Monthly growth pics

The Libster is 3/4 of one year!! I can't believe she's this close to being ONE! That's so crazy!! She has now been in this world for as long as she was growing inside me. Whoooa. More craziness!
Anyway, I just have a few minutes because she is currently chowing down on a peach. Yummo!
Here are her "stats": 28.5" long and 17 lbs. Just as I suspected, she is long and lean! That's the 75th percentile for height and the 10th for weight. I'm not worried and neither was the doctor. Some babies are chunky, plump little darlings and some are more of the lean variety. :) I was a super chubbo baby but Tim was veeery skinny when he was a baby. I'm kinda hoping for a chubbo baby at some point because I think they are soooo cute!!
Well, I just wrote a long Libby update so I'll just keep this one to pictures and I'll add more info later if I think of anything I left out. I know you are all dying to hear things about how precious and wonderful Libby is. ;)
Anyway, on to the pictures!!

Fun pictures and a bit of an update

We went to one of the Ranger's last games of the season!

We got there late, on purpose because I knew Libby probably wouldn't make the whole game. And I think we timed it perfectly! She really enjoyed it and was getting restless just near the end. They had a fireworks show and it was a really good one! Libby just sort of stoically watched it but she was interested. I'm sure she'll get more into it by next July 4th. We had fun with her and I'm glad we went.

Our girl still loves to eat!



Especially bananas! I know, I should've put a bib on her but she was probably already messy so I didn't want to have to wash a bib too! She loves to feed herself so I try to let her with some things.
We still don't have a highchair and I really want to get one but I just haven't gone to enough garage sales and/or resale shops to find one I like and want. We also don't have a dining set right now and I'd like to get that too. We might just get a chair that straps onto a normal chair but I'm not sure. I might be afraid that she would squirm out of it or something. Right now the bumpo seat works pretty well but I can't leave her in it unless it's on the floor. I really want to get a highchair though so I think we will pretty soon. I just don't want to spend $60 on a new one that I don't particularly like!

Libby loves her bathtub!



Almost every bath she props her food up on the side of the tub and just chills out chewing on her toys. She loves her ducky tub and her toys, especially the little sheep. Every time she has a bath she finds the sheep and chews on it and plays with it almost the whole time! Too funny!

I thought this outfit was cute so I tried to do a little photoshoot on the couch.





These were all taken right after another so you can tell how squirmy she is and how hard it is to get pictures these days! So cute though. :)

Pretty girl all ready for church this morning!




Photoshoot with mama and daddie before church. Too bad Maddie couldn't take one of all of us. :(



Riding her wooden horsie!


We were going to save the horse for her birthday but oh well! :) She really loves it and can ride it pretty well now. She even hangs on with her legs and rocks back and forth on it!

I'm amazed every day how much she's changing and growing! She looks so old to me in some of these pictures! Her face is so slender she doesn't even look like a chubby cheeked baby. :( But the new stages are a lot of fun! Last week she really started to up her babbling and I'm ready to say that she can say a few words! At the grocery store on Monday I got her a bouncy ball and I told her a few times it was a ball and ever since then she's been saying 'ball, ball, ball'! Over and over! And I asked her, "where is dad?" and she pointed to Tim and said "dad" very clearly. So of course, so typical, her first word is not mom. :( Oh well! She still wants me when she's hurting or hungry. :)

Libby now has started doing something I have only dreamed about. She will throw Maddie's toys for her!! This is huge for me! Anyone who has ever owned a Border Collie will understand. :) Of course it goes about 6 inches and Libby then looks and me anticipated my applause and just grins and grins when I cheer her on. So we're still a little ways off from them entertaining each other, but it's a huge breakthrough!

She is sooo close to walking!! The other day I looked up and she was standing in the middle of the floor! She looked at me like, oh shoot, now what do I do, and fell forward. :) Thankfully she wasn't hurt (it takes a lot to make her cry). She mostly sticks to walking around the furniture or with her push toy but I can tell she's thinking about walking! Surely by 10 months she'll be walking but who really knows! I know of babies who are soo close to walking for a few months before they actually take the plunge.

All in all, she is such a delight and so much fun to be with every day! I am so blessed and grateful that I am able to stay home with her every day! It is such a joy and I love it!

8ish Months --updated--

Remember the days when I would blog about each and every little thing Libby did? Those were the pre-mobile days! Before I could just put Lib in one place and I know she would stay there until I moved her. Not so much any more!! She is into everything, yes, everything including the dog's food, dad's computer and tools, the fireplace, my computer, etc... In fact, one of her favorite pastimes is climbing up the stairs as quickly as possible, or if we have the gate in place, she tries to climb up the gate! I'm so glad that she is crawling and climbing now as it's a lot more fun, it's just a lot more work as well!
So what is the Libster up to these days...
• Crawling all over the place
• Walking with the aid of furniture or our fingers (not standing unassisted yet)
• Eats a lot! This girl can pack it away! She typically nurses first thing in the morning, then eats some fruit and scrambled eggs, has a mid-morning snack (nurses), then lunch, then mid-afternoon snack, then dinner (usually what we eat) and then nurses again before bed. I do not know how she stays so slender! Guess it's all that crawling. :)
• Her personality is developing more every day. She is not shy at all and is pretty adventurous. Whenever we're in the water she dunks her face under, has no problem floating in her float, and even crawls all over the sand at the lake!
• Has not developed any or much separation anxiety as of yet. She is doing better and better about being in the gym daycare and doesn't even fuss when I leave her in the church nursery.
• Loves her daddy! I think she's past the stage where she primarily wants me and will dive at Tim when he comes home.
• Waves hello and goodbye although it's pretty funny. She doesn't wave her wrist or scrunch up her fingers like most children. She sticks out her arm with her palm up and just leaves it there. Pretty funny.
• She is starting to mimic the sounds that we make. She can say "uh-oh" along with a wide assortment of other sounds. (she doesn't know what uh-oh means yet).
• She is learning what "no" means and is getting pretty good at dropping things that I tell her "no" or "don't touch".
• Libby has recently started dancing to music! It's so funny! If something comes on with a beat she stops and starts bouncing to the music. So fun. :)
• Our little one is still pretty little. :) She wears sz. 3-6 mo. clothes and a few 6-9 mo. but those are pretty big on her. Along with the occasional 0-3 mo. but you know how weird the sizing is! She is still wearing sz. 2 diapers but should be in 3's. The only reason she's in 2's is someone gave my mom a ton of diapers so I've been squeezing her into the 2's when I want to use a 'sposie. We're getting back into cloth now that we finally have a W/D!
• Sometimes she's not incredibly outgoing like yesterday at the grocery store a worker started talking to her and all of a sudden Libby let loose with the loudest yell I have ever heard come from her! It was very unexpected but funny for me! I felt kind of bad for the lady. I guess Libby was just petrified of her!
• I'm going to go meet with a pediatrician this morning to see if she's a good fit for us. We want someone who is pretty hands-off, flexible about vaccinations, but will not rush and take time to visit with us during appointments. We'll see how it goes! :)
• I also noticed yesterday that when Libby wanted to climb the stairs but saw that the gate was in the way she would cry and cry. Something else to work on. :)
• Libby also loves to play peek-a-boo. She thinks it's hilarious and will hide around a corner and then stick her head out at me. And this morning she started tipping her head waaay back and then will fling it forward and laugh.

It's hard to get good pictures of Libby now that she moves so much but here are a few that I've managed to snap of her recently. :)

Growth picture! Snapped super fast before she squirmed off the blanket. :)


Two of her favorite toys: her scepter and a farm toy. The farm toy has these little characters that pop up if you punch a button or spin a wheel and she does NOT like them standing up! She pushes all of them down if they are popped up. The scepter (as Tim and I call it) is from a push toy that came unscrewed from the toy so she just carries that around as her little prop.


One of her favorite activities: eating!



Hope you enjoy these! More to come soon, I promise!

So sad and yet so wonderful

A dear friend of my in-laws went to be with the Lord yesterday. She was about my age, a young wife of a sweet husband. Her life was more powerful than many people who live to be 100. She fought cancer for two years and chronicled some of her journey on a blog. If you have a few minutes, and a huge box of Kleenex please take the time to read some of it. Your life will be touched and blessed more than you can imagine. Her and her husband's faith is an amazing testimony.
There is a facebook group for people who's lives will never be the same because of Lana and it is so true. Hers was truly a life full of meaning and purpose.
I don't have any more words but I encourage you to read through some of her entries. She will always be remembered and will always be an amazing encouragement to me.


Their Blog

I ♥ Uggs!

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Pictures!!!

So I completely missed Libby's 7 month growth pics. :( I'm very sad about that but oh well!! I have soo much to write about what she has been up to and gotten into recently. :) She's getting closer and closer to walking, she pulls up on everything and 'sofa surfs' around where she wants to be. She will eat anything I put in her mouth and a lot of things I wouldn't want to! (including Maddie's food yuck!) She LOVES being 'scared' and will laugh out loud if you scare her or make faces at her. Yes, she's strange, I know. Also loves the pool and being thrown into the air. She pretty much sleeps through the night although she tends to wake up at least once. I've started letting her put herself back to sleep or I just go in there and stick her pacifier back in her mouth. She has two teeth on the bottom and I'm sure more will follow before too long! On Sunday she will be 8 months and I will be 26 (years :) ) so I'll write a proper post on that occasion. :)

Until then, here are some new pictures for you to enjoy. :)


Enjoying a nice piece of crusty bread


Favorite new food: blueberry pancakes! (I think they're Maddie's new fav too!)


Cutie patootie!


Lunch with cousin Ellie


Libby and Papa (Tim's dad)


Playing with a truck


Happy!


With Mr. Biddison, Tim's pastor who married us

Home sweet home!!

Wow! I have so many things to touch on in this post!! Yes, we are safe in TX. Sorry I've been MIA lately (I know y'alls hearts are just a'breakin' aren't they?). We finally got inet yesterday after a wee bit of trouble with the AT&T peeps. And I'm thinking that it's not quite over yet, I'll letcha know!
The trip down was interesting, that will require it's own post! Although I will tell you that it involved an unintended 3 hr layover in speedbump, VA at the local military surplus store. Oh and tattoos were involved, as well, dolphin tattoos...but alas, that is for another day.
A few observations: Texas is HOT! YAYAY!! A glorious, sun-kissing-your-shoulders warmth as you frisk from your apartment to your car. Your car which is now a sauna and your poor child's seat belt clips are also handy doubles for a branding iron. Thankfully we have an infant seat so we can bring it inside with us so it doesn't melt and become a permanent part of my car. Side note: apparently I'm insane because I'm drinking my afternoon *hot* tea right now. :)
Ok, this might come across weird, or mean, or something, but I just have to say it and it's made me think about a lot more things too...people in the South are larger than people in the North East. Please don't hate me. I'm trying to figure out why this is but I'm thinking it might have something to do with at the intersection by our apartment there is a fried chicken joint, a burger joint, a taco stand, and a fast food pizza place. And that is not uncommon. There were two fast food places within ten miles of me in NY. One was a McDonalds and the other a Burger King. So the Conservative, don't-mess-with-people's-wants in me, is kinda torn because um, do people really not know that crap is bad for them?!?! Please do not think that I think everyone should be a size 4 or they're fat. I know people who's "happy size" is a 4 and I know others who are killin it in a 14. But I am concerned when there are so many people who have trouble walking because of excess weight or the children are raised going to BK or KFC every night and can't run around like they should. Anyway, it's just one of the observations I've made since I've been back.
There are waaaay more Christian and Latino radio stations here. Explanations? We're close to Mexico and we're in the Bible Belt.
People drive a lot more trucks down here. Love, love, love it. :)
Oh and some of the bumper stickers are a hoot: "The Democrats make the French look brave." Heeheehee (aren't I stepping on a lot of toes in this post?) :)
I'll try to think of some more 'differences' between the two areas.

I'm loving our apartment. Except the management seems very incompetent. With one exception, a young girl I became friends with, that seems to be the norm. Case in point: when I received my statement for this month is said I had an unpaid balance of $45. That made me concerned because our "special" was one month free so we shouldn't have had to pay rent at all. So I went up there as soon as I could and talked to the over-sweet, annoyingly nice lady at the office. Apparently they don't know how to work their software and were supposed to credit me a couple of *free* days because the apartment we had wanted flooded before we got here. She wrote a few things down on a piece of paper, told me they would credit our account, and all was right with the world. Err, wrong! Two days later I receive a notice saying "you owe $45 and you'd better pay it or we're gonna be mad!" I tried not to let my blood pressure go up too much and marched right over there (with my piece of paper in one hand that said they owed US $15 and a slobbery Libby in my other). After 15 minutes they finally got the issue straightened out and I asked, ok so I won't receive any more of these, right? Holding up notice. And that sickly sweet lady said, "oh well, we all make mistakes so you'll probably get another one, if so just come up here and we can take care of it." I was speechless. It was probably good that I didn't say anything but she'd better hope I don't receive another one of those letters! Incompetence annoys the tar out of me. And I've done data entry and worked on several different software systems, it ain't that difficult.

Wow, this is getting a lot longer than I anticipated!

I joined a gym! Soooo much fun!!! I love working out so it has been great to get back into it. Plus, they have child care!! So I like to take my time and have a good, long, Libby-free hour and a half. (I love my child, but as everyone I know will agree, it's awesome to have time to yourself). I'm so grateful that Tim knows this is important for me and he has been very supportive. Plus, I know this will help me lose those last pesky 10 lbs. and we will both be happy about that. :)

I'm going to write a whole Libby post but she is changing so incredibly fast!! She is very mobile and I predict that she will be walking, yes, I said, walking, by the end of August. Which is one of the reasons I enjoy my "me time". Just today I walking into the kitchen, where it was suspiciously quiet and I caught her sharing Maddie's food. Oh yum!! We're working on a bit of "baby-proofing" but we're also "house-proofing" Libby, which will make visiting others easier. More on that later...

It is so awesome being back with family and I've been on the go a whole lot, but after dear Susan's wedding on the 15th things might calm down a bit. :)

Getting settled

We are here!! And we've been here for a while now. We really like our new apartment and are slowly unpacking and getting settled in. We don't have inet yet so I'm typing this on my phone which is why it's going to be a very short post! I will try to post more later along with som pics of our new place. Thanks to craigs list we scored some great furniture and I found some great bargains to make our living room look pretty nice! Can't wait to show yall! And we joined a gym that I'm hoping to visit this morning if miss lib cooperates. We're seeing a lot of old friends so that is fun and I've really got to get going but I'll write more later. Tah-tah for now!

A quick update - feeding Libby

I just wanted to put this down when I had a second, well, I don't really, I'm just making time. :)
So I just started feeding Libby "real" food. Real as in a few mashed up fruits and veggies and some rice cereal. The first time she tried it she LOVED it. I couldn't feed her fast enough! She was pretty much grabbing the spoon and lunging for the next bite. But I didn't want to have to wrestle with her every time I fed her. So I just laid my arm across her hands and told her "Libby keep your hands down" or just "hands down" every time she tried to lift them. The result? Now, just like the fourth time I've fed her she never tries to grab the spoon! Makes feeding time waaay easier and much less messy. It amazes me what a baby is capable of understanding. I really think that oftentimes we just underestimate what they understand. A little later on we'll try putting things on her tray and I'll let her pick those up with her hands, but I won't put a ton of food down at once, probably just a little at a time. Feeding a baby doesn't always have to be messy! :)
Just wanted to share something that's worked for me!

Progress!

In exactly one week and one day we will be on the road to Texas!! We're picking up the moving truck on Sunday so I have to be completely ready to go on Saturday. We have some help lined up to load the truck so I'm sooo glad I won't have to do that. :) But I still have to pack up a lot of stuff. :(
Rebecca is flying in Sunday afternoon and Tim's mom decided to come too! They won't be here in time to help pack but they'll be great help and company on the drive down.
So far I've done a lot of non-essentials like decor and books but if you know us you know we have A LOT of books!!! I've almost used all of our boxes too so I'm going to have to find some from somewhere. The best boxes I've found are liquor boxes and produce boxes from WalMart. They're a pain to find though so we'll see. I really don't want to buy any.
Yesterday we did a lot in our basement/garage so that's mostly done. Everything was in boxes or tupperware mostly anyway, we just had to organize it a bit. The biggest job left to do is the kitchen. Ugh. That always takes forever! Thankfully I have a friend coming to help so that will be great.
Well, I'd better get to work! We took a fabulous, last-minute trip to upstate NY and VT and it was soo much fun! I'll post some pictures soon!!

Body After Baby

Hello hello again! Mama Notes is again hosting this great challenge!
I have been doing way better about exercise recently, even with all the moving stress! So before the weekend I had lost another two pounds! Putting me within 3 of my pre-preg weight and about 8 of my ultimate goal. Then we went on a weekend trip and I think I've probably gained a pound or two back. Oh well! We had a great time and it was fun to not worry too much.
These next few weeks are going to be pretty crazy but I'm going to do my best! That means running or walking every day and watching what I eat. Plus, drinking tons of water, I know that helps!
I really don't think having a baby "ruins" your body. Even if you have a few stretch marks it is possible to be fit and healthy. And I think that if you feel good on the inside you'll feel good about how you look. So if I eat right and exercise I'll feel good about myself and I'm very confident I'll get back to my goal weight and size.
I'm looking forward to reading everyone's posts this week! I think I could do a bathing suit pic although I would be pretty shy about it, but it sure would be good motivation!! A friend of mine took one and used it as blackmail against herself to lose some weight. She ended up losing the weight so she never posted the pic on her blog but she would have if she hadn't. I haven't even tried on my two-piece but even though I'm a little fluffy around the middle I think I could pull it off. ;)

Crawling!

Here's a quick video of Libby crawling! She's soo cute!!

6 MONTHS!!!

One half of one year. That seems sooo long! Although, yes, it does seem like 'just yesterday' that she was born. Of course she's a lot bigger now and can do a whole lot more. So lets just go through the run-down:
~Weighs 15 lbs. 3 oz, 26 1/2" 35th percentile for weight and 75th for height. She didn't gain a whole pound this month but the doctor didn't worry about it, I think she's just so squirmy and so she's not very chubby! Takes after her dad, he cannot sit still for anything.
~Started crawling!! Yes, I guess she's a little early on this, but I've heard of baby's crawling even earlier. This probably means she'll be walking by 9 months because she's already pulling up on things to stand up.
~Babbles a lot and does so in response to us.
~Loooooves her mama! To such a degree that she's not too fond of other people now. Besides Tim, she loves her daddy too but with most other people she just cries when they hold her. Again, takes after her daddy, who was very shy when he was little.
~Working on sleeping, she doing a lot better! Last night she slept from 8 to 3:30 and then again until 7. I wasn't a big fan of 'crying it out' but we had to do something and when she was close to 6 months I felt ok letter her cry. I did it for about a week because she woke up every night around midnight but I knew she didn't need to eat. So I just hung out outside her room checking on her every few minutes and she would cry for about 20 minutes and then go back to sleep. I'd rather do it now than when she's a year when it'll be much more difficult. Again, I didn't want to do this too soon, and I feel like we started doing it at just the right time.
~She doesn't get to watch tv but sometimes we let her watch the Rangers play and she loooves it. I'm sure it's just the flashing colors and lights but we like to think she's an early baseball fan. :)
~Still loves to bounce in her various toys and baby apparati. The jumperoo is an awesome invention and hardly takes up any room! Exersaucer is good too but it's a little clunky.
~She loves the animals and will laugh and smile all day long at Maddie, oh and she grabs handfuls of Maddie's fur and so far Maddie hasn't minded too much!
~Is extremely interested in our food and is so ready to start eating so we're going to give that a shot this weekend!
~I know she has a sense of humor, I burped the other day and she looked at me and laughed! Too cute! She also "fake coughs" when I laugh at her for coughing, it's really cute.
~ I know there's more but I need to get going so I'll just add more when I can think of them.

Here are some updated monthly pics!! She wasn't too into smiling this morning but I'll try to get some smiley pics with her later.

Libby and Dr. Zatz, we will miss you!!


Growin' growin'!!



Not only crawling but climbing too! Yikes!!


I thought this one was so cute because it shows her little profile! So cute!

Loves her farm book! She loves to feel the dog's fur.

A long time coming...

More than a year ago I wrote this post about leaving Texas and I described how I felt like the sad little OU boy when UT kicked their tails a few years ago.
Well, I now get to say that I feel like this...

YYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!! WE'RE COMING HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tim got an awesome offer with a great company in Fort Worth! We will be leaving July 15th and I have a lot to do before then! My big sis Rebecca is coming up here on the 12th to help me and then to drive back with Libby and I in my car. Unfortunately, we have three cars at the moment. Long story. Short version is that Tim bought a car from a friend of a friend hoping to fix it up and either sell it for a profit or sell his Acura and keep the fixed up one. Unfortunately, the Acura is not selling and we haven't gotten the title for the Hyundai yet.

So we have a bunch of prayer requests for y'all:
~Pray that one of the cars (hopefully the Acura will sell - yay, no more car payments!)
~That I will be able to get everything sorted through and packed by the time Rebecca comes so we can have a little fun before we leave.
~That we find the best place to live in FW/Arlington. Kind of difficult to get the feel for an apartment if you're not there! I have found a good one that seems perfect, lets hope it is!
~That on the drive back Libby won't be too "difficult" and will handle the 1500 miles as well as possible.
~All the logistics will work out: renting the truck, getting Rebecca up here, etc...

Thank you all so very much!! I can't wait to see my dear Texas peeps! It will be so good to be back.
And now I had better get to work!!!

Back by popular demand

THE LIBSTER!!!

Hope y'all enjoy!

Body After Baby

Monday again! Time for everyone at Mama's Notes to dish about how they did regarding getting their body in shape after a baby. Also time to set new goals and hopefully keep them! :)
Last week I did really well! I walked or ran four days and did some other stuff too. I drank lots of water and ate somewhat healthfully. However, I did notice that my stress levels were a lot higher last week and so I ended up munching more. So I haven't lost any more weight. :-/
Today I started off great though. I got up early and ran 'the loop' which is about 1.5 miles. I chugged my way around it but I made it the whole way! It's nice to just be out by myself in the morning, when I have more energy too, so I'm going to keep doing that. I love my jogging stroller but it's still a little clunky and heavy. It's easier for walks. Maybe when I get in better shape it'll get a little easier. However, I really like going running by myself, just Maddie and I. It really helps clear my mind. So hopefully I can keep doing that *Thanks Tim!* :)
Goals this week:
Run every morning (as long as its not raining!)
Drink lots 'o water
Eat healthfully (yay, blueberries are on sale!)
Thanks guys. :)

Sugar...what I've learned this week

So I made it to today. :) And then Tim brought home the sun flower butter that I've been dying to try. And I had to spread it on some toast, ya know? So the butter has cane sugar in it and the bread has honey, I think. So ya, busted! But it's ok, I was planning on eating sugar tomorrow as we're going to a BBQ and I don't know how I could avoid it.
However, I do think this going without sugar thing has accomplished some things for me. For example:
~It's seriously made me exam what is in the things I normally eat. Also, going along with that I haven't eaten things I might usually. For example, I was at my neighbor's house and she had just made a batch of flaky canned biscuits. I declined her offer because of the sugar in them, but there's a heck of a lot of other icky stuff in those things!
~I've eaten a lot better than normal with lots of hearty foods and veggies.
~I don't think I'm addicted to sugar. (there's been homemade Peppermint ice cream in the fridge all week and I never even wanted it)
~My "problem" is munching and snacking when I'm bored.
~I love hummus and I think that if everyone ate more hummus people would be healthier and happier.
~It is possible to drink tea without sugar but it makes me sad.
~A teaspoon of brown sugar in oatmeal really makes it for me. Plain oatmeal with just blueberries? Ick!
~I don't eat a lot of sugar, but I eat too much in general, obviously or I would've lost this baby weight sooner! Case in point, I was always at my happy weight a few years back. Why? I was super busy, worked out every day, and didn't eat huge meals. I also remember sitting in meetings with a big box of fresh Krispie Kreme donuts in front of me and I never took a nibble. That'll keep ya skinny, folks! Big news, I know!

So I guess it really just reinforced what I already knew, healthy eating is good! Eating too much sugar? Baad!
Tim and I have really been trying to change our whole way of eating and incorporate more fruit, veggies, and whole foods into our diet. This means not taking "shortcuts" and by making most things from scratch and not buying instant/on-demand foods. Plus, I think my food tastes better! (I'm not conceited, just ask Tim!)
This week I learned my new favorite lunch: homemade chicken salad stuffed in half a bell pepper with a salad of baby spinach and avocado on the side with a few crackers. So yummy!

Please don't hate me because I didn't make it the full 7 days. Honestly, I'm not worried about it. This was an experiment for me and I feel like I've learned a lot. Giving up things for a time really causes you to think about how often you eat or use them. So because of that, next week I'm going to "give up" my computer for the week. I think I waste a lot more time on my beloved Mac than I realize. I'll still check my email because I have to for several reasons, and I'll need to pay bills on the 15th but I'm not going to check my fav blogs or news sites. Please don't get your feelings hurt if I don't comment on your blog next week. :) I think it will just make me think about the times I want to get on the i-net. I know I'll have more time to do more things, especially like have my daily devotionals. That's a whole 'nother post but I certainly need to be more diligent in reading my Bible.

Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it! The weather has been nice today so as soon as Lib wakes up we're going to go for a walk! And I'm going to try to run parts of it too.

Woo-hoo!

Just wanted to update and say that I have made it TWO days without sugar! That's no sugar whatsoever! It's been kind of difficult, but I am surviving! :) It's interesting how many things have sugar hiding in them. It's made me a lot more aware of how much sugar I eat. I had a bit of a headache the first day but other than that it hasn't been too bad. Ok, so I know 2 days isn't a lot but it's quite an accomplishment for me! So I just wanted to let y'all know. Ok, thanks, bye! :)

Body After Baby

It's Monday again!
I lost another pound this week so I am getting closer to my goal! Still need to work out more though. :-/ Libby has had some difficulty staying asleep lately so I've been pretty tired. We're going to try some new things so hopefully that will help both of us out. :) I know that when I'm fully rested I'm more motivated to work out so I'm counting on that. :) And it's a new week!
This week I am totally giving up sugar. Boo hoo! I've already missed my little teaspoon of sugar in my morning tea and my brown sugar in my oatmeal. I'm curious to see how it helps because it's pretty difficult as there is sugar in almost everything! Even Wheat Thins! But not Triscuits! So I'm going to make some chicken salad and eat it with them. I'm doing this on my own but I'm confident I'll succeed. :)
Along with the no sugar thing I'm also:
~Drinking a lot of water
~Going walking/running when possible
~Doing my Shred DVD
~Taking my vitamins (because I forget a lot)

I got the stuff the make hummus and I've been eating that with veggies by the truckload! It's soooo yummy and makes eating raw veggies so easy! So far my favorite is red bell pepper, but broccoli comes in close at second!
So as long as I remember not to eat sugar all week I should be good to go. :)

Pictures!!!

So did y'all check out my scrumptious little niece? Ha! Little is not the right word to describe her!! She is just about 4 pounds less than Libby!! Too funny! I just wish I had been there to cheer Mindy on. (NO epidural or anything!!!!) Hopefully we'll be back in Texas for each of our next births so we can cheer each other on! I just can't believe my 5'2", 115 lb. SIL had a TEN pound baby! And people, the babe was posterior for a while!! Mindy is Superwoman!!

And now since I know you've been dying to see them, here are some pics of slobbery Libby! I've had a bib on her all day so hopefully we can avoid soaking too many outfits!! Oh and obviously she still smiles with her whole mouth! Too funny! I hope she does that for a long time.

Happiest baby around!

No bottles here! We just skip straight to cups!





Practicing sitting and more drool

Trying to crawl!!






Growth!!




Flower child!




As you can see, Libby is trying to crawl and will soon be on the move! She's also doing a pretty good job of sitting on her own. She can sit forever if I hold onto her feet, but without help she can sit without toppling over for anywhere from 5-30 seconds. Although I just can't wait for her to crawl! I love each stage and I'm happy for the changes. I'm not one to want to stay in the same place for long. So I enjoy her stages but I'm just as ready as she is when it's time to move on. Maybe I'll feel differently with the youngest but I doubt it. :) I'd better get going but enjoy these pics!!