MAC Attack!!

Holy Moly.. 3 blogs in 3 days..  what is going on?? I'm hoping I keep up this blogging momentum!!
Ok, so I promised that I'd blog more and not always about Mac, but I figure, one day a week, I get to brag a little.. plus I have some family and friends who read my blog who will want to see some pics here and there!

He will be 6 months next week!! Where does the time go?? bananas! 
Here are some recent things he's been up to!

He is a BIG fan of checking himself out in the mirror. He must get that from his daddy..  everytime I'm in his room, and brushing his hair or something, he's gawking and smiling at himself.. it's hilarious. 

All gussied up for New Years Eve. We had a bottle / champagne toast at 7:30 and told him it was midnight.. ha!

He's already trying out for the Michigan State Cheerleading squad... Go Spartans, class of 2033!!!

"Hey Baby, you got plans after the game??"  How bout you grab your sippy cup and pick me up and take me for a ride on your new bike??

Very proud of himself for getting a babe so early in life.. 

When I was working last week and Tim was home with Mac, it was always a fun little surprise to see what attire Mac was wearing that day.. on this day, Tim was home collecting money from clients so he thought Mac should be wearing his "tough guy" outfit..  so cute!!

that's all I've got!!

**On the workout front, I did my Pilates class last night and man, in combo with my biking on Wednesday night, my legs and lower half of my body are SORE!!  LOVE IT!!! ***

Happy Weekend!!

It's like riding a bike...

I got a bike for Christmas. I may have mentioned it in my last blog.  It's a cute little thing, kind of like a cross between a cruiser and a mountain bike, nothing hardcore but it'll serve it's purpose.

I've ridden said bike once since Christmas.  Partly b/c I had some excuse or another that I was too busy, came home too late, Tim wasn't home to watch Mac, blah, blah, blah..   whatever, you know the drill..

Last night was different.  It has been beautiful here in AZ this past week, like in the high 70s in the afternoons and low 50s at night.. perfect weather.  The only thing that sucks is that it gets dark pretty quickly, like around 6. 

I arranged for Tim to pick up Mac from daycare so I could go home, change and take Suzy for a spin (yes, I've named the bike Suzy).

It was duskish but I was determined to get a good ride in. 

I cruised on out of my neighborhood onto a trail up the street..  I encountered a dog and a human on the trail, just as the trail was heading on a downward slope, into sand and then was straight uphill..   I thought, Holy Shit, I have to pass this person and not only try to keep my balance on the sand but get up the ginormous hill without falling off Suzy..  I did it, but kept thinking, "he's probably thinking, look at that chubbo huffing and puffing to get up that hill".. he would have been right.. I was breathing like I had been runnning from an African Mountain Lion, trying to save my life.. 

The rest of the ride was hard, I hit pavement and the route I took was mainly up hill b/c where I live is on the way to a couple of hiking mountains so it's an incline most of the way..  I ended up going around 10 miles last night and the best part was downhill..  with the wind in my hair.. although I was going pretty fast and it was dark and I was a little terrified that I'd run off the sidewalk..  It felt great!!  I'm going to try to do a ride at least 2 times a week and incorporate it in with my Pilates and then throw in a few sessions on the Elliptical as well.. we'll see how that works out!! 

Oh, and I jumped on the scale today.. down 2 lbs since this weekend!  yay me!!

Resetting..

Happy New Year!!

I've been reading lots of blogs with hugely motivational New Years Resolutions and plans.  I usually don't do resolutions but this year, I feel the need to Re-Set a couple of things. 

2011 was a wash in terms of weight-loss obviously with the birth of Mac.  I NEED to lose the rest of the weight I had planned to lose when I got the band.  I still have 70 lbs to get to my initial goal and 85 to get to where I would LOVE to be. Heck, to be honest, I'd be happy losing 60 lbs b/c that would be less than I've weighed in my adult life. But, I want to strive for more. Honestly, I'm sick of doing things half-assed. I know I do it, I fully take accountability for why I've not focused on the weight loss.. there really are no other excuses! My band is pretty good right now, I'm just not making the right choices.  Time to stop the madness!! 

I recently had a food intolerance test done at my doctor.  It was pretty eye-opening.  I'm apparently extremely intolerant to gluten and sugar. GREAT!!  I'm going to try to limit both and see how much better I feel.  I'm also going to follow the recommended foods list pretty closely and see how that makes me feel.  I'll keep you posted.

Other things I'm resetting: 

• I've been taking a Pilates fundamentals class and I love it!! Once I "graduate" from that, I've signed up to take it 2x a week, so I'm excited to have a "commitment" each week for that.
• I got a bike for Christmas. I love working out outside, so I'm hoping that this will motivate me to get out more as well.
• I worked out a schedule with Tim so that there are a few nights a week where I can work later and then get to the gym.  I just can't go home, do the stuff I need to do with Mac and then go to the gym.. I know that it doesn't work for me, so if I don't go straight from work, I know I won't go.
• I'm really reevaluating some of the relationships in my life.. I have always been the one who makes the plans, the one who reaches out to people, etc..  honestly, I'm kind of done..  I feel like if it weren't for me making the plans, I wouldn't have plans with anyone.  I've said this before, but I'm sick of being 2nd choice with most of the people I know.  It sucks, b/c I'm such a good friend and it's unfortunate that people are missing out on that part of me. 
• I'm going to be blogging a lot more and NOT just about Mac!!  I need to blog more, regardless of whether or not anyone reads. It's a good release and I love catching up and following what you are all doing. 
• I'm definitely considering coming to Chicago for BOOBS 3.0..  it's something to look forward to and will help me with keeping myself committed b/c I want to look gooooooood!! 

2012 is definitely the year of Jen!! I can't wait to see how it all unfolds!!

xo,js

My body is revolting..

against me..  for realz..  it's true.

I always knew that Mac was truly a miracle and now I really know for sure. Are you ready for this? (I'm not sure I am.. )
I'm in MENOPAUSE..  (take a minute, let it sink in... )
Crazy huh??  I just turned 40.. 
I just had a nearly perfect pregnancy and delivery.. 
Apparently, I'm a freak of nature. (not really, but you know me, I tend to be on the dramatic overexxagerative side) Actually, after doing a LOT of reading on the subject, it's not that uncommon for this to happen.. 
I knew the night sweats, lack of weight loss even though my band has been working well and the crazy mood swings weren't just due to leftover pregnancy hormones.. I'm telling you, trust your instincts when it comes to your body and what it's telling you. When I asked my dr. if it was possible, she shrugged me off completely but did some tests b/c I had some white blood cells in my urine, thinking that I just had a UTI or bladder infection..   turns out my FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) was through the roof high and my Estrogen levels were through the roof LOW.. 
The NP actually said it was really amazing and fortunate that I was even ever able to get pregnant and have such a successful pregnancy. 

Counting my blessings for sure this holiday season!!


Speaking of said miracle..  could you just die over this sweet little Christmas present??

Catching Up..

I feel like I've used that blog title before but am too darn lazy to go back to see if I have!! :)

Once again, I've been neglecting my blog!! I have been reading all your blogs but keep forgetting to update mine! 

Let's see, where to begin.. 

1. Thanksgiving was good. I survived my BIL again this year. We actually got along which I think made my husband very happy and appreciative. There of course were little digs here and there and of course he got drunk, but by the time that happened, my girlfriends had come and we were too engrossed in conversation for me to even pay him any mind.

2.  My band is working like a rockstar!! I finally got down to almost where I was pre-pregnancy and am consistently losing.  I'm still about 15lbs higher than I was pre-baby Mac, but my clothes are all starting to fit well and I can put away some of the bigger stuff again (I should just get rid of it b/c I don't intend on fitting into them any time ever again!!) I have a pretty good level of restriction but there are some days when eating is really hard.. and then there are days when I barely eat anything b/c food just doesn't sound appetizing to me. I wish I could find a happy medium. I think I still want to lose about another 80 lbs which would take me to a total of 140 lost when all is said and done.

3.  I start a Pilates class on Thursday and am soo excited!! My gym had a really good Black Friday deal for a private session and 6 reformer sessions and I couldn't pass it up.  I took Pilates about 8 years ago and was amazed at how my body changed, so I'm ready for that transformation to start again!!

4.  I have my annual Holiday Cookie Party tomorrow. I have about 18 women coming to my house which is bananas and there will be more cookies than we know what to do with!! Excited to drink some wine and have some girl time with my girls!!

5.  Mac is still just awesome!!!  He's growing so much and is starting to have a really funny personality!! Michelle came over this weekend to take his pictures for our Christmas cards. I won't post a pic until after I've sent out my cards, even though I'm dying for you all to see how wonderful they turned out!!!  Girl has a true gift!!! 

In the meantime, I'll tide you over with a cute pic that I took on Sunday of him.. it was COLD here!!!  (Cold for AZ means in the 40s and 50s!!)

Ta Ta for Now!!!

Gobble Gobble..

wow, when I go on a blog writing break, I really overdo it!! It's been a couple of weeks since my last post and there's no particular reason for the lapse in posting, life just gets in the way.

So, tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I gotta be honest, I'm just not feeling it this year. Could be a myriad of reasons:

• I'm sick as a dog (not really but I like to exaggerate a bit) but really, am not feeling well and have no motivation to cook/eat anything
• I have to spend it with my asshole brother in law.. because that's just the right thing to do....but he pretty much ruins any holiday or any occasion I get to spend with him
• I miss my family. I want my brother and niece and nephew to meet Mac. I want him to see Nana and Chief.  We're not spending Christmas together either and that just makes me sad.  I hate that it costs the same as a flight to Japan just to go to Michigan these days.. ridic. I miss my cousin Karen. Holidays always meant spending time with her.. 
• Thanksgiving is about family and since it's just me, Timmy and Mac, it just doesn't feel like it should..
• My band is so tight lately. could be the mucous built up in my throat and draining or it could just be that I need an unfill..  so mashed potatoes will be my BFF tomorrow.

Despite my pathetic Thanksgiving avoidance above, I am still thankful for lots of things, including:

• My sweet husband who took care of me and Mac last night when I was lying in bed, pathetic from the sickness (and takes care of me daily!)
• My sweet little Miracle Mac, who, despite our faults, loves us completely unconditionally and has changed out lives in unmeasurable ways.
• My friends.. both here and all over the country, but especially the ones who live here in AZ who provided me with such support, guidance and love over the last year..and as always, my sisters in Chicago!
• My lapband - it single handedly gave me back myself, helped me have a baby and brought me to the people here in blogland.. Antonio is my hero!!

I hope you all have a fantastic Thanksgiving and eat as much as your lapband will allow!! :)

xoxo,js

Halloween, Half-Marathons and Crazy Hair..

Hi All!! Just when I think I'm going to start blogging regularly, I can't seem to make it happen!! I've been wanting to do a blog for the past week but work has been pretty steady and I don't get anything done on the computer at home..  

So, anywho.. how are ya'll? We are good here!  Winter arrived in AZ this weekend and didn't really give us any notice.. I mean, for most of you who live in the Midwest and East Coast, what we have for weather would be considered Spring-like but in AZ, when it gets into the 40s/50s.. it's COLD!!!  I don't know what happened to my thick skin but I'm a complete wuss now! 

Halloween was good.. not a whole lot of excitement since Mac is really too young to enjoy any of the trick or treating or candy free-for-all that comes with Halloween. He was a lobster for Halloween and Michelle took these super cute pics of him:

How cute is he??  I just loved these pics of him!!  It was too warm for him to wear his costume on Halloween though.. 

He's awesome and super fun these days.. he's just so smiley all the time! I think I really lucked out with an easy peasy baby!

This weekend we did the Women's Half Marathon again.  It was fine but my legs are killing me today!! I am going to try to start a running program so that I can maybe do the "Pat's Run" which is in April. It's 4.2 miles and that gives me 6 months to train so just maybe I can become a runner and then next year, at the 1/2 marathon, I could do a mix of both running and walking b/c I gotta tell you, walking 13.1 miles BLOWS!!! So boring!! And if I can figure out a way to be on my feet for less time, I'm doing it.. 

here we are at the starting line.. it was 41 and chilly! 

 And here we are at the finish. I have to say I hate these pics of me, and am not happy with the way I look, but I know I'm going to keep working at it to get to where I need to be.

I got a fill last week and am happy to say I'm finally really moving down the scale a bit.  I was down 5lbs in two weeks on the Dr's scale! Woohoo!!  This level of restriction is really really good. I just need to get my mind to remember that I can't eat breads and pastas or I'm stuckity stuck big time.. 

So, that's about all I have. I still wanted to do a 2 year band anniversary post but now I'm a few weeks out from that.  maybe I'll get to it sometime soon!  Hope you are all well.  Here's one last pic of my crazy haired little cutie!  

xo,js