So Here's The Deal.

A little more than a week ago, Ross informed me that if I get down to my target weight, he'll take me shopping. Who could ask for better motivation?! I did the Look Better Naked thing and I loved it. The only problem: Because my caloric intake was so low, and I'm in charge of the cooking, Ross ended up losing weight too, which is so not what he needs right now. I took a week or so off and focused on making good dinners to keep my hubby happy. As a result, I gained a tiny bit of that weight back.

But there is a silver lining. I got a pass to Orem Fitness Center. And I LOVE it. I get to go every morning for an hour and have someone else watch Claire while I become the sweatiest person in the room. No joke, my shirt is ALWAYS two-toned after that hour. I am SO grateful I'm married, and even more grateful Ross isn't there to "check me out". I also discovered the SlimFast shake mix and this 3 2 1 idea, and I'm giving that a try. The idea is that you get 3 snacks (fruits, veggies, or a 100 calorie snack bar), 2 shakes (actually super filling and tasty), and 1 500 calorie meal. Perfect. Ross is gone all day anyway, so he doesn't really care what I eat during the day. We can still eat dinner together and Ross doesn't have to suffer from my "diet".

I don't have any results from this SlimFast thing since it's only really Day 1 1/2, but from the last couple weeks I'm down 13 and only have 14 more to go! Which is great because last weekend we went to the Outlet Mall in Park City and Claire got a ton of new clothes, and Ross got a few shirts. I'll admit, I was super jealous. It was good to give my motivation a refresher. Get ready Park City, I'm comin' for ya!

Motherhood. Again.

It's funny how our "family blog" actually turned into my personal journal about my struggles with being a mom. I probably should occasionally update everyone with the happenings of our wee family, and not just Claire, but I never seem to find the time.

Right now I think I'm still struggling with this whole "just a mom" bit. Take a girl, barely 20, out of a school and work environment and tell her to stay home all day sustaining and entertaining another human being and you'll probably end up with a crazy girl. At least, that's what I feel like. I can't count how many times people ask if I'm in school, if I'll ever go back to school, or my favorite after getting those two questions: So, if you're not in school, do you work?. No, probably, but now is not the time, and no, I don't. Honestly, I've never felt like such a loser in all my life. I'm not sure if it's just because we're in college town Provo, or what. The dumbest question anyone could possibly ask a mother is: So, what do you do all day? Or my other favorite: So, you just sit at home all day? The months without sleep add to the crazy, and you gotta admit, mothers have pretty strong arms. I haul around 17 pounds of child all day long. Not a smart move to ask if I "just" sit at home all day.

I spent the last couple weeks sending out resumes, only to not respond when I got calls for interviews. I guess the truth is, I'm grateful and happy that I don't have to work outside my home, and I really don't want to. I just have a hard time feeling like what I do doesn't really matter. However; I don't know how I could miss out on all of those smiles and laughs. But I will admit, I NEED my morning workout and mid day sonic run to refrain from going insane. Honestly, I'm so in love with that baby girl and wouldn't trade being a mom for anything. Sometimes I just forget that what I'm doing right now is probably the most important thing I could do.

Oh, And Claire is 4 Months Old.

Claire turned 4 months old on Sunday. She still eats like she's never seen food before, leading her to push out of her 6 month clothes. She is now in 9 month tops and 12 month pants. This last weekend we went to the outlet mall in Park City and scored at the Carter's store. I can't believe how big she is. She is still trying to crawl, but can't quite get up on her hands, so she just scoots her legs under her and pushes. It doesn't really work, and she gets frustrated. This little girl wants to move so bad.

Her appointment was yesterday and she's still going strong in the 97th percentile. She's 17 pounds and 25 1/2 inches long now. She's a super tough girl. After her shots, she cried for maybe 7 seconds and that was it. She loves to drool and often has a waterfall flowing from the corner of her mouth and we are constantly wiping her face. She also is starting to put EVERYthing in her mouth so I guess I'll have to start vacuuming more often.

I love her smiles and laughs and every single one of her rolls. She's the perfect addition to our little family and we love her to pieces. She's so spoiled. I am also loving the fact that she's sleeping 12-13 hours a night AND getting in 3 naps a day. I've really learned a lot from her these last few months, and I am so so grateful we get to have her in our family.

I always post all the pics and videos on facebook, so I probably won't put up the same ones here, but it's fun to look at how much she's grown!