In My Purse

I always like seeing in some of the magazines I peruse what various celebrities have in their purses, so I thought why not make up a post about what's in my purse. I'm no celebrity, but I am the owner of this blog, which gives me the right to do whatever I want with it!

1.   My roomy Converse One Star purse from Target
2.   Wallet size photos of my precious baby boy. (Yeah, I'm one of those moms!)
3.   My Liz Claiborne wallet I've had for ages and ages that I purchased at an outlet store.
4.   Pen from my church... I promise I didn't steal it, they were handing them out!
5.   My Samsung Messager Touch
6.   Old old old iPod Nano
7.   My keys along with my trusty pocket knife
8.   Conair travel size brush I got for free when I purchased something else in the beauty aisle, I forget what.
9.   HoneySuckle & White Patchouli Lotion from Victoria's Secret
10. Everything Refresher Spray by Pink. This stuff is amazing!
11. Compact Mirror with "V" for Valerie! (Gift from my friend when I was her maid of honor)
12. Hair band
13. CoverGirl lipstick in Darling 395
14. Maybelline lipstick in Sweet Ginger
15. Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer in Fig
16. Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer in Rhubarb
17. Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer in Watermelon
18. Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer in Guava (all these lip shimmers found here)
19. Burt's Bees Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil
20. Toothpick (you never know!)
21. Makeup sponge wedge
22. Camera case (I always carry my camera with me)
23. Fossil sunglasses case/Target sunglasses
24. Owl pencil case from Ross, I use it to hold my cosmetics.

Week Four

New Weight: 148!

It feels great to be out of the 150's finally. I also finished week one of the Insanity workout. I'm bruised and sore and my back is killing me, but I did it! Unfortunately Ryan and I both caught a cold and are feeling pretty miserable today. Isn't it horrible when you're sick on the week-end? Also Ryan's weight stayed the same and he's ready to give up on healthy eating and exercising. I hope and pray he will stick with it so we can set a good example to Sean as he gets older.

Shells

- Dress: Kohl's - Flip Flops: New York & Company - Necklace: Gift

Close up of my pretty shell necklace

Shells make me think of the beach, and on a hot sunny day there's no place I'd rather be than the beach. So in honor of that longing of mine, I'm wearing shells! Ryan gave me this necklace a couple of years ago as a souvenir from a business trip, and I've never worn it until now. I paired it with a tie-dye maxi dress from Kohl's and flip flops.

I left Sean for the first time in my church's nursery during this morning's service. He let me leave without crying and behaved well I heard. My little boy is growing up! My mom babysat him after church so that Ryan and I could go on a date. We went and got Chinese food and had a great time. It felt good to be out as a couple but of course we missed Sean too. The little munchkin is back with us now and he's walking around the living room making silly noises.

Week Three

Well I lost the pound I gained this week and I'm right back to where I was last week at this time: 150. Am I happy I stayed the same? No. Am I happy I lost what I gained, heck yes! Let me tell you what happened this week.

It all started last Saturday evening when we had friends over for dinner and a movie. I wanted to make healthy whole wheat sub sandwiches and salad but that idea was tossed out faster than we throw away Sean's dirty diapers. Instead, it was decided to order pizza and wings. On top of that, Ryan picked up sodas and chips and dip! Oh no! I'm not superwoman, when that stuff is around I eat it! I had small portions and never overate, but it was the wrong stuff to be putting in my body and I saw the consequences of those choices I made when the scale went up a pound. We had leftover supreme pizza and I ate one slice a day until it was gone.

Then I had a day where I was tired and cranky from having to wait forever to see my dermatologist. I was perched on that little examining chair for over an hour and a half waiting, and I couldn't lean back because when I did the chair started making horrible creaking sounds like it was about to give up the ghost. By the time I got back home I wanted comfort food, and instead of making myself a salad like I had planned earlier in the day, I had a sandwich with pastrami and cheese, a cup of apple soda, and a little ice cream. Shame shame.

You thought my rant about eating what I shouldn't was over? No way. Last night we were invited to an epic sea food feast hosted by my sister and brother in law. On the menu was fried shrimp, salmon, crab legs, hush puppies, fried mushrooms, corn on the cob, rice with shrimp, shrimp alfredo, baked potato, mango salad, berry salad, veggie chips and ice cream, soda and coffee. Help I'm being repressed! (That makes absolutely no sense but I just had to throw in a gratuitous line from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the movie we watched last week much to my chagrin.) The food was delicious and I did a moderately good job of sticking to my diet while there. I started with some veggie chips, mango salad dip and two crab legs. My main plate had salmon, a few shrimp, berry salad, a bit of rice and a bit of alfredo. For dessert: one of those small Blue Bell ice cream cups, to drink: just water.

So there you have it, more than you ever wanted to know about my ups and downs of dieting this week.

Fixing Sean's Flat Spot

Sean HATED tummy time when he was smaller. He would scream and turn red in the face in protest and make me feel like I was torturing him.  He also never turned his head to the side when he slept, but instead kept it facing straight up. My mom would tell me to put him to sleep on his side, but I was always terrified that he would turn his little nose into the mattress and smother himself. So what happened? He developed flat head syndrome. This syndrome has actually become pretty common since The "Back to Sleep" campaign of the '90's. The campaign drastically reduced the number deaths due to SIDS, but also greatly increased the prevalence of positional deformities, or more specifically in Sean's case: brachycephaly.

Brachycephaly:

"Positional Brachycephaly refers to a condition where the head is disproportionately wide compared to its depth. It is caused by prolonged positioning on the back of the head. The head flattens uniformly, resulting in a head shape that is very wide and short. There can also be increased head height on the back of the head."

http://www.flatheadprevention.org/about-flathead-syndrome/

Sean's pediatrician brought the flattening of Sean's head to our attention and referred us to a neurosurgeon in San Antonio. Unfortunately the clinic was very busy and we had to wait several months to get Sean in, thus wasting precious time that could have helped correct Sean's brachycephaly faster, but we trust God that He knows best. The neurosurgeon confirmed our fears that his flat head was a pretty severe case of brachycephaly. If this were only a cosmetic issue it would be one thing, but there are many problems associated with flat head syndrome for kids as they get older, such as developmental delays, vision problems, hearing problems, and orthodontic problems. Needless to say we were willing to do anything to help Sean avoid all of that. The "anything" we ended up having to do was putting a three thousand dollar helmet on our just-been-paid-off-completely credit card. Our son is so worth it though and we know God will provide.

Thankfully there was a clinic back in our town that could make a mold of Sean's head and have him fitted for a STARband helmet. It took roughly a month for his helmet to be ready and he now wears it 23 hours a day. The one hour off is for bathing and cleaning the helmet, and drying time for hair and helm. Not to mention a lot of snuggles and neck kisses while the helmet isn't in the way! The helmet prevents Sean's head from growing any wider, and allows it instead to fill out the empty space in the back. The orthotist likened it to how when you push a balloon in on the sides it fills out the other way.

Sean has been wearing his helmet for almost two months now, since March 24. He has adapted to wearing it exceedingly well. In fact it has saved his little noggin many times as he learned to walk and tumbles were common. How funny that something I was so apprehensive about can have its positive aspects! His flat spot is improving day to day, and we look forward to taking him to his orthotist every month to get his head measured. Thank God for such sweet Christian people at that clinic, they have made this whole process so much better than it could have been. The longest Sean might wear the helmet is until he is a year and a half old, but we hope that he won't need that long in it.

Smiles for Mama.

At the beginning I was worried about what people would think when they saw Sean in his helmet, but very quickly I realized that we are so blessed to have a healthy son who has a condition that can be completely corrected and not something more serious. People stare, but I don't mind. One comment my husband overheard was a kid asking his mother, "Why does that baby have a bowling ball on his head?" Well this mom is very grateful for that bowling ball!

Playing at Nana's

Ransacking the Tupperware cabinet.

Not quite sure if he likes this ride yet! (First time in his bicycle trailer)

Hamming it up at our mall's playground.

Easter Sunday

-Left Picture: Sean at 4 months -Right Picture: Sean at 8 1/2 months after only 3 weeks in the helmet.
The top of his head is not as sloped, his neckline is more defined, and the back of his head is rounding out.

My Boy

I had already posted one of these pictures back at Easter time, but I decided to edit that post to just be an outfit post. I had more pictures of my sweet little Sean that I wanted to share, so here they are all in one spot!

Bugging Out

-Cardigan: Gift -Tank: Kohl's - Jeans: my favorite Levi's - Flats: Gift - Sunglasses and Necklace: Fossil

I met this cute little Volkswagen beetle when the Stars and Stripes Air show came to my town. It was love at first sight!

This is another old picture, this time from when I was 16 weeks pregnant. I've been at home with Sean a lot while the hubby is working longer shifts so I haven't had a chance to prettify myself and go out. We have an appointment later today though, maybe I'll snap a few shots!

Ranch Hand?

-Shirt and Tank: ??? Don't remember! -Jeans: Kohl's - Boots: Payless -Cuff: American Eagle

I don't have an outfit picture from the last few days because I've kinda just been hanging around the house. Yesterday we did have a get-together here with some friends but I didn't get around to taking a picture, so I thought I'd post an old one instead! This was taken at my uncle's ranch when I was a month pregnant. I didn't know it at the time and I did some horseback riding, but thankfully no mishaps ensued.

Products In My Shower

I saw Sara's post from You, Me & Anthropologie about what products are in her shower and decided to do the same thing! I feel so impressionable because now I want to go out and buy everything she has!

-For exfoliating my face I alternate between L'Oreal's Go 360° Clean Deep Exfoliating Scrub and Burt's Bees Peach and Willowbark Deep Pore Scrub. I really love the scrublet that comes with the L'Oreal product. As for the Burt's Bees scrub I find it's a little hard to rinse but I like the smell and it cleans well.

-For simple face washing and makeup removal I use the generic version (Hill Country Essentials from HEB) of Neutrogena's Cleansing Towelettes.

-For my hair I use Pantene Pro-V Medium-Thick Dry to Moisturized Shampoo and Conditioner. Since switching to this product my hair is softer than ever.

-I generally stick to Dove Sensitive Skin Unscented Soap. I lather it up and put it on my loofah to use.

-My razor of choice is Schick Quattro. I never cut myself and the blade lasts a very long time.

-To keep my feet pretty I use a simple pumice stone.

And there we have it! All I left out was my husband's stuff and of course all the tub toys thrown in there for Sean!

P.S. This obviously isn't in my shower, but I just had to mention it. This is the most divine smelling soap ever! Seriously. I haven't stopped smelling my hands all day. This miraculous creation is Peach Bellini Gentle Foaming Hand Soap from Bath & Body Works. What are you waiting for? Go buy it!

Week Two

Another week down and this time I lost 3 pounds! New weight: 150. Goal for next week? Another 3 pounds please! Oh and my hubby lost 2 pounds!

I'm so glad we're both making progress. I exercise five days a week, I don't snack in the evening, I stay away from soda, and I have small healthy snacks in between healthy meals. I can do this!

Sample Day:

Breakfast:
Oatmeal with fruit & milk
Snack:
Cottage cheese with 1 tsp. of maple syrup & 1/2 tsp. of vanilla
Lunch:
Pork chop/half a sweet potato/green beans
Snack:
Apple with 5 or 6 almonds
Dinner:
Spinach salad with tuna/tomato/onion/vinegar/salt & pepper
Dessert:
Cup of chocolate milk

The Good the Bad and the Ugly

Top: Ross - Jeans and Shoes: Kohl's -Sunglasses: Target -Necklace: Ebay

I'll start with the fact that it rained! A lovely, wonderful, exciting thunderstorm blew in bringing us a lot of much needed rain. Sean and I sat in front of the open sliding doors to our balcony and enjoyed the mist of rain hitting us and the cold breeze. It even hailed a bit, but I closed the door before that started! The cloud cover was so thick that it looked like night outside even though it was noon. That was a little eerie but I loved it. I've always loved storms and feel really alive when the lightning and thunder start!

We also took Sean to his 9 month appointment today and everyone was pretty impressed that he's walking already. The visit went well despite some confusion at one point where the pediatrician thought I said we were giving Sean 4 six ounce bottles of juice a day! I was talking about formula, of course, but he misunderstood and it got a little weird until we all figured out what was going on. (Awkward!) Afterwards we stopped for some tasty Subway and then ran home to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. 

So that's all the good stuff...now for the bad.

One thing that isn't too huge of a deal, but is still vastly annoying, is that Ryan got sent home for wearing tennies to work this afternoon. He had his boots on earlier at work but they got 100% soaked heading to his car after his earlier shift ended. Work people made a huge deal out of it and sent him home to get his boots, despite the fact that they were still dripping wet.  Ugh!

Then to top it off, I looked outside a few hours ago, and saw Ryan's car (that isn't currently running) getting towed away! It's parked out in front of the apartments in a perfectly legal parking spot. I guess the office didn't like that it had a flat tire? Who knows where they took it or how much it will cost us to get it back! 

As for the ugly...well, this pic isn't too great! 

P.S I wrote this yesterday but couldn't post it because blogger was down so all the "todays" are really "yesterdays".

P.P.S. My computer really doesn't want me to post this, seeing as how I've tried about a million times and keep inexplicably losing the post! 

Mom's day!

I feel so blessed to be a mom and I greatly enjoyed my first mother's day. Hubby gave me the sweetest cards, one from him and one he wrote from Sean baby. It was so cute! We went to church, visited with family and I got to see Thor with my mom. And by the way, my mom is the most amazing woman I know and also my best friend. I couldn't ask for a better mother! The rest of my Sunday was pretty peaceful at home with my awesome husband doing most of the baby-watching for me. It felt great to be pampered and now I'm getting my Star Wars on! We finished Phantom Menace and are on Attack of the Clones now. Toodles!

- Top: Target - Skirt: Kohl's -Shoes: Isaac Mizrahi via Target
 Bracelet: Victoria's Secret - Watch: Fossil

Pool Party

-Top and Shoes: Target -Shorts: Lee (Don't remember where I bought them)
-Watch: Fossil - Bracelet: Kohl's (Gift)

My hubby Ryan took this picture of Sean and I before we headed to my sister's house for a little pool party for my niece who just turned two. We had a ton of fun and got to stay later than the other guests to watch a movie afterwards. I wore one of the shirts (buy it here) I got at Target yesterday and Ryan was so sweet to compliment how I looked! We both watched what we ate, only drank water, and got to have a little "cheat" with a little bit of cake and ice cream. Good times!

Week One

Drum roll please! I lost......................two pounds and I am now 153! My cruel, cruel scale psyched me out though by flashing 151 before switching to 153. My heart jumped when I saw that I was four pounds down! Oh well, I am quite content with two pounds though, and I hope next week will be at least two as well! On a side note, my husband is doing really well too! He's already lost 7 pounds. He's cut back DRASTICALLY on sodas, and is eating something small and healthy every three hours or so. I was especially proud of him last night as he was serving himself the supper I made-- he had served a little too much at first, and then put back some in order to have a healthy portion size. Good job babe!

Comfy and Cool

-Top and Jeans (rolled up this time): Kohl's - Shoes: Steve Madden via Marshalls
-Sunglasses: Target - Watch: Fossil - Bracelet: Abercrombie & Fitch (Gift) 

Ran out to lunch with the hubby, baby and my mom-in-law today. We just grabbed a quick bite at Arby's during her lunch break. I was very good and had a salad with roast chicken and ranch on the side. At home I prefer vinegar on my salads, but a little bit of ranch won't kill me! To drink I just had a water. I'm so proud of myself for sticking to this week's goal of staying away from sugary drinks. It was a hot day, as usual, and I just wanted to be comfy and cool so I decided on jeans and a t-shirt. (Something I do quite often as you'll begin to notice.)

Later I ran to Target to return some jeans I bought last week. They were cute, but the dye smell was just WAY too strong. (I'm assuming that's what the smell was.)  I exchanged them for a few shirts. I was particularly happy to find a soft comfy over-sized top to wear around the house for only a few bucks. In fact I'm wearing it right now! Afterwards I went to the mall to get my Mom her mother's day gift from Bath & Body Works.

Now it's good to be back home with my boys and I'm going to get my work-out in and then look up recipes for tonight's din din.

Flashback

I was looking over some old photos of when I was pregnant last year, and I decided to post a few that show just how huge my stomach was! No wonder I'm having so much trouble getting my stomach back in shape!

This was taken during a trip to the beach when I was 32 weeks pregnant.

Yes, I climbed to the top of a lighthouse while pregnant!

Late Easter

I've been meaning to take some pictures of my son with some Easter paraphernalia, so I took his basket and stuffed animals over to my Mom's back-yard to do a little photo shoot with him this evening. Better late than never! (Edit: I added a picture post from this shoot here.)

Here's what I wore:

- Everything from Kohl's except the shoes - Shoes from Target

Besides having fun at my Mom's house, I was very happy to eat healthy throughout the day and exercise as well. Sean took a long nap that let me work out uninterrupted! Hooray! Also my sweet hubby got groceries after work and brought home fruits and veggies and salad fixings. I'm so proud of him for getting healthy stuff! 

Now it's off to bed with me~