Monday, June 27, 2011
Baby afro puff
Colin is finally getting hair. It's thin, wispy and blond. It also doesn't lay flat. It's what we lovingly refer to as a "fro-hawk". It's an Afro on the sides and a Mohawk down the middle.
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The last picture makes me laugh uncontrollably whenever I see it. He looks like I use shock therapy on him every time I take his picture.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
By The Numbers
This week the company I work for held a health fair. The premise of it was to "Know Your Numbers". Unfortunately, my family medical history includes almost every disease under the sun so it's important that I stay on top of my health. Because of that, I signed up for an appointment to have a health screening done.
I showed up for my appointment with a genuine curiosity about what my results would be. Of course, I was mostly concerned with my BMI and body fat percentage. I'll be honest, when I got my results I was pleasantly surprised. And because I'm all in to Keeping It Real, here are my actual numbers:
Total Cholesterol: 129 mg/dL. Optimal is less than 200 mg/dL
HDL (Good) Cholesterol: 46 mg/dL. Optimal is higher than 50 mg/dL for females.
TC/HDL Ratio: 2.8. Optimal is less than 4.0.
LDL (Bad) Cholesterol: N/A. They couldn't get a reading from my blood work (no idea why).
Triglycerides: Less than 45 mg/dL. Optimal is less than 150 mg/dL.
Glucose (blood sugar): 76 mg/dL. Optimal is less than 100 mg/dL after fasting, which I did.
Blood Pressure: 104/70 mm Hg. Optimal is less than 120/80 mm Hg.
Now for the good stuff.
Height: 5'3"
Weight: 140.8. The nurse kindly dropped the ".8" to make it an even 140. What an angel :-)
Body Fat Percentage: 28.8%. Healthy range for my age group (20-40) is 21-33%.
BMI: 24.5 kg/m(squared). A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered "Normal".
A few things I learned:
-I am in good health over all.
-I am perfectly healthy at this weight. If I keep working to maintain it, I'll be good to go!
-I need a new scale. I weighed myself like I usually do before getting in the shower and my scale read almost 2 pounds higher - and I was naked! You shouldn't weigh less fully clothed than you do naked...you just shouldn't.
-The Internet is an excellent resource to research your health concerns. Just make sure you use a reputable website. I was encouraged by the RN to use the net to learn more about what my results mean.
So there ya have it. I'm healthy! It's extremely important to be in charge of your health. A regular doctor can perform all of the tests I had done today so get to the doctor people! You are the only one who can change your health.
I showed up for my appointment with a genuine curiosity about what my results would be. Of course, I was mostly concerned with my BMI and body fat percentage. I'll be honest, when I got my results I was pleasantly surprised. And because I'm all in to Keeping It Real, here are my actual numbers:
Total Cholesterol: 129 mg/dL. Optimal is less than 200 mg/dL
HDL (Good) Cholesterol: 46 mg/dL. Optimal is higher than 50 mg/dL for females.
TC/HDL Ratio: 2.8. Optimal is less than 4.0.
LDL (Bad) Cholesterol: N/A. They couldn't get a reading from my blood work (no idea why).
Triglycerides: Less than 45 mg/dL. Optimal is less than 150 mg/dL.
Glucose (blood sugar): 76 mg/dL. Optimal is less than 100 mg/dL after fasting, which I did.
Blood Pressure: 104/70 mm Hg. Optimal is less than 120/80 mm Hg.
Now for the good stuff.
Height: 5'3"
Weight: 140.8. The nurse kindly dropped the ".8" to make it an even 140. What an angel :-)
Body Fat Percentage: 28.8%. Healthy range for my age group (20-40) is 21-33%.
BMI: 24.5 kg/m(squared). A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered "Normal".
A few things I learned:
-I am in good health over all.
-I am perfectly healthy at this weight. If I keep working to maintain it, I'll be good to go!
-I need a new scale. I weighed myself like I usually do before getting in the shower and my scale read almost 2 pounds higher - and I was naked! You shouldn't weigh less fully clothed than you do naked...you just shouldn't.
-The Internet is an excellent resource to research your health concerns. Just make sure you use a reputable website. I was encouraged by the RN to use the net to learn more about what my results mean.
So there ya have it. I'm healthy! It's extremely important to be in charge of your health. A regular doctor can perform all of the tests I had done today so get to the doctor people! You are the only one who can change your health.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Family Fun Day
Today we took some time to explore the city we live in. And we did it all for free! Well, mostly free. Lunch and the snack were not free :-)
We started by taking Colin "swimming" for the first time. We found a park near our house that has a free wading pool for kids. It was pretty awesome...until we - and our camera - got soaked by some asshole teenagers. I may have dropped an "effing kids" and some other choice words but they deserved it. Anyway, I'm sure it was an accident, the camera was fine and they did apologize so all was forgiven.
Colin's reaction to the water was pretty much anti-climatic. He just kind of went with it...until Mark sat him down and the water touched his stomach. Then screams ensued. And I laughed. That's right...I'm that kind of mom :-)
After our swimming extravaganza, we headed toward the state capitol. I had never been inside the capitol and Mark hadn't been for a very long time so this stop was more for us. Surprisingly, Colin loved it, too. He was giggling and looking around at everything. We crashed a tour group in the state senate room and Colin listened intently as the guide explained what happens there. We were very proud of him.
We started by taking Colin "swimming" for the first time. We found a park near our house that has a free wading pool for kids. It was pretty awesome...until we - and our camera - got soaked by some asshole teenagers. I may have dropped an "effing kids" and some other choice words but they deserved it. Anyway, I'm sure it was an accident, the camera was fine and they did apologize so all was forgiven.
Colin's reaction to the water was pretty much anti-climatic. He just kind of went with it...until Mark sat him down and the water touched his stomach. Then screams ensued. And I laughed. That's right...I'm that kind of mom :-)
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| I call this his "What the...?" face. |
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| The water is touching his belly! |
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| Colin outside his future office. |
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| Inside the dome. The picture does not do it justice. |
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| I love this view of the capitol. |
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| Downtown Des Moines skyline. |
We had a fantastic family fun day and can't wait to find more free stuff to do!
Six month stats
Colin had his six month check up today. Here's the stats:
*Weight: 16 pounds 3 ounces - 30th percentile. Down from the 50th but the doc wasn't concerned since he gained.
*Height: 27 inches - 50th percentile.
*Head Circumference: 42.5 inches - 25th percentile.
Mark and I were trying to guess how much he weighed before the appointment. I guessed around 20 pounds. Mark said 18-20. We were both waaaaaaaaaaay off! I'll be honest, I was nervous when the nurse said he's now in the 30th percentile for weight when he was in the 50th at his 4 month appointment. But she explained that it's nothing to worry about because the growth chart uses all his stats - height, weight, head circumference - and compares them to where "average" children of his age fall. So since he didn't gain much weight and he's 3 inches taller, it makes sense that his percentile would go down. He's growing at a steady, healthy rate and that's all that matters. She also commented on how happy and bubbly he is, so that was nice to hear. It makes Mark and I feel like we're doing something right as parents!
Thankfully there were only two shots and an oral vaccine this time. It was interesting for me to watch how his reaction to the vaccines changes each time we go. At two months, he cried (obviously) but he stopped almost instantly and didn't really seem bothered by them. He had kind of the same reaction at four months but the worse time was the next day. His legs were sore, he was super cranky and he ran a fever all day. This time...he was definitely pissed! His face turned bright red, he wanted to cry so hard that it took him about 20 seconds to get the cry out. He calmed down relatively quickly after I picked him up but I could tell he was not happy - not that I blame him!
Today I also noticed that he definitely reacts more to things that upset him. In particular, he blows raspberries. He HATES having his ears checked so when the doctor turned his head to the side, his face turned red, he cried and started furiously blowing raspberries. He did the same thing at the nurse when she gave him the oral vaccine. It's fun to watch how he shows when he's upset. Gives me an insight in to my future ;-)
We don't go back for a checkup until 9 months and there will be NO SHOTS! HOORAY!
Here's a picture of my boy sporting his firetruck sticker he got from the doctor. Notice his face? He was screaming and getting ready to blow a raspberry.
*Weight: 16 pounds 3 ounces - 30th percentile. Down from the 50th but the doc wasn't concerned since he gained.
*Height: 27 inches - 50th percentile.
*Head Circumference: 42.5 inches - 25th percentile.
Mark and I were trying to guess how much he weighed before the appointment. I guessed around 20 pounds. Mark said 18-20. We were both waaaaaaaaaaay off! I'll be honest, I was nervous when the nurse said he's now in the 30th percentile for weight when he was in the 50th at his 4 month appointment. But she explained that it's nothing to worry about because the growth chart uses all his stats - height, weight, head circumference - and compares them to where "average" children of his age fall. So since he didn't gain much weight and he's 3 inches taller, it makes sense that his percentile would go down. He's growing at a steady, healthy rate and that's all that matters. She also commented on how happy and bubbly he is, so that was nice to hear. It makes Mark and I feel like we're doing something right as parents!
Thankfully there were only two shots and an oral vaccine this time. It was interesting for me to watch how his reaction to the vaccines changes each time we go. At two months, he cried (obviously) but he stopped almost instantly and didn't really seem bothered by them. He had kind of the same reaction at four months but the worse time was the next day. His legs were sore, he was super cranky and he ran a fever all day. This time...he was definitely pissed! His face turned bright red, he wanted to cry so hard that it took him about 20 seconds to get the cry out. He calmed down relatively quickly after I picked him up but I could tell he was not happy - not that I blame him!
Today I also noticed that he definitely reacts more to things that upset him. In particular, he blows raspberries. He HATES having his ears checked so when the doctor turned his head to the side, his face turned red, he cried and started furiously blowing raspberries. He did the same thing at the nurse when she gave him the oral vaccine. It's fun to watch how he shows when he's upset. Gives me an insight in to my future ;-)
We don't go back for a checkup until 9 months and there will be NO SHOTS! HOORAY!
Here's a picture of my boy sporting his firetruck sticker he got from the doctor. Notice his face? He was screaming and getting ready to blow a raspberry.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Post Baby Weight Loss
Quick update this week.
I forgot to weigh myself this morning. I'm kind of glad I did since I'm sure I'm up a lot. The will power to eat healthy last week was no where to be found. I did work out 4 times though, so there's that.
This week I plan to:
-Eat every meal at home.
-Drink a gallon of water every day NO MATTER WHAT.
-Go to the gym Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.
-Run at the gym, even if it's just for one minute at a time.
-Do 50 minutes of pilates twice.
I know this week I probably won't lose much but I'm hoping to at least get back down to the weight I was before all hell broke lose.
Have a great week!
I forgot to weigh myself this morning. I'm kind of glad I did since I'm sure I'm up a lot. The will power to eat healthy last week was no where to be found. I did work out 4 times though, so there's that.
This week I plan to:
-Eat every meal at home.
-Drink a gallon of water every day NO MATTER WHAT.
-Go to the gym Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.
-Run at the gym, even if it's just for one minute at a time.
-Do 50 minutes of pilates twice.
I know this week I probably won't lose much but I'm hoping to at least get back down to the weight I was before all hell broke lose.
Have a great week!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Post baby weight loss update
It's been a long time since I updated about my weight loss. Mainly because there hasn't been any.
And I'm OK with that.
I've been working to accept my body as it is. I have to accept it in order to change it. After I lost weight the first time with Weight Watchers, I knew my body inside and out. I knew what my metabolism was like, what I needed to do to lose a pound...that kind of thing.
After having Colin, my whole body is different, not just my appearance. My metabolism is slower, my hormones are wrecked. I needed to take time off to really get tuned in with my body again.
Some things I've learned:
-I have to workout twice as hard as I did before.
-I have to really watch what I eat.
-Water. Lots and lots of water is absolutely a necessity.
After I cancelled my WW subscription, I looked back through my Tracker to see if I could find any trends. I noticed I eat a lot of bread. Like at almost every meal. No wonder I can't lose weight...I'm bogged down with bread! And I don't drink nearly enough water seeing as how I've been living off caffeine for the last six months. So I decided to do something about it.
I've replaced my morning English muffin with Greek Yogurt and my usual lunch (a sandwich) with a lettuce wrap. I thought I would be starving (and tired as hell!) for sure but I wasn't. I actually felt a lot better. I wasn't as weighed down and I didn't feel as "heavy". These are changes I'm sticking with for sure.
I haven't lost much weight but I'm hoping that will change with my new workout schedule. A friend from work and I have decided to start working out together. We'll be going to the gym 3 times a week. Hopefully having someone to hold me accountable will force me to stick with it.
Stay tuned :-)
And I'm OK with that.
I've been working to accept my body as it is. I have to accept it in order to change it. After I lost weight the first time with Weight Watchers, I knew my body inside and out. I knew what my metabolism was like, what I needed to do to lose a pound...that kind of thing.
After having Colin, my whole body is different, not just my appearance. My metabolism is slower, my hormones are wrecked. I needed to take time off to really get tuned in with my body again.
Some things I've learned:
-I have to workout twice as hard as I did before.
-I have to really watch what I eat.
-Water. Lots and lots of water is absolutely a necessity.
After I cancelled my WW subscription, I looked back through my Tracker to see if I could find any trends. I noticed I eat a lot of bread. Like at almost every meal. No wonder I can't lose weight...I'm bogged down with bread! And I don't drink nearly enough water seeing as how I've been living off caffeine for the last six months. So I decided to do something about it.
I've replaced my morning English muffin with Greek Yogurt and my usual lunch (a sandwich) with a lettuce wrap. I thought I would be starving (and tired as hell!) for sure but I wasn't. I actually felt a lot better. I wasn't as weighed down and I didn't feel as "heavy". These are changes I'm sticking with for sure.
I haven't lost much weight but I'm hoping that will change with my new workout schedule. A friend from work and I have decided to start working out together. We'll be going to the gym 3 times a week. Hopefully having someone to hold me accountable will force me to stick with it.
Stay tuned :-)
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