On Working Out and #OperationWearMyJeans

Remember the jeans? I mean The Jeans? I call them my Happy Jeans now because I feel happy when I can wear them. Not that I'm unhappy, necessarily, when I can't but if I had to choose then, yes, Happy Jeans please.

These are the Happy Jeans, for reference:

Long gone are my days of 6-pack abs and striated shoulders, but damn if those jeans didn't feel great when they fit.

I walk with the baby between three and four miles a day. I get out for a run once or twice a week and aim for four or five miles. If I'm lucky I do my weights twice a week. I can't say I'm pleased with this level of working out but I'm happy that it does count for something.

Our scale broke and we haven't replaced it so I have no idea how much I weigh. Well, that's not true. I do have an idea and if I had to guess I think I'd come within three or four pounds of my actual weight. I fit into all of my pre-pregnancy clothes but MAN does my body look different! My hips are actually a little narrower than they were (I didn't get to vaginally birth him plus I used a HipShrinkx postpartum.), my thighs continue to be my nemesis, my belly has squish that NEVER IN MY LIFE have I had before, and my boobs, well, let's not even talk about them (pour a little out for mah boobs).

I can put the Happy Jeans on, button and zip them but they are definitely not wearable (and they are really not pretty when I sit down.) I still find this encouraging, because a few weeks ago I couldn't even pull them up all the way. I'll keep doing what I'm doing and keep trying to do more. It's comforting to me to know that I still have the desire to get in an ass-kicking workout, even if it's not actually happening yet. I know that it will again. And I know I can change they way my body looks when I do.

I will wear those jeans again. They won't look exactly like they do in that picture above, but they'll look good. And I'll feel great!

Fifteen Months

At this point we're half way to sixteen months but I wanted to get this up anyway!

At fifteen months, my favorite things are:

• when he takes my head in both hands and lays his cheek against mine
• when I say, "be gentle" and he takes his hand and strokes my face
• when I open a book and ask, "where's the doggie?" and he points to it on every page with his high pitched, "dee!"
• when I say his name, Jackson O'Hare, and he grabs his hair (no problem, kid, I can understand the confusion!)
• when he figures things out like how to put a lid on a jar
• when he "goes to work" and grabs Daddy's lunch bag, gives kisses, then walks towards the door while waving bye-bye

At fifteen months, Jackson's favorite things are:

• putting something in his mouth if I tell him, "don't put that in your mouth"
• waking up at 4:30 every morning
• opening cabinets
• chasing the dogs
• running in the backyard, at the park, or on the beach
• watching baseball or golf
• the Red Sox
• booksbooksbooksbooks

He's still nursing two or three times a day and I still have no intention of weaning him at this point. One reason is that it buys me a half hour of quiet time in the rocking chair between 4:30 - 5:00am. If you don't think that thirty minutes is gigantic then you don't get up at 4:30 every morning. Plus, he still occasionally wakes up in the middle of the night (not that often anymore, thankfully), but five minutes on the boob is an easy and quick way to calm him down and put him back to bed. Plus plus, there's really no reason to wean except convenience and since breastfeeding is pretty convenient for me I figure I'll go with it until it isn't.

I really wish we had neighbors or family close by with kids similar in age. I think he's missing out a lot there. It's going to be very weird at first, not having him at home, but I'm really excited for him to start school in the fall.

I'm so glad that he's a happy, funny, energetic kid.

April Favorite Recipe - Deconstructed Pesto Salad

All through the winter I have to force myself to eat a salad. Most of the time I don't bother - I just keep roasted vegetables on hand and mix them with whatever meat I'm in the mood for. I eat a lot of stews. A warm bowl of warmth is all I want.

In April I finally got my craving for salad back. I'd say that's the true start of Spring! When I go through a gigantic tub of greens in five days, by myself, it's a good thing.

I still roast vegetables - broccoli, baby carrots, zucchini are Jackson's and my favorites - but my meals are pretty much all salad, all the time. In fact, I usually just throw the roasted veggies on my greens, top it with some chicken/beef/sausage, drizzle with olive oil and call it a meal.

The past couple weeks, though, I've had a favorite salad. I call it a deconstructed pesto salad, which should be self explanatory in a minute.

Deconstructed Pesto Salad

Greens of choice (I like baby kale or arugula for this but you can use whatever you like)
a few basil leaves
walnuts
Parmesan or Romano cheese
lemon juice
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
protein of choice


Fill your salad bowl with greens. (My "salad" bowl is basically a mixing bowl. I eat big salads.) Rip a few basil leaves into it. Grab a handful of walnuts and throw those in. Spoon on the cheese. Squeeze in some lemon juice. Drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with your protein and mix well.


Delicious salad!

Warm and Sunny

This is the time of year when I start to feel sappy and full of cliches. Basically I feel lucky and happy and excited because when it's warm and sunny outside I FEEL warm and sunny. I wrap up work and Jackson and I immediately head out for a walk. Sometimes we just walk for as long as he'll let me. Sometimes we stop at the park. Sometimes we stop at the beach. Then we get home and hang out on the front lawn for a bit.

Work is going well although one of my projects had its hours cut back. On the bright side I'm hardly working any nights and very little on the weekend.

I have a ton of stuff to look forward to this summer - friends visiting from across the country and across the world, family coming to town, the wedding, taking Jackson into Boston for day trips.

Jackson is so much fun with all his animation. He's running everywhere, telling wildly dramatic stories, listening intently to what we say and, of course, SPORTS.

All things sports but especially baseball and especially Red Sox. If you say Red Sox, he starts clapping, and then Boom! You're dead from the cute. Sorry my son killed you.

At least it will be warm and sunny at your funeral.

On The Go

Always!