Preschool update

We began week 2 of part time preschool this week. Last week, Alex went Tuesday and Thursday, and this week we increased his attendance to three times a week on Mon, Tues, and Thursday to help his adjustment. He's been having a hard time adjusting, but his teacher promises his behavior is perfectly normal. He tends to stand in corners by himself, doesn't eat much of his food, and cries when we drop him off and pick him up. Madness!

He is slowly improving but his behavior at home is very nervous and kinda whiny/cranky. Oh well! Mama's gotta go to work! Otherwise, I'm getting ready to start work this August and I'm both excited and nervous but I'm ready to finish this CFY that's been looming over my head since finishing my master's last May.

I'm trying to post pictures of Alex in school but my scanner is being difficult...I will post as soon as I get this scanner to cooperate.

First Day of School

I knew this day would come sooner than later, and I have to admit that some days I was eager for it to come when Alex would misbehave, but I'd have to say that I underestimated how difficult this day would be for me. It's a feeling I can't explain, but it just broke my heart leaving him in an unfamiliar place all day with unfamiliar people. I was able to watch from home on the center's internet video monitoring site, and I witnessed a few occasions where Alex was still getting comfortable, and it broke my heart. Like I said, I can't explain. I cried multiple times, and I even find myself crying after picking him up...motherhood has turned me into such a softie..UGH! :-)

When I went into his classroom to pick him up, he started crying...I hope Thursday goes smoother than today for both of us...I can't imagine what the owner and Alex's teacher would say if she saw me crying two days in a row.

This day is over, and for that, I am grateful. I pray that the Lord give me the strength and perseverance to make it over this hurdle. Pretty soon, I hope that both Alex and I love his school experience as much as his daddy does.

Summer time

It seems like only yesterday that I was graduating with my master's and having over a year to stay at home with Alex. That was a year and almost 2 months ago...my, how time flies! Next Tuesday, the 30th, Alex will be starting preschool, and I'm so nervous about the change that's going to bring. I'll be starting my job in a little over a month so we're starting Alex with a few days a week of preschool so that he adjusts to being away from home during the day. I'm nervous and anxious...I know leaving him at a school all day is going to be rough but if he's happy there, I'll be happy knowing that he's filling his days with social interaction, knowledge, and fun. I pray for his well-being, and I believe the Lord will allow everything else to fall into place as it should be.

Otherwise, we've been keeping busy with getting preschool supplies (diapers, wipes, clothes, backpack, etc.,) and I've been brushing up on speech therapy literature. We spent a few days in the Valley with Eddy's family this past week and had a blast. We're getting ready to go to my 10 year high school reunion in a couple of weeks where I will get to hang with my homey, Danielle for the first time in over 7 years...I miss that girl!

Alex had his first haircut a few weeks ago, and here is one of my favorite "after" pics. :-) Enjoy!

Just let it go

I've never considered myself a fashionista by any means. Clothes are functional for me although I find that wearing decent-looking and age-appropriate garments often puts a little bounce in my step given the right make-up and nicely-styled hair. That said, there are articles of clothing in my closet that belong in the trenches of the Salvation Army that I haven't been able to part with for various reasons including: possible contribution to a Halloween costume (think tight pleather pants), dress-up day at work (hillbilly for a day), it might come back in style one day.

I know and you know that I should just LET IT GO! I dug deep into my closet today, and just for kicks, I decided to post a few of the articles being donated. I had to keep reminding myself, "just let it go" as I proceeded to take article after article off the hanger. It made me feel free! My two examples include a belly-bearing clubbing shirt and a maroon (Gig 'em Ags) knit flare sleeved shirt. The bottom pic is the whole pile...once I got started, I just couldn't stop!





I am in desperate need of a makeover...this became more evident as I rid myself of a long sleeveless linen dress and clubbing clothes from my college days. I am a proud mommy, but I don't have the desire to look like a tired and beaten up mommy, even though I might feel like one some days. We are devout Dave Ramsey followers so spending large amounts of money on clothing isn't an option for us but I'm currently looking at vamping up my wardrobe with school-district-employee and mommy appropriate wear. Any suggestions and recommendations are welcome! I'm really not good at picking outfits that are cute yet age-appropriate...I always go for cute, but appropriate for a middle-aged woman. Someone please help! :-)

Couples Eating

I've heard this mentioned twice this week by two different people so I just had to put my thoughts down. I use to think that I was a complete weirdo because of this issue. From the moment that Eddy and I started dating, I always felt compelled to eat as much as he did, whether we'd go out to eat or stayed in. At home, for some strange reason, I always felt the need to serve ourselves equal portions and then of course came the self-inflicted guilt over finishing everything on the plate. When we'd order a pizza, I had this strange urge to eat as many slices. It wasn't until a year of heartburn, an IBS diagnosis, and a colonoscopy later that I decided to change that mentality.

Now that I've heard it brought up twice, I don't feel so bad talking about it with others. I just wonder if this is why I've always tended to gain weight when I first started dating somebody. Weird topic to write about, I know...it was just fresh on my mind.

Happy to report though that tummy issues have been resolved. :-)

Alex's favorite songs to jam in the car

I have compiled a list of songs that Alex finds acceptable in the car and decided to make a blog out of it in case any of you ever have the chance to ride in a car with Alex and really don't want to hear him scream his head off.

1. Jason Mraz-I'm Yours
2. Jason Mraz & Colbie Calliat-Lucky
3. Right Round-Flo Rida & Keisha Cole
4. Blame it on the Alcohol-Jaime Foxx
5. Anything Michael Jackson-i.e. Don't Stop Til You Get Enough, PYT, Beat It, The Way You Make Me Feel, Black or White...none of the slow stuff though
6. Sara Barreilles-Love Song
7. Daddy Yankee-Rompe
8. Daddy Yankee & Rupee-Tempted to Touch
9. Pitbull-Calle Ocho
10. Neyo-Closer (this is probably his favorite ever)
11. Beyonce-Single Ladies

That's what I have to work with if I don't feel like hearing his Baby Einstein or Little People sing-a-long CDs.

Fun times for me!

1800 calorie a day update

Since just before the beginning of new year 2009, I decided to start making some lifestyle changes, especially in the area of food intake. My exercise routine was hanging on for dear life by a thread with a maximum weekly workout of once/week and some weeks I just went without. Needless to say, I felt horribly out of shape. I also started noticing that my pants felt a lot more snug in the hip and booty region. I even started to notice an occasional muffin top depending on the pants I wore. Sexy, I know!

Part of me wanted to blame the winter months and the natural body process of storing fat during colder months...the logical side of me really knew that Texas probably doesn't get cold enough for the body to undergo any fat storage. Another part also wanted to blame mommyhood, but we all know chasing around a toddler is more than adequate exercise. But hey, it's what kept me going!

So, I've always maintained what I call my "happy weight," which I won't disclose because it's really just a number. Just to give you a range, at my heaviest, which is when I was into serious strength training and muscle mass building, I weighed 138. My senior year of high school, I weighed 121. My happy weight is somewhere in between. :-) Back in January, I got on the scale, and based on the number I saw, I was certain that it was broken from all the times that Alex had flung it across the room and bounced on it. So, I had Eddy weigh himself, and I was sad to admit that the scale was not broken...it was indeed me who had exceeded my happy weight by 6 pounds. While 6 pounds might not sound like a lot, my weight hasn't fluctuated since college and of course during pregnancy so it really hit home that my pants weren't just tight because they were fresh out of the dryer. I also knew muscle mass wasn't to blame. :-/ I had gained weight and my daily Doritos fix and late night snacks weren't doing anything to help.

I started by making small changes. I gave up drinking anything but water with dinner. In the beginning, it was REALLY hard because I was always a diet soda or tea drinker with meals, so it took me a couple of months to make any more changes. I also picked up my running/walking to 2-4 times/week for 30 minutes. Then by early-mid March, I decided to start tracking my calories and aim for 1800 calories/day. I have to admit that I'm never very precise with the calorie tracking so I read labels and guestimate (made up word, I know.) Sometimes I go over by a little bit, sometimes I stay under, and sometimes I'm just right. On the days, I go over, I make sure to run an extra 10 minutes.

I'm happy to report that I'm back to my happy weight, fluctuating anywhere between 2-3 pounds under but never over. YAY! :-) I'm running 4-5 times/week for 30 minutes with pilates 2-3 days/week and strength training 1-2 days/week.

Now, I've never really had an ideal weight (different from happy weight, I promise) because we all know that muscle weighs more than fat and I would rather be firm than be rail thin with weak musculature. I've based my success on how my clothes fit and how I look in pre-pregnancy clothes (baby tees, tight fitting shirts, etc.).

I realized that I had reached my goal when I put on my skinny jeans fresh out of the dryer and I could fit both hands in my pockets and still have room left for another set of hands. HA! I know it sounds silly but I was so excited! I haven't truly felt like I was in good shape since having Alex until now. I still have a lot of toning to do so I'm still practicing an 1800 calorie/day meal plan. I'm even trying 1400-1600 calorie days but that's only when I have really filling good foods in the house and we don't go out to eat. I refuse to starve myself!!!

About another month before bathing suit season, and I might just step out in a bikini...not sure yet...I don't want to embarass Alex. :-)