Wednesday Weigh-In: Week 11

I've had a good week this week.  Finally back on the wagon and getting my eating habits under control.  The scale started moving again and I'm itching to keep seeing smaller numbers.  I keep telling myself its a marathon not a sprint.  I'm so proud of how far I've come.  Just 3 months ago I was so miserable.  I was tired of looking through my closet and not having anything to wear.  I was tired of being uncomfortable all the time.  I'm wearing clothes I haven't worn in years.  I'm doing things my body hasn't done in years (like push-ups on my toes!!)  I look forward to going to the gym.  I don't always like eating well but I like the results so it's worth it.

Down 2.6lbs from last week! I'm 31lbs away from my goal!  I'm finally over half way there!  I'm really hoping I'll get there by the end of the year! 

I've lost 37lbs total since March.  I've been working out at least 3 times a week for 7 weeks now.  I can tell a huge difference in my body.  (I'm not sure if anyone else can really tell yet, but I can and that's all I'm worried about right now).  Barrett has gone to workout with me a couple of times and he's the sweetest cheering me on.  While I love using that as my "me" time, I love showing him that being strong and taking care of your body is important.  Plus having your own personal cheerleader is pretty awesome. 

Those shorts in that August picture haven't been worn since before Barrett was born I think.  I am so proud that I can not only wear them but I'm fairly comfortable in them.  I'm so proud of how far I've come.  I'm so proud that I just started and kept going.  I can't wait to see my picture less 30 more pounds. 

18 Months (+1 Week)

AveryAnn turned 18 months old on the 22nd but because I can't get my life together she didn't go for her doctors appointment until today.  This time last year we were going to the lactation meetings to figure out why she wasn't gaining weight.  That seriously feels like last month not last year.

• You weigh 26.2lbs
• You're 31" tall. 
• Eating is hit or miss.  Sometimes you can't get enough of whatever we're eating sometimes you will not eat anything.
• You're wearing 18 month clothes and size 5 diapers.
• Shoes are size 5 and 6 (except your sandals that are a size 3 that I'm still cramming your feet into.)
• Your vocabulary grows daily.  
• Your favorite words are "Daddy" and "Baby"
• You sleep 7-7 most every night. 
• You want whatever your brother has and you want to do whatever he is doing.

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Fun Uncle Patrick came by to visit this afternoon and you were so fussy.  He picked you up and you fell right to sleep.  It was pretty sweet

Also in the last week or two you're so excited about your babies.  You say "bay-bee"  so southern and drawn out and I can't hear it enough.  It is the sweetest.  I can't wait to take you to the American Girl store when you're a little older.

You are so much fun, most of the time and you keep us laughing.  You've recently gotten into wearing things.  Hats, sunglasses, headphones, necklaces.  Anything you can put on yourself is fair game. 

If I pick Barrett up, you're at my feet in no time with those little arms above your head for me to pick you up too.  So I end up holding you both a lot of the time.  I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to hold you both. 

This was the day of the Solar Eclipse.  We had so much fun, you just enjoyed running up and down the driveway at the office. 

One of the cutest things you do right now is sing "Happy Birthday".  You sing it all the time.  (except you know, when we want you to).  One Friday we stopped to get donuts and when I got you out of the car you said "Happy day"  I laughed and laughed because it was so funny that you said it at the donut place.  Well, "Happy Day" turned into the birthday song over time and now you sing it about a dozen times a day.

We are all so crazy about you.  Some days I'm so sad that there's not much baby left but watching you grow and learn takes the sting away a little.  You're still very cuddly and I hope that never changes.  I can't believe how quickly the last 18 months have passed but I can't wait to see what the next 18 months look like!  We love you to the moon and back!

Wednesday Weigh-In: Week 10

I'm going to be honest.  This week has been difficult.  I kind of fell off the wagon and I've seriously struggled to get back with it.  There have been days this week where I've thought.  "I've lost 30lbs, that's good enough."  But it's not good enough.  I still have at least 27lbs of excess fat I need to lose to be in the healthy range.  I want to lose those pounds.  I want to be in the healthy range.  I want to continue to feel my best and be my best for my family (and myself).  Patrick's birthday was this weekend and I just could not resist the cake.  I tried but I couldn't.  So I had a piece.  Knocking me out of ketosis.  Which is fine but then he brought home all of these chocolate/peanut butter/oatmeal no bake cookies and they mock me every time I walk into the kitchen.  I fully expected the scale to be a disaster but it wasn't.  So I'm going to throw out all the crap and get back on the wagon with full force this week.  I'm half way to my goal and I'm more determined than ever to get there.  

Down 0.4lbs  Which isn't a lot but it is something and every little bit counts.  It's been a really long time since I saw this number.  So I can't let a bad week get me down.  This is my 6th week of working out and I'm really starting to notice big differences in my body.  I'm starting to get a tiny bit of muscle definition.  I'm feeling so much stronger!

I've lost closer to 30lbs total since March but only half of that has been on Keto.  (not that it matters, all that matters is that it's gone!) 

I'm ready for a new week and to get back on track!

Happy Birthday Patrick!!!

Happy 36th Birthday to the head of our house!  We are so thankful you were born!

If he's going to do something, he's going to do it to the best of his ability.  There is no eyeballing anything for him.  When things break he loves figuring out what is broken and how he can fix it.  I'm convinced he can fix anything.   He works so hard at two jobs so we have everything we need and most things we want.  He is my biggest cheerleader and for that I am so thankful.  I love sharing this beautiful life we've built together.  He makes me laugh.  A lot.  In fact, I can never stay mad at him because he always makes me laugh and its so hard to be mad at someone when you're laughing.

I love watching him be a dad.  He loves his babies with every thing he has.  They think he hung the moon.  When they hear the garage door every afternoon they both just squeal with glee.  It is the sweetest part of the day.  AveryAnn says "Daddy" about a thousand times a day.  (One day she'll say Mama)

Barrett wants to be just like him.  He loves going to work like his Daddy.  (even though he has no idea what his Dad really does and that our work is nothing like what his dad does).  I asked him tonight who he loved more me or Daddy and he of course said Daddy.  But then said "don't worry, I still love you too."

Happy Birthday Patrick!  We hope you have the best day ever!  We love you so much!

Summer Bucket List: We did it!

We had the best time this summer checking things off our Summer Bucket List.  It was the perfect amount of things to do to keep us looking forward to something without being overwhelming!  I think this will definitely be a tradition in the Horton House.  Here's a little recap!

SPLASH PAD

We hit the Gardendale splash pad at the beginning of the summer and the one at the Zoo to close things out.  We enjoyed them both! 

MOVIES

We saw SING! at Black Creek Park and it was so much fun!  We had plans to go to a few more outdoor movies but the weather never cooperated.  We also went to the Alabama Theatre to watch the Little Mermaid.  The Alabama Theatre really made an impact on Barrett and he talks about it often.  I'm hoping we can take him back to see a Christmas movie in December.

SUMMER READING PROGRAM

This was one of my favorite things we did this summer.  Barrett enjoyed it and AveryAnn loved disrupting the whole place every week.  He worked hard and earned a fidget spinner.  It was a highlight for both of us!

BEACH WEEKEND

We had an awesome weekend at the beach with Tony and Carla!   I loved getting to watch the kids play in the sand and water.  We even saw some dolphins and some of the air show!

SNO SHACK

This was a fun one.  Barrett was so surprised when we stopped one afternoon for sno cones after school!  Now everyday when we pass it he says "Mama there's the sno cone place, look at all those people getting sno cones!"

URBAN AIR

We hadn't been to the trampoline place since it opened and we were itching to go.  I'm not sure who had more fun me or Barrett.  Plus we left sister at home so he was happy to not have to share his mama! 

 

BARONS GAME

Well, it was the night we tried to go to a Barons game.  We got there and they were sold out.  So we didn't get to mark that one off!

SHRIMP BOIL

We invited all the Barrett's friends and their families over for a Back to School Shrimp Boil.  Grampy let us borrow his slide and everyone had a great time.  We're thinking that this should be a tradition and next year we're renting a big slide that the adults can play on too!

ZOO DAY

We spent the entire day at the zoo with our friends one day.  Barrett wore his Chase costume all day long and we all got the biggest kick out of it.  It was a nice day to end the Summer!

So that's a wrap on our 2017 Summer Bucket List.  I decided last night that I would write on the back of the list a little note to Barrett about the summer and how much fun I had making memories with him.  I hope to do this each summer.  I'm going to put it in his baby book for him to have (and probably throw away one day)  Hopefully he'll appreciate it. 

 

The only things we didn't get checked off were a weekend at the lake and the movie Cars 3! 

Wednesday Weigh-In: Week 9

It's week 9!  I can't believe it's already been 9 weeks.  Those first few days I never thought I'd be here.  But I'm so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone and had the courage to start.  It hasn't always been easy but it has definitely been worth it.  I'm so proud of how far I've come.  Eating is getting easier.  I've got a pretty good grasp on what is good and what is not.  I'm getting so much stronger, I can tell a huge difference when I go to HIIT.  I'm still really enjoying the class. Making time to go to the gym for a class is a lot of work and most nights the last thing I want to do after I've gotten everyone fed is run out the door and exercise but I feel so great that I don't want to miss.   Patrick has been so great to get the kids bathed and ready for bed while I'm gone.  I know that's the last thing he wants to do after working in the heat all day but I'm so thankful for him.  He's been so supportive and it means a lot to me.  I didn't mean to get off on that tangent.

This week Brittany and I went to have a body analysis and it was so helpful.  She measured our body fat percentages as well has hydration level, blood pressure, resting heart rate, fat stores and our measurements.  My plan is to do this once a month to measure progress.  Right now I'm at 34.8% body fat which is far from ideal.  I have an excess fat store of 27.8lbs which is right around the number I have left to lose.  It was good to see that my goals are realistic and will put me in a healthy range. 

Today I'm 169lbs.  That's -1lb from last week.  I was hoping for more but I'm not complaining.

I'm going to use the measurements from today.  Her numbers were a little different than mine but I'm going to use them and then only worry about measurements monthly.

I adjusted my totals to reflect her measurements. 

I'm so proud of my progress and I can't wait to see where I am in another 9 weeks! 

First day of 4K!

Today was Barrett's first day of 4K!  He was excited but also a little confused because he moved to his new class last week so it was really his 3rd day. 

We love his new teacher Ms. Amie!  He was a little upset none of his friends are in his class but he thrived this summer when he had to step out and make new friends so I think he'll be just fine. 

I made his sign last night and he insisted he needed to color it with chalk too.  I love this age so much.  I told him this weekend that I hope he stays 4 forever.  He's just so sweet but can do a lot of things for himself.  I've loved it so much.

These pictures crack me up.  The sun was in his eyes.   

He did great at drop off.  I was a little worried because toward the end of the summer he started crying some.  But he did great.  We got there at the same time as Jessica and Jackson and the boys were so excited to show each other their new shoes.  Then they had to give each other a hug before they went to their different classrooms.

 

Here's today and last year's first day.  His sweet baby face from last year is almost too much for me to handle.  It's like he was a baby for so long and then over night he's become a big boy and I don't think I was ready for it. 

He had a good day.  They accidentally sent him up for car line and then no one picked him up (because he's never been in car line before) and he missed lunch but they got him fed and he went right down for nap.  He was upset when he was telling me but they said he did fine.  I'm sad that he thought I forgot to pick him up in car line so he had to go take a nap.  I had to explain that I didn't forget it was just a mix-up.  It should be smooth sailing from here.

Wednesday Weigh-In: Week 8

I'm back on track this week and feeling accomplished.  The scale and my clothes are starting to reflect the work I've been putting in and it feels good.  I cleaned out my closet this week and found some clothes that had been tried on and didn't fit so they were thrown in the floor months ago.  Now they fit!  It's like getting a whole new wardrobe.  This week marks 4 weeks of working out 3 times a week.  I really am feeling so much stronger.  I'd forgotten how good it feels to sweat!  I'm excited for school to start next week and get back into a good routine.  (Even though I'm not sure we ever got into the routine I was hoping last year, I've got high hopes for this year).

-4.6lbs this week!  After gaining weight last week, I'm so proud of this! 

The inches are slowing down drastically, which is weird because my clothes are fitting better.  I'm probably not measuring correctly. I'm thinking about going and doing a body analysis next week and then go every 4 weeks to check my progress.

Waist- 35.5" (-.5")

Chest- 42"

Hips- 39"

Not much change but every little bit helps!

 

Thought I would add a little comparison too.  The first photo was the week before I started the diet.  Middle picture was 4 weeks in on the diet before I started working out.  The last picture is after 8 weeks of Keto and 4 weeks of working out.  I'm down at least one size in pants and 2 sizes in some shirts.

I'm down a total of 33lbs since March.  I've still got 35 to lose.  Slow and steady is the way to go, and I know that but it doesn't mean it's easy.  I'm so proud of how far I've come but I can't wait to see how far I can go!