What was I saying?

Fat Is Good Food

2008-04-21T14:23:00.000-07:00

There were many years I spent eating Fat Free everything, and I mean everything. I would eat it every morsel and multiple portions, but tell myself it didn't matter because it was Fat Free. Later I learned (along with the rest of the world) that low-fat was just as "healthy" and low in calories as fat-free...and it tasted better too. That little bit of fat makes a huge difference in taste. From then I vowed to never eat Fat Free again (unless of course it naturally comes that way).

On April 3rd Elliot went to the doctor for his 9-month Well Exam and the doctor gave us the green-light for giving him dairy (cheese and yogurt). Well with little babes they like them to eat Whole Fat dairy products, so off to the store I went to research and purchase Whole Fat Milk products. We started with the inevitable Yo-Baby yogurt which I was against at first because I always tend to resist products designed for specific "markets" like this, but at the end of the day it is so much easier than buying a big container, portioning it out, etc., etc. Once I settled on the yogurt I moved to the cottage cheese section and picked up some small-curd 4% milk-fat cottage cheese (I wasn't sure 4% mean whole-milk, but I new that 2% was considered to be a "healthy" milk option - remember I am a soy girl so some of this was new to me).

When I got home I sampled the fare that I was about to give my child I was ... well, I cannot explain what I was, but it was the tastiest stuff I have had in a looong time! The yogurt was good, but I think I can go back to the low-fat stuff. But the cottage cheese was AMAZING! That little bit of extra fat was so delightful and creamy. Though I was a tad disappointed when Elliot didn't like the cottage cheese, it didn't take me long to finish it myself.

Treat yourself to some fat today, you won't regret it!

P.S. Thanks for your healthy well-wishes. Our little bear has clear lungs and is gaining some weight back.

Now til March

2008-04-17T10:19:00.000-07:00

Now til March. From daycare, other parents, his pediatrician, all uttered the same words to us, "Get used to it, from now until March he'll be sick constantly." I know it is odd, but I took comfort in these words. I took comfort know that it was not something with Elliot's immune system, but rather part of what happens to most children when they enter the world. I took comfort knowing that whether he was 6-months or 3 years, his time in enclosed spaces with other children would bring germs and colds galore. Nothing would be gained by holding him back a few years. Well, we are in April now and my poor guy is still sick. In fact, just as he was recovering from what I though would be his last cold (it was winding down the last days of March/first days of April) BAM he got hit with another cold and this time it turned into Pneumonia! All I could think was, "Are you f****** kidding me?!". Our little guy is handling it all like a trooper, especially considering the morning and evening kiddie cocktail he endures - albuterol via a chamber, steroids via a mask and a nebulizer, and liquid antibiotics (I don't take liquid anything, so the fact that he sucks this stuff down is amazing to me!). So we've given up on April and are now hoping for a healthy May.

Driver's Ed - Chapter Two: The Car Pool Lane

2008-04-09T14:55:00.001-07:00

Chapter Two: The Car Pool Lane

Definition: A carpool lane is a special freeway lane only for buses and/or carpools.You may use a carpool lane or on ramp if your vehicle carries the minimum number of people required for the carpool lane or you drive a low-emission vehicle displaying a special DMV-issued decal. Motorcycle riders may use designated carpool lanes, unless otherwise posted. Please see http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/dl600.pdf for a more detailed definition.

Important Information to remember:

*If during the posted time frame you are driving slower than the cars in the other lanes of traffic - MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!

*If it is not during the posted time frame and you are driving slower than the cars in the other lanes - see chapter on use of Fast Lanes (coming soon - but here is a hint: MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!)

Back to Chapter 1: Turning

It Makes No Sense

2008-04-07T08:53:00.001-07:00

**When pregnant with your first child you get excited when you discover perks meant just for pregnant ladies and if you are me you don't question these perks one bit. One said perk is Stork Parking at BabiesRUs, close parking just for expectant mothers. After you have the baby and make your first trip to BabiesRUs for some "necessity" you quickly realize that Stork Parking is ridiculous. Unless you are under some sort of special doctors orders to not walk "long" distances, pregnant women can walk just like anyone else. In fact, pregnant women should walk, exercise, move and groove, it is not a disability. What BabiesRUs should have is New Parent Parking because the infant carrierers, the weight of the baby, not to mention how damn akward it is to carry. New Parents are who deserve to walk a little less!

**When you are pregnant you may from time to time happen into shops that sell maternity clothes and these nice shops will almost always also offer a place for women to nurse/feed their babies (remember, I said maternity store...a place where pregnant, generally non-nursing people go). After you have a baby you may from time to time happen into shops that sell baby clothes and these nice shops almost never have even a restroom with a changing table let alone a place to nurse/feed a baby (remember, I said baby store...a place where moms (and dads) of babies and young children go).

I think that is enough madness for one day - Happy Monday!

Happy Birthdays

2008-04-04T08:35:00.000-07:00

In the first year of life we celebrate each month's birthday and so this will be the only time that my two guys share this special day. Today is my sweet husband's 35th Birthday and our Elliot Graham is 9 months old!

Happy Birthday to my two favorite guys!

Diets {I've been on a few}

2008-04-03T13:09:00.000-07:00

There aren't many diets I haven't tried, Nutra System, Jenny Craig, Weightwatchers, Southbeach, and I even got caught in the Susan Powder craze (ok, maybe craze is a little strong). I never tried DealAMeal, but I was found Sweatin' to the Oldies once or twice. This list doesn't even count the hundreds of "DIY" efforts where I followed (or tried to follow) "best practices" of the day (no-fat, low-carb, low-fat, no-carb - geez). Though I am not a proponent of those that want you to eat pre-packed "food", I do recognize that even those programs will work and have some value. Today I thought I would share my thoughts as an unofficial diet critic:

*Nutra System and Jenny Craig are all about convenience. If you don't like to cook or don't have time to cook, and are not overly particular about taste (not meant as a critisism no matter how it sounds), then these programs are meant for you. You select all your meals in advance and everything comes pre-packaged (ingredient control) & pre-measured in individual servings (portion control). It does tend to limit your ability to eat out, which is not always a bad thing. I have met a restaurant or two willing to nuke the food and bring it to you on a plate so you can enjoy yourself and not look like a fool eating out of a carton.

*Southbeach is the ultimate in learning about sugar addiction! The program is broken into Phases - Phase 1 you are essentially prohibited from eating ANY sugar (bread, fruit, etc.). Phase 2 you begin adding in complex sugars (i.e. high-fiber, low sugar foods) and by Phase 3 you are essentially just following a low-fat, portion controlled diet. There is really nothing Southbeach about where you end up, just where you begin. Phase 3 is just about living a healthy lifestyle, eating heart healthy foods, and so on. I think it is a great learning experience and everyone should try this once in their adult lives!

*WeightWatchers has had many iterations (as have the others I guess), some of which used to require that you eat Liver - ick! But the new generation of WeightWatchers is a fancy smancy way of counting calories...based primarily on the age old concept ...

If your daily caloric intake <> your daily calories burned ... Weight Gain

The upside to WW is that you can eat whatever you want, you just have to manage your daily points. You can use more than 1/2 your daily points on pizza or (if you are like me and it is all about volume) then you can make the most of EVERY point and enjoy many 1-point tasty treats like VitaTops! Points are centered around fiber, generally the more fiber the fewer the points. Fiber also makes a nice proxy because foods higer in fiber generally tend to just simply be more nutrituous. You need the Total Calories, Total Fat and Total Fiber to calculate the points value, so eating out can sometimes be tricky (if faster food is your thing, there are a lot of resources for obtaining those values). WW does offer some tricks to help you estimate - palm of your hand is about 4 ounces of meat, your thumb is about an ounce of cheese, and your fist is about a cup of rice/cereal or whatever. I do think this is the most flexible plan out there.

*Richard Simmons, Susan Powder and countless others are all about motivation. They are essetially selling very simmlar concepts to WW in that lowering your caloric intake and increasing your physical activity can result in weight loss.

What each of these plans (and countless others) are really selling are different tools and strategies (built around fewer calroies, no matter how it is worded) to achieve your desired weight loss goal. At the end of the day you just need to determine which strategy is a fit for you. There really is no cure, there is no easy answer....fewer calories, more exercise - that's it (you can skip the exercise, though I don't recomend it for overall health reasons and you'll have to eat even fewer calories)! I will be tempted to try out the next miracle diet and I will be sure to give you my 2-cents!

I Don't Eat Fast Food

2008-03-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

I don't eat fast food! This has been my silent mantra for at least the last 7 years. Sure, I occasionally partake in a nibble when we are on the road (i.e. to Fresno, Tahoe or other trip where fine dining establishments are not part of the scenic route). But as a rule, it doesn't make our way into our regular daily diet. In my former life as a student of Sociology, I was a BIG fan of the concept of Ideal vs. Real. The concept was not a complicated one, but still it had the "a-ha" effect on me as it gave me words for something I saw around me (typical of what a lot of Soc concepts do). I would pride myself (secretly, of course) on being able to identify people who were blind to their reality because I did not suffer from this same blindness...I could see clearly, I was special somehow!

One day I was driving home from a party with a friend and her son wanted to go to McDonald's, so we went through the drive through and I ordered a shake and my friend was bewildered to find out that I hadn't been to McDonald's in well over 5 years. How is that possible, she exclaimed?!

I know, I though later, how is it possible?

I think it all starts with a love of food and a sprinkle of calorie watching. And then of course there are political reasons for this as well. But how have I really managed to avoid it all these years? After all, we live in a fast-paced society with a lot of demands on us and sometimes you need it - fast! I was pondering all of this just the other day as I was sipping my coffee and dreaming about dinner (that Dale was going bring home for us).

And then it hit me (like a ton of bricks)

I DO EAT FAST-FOOD!

I had this icky feeling in my stomach (similar to one experienced by Cher in Clueless after she flunked her driving test)

Everyday I drink my Double-Tall 1/2 Caff 2-pump Soy Mocha (now with an addition of 1 pump of honey - sooooo good)
And about once a week I eat my steak quesadilla (light on the queso & with a side of sour cream & corn salsa)

Starbucks and Chipotle - yikes!

How did this happen!?

In order to continue living in my ideal world I have decided to differentiate between good (or acceptable) and bad (or unacceptable) fast food choices.

Thank you for indulging me!

Good Fast Food:

Chipotle (no longer owned by McD)
Starbucks (let's face it, it is consistent and the friendly people are making my drink before I even get to the front of the line - genius training program!)
Anything else I might happen to eat

Bad Fast Food:

McDonald's
Burger King
Anything else I don't or won't eat

My Soap Box {Seasons}

2008-03-22T10:56:00.000-07:00

As we enter into Spring, I thought I would leverage this opportunity (again, too much time at work) and stand on my soap box for a moment...

For years I have heard from non-native Calfornian's that we (Californian's, that is) don't know the true meaning of seasons. The East Coast is always heralded as the only place in the world (and by world I mean The US which as we know is the world, right?) that has true seasons. This is just bologna if you ask me (which I know you didn't, but this is My Soap Box). If you buy into the notion that seasons are only defined by "fall colors", blankets of snow, spring flowers and so on, then how do you explain this?!

Not the best fall photo, but taken while driving
home (yes, in Fremont) this past fall with Elliot.
Fall colors, right?

This photo was inspired by my friend Hannah.
This was also taken in Fremont, right outside our front door.
Those are spring flowers, right?

Now that I have done my whole "so there" part of this post, I want to address this concept that seasons are defined by "fall colors",spring flowers,etc. I of course went to Wikipedia to help me out...

"In temperate and polar regions generally four seasons are recognized: spring, summer, autumn, winter.

In some tropical and subtropical regions it is more common to speak of the rainy (or wet, or monsoon) season versus the dry season, because the amount of precipitation may vary more dramatically than the average temperature. In other tropical areas a three-way division into hot, rainy and cool season is used. In some parts of the world, special "seasons" are loosely defined based upon important events such as a hurricane season, tornado season or a wildfire season."

Happy Spring Everyone!

Mom's Can't Get Sick!

2008-03-06T13:44:00.000-08:00

Until recently I bought in to the notion (albeit on an unconscious level) that when Mom's get taken down they still have to care for everyone (including themselves). I am now annoyed on behalf of my husband for this line of thinking. I was taken down recently by a Sinus Infection (something I had avoided my whole life) and it was so miserable! I had a fever, couldn't breath out of my nose, used almost a whole box of tissue in one day, and for the first time in as far as I can remember I lost my appetite (seriously, I never lose my appetite when I am sick). My dear husband did everything short of bathing me and nary a complaint from his lips. He took on all the care for our sweet Elliot - dressed, his meds (ear infection), diapers changed...took over all the household duties - grocery shopping, laundry, food for me (I could still eat, just not quite so much). Now, this makes it sounds like he only did all these things because I was sick, and I don't mean it that way. These are things we do together every week, but like any good team player (I am spending too much time at work as you can see by my use of phrases like "team player") he kicked it into overdrive to compensate for my inability to "play ball". Thanks hubby!

I'm still here...

2008-02-29T20:29:00.001-08:00

This whole workin' Mom thing is a killer! What a crazy circus life has become! Throw a sick mom and baby on top of it all and life becomes chaos - manageable chaos, but chaos nonetheless. I have not kept up my "What did I eat today" and I have not lost the weight that I had hoped I would by now...but I am alive and loving every moment I have with my son and dear husband! I have missed blogging, but have been lucky to get even a few moments (usually when I am pumping at work) to read a blog, let alone write a post. But here I am, finally not sick, I have showered, the dishes are done, our sweet baby (who has ear infection #2) is asleep, and though l am feeling the strongest urge to go fall asleep myself, I just really wanted to say hello! Goodnight.

14 Years Ago - Then & Now

2008-02-08T21:27:00.000-08:00

15 years ago I graduated from High School, packed my bags and move to the big city - Fremont! (I moved from Tracy). 6 months later (still in Fremont) I met a boy...who quickly became (and still is) the love of my life. (Photo on the left is courtesy of Jennie Oh, Circa 1997 UC Berkeley)

January 29th, 1995 we celebrated our 1st dating anniversary - we went roller skating. This year on our 14th anniversary we decided to commemorate the occasion by once again going roller skating - and to our surprise the roller rink is still in business. On our drive to the roller rink I suggested that we stop and get ourselves a Starbucks after we skate and Dale suggested Pete's instead. In an effort to get my way I quickly said, "Pete's wasn't around 14 years ago, so we are getting Starbucks", at which point my husband reminded me that neither was Starbucks (by not around, we mean not in Fremont).

This little bit of history made us start recollecting all the other things that were to come... In 1994 ...

*There was no Starbucks in Fremont, now there are 10 (including Newark where there are 2) ; our regular cafe, of course, is no longer in business

*Neither of us owned a computer (and only used them sparingly), now we have 3 (not including Dale's iPhone)

*All the picures we took used film

*I have had 7 addresses since then - 2 in Fremont, back to Tracy, 2 in San Francisco, 1 in San Mateo and now once again we reside in Fremont

*There was no Yahoo!, and now Dale is one of their 14K employees (ignoring the news for now)

*We bought and sold CD's, now we have 4 iPods (not kidding)

*We weren't really in college yet, now we are 1-2 years from our 10 year reunion

*We weren't going to get married nor have kids

*I drove a dark brown 1974 diesel Mercedes and Dale didn't own a car (shortly after mine blew up & Dale bought a 1985 Dodge Colt Hatchback)

*I had been smoking for less than a year, now it has been 2 1/2 years since I quit (Dale has been clean for a year)

I decided we should make a tradition out of it and go roller skating in another 14 years, at which point we got a little weirded out thinking of ourselves approaching 50 and Elliot turning 15 - Yikes (I am less wierd about 50, and more about Elliot being 15)!

Note: We intended on having a longer list, but it has already taken me a week to get this post out, so I am just calling it done and calling it a night.

The Things People Say {Babies}

2008-01-26T21:56:00.000-08:00

When we walked into Erik's Deli today for lunch a nice older gentleman smiled at Elliot as we passed by his table. Later as we were nearing the end of our dining experience the same gentleman came over to us, looked at sweet Elliot, tickled his little foot and said, "Keep Smilin', soon you'll be paying taxes".

Elliot accompanied Dale and I to a fun and delicious night of German Food with friends. Our waiter was quite enjoyable in an unusual sort of way. Near the end of the evening he was struck by how good Elliot had been and asked if he was always so happy and mellow. We responded (proudly) yes and he said, "he will be a great surgeon or an Eastern Religious Leader".

Welcome to Parenthood!

2008-01-22T15:44:00.001-08:00

Just when thought Elliot was 98% over a bad cold, he goes and develops Hand, Foot & Mouth! Poor little bear! Thankfully he has not developed blisters in his mouth (OMG - can you imagine!) and he is in great spirits (if it weren't for the spots on his itty bitty hands and feet you wouldn't even know he was sick). It just kind of sucks to get sent home on your first day at your new daycare (a spot openened up at the original place we were hoping for...more on that decision another time). We new as working parents that we would have to take "sick days" to care for our little one, but as my dear hubby said, "I just didn't think it would happen so soon". We didn't even have a real "disaster plan" set up yet...but thankfully Grandma can take tomorrow, Dad will take Thursday and I'll take Friday...hopefully Elliot will be ready to start his new daycare next week.

HUGS

2008-01-18T09:05:00.000-08:00

Hugs are great! There have been many days over the last 14 (yes, I said 14!) years that Dale has made me stop in my tracks to get (&give) a hug. All of a sudden the stressed, rushed feeling would melt away and everything would be peaceful and wonderful, if only for one magical moment. In the last few days Elliot has learned to hug and it feels SOOOOO good that I don't want to let him go! I bet this means he'll be ready to snuggle in no time! Give someone a good long hug today!

While I Pump

2008-01-16T10:09:00.000-08:00

While I maternity leave I discovered this thing called the Internet. (yes, I am know I am an IT Manager!) BE (Before Elliot) I would spend my days discussing applications, networks, servers, websites and when I was not discussing them I would be writing about them, corresponding via e-mail about them, and so on. So when I would get home at night, the last thing I felt like doing was "surfing the web". Essentially, I never found "enjoyment" in the internet and would only "log-on" for banking, to check e-mail or to purchase something. AE (After Elliot) I starting logging on for enjoyment, reading blogs, the newspaper, finding art for our home, letting myself essentially wander from site to site aimlessly. As my maternity leave was nearing an end, I started getting sad about the internet world I had come to love and would now have to leave behind.

On my first day back at work I realized that I needed non-work related things to occupy my time while I pump! Now I have 3-15 minute breaks each day where I get to "check-in" with the rest of the world! And unlike at home, my 15-minutes of internet usage will not get interrupted by a baby, a pug, or a husband - it is real me time! I guess on some level it has helped with my transition back to work, by not completely disrupting the world I was living in at home. I feel like I really began investing in my personal life (home, family&friends, hobbies) and figured that going back to work would disrupt that - thankfully I was wrong!

What I Ate Yesterday:

*Cereal - I have started putting Joe's O's in my cereal mix, they are just like Cheerios but saltier which works great in my mix but has stopped my hubby from buying them for himself because they are not so good solo!
*Soy Mocha
*Persian Food - overall the food was great, but I didn't like what I ordered (a Persian stew) which is more of a reflection on my tastes than their food. If you are ever in the neighborhood you must try the Mast-o-Moosir which is a yogurt spread that is DELICIOUS!
*A chocolate truffle
*Some tasty 'pineapple pastry packaged treat' straight from El Salvador - yum!
*Leftover Chili Con Carne & bread

Great recipe we tried this week: Chicken & Peppers

This is one of the first times that I didn't measure everything precisely (I was in a hurry) and it turned out GREAT! I left the Thyme and Marjoram out of the marinade (prob. would have been better, but still great without it). The vinegariness of this meal was amazing! Make sure to add plenty of red pepper flakes! We used toasted wheat bread (good wheat bread, nothing flimsy), toasted it in the toaster oven adding sliced mozzarella instead of fontina so it got all melty too. I doubled the recipe so we had plenty of leftovers (tastes good rolled into a HF tortilla too :)) We served it with a simple side salad of mixed greens, tomato, cucumber and a quick dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar, and garlic.

My Soap Box {Fat People}

2008-01-13T20:26:00.001-08:00

I was in the shower today thinking about the bike ride I just finished (my first ride on my new bike) when I recalled a conversation I had with my dear husband many years ago. I was 'struggling' with my weight then (similar to now) and I told him (attempt to spin my down moment into an up one) that I was actually lucky because my body is telling me that I need to eat better and to exercise whereas he needed (years later) his father to have a heart attack and to hear his cholesterol was high (borderline, but he was only 30) in order to 'eat right & exercise'. We often remark about the fat person ordering a venti-carmel frap, extra caramel, extra whip at SB. And today it occurred to me that we never remark about the skinny people who order those same beverages. I consider myself (even when I am thin) to always be a fat person and realized today that I almost turned my back on my people. So the next time you see a fat person eating a giant burger or having a second helping of something indulgent, don't forget to look for the skinny person doing the same thing because at the end of the day it is our health we should all be worried about.

What I ate today:

Cereal
Soy Mocha
WW Eng Muffin with PB, Morningstar saugsage patties
Dbl Tall 1/2 Caff...
Chili Con Carne with Beans (recipe of the week - halfway decent, quick and freezable)
1/2 mini-bread loaf (sounds like more than it is, I swear)
Some tasty Amaretti cookies

Just Because

2008-01-09T19:32:00.000-08:00

Last night, seconds after Elliot had made what I hoped was his final cry to sleep (so sad, huh?) Thomas began barking and I began my whispering yell reminding him that the baby was sleeping. Often Thomas gives little barks and nothing comes of them, but last night his barking led to our doorbell ringing. I turned on the porch light, peered through the peep hole and decided it was safe to open the door. A woman asked if I was Amy and when I said yes she announced she had a delivery for me. I looked beyond her at her car and wondered what it could be and just as I was about to inquire she began rolling the most beautiful bicycle into our home, "It's from Dale" she said. As I admired in awe this beautiful specimen, she asked me if this was for my birthday, Christmas, or just because and I smiled at her and said, "Just because".

Isn't she a beaut?!

Can Dale be any sweeter?!

BE (Before Elliot) I would exercise regularly - at least 3 times a week (there were times way back when it would be 5-6). And although it started out as a way to eat more food, it soon became exactly what I needed to stay sane. AE (After Elliot) I ran out of time (and energy) to exercise. I tried taking walks, but it never stuck. Though I'd rather be outdoors, the gym was technically an option except hitting the gym at 8pm was no longer something I had the energy for and my DH (Dear Husband) doesn't get home before 7:30 and don't even suggest the early morning or I will give you a very dirty look. I tried to go back to Yoga (I was addicted during my pregnancy, but 10:30am is an odd time on Saturday (I loathe activities that suck up 1/2 a day by the time you are done, home & showered).

On September 30th, 2007 (technically BE, but just barely before he started baking) I "competed" in a Triathlon Sprint and I learned two things: I can do it & I love riding a bike (didn't really bond with the swimming or running as much though I love running a whole lot more then I ever thought I could). On weekends when we weren't training as a team I would find myself doing more biking than anything else. I loved that I could just hop out of bed onto my bike and go somewhere (when I would run I would hardly make it out of my neighborhood before it was time to turn back. I would admire road bikes of my teammates (I put road tires on my mountain bike), but decided to test my long-term commitment before shelling out the big bucks for one of my own. I came close to buying one shortly after the race and then we found out I was pregnant and my mind got busy with new ideas of how to spend our hard-working dollars. My DH really wants me to get my sanity back (and stop being mean to him) and knows (as I do) that if I can just hop on my special new bike on the weekend mornings, everyone will be much happier (everyone could have been happier if I hopped on my old bike except it was recently stolen, so no longer an option).

What I Ate Today:

Cereal
Soy Mocha (the long awaited picture of the 2go mug I bought at a SB in Hawaii)
Chicken salad, HF tortillas and lf white cheddar (assembled and eaten while pumping in my office at work)
Dbl Tall 1/2 Caff...
Chickenless Chicken Nuggets, HF tortillas with lf white cheddar, BBQ sauce
A few nibbles of some leftover Thai

Happy Tuesday! (almost Wednesday)

2008-01-08T20:36:00.000-08:00

Happy Tuesday! Today was my first FULL day at work and I guess I understand better what Moms mean when they say how hard it is to go back to work. For some people I think they mean leaving sweet baby in somebody else's hands. And though leaving my scrumptious little bear was not the easiest thing to do (even I had to grapple with it for a while), for me it boils down to two pains: energy (amount & lack-of) & waking hours (with respect to babies day). Let's start with energy. I am not one of the more fortunate Moms to have a baby that sleeps through the night (sometimes, but it's not predictable), so this gets at the obvious lack of energy. As for the amount of energy, this is speaking to the extra stuff required to get out of the house in the morning. I used to be able to wake-up at 7:15 and be out of the house (homemade Soy Mocha in hand) by 8. This morning I woke at 6:15 and only with dear husbands help was I able to be out of the house by 7:45 - I am so tired I can't even do the math - but that is A LOT longer. After I feed my sweet boy, I put him in bed with Dad while I get ready (aren't they cute?!). Once I am ready, sweet little Elliot needs to have his "pants" changed (by "pants" I mean diaper), dressed into something cute, "eat" his cereal (i say "eat" because we don't think he has actually swallowed any yet). While Dad does the dressing and feeding (the cereal), I need to pack the breast-pump, milk storage bottles, pumping accessories, cool packs for transport, my own lunch, make my coffee, "eat" my cereal (I say "eat" because it is really more like inhale), load the new family car (check out E in the driver's seat!), and pray I didn't forget something. I have made a morning checklist because it would be REALLY bad if I forgot Elliot's food OR a particular pump accessory that would result in an inability to pump (boobs could explode). Once we are on the road things are pretty good, unless of course the sun is out at which point I spend most of the drive trying to creatively shade my son without suffocating him! Unfortunately my work day does not wrap-up until 5:30 (at the earliest) and Elliot has chosen his bedtime in the 7 o'clock hour which means by the time we drive home, I give him some food, we have a total of 15 minutes of play time before he starts rubbing his eyes. And so while he sleeps I eat a little dinner, wash the bottles, storage containers, & pump parts, prepare the bottles for tomorrow and prepare to do it all again tomorrow (sort-of, tomorrow will be a 1/2 day). I know we will all get used to it, adjust, learn short-cuts, etc....but whew, I am wiped! Tomorrow I will tell you about the surprise that arrived on my doorstep tonight!

Happy Christmas, Merry New Year

2008-01-03T20:50:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe so much time has passed! Our first Christmas with Elliot was wonderful, though I think for him it was just fun times with family and friends. Dale was off the whole time between Christmas and New Years so it felt very much like vacation. Generally when we have breaks like this I often feel regretful at the end because we didn't "do" anything. Dale has to listen to me saying, "I wish we'd hung out with so & so" or "we should have organized that room" or "we should have gone somewhere"...but this year I really felt fulfilled. We had lots of friend and family time, lots of snuggles with Elliot, I got some Mom time while the boys went gallivanting around town and I even outfitted my office with some IKEA goodies to make my return to the work world a little brighter! Baking took a turn for the worst, but hey there is always next year. I managed not to gain any weight Christmas week, tomorrow we'll see if we are finally on a downward trend again. Yesterday was my first day back at work, and it was good. It felt good to get dressed in work clothes and I actually enjoyed driving the familiar and forgotten path between Fremont and Belmont. Dropping off Elliot was much easier than I expected, I didn't cry. But I did hug him hard when I picked him up. Today was my second day and though it was good for me, my sweet boy had a hard time. I guess today maybe he realized going to this new place was not a one-off, and thus he decided to cry and not eat. But I hear it can take a week (plus or minus) for babies to transition, so I am optimistic. Though I am enjoying my return, I am exhausted...last night I was asleep at 9 (though I was awake again at 10:30 for feeding time). There were some many pictures I could have added to this post, but I am going to shower and crash now, good nite.

What I Ate Today:

*Cereal
*Soy Mocha
*Spicy Tuna Roll, BBQ EEL and Avocado Roll with spicy sauce
*HF Tortilla, LF cheese and Morningstar sausage patties
*Steak sandwich with leftover steak, LF swiss, BBQ sauce, greens and a side of baked Kettle Chips

Christmas Eve

2007-12-24T10:46:00.000-08:00

I was reading another blog, then I zoned out and when I "awoke" I was staring at the word EVE. My mind took the usual path of twists and turns where one thought leads to another. I was thinking how important Midnight Mass is to Catholics which eventually got me thinking how "Eve" is supposed to be that period before the BIG DAY but how over time it has become a holiday in and of itself. When people ask you what you are doing for Christmas, the answer is generally separated out - Christmas Eve we are doing X and Christmas Day we are doing Y (or Y & Z in our case).

As a child we always celebrated with my immediate family on Christmas Eve (often my maternal Grandmother and Great-Uncle would join us). We opened presents at home, ate a lovely meal cooked by my Mom, usually there was an argument or bickering between Grandma and Mom but all in all it was generally a swell evening. We would always go to sleep with excitement knowing that Santa would have put some goodies in our stockings (I'll never forget the year first year I saw "Santa" and her helper in the kitchen).

This year Dale and I made an addition to this holiday by starting a new tradition for The Eve of Christmas Eve - Thai Food! I generally like to have all shopping, wrapping, & cleaning pretty well finished by the close of Christmas Eve Eve - so to celebrate and not add to the chaos we decided last night to go to our favorite Thai restaurant (even better than our old favorite in San Francisco - and yes, it's in Fremont). We had our favorite dishes and told Elliot all about the food he will enjoy next year. The Christmas season is a spirit, a feeling, memories, traditions and much more that all seems to get squeezed in to two days of enjoyment (preceded by a whole month of shopping and chaos), so we are officially extending it by a day.

We just finished our Thai leftovers (yum!), I have finished baking and the Apple Spice Cake turned out GREAT (well, it looks great but we'll know for sure tomorrow) but Grandma's cookies did not measure up. I will explain my process to her this evening to find out where I went wrong.
Now while Elliot naps we will get dressed for the Christmas Eve celebrations at my Aunties. Tomorrow morning we will make our special Christmas breakfast which this year will be homemade donuts, hot cocoa and maybe some eggs. Ya know, before I sign out I was just realizing that if you are religious this three-day celebration could symbolize The Trinity...hmm, this three day Christmas just might catch-on as it appeals to sinners and non-sinners alike! Merry Christmas Eve!

I forgot to click "post" yesterday!

Happy Day Before Christmas Eve

2007-12-23T11:10:00.000-08:00

I lost 2 pounds! Well, one of them was gained the week before...but that puts me at a total of 5 pounds. Not enough for a new wardrobe, but on my way! I am off to get a couple of last minute gifts and some grocery items for some Christmas baking I have yet to do. I'll be damned if I am going to get through this Christmas season without baking something! For certain I am going to be whipping up a Apple Spice Cake for Christmas Day with the in-laws...but I also want to try my luck at Grandma's Cookies all by myself...we'll see.

Elliot slept in his crib ALL NIGHT last night, brings tears to my eyes (he even took his morning nap there today). It took about 1/2 hour of crying (screaming really) and then he was out. He awoke at 11:00 to eat again but went right back to sleep without the pacifier! He awoke again at 2 for what I thought was a snack, but really he had just taken an enormous crap and was likely quite uncomfortable. After a quick change and a bit of a snack he was out until 6:45! Dad reported that I was actually snoring last night and that he hasn't seen me sleep so soundly in a long while. I know, if you do the math I was still up every few hours, but lately Elliot and I have been falling asleep while he eats (while in our bed) and it has been prolonging feeding and making for not so restful nights (sleeping upright is not exactly good sleep). So that fact that I got 3 and 4 hours of sleep, on my side/stomach was quite refreshing. I feel like a new woman! Though I must admit I felt a little sad that he didn't "need" me.

Thomas was not quite sure what to do with himself last night. Everytime I got up to go tend to the baby he would follow close behind and I could tell he was still 1/2 asleep because he would just sort of sit and stare in the low light not quite sure if he should stay or go back to his bed (eventually he chose his bed). What a sweet pug!

Well, off to fight the crowds (Mr. Graham is shopping with Daddy this morning - too cute!).

For Vivian

2007-12-21T11:12:00.001-08:00

Please send all your positive vibes to sweet Vivian. Stay strong little girl!

What I've Been Eating

2007-12-19T10:55:00.000-08:00

OK, so this blog was never meant to be a place for me to write only about what I ate each day...but sorry, I am full bore into Christmas shopping, etc...so here is what I have been eating...

Tuesday:

~Cereal
~Soy Mocha
~2 HF tortillas with roasted chicken, BBQ sauce and melted cheese - I discovered that if you use the microplane on a block of LF cheese you can use even less cheese and still get the texture and taste PLUS you get a wonderful even distribution that takes even less time to melt in the micro
~Soy Mocha
~WW Eng Muffin with PB
~A few bites of a yummy brie puff pastry thingy that had preserves in it too - I could have eaten the whole damn thing!
~cheese crackers

Wednesday:

~Cereal
~Soy Mocha
~Spinach Salad from Specialties, some nibbles from some TASTY cookies (PB with Choc. Chunks & Ginger-Mollasis - yum!)
~Sushi (I think I did pretty well with some healthy choices - spicy tuna, BBQ eel & avocado, just 2 tiny gyozas)
~Snackimals Chocolate Chip "cookies"

Today:

~Cereal
~Spinach salad, lite dressing with grilled salmon
~Dbl Short 1/2 Caff 1-pump Soy Mocha, reduced-fat Pecan muffin
~HF tortillas, LF cheese, Mornigstar farms sausage patties (NOT LINKS)
~2 more sausage patties
~last little crumbs of the CC Snackimals

Friends-4-Ever

2007-12-17T21:34:00.000-08:00

Elliot and his BFF Vivi...

"I love you Vivi friend"

What I Ate Today

2007-12-17T21:28:00.000-08:00

~Cereal
~Soy Mocha
~WW Eng Muffin with Pumpkin Butter (yummy!)
~1/2 Roasted Veggie Pizzza from TJ's - REALLY yummy and calorie friendly!
~Soy Mocha and some crunchy-chewy almondinas
~Veggie burger split between two HF tortillas with LF cheddar and Arugula
~last scoop of Fully Loaded Peanut Butter Cup Frozen Dairy Dessert