Home....for a few days.

So, we got home last night from our mini-vaca to Ohio. We drove the 7 hours out there on Wednesday. We got there early evening, had dinner, and just hung out with family. I stayed at the house with Karissa so she could go to bed as the others went for ice cream. There is a place they took us to the last time we were out there that do homemade ice cream...reminds me of King's (our fave place here). They did bring me a brownie sundae back...it was really good, but I was somewhat good and only ate half of it and shared the other half with my...cousin? (It's a long story how we are related lol. Kim is my mom's cousin. Cheryl is his wife and Joel is their son...but Dave and I started calling them Uncle Kim and Aunt Cheryl and refer to Joel as our cousin because that's more like how it seems.) Okay...enough rambling. Thursday Joel had off work so he and Dave went golfing. Dave won this time, but Joel won the last time we were out there so next time there will be a rematch. :) Uncle Kim, Aunt Cheryl, my mom, Karissa, and I went to the Akron Zoo. It was less than $10 to get in (my Aunt Cheryl is the coupon queen...even gave Dave and Joel golf coupons) and it had a lot of stuff that our local free zoo doesn't have - penguins, lions, tigers, a jellyfish exhibit, etc. Karissa had a lot of fun and she got the animals to make noises at her. As we were watching the Galapagos Tortoises, she was talking to them and all of the sudden the one looked at her and hissed really loud. She thought it was interesting, but needless to say, she and I stepped a little further back from the fence. lol Then as we were walking through the petting zoo part, it was really quiet and all of the sudden this one sheep did it's "baaaaaa" really loud while looking at her and got the rest of the sheep going. We had fun. Friday was Cedar Point day. We LOVE Cedar Point. If you don't know what it is or have never heard of it, where have you been?! lol It has the most coasters at one park. I lost count how many...they had 12 when I was in high school, but they've had several new ones since then. Plus, it's on a penninsula on Lake Erie so all around is water. Our favorites are Top Thrill Dragster (shoots you out at like 120mph and straight up 400-some feet and straight down) and Millenium Force which is 100 feet shorter and not as fast, but longer and right by the water so as you go up the hill it looks like you are right above the water. Karissa liked the space needle ride, the Sky Ride, the carousel, the kiddie water raft ride, the train, the BIG ferris wheel, and she slept through the antique cars. She had a lot of fun and did really well even though she was hot and tired. Saturday was more relaxing. Dave and Uncle Kim went to Harbour Freight to get a wagon that we had been looking at for going to the beach. Aunt Cheryl, my mom, Karissa, and I went to a local Flea/Farmer's Market. It was HUGE, but we got there kind of late so a lot of them were packing up. I thought about getting some peppers, peaches, etc. but I was worried they'd get too banged up on the ride home. I only got a new set of Dryer Balls. We stayed around for lunch yesterday and then left for home. The ride home took a little more than 8 hours...there was a lot of traffic, but we got home in time for Dave to get to work on time. Today I'll be doing laundry and unpacking. Tomorrow we have Dave's family coming and then softball. It looks like a great week and I'd love to get to the beach, but we leave to go to PA to visit my sister and her family and my grandparents (my grandfather's health is going downhill so we don't think we have much time left with him) on Friday and Saturday...I am so exhausted just thinking about the next couple of weeks!

Father's Day Weekend

Well, I cannot remember the last time we had a day off. My sister and her family came to visit so Thursday we hung out with them and Dave was supposed to have a softball game, but it got cancelled because of the weather. Friday we had errands to run in Dover and then went back to my parents' to hang out with my family. Saturday we had a teen event so I had to take Karissa down to my parents' house so my family could spend more time with her and babysit. As I was there, my mom told me that it was supposed to storm and rain, so I checked the weather channel and saw she was right. Friday night, that wasn't the forecast and the teen girls were having a pool party. I called Dave who was sleeping in a little to make sure he was awake and then asked him what we should do. He made some calls to the people that were hosting the teens and decided to go ahead with the event (the boys were doing archery), but we'd move the girls to the church for games instead of the pool. It worked, and was kind of nice because we shortened it so I was able to see Karissa about 1-2 hours earlier than I thought I would. I still HATE leaving her even though she is 7 months old...is that normal? lol

We went back to my parents and hung out, had dinner, then went to the boardwalk. Dylan (our nephew) loves to ride rides so it's a lot of fun to watch him. And Karissa went on some too and loved it. She went on the carousel, the little Ferris Wheel, and Dylan drove us in the trucks. There are pics below. I think she liked the Ferris Wheel the best and that was the one I was worried about because of it going a little higher. Everytime they would start coming back down, she would start smiling and flapping her arms around. I couldn't really get a good pic though. She'll have a great time at Cedar Point :) although she needs to wait a few years before going on the coasters lol.

Sunday we went to church and out to lunch. Karissa and I got Dave a photo card with a pic of him and her at Yankee Stadium on it. We also got him a wallet size photo book filled with pics of the two of them, so he can carry that with him. We used the $10 for Outback that we got when we went for Mother's Day, plus we got another coupon for Father's Day. I didn't used to like them because I don't like steak, but they have a really good quesadilla! Then we had to run to BJ's for some items and came home. Dave was able to get some sleep, which he needed because of being on the go so much. And I did some cleaning and relaxing (as much as I could...I've been having a spasm in my back ever since yesterday afternoon and it won't go away). The next few days won't be any different - today I need to clean (I hate coming back to a messy house after vacation) and organize the cars, we are visiting friends and their baby this afternoon, then a softball game, and dinner with the team afterwards; tomorrow is laundry and packing and loading the car, and Wednesday after I weigh in and Dave gets home from work, we leave. Hmmm...when we will have a relaxing day at home or the beach again? lol Hope all the dads had a great Father's Day! Oh, and in all of our chaos, I totally forgot to get a pic of Dave and Karissa on Father's Day, what kind of wife/mother am I????

Weigh in Wednesday

Hi everyone! Don't I have the sweetest husband who will brag about me going to his games?! :) I love watching baseball/softball though and hanging out with all of the other wives is always fun too, so I wouldn't miss it. Today is weigh in day....I'm down another pound. The baby weight is slowly coming off! :) It's only a pound, but at least it's the right direction. I have a week to get in a good routine before we go on another mini-vacation to Ohio. We'll be getting some exercise (walking around Cedar Point and maybe a zoo), but we'll be eating my "Aunt" Cheryl's good cooking so hopefully I don't go overboard on my eating. In other news, we bought a new car last night. We both feel it was the right decision, but we are both always worriers about that and keep thinking to ourselves, "did we do the right thing?" We had been looking into getting a bigger vehicle because even though I always thought my Accord was very spacious, having a car seat in it has shown me otherwise. Dave's Altima has been having issues and was over 100,000 miles. Oh, and Dave is going to drive the Accord or his older Altima to work to save gas. We decided we wanted to stay in the Honda family and a few weeks ago, after comparing the Pilot and the Odyssey, we decided a van would be the best because it'd be better on gas and just more practical. Well, Dave found a Pilot for cheaper than any Odyssey so we went and checked it out and decided to buy it. It actually is perfect timing for our trip next week. We are driving and my mom is going along. This will give us plenty of room for all of our suitcases, a stroller, and plenty of leg room for my mom (she broke her ankle). Plus, when we go to Cedar Point, my "Aunt and Uncle" (it's really my mom's cousin and his wife, but they seem more like an aunt and uncle and their son is more like a cousin to me) can ride with us all with the 3rd row of seats and we can save driving 2 cars to Cedar Point. So, now that I have rambled enough, we're praying we made the right decision and that we don't regret getting into a second car payment.

Hello

Since Megan never blogs about our softball team I thought I would talk about it. I have such a great group of guys and girls and we have so much fun. The season started off a little rough but we have won 4 games in a row and 5 out of the last 6 to move into second place only 1/2 game out of first and we play the first place team on Thursday. We are winning every kind of game including close games and extra inning games. I have to say Megan is the best wife ever and very supportive. She always cheers for us and has Karissa cheering too. I have said she doesn't have to go because most games are during Karissa's dinner and bedtime but she wants to be there and hasn't missed a game this year. Thank you Megan for your support and for being the best wife ever!! Changing the subject but I'm wondering why we only have 1 follower of our blog. That's a little disappointing to us. If you enjoy our blog, please become a follower so we can at least feel good about ourselves if nothing else :) Everyone have a great week!

Karissa getting nails clipped

Weigh-In Wednesday

Hey everyone! Sorry it has been more than a week since a post...it's been one of those weeks. We've been on the go non-stop it seems. It's gotten so that when I don't have something I need to do or somewhere to go, I can't sit still because I'm not used to it. Sometimes I feel like we have too much on our plate, but when I try to think of what we can cut out, there's nothing. Some people may say that I don't need to go to the beach or take Karissa to our library time, but I feel like those are the things that make the best memories and they are fun and relaxing. Does anyone else ever feel overwhelmed sometimes by all that is going on? Oh well, today we don't have anything going on, so hopefully, I can readjust to a more relaxing schedule....or I'll go out of my mind with boredom. I'm hoping it will get warm enough and the neighbor's pool will be warm enough, that Karissa and I can maybe hang out there. So, this was the first week of the new challenge at The Sisterhood. I'm up a tiny bit - .2lbs. I'm not happy about it, but I guess it's not too bad considering I haven't really done anything. I feel like I've let Team Green down, but that will motivate me to make sure I don't let them down again next week. Enjoy the rest of the week!

Long Time

Hello everyone, sorry it's been such a long time since I blogged. I know all of you have missed me soo much. HAHA Anyway, life is very busy at church and with the little one. Karissa had her 6 month check up at the dr. yesterday. It was very good. She is up to 13 lbs, 15 1/2 oz. and 25 3/4 inches long. She jumped to the 10th percentile in weight and 25th percentile in length over the last month. We were reminded that she is daddy's girl when the nurse measured her head and she is in the 50th percentile for head circumference. lol The dr. was very pleased with her progress and we get a whole 3 months away, the longest time in between visits yet!! She had to get 2 shots but she did very well and didn't scream but only a couple minutes. The dr. said she can start on vegetables and fruits so we will be starting those real soon, maybe today. She really likes her oatmeal cereal and is getting that twice a day now. She really really loves playing with her toys. I just have to say Megan is the best mommy a daddy could ever want for his daughter. She does a wonderful job with Karissa all day everyday and I'm so thankful God has provided so that she can stay at home with Karissa and I'm so thankful Karissa has a mommy like Megan who loves her so much. We are hoping the weather heats up so we can start getting to the beach soon. We were spoiled by getting there everyday on vacation and now we haven't had good enough weather to go even once since we've been home. We've been to the beach, just not when it was real hot so we could enjoy the water and sun. Well, I don't have much else to say. Please let us know you are still out there reading and I'm sure Megan will be posting soon.

Karissa jumping

Karissa loves to try to stand. We have a walker, but it is too tall for her so I have been watching Craig's List for a jumperoo or exersaucer. We got one earlier this week and were hoping she would like it. She LOVES it!!!! She loves the independence she has and gets so proud of herself when she jumps high and wiggles around on her own. She's gotten a little funny about sounds....she was scared of another toy I got her because of the sounds, so we were worried about this. When she got comfortable jumping and enjoyed it, I turned on the sound/lights. (It lights up and plays noise when she jumps high.) I wasn't sure how she would feel about it. She jumped and when she saw the lights and heard the music she would just stop and stare for a few seconds and I wasn't sure if she liked it. Then she would smile and jump again. She kept repeating this. Here is a picture and a video...it is SO funny!!!!

Yankees Game

Karissa's first trip to NYC and Yankee Stadium was this past Thursday. It was going to be her first time on the subway too because usually we park in NJ and take the PATH train to the World Trade Center and then take the subway to the Bronx. But, Dave looked into it and decided if we get to a parking garage as soon as they open, we should be able to find parking and it would only cost a couple dollars more to drive over the GW Bridge and park than if we parked in NJ and paid for the trains. We decided to drive in would be best because at least Karissa could be in her car seat and sleeping as we were sitting in traffic to get out of the city, but if we were on the subway, she'd stay awake looking at everything. We got into the city with only sitting in a little traffic, got a spot in the garage, and then walked down the street to go in a couple of the stores (we wanted to get Karissa a baby Yankees hat and blanket...succeeded in a hat, couldn't find a blanket). Then, we went to check out the new stadium. It was great. We walked around, looked at everything, eyed up the Johnny Rockets milkshakes (they have the BEST milkshakes), then headed to our seats. We loved that the stadium is still similar to the old one. Some people complain and say it is too much like the old one, but we like it like that. It's like the old stadium only newer and bigger. We still sit in the bleachers (they're the cheaper ticket package and better views than the nosebleeds) and now there is a little more room. So, now on to the game....we only got to see Joba pitch a tiny bit. :( The Yankees had been doing pretty well so we went into this questioning if we'd get to see a win and when Joba came out of the game, we were really questioning. Surprisingly, they did win! :) Karissa has now seen the Yankees win 2 times (in person...of course she watches the games from home with her daddy). If you have been following our blog, you know last year was sad at our last game, but I was happy to see they keep many of the traditions I hoped they would. The "bleacher creatures" still chant out each player's name until they acknowledge it, the grounds crew still does the YMCA, and there is still nothing better than Metallica (as much as we HATE them) being played and the crowd going crazy as "Mo" Rivera comes in to end the game. So we had a great time and everyone around us loved Karissa and wanted to take our picture for us and talk to her and say how pretty she was. We have some pics below. Hope everyone has a great Memorial Day and remember to thank all of our troops (past and present) for what they do!

Weigh-in Wednesday

Well, I really intended to start blogging more than once a week so that my weigh-in isn't mixed in with everything else, but as you can see, that didn't happen. Maybe this next week. This is going to be a short blog, hopefully I'll blog later this week about our first trip to the new Yankee Stadium (tomorrow). Today is the final weigh-in for the Shrink Into Summer Challenge. There's good news and bad news. Good news: I am down another 2 1/2 lbs.!!!!!!! I am SOOOO excited!!!! This is especially good considering I am WAY behind in doing anything. I haven't worked out because we have been on the go nonstop lately and the past couple of days I've been sick. It seems like the past couple of weeks I've lost more weight when I stopped trying to count my calories and everything. Maybe my pre-baby metabolism finally kicked back in. lol Bad news: I haven't lost any inches in the past couple weeks. I didn't do my measurements at the beginning of the challenge and wish I had. I only did them a couple of weeks ago. And really, my measurements wouldn't really change when I'm not shredding. I need to get back to that! Overall, I'm very happy with my loss and will continue with my Shrinking Sisters! Have a good rest of the week everybody! Oh and how could I forget???!!! Check out what I was able to score for my weight loss!

Weigh-in Wednesday/ My 8's

Hello! Dave posted pictures of our weekend and Vacation so check them out! We've been really busy so we haven't been able to give details of our trips....not today either...busy day. Anyway, today was weigh-in day. I was trying not to get my hopes up....I have yet to lose more than 1 lb. in a week....but this week, something just felt different...I felt thinner as funny as that may sound and even Dave told me I looked thinner. I'm down 2 lbs!!!! Not a lot, but I'll take it! Especially since no trip to Baltimore is complete without cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory! And we had a BBQ over the weekend. I'm no longer in the 140's which is the main goal. YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So I was also tagged the other day by Melissa from A Box of Chocolates. I know....I've been so busy I haven't even been able to answer the tag - sorry! I'm supposed to tag 8 others....I don't know 8 other bloggers....most of my friends aren't into blogs and we just started this one for our pregnancy/baby so I'm just now getting into reading other peoples' blogs. So, if you are reading this and haven't already done it - go for it!

8 Things I Look Forward To

1. Summer/warm weather 2. Going to the beach 3. Vacations 4. Going to Yankees games 5. Date nights with Dave 6. Karissa waking up in the morning/after a nap and giving me a great big grin to greet me 7. Karissa growing up to be a wonderful, beautiful, Christian woman (don't get me wrong - I am in NO hurry for her to grow up! lol) 8. King's Fest and any other concerts we go to

8 Things I Did Yesterday

1. Took Karissa to the library 2. Went to the grocery store 3. Straightened the house 4. Laundry 5. Dishes 6. Showered 7. Played with Karissa 8. hmmm...this makes my life seem boring...I can't come up with 8 things....checked e-mail

8 Things I Wish I Could Do

1. Manage money better 2. Manage my housekeeping better 3. Help our family financially without leaving Karissa with a sitter all day 4. Keep in touch better with friends 5. Manage my time better.....I feel like we are too busy 6. Stick with a plan for longer than a couple of weeks (weight loss, Bible reading, anything) 7. Cook healthier meals on such a tight budget 8. Become a better mother and wife

8 Shows That I Watch

1. Biggest Loser (We SOOOOOO wanted Mike to win, but oh well, they all did great!) 2. Without a Trace 3. Amazing Race 4. 18 Kids and Counting 5. Property Virgins 6. House Hunters 7. I can't come up with 8 of these either...boy am I a boring person lol...Rachael Ray 8. What Not to Wear So it's your turn if you haven't done it! Talk to you later!

Yanks Game/Baltimore pictures

Vacation Pictures

Please Vote

Hello everyone. I don't have much to say. I just wanted to ask you to vote for Karissa's picture in the Cute Kid's Easter photo contest. Thanks for your votes! http://www.thecutekid.com/ckgallery/votemypic/email/26780

Where to begin...

Hmmm....so much to say. Well, I guess I'll start with where we left off. We got back Sunday evening from Hilton Head Island, SC. We discovered it a couple of years ago on our road trip and loved it. It takes some getting used to (when looking for places you have to look close to the ground because there are no big signs), but we love it. Karissa had a great time. She screamed all the way down....12 hours....not fun, especially when I didn't know how to deal with that because she rarely cries at all. We decided it was a combination of teething, being in a different vehicle and car seat, being tired and hot (I didn't realize how hot it would get on the way there so I had to change her into cooler clothes), and being constipated. Thankfully, she was over all of that on the way home and slept most of the way. Other than that, she was happy and loved it. I'll let Dave post about it later with some pics. In the meantime, you can check our Facebook page for pics. Karissa is doing better than ever. Monday we had her weight check appointment. She is up to 11lbs. 11oz. The doctor was very happy about that. She is now in the 5th-10th percentile for length and almost there for weight. Except for when she is tired or eating, she is now jabbering and talking almost non-stop. She likes to talk! We can't go anywhere with her without getting stopped by people. We aren't complaining - everybody likes babies. But nobody says she's "cute" like other babies....everyone says, "She is SOOO beautiful!" It is nice to hear....of course we would believe that about her regardless of whether others did or not. :) This week will again be a busy one. She had her appointment on Monday along with Dave's first softball games of the season, library yesterday, church tonight, she'll be trying cereal as soon as I can get to the store, and Friday will be her first time in Baltimore and first Yankees game (her first time to Yankee stadium is later this month). And her Uncle Nathan will be coming and meeting her for the first time. On a sad note, I have stopped nursing. She is now only on formula until I start cereal. Many people were encouraging when I was nursing and others wanted her on formula to gain weight. I was scared that she wouldn't still nurse once on formula and sure enough, I was right. I tried for a few weeks and she just got less and less patient so last week I decided to stop. I've come to terms with it and as much as I didn't want to give it up, I've accepted that we're done and stopped blaming myself for not providing for her. So now, on to the weigh-in Wednesday. I'm up one pound. I'm actually not too disappointed. I totally planned on shredding over vacation....forgot my weights, was extremely busy, and just didn't get to it. Haven't gotten to it in the two days I've been home either. I didn't snack much on vacation, but did drink soda and ate at Paula Deen's restaurant (that alone could have made me gain a couple of pounds lol). I've had some health issues since being home that stopped me from working out too. I know...excuses, excuses. So, I decided my heart has just not been in it. I want to lose weight, but just haven't wanted it bad enough to give it my all. I decided I was going to start shredding all over again from the beginning....30 days straight without stopping and trying to follow Natalie as much as possible instead of the easy way out and following Anita all of the time. I logged on to Shrinking Jeans this morning to see they are doing the challenge again too! Great! I'm going to do some Tae Bo and elliptical work until they start again on the 11th. This time I'm laying out some goals for myself: I'd like to lose 10lbs, but I'm going to focus more on losing inches instead of a weight number because I'd like to get more muscle. I'm going to drink more water, eat more veggies, fruits, and proteins and less junk. Hopefully, I'll lower my body fat percentage. We'll see how it goes. Okay, now I'm done....now that Dave has looked and said I'm writing a book, I better shut up. lol Hope everyone has a good rest of the week!

It's Wednesday!

Yesterday, I took Karissa to a program at the library. My sister lives in an area where she was able to do all sorts of classes and playtime things with her son when he was a baby and we don't really have anything here. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE living near the beach, but sometimes it does stink when we don't have all of the amenities that other places have. BUT, I was talking to a friend from church about that and she works at a local library. She told me about a program at one of the other libraries. It is a 40 minute drive....I wish one of the closer libraries would pick up this program...but it was worth it! We had so much fun doing activities and movements and singing and saying nursery rhymes. Karissa was wide-eyed, just soaking it all in. She got a little fussy during part of it, but then after a few minutes let out a huge burp and was better. I checked out a book so we could do our own little movement and rhymes at home and she was laughing and loving it. Of course, as soon as Dave grabbed the video camera she acted like she wasn't enjoying it anymore. We'll have to try again later. Another good note is that Karissa is up to 11 lbs! Hopefully, she'll maintain that or gain even more so she can impress her doctor! We'll have to go all next week without weighing her which is a long time for us. The reason we'll skip a week of weighing her is because we will be busy laying on the beach or poolside in Hilton Head Island! Dave and I discovered this place a couple of years ago when we went on our road trip. It is gorgeous and warm. There are building codes so there are no huge billboards or hotels like in our beach areas, so it feels like a secluded, quiet place when it is really a beach resort. When we get back we have doctors appointments and softball games so it might be a little while before we can get back on here and update you on the trip. So the point for today - It is Wednesday...weigh-in day. Before I say how I did, I must confess....I missed 2 days of shredding....Yup....not one, but TWO. Not good....haven't been tracking my calories either....again, not good. And just in case you are wondering, I still HATE the plank. lol So anyway, I'm down one pound. Considering the above, it's not bad. I got a new scale the other day. I was weighing in every week at my mom's and now I can weigh in at home. But it shows the body fat percentage and everything and that is not good. I'm around 24% and it's supposed to be 19%. Hopefully shredding will take care of that. See you in a couple of weeks!

First trip to the zoo!

Hi! As Dave said, I took Karissa to the zoo yesterday with ladies and kids from church. I know Karissa is too little to know what the animals are, but figured it would get us out in fresh air and give me a chance to hang out with other moms from church. We had a lot of fun. Considering, it was during her morning nap time, Karissa was really happy. She was smiling and talking and laughing the whole time we were there. She loved it! I had fun hanging out too. You can see some pictures below of her in her Easter outfit and at the zoo. (I had to get a pic of the two of us in our shades lol). So I was supposed to post on Wednesday about my non-existent weight loss, but was too frustrated. However, Jillian is making me healthier because I used to feel like I was going to have a heart attack during the cardio segments and now I don't lol. I moved up to level 2 a couple of days ago...it's actually not bad.....I kind of like it...except the last 5 minutes kick my butt. Ask Dave how much I HATE the plank! lol She does too many plank moves in those last few minutes and my arms are weak, but I make it through. So no weight loss this week, but I was able to fit into another pair of my smaller pants (my jeans actually! :). Anyway, back to Karissa. We have a busy upcoming week - library activity time Tuesday, packing for vacation, and scrapbooking Friday, along with all the regular stuff. Then a week from Sunday we leave to go to Hilton Head....I hear the warm weather and ocean calling my name already. Oh and Karissa is already getting close to 11lbs.! Her doctor was hoping she'd be at 11lbs. by her next appointment on May 4th and she is already 10lbs. 13oz. Maybe she'll blow the doctor away and actually make it to the 5th percentile!!!! :) So have a great weekend and enjoy the nice, spring weather (FINALLY!!!).

Easter

Hello all, Happy Easter to all of you!! We hope you all had a wonderful day and celebrated the real reason for this holiday-Christ's resurrection. We had a great day at church and Karissa looked so adorable in her Easter dress and hat. After church, my dad and grandfather and Megan's parents came up and we had a simple Easter dinner. Just ham, venison roast, mashed taters, green bean casserole, and rolls. It was a good day. Megan wasn't as eager to post this week because she didn't lose any weight. She is frustrated so I know she would appreciate all your encouraging comments because she has worked really hard. I told her at least she didn't gain but she didn't take much solace in that. I think she looks great for having had a baby a few months ago but you women know how you are about that. LOL We are really looking forward to vacation which begins in just over a week. We will be leaving April 26 for Hilton Head Island, SC and we are very excited. Later today Megan is taking Karissa with some other ladies and kids from church to the zoo. I will get her to post some pictures from that and Easter later today or tomorrow. Have a great week everyone.

Spring is here!

So spring may have finally arrived...although not according to the weather yet. It's still a little chilly. BUT baseball has come back so Dave is very happy, I'm happy, and so is Karissa. She watched her first Yankees game the other night. She woke up early from nap, was really fussy (which is very unlike her), and what got her to settle down was when she sat on the couch with her daddy and watched the game. There is a pic below. The rest of this month will be a busy one for Karissa. Next week we will possibly be trying out a nursery rhyme/activity time at the library and maybe going to the zoo with other moms and kids from church. Then it is time to start packing for vacation at the end of this month!!!! Spring cleaning is more than halfway done too. Plus, I might finally be on my way back in to my pre-pregnancy clothes! I can't afford to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe, so I'm hoping to fit in my summer clothes before vacation. Joining the Shrink Into Summer Challenge is a great motivator. There were only a couple times this week that I contemplated not working out, but then I knew I'd have to update my weight so I did my workout (and that was even during spring cleaning so I was considering that being my workout). Anyway, I'm down 1.3lbs. Not much, but I wasn't really watching what I was eating until just a day or two ago so I can't complain. Hope I keep it up! And Karissa seems to be doing well gaining! Gotta go workout now, talk to you later!

I joined the Sisterhood!

Hey everyone! It's been a looooooong time since I've been able to blog! Karissa is now on a good napping schedule and has been for about a week so I should be able to blog more often now. In the meantime, Dave has done a good job of keeping you updated! Karissa had her 4 month well-check earlier this week and the doctor was very pleased with her growth. She grew an inch and a half in length since last month so she is now 22 and 1/4 inches long. She weighs around 10 lbs now too. The doctor showed me the graph with weight gains and last time she had moved far away from the 5th percentile line. This week she was very close to it and the doctor is hopeful that she will finally be on it in another month when we go back for a weight check. I was able to answer "yes" to all of her develpmental questions (like, "is she grasping her hands together? does she watch you or a toy move back in forth" etc.) . I told her sometimes she is still a little unsteady with her head and she only pushes up with one arm on tummy time, but the doctor didn't seem too concerned. Plus, I need to remember she was considered premature, so she might be a little behind in some areas (but she's also ahead in other areas!). She hated her shots even more. Her face was even more red than the last time and she took so long to breathe in between her screams that the nurse was telling her, "Breathe Karissa, breathe." Anyway, our vacation to Hilton Head Island is less than a month away, so I started to give up hope on losing anymore baby weight. I've been slacking lately because being busy with Karissa and Dave has been sick here and there so I just gave up on excerising. (I do so much better in the summer when it is warm out; thankfully it's starting to get a little warmer.) Then on my friend Melissa's blog, I found a link to The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans (that's where I got the button to the left). Now, I know some of you guys could care less, but I signed up! I'm ready to try the 30 Day Shred and lose some weight by the end of the challenge in May....just in time for summer I might add! Plus, I need to get some muscle and just get in better shape! Part of it is accountability, so I'm supposed to post how I'm doing on my blog. Each Wednesday is their weigh in, so I'll be posting how I'm doing. Thanks for your support! So as Karissa tries to gain, I'm trying to lose. :) Talk to you later!