Poor Joshie

I took Josh back to the doctor today for a follow-up check of his ear infection the past two months. He had a couple ear infections last year, and got another one in December and was treated. Then a month later at his 18-month appointment found out his ears were not better. I brought him in again today and found out he still has double ear infections. He was prescribed some stronger antibiotics and the dr said he will see him again in a month. If his ears still are not better we will start talking about tubes. Here Jake and I thought he was just overly grouchy lately for no reason. He is also getting a huge molar which can't feel good. Our poor little guy. Hopefully this round of antibiotics will take care of the infections!

(By the way, I wanted to thank everyone for your comments on my weight loss post. I'm lucky to have so many wonderful and caring friends and family who support me. Love you all!)

Before & After Weight Loss pics

I made it!!! I figured it was time to post my before & after pics. My original goal was to get down to 140, which I did in December. Then I thought I would try for 10 more lbs. and get to 130 but to be honest, I'm happy with where I'm at (134). I still weigh less than I did when Jake and I got married, and still weigh a couple lbs. less than I did in high school. My stomach has been stretched to the max not just once or twice, but THREE times, so I don't think I'll ever have a "normal" stomach again, but that's okay. Maybe Jake will give me a surprise tummy tuck someday. ;) I'm posting three sets of pics: 1) June 26th at 169.8 2) Halfway there at 151 and 3) nearly 8 months after I started at 134.

I've had a couple people ask me for weight loss tips and advice and it's hard to know where to start. I guess it all comes down to motivation and how badly you want this. It's easy to say "Yes, I want to lose weight." It's a lot harder to actually get up every day and exercise and watch what you eat. So, no excuses. Yes, there will be crappy workouts where you wished you had never got out of bed, but there will also be amazing workouts that will inspire you and help you realize your potential. One of my favorite realizations during this process was the day we went sledding with Jake's family on Christmas Eve. Most were huffing and puffing up the hill and I felt great. I could actually keep up with my kids... something I couldn't do a few months before. I ran a 10K just 2 1/2 months after I started working out (something I would have never dreamed of doing 2 months before!) I'm running a half marathon in 2 months, again, something I never thought I could ever do. I'm wearing size 6 jeans (and even a few of those pair are a little loose.) I'm confident. I feel beautiful. All this is worth the buckets of sweat and lack of treats. I know because I'm taking care of me, that makes me a much better individual, wife, and mom. It truly is worth it.

Single Ladies

I'm stealing my sister's post because I thought it was worthy enough to re-post on my blog. My other sister, Whitney, is in a comedy group at BYU called Divine Comedy. She had to audition for her spot and out of 200 people she was one of the two or three who got a spot. "DC" is like a clean LDS version of SNL. The cast comes up with their own skits and performs them 3 times a semester. She came up with this skit during Christmas break and I love it. (Single Ladies is one of Emma's favorite songs right now too. She has me crank it in the car any time it comes on the radio.) Anyway, Whit is the main girl in the skit and singing Beyonce's part. Check it out HERE.

And here is the 'real' version by Beyonce:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mVEGfH4s5g&feature=channel_page

Good job, Whit. I'm proud of you!

PS I'm sure Whitney's best friend, Mallory, made the video so I wanted to say how awesome she is too. They are both talented ladies!

PPS My favorite part is at the end of Whit's video when she attacks her ring pop and then laughs, so wait for it.

My Romantic Husband

If anyone doesn't remember my feelings about Valentine's Day, go back to the post I did last year on V-Day. Things have really changed dramatically since our first Valentine's Day together. This year Jake scored by giving me my favorite sweets (chocolates filled with peanut butter from Cummings) and then had me read this article from The Onion: "I Wish I'd Spent Valentine's Day Eating a Prix Fixe Dinner, But I was Too Busy Getting Beheaded." Slightly disturbing.

Barry the Newfoundland

Katie and Jake, my sister-in-law and brother-in-law, have an addition to their family... an adorable Newfoundland named Barry. We brought Truman over tonight so he could hang out with his new "cousin." Barry is only 11 weeks and already over 25 lbs. He's supposed to get up to 180, possibly bigger. That's over twice the size of Truman! I can't wait to see how big Barry gets (and glad I'm not the one who has to take care of him.) No offense, Kate. ;) I'm glad Barry has such a great home. You and Jake will take great care of him. Congrats!

Best Running Shoe Ever

For anyone perhaps looking for new running shoes, I would have to recommend the Brooks Adrenaline shoe. I've owned 4 pairs now over the last 5 years and I will never go to another brand. Check out the specs for these shoes HERE

I really can't say enough about them. I wanted some new Brooks for the past month or two because my 1st and 2nd pairs were done for and 3rd pair are coming close. The new Brooks Adrenaline GTS 9 are over $100 (which isn't unheard of in the running shoe business, actually pretty comparable to others like Nike, Asics, New Balance, Saucony.) I bought mine on eBay though, brand new, for $60 (that's including shipping.) I've owned a pair of New Balance and Adidas too and Brooks is just a better fit for me. If you're not totally sold, go to a running store and try them on. See how they feel. I just ran this morning with my brand new Brooks and they were so light. The tongue stayed in place, I didn't have to readjust anything. Once they were on, I was ready to go. I know I sound like an infomercial, but when you feel strongly about something, it's nice to share. Remember that most running shoes are only good for 350-500 miles and then should be replaced. Buy 1/2 to 1 size bigger than you normally wear to make room for your toes when you run. (I made that mistake my first shoe I bought. Got my exact size and my shoes made me miserable!) Running really is a pretty cheap sport but I wouldn't skimp on the shoes. Get a decent pair and your body will thank you.

It can only go up from here, right?!

So, I found out last Monday Josh had a double ear infection. I had no clue. What horrible mom would let her child walk around sick like that? It was his 18-month well-check when the dr discovered this. Then Wednesday Emma came down with a nasty cold. I knew I would probably get it because the way my immune system has been the past few years, I haven't been able to avoid most things that come my way like that. Thursday I started feeling it. Friday and Saturday were bad. Sunday I was pretty congested still but most of the achy and light-headed part of the cold was gone. So I didn't exercise for 5 days straight. It has been over 7 months since I've gone that long without exercise and I felt it this morning, my first workout since my hiatus. I ran 2 miles and they were the worst 2 miles. I felt like I couldn't get enough air and my chest was heavy. I wanted to go 3 but knew there was no way that was going to happen. I jumped off the treadmill and did 30 minutes on the elliptical. I burned about 500 calories so not great but decent for the state I was in. I just kept reminding myself "It can only go up from here." I have 2 1/2 months, 75 days to be exact, until my half marathon. Hopefully there will be no more set-backs and I can keep pushing.

At the gym this morning I had to hold myself back from throwing up. This guy running on the treadmill in front of me had a pretty good pace and went for nearly an hour. I noticed about halfway into his run he was sweating very badly. 10 minutes later I saw sweat pooling on both sides of his treadmill (and landing on the two treadmills next to him.) He had a towel and I only saw him use it once. Sick! The worst part is after he was finished, he didn't even wipe it down. He left the sweat and walked away. Didn't spray it with the disinfectant. Nasty. I felt bad for the lady who jumped on after he left. YUCK!

Grateful beyond words...

My friend Stacy (the one right next to me) just e-mailed me today and announced she is pregnant with #2. This might not seem like a big deal to those who don't know her, but to those who do, we are crying tears of joy. She first miscarried when she started trying to get pregnant with #1 and then it took I believe 2 more years to get pregnant with Cameron. When Cameron was about 6 months old her and Brad decided they would start trying again since they knew it would probably take awhile to get pregnant again. Little did they know, it would be 4 1/2 long years of heartache, tears, and pain. I can only imagine how hard it was for Stacy to see so many people around her announce left and right that they were pregnant. (I was one of them. We got pregnant twice while her and Brad were trying.) They went to fertility specialists and were tested and eventually realized invitro and adoption were probably their last two choices... and very expensive choices! Stacy's grandma let her know last year that she would help her pay for the fertility treatments and that was a huge blessing to her and Brad. Last summer she was supposed to go through her first round of invitro but the dr found that her uterus was too swollen from all the hormones she had been taking to get ready for the invitro process, so he wouldn't go through with it for another couple months. Finally, as she mentioned in her e-mail today, she's able to say she's pregnant... words she has been wanting to say for a long time. Two eggs took and she miscarried one, but thankfully, the other is growing and developing just as it should. August 11th is her due date, and I'll be counting it down with her. (Sorry if this embarrasses you, Stacy. I just wanted to share this with everyone I know. I'm so excited for you. ;) ) Stacy is so kind and selfless, always thinking of others before herself. I often wondered why she would have to struggle with something so difficult, and yet there are teens out there getting pregnant every day who don't want their babies. Obviously there is a reason deeper than we all can understand. I'm just so grateful that finally another spirit will be coming to their home. Congrats, Johnson family! We can't wait to meet this little one in August.