28 and Feeling Great!

Happy Birthday to ME!

Trey slept in this morning, so I snuck out of the house and went to the gym. I rode 16 miles on the stationary bike. I really wanted to ride 28 miles, but I have a life, so I figured 16 was good enough.

This is Not An Episode of Hoarders, This is my Home
Mid-morning my coffee-date-friend, Krista, came over to help me organize the nursery. She is a super nerd, when it comes to organizing and she's proud of it. I mean look at her, smiling as she's looking at the mess in front of her. Ha! Freak!

She came up with a great system of organizing clothes in grocery bags, tying them and then tagging each bag with whatever the clothes size is, that way you can grab a certain size, without having to swim through piles. I'll have to take pictures of it because it's a great system and worth sharing for all the mommy readers out there.

It took us about 2 and half hours to complete the task. We were working with all of Cheyenne's old clothes. Newborn to present day clothes, 5T. Next week, Krista and I are going to tackle all of the new items Dakota got. They need a home.

And this is what the room looked like when we were done organizing. You should see the closet, it looks so neat! Now, I'm trying to find more things for Krista to organize. ORGANIZE MY LIFE, PLEASE.

My afternoon, was sooooo busy. I watched the neighbors son because they had a family emergency. I was so busy, taking care of him and cleaning, that by the time Trey came home I was exhausted. My body was and still is so achy. I walk funny and not pregnant lady funny, old woman funny.

I didn't want to cook and Trey wanted to take me out, so, I used one of my gazillion birthday coupons at Ihop.

Afterwards, we swung by Marble Slab Creamery and I gave this birthday freebie to Cheyenne -- well, we kind of shared. Now, I'm the cool parent!!!! Take that Trey!

Since we were food hopping, we stopped by Sonic and I got a slush birthday freebie.

Obviously, I was not worried about my calorie consumption today and this is why:

Thanks Jeri, for running for me! Best Birthday Gift!

Now, I'm going to cuddle up in bed and guilt-trip Trey into giving me a back massage. I mean, C'MON it's my freakin' birthday, he has to, right? Wish me luck!

Abilene Baby Shower

This weekend, Trey's mom and my sister-in-law, Maghen, threw Dakota a baby shower at Walker's Crossing in Abilene. WC is a cute deli shop located on the North Side of town.

My Family and Friends made it to the party.
Trevor and Shelly

I think Angelica gave me the best baby advice. She said, don't forget to change Dakota's diaper. I'll have to remember that one...

Bella was upset when we asked her to stop eating for a moment, so we could take this picture. She was not happy.

Cheyenne and Trey helped me opened gifts.

Dakota got some cute outfits, accessories, and lots of diapers and wipes.


  
Oh and we got a set of baby bottles. For Cheyenne, I used the Playtex drop-ins. I like how you don't have to clean the inside of the bottles. I hope Dakota likes this style as much as Cheyenne did. I actually didn't go through a lot of bottles with Cheyenne. I believe I used the 2 bottles that came with the Medela Breast Pump and we started using the Playtex drop-in gift set when she was at daycare, but Cheyenne never used all of them because she was attached to me, when she wasn't at daycare and by 6 months we introduced a sippy cup. So, we'll see how far we can stretch this gift set out.

Thank you to my wonderful family and friends for the fantastic gifts. We had a great time in Abilene visiting.

Today, Was Dakota's Baby Shower

Afternoon with my family, a photo by domandtrey on Flickr.

Thanks friends and family for a memorable baby shower. Trey and I feel very blessed. Thank you!

Today, I've been busy visiting, more pictures to come....Have a great night.

My Week in Instagram Pictures

Nothing says BA like a manly-man riding a scooter.

Last year, we learned our lesson: Ride the Scooter or the gas that sits in the tank will go bad and make the scooter ill. Yeah, that was a money lesson. We learned, so now Trey takes it for a ride every now and then. If it was up to him, we'd sell it. I don't...Well, I can't ride it, right now because -- Oh, you know I'm pregnant and all. I told him let's just hold off on selling it. This is just a time in my life when I can't really ride it. When Chey and Dakota get bigger, I'll have more opportunities to ride, I hope. Until then, we'll just have Trey ride it when we grab something to eat or need to run to take care of a nearby errand.
This morning, a Starbucks online survey treated me to a free Skinny Mocha. I told the barista, my name is Dom and he wrote Don...Okay, then. I like Starbucks, but I rarely go because I have a hard time justifying a 4 dollar coffee beverage. 9 times out of 10, if I go, I have a gift card OR I'm treating myself OR I go because a friend wants to go OR you get the picture...

Cheyenne still has not mastered her colors...either that or the girl knows exactly what she's doing. Act dumb, so she can eat loads of candy. She's no fool!
 
Hmmm, maybe she's a genius!
Trey has been out of state, this entire week. So, in the evenings, Chey and I have been spending one on one time together. Yay for girl time! Did you know my birthday is this Tuesday?????? Start your shopping now. I sign-up to a ton of restaurant newsletters, so I have at least 10 restaurant coupon deals or  straight out freebies from some local places. Wednesday night, Chey and I went to Fudruckers to claim my birthday burger.

The manager hooked us up --- The coupon had restrictions on what I had to purchase in order to get my "free burger," BUT he waived that and Chey and I got out of there only spending 5 bucks!

The manager even threw in a cookie at no cost. THANKS!

 Hi, I'm 27 years old and I like Hello, Kitty. This is actually, Cheyenne's key-chain. Brandon and Maghen got it for her, for her birthday. But for the record, I think Hello, Kitty is adorable.
One time, when I was shopping at Dillard's, I found this adorable Hello Kitty, backpack. Cheyenne was not interested. She wanted a different bag. It wasn't easy, but I literally made her wear and love the HK backpack. FYI, this backpack doubles as a pillow.
 
That's all I have. 
Do you have exciting plans this weekend? I do! I have a baby shower to go to. Trey's mom and my sister-in-law are hosting it.  

Sometimes, You Have to Fulfill a Craving

Two weekends ago, the awesome folks of EnduraLab, Lee and Isis, hosted a Cookout. Here are two lovely ladies I run with, NOOOO I ran with. I miss running, I can't say it enough! Wahhhhhh! TEARS. BIG TEARS. Well, at least the cookout was a lot of fun, but in some ways a little part of me gets sad, when all my friends are talking about running and I just sit there (blank face. blink. blank face).

This is what I took to the cookout. It's tuna with chia seeds, apple slices, grapes, celery, lots of lime juice and parsley.

So, the EnduraLab/Fit challenge is still going, last week I was a big time slacker. My fitness and eating was a B-, at best, BUT I didn't log any of my information online. There is a site where participants of the challenge log-in to a website and account for food and water intake. There are some other items we have to account for like resting heart rate, hours of sleep per night, fish oil supplements...etc. etc...

Fulfilling a Craving, That Won't Go Away

I'm usually really good about it -- (logging my EnduraFit information). This week, I'm back on the wagon, but I'm still indulging, when Dakota says so.... Like tonight, I had the strongest craving for Nachos. I lived off of Nachos when I was pregnant with Cheyenne. I was so desperate to fulfill this craving that I went and bought a bag of corn chips, after work. You should know that I hate going to the grocery store during the work week. I usually avoid it at all costs or I just send Trey. SOOO, since I went to this store this evening, you know the craving was life or death.

Somewhere buried under that salad is a bed of nachos.

Sweet Girl
I'll leave with two images of my sweet girl.

She's a doll!

Alternatives to Cable & Satellite Service

Let's see, it's been about a month, since we had satellite service. So, far I don't miss it. For entertainment, we've been watching Netflix and Hulu-Plus.

Netflix and Hulu-Plus both cost the same per month, $8.65. That sure does beat a $98 satellite bill! Hulu is free if you want to watch from a laptop, but I like the option of watching it on my TV or phone, so to me it's worth the pennies. There are some other bonuses to having a Hulu-Plus account, but to me that's the main one. There is one thing that surprised me, some of the shows you can only watch on a laptop and not on a TV or phone. They call them web based shows. BOOO! The Chew is one of those shows. But for the most part, the main Network Evening shows are not Web based only.

It seems like Hulu has replaced my DVR.

Cheyenne gets the most use out of Netflix-Kids. They have a nice selection of cartoons. Right now, she's on a my little pony kick.

When we want to watch new Movie Releases, Trey and I will go to a REDBOX station, which is only $1.62. There are several kiosk machines, less than a mile from home, so it's really convenient. We probably REDBOX it about 4 times a month.
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This week, I haven't been walking at work. I decided to listen to my body and take it easy.  Trey would be so proud of me. Tomorrow, I may be feeling less achy, so I may walk then.

Do you want to hear something bizarre? 
Sometimes I forget I'm pregnant. It happens when I wake up in the middle of the night to pee. I'm already out of it because it's like 2 am, but by the time I walk to the restroom, I'll have a moment of -- OMG! I'm 8 months pregnant! Late night feedings and a messed up sleeping schedule is going to suck the life out of me. 


And then I'm like whatever, Pee and Sleep <------MY IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES.

I have a Prima Donna on my hands
Lately, Cheyenne likes to put her hands on her hips when she talks and the other morning she demanded to wear a dress. Oh, I love wardrobe fights at 6 am. Ummm, no thanks. We comprised on this outfit (see picture). Now, I make sure she picks out her clothes the night before, so I can remind her (when she's screaming and she doesn't want to wear it at and it's 6:05 am)...."Remember you picked this outfit out yourself?" My strategy worked this morning.

I don't mind if she wears skirts or dresses, but not on school days. Her school prefers that the girls not wear them without shorts, which makes sense, since they are so active playing. If it's a school day and she insists on wearing a dress, I might have to start making her wear shorts underneath. Everyone wins!

Last night, we had a precious moment together. She was getting ready for bedtime and she said OK, cuddle time! She crawled into my lap, like she was a baby and we sat there holding each other for several minutes.

Trey is Such a Prankster

Trey got me good.

He tied the faucet spray gun, so when I went to wash my hands, water sprayed all over me. It took me about 5 seconds to process what was going on, before I shut off the water.
Oh, Trey --- Just wait, I'm going to get you back!

Pregnancy. Things I Miss. Things I Enjoy. Plus, Garden Update

Since, I'm pregnant, there are things I miss.
1. Wine - When I use to work from home on freelance projects, I would love to sit down and drink a few glasses of wine. Lately, I've been working on side projects and I miss my Moscato. I guess, I could remedy it by making a pot of decaf coffee. I'll try that.
2. Feeling Normal - I miss the feeling of feeling good all the time. Lately, my body is achy. At first it was mainly in the morning, but here lately, it's at any given point in the day. I'll be sitting down and then I'll get up and I'll have a sharp sting of pain in my back.
3. Running - I especially miss my long runs on Saturday Mornings. When I get back into running, I know I will have to start off slow (like a snail) and build my endurance and miles back up to where it was. I have a feeling 6 miles will be my new long run distance, at least for a while. Somewhere my old ultra marathon self is laughing at me. Remember those 14, 16, 18, 20 mile long runs? I MISS IT!!!!!!!
4. Eating Like an Ultra Marathoner and Burning Calories Like an Ultra Marathoner - Enough said. Now, I just eat, like a pregnant woman. HA!
5. Margaritas - I know. I know....another alcoholic beverage. I don't want you guys to think I'm an addict (I'm not), but I seriously miss Margaritas! What makes it even worse is that Trey never drank them before, he's not much of a drinker to begin with...but now anytime we go out for Mexican food he'll order one. I'll take a sip, of his, but it's such a tease. I hate him, when he drinks in front of me because he just rubs it in...

It's not all gloom and doom. I also have a list of the things I enjoy about being pregnant.
1. The smiles I get from strangers when they notice I'm pregnant.
2. Belly rubs from friends and family.
3. Helping Hands - It's nice how Trey has been so helpful. When we're together, he carries items for me because he knows it strains my back when I lift anything that is heavy. He is also good about helping me with Cheyenne if she needs to be carried.
4. Sleeping in - As the weeks go by, I'm getting better at this -- I'm allowing myself to sleep in, instead of waking up during the work week at 4 am, I'm waking up at 5 am. During the weekend, I've been sleeping in until 7:30 am -- which feels so late, but my body really needs the rest.


Here is my DailyMile Stats from last week. I logged quite a few miles on the bike at the Monte Carlo and at the gym, yesterday.

Walking 2 miles

Cycling: 44 Miles

Elliptical: 10 minutes

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GARDEN UPDATE
I realized I haven't said much about our family garden. Well, it's doing great. I'll post some recent pictures soon, but here are some photos that are are just a few weeks old.

If I don't watch Cheyenne she'll drown everything, but as long as I supervise, she's does a good job. She really is a good helper.

My Cilantro has really taken off. If you want some, let me know, I've got plenty!

Tea Party

The Women's Ministry, at my church, has a Tea Party every year. I was asked to take photos. Most of the photography or video work, I do, that is church related, I don't charge. It's part of my service work. I enjoy it and I'm happy to do it.

A nice perk --- I didn't have to pay for my ticket. Thanks Women's Ministry! The tea and food was delicious. Next year, I'm going to take Cheyenne. It's a great mom and daughter event. Instead, Cheyenne stayed at home and had a tea party with her Daddy. Cute, right?
 
 
The Hostesses


      
 
 
 




 
Here is a short video clip.