{Weight Loss Weigh in: Week 26}

Nothing big happened this week, unless you count getting my RH shot from the doc. My eating habits have been much better this week and I am not feeling as stressed out, (which is a good thing).

I haven't gained any weight and baby is moving good. I have been hurting a lot more though. If it's not my hips, it's my back. If it's not the back it's my head and then it rotates around the body and I become miserable (mostly at night) and have I mentioned my swollen ankles (more like cankles now).

I am looking forward to MJ being here so I can get my body back to normal (as in feeling normal and not in constant pain).

Below is my progress or really lack their of:

Current Weight: 293 pounds

Weight loss/gain: 0 pounds

Total Weight loss: 12 pounds 

Weight still to lose: 56 pounds to go

{Silhouette Give-a-way}

(image found on Grosgrain blog)

Grosgrain is giving away one of these fancy & cool  Silhouette machines. Go on over and check it out! It ends August 31st.

{Bored Photobooth}

I got bored last night and played around with the photobooth option on my mac, (yes, I am a mac, get over it - hubby's a pc and we get along just fine). So below are random images that I took with the webcam - Enjoy!



(bored)

(slightly less bored)

(trying to be happy - but not really)

(focused on the blog I was reading)

(happier)

(confused - maybe?)

(surprised or shocked w/blueberry on my index finger)

(back to being bored)

(and then really bored)

(and then some random fake smile)

{Packing}

(image found here)

That's right - exactly what the title says - WE'RE PACKING! We put in an offer on a historic 1920's, 5 bedroom home on a nice little street with a nice BIG fenced in yard. If all goes well we will be closing on the 30th of August (ack, that's only days away!) and should be all moved in no later then the 2nd weekend in September!

There have been trials and I do mean trials when trying to get thru the whole home buying experience and it's been no walk in the park. William and I have been more stressed then anything but if it all works out and it's meant to be, very soon I will have a nice little post with pictures of our newly bought house!!

I am looking forward to doing what I want and how we want and paint what we want! The kids are looking forward to running around in a fully fenced yard without listening to me tell them what they can and can't do and where they can't play because there is no fence, (like in our current rental).

So now here we are packing up the things we want to take with us and purging those items that just won't fit or don't want to take with us. It's been a fun and interesting journey to say the least.

(image found here)

I will keep you all posted on our newest venture into becoming home owners (I know our last venture turned into a nightmare and we decided to rent instead but this go around is a bit easier - not by much - but easier). After everything is finalized and it's official I promise to post pictures or our cool "new to us" house!!

{Weight Loss Weigh in: Week 25}

I have been under some stress this past week and have been eating items I just shouldn't be eating. (again I am an emotional eater) I am working on my stress eating but knew this week I would probably put on weight - which I did...

I do think however that part of it too is that baby is growing more and more, especially now that I am in my 3rd trimester. I have been having a "beached whale" complex but I am ok with it - I mean I am growing a child in my belly and she needs space and is putting on her layer of baby fat - so it's only logical that I gain some weight back, right?

I mean once MJ is here all that weight will just go away because it's mostly her anyways, right? or am I just grasping at straws here?

Anywho, I gained 5 pounds this week - I think part of it bloating (ie: GAS) and part of it is water retention and most of it is bad food choices and a small bit may be baby, (although more then likely it's all bad eating this week).

My progress is below (don't judge too harshly, after all I am a baby makin' machine):

(image found on Internet)

Current Weight: 293 pounds

Weight loss/gain: +5 pounds

Total Weight loss: 12 pounds 

Weight still to lose: 56 pounds to go

{Meet Ceasar}

Monday we picked up an adorable, pudgy 3 year old male pug, named Ricco. Of course that name just didn't fit him and after much talk William and I decided he looked more like "Ceasar". He's a pure bred pug and is the most mellowist dog we have ever had.

He is supposed to be William's dog but like every other animal in the house he prefers me over everyone else in the house. He doesn't chase the cats and is letting them get used to him in their own time, both Ceasar and Toby were both on the bed this morning and Toby didn't hiss at all! So progress is being made.

Of course Ceasar needs some weight loss as he is quite fat but he's getting exercise now and only gets fed what we feed him & I am sure in no time he will slim down enough that he doesn't have trouble jumping up and down - plus we have the stairs and he follows me up and down them several times during the day.

The kids just adore him and love that he gives "kisses". Ceasar is defiantly going to be a great addition to our family. Although he thinks he's a lap dog and because of his size it's just not as easy as he would like.

Today I snapped a few of our newest member and asked William to take a quick picture of me now that I am officially in my 3rd trimester. Yes, I am wearing a tank top, but it's oober hot and no way was I going to wear a shirt over it...

Enjoy!




















(third trimester picture - 28 weeks 1 day)

(Sorry was interested in being loved, I was interested in photographing her)

(the kids wanted to help)

(she could sense the dog was near and wanted to bolt)

{Warning: RANT in progress!}

WARNING: RANT IN PROGRESS!!

I am getting frustrated with this whole house buying process - seriously, if you don't wanna do the work let us off the hook so we can get our ernest money back so that we can find another house! As it is if that happens we are going to be out money for inspections and appraisal - we don't want to add another earnest money to what we will be out too!!

I am frustrated with IDVA! They said this was going to be easy to set up homeschool for my kids and I would get all the help I would possibly need to get it going smoothly and here I am with 5 boxes of curriculum (2 for Aaron and 3 for Sam) and a computer to set up and NO ONE will answer my emails or return my phone calls - yet I am getting the random calls "Welcoming" me but none of them can help me as they are just paid to annoy me with "Welcome" calls!

Aaron is supposed to do an outside art class and I still have no idea where or when it's supposed to be - I guess they think I am a mind reader and will just show up where ever.  I am getting to the point I just want to send it all back and see if I can get the kids into a charter or public school (I am not liking the idea of public school though). 2 weeks isn't enough time to get this all figured out! I wanted at least another week but I suppose that just isn't going to happen.

Oh and today is the start of my 3rd trimester. Only good thing about today...

{Weight Loss Weigh in: Week 24}

Nothing much to really say. Just trying to keep myself and what I put in my mouth healthy. Although with the unforeseen stress I am glad I don't buy lots of junk food because that's what I want when I stress, ya know since I am a stress eater.

This week I lost 2 pounds, not sure how that happened, but it did. Sorry this post is so short but I am not really very chatty right now, kinda in a funk. I am sure it will pass but the funk is here non-the-less.

Below is my progress:

Current Weight: 288 pounds

Weight loss/gain: - 2 pounds

Total Weight loss: 17 pounds 

Weight still to lose: 51 pounds to go

{Pregnancy Photos}

I have been asked loads by people when I am gonna post a new pregnancy pic of me - well today I asked William to take a few for me and he got a bit trigger happy as you can see from below. These were taken today. I am 27 weeks & 3 days pregnant with MJ in these.
Enjoy!
(taken w/o flash)

(front view)

(side view)

Wish my belly was nice and round :o(

(ok that's enough)

(No Really that's enough)

(Enough Already!!!)

(Sam wanted his picture taken too!!)

{27 weeks}

I can't believe it! I am in the 27th week! By some accounts I am at the end of my 2nd trimester but by others I am in my 3rd trimester - all I know is that I am super happy that we have made it this far, especially  with all the problems with the last pregnancies.


MJ is moving like crazy and she is usually moving most at night, keeping me from sleeping, but I don't mind. William and Ruth both have found ways to wake her in the mornings to get her to move, (they do this by shaking my belly and pushing lightly on my belly button) poor MJ, can't a girl get some peace...lol


Ruth went with me to my latest OB appointment and she loved it! My doctor was hilarious and made her feel apart of the appointment. She was tickled pink that she got to hear the swooshing of MJ's heart, she said it sounded exactly like I told her it would. 


My doctor is happy with my progress and according to his scale (which I love much more then mine) said I am down by 17 lbs!! (WHOO HOO) and my urine wasn't concentrated and was considered "passable", gotta love that! 


We are hoping to find a house to buy before MJ makes her arrival and it's been an interesting and much easier journey. We are super excited to finally be at this step and hope that we can find what we are looking for before MJ gets here. I wanna be all settled before she comes, I am keeping my fingers crossed that it happens the way I want.


The kids are going to start home schooling via the K12 program as of September 1st! They just got all their books and computer and now I need to figure out how to work it all out and how the schedule will be for us and what will work best for us and all the planning and such too...The kids are excited about it and since the computer arrived they are wanting to start now but unfortunately they have to wait.

(image found at pregnancy: mom & baby)

Anywho, enough about that and onto the following, it was taken from Baby center:


This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.


The second trimester is drawing to a close, but as your body gears up for the final lap, you may start noticing some new symptoms. Along with an aching back, for example, you may find that your leg muscles cramp up now and then. They're carrying extra weight, after all, and your expanding uterus is putting pressure on the veins that return blood from your legs to your heart as well as on the nerves leading from your trunk to your legs. Unfortunately, the cramps may get worse as your pregnancy progresses. Leg cramps are more common at night but can also happen during the day. When a cramp strikes, stretching the calf muscle should give you some relief. Straighten your leg and then gently flex your toes back toward your shin. Walking for a few minutes or massaging your calf sometimes helps, too.

It may be the furthest thing from your mind right now, but it's not too soon to think about family planning. You'll want to have made some decisions about postpartum birth control before your baby arrives. If you're considering a tubal ligation, be aware that most states require you to sign a consent form at least 30 days beforehand. So if you'd like the option of having the surgery during your postpartum hospital stay, don't wait too much longer to discuss it with your caregiver. (You can still change your mind later.)

{Mayhem is coming!}

If I didn't already have an insurance provider I loved I would switch to Allstate because of these commercials...They are hilarious!

{McCall or Bust: Take 2}

While in McCall I wasn't the only one with a camera. My friend, Reina, brought hers too and captured some awesome pictures of the kids enjoying the lake as much as we enjoyed watching them.

Below are her captures, I hope you enjoy!!