Weight Management: Boys vs Girls

Dear Monster,

   I love you son. I truly do. I have loved you from the very first moment that I knew you existed and I will love you every single second of my life.....Please remember that as I tell you that I may never forgive you for what you did to my body. *sigh* I love you, but there are some things that just stay with you, and this one is forever. :P
~~~

Hello Readers! It is that wonderful, magical time of year where the clouds roll in, the temperature drops, and all you want to do it curl up in a giant sweater and drink hot chocolate. So, that has been my agenda on my days off from work. Curl up with the monster, put something good on the TV, and stay warm and comfy all day. This would all be fine and dandy if my husband wasn't lapping me again and again and again on our weight loss goals! Not only did I want to work off all of my baby weight (luckily, with having a premature kiddo, I only gained 20lbs) but I wanted to tighten up what was left when all the weight was gone. Cardio was very important for me as I had been on bed rest for around two and half months. Post pregnancy I couldn't even walk out to the mailbox and back without getting winded! It was strange for me, coming from a very active and healthy background, to feel fat, exhausted, and hopeless. Devastating is a good word for it.

So, after sulking for a few months (I'd like to slide in a little thanks to my husband for never pushing me or commenting on my poor body condition), I pulled myself up by my bootstraps, made a diet plan with my husband, and started my new, healthy lifestyle. It wasn't a drastic lifestyle change as Sean and I have always tried to lean toward the healthier side when it comes to our meal planning. We basically started buying the "lite" or "fat free" versions of foods and drinks we already had around the house. We started eating smaller, more frequent meals, and working out regularly. No 5Ks here, just simple sit ups, lunges, and some light cardio. I found a great site that showed me some simple, everyday work outs that I could do that included my Monster and made working out SO much easier. Liam loved it, and I was loosing weight! I struggled with the diet change for a while. My poor co-workers got sick of hearing "I'm HUNGRY!!!!" and "Gah! I feel like I'm STARVING!!". Eventually my body got use to the change in eating patterns and the work-outs became a lovely habit and I started loosing weight and feeling fantastic! I went from 164 (my heaviest) to 143! 21lbs! Holy Guacamole! I was so stinking proud of myself! I had more energy at work, I was able to go go go all day with Liam (he was starting to crawl at this time), and my husband was chasing me around the house like a silly high schooler! Life was wonderful!

Then things started slipping...for me. I would miss a chance to snack at work, or I'd come home too late for dinner and my Monster Work Out Time. In ONE WEEK I gained back 7lbs! INSANITY! I was livid, confused, embarrassed, and just done done done! What made this all 100 times worse was that I was sleeping next to my husband every night who had had the same rough week that I had and he was STILL LOOSING WEIGHT! COME ON NOW!!! NOT FAIR!!!

Back to sulking. For several months.

After being crabby and indignant for a couple of months (again, a shout out to my amazing husband for his patience and understanding) I started to wonder about the science behind it. It just wasn't adding up in my head. Sean had missed the same amount of work out time, he'd eaten the same "not so much in line with the diet" meals that I had, and he was just as stressed. We were living the same lives and our bodies were doing two totally different things. What the heck was going on here?

Insert my brilliant husband and his random knowledge: "The average adult woman has to work out for an hour a day, just to maintain her current weight and body condition." You hear that right ladies?? Just to MAINTAIN! Not even improve, just maintain! How is this possible??

Insert my days and days and days of research which led me to this little gem: On average, women's total energy expenditure, which is the number of calories burned for metabolic needs, including breathing, blood circulation, digestion and physical activity, is around 5 to 10 percent lower than men's.

In other words, when a woman is just sitting and doing nothing next to a man who is doing the same, her body is burning 5-10% less calories than his! *facepalm* Whhhhhhhhhhhhhy?

Scientists believe this is partly due to body composition. Ready for the science? Here ya go: Body Composition, that is the amount of muscle, bone and fat that make up the body, are quite different between men and women. Men, in general, have more muscle mass, heavier bones and less body fat than women. For example, a typical man in his twenties who weighs 154 pounds, has 69 pounds of muscle, 23 pounds of bone and 23 pounds of fat. A typical women of the same age who weighs 125 pounds, has 45 pounds of muscle, 15 pounds of bone, and 34 pounds of fat. The recommended percentage of body fat for a woman is between 20 to 30 percent which is thought to be higher for childbearing, while the recommended range for a man is between 12 to 20 percent. Because of these differences in muscle mass, men burn more calories than women at rest. 

Another theory has to do with actual body shape, including where the fat is stored and how the fat is metabolized in that area. Here's some more science speak for ya: Some people carry more of their body fat in and around the abdominal area. This type of fat deposition is called android, or apple body type and is most characteristic among males. The body type most common among females is the gynoid, or pear body type. This body type is characterized by fat stores in the hip and thigh region. The scientific explanations for the dramatic difference in body fat distribution between men and women are largely unknown, although differences in hormones, hormone receptors, and enzyme concentrations play a contributing role.

The article goes on the explain that with the gynoid body type the fat is not metabolized as well by the surrounding systems. *le sigh*

After wrapping up my research and eating ten thousands cookies in righteous indignation speaking with my doctor I finally accepted that I was just going to have to work slightly harder and be slightly more consistent than my husband when it came to my weight loss.

Ladies, we have had to work a little harder than men for just about everything else (voting, working, pay, insurance, medical care, respect in the work place, etc., etc.) so we shouldn't be shocked or disheartened by this news. Just stack it on top of everything else we have to bust our rumps to be great at and move on! Run an extra 20 minutes, stretch just a little bit longer, and eat just one more salad and you'll be right there with him!

Cheers to my ladies who are making it work and working it out! Now that I understand my body a little better it has made my lifestyle changes that much more important and working a little bit harder that much easier! In the end, I'm doing it for my future and the future of my family. Totally worth it, am I right?

Having pictures like this one up while I'm working out does tend to help as well! <3

Do you have a work out regimen? Do you have any tips that might help other women out? Have you struggled with weight loss? Let me hear your stories and tips!

Happy Friday Everyone!

Money??? What???

Dear Monster,

   Teaching you about money is going to be alllllll on your Daddy. He is amazing at budgeting, saving, and paying things off. I am just....not. I try and I try and I am making progress but MAN it has been a long road. Between your medical bills, our regular bills, trying to buy a house, and NEEDING to buy another car we are just overwhelmed and under-paid. With your Dad at the helm, I know we'll get there, but it's going to be a process and I so wish you were old enough to learn from him while he does it.
~~~

Hello readers! I'm gonna be honest here...I have been struggling for topics for this blog lately. I'm sure it's simply because things have just been so stressful. I mean, if you know me, I am NOT one to run out of things to talk about! *snicker* The topic for tonight's blog smacked me clean in the face while I was out shopping for my son's new foods a few days ago. Lately, things have been a little tight and I am finding that I am having to be more and more frugal and stretch things thinner and thinner. While working the family budget, I am having to keep in mind that my son needs newer and more advanced foods, toys, and clothes. Also, my husband and I need to eat. *sigh* Things would be so much easier if we didn't need to eat.

Anyway, as I was standing in the baby food aisle pondering my budget and desperately hoping that I had even a penny more to work with, I realized that there were probably tons of people out there doing the exact same thing I was. So, here are a few tips that I use on a daily basis when it comes to making sure that each member of my family has most of what they need, if not everything (note: most of the time it's not everything hehehe).

1. Store brand!!!! I am in LOVE with Up&Up brand from Target. Any time I find an amazing product that I just can't live without, Target has a version that is basically the same and way way way cheaper! Most of Liam's baby foods and snacks come in an Up&Up brand and he loves them all. He doesn't know, nor does he care, that he isn't getting the name brand puffy cheese things. He also couldn't care less that his supplemental drink isn't PediaSure but is instead "Pediatric Drink" from Target. Store brand is the way too go!

2. Thrift Stores!!! Explain to me WHY I would spend $12 on a onesie when Arc down the street has one that is possibly slightly worn and only $2? I have found so many stinking adorable outfits (some that are even brand new!) at Goodwill and Arc for pennies on the dollar compared to the Carter's store. Now, don't get me wrong, if there is an outfit that is brand new and it is just too adorable to pass up, I will swing for it. However, that is the exception, not the rule.

3. Meal Plans!! My husband and I are notorious meal planners. We have, over the years, discovered what our staples need to be in our home, we then find those staples at CostCo and keep them in bulk. Some examples of staples for us include: spaghetti and sauce, lunch meat, breaded chicken patties (and buns), yogurt, Mac & Cheese, Cheerios, Ritz Crackers, baby spinach, grapes, and cottage cheese. We buy these things in bulk because they are quick, mostly healthy, and last forever! We buy them once a month so that we can make regular dinners and snacks while saving money for those, "Man, I just really want some freaking Q'doba," nights.

4. Shop after a big meal! The worst thing you can possibly due is shop while hungry. I have wasted so much money because I was absolutely convinced that I NEEDED those Lays Potato Chips...OH and that candy bar at the register! I NEEEEEEEEDED them! I have now made it a habit of having a big lunch then going out and about. I don't get stressed out and grumpy because I can't buy all that snack food, I am in and out faster (great for Liam too!), and it is much much nicer on the budget.

5. Our Groceries! It's an app in the Google Play Store! You can connect multiple phones and create multiple shopping lists. Making one listed as "Uh oh...budget time" and one named "Ooo...some extra money" can make it so much easier to, as a family, separate out what are necessities and what are splurges. Then it makes it simpler to STICK. TO. THE. PLAN! It's fun to send Sean out shopping and watch from home as the items disappear off the list as he shops! It's a great way to connect the family and make sure everyone is on the same page without all the arguments and miscommunications that can happen before, during, and after grocery hunting time.

6. Take the kid with you!! If you happen to have a kiddo, take them with you when you shop. If your little monster is anything like mine, they do not allow for errors in time management. If I allot myself 2 hours to go to Safeway, CostCo, Arc, and swing by the mall for a quick phone cover, you better believe there is a reason I allotted myself that amount of time and you better believe Liam will keep me to that schedule! No time to browse needlessly through the millions of shirts I don't actually need or scan through the junk food aisle for food that is NOT going to help with my budget or my waistline. *wink wink*

7. Bulk Bulk Bulk! Sean and I LOVE our CostCo! As I said above, shopping in bulk helps with meal planning but it also makes budgeting super easy. We know that once a month we need to restock on certain items and know that makes it easier to lay out our plan for the rest of month and the rest of the things that we can't buy in bulk. One paycheck can go to the groceries and the next can go to those "not awesome to buy in bulk" items like cheese, milk, baby food, etc.

There you have it! Those are my simple but easy helpers when it comes to stretching and bending the budget. Sean and I have found that, when we follow these steps, we don't have to have nearly as many of those "WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO???" conversations. We discovered the hard way that when people say, "You're never financially ready to have a child," they weren't kidding, but in the end it comes down to narrowing down your priorities AS A FAMILY. No one person gets to set the limits or make certain things a priority without talking to the others and making sure that all final decisions are made in the best interest of the family can make family shopping time much less stressful!

Good luck to you all in your shopping and budgeting adventures! Do you have any tips to add? Are there any awesome budgeting tools that you just couldn't live without? Let me here 'em!

I leave you with an amazingly wonderful picture of my most handsome monster! Until next time readers...

Birthday Monster!

Dear Monster,

   You turned ONE! How insane is that? You have beat every single odd that has been placed against you and you SO deserved to be surrounded by your loved ones and smash your face with cake! You did SO well throughout the day. You didn't mind being held and loved on by a ton of different people and you smiled for all of the important pictures. Such an angel! Congrats on the big birthday, Son. You made it an entire year with nothing but successes. You're father and I are so proud of you and we can't wait for many many more birthdays!
~~~

Hello Readers! I'm gonna say, right off the bat, thank you for your patience with me over the last few weeks. Between Liam's surgery (my next blog), his first birthday, and his one year wellness check, things have been a little intense around here. Liam has now figured out that if he makes a painful sounding cry his father or I will race right into him. We're having to break that habit (as he is clearly no longer painful from his surgery and he starts laughing and smiling the minute we see him) and it's looking like it is going to be a long and winding road. At his wellness check it was determined that I have a 17lb 28in long monster that is happy and healthy! Such amazing news! We couldn't imagine a better first birthday present. We are currently in the process of transitioning to whole milk. We were told this should take around 3 weeks. We can hardly believe that in 3 weeks we will never again have to buy formula! We were also told to start giving him fatty foods (i.e. pasta w/ alfredo sauce, sweet potatoes with butter, full fat cottage cheese) while we start weening him off of a liquid diet and onto regular food. I can't wait!

Now that the lovely update is done, I get to move onto my real reason for this blog: Liam's 1st Birthday! Oh my goodness! I did NOT realize how much work went into a birthday party. I was overwhelmed from the evening before the party through the morning after it. It was fun and utter chaos from the moment I decided on the theme! I immediately went online and did so much research I thought my eyes would start bleeding! I chose a Rock theme and I was suddenly and completely overwhelmed by great ideas for food, decorations, goodie bags, and games! In the end, I shut it all out and went with what I thought would be fun, funny, and yummy!

Let's start with: FOOD! I started by sitting down and listing out all of the bands I could think of that could be made to sound like food or actually had names of food in them. This was a LOT harder than I thought it would be. My final menu included: Meat(loaf) Balls, Kettle PopKorn, Sea Salt PopKorn, R.E.M.'s Orange Crush Jell-O, Drum Styx, Bread Zeppelin (this was where we kept the buns for the burgers and hotdogs), Pink Floyd Lemonade, and 5 Finger Death Punch (the punch with alcohol in it).

Pouring the orange Jell-O the night before

Melting the chocolate for the Drum Styx

Laying out the Drum Styx to cool over night

The tags for the different foods

While the food was incredibly fun to create and put together, the decorations were probably my favorite!

I used unneeded or old discs

I put tape on the front and taped them to the walls. Cheap and easy!

Pretty much everything I used I purchased at the Dollar Tree, including this set for Liam's high chair

I found these cute plastic boxes, everything inside of them (fun glasses, "sleeve tattoos", and silly little instruments), and the wrapping for them at the Dollar Tree!

My husband brought out some of his old albums and we propped them up all over the house. I also listed each guests name on a yellow or orange star and had them sign them when they arrived (walk of fame). The stars were all over the house and worked as a tour of the house while people looked for their star to sign! You can also see how the CDs that I taped up looked in this shot!

The game we decided on was Mad Libs. We handed people cards with lists of the words we wanted as they arrived then we inserted those words into well known rock lyrics. It was tons of fun. These are the trophies we gave to the winners! (Also purchased at the Dollar Tree)

I used a red and black color scheme for the party to go with the theme. Everything on this table was purchased for under $5 at, you guessed it, the Dollar Tree!

Balloons and streamers were Dollar Tree purchases as well! You can also see more of the stars and CDs in this one.

I made a trip to the Goodwill near my house and found 10 of these old albums for around $5. I used this one as a door hanger. I also scrubbed others with dish soap and used them as serving plates for some of the food. So much fun!

In the end, I kept it simple and small. I tried to make it fun for the adults that would be there, even if it was cheezy fun. :P Number one lesson I learned: There is never a party small enough for a stressed out Mom. Even with under 20 people I still felt like a chicken with my head cut off! There just wasn't enough of me to go around. My husband was amazing and held it all together during times that I was unavailable and Liam entertained the crowd for the rest of it. All in all, it was a rockin' first birthday and I learned SO many lessons for future birthdays! Liam has so very very many people who adore him and he got SO many wonderful presents. He has NOT stopped playing with them (literally, my son is completely ignoring me these days)!

So, I'll wrap this one of up with a couple of my absolute favorite pictures from the Monster's 1st Rockin' Birthday! Thanks for swinging by and we'll have a surgery update in the coming weeks!

Payday Friday #7

Dear Monster,

   You are a Teething Terror right now!! AH! Fussy fussy fussy fussy fussy! Everything needs a fuss. Everything. You're currently working on your top two teeth and they must be a couple of doozies. Normally, when you fuss, I cuddle you up and you eventually calm down. Not this time. You don't want people to touch you but you don't want to be left alone. No toy makes you happy and nothing holds your concentration for any substantial amount of time. Currently, days with you consist of desperately trying to find something to make you happy and trying to make you comfortable. I wish I could make the pain and discomfort go away. I really do. Man, I can't wait until these days are over. I bet you can't either.
~~~

Hello again readers! As I'm sure you read above, Liam is teething right now. Holy guacamole is he miserable! I think there is definitely a reason that women don't remember birthing pain and that all human beings don't remember being babies. Between growing pains, teething, head bonks, and building up those crawling calluses, I can't even imagine what Liam is struggling with right now.

In our desperation to help him, we have tried freezing bottle nipples and binkies, massaging gums, teething tablets, Tylenol, frozen wash cloths... everything but "Rum on the Gums" (though we've been tempted occasionally *wink wink*). In my search for further ways to help my son, I stumbled upon this underground "Amber Teething Necklace" movement. Of course I immediately dove into research and started asking around. Almost everyone that I talked to loved theirs or were planning on buying one soon. (PS How had I not heard about this until NOW??) A couple of the reviews that I found stated that they hadn't noticed any serious changes but there were no negative reviews so I figured, why not? So, I found a dependable distributor on Amazon Mom and ordered one for Liam. I was told it would be here no sooner than August 7th so I've just been trying to maintain a happy, comfortable baby.

WELL GUESS WHAT CAME TODAY????

It came in a little silk package for future storage!

That's right! Liam's Amber Teething Necklace came today!!! SURPRISE!! So, I am using the necklace as a "At Times of Desperation: Payday Friday" as that's what this purchase was for me. I am just so desperate for Liam to be comfortable and happy again that I am willing to try anything! Keep in mind that, at this time, I do NOT know if this is going to work for Liam. It has been on him for about 5 hours as of now.

Whether it works specifically for Liam or not, it has helped thousands upon thousands of Moms and kiddos around the world and throughout history. So, welcome to Payday Friday:

Baltic Amber Teething Necklaces

The theory behind these necklaces boils down to two basic theories. Both theories begin with the necklace being worn against the skin and they both end with a happier baby! Theory number one is that when the skin brings the amber up to body temperature the amber begins to release miniscule amounts of healing oils which are then absorbed by the skin and eventually absorbed into the bloodstream. These healing oils permeate throughout the body and make baby more comfortable all over. The second theory is based on scientific studies which show that amber is electromagnetically alive and that it produces scientifically significant amounts of purely natural energy. This energy is used by the body to help boost the immune system which helps baby all over as well!

One thing is for sure, the best of the best teething necklaces are made of Baltic Amber. This is because Baltic Amber is known to contain the highest levels of Succinic Acid which is scientifically proven to reduce inflammation, stimulate the thyroid glands (this helps with drooling), accelerate the immune system's natural ability to heal wounds, and reduce inflammation in the ears, throat, stomach, and respiratory system. At this moment there is no medication known to man that can do all of these things without drastic side effects and amber has no known side effects (unless you have an allergy of course!).

There are obvious risks with any child wearing a necklace. The necklace is only meant to be worn while supervised so as to eliminate chocking hazards. Some children may have an allergy to Amber so for the first 2 days that the necklace is worn, you need to watch your child's skin very closely. Every company that makes the necklaces advises that the necklace be rinsed frequently with clean, non-chlorine water. They then ask that you dry the amber immediately (bead by bead) and only place the necklace back around your child's neck once it is completely dry. The necklace can be worn around the neck (it should be worn against the skin so under clothing is best if it's around the neck), around an ankle or around a wrist. From my personal experience with the necklace, around the neck is easiest when it comes to Liam forgetting that it's on his body. Around the wrist or ankle, he is constantly pulling at it and it is frequently getting caught on things. Liam's necklace has been on for around 5 hours and he has completely and utterly forgotten about it.

I look forward to seeing if this necklace is a help or a hindrance to our teething cause and I will keep you updated when a final decision is made! Meanwhile, here are some super adorable pictures of Liam wearing his new Amber Teething Necklace!

Before I put it under his shirt

Peeking out from under the onesie!

So what do you all think? How to you feel about natural remedies vs medication? What have your personal experiences taught you? Any personal experiences with Amber or the teething necklaces in particular?

Thanks for swinging by! I've got another great one in the works so stay tuned!

Caption Contest: Results!/Weekend with Bug

Dear Monster,

   You had such a fun weekend with your Grandma! She is one of your absolute favorite people. You laugh, play, and hardly ever fuss with her. You're a huge fan of her curly red hair and you love crawling all over her (just like you do with Daddy)! I can't wait for you to start spending a couple weeks of the summer up at her house just playing and enjoying her house. You guys have such an amazing future ahead of you!
~~~

It's results time ladies and gentlemen! Sean and I had such a hard time picking just one caption for each picture! We have brilliant friends and family members! Thank you guys for participating and I am already planning my upcoming contests so you guys will have many more opportunities to win!!

Our winners are: 

Photo 1: Alyssa 

Photo 2: Gabe

Photo 3: Gabe

Thank you all so much for participating! I will be contacting the winners within the next 24hrs regarding your prizes!

 While I was awaiting everyone's captions I was able to kick back and relax! It was so nice! No extra work obligations and Liam was kind to his father and I by keeping his fussy moments to a minimum. We also had a visit from Liam's Grandma Fouse (my Mom)! I love visits from my Mom! She lives a ways away from our home so she usually comes by once or twice a month. We are able to chat about work, work on crafty things and be creative, and bargain hunting is usually part of her visit. Liam is always happy to see his Grandma so it's nice to let Grandma and Grandson bond while Sean and I work around the house or run some errands without worrying about feeding schedules, heat exhaustion, binky locations, etc. For this visit, Grandma brought up a turtle sandbox with a cover that we converted into a kiddy pool. So, this last weekend, Liam had his first pool experience! He was a little iffy about it. He's use to being in his duck bath with warm water so being in a bigger area full of luke warm water threw him for a loop. He started playing eventually but he started getting chilly so we had to cut it short. I think next time will be much better!

While my Mom was out this weekend, we went bargain hunting for a padded storage ottoman as we recently had to nix our wooden coffee table. We were unsuccessful on that front but we did find some decorations for Liam's first birthday party and a '57 Chevy toy car that Liam LOVES riding in! It's missing a headlight but it was only $10 and it works 100% fine otherwise. HUZZAH for Goodwill finds! Sean and I were just talking about getting a car for Liam to ride around in and were shocked when we went to a couple of stores and the cheapest ones were sitting around $150! Whew! Not on our budget! So, even though we didn't achieve our initial goal, we were successful in the end!

Liam also had his "9 month" WCC this last weekend. He is a happy healthy little boy, according to his pediatrician. He is no longer being measured on the Premature Weight Chart which is an amazing step for our little monster. They moved him up to the "Low Birth Weight" Chart (the last chart before we move to the normal percentile chart) and he is sitting in the 20th percentile on that one! He is growing and developing so so fast! As you know, Liam is currently in Physical Therapy to ensure that he catches up with his true age eventually. During his most recent appointment we were ecstatic to find out that Liam is incredibly close to being discharged from Physical Therapy! Once he starts walking he is out! How insane is that? We're so stinking proud of our little kiddo. He is just plowing through his developmental stages! I can't wait to see what's next for him!

I will be documenting Liam's upcoming surgery and posting about it once he is completely recovered. That surgery will be his last remaining step on his road to catching up! His procedure is scheduled for August 14th. It's gonna be a doosey. He'll be under anesthesia for an hour and a half and his recovery will be over one week. I'll do a pre, during, and post blog for those stage of our lives as they happen.

Until then, here are some catch up pictures from last weekend!

 That's it for me today folks! Again, thank you to all of the participants in the contest and CONGRATULATIONS to the winners!

How was your weekend? Any great deals on any purchases? Any fun visitors?

Caption Contest

Dear Monster,

   You are so much fun to take pictures of. I'm pretty sure I've said this before but it's just so true! You're a little ham in front of the camera. You make your Dad and I laugh everyday and I can't wait to show you all of your baby pictures once you're older!
~~~

Hello hello readers! The last couple of weeks have been full of me planning Liam's first birthday, working, family visits, doctor appointments, and a few brief moments of peaceful family time. In that time, Liam has been doing some big time developmental jumping! He's now pulling to stand on anything that has a ledge and today he was creeping along the edge of the couch while holding onto the cushions! This is all very exciting but now that he can pull to stand it is all he wants to do! Even if he is exhausted and cries the entire time he is standing! This new stage is particularly fun when it's time to take a nap or go to bed and all he will do is stand. *sigh* Needless to say, the bed in his crib was recently dropped to it's lowest level and we've had a couple of Cry It Out nights. Along with pulling to stand, he's crawling like a champ, he's getting into every single little thing that we don't want him to, and he's teething again! We've had to move or just plain remove some of the objects in our living room due to head bonks and curious hands, and he is definitely figuring out what "No!" means when it comes to the furniture and objects that are left. Since we're getting to what Sean and I call the "actual" parenting stage, which can start to wear on parents, we try to make an extra effort to remember that with all of the difficult changes and developments come fun new things too! Things like Stage 3 foods, newer and bigger toys, and the rush we get each time we see a gleam of his budding personality are what get us through teething, general grumpiness, and sick days. He is, more often than not, an amazing little kiddo though.

As you can imagine, we have been going a little bit crazy with pictures. We already have something like 800 pictures just from 2012! But it is this gluttony of pictures that brings me to today's contest blog! The prize will be pretty simple, as it is my first contest blog, but a win is a win!

Here's The Deal:

I am going to post 3 pictures on this blog that I have just not been able to come up with captions for. Go ahead and leave a comment on this blog with your recommendations for the captions.

For each picture that Sean and I chose your caption you will receive a $5 gift card to the location of your choice (provided the location you chose actually has gift cards). You could win as much as $15 or as little as nothing so make sure you're offering your very best captions!

You will have ONE WEEK to leave your captions. Next Tuesday Sean and I will decide the winners for each picture and send out the gift cards.

Make sure to include the gift card location you would like in your comment!

Please note: I will contact you directly for mailing information! Please only post your email address as your contact information! No addresses or phone numbers should be posted publicly!!

Ready???

GO!

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

If I knew then...

Dear Monster,

   Someday, I am going to look at you and have a sudden and heart breaking realization that you are an adult and you don't need me to give hugs every day, kiss boo-bos, cut meat, or explain how the world works. I hope that I am strong enough to truly understand this moment. I hope I am strong enough to tell you that you are an amazing human being, kiss your cheek, and send you on your way. One thing I can GUARANTEE is that, even if I am strong enough to do those things in front of you, I am going to cry like a baby the minute your back is turned. I love you, Son.
~~~

Hello again readers! Sorry for the laps in the blogs but, man, it has been a rough couple of weeks. I had a couple of weeks that sent me into overtime at work, a presentation due for my Leadership Development Team at work, we helped celebrate Mr. Jonah (from In the Land of Lou)'s first birthday (though we had to leave early which just about killed us), I visited my Mom while she was evacuated from her home due to fires, and I just HAD to enjoy some mommy/wife time. ;) Life has definitely been pretty intense lately but, believe it or not, I wouldn't wish it any other way.

Developments for our little Monster have been coming rapidly lately. He's mobile now! He is crawling like it is his JOB! We have chosen to not "baby proof" our home. After discussing it with several parents, we think it will be easier to teach Liam that it is not okay to touch certain things and why. Putting locks and blocks up is PERFECTLY okay but we began to wonder what would happen if we went to a friend's home and they had no reason to baby proof their home. How would we protect Liam then? We think it best to help Liam just avoid the situations in general, on his own. It has been difficult and we have a long road ahead of us, but we think it is the best option for our family. On top of crawling, Liam has started babbling in a way that sounds like a drunk mumbling a sentence. We're pretty sure that his first word will be "DaDa". He loves his Daddy so stinking much! He is eating stage 3 foods now. (For those of you that don't have to know why stage 1 and stage 3 are so different: stage 3 foods are more chunky. ;) He is pulling to stand, which is insane. Watching him go from laying down to standing just completely fascinates me! We still have only 2 teeth but we're pretty sure our top two teeth will be coming in soon. Want a few photo updates? Of course you do!

Digging paper out of Liam's mouth

He loves his papa

Making a mess of Daddy's movies

Rare and wonderful cuddle time

Standing with his drum

Pig face in the pack and play ;)

Getting kisses from the puppy

So, now that our update is all done, it's time to get serious. The reason for my blog tonight hails back to a few weeks ago when I had some guest bloggers on discussing adulthood and some of the things that they wish they have known back in the day. I've had several requests regarding my version of the guest blogs so I figured I should probably deliver on my side of the bargain. ;)

I'll start with the moment I KNEW I was an adult. I guess the answer to this is that I still don't, technically, feel like I am an adult. I have bought and sold a home, bought and sold several cars, gotten married, moved to the "big city", chosen my career, given birth to a child, and made any number of "adult" decisions but... I just don't quite feel like I'm there yet. I still have my immature moments, I still need others to hold me up at times, I still panic when I think my closest friends are upset with me, I laugh at fart jokes, I play video games, and I am totally okay with explaining away "lazy days". I have been through some of the most difficult things life would dare to throw at someone and came out okay in the end. I have found my own answers to many of life's "big questions" and I am comfortable with who I am have become and who I will be in the future. However, as I look around, I realize that I have so many wonderful and strong examples of adult women around me that I don't feel like I am quite there yet. I think I have more to learn and I know that I have a lot of growing to do. I'm okay with saying that I am maturing but I am, in no way, a full blown adult... yet. I don't know what my mile markers are or will be for actually BECOMING an adult, but I think I'll know when it happens. And, believe me, you'll be the first to know.


When it comes to my 10 "If I Knew Then What I Know Now" statements...whew...these were rough. How do you pick only 10?? I would go back and tell my younger self so very many things. I can't even count them. Bah! So, for better or worse, here is my list:

1. If I Knew Then What I Know Now, I would have asked my aunt to reschedule her surgery.

2. If I Knew Then What I Know Now, I would have gone to Bel-Rae, gotten my CVT, and just been done with it.

3. If I Knew Then What I Know Now, I would have had my uterus tested further before attempting to have a child. (Not that I wouldn't have still tried but it might have gone differently for everyone)

4. If I Knew Then What I Know Now, I wouldn't have fought my Mom so much about moving to Colorado. I made her life miserable for SO long. I miss my friends and life in Washington, but things are pretty amazing now.

5. If I Knew Then What I Know Now, I would never ever ever ever ever talk to a certain someone about relationships PERIOD. Everyone else's life is not my business. I have this horrible drive to help people and hold their hand through rough moments but I need to just stop.

6. If I Knew Then What I Know Now, I would have started watching Parks and Recreation sooner. (This is a lame one but I really do love this show and I judged it too soon!)

7. If I Knew Then What I Know Now, I might have thought a third time before moving to Denver. We were so overwhelmed by so very many things and moving seemed like the best choice. I don't know that I would have changed anything, and I'm not saying that we didn't thoroughly think every possible thing through, but I would have sat down for maybe another hour or so to think about it......just in case.

8. If I Knew Then What I Know Now, I would have just TALKED to my husband. So many of our marital troubles could have been completely avoided if I had just talked to Sean. How ridiculous is that?

9. If I Knew Then What I Know Now, I would have rented a vehicle to go to freaking Indiana in the middle of the freaking summer. *sigh* So damn hot!

10. If I Knew Then What I Know Now, I don't know that I would change a damn thing. My life is pretty amazing right now and I don't know if it would have turned out this way if I hadn't gone through each and every single moment of it. I just don't know....

So, there is my list. I'd love to hear your lists and, while you're at it, when did you know you were an adult?? What momentous milestones have defined your life? Tell me all about it! I can't wait to hear from you!