Counting to twelve

I don't think I mentioned in the last post that we closed on our house December 1st! Now we are officially single-home owners. Glad to have the $ here before Christmas too. Mike is already in the process of purchasing a 50" plasma TV for our living room. And we will be building a shed in the backyard shortly. So there goes our earnings. :)

My genius baby is counting to twelve lately. She skips five and nine, but, hey, who cares?!? She is counting! Also, I have to tell a Dora story. We were watching an episode we had never seen before (there is such a thing?). Backpack opens up and they ask the kids to find something to slide down the snowy mountain. They point to a pair of binoculars and say is this it? Leah says "No." They point to a pair of skis and say is this it? Leah says "YES!" How the heck does she know what skis are? Geez, what that child DOESN'T know!

Last week of work before winter break. Can't wait!

The Theriot Adventure

This photo is of all the Theriot girl cousins except one (who was having contractions at the wedding and had to leave).

So Leah survived another fun-filled installment of the Theriots. We flew to New Orleans on Friday with a short layover in Atlanta. Leah was great, she watched her Dora videos on both flights. When we arrived, she was super spoiled by her Mimi and Pawpaw. Saturday we drove to our hotel and got ready to attend my cousin Katie's wedding. It wasn't until 7pm so Leah was already tired when we got there. All of my aunts and cousins of course wanted to play with her and hold her but she was clinging to Mommy & Daddy. She danced with us some and liked sitting on the step in front of the cake. After a while we just put her in her pajamas and she settled down.

On Sunday we enjoyed lunch with my sister, her boyfriend, and my brother. They gave Leah such nice Christmas gifts. They were amazed to see how verbal she is. She chatted about her colors and her new Pooh Bear stuffed animal.

Monday, we had a birthday party for my step-mom. Several of my aunts came from New Orleans to my dad's house along with my grandparents. Leah warmed up to everyone pretty well in a more familiar environment.

Then on Tuesday night we took Leah to see her first movie, Happy Feet. She talked about it for days beforehand. Once we got there she settled right in. She was so cute sitting there in her own little seat. They had a booster seat for the chairs that worked for her. In the beginning she was great, watching so intently. Toward the middle she started getting antsy and saying "pen-gin all done" and trying to climb out of the seat. Then she got interested again and sat all the way through the end. I can't wait to do a scrapbook page of it. I even took a picture of her in her seat!

So lovely vacation and it's back to the grind. This weekend we have our Progressive Dinner and then only 1 more week until I am off until the New Year.

Happy Turkey Day!

No closing on the house yet. We are now being told probably on Thursday (nothing like cutting it close for next month's mortgage). Cross your fingers that it closes by the end of the 30th!

I just re-read the last post and realized that I forgot to say my mom had been with us. We had such a great visit with her. For the first time, there were no distractions around, so she really got to play with Leah and get to know all of her little quirks. After we dropped her off at the airport, Leah kept saying, "Gammy, airport." While she was here, my mom bought us a webcam so we can talk to her on it. It was so easy to set up using Skype. We already talked to Keri & Keith on it and it works great! You can make the picture full screen. The camera itself has the microphone and the sound is pretty clear. So that is one of our new toys.

We just got back from Virginia yesterday. The trip up there was awful! It rained and we sat in traffic for 9 hours! Leah was a little trooper though. She watched too many episodes of Dora and Diego to count on our new portable DVD player mounted on the back of the headrest. On Thursday we had a yummy turkey dinner and watched entirely too much football for my liking (although I got all of my picks right). Friday morning was spent in DC being tourists with Mike's dad. See our website for pictures. On Saturday we got portraits taken of Leah & Landon together and they were really cute. Then we watched some of the Gator/FSU game at a sports bar. THEN we took Leah to Chuck E Cheese in the evening with her Nana & Papa. She seemed to have lots of fun and slept really well that night!

So that was our Thanksgiving. I ate turkey dinner 3 times that weekend and it was super yummy every time. Next year it will be at my house. I just have to buy a bigger dining room table and get my new stove before then. Hope your holiday was fun and delicious!

D-Day

Our closing is scheduled for Nov. 27th. That's less than a week away! We are so ready to be done with that house and move on. So wish us luck that everything goes as planned.

We went to Monroe's Christmas parade on Sunday. It was cute for a small town. There were Little Misses and Princesses for everything (Elks Lodge, schools, sports teams, businesses). Those girls looked like they were freezing in their fancy dresses. Leah did not like when the big trucks honked their horns. But she did like the marching bands and dance troops. Fun for the whole family! :)

I am almost finished with my Christmas/Channukah shopping. I know, you are like, Hello, it's not even Thanksgiving yet! BUT we see Mike's family for Thanksgiving and I don't know when after that. So we are bringing all of their presents. Then the next weekend we see my dad and that side of the family. So I have to bring all of those presents. That just leaves my mom's side and our little family. I figured while I am out shopping for everyone else, I might as well get as much done as I can. So out of 13 people we have to buy for, I am finished with 7 of them and have ideas for 2 more. Leah & Mike are pretty much done too. So no holiday stress for me.

We are going this afternoon to take Leah's Christmas pictures. Then this weekend Stacy made an appointment to get Leah & Landon together. Can't wait to see those two cuties in their holiday gear!

Our FL house is SOLD!

We signed the paperwork on Monday. Now we are awaiting inspections (supposed to be this week), but the buyers want to close as soon as possible. We are hoping to close before Dec. 1 to avoid paying another month of double mortgages. So YIPPEE!

This past weekend we went to the Carolina Renaissance Festival in Huntersville, NC (just north of Charlotte). We went with Bryan & Laurie and we met Nicole & Min there. Leah absolutely LOVED the music. Every time we encountered another musician, she would stop and dance around. There is some video of her dancing on our home website. We also watched a joust and our knight won the battle. There was a fairy lady there who did not speak and only played music on a double recorder thing. After her song, she would give out stones to the kids. Leah ran right up to her and was given a quartz-like stone. Then Leah did the sign for thank you and the fairy was surprised. She looked inquiringly at me and I said, "She knows a few signs." The fairy smiled at us and clapped for Leah. It is always neat when people appreciate the signs. Thank you is one of the only ones she still uses. She has started saying welcome to herself (thank you, welcome) when I tell her to say thank you. It is a riot!

I have been having a good week at home with the 2 kids in the mornings and at work. Ty has napped two of the last three days. Even when it is only 30 minutes, like it was today, it gives me a few minutes with Leah AND to get myself ready. At work, I feel like I am actually teaching something to a few of my students, which is always a plus in the education field. :) So life is pretty good.

My mom is coming on Friday to stay until the day before Thanksgiving. Then we drive to VA that same day to spend Thanksgiving with Mike's family. THEN on December 1, we fly to New Orleans to visit my dad and attend my cousin's wedding. Mike comes home on Sunday, but Leah & I stay until the 6th. So we are busy bees once again. I love spending all the time with our families though. Hope everyone out there in blogland has a wonderful and filling Thanksgiving!

Finally, a date night!

On Saturday night, Mike & I went on a date. His mom was here and she watched Leah. She even put her to bed so that we could leave at 6ish. We made a reservation for 7pm at Maggiano's! It is absolutely my favorite restaruant ever! We ate Mushroom Ravioli al Forno and Rigatoni D, among other things, and drank a bottle of Riesling (well, I drank most of it, not being the DD). It was such an awesome night of just being together without Leah and enjoying our time. Thanks so much to Ronni for making it possible. :)

I have been watching Rhiannon's son, Ty, since last Wednesday when she started job sharing with me. He is 8 months old. Ty is not always a very good napper and fights sleep like a champ. I have since learned that my nephew Landon who is 6 months is the same way. I know Leah is a great sleeper now, but I remember when she was about 5 or so months she was a terrible sleeper and we struggled with every nap and every night. Maybe it's an age thing? If you have any thoughts on this, please let me know.

Anyway, most days I have been successful at putting him down for a nap (he is currently asleep). The only thing is I feel like in a matter of 2 weeks I have changed my whole life, first working, now not being able to go to the gym in the mornings. So I am stressed about such a big change in such a short time. I feel like maybe I didn't really think it through. I just have to keep thinking that I am doing this for our family. My paycheck will pay the mortgage on our FL house until it sells and then it will help with our bills we have racked up because of having 2 mortgages. Next year it will be different... I hope.

Dancin' Dora Days

We finally took Leah to Paramount's Carowinds! They have a section called Nickelodeon Central (Nick is where Dora, Blue's Clues, and Diego are created) with lots of rides and shows for young kids. We went on the carousel, Dora's train ride and the Lazy Town Sporticopters. We tried to go on Boots' Balloon Race but someone had gotten sick on it. Maybe that was a hint that a 17 month old should not be on that ride. :) Anyway, there was a show called Dora's Sing-Along Adventure and Leah LOVED it! She was a little wary at first, but then she started responding and dancing. She would sit on her bottom and bounce her legs. At the end of the show they did the chicken dance. Leah really tried to keep up but of course she couldn't. It was so cute to watch her shake her bottom and flap her arms. I will post a picture as soon as I upload them.

On another note, Rhiannon West (a good friend) will be starting a job share with me on November 1st. I will watch her son, Ty (almost 8 months) in the mornings from 7:30-11:20. She will come home and I will leave and work from 11:40-3:30. We live 5 minutes from work. She will watch Leah in the afternoons. I am hoping it works out and it is easy to switch at lunchtime. I will let you know this weekend how it went.

Another week in the Gallers household...

This picture was taken at the Aw Shucks Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch. We went this past weekend. There was a general store with snacks, a hayride, a hay bale "maze" for the kids to climb, two corn mazes, a pumpkin patch, and a mini-log cabin. The kids had so much fun running, climbing, and rocking in chairs on the porch of the cabin. In between the two corn mazes there was a path through the woods. Along the path was an outhouse looking building. We stopped to take pictures and this was one of Leah peeking out of the hole in the door.

Yesterday was my first day at work. It was a teacher workday, so I didn't meet my students yet. But the person who had my job before me kind of left things in a disarray. Things were incomplete and disorganized. So I spent yesterday organizing and finishing. Today will be the day I meet some of the kids (I have different ones on different days) and get to know what they are capable of. I have 5th-9th graders. It will be interesting and fun to work with these older kids, Maybe it will push me to work with them when I go back full-time one day.

Just a word to tell you how amazing my daughter is. :) Today she was talking about bananas. The conversation went like this:

Leah: Nanas?

Me: No baby, there are no more bananas.

Leah: Daddy?

Me: Yes, Daddy ate all the bananas.

Leah: Mommy eat?

Me: Yes, sometimes Mommy eats bananas too.

Leah: Mommy eat nanas.

Three word sentence!!!! The kid is brilliant! She is getting to know colors a little too. She can pick blue out anywhere (just like her momma). The other colors get called out randomly until she lands on the right one. If I say "One," she will say "Two, Tee." She can climb up the 3 ft wall with holes in it at the playground with minimal help (we remind her to look at her feet and put them in the holes). She interacts with the TV now, saying yes, no, map, and backpack to Dora when they ask the kids to call it out. I love watching her do and say things everyday because you never know what will come out of her mouth. Those of you who haven't seen her in a while, wait til you do! You will not believe how much of a little girl she is now.

P.S. Right as I finished this entry, Leah said "Poo poo?" (I think everything is a question) I put her on the potty and we read her monkey book. I couldn't see anything in the potty while she was sitting on it, but when she got up, I saw she had peed! She apparently knew something was going on down there. :)

A day to remember

When Leah woke up from her nap, she said "Poo Poo?" So I thought she had pooped and I took her to change her diaper. Her diaper was clean and I was about to put it back on when I noticed she was starting to go to the bathroom. We ran downstairs and I put her on her potty. She didn't really want to stay there, but we read Eight Silly Monkeys and by the end, she had POOPED on the POTTY! I took a picture of the actual poop too (such a first time mommy). This picture was taken after everything was all over. She had been running around while I looked for the camera. I asked her to sit back on the potty and say cheese and she did. It showed a little too much for comfort so I blurred out the inappropriate areas. :)

My baby is so big now!

Various & sundry items

This past week I did not follow Weight Watchers at all. I just ate what I wanted when I wanted. At the weigh-in today I was nervous, I thought for sure I gained 5 lbs. Only 0.4! I am back on the horse as of today so I can keep losing and meet my goal before Christmas.

In other news, I had a job interview on Monday at a charter school called Union Academy. I know you are thinking, job? I thought she was staying home with the baby. Well, all my thoughts on that are in a previous post if you are interested. AND we just had to lower the price on our FL house (yet again) another 30K. So money will be tight for a bit. Anyway, the position was described to me as a full-time 5th grade english teacher in a middle school setting, which would be really fun because I loved teaching middle school. I spoke with the assistant principal on the phone and she asked several times, "Are you sure you are interested in coming back to work?" I convinced her and we set up the interview. Over the weekend, Mike and I got to talking about me working again and I got really sad about it. I really DON'T want to work full-time and leave Leah all the time, especially now that she would know I was gone. I don't want all the stress and pressure of that kind of position. So I called the AP before the interview and said all of these things, but also said I am still looking for possible part-time/subbing work. She said to come in anyway.

SO I go to the interview. They really liked me. They even entertained the possibility of splitting the position so that I would only have to work half-days. During the interview they brought in a lady who is in charge of the Exceptional Children department (EC). She needs people to co-teach in classrooms to help those with learning disabilities and also possibly pull small groups. She is willing to take part-time or full-time.

In the end they found someone to take the full-time 5th grade position, but they still want to talk to me about the EC position. I haven't discussed it with the EC coordinator yet, but I think it might be fun. She had said I could kind of set my own schedule. I am looking forward to hearing from her.

That has been my crazy life this past week. We had a wonderful weekend, playing in the cul-de-sac, laying by the fire, going shopping, etc. Mike got to spend lots of quality time with Leah and allowed me to do my own thing quite a bit. I LOVE my husband! :)

Update: I have a job! I took that EC job from 10:45-2 everyday. Leah will either stay with Laurie or my other neighbor Kim. I love the hours and I love that everyday will not be the same AND that there are NO sub plans to write when you are out! I start October 18th (Wed) and I do three days of shadowing/learning before I officially have to deal with kids on the following Monday (23rd). So there you have it. The best of both worlds, as long as the job works out and I enjoy it. Keep your fingers crossed!

Next on ER...

So this weekend has been an adventure, so to speak. As you all may or may not know, Laurie is pregnant (due in MAY). Long story short, she has a history of blood clots. She went on vacation last week and spent many hours on buses and planes. She noticed pain in her leg that seemed to move around. I suggested it may be a blood clot and we were off to the ER Friday night at about 7pm. Got home at midnight. It was a clot but they said superficial. So she is watching it now and back on her blood thinners. First night of fun.

On to the next story. A few days ago Leah's left eye was had yellow/greeney goop coming out of it non-stop. Then she started coughing at night. She threw up a bunch of mucus one night. Had a low grade fever at night for a few nights. Then yesterday (Saturday) the other eye started gooping and she was complaining about her ear. We noticed a yellow crust around the opening of her ear. Of course I started researching and came up with ruptured eardrum. So I took her to the urgent care clinic (Mike finished watching the Gator game). Turns out to be a sinus infection. No ear infection. So we have meds now and hopefully she will be better soon. She slept well last night after we finally got home at almost 9pm. We shall see.

That was my fun with sickness weekend. It HAS been very nice cold weather here and rainy too. We had a fire going in the fireplace ALL day yesterday, which was so cozy. The rain is kinda nice too, makes you want to cuddle up. I hope all of you Floridians get to cuddle up sometime this winter!

The Halfway Point

Just a quick note to tell you all that I have lost a total of 12 lbs, reaching halfway to my 25 lb goal. I can't believe with the weekend I had, that I lost any at all. But I think with all the exercising, something has to give and that is FAT! :) Thanks to all of you out there giving me support every week. It's nice to hear the encouragement.

On another note, congratulations to Nikki for her completed triathalon. I am so proud of her.

Reunion Weekend

We had such a good time this weekend in Tennessee. One of my very good friends in high school, Lynn (Sparrow) D'Amico was our hostess. We stayed with her, her husband Kris, and their 4 month old son Holland. Friday night we went to the homecoming football game for our high school. It was strange to be in the same place we have been so many times, but feel so out of place there. I saw many people I had not seen for 12 years (I moved away after sophomore year). As cool as that was, after doing the catching up bit, we really didn't have anything to say to each other. Thank goodness for Leah, she provided lots of topics of conversation. :) After the game, we went home and Lynn and I drank wine til the wee hours and gossiped about everyone.

The next day began with a lovely breakfast in downtown Franklin. We walked there from the D'Amico's house (only a half mile). Then we stopped at the toy store to get Leah something new. After that, the guys watched the babies while Lynn & I went shopping for snacks and jewelry. People arrived at about 4pm for Lynn & Kris's pre-party. That was really fun because it was just people I knew. Kris made margaritas and cosmos to get things started. One of my ex-boyfriends was there and is about to be a father himself. That was an interesting conversation. :) After a brief bout with shyness, Leah ran around and begged for snacks. That evening we put Leah to bed (Lynn's parents stayed with Leah & Holland) and headed over to the reunion. It was held at The Factory. That part was okay; again I didn't know what to say to many of the people there. We ditched the reunion after about a hour and a half or so and met up some people at a pool hall/bar/restuarant called Beethoven's. We stayed there until about 1am drinking and visiting with friends. Mike really got to know my ex-boyfriend, David, who he compared to Cha-nan-da-ler Bong (from friends). It was a riot.

That night Leah woke up when we got home. We were sleeping in the same room as her. She stood up and said "Mama? Dada?" and cried until we put her in our bed, where she proceeded to thrash around til 6am. Mike was the best husband ever and took her out to play so I could sleep til 8:30. We all laid around til naptime, then we all (I do mean all) napped. Once we got dressed, we headed over to Monell's (a family style dining restaurant) in the old, old jail. It was so yummy! We ate: (no WW for me this weekend!) fried chicken, pork loin, mac & cheese, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, corn pudding, cucumber salad, bean salad, cole slaw, chocolate pie, and sweet tea. I was in southern cooking heaven! After a late lunch, we proceeded to Lynn's friend's parents farm to take pictures with pumpkins and see their house (some of which was built in the 1790's). Then on the the airport.

Leah was great on the plane. She colored with her Color Wonder Markers, watched Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go on DVD, and snacked. We are glad to be home, but really loved Franklin. It has the ideal situation for us. The downtown is quaint and full of shops, restaurants and bars. Within 10 minutes of downtown is any restaurant you could want and a huge mall area. We would like to find that in NC.

The Adventures of a Toddler

Leah has been loving to play outside lately (who can blame her, the weather here is gorgeous!). She'll stand at the door and say "ah-sigh" louder and louder until someone lets her out. Once outside, she explores the grass and chases grasshoppers. She likes the feeling of grass on her bare feet. She will run down the sidewalk to Ian's house shouting "Eeee-aaaaaa" (he's on vacation with his mom right now so we can't play with him). But her very latest thing is blowing bubbles. Now she really can't blow them herself yet unless it's on accident. But she loves to dip the bubble stick into the jar over and over. She also cheers herself on when it goes in (as evidenced by the photo).

Leah has been so much fun lately, a real little girl now. I put her in pigtails for the first time on Saturday. She looked so grown-up. I can't believe that just a few short years ago she didn't exist. I can't imagine life without her or with another baby! I know everyone says you always have more love to give, but I really don't understand how I will be able to feel about the next one the way I do about her. BUT I know it will happen, the same way it happened with Leah. That's the way life and love go.

A milestone in weight loss

I have hit the 10 lb mark! I have lost a grand total of 10.6 lbs. In just a few more pounds I will have lost 10% of my body weight. That is an exciting milestone for me and one I plan to reward just as soon as our darn house sells. We have no money to spend on things like massages and pedicures. But we will get there one day.

I just want everyone to know how awesome Leah is. She is so smart! She talks so much and remembers things. We have this book with a picture of chickens in a barn and they say cluck, cluck. I was reading her another book and there was a picture of a barn and she says cluck, cluck? She was looking for the chickens! I didn't even make the connection until we had read this new book a few times.

So is everyone ready for this? Ian is potty training! Laurie didn't even start it with him. He started sitting on the potty for fun, then decided to pee pee before bathtime. Then yesterday he pooped on the potty. So Laurie is going to experiment with putting him in underwear for a few hours a day. Our kids are getting soooo big!

Hottie Mama!

Tonight was lots of fun! We went out to dinner with the Maddexes at Red Lobster (Mike REALLY wanted the Endless Shrimp). I put on a pair of pants that I haven't worn in maybe 2 weeks, but used to wear all the time, and they were HUGE! I exaggerate a little but they were quite big, enough that I can't wear them anymore. SO I started trying on pants that I wore to work before I got pregnant with Leah and they fit perfectly! They are very slimming, the kind with no pockets or belt loops and the zipper on the hip. Usually when pants fit in the waist, they are tight over the hips and thighs. These pants were a perfect fit through the hips and thighs AND waist. That tells me that my rear has tightened and slimmed down.

For general public information, I ate (you guessed it) SNOW CRAB LEGS at Red Lobster. So I am living up to my Crabby Mama name. :)

After we ate, the boys took the kids home to bed and Laurie and I went shopping. First we stopped at a coffee place to get a yummy latte. I swear the guy behind the counter flirted with me! For the first time in a long time, I felt like an attractive woman, not just a Mommy in my yoga clothes. As silly as it sounds, it meant a lot to me. I felt like me again. Then we went on to have a successful shop in Michael's, purchasing lots of new cute scrapbooking things (I am really catching up on my pages now).

Sometimes I feel like something's missing...

I wish there was a way to work, but not be responsible for being at work or turning in anything. Sometimes I feel like my time is very empty. I wander around with Leah wondering if this is all there is. Then there are other days when she and I are busy and on the go all day. I love watching her try something new or say new words. I don't want to send her to daycare. AND I don't want to work full-time. But I also don't want to get some kind of random part time job. If I went back to work, I'd want to teach. I know people are probably thinking that substituting would be ideal, but it's not the same as getting to know your kids and planning the curriculum (a part I really enjoy). So I guess I will just try to make staying at home more like working at a preschool with a schedule and activities planned in advance. Maybe that will make it feel less like I am a bum.

On another note, I am now down 8 pounds and a pant size. I really like my exercise schedule and it's getting easier to eat well. I'm getting all ready to become pregnant again in a few months! :)

A realization about myself

Tonight I had pizza for the first time in a while. I had lots of points left for the day and I hadn't used any of my flex points (you get 35 extra per week) so I decided we could splurge on pizza. I ate 2 slices of Papa John's Veggie pizza. Now my old self would have eaten 3 slices, so the new me ate that amount, knowing I was still okay on points. BUT even before I began the third piece, I wasn't sure I wanted it. Afterwards, I felt gross and overly full. I think I have finally adjusted myself to eating the correct amount of food (portion size). I am finding now that at the end of a day, I actually have points LEFT that I have to eat before bed. (You have to eat all of your points so that your body doesn't go into "starvation mode" because you won't lose weight that way.) This was a major realization for me. I think I may be at a lifestyle changing turning point in "dieting."

On another note, starting Monday I am going to begin running every day. I plan to be able to run a full 30 minutes without walking in 6 weeks. At least that's what the article in Prevention's running magazine claims. :) Anyway, I am excited to get some cardio in. As of this past week, I am taking only Pilates and Yoga at the gym. The other classes are not at convenient times/days. The first full yoga class yesterday left me pretty sore.

Leah has not been sleeping well again lately. Last night she woke up crying every 2 hours all night. I would go stand outside her door, ready to go in and rock her, but she would finally fall asleep again. AND she was up for the day at 5am!!! It goes through cycles and we are on a downward sleep spiral right now. I need to start putting her down early again (like before 7pm), I think. My sleep book says always err on the side of they need MORE sleep to sleep better. So we will try that tomorrow.

Success!

I weighed in this morning and I lost another 1.6 lbs for a total of 7.4 lbs. I plan to buy a WW Mexican cookbook to try even more yummy recipes. So just wanted to give you a quick update.

I am nervous

This weekend Mike's parents came to visit. Two days out of the four I ate way more than my Target points for Weight Watchers. Now we get 35 extra points a week (flex points), but I ate even more than 35 extra! Mike and I were talking about it today. He asked if WW was a lifestyle change or a diet. I said it is supposed to be a lifestyle change, and it has been for the most part. I do eat better on a daily basis and am much more conscious of portion sizes and fat in certain foods. On the other hand, to order grilled chicken and steamed veggies at a nice restaurant is such a waste of money, especially for a person like me who loves food and new flavors. So again I am nervous about my weigh-in tomorrow. I just have to remember that life will go on and I can renew my commitment for next week.

Today was the last day the water park is open. It's so weird that here pools close after Labor Day. In Florida, we were still swimming in December! We had lots of fun and took pictures for me to scrapbook (if I ever get to current pictures).

Weight Update

So this past week I lost 2.4 lbs for a total of 5.8 lbs lost! I am really proud of that, even though it's not a lot. On the other hand, it is 20% of the total weight I want to lose. SO keep up the good work of counting points and working out most days of the week. I am definitely strengthening my core from Pilates. It feels good to be able to do something in class that I couldn't do the weeks before.

My 10 year high school reunion is at the end of September in Nashville. I know I didn't actually graduate from that school, but I miss those people and am more curious about them than my own graduating class. Mike and I already have flights and we are staying with friends. I can't wait to look fabulous for it!

Update on Leah

I just wanted to share some of the cute things Leah has said/done lately. This morning she grabbed her elbow out of the blue and said "be-bow". I love when she says things without repeating them. She knows most of the body parts too. She has been starting to say a few words with all of the sounds (up, map). It's so adorable to hear her say "up" when she wants to sit next to me on the couch. This morning when we were watching TV, the character asked the audience a question and Leah responded, "No" with a shake of her head. She is interacting with the TV! How cute is that?

Also, whenever we sit on our front porch swing she says, "Dada?" like she's asking where he is. The first time she sat there, we all sat together as a family and she remembers that. When we talk about PawPaw, she always says Mimi too. I have been working on Grammy, but so far no luck.

This morning Laurie & I took a circuit training class that kicked out butts. The kids made it through the entire time at daycare. Leah was crying when I got there but the worker said that she only cried every so often to remind them she was there. So another successful day of working out. We have done something everyday this week except Tuesday. Congrats to us!

I do not celebrate success

So this week on Weight Watcher's I gained 4 tenths back. It was Bryan's birthday (Laurie's husband) on Friday. We had cupcakes (I had 1). Then on Saturday we had a BBQ with our neighbors. We grilled out and ate potato salad, corn on the cob, jello salad, and BROWNIE TRIFLE for dessert. Oh my gosh! How could I help it? Actually I don't think the desserts are what did it. There are 2 factors:

1. I tend to grab bites of things (a bit of Leah's cheese, an animal cracker, etc.) and not count it because it was less than a point. All those less than a points add up to whole points I am not counting.

2. I get weighed in after dinner. Who loses weight after dinner? So Laurie & I decided that we would not eat until after the meetings from now on.

Hopefully next week will be better...

Allergies?

Isn't this picture adorable? We took Leah and Ian to the park yesterday along with two other families from our neighborhood. The other moms each have 3 kids, so at the park there were: 2 3yr olds, a 2yr old, an 18 mo old, a 15 mo old, a 6 mo old and a 5 mo old. (The 5yr old was at school). It was so much fun. Then tonight we had a BBQ at Laurie's with all the same families. We all said we felt like we had known each other forever. I can't wait to get together again!

My dad is wondering if Leah is allergic to cats. When we lived in FL, she had all those ear infections. Then we moved and they went away. BUT when Bryan & Laurie's cats came to live up here, she had another slight ear infection. Then we moved into our house and she has not had one since. Well, our cats are coming home to us on Labor Day weekend. So we will see if she gets any ear infections after that.

Today was my Pilates class. I had never taken that class before I moved here. I had done Pilates on DVD, but I really didn't like it. But now I have been going every Saturday for about 6 weeks. I really LOVE this class though. The instructor is really mellow and soothing, so you still feel relaxed even when you are doing push-ups with your ankles balancing on an exercise ball (today's lovely adventure). Anyway, it really refreshes and revives me. I can't wait to go again on Monday!

Starting off well

I had my weigh-in last night. I lost 3.8 pounds in the first week. It was very encouraging to have that kind of change. It motivated me to continue. The topic of last night's meeting was change. The leader was asking us what did we still want to change. I want to add in more exercise. I have been going with my neighbor, Laurie, a few days a week. Last night we made a schedule that has us taking 2 Pilates classes, a step & sculpt class, walking 2 days at home, having a day off and an optional day every week. I really want to stick to it. We already completed our walk today and it is 9:30am. We are on a roll! :)

A promise from my husband

Last night Mike promised me that when I lose my weight (and we sell the house in FL), he will take me to New York for the weekend. We will stay in a nice hotel, see a Broadway show, and go to a nice dinner. That sure is motivation!

I had lots of requests to start a club. Let's just post on our various blogs where we stand and how we are doing. We can encourage from there. I will post tomorrow night what (if any) my first week's weight loss is.

Baby weight

I decided to start Weight Watchers last week. I came to this decision because I still have 10, count 'em 10, pounds to go before I hit pre-pregnancy weight. Before that I was still about 15 pounds too heavy for my frame and size. I want to lose that 25 pounds before I get pregnant again and start the roller coaster all over. People keep saying, "Won't you be depressed to gain all that weight right back while you are pregnant?" But I will know I started in a good place that is healthier for me and the baby. Plus I will be closer to a healthy weight when I have to lose it yet again. So send me your words of encouragement! I weigh-in Tuesday nights and will keep you posted on my progress (not my actual weight, just my progress).

PS I love reading all of my friends' new blogs!

Oh, what a feeling!

I love the feeling you get when you make a To Do list and you actually do things on the list. I started one 2 days ago and it sat on my fridge mocking me. "You'll never do these," it said every time I looked at it. But today I completed all but one task. I win!

Leah successfully stayed in the gym day care today! I dropped her off and got her playing. Then I left and I didn't hear any crying before I got out the door. When I returned, she was playing! I had to leave at a certain time because we had a microwave repairman was coming to fix our brand-new never been used microwave. I was so sad to take her when she was doing so well. We have to keep this up, taking her 2-3 times a week so she gets used to it. Maybe we are breaking the Mommy addiction!

A television obsession

Leah is now hooked on Dora the Explorer. Every time she sees the TV she asks, "Doh-wah, Doh-wah?" I really can't watch TV with her around because tantrums ensue if there is anything on but Dora. I don't know how it got to this point, but it does not set a good precedent for the future.

The house is progressing. We have put up blinds and shades in almost every room. We have ceiling fans in the family room and master bedroom. The baby's room is next. We HAVE to get the baby gates installed this weekend. The ones we have up now are pressure mounted and you have to step over them to get to the front door. The new ones are hardware mounted and have a latch to open. I can't wait until everything is more settled and unpacked. We are getting there!

Sevens Meme

Seven things I can’t do:

* Drive stick shift
* Hula hoop
* Play piano
* Water ski
* Draw anything but stick figures
* Sew
* Paint a wall neatly (and I have tried!)

Seven things I can do:

* Finish a 200 page book in one sitting
* Shop for baby things :)
* Scrapbook
* Design fun paint patterns on walls like Trading Spaces
* Proofread (I used to be the editor for my roommates in college)
* NOT buy shoes practically ever
* Follow a recipe

Seven things I want to do before I die:

* Travel the US in a motor home (where I don't drive)
* Go to a Broadway show
* Learn to snow ski
* Write curriculum for a publishing company
* Have an anniversary party as elaborate as my wedding
* Visit Paris and eat at a real Parisian cafe
* Go to chef school (I love this one!)

The Seven dwarves are (google is cheating!):

* Dopey
* Sleepy
* Happy
* Grumpy
* Bashful
* Doc
* ??

Seven things I say most often:

* No, no, Leah
* Do you want some milk?
* Honey, you know I'm right
* Where is... (we just moved)
* Ugh, I need a screwdriver for this
* Do you need anything at the grocery?
* I don't have anything to wear.

Seven movies I love:

* Clue
* Dirty Dancing
* Father of the Bride 2
* Muppets Take Manhattan
* Rent
* The Incredibles
* Gone in 60 Seconds

Seven friends who are getting memed:

* Kelly
* Keri
* Laurie
* That's it for me!

So it begins...

We begin the long dark journey known as decorating the house. Choosing a motif, color palette, decor, etc. is very consuming when you have a new home. You want it to be stylish and better than your last home. But you just bought a house, there isn't usually extra cash lying around saying spend me. You try to prioritize items, but everything seems essential at the time. So you buy things piecemeal, hoping things don't look too freakish half-done. At least that's how I feel.

On to another topic. My daughter is just getting more and more fun. She is 14 1/2 months going on 10. She has such attitude, as I was told by the gym caretakers today. She was only there for 30 minutes but pitched a fit the entire time. They had to come get me to take her out. So the fun part is a very slight bit of sarcasm. Really though, she is a blast to watch. She loves to hide behind something and peep her head out to look at you. If you get excited about seeing her, she will continue to peep out every 10 seconds or so. It is truly adorable!

We live here

We officially moved in to our new house yesterday. We slept there last night and now we are back at our friends' house having breakfast. I can't wait to go to the grocery store and stock up. Our neighbor brought us tomatoes, summer squash, and corn from their garden. Apparently with their church they get a plot of land to farm with whatever they want. So when they harvest, they share with us. We have the best neighbors here in NC.

On another note, Leah is becoming Miss Independent, as per Kelly Clarkson. She wanted to feed herself yogurt this morning. She screamed when we tried to take the spoon and get more yogurt on it. Now she is covered in peach yogurt from forehead to lap. This does not bode well for the future. :)

What if there were two?

Leah and I are here in VA visiting my sister-in-law and nephew. When I first held him, Leah crawled right up in my lap and started whining and trying to push him off. I immediately envisioned that happening to her future little brother or sister. I only hope that by the time a new little one arrives (not for another year and a few months), she will be old enough to understand a little and we can prepare her. The pictures we took of the two of them today are adorable. I will post one when we get back home.

My new house

Yesterday was very exciting. We spent 2 hours walking through our new house. I feel a little (I emphasize little) sorry for the foreman because we were so nit-picky. But our last house, while a very good house, had things that we should have noticed at the walk-through but didn't. Of course, later on they were not covered under warranty. So we noticed everything. Even things that were really no part of the foreman's job, like putting in a range hood instead of a microwave (we already have a really good microwave). Hopefully come next Thursday, our house will be perfect and ready to move in.

On another note, I have discovered that the reason Leah has not been sleeping all night is because yet again she has an ear infection. At least it is only fluid and not swollen (according to the doctor) and it is the first since leaving day care in May. Tonight she had her first dose of antibiotics and Tylenol. We will see how she does.

I think I like it

I have decided I like blogging. I know, I know, I only have one post (now two). BUT I got 4 comments on my first post. That means people will actually read my blog. Therefore I will continue to write. I like hearing what other people have to say. :)

Otherwise, today was a pretty boring day. I picked up lots of chewed food off the floor, Leah screamed herself into a frenzy at bedtime, put away about a million plastic eggs, and picked up my mother-in-law at the airport. She is staying for almost 2 weeks, through when we close on our new house so she can watch Leah for us. While she is here, we are going to go visit my sis-in-law and her almost 3 month old son. I can't believe that I have only seen my nephew twice since he was born! I can't wait to see him again. I know everyone says this, but babies change too fast. I don't like it :(

Trying out this blogging thing...

Hello all! So to explain my domain name and title, I love to eat blue crabs. They are my ultimate favorite food. I know it implies that I have a crabby personality, but I absolutely do not (my husband would argue on occasion). I was trying to come up with something that was unique about me without getting too cheesy or trite. So Crabby Mama it is :)

I sit here right now hoping Leah is finally asleep. Lately she has been going to bed late and waking up several times throughout the night. I read in my favorite baby sleep book, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, that when night waking occurs, earlier bedtimes often fix it. It has been proven in the past in our house, so we are trying it again tonight. So far, no luck. I just heard her over the monitor.