It's May...

And David and I celebrated with great numbers at weigh in! I lost 1.2, which doesn't seem like much, BUT it put me at a total of 30.2 lbs in exactly 16 weeks!
David lost 7 lbs, for a total of 35 in 8 weeks! Here is a pic from our wedding, and then this week.

David's insurance FINALLY kicked in, so he is going to see Dr. DeSouza sometime this week for his S/A. It's really nerve-wracking to know that we could ACTUALLY get pregnant now! We might be able to do it on our own. And if we can't, then we can do the IUI like we've been planning. If the numbers don't go up, we will be seeing a fertility specialist. We know there are options, and we have hope! But only time will tell....

Let's see, in other news... Only 14 days of school left! And I can totally tell that my kids need to be done. They are so wound up, and then, of course, the weather SUCKS today! I hate rain. I love thunderstorms, but this dreary shit that we have right now is NOT cool.

Time for a family vent: My SIL (David's brother's wife) is having her second child on Tuesday. Right before our wedding, she had a miscarriage, and I feel bad about that. But here's the thing: she hasn't even raised the FIRST one! My mother-in-law has done the sleepless nights, the early mornings, the baby food, the weaning off the bottles, the potty training... everything! Why? Because "I'm tired." Who the FUCK cares??? Don't spread your legs if you can't raise the baby! Then, dear old mother-in-law asks if I can babysit so she can "focus" on SIL when she comes home from the hospital. Um, no. Again, don't spread your legs if you can't raise the kid.

I feel better now. I just needed to get that out, and David's gone for the weekend. Plus, always feel bad about venting to him about his family. I do love his family. At least I try. But sometimes, seriously, I could just scream!

Oh, I added a link to a blog. Matt, Liz, and Madeline. It is such a sad story. You should go read it if you haven't. I seriously cry everytime Matt posts an update.

I think that's about it. I know I lectured others on not blogging... and then I didn't for a couple more days than usual! I promise to try to keep up on it!

New Weight Loss pic!

I took a pic of myself today in my NEW MISSES size pants and a top! I weigh in tomorrow, and I'm getting to the point where I don't care what the number looks like, as long as I can feel that I'm getting smaller. I've also changed my workouts! I can now do the stairmaster! I haven't been able to do that since I was 16 and in physical therapy after my surgery. And he told me not to ever do them unless I was in good shape. I can do them now! And they don't hurt!

So, here I am:

I had to take it of myself because I didn't want to ask my para to do it, and DH probably won't be awake when I get home.
So, I'm 26 lbs down (I gained a pound last week, so it was 27), and I've gone from an 18Womens to a 16 regular in pants. My tops are either 14/16Womens (and baggy) or Large or XLarge in regular sizes. Oh, and my boobs have shrunk from 40D to 38C. And I think the number has gone down since I got measured last.

Nothing else new... Just working away, and spending time at the gym with David! Oh, and only 21 days of school left!!!!

New Pants and other random Updates

Well, a follow-up to my shopping trip blog....

The new pants fit!!!!!!! My pants that I got about a month ago were pulled off by a "helpful" husband (he said he wanted to help me change to go to the gym), so I thought I'd try the new ones on... And they look and feel great!!!

At the gym tonight, I decided to see if my knee was up to the Stairmaster. We'll see how I feel in the morning, but so far so good! I feel great, and it didn't start burning while I was on there. I did it for a full 10 minutes and even increased my speed throughout. I made it up 14 flights of stairs!

In baby-making world... David's insurance is finally kicking back in this week. He goes to do his test hopefully Monday or Tuesday, and then a follow up with the urologist will follow. We've already figured out that, if the results are better, we will probably go with an IUI next cycle. If they aren't better, we are on our way to a fertility specialist. We thought about trying on our own for a few months, but we've decided that this baby has already waited long enough to come, so we're ready to go extreme. Hopefully it will only take one to get me knocked up!

I'm honestly not sure if I can handle the emotions of more and more "no"s. I don't handle disappointment well, and I've always been such a planner. Now, my life and my future are truly in God's hands, and right now, in the medical field's world. I want a baby. We're ready to be parents. We will have one, and we know that. We pray for it, and we know it will happen.

That's the end of my random thoughts for the evening. I'm off to bed!

Sunshine Salad

An easy, yummy fruit salad with a twist.

Servings: ? each serving is 1/2 cup (I was feeding alot of people, so nobody took the full serving)
Preparation Time: 10 min (plus the chill time)
Cooking Time: NONE!
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
1 can (20 oz) pineapple tidbits in juice
1 can (11 oz) mandarin oranges
1 pkg instant sugar free/fat free vanilla pudding mix (For a more "pudding" taste, use the big box. For more "fruit" heavy, use the small box. You can also try different pudding flavors for a different taste!)
1 cup quartered strawberries
2 sliced bananas

Instructions
Drain fruit, reserve juice
In large bowl, combine pudding mix and juices
Fold in pineapple, oragnes, and strawberries
Chill at least 2 hours
Add bananas before serving

For Weight Watchers People: POINTS® Value: 2

Overnight Scrambled Egg Bake

I made this for treats at work. Everybody loved it, so I thought I'd pass it on!

Servings: 8
Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 60 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
16 oz fat-free egg substitute
12 oz fat-free evaporated milk
6 slice white bread, or potato bread (Or you could probably use wheat and make it a little healthier yet)
6 oz extra-lean ham (I also did one with Turkey Sausage, and doubled the sausage. I also cooked and drained it before putting it in the casserole)
1 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions
** Coat a 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray
** Beat eggs well and add milk
** Place bread on bottom of baking pan.
** Toss ham and cheese over bread. (If you do turkey sausage, cook, drain and cool before putting it over the bread)
** Pour egg mixture over top.
** Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

** Bake covered egg mixture at 350 for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

For Weight Watchers People: POINTS® Value: 7 (I'm not exactly sure what the points would be for the doubled turkey; probably not much different though)

Shopping, Shopping, Shopping!

So, I normally HATE shopping. I always have. I've never been able to find pants that fit AND don't cost $50 a pair! My shirts ~ I always have felt like I have to get the "old lady" patterned shit just to have something that fits. Or, I have to go with boring colors and nothing fun because I don't want to stand out!

Well, as I've been losing weight, I went on one shopping trip about 3 weeks ago because I could literally pull my pants off. I didn't want to spend alot of money because I knew I wouldn't be able to wear them long. So, I have 3 pairs of jeans (2 were on sale and NOT womens' sizes and the other one had a bonus belt!), 3 pairs of slacks (also on major sale), and 4 tops. One top is a little too dressy for "daily" work-wear, and one is a little too casual. So, I've primarily been wearing baggy tops and pants that fit!

Last week at Pancake Breakfast, I was given a CL Fire Dept. shirt in a LARGE!! Yes, you read that right! A LARGE! I haven't worn a large since probably my freshman year in HIGHSCHOOL!!!!

So, David and I went to my mom's for a couple days over Spring Break (we got home last night). Since we don't see each other very often, she tends to "spoil" me while I'm there. She took us to a REALLY unhealthy restaurant, where we all ate too much, and will be working it off all week... and then went shopping.

What do I hate worse than shopping? Shopping with my mother. We have completely different tastes (I really don't like tons of patterns), but every once in a while she can surprise me. AND David was with us, and he knows what I like (believe it or not, he loves shopping with me!). But, what do I LOVE about shopping with my mother? It goes on her bill! :-) That's right! An entirely new wardrobe that I didn't pay a penny for!

3 pairs of dress pants (all a little snug - give me 5 more pounds - all are Misses!!!), a pair of jeans that fit now (also a misses) and numerous shirts - some Larges, some XL, and a couple 14/16W!!! Oh, the sad news. My boobs are shrinking. I new this would happen, but I was in denial. When I was changing, I realized, "Damn, my bra doesn't fit right." Well, it's mom's money right? So, I had the lady at Fashion Bug size me and I have gone down from a 40D to a 38C. I seriously almost started crying. I love my boobs ~ I don't want them to shrink! So, I got a couple new bras, and we will have to go shopping for more sooner than later. :-(

So, while I normally do not like to go shopping, when it's someone else's dollar AND a brand new wardrobe that fits, I can't really argue. I bagged all my "fat clothes" up tonight ~ damn, that felt good! I left a few tanktops and stuff that were a little tight last summer. I need to take the time to try them on, but for the time being, they are waiting for the damn snow to go away.

Spring Break Random Thoughts

The best thing about being a teacher: Spring Break! This year, it was late for OPS, but we all needed the break.

We had the babies fixed this week - including Mom bringing her puppy up. Now, we're sitting in Kansas City, and enjoying the change of pace.

I lost 3 more pounds this week, so my total is an even 27 lbs! Oh, this is also 2 lbs more than my 10%!!!!!! My mom said she wants to take me shopping tomorrow, so I'll end up with some new clothes that actually fit. We've been going to the gym regularly, and really enjoying the little bit of time that we get to ourselves.

I got my hair done again. I love it! Different hi-lights and the overall color is something I've never done before.


On the way out of town, we took our kids to the daycare. We always like to hang out and play for a while - Barb likes the socialization, and then we can make sure everybody is going to play nicely! David was sitting back, relaxing, and Max decided to spend some snuggle time with Daddy before we left.

I called the daycare to check on everybody since 1/2 of them got fixed this week. Everybody is playing and running. Allie's "best friend," Gracie was sad when Allie decided to take a nap. She went into their "suite" and laid down to wait for Allie to wake up! Barb said she got a pic ~ I can't wait to see it! :-)

So, that's it for now. I haven't had a blog for a while, so I figured I'd throw one up! Pretty much ramblings from the last week or so...