Favorite Things...

This weekend has been perfect. 

Friday brought some great, much awaited and stress -relieving news that I'll share in a couple weeks....and NO, I'm not pregnant:) I felt stress instantly leave Friday afternoon, and I'm hoping to actually sleep through the night now!  I've been waiting 8 months for that !

Martinez and I took LG outside Saturday morning and had the best time.  We decided to get her bicycle to go with her Easter surprises and she loved it...so much we had to wheel her to the checkout!

#1 Favorite Thing- LG's excitement over her Easter loot...

 

 

We're gonna have to work with her a little bit on footwork, but she's certainly not scared. Hopefully,, we can find a helmet small enough for her soon.


#2 Favorite Thing- LG's second egg hunt

A neighbor and I filled some eggs and hid them for a few kids on our street.  The kiddos had so much fun running around.

#3 Favorite Thing-Seeing LG in her Easter dress and hearing her say "pretty"!

#4Favorite Thing- watching/hearing LG approach Martinez and I asking for Kisses!

#5Favorite Thing-walking in LG's room and finding Martinez going through LG's things from her birth and baby shower cards

We packed LG up for our trip to Dallas next weekend. Apparently, Martinez got curious after getting her luggage out of the top  of her closet.  I'm just glad I'm not the only one who thinks our baby is getting too big too quickly...

We read through our cards, notes and things from the hospital.... and found these...

One is from my sweet 16 year old cousin who totally knows I gag at everything.... she's pretty funny.

The other is from my sister-in-law who knows I have an obsession with cleaning:) I'm still trying to find the balance of cleaning Brittany! I've made several adjustments over the last few months and I wish that I would have made those adjustments much sooner.  I need a maid:)

#6Favorite Things- Decorating Cookies with LG

#7Favorite Thing- Getting closer to a potty trained toddler!  2 days of being home in big girl panties with one accident and staying dry during naptime! If I could just figure out how to keep her from peeing during the night and in the car ...and telling the babysitter- we'd be done!

#8 Favorite Thing- Hearing LG tell Martinez' parents that she "potty on grass"...

and that she did.....squatted... and peed right in her Toms...

I know some of you are probably tired of hearing this, but I love my little family of three.  I have a husband that I love and who loves me, and a baby girl that has brought more joy in my life than I could have imagined. Martinez and I have worked through two things that I've heard/seen break families apart....military life and infertility.  The military is horrid (remember... this is my opinion and based solely off my own experience) and infertility is even worse than that.  We've lived away from our families our entire marriage and I'm actually extremely thankful for that, as I believe it has made us rely on one another even more so than those who have their families nearby.. It's made us independent.

Until Next Time.....


Ma'dam Martinez

Let's talk about.....

Kickboxing.

Let me tell how much I know about kickboxing..... I had to Google it to see if it was hyphenated.

Once upon a time, my friend, Amy N.- who will be referred to as "The Machine" for the continuation of this post- invited me to a kickboxing class she's attended for a while now.   I thought about it....and then committed to attend on the 26th.

The Machine informed me that a UFC Fighter owned it and does the training... I didn't tell The Machine I had no idea what UFC stood for....

When The Machine told me the name of the place... R-1 MMA.... I didn't tell her that I had no idea what MMA stood for either.... I just asked The DeShazo about that:)

I had no idea what I was getting into....

I put on my new Dri-fit Nike shirt, new tennis shoes & workout pants, tied the best ponytail I could tie with short hair and headed to meet The Machine....thinking I was ready.

The Machine and I before......

All Smiles... SO unsuspecting....

Afterwards....
"Toe up from the Flo up"

Let's break this class down...

The Machine advised that I would not need my purse- trip back to my car... no jewelry was needed...trip back to my car... this should have been a sign.

Right before our trainers got us ready, The Machine informed me that we would do some other exercises like lunges..... I panicked in my head. Lunges?????? I don't do lunges!!!!!!!!

Me:               (looking at The Machine) I can't do this Amy! I'm about to leave.  I can't do this.

The Machine:  Stop saying you can't!  You can.  Just do the best you can.  If you have to rest, it's ok.

Me:                 Amy, I feel weird, I'm nauseous.

....

Trainer:         Ok - I want you guys to jog in a circle for 3 min to warm up.

 Inner dialogue:    3 min!!! 3 whole min!! 3 min without a break!!!  I'm about to vomit!  I'll just jog to the  door and then jog out to my car and leave. I'll never see these people other than Amy N. again, so it'll be ok.  I 'll just talk to her about it later.

The Machine starts the jog...I follow suit not knowing if I can even complete one circle.

I complete the circle... and then another... and then another.

 Inner dialogue: Ok! I'm doing this and I haven't passed out yet!  There's only 2 min left! I can do it.

The trainer instructs us to do something different... I have no idea what he called it b/c I was trying to just reciprocate The Machine's moves- in my mind- We shuffled inward and the outward.  That's the best I can describe.

Once that was complete, we were instructed to stand in the middle of the mat.  I thought we were on break....Where's the water boy?? WRONG!

I believe our next activity was called a "circuit workout", but I'm not sure I have the correct name.  Let me tell you about this "circuit workout"....IT. HURT. LIKE.------!

I learned what squats were and where those make you hurt.
I learned what air squats were and where those make you hurt.
I learned what burpees (yes, I had to Google spelling for that one too) were and where those make you hurt.
I learned what lunges...with weights.... were and where those make you hurt.
I learned several other moves- can't remember the names or even close- I just know I was on the floor and my thighs are paying the price for those exercises.
I also learned that when you "sit on the wall", it's not the break I thought it was...and my thighs felt that too.

I thought I was at this class to hit/kick stuff and learn how to be tough. WRONG AGAIN.
I quickly figured out that I was actually gonna have to complete this workout...in a facility...with other girls...with fella trainers....this was a huge step... a step that had me losing it inside my head.  I felt tears approaching...but I willed them away and hoped they looked like sweat:)

I felt so strange.  At times, I would look around and wonder where I was and how I got there. My heart was beating so fast...my breathing was ragged.  It sucked and was wonderful at the same time.

The trainers...  I really felt sorry for them.  They would demonstrate a move...and I would fail miserably at my attempt to reciprocate.  They would show me again...and I would flounce around again.  This happened repeatedly with the lunges with weights, the squats and the burpees...and.... everything else.  The trainers were SO patient.  They never once yelled or became rude or made me feel bad.  I'm pretty sure they may be the most patient fellas ever...after Martinez of course... because they dealt with my dramatics and were motivating.

Another thing about these trainers, they know when you are slacking off.  While one of the trainers was giving me my third or tenth personal demonstration of a burpee, I was thinking...ok, this is only for 30 seconds at a time, so if he keeps demonstrating, I'll get out of it because the 30 seconds will be up.... NOT.THE.CASE.  The fella had me do each part of the burpee with him...I think he was on to me:)  I left so much sweat on that floor.

This was how I felt in my head..

On to the punching....

The Machine advised that we were gonna put on gloves and just hit the bags 500 times.  I assumed she was exaggerating, you know, like when you say " I ate a thousand oreos" .. WRONG.  The fella literally told us to hit the bag 500 times.... with a certain technique... a technique I had to have demonstrated so many times that I lost count of my punches.  My shoulders...hurt worse than any contraction I ever felt. Seriously.  I thought my muscles had ripped.
The Machine could see my panic, yet again, and she got me through it.  I finally told myself...."You've lost 62 pounds, beat some infertility crap and gone through a deployment- surely you can do this too.!".. so I did the best I could and slowly finished.

Then there were the kicks....and again... I had to have private demonstrations.  I equate this whole experience with dancing, something I CANNOT do!  I have no rhythm and to me...it's kinda the same, only I had people who cared assisting me and really trying to teach me ....because apparently you can get hurt easily if you aren't doing it right.

Abs- the last part of this hour was spent "working abs".  When The Machine told me this...well......I just don't have appropriate words to type.
We were instructed to get in a circle and each girl would chose an ab exercise and everyone would do that exercise for a certain amount of time, and then the next girl would pick one.

me:                        Amy, I don't know any ab exercises!!! Can I skip??

The Machine:        Calm down. When it's your turn, I'll tell you one.

Inner dialogue:       The only ab workout I know is how to balance a plate of mashed potatoes on my stomach while I reach for a drink! I really hope Amy gives me an exercise!

The Machine pulled through, and thankfully, there was another new girl who didn't know any either... Wheww.

I see now why workout chicks wear tight workout clothes....my view on this is that ya need to "hold it all in".  I felt body parts moving....flouncing...jiggling, ect.... and I felt like a whale while doing the floor exercises ..but I know that I did some work... work that'll make me stronger...work that'll make me respect people who can do these things easily...work that I needed to do.

I would totally recommend R-1 MMA for a workout place.  It's not fancy... but that's the best part.  The people are awesome... the trainers are awesome... and I didn't feel like I was at a gym with a bunch of skinny-judgy people.  They were all nice and motivating- and it's 5 min from my house!

http://www.mattgricemma.com/R1MMA/home.asp

When I got in my car to leave... I thought I might need to stop by the ER on the way home... but I really needed gas.

Martinez had the nerve to ask me how I felt when I walked in....I guess my face told it all b/c he just laughed.


This is what I missed in the precious hour away from my family...

I believe they had fun hanging out !

***sorry for typos!  I just get tired of proof-reading***

Until Next Time...


Ma'dam Martinez

Family

Today....I'm thankful for so much...

I am thankful that I have a wonderful husband.

I am thankful for a beautiful baby girl. 

I am thankful for a wonderful family.

I am thankful that I was able to enjoy some of family with my wonderful husband and beautiful baby girl this week.

This week, my parents came up for a visit.  While I felt bad that we weren't able to do things that we had planned (zoo trip, park, ect) due to the weather and LG not feeling well, we still had a great time and LG had fun hanging out with her grandparents. 

It was so nice to see LG easily adjust to people she only sees a couple of times a year. She's one of those kiddos that doesn't exactly warm up to others easily, so this was a big thing!  Martinez and I were totally missing our baby...she only wanted her mamaw and papaw.


She had "scoot races"......

Bean bag fun........

Cookie baking......

Naps only with papaw...

And Easter gifts ......with lots of chocolate.....

LG was spoiled rotten!  It's awesome to see that even though her grandparents live away, she remembers them.  It's also nice to see that LG is treated just as equally as my nephew who lives by my parents.  They make a point to treat both of their grandkids equally and that makes me happy. 

Even though everyone in our house is still sick, it's been a good week... and we are about to cap it off with a movie in bed !

Night all!

Until Next Time.....



Mad'am Martinez

Catch Up Post

Wow... I think it's been like three weeks or so since I've written.....

So many things have happened in three weeks.  No, my house hasn't sold and no, I still haven't met my goal weight of 150/155, however, I have lost....one pound (163).  Better than a gain, right?? 

Even though I haven't met my goal, I went shopping.  After having a meltdown one Sunday morning b/c my planned outfit was falling off and the belt I was gonna wear to cinch it up ( that I just got at Christmas from Martinez' parents) was falling off too, I knew it was time.  That week, weighing in at 164lbs, Martinez and I took a Thursday off work and went shopping....both of us.  It was fun... and stressful.  This was the first time I've been able to shop in a mall and be able to go in regular stores (not plus size stores) and find clothes!  It was amazing, but it was like I had to learn how to shop.  I didn't by pass things I liked... which was something I did while being fat b/c I knew they wouldn't fit or I'd look like someone from People of Walmart.

I'm super cheap when it comes to dresses & shirts.  I refuse to pay more than $20 or so for either, so that was stressful too.  However, my money goes on jeans....and I made sure not to get mom butt jeans, but I had to dish out for those.  Martinez and I compared our stash of clothes at the end of the day and let's just say that guy's clothing is so much cheaper.  No fair !

After shopping, we enjoyed a lunch together at the Cheesecake Factory... and for the first time in a few years, I wasn't embarrassed while eating my cheesecake.  I didn't worry about people watching me eat...and I did that before losing weight.  I would wonder if people were thinking "She doesn't need all that cheesecake" or "why would she order that?". I just sat and licked my fork with sheer satisfaction and absolutely no negativity.  Pour Some Sugar on Me just came on Pandora...coincident?  I think not!

Another thing that has happened over the last few weeks..... my interest/obsession with learning to do push ups!!  I know, I know! I should know how to do them, but I don't.  With the amount of weight I've lost, I've got about 2-2 1/2 inches of gross arm fat to tone up.  The girls at work are trying to help...

Vic's trying to help with "proper form", but I'm not sure I'm even close to getting this.  Please excuse our messy office.  I promise it's much neater now.

More things I've failed to report...

Our first family dog has new home.  Sammie has been quite depressed lately.  He would just sit and stare.  When he would play, he would be too playful for LG (not mean, just too rough). We made the difficult decision to really find him a home.  It's not fair to him to be sad- not fair to LG that he'll accidentally knock her over and that she can't keep up- and not fair that he needs more outside space to play.  So, Sammie has a great new home with a mom and daughter and he's really happy !  We've been sent several photos of him and he's doing well.  He has a little girl big enough to keep him company and apparently has become best friends with a cat named Hugo- so this helps the heartache... just a little.

Here's one of the photos we were sent!

He looks content.  We will eventually get another dog, but we need to wait until we have moved and find one that fits our whole family.  Sammie was so used to just Martinez and I... and Martinez I may or may not have spoiled him...he never fully recovered from us bringing LG home almost two years ago.

A couple of weeks ago, I actually got myself up early on a Saturday and completed a 5K with the girls & Mrs. J!

It was cold, drizzly and fun!  The best part of this whole thing, is the free neon 5K Tshirt that I've worn three times already b/c it makes me feel like a superstar I'm a little athletic:) Whatever.

LG got her first trim last week....she has little hair, but the hair in the front was getting in her eyes, so we had to nix that...

She was so good!


I've noticed a pattern in my weight loss... I'll go 3ish weeks maintaining and then lose 3ish pounds the fourth week.  Weird.  If I lose another 2 pounds in then 7ish days, it'll be three months in a row. I would prefer it be the other way around:):)

To help this out.... we decided to make a workout video last week...

Yes, I know, we are fabulous dorks. I just hope we are still dorks when we are forty.... and I promise, we've cleaned up our office. For Real.

The DeShazo thought it was time I did another comparison photo, but I just really don't have good photos for that... so this is the best I could do...

LG at 9 weeks old.... my face at the McFattiest stage.... and my eyeballs attempting not to pop out of my head.....

September of 2011 & March 2013...

I have a neck again folks !!

Another interest/obsession thanks to Mama Laughlin's makeup tutorial... eyebrow pencils....something I've never used.  Some of you know that I have very, very, thin eyebrows.... and one of you is laughing right now b/c you are thinking about one time when I plucked a gaping hole in the middle of my left eyebrow and tried to hide it...but failed miserably.... and when I caught you staring at it....we both started crackin' up b/c I knew I'd been caught.
Anyway, I love makeup and stand by Mary Kay for almost everything. I decided to buy a cheap pencil and let the DeShazo work on the brows.... there's quite a difference...

I think I'll just stick with fake brows from now on.  I'll own it.

We've had a sick baby this weekend/week... and we do not like it!  My poor baby just wants to sleep/cuddle and that is SO not her personality....but we are soaking up those extra cuddles...

and of course she had to have something in her hair regardless....

A few other photos from the last few weeks.....

Sittin' with mommy to get a pedi... I just love having this little girl !!

Rocking her baby..

Hanging with Mom and Dad

And sick on St. Patty's Day..

That's all I've got folks!

Until Next Time...

Ma'dam Martinez