I've Moved

Please join me over at...

theschuetzthree.blogspot.com

Thanks

Weight Watchers

Let me begin by saying I HATE DIETING! With that said, I started Weight Watchers yesterday. I'm a very picky eater and I love sweets. I'm hoping that by just being more conscious of what I'm eating I will see some results.

I also saw my Dr. today about PPD. He was very understanding and helped me realize that what I'm feeling is normal. I told him that I can go from sad and crying to mad and yelling in no time. He said that's normal and that I need to make sure I'm getting plenty of sleep. I have been lacking sleep and the only way I can explain it is by saying that when I have bad days I'm so afraid the next day will be bad day that I don't want to fall asleep so that I won't wake up to a new day. When I'm in bed and Corey and Zoe are asleep then it's just me and I can be just me by myself. I can watch TV in quiet, I can think about things that have been on my mind, basically I don't have to worry about anyone else at that moment. He's going to have me start taking medication and hopefully we will see some improvements. I told him that some days I just feel like running away, leaving everything behind and not looking back. He told me that it's normal to feel that way because things are different now and harder than when it was just me and Corey. Luckily he didn't make me talk too much since I was fighting back tears as soon as he walked in the room. I'm hoping things will get better and I will start to feel more like the old Ashley.

One funny thing that he said was that the medication can cause a loss of libido and if that is the case and causes problems we can switch me to something else. Then he said that if Corey ends up coming in for depression then he will know he needs to switch my medication. ;)

I got a job!

Last week I interviewed for a special ed. para job and I got it. It's not my dream job and it's certainly not why I went back to school for two and half years and spent way too much money to continue my education but it's a job. With the budget cuts that the schools are facing and the lack of actual teaching jobs I decided I might as well start looking into my other options.

I'm actually really excited since I won't have to drive anywhere except about 6 blocks from my house, I don't have to be there until 8 and I'm off at 3. That means I leave the school at 3, not stay after to help students, stay after to plan, stay after to get things ready for the next day, or work on grading papers at night. Plus, all the days that are off for students are off for me too! I will work 8 to 3 and then come and hang out with Zoe for the rest of the afternoon/evening. So while I wouldn't complain about doing all those other teacher duties I'm going to love all the extra time I will be able to have with Zoe this way.

What a weekend!

Man this weekend flew by! Friday we got bright and early so we could drive three hours to watch my brother graduate from the Police Academy. I enjoyed it because Corey graduated 3 years ago and it was nice to see how much our lives have changed since his graduation. We left Zoe with Corey's stepmom since we weren't sure how she would handle 6 hours in the car. We missed her terribly but it was nice to have the day together.

Saturday we just hung out at home, went for a walk, and then dropped Zoe off at my mom's(it seems we didn't have her much this weekend but it's the first time(s) we have been alone since she was born) and went out to dinner for our 4th anniversary which was last Thursday. We also ran some errands, mostly for Zoe, getting formula, wipes, bigger bottles, you know the drill! After we picked her up and get her settled for the night, I went with some friends to the casino. That was a good time! I felt like Ashley! I had a couple drinks and sat at the bar and laughed and laughed with my friends.

Sunday we gave Corey's his gift and he loved his Shutterfly card! We hung out for a little bit and then went to his Dad's to visit and then went to my Mom and stepdad's house for dinner and a little Wii!

Such a fast weekend but a fun one!

Beyond frustrated!

Okay, I can't get the scale to budge. I'm so frustrated. I have been really watching what I eat, we don't eat out near as often as we used to, I've been doing the 30DS, NMTZ and walking, and I've also been tracking my calories on Sparkpeople. I just can't get the scale to move and I haven't even been losing inches like I was in the beginning. I'm so upset that nothing is working. I feel okay with my body until I see myself in a picture or find out that my BMI puts me in the overweight category. I'm just so disgusted! I know there is the whole "nine months on, nine months off" things, but honestly I don't believe it. I dropped 30 pounds in a matter of weeks right after Zoe was born and now my weight won't budge. It's so irritating! I took more pictures today and I'm going to post them, not because I'm proud but because I need to see the proof that I need to work harder I guess.

May 11 May 31 Today

May 11 May 31 Today

May 11 May 31 Today

Call me crazy, but I really do see results, especially in the side and back view photos. I just don't know why the darn scale won't move and why I haven't lost inches. I guess maybe things are just repositioning and that is why it looks different. Maybe, I don't know. Okay well Zoe is still sleeping so I better go Shred while I have the chance.

Another Giveaway

Who doesn't love the scent of their favorite candle?! Well, what if you could have the scent without the flame! Fantabulously Frugal is hosting a giveaway featuring Scentsy. Check out both sites and sign up for the giveaway. It can't hurt right?!

2 Months!

Zoe had her two month well baby visit today and is doing great! She weighs 9 lbs 10 oz and is 22 inches long. She got three shots and did really well. She cried for a just a minute and then fell asleep while she was being monitored. She is so much more alert now and loves to look around. She likes to be carried facing out so she can see what is going on. She also likes to look up at the trees in our front yard. She enjoys taking walks with mommy and dadddy and last night she even stayed awake for the thing. We're going to attempt to take her to the pool sometime soon. Hopefully she will enjoy having her little toes in the water. Corey is looking forward to his first Father's Day this week and we are also celebrating our 4th wedding anniversary on Thursday!




Look at that neck control!




Sticking her tongue out!





She looks like she is ready for the Derby!




The best smile we could get!

Quitter!

I'm a Shred quitter! After two weeks of not seeing the scale move except for one measely pound I decided maybe the Shred isn't cutting it. Today I did "No More Trouble Zones",another Jullian video, and it's hard too! It's about an hour long and really pushes you. I'm going to try to do this one on the days that Corey is off(since it's longer) and do the Shred(and really push myself) on the days he is at work. I'm going to try this for a couple of weeks and if I don't see some progress than I'm going to hit the gym again. :( I really hate the gym. I don't know why, the people that work there are great, the people that work out there are great, the machines are okay(I wish they had a rowing machine), and I can usually watch what I want to on the TV, including the View and Oprah! I just can't get myself motivated to drive across town to go and now I would have to drop Zoe off somewhere in order to go and that makes it that much harder. But it's free and I shouldn't give myself any excuses! So starting Monday(I still plan to workout over the weekend I just prefer to start at the beginning of the week) I'm giving myself two weeks to really bust it here at home and then it's back to the gym if need be.

Pedicure!

I used my gift certificate to get my pedicure this morning. It was FANTASTIC! I was the first appointment of the day so there was no one else in the salon. I sat in the massage chair for an hour reading my trashy celebrity gossip magazine(Kate may have cheated on Jon first...GASP!) while having my feet rubbed. It was FANTASTIC(oh, did I already say that!) I chose the color, "My Chihauhua Bites". Thanks again Zoe!

Giveaway

This blog is having a fantastic giveaway! If you love Etsy you will love this giveaway. Make sure you enter and let her know that Ashley from "Our Journey" referred you . Please and Thank you!

The Park

We took Zoe to the park on Friday. It was more fun for the two of us, I'm sure, but we took her down the slides and even swung with her for a bit.

Saturday we did our family fun walk that I posted about. It was fun! Aunt Maggie and "Aunt" Crista ran the 5K race earlier that morning and both acted like they were about to die when we got there! They are doing better than me if they even finish the race. It sprinkled on us but luckily we managed to get through the day with no rain. After the walk we went out for lunch(pizza, MMM) and then that afternoon we went out to Corey's dad's house for a weiner roast. It was so much fun! We ate hot dogs and s'mores! Once it started to get dark we went back to the house and played Apples to Apples. Corey and I had never played but it's easy enough to catch on and it was a blast! I should have won but Anthony was cheating! I swear he was, who doesn't think the Wilderness is therapeutic and picket lines are aggressive!! Everyone agreed with me, except the Judge(Anthony)!

Today Zoe and I worked on part of Corey's Father's Day present. We did her footprints in the plaster mold. It's not great but it will work!

Oh, and I weighed Miss Zoe today and the little chunk weighs 10 lbs!!! I couldn't believe it!

Weekend

I'm looking forward to this weekend since it's Corey's weekend off. Saturday we are walking in a family fun walk in the morning and hopefully planting some flowers. Sunday we are going to Corey's grandma's 93rd birthday party at the lake. We are also thinking about having a weiner roast at the in-laws house tomorrow night and making SMORES! YUM! In my opinion, it's not summer without some smores. I'm seeing a picture post in this blogs near future! Stay Tuned


I need some help. Please post your ideas for Father's Day. I'm trying to stick to a decent budget since I just paid our hospital bill and July is a month of birthdays in our family, including Corey's. I ordered a photo card off Shutterfly for him and I plan on making the footprint kit that I already have. I'm thinking about asking him if he wouldn't mind combining our anniversary, father's day and his birthday and getting one big gift instead of three seperate ones. Anyway, post your ideas.

All Things Loved In...

I'm going to start a new thing on my blog. At the beginning of every month I'm going to post about the things I loved in the previous month. I've seen this done on this blog.

All Things Loved in May...

1. My First Mother's Day! Zoe(Corey) made me a card and got me a gift certificate for a pedicure. I can't wait to use it.

2. Summer reality TV starting this month with So You Think You Can Dance! I took dance lessons for 16 years so of course this is right up my alley. I got a real kick out of all the horrible attempts at dancing during the auditions and this week it will start to get good with the Vegas Callbacks.

3. The 30 Day Shred. It's hard but it works!

4. Cinco de Mayo! Mexican food and Margaritas pretty much sums up the love!

5. Medical Insurance! When Corey switched jobs in November we lost his amazingly great health insurance and got not so great coverage. However, I just paid $2,700 for $18,000 worth of care! It could be better BUT it could also be much worse!

30DS Update

I just finished day 15 last night of the 30 Day Shred. Level 2 has gotten much easier since I started it at the beginning of the week. I prefer level 2 because I didn't like all the jumping in level 1. The plank moves are killing me but they are getting easier. I also really like the walking pushups. I know that makes me nuts but for some reason I like them and wish there were more during the circuit. Here are my halfway pictures beside the before pictures(hopefully).

I notice the biggest difference in my hips and butt. The scale hasn't moved much so maybe I'm in denial about any results but I really think I see a difference and my "porn star" bras are getting to be too big so hopefully the girls are shrinking too!

Constipation+Reflux=Crabby Zoe

For the last several days we've noticed that Zoe was maybe a little constipated so last night we finally called the clinic and found out that we can put Karo syrup in her bottles to help her out a little bit. We did this for the next three bottles and VOILA, much better! I never would have guessed!

Her reflux also seemed to be flaring up again. Starting on Sunday she started really throwing up again and it just got progressively worse. This morning I fed her and within about an hour I had changed my shirt three times. You would have thought I would have learned and waited, but she was seriously throwing up so much that I didn't think there was anything else in there to come out. I called the clinic again and asked I could up her dosage of Zantac since she is growing so much.(Using my scale at home by weighing myself and then holding her and weighing myself again, she weighs 8.5 lbs!) They said I could and she will get 1.5 extra mls now. Hopefully this helps. Between scrubbing the carpet and furniture and washing my clothes and her clothes/blankets/burp cloths all day, not to mention all the times we have changed our clothes today I'm exhausted. She's finally sleeping so hopefully her little belly is feeling better!

Here's to a GREAT weekend!

Picture Post

Professional portraits taken last week! I can't wait to see the rest.

She was laying in her Boppy and got herself pushed up over it like this.

Meeting great-grandma for the first time. This is Corey's grandma that had a stroke last summer. We are so lucky to still have her with us.

Just precious!


With Uncle Anthony

Uncle Anthony and his girlfriend, Crista

30 Day Shred

I started level 2 yesterday and man oh man, those planks killed me! I didn't think it was too hard(I was doing the modified versions) but a couple hours later I was feeling it. I've decided I have to do it at night when Corey gets home from work otherwise little miss Zoe doesn't let me get a good workout in. I will do L2D2 tonight and I'm sure I'll be feeling it again!

STTN?

We got some sleep in our house last night! I put Zoe down at 10:30(she wouldn't go to sleep so I just put her down and she put herself to sleep, that's an accomplishment in itself) and she did not wake up until 5:30! That's 7 hours of sleep folks! I felt so good at 5:30 I can't even describe it. After she ate she went back down at 6 and slept until 9. I'm going to consider this a fluke so I don't get my hopes up of it happening on a regular basis, but I'll take a night like that here and there if I can get it.

Random

I have two more days of Level 1 of the Shred. Good thing because I'm ready to move on to something harder, not that level 1 isn't hard but I need something new. I lost two inches off my waist, one inch each off my hips, thigh and neck this week. I think that is pretty good. My darn scale is messed up and fluctuates several pounds overnight so I really don't think my weight is accurate. I have no idea how much I weigh. I took last weekend off and I will probably take at least Saturday off this week too.

My baby won't sleep anymore. She is awake all day now, which would be great, except she fusses the minute I put her down. I don't know what to do with her. I can't get anything done and I'm about to pull my hair out from all the fussing. She will sleep good from 10pm-3am but after that feeding she fusses in her sleep even which means I'm wide awake the whole time. There she goes again, I guess I better go!

The economy sucks!

Luckily the failing economy has not really affected us as a family. We can still pay our bills and put food on the table. We are blessed in that aspect and we know it. However, with all the budget cuts that the schools are facing I am really struggling to find a job for next year. I went back to school three years ago to get my teaching license and now all of a sudden, when I'm looking for a job, the schools can't even afford to keep the teachers they already have. The school district in my town had to cut 4 elementary teaching positions and I know the other two districts in the county had to cut some too. I can't find any job openings within an hour of my house. This is starting to get stressful. Corey and I have discussed it and if I can't find a teaching job maybe I will be able to find a para or teacher's aide job, even though they are getting cut too. If that doesn't work out I will just sub full-time again next year, which is the last resort since I know it will be hard to leave Zoe if I don't actually have to. I can always say no when I get called and it will be hard to want to say yes. I also could look for a job using my other degree but I really want next summer off! ;)

Going Green...

I've really been trying to make an effort to go "green" as of lately, but I'm really struggling. I guess I like the convienences that are available to me and therefore take too much advantage of them. Some of the things I do or have done include, not using dryer sheets but using vinegar instead(I really want the fabric softener smell on my laundry again), leaving the windows open longer(even though it's 90 degrees here and almost 80 degrees in my house), air drying the dishes instead of running the dry cycle on the dishwasher, this winter I would leave the oven open after using it to help heat the house, when the heat/air is on we set it high/low and use a programmable thermostat so it can adjust when we aren't home, we have some, not all, of the spirally light bulbs. I know this is far from going "green", like I said, we like the modern day conveniences.

I would like to recycle I honestly would, and I know this is a lame excuse, but we hav NOWHERE to put recycling bins. We could put them in the garage but then I would have to walk out there everytime I had something to recycle and again, that's not convenient. I would like to take advantage of our clothesline this summer but how do I get that fabric softener smell then, and what do I do with our underwear. I really don't want our neighbors to see it! :) I know we could use cloth diapers but the thought of having to clean out poopy diapers is enough to make my stomach turn so I can only imagine what it would be like to actually have to DO it. I know some people don't flush the toilet if they just pee, but I really don't like the idea of walking into the bathroom and seeing my husbands pee, for some reason that seems gross to me.

SO, my question to you is, what do you do to go "green".

Graduation

This is such a busy weekend and it never fails that Corey has to work the weekend of graduation leaving me to attend all the parties by myself. I'm a cheerleading coach at the high school so as you can imagine we get invited to several graduation parties, plus his sister is graduating too. Last weekend we went to the first of many parties. Last night Zoe and I went to one party. Today we got up early and went to grandma and grandpa's for Aunt Maggie's breakfast party. Then we came home, she ate, and we went to another party. I had to squeeze a trip to the grocery store in there, then we came home again for Zoe to eat and then we went to another party! Luckily we are home now, but since Corey was at work and not stuffing his face with food(CAKE) all day like I was, I had to make dinner. It's waiting to go in the oven right now. Tomorrow Zoe and I will get up early again to go to church with Aunt Maggie and then hopefully take a nap before going to the actual graduation. It doesn't end there though, after graduation we are going back to grandma and grandpa's house for dinner with the family! MAN, IT'S BEEN CRAZY! Zoe did great today though, she must be as worn out as me!

Just For You...Alicia

At Alicia's request, here are some updated pictures of Little Miss Zoe! We are having professional pictures done next week so hopefully I will get them posted soon after.

We took the easy way out for Mother's Day this year and gave our moms "brag books" and included these two pictures. Even though they were easy gifts they were loved by all and I'm sure people around town are getting sick of seeing her picture. Oh, who am I kidding, no one could get sick of seeing my daughter's pictures! :)

I'm still Shredding. Five days down, 25 to go. Level 1 has gotten easier. I'm getting very good at "girl" pushups. I can make it through both sets without my arms collapsing underneath me and I am getting closer to actually kicking my butt during the butt kicks. Or as Jillian would say "I'm *almost* kicking my ass quite literally!" I hate exercise videos because you hear the same thing everyday! I lost an inch off each, my waist, hips and thigh this week too and I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight. Not too bad for a month out!

Results?

I know these results didn't just come from two days of Shredding but I'm going to be impressed. I jumped on the scale this morning and I'm down 10 pounds. I had stopped losing after a couple weeks of being home from the hospital and this is just about the rest of the pregnancy weight, 2 more pounds to go. Ideally I'd like to lose about 20 more pounds(I had some to lose before getting pregnant) but I'd be okay with 10-15. Tomorrow is the day that I started on Sparkpeople with my weight and measurements so I will weigh myself again tomorrow and take my measurements and see if these results are accurate. Man I hope so! Oh and the best news is that I could wear a regular bra again and it's actually comfortable. No more nursing bra! I plan to buy myself a new one today just to CELEBRATE!

The day after...

I am so SORE! My arms feel like rocks and my back is killing me! I could so easily skip today but I'm not going to. This afternoon when Zoe is sleeping I will be breaking it back out and getting the quick workout over with.








***EDIT***


I did the 30DS today. It hurt but I made it through, even doing the whole set of push-ups twice! However, these will not help matters, but they looked so good so I had to get them, make them, and eat way too many!

I'm also enjoying my afternoon Diet Coke! No wonder I suck at dieting!

30 Day Shred

Okay, I'm going to post this here so that I can be held accountable! I started Jillian Micheal's 30 Day Shred today. It really wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be, but man I'm out of shape. AND I hate push ups! I can definetly see myself actually finishing this! I'm hoping to get it in everyday and to stay at each level for 10 days. Of course, my abs aren't what they used to be, and they weren't anything impressive before. I may take longer at each level. Here are my "before" pictures! I took them myself and hopefully I will remember to have Corey take better ones tonight.

Hopefully my boobs will shrink soon because even with two sport bras on it's hard to do the cardio portions. :)

I have also started using sparkpeople.com again to track what I eat. I've found a good breakfast in one egg and two egg whites scrambled and a piece of whole wheat toast. I hoping to see results soon!

Mother's Day

Today was a good day. We woke up and went to church where Zoe got introduced to the congregation. Everyone there already loves her and couldn't get enough of her. Many people came by where we were sitting several times just to look at her and talk to her. After church we went out to my mom's house for a BBQ with my family. It's a pretty big family and things like this are always entertaining. I have one aunt that can't get enough of little Zoe. She wants to hold her the whole time she is around her. Well today I fed her while everyone was eating and then when she was done Corey and I sat down to eat while Zoe laid on the floor(we lay her on the floor on her tummy for a while after she eats in case she throws up, it doesn't go all over her). This aunt immediately went over to pick her up and Corey told her that she needs to lay there for a little bit or she at least needs to grab a burp rag. She told him that it was okay if she spit up a little, she could handle it. Well, about 10 minutes later she threw up pretty much her entire bottle! ALL OVER MY AUNT! I guess she will listen next time.

Corey made me a card and put Zoe's little hand print on the inside. He told me that kids make cards and not buy them but that she just needed a little help. He also got me a gift certificate for a pedicure at my favorite place. I love getting pedicures there because they don't rush it, they seriously last at LEAST an hour. I love it, so peaceful! I'm also going shopping this week to get something to wear to his sister's graduation and I just may be able to slip in a purse of new shoes too! We'll see!

Happy Mother's Day!

AHH!

My, once slept all day, baby is gone! If you see her please return her to me. Now granted, I don't want her to literally sleep all day as I like to talk to her and play with her, but this fussy, needy, refluxy baby is driving me up the wall. I don't know what to do for her anymore. She fusses unless she is eating or asleep, which is no easy feat. I have found that driving puts her to sleep so that may be our new activity instead of going on walks. I'm going to give the Zantac through the weekend and then we are making a little visit to the Dr. if I don't see any improvement. I put my makeup on and made lunch today one handed since she won't let me put her down. She must have worn herself out this morning from all the crying because this afternoon she is actually napping a little here and there.

Reflux

Well, let's start with the good news. Zoe is back to her birth weight! It took awhile but we are back up there.

Last night after each middle of the night feeding Zoe threw up. I'm talking her whole feeding all over her and the bassinet. She didn't seem concerned about it. She didn't fuss before or after and she wasn't hungry again after she did it. When we were getting her weighed I talked to the nurse about it. The Dr. thinks she has a little bit of reflux because she only seems to do this at night and the only difference is that she is laid flat after her nighttime feedings and she doesn't usually lay flat in the daytime. We gave her the first dose of Zantac and are really hoping this will help.

Sleeping

Now you might think I'm going to update on Zoe's sleep patterns, but you would be wrong. I have always been a belly sleeper and as you can imagine, a few months ago this became very difficult. Once I had to start sleeping on my side I had to use pillows to support myself just so I would not roll onto my belly or back. And then when my feet started to swell I slept with them up on pillows. Add all these pillows to the two I use for my head and that is a lot. Corey hated it! When I came home from the hospital I immediately got rid of the big body pillow but had to keep a regular pillow to support myself so I wouldn't try to roll over on my tummy. Imagine how much that would hurt! I also still had swelling in my feet so I kept those pillows too. Well, eventually I could sleep on my side without support and the swelling disappeared so I was free of all the pillows and Corey and I could actually snuggle again.

This is where it gets good! This morning after feeding Zoe I couldn't get back to sleep. I just wasn't comfortable so I did it! I got up the courage to roll over. I slept on my BELLY! It's been months since I could do that and it felt so good. I will consider this another step closer to having my old self back!

Fussy baby

I don't know what happened but Zoe has been so fussy the last two days. Maybe it's because I'm home alone with her all day I don't know. She doesn't want me to put her down, she acts like she wants to sleep but she won't, she is eating all the time but only about an ounce at a time, and she seems to be a little gassy. I just don't know what to do. I did manage to get her out of the house, we went for a walk. She did pretty good and was awake the whole time but she fussed most of the walk. She even fussed in the car when I took her for a ride. Any ideas?

We're getting there

I took Zoe in to get weighed again. She weighs 6 lbs, 8 oz! We're almost there. I'm taking her back on Monday and hopefully she will be back up to her birth weight and done with the weight checks.

Today is my first day alone with her. Corey went back to work. So far we have been doing good. I've managed to get several pumping sessions in and we even ran to Wal-Mart. I think we may actually be able to do this. I wish it was nicer out so we could go for a walk but maybe tomorrow.

Napping with daddy and Jules!

"My daddy can arrest your daddy!" She will always have people watching after her. And even though daddy is at work we are proud of what he is doing and know that he is protecting more than just the two of us.

2 weeks post partum

This is for me to be able to look back on. Two weeks out I am down 30 pounds and have another 10 to go. I obviously can't do ANYTHING yet without my incision feeling like it's going to be ripped open. I actually feel pretty good about myself at this point. I haven't tried to put on my regular jeans since the maternity jeans still hurt my incision but all in good time I will. I am not proud of these pictures but I know I will want to look back and know that I'm making progress.

I pray that these porn star boobs shrink soon!