My beautiful baby girl at 9 months. :-)

Heading into the fall...

I have been away from the blog for a bit travelling and visiting friends and family.. well I should just say family. :-)  Piper and I made our first road trip to Quantico, VA to visit my best girlfriends Linda and Teri.  It was so great to see them and have Piper meet her aunts. :-)  She has an aunt Linda (my close friend) and Auntie Linda (my mom's close friend) which neither are actually her aunts... let's see how long she is confused before she figures all this out. :-)  We had an awesome time, and Piper LOVED spending time with her 3 1/2 year old twins... she cut her first tooth while we were there and the other bottom one a week or so later.  They are so cute, but the first time that she bit down on my finger I realized I need to now keep all my fingers out of her mouth.  OUCH!!  We stayed with Grandma and Grandpa on our way there and way back and really didn't want to come home!  Petey was being boarded, so I had to get back.  He is coming with me next time to see if Molly remembers him and if he can hang out too.  We hope to get back in January.

Since I have been back, I have started the life change with my eating.  I emptied the pantry of anything processed and probably 85% of anything with high fructose corn syrup.  I was using Weight Watchers, but realize that I can calorie count and use a ton of websites that offer awesome resources for free.  So far, Jillian Michaels' suggestion of http://www.calorieking.com/ has been the best.  It is the most complete food calorie resource I have ever found.  I use that to supplement the Lose It! app on my iPhone which is free.  It is an amazing app, and I always have it with me to keep my tracking when I am on the road.  I bought a food scale, so I am able to accurately know what I am eating.  I have already lost 4 pounds and I really feel awesome.  I had a fog over me, and I don't feel that anymore.  I drank some caffiene today, but I didn't even need it.  I have more patience with Piper.  It's awesome really.  I am already sold on whole food eating.  I just keep fruit and nuts around the house.  I am in love with raw almonds. :-)  I am also enjoying cooking and trying to make things taste good on few calories.  The challenge has been fun.  I made baked pears tonight for dessert and topped it with a vanilla yogurt.. it was yummy and I was mega full after dinner.  Things are going well.

Shane is doing well in Afghanistan as far as I can tell.  He is getting packages at lightening speed... in less than a week when sent Priority mail.  We have been impressed with that so far.. and nothing has been broken.  He FINALLY got his room to himself, so we can talk on cam now without him feeling weird or having to be quiet.  I think he feels like he can breathe now.  Time to find him some wall decor.

Piper and I are headed to High Rock Lake with the in laws for Thanksgiving and are really looking forward to it!  I look forward to posting pictures of her first real food... we will be doing sweet potatoes! :-)  She has an appointment tomorrow to check her head size to make sure that it hasn't grown off the curve.  I am hoping for the best!

It's all about accountability...

I have been trying to decide if I was going to post about my adventures in post offspring weight loss because it is becoming a rather large part of my life, but it's easy to see why I would be hesitant in such an open public forum.  Then I realized, for me, I think it would be beneficial to blog about my journey to help others and mostly to hold myself accountable for where I have been and where I am headed.  I won't be the only person to know my goals and missteps, and I think that will help me in this process.

I have felt that my hormones have been jacked up for years, and I also am fully aware of many eating issues that I have.  I eat too many processed foods (even though 90% of them are "diet"), drink too much diet soda and don't eat anything but breakfast with any kind of consistency.  Although, since Piper and I are getting on more of a schedule I am eating breakfast at 7am and then I crave lunch about 10:42 give or take a few minutes. :-)  After that, all bets are off.  I tend to snack through out the day, and I didn't think I ate that much.  When I was doing Weight Watchers a month or so ago the weight started falling off.  Apparently, I am eating more than I thought I was.  Shane and I had our leave block and ate whatever we wanted... I put back on 5 pounds.  I realized that I am at a point in my life that I need to start eating many more whole foods and cutting out most everything processed to try to rectify my mess of a metabolism that I feel I am fully responsible for.  Calories aren't everything.  There are a multitude of reasons why I believe that my hormones are out of whack and have been for many years - many that I won't share here.  I am hoping by getting on a program of whole, mostly organic foods and swapping the Diet Pepsi Max for Green Tea (God help me!) that my body will start performing the way that it was meant to.  I am not expecting miracles, but knowing how lacking in real vitamins the Edwards family diet (minus Piper) tends to be... I sure don't think it is going to hurt.

I am going to go by a majority of the ideas in Master Your Metabolism which fully explains food and hormone interactions.  It's written by Jillian Michaels of the Biggest Loser, and while I think she gets a little dramatic in places (gasp!) the program just makes common sense.  The information on the hormone effects of certain foods is very eye opening though.

Since I hate cooking every day, I am going to go shopping for 2 recipes per meal time for the week and make it all over just 2 days and eat left overs.  This is doable.  I am going out of town on Wednesday, so I am going to wait until I can go to Trader Joe's in Raleigh and then to CoOp here when I get back to do most shopping.  Until then, I am just going to eat sensibly and attempt to sustain that while on the road.  With a little planning (ha!) I can do it.  That is the hardest thing for me.. and now with a baby.  Lord, help me.  I just have to make it a priority... make me a priority.  This weight has received it's final overdue notice and foreclosure is on the way.  I refuse to buy new clothes, so it is going to be an awfully frigid winter or one full over oversized maternity clothes if I don't get my act together.

There it is for the world to see.  The beginning of my attempt to a somewhat return to more natural living and foods which will in turn result in weight loss and the eviction of these final baby pounds.  I hope to carry that on when Shane gets home as well because his eating habits could use a real makeover as well. 

A Day Out

Piper and I went to a park meet up, ran about town and got Mama a new cell phone today! Good Bye, Treo! I shall be throwing you out the window at the first opportunity I have to not hit another vehicle and get sued! :-)

Here is a picture that Connie took of us today... I so wish that she was smiling! Oh well... still sweet. :-)

Free mailing supplies from USPS for care packages

Hey everyone!

The USPS is supporting the troops by giving away free mailing supplies needed to send care packages overseas.  Everything from boxes to tape.  I just called and ordered mine, so I thought I would give the number if anyone cares to do the same.  It's nice to save money anywhere you can!

Call 800-610-8734 and select 1 for English ( ;) ) and 1 at the next prompt and just let them know you want the free military care package kit and viola!  Oh and flat rate boxes to APOs are mailed 2 dollars cheaper than they are to send to your Aunt Sally in Buffalo.  How nice of them. :-)

My 30th birthday...

It was a gorgeous, perfect day out for my 30th birthday.  This enabled Piper and I to get about town and walk around Mayfaire for a couple of hours.  It was a very peaceful in a way I can't explain.  I think that I am still processing the months ahead of me without Shane/Daddy, but Piper is becoming easier and more fun every week.  She is surely keeping me from being lonely which is nice.  By the time I get alone time, I have a million things to do (or not do at all) and one isn't to sit around feeling sorry for myself.  It works out nicely really. :-)

I am heading to Quantico, VA for Piper's 1st Halloween to spend it with my BFFs Linda and Teri.  i am excited to see Linda's twins dress up and get to be with my girls for a while.  I miss them a bunch and I think that Piper will manage the drive if we stop once and make most of the drive after her bed time.  We will see!  Any road trip advice with a tiny one will be helpful!

To get you in the Halloween mood I will post the cutest picture ever.

Shane's Contact Info

Here is the address that you can send him mail if you are so inclined:

Edwards, Capt Shane
MARSOC TF-822
207 ARSIC WEST HERAT FSB
APO/AE 09354

Give me a shout if you want to send him something that he needs/wants and I might be able to help point you in a direction.  :-)