Doctor Filled Day

Alexa had her appointment with the specialist today. He is so young looking. He must have just graduated from med school. The doctor concludes that Alexa has acide reflux. I explained to him that I have been giving her the dissolvable Prevacid. He told me they do not work and he prescribed me liquid Prevacid. Only certain pharmacies carry it. He also prescribed Miralax to relieve her of gas and give her daily stools. He said give it a MONTH to start working, but my friend (who referred me to this doctor) said it works in two weeks. I hope it's two weeks!

While I was waiting in the waiting room, I notice a mom with her daughter who had to be about nine years old. The mom was filling out paperwork while her daughter sat next to her. After filling out the first page, the mom takes a break and says something to her daughter. They laugh. Watching them, I cannot wait till the day Alexa and I can laugh together, tell stories and spend time together as mother and daughter.

Anyway, after the appointment with the specialist, I speed to the pediatrician's office for her four month checkup. She weighs 12 lbs. 5 oz. She is 23.5 inches. She is small for her age, but then again, she is a preemie. She has a clean bill of health. They give her four shots and this is the result of a doctor filled day (and the shots helped too):

Tour de Georgia

As of this weekend, I can officially say that I am an expert on the State of Georgia. I can tell you where each and every town lies in Georgia. On Friday, Taylor and I buckled up our girls and drove to Lake Hartwell to spend time with the grandparents. They rented a campground for the weekend so they could take their boat out. We ended up staying the night in their camper, along with our other SIL and her husband and Taylor's husband who came up after work. So needless to say, it was pretty tight inside the camper and we all did not get a good night's sleep.

On Saturday, I decided to leave before anyone else because I wanted to spend time with Jeremy. My other SIL gave me directions, but said she was unsure and to wait for her husband to get the correct directions. I wanted to leave right then because it was a little after 3 and if I left then, I could get home in time for Alexa's 5:00 feeding (I have to schedule my trips around Alexa's feeding schedule because there is nothing like a screaming baby in the back and nobody to calm her down). So I told her if I get lost, I can just pull over and ask for directions. How wrong was I?!?!

Not only did I get EXTREMELY (note the stress on the word) lost, but I couldn't find a single gas station for miles. I was on country roads with only one house per mile. I was also the only car on the road. I felt like I was in a scene of Children of the Corn. Anyway, I finally see an elderly couple walking in front of their house, so I pull over and ask for directions to the interstate. They had no clue what an interstate was! So I asked for the next town. Here's how the conversation went:

Me: Where is this road leading me? Is there a town coming up?

Woman to Man: Hmmmm, you know how we get to Kmart.

Me: Yes, Kmart. How do I get there?

Woman: Take a right.

Me: Okay, which right? What road?

Woman: You know, it's a right.

Well, thanks for clarifying for me, I wasn't sure which road to take...note a hint of sarcasm. So I proceed to drive endlessly on this deserted road and finally come to a small town. I stop by an antique store and ask the clerk how to get on the interstate. He told me the interstate was about 40 miles away. By this time, I have toured the whole top part of Georgia.

So finally I get on the interstate and it says Atlanta, 60 miles. WHAT?!?! So after driving about 30 miles, we come to a dead stop. There was a previous accident on the road and it was like a parking lot. So I got off the exit via an on-ramp (I was desperate) and come to a gas station. I ask the attendant if he knew the back roads to my destination and he says they will all be backed up because of this accident and it's best if I just hang out at his store for a couple of hours until the traffic dies down. Thanks but no thanks. So I ask this nice couple that were selling hot dogs and hamburgers in the parking lot and they tell me the way.

Meanwhile, all this time I am on the phone with my FIL getting directions. You see, the exit I got off of was in a town his mother lived in, so he was very familiar with the area (about time I got some luck). During this whole adventure, I was hysterically crying because I was lost, frustrated and scared. I hate getting lost and not knowing where I am going. Especially when I am in the country (and this was country country) and have no cell phone service. Plus, Alexa was crying from starvation and I was feeding her in the backseat in a ghetto (and I mean ghetto) gas station. And mind you, I was all alone.

Anyway, I finally made it home and I was relieved to see civilization. Now Jeremy knows why I don't want to move into the country. Especially after this adventure, I never want to hear country again!

Really Gonna Do It

This time it will be different. No more "well the last time I dieted." I am committed to not only losing weight, but to being a healthier me. No more hitting the gym just because I want to lose the twenty pounds I gained from pregnancy, but to overall live a healthier life. I want to live a long life to be there for my Alexa and to see her grow old. I am committed.

I won't be starting a weight loss blog because I won't be able to keep up with two blogs, so it will all just have to fit here. I promise, I will still update on my life and Alexa. About two weeks ago, I got a complimentary session with a personal trainer. He taught me a lot about how to eat and how to work out. I've also learned that I weighed 134 (I'm 5 feet tall) and 29% body fat. That body fat percentage puts me in the "poor" category. He said I need to be in the "great" category which is around 12%.

I am taking small steps. I am drinking a lot of water. Thankfully, I was never a soda drinking person. I am TRYING to eat right and not eat after a certain time at night. I have been very good at will power too. I have said no to fast food quite a few times last week and this week. That is a very big step for me since I LOVE fast food.

My long term goal is to lose 30 lbs. by September. September is our 1st year wedding anniversary and two weddings. Since April is coming to a close, I have about 5 months. That equals 6 lbs. per month. That seems like a lot, but if I work hard, I might be able to achieve it. If not, I'll still feel good about myself for living a healthier life.

Thanks to Linda, I have found this motivation within myself. Knowing that I am not the only one going through something makes it that much easier to stay focused. I am not alone.

Discovery

Have you ever discovered something about yourself that you didn't before? I've discovered that before I was pregnant, I was actually in good shape. I used to complain that I was fat, maybe I could have lost a couple of pounds, but I didn't look that bad. Now that I am 20 lbs. over my pre-pregnancy weight, I am looking back at my pre-pregnancy weight and thinking that is bikini material (well maybe a tankini). I look through my clothes everyday and think wow, I once fit into these....I will never again.

Being the weight I am now is very uncomfortable. I have rolls in places I never knew could have rolls and I don't move around as freely as I used to. This might sound all crazy to you, even to me. I mean it's not like I weigh 400 lbs., but this body is very different from what I am used to. I have been working out, but my next challenge is eating right and saying no to chinese food (my favorite). I hope to be back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but by that time comes, we will be ready for our next child. Then all that hard work just down the drain. But every time I look at Alexa and her sweet innocent face, I just realize that it's all worth it. I guess I'll just have to exercise for the rest of my life.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter! Thanks to Taylor, I can share Alexa's three month old pictures! Thanks for scanning it for me! I can't share the big canvas one because it's just too big to scan. Sorry! Maybe I will take a picture of it and try and post it, but I'm not too sure how it will look. I'll give it a try later.

Drawing a Blank

It seems like there is nothing for me to blog about these days. No exciting stories to tell, no funny jokes to share. My birthday went well. My husband took me to our favorite restaurant. It's a seafood restaurant and they have the best sushi! It never fails, but every time we go out to eat, Alexa cries. Either one of us is trying to console her or taking her outside because her cries get louder and louder.

We just got pictures back from Olan Mills. We got a huge canvas one where the background is a blown up picture of her (very faint) and then there is a sharp picture of her in a box on the left side of the canvas. She's naked in both of them, and the one in the box has a pink blanket over her. It looks really good. We are going to hang that one over the mantle.

As for my diet, I haven't lost a pound. I've been going to the gym a lot these past couple of days, but I cannot seem to say no to the foods I love. What's the point of working out if afterwards I'm going to eat a meal from McDonald's? I really need to focus and really devote myself to eating right and working out so that I can look good by September. Jeremy's cousin and my friend back home are both getting married in September, so I want to look good for that. That is my target.

Anyway, glad I am getting a three day weekend! Everyone have a great Easter!

It's My Birthday...

And I'll cry if I want to, cry if I want to, cry if I want to...you would cry to if it happened to you! I'm now living the next quarter of my life...boo hoo!

Halfway There

In 6 days, I will be turning 26. I cannot believe a quarter of my life has passed. I am halfway to being over the top. Where has the time gone? What did I do these past 25 years?! It has gone by way too fast. Next thing you know, these next 25 years will past and I won't remember a damn thing about the last 50 years. All those years I wanted to grow up and be a grown up and life was just passing by too slow and here it is....26 years old. I know I know...people are probably reading this thinking what is she crazy?! She's not that old! But admit it...turning a year older does make you reminisce about the past and how young you used to be.

Alexa is doing much better now that I've changed her formula. She is hardly spitting up and is not crying like she used to. She has an appointment with a specialist at the end of April, so I'm hoping he will prescribe me the liquid Prevacid because the Prevacid she is on now does not dissolve very well in the water and therefore is not as effective.

Nothing else is going on in my life. Alexa and I will be taking a trip to CT to see my parents at the end of July and my dad just informed me that him, my mom and my sister will be coming down in December for Christmas and Alexa's 1 year birthday and my mom is going to stay for two weeks....I am so excited about that.