Best I Ever Had - Girl In The Kinks Shirt

Impulsivity strikes again. Gavin Degraw & Matt Nathanson are touring together this summer. Of course, I just shelled out over $100 for 2 orchestra section tickets in row H. The show is in July and I swore that I wouldn't buy tickets until I was absolutely certain that hubby and I would be able to attend.

I guess I didn't learn my lesson from the whole 30STM experience in December. Last August, I (impulsively) purchased 2 tickets to the 30STM show back in December. I assumed, I would be alright parting with my little one for one night of rockin' out to my all-time favorite band. However, I failed to notice that the show was on a Thursday night. Therefore, hubby didn't want to go because he would have to be up at 5-5:30am the next morning for work. So, he offered to stay home & watch Noah while I attended the concert with my BFF.  Enthusiastic about the opportunity to get out of the house without baby and enjoy a few hours off from mommy duty, I invited my BFF. We planned for a fun-filled night swooning over the one & only Jared Leto. The day before the show, Noah vomited all over Lane after waking up from a nap. That night, he vomited all over me before bedtime. Needless to say, my 30STM tickets went to waste.

On another note, spring is in the air...well, at least until next week, when we have snow in the forecast. I often watch Hawaii Life with sheer envy of the warm, tropical, balmy climate they display. It would be so nice to someday relocate to such a paradise. A girl can dream...

Any ways, we have the beginnings of our garden shaping up. Purchased some seeds for hot peppers, banana peppers, and bell peppers. We also purchase strawberry plants, lettuce mix, kale, Georgia sweet onion, and califlower + some gardening tools. We still have to get the tomato plants and fertilizer + finish preparing the garden area. Husband hand tilled the garden area and now has blisters all over his hands. Silly, stubborn man! His friend offered to let him borrow his gas powered tiller, but husband insisted that we buy the manual hand tiller. Le sigh. Any ways, I'm excited about growing some yummy fruits & veggies. As a kid, I remember helping my parents in our large Alabama backyard garden. I hope to instill some fun memories with Noah helping and leanin to appreciate gardening, growing, and eating fresh foods.

My little man is now 16 months old. People are finally starting to say that he looks a little like me. His blue eyes, now have a more greenish hue, which obviously stands out more depending on his attire. It's probably time for another haircut, but I find his messy, golden locks rather cute. His hair curls a bit, different from my husband's baby pictures with stick straight white blonde hair. He's still teething, but only 6 teeth have appeared. I have a feeling 2 or 4 more are going to break through together again.

We've been lookin at toddler beds, and I'm pretty glad that I did not end up buying him this popular pirate ship bed. The practicality of it just doesn't outweigh the cost, even though it looked like so much fun. I have my heart set on this blue Dr. Seuss-like bed from Ikea, with a matching night stand, table & chair.

I've liked this particular set, since before Noah was even born. There's no way I'm going to pay $200-300 on shipping, so I'll have to find an excuse to make the 3 hour trek to NoVa. Perhaps the Cherry Blossom festival in DC or a weekend trip to the National Zoo?

On another note, the replacement elliptical arrived yesterday. I ended up having to purchase the replacement via Amazon, to get the same sale price + free shipping. As of yesterday, with just a week of dropping my daily caloric intake to 1300-1400, I am down 5lbs. Noah and I walked for 45-50 minutes, a few times during the warmer days. I'm looking forward to jumping back on the elliptical. Cutting calories has been rather difficult. They add up so quickly, even when one is choosing healthier alternatives. With such a limited daily calorie allowance, I've managed to cut my carb intake unintentionally. 

I have to report back to my doctor in a month. I was rather disheartened to see that I gained 4lbs in the month between my previous follow-up appointments. Especially, since the week before my appointment, I weighed 5 lbs less than what the scale reported. My doctor attributed it to the possibility of gaining muscle or water weight. At the time, I was eating 1500-1600 calories a day, so she recommended the drop to 1300-1400 for one month + continuing my current exercise plan. I was surprised that she didn't scold me again. I guess she saw the frustration and anguish in my face from the wretched scale.

Even though I have absolutely no intention of ever sporting a two piece bathing suit again, I'd like to feel comfortable wearing sleeveless shirts without a coverup cardigan. My frieds and family say the pre & post baby weight gain has distributed itself evenly all over my body. However, I see it the most in my face and arms. Sure, my tummy is far from being a flat washboard, and my inner thighs now touch, creating an annoying friction. I just loathe how flabby and large my upper arms look. I feel like a football player, wearing extra padding. You would think my arms would be toned from picking up and carrying Noah around. Apparently, lifting 21lbs in an inconsistent manner does nothing for chubby arms. Instead, it just kills my lower back. Ugh.

I have heard that epidural a can cause long lasting lower back pains. However, I'm convinced that I screwed up back when I used to play around with heavier (3-5lbs) weighted hula hoops. My lower back and tummy used to be covered in bruises, but the trainer would tell me to keep going. I can't believe how naïve and stupid I was, when I was in my early 20's. Any ways, after discussing weighted hula hoops with another mom, she was shocked that it was recommended to start off with such a heavier weight. She said beginners should utilize hoops no more than 1.5 lbs. Ooops!

I'm trying to get out and attend more mommy baby group activities. Many of the moms, in the group I joined last year, are pregnant with the 2nd baby. Also, the majority of the babies are still several months older than Noah. Granted, exposure to other kids, in general, is still beneficial for him. We were walking around the neighborhood trail last week when an older toddler, maybe 4 or 5, jumped out of the double stroller his mother was pushing and rushed over to Noah, saying "Baby! Baby!" Noah did not seem thrilled. However, when a toddler girl stopped to greet him, from her stroller, he beamed and babbled excitedly. Lol. Such a ladies man. He also giggled and flashed his flirty smile at nearly every female waitress Sunday afternoon, at Surf Riders. It was pretty cute.

Any ways, until next time....XoXo - HMBC

St. Patrick's Day 2013 & 2014

Happy baby!

Being mischievous

Playing at grandma & grandpa's house

Banana-kale-pineapple-OJ-coconut water smoothie

Officially a climber

This is what happens when you forget to pack an extra outfit and baby leaks out of diaper. Grandma puts baby in a small petite woman's tee shirt, while outfit is getting washed.

Just waking up from a nap and sitting like a big boy at Surf Riders for lunch.