Favorite Things: House Party!

Do you know about House Party?  It is a company that pairs up willing hostesses (people like you and me) with companies that want people to try out their products.  Basically, you agree to host a small party and give feedback and the company sends you free product and goodies and coupons for your guests to take home.  It is a win-win situation.  You get free product and a fun party while the company gets good advertising and product feedback. 

Some one is excited about what is in this big box!

Touching the tape was fun too!

Open at last!

Last year I was invited to my first House Party for Benefit makeup by a friend.  I had never heard of this company before and thought it sounded fun so I signed up and waited for a party to open for application that I would like to apply for.  Finally I saw that Fisher-Price was looking for people to throw a house party so that families with kids could try out some of their new toys.  I jumped on the opportunity to apply and guess what????  I WAS CHOSEN!!!  It was an extremely popular House Party so when I got the email that I was selected I had 30 minutes to set up my party online and invite at least ten people by submitting their email addresses or they would give my spot to someone else.  Unfortunately I got the email on my phone while out running errands so in a panic I sped home and just finished setting up my party with one minute to spare.  Whew!

 A few weeks before the party my party pack arrive.  There were four toys valued around $200 total in my pack (which I get to keep when the party is over).  Then a package came full of goodies and coupons to give to my guests.

I had lots of fun snacks on hand!

 On the day of the party we had tons of kids and adults show up to enjoy the snacks and toys.  The Ballapalooza was the hit toy of the day.  I even love playing with it!

The Ballapalooza!

There are all kinds of House Parties: food products, movies, games, retail companies, etc.  Some of them have more enticing party packs than others.  You just have to check out what is available right now and apply!  Maybe you will have beginners luck like me and get the first party you apply for!

Playing with the Ballcano!

Triathlon 2012 and Weightloss Update!

 Official Results:  Finish Time- 1:52:48 
(Swim- 24:49  Bike- 45:43  Run- 35:20)  
Placed 17 out of 31 Athenas

I did it!  I finished my second sprint triathlon on Sept 16th in 1hour and 52 minutes!  I was hoping to beat my time from 2010 (1 hour and 51 minutes) but missed by one minute (ouch!).  I can't tell you how amazing it felt to set the goal of doing this triathlon, working really hard to train for it, and then complete it successfully. In my last post about fitness and weight loss I expressed my frustration with my body.  I had a breakthrough in August and September and was able to lose 17 pounds in about seven weeks.  I even lost four pounds on vacation in Hawaii!  I've been watching my carb intake at night, making sure I eat protein along with the carbs when I do eat them and I have been very faithful in my workout routine.  What made this triathlon different from last time was I was able to recruit two friends to do it with me and they did awesome!

My triathlon buddies: Janee and Johnny!

At the start this year I was much less nervous since I felt ready and had the experience of having finished a triathlon before.  This year I raced in the Athena/Clydesdale group again which is for women over 145 pounds and men over 200 pounds.  As we all waited on the beach in our orange caps for our wave to start several spectators asked me what group was the orange swim cap group.   To simplify my answer I just told them it was the group for the "bigger" competitors.  Ha ha!  The weather was VERY foggy that morning and the surf a bit stronger than my last triathlon.  It was difficult to see the shore let alone the course markers when we were swimming in the ocean so I wasted time pulling my head up to make sure I was staying on course.  I ended up swimming a pretty indirect route because of the current and my swim time was 24:49 for the half mile swim which was about four minutes slower than my last triathlon.  Quite a bummer since the swim is usually my strongest leg of the race.

Athenas ready to race!

In the second leg of the race I used my new road bike that I bought off of Woot a few months ago.  Last year I raced on my mountain bike and it was difficult to keep the pace that was needed in a timed race.  The road bike allowed me to put all those trained muscles from spin class to work and I finished the 11 miles in 45:43 which was four minutes faster than my previous triathlon.  I felt really good on the bike and one guy that I passed yelled out "Alright!  Lookin' strong!"  It is one my most favorite compliments I have received in a long time.

I told you it was foggy!  I am the biker in back.  The little boy was in a kids version of the triathlon.  I had to tell you that so you didn't think a little kid passed me!)

 The transition to the run was rough.  In fact all of my transitions were poor.  I wasted too much time changing legs and need to hustle in my next triathlon to improve my overall time.  The three mile run at first felt like I was trudging through mud.  My legs were heavy and awkward.  As the miles passed by I felt better and I was surprised to see that my running watch told me I was actually running 10:30 minute miles at first which slowed in the third mile.  My body felt worse than it was performing and I was very happy with my time of 35:20 even though it was a minute slower than my last triathlon.  It was my fastest post-pregnancy 3 mile run yet.  I give partial credit to a guy that I encountered on the back half of my run.  I was beginning to get really tired and sore and decided to walk a little.  He must have been running for awhile behind me and as he passed me he said, "Now you've been running so well!  You are doing great!  Finish strong!"  It was just what I needed to hear and I replied, "You are right!  I am right behind you!" and I was able to run the rest of the way in. 

I am in the back turning the corner on my run.

I can't tell you how amazing it feels to cross that finish line!  If you have never run in a race you really should try it just once for the experience even if you don't think that it is your "thing".  My favorite "athlete" is Matt Hoover who won The Biggest Loser many years ago.  A few years ago he completed the Kona Ironman - one of the most difficult races there is.  He said before the race, "Sometimes you need to see a chubby guy taking off to do something he is not supposed to."  I love his attitude which was so inspiring to me!  At the expo when I picked up my race packet the day before the triathlon I found that a little negative voice inside me was saying, "You don't look like the fit people that are here.  You don't belong..."  I started to get self conscious about the fact that even though I have lost some weight I still have so much more to lose.  I had to fight back at my negativity!  I had trained hard to be ready for this race!  I had lost weight- a lot of weight to be able to do this!  And when I finished that triathlon I swam, biked, and ran the exact same course as the most athletic and fit people there.  The metal I wore on my neck was the same as theirs.  I am glad I did the triathlon again and I can't wait to do it a third time and work hard to improve my time.  It is so worth it!

My favorite spectator!

At the time I am writing this I have four weeks before my next embryo transfer.  My goal is to lose eight more pounds before transfer day.  I am still doing bootcamp four days a week and I have decided to increase my running workouts to three days a week.  Running burns fat unlike any other exercise!  I am also experimenting with intermittent fasting right now.  The concept is to work for a weekly calorie deficit rather than a daily calorie deficit.  Last Thursday I fasted from 9 pm until 5 pm the next day.  I was able to lose two pounds and keep them off.  I also realized how mindlessly I reach for food and because I chose not to eat I drank a ton of iced green tea and water which is good for you.  I still need to take some updated weight loss photos and measurements but I can tell my body is responding to my hard work!  My clothes are getting loose and my body is finally feeling like me again.  My other goal besides losing eight more pounds is to change my thinking about pregnancy.  Right now in my head being pregnant means being an invalid and that needs to change if I don't want to gain another 80 pounds with my next pregnancy!  More on that later...

Lena, cheering on her Mama at the starting line!

Ten Months Old

This is the picture we used to entire Lena into the Gerber baby photo contest.

Lena turned ten months old (double digits!) on September 3rd!  We were in Hawaii on a family vacation during this milestone and learned that our Little Lena is a beach baby!  She really enjoys playing in the sand and only occasionally licks her sandy fingers.  Ewww!  One of the biggest events during Lena's 10th month was that she got her two front teeth!  It was our worst teething episode yet and poor Lena was pretty uncomfortable.  The worst of it happened during our second week in Hawaii.  Luckily I had brought along all of my teething remedies and tried to distract her with the koi ponds (which she LOVED) and the fun beach activities.  Lena continues to love people and boy oh boy do people love Lena.  She is our little social butterfly; waving to people everywhere, flashing her sweet smile, and allowing family and friends to hold her.  It will be interesting to see how God uses this part of her personality.  It is definitely one way that she and I are different!

Lena loves to be outside!

During her tenth month poor Lena suffered from a very bad mommy and daddy mistake.  One night as I was putting Lena to bed in her darkened room.  I rocked her to sleep as she took her bedtime bottle.  As she drank the last drop of formula I reached to set the bottle down only to find the full bottle of formula that I had just made!  I had accidentally just fed Lena and entire bottle of formula that Dan had partially fed her early that morning.  It was the same color and bottle shape as the bottle of my fresh formula and I had mixed them up in the dark.  I was so nervous that I had just poisoned my precious daughter!  She was fast asleep so I put her down while I Googled "what to do if I fed my baby old formula".  Ha ha!  I found out quickly that I was not the only mom to do this.  About four hours after she finished the bottle Lena woke up with a stomach ache.  She was moaning and wouldn't go back to sleep.  We ended up giving her some Colic Calm and a fresh bottle to flush her system and Dan slept with her the rest of the night to make sure she was okay.  Poor girl!

Some pretty loud yelling can come out of that little mouth!

 Lena has really been on the move!  In her tenth month she has learned to stand by herself and likes to clap and dance.  It won't be too much longer before she figures out how to walk!  She has also become more adventurous and skilled in her eating.  She can now drink out of a sippy cup and loves to eat puffs, crackers, yogurt melts, and other soft finger foods.  Mangoes and sweet potatoes are still her favorite foods.  Dan also taught her to hold her own bottle so she can feed herself which is an awesome time saver for me! 
Lena continues to grow but she is still generally on the small side.  She hit 17 pounds this month and I have finally put away most of the 6 month clothing (except the pants as she is smaller on the bottom).  She only wears 6-9 month clothing now but she is still in size two diapers and wears size two in shoes (although we never put them on her).  She still takes two good naps everyday.  I thought she was moving to one nap but she still really needs and enjoys two naps, especially the morning nap.

Exploring!  She probably saw one of our cats...

 Next to her new teeth the biggest change in Lena this month has been her temper!  She knows now how to make her will known.  I am trying my best to teach her at this very early age more appropriate ways to express her will.  I can see now why some people teach their kids sign language.  After all what parent wouldn't prefer a hand signal to a meltdown?  My least favorite is when she arches her back and cries when I am trying to change her diaper and she doesn't want me to.  Lena might be little but she is super strong! Mostly I have found that her temper comes when she is tired so I try my best to keep her on a good nap schedule.  Then everyone is more happy!

We love the Peanut!!!

Nine Months Old

In her ninth month Little Miss Lena has been on the go!  She crawls like a little speedster dragging her favorite toy around with her.  She is going to be a climber for sure as she loves to pull herself up on everything.  She now has two teeth (the bottom front) and has learned to chew!  She can eat puffs "faster than a speeding bullet", especially the sweet potato ones, and now eats third foods with little chunks.  She is learning her first word with meaning, "Hi!".  Usually she says it when she sees our dog, Jersey.  Just lately has she been adding the "dog, dog" to her chipper "Hi" for her first sentence, "Hi, Dog Dog!".  She loves animals and as my mom pointed out she prefers toys that have a face, i.e. dolls, stuffed animals, etc.  She continues to be extremely social.  She is WAY less fussy when we are out and with people.  As a homebody myself it has made me think of ways to incorporate visits with other people during our long day at home together.  She craves social interaction and loves people watching (that at least we do have in common).  We really enjoy sitting on the porch watching people and dogs walk by.

Lena and her signature tongue and blue eyes!

One funny thing that happened this month was when at the end of a long day Dan and I and Lena were at Sam's Club.  While we waited in line at customer service Lena began to fuss a little.  I was so tired and accidentally unscrewed the entire top of her bottle instead of just taking the cap off and I promptly doused the poor girl with her formula.  She just froze and stared at me blinking quickly in disbelief.  Dan looked at me like I was crazy and so did a few others who were near by.  I burst out laughing so hard and promptly wiped Lena down and apologized.  She took it well, ha ha!  Is that what they call "Mommy Brain"? 

Lena living up to her middle name (JOYce).

At her nine month appointment last week we learned that she now weighs in a sixteen pounds and ten ounces.  She is still in size two diapers and is wearing 6-9 month clothes.  Six month clothes and now getting a bit too small.  She measured in at 30% for head, 20% for height, and still about 10% for weight but the doctor called her nicely proportionate.  He seems happy with her rate of growth and thinks she is very strong and physically advanced for her size and age.

It has been VERY hot lately so we have been enjoying the pool a few times each week.  Lena loves the water and can splash, kick, and doesn't mind one bit if her face gets wet.  She definitely continues to be a water baby and I think she will enjoy Hawaii very much when we go there in the near future. 

Always exploring...and tasting...

Lena still doesn't have separation anxiety.  While she does prefer Dan and myself, she doesn't mind being held by others and is okay when she is away from us for long stretches of time, i.e. nursery, baby sitting, etc.  She is going to be a fabulous big sister as she really enjoys her social interaction.  I kind of think it would be a social injustice to make her an only child. 

Pop and Peanut love spending time together!

Her nap schedule is beginning to change a bit.  She still mostly takes two naps but they are getting shorter.  1.5 hours instead of 2-3 hours each.  I hear this usually results in one longer nap instead of two short ones. We'll just take it a day at a time.

Lena's first time at the beach.  She loved it!

I find myself just in awe that this is my life right now.  All my teacher friends are getting ready for another year and I am preparing to take off for a family vacation to Hawaii followed by my second triathlon, and then another FET cycle for a sibling for Lena.  I feel so excited, so blessed.  Being a mom is awesome.  Lena brings me such joy.  I still marvel that she is with us as a permanent part of our growing family.  I can't wait till I can tell her about the beginning of her life.  About how wanted she was; about what a miracle she is; about how hundreds of people prayed over her and how she is a living answer to prayer and testament to God's goodness and grace; about how truly and deeply loved she is by so many.  You too can help me, help her remember the incredible story of her life as so many of you have lived the journey with us.  I am already beginning to prepare for her first birthday.  I love that she was born in the month of Thanksgiving.  So, so appropriate.

Getting Ready For Round Two

Dan devoted his body and soul to the yard sale in 100+ degree heat and was still able to maintain a sense of humor.

Our family still has eleven embryos in frozen storage waiting patiently for a chance to grow and be born!  Dan and I definitely don't take this lightly.  I feel the weight of responsibility for their little lives.  We are finally getting ready for our next frozen embryo transfer (FET).  We are not sure about the timing yet.  We prefer sooner (especially Dan) but don't want to rush things considering how hard it has been for me to lose my pregnancy weight.  We are thinking somewhere between this November and February.  Regardless of the exact date, we are excited at what God will do to grow our family and feel ready for the challenges that the FET process can bring:  i.e. daily injections, waiting, two hour drives to Dr. K's office, more waiting, bed rest, more waiting, lots of blood withdraws, waiting some more, the excitement of anticipation, the fear of disappointment and loss, and... medical bills.  As familiar as we are to the FET process this time it will be decidedly different.  After having Lena we have hope that this process works.  We have a realistic perspective (from experience) in also knowing that the FET process sometimes doesn't work.  I am not working full-time except as a wife and mother which is far less stress!  We are now on one income and have less insurance coverage for our procedures.  We have Lena.

I made 20 loaves of bread to sell at the yard sale. (Banana walnut streusel, banana chocolate chip, lemon poppy seed, zucchini spice, and zucchini walnut spice)

One of our first steps we have taken towards our next FET (besides getting back in shape) is raising money for our meds ($500+ a pop), FET costs ($2200), and other associated medical expenses (unknown just yet).  Our frozen storage fees ($600 per year) are also due in the fall.  This past weekend we held a two day "Shack Adoption Yard Sale" and we were able to raise $1501 towards our adoption expenses - and in 100+ degree heat!  It was amazing and touching to see so many of our friends and family help us by donating items for our sale, shopping the sale, helping to run the sale, etc.  My parents helped watch Lena and organize the sale at their house and sweat buckets moving boxes and tables etc.  What was also great is that we were able to talk to so many people about embryo adoption and share our story with them.  When our kids get older I am going to love telling them how much people prayed for them and worked for them to be born.  They were loved and served by so many before they were ever a few days conceived!  I get emotional just thinking about what a miracle Lena and her siblings are and how privileged Dan and I are to be their parents.  I can only pray that by God's grace more of Lena's siblings will be born to join us on this earth.  Let's get this party started!

Adoption FET Booty - and we also sold our 2001 Chevy Tahoe at the sale!

(We will be having another yard sale towards the end of September and possibly a photography fundraiser sometime in October.)

Eight Months Old

Teeth, crawling, and nursery time... oh my!

July 3rd marked 8 months for our little Lena and this month has been a month of milestones!  In mid June she began to crawl and has picked up speed ever since.  She also loves to pull herself to a standing position and spends a good portion of the day on her feet.  I don't think it will be long before she is walking! 

 She also had her first stay in the church nursery which she loved.  She is a VERY social girl and enjoys interacting with the other kids and playing with the nursery toys.  The nursery workers couldn't believe it was her first time since she felt so "at home". 

We had a family reunion and a professional photographer took pictures of all of the families.  We hadn't had professional pictures of us as a family since Lena was four weeks old so it was great to get some nice new pictures.  The down side of the family reunion is that every kid under the age of three got "hand, foot, mouth" sickness.  Luckily Lena's case was very mild and we only had a few sleepless nights. 

 Lena is talking up a storm and her babble is becoming more word like at times.  It is quite entertaining!  She also got her very first tooth this month and we think it is adorable!  We realized she was finally teething when she grabbed Dan's finger and bit down on it and Dan felt her tooth. 

 I am just so excited to spend my days with her that I sometimes actually get sad when she has to go down for a nap or for bedtime.  She is in a very regular sleep pattern now:  she wakes up around 6am, goes down for a nap from 9 to 11am and another afternoon nap from two to four with her bedtime being around 8pm.  I like the regularity of her schedule and I have realized now why so many mom's are protective of nap time.  As happy as Lena is she doesn't handle exhaustion well. 

 Next month we will have some formal growth statistics from the doctor but for how Lena is now in size two diapers, size 6-9 month clothes, and weighs around sixteen pounds.  This girl is growing!

Time for some HONESTY.. Welcome to my Pity Party!

I am usually the optimistic one.  When I get discouraged I look around and focus on others who have it worse than myself.  I watch inspirational videos on YouTube to encourage me in my struggles.  I try to focus on the positives in the situation rather than the negatives.  You know, I am one of those "glass half-full" kind of people.

A few days ago I posted and somewhat genuine post about my weight and fitness goals.  This is my personal blog and I feel the need to purge my true feelings on this issue.  You know, sometimes you just need to admit nice and loud how you truly feel and cry for a little before you move on like a "Susie Sunshine".  

My weight loss before picture which hasn't changed all that much. =

 I have had a tremendous struggle with my weight pretty much my entire life.  Years ago I accepted that it would always be a struggle for me.  In 2009-2010 (about an 18 month span) I had a huge breakthrough in my weight struggles and lost 80 pounds.  It was a TON of hard work and discipline especially considering the emotional struggles with infertility I was going through.  Then I had my first failed FET and then finally got pregnant with Lena.

My pregnancy was not easy but not the worst I've heard of.  I had horrible swelling and my doctor's advice was to stay off my feet  (not such great advice for someone trying to battle weight gain).  In the end after giving birth early due to preeclampsia and recovering from my c-section, I had gained back nearly all of the weight I had lost.  I had hoped that through breastfeeding I could magically burn of all of those unwanted pounds.  After all it worked for almost every pregnant woman I had talked to.  Ha!  After so many years of struggling with infertility I should have known better.  I had a milk supply problem and actually gained ten more pounds instead of losing any.

Just in case you wanted to see my super sexy side profile.  Ha ha!

Once the new year came around I decided to get serious about working on my weight issues.  I began my spin classes again and did several 5k walk/jogs a week.  I started cleaning up my diet and laying off the carbs.  I did manage to lose around 15 pounds or so.  Once summer arrived I decided I needed to get even more committed.  I now work out 10 times a week, eat no more than 1500-1800 calories per day, and watch my  balance of carbs, protein, and fat.  It STINKS that I have worked so hard for three whole weeks burning over 4000 calories a day doing all of this cross training to lose a mere HALF POUND!!!

(Here we go....)  UNFAIR!   UNJUST!!  WHY ME!!!  I'VE HAD MY FAIR SHARE OF STRUGGLES!  WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SUCH A BATTLE - AND A LOSING ONE AT THAT!??!

What is my body thinking?  Aye me...   My boot camp trainer after examining my food log and workout schedule just told me to keep on going, that I was getting stronger.  Stronger is great but I want to be SKINNY... or at least SKINNIER!  I am sick of being the fat one in class, or worrying if the lap bar will close on my gut when we ride the rides at Knott's, or worry about fitting into my airplane seat when we go to Hawaii in August.  Or what about living in my bathing suit for two weeks baring my thunder thighs and cellulite for all to see!

I feel naked, selfish, and shallow for posting all this.  There are after all people who are suffering MUCH greater tragedies than myself.  But I can't help but think that God cares how I feel today.  He doesn't mind my lament as long as it doesn't rule my heart.  He put Psalms of lament in the Bible for a reason right?  It is okay to be frustrated and cry in self-pity for a moment or two... or three.  That is honest communication in a healthy relationship.   I guess I just pray that by God's grace my lament can turn to yet greater determination to work hard and meet my goals.  If Jesus can turn water into wine can he not turn my fat into muscle???  I think so!

(Ahhhh... there's that "Susie Sunshine" after all...)