And the Weight Is Off!

Before:

After:

I finally did it! I chopped off my hair! I had been thinking about doing it for a while but was so unsure if I really wanted to do it or not, and exactly when. Well, once I decided I really wanted to do it, I wanted to do it right then. So a few weeks ago, I chopped it off! It was a little bittersweet because my hair was probably the longest it had ever been in my life and it ended up being shorter than I'd wanted, but overall I'm really happy with it. I just wanted a change, especially since in addition to the weight of my hair being off, I have finally met my goal of losing 40 pound! Getting both of these weights off feels great. I started my weight-loss goal about the first week of April and although some weeks were not as successful as others, I feel great that I've finally lost the weight. The funny thing is, I can't blame it on baby weight. I had gained quite a bit of weight when I was working before I even got pregnant (stress, maybe?!) and that was really what I had to work at, since I didn't have any trouble getting the weight off that I had gained during my pregnancy. (How does that work? I dont' know!) I've been working out a few times a week, doing slim-fast shakes for 2 meals a day (most days), and preparing overall healthier meals for my family. It has not been easy, but it's totally been worth it. And even though my body isn't what it used to be before baby, I still feel good enough about myself and it feels great to fit back into clothes that I haven't worn in what seems like forever! And I am now back down to what I weighed when I got married, almost 4 years ago! And through this post, I am in no way trying to show off or make anyone out there feel bad if they're not where they'd like to be, I simply want to share my success and maybe in some small way, inspire someone else to do the same. I can't say either that the way I did it is the way everyone should do it. I just did what I knew I could handle and now I hope to be able to maintain a healthy weight and keep my motivation up to exercise more and eat healthier. It's amazing the energy I've gained along the way too, which is definitely necessary at this point in motherhood when I've got a crazy little toddler to keep up with! And I know I haven't posted any recipes in quite a while. It has been a crazy summer in many ways, and I feel that my time has been limited in the blogging world. I will soon post some yummy and healthy recipes I plan to try but for now, here's a muffin recipe I really like:

Whole Wheat Honey Banana Muffins:

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons wheat germ (optional)
2/3 cup olive oil or 2/3 cup canola oil
1 cup honey
4 eggs
2 cups mashed ripe bananas
1/2 cup hot water

Recipe & Photo Courtesy: www.food.com (keyword: whole wheat honey banana muffins)

And now for a quick summer update: We have really enjoyed our summer so far with frequent trips to the pool, fun in the sun, and getting to see family! My parents came down from Oregon to attend my cousin's wedding and it was great to see them and spend time with them. Isaac loved being with them and getting to play a lot with his cousins, and it was also a great opportunity to see some extended family I haven't seen in a long time. The time my parents were here really made me wish we lived closer to each other, especially because Isaac just had so much fun. Manuel started his job a couple of weeks ago where he's interning at a home infusion pharmacy for University of Utah Healthcare. It is a great opportunity for him and they've given him full-time hours until he starts school at the end of August. Then he'll go to part-time hours and what a blessing, he won't have to work Sundays! He will, however, probably have to work holidays which is a bummer, but so is life! Isaac had a speech evaluation for our local early intervention program since he hasn't really said many "words" we can understand yet and qualified for services. I understand that doctors and speech specialists are simply trying to sort out any language delays or other learning disabilities in children earlier and earlier these days so they can catch things sooner and make a plan of action. I am not really worried about Isaac because he is very "verbal" in his own sort of language and is constantly using sounds, etc. Plus, he uses several signs to communicate with us and understands directions well. He's also the first child child and a lot of the time it's just me and him. After the evaluation, the specialist came out to sort of do her own "evaluation" and to set up some goals with me for him. I'm not sure what to think of her yet since I really felt like she underestimated Isaac's abilities, making several judgments of him based on how he "performed" just during the moments she was there. On top of having a stranger in our home and probably not behaving/acting the way he normally does, Isaac was super tired at the time and really needed a nap, which didn't help things. But I was perfectly honest with her and told her I'm not concerned that his level of talking is a problem, I just want to take advantage of the services and help him in any ways we can so he doesn't fall behind his peers. I will give her another try on our next visit, but if I feel like she could hold us back in this process because of her judgments/opinions about Isaac's abilities, I may request for a different specialist to work with us. I am proud of Isaac for all that he can do, and if anything, the visit really made me do a lot of my own thinking that I need to create a more consistent schedule for Isaac. So far, it has helped a lot. I have our days laid out to include plenty of play time, learning time, meals, errands, etc. including both scheduled structure time and "scheduled" unstructured time. Isaac is such a fun boy these days. He loves to play outside, be with other kids (although nursery at church has been a bit of a battle the last couple of weeks), jump, dance, climb, ride his bike, and play with kitchen tools. He is also quite the affectionate little guy. He gives the sweetest hugs and kisses spontaneously on his own, loves to snuggle, and loves when we sit and read stories together before both his naps and bedtime. His favorite books are ones that are songs I can sing like "This Old Man", "There Was An Old Lady", and "Five Little Penguins". Soon, we plan to get some books in Spanish so Manuel can read more to him as well. Isaac's favorite songs are ones with motions like "The Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Popcorn Popping", and "Baby Shark". Part of our new "routine" includes library time every week where Isaac and I can go and pick out some books/shows he'd like as well as ones I will reserve online and pick up as we go in so I don't have to battle him at checkout! Isaac is also quite the little socialite. Everywhere we are or everywhere we go, he waves to everyone! I think it's adorable he's so friendly and everyone else seems to think so too :) And potty training might be right around the corner for us. So far, he's not that interested in using the potty his abuelita got him, as he'd much rather use it in its stool form and climb up to turn on the water and put things in the sink to get wet. What a little goofball! But for a couple of months now, whenever he has a wet diaper and is uncomfortable, he'll go to his room and bring me the wipes and a new diaper. And when he needs to go #2, he points to his diaper, takes my hand, and pulls me into his room, especially when we have guests over (he doesn't like to do his business in front of people). I'm in no hurry to rush him into potty training, especially because he is still so young, but he is showing some signs of readiness, and I'll keep trying to introduce the potty to him with no pressure.

Well, that about sums it up for now so until next time, love to all our family and friends!