Hello weekend.

We made it to Friday! Doing a happy dance over here. The packing has begun and Grace and I will be in the air this time Sunday. We'll be the seat that everyone will be nervously glancing over at while praying they don't get stuck near us. It's going to be a ball. Luckily, Grace is a pretty laid back little lady and I'm hoping she can chill out for an hour or so (for both of our flights). Morning nap anyone?!

In G news, she officially has 4 teeth and it looks like 5 and 6 will be making an appearance soon. She has two top, two bottom, and the newest ones look like they will be on both sides up top. She also officially has a sneak attack move down, where she leans in lovingly to snuggle your shoulder and then takes a giant bite out of it at the last second. What a trickster.

She loves showing off her pearly whites, and now flashes a ridiculous toothy grin when you tell her to say "cheese!" This is a pretty tame smile compared to some of our recent shots. Looks like we have a ham on our hands...wonder who she gets that from?

In other news, G decided to wake up for an early morning snack at 3:30am, so we watched some of the Royal Wedding get underway. As much as I wasn't super into it the past month(s) while news stations were doing countdowns and all that jazz, there was something special about getting to see such a big occasion. It made me miss my wedding day just a smidge...I mean, I think seeing them look so in love and excited to be together is enough to make anyone swoon. Her dress? Phenomenal. Kate was probably the most picturesque bride I've ever seen. Oh, and I totally think Harry needs to drop that skanky looking Chelsy and hook up with Pippa Middleton.

Alright, moving on.

Hope everyone is starting their weekends and has a great next few days. I'll try to check in before and during our next week!

xo,
H

Easter Weekend

Helloooo out there!

We had a nice little Easter weekend in TX with some family and are still getting back into the swing of things around here.

On Friday we dropped the pups off at a kennel for the weekend and made our way to Galveston for the next few days. We arrived Friday evening, met up with the bro and sis-in-law for dinner and called it an early night. When we made it back up to our rooms, we were greeted with this:

D's parents had surprised us with a little Easter gift! How cute, right? Is it sad that we were too pooped to open the champagne? I'm convinced that having a child has aged us both dramatically.

The next morning the boys set off for an 8am tee time and us girls made our way to breakfast and a pedicure appointment. G watched. :) I can't wait to get my hands, er, nail polish on those little toes, but we'll give that some more time! After some pampering we headed to Moody Gardens and checked out the aquarium. I had a feeling this would go over pretty well with the little miss since she adores this little soother in her crib that lights up blue and has fish. I think she enjoyed looking at everything as much as you could expect from a 7 month old!

Special thanks to Toni for taking pics. I am the WORST at remembering to break out the camera while we are out and about. She got some great shots of my girl and I.

After meeting up with the boys for lunch at an adorable local restaurant, we all took naps and then reconvened poolside. Grace had her first experience in water other than her bath. It was windy out, which made getting wet a little bit chilly, but I think she did great for her first go!

After the pool we all got ready and went downtown for dinner and some window shopping. It was a gorgeous evening, so we sat outside where we could see the water and followed up our meals with some ice cream at the cutest little old-timey ice cream shop. Here's where you can tell I didn't bring a camera because oh.em.gee they had some of the most expansive candy selections I've seen...and you know I would have at least wanted to document that!

We wrapped up our weekend with breakfast on Sunday before heading out. G got her Easter basket, which- MOM FAIL, I do not have pictures of. Here she is with her new BFF, Coral the Mermaid.

I'm officially obsessed with Blabla Kids. Go check out their site and oogle the baby eye candy.

We ended the weekend visiting my gal pal Ali in Houston and headed back Monday to pick up our fur children and get back to reality. Now I'm back to work and actually already starting the process of repacking for a trip next week. Grace and I will be heading to VA for a business trip! I'll get to work, and she will get to hang out with her Nana and Pops. :) More on that to come this week. For now, hope everyone had a fabulous holiday weekend (I'm so late on that!) and are cruising through the week. Halfway to the weekend! Yesssssss.

xo,
H

"Goodbye my loveeeee!!!"

(Name that movie!)

Well, we survived the week and now have one top tooth totally cut and another right on the verge. Thanks for the advice- children's Advil is a godsend.

I'm spending the next couple of hours wrapping up some work and packing Grace and I for the weekend and then we will be off! We're heading to Galveston, TX to spend the holiday weekend with D's brother and his wife. :) We couldn't be more excited to see them...it's been since Thanksgiving! The boys are looking forward to golfing and us girls are all set for a pedi and perusing beach shops. I'm ready for some good meals and fun in the sun. We'll head back on Monday, but not before making a brief pit stop in Houston to see one of my besties for dinner on Sunday night. Ahhh, to be back in civilization for a few days. It will be magical.

Got the camera charging now and cute beach/Easter attire (with matching hair accessories, of course...ha) all set for the babe. Will be posting soon!

Everyone has an awesome weekend!

xo,
H

P.S. .5 lbs away from pre-baby weight. Hollerrrrr. :)

Sleepless in Louisiana

We have a sicky. Again.

This time there is no cough, just a slight fever and sometimes runny nose. There is also a baby who cries in her sleep and wakes up at 10:30pm. 12:00am, 3:00am, and 6:00am.

We haven't had a night like that for at least the last 5 months. It was terrible. The worst part is that I have no idea what's wrong. Anyone out there who wants to throw in a guess is welcome to. I'm thinking we might be teething (G's 3rd tooth- a top one is coming in and its HUGE). This is WAY worse than when the bottom 2 came in, but maybe that's because it is bigger? There's no ear grabbing, just lots of fussing and crying every time I put her down. I think I fell asleep sitting up holding her last night. It's frustrating and extremely sweet all at the same time. I secretly love a clingy baby who needs her momma to feel better.

I'm actually working from home today and although she's been acting more normal when she's awake, Grace has slept the majority of the day so far. Making up for last night I guess? I keep obsessively checking in on her and she looks fine. Her fever is down too.

I'm surviving on a pot of coffee and indulging in some delirious online retail therapy. So far Banana Republic and Ann Taylor have benefited from last night's situation. D will be out until late for work again. Lucky. (JK, he'll be doing land navigation in the woods. THAT sucks.) I don't do well on little sleep. Can you tell?

If you'd like to throw some prayers our way or let me in on baby whisperer secrets, that would be almost as awesome as my new purchases. ;) No really. Someone tell me what to do.

xo,
H

Happy Friday!

Hello lovers. It's been a little while, huh? Ever since that exercise update post last week, I've been going strong with watching what I eat and amping up the runs. When I'm tired and hungry I get a little cranky...and when I'm cranky you don't want to read a whiny blog I've written. :)

I've dropped a couple el-bee's since that post and I'm getting used to not cheating on eating healthy. It's tough. I love me some after-dinner sweets. Actually what really helped is D saying he needed to lose a little too, so we agreed to curb the family dinners for a few weeks and do our own thing so that we can eat what we want and try to be a little healthier. Don't get me wrong, we haven't gone all crazy over here, but it helps me stress less about getting home to cook and put more effort into my after work runs. So far so good. Plus let's be real, I don't really enjoy cooking as much as I probably should anyways.

Last weekend we went to Cajunfest on post. It was cute. Basically food vendors and games for the kids and displays with a bunch of different Army vehicles and weapons. Our little lady got warm pretty quickly so we didn't last long. It has been getting HOT here...last weekend was about 90! In other weekend news, we went to a movie, with the baby and were those people who bring their 6 month old into Your Highness, a rated R film. Grace chugged a bottle and fell asleep in my lap for the ENTIRE thing. It was fab...the movie however, was just OK. It was silly, like stupid silly. I'm just glad we got out to do something like that. It's been awhile.

Oh hey, wanna see my girl rocking her new head wear? Hard to mistake this little lovebug for a boy now, huh?!

I love this one...Molly's like, "C'mon, throw the ball already!"

On an unrelated subject- remember my decorating problems?! Well, we've made some progress! The red wall is gone, the curtains have been changed, we have new throw pillows for the couch and I rearranged the living room set up on a whim last week. Things are looking good! More to come on this.

As for this weekend...we are planning to make a trip to the zoo tomorrow since it should be a little cooler. Like, upper 70s, so perfect! We're looking forward to showing Grace all the animals and seeing how she reacts. She thinks our pups are pretty great and loves it when I make her rubber ducky "quack", so I think it will be a fun time. In puppy news, Major (my arch nemesis) is getting neutered today and I have to say, I've been looking forward to it for weeks. Umm, a little less humping would be fantastic. Now if I can just get him to stop trying to swim in his water bowl and stop digging in my trash for used tampons. You heard me. He's sick. Other than that we'll probably lay low. We have some fun plans coming up for Easter weekend and then another work trip to VA on the horizon where I'll bring Grace to stay at Nana's for the week. Lots happening in these parts...I'll do my best to get my act together and post about it all!

Hope you all have great weekends!!!

xo,
H

Exercise Update

If I had to pick one piece of advice for pregnant women (or women who will one day be) who want to eventually get back into shape and back into what remnants are left of what formerly was their pre-baby body, it would be this:

Don't gain a ton of weight your first tri.

I'm not a doctor or anyone with the credentials to have their opinions taken seriously, but it makes sense to me. See, as soon as the fatigue of the first trimester hit me, my physical activity took a huge nose dive. Also, when I realized that constantly eating kept my nausea at bay, I didn't really hold back.

"Hello, KFC amazing bowl? Meet, Momma."

Hahaha- I just found that image via an article called, "6 Fast Foods That Look Disgusting, Even in Their Professional Photos". Awesome.

I digress. Anyways, at this moment in time I weigh exactly the same as I did at 13 weeks pregnant. You know, right outta the First Tri. I have 5 lbs to go until my pre-pregnancy weight.

13 weeks

Umm, I remember thinking I was HUGE here. However, now I wish I looked like that at this weight! Things "settle" quite differently after the whole baby producing experience. Ugh.

From there I have another 6 or so until I am back at goal, wedding weight. D says that might be too much. I promptly awarded him a "Husband of the Year" trophy, plaque, and other fancy prizes.

What I have learned so far is that post-baby weight loss is slow going. It's not all "breast feeding makes the weight fall off". That didn't happen for me. In fact, I lost 3 or 4 lbs the week I stopped breast feeding. For me, it's taking time...making time for working out AND to pack lunches and make dinner. The weeks I see little or no progress? Those are the weeks that I decided to pick up pizza as a quickie meal solution or the ones where I sham out on workouts for other obligations. The ones where I do really well and see a teeny, weeny one pound difference on the scale. Frustrating. But progress none the less.

As for my Shredding? I suck. I did it for 9 days in a row and then stopped. It was right before I traveled for work and I lost motivation. I did lose a couple pounds and had inches lost in my measurements. I think the shred works, I just don't have the die hard attitude for it right now. I'd rather run outside while its in the low 80's before our summer heat wave hits. I have upped my runs from 2.5 miles to right about 5. I try to do that about 4 times a week and then hit the gym 2x for cardio and weights.

My goal is to lose 5 by the end of April and decide where to go from there. Right now I wouldn't want to put on a bathing suit and I have a little girl who is SO ready to have her first pool experience. If that isn't motivation right there, I don't know what is!

What are you doing as far as an exercise routine? What works for you?

xo,
H

Babies make me rude.

Yesterday, while grocery shopping at the local town hot spot...Walmart...an older lady exclaimed, "What a big BOY!" as Grace and I strolled past her.

I pretended I didn't hear her and kept walking.

I know, how rude of me. I just didn't have the energy to stop and correct her and make awkward stranger conversation, so instead we played dumb...

and then I went home and perused the web for more girly head accessories last night.

Found here.

A Few of My Favorite Things- April Edition

I am kind of obsessive when it comes to things I like. Take for instance the Starbucks Green Tea Frappacino (w/ skim milk and no whip, please) that I over indulged on by *needing* daily for about 5 months of my pregnancy. I am just now testing the waters again after that ordeal. But seriously, when it comes to things I really like, you can be sure the opinion is tried, tested, and true. Maybe nobody cares, but lately there are things I've been so into that I've thought about singing their praises in separate posts...so how 'bout one big lovefest write up for all of them?!

Here, in no particular order, are a few of my favorite things (are you singing it in your head too?):

J.Crew Flats

Love. These are some of the best fitting flats I've ever owned. They are supportive, good quality materials, and absolutely adorable. J. Crew shoes are usually not in my budget (or at least the one D and I agree to...), but after getting this pair during a J. Crew Factory 40% off sale, I will absolutely purchase more in the future. Next big sale, consider it a new pair for my closet.

Sally Hansen- Commander in Chic

Anyone who knows me well can tell you that I am capital B, Boring when it comes to nail polish. I prefer a clean, classy, neutral nail- think OPI Bubblebath. Me getting really crazy would probably be a holiday red in the fall or winter and that is only for a pedicure. Chipped fingernails are a pet peeve of mine. Any who, after reading about this color a couple of places I gave it a whirl, and guess what? Swoon. It is the perfect purple-gray-taupe combo and looks super "chic" on short fingernails. The hubs is not a fan, but I like this color so much that he is over ruled. I'd show you a self portrait, since I just touched up my fingers today, but nobody wants to see my man hands, so just trust me and go buy a bottle. It's cheap too. Bonus!

Yoplait Smoothies

You can find these in the frozen fruit section of your grocery store. Add a cup of milk and voila! You have two servings of smoothie (or one really big one, since you wont wanna share)! If you like to jazz things up, add a scoop of protein powder or peanut butter. I've been on a huge smoothie kick. Like, must have one once a day. Sometimes, if I've worked out in the afternoon and don't feel like making dinner {read: Lazy} I just throw one of these bad boys together. Easy peasy.

New iTunes Songs

I just got a few new songs for the old iPod. Running is so much more enjoyable when I can mix it up with some new music. I know one of my previous posts showcased my rap faves. Clearly I'm a teenybopper at heart, 'cause here are the newbies:

1. Katy Perry feat. Kanye West- E.T.
2. Britney Spears- Till the World Ends
3. The Black Eyed Peas- Just Can't Get Enough

McCafe Iced Coffee

My mom can vouch for this one. I think she's been on the phone with me at least 5 times in the last two weeks when I've been hitting up the drive through. Gross, I know, but I don't get anything else from there. I need coffee to make the hour commute to work and it's getting so hot that iced is the only way to go this time of year. I get a large, regular iced coffee and it is awesome. Like, better than Starbs and half the price awesome. I won't rave about this for too long, because I know...it's McD's and you all are going to send a rescue party to bring me back from the dirty South if I keep it up! ;)

and last one...

My little nugget...(duh)

With my dad -aka "Pops" :)

My dad came to visit this past weekend and poor G was sick for about 2/3 of the time. Finally Saturday night she started to feel a little better and we got some smiles out of her. Sunday morning she was just like always, back to her giggly self. It was a quick couple of days, but great to see my dad and G just adored him. No stranger danger here! Ha! We can't wait to see him and other family again soon.

Man, I love that little girl...I get all warm and fuzzy just looking at her pictures. :)

That's it for now! I should probably put a baby edition of my faves together soon. I know a few mommy's to be who I can't wait to spoil with baby treats!

xo,
H