Sucked Up Like Dorothy

shred.
I put the shred on hold for a couple of days because my left knee started to really act up and per Brady's request-- instead of risking serious injury-- I took a break to let it heal up a bit. Today I begin once more. Which makes it day 14 or day 1. Haven't decided how I'm going to look at it yet.



I am still on Level 1-- I can make it all the way through every exercise without stopping except for push-ups, the static lunges with bicep curls, and the interior raises with side lunges. Which is a huge improvement from day 1 when I couldn't even make it eight minutes.

Weight loss has been gradual, like I knew it would be. This morning I weighed in at 211. Which means I've lost 9 lbs. Pre-pregnancy I was 209. That is a milestone I am really looking foreword to. I hope to be there by next Monday-- we'll see!


For the last week I've been having issues with my bm's which is something that has never happened to me before. Last weekend I was in so much pain I took a stool softener. I've read that when people begin a workout routine or change their eating habits its something that can happen but it wasn't something I was expecting. I'm trying to eat lots of fiber rich foods to get back on track. Hopefully it can all be resolved fairly quickly because I don't do well with stomach pain... or any pain for that matter.

baybay.
Sister is getting so big! She loves to sit up. Leave her on her back and she'll fuss but sit her up so she can look around the room and she's as happy as a clown.

 

On the 21'st of this month she'll be 5 months old and that to me is unreal. Our hospital stay seems like such a long time ago but it doesn't feel like we've had her for 4 1/2 months-- certainly not almost 1/2 a year.

We've retired all of her newborn clothes. It was easier than I thought it would be. I was excited to put her in something new. Excited to see that she's healthy and growing like she should be. We are in 0-3 month clothes now and this week I was able to put her in 3 month pants and they didn't fall off.


 

We have also had a run in with the big scary teething monster. It is so far from pretty. If she isn't being held with something in her mouth or nursed she is fussing and my brain can't handle it. It's super sad because I know she's not feeling well but by 8pm my sentiments are, "If you can't beat 'em-- join 'em." So that is what I do and then we both make Brady miserable. It's awesome.






lunch date.
At chipotle with my mother.





Then there was a Target stop for Easter presents and groceries.

 

Avey is fascinated with the way things look-- I guess it's because she's never seen any of it before. She was a model baby showing off how perfect she can be-- until the book fell on her head. Totally my fault.

I set a Dr. Seuss book on top of the diaper bag--it fell and gave her a little wap on the head.

Bad Mommy Moment.

Then I gave her the box of nursing pads and she was A-OK.

Good Mommy Moment.
 


tornado.
Tuesday morning I was taking pictures of the rain, getting ready to write a post, and I opened up my laptop to see people freaking out about a tornado. Que phone call from Brady. He gave me the how-to  on making a shelter in the bathtub because I'm from California and all they teach you there is how to brace yourself in a doorway--thanks a lot California that does me a lot of good now.



I ran around the house collecting blankets, pillows, and chair cushions while Avey chilled in her bath seat.



Then I built a fort that looked way cooler when you were in it than outside of it.
 

We chilled out until we got the all clear from Brady. I feel like I should get Avey a t-shirt that says "I survived my first tornado."

Honestly, I'm just glad that everyone survived. Tornado in Dallas. I didn't expect to hear that it didn't claim any lives. I hoped but I didn't expect it.

Grateful to know that the Lord is in control.

 

Waiting For The Other Shoe

one of those girls.
She is going to be one of those girls who wants to marry her Daddy. It's going to break her heart when he tells her that he's already married to me and you can't marry two people. She flat out refused to eat the other day after he got home from work. She was so caught up in every sound he made and every time he moved that she couldn't bring herself to eat because she was afraid she'd miss something.



I get it.



He's pretty fascinating.

life.
Avey and I have settled into a little routine. She's written her own feeding schedule and she puts herself to bed at night. She is so low maintenance. I was not expecting motherhood to come so naturally but it has. Neither one of us tries hard or does much. We just enjoy each others company. It delights me when I walk into a room and she stops crying and I love how she likes to touch me all the time.



I am someones security.



I am someones home.



I can't believe we were all once so small and dependent.

stranger danger.
Had lunch with a very dear friend of mine this week. Avey has been going through a phase. Brady likes to call it "stranger danger." She starts to cry if Brady or I hand her off to someone else. Sister is stubborn and she likes what she likes.

But at lunch this week she sat on my friend Sarah's lap for an hour and was all pretty smiles and grins.



Looks like Avey found herself a friend.

duplex.
I feel like I'm a tennis ball or a ping pong ball or any ball that gets smacked around back and forth really.  We put in an offer on the duplex. They declined our offer so we put in another-- which also was declined. Then we put in another and it was declined.

Dude. I'll be honest. The first offer was a little bit of a low ball offer but the next two were more than fair. We had no choice but to walk.


We found a piece of property we wanted to buy. We found out that that piece of property was already under contract. We went back to being homeless for a day. Duplex guy came back to us with a counter offer but it wasn't what we wanted so we declined. Then the real estate agents came up with an idea that made everyone happy.



Duplex guy signed the contract.

We're going to be home owners!!!!!!!!!!



Right now it feels a little bit too good to be true so Brady and I are both kinda waiting for the other shoe to drop.

We are iffy excited. 85% excited. 15% iffy.

food.
I love food.



The End.

Whirlwind

normal.
Three months postpartum and I'm back to normal. My body feels back to normal. 7 more pounds and I'll be back to pre-pregnancy weight.
Avey went with me to my annual physical and was as happy as a clam when we arrived at the doctors office.

Unfortunately the doc got called away on a delivery and we ended up spending two and a half hours waiting. At first we waited in the waiting room then a nurse called us back, took my weight, blood pressure and a urine sample. She ushered us into a room, told me to undress, and let me know that the doctor would be in shortly.

Note to self: Shortly means 55 minutes spent sitting buck naked on a table while your baby cries because she's hungry and needs a diaper change.

I cannot even put into words how happy I am that I wont have to do that for another year.

lunch date.
This past month has been a whirlwind. Every week my calendar has been full of lunch dates, dinner dates, weekend trips, visits from friends, and game nights. Brady and I are homebodies. Neither one of us was ever big on having a social life. I know it's one of the reasons why we fit so perfectly together. We learned early on in life how to be content in our surroundings. Every day doesn't have to be an occasion, we're solitary people, we like to be alone, we like the peace and quite.

I thought that this month would be a challenge for me because typically after a day spent with friends I need two spent at home, without plans, recovering. This month I was fueled by the steady stream of the ones we love and the ones that love us back.

It was nice to meet a friend after a terrible morning at the doctors to get my mood back on track. It was needed. It was greatly appreciated.

great grandma.
My Dads mother and I have always been close. A couple years ago she moved to Texas and the bond we've always shared became even greater. I was at her house, on her couch, gushing about the new boy I started talking to the night before I went to On the Border, the night that Brady and I sat in his truck till 4am talking about our lives, getting to know each other, laying the ground work for our relationship.

Throughout my life I remember many times sitting on her couch, confiding in her, talking to her about boys, parents--life. She was always there, always close, and always ready to take me out to the movies--to revive our spirits and renew our zeal--our passion for life.

Sadly, because of a misunderstanding after Avey was born my Grandma Sharon had not been over to see her yet. This month all of that was rectified.

yes. our christmas tree is still up. yes. i am aware that it is almost march. 

oklahoma.
We hadn't seen Brady's family since Christmas so we decided to take a quick weekend trip to visit and catch up. It was Aveys first road trip and she rocked it out. Slept the whole way there and the whole way back.

I love Brady around his family. There is a side of him that comes out that I don't get to see very often and when I do get to see it I relish every second.

It's that part of a person that only comes out around the ones that know you best. The ones that have been there since the beginning. The ones who've seen every piece of you and love you anyway. It's that part that I get to see when he's with them. It was that part that convinced me that I couldn't share my life with anyone else.

The Williams family does this thing that used to make me feel left out--they love to quote movies--not meaningful quotes but the funny, stupid, i-can't-believe-that-just-happened quotes.



They like to do it often. I used to smile and laugh along with everyone else because I didn't want anyone to know that I had absolutely no idea what they were talking about but I'm past that now because they don't do it to get the obligatory nod and laugh. They do it because it bonds them.

My family bonds while sitting around watching the movie and his does it whilst remembering them. It's a beautiful thing if you're willing to sit back and watch it all happen. My family sitting around the television while my Dad pauses to make comments for the hundredth time and his family gathered together in the living room spouting off silly quotes through laughter-- it all says the same thing. 

"I really enjoy being with you."

"No one understands me like you do." 

"I wish we could do this forever."

the sneeze.

We always have a wonderful time when we're with his family.

And slowly but surely-- the more time we spend around them--they're becoming mine too.