9 Months

Check you out, sweet baby girl. A mere 90 days away from turning 1. One. Year. Old. It's (everyone in unison now) so hard to believe. I'm having so much fun planning your 1st birthday party & can't wait to share the plans soon--it definately deserves a post of it's own =)

You've grown so much in this past month. We've packed away all your 9 month clothes & even some 6-12 month shirts & pants are getting rather snug. I'm getting nervous that all the 12-18 month summer loot you have isn't going to last until September, but we'll see!

At your last check up on March 9th, you weighed in at 19 lbs 6 oz. They didn't measure you since it was an ill visit (darn cold), but you are definately a long girl. Look at those legs!

 You're looking more & more like your Daddy everyday.

And you've still got the most delicious gobbler & nom-nom-alicious cheeks.

You obviously still love to chow down. Now that we're done with nursing (I had wanted to continue just at night until May, but you actually started prefering the bottle. I'm just so grateful I got to nurish you for 8.5 months. I made my goal & thensome. And the alone times we shared together bonding, I'll cherish forever.), you get about 5 bottles a day along with breakfast, lunch, & dinner. You've tried a few Gerber banana puffs, but weren't too interested yet. And you'd rather chew on your sippy than drink from it, but we'll keep trying. If you just realized there's yummy pear juice in there, you'd be all over it!

2 new pearly whites joined you this month. I find it sooo funny that when your big sissy was 9 months, she was still toothless. And here you are with 6! 4 on top, 2 on the bottom. Your grins are even more adorable now.

You say MaMa & DaDa all day long....although you tend to say DaDa more during the day when Daddy's at work & MaMa more at night when you want a bottle at 4am {so, of course, Dustin tells me "Hey, she's calling for you so I'm just gonna lay here & snore"}

Along with DaDa & MaMa, you're also starting to say BahBa when you're hungry. And we're trying to teach you Sissy, but now it's just sounding like Sssssss. And speaking of Sissy, Gah! You 2 are just absolutely adorable together.

You are such a little character. Always smiling & laughing....

giving adorable side eyes.

 You have, however, developed some extreme seperation anxiety with your Momma. To the point where when we tried to get your pictures taken with live chicks, ducks, & a bunny (how stinkin adorable, right?!?), I had to stand in a different room because you wanted me to hold you so bad.

Speaking of holding---ohhh baby girl, you've come quite accustomed to being held often. Although you will lay down awake but drowsy and put yourself to sleep for naps & bed time, when you're awake, you want held. Hence the reason why you still aren't crawling or pulling yourself to stand. We've been working with you & even though I shudder to think of 2 kids on the move, I'm hoping you'll take off here this month.

I love you so much, Buggy.

 Happy 9th Monthday <3

And now a trip down monthday lane...

Week 8 Weigh In

WHOA!

Hello Mr. Unexpected, you're a welcomed surprise!

I was so psyched when I hopped on the scale this morning. For some reason, I hadn't weighed myself since the middle of last week so to see this was definately a shock, especially since we did eat out alot this week. But thanks to DWLZ, I've learned to make good decisions when out & about. Like I mentioned in the post down below, I absolutely FLOVE O'Charleys california chicken salad. I had it twice last week (couldn't make it over for that 3rd time, hmmpf), but it's so good at 12 points {orginially 18, but I doctor mine a bit}. At Wendy's, I had a 4 piece nugget {without their shamazing sweet & sour sauce, so it was 5 points} and a small chili {5 points}. At Baker's, a favorite pizza joint of ours, instead of getting a chicken bacon 'n ranch sub, I got chips & salsa {3 points} and a side salad with egg for protein {6 points}.

I fiiiinally  feel back on track. And it feels good.

After I gave birth to Emmy, my initial goal weight was 175. But I thought I could push myself a little more & get to 165. 10% of my body weight would put me at 171. And if I'm being honest, I would truly be happy right at 170. (I bet you just had to read that paragraph 3 times, enough numbers in there for you?)

So, I'm still going to keep 165 as my main goal, but as long I make it to 170 by May 1st, I will be ectastic. 5 more weeks, I can do it!!!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Link up HERE to join!

I'm Loving the fact Ohio FINALLY had a beautiful spring day & the girls got to enjoy it outside.

{We're getting a new fence & doing landscaping in our backyard this summer. To say I can't wait is a huge understatement. It looks so blegh}

I'm Loving O'Charleys california chicken salad. Spring mix salad, strawberries, mandarin oranges, candied pecans, grilled chicken, and balsamic vinagrette....pure euphoria to my tummy. Even though DWLZ claims it's 18 WW points (huh?!?), I'm thinking that's with the bleu cheese crumbles {which is pure mcnastyness to my tummy} so I've been adding it up to be 14 without the funk. I also am guilty of doing the 'fork dip' when eating salads, so reaaaally it's only about 12 points. So good....so good in fact I've had 2 this week (and trying to come up with excuses how I can get one more in before the weekend.)

I'm Loving that we are now saving $25 every 2 weeks because.....
BROOKLYN IS POTTY TRAINED!!!
Gah! I'm so excited. We've been working with her for what seems like forever, but just in this past week is when it finally really clicked. The big test was taking her out last night to run errands & dinner and not pulling a pull up on her. In the middle of dinner {at O'Charleys of course}, she announced (very loudly) she had to go potty. And made it all the way to the back of the restaurant dry. We were so proud! And I'm sorry, but seeing her in lil character undies is the cutest thing.

I'm Loving my husband. Just because. <3 He's the total mac to my cheese.

What are you loving today?

Week 7 Weigh In

Well, there's a point five attached to it, but hey! I lost this week and  I'm in my 170's.

I was really hoping to be at 178, but I hit a bit of a road bump.

*sigh*

First and foremost, my baby girl is is weaned. It's definately a bittersweet feeling that I knew was coming, but still hard to realize. Especially since I don't know if Emily will be our last child. I LOVE breastfeeding & always knew without a doubt that I would for my children. Being done is definately liberating though & now that the weaning pain is over, I finally have my body to myself again. It's been a year & a half since I haven't had a baby in me or on me lol

Em handled the process very well & actually starting prefering the bottle to breast early in {which made this Momma emotional, but I was glad she was transitioning well.} It's just yet another sign that my girl is growing so fast...soooooooooo so fast.

Secondly, I've been robbed. When I started WW in February, I was allowed 40 points a day. When I dropped 5% of my weight, I was taken down to 39 points a day which was an easy transition. Now I've been stripped (dramatic anyone?) of 7 points. SEVEN. That's a meal right there!

Needless to say, it hasen't been the easiest transition but it will be do-able. I need to rely on my 0 & 1 points snacks and keep breakfast, lunch, & dinner under 9 points each.

This past week wasn't too bad. I find that work is where I'm most tempted to cheat. Our office is a hop, skip, & jump away from a local Dairy Bar. They serve the best cheeseburger, sweet potato fries, and hot fudge milkshakes. I swear I ate this at least twice (if not 3 times) a week while I was pregnant with both girls.

Now I still get the sweet potato fries but I pair it with a salad. If I'm craving something sweet, I get a scoop of sugar free twist. And I'm satisfied...ish. I do miss banana splits in a cup with 2 layers of pineapple & 1 layer of carmel. MmMmM......

 Anywho, back to the diet. I've also gone completely sugar free when given the option. At Starbucks, my order always start with 'skinny'. Sugar free ice cream, cookies, pop, creamer, all of it. And I honestly don't miss it. I've even found a new love

These are SO good. And only 1 point each. Light & fluffy, great chocolate taste. Love them.

Another week. A fridge & pantry packed with fresh produce, fruit, fiber, & grains. A freezer stocked with Lean Cuisines. I am truly hoping to be see 178 next Sunday. Wish me luck!

Whooo are you? Who who, who who?

About 6 months ago, I did a 'lurkers unlurk' post & I loved it because not only did it give me an idea of who is reading my blog (thank you all!), but it also gave me the opportunity to find out about you through your blogs.

The other day, I was looking through my stats on blogger (confession time--I seriously just realized that nifty lil button was there a couple weeks ago) and realized that I get about 150-200 daily views of the Shenanigans. I've had over 25,000 hits since July 2009. I have 41 (loyal, beautiful, shamazing) followers. So my question is...

Who are you?!? {Yeah you!}

Although I think my followers have skillz, I don't think the 41 of them each take a peek at my blog 3 to 4 times a day. That only leaves (insert extreme close up and dun dun NAAA music) lurkers.

UNLURK! I'd honestly love to know more about you. Why you read my blog, what things you do/don't like to read about, what you'd like to see more/less of, any questions or advise? How do we know each other? High school, college, work, TB, Memo?

And puhleaze, if you have a blog of your own, leave a link! Just what I need, more blog reading time--less sleep time. {Ehh, sleep is for wimps anyways.}

So once again, lurkers unlurk! Don't be shy! Show yo face! Let's all be fraaaands =)

Week 6 Weigh In

Well this looks familiar. Acutally, it's exactly what Week 4 looked like. Although I'm happy to have lost the pound I gained last week, I was really hoping to be at 179. GAH! I just wanna be in my 170's! Hell, I wanna be in my 160's, but baby steps here people.

I'm frustrated. I feel like I wasted the past 2 weeks. I really need to re-priortize & focus this week. I've slacked off in my exercise...okay, that's a lie. I've stopped. And I'm using up more weekly cheat points than I did in February.

I need to pop this mental block bubble. Starting....NOW!

Ooops! Before I forget, here's a tasty recipe from my new WW Cookbook. (Concluding my clusterfudge posts.) For those of you also doing WW and missing peanut butter like crazy, you're welcome in advance.

Why does good ol' PB have to be so bad for you?!? Well, try this stuff. I dipped apples in this & it is seriouslly delish. Tastes just like sweet potato pie & has the same texture as PB. And at only 2 points a serving, you can't go wrong. Plus the apple has zero points so you can go for seconds :)

Ingrediants.

1 1/2 cup(s) canned chickpeas, loose skins removed, washed, drained

1 cup(s) cooked sweet potato, mashed

1/4 cup(s) packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup(s) fresh orange juice

1 tsp orange zest, finely minced

1 tsp ginger root, fresh, finely minced  **I used cinnamon instead of this**


Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender; blend until smooth. Allow to set up in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Clusterfudge Part Two and a Half.

You hear me (read me?) say every month how much I can't believe Emily is already X months. And you're going to hear (read?) it here in this post too....

I honestly cannot believe Brook is 30 months. 2 1/2 years old. Rounding up to THREE.

So what's new with Brookie?

Well, she loves to play. What child doesn't?

She loves playing dress up & is so observant of fashion. Like she'll want to touch your shirt if it has buttons or your necklace if it has rhinestones. She likes stripes & polka dots, loves wearing dress up jewlery, and LOVES watching Mommy put her make up on. When I put on eyeliner, she reminds to not draw on my face. She always wants me to apply "eyelashes" (mascara) and "yipstick" (gloss) on her face and when I do (I pretend with the mascara haha), she has to run off & show Daddy & Sissy how pretty she is.

She's also a little....we'll say 'particular' about things. Like stacking, and lining up things.

She loves board games, especially Candy Land & Memory. Doesn't really understand the concept, but we play by her rules :)

This cracks me up. A couple weeks ago I came home from work & found Dustin, Brookie, & Emmy playing in the living room. Here's the lowdown....

Apparently Buzz & Woody were captured...

by Mr & Mrs Potato Head and Evil Doctor Porkchop, who is also keeping Woody's hat ransom.

No worries though because Dance Star Mickey, Minnie riding Bullseye, and Ken & Jessie riding a pony are to the rescue!

However, Brookie & a group of pups are keeping guard on the inmates.

Whatta pickle! :)

Her favorite foods are pepperoni pizza, chips & salsa, chicken nuggets, noodles, any kind of "dip it", colby cheese, strawberries, mashed potatos, and salad & chicken gnocchi soup from the Olive Garden. She loves lemonade, "coffee" from the Pelican House (which is really a strawberry smoothie but since we get coffee there, she thinks she is too) & always begs for a sip of our Diet Pepsi's (and then will say Ew yuck, I don't like pop!)

She's really gotten into movies recently. Her favorites are "Beauty & the Beast", all 3 "Toy Story" movies, "Up", and "The Lion King". The DVD's are actually starting to skip in spots because we've played them so many times.

Her hair cracks me up. As you all know, I've got Barbados Monica hair.

And I just assumed that she would have my thick curly mane.

Ohhh no. She has got her Daddy's hair, in color & form. It's baby fine, doesn't hold any curl (except for a slight flip at the bottom), and it's growing forward. It's a bit of a reverse mullet. But she sure does rock cute piggy tails.

We've asked alot from Brook in the past year and a half. She watched her Mommy's tummy get bigger, moved into a new strange house, went from crib to bed, became a big sister, started sharing attention, was being taught to start using a potty....it's quite alot for someone only 30 months old. But she has done beautifully. Sure she's had her tantrums and outbursts, but they're to be expected.

She is such a character & cracks us up with what comes out of her mouth. Her new thing now is to always ask us "Dontcha remember?" Anytime she gets in trouble, she always tells us "Don't be mad" which is an instant heart string yank. Her vocabulary is crazy for being so young. She's such a little monkey, loves to climb & jump. I can't wait to start her in gymnastics when she turns 3.

She sings her ABC's perfectly and also sings along with Laurie Berkner, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", and "Jesus Loves Me". She knows all of her colors & insists on shouting them out whenever she eats something colorful.

Her nightly prayer warms our heart, especially when she clasps her hands together & closes her eyes. She insists on kissing & loving on Emily before she can go to bed. And also says goodnight to the stars & moon every night.

She absolutely adores puppies & doggies. ADORES. She has dozens of stuffed ones, most of them in her bed, and always takes at least one with us whenever we leave the house. When we left our house the other day, we passed a puppy playing outside. I heard her giggle from her seat & then she sighed and said "Oh Mommy, I just love dogs". HA! Adorable! She has such compasion, it makes me so proud! (Can you guess what her birthday party theme is this year?)

Oh Brooklyn Grace, my sweet love. Rounding up to 3 already. I absolutely adore you & can't imagine what my life would've been like without you. You are such a joy to your Daddy, sister, & I and are loved by so many others. You have such a big heart for such a little girl (my tall skinny minnie--32 lbs and over 40 inches.Wearing size 2T shirts & 3T pants. Thank goodness for adjustable waists!)

I love you my lil ham, more than all the stars in the sky.

Clusterfudge Part 2--Happy 28th!

Last Saturday was Dustin's 28th birthday. I had planned for us to go to Columbus for some delicious Cheesecake Factory grub...however Mother Nature had other plans for us. Ohh the rain, ohh the floods (of course, nothing even close to comparison to what Japan is enduring :( Lots of prayers their way.) We decided to stay close to home just in case our basement started flooding, so we dropped the girls off at Gramy & PawPaw's and headed to O'Charleys. We also watched a movie, "Unknown" with Liam Neeson, and it was...alright. Not bad, not great, just medium.

This man of mine is so hard to buy for. Not only does he always ALWAYS guess what he's going to get, he already HAS everything he wants. But the girls & I were able to sneak a few suprises in.

Season 1 of "Justified". Do you watch it? I was leery about it at first, but it's actually a really good show. Wednesday nights at 10p on FX. Timothy Olyphant is eye candy too, can't go wrong.

And the new Columbus Blue Jackets jersey. #61 Rick Nash ~~swoon~~.

Sunday we had Dustin's birthday dinner at his Mom & stepdad's house. Yummy homemade beef veggie soup & warm bread.

Oh, and cake of course.

So much for planning ahead! All we could find was an '8' candle. Eh, close enough.

It was Daddy's party....but the girls were the ones who did all the crying.

MawMaw Ruth giving Emmy her first tastes of cake. Her tongue was cracking us up, just kept going out for more lol

And lil Dustin here. Ate all of the icing & couldn't care less about the cake. Psh, I think the cake is the best part!

It's hard to believe that Dustin & I (re)met when he was just 20 years old. And now he's (almost) 30....as he likes to remind me, I have no room to talk anymore. 25 rounds up to 30...stupid math.