am back in my clothes. As a last ditch attempt at making myself feel really good, I put on my bridesmaid dress and it literally slid down off of my chest. Which is amazing since my chest has been the most out of control thing about me post-baby besides my stomach area. So all in all, that made for a great experience.

Today's Plyo workout was tough. It was much later in the day than usual and I hadn't had anything to eat since my 1:00 lunch. I got through it though and felt great about it. All that exertion also insured that I only ate once meatloaf instead of two which was probably a very good thing. Tonight's dinner was NOT on any type of healthy meal list.

Tomorrow Ten and I are going into school to see to have lunch with my coworkers which I am looking forward to. The downside (diet-wise, definitely not in any other way) is that we are having Memos and I will surely eat like it's going out of style. Oh well. The rest of the week is looking pretty dim as far as plans go until Betty's shower this weekend and THE HUNGER GAMES on SUNDAY!!!! Hooray!

18 days to go...

Day 71: Last Time For This Workout

Things in this program are really winding down. Although I still have three weeks left, each week will be different on Mondays and Wednesdays which means that today is the last day for this particular workout. I am not sad to see it go. Today was Chest and Back which means all pushups and pull-ups (or bands, which is what I use). I was able to get the workout in while Tenley napped and added some abs to the end of it. I was very pleased to see today that this workout was remarkably easier than it has been in the past. I have succumbed to doing all pushups on my knees to maintain good form and I can pretty much go to the ground and back up for 20 reps on each move. That compared to the struggle it was 71 days ago is a goal reached in itself. I am happy that my workout is done for another day.

There's not much more to say about today. Tenley and I have stayed close to home because although it is warm, it has looked like rain for most of the day which does not entice me to load up my almost 11 month old and walk away from the house. Now that it is a bit more sunny out I think I will take her in the back yard for a bit when she's done napping. I just hate cooping her up in the house if we can be outside in the fresh air because who knows how long this awesome weather will last?

Tomorrow will present a bit of a challenge in the area of working out because we are going to pick Cameron up from school again. I think I might just wait and have Cam watch Tenley while I work out since it is only Plyo for an hour tomorrow. We'll see how Tenley does in the napping department and go from there. I am also hoping that maybe we can go by Carson's to visit Carrie and find Ten an Easter dress, but we will see how the morning goes.

19 days to go- wow!

Day 70: A Good Day of Rest

How beautiful was it outside today? Holy cow. We tried to take full advantage of it and were outside as much as possible. Tenley and I started the day by going to church and grabbing Subway for lunch. After we ate, we spent some (hot) time in the backyard and then Tenley took a nap. I was so hoping that I would get a nap too since Tenley was up last night (and I was up for about 2 1/2 hours) but she only slept in her swing for about 30 minutes and then in my arms for about an hour. I just can't sleep comfortably when I'm holding her but it was more important that she sleep for my sanity the rest of the day. When she woke up we took a walk over to Jeff and Julie's and spent some time over there before heading home to pick up a pizza. This evening was spent playing in her room and watching her use her push along walker.

From the above paragraph you can probably ascertain that I did not work out today and I don't care. Tomorrow is the start of another week.

20 days to go!

Day 69: Is the Apocalypse Upon Us?

I ask this because of the absolutely GORGEOUS weather we have been having. Holy cow. I watched The Descendants last night (which, if you haven't seen it, is set in beautiful Hawaii) and wasn't even envious because it's been so nice here. I love it. No matter what happens, sunshine can help.

Today has been a nice Saturday. Tenley and I got up a little before 8 and ate breakfast. We played in her room while we waited for the grass to dry a little then spent the rest of the morning outside. John came home around 11 and then left again to run errands. Becky called and wanted us to meet her and Finn at the park which we happily did and were there until 2:30. It was so nice to be with the kids in the grass and catch up a bit- I really needed that. And, as a side note, for all of you who commented or texted me last night after reading yesterday's blog, THANK YOU. It really means a lot and I am really trying to get out of my funk. I feel like it is better. The only bad thing about today is that Tenley had a very short nap and threw a complete awful screaming tantrum for 20 minutes. I seriously thought I was going to lose my mind. When she is like that, I never have any frustration towards her but I get so frustrated that I just have to sit there and let her scream. I couldn't pick her up and she just rolled around on the floor screaming. It was AWFUL. So awful that I called John (because he of course wasn't home) and told him that he needed to drop what we was doing and get home before I ran screaming out of the house. Of course when he came home Tenley was sucking on her pacifier in my arms and perked right up when she heard the door. John then took her and I went straight downstairs to do my workout. Thank goodness today was Kenpo X because I kicked and punched most of my frustrations out in that 58 minute workout.

I'm hoping Tenley cooperates the rest of the night because we are planning to grill out and relax in the back yard. I am so looking forward to just sitting, eating, and drinking a bit. We'll see how it goes. At least my workout is in.

21 days to go

Day 68: Executive Decision

I have made an executive decision not to work out today. I know that I will feel bad about this later, but I am just not feeling up to the challenge today for some reason. I know it's because today's workout is supposed to be Legs and Back AND Ab Ripper X and I HATE that workout. Since I did Cardio yesterday, I don't want to substitute that again. So, I"m going to take today off in hopes that I can get Kenpo in tomorrow and then possibly work out on Sunday with Cardio. Or not. We'll see.

I'm in such a weird mood today. The weather is beautiful and Tenley and I spent a good chunk of the morning at the park. She was in the swing for a little bit, and then we sat in the grass and she played with her pink car. It was very relaxing. I look at the rest of the day and night ahead of us (alone) and just feel a little bummed. Here it is Friday night and we have no plans. John is off drinking and having a great time with his friends and won't be back until tomorrow morning, and he is doing the same thing ALL WEEKEND next weekend. I don't want to be ungrateful because he works hard so I can stay home (and that's what I want- to stay home) but I never get to do anything fun anymore. It just seems like his life really hasn't had to change at all and he can do whatever he wants whenever he wants without having to think about packing a diaper bag, working around naps, feeding a baby, being home by 8:30 for bedtime...it kind of sucks once in awhile. Before we had Tenley it didn't bother me so much because if he went out after games or with his friends, I could go to a movie or shop or whatever. I just get really sick of sitting around this house night after night by myself with only a baby to talk to. I know you other parents are thinking, "Cry me a river, wait until you have 2 or 3" or "What did you think would happen when you had a baby?" but since next to no one reads this anyways, I thought it was a good place to vent. I love, love, LOVE Tenley and love being a mom- I am just not used to that solely defining me these days. The last time I went out with people in a social situation without Tenley and not just me and John was for Becky's birthday February 3rd. Just to put things in perspective.

Enough whining. I think that after Tenley naps I am going to pack her up and go to Merrillville to Babies R Us to find her some shoes and to get the remaining supplies for her party at Hobby Lobby. I am then going to treat myself to Potbelly's for dinner and then we girls will come home and snuggle until she goes to sleep. It's not like I would rather be drinking green beer over snuggling with my baby anyways. I know I am where I'm supposed to be, I just wish my brain would wrap itself around this fact so I could stop feeling so selfish for wanting to get out once in awhile.

22 days and counting...

Day 67: Cardio

Today has been a pretty good day. How could it not be with this beautiful weather? Tenley woke up a little earlier than usual which was OK because she ended up snuggling in bed with me for a bit before we got up. I love her because she allows me to really wake up before having to start our day- she must take after me. :) Once we got up we ate breakfast and then ran to Target. This Target run was a MUST because we are out of bread and that is a vital part of our lunches every day. Once we returned from Target, we played in her room until it was time for lunch and then spent the early afternoon outdoors. It was HOT! Holy cow. I felt bad for Ten because I lathered her in sunscreen and made her wear a hat which made her head sweat. She didn't seem to mind, though- anything to be outside. Once we came in it was time for her to eat (again) and then she voluntarily fell asleep for a nap and has been in her crib now for about an hour. If she can sleep long enough for me to cool off from my workout (our house is HOT) and shower, I will be a very happy camper.

Today was supposed to be Yoga but I took a page from last week's book and substituted Cardio X instead. I like the Cardio X option because it starts with Yoga, moves to Kenpo, incorporates Plyo, and ends with Core, all in a 45 minute workout. I just feel like I accomplished something and really break a sweat instead of blundering through 50 minutes of Yoga. Thursdays were always so disappointing because you get a really good arm and ab workout in the day before (but don't sweat much) and then do another low intensity workout the next day. Now I feel like I'm truly doing a sweat your brains out workout every other day with strength training in between. Maybe I'm crazy but who cares? It's my workout.

I am going to attempt to finally make that Chinese stir-fry tonight. That's right, I still haven't been able to make it because John is NEVER home. He just called me and said that he's going to his uncle's tonight to change his shocks or something. That means that Monday he was wrapped up in doing his highlight tape, Tuesday he was gone all night at his awards banquet, last night he was out in the garage for 3 1/2 hours working on the car (Jenny was here at least, so there was some adult company), tonight he will be at his uncle's for who knows how long, and he's going overnight to Peoria tomorrow to Saturday for the state boy's basketball finals. Sigh. I wish I could go to my parents' house this weekend to see them and my grandparents (grandpa just had his knee replaced and came home yesterday) but I probably shouldn't spend the money on gas. I can't wait until the week before Easter when I will be with my mom over her Spring Break and we get to go see my cousin's new house in Ohio. That's what I am really looking forward to right now. Which, now that I think about it, is a little bittersweet because I believe my 90 days is up around Easter which means there are still at least 15 days until my mom's Spring Break. Double Sigh.

23 days and counting...

Day 66: Great Weather Makes Everything Better

Today has been a truly glorious day, mostly because the weather is so friggin' awesome. I just love getting up to sunshine and walking outside in bare feet. It really makes me excited for the Spring and Summer to come. We had Tenley for most of the Spring and all of Summer last year, but this year is going to be so much fun because she can explore and play on her own. We spent a good part of the morning outside in the back yard on a blanket with Tenley playing and me working on decorations for the birthday party. It was so relaxing to just sit in the sun and Tenley is perfectly content outside- no need to worry about her getting fussy in the sunshine! Something I do need to keep in mind is to start taking sunscreen with us wherever we go. And a hat for that bald little head. Her skin is so pale and the last thing I want is for her to burn. So Tenley and Baby Neutragena are going to BFFs with SPF from here on out.

I am so excited for the rest of the day because we have some fun plans. We are going to go on a walk and to the park with Beth, Becky, Finn and Reagan around 4 and then Jenny is coming over for our now-traditional Jimmy Johns and catch-up session. I haven't talked to her since the last time she was here, so I am dying to hear what is going on with her and at school in the department. I miss my co-workers and need monthly updates about them if at all possible. :)

Today's workout was Back and Biceps and it is one of the better workouts. I am really sore this week for some reason; I woke up this morning feeling like jelly (and weighing in at the lowest I have weighed yet since being pregnant- yippee!) and my back really tweaks every once in awhile. I think that using heavier weights on Monday might be the culprit. Regardless, today's workout was pretty good and I used 10 pound weights for most of the bicep exercises instead of 8s, so that is an accomplishment. I wasn't even using 10 pound weights when I was taking classes at Gator's. I even used 15 pound weights for the lawnmowers and am thinking that I could probably try the 20s next time just to see if I can do it. We'll see.

That is all for today. Tenley is still napping in her swing and I need to jump in the shower so we can get ready for our evening. I love today!

24 days to go!

Day 65: Thank Goodness I Got That Workout In

Today has been another kind-of random day. We have some stuff that we needed to do this afternoon and evening, so I feel like my whole day has been centered around getting stuff done and keeping Tenley happy in order to be where we need to be for everything. We picked my niece Cameron up from school this afternoon and that is right at the time that Tenley usually naps and I workout. I just bumped everything forward by an hour and a half which worked out pretty well- I got my workout in and we made it to Cammie on time. The only bad thing was that Tenley only napped for half of the workout which meant that she got to witness me doing the other half of the workout for the first time. I don't like to bring her to the basement because it is not the best place for her (and I'd much rather be upstairs with her playing than making her watch me jump around) but since today was the Plyo workout I thought it might keep her attention...and it did. I'm just so happy that I got the whole workout in and that she was OK in the process.

Tonight we have John's banquet and it's not until 7:30. That is SO LATE because Tenley usually starts her bedtime routine around 8, so I can't guarantee that she will tolerate the whole thing. It is about a 20 minute drive out there, so my hope is that she falls asleep and gets a little more of a nap on the way. Otherwise we are probably going to be in trouble.

I realize this post is a little all over the place. There is just not much to write. Something positive to report is that I have noticed my upper stomach becoming a bit tighter. We have beer mirrors in the basement and when I was doing some of the moves today I caught a glimpse of myself in action and noticed that when I tighten my stomach in motion, there is a little bit of definition. That makes me happy. If only my lower stomach, AKA baby flab, would catch up!

25 day left...can you believe it?

Day 64: A Kind of Random Day

Today has been kind of random but fantastic. The weather outside is so nice but it is really damp, so it's hard to take a baby who only wants to crawl and not sit in a stroller outside. Instead, we stayed inside and played all day while I tried to do laundry and address basketball camp info for John in between. Tenley has been in a fantastic mood all day (knock on wood that this keeps up) and has now been sleeping for about an hour and twenty minutes which makes mommy VERY happy. She's even in her crib!

In case any of my 13 readers (if anyone really still reads this) were left hanging last night, Rachel DID have her baby. She had a beautiful baby girl and named her Violet which I love. And, if the people at 1-800-FLOWERS are correct they have already been discharged from the hospital. Holy cow! I hope that they are all doing fine and am glued to Facebook every 10 minutes to see if there have been any more pictures or statuses posted. It's been pretty quiet today, but I know firsthand that Facebook flies a bit out the window when you have a baby not even 24 hours old. I wish I could see this beautiful family in person, but since they live in Maryland I will probably have to wait a bit. I am just so happy that little TT, AKA Violet, is finally here!

Today's workout was Chest/Shoulders/Triceps and Ab Ripper X. I am so sore right now from everything but I think I did a pretty good job. I have noticed that I am getting very good at doing deep pushups on my knees. I can do pushups on my feet but I know my form is not nearly as good, so perfecting things on my knees is a good challenge. I still have a rough time with the one armed pushups even on my knees, but even muscular "Dave" from the DVD was on his knees and struggling. So I can't be all that bad. :)

I don't know what John is going to want to do for dinner tonight. He is apparently starting diet/exercise regimen #1,500,999 today so he is always a little weird with food for a few days after he decides to do this. I have thin cut steaks out to cut up for stir fry (yes, we STILL haven't had that even though I've been talking about if for 4 days) but he may want to grill those steaks himself and then I will eat a salad or some leftovers. Tomorrow night we have his awards banquet so we will eat there and then I am hoping to get together with Jenny for dinner on Wednesday. Regardless of our plans, I just hope that all of my workouts can fall into place. We're getting down to the nitty gritty here, folks!

26 days and counting...

Day 63: (Im)patiently Waiting...

Today has been a really nice day. The weather was BEAUTIFUL and we had planned to take Tenley to the Tinley Park St. Patrick's Day Parade. We got up at a decent time (curses, Daylight Savings!) and played around the house this morning. At around 1, we loaded up the car and headed to Tinley.

I would recommend this parade to anyone with children. It is not a crazy, drunken parade like I've heard the South Side Parade is. It was very family oriented with a lot of variety. It was also VERY long- we ended up leaving before it was over because we wanted to beat the traffic. Once we got home, we played for awhile and then Grandma Carol came to visit. Now we are waiting for John to bring home a pizza (NOT good, I know) and I am very happy that today was a P90X rest day. I am vowing to be a lot better about my workouts this week and I don't see much standing in the way since we have zero plans so far.

Now for the reason for the title of this post. Among the nice, relaxing things I did this morning, I got to have a Facebook chat session with Rachel to talk about her upcoming due date and various last minute feelings about her little tater tot entering the world. She has been really uncomfortable and unable to sleep but all of this was supposed to be coming to an end Wednesday. Imagine my surprise when I check Facebook after the parade and her status update says that she is at the hospital! It turns out that she will be delivering in just a few hours and I am DYING of anticipation for that baby to be here and to finally hear her name! I don't know if I will hear anything yet tonight or not but I wish Rachel, James, and TT the best of luck and can't wait to see pictures of the beautiful little lass! :)

27 days to go...]

Day 62: A Very Productive Saturday

Today has been extremely productive, hence the title of this post. This was the first Saturday in months that John didn't have to get up and go to a practice of some sort which was nice. Tenley woke up, nursed, and then we played for a bit before I decided that today would be the day that this disgusting house got a decent cleaning. John (finally) took the dogs to be groomed today, and I wanted them to come home to a house that would be as fresh as them. I stripped the bed, did the laundry, and cleaned the house while Tenley followed me around and played. I don't care what anyone says- in my opinion, this age where she can crawl, pull up, and entertain herself for periods of time is the BEST. She is so much fun to watch and she doesn't need me every second. the needing me every second thing is great when I don't have to do anything, but it's like I told her today, "Ten, Mommy can't be with you every single second. Mommy has to do some work sometimes too." I know she doesn't understand, but my house does need to be cleaned every now and then and I am happy that I am now able to do it when she is awake. Don't get me wrong, I would love to be able to (and have the patience to) be on the floor and play with her every second of my life. But I feel like I need to draw the line somewhere because I spend the majority of every day on the floor, talking to her, cuddling her, and playing with her. I need to put some ME back in my life, even if that ME is cleaning the house. OK. Enough said. I am loving being a stay-at-home mom and feel like that bit of balance I've been needing is finally peaking through once in awhile.

Once the house was clean, I played with Ten a bit more and then put her in her swing for her nap where she has been for an hour now. I was able to work out and today's workout was Kenpo X. That is such a good Saturday workout because it goes fast, makes you sweat, and won't make me feel as guilty about the food and drink I will consume tonight. John and I are having a sort of date night which we haven't had since New Year's Eve. Julie is watching Tenley (she is the absolute BEST) and John and I are going to get dinner and do some errands. One of which is to get him measured for his suit for Brandon's wedding (3 months away!) and another is getting Tenley some kind of super cool birthday present. I have always wanted to have an excuse to go to Toys R Us and now we have one- wahoo!! I don't have any idea where we are eating but I am hoping for a Champps or Rock Bottom sort of night. Whatever we do, I want to be home by 9 so that I can feel Tenley and lay down with her. I'm just not to the point yet where I can have someone else put her to bed without me. Even on some nights that I have gone to the movies and she's stayed with John I have still nursed her after and put her to sleep. Not ready to let that one go yet.

Tomorrow we are hoping to utilize the nice weather and go to the Tinely Park Irish Parade. If anyone out there reading this wants to go with or meet us there, give me a buzz!

28 days to go!

Day 61: Disappointing

Today was another missed workout and another day that, now that it's over, I'm asking myself "Where did the time go?" John had an inservice today at school and asked me and Tenley to come eat lunch with him and his school friends, some of whom had never met the baby. We got up, got around, and left the house around 10:45 to head to Frankfort. We ate at Aurelio's and ran some errands and by the time we got home, it was 1:45. Tenley fell asleep in the car on the way home and since her naps after being in the car are very hit or miss on the length, I decided that I wouldn't try to work out then because I was afraid I would just get started and she would wake up. I decided to use the time to practice her smash cake for her birthday party and that turned into also practicing a couple of other things and icing remaining cupcakes. What an ordeal! By the time we were done with all of that, it was 7:00 and I was exhausted! Tenley was all out of sorts, so I ate dinner and am not laying in bed with her. I am mad about the missed workout but pleased with the work I did do. Hopefully tomorrow is a little more productive in the area of working out. :(

29 days to go...

Day 60: Yoga? No! Cardio? YES!!

Today has been another busy day that flew by. Tenley woke up early to eat but then decided to fall back asleep until after 8 which gave me time to take the long-awaited but kind-of-dreaded Day 60 pictures. I am happy to say that even though I don't see much on a day to day basis, the pictures do show a change. And, on a very positive note, the swimsuit bottoms that I have been wearing to take the pictures in are too big and sag. On an EXTREMELY positive note, I think my chest is shrinking a bit because my swimsuit top covers WAY more than it did over the summer and even more than it did in my Day 30 picture. All of this to say, I'm happy that something is working. On a bad note, I weighed myself today and I am up a pound and a half since I last weighed myself and was at my lightest which is disappointing but nothing that is too discouraging.

Once Tenley woke up we got showered and drove out to Crown Point to Tiny Toes Ribbons and Bows to pick up the flower headband they had made to match Tenley's dress for my brother's wedding and to order Tenley's birthday outfit. I can't remember if I had talked about it before on here or not but I have had something kind of specific in mind for Ten's birthday but all of the outfits on the internet that I have found are WAY, WAAAAAY too expensive. I finally emailed the girls at TTRB to see what they might have and after telling her what I wanted, she came back with a price quote that was OVER HALF what I was finding on the internet. So, needless to say, we went with them. I'm just hoping that everything fits. She said it should be done in the next 2 weeks, so I am super excited to see it. After the TTRB experience, we went to the grocery store because we have 0 food items in the house besides cereal. Once the groceries were purchased, we headed home for lunch and the rest of the afternoon.

Eating today has been the norm. Breakfast and lunch were the same as usual and I had planned to make Chinese stir-fry for dinner but John came home from school around 4 and cooked himself a pizza, so my dinner plans flew out the window. He ended up running some errands and grabbed me some Subway which is just fine by me! I'm hoping that the stir-fry will be tomorrow's dinner which will work. It is the first Friday in months that there is no basketball, so I think it will be a quiet evening at home. Saturday night Julie is going to watch Ten so John and I can go to dinner together (the first time since NYE), go to Toys R Us to use our coupons for Tenley's birthday before the sale ends, and then John will get measured for his suit for Brandon's wedding. Sunday I'm hoping we will go to church and then John talked about going to the Tinley Park Irish Parade, so we'll see what happens.

Today's workout was supposed to be Yoga but I was just not feeling like yoga-ing today so I popped in the Cardio workout. I just feel like there needs to be another workout during the week that I REALLY sweat to and feel like I'm burning calories. Yoga just doesn't do that for me. The people in the Yoga DVD are always sweating up a storm and I can't figure it out. Either it is really hot in that room to get the effect or I'm doing something wrong. When I do Yoga, I do wake up the next morning feeling sore but it's just not the same as a good old Cardio workout. So that was my decision and I'm sticking with it.

After 60 long days, there are still 30 more to go!

Day 59: Just Call Me Jelly Arms

Today has flown by in a sort of haze for some reason. I am so bummed that it was so warm out but SO WINDY and just couldn't bring myself to taking Tenley out. The wind scares me and I don't think we would have made it to the park in the stroller or car/wagon without being blown away. Instead, we played inside and I worked on some more stuff for Tenley's party. This party has been so much fun to work on and plan and it is especially fun that some things are coming to fruition. I think I have most of the decorations done (there aren't many) or at least everything is purchased to put together. Yesterday I tried another round of Marshmallow puffs and they turned out really well. My nephew came over for John to cut his hair last night (I know, scary!) and when I told him to try one he told me that he thought they were glass ornaments which makes me think that they must have looked pretty good. I also did some chocolate dipped Oreos which turned out REALLY well. Neither took much time, so I'm hoping that stays true when I do them in bulk the week before the party.

Today's food intake has been really good- same as usual. John is going to a basketball game tonight so I am thinking that it will be a Jimmy John's night (sandwich ONLY). I am a little freaked out about tomorrow being Day 60 and having to take a picture so I am going to try to eat early tonight. I know that it won't make much difference, but I want to be as "fit" as possible tomorrow morning. :)

Today's workout was Shoulders and Arms which is one of my favorites followed by Ab Ripper X. Although I like this workout, it is the first hour and a half workout I've done since before the "Stretch" week and it seemed like it took FOREVER. The Shoulders and Arms workout is timed at 59 minutes and Ab Ripper is 16 so that is a LONG time. But, I did it all and my arms feel like jelly. I know that's a good thing, I just hope I'm not super sore tomorrow because I use my arms a lot to, you know, lift my child and stuff. The great thing about this workout is that I did most of the moves with 10 pound weights instead of 5s and 8s which is good. That may be the reason for the jelly.

So, like I said, tomorrow is Day 60. I was looking at the book and this final phase is 4 weeks of alternating workout followed by a final week of the 'rest/stretch" routine. I think that I wrap this all up on Easter weekend which is a pretty good time. I then plan to spend the next two weeks using Tenley's naps for party prep and then will try to start the P90X Lean program after her birthday leading up to my brother's wedding. That's the plan. We'll see if it comes to fruition...

31 days and counting...