9/28/10

Fall is in the Air

And it's amazing. Last night, while recovering from the 2nd part of my root canal (ugh), I put Davis to bed, turned off the lights, opened the back door and laid down on the couch. It was quiet, the light was low, and the breeze and smell of fall were saturating my living room.

Fall is my favorite season- it always has been. I think of fall as the start of the most exciting part of the year...and each morning I wake up with a grin because it's chilly and cozy. Today I put Davis in sweat pants for the first time. I took a picture and I'll post it later. He is finally feeling better after the ear infection. Poor guy. It was so fun to take him over to Laura's today because he started to grin as we walked up the sidewalk. He loves being over there. And I love that.

Anyway- because it's fall- we're starting to think about Halloween. The Wyrtzens have come over and trick or treated in our neighborhood for the past three halloweens and this year will be the first time that Porter, Carrie and Zach come. I love that this is becoming a tradition. It's so fun. We'll trick or treat early with the little ones, eat pizza or chili, and then hang out on our driveway handing out candy to the bigger kids. P.S. if anyone is reading this and would like to join- we'd love to have you.

I'm also starting to get excited about our trip to Washington. We are going three weeks from today. Yahoo! It will be nice to get away on our first real family vacation. We'll be in Seattle a couple days and then in Olympia a few days. I can't wait to have fish n chips, go to the local farmer's market and also get coffee at this adorable little place nearby. I imagine Chad and Davis will get a ride in too- and I know Davis loved that last time. I can't wait to see Davis bundled up in the adorable little jacket Honey got him.

Also- Stacey and I are refocusing on our work out and weight loss goals. Okay- we've been seriously focused on working out. I mean, really, I'm impressed with us. We work out two times a week with Ahmad, which is HARD CORE, and then we have been doing cardio together about 2-3 extra times a week. All of this and I've only lost 4 pounds since June. Stacey has gained. So while we realize we are in much better shape than we've been in in years, we are frustrated about the lack of weight being lost. And since it's been almost 4 months, we have been doing some serious assessments of the situation. The reality is this...when I started working out so much, I stopped doing Weight Watchers. I sort of felt like I could eat whatever because I was working out like crazy. However, in doing these serious assessments I looked back to my spring posts and realized that I was losing a pound a week doing WW alone. SOOOO...long story short, our new focus is this: counting WW points, religiously. AND doing the two workouts a week with Ahmad to keep toned, etc. BUT beyond that- we're going to relax already. Maybe it's just a mental shift- but in thinking about this and talking it through- we're both really jazzed and feeling refreshed. I have 15 pounds to lose. I wanted to lose it all by Davis' first birthday. That's probably not going to happen...but with this new plan, I plan to come close.

BACK ON TO COUNTING POINTS, WEIGHING IN WEEKLY AND PROVIDING UPDATES- for anyone who cares- which I realize is probably only me...but hey, it's my blog! The rest of you can deal with it already. :)

9/27/10

boo. hiss.

davis has an ear infection. poor guy hasn't slept or breathed well for days. and i am on my way to the 2nd appointment for my root canal- with what i know is a looming sore throat. if it wasn't for the beautiful weather i would call this day a bust.

9/22/10

Duets with Davis

I wish I could have captured these moments on video- but I'll just have to remember by posting the details here.

Davis has been imitating some of the sounds I make lately. For example, in the mall the other day, I was pushing his stroller far ahead of me and going "ahhhh..." from high note on down. He started to do this right back to me each time I would make the sound. As if that wasn't cute enough- I was telling B and Davis this story the other day while he was in his car seat in the back...as I was telling them what he did- he started doing it again. We all laughed. He does it so soft and sweetly- trying to sound just like me.

On top of that- last night he didn't want to calm down and go to sleep, so I went in, picked him up, held him close to me and sang while I swayed with him a bit. Mid-song he started to sing along. To his own sweet little tune, of course. But it couldn't have been more clear that he thought we were singing the same song, together. I would pause and he would pause. I would start and he would start. And his little face was so soft next to mine and his voice so tender- it was nothing short of magical and completely adorable.

Oh, I adore him.

Meet Callie Reese


Katie was induced yesterday because little Callie was losing weight. They anticipated she might be as small as 5 pounds. Poor Katie was so stressed about Callie's health- and then on top of that she only had 12 hours to get ready to deliver her- two weeks early. Luckily- things turned out perfectly. Katie was induced yesterday morning around 7 and had the baby around 12:20 after 15 minutes of pushing. Some people, I tell ya. :) Callie was 6 pounds, 9 ounces and is perfectly healthy.

She is beautiful and I cannot wait to meet her.

9/21/10

First Sleepover









A lot has been going on lately- everything from bathing in the sink to getting stuck under old toys and finding new toys (namely pots and pans- thanks Porter). But the most exciting thing is that while the dads were out of town boozing it up in Colorado at the Great American Beer Festival, Davis and I invited Carrie and Porter over for a sleepover Saturday night. A great time was had by all- Davis tried to take whatever toys Porter was playing with, Porter accidentally whipped Davis in the face with a whisk, and both boys spent a lot of time in the cabinetry, while Carrie and I drank wine and watched Glee. Not a bad night!

9/13/10

Hi, I'm Andy!

Andy Furl is here- finally. That little guy was taking his sweet time. Isn't he so cute? I cannot wait to meet him in a month! Also, in other news, Katie and Ray picked a name for baby girl Mastroleo- also finally. :) Callie Reese Mastroleo will be her name- I love it and can't wait to meet her in less than a month too. Yay for best friends and babies!

9/10/10

Duped?

So in being a working mom, though I do love my job and have a pretty sweet set up, some days it's hard to get up and go when I could just stay and play with Davis. But I remind myself that being a stay at home mom isn't exactly easy either. In fact- for me- it often seems more exhausting than work. I think that is mainly because while sometimes I dislike my packed schedule- it IS nice to have the day/week broken up. Keeps things moving.

So when I'm feeling sad about not having the "freedom" of staying home- I've reminded myself that when I talk to some of my friends who stay at home I realize it's not really as free as it seems. They don't really get a break. They don't have time to just be an adult...and I've concluded, like most things, with this, the grass is always greener on the other side.

However, I've recently seen a flurry of posts from stay at home mom friends that have now enrolled their little ones in preschool or mother's day out or whatever and I've started to think "Wooooahhh, wait a minute. Maybe it is pretty nice. 2-3 days (out of 5) spent playing with the little ones and then 2-3 days to yourself? I can't imagine."

But here is the truth- I know myself- and for now- feeling great about the days I do have and also feeling like a career woman is a great thing. It's exhausting, not gonna lie, but I don't know that I would be happy any other way at this point. So maybe in the end, Duped isn't the best title for this post, except that it truly captures my immediate reaction to this new phase people are enjoying.

Anyway- just writing my thoughts. And while I'm doing that- here are some things I want to remember:
1) Davis crosses his little feet whenever he is sitting. It's so funny.
2) He now reaches for me, smiles the most for me, and loves to snuggle- yes finally!
3) Big Davis and I are probably the strongest team we've ever been at this point- and it's really nice. We've gone through some struggles over the five years we've been married- but they have been worth it and we love being a family.
4) Little D is all boy- knocking things over, smacking things together, running into everyone with his walker...and yet he is still a sensitive little guy. If something scares, startles him, or hurts his feeling, his bottom lip goes so far out, he huffs for a minute, and then starts to cry-- unless you can get him to laugh first.

That's all for now.

9/9/10

Anticipation

Kirsten will be induced tomorrow and little Andy Furl will be born. I cannot wait! I am so excited for her, I can hardly stand it. And I am praying for an easy delivery- not just because she is my friend but because girlfriend deserves it.

Tomorrow- she will be 10 DAYS past her due date. She deserves an easy delivery and frankly, an award.

Thinking of you and praying for you...yay Kirsten, Chad and Andy!

9/7/10

This is What

a great weekend looks like.







9/1/10

Sweet Louise


Carrie launched her site- and it looks amazing. It's always so exciting and inspiring to see someone realize their hopes and plans. And by realize, I mean, make real. Carrie has been working on her photography skills and talking about how she would like to pursue it as a viable business for a while now...and it's happening. Kudos to you, Sweet Louise.

Also- did I tell you I'm a model? That's what this post is really about...my new modeling career. Just check out her site to see my work. My agent has me listed under the following description:
- likable, yet unique
- great sense of style
- kind and approachable
- portrays a super mom

HA.