Not a Toddler Anymore!

How is it that three year's time can go by so quickly, but so slowly at the same time? As I sit here looking at my "not quite a baby anymore, but still a baby to me," Olivia, I can't begin to fathom that as of 7:00 a.m. she was no longer an ornery 2 year old toddler, but an ornery 3 year old child. T.H.R.E.E. It almost makes me sick to my stomach to know that she is already this old, but then again I am glad as well because that means that God has given me three amazing years with this little girl, and hopefully a lifetime more! Now, enough of the sappy stuff. Here's what has been going on with her over the last year, since keeping up the blog has more than been put on the back-burner. I believe that it wasn't too long after her second birthday that she was diagnosed with epilepsy. We had been noticing some strange things with her such as muscle jerks and eye fluttering, and upon having an EEG, I was devastated to get the phone call saying that she has generalized epilepsy. She currently takes two medications, Keppra and Topomax, which seem to be managing the seizures well, and we have only noticed breakthrough seizures once or twice since adding the second medicine about four months ago. One of my main concerns with the epilepsy is whether or not it has caused any delays or such, since we don't know how long the seizures had been going on for, but know that it had at least been 6 months at the time of diagnosis. We hope that she can live as "normal" of a life as possibly with minimal interference from this disease, and have faith in God to help her through it. Potty training. The most dreaded two words in our vocabulary right now. Or should I say, a lack of potty training. And let me make it clear, that it's not for lack of trying. She sits on the toilet every 1.5-2 hours at school and, for the most part, the same here at home; however, some times she wants to sit on it and other time she doesn't. When she doesn't I don't press the issue, but am ready for this diaper phase to be over. If I can get her to sit on it first thing in the morning right after she wakes up she will usually go, but then throughout the day, she won't tell me if she has to go. When I take her to the potty sometimes her pullup/diaper is wet and sometimes dry. We rehearse the "where do we go potty?" phrase and I emphasize keeping her pull-up dry, and she seems to understand the concept that she is supposed to do her stuff in the toilet, but she doesn't initiate it ever. Although I know that all kids do this at their own speed, it does make it difficult knowing that there are two kids who are younger than her in her class at school who are already trained and have transitioned up to my room, and that she seems to be lagging behind. She also struggles with pulling her pants up and down by herself. Maybe this is just Olivia and she needs some extra time to get there, but I instinctually wonder if any of this could be epilepsy-related, as in if there has been a delay that is prolonging the diaper phase. There are many things that Olivia does and does not love right now and here are just the ones I can think of... Olivia LOVES: * Swinging! Almost every time we go outside this is the first thing she wants to do! * Baby dolls. Holding them, rocking them, putting them to bed..... * Looking at books. One of her current favorites is our Disney World Planning 2016 book! She loves to look at all of the characters and rides! * EMMA!!!! Olivia loves to copy Emma and do whatever big sis is doing, which is sometimes good and sometimes not-so-good. * Nutrigrain breakfast bars :P Every morning for breakfast she asks for a "bar." I seriously think she has an obsession! Olivia Dislikes: * Having her hair brushed. Nearly 9 times out of 10 she throws a hissy fit when I brush her hair, even though she still has so little that it only takes about 4 pass-throughs of the brush to get it all! * Having her hair washed. Are we noticing a theme when it comes to her hair?! Washing, similarly to brushing takes about 15 seconds from start to finish, but she fights me every second of it! * Riding in the car. She has gotten really tough to travel with the past few months. I think it is due in part to her new found independence. Every day she is teaching me more about patience, love, and what it means to be a mother. I hope I can raise her to love God, family, and the importance of being herself.

Review of "The Sorcery Code" by Dima Zales

Recently I was approached by a company to read and review a new fantasy novel, in exchange for receiving it for free.  You can imagine my excitement as I am an avid reader, especially of this genre.  As I settled in and began to read "The Sorcery Code" by Dima Zales, the first thing that really caught my attention was the writing style.  The long and short of it was that I was not impressed.  It seemed immature in the complexity of the sentences, as well as the subject matter for the first hundred pages or so.  It was incredibly hard for me to get past the fact that every time we read a chapter from Blaise, that his thoughts eventually turn to Gala's beauty, and how he just can't believe how stunning she is. Likewise, Gala's innocence is a little too exaggerated and childlike for my taste.  Each chapter being devoted to a single character's POV was interesting, however, it is something that I have seen done more successfully in other novels.  Overall I feel like this book has potential, but is was potential never fully realized.  #SorceryCode

Home is Where the Heart Is

Guess what.  We are homeowners once again!  It has been such since late September, but settling in has taken quite some time since we both work full time, have two kids, and now, two cats!  I believe it was in July that our condo in Omaha sold, and the whole process was pretty painless, which was a great relief.  So, we then decided to start looking for a place to buy as our rental was growing smaller and smaller by the day.  Our agent, Micki Trotter with Woodward Real Estate, was wonderful.  She was available almost any time we asked, even taking time on the weekends to show us properties.  I believe we physically saw maybe 5 or 6 houses, the one we purchasing being probably the 4th.  I remember when we pulled into the driveway thinking "This has to be way over our budget!"  The space we needed was there, but we didn't realize it until asking to view it a second time, when we were thinking of making an offer on it.  It is 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, has a formal living room, kitchen and dining room combined, a family room, a partial basement with a safe room, and a two car garage.  Oh, did I mention that the back yard is probably 75-100 yards long?!  We are planning to fence it in the future.

Oh, and I mentioned two cats, didn't I?  Yessir we now are proud owners to two crazy 5 month old kittens!  The first one is black and white and Emma named him Pom-Pom!  Coincidentally enough his favorite toys are pom poms!  The other is mainly black with a little white on his stomach and we named his Smokey, or "Mokey" as Olivia likes to call him!  They are brothers and are absolutely crazy during the evenings.  I think the girls play with them more than they do the toys the got for Christmas!  I was nervous that for a week or so that Nick was starting to develop an allergy to them, but it turned out to be just a cold.  The are doing great using the litter box and just all around. 

Soon I will take a minute to take some pictures of the house and kittens to post here! 

TWO!!!!!

My Little Miss Olivia,

How in the world are you already two years old?!?!  In the past year your little personality has really blossomed, and you're a spunky, loud, and generally even-tempered little girl.  It's amazing how different you are from Emma, yet how similar you can be at times!  For example, you are usually really laid back, but if something doesn't go "just right", then you can totally come unglued!  Like the other night...There was a baby in a bag of mine that you were trying to get out, and when you couldn't, you ran with the bag, screaming into the kitchen, throwing a fit because the babydoll's leg was stuck in the strap of the bag.  It is almost comical at times!

Some of your favorite things to do right now are:
Looking at/Reading books.  I think you would do this all of the time if we let you!

Playing with baby dolls.  This is one that really has been a favorite for a long time :)

Bath time, until it is time to wash/wet your hair!

OUTSIDE!!!!!!  I think we could put your crib outside and let you live out there!

Grandma's and Grandpa's.  I can't even begin to describe how excited you get when you see them!

Deer Hunting Shows.  We love watching you squeal with delight whenever Nick puts in a hunting show and you just go NUTS when you see a deer!!!!

Some things you are not so fond of:
Lawnmowers/Weedeaters.  Any time we fire either up while you're outside, you immediately grab the parent's legs who isn't using the lawn machine!  I think it's the noise.

Bedtime.  Lately you are having a tough time when it's time to wind down and hit the hay.

Brushing/Flossing your teeth.  If a stranger were to come to our door while we were doing your oral hygiene they might think we were beating you by the sounds of your screams.

Giving hugs and kisses.  I ask every day for a hug or kiss, and almost every time you will politely decline with a "No, Mommy."  I think I have gotten 2 kisses in the 2 years you have been with us!


We are so in love with you, our little Goober!!!!  Even though this is a few weeks late, I want you to know that it's not because we love you any less than Emma, it's because we're all too busy having fun together and making memories :)  Happy Belated 2nd Birthday!

Love Always & Forever,

Mommy

Update #2

As of yesterday morning I weighed at 155.0!!!!  So I am officially down 10.4 pounds, which is such a big thing for me!  Some shirts that were too tight a few weeks ago are now fitting better especially in the stomach area.  I didn't take my measurements when I first started back at the beginning of March (I think it was), but my measurements haven't changed but maybe by an inch down at the narrowest part of my waist.  My goal for the rest of the month of April is to be down to 150 by the last day of the month.  I am hoping that with our trip to Florida coming next week, and all of the outdoor activities I am planning (kayaking, snorkeling, etc) that I will be able to keep my weight loss on the right track.

I realize that this doesn't cross many people's eyes, but feel that publicly posting my progress/failures helps to keep me accountable!  Hoping for more progress before leaving on a jet plane next Monday :)

Weight Loss Update

Since the last time I posted, I am down to 157.0!!  Whoooo Hoooo!  Granted, my official weigh-in on Monday was 158.4, but over the last few days it has been steadily declining.  I am only about 1.6 lb. away from being down 10 lbs!  I can tell that my pants and shirts are beginning to fit differently, and think my stomach looks a little smaller too.  I am hoping to fit back into my old size 12 jeans soon, which would mean I had lost a whole pant size!  I decided that it would probably be a good idea for me to measure myself as well, that way I can check my measurements the weeks that my weight loss slows, like it did a week ago.  So, I was 35 1/2 inches at the very smallest part of my waist, and 40 inches right around my bellybutton.  I know that those are pretty bad numbers, but at least I am on the right track to getting healthy and seeing them go down.

Only 18 days until Nick and I fly out for St. Petersburg, Florida, and my goal is to be at 153-154 by that time (allowing myself a little less weight loss as "woman issues" will fall somewhere between now and them :P ).  I guess it would be a good idea for me to publicly post my ultimate goal, although I'm not sure who is interested in hearing about it other than my family!  So, the goal is to get down to 133 pounds by Emma's birthday in August.  I think that is ample time, but don't want to be overly ambitious only to be discouraged.  Here's to staying on track!

On The Road To a New Me

It's no secret, especially to those who know me...I have a sweet tooth and am a late night snacker.  I guess I could blame it on genetics, but that's not entirely fair or accurate :)  The fact is, I am overweight and I need to do something about it. if not for me, than for my girls.  I am 29 years old, 5 feet and 1 inch tall, and my starting weight three weeks ago was 165.4 lbs.  Yikes.  That is right about how much I weighed when I gave birth to Olivia almost two years ago!  No, I didn't just not lose the weight....on the contrary...I lost almost every bit of the 20 pounds I had gained within about 2 months, however, that can't be expected to continue especially when the weight loss was at such a high rate.

Over the next year and a half, my weight steadily began to creep upwards.  When I hit 159, I told myself that I would NOT let it go any higher, and yet, it did... Candy bars, pop, and just overeating pushed me up and over the top to my highest weight to date, 165.4.  I tried dieting pills (yes, I know they aren't good for you, but I was curious), but couldn't stick with them.  I looked into "fad" diets...not for me.  Then, I remembered seeing an ad for Slim Fast.  Meal replacement intrigued me because it made it so much easier to know what I was going to take for breakfast and lunch to work, that I didn't even give myself the chance to try and decide on the spur of the moment.  So, three weeks ago I committed myself to getting healthier and began reducing my calories, and using my rowing machine at least 5 days a week.

I typically do my "official" weigh in on Monday morning, but like to weigh each morning just to make sure I am still on track, especially if I cheated the day before.  Some might say that weighing daily is unhealthy, but I just see it as a way to monitor myself and stay motivated.  As of this morning, I was down to 159.4, which is down 6 pounds in 3 weeks.  I hope to continue to progress until I hit my goal weight of 133, but until then, every pound, every pant size, is a victory!