4 weeks

I lost 5 lbs in the last 4 weeks! Only ten more to go. I'm sure these next ten pounds will be harder to lose. I found a calorie counter app. that I started using today. I love it! You can add recipes to figure out how many calories are in a serving and you can also add your exercise. It helps you determine how much calories you should eat each day. Its great!

Spring Break, Houston Rodeo, and My Progress

Feeding the ducks at Grandma & Grandpa Rose's house

This is Hadley favorite spot these days

Hadley LOVED watching the sheep dog herd the sheep at the rodeo

We also took her to the petting zoo. She acted like she wanted to pet them, but when she got too close she changed her mind.

My Progress...
I have not had any soda in three weeks! Sadly, I am very proud of this. Each day it becomes less and less of a temptation.
Besides my week at grandma's I've done pretty well. I have had a lot less sweets. I still need to work on my portions. This week I bought some goldfish for Hadley, unfortunately I ate a little too much goldfish.
I ran 4 days this week. Hopefully I can run 5 next week and up my milage.

Good News, Bad News

Good News: I have not had ANY Dr. Pepper!! I have been tempted many times, but resisted. The hardest time for me is when I go run errands. I love to get a DP or a treat while I'm out and about. But I am determined not to drink and DP. : )

I ate good Sunday - Thursday. I had one slice of birthday cake on Sunday night, but besides that I didn't have any treats or unhealthy snacks.

I exercised Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.

HOWEVER...

Bad News: On Friday morning Drew, Hadley, and I flew to Salt Lake to visit Drew's grandparents. So... here comes the In-N-Out... Cafe Rio...
I can't go to Utah and not eat at those special places. : )
But that's not it... Grandma stocked up on my favorite candy, and I can't offend her buy not eating it.
Plus Grandma has been cooking these huge meals!!

Conclusion: I did pretty good at the beginning of the week, then I gave in. We get back on Wednesday. So I know I will continue to not do as well. But then I will be right back on track in Texas!!

The Final Fifteen!

While pregnant with Hadley I gained a total of 50 pounds, okay maybe a few more. When I first found out I was pregnant I thought I'd only gain 25. That would be a healthy amount, right!? Wrong, I ate and ate and ate! By 20 weeks I had already gained 25 pounds. Well now I'm paying for it. I easily lost 30 pound in the first 3 months. Then lost about another 5 in the next few months. But since Hadley was six months old I haven't lost a single pound. Starting in January each week I say to myself I am going to do better... but it just hasn't happened yet. Finally I decided maybe if I blog about it I will be accountable not only to myself but to the few people who read our blog.

So why do I want to lose the weight? It's not just about the number, but it is a little bit. It is also about the way my clothes fit. I am not willing to by a new wardrobe. I would like to be able to wear my jeans all day and not be in pain from the marks on my hips. I would like to look in the mirror and not think " wow I look pregnant in this!" I want to feel good about myself. I want to be healthy! I want to be healthier than I was before I got pregnant. Yes, I was small before I had Hadley, but I wouldn't consider myself super healthy. I was not in shape and I did not eat the kind of food I should have been. While I was pregnant I have hypertension. I had to be on medication and was induced 2 weeks early. This did not make since to any of my doctors. I was young and "healthy". I hope that if I'm in good shape for my next pregnancy I wont have to go through that. Maybe it wont make a difference, and that's just the way my body responds to pregnancy, but either way I want to be healthy! I want to be a good example to Hadley. She wants to eat everything I do. If I eat fruits and vegetable she wants fruits and vegetable, if I eat candy and chips she wants candy and chips.

What am I going to do to lose the weight?
1. No soda. At least for 16 weeks. This is going to be that hardest thing for me. I L-O-V-E LOVE Dr. Pepper! But it's no good! Empty calories. Caffeine. Doesn't hydrate you. NO GOOD!

2. Limited sweets. Very limited.  Now I can't cut out chocolate completely. That is just unrealistic. But I think a treat once a week is okay!

3. Lots of water. I often get headaches during the day and I think its because I don't drink enough water. Not only will it hydrate me, drinking a glass of water before I eat will help me to fill more full and to eat less.

4. Smaller portions. I don't plan on really changing what we eat for dinner with the exception of more vegetables and smaller portions of the main dish.

5. Fruit & Veggies. Eat lots of fruits and veggies. That's it! Just do it! If I want a snack grab and apple, not a handful of chocolate chips. Smoothies is a great breakfast and great way to get lots of fruits and veggies. Bonus: Hadley also loves the smoothies.

6. Fast Food. This one is also difficult for me. I will admit I love fast food. Lately its been mozzarella sticks from Sonic. But I need to limit it. I'm not going to say I will cut it out completely, because sometime I just don't want to or am too tired or don't have time to make dinner. But if we go out maybe try Subway or if I get a hamburger-- no fries. And of course no DP.

7. Exercise, Exercise, Exercise! I should be able to exercise 5-6 days a week. Lets face it, I have time. I watch several hours of TV a day. Hadley ALWAYS wants to go "Bye, Bye." She would love it if we went on more runs!!

My goal is to loss fifteen pounds in 16 weeks. I would also like to lose 5 more. But I'm going to start with 15.  If I am strict I think I can do it. It is also important to note that this need to be a new Lifestyle for me. This is not just a diet! I am going to blog each week to see how I have done. And will weight myself every 4 weeks.

I also have motivation clothing. The Christmas after I had Hadley I got two skirts I have not been able to wear them yet. I hope that in 16 weeks I will be able to wear them!

Our little monkey

Hadley has started to climb on everything she can reach. She's standing on a box here.

Hadley's all ready for church!

Lookin' cute in her PJs

She has also learned to climb on the oven... : /

Hadley has learned to give kisses. She gives them away freely to her dad, but I have to beg!!

One day Hadley brought me her hat and my apron... her first time playing dress up : )

Hadley's first Valentine. So cute!

Today I look over and she has climbed up on the arm of the couch.

"She is so beautiful!"

Hadley looks like such a "big girl" in this picture! I can't believe she is already a year (well 13 months) old!

She loves sitting and playing in this basket. She climbs in everyday.

Hadley also  likes to play under this chair. I don't get it. She always bumps her head a million times. I guess she just likes the challenge.

Walking. No big deal! : )

Today I had to car  get our cars registered. The lady behind me loved Hadley. She went on and on about how beautiful and smart she was. "She has beautiful big blues eyes, and the most perfect lips. "

I love my beautiful baby! She has been so fun this month. Maybe its because she can walk and move around more or maybe just because I've had a break from school.
Hadley is so funny and happy. She loves her Daddy! She gets so upset if he doesn't pick her up right away after her gets home from work and doesn't want him to put her down.
Hadley makes the best faces! I want to do a post dedicated to all of the faces she makes. But it is kind of hard to catch them on camera so it might take awhile.

At one year Hadley...

• can walk... she stills crawls, but is definitely walking a lot these days
• waves goodbye/hello... it is so cute!
• likes to feed mom Cheerios... I didn't even prompt this. She just started putting them in my mouth.
• still very attached to mom and dad... we need to work on this.
• loves her new toys
• dances(bounces) to music
• likes to ride on Dad's shoulders
• likes to be chased( we will crawl on the floor with her, she just laughs and laughs!)
• weighs 21 lbs 4 ounces
  
  I just love her so much! She is so fun to play with and is such a happy girl. I couldn't imagine my life without her!
  
                                          




Hadley helped Dad make homemade rootbeer

 



Hadley with Her Grandma and Papa McDonald





Taking pictures after church



Hadley has just enough hair to put a hair clip in