The Motivation is There...Somewhere

Hey Folks,

This weekend was a whirlwind!! Jeff working 7a- 6:30p on Saturday so it was lil' miss and I all day...oi! Hitup my Weight Watchers meeting where I conquered my 5%!!!!!! I cried on the scale because it's been in reach, but never there! That night was the General R.S. Broadcast at church and I'm sooooo glad that I got my tired body there! I sat in the back of the chapel nursing lil' miss most of the time, but I'm so glad that I took her, yes she's young, but I want to teach her that you attend church and broadcasts so that you may be spiritually fed and on the right path. While I was sitting there nursing I looked to my right and saw something under the pew and I thought "oh, some kid left their toy behind" and then the toy started moving!!! I covered myself up and got up as fast as I could. Yes Susssssssie the snake wanted to come to the R.S. broadcast too!! It's so funny how snakes and mice in the buildings here are just every day normal! No word if she has been seen since she went down inside the chapels vent. I'm glad the drama was over before President Utchdorf's (sp?) talk...Forget Me Not:-)

Sunday I was so proud of Annabella! She did awesome during Sacrament which is always our hard time. It's always right when they are passing the Sacrament she starts screaming and we're out in the hall. This time she was quiet and I took her out to nurse and she was happy camper until the meeting ran over 5 minutes and she was getting antsy. Jeff got off work at 12p so we got most the day together! I was able to take a nap while he had some daddy time with Annabella...BLISS!!!

Nursing mommy's:
I don't about you, but I've struggled with breastfeeding to the point that she would get formula 3 times a week with dinner and during outings. Today I went to my WIC appointment (in order me to stay home we get help from them and I'm not ashamed of it.) and the lady gave me a lot of encouragement and told me if I kept breastfeeding I would keep all our benefits plus baby food (which includes organic) for the baby. Then she said "would you like a pump?" I told her I would love a pump because my current one sucks and not that way it's supposed to!  I expected her to come out with a manual pump, but I was blown away! She brought out a Medela double electrical pump!! This thing retails for close to $300! I was so happy! She gave me a tons of tips on when to pump and I know it's going to take some time to get used to a schedule, but I'm up for it. Annabella is getting used to my nursing cover again, but I'm thinking I'm going to need to get a different one because she would rather look at the patterns on my cover than eat. I have a light colored cover and so the light comes through it and she can see the pattern on the outside. We're also working with keeping the cover down while we're in public, I think this will always be a problem:-P


Welp that is all. For those guys who read the blog, sorry about the nursing comments, but it's life!:-D

Love,
C

September Update

Hey Folks,
It seems like I only update once a month anymore...life!

Annabella:
My day consists of changing, feeding, chasing after this little roller who loves to scream!! We're positive her teeth have to be coming in soon because she is using us as chew toys and man are those gums hard! We have her 6mth well baby next week and we're excited to see what happens! Her head is finally starting to flatten on the one side so we're praying for no helmet for the lil' miss. LOVES LOVES LOVES her whole grain cereal with carrots or chicken noodle dinner...Yep she's my kid:-D

Jeff:
Isn't working swings...YAY! He is busy training for his marathon in 3 weeks! He got new running shoes yesterday and you would have thought he got a new car! He is just so stinkin' excited to run his second marathon on his birthday with the baby...GO JEFF!!

Calla:
I'm still here:-P Started working with the Enlisted Spouses Club...LOVE! LOVE the ladies of the Muroc Ward R.S.! I'm finally getting the hang of being 2nd counselor and realizing that R.S. isn't that bad after all:-P Getting to know more mommy's out here through ESC, Mommy & Me Bootcamp, Zumb. Enjoying teaching Annabella the new things that seemed so little to me, but are so huge to her. Still losing weight, been struggling these past few weeks, but I'm trying to let that go and just look to tomorrow.


I think that is it for our little family!
Love,
C

I Got It From My Momma

Hey Folks,

Another week down...WOOHOO!!! Rumor in our house is that daddy may be switching to swing shift...BOO!!! He would work 3p-11ish, 12ish, 1ish, or whatever ish they decide to let him go. This would totally mess up the baby's schedule so we're praying the rumors are wrong!

I'm down 22.9 pounds since I joined Weight Watchers online in May:-) I'm down 5.6 pounds since I started attending WW meetings July 30th. I asked my leader if I'm losing too much too fast and she said I'm OK...phew! She said once I hit week 4 they will start looking to make sure I'm losing no more than 2 pounds a week. I'm very grateful for the awesome tool that Heavenly Father provided for mommies...breastfeeding!! Talk about a weight loss plan!! I know it's temporary so I'm taking full advantage of it!

Lil' Miss Annabella is doing great!! She is figuring out how to roll from her tummy to back and back to tummy:-) She also "pushes" herself across the floor with her feet with butt in the air, it's so cute! She babbles none stop! Daddy has taught her how to blow raspberries so 90% of the time in the morning that's what I wake up to coming across the monitor:-) I'm grateful she's not a screamer when she wakes up, but is very content talking to the fan in her room until mommy finally wakes up. I think she is going to be going by 'Bella' I'm OK with that now that the Twilight saga has stopped a little bit.

If I'm not cleaning, changing diapers, napping in my recliner while feeding Lil' Miss (best 30 minute nap ever!) then I'm regaining my love for the gym! I got on the elliptical last week for the first time in a month and I rocked it! I credit Zumba for sure! I'm loving my classes twice a week and I can feel/see my body starting to look and feel better!

Jeff's doing great! He is busy training for his 2nd marathon and 1st half marathon! He's going to be running the Long Beach Marathon on his birthday in October. This marathon he can take the jogging stroller so he's pretty pumped! The half marathon is going to be in November in Santa Clarita which isn't too far from us.

Well I think that's about it!
Later,
Love,
C

It's My Choice (Sorry Heather:-P)

Hey Folks,

So a lot of women are having babies (it is the end of summer after all) and I've been thinking about what I would do different when we are meant to have our next child.

Pregnancy:
- I would go with a midwife. Nothing against hospitals, I had an AMAZING experience where Annabella was born, but I want to do VBAC and the hospital here does not offer that, which in my opinion is not cool.
-I would continue to workout under midwife supervision. I stopped walking/working out all together once I found out I was pregnant.
-Really look at my food options and realize that I'm eating for two, but that doesn't mean I have to eat like I'm feeding two(if that makes sense).


Birth:
-All natural! I was induced and I really felt the contractions and I could handle them and the second I would get myself under control BAM they would up the Pitocin since the Magnesium was counteracting. To put it nicely my body was not happy!! Once I did get the epidural it took three times to stick and once it did I was on my way to the OR because baby's heart rate was dropping. I feel if I would have kept natural my body would have been able to do it and I wouldn't have been knocked out during my baby girls first cry.
-I'm not sure of the birthplace. I would love to have a home birth if there isn't a threat of complications, but otherwise I would rather go to a birthing center. We live in the middle of nowhere and the next kiddo will probably be born here so I should probably keep my ears open on a good place when that time comes.

Postpartum:
-I would relax!! I was so worried about not being super mom/wife when I got home that I had to do everything for myself and the baby. I'm horrible at asking people for help, but I'm grateful for a family who is always there to help.
-I would work with a lactation consultant if needed. I waited almost a week before finally giving in with Annabella and man was it worth it!!
-The Moby will be used from day 1!
-Plan/cook meals ahead! I was in such a feeding/changing/sleeping blur that I wasn't sure when I ate last. My mother in law would ask "when did you eat last?" and I would just give her a blank stare.
-Pump as soon as possible and get on a schedule. We have NO supply right now which isn't good since hubby takes the baby a couple of hours a week so I can run errands, go to the gym etc.

Sorry this is random, but I wanted to get my ideas written down so that when the time does come I can go back and say "SEE! This is what I want!! Not another C-Section!"

Later folks!
Calla

I Wanna Talk About Me...

Hey Folks,

I have no idea why I made this a family blog, since I really don't talk about them that much:-P Life is going good out here in Cali. We're settled into our beautiful home which is pretty good size for being a duplex and military house. We only have a few boxes left and it's mainly boxes (two of our shelves 'died' during the move). It's so nice to FINALLY get back into the routine with the babe and stay there!! She is officially going to bed by 8:30 and waking up at 6 and going back to sleep until 8:45am...bliss!! Jeff's work schedule has been ridiculous this past week! He's working 5:30-2:30, but is heading back to his lovely 7am shift next week...YAY!!! Now I can get my butt back to the gym!!

Weight loss for mommy:

I'm still on Weight Watchers, asked for an unlimited plan for my birthday, we shall see if the birthday fairy delivers. I finally got the Wii setup so I worked out to The Biggest Loser, but I feel like I really need to get back into the gym. Not only does the gym provide me with a wide range of equipment, but also it allows me to get out of the house even for an hour! I haven't been out of the house since Monday...MONDAY!!! I was going a little bonkers, I'm afraid I'm going to turn into one of those people who is scared of the outdoors!

LET IT BE KNOW THAT TONIGHT I DRANK MY LAST COKE!!!! Yes I'm Mormon and I drink caffeine blah blah blah. I notice that my body is just crappy when I drink pop anymore. I had a Diet Coke tonight and my taste buds were saying "GAG!! What the heck?!?!?" and my stomach does not have the best feeling.  We don't keep pop in the house because we know it would be a VERY bad outcome!

My weight is down REALLY close to being past my high school weight. I will be posting my starting weight (right before babe was born) and also my high school weight when I'm far far away from them both. I would LOVE to lose some awesome weight before my high school reunion (yes 10 years...it's crazy!!), but we shall say how I do with a 4 mth old:-D We did get a jogging stroller...for FREE!!! Jeff's coworker had one and it had barely been used...lovely!!! Handles awesome and baby girl is in love with it!

Now my biggest challenge is going to be this weekend...Disneyland! I'm a little excited to go, but I'm really nervous about my eating habits while I'm gone. Upside about California is that it's state law that you have the calories listed on the menu next to the price so it's all up to me and there is no excuse and I can't say "oh wow, how did I gain weight?"

Well I think that's it, for some reason I had a serious itch to blog and I finally got to do it!!

Later
~C

California Lovin'

Hey Folks,

We are in sunny (VERY SUNNY) California! Our trip was adventure that's for sure! Thankfully we made it safe across half of the USA and are settled(for now) at Edwards AFB.

We got to have dinner with Jeff's brother and some of his family one of our first nights here. It's going to be so nice only being 2 hours from family! I'm excited for the girls to grow up around each other because neither Jeff and I really saw our cousins that much growing up.

We lived in a suite style hotel for about 4 days which was nice, but also stunk because Jeff had to drive to work an hour each way. We got moved onto base in a 2 bedroom TLF(Temporary Living Facility) which is pretty nice. We are on the waiting list for base housing and we are second in line. The lady couldn't give us an exact date, but she just said soon and probably June. We're in the TLF until May 31st, unless something changes, which we praying it does. The TLF  is perfect size for us so we're hoping that our home isn't much bigger/smaller. We drove around the neighborhood where we will be living and they are all duplexes, but really nice. Garage, little deck, little back yard, concrete wall for fence since we have coyotes and bobcats that like to visit:-/ The birds out here are the size of my 12lb cat! The bugs are little and annoying, the sun is always out and bright, the wind is bi-polar and can't decide when it wants to blow, but when it does it will knock you out! Darn Santa Ana's!

I'm LOVING being a Domestic Engineer! We've got a routine pretty well down.

Annabella & I's Day:
4am - Miss wakes up
5am - Miss back to bed,  mommy makes daddy's lunch & breakfast
6 am - Mommy kicks daddy(literally) out of bed
9 am - Mommy wakes up before Miss so she can eat and get ready for the day
9:30 am - Mommy wakes up Miss and gets a nice big smile
10am-5pm - Numerous feedings, small cat naps, cleaning, Facebooking(you know, the important stuff:-P)
5pm - Daddy gets home from work & gym  (he works 7-3 and gyms after)
5:30pm - Dinner as a family without electronics(took this idea from Marie Osmond and love it!)
6pm - Mommy heads out for her "mommy time" at the gym
7:30pm - 9pm - Family time
9pm-10pm - The start of getting Miss down to sleep
10pm - Everyone to bed! Yes we're lame and don't stay up past 10 anymore, but if you think about it that's really 12am in Iowa:-D

We're struggling with naps right now, but she's slowly realizing that it's OK to sleep. The Moby is my saving grace for naps because I can get things done and still snuggle. She is actually laying on my chest right now snuggled in the Moby:-D

Not much else is going on. We're getting to like the base and the lifestyle. I haven't really met anyone yet, but I usually do at church so I'm excited for Sunday!

I'm back on Weight Watchers and I'm FINALLY recording everything again. I make weekly menus for dinner and Jeff and I shop together for FHE on Mondays after work. I only do dinner menus because I usually eat leftovers for lunch the next day. I'm loving trying all sorts of new healthy recipes finally. We've had awesome burgers, chili, tacos, salads etc. I'm also finding my love for veggies, hard to believe I know.

Welp, that's it! If your ever in the middle of the Mojave Desert give us a call! We're about 2 hours from Disneyland:-D

Later folks!
Love,
Calla

Happy Easter Eve!

Hey Folks!

Life in the Hines household is GREAT!!! Jeff flew home this past Wednesday:-D There were tears at the airport as he met his daughter for the first time and held her, such a precious moment! It's so nice to have the other half of my brain back. I always thought I would be this huge independent woman who didn't need her husband to do anything because she would take care of it, well that's not marriage. Jeff has been holding his little girl every chance he gets which means that the grandparents are fighting for time with her:-P He has been awesome and will take her and hold her while I nap which is sooooooooo awesome!! He's changed a few diapers and will talk to me while I feed her so I'm not alone.

Lil' miss is growing! She is now 8lbs and 21 1/2 inches:-D She's getting her own little personality.  She has different ways she likes to be held by different people. With me and Jeff she loves laying flat on our chests so she can hear our heartbeats, with Jeff's mom she likes to be cradled, with Jeff's dad she does the half cradle/sit in his lap, with my mom she likes to be held looking out at the World. Her new favorite(and mine for sanity purposes) is the MOBY wrap we got. I wasn't too sure if I trusted this huge piece of fabric with my baby, but man is it nice! I tuck her in kangaroo style and she scrunches up her legs under her and is asleep in seconds...BLISS!!

We're gearing up to get moving. We took the weekend off just to get our family routine back. Jeff starts RAP next week with the recruiter, we're hoping he only has to do half days so he can get stuff done at home. I'm trying to do what I can as far as packing, but with lil' miss it's hard. We'll be leaving the Midwest May 9th and heading out west! We're looking at a couple of different routes, but we really want to go to Salt Lake so we're looking at the I-80 route. A little nervous about traveling with a 6 week old nursing baby who's in cloth diapers, but we'll be stopping about every two hours and don't plan on driving more than 6 hours a day, so we should be OK(Any tips on long travel with baby will be taken!).

I think that's pretty much it! Congrats to all of our friends who have had babies this past month...YAY!! Happy Easter to everyone and may we all keep the real reason for Easter in perspective.

Love,
The Hines Family