Brushing off the dust.

Hey, y'all! It has been quite a while, hasn't it?

I can't guarantee I will be updating with any kind of frequency, but I had the urge to post today. There has been a lot of change here in the MM household.

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Baby J is in daycare now since I am working at a local elementary school with the special education department. She is doing amazingly well! She's adjusted to her new sleep schedule and made new friends right away. I am so proud of my baby doll. Two things that haven't changed: We're still breastfeeding at 16 months! (Mostly her idea... lol.) And we're still co-sleeping. I don't mind either.

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I am finishing up my Elite Personal Fitness Trainer Certification. I have about a month to complete my exams and then I'll be official! I've learned so much about fitness and nutrition. I can't wait to apply some of this knowledge to real life clients.

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I am also giving the 21 Day Sugar Detox a second shot. I have my first week planned out. *Maybe* I'll post my food diary tomorrow night. If I'm not dying from lack of sugar...

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We are moving into a new home in November, and now that I'm working outside the home, I don't have a lot of time for exercise. So my plan is to keep up with 3 days a week of P90X strength training DVDs and one cardio DVD until we are moved in and our home gym is usable again.


Here is my training plan for the next three weeks:
Monday: Chest/Back & Abs
Wednesday: Shoulders/Triceps & Abs
Friday: Legs/Back & Abs
Saturday: Yoga (wk1), Kenpo (wk2), Plyo (wk3)

*I'll probably skip the recovery week for Phase 1 and start Phase 2 on Wk 4.

Hopefully I'll have more useful information in my next post. I have to reinstall the Blogger app on my iPad so I can post whenever the mood strikes again. ;)

Until then, here is a picture of my munchkin at the Mayborn Museum at Baylor today. :D

Obviously, my child can make objects levitate. Doesn't it look like my husband (who is rocking my Ju Ju Be BFF diaper bag, btw. No biggie.) is telling people to check out her magical powers? lol.

35 Things I Need to Thank My Mom For

Mom, I want you to know just how much I appreciate everything you've done for me. Ever. Plus, it's not really in my SAHM budget to send flowers and chocolate and I don't think all of this would fit on a card. So, just a quick recap. Thank you for:

1. Changing my diapers. Especially the poopy ones. And cleaning up the messes that somehow made it out of the diaper and onto the crib. And the walls. And my clothes...
2. Brushing my hair, even when I complained about it being tangled.
3. Humoring my inner supermodel as a tot and taking hundreds of pictures of me in silly poses and ridiculous outfits.
4. Taking me to swimming lessons, even though I was always scared to put my head under water.
5. Putting up with my impatience while you tried to teach me to write my letters (and then algebra, and chemistry, and calculus and physics.)
6. Laying with me at night until I fell asleep, especially since I'm sure you had Important things to do.
7. Making me jelly rolls for lunch. On flat bread. With the crusts cut off. 
8. Keeping up with my constant flip-flopping on the topic of spaghetti sauce.
9. Taking care of me when I was sick. Even when I had the pukey kind of strep throat in fourth grade.
10. Not killing me when I finger painted the whole back porch and thought I could clean it up with my Alex Mack super powers. (Note to readers: I do not have Alex Mack super powers.)
11. While we're on it, thank you for not killing me when I cut my brother's hair or pierced his ear. With scissors. 
12. Providing the security of a safe and loving childhood home. I never once had to worry about the roof over my head, the clothes on my back, or the food on our table. Even though I'm sure there were times that you did.
13. Driving me to cheerleading practice and spending all day every Saturday at the football stadium when Jeremy and I both had games.
14. Coming to all of my awards assemblies and always encouraging to do my best in school.
15. Understanding when "my best" wasn't perfect.
16. Taking us to visit our grandparents every summer and Christmas. We always had the best time.
17. Giving me more experiences than "things" growing up.
18. Our family vacations to Disney. It really was the most magical place on Earth.
19. Always loving my father and hugging and kissing in front of us. I learned what a healthy relationship should be like because I always had you two as an example.
20. Taking me to see *NSYNC in middle school. I have a sneaking suspicion that you didn't share my enthusiasm for their musical talent.
21. Not killing me when I hit puberty and became a raging drama queen.
22. Forgiving me for every time I told you I hated you when I really just meant that I was angry about not getting what I wanted. 
23. Our family road trip to DC and NYC. Getting to see Rent changed my life.
24. Being supportive when I told you I wanted to be a Broadway superstar instead of getting a "real" degree. 
25. Giving me your car so I could drive myself to the theatre. And concerts, even the ones in Orlando and Tampa.
26. Being supportive when I decided journalism was the way to go instead.
27. Buying me a car in college even though I totaled it three months later. (I still miss that car!)
28. Taking care of me when I was sick. Even when I got mono at the end of my last Fall semester in college.
29. Funding my study abroad trip to Europe. That is an experience I will never forget.
30. Letting me make my own mistakes. And boy did I make some big ones...
31. Helping me plan my wedding, but letting me make all of my own decisions.
32. Being supportive of my marriage and loving my husband.
33. Being in the delivery room when I was in labor with Josie. I couldn't have done it without you.
34. Changing her diapers in the hospital and helping me with all of those "new mom" things when I had no earthly idea what to do.
35. Loving my daughter. It means so much to me that she can have a relationship with you even from over 1000 miles away. 

My mom holding Josie minutes after her birth. May 8, 2012.

Most of all, thank you for giving me life and being the best mother, teacher, nurse, therapist, and friend I could ever ask for.

Happy First Birthday, Baby Girl!

Josephine Lily,

My beautiful baby girl. You are a whole year old today, and my how you’ve grown! (I mean it; you’ve more than tripled your birth weight!) There were so many days when I didn’t know how we would get this far, but we did it. And I am so happy that this is the first of many years I get to spend with you as your mommy. 

You are strong and fearless. You walk, climb, and run anywhere you can without hesitation, and if you fall and scrape your knee on uneven ground, you get right back up without so much as a whimper. You love when I chase you in circles around the kitchen and dining room, always laughing hysterically as you run away from me. Instead of carrying you, now we walk together down the street to the mailbox. You still enjoy your piggyback rides in the Beco, though, and I am so grateful for that. I love having you close to me, even if you pull my hair and pinch my armpits sometimes.

You are smart and beautiful. You have your daddy’s rhythm (thank goodness!) and such a contagious smile. Everywhere we go, you make someone’s day just by looking at them. How special is that? Please don’t ever lose that brightness in your eyes. Or your sense of adventure. Or your enthusiasm for making new friends. Life can be quite lonely without friends.

This is a big day for me, too. We’ve reached my personal goal of breastfeeding for 12 months, and we’re still going! We’ve had our share of issues from the beginning but have also reaped so many benefits, and although there were times I swore I would quit, I am so happy that we didn’t. There is a special bond a nursing mom has with her baby which you can never replicate and that has made it all worth it.

I know I am far from a perfect mom. I may not have made all your baby food or taught you sign language or read to you every single day. We push the limits with bath time, I let you watch TV and stay up late, and sometimes I raise my voice when I’m upset. But please know that for the rest of your life, I will love you with my whole heart and you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. Some days, when I feel sleep-deprived, overwhelmed, and under-qualified for this job, the only thing that keeps me going is watching you grow.

I'll spare you the birth story until you are a little bit older, but just know that you were surrounded by people who love you on that day, just like you are now. Did you know that today is also Mommy and Daddy's wedding anniversary? Isn't that special? I’ll say it over and over until I can’t say it anymore. I love you!

Happy birthday, sweet girl. You are the best anniversary present ever!

<3 Mama

The Sox Box ***GIVEAWAY***

I had to return from my hiatus, however briefly, to share this AWESOME shop with you! When we left off, I was educating you ladies on gym equipment. The Sox Box has the perfect accessories for your deadlift day! (For me, they are an absolute necessity as I don't enjoy bloody shins no matter how badass they look.) Obviously, you can wear them whenever the heck you'd like, though. ;)

Here are my socks, which I ordered about a month ago. These are so my style on two levels. 1. I honestly still have trouble remembering left and right. (Laugh if you like.) 2. They're orange and blue. GO GATORS!

The Sox Box has an awesome variety of socks (one would hope, right?) including a few of my favorites: Zombie Killa, Beauty/Beast, Tough Tatas, and Thick Chick.

One of my favorite things about this shop is that they donate 20% of all profits to the Independence Fund, which is a non-profit organization which seeks to provide tools and services for wounded military veterans. Being married to an active duty soldier and raised in a family full of veterans, this cause is dear to my heart.

Athena from The Sox Box has agreed to let me give away a pair of her awesome socks, so without further ado:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Where did my tiny newborn go?

Let's be honest. It looks like the baby on the right ate the baby on the left.

Holy guacamole!

     It's been 11 months since I first held you in my arms. You were so tiny! 6lb 14oz, 19.25 inches. I don't think anyone believes me when I tell them you were ever that small. Needless to say, you have thrived on the super nutritious boob juice, and recently a few bites of Mommy's food. You seem to like yogurt, rice cakes, and chicken. And, hey! You're finally getting the hang of the sippy cup! I bet you were a little surprised to learn that you could do more than just chew on the handles. ;)
     We flew together for the first time a couple weeks ago to visit family in Florida. That in itself was, uh, a learning experience. Like, I learned that next time I'll buy out the whole row so you have enough room to nurse and move around. It was great seeing family, though! You just love being around people (or, as I call them, your "adoring fans") and seeing new things.
     We went to Seaworld with Grandma & Grandpa U, Auntie Jen, Kim, and Capri. You slept through the Clyde and Seamore show, but LOVED the manta rays! Even though it was exceptionally windy and cold for spring in Central Florida, you were a trooper. You rode around on my back all day long without a single complaint.
     Grandma W took us to Uncle Donald's Farm, a tradition on both sides of the family. We saw chickens, bunnies, sheep, and lots of other animals. The goats were you favorite. I'm guessing it's because they had as much energy as you do! We also went on a hay ride and fed some cows. I thought you would be afraid of their massive size, but instead... you MOOED at them!
     You spent the rest of the trip chasing around Slick, the "kitty kitty" at Grandma and Grandpa's house. You said your first legit sentence, "Hi, kitty!" last week. In the meantime, you also sprouted two new teeth and learned a few new tricks. Grandpa U taught you how to clap on demand by saying, "One, two, three... YAY, JOSIE!" Now you start clapping on "One..." Grandpa W taught you to say "boom" when you knock over the stacking cups or fall on your butt. You did a lot of growing this past month and I have a feeling it won't slow down any time soon.
     I can't believe I'm already crunched for time to plan your birthday party. Your BIRTHDAY! This craziness needs to stop, kiddo. ;)

Love you X a million,
Mama