Walking through a winter germland

That's what it feels like. We had been so, so lucky with Logan. The child does did not get sick. He's never (ever! :::knock on wood:::) had an antibiotic. I used to be lucky, too. Logan and I were blessed with hulking immune systems--which have apparently went on strike. Or vacation. Because the two of us have had colds or remnants of a cold since Halloween. We're keeping the fine folks at Puffs in business, yo. I have been sick more in these past few months than I've been in the past five YEARS. I say that in all seriousness. Between the colds, the bonechilling temperatures, and all the ice and snow making driving and running hell, I am SO over winter. I would be eternally grateful to Mother Nature if she'd bring on the spring!

My cup runneth over

Bedtime has been mostly nightmarish as of late. Logan fights me every step of the way, and then stays up way too late. It's just no fun at all. Tonight though, my heart completely melted. My voice is gone due to some mysterious illness, so I told Logan he would have to read to me. So he did. He read me 4 books--a pop-up Mickey Mouse Clubhouse book, a couple of stories out of his Dora book, "Cat in the Hat", and "Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb." I was quite impressed actually. He knew the Mickey, Dora, and HHFT books almost verbatim (it helps that we've read them about a million times each). He knew a few exact lines from Cat in the Hat, but the rest he ad-libbed and it was just so adorable. Next, he sang me "Jingle Bells", made me "look like a princess" (this is where he piles all of your hair on top of your head like a crown) and then I kissed him goodnight and put him in his bed.

I hope I never forget this evening, what a sweet moment with my amazing little boy.

Lessons Learned

So I finally went and got my teeth cleaned today. The last time was, oh, September 25, 2008 (our 4th wedding anniversary). Logan was 3 months old and snoozed in his infant seat the entire time. Today that did not happen. I should have went over the summer or Christmas break (or ahem, last year's summer break), but I didn't. I tried to find a day where I would have someone to watch Logan, but they had no openings. The receptionist assured me it would be fine to bring him. I thought, maybe it won't be so bad. It wasn't bad, it was worse than I could have imagined. My little psycho tried to grab the hygenist's tools, moved her lamp, turned on the water fountain, and ran away during my x-rays, among other things. Then to add insult to injury the dentist told me I had "a couple" cavities. By "a couple" she meant 6. AYFKM?? 6?? I got my first cavity when I was 22. A teeny, tiny one. Then in 2008 I had 2 more. Now, in just one measly visit I had 6? I was devastated. She informed me that 2 of the cavities weren't my fault, that they were in grooves where microscopic particles get in. The other 4 were due to my lack of flossing regularly. ::::hangs head in shame:::: I do floss, but I certainly can't call it regularly. Well, that ends today. I am officially becoming a flossing mo-fo. And I'm never taking Logan to one of my cleanings again. Trust me, I am taking my lessons learned today to heart.

Yup, That's My Kid

Logan loves to sing, and I love to hear him sing. But there's one song in particular that gives me the greatest joy to hear. He got a Little People disco CD for his birthday and his favorite song on there is Turn the Beat Around. He will ask to listen to "Turn it Upside Down" as he calls it, over and over and over. First of all he always yells "Mike" when the song starts and I have no idea why. I don't know who or what "Mike" is, and that makes it all the more hilarious. But the thing that makes his love of that song really special to me is that back in 8th grade I had the Gloria Estefan version stuck in my head. It was so much stuck in my head that I started singing it during reading class. Instead of giving me detention or sending me to the principal's office, my good-natured teacher just sent me to the music room for the duration of class. Which my 8th grade AW self LOVED. My friends STILL tease me about that day and that song, and clearly my affinity for the song must be in my DNA and Logan must have gotten that gene.
*sigh*
I love my little boy.

Reality Check

I was looking at pictures on Facebook last night. Mistake. Or not. I cannot believe how big I look in Logan's birthday pictures. I'm not totally delusional, I know I'm not thin, but WOW. Just WOW. At the same time, it's motivation. I don't EVER want to look that way again. I've lost about 15lbs since then, plus I just generally look more toned, as my gut isn't nearly as prominent now (thank you step class and resistance bands).

Still, it's time to up my game. Those pictures just brought home how much work I have to do. I've been eating OK, but I could definitely tighten it up a bit more. I need to be documenting my intake. I was doing it religiously, but I've been slacking. I go to step class every week. It's my "me" time. This week I tried Zumba and I liked it. I plan on doing that weekly as well. I still need to fit in 1-2 more workouts per week. I would LOVE to start running again, but given my current situation it's just not in the cards right now.

Seeing those pictures was TOUGH. It made me sick to my stomach. I just need to keep my eye on the prize.

Nashville!

What a great weekend! Mom and I went to Nashville so I could do a prep course to get certified in OB/GYN. The class was only 4 hours a day in the afternoon, so we had quite a lot of time to explore. We stayed at the Loews Vanderbilt (across the street from Vanderbilt U) and it was gorgeous (and expensive). We never would stay in a place so fancy, but my company was picking up the tab (and the rooms were half off for the conference anyway). There was a spa inside, which sadly we did not visit, but our room had big, cushy towels, and we each got our own fluffy robes. There was even an art gallery inside. There is so much to do in Nashville, we are planning on going back because we didn't even scratch the surface.

Friday evening we went to Ruth's Chris steakhouse for dinner (after we hit the workout room). My mom doesn't eat steak, and there was no seafood she was interested in so she got the vegetarian meal, which is code for pick any 3 side dishes. I got the filet, which was amazing, as were my mom's side dishes, especially the sweet potato casserole. Yum, yum!

Saturday morning we visited the Country Music Hall of Fame. I don't really listen to country music, but it was still really cool, and I now know more than anyone should about the lives of Hank Williams and Hank Williams jr. Then we walked around a bit, I got my picture taken with a large wooden ice cream sundae, and 2 life sized Elvises, and we went to lunch at Hard Rock. During class, some of my classmates mentioned they were going to the Ryland Auditorium for a show that night. Mom and I were able to get tickets (great seats). It turned out it was the Grand Ole Opry. We had the best time. Crystal Gale was there, and in case you're wondering her hair still drags the floor. I kept waiting for her to step on it. There were many acts, some old as dirt, all entertaining. On the way home we stopped at Ruth's Chris and got the chocolate explosion to go. To.die.for.

Sunday morning we lounged around, then hit the fitness center where I did 26 minutes on the elliptical. And yes, I'm damn proud of it. When I used to belong to Gold's I don't think I could even do 10 minutes. Despite being the size of a small whale, I'm actually more physically fit than I've ever been in my 20's. We had lunch at the hotel cafe and mom did the private tour of the Ryland while I finished my class. The class was helpful, especially the workbook that you get. Plus it's nice to meet others in your field. Everyone I met was very nice.

I am so glad to be home, but I <3 Nashville and can't wait to go back!

Back on the wagon

I started off the year faithfully working out 3 times per week. I kept that up until sometime in March when the bottom fell out of my life. This week I am back. I worked out 3 times and will try to squeeze in another session tomorrow. I'm back and it feels damn good.