Yesterday when I picked up Charlotte from daycare, her teacher informed me that two kids from her class were sent home because they were throwing up. Great, I thought. I prayed as I drove home that she wouldn't get it, but about 5 minutes before we got home, I heard the unmistakeable sound of vomiting from the backseat. Sure enough, when I got home and opened the back door of the car, I saw poor Charlotte absolutely covered in puke. And bless her heart, she SMILED at me when I opened the door just because she was happy to see me! She continued to throw up every 30-45 minutes until around 9:30. Those were some long, stressful (and messy!) hours. IT is awful to see my baby sick and hurting and be helpless to make it stop. Finally, it seemed as though her tummy had calmed down, and she fell asleep for the night a little before 11:00.
She ended up sleeping until almost 6, and since she'd gone all night without getting sick again, we decided to try giving her a bottle. She kept it down, and I went to work while Stephen stayed home with her. She kept down a second bottle as well, and we were hopeful that all was well. But then she threw up the third bottle in the afternoon, and she's been pretty unhappy since then, except for the nap she took. We've been giving her a teaspoon of Pedialyte every 30ish minutes per our doctor's instructions, and I hope that keeps her from being too dehydrated. She's sleeping now, and I can only pray that she gets some rest and wakes up feeling better.
The bright side of this is that I get to stay home with her tomorrow and snuggle! I hope all of you are feeling well!
Monday, November 28, 2011
How to Gain Weight Over Thanksgiving Break
1. Go off your no sweets challenge. Multiple times.
2. Don't exercise.
3. Repeat. Multiple times.
That's how I gained 1.6 pounds. How about you?
I think I knew on Wednesday that I was going to blow it with my no sweets challenge. Wednesday at work we had a Thanksgiving potluck, and there were several yummy looking confections that I was longing to eat. People were gushing over them, and it killed me that I couldn't have any of it. Instead of feeling proud of my resolve, I felt sorry for myself that I couldn't be a person like my husband, who can eat whatever he wants and not gain weight. Poor me and my first world problems. Even though I didn't eat any sweets that day, I thought about them all. day. long. Just ask Stephen. That night it was all I thought about. So when Thanksgiving rolled around, and I was confronted with my most favorite of desserts, carrot cake, I gave in. Or gave up, rather. I threw caution to the wind and ate that carrot cake. Was it good? Yes.
But the real question: Was it worth it?
No.
No, it wasn't. It wasn't worth it because eating that one piece of cake only led me to eat some chocolate chip cookies later, and then pumpkin pie and cookie cake and a few fun size Snickers over the span of the weekend. I knew what I was doing when I chose to eat each of those things, knew that I was willfully eating more than I needed, but I chose to ignore the gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit and let gluttony win. Again.
Please know that I don't think it's always a sin to eat sweets. It's not. But for me, in those moments, eating those sweets was a sin because I was looking to that food to satisfy a craving I'd had since I had stopped eating sweets. I was looking to that food to do what only God can do--fill me up. And just like every other time, I found the food wanting. I didn't feel satisfied. Only guilty. Defeated.
Oh, but thanks be to God that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus! I must remember that it is for freedom that He has set me free. I want to stand firm and not be burdened.
Lord, help me stand firm.
2. Don't exercise.
3. Repeat. Multiple times.
That's how I gained 1.6 pounds. How about you?
I think I knew on Wednesday that I was going to blow it with my no sweets challenge. Wednesday at work we had a Thanksgiving potluck, and there were several yummy looking confections that I was longing to eat. People were gushing over them, and it killed me that I couldn't have any of it. Instead of feeling proud of my resolve, I felt sorry for myself that I couldn't be a person like my husband, who can eat whatever he wants and not gain weight. Poor me and my first world problems. Even though I didn't eat any sweets that day, I thought about them all. day. long. Just ask Stephen. That night it was all I thought about. So when Thanksgiving rolled around, and I was confronted with my most favorite of desserts, carrot cake, I gave in. Or gave up, rather. I threw caution to the wind and ate that carrot cake. Was it good? Yes.
But the real question: Was it worth it?
No.
No, it wasn't. It wasn't worth it because eating that one piece of cake only led me to eat some chocolate chip cookies later, and then pumpkin pie and cookie cake and a few fun size Snickers over the span of the weekend. I knew what I was doing when I chose to eat each of those things, knew that I was willfully eating more than I needed, but I chose to ignore the gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit and let gluttony win. Again.
Please know that I don't think it's always a sin to eat sweets. It's not. But for me, in those moments, eating those sweets was a sin because I was looking to that food to satisfy a craving I'd had since I had stopped eating sweets. I was looking to that food to do what only God can do--fill me up. And just like every other time, I found the food wanting. I didn't feel satisfied. Only guilty. Defeated.
Oh, but thanks be to God that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus! I must remember that it is for freedom that He has set me free. I want to stand firm and not be burdened.
Lord, help me stand firm.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Making Memories
Saturday marked another first for Charlotte: her first trip to the park! First Stephen and I took her for a stroller ride around the park's loop and then introduced her to my favorite thing about parks: the swings! And boy oh boy was she a fan! She was a little nervous at first:
But she quickly realized that swinging is a BLAST.
It was so fun to watch her have fun. She just smiled and giggled and squealed with delight and stole my heart all over again. We also let her explore some of the playground equipment:
and Stephen took her down the
slide:
She was slightly underwhelmed by that experience, but I think it's because the slide wasn't straight and therefore it was hard to get any kind of momentum as Stephen slid down. The trip to the park was definitely a success, and we'll have to take her back when we have another beautiful, sunny Saturday!
It was so fun to watch her have fun. She just smiled and giggled and squealed with delight and stole my heart all over again. We also let her explore some of the playground equipment:
She was slightly underwhelmed by that experience, but I think it's because the slide wasn't straight and therefore it was hard to get any kind of momentum as Stephen slid down. The trip to the park was definitely a success, and we'll have to take her back when we have another beautiful, sunny Saturday!
Monday, November 21, 2011
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...
Christmas! This weekend I did this:
Yes, I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but I was afraid that once December rolled around I wouldn't have time to put up the tree. I love our tree and will continue to love it every day through Christmas!
When do you put up your Christmas tree?
Yes, I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but I was afraid that once December rolled around I wouldn't have time to put up the tree. I love our tree and will continue to love it every day through Christmas!
When do you put up your Christmas tree?
Friday, November 18, 2011
Friday Five: Things I'm Celebrating
(I realize I haven't done a Friday Five in approximately 1.5 years or some such ridiculous time span, but it's never too late to begin again!)
1. I'm wearing pants I haven't worn since being pregnant.
2. I'm at 183.2 pounds.
3. My baby girl has 2 more teeth, making the total teeth count 4. She currently has 1 on top and 3 on the bottom, and I hope she gets another on top soon so she won't look goofy. Not that she could ever look goofy because obviously she is the cutest thing ever. Here she is attempting to leap off the recliner. (No worries, Stephen was holding her).
4. It's payday. As Stephen said this morning, "Payday is yay day." :)
5. It's almost Thanksgiving, which means time with Stephen's family in Illinois and time off work!
What are you celebrating?
1. I'm wearing pants I haven't worn since being pregnant.
2. I'm at 183.2 pounds.
3. My baby girl has 2 more teeth, making the total teeth count 4. She currently has 1 on top and 3 on the bottom, and I hope she gets another on top soon so she won't look goofy. Not that she could ever look goofy because obviously she is the cutest thing ever. Here she is attempting to leap off the recliner. (No worries, Stephen was holding her).
4. It's payday. As Stephen said this morning, "Payday is yay day." :)
5. It's almost Thanksgiving, which means time with Stephen's family in Illinois and time off work!
What are you celebrating?
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Charlotte's First Surgery
I am pleased to report that Charlotte's ear tube surgery went really well! We had to be at the surgery center Tuesday morning at 7:30. Charlotte could not have anything to eat after midnight, and I was dreading having to face the morning with Charlotte hungry and not eating. I had hoped that Charlotte would sleep well and that we could just wake
her up a little before 7, change her diaper and her clothes and be on
our way, but no such luck. She woke up around 5:45 (about 5 minutes after we ourselves had woken up) and showed no signs of going back to sleep, so we got her up. She wasn't cranky at all and contented herself with playing with her toys.
My mom arrived around 7, and we were out the door by 7:10. Once we arrived at the surgery center, Stephen and I were taken back to the pre-op area with Charlotte. They gave her a gown to wear and a cute little monkey that Charlotte immediately started playing with. We were able to stay back there with her until it was time for her to be taken for surgery. She did really well for not having eaten and for having woken up so early. She started getting fussy toward the end of our wait time, but that was mainly because she was sleepy. Her surgery was scheduled for 8:30, and the anesthesia staff came and got her right before then. We watched them take her away as we headed back to the waiting room, and I was surprised to find tears in my eyes. It was just so strange to see her taken away like that, and I wanted to go with her.
I recovered quickly, however, and we weren't in the waiting room long before we were led to a private room to talk to the doctor. He said everything went really well and that she was waking up from the anesthesia and that we would be able to see her after 10 or 15 minutes. So back to the waiting room we went for a little bit longer before going back to the area where we had waited with Charlotte before the surgery. It wasn't long before they brought her to us, and I was so happy to hold her! I was anxious to see what kind of mood she would be in because several of my friends talked about how cranky and even angry their children were after the surgery, but Charlotte wasn't like that at all. She was drinking a little bottle of apple juice they had given her and was quite calm. The nurses even said they wanted to keep her and asked us if she was always this content. (If only they could have seen her the first 3 months of her life when she never slept and fussed the majority of the time!) We snuggled with her and fed her a bottle, which she happily downed, and after waiting about 45 minutes, we were free to go!
We got home a little after 10 a.m. and put Charlotte right in her crib, where she slept for a little over an hour. She had a few fussy periods during the day, mostly due to some mild discomfort with her ears and sleepiness, but overall we had a really great day. She took another nap in the afternoon, and though she woke up from that nap acting really upset, she was fine once she ate. I am so thankful that everything went smoothly and that Charlotte even got to have some fun today. God has been good to us!
My mom arrived around 7, and we were out the door by 7:10. Once we arrived at the surgery center, Stephen and I were taken back to the pre-op area with Charlotte. They gave her a gown to wear and a cute little monkey that Charlotte immediately started playing with. We were able to stay back there with her until it was time for her to be taken for surgery. She did really well for not having eaten and for having woken up so early. She started getting fussy toward the end of our wait time, but that was mainly because she was sleepy. Her surgery was scheduled for 8:30, and the anesthesia staff came and got her right before then. We watched them take her away as we headed back to the waiting room, and I was surprised to find tears in my eyes. It was just so strange to see her taken away like that, and I wanted to go with her.
I recovered quickly, however, and we weren't in the waiting room long before we were led to a private room to talk to the doctor. He said everything went really well and that she was waking up from the anesthesia and that we would be able to see her after 10 or 15 minutes. So back to the waiting room we went for a little bit longer before going back to the area where we had waited with Charlotte before the surgery. It wasn't long before they brought her to us, and I was so happy to hold her! I was anxious to see what kind of mood she would be in because several of my friends talked about how cranky and even angry their children were after the surgery, but Charlotte wasn't like that at all. She was drinking a little bottle of apple juice they had given her and was quite calm. The nurses even said they wanted to keep her and asked us if she was always this content. (If only they could have seen her the first 3 months of her life when she never slept and fussed the majority of the time!) We snuggled with her and fed her a bottle, which she happily downed, and after waiting about 45 minutes, we were free to go!
We got home a little after 10 a.m. and put Charlotte right in her crib, where she slept for a little over an hour. She had a few fussy periods during the day, mostly due to some mild discomfort with her ears and sleepiness, but overall we had a really great day. She took another nap in the afternoon, and though she woke up from that nap acting really upset, she was fine once she ate. I am so thankful that everything went smoothly and that Charlotte even got to have some fun today. God has been good to us!
Monday, November 14, 2011
Bullet Posts Are Lame
But I'm giving you one anyway! :)
- Yesterday I weighed in and was 184.4, which means that I am officially out of the "obese" BMI category! I'm now just "overweight." (Yay?)
- With yesterday's weigh-in, my weight loss since June 1 totals 12 pounds. Yes, it has taken me 5 months to lose 12 pounds. And I'm okay with that. Who knows how heavy I'd be right now had I not been trying to lose weight?
- I have done really well with my no sweets challenge. I did have a milkshake last Monday, but I was sick with a nasty cough, and it was the only thing that felt good on my throat, so no guilt for me over that!
- Tomorrow Charlotte is having surgery to get tubes put in her ears. Charlotte had 3 ear infections in 4 months, and our pediatrician referred us to an ENT who recommended that she get tubes, and we agreed. I am surprisingly not all that nervous about the surgery but am just ready to get it over with. I don't look forward to having Charlotte be under anesthesia, but if this minor procedure can keep her ears clear, it is worth it.
- I am camping out in one of my favorite Bible passages this week: Philippians 4:6-9, and it was just the reminder I needed this morning to be anxious for nothing but to trust Him for everything.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Charlotte at 8 Months
Charlotte turned 8 months old on Friday! I just took her 8 month pictures on Sunday, and it is getting trickier and trickier to 1) keep her still long enough for a photo and 2) keep her from eating the photo props. I gave up on the blocks altogether because she just kept lunging at them and trying to devour them, and while it was completely hilarious and adorable, it didn't make for cute pictures. I even went with 2 different outfits this time, in the hopes that I would get at least one PERFECT shot out of the bunch. The ones I like best aren't perfect, but they're still pretty adorable because my girl? She's got cuteness in spades. See?
At 8 months, Charlotte:
1. Is *so close* to crawling. She army crawls like a pro, and she spends a good bit of time on all fours, rocking back and forth.
2. Can stand up if holding onto something else. To get photographic proof, I stuck her in the empty diaper box:
She had great fun standing in there. Her open mouth smile is my favorite.
3. Gets tickled every time she looks in a mirror. She will spend many minutes in front of one, giggling or babbling to herself. She even has banged her head against the mirror in her attempts to get super close to her mirror image.
4. Has learned to clap. She finds great amusement in doing this multiple times a day and can do it on command if we mimic the movement. It's what she's doing in the following picture:
And a more composed version:
5. Is becoming more attached to certain toys. Sometimes she gets upset when we take certain toys away, although she soon moves on to something else.
6. Giggles and grins when we play peekaboo.
7. Loves to be held upside down by her daddy.
8. Loves to take a bath. She can be in a terrible mood, but put her in a bath and she's a new girl. She will splash and gum her bath toys and have a merry time in her infant tub. It's so fun.
9. Eats like a champ. I have thus far made all of her baby food and hope to continue doing so.
10. Is working on mastering the sippy cup. She is able to get some liquid out, but I think at this point she prefers to simply chew on the handle and spout.
11. Can pick up little Gerber puffs with her fingers. She even manages to get some in her mouth every now and then!
12. Bears a striking resemblance to Jackie O:
I am not sure exactly what she weighs, but she definitely weighs at least 20 pounds, since she was 19-something when we took her to the doctor a few weeks back. She is scheduled to get tubes in her ears on November 15, about which I am both sad and relieved. She had 3 ear infections in the span of 4 months, and one lasted the entire month and required 4 different rounds of antibiotics. I am dreading the actual procedure because she has to have anesthesia, but I've heard from so many people what a difference it made for their children, so I'm hopeful it will help Charlotte and allow her to have a healthy and happy winter.
I really can't believe I have an 8-month-old. It will be time for her first birthday before I know it!
1. Is *so close* to crawling. She army crawls like a pro, and she spends a good bit of time on all fours, rocking back and forth.
2. Can stand up if holding onto something else. To get photographic proof, I stuck her in the empty diaper box:
She had great fun standing in there. Her open mouth smile is my favorite.
3. Gets tickled every time she looks in a mirror. She will spend many minutes in front of one, giggling or babbling to herself. She even has banged her head against the mirror in her attempts to get super close to her mirror image.
4. Has learned to clap. She finds great amusement in doing this multiple times a day and can do it on command if we mimic the movement. It's what she's doing in the following picture:
And a more composed version:
5. Is becoming more attached to certain toys. Sometimes she gets upset when we take certain toys away, although she soon moves on to something else.
6. Giggles and grins when we play peekaboo.
7. Loves to be held upside down by her daddy.
8. Loves to take a bath. She can be in a terrible mood, but put her in a bath and she's a new girl. She will splash and gum her bath toys and have a merry time in her infant tub. It's so fun.
9. Eats like a champ. I have thus far made all of her baby food and hope to continue doing so.
10. Is working on mastering the sippy cup. She is able to get some liquid out, but I think at this point she prefers to simply chew on the handle and spout.
11. Can pick up little Gerber puffs with her fingers. She even manages to get some in her mouth every now and then!
12. Bears a striking resemblance to Jackie O:
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Giving It Up
I have had variations of this post written in my head for the better part of a week, and it's time for me to just let it out.
I have decided to abstain from sweets until January 1. Yes, I realize that means I am not going to eat sweets during the holiday season, when there is more opportunity to eat delicious treats than at any other time during the year (except for maybe Valentine's Day). Have I gone insane?
No. I'm just desperate. Desperate to lose this weight that has been hanging around for far too long. Desperate to see the power that food has over me diminish. Desperate to stop obsessing over food. Desperate to enjoy the holidays without feeling guilt every time I eat too much pie or have too many cookies. So the easiest solution was to remove the biggest stumbling block to my weight loss: sweets.
I have always had a sweet tooth, and I indulged it far too often while I was pregnant and then did a rather poor job of controlling it after Charlotte arrived. I have wanted to restrict my sweets intake for a while but then felt like there was no way I could do and that I'd be crazy if I tried. So I continued eating them and then wondered why I wasn't losing weight any faster.
The truth is, I can live without sweets. I can even be happy without sweets. But I cannot live a life that is not pleasing to the Lord, and my gluttony and my all-consuming love of food, specifically sweets, does not please Him.I cannot have joy without Him. So the sweets must go.
I don't know yet if I will stick with this plan after January 1 comes, but I've given myself that date as a date to reevaluate my progress and see what I need to do. I don't plan on eliminating desserts for the rest of my life, but it has become necessary for such a time as this.
And it's hard. The first three days, I thought about desserts constantly and was tempted many times to just throw in the towel. But when I feel weak, I repeat to myself, "I am made for more than this" and then quote Psalm 16:11, part of which says, "In Your presence there is fullness of joy." In Christ there is fullness of joy. I will not find fullness of joy in a bowl of ice cream or inside a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, so it's time I stop looking for it in those places.
I have decided to abstain from sweets until January 1. Yes, I realize that means I am not going to eat sweets during the holiday season, when there is more opportunity to eat delicious treats than at any other time during the year (except for maybe Valentine's Day). Have I gone insane?
No. I'm just desperate. Desperate to lose this weight that has been hanging around for far too long. Desperate to see the power that food has over me diminish. Desperate to stop obsessing over food. Desperate to enjoy the holidays without feeling guilt every time I eat too much pie or have too many cookies. So the easiest solution was to remove the biggest stumbling block to my weight loss: sweets.
I have always had a sweet tooth, and I indulged it far too often while I was pregnant and then did a rather poor job of controlling it after Charlotte arrived. I have wanted to restrict my sweets intake for a while but then felt like there was no way I could do and that I'd be crazy if I tried. So I continued eating them and then wondered why I wasn't losing weight any faster.
The truth is, I can live without sweets. I can even be happy without sweets. But I cannot live a life that is not pleasing to the Lord, and my gluttony and my all-consuming love of food, specifically sweets, does not please Him.I cannot have joy without Him. So the sweets must go.
I don't know yet if I will stick with this plan after January 1 comes, but I've given myself that date as a date to reevaluate my progress and see what I need to do. I don't plan on eliminating desserts for the rest of my life, but it has become necessary for such a time as this.
And it's hard. The first three days, I thought about desserts constantly and was tempted many times to just throw in the towel. But when I feel weak, I repeat to myself, "I am made for more than this" and then quote Psalm 16:11, part of which says, "In Your presence there is fullness of joy." In Christ there is fullness of joy. I will not find fullness of joy in a bowl of ice cream or inside a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, so it's time I stop looking for it in those places.
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