Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone had a fantastic Halloween! Angelica was Minnie Mouse this year, and it was really the first year that she understood and enjoyed the concept of Trick or Treating. Last year she was able to parrot the phrase "Trick or Treat" (though it sounded more like "cheetochee!" when she said it) but this year she said it at every single house, and thanked every single person for the candy.

A few houses down from ours is where the VPK teacher for her daycare lives, and they went ALL OUT for decorations...unfortunately that meant that as soon as we got close enough to the house to trigger the sound effects, Angelica burst into squeals and shrieks and cried her little heart out. So we didn't get to show off her costume to the teacher. Oh well. It was the only "fail" of the night...all of the other houses were pretty tame!

In the end she got a huge haul of candy, which you'll see below...and in typical bad mom fashion, I let her, for one night only, eat as much of it as she wanted...so she proceeded to open a bunch of candies, take one bite, and then move on to the next. She probably only got ten bites of candy total...nevertheless, the sugar crash she had later was priceless. In more ways than one.

A blog post about Halloween wouldn't be complete without a few pictures from the day! Just an FYI before you see these, she was TOTALLY against having her picture taken and was not happy about having to wait for me to take pictures before we left. I think they came out pretty good in spite of that, though!

Miss Crankyminnie not wanting to get her picture taken...

She's better now!

Random things I love

Ten things Angelica is doing/has done lately that I love:

1. When she puts on a skirt or dress, she cannot help but twirl.
2. Formerly non-affectionate, she will now randomly come up and hug/kiss me.
3. While we were walking up to the Fall Festival the other day, she said, "Mommy?" I said "What, baby?" She replied, "I luf you!"
4. If I say "ouch", she says, "You okay, Mommy?"
5. If she hears someone burp/fart, she says, "What do YOUUUUUUU say?"
6. She loves random things. This morning, it was "I luf this banana!" If she sees our kitty, Mindy, it's, "I luf this Mindy!" The other day she picked up a scrap of paper and said, "I luf this paper!"
7. Like me, she can't hear music and not sing along. It's beautiful. She is definitely my favorite singer right now.
8. If you ask her how she is, she says, "I'm two!" and holds up two fingers. Yes, baby, that says it all. She also knows she's going to be three on her next birthday, but if you ask her, she holds up three fingers and she says, "I be three days old!"
9. She knows her full name. It's "Angelica Joefeffine (Josephine) and (our last name)"
10. All kids, no matter their age, are "all my friends". For example, we saw teenagers playing soccer, and she says, "Look, all my friends are playing soccerball!"

(Bonus) She is totally into the holiday season this year. She giggles like mad whenever she sees a pumpkin, and is already asking to see Santa Claus. Oh, and yesterday, immediately after her bath (it was Daddy's turn to do bathtime), she came running in to the living room, dripping wet and naked, and yelled, "Mommy, I want a puppy for Christmas!" Nice try, kid.

Wordless Wednesday: At the Fall Festival

(With Angelica's friends Rylie and Rihanna!)

For more Wordless Wednesday fun, check out The Life of Rylie...and Bryce Too!, The Florida Hogans, and Shibley Smiles!

McFatty Monday: More Good News

(I meant to publish this Monday but I forgot to hit the "publish" button...so here it is, a few days late!)

243! 243! 243! Woohoo! I now weigh less than I did when I got pregnant! Can you tell I'm excited??

More good news...the doctor's office called today with the results of my blood work and it was all good. No need to schedule another follow-up or significantly modify the things I'm already doing to improve my health!

Vitamin D -- NORMAL. Though low-end normal. I may need to get outside more, or increase the amount I take via supplement just to be safe.

Cholesterol -- NORMAL. High HDL (good cholesterol), Low LDL (bad cholesterol). Normal triglycerides.

Glucose -- NORMAL. I'm not pre-diabetic.

Kidney/liver -- NORMAL. No fatty liver disease or compromised kidney function.

I love it. It's such great motivation to keep moving forward. The weight is going down and the signs are all showing that I'm making huge strides toward having a long and healthy life, and setting a great example for Angelica. This is a far cry from the days when my lunches consisted of McDonalds and dinners consisted of takeout and I felt awful all the time.

Speaking of that, I did have one day where I totally caved and over-ate, ate too much junk and didn't workout and trust me. I felt it. It was that familiar old achy, tired, nauseous feeling and I didn't like it one bit. I hadn't felt that bad in awhile and I don't want to feel it again anytime soon.

Anyway...that's the good news for this week! Hope everyone else had good news today!

A McFatty Addendum

This is a kind of off-topic post since it's not really a McFatty Monday post, and it's not really a post about Angelica...it's about her mommy though so it counts!

This morning I had a doctor's appointment...I've been being watched by my doctor for a few things and have had to go back to be re-checked fairly regularly. This morning he wanted to re-check my blood pressure, resting heart rate, and Vitamin D (which was low at the beginning of this year)...plus, check my cholesterol and do a follow-up on the antidepressants he prescribed around the beginning of the year (when I was diagnosed with depression...not something I talk about a lot on here but has been a tremendous obstacle for me over the past year).

I get the Vitamin D and cholesterol results back on Monday but for now I'm pleased to report...

I now have normal blood pressure (120/80 - down from 140/95)
I now have a normal resting heart rate (75 - down from 100+)

That is two huge factors for heart disease that I have eliminated...and the most rewarding thing for me is that I've done it through diet and exercise alone.

I also left without having to schedule another follow-up. I'm free! (Just have two more appointments with two other doctors in November and then I'm REALLY free!)

I may still be overweight (though when I was on the scale at the doctor today I was again at 244! HURRAY for weight loss!) but for me, the positive impact that I've had on my overall health is so much more valuable than that number on the scale. It's everything. It means I have more energy (definitely!) and have added more years to my life.

I also got a flu shot so at least that's one less thing I have to worry about :)

I guess my motivational thought for the day is...if I can do it, anyone can. You just have to find it in you to start...take small steps...do one thing for yourself each day and those little things add up! Stop getting in your own way (which is what I did for YEARS!) and just do it!

Wordless Wednesday: Little Daddy

For more Wordless Wednesday fun, check out The Life of Rylie...and Bryce Too!, The Florida Hogans, and Shibley Smiles!

McFatty Monday: The Late Edition

I contemplated not even posting a McFatty Monday this week, but it keeps me accountable. So here goes.

Weigh In:
Yesterday (Sunday) I peeked at the scale first thing in the morning and saw 245. Yay! Then this morning I stepped on the scale and saw 248. BOO!

I know that I once again did NOT gain three pounds overnight. I did, however, eat a lot of salty food yesterday since I was pretty much out of the house from 12 PM - 8 PM running errands and doing a photo shoot, so I'm blaming it on water weight. Oh, and PMS, because that's always the perfect scapegoat.

Diet:
As of last Tuesday, I'm back on Weight Watchers Online. Every bit of me fought it. I hate tracking food with a passion. I absolutely loathe it with every fiber of my being. But, obviously what I've been doing hasn't been working, and in spite of the fact that I've been running my gigantic butt off since July, I've only lost about ten pounds. Not. Fair. So back to tracking I go. I used to do SparkPeople...but I find that their site has SO many awesome things to do that I can lose myself for hours in there (literally -- especially doing random things to up my points with the site...I'm very competitive). With Weight Watchers, I sign in, log my points, and sign out. It's simpler. And for a week, I've stuck with it.

One interesting thing about Weight Watchers...I had joined (for probably the 20th time) about two months after Angelica was born. I rejoined using the same account and when I posted my weight, it said I had lost 25 pounds. So I guess that's good. That's a positive number to think about!

Exercise:
Also, speaking of running...my sister has a gym membership where she can bring guests, so I went with her Sunday afternoon and did my Sunday run on the treadmill. Up until that point, I had not used a treadmill in over a year, and I can say without hesitation that, as someone who runs outdoors on a regular basis, running on a treadmill was a very, very awkward experience. For the first few minutes my feet just didn't know how to handle the ground moving underneath it. It was hard to figure out how to pace myself. It was definitely hard to not have landmarks to use to pace myself either. (Usually, when I start to wear out I'll tell myself "oh, you only have to run to X point and then you're there!" There is no X point on a treadmill!) But, it was definitely a great experience once I got used to it.

My legs are literally throbbing from the weight machines though.

And here's where I'll stop for this week! I am hoping for a MUCH more positive update next week...where hopefully I will be able to say I am AT 244 (or below? Eek, that kind of scares me to think about!)

The Backtalk

So, this morning I woke up to a rarity: A cooperative two year old. (Gasp!) She actually volunteered for a diaper change and let me pick her outfit, getting dressed without a fight.

I breathed a sigh of relief and wondered if I woke up in an alternate reality where Angelica would live up to the "angel" part of her name.

And oh, it continued through breakfast! She ate without a fight, accepted apple juice instead of a second cup of chocolate milk, and said please and thank you and excuse me and all the polite things I ask of her.

I should NOT have counted my blessings.

When I picked her up from daycare, she whined about getting in the car, hit me when I tried to help her into her seat, pulled my hair when I picked her up and then finally, as she gave in and actually started getting in the car, she yelled the worst thing she's ever said:

"Go away, stupid Mommy!"

I gasped (from the shock) and told her that wasn't very nice. I asked if she really thought I was stupid and thankfully her reply was, "Nooooo, you not stupid."

Then we hugged and made up.

My goodness, the back talk has got to stop!

Wordless Wednesday: Go Rays!

 

For more Wordless Wednesday fun, check out The Life of Rylie...and Bryce Too!, The Florida Hogans, and Shibley Smiles!

McFatty Blog Header Update and Stuff

First, lookie, lookie! I have a new blog header, especially for Fall! I took Angelica to the pumpkin patch a couple of weekends ago, and well, you can read more about that on my photography blog.
(Live in the Orlando/Winter Springs area? I have special rates on pumpkin patch photos!)

On to other things...

So, Thursday of last week I HIT MY GOAL. I took a sneak peak at the scale and was thrilled to see 244! So, why did I weigh in at 248 this morning? I doubt it's possible to gain four pounds in 4 days without being seriously sick or eating a ton, neither of which I did. In fact, if you've been following my tweets, you've probably seen that I started walking again last week. Aside from a few days of being profoundly sick (stupid GI issues...) I kept up with it, ate healthy and I really have no explanation for gaining 4 pounds in 4 days. So, I'm going to assume it's a fluke and say....

HOORAY PRE PREGNANCY WEIGHT! WELCOME BACK! IT'S ABOUT TIME!

This week I'm going to try to ease back into running again. And if I start to falter on the healthy eating, start forcing myself to track calories again, which I something I absolutely loathe.

Here's to another awesome week, everyone!

Funny quotes from the weekend

There's no way I can possibly remember all of the funny things that Angelica says each day, but here are some highlights just from this weekend:

---

Angelica says, walking down the street away from our house: "We're going to where I live?"
Me: "Oh? Where do you live?"
Angelica: "In the FOREST!"

---

In the supermarket today, me in all of my clumsy glory, knocked a bottle of pasta sauce off of the shelf, causing it to smash into a million pieces and make the biggest mess ever. Angelica turns to me and says, "What did you DO, Mommy?"
Me: I broke a jar of pasta sauce.
Angelica: Oh,  you spilled. It's okay, Mommy, it an accident!

(Then, the ENTIRE REST OF THE SHOPPING TRIP, she kept saying, "You spilled the sauce, Mommy? It ok, it was accident!" over, and over, and over. Embarrasing!)

---

Out in the front yard, she started to walk off. Scott asked her where she was going.
She says, "To my sister's house!"
She's an only child. I wonder if that's a hint?

---

About 800 times, she farted and blamed her father.

---

I told her that if she wants to be big and strong, she has to eat her dinner. (Meals have been a battle lately!)
Night one, she finished dinner and said, "Okay Mommy, I big and strong now!" and pushed her plate away.
Night two, she pushed her plate away without eating a bite and said, "I already big and strong!" Mommylogic, fail.

---

I picked her up and we were looking out the window, when she suddenly grabbed the top of my shirt, yanked it down and yelled, "Boobies! Boobies boobies!" (Where the hell did she learn that???)

---

She told me that our cat was going to be a black cat for Halloween. Said cat is already black.

---

Scott asked her who her best friend was. She said, "Mommy!" He asked if he could be her best friend too, and she said "Nope!"

---

Oh I could add on and on and on to this list...as much as the terrible twos can fry my nerves, she has some pretty endearing qualities. She is so smart, so witty, and so funny. And she has definitely developed her dad's sense of sarcasm. I love this little girl!

5 Question Friday: October 8

Ahh, Friday is finally here! For once, our slate is pretty clean for the weekend so I'm open to the possibility of playdates! (I must be nuts to have a clean slate and then want to fill it up, right?) I don't have a whole lot of news to share, other than this funny tidbit from last night...

Scott and I had put Angelica down to bed for the evening...he left to go running and I was working on a project when all of a sudden I hear her yell, "Raaawwwwwr!!!" Mind you, our house is small but surprisingly soundproof, and we were at opposite ends of the house. So I ran in her room, and she was laying in bed, looking almost asleep. I asked her, "Did you just rawr, Angelica?" She nodded. I asked, "Why did you rawr?" She replied: "I wanted a kiss, Mommy!"

I somehow remember doing stuff like that when I was a kid. It's like her version of the "one more glass of water!" trick. I had to laugh.

Anyway, I'm doing a 5 Question Friday post today just for fun!

1. What do you listen to while driving?

My iPod is always, always, always with me. Lately I've been listening to a lot of motivational speaking, but I took a break yesterday to listen to The Rocket Summer. And then when I picked up Angelica, I got my evening dose of Laurie Berkner. This week's choice is The Farm Song...which is great because I was kind of tired of the two months we spent stuck on Rocketship Run. :)

2. What is your least favorite thing about Fall?

Fall is BY FAR my favorite season, but if I had to pick one? Fall allergies. Also -- I LOVE having all my doors and windows open and I was so looking forward to doing that in the new house we're renting...except that there is a forest behind our house. With raccoons. And I heard a ruckus in my dining room the other night and, lo and behold, there was a raccoon digging into the cat food. So now that door has to stay shut.

3. What does your dream house look like, inside and out?

My dream house would be a house that I own. I'm not too picky about what it would look like, other than that it wouldn't be a fixer-upper. I just want to have a home to call my own! We've been renting and renting our whole adult lives and now we're working on the Dave Ramsey plan to eliminate debt and eventually save up for our down payment. 

4. Would you ever own a minivan?

My first car was a minivan. When I was 16 I was driving around town in one of those huge, extended Dodge Caravans. A 1987 one. It was almost 10 years old at that point...a hand me down from my parents. And I appreciated the heck out of that thing. I would not own another one though. If memory serves me right, my old van got me about 18 miles to the gallon. I'm all about the fuel economy and that just won't cut it for me!

5. Do you wash new clothes before wearing them?

Nope, unless I think it's a dark color that might rub off on me. Otherwise it goes in the closet, tags and all. Unless it's underwear. I know stores don't let you try on underwear but it still skeeves me out to think that they were just sitting out on the shelf.

Angelica wants a ponytail!

I think Angelica must be the only two (and almost a half) year old with almost no hair. She has not yet had a haircut. She hasn't needed one. She sees me put my hair up in a ponytail and asks for one, and all I can say is, "So sorry honey but you don't have enough hair!" And then she pouts.

Fortunately I think it's finally starting to grow! Since her birthday back in May it may have grown an inch. At that rate, maybe by age 4 she'll have enough for a ponytail!

To give you an idea of the progression of hair, as small as it's been, here's a comparison by age.

One month:

Six months:

12 months:

18 months:

2 years:

Now:

Hasn't grown a whole lot, has it?

Ahh, but I think she's beautiful. And the next person who asks me how old HE is will feel the wrath of...well...my dirty look as they walk away. :)

Wordless Wednesday: Halloween Fashion Sense

(Angelica with Rylie of The Life of Rylie and Bryce Too! Love these girls!)

For more Wordless Wednesday fun, check out The Life of Rylie...and Bryce Too!, The Florida Hogans, and Shibley Smiles!

McFatty Monday: The "Almost There" Edition

Okay, so I haven't posted a McFatty Monday in who only knows how long. And why is that? Because, in true Andrea fashion, as soon as I'm one step away from succeeding I throw in the towel. Yep, I got lazy, ate junk, stopped running and pretty much figured I'd step on the scale this morning to be horrified, and super duper motivated to restart the clock on my weight loss journey.

Well, horrified I was not when I stepped on the scale this morning and saw 245. That means I am one pound away from my first goal -- my pre-pregnancy weight of 244. Hallelujah!

So that was definitely motivating...knowing I'm almost there...almost but not quite! I'm hoping to make it there by next week...and by the end of the month to have dropped out of the 240s, and slipped back into my wedding ring, which I haven't been able to wear since I was 6 months pregnant...and which I've been too stubborn to have resized.

I'm also trying to look at this from the perspective that on January 1st, I weighed in at 261. That means so far this year I've lost 16 pounds. I was hoping by the end of the year to have lost 114, and while I think that's REALLY far out of reach now (and would be super unhealthy to strive for), I'm still really proud of what I've done so far...and really excited to see what happens by the end of the year!

Here's to new-found motivation! I look forward to checking in again next Monday!