::::ME::::

Since giving birth I have lost 45 pounds. I have worked VERY hard at those 45 pounds. However, I am not done; but that's OK because I have actually enjoyed losing weight. At first, not so much. Going to the gym was hard. And with 60 extra pounds I could feel how challenging it was going to be. I was nowhere near in shape and I knew that it was going to take a lot of effort and will power on my part. But once I forced myself to be in the gym 5 days a week I started liking it, even missing it when I wasn't there. I go to 3 or 4 exercise classes a week... the hard ones. Kickboxing, ultimate cardio and ultimate circuit. I'm guaranteed to lose at least 400 calories per class. And I don't miss class unless it's unavoidable. That means saying no to doing things with friends on those eveings I have class, which sometimes is hard to do, but totally worth it. I also lift weights 2-3 times a week. I really do feel great after every time I work out and that motivates me to stay healthy.

Which leads me to my next weight loss must... eating right. There were somethings that I had to give up altogether, like soda, juice, chocolate (I do allow myself one chocolately thing a week) and candy. I don't have any of that stuff in our pantry. If Chris wants a sweet I make him take it to work with him because I know that if it's in my house I am going to eat it, even if I don't like it. I snack out of boredom and if unhealthy snacks aren't an option, I obviously won't eat them. That has had a tremendous positive effect on my eating habits. I also started looking at the nutrition facts. Some things I thought weren't bad for me turned out to be and some things I thought had to be bad weren't. That has helped the most. Realizing how many calories, fat grams and saturated fat grams I should be eating a day vs. how many I actually was (without realizing it). And now that I know what's really good for me, what's in the middle and what's bad for me I have stuck very firmly to my diet.

I'm very proud of myself. I never thought I could do it, but I am! I want to be at my goal weight (a little below what I was before I got pregnant) when Josiah celebrates his one year birthday. I know I can do it. AND... next time I get pregnant I will be much smarter and healthier on my eating decisions. I just assumed that I could eat whatever I wanted because I was "eating for 2". Not true. So here's to 20 more pounds!!

If I can do it, you can do it!

Lately

Josiah is getting so big... and SMART! He hates taking naps. I think he knows there is cooler stuff going on downstairs, and he would rather be where the party is (who can blame him, his mama is REALLY fun). He has figured out how to get out of napping... he poops. I will let him cry for up to 45 minutes before I take him out of his crib and bring him downstairs, but recently he started pooping about 15 minutes into his nap, which I can't let him roll around in, so I take him out, change his diaper then bring him down with me. I probably should put him back in his crib, but I don't. By the time I'm done changing him he's wide awake and too cute to not play with. Little bugger.

He LOVES walking (with our help, of course). Sometimes when we try and sit him on the floor he straight legs it so we can't, and he winds up getting way and we let him walk around the house. It's actually really cute. He is so proud of himself. His mouth is wide open, eyes excited, and squealing. I could be wrong, but I believe as soon as he figures out how to pull himself up, he will go straight to walking.

Yes, I am always this happy!

::::::Tiny Feet::::::

I am not obsessed with feet. I believe they serve their purpose. Most feet are ugly... they have been walked on, danced on, run on, etc. However, Josiah's feet are the cutest things I have EVER seen. They are so fat! I stare at them all the time and talk about his feet all the time (something I didn't realize I did until Chris pointed it out to me). So here they are... you will thank me, I promise.

Here's how cute they are from the back

These are my jumping feet

He's growing up so fast!!

I know I posted a video of him crawling on facebook, but this one is much cuter (which is pretty hard to do when you're already the cutest baby ever).

I just can't believe that he's crawling already. I look at pictures from when he was a newborn and it seems like yesterday. Pretty soon he's gonna be married with four of his own children!