Yep! I'm Pregnant!

I think God must have a sense of humor because after Samuel we wanted another baby right away, but ended up not getting pregnant until 14 months later, and then after Emma we wanted to wait a couple years. Surprise, surprise! God has other plans for us! Despite it not being according to "Emily's Timetable", we are thrilled! I know it is just going to be crazy, crazy here for the next few years.

In order for this to really work smoothly I am probably going to have to become a lot more organzied and disciplined. Hey, anything is possible!

Oh,and I'm due Dec. 16th. I've been eating healthy (well, except for the In N Out we had for dinner the other night -- hehe)as much as possible. Weird new development in this pregnancy: I don't like Ranch. That use to be my favorite dressing, but no longer. Now I need to find a replacement that is healthier and tasty.

Hello? Anyone There...

Hellllo! Does anyone still read my blog?? It has been awhile! By the time I'm done uploading pictures to Facebook and reading blogs I really don't have much time (or desire) to update my own blog. Who knows, maybe this entry will be the beginning of something!

So, quick update. We found a church. A great church with great people. I joined a playgroup. Well, two actually. And, the church has a playgroup as well. We joined a gym. It has childcare!!!!!!!! Unfortunately, they don't change diapers. But, this day in age you can't really trust too many people with your kids so I guess getting dragged from my workout kicking and screaming to tend to a poopy diaper is not such a big sacrifice for their safety.As you might have expected, we have been at the gym. A lot. Almost everyday.Just for about an hour and a half and Sammy loves going. Unfortunately, we've been sick for a couple weeks with "fun" colds and have not been able to attend. Ugh.On the upside, I have lost 10 lbs., so all hope is not lost!

Emma Jean is crawling all over the place and it's so sweet to watch my kids play with each other. I can't wait until I can say, "Alright, you entertain you and mommy is going to take a nap." haha Does that ever happen!? Sammy is having difficulty with sharing and has regressed to acting like a baby. I hear it's a stage kids go through.I will try not to worry about it unless he's still wearing a diaper in high school.

On the downside, Emma has been waking up multiple times every night for the last month and I've been surviving somehow. I cut down her naps during the day but she still wakes up. It could be teething because this month she got in four top teeth! That's what I'm figuring it is.Sammy no longer takes a nap during the day no matter how busy the day has been (believe me). As you might guess, mommy can't quite remember the last time she had a good night of sleep.

*Phew*

Good News!! It isn't measles!!! It's just some kind of viral thing that most kids get. There is not much to do about it except just make sure their fevers don't get too high and lots of rest of course. Unfortunitely, being their constant caregiver has resulted in me getting it as well! :(

Measles

I am really regretting not making a decision regarding the MMR vaccine. Well, I guess since I haven't taken him to get it, there was my decision. I was so indecisive about it because of all the news reports declaring a possible link between the MMR shot and Autism. And now, Samuel may have measles. The doctor isn't sure yet. He has this weird rash on his body and I thought it could be chicken pox or an allergic reaction to something. He's fine other than the rash and a slightly decreased appetite. I was freaked out when the doctor uttered the words "could be measles" and I also was afraid for my 2 1/2 month old daughter. The doctor did ease my fears by letting me know that at this point, because she is under 4 months, she still has some protection from the antibodies she received from me while in the womb. Thank the Lord! I haven't noticed a rash on her, but she has had a slight fever (100.3 degrees) which appears to have gone down and a runny nose. This is going to be a long week and I just hope and pray that this is the worst of it.

The Sacramento Zoo

We have been meaning to take Sam to the zoo for awhile now. So, when my sister asked us if we wanted to go this week I jumped at the chance. This is Sammy's first time at the zoo. He loves animals and knows many animal sounds. Instead of saying the animal name he will make the noise that the particular animal makes. Fortunately, it wasn't a blazin' hot day like many of the Sacramento days have been recently.

I liked that it wasn't too crowded. I disliked that there weren't very many animals to see and most of the time it seemed like they were hiding. There was also a small carousel and I was not going to attempt to take hm on it because in the past he has wanted to go on it but then freaked out and cried to get off. The first time he went on a carousel was a month ago and we were at the mall with my cousin Krissy and her daughter Autumn. I tried to put him up on an animal and he threw a fit.He was not havin' it! So, we got off and watched from the sidelines while Autumn went round-and-round. Of course, wouldn't you know it, Sammy became upset because once seeing how much fun she was having he wanted to go on too. At first, I told him no because I did not want to have him decide that he wanted to get off immediately once I tried to put him on one of the animals.Oh, but it was breaking my heart to watch him while he sadly watched Autumn have fun. We tried again. I believe it was Krissy who suggested we just sit in one of the seats on the carousel instead of on one of those animals that go up and down.The seat stays stationary. Sam was fine with the seat and was happy.That was my previous experience with the carousel and now at the zoo I did not want to deal with my tantrumming child on the carousel once again. But, I could see Sammy really wanted to try it. This time, he allowed me to put him on one of the animals and the carousel began. Around and around, up and down. He started to cry and the ride stopped. We chose the stationary seat and he was fine the rest of the ride. I guess he's taking small baby steps toward riding the whole carousel on an animal. I just don't want him to be afraid to try things that may seem scary or have been scary in the past. That has been one of my biggest frustrations and hangups in life -- I let myself be held back by fear! I don't want that for my children.

Sammy's New Haircut

Well, last Sunday before church I decided to cut Sammy's crazy Kramer hair and I really didn't know what I was doing. I occasionally trim Travis' hair with clippers, so I thought I could try trimming Sammy's hair. I needed to leave for church soon, rushed through it and soon enough his hair was looking kinda sad. Deciding that I shouldn't skip church just for vanity's sake we went even though his hair wasn't perfect. The next day I tried to fix it again and it just got worse! I finally told myself that enough was enough and it was time to put down the clippers. If I had clipped his hair anymore I'm sure he would have looked like a little Sinead O' Connor in no time. I needed to drop him off at my in-laws very soon. We rushed off to Great Clips and with a lot of coaxing (and lollipops!) Samuel managed to sit still long enough for a professional - let me say that again - a PROFESSIONAL to fix the mess. Here is what we ended up with and he got a balloon for being such a good boy. I made sure I walked into that salon with candy and his cars. It worked!! Otherwise, I'm sure he would have thrown the biggest tantrum.He was borderline going there. Ahhhh, don't you just love two? I love his new hair cut, as does Travis. We want to keep it similar to this style but allow his curls to grow a little more. I miss his curls!!It looks better when it's styled with gel but you get the gist.




Emma Jean is now 12 lbs. 12 oz. She smiles all the time and I feel so blessed! Twice blessed!

AWESOMELY-AWESOME

Is it horribly sinful and self-indulgent for me to say that I am awesomely-awesome? Why am I so awesomely-awesome? Well, I'll tell you. I'm awesomely-awesome because after Emma's feeding around 5 or 6am she goes back to sleep and I have been getting up to exercise.So hard to do some days!! As soon as my doc gave me the go-ahead to exercise at the beginning of August I set my exercise and diet plan in motion. I've been thinking about how I was going to lose the baby weight ever since I became pregnant with Emma and I am very motivated.

The plan:

1100-1500 calories per day as suggested in "You On A Diet" by Dr.Oz & a "Biggest Loser" book. Some days I'm hungrier than others and it's difficult. Some days I don't struggle at all. I try to follow the Dr. Oz plan, which is rich in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.

30-60 minutes of exercise at least 6 days a week. Currently, I do a Jillian Michael's DVD and I can feel myself getting stronger and leaner. I'm losing inches but the scale hasn't been so kind to me. I try not to let that discourage me because I know muscle weighs more than fat.

I've struggled with my weight my whole life and I'm finally sticking to a plan. I have found one that works for me. This is a lifestyle change and not a quick-fix. I find when I get discouraged I have to remind myself of why I am doing this.Some weeks the scale may not budge but I have to keep persevering through it.One of my great motivators is that I want to be in pictures with my children. Currently, I avoid being in pictures most of the time and it breaks my heart because I so badly want to but I also know that I won't like what I see.

So, for the month of August I really worked hard to exercise and stay within my calorie range and that is why I feel awesomely-awesome! :)