My Chunky Monkey -Part 2

Couldn't resist snapping a few pics after bath time the other night. Thanks Aunt Hope and Uncle Ron for my very soft monkey towel. I am finally big enough to use it!

Spencer and Solids!

We waited very patiently for Spencer's stomach bug to pass and when it did we introduced solids to him for the very first time on August 17th!! We started with rice cereal and as you can imagine it did not go over so well. Who really likes rice cereal?

It took about a week of trying before Spencer really got the hang of opening his mouth and swallowing the food. But, almost 10 days later, we are on a roll and have successfully moved on to bananas! Today we are trying sweet potatoes. I also got some squash from the farmers market that I plan on making tonight and that will be our next veggie we try! So much fun! I can't believe our little guy is eating solids already!

All of our ingredients ready to go!

Yummy rice cereal...NOT

Spencer and Mia waiting patiently as we prepare everything

All Ready !!!

Maybe I will just snack on my bib :-)

First spoon full!

Please don't make me do it again :-)

Uh, I am not so sure about this!

More!


We are all done already?

Very Proud of his 1st attempt eating solids :-)

And Just 10 Days Later....Yummy! Our only problem now is we can't give it to him fast enough! Here's to hoping he likes all foods as much as bananas!

Fantastic Freebies!

Being a new stay-at-home mommy has led me to find and take advantage of any bargain out there. Let's face it, being on a tight budget stinks :-) Besides participating in market research groups and clipping coupons, I have also joined many groups on Facebook that give moms a heads up on all the good deals that are out there. I get updates throughout the day from all these sites but one caught my eye last week and I could not resist.

Vista Print! Bill and I love Vista Print. They do everything and to top it off they do it for less then some of the other printing companys. We can even attest to their quality because we ordered Spencer's birth announcements from them and we think they came out great and at half the cost!

The other day I found a link that was posted by another mom from Vista Print that allowed you to order numerous items for FREE! All you had to do is pay for shipping ( which was very minimal). I placed one order for some items and, the next night, I did another. Now, we keep getting emails from Vista Print for more FREE items.

Here's a picture of all the stuff I ordered for FREE

2 canvas totes, 2 photo flip books, 2 note pads, 1 sticky note pad, 2 sets of mommy cards

Here's a close up of some of the items:

A bag for me :-)

And for Spencer! (Bill did not want one :-) )



Another note pad

I chose to do a photo flip book of our maternity pics and picked this cover appropriately :-)

Mommy "business" cards...you never know who you might meet :-)

I felt so inspired by this that I went to Publix and used my Publix Baby Club Coupons and got all of these items for FREE! Nothing fancy but all very useful items!

Finally, my friend Kasey told me about a deal on diapers through Amazon. I was able to get 160 diapers for just $4.19!

This week many of the drugstores/photo companies are having some deals so it may just be a great time to print some pics out and save some more.

It's almost like a game, once you get started, you just want to find more and more deals.

Hi-5 for Lazy Monday Mornings

After my workout this morning, Spencer and I enjoyed a lazy morning at home. I could not help but snap a few pics of him in his hip onsie that cousin Heidi gave him. I might add he LOVES sitting up now with and without his bumbo :-)

Jazzercise + Weight Watchers = Weight Loss?

That's the hope! The baby weight is gone, but boy do I still have a long way to go.

After many failed attempts to start dieting and exercise in previous weeks, I have finally buckled down as it has gotten to the point where I can't even see pictures of myself. Not good!



The solution: Jazzercise and Weight Watchers. This is my 3rd week of Jazzercise and I must say I am surprised at how much it kicks my butt! Kelly and I go every morning and having a buddy to encourage you and hold you accountable each day makes all the difference. On those mornings when you feel like rolling back over and sleeping a bit longer, you are quickly reminded that you have someone waiting for you at class. Best motivation by far! Not to mention a 60 minute Jazzercise class based on my weight burns almost 600 calories! What a great way to start the day!

This is my second week of Weight Watchers. It's going on okay but I need to be A LOT better. I know their program works so I just need to follow it and I should be on the road to shedding these pounds. The exercise alone has definitely helped shed a few quick pounds but my diet has definitely got to be better.

My short term goal is to look halfway decent for Spencer's 6 month pictures. I really want to be in a few shots with him and not hate the way I look. Longer term goal is to shed this weight in hopes of beating by half marathon time in January. We are scheduled to run the Disney Half again and I would love to get a PR. I can only hope that shedding the extra pounds and training extra hard will help me reach that goal.

I figure blogging about my efforts will also keep me somewhat accountable...I don't want to fail and would love to share posts as I get closer to my goals.

Wish me luck! I have a long road ahead but ya gotta start somewhere :-)

Happy 5 Months Spencie!

Spencer turned 5 Months old on August 3rd! Can you believe it? I can't :-) He is growing up so fast and I still cherish every day with him. He amazes more each day and there is not a day I don't look at him and think what a miracle he is! He is growing like a weed and is now well over 17lbs. What a fun age! Spencer is so inquisitive now, he looks at everything and wants to touch or grab anything he can reach! He is also starting to sit on his own for longer periods of time which makes playing with his toys even more fun these days. He loves to laugh and now that he has found his voice he is blabbering much more! Spencer still has no teeth (which I am okay with), and we hope to start solids next week. Bill and I like to call Spencer a turtle these days because he does NOT roll! Again, totally okay with this but find it so strange since he was rolling months ago and now chooses not to do it at all.


Poor little guy has been fighting a stomach bug since we got back from our trip to FL. Another reason we have postponed solids for the time being. He has been such a trooper though it all and I am happy to report he is now back to eating a full 6-7 ounce bottle at every feeding! I think we almost have this darn virus beat! I have cleaned and re-cleaned all his toys. Washed his car seat cover, all his blankets, changed his crib sheet, you name it, I have cleaned it!

We have been keeping busy with playgroups, lunch dates, and even tried our first music class. Unfortunately, I don't have too many pictures to share from these activities because our camera broke! Actually it broke a few weeks back and we bought a camera for our trip to FL but it proved to be horrible once we loaded our pics to the computer. So, after a few weeks with very little pictures, we are back and making up for lost time! Here are a few pics from the past few days. Still getting use to this new camera so no judgements :-) I have a lot to learn!