Getting Sentimental

Today was one of those strange days where almost everything seemed to make me sentimental.  I found an old mix CD stashed away in my car, so I put it in, ready to listen to a lineup of songs I hadn't heard for a while.  One of the first was "At the Beginning" from the Anastasia soundtrack--a song that took me waaaaay back to my days living at The Colony at BYU--Jess was almost more in love with this song than she was with the boy--serving a mission in Russia--that inspired her love for the tune (aaah...the JPR + PMC days still put a smile on my face).  It was strange how listening to the song in my car today suddenly had me thinking about our big living room with the navy blue carpet and navy blue furniture (my sister tells me it's still the same!) and Jessica, Laura, Jana, Candice, Heather, and I lounging around the apartment late at night chatting, listening to the same song over and over, watching Jana eat a slice of bread with peanut butter and chocolate chips or Jessica munching on a bagel pizza.  Heather was probably in sweats and a sports bra...maybe she was still in her room beating up her punching bag or participating in the conversation by shouting from the bathroom while sitting on the pot--door wide-open of course.  Jessica and Laura had probably just walked back from the library--backpacks stuffed and overflowing--and laughing their way through a hilarious story like the time Jessica slipped on the ice but couldn't get up because her backpack was so heavy.  And the boy who shouted from the other side of the quad that he'd come to her rescue who somehow ended up flat on his back next to her.  Maybe Erica or Candi had stopped by for a chat, and more than likely Jana was in PJs, bandanna tied around her hair peasant-style, announcing that she had to get to sleep and could we please please please keep our voices down.  Candice and I were at the piano, trying out one of my newest compositions...Candice singing, of course.  Wow, I suddenly missed my dear friends more than I had in a very long time. Now beautiful Laura has her absolutely beautiful babies and finds herself a stronger woman than ever having led her family through more trials and hardships this past year or two.  Jana now a busy mom of three and Bishop's wife--can't even imagine that right now!  Jessica just reached her LONG time goal of running a marathon...you go girl!!  Gotta thank Jess for convincing me and Jana to try a little bit of running our freshman year, something I then hated but quickly grew to love (though my post-baby body has yet to get back into it), while Candice and Mark are living the life of east coast artists...raising their babies in the middle of NYC where Mark continues acting and Candice captures magic on her camera.  Heather is just what we (and she!) predicted she'd be...mom to a whole houseful of adorable little cowboys and cowgirls.  What a blessing to stay in contact with these wonderful women.  I also remember our reunion in summer 2006 at the Lewis' cabin in Southern UT--the timing couldn't have been more perfect for me...it was one of the toughest weeks of my life, so being surrounded by such strength and faith was truly a divine blessing.  I'm so unexpectedly nostalgic today and feel incredibly grateful for their friendship.

Michael's been crawling for about 3 weeks now (and--man--he can move!!) and then yesterday he pulled himself up in a standing position for the first time.  Augh!!  It's all going by so fast!  Thank goodness we really are enjoying every minute....like these ones from our trip to San Antonio last weekend.

Serg picked up Michael from day care today and word is that my 8-month-old is already bullying the other kids.  Apparently his newfound mobility has also given him the courage to crawl over to other children, grab their hair and pull their heads to the ground until they cry.  Noooo!

Goodbye Baby Weight!

It took me over seven months to really dig my heels in and make it happen, but I'm finally starting to see my oh-so-many pounds of baby weight (and post-baby weight, sadly!) start coming off!  I gained about 60 pounds throughout the pregnancy (I know, yikes!) and when you add that to the 15 or 20 I'd been gaining for the few months before getting pregnant and the 10 or so I'd gained since having the baby...well, you do the math and it ain't pretty.  In a matter of 18 months my poor body was about 85 pounds heavier than it had been, and it was REALLY feeling it.  I was uncomfortable, sometimes in pain, and had a very limited wardrobe (the latter was the final kicker).  :)  I finally took charge and decided I was sick of feeling so uncomfortable,  and no matter how much time I did or didn't have nor how much junk food friends and family ate in front of me (my two pet excuses) I was gonna get that weight off!

I use South Beach diet as a guide, but it basically means I eat lots of fruit, veggies, lean meats, nuts, and 100% whole grains--no white flours, sucrose, nor high-fat low-nutrition foods.  No counting calories or carbs or points or anything--just eating smart.  I'm making sure I do some sort of exercise at least 20 min a day; it's not much, but it's way better than nothing.  My body is thanking me for my renewed commitment to its health!  I'm so much more energetic and the weight is already beginning to slip off only 3 weeks in.    I'm not weighing myself for a while since that sometimes discourages me--my clothes already feel looser, I've got a ton of energy (usually), and I'm starting to look slimmer.  Now I just need to prioritize some time in the gym so that I do some weight training and gain muscle while losing fat--I've let myself get terribly weak over the past couple of years but am determined to make a healthy change!