Weigh In Week 4
Previous Weight: 162.0
Current Weight: 160.4
Lost this Week: 1.6
Total Lost: 4.6

Good news is I am heading back in the right direction!! Now I have to focus on being good this weekend when I am traveling. I would REALLY like to break the 160 barrier this week.

In school news I finished up my 1st summer class last night!! I start my 2nd this Thursday. Last night, after I finished my final presentation, I realized the light at the end of the tunnel is finally getting brighter! I have 1 more (3hr) class this summer, I'm taking 4 classes this fall (but only 9hrs/3 nights per week), and then 2 classes spring 2010 (6hrs). That is totally doable! And then I will be DONE! I can't wait to having my evenings backs! Now let's just home this MBA pays off!

I wanted to update you all on my friend. The meeting with the Birth Mother went really well on Saturday. She said it was hard for the girl, but both she and the social worker that met with them thought it went well. And the good news is I got a text from her today and she is meeting with the birth mother again on Wednesday!! I am really trying not to get my hopes up for her, but its hard! If she and her DH are choosen, their baby boy would be due in Nov.

Well its safe to say my weekend was a total wash out. On Friday DH had inventory until late in the evening, so I opted for a little take out from my favorite Greek restaurant. I treated myself to a little beef shawarma, Greek salad and babaganoush. I got home, gobbled it up, and settled down on the couch to watch Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants 2 (I mean when else can I watch these ridiculous girly movies??). After finishing the movie, I was pretty sleepy so I went to bed on the early side. Well I woke up at around 11pm, and felt extremely sick. I called DH since he still wasn't home to let him know I wasn't feeling well. From about 11pm until 4am I was terribly sick. DH got home around midnight and offered to take me to the hospital, but I didn't think that was really necissary. I felt bad for him b/c he didn't sleep at all and had to be back at work for inventory at 7am.

I slept a little bit Saturday morning, and then spent the rest of the day parked on the couch. My sister came by to keep me company. I ate a little bit but my stomach was still really upset. I talked to my Dr and she said it was most likely Ecoli from the spinach in my salad. Not good. Sunday I still wasn't feeling great but I had to get my final paper and presentation ready for my class tonight. So needless to say it was a pretty miserable weekend!

The good news is this week should pass fast since I am swamped at work, and this weekend I am going to visit my best friend in Atlanta! I am super excited to see her!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

So a really good friend of mine has been going through the adoption process. She was told by her Drs that her chances of conceiving naturally were 0 and that even with IVF her chances would have been extremely low. So instead of spending their limited resources on pursuing an option that may not work, she and her husband opted for adoption. Its been about 1 year since they started the process, and they are actually meeting with a birth mother tomorrow that is interested in them for her baby boy! I am so excited for her, but also trying to not get my hopes up too much since the girl could not decide to pick them. Anyway, if you all could say a little prayer for her tonight it would be great!

This weekend I will be spending all weekend on my final paper and presentation in my first summer class! Its all due Monday, and my next class starts Tuesday, so much for a break, right??

I hope you all have relaxing weekends!

Today I came home from work, and when I opened the door my pug did not run up to meet me. No problem, I headed back to the master bedroom and called for her. Still no pug. Then it hits me, I let her and our lab out at lunch. Shit. I open the back door, call for her but she doesn't come. I start to panic. I ran to look under the bed where she frequently hides, and as I am on my hands and knees I hear her come through the back door. It was 101+ here today. She must of gone to hid under the house because her body wasn't that hot, but she was really dirty and she was panting a ton.

I feel horrible, I'm such a bad mom!! I don't know how I let that happen. She hides under the bed a lot so when I didn't see her when I was locking up the house I assumed she'd slipped in while I was putting Maggie in her kennel. Good news is after a lot of water and some food she is back to her usually lazy pug self.


my poor poor pug!

Week 4 Weigh In

Weigh In Week 3
Previous Weight: 160.2
Current Weight: 162.0
Lost this Week: +1.8
Total Lost: 3.0

I really didn't want to post this, but oh well. Personal responsibility is why I decided to do these post at all. I was really good all last week, but totally fell off the wagon after AFs arrival. It was ugly, and now I have to pay the consequences!

So Saturday night, I went to the Fleetwood Mac concert with my mom, my sister, and my step-mom (yes, we're that happy dysfunctional family, but that's a story for another time). It was amazing! I couldn't believe how great they were in concert. My family is really into music, so I've seen a lot of great shows from artist of my parents' generation (rolling stones, Bob Seger, Billy Joel, Eric Clapton, ect), and this was by far my favorite. It always amazes me how great the music is from that era. Because they weren't promoting a new album, they played every great song of theirs. Big Love and Landslide are my favorite songs, and they actually played them back to back. I cried during landslide, but it was dark and I'm sure I wasn't the only one!!

Sunday we went to see The Hangover. I must say that this movie is a MUST SEE! It was hysterical, we literally laughed the entire movie. If you need a way to escape this horrible heat, definitely consider spending an afternoon in the theaters for this one. Worth ever penny.

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Well I must admit, I had really gotten my hopes up this cycle. I know we has great timing, and I was already day dreaming about how cool it would be to tell DH we were pregnant on Fathers Day. I actually even checked to see if I had a HPT this morning, so I could test tom or Sunday. Yep, not necessary. CD 1 has arrived, and so begins cycle #12. I hate this. I just don't understand how I let myself get so hopeful each cycle. Truthfully, I was better at guarding myself in the beginning than I am now. I used to go through the cycle assuming I wasn't pregnant, then when AF arrived, I wouldn't be so let down. Recently however, every cycle I find myself being so hopeful. Why is that? Shouldn't it be the reverse?

On a positive note, it gives me 4 more weeks to get skinny! So there's always a bright side.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Weigh In Week 3
Previous Weight: 164.6
Current Weight: 160.2
Lost this Week: 4.4
Total Lost: 4.8

It was a good week. I think large loss was really b/c this was my 1st week of being really good all week (you always lose more in the beginning). But I do take a little credit for my success b/c I went to Mexican restaurants 2 times this week and didn't have any chips! yay me! I'm hoping to have broken the 160 barrier by next week.

So every Sunday I pick up my grandfather (papa) and we got to church and brunch together. Papa is 90, and is pretty much home-bound these days so Sundays out is the most exciting thing he does all week. Papa has been going to this church for over 50 years, and at this point is the longest standing member. He gets so excited when he sees all his friends, and knowing how much he loves to go provides me the extra motivation I need to get out of bed on a Sunday morning.

Currently he walks in the house with a walker, but as of yesterday he has finally agreed to using a wheelchair for our Sunday adventures. This has opened up a world of possibilities. We were really limited on our brunch options because he couldn't walk very far, but as I told him yesterday, the world is our oyster again! We started out this new era, by returning to one of our favorite brunch spots. The Veranda at the Intercontinental Hotel was a family favorite, but had been out of rotation for sometime due to the long distance btw the valet and the restaurant. Yesterday Papa and I took it by storm. Once we ordered our drinks we hit the buffet, him hold the plate and me scooping the food, until we gathered everything he wanted. It was actually the first time he's gotten to see a buffet in a long time because usually I would just go and pick for him. So the "choice" was really exciting. After we were done brunch, we headed back for a little dessert (shh... i know, its not a very diet friendly decision, but we were celebrating). We both decided on Banana's Foster. Banana's Foster is simply the most delectable New Orleans dessert. It is served at most functions in the city and is something everyone must have at least once! So I am passing on my favorite recipe to you girls in hopes that you'll bring this sensational treat to your home town. I've made it a number of times (anniversaries, new years eve, ect), and its pretty hard to mess up!


Ingredients: - 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup banana liqueur
- 4 bananas, cut in half lengthwise, then halved
- 1/4 cup dark rum
- 4 scoops vanilla ice cream

Directions:

- Combine the butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a flambé pan or skillet.
- Place the pan over low heat either on an alcohol burner or on top of the stove, and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.
- Stir in the banana liqueur, then place the bananas in the pan.
- When the banana sections soften and begin to brown, carefully add the rum.
Continue to cook the sauce until the rum is hot, then tip the pan slightly to ignite the rum.
- When the flames subside, lift the bananas out of the pan and place four pieces over each portion of ice cream.
- Generously spoon warm sauce over the top of the ice cream and serve immediately.
Serves Four

It should turn out looking like this:


I hope someone will give it a try!

So I'm officially in the 2WW. I O'd on monday, so now the waiting game begins. O was really painfully, like almost as bad as when I had the cycst rupture, but at least I'm here in 2WW #11. Feeling pretty good about this cycle, so here's hoping!

Weigh In Week 2
Previous Weight: 165.0
Current Weight: 164.6
Lost this Week: .4
Total Lost: .4

Ugh. I was really good during the week, but I was horrible over the weekend so i can't say i'm surprised. Good news is this is a new week, so I'm back on track and trying to focus on being good this weekend.

I just got back from a 45 min walk with DH. Its a start.

So we had another busy weekend. It started out with Thursday night, when we attended my friends "Welcome-to-town" party for her wedding. We headed over there at around 6:30 and didn't leave until 9:30! We had a blast catching up with everyone who was in town for the wedding, so it was totally worth it.

Friday was my company picnic. I was busy enjoying myself at the picnic when I got a call from the contractor who was working on replacing the french doors in the back of our house. Apparently as the doors were rotting (which we knew about when we bought the house), substantial water was seeping under the doors, and rotting all the wood underneath. While he was ripping out the rotten section, he found live termites. So then I had to call our termite contractor and meet at the house to check out what the hell was going on. Once they had both decided that the termites were going to be fully taken care of when the rotten wood was replaced, the contractor got busy putting in the new door. Well once he gets it in there, we realize that the old door has been in there crooked. So now, we're going to have to replace the siding on the outside around the house (since it had been framed around a crooked door, and the molding on the interior of the door. Basically it turned into a giant mess, that is going to end up costing me probably 3x the labor I thought it was. ugh! So my should-be relaxing day turned into a mess.

Friday night we actually went to eat at Drago's, which is one of my favorite restaurants. I got the charbroiled oysters which are simply divine! We went out to eat with our next door neighbor, his GF, and another couple that we are mutual friends with. We hadn't spent time with either couple's in a few weeks, so it was great to catch up. After dinner we went to W.I.N.O, where we did wine tasting. It was a ton a fun, and we got to try some really great wines!!

Saturday I woke up early because the contractor was coming back to do some more work on the door. Once he was gone, I ran errands with my sister who is getting married for the wedding. My younger sister who live in NYC was in also, so she joined in the fun. I love doing stuff for the wedding, and it was really fun to spend time with my sisters. After a late sushi lunch with my sisters I headed home to get ready for my friends wedding. The wedding was beautiful and the reception was a blast. They used the same band we did on our recommendation, and everyone was dancing the night away! We left the reception on the early side of the evening b/c I didn't want to be too tired for Sunday.

Sunday was my sister's wedding shower. Family friends hosted it at our local country club, and the shower was a blast! It was a great Sunday brunch menu, and everyone ate way too much! After everyone was almost done eating, we started opening gifts. She got some great stuff! It was a really fun morning and I think she was very happy. We finished off Sunday by having dinner at my Dad's house. So needless to say it was a very busy weekend!

Of course in the midst of all this craziness I've totally forgotten to temp, and I am right around O time, so lord knows what's going on. But I have either O'd or will O today/tom. I'm on CD 17, and the latest i've ever O'd is CD 18, so we'll keep at it for a few more days for good measure!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!!

So before the little incident Sunday night, I was having a pretty good weekend! On friday night we went out to our favorite mexican resturant for a casual dinner. Then on saturday morning I went on a field trip for my Enviorment, Society and Capitalism class which is an elective for my MBA program. We visited the Global Green resource center, which is located in downtown new orleans. It was really interesting to learn about all the ways green building is being used to help rebuild the city, and the green business oppertunities that exist in the construction industry. I also learned about some great ways to retro fit an older home like ours to make it more green. DH definitely has some projects added to his honey-do list. In a city like New Orleans, where is it so hot in the summers, anything we can do to make the house more energy efficient is totally worth it. After visiting the resource center, we went on a tour of Global Green's project in the Holy Cross area. Its was great to see all the green products/elements actually in use. We also drove by Brad Pitt's Make it Right project, which is really coming along. It was great to see all the rebuilding occuring, but of course served as a reminder of how far the city still have to come.

Saturday night my boss threw a Hawiian themed party with two of her friends. They went all out with there decorations, a tiki bar including Daquiri machines, and lais for all! We stayed there until about 8:45, which is when we had to leave to go to my friend's couples shower. The shower was hosted by the groomsmen, at a local resturant/bar that has a great outdoor event space. It was a blast, even though we got there on the later end of the party (it started at 7:30).

Thanks everyone for your support yesterday, it really means a lot to me. I definitely had a little melt down, but I'm better now, and fully commited to getting healthy!!

So last night I was grabbing myself and DH a little dessert at TCBY, when I ran into a good family friend. She saw me and shrieked very excitedly, "I didn't know you were pregnant." I was wearing the purple dress pictured in the post below, so in her defense, it is very flowy after the bust part. Never the less, I just about wanted to burst into tears. Trying to keep it together, I turned to her, and pretended like I didn't hear what she had said. I said hi, and tried to make small talk with her until I could get my frozen yogurt paid for. Then I went into my car and sat there stunned. I couldn't decide what to be most upset about, the fact that I am still, after this 16 month journey, childless, or that apparently I am so fat I look pregnant. I mean seriously. I just wanted to cry.

I have been gaining weight since Christmas. To put it in the words of fellow blogger Buena, I'm stuck on this cycle of "hoping for baby, excited, negative result and then comfort food." It not good, and apparently now its becoming really apparent. So today I decided its time. If I'm not going to be blessed by a child, I should at least take care of myself. I think for a long time I've been hiding the toll this whole thing is taking on me mentally and physically. I feel so beaten down, and I generally turn to food as my coping mechanism. It has got to stop. So this morning I took the first step. I got out my scale and stepped on.

Starting Weight: 165.0
BMI: 25.8 (Overweight)