1-1-13 update

Morning weight: 164.6 lbs

• This is less than my pre-pregnancy weight, which is AWESOME. However, jiggly baby fat remains around the middle region, which is what I want to get rid of the most!

Breakfast: None. We didn't get out of bed until after 10 today. Haha!

Lunch: Whole Wheat Bagel with one egg, a slice of sharp cheddar cheese, one slice of bacon and 2 slices of avocado. One Zrii Achieve Protein Shake.

Snack: Zrii Amalaki, Zrii Accell mixed with 16 oz water, glass of grape juice.

Dinner: Black bean, corn, and cheese quesadilla on homemade tortillas with mexican rice and pineapple with a cup of milk.

Exercise:

• Nothing really today. I spent about 45 minutes cleaning, including 10 minutes of vacuuming and about 10 minutes of dancing. Haha!

2013

New Years Day.
A day full of overly ambitious resolutions and "fresh starts" which last about a week.
I'll admit, i've been there many times before. Setting huge goals  with high hopes and then they are dead and gone within the month.
Not this year.
I am SO determined to not let that happen this year.
So without further ado, here are my New Year's Resolutions:

• Lose 10 lbs by March 1st.
• This goal is part of a higher one to lose 35 lbs by the end of the year, but starting with just 10 is much more reasonable and attainable.
• I will post DAILY updates on my blog here about my progress including my starting weight in the morning, what I ate during the day, and what type of exercise I was able to do. The daily updates are NOT a resolution, so if they don't always happen, I won't feel guilty. It will just be a tool in helping aid my weight loss.

• Limit fast food intake to once a month
• As much as I would love to eliminate fast food altogether, it is just not a reality right now. I have got to start small if I want to accomplish bigger things.
• I describe fast food as establishments with a drive-thru. Sit-down restaurants are still permitted, but since we can't afford sit-down restaurants very often, this doesn't really worry me. 
• I haven't decided yet whether I want to count delivery pizza as fast food. ;)

• Attend the temple with Brad at least once a month
• This goal might not seem that difficult, but with two little kids and no money to pay for babysitters, it IS difficult. I will do my best to utilize the times when my parents are in town and to make friends with people in the neighborhood who will be willing to watch my children for free. 

• Take ONE 3-credit college course through BYU Independant Study and receive an A
• One college course probably seems like a tiny goal to many of you, but not when you are poor. With our new home/mortgage, finally having to pay for our own cell phones, higher utility bills, car payment, etc. . . there is no way we could afford for me to go back to school on Brad's income alone. A 3 credit course through BYU Independant Study costs $360 and that is just not doable for us at the moment. Because my education isn't really a priority at the moment, I will need to accomplish this on my own. I will need to find ways to earn and save my own money. I will be much more diligent at my survey sites and online communities. I will sell personal items online and possibly have another yard sale this summer. I will look for babysitting jobs in the area. I will find a way to make this happen!
• I also MUST get an A in the class. I always had great grades in high school, and then terrible grades in college. I need to fix that. 

• Post on my cooking blog at least once a week
• I have a new kitchen that is large and beautiful, I will be cooking at home MUCH more with my limit on fast food- I have NO excuse why I can't post at least one recipe or cooking tip/tutorial on my blog at least once a week. I really enjoy posting on there, but my motivation has been lacking. First up this week, Easy Mexican Rice. 

Good luck to me! Once a month I will try to remember and post an update on my goals and my progress for each of them.  I wish everyone else the best of luck in accomplishing their own resolutions this year! Happy 2013!

The Year Without A Santa Clause

Did you know that we don't do Santa Clause around here? It's something I kind of decided that first Christmas with Katie 2 years ago. Brad probably thinks i'm crazy. Most people think i'm crazy.
But why?
Why is Santa Clause so important?
Some say it's because he IS the spirit of Christmas and that he teaches our children about giving.
Doesn't Christ do the SAME thing? And Christ is actually REAL! He is the true reason for the season and I chose to make Him the focus of our Christmas celebrations each year.
I don't knock anyone else for doing Santa Clause, of course. Different strokes for different folks. :)
In light of the Christmas season, i've truly been making an effort to be more giving and Christlike. To put him at the center. I've just returned from Salt Lake City, where I dropped off an enormous bag of donations to a needy family. The father is out of work, the mother is sick, one of their children has down syndrome, and they speak very little English. I decided last month to sponsor this family for Christmas. My original plan was to have people at Brad's work pitch in, but none of them seemed really interested, sadly. So it was me. Alone. I went black friday shopping a few weeks ago, not for myself or my own family, but to buy blankets, pillows, towels, and pajamas for this sweet family. I gathered up toiletries from my couponing stockpile, and I drove it all up to Salt Lake this afternoon. I will tell you right now, nothing feels better than serving others. THIS is what Christmas should feel like. Not stressed about travel and decorations and getting the right gifts and watching your bank account deplete.
So what if our children won't be getting all the latest toys and gizmos? There is a family out there who will be a little warmer this Christmas. Who can feel a little less worried about their family.
Later today, a woman is stopping by my house to pick up more donations from me. I LOVE that I have been able to coupon and build up a supply of extra things. There is a sweet family here in West Jordan who's home burned down and they were left with nothing. While it's a little harder for me to donate clothes or furniture, this family will have their weight in shampoo, conditioner, cleaning products, toothpaste and soap this Christmas!

I don't want this post to be braggy. I don't feel prideful. I just feel happy. And I want YOU to feel happy. PLEASE, find one family or person that YOU can help this Christmas. The economy is though. I know. But you have a roof over your head. Food on your table. You might even already have presents under the tree. Not everyone is so lucky.

Suggestions:
If you aren't sure how you can help, here are some simple ideas.
- Gather up gently used clothes that you never wear anymore. Drive to your local church, or ANY church for that matter. Tell them you have some clothes that you would like to go to a family in need. I guarantee they will know someone who can use them.
- Find an old coat that you never wear, or buy one from goodwill. Hand it to someone who is homeless.
- You can even grab that extra box of crackers in your pantry and hand it to someone holding a sign on the side of the road.
- Search Facebook! I am part of a group called "West Jordan Angels." People can nominate needy families in their area and other people can donate to that family.
- Buy a few cans of corn at the grocery store. Immediately drop them off in the Food Bank bins.
- Next time you hear a story on the news about a family who is experiencing a tragedy, and that they have a fund set up at a local bank or grocery store, actually donate to that fund!
- Drop your extra change in the little box at McDonald's for the Ronald McDonald House.
- Smile at those less fortunate. Wish them a Merry Christmas. Include them in your prayers. 

Unlike the stories, Santa Clause does not visit every house. He does not give toys to every child, rich or poor. WE can fill in the gaps.

Now go out there and do some good this Holiday season!

12 weeks

(I want to share some pictures on here so badly but it's telling me that i've used up all my free photo space! What the heck?)


My baby boy is just about 12 weeks old and i'm in disbelief! He is growing up SO fast! I wanted to take some time to post a little bit about this sweet boy of mine and how amazing he is!

Nolan is over 15 lbs now. He has already outgrown all 0-3 month size clothing and much of his 3-6 months clothes! Big boy!
He is such a happy little baby and loves to share his smiles with you.
He loves to sit and look out of our big front window.
He LOVESSSS when you sing to him. Smiles and giggles the whole time.
Nolan is also very ticklish. It's hilarious! We love his laughs and squeals.
He sleeps SO GREAT. 7, 8, or even 9 hours at a time! After Katie, I didn't really believe that any baby ever slept longer than 3 or 4 hours, but then Nolan came along! Boy loves his sleep.
He definitely loves his momma. Sorry everyone. He is mommy's little boy!
He has such a sweet disposition and personality. Everyone can't help but comment on what a good baby he is. Katie was a good baby too, so. . . nature vs. nurture, you decide. :p
He loves to stand up or sit up, and to be facing outward so he can see everything.
So far, he doesn't really like the bouncy seat but the bumbo is a winner.

Katie LOVES him, although she gets a little bugged when he "hits" or "kicks" her. We try to explain that he can't help it but she still gets annoyed. For the most part though, she is absolutely in love with her little brother. I always have to tell people this, so sorry if you've heard it, but it's such a sweet story! Sometimes, Nolan will be upstairs napping or with Brad and Katie and I will be downstairs. We'll hear Nolan start to cry and Katie will drop whatever she is doing and run to the stairs calling "I coming Nolan! I coming!" It melts my heart how much she wants him to be comfortable and happy and have everything he needs.

My heart is just full of love for my little family and the amazing blessing that they are to me. Though they can't fully understand yet, I tell both Katie and Nolan everyday how thankful I am for them and for Heavenly Father allowing me to raise them. I tell them how much I love them and how much their Father in heaven and Jesus Christ love them and that I am so lucky that I get to be their momma. I really am so lucky.

For pictures, check Facebook because I can't figure out how to get pictures on here! :(

Nolan James Odasso

The birth story. It's a little long. Sorry!    

     I believe it started on Wednesday, the 5th. I was one week "overdue" (I use quotes around the word overdue because babies are not phone bills or car insurance payments. They come when they are good and ready). I had had my membranes stripped the day before and now I started having a few contractions! While mommy brain has already erased some details, I do know that there were a few, though not really consistent. Thursday, they were coming often enough for me to write them down. Every ten minutes for a few hours. Then every FIVE minutes for a few hours. Then I went to sleep and poof! Gone. Friday, on and off. Saturday, on and off. I was able to convince Brad to take me to the state fair, where they started coming every 5 minutes again. Woo! They slowed down after leaving the fair, which left me feeling pretty discouraged, but as the night wore on, they continued, even if still half an hour apart. At some point, I fell asleep and I remember waking up at least twice to breathe my way through a contraction. Again, not very close together. But then, something crazy happened. Right around 3:30, I SHOT out of bed with a painful contraction! Exactly 5 minutes later, another painful one. I stood next to the bed, leaning over onto it to breathe my way through it. I think I might have gone to the bathroom after that and the next contraction hit only 4 minutes after the previous. Another one that wasn't too bad yet. But the next one was only 3 minutes away. They were moving fast! The next was another 3 minutes and this time I dropped to my knees in pain. Now they were every 3 minutes and I couldn't even stand during them. Breathing was getting difficult. I had Brad call the student midwife, who said she would call us back. I'm not sure she grasped that this was it! I knew it was progressing WAY fast and we needed to get moving! I texted my sister-in-law, Jenna, to let her know it was time. She had asked if she could be there for the birth and I was happy to say yes! (although she might be forever traumatized now. Lol!). At that point it was just about 4:30 in the morning on Sunday. Brad woke up my parents so that they could get ready. My mom was coming with us and my dad was going to stay here with Katie until after the baby was born. And then, we waited. And waited. It felt like forever waiting for the midwife to call back, although it'd only been about 15 minutes. I decided that we couldn't wait any longer and that we needed to get moving. My contractions had been getting worse and worse and were now 2 minutes apart. The drive to the birth center takes half an hour, though at 4:50 in the morning, I think we got there in 20-25. The car ride was AWFUL. Contractions every 1-2 minutes and sitting was so painful. I found myself on my knees on the floor in front of my seat, with my upper body laying across the dashboard, just in so much pain. As we were driving, I went ahead and called the student midwife again and told her that my contractions were 1-2 minutes apart and very painful. She apologized for not getting back to me yet because another baby had just been born at the center. She went to check with the midwife on call to make sure I could come in (too bad, i'm already on my way!) and then she said that I could. Anyway, we arrived and the next hour was just pure pain, basically. All I wanted to do was get in that big, warm bathtub, but the midwives had me in a hands and knees position to help my cervix dilate more.

I wish I could describe the pain, but you probably wouldn't want to even hear it. Mostly, it just feels like the worst way to die. A few times I got off the bed and squatted on the floor instead because that was MUCH more comfortable. One of those times my water broke, which was actually pretty awesome. I didn't see that when I had Katie, so it was exciting to see that my body was doing what it needed to and that the time was pretty close! Finally, the midwives consented to letting me get in the tub!

 It was a little annoying when they asked "do you want a water birth?" because I was pretty sure I had mentioned that a few times before! Anyway, after reading online about water births, I was honestly expecting a little more pain relief than I got. It did feel nice, but not much was going to ease my pain! The one wonderful thing about it, however, was that I could move so easily! I was able to get into different positions so much easier with the water supporting my weight. It was awesome. At this point, it was probably around 6 in the morning and I had a number of contractions before I decided that I was going to just start pushing. I'm not sure I felt like my body was telling me to push yet, but I was going to push anyway. This needed to end! I told the midwives that I was going to start pushing and then it started. The screaming. Holy moly, the screaming. I swear, Brad, my mom, Jenna, the midwives, and the poor new mother in the other room are probably all traumatized now. The main midwife was very helpful though in telling me to keep that energy in (by energy, she meant the screaming, haha!) and to focus it all on pushing. While it was very hard to keep myself from screaming anymore, being quiet and just focusing really, really helped. At one point I asked, "is that the head?!" because I could just feel his head in there. It was so incredible to be able to actually feel what was going on, to feel that I was actually moving this baby out with each push. I knew what my body was doing and what I needed to do to help it. After 14 minutes, I felt his little head pop out and one more push brought out the shoulders and the rest of this tiny baby. I grabbed his little body under the water and pulled him up to me and it was just incredible. Here he was! 6:37 a.m. 3 hours of labor. I did this! (Did I mention that during labor, I must have said the words "I can't do this" about a hundred times?)

     I held him close while they rubbed him down a bit. After a while, I pushed out the placenta, which was so neat. I didn't get to see it, or even the umbilical cord, after Katie was born. Once the cord stopped pulsing (pumping the remainder of his blood from the placenta back into his body), they clamped it off and Brad cut it. And then we just cuddled in the tub for a while, mommy and baby.

 I nursed him for a little bit and eventually we got out of the tub to go lay in bed. Lots more cuddling and one big nursing session. My dad showed up with Katie, though being woken up at 6:30 in the morning, she wasn't very interested in him.

 Brad brought me some juice and some cereal and the grandparents bonded with little Nolan for a bit. The midwives came to stitch me up at some point and help me to the bathroom. Then they weighed him, 8 lbs, 10 oz, and took all his other measurements- length, head circumference and all the other baby body circumferences. They checked out all his little body parts and made sure everything was ok. The student told me that he was very symmetrical. I think it was around 9 o'clock at this point, Jenna had left earlier and my parents and Katie had left, and the midwives did the most wonderful thing. They also left. Haha! Not that they weren't great, but they told Brad and I to take a nap. So with little Nolan between us, we all took a nice 2 1/2 hour nap. No hospital beeps. No nurses coming in to poke and prod me and Nolan. No doctors and people randomly walking in to do things. Just peace and quiet on a Sunday morning.

     When everything is healthy and looking great, you don't stay at the birth center very long. Our check-out time was 1:15 that same afternoon, which was just fine with me. I absolutely hated being held at the hospital for so long with Katie. I'd had her at 5:30 in the morning on a Friday and they kept me there until noon the next day! All I wanted was to be home and start enjoying my new family. To take a shower in my own bathroom and eat my own food and just relax in my own bed. Anyway, we woke up around noon and one of the helpers at the birth center brought us some lunch. I think it was around 12:45 when we decided we were ready to leave, so we did. We just packed up our things, brought our dishes down to the kitchen, and came home. It was awesome.

     Since then, things have been great. Nolan is so wonderful and I can't stop staring at his sweet little face. Breastfeeding has been a little bit of a challenge, but nothing I can't push through. I just make WAY more milk than he can handle right now, and he also burps and spits up which honestly is something we didn't really experience with Katie. He does love to eat though and has gained almost 4 ounces in less than a week! Katie loves him and I found myself in tears yesterday watching her hold his hand and give him kisses. It is rough going from 1 to 2, especially when it comes to getting them in and out of the car by myself, but oh goodness, I love my little family. I love my husband Brad for all of his loving support and for being so strong for me while I was in labor. I know it was a scary and heartbreaking experience for him to see me so vulnerable and in so much pain. For being patient with me as the "baby blues" hit really strongly and I found myself crying all day about being overwhelmed and my "failures" as a mother. For reassuring me and changing diapers in the middle of the night. I love my children, for the amazing spirits they have and for allowing me to love them so much. I'm so grateful that Katie loves her little brother and is so willing to help me in any way she can. I'm thankful that i've been blessed with little Nolan and his sweet smiles and silly faces and soft, squishy body that I just love to cuddle all day long. I am just a woman in love with my little family. I can't get enough of them! Despite the struggles and pains and sleepiness, I want to thank my Heavenly Father for this family that I have been blessed with, and for my ability to love them so much. My heart is full. Thank you.

Cleaning Queen

I just wanted to talk about my big little helper for just a bit here.
Mostly, I just want to make sure I have a written record of a time when she actually liked to clean and help me out with chores. :)

Sorry there are no pictures. :(

Let me say that Katie LOVES to clean. I really do not know where she gets it from. I am not a clean person. I really am not. I don't know how many people actually know this fact, but I truly am a slob. Brad is a clean person, but he does not enjoy cleaning. He doesn't go out of his way TO clean. He just doesn't really do much to warrant cleaning. Can't make much of a mess going to work and then playing computer games all night. ;)

If Katie sees me cleaning anything, she immediately runs over, says "keen!" (clean) and searches for some way to help. Here is my list of what my 2 year old absolutely loves helping with:

Dishes
Although she can't put away most of the dishes in the dishwasher, she really enjoys helping with what she can. She is allowed to put away the silverware (though I have to reorganize the drawer afterwards), the cooking utensils (nothing sharp of course), pots, pans, and lids. She stands next to the dishwasher and dutifully waits for me to hand her the next item to be put away.

Setting the Table
This is probably her second favorite chore ever! And it's probably my first favorite one that she does. I love that I can finish cooking dinner while Katie puts everything we need on the table! She runs into the kitchen and I hand her items one at a time to be put on the table- plates, utensils, salt and pepper shakers, cups, napkins,  juice (if it's not too heavy), and various food items that are not too heavy and ready to go, like a bowl of salad or a plate of sliced fruit or something. Brad often helps her out in putting things in the right places, like putting her plastics plate/cup by her high chair and putting mommy's and daddy's plates by our respective chairs. I also want to mention that sometimes she acts like a puppy while she is setting the table. It's pretty hilarious.

Laundry
Katie is very good about picking up her dirty clothes and putting them in her hamper. She is also great at handing me things from her hamper to put in the wash, and them later putting them in the dryer. I've started hang-drying almost all of our clothes now, and Katie loves to help hang things up. We're still working on the folding part. She is much more of a destroy-that-pile-of-clothes-mommy-just-folded kind of person.

Cooking
Oh my, this girl loves to cook! If i'm in the kitchen and doing anything that looks even remotely interesting, she yells "cooking!" and pulls a dining room chair up to the counter so she can help. Adding ingredients to a bowl is her favorite part. I let her dump in the flour/sugar/eggs/vanilla/whatever else is needed for a recipe. The only downside is that every once in a while, she discovers that one of the ingredients tastes good all by itself. She was helping to make chocolate chip cookies a while ago and when I asked her to pour in the chocolate chips, she instead ate a few, grabbed the bag, and walked into the living room to eat them. Haha! She also likes to help stir, though she gets tired of it pretty quickly. Even the simplest tasks she enjoys though, like setting something in the microwave or rinsing fruits in the sink.

Sweeping/Dusting
I have a little swiffer duster that is specifically for Katie. She takes it and dusts random things for me. She never really accomplishes much, but she enjoys pretending. She also likes to try and "seep" (sweep) with the broom. It's a pretty long broom, so she has a rough time with it. Instead, I usually try to give her one of those small broom and dustpan combos. I hold down the dustpan while she sweeps big crumbs into it.

Actual Cleaning
There is no cleaning task Katie loves more than having a spray bottle in her hand, spraying something, and then wiping it down with a paper towel. With heavy supervision, she is sometimes allowed to wield an actual cleaner and spray things like the toilet or the sliding glass door, but usually I fill up a small spray bottle with water or give her my little spray bottle that is filled with vinegar that I use for cleaning most things. She does tend to over-spray however, getting a little too trigger happy with those spray bottles. After the item is thoroughly soaked, she grabs her paper towel and wipes it down. For little messes, I hand her baby wipes to use instead.

Misc.
- Whenever we get home, I remind her to take off her shoes and after doing so, she immediately puts them on the shoe rack by the door, without being asked. Katie is much better at this than Brad. :)
- For some crazy reason, she enjoys throwing things away in the trash can. When I hand her a piece of trash and ask her to throw it away, she actually takes it and says "thanks!"
- Though this doesn't happen all the time, Katie is pretty good about picking up her toys without being asked to do so. Many times, she will finish playing with something and just put all the pieces away where they belong. It's pretty awesome when this happens. When she forgets, a couple of gentle reminders will prompt her to pick up her toys before she gets anything else out.
-She also enjoys putting away the groceries, putting the cats outside, trying to clean the litter box (I say trying because I do NOT let her do this, but she tries very hard to be sneaky and scoop that poop. Time-outs are more often than not related to Katie attempting to clean the litter box), closing doors, flushing toilets, turning lights on and off, and picking couch pillows up off the floor.


Of course, this post wouldn't be complete without saying the most common thing she does around the house. Or really, the most common thing any 2 year old does around the house, and that is to make as big a mess as possible each and every day. :D

Independance Day

I never did post about our 4th of July, did I?
Well, better late than never!
I'll be brief and post some pictures. :)


We were able to go up to my parent's house in Idaho Falls (they retired last year, sold their house in Cali, and are renting in Idaho for now). We've spent the last 3 July 4th's with them, so it was nice that they live much closer now.

What's more all-American than an orange push-pop?

Yum! While we were there, we also got to see my old neighbors from growing up, the DeJongs! They had come up for vacation and their son and his wife live in Rexburg.

So, Katie has worn this onesie for the last THREE Independance days! Crazy, right? Her first she was just 3 weeks old and my sisters' girls were decorating shirts. Katie's cousin Peyton was getting a onesie decorated and it was a size 18 months. My sister Marci used one of the extra 18 month size onesies to make one for Katie. It was pretty large on her little 3 week old body! Then last year, it fit her almost perfectly, though it was still a little big. She was still in a 12 month size. This year, she was too big for it, but I used a onesie extender to snap onto the bottom so she could still wear it. I'm thinking next year i'll have to somehow cut it up and make it into a shirt or something. :)

After burgers and hot dogs at the house, we headed out to wait for the Fireworks show. The Meleleuca Fireworks Show in Idaho Falls is AMAZING. If you ever get the chance to see it, you should go! My parents had parked the RV much earlier in the day to secure a spot for us to watch.

 Katie was waiting very patiently for the fireworks for a while, but then she got bored and just wanted to run around in the fields.

She noticed daddy sitting on top of the RV and wanted to join him. I know, not so safe. Daddy's are just crazy sometimes. I kept telling Brad to get farther away from the edge.

We stayed up there for a couple of extra days, hanging out with my family. We went by the river to feed the geese and ducks twice.

 Katie loved them!

Yes, that is Cap'n Crunch. Haha! I guess My little sister's husband has bought the generic kind and didn't like it at all, so we thought the geese might. They didn't really. Lol!

Overall a fun trip. It always makes me miss Idaho even more when we go up to visit. It was even harder to leave this time though, because it was the last time i'll see my brother, and his new wife, for a LONG time i'm sure. They moved up to Alaska just a week later. Sad day.

Anyway, good thing Idaho Falls is only 3 1/2 hours away!