My Road to Weight Loss

The Plan

2012-01-28T11:00:00.001-08:00

First of all, thank you sweet friends for all your kind & encouraging words on my post yesterday! It means so much that you’re still out there and didn’t give up on me!

I thought I’d update you on what I’m doing to lose weight.

As many of you know I became a lifetime Weight Watchers member in June 2009. My goal weight was 161. Why 161? No reason other than the fact I was happy with my weight there and I was ready to go for free!! So that’s what I am doing, Weight Watchers,…for life! I’ve still got a good number of lbs to lose before I can go for free again, but it’s more than attainable and I KNOW I can do it!

Currently I get 37 points per day. I get an additional 7 because I am nursing. Before Adelyn was solely nursing and wasn’t on solids yet I got 44 points/day. I think 37 is going to be much better for my weight loss.

I’m also getting in about 4 workouts/week. I either go over my lunch break and get in a quick 30 minutes or I go in the evening after I’ve put Adelyn to bed. Sometimes its hard to go at almost 8pm, but I have to keep telling myself I CAN DO THIS!

Another motivation is Live Healthy Iowa. From their website:

Live Healthy Iowa brings together friends, families, businesses and communities in team-based wellness challenges designed to promote positive lifestyle change. My work encouraged people to get teams together.

So one of my staff members & I got 2 teams together and are having a little friendly competition! There are 8 members on my team and we named ourselves the “Sweat Sisters” because there are 2 sets of sisters on the team! Our main goal is activity minutes. Not only will increased activity help my weight loss, but it will also help my Live Healthy Iowa team!

That’s the plan friends! Help me stay accountable and soon enough I will be at my lifetime weight again and won’t have to suck it in when I shimmy those jeans on! Ha!

It's Going to be Different!

2012-01-26T12:09:00.001-08:00

It's been 5 months since I last posted and I've finally decided to come out of hiding! J/K I've actually just spent these last 5 months figuring out the balancing act of being a working mom! If you want to see what we've been up to feel free to hop on over to our family blog here.

Ok now it's time to spill my guts! My last post I left you guys with was about conquering week 3 of C25K and I had made some WW friendly freezer meals. Well, pretty sure I haven't ran since then and all those freezer meals are gone! ;)

I went back to work from maternity leave part time on September 6th and then full time on September 12th. That was a major few weeks of transistion for me. I did not like leaving my baby everyday. But the weeks went on and I adjusted. I'm still not a fan of leaving her at daycare, I'd much rather be home with her, but it's just one of those facts of life that you have to deal with.

Ok I'm getting de-railed....

So once I was back to work I joined Weight Watchers at work, which was perfect. The weekly meeting was right on campus where I work. Over the next few months I lost about 10lbs of post baby weight. Then November came...

I had a work trip away in state.
Thanksgiving.
I ended the month/started December with a week long work trip to Vegas.
We celebrated Christmas a week early in Omaha with my family.
And then the week of Christmas & New Years. {read: calories galore}

What are all those things? Excuses! That's it plain & simple.

In those 7 weeks I went to Weight Watchers 2 times. Naughty, naughty! The scale showed it too, I gained 5 lbs. Eeekkk!!

After the New Years I vowed I need to get back on track & lose this baby weight. We didn't have enough members to keep our at work meetings going so I had to drive off campus to the local meeting in town. And that is what I've been doing for the past 3 weeks! Haven't missed one yet and have no plans to!

So that brings you to where I am today! I've started working out again, either on my lunch break or after I put Adelyn to bed. As far as food goes...sit back & let me tell you about me & food!

I think a big part of it is such a head game for me. I weigh in on Thursdays. In my head I tell myself I can eat what I want on the weekends and then buckle down and make up for it M-W. I've done that the past 3 weeks and sure I've lost, but it's been minimal, -.6lbs or -.4lbs.

I have to be honest with myself. Doing that isn't going to get me back to my goal weight. It's just a vicious cycle and it isn't the point of the program. Eating like that was in no way benefiting me.

So here I am, out there for all see {read}, this week is going to be different. I'm not going to spurlge this weekend, I'm going to track what I eat, workout, and next week I will see the reward when I got to my WW meeting!

TIGF!

2011-09-02T15:13:00.001-07:00

Howdy friends and happy Friday!!!

Wednesday I headed out to continue on with my couch to 5K training. If you didn’t happen to see my tweet, this is how I was feeling about it:

And this is how I felt afterwards! Pretty sure I conquered that run!

On to other things…

I’m sure you are all up to date with Pinterest…well it’s pretty addicting if you haven’t checked it out. So don’t say I didn’t warn ya! I found this Weight Watchers recipe on there the other day, it looked super simple & very delicious, I couldn’t wait to try it.

Bubble Up Enchiladas

Nutrition Info: Calories 390 | Fat 11.5g | Carbohydrate 36g | Fiber 2g | Protein 33g
Serves 6 - 6 points/serving (old points)

1 pound ground turkey
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 can reduced fat refrigerator biscuits
1 ¼ cups shredded low fat Mexican Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 F

Brown Turkey and drain juices if needed. Pour and mix enchilada and tomato sauce over browned turkey. Cut refrigerated biscuits into fourths and stir into meat mixture. Dump into a greased 9X13 casserole pan and bake for 25 minutes.Take out of oven and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. Enjoy!

I also did a lot of other cooking in the kitchen this week. I got 8 frozen meals (weight watcher friendly ones too!) in my freezer in preparation for going to back to work. I think I’ve been subconsciously not thinking about it hoping maybe it won’t happen, but it’s going to come whether I like it or not. After Labor Day I’m working 3 half days and then going back full time on the 12th. I know Adelyn will be fine at daycare, but I just can’t imagine not spending my days with her. The past 11 weeks at home with my baby girl have been amazing!

Well friends that’s all I have to share today. I hope everyone has an enjoyable, long, relaxing weekend! Ta ta for now!

PS You should head on over to our family blog to see Adelyn’s newborn pictures! They’re beautiful (obviously I’m biased!).

Quick update

2011-08-31T14:40:00.001-07:00

Happy hump day everyone! Hope you’re all having a great week. Thanks for your encouragement on my post last week! I know I can do this, just have to take one day at a time. I thought I’d give ya’ll a quick update.

Monday I started week 3 of the C25K. It was a 5 minute warm up walk and then 2 reps of the following: 90 second jog, 90 second walk, 3 minute jog, and, 3 minute walk. I was nervous about running for 3 minutes of running (compared to the 90 seconds during week 2), but I didn’t have a problem with it. Now don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a walk (run…ha ha!) in the park. But I found it do-able! Tonight I plan to go out and do day 2.

Eating hasn’t been the best the past few days. Monday was my birthday (I’m 27!) and of course with birthdays come birthday cake! Yum!

But now is the time I need to get right back on track. I enjoyed my goodies & cake and now I need to get serious again!

I realized after I posted last week that I didn’t give a scale update. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but in August I lost 3 lbs. So I’m 15lbs from my pre baby weight and have lost 40lbs since Adelyn was born over 2 months ago. I’ll take it!

That’s all for now friends! Told ya it’d be quick!

PS For a full birthday update, head on over to our family blog here.

Time to get serious!

2011-08-26T08:56:00.001-07:00

TGIF friends!!

I know what you’re thinking “Darci we haven’t heard from you in 22 days, this sporadic blogging needs to stop.” I couldn’t agree with you more! I’m not one to make excuses…well ok maybe once in a while! So here’s my “reasons” for being MIA!

Our computer doesn’t work. Obviously that makes it hard to blog! (we have a loaner right now, for a few days)
And I’ve been soaking up all the time I can with my sweet baby girl! My maternity leave is quickly coming to an end.

Those are pretty legit…right?!?! I’d say at least the 2nd one! To think I only have a week and half of maternity leave just makes me so sad.

Ok…back to the reason for my post! Anyone see my tweet this morning?

In preparation for going back to work I raided my closet to see what fit for work attire. (Honestly I was hoping nothing would fit and I just wouldn’t have to go to work. Ha!) j/k Out of 22 pairs of dress pants and 7 pairs of jeans, only 5 fit. (I know that is a lot of pants, but it is a mix of 2 sizes and I LOVE to shop! )

At first I was really depressed, but gotta look on the bright side. At least I have a pair for each day! For real though, it was hard trying on pair after pair and having little luck.

Another thing I’m trying to keep in mind is that it took me 9 months to put on these pounds. They aren’t going to come off overnight. I’ve read it can take anywhere from 6 months to a year to lose your baby weight.

But it was a good swift quick in the rear to get me serious again. When I posted on August 4th I talked about starting to workout and eating well. I have worked out…not consistently though. To date I have completed the first 2 weeks of C25K. If you do the math you will see it took me 3 weeks to do that. It’s time to get serious!

As far as eating, I’m doing fairly well about getting fruits and vegetables. But…I’m also pretty good about eating ice cream & other empty calories! It’s time to get serious!

So here is my clear cut plan:

Workout 5 days/week – 3 days of C25K & 2 days of other options such as workout DVDs, weights, cardio, etc
Track eats & eliminate empty calorie sweets

Two tasks, seems easy enough! If only it were! But I’m ready for the challenge. It’s time to get serious!!

No better time to start than this morning! For breakfast I made an egg burrito with 2 eggs, salsa, 2% shredded cheddar, and a ww tortilla! Paired with a banana it’s a nutritious breakfast!

So my friends I’m asking you to keep me accountable! I’ve buckled down and lost weight in the past, I can do it again! It’s time to get serious!

PS If you are wanting more baby updates, hop on over to our family blog to see the latest of Adelyn! Sunday she turned 2 months! Hard to believe!

Post Baby Update

2011-08-04T12:00:00.001-07:00

Howdy friends! I wanted to give everyone an update! Tuesday I had my 6 week check up with my doctor. I had to wait until this appointment to start any type of exercise and…other things! Anyway…she said that I was good to go with exercise, but just to listen to my body, which was my exact plan!

I had already researched and decided on using the couch to 5K plan. Click here to see the program I printed. Yep, I printed it! I’m putting it on my fridge and going to check each day off as I complete it!

Wednesday was day 1! I got my (new) running shorts on, grabbed my garmin, buckled Adelyn in our new (to us) jogging stroller, and we were off! Day 1 was a 5 minute power walk warm up and then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

I didn’t know what to expect, but I sure didn’t expect my rear to feel like it gained an extra 10 lbs!! Seesh!! I felt like I had a ba-donk-a-donk! I talked to a few other fellow new mama’s and happily found out it gets better! Thank goodness!

I found day 1 to be completely do-able and I’m looking forward to more runs with my baby girl!

Speaking of Adelyn, check out what she thought of her first time in the bumbo! That toothless grin melts my heart every time!

So the other part of this post baby plan is focusing on my eats as well. I think it would be hard not to with a fridge filled with all these fruits & veggies! Monday I cleaned, chopped, & packaged carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet corn, grapes, cantaloupe, strawberries, pineapple, and watermelon!

I’m hoping with adding exercise into my routine it boost the weight loss and help me tone! I hope everyone has a great rest of the week!

Adios

TGIF!

2011-07-29T09:25:00.001-07:00

Howdy friends! I can’t believe it’s been a week and half already since I last posted! We’ve been busy though! If you want to see what we’ve been up to click here to hop on over to our family blog!

On to business though! So over the last week and half (or so) I haven’t been good with my workouts (AKA walking). Pretty sure I only got in 2…but in my defense my main job these days is taking care of this cutie and it’s been much TOO HOT to take her outside.

But I have been better about my eats compared to my workouts! I’ve been getting in lots of fresh fruits & veggies. After grocery shopping over the weekend our fridge was filled with carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, strawberries, apples, bananas, yogurt, peaches, etc!! Lots of great healthy choices!!

Next week (Tuesday) I go in to the doctor for my 6 week post partum check up. As long as everything checks out I should be given the thumbs up for exercise!! My plan to start at square one with the coach to 5K (C25K) program. It’s a great program that is designed to get anyone from the couch to running 5K in just 9 weeks. I will talk more on this next week once I get the green light!

On to the weight loss portion. I’m down another 2lbs over the last week and half. So to be where I was pre-baby I have about 18lbs to lose still (down 37lbs). I’m feeling good and anxious to increase my workouts next week.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Ta ta for now

Update

2011-07-18T12:22:00.001-07:00

Hello friends & Happy Monday to you! So when I posted last week it was my great intention to post more often than weekly! But life with a newborn doesn’t always allow time for blogging! Speaking of newborn I thought I’d start today’s post with some sweetness!

Ok now back to the purpose of my post, post baby plan update! So my first week being cautious about my eats went fairly well. I wouldn’t say I was 100% on track, but baby steps here people! Eventually I hope to get back to photographing my food. I know I make better choices when I have to take a picture before I eat.

I got in at least a 30 minute walk 4/7 days last week. I was hoping to do better, but that heat really didn’t help! We started our week out good this week though! By 8 am this morning I had my tennis shoes on, Adelyn strapped in her seat, and we were out the door for a walk! We started early to try to beat this crazy heat. I was dripping when we got back after 30 minutes.

I stepped on the scale this weekend and……….stayed the same this week. At first I was really bummed, but then I came back to reality. I didn’t put all these pounds overnight and I know they aren’t going to come off like that! I was just quite spoiled those first 3 weeks, losing 35 lbs! So my plan is to continue watching my eats and getting in lots of fruits & veggies. And also trying to get in some walks (weather permitting!).

Thanks for your continued support on this journey! Hope everyone has a great week!

Post Baby Plan

2011-07-09T10:51:00.001-07:00

Hi all! First of all, thank you for all the congrats & well wishes on Adelyn’s birth!! Second, I have to thank all my wonderful readers for sticking around over the past 9+ months while the focus of my blog switched from weight loss to weight gain (ie…pregnant!).

For those of you who are more interested in the weight loss, I’m happy to report I will be re-focusing the blog again to losing weight! I cannot guarantee though that Adelyn pictures will not pop up from time to time! Ok, ok probably pretty regular, but the main focus will be eats & exercise!

Here’s where we get down to business and face the facts! My pregnancy weight gain was pretty minimal….for the first 20 weeks (less than 10lbs!). But the morning before Adelyn made her arrival (21 weeks later) I stepped on the scale at home and was up 55lbs total! Sheesh, I know! According to the dr office scale I gained 47 lbs, but I’m going to go by my home scale (which seems backwards since it’s heavier!) just because I’ll be using my home scale to weigh regularly.

The week I came home from the hospital I was down 20lbs.

This week I’m down another 14lbs, which means I have 21lbs to get to my pre-pregnancy weight. I wasn’t at my ultimate goal when I got pregnant, but at a nice healthy weight, so I’m setting that as my initial goal for now.

Right now the dr says no dieting and no vigorous exercise, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be smart with my food choices! Prior to this week I had been eating WHATEVER I wanted…all those yummy home cooked meals from our church friends, ice cream (to the max!), etc! Tuesday was “day 1” for my with making good choices with my eats.

Kyle and I made a trip to the grocery store and stocked up on fresh veggies & fruit, yogurt, healthy snacks, and lean proteins! So far these past few days I’ve been fairly proud of my choices, but boy oh boy, there are times I get the munchies!

As far as exercise I plan to get in at least 1 walk/day. I haven’t been doing a whole lot of walking these past 2+ weeks. I wanted to make sure I gave my body time to heal. I think I ready to slowly add some light activity back in now. I have to say I’m anxious to get back to running, but I want to start slow and see how things go! I plan to listen to my body & not push it too much.

And for documentation…here is where I am today! Gotta start somewhere, right?!?!

So there you have it, a little summary of my plan to be a fit mama!!

Adelyn’s Birth Story

2011-06-29T10:14:00.001-07:00

Monday June 20th I had a scheduled induction for 7:30am. My doctor thought my baby was at least 9 lbs and thought it was necessary since I was already over-due. We woke up bright & early on Monday and headed to hospital with such anticipation! It was quite interesting knowing I was going to be in labor that day! And this was our last picture as a family of 2!

First thing they got me gowned up, did a blood draw, and broke my water. I was dilated to 3 cm. Then they started an IV, hooked me up to a million (felt like it!) other cords/machines, and started pitocin to get contractions going.

The contractions started right away, but I couldn’t really feel them too much. We spent the morning talking about our baby girl who was about to arrive, took a few walks, and tried to rest. I felt completely fine until about noon.

Kyle was an amazing support person the ENTIRE day! My diet for the day was ice chips only and he said he was going to join in my fast so I didn’t feel deprived if he ate (even though I kept telling him to eat!). But he couldn’t resist the mini cans of pop through the OB floor kitchen though!

My doctor came back and determined I had dilated to 4 cm now and baby’s head was very low. The contractions started to pick up quite a bit! I was consistently breathing and focusing through each one. I’m not a fan of this picture…but I think it shows pretty well how I was feeling!

This is the monitor that kept track of my contractions and baby’s heartbeat. I couldn’t see it from where I was in bed, but Kyle kept close tabs and commentated on it for me… “Woah, that was a big one”!

I made it about 4 1/2 hours through active labor without any pain control, breathing through those contractions. I wanted to make it as long as I could because they say sometimes an epidural can slow your labor down. Generally you should dilate 1 cm/hour when you are in active labor and don’t have any pain control. I went from noon to 4:30pm and only progressed to 5 cm and believe me those 4 1/2 hours were a tough go!

About 4:30pm I decided the contractions were plenty strong and requested an epidural. By 5pm they had the epidural in and I had instant relief! I was feeling great and excited to meet my little girl!

Around 7:45pm my doctor checked me and I was dilated to 6 cm and 90% effaced. She ordered internal monitors to determine the strength of each contraction since I couldn’t make that determination now with the epidural.

By 9pm I was 7 cm and still feeling pretty good. Two hours later though I was still at 7 cm and my doctor said if I hadn’t made progress by midnight “we would have to talk”. Of course I knew that meant c section, which I knew was always a possibility. At 11:30pm my nurse checked me and I was still 7cm. Starting to feel discouraged I re-focused and mentally prepared myself for the possible c section. Kyle and I said prayers and knew God was in control of the arrival of our daughter!

At midnight my doctor checked me again and I made it to 9cm…in a half hour!! Needless to say I was a happy camper! I was really started to feel that “pressure”, but couldn’t push yet because I still needed to make some more progress.

Around 2am I was full dilated, effaced, and ready to push! I ended up pushing for over 2 1/2 hours! They were a long, tough few hours, but COMPLETELY worth it!!

At 4:34am Adelyn Marie was born! They put her on my tummy right away and started rubbing her down. Kyle and I were overjoyed, she was finally here! Such an amazing moment! Kyle got to cut the cord and joined our daughter just across the room while they did all those first checks.

As soon as she came out I could hear the nurses and my doctor making guesses about about big she was! No one got it though…she weighed 10lbs 2 3/4 oz and was 22 in long!! A good sized healthy little girl!

Our local hospital recently re-modeled the OB floor. They have labor & delivery suites where you stay the entire time. And when baby comes they don’t have to wisk them away, they do EVERYTHING right there in your room. It so nice!! So while the doctor was finishing up with me I could see Adelyn across the room!

Adelyn had her first bath! She wasn’t much of a fan of it though!

Pretty sure she was checking Daddy out here! So sweet!

They took her foot prints right away and my finger print as well.

After they were finished I finally got to hold my sweet baby girl!!

And of course Daddy too! Kyle was amazing through the entire experience! I am so blessed to have him as my husband and Adelyn’s Daddy!

This was our first picture as a family of 3!! We feel so incredibly blessed to have our new little healthy bundle!

And thank you to EVERYONE for all your kind words, comments, and gifts! We truly appreciate it!

She’s Here!!!

2011-06-24T11:08:00.001-07:00

Adelyn Marie

Arrived 6.21.2011 at 4:34 am

10lbs 2 3/4oz * 22in long

More to come soon!!

40 weeks

2011-06-17T07:12:00.001-07:00

How Far Along: 40 weeks

Size of baby: According to babycenter.com Baby Bangert is the size of a small pumpkin and about 20 inches long from head to heel. BUT…I had an ultrasound a few weeks ago and they are estimating Baby Bangert at 8 1/2 lbs already!

Maternity Clothes: Pretty much ALL maternity…minus a few t-shirts from the hubby!

Gender: It’s a girl!!! And yesterday (6.16.11, the due date!) we FINALLY picked out her name!! Once she arrives we will share it with everyone.

Movement: She is a busy little girl, too bad she can’t just kick her way out of my tummy! I feel her moving around all throughout the day. I love it though…there is a little life inside me!

Sleep: Eh, it’s better than what it was the past few weeks. I’m up a lot (think potty breaks!), but getting better about being able to fall back asleep.

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach, a bigger selection of clothes, sleep in general, and buying regular clothes (the maternity section needs to expand)!

Cravings: This week was smores pop tarts, made for a good morning snack!

Symptoms: Feeling well for the most part, just very achy & tired by the end of the the day. And of course very anxious for this little girl to make her arrival.

Best Moment this week: Kyle and I have spent some great time together lately. His homework load has been a lot lighter and to say I’ve been enjoying more time with him is an understatement. Can’t wait till he’s done with school in December! Oh and we got a few new rocker/recliners for our living room! It was time to move on from our “hand me down” chairs we’ve had since before we were married.

Today is our 40 week appointment. Not a whole lot to report yet, but hopefully will know more after our appointment this afternoon. If you would have told me 3 weeks ago that I would make it PAST my due date I wouldn’t have believed you. But as everyone tells me, babies have their own agenda! I took the day off today to do a few things and just relax. When I left work yesterday I left as if I wasn’t coming back until after maternity leave, we’ll see if this little girl cooperates!

dear daughter…

2011-06-06T19:11:00.001-07:00

To our baby girl,

To say we are excited to meet you is an understatement. Only ten days till your scheduled arrival date. Just like you have been hearing from Mommy & Daddy lately, we would not object to you coming early!

The doctors are saying you are healthy little girl, estimating your weight over 8 1/2 pounds. Each week we visit the doctor’s office we love hearing that “thump…thump…thump” of your little heart beating inside Mommy’s tummy.

We have prayed & dreamed about you since the day we found out you were growing in my tummy. You have been so good to Mommy these past 38 weeks and we pray that continues when you decide to enter this big world. Mommy loves feeling you wiggle and move in her tummy all throughout the day.

When you found out you were a little girl it brought tears of joy to our eyes! Of course we would have been happy if you were a boy, but God knew Mommy had dreamed about you for years. Your room is all ready for you, complete with all things pink! We had so much fun getting it ready and cannot wait for you to come and make our home complete.

Just because you are a girl doesn’t mean we can’t go play in the dirt or participate in sports. We cannot wait to spend our Saturdays as a family in Iowa City cheering on our favorite team, the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Daddy loves pretty much any sport and will teach you anything you want to know!

We cannot wait for that first time when we get to see your sweet face and cute little feet for the first time. We are longing for that moment to hold you in our arms. We are very excited to be your Mommy & Daddy. We know we won’t be perfect parents, but we plan to do our best to raise you to love others, your family, and, more importantly God.

You have so many people that are so excited to meet you. Mommy & Daddy already love you more than you will every know. You are our gift sent from above!

All our love,

Mommy & Daddy

37 weeks

2011-06-03T09:10:00.001-07:00

I’ve been slacking on my weekly posts lately. I couldn’t believe the difference in my belly from my 33 week post!

How Far Along: 37 Weeks, 5 days! (day of picture) Today, 6/3/11, I’m 38 weeks, 1 day

Size of baby: According to thebump.com Baby Bangert is the size of a watermelon, over 6 pounds, and over 19 inches long from head to heel. BUT…I had an ultrasound last week and they are estimating Baby Bangert at 8 1/2 lbs already!

Maternity Clothes: Pretty much ALL maternity…minus a few t-shirts from the hubby!

Gender: It’s a girl!!! We’re still working on names…we’ve had 2 deadlines come and go and still no name. We are down to 3! Pray we pick one soon!!

Movement: She is a busy little girl, too bad she can’t just kick her way out of my tummy! I feel her moving around all throughout the day. I love it though…there is a tiny little life inside me!

Sleep: Pretty much non-existent! But everyone tells me its getting me ready for what’s to come. Tuesday night I think I may have gotten 2 hours total.

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach, a bigger selection of clothes, sleep, and buying regular clothes (the maternity section needs to expand)!

Cravings: Nothing out of the ordinary. Ice cream and Mexican…but those are favs whether I’m prego or not!

Symptoms: Feeling well for the most part, just very achy & tired by the end of the the day.

Best Moment this week: We spent our long holiday weekend with some of our friends from KC! They were so hopeful Baby Bangert would make her arrival while they were in town. But no such luck.

At my 38 week appointment I was dilated 2+ centimeters and my Doctor is hopeful I’ll go this week. But I think that is because she is on call this weekend! I am more than ready to meet my little girl! I’ve been walking every night in hopes it would help get her here sooner!

And I have to give a shout out to Callie over at The Wannabe Athlete, her and her husband welcomed their little guy into the world this week! And I read a post she did last week that was just what I needed today. So for all you prego’s out there that are anxious and ready to meet your little one, click here!

Happy Friday everyone!

Oh and in case you missed the nursery tour, click here!!

Nursery Tour

2011-05-31T15:14:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Baby Bangert’s nursery!

We painted over Christmas break before we knew the gender. We chose Restoration Hardware’s light silver sage for a color. I knew the color would work well for a boy and of course adding pink to it worked out perfect for our little girl!

This is the view from the door. The crib was a generous gift from some friends who moved out of state a few years ago and their little guy was ready to move to a big bed. We purchased their crib mattress for only $25 (they paid over $200) I guess it pays to plan ahead! Her bedding is from Pottery Barn Kids I purchased a few years ago on super clearance. I think it was back in 2006 I had MAJOR baby fever, but after lots of life chats with Kyle we decided it just wasn’t the right time yet. Everything happens for a reason, right?!?!

Above her crib we plan to do something similar to this with her name. Don’t get excited though, Stella isn’t one of the names on the list…just a sample!

To the left of the crib is some décor I explained in this post here.

The frame on the far left has pink scrapbook paper with a white swirly design. Once we pick out her name I’m going to put a big initial of her first name.
Another little owl from my friend, Kim. (Kyle still needs to hang up the carbon monoxide detector)
The 2nd frame is something I designed & framed.
Then we have her ultrasound.
Lastly, I finished it off with some coordinating scrapbook paper I picked up at Hobby Lobby.
The 2 pink iron flowers below are hooks I also got at Hobby Lobby for $3/each.

To the right of the crib is a night stand we picked up at Ikea for under $10. And in the corner is our comfy, cozy glider we got with the generous help of my Grandma! The ottoman was a gift from my Mom & sisters for one of my baby showers! Both are from Babies R Us.

Zooming in at the side table…the lamp & light block (the outside says “Iowa Hawkeyes”!!) were shower gifts. The lamb piggy bank was a gift from Kyle’s Grandma. And we picked up the pink clock/ipod dock with gift cards at Target.

Here’s a close up of our glider! The owl was made by my good friend Kim’s mom! She used them for decorations at my work shower! Kyle’s Mom made the sweet blanket on the back of the chair and the tag blanket was a gift from my cousin!

Above the chair is a shelf we purchased from Ikea that holds a few baskets for storage. My sister, Mindi, made the banner below for one of my baby showers! Once we pick out her name I was going to re-arrange the letters to spell out her name. I picked up the calendar at Hallmark. A friend I scrapbook with said she used one to jot down notes on each day of what baby did and it came in super hand when she went back to do her little guy’s scrapbook!

Here is her changing station. We used a dresser we already had and just added the changing pad to the top. The cover on the changing pad is from Etsy (one of my favorite sites!!). To the left of the changing station is her hamper and to the right is the much needed Diaper Genie! The curtains were a set of 2 black out, floor length panels from Target that Kyle’s mom hemmed into 4 curtains to cover the 2 windows in the nursery.

You’ve seen her closet here! It’s much fuller now! LOVE it!!

To the right of the closet is a bookshelf with cubbies & storage for her already growing book collection! Above the shelf is another owl from my friend, Kim. Hanging on the wall is a scrapbook page display frame I got as a birthday gift from my sister Mindi a few years ago. I think it worked perfect in her room to display her shower invite & other memorabilia.

Behind the door is the bow holder I made. Kyle hung some hooks to store the diaper bag and her cute little robes!

We are ready for her arrival…hospital bag all packed & ready to go!!

And just for the fun of it I included a video tour of her nursery too! We just got our video camera and had to test it out!

Work Baby Shower

2011-05-29T08:11:00.001-07:00

A few girls at work were SO kind to throw me a shower, Wendi (my sister), Kim, and Nicole.

This is the invite that was sent out, too cute!

Some of the guests showed up early to help me get my work done quicker!

I loved the owl theme they went with!! And who doesn’t love diaper cakes, SO cute and VERY useful!! Great job, Kim!!

The food was exceptional too! Not only did they have these yummy éclairs, but also a “ho ho” cake that was AMAZING!!!

So many of my co-workers stopped in to “shower” baby Bangert!

To say my friends at work were generous is an understatement! Our SUV was completely full with gifts for Baby Bangert!

This is my friend/co-worker Kim. She is 4 weeks behind me. This is also my only 34 belly picture! I’m glad to share it with Kim!

Bow Holder

2011-05-22T20:29:00.001-07:00

I’ve seen so many cute ways to store & organize all those fun bows that come with little girls! Instead of spending $$, I decided to make my own!

I started with this beauty!

I removed the glass & picture. I think I got it at an auction for less than $2 last summer. Then spray painted the frame white.

I picked out some paper for the background. And used mod podge to “seal” it to the backing.

Next I cut & measured some chicken wire (thanks to my Mom!), just a few inches wider than the backing.

Once the mod podge was dry I added some ribbon through the frame to use as a hanger.

Next I folded the chicken wire around my piece of backing.

Lastly I used some duct tape to cover the sharp edges of the chicken wire (to protect the wall).

Lastly I inserted the backing into the frame and….

Finally, hung it in Baby Bangert’s room!!
Can’t forget the most important part…add bows & flowers!!

I’m sure this cheap, simple project will be very useful over the next few years for our little girl!!

Tweet Baby Girl

2011-05-15T06:16:00.001-07:00

A few Saturdays ago my sisters threw me an AMAZING baby shower!!! I am so blessed to have these 3 wonderful women in my life!

Warning:picture heavy post! ;)

I arrived slightly early, but got a sneak peak of the place!

The food table looked great! I loved the decorations and of course the food too!

They served mini quiches, roll ups, triple chocolate cake, mini “bird’s nest” cupcakes, and Larita’s cookies (they are famous in my town!).

The theme was SO cute…”Tweet Baby Girl”!!

The sign in table did not disappoint!

Let the party begin!

There was a great turnout for my shower!

So many friends came to shower “baby bangert”!

We even allowed a few cute boys into the party!

To say that I had a lot of gifts to open was an understatement!

This little girl is already blessed beyond belief and she isn’t even here yet!

I had a few little “helpers” with the gifts too!

Needless to say, I’m pretty sure we have everything we need and more for this little girl!

Afterwards we snuck in a few family pictures! My Mom…aka Grandma!

Me and Grandma…or should I say Great Grandma! :)

And we cannot forget 3 of my bestest friends…my sisters!

Stay tuned this week for more baby updates! I’m a few weeks behind on my weekly posts…and I had ANOTHER baby shower…and a few projects I want to share!! Have a great week everyone!!

33 weeks

2011-05-01T05:56:00.001-07:00

How Far Along: 33 Weeks, 3 days!

Size of baby: Baby Bangert is the size of a pineapple, over 4 pounds, and over 17 inches long from head to heel.

Maternity Clothes: I wear maternity jeans, pants, and I’ve recently started wearing a few shirts I got from my sister. I’m still squeezing into a few regular things though! My regular shirts are getting much shorter though!

Gender: It’s a girl!!! We’re still working on names…Kyle & I put a deadline…we have to have one picked out by May 10th!

Movement: She is a busy little girl and I think her movement has increased even more this week. I feel her moving around all throughout the day. I love it though…there is a tiny little life inside me!

Sleep: Eh, it’s progressively getting harder to get to sleep & stay asleep! I’m not the best side sleeper and I wake up on my back quite a bit. Plus a few bathroom runs!

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach, a bigger selection of clothes, and buying regular clothes (the maternity section needs to expand)!

Cravings: No major cravings this week. I am quickly finding out the bigger she gets the less I eat…I get full SO fast!

Symptoms: Feeling well for the most part, just very achy & tired by the end of the the day.

Best Moment this week: We spent last weekend with both sides of our family for Easter! Unfortunately I didn’t get any pictures. :( Kyle and I also had our last prenatal class this week. Makes it seem so much more real!! My sisters also hosted an amazing baby shower for me yesterday, but I’ll do a separate post on that later this week!

31 weeks

2011-04-20T19:25:00.001-07:00

How Far Along: 31 Weeks, 6 days….Thursday is the 32 week mark!

Size of baby: Baby Bangert is the weight of 4 navel oranges, about 3.3 pounds, and over 16 inches long from head to heel.

Maternity Clothes: I wear maternity jeans, pants, and I’ve recently started wearing a few shirts I got from my sister. I’m still squeezing into a few regular things though, like the tee in my picture again this week! My regular shirts are getting much shorter though!

Gender: It’s a girl!!! We’re still working on names…I sure hope we can get one picked out soon!

Movement: She is a busy little girl! I feel her moving around all throughout the day. I love it though…there is a tiny little life inside me!

Sleep: Eh, it’s progressively getting harder to get to sleep & stay asleep! I’m not the best side sleeper and I wake up on my back quite a bit. Plus a few bathroom runs!

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach, a bigger selection of clothes, and buying regular clothes (the maternity section needs to expand)!

Cravings: No major cravings this week. I am quickly finding out the bigger she gets the less I eat…I get full SO fast!

Symptoms: Feeling well for the most part, just very achy & tired by the end of the the day.

Best Moment this week: Friday I spent the evening with family! Almost 20 people = good family fun! My cousin from WI came down to visit for the weekend. She is expecting her 2nd boy due August 27th. We enjoyed all things “baby” talk! Unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures that night. :(

Kyle and I also had our first prenatal class this week. We learned lots of great information, maybe a little too much for Kyle’s liking! ;)

30 weeks

2011-04-13T13:12:00.001-07:00

How Far Along: 30 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby Bangert is the size of a head of cabbage, almost 3 pounds, and a tad over 15.7 inches long from head to heel.

Gender: It’s a girl!!! We’re still working on names…I sure hope we can get one picked out soon!

Movement: She is a busy little girl! I feel her moving around all throughout the day. I love it though…there is a tiny little life inside me!

Sleep: Eh, it’s been ok! I’m not the best side sleeper and I wake up on my back quite a bit. Plus a few bathroom runs!

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach, a bigger selection of clothes, and buying regular clothes (the maternity section needs to expand)!

Cravings: Lately it’s been Lucky Charms…not sure why! I am quickly finding out the bigger she gets the less I eat…I get full SO fast!

Symptoms: Really can’t complain! Feeling well for the most part, just stiff/achy & tired by the end of the the day.

Best Moment this week: It’s been a pretty laid back week, but a fun one! I was at a work conference out of town the end of last week and did a little shopping for Baby Bangert! I got this outfit and it was 1/2 price!! I love the ruffles on the back of the pants!

Friday was my friend, Sarah’s, baby shower. She is 3 weeks ahead of me and expecting a boy! We couldn’t resist a belly picture together! They live not too far from us and we joke that our kids will have an arranged marriage!

On Saturday Kyle & I went to Target to get our registry done. He had to test out the stroller before we could add it to our list! ;) It was so fun picking out everything we needed for our baby girl!!

29 weeks

2011-04-07T19:17:00.001-07:00

(FYI: Thursday I was actually 30 weeks…but wanted to get my 29 week post up anyway!)

How Far Along: 29 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby Bangert is the size of a butternut squash, about 2 1/2 pounds, and a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel.

Maternity Clothes: I wear maternity jeans, pant, and I’ve recently started wearing a few shirts I got from my sister. I’m still squeezing into a few regular things though!

Gender: It’s a girl!!! We’re still working on names…I sure hope we can get one picked out soon!

Movement: She is a busy little girl! i feel her all throughout the day. I love it though…there is a tiny little life inside me!

Sleep: Eh, it’s been ok! I’m not the best side sleeper and I wake up on my back quite a bit. Plus a few bathroom runs!

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach, a bigger selection of clothes, and buying regular clothes (the maternity section needs to expand)!

Cravings: Pretty sure I don’t got 2-3 days without ice cream! That is pretty normal though! ;) I am quickly finding out the bigger she gets the less I eat…I get full SO fast!

Symptoms: Really can’t complain! Feeling well for the most part, just stiff/achy by the end of the the day.

Best Moment this week: Spending the weekend in Omaha with my family! (Don’t mind my tired face…we had just spent 6+ hrs shopping and then waited 1hr to get seated at the restaurant.

I realized I haven’t posted a picture of my cute little nephew lately, he’s getting SO big! He’ll be 7 months in just a few days!

28 weeks

2011-03-30T05:01:00.001-07:00

How Far Along: 28 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby Bangert is the size of a Chinese cabbage. About 2 1/4 pounds and almost 15 inches, from head to heel.

Maternity Clothes: I wear maternity jeans and pants but the majority of everything else is regular. Things are getting tighter though!

Gender: It’s a girl!!! We’re still working on names…I sure hope we can get one picked out soon!

Movement: She is a busy little girl, mainly in the evenings when I winding down from the day. I love it though…there is a tiny little life inside me!

Sleep: Eh, it’s been ok! I’m not the best side sleeper and I wake up on my back quite a bit. Plus a few bathroom runs!

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach, a bigger selection of clothes, and being able to go up & down stairs without getting winded!

Cravings: Pretty sure I don’t got 2-3 days without ice cream! That is pretty normal though! ;) I am quickly finding out the bigger she gets the less I eat…I get full SO fast!

Symptoms: Really can’t complain! Feeling well for the most part, just stiff/achy by the end of the the day.

Best Moment this week: Spending time with my great friend, Sara, and her 2 little girls, Emma & Grace! Aren’t they the sweetest! Grace is the best baby, I’m praying for baby who is laid back like Grace! :)

Emma just turned 2 and is full of energy! We had fun playing & girl chit-chatting the evening away! Emma loved the sleeping bag and headlamp I picked up for her at Target. The headlamp didn’t even have batteries & she still wore it the whole night! ha!

27 weeks

2011-03-23T16:54:00.001-07:00

How Far Along: 27 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby Bangert is the size of an eggplant!

Maternity Clothes: I wear maternity jeans and pants but everything else is regular. Things are getting tighter though!

Gender: It’s a girl!!!

Movement: My Doctor told me I should feel her at least 10 times before 1pm…I don’t think that is a problem!! BIG NEWS: Kyle finally got to feel her kick on Saturday!! It was such a sweet moment, we were watching a movie and after he felt her kick he left his hand there the rest of the movie just waiting to feel her again!

Sleep: Not too bad, I get up a few times throughout the night to go to the bathroom. I guess it’s preparing me for a newborn!

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach, a bigger selection of clothes, and being able to go up & down stairs without getting winded!

Cravings: I don't have specific cravings. I just like to eat! ;) I don’t think ice cream counts, I love that anytime!

Symptoms: Really can’t complain! Feeling well for the most part, just stiff/achy by the end of the the day.

Best Moment this week: Kyle feeling her kick and making progress on the nursery!

I had my glucose test yesterday and they said no news is good news. So my fingers are crossed, I haven’t heard from the Dr. yet, so I’m hoping that’s a good sign!

In case you missed it click here to check out the progress in the nursery!

Nursery Progress

2011-03-21T18:08:00.001-07:00

Over spring break Kyle hung a few shelves in the nursery. I had a picture in my head of what I wanted to do with them, but needed to actually bring it to reality.

This is the view from the doorway: the crib is straight on & the shelves on the left.

Here is another view. I used white gallery frames on the shelf we picked up at Ikea. Here are the details:

The frame on the far left has a pink scrapbook paper with a white swirly design, once we pick out her name I’m going to be a big initial of her first name.
The 2nd frame is something I designed & framed. (see next picture)
Then we have her ultrasound.
Lastly, I finished it off with some coordinating scrapbook paper I picked up at Hobby Lobby.
The 2 pink iron flowers below are hooks I also got at Hobby Lobby for $3/each.

Here is a close up of what I made! I used the colors in her nursery (pink, blue, green, & brown), difference sizes, and jumbled the alphabet for something fun! I was so happy with how it turned out!

Kyle also hung something I “stumbled” upon in our storage area in the basement. This is a scrapbook display frame my sister Mindi gave me years ago! It’s magnetic and also has some mini clothes pins. I thought this will be a great place to display pictures, her birth announcement, etc!

After we got these things done, I just sat in the glider and enjoyed the room! *sigh* Just love it so far! I can’t wait for her to get here, the most important piece of this whole puzzle! I have another plan for the remaining 2 walls. One is dependent on what we pick for her name & the other is dependent on finding a friendly seamstress! ;) So we’ll save those for another day!

26 weeks

2011-03-19T05:26:00.001-07:00

How Far Along: 26 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby Bangert is the length of an English cucumber!

Maternity Clothes: I wear maternity jeans and pants but everything else is regular. Things are getting tighter though!

Gender: It’s a girl!!!

Movement: I've been starting to feel her more & more throughout the day! Kyle is anxiously awaiting his turn to be able to feel her, still no luck on this yet! :(

Sleep: Not too bad, I get up a few times throughout the night to go to the bathroom. I guess it’s preparing me for a newborn!

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach, a bigger selection of clothes, and being able to go up & down stairs without getting winded!

Cravings: I don't have specific cravings. I just like to eat! ;) I don’t think ice cream counts, I love that anytime!

Symptoms: Really can’t complain! Feeling pretty well!

Best Moment this week: Spending a few extra days off with the hubs for spring break! And we locked in our daycare! Feels good to have that checked off the list!

So this week you get the real thing, comfy clothes! :) This most likely what I look like once I get home from work!! But hey, who doesn’t love to be comfy?!?!

Wednesday was the last day of week 26 for me. Today (Saturday) I’m 27 weeks, 2 days…less than 100 days to go! I’m getting so anxious to meet my little girl!!

25 weeks

2011-03-13T14:57:00.001-07:00

How Far Along: 25 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby Bangert is the size of an eggplant!

Maternity Clothes: I wear maternity jeans and pants but everything else is regular. Things are getting tighter though!

Gender: It’s a girl!!!

Movement: I've been starting to feel her more & more throughout the day! Kyle is anxiously awaiting his turn to be able to feel her!

Sleep: Not too bad, I get up a few times throughout the night to go to the bathroom. I guess it’s preparing me for a newborn!

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach and a bigger selection of clothes! Being able to go up & down stairs without getting winded!

Cravings: I don't have specific cravings. I just like to eat! ;) I don’t think ice cream counts, I love that anytime!

Symptoms: Really can’t complain! Feeling pretty well!

Best Moment this week: Spending the weekend in Chicago with family!

Big surprise friends, I’m behind! Today I am actually 26 weeks, 3 days. But I wanted to get this post up, for my reference! Kyle and I are on spring break the first half of this week. We have lots on our agenda…visiting daycares and a few meetings to make sure we have all our ducks in a row before baby gets here (aka insurance, lawyer, investments, etc!). Have a great week everyone!

Weekend Chicago Trip

2011-03-09T05:58:00.001-08:00

Kyle and I made our 2nd annual trip to Chicago to see Mel & Steve (Kyle’s sister & her husband). We took off for Chicago after he got out of class Thursday night, which ended up meaning we had a 3am arrival time! I stayed up with Kyle about half the time, but boy being prego I just can’t last as late! Kyle did great though and got us to Chi-town safely!

We slept in Friday morning a bit and then headed about an hour north to Wisconsin to a HUGE outlet mall! But before our day of shopping we went to the Jelly Belly Factory!

The middle of the store was a huge sample station! Look closely and check out some of those flavors on the bottom…baby wipes, booger, barf, skunk spray…no thanks! ;)

Not sure if this counts as vegetable serving! ;)

We finally made it to the check out with a few Jelly Belly finds, only to find out they were hiding the good stuff up there! Check out the size of those peanut butter cups! Of course we HAD to get one!

Next we were off to empty our wallets at the outlet mall! The place was HUGE! Sadly it was raining so we hit our favorite stores and called it an afternoon by 3pm.

So this was Kyle’s first time in Wisconsin, so he had to have a real Wisconsin experience! Cheese!! Mar’s Cheese Castle to be exact!

It was literally a castle! And it just opened the day we were there! Great timing, huh!

There were all kinds of things made out of cheese…

~~Beer~~ sausage & cheese anyone?

Of course there were samples galore! Check out that giant wedge of cheese!!

Chocolate cheese fudge anyone? It was actually VERY good. The said they just replaced the milk with cheese.

No castle is complete with knights! :)

After our cheese excursion we hit up Ikea! This is an old picture, it was raining cats & dogs when we got there! We picked up a few things for the nursery. Can’t wait to show you guys!!

When we got back to Mel & Steve’s place and knew just what we wanted! Our giant peanut butter cup! We cut it into 4th’s and each enjoyed a piece of delicious-ness!!

Friday supper we knew just where we wanted to go….Giordanos!!

It was well worth the 30 minute wait for our pizza to cook!!

Mmmm, look at all that cheesy goodness!!

Saturday we spent our day shopping…the mall, Costco, Marshalls….you name it! :) Here are a few of my favorite finds!

Some new kicks!! Don’t ya love the sparkles!!

And of course I couldn’t pass up a few things for Baby Bangert!

After our day of shopping we went out for supper with some of Mel & Steve’s friends at one of their favorite spots, Ron of Japan, a Japanese steak house.

This was the kind of place where they cook right in front of you!

Pretty impressive!

We had a good time & of course, plenty of food!

Sunday we slept in, packed up the car, and Kyle wanted one more stop before we left town…Portillos! Kyle got his hot dog & Italian beef and I stuck with their chocolate cake!

We said our goodbyes and made the trip home. Thanks for a wonderful weekend guys! Next time you’ll have a family of 3 visiting! :)

(old picture…sadly we didn’t get a picture of the 4 of us while we were together)

24 weeks

2011-03-04T17:15:00.001-08:00

How Far Along: 24 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby Bangert is the size of a papaya!

Maternity Clothes: I wear maternity jeans and pants but everything else is regular. Things are getting tighter though!

Gender: It’s a girl!!!

Movement: She’s a busy bee in the evenings and I've been starting to feel her more & more throughout the day! Kyle is anxiously awaiting his turn to be able to feel her!

Sleep: Not too bad, I get up a few times throughout the night to go to the bathroom. I guess it’s preparing me for a newborn!

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach and a bigger selection of clothes!

Cravings: I don't have specific cravings. I just like to eat! ;) I don’t think ice cream counts, I love that anytime!

Symptoms: Really can’t complain! Feeling pretty well!

Best Moment this week: Spending the weekend with good friends.

AND picking up the glider for the nursery!!! So cozy!

So I’m behind (what’s new!), Thursday started week 25, but I wanted to put this up anyways! Hard to believe I have 15 weeks left. I’m so excited/anxious to meet my little girl. Kyle and I are currently in Chicago visiting his sister & brother-in-law. Can’t wait to share all the fun things we’ve done and we’ve gotten!

Hope everyone has a great weekend and I’ll “see” you again for my 25th week post!

23 weeks

2011-02-25T08:37:00.001-08:00

How Far Along: 23 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby Bangert is the size of a papaya

Total Weight Gain/Loss: didn’t weigh this week

Maternity Clothes: I wear maternity jeans and pants but everything else is regular. Things are getting tighter though!

Gender: It’s a girl!!!

Movement: She’s a busy bee in the evenings and I've been starting to feel her more & more throughout the day!

Sleep: Not too bad, I get up a few times throughout the night to go to the bathroom. I guess it’s preparing me for a newborn!

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach and a bigger selection of clothes!

Cravings: I don't have specific cravings. I just like to eat! ;) I don’t think ice cream counts, I love that anytime!

Symptoms: Really can’t complain! Feeling pretty well!

Best Moment this week: Picking out the glider for our nursery! Hayden was a good help! ;)

Once again I'm behind getting this up. Today is day 2 in my 24th week, but hey better late than never right?!?! I'm so excited for this weekend, we have friends staying with us and a wedding, should be a good time!

Happy Friday everyone!

22 weeks

2011-02-17T12:33:00.001-08:00

How Far Along: 22 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby Bangert is the size of a papaya

Total Weight Gain/Loss: didn’t weigh this week

Maternity Clothes: I wear maternity jeans and pants but everything else is regular. Things are getting tighter though!

Gender: It’s a girl!!!

Movement: She’s a busy bee in the evenings, but overall I think she is a pretty mild little girl.

Sleep: Not too bad, I get up a few times throughout the night to go to the bathroom. I guess it’s preparing me for a newborn!

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach and a bigger selection of clothes!

Cravings: I don't have specific cravings. I just like to eat! ;) I don’t think ice cream counts, I love that anytime!

Symptoms: Really can’t complain! Feeling pretty well!

Best Moment this week: The warming weather & getting some exercise outside!

Today is actually the start of 23 weeks, but I wanted to get this up (even if it’s late!). It’s a rare day in Iowa in February today…the high is 72 degrees! Cannot wait till after work to take a walk outside. I have been pretty lazy in the exercise department and I can really tell! So my goal for my 23rd week is to exercise 3 times for at least 30 minutes. Hold me to it friends!

PS. A HUGE shout-out to 2 of my sisters, they joined WW and are doing awesome! Can’t wait to get back to the meetings after baby! I’m so curious about the new plan.

21 weeks

2011-02-09T15:49:00.001-08:00

How Far Along: 21 Weeks
Size of baby: Baby Bangert is the size of a banana
Total Weight Gain/Loss: gained 18lbs
Maternity Clothes: I wear maternity jeans and pants but everything else is regular. Things are getting tighter though!
Gender: It’s a girl!!!
Movement: I felt her kick on the outside of my tummy on Sunday!
Sleep: Not too bad, I get up a few times throughout the night to go to the bathroom. I guess it’s preparing me for a newborn!
What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach and a bigger selection of clothes!
Cravings: I don't have specific cravings. I just like to eat! ;) I don’t think ice cream counts, I love that anytime!
Symptoms: Really can’t complain! Feeling pretty well!
Best Moment this week: See below!

Spending the weekend with my sisters & this lil cutie!

Getting LOTS of free baskets from the Signature Homestyles party I had! Our little girl’s closet is going to be SO organized!

Haircut! Notice the difference from a few weeks ago?

20 weeks

2011-02-02T14:58:00.001-08:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 20 Weeks

Size of baby: Baby Bangert is the size of a cantaloupe

Total Weight Gain/Loss: gained 18lbs

Maternity Clothes: I wear maternity jeans and pants but everything else is regular. Things are getting tighter though!

Gender: It’s a girl!!!

Movement: Beginning to feel my little girl more lots more these days!

Sleep: Not too bad, I get up a few times throughout the night to go to the bathroom. I guess it’s preparing me for a newborn!

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach and a bigger selection of clothes!

Cravings: I don't have specific cravings. I just like to eat! ;) I don’t think ice cream counts, I love that anytime!

Symptoms: Really can’t complain! Feeling pretty well!

Best Moment this week: Finding out & seeing our baby girl! Amazing!

Last Tuesday we had our ultrasound appointment. Kyle was there (of course) and Aunt Wendi came too! It was so amazing to see that little life inside me!Thursday we had our follow up appointment with the Doctor and said she looks perfectly healthy. Kyle got a kick out of her saying “baby looks proportional”! They measured me about 6 days ahead, but wanted to stick with my original due date, maybe that means Baby Girl Bangert will come before June 16th!

Nursery Preview!

Kyle painted while we were off work over Christmas break. We chose Restoration Hardware “light silver sage” for a color. It’s a light blue/gray. I knew it would (obviously) work for a boy, but thought if we added pink to the room it would look great for a girl too!

Last weekend Kyle installed a closet organizer in the nursery. I just LOVE how it turned out, I’m all about organizing!!

Tuesday afternoon Kyle & I got off work early because of a snow storm, so I worked another nursery project. I REALLY, REALLY wanted to purchase a new dresser, but we’re trying to do the nursery on a budget! So we are using a dresser we already had, but I wanted to “dress” it up a bit. I added some pop of color inside the drawers. Idea courtesy of Young House Love! We are also going to add some handles too!

Here is a sneak peak of the bedding. This is something I purchased from Pottery Barn Kids a few years ago on super clearance. I think it was back in 2006 I had MAJOR baby fever, but after lots of chats with Kyle we decided it just wasn’t the right time yet. But since we’re having a girl we still get to use the bedding! And you can see from this picture too that we have a white crib. Kyle set up the crib over our Christmas break also. Last weekend I washed all her bedding & made the bed! The crib was a generous gift from some friends who moved out of state a few years ago and their little guy was ready to move to a big bed. We purchased their crib mattress for only $25 (they paid over $200) I guess it pays to plan ahead!

That’s all for now friends! Kyle & I are enjoying our snow day off work today. Going to do a few more projects in the nursery!! :)

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

2011-02-01T19:36:00.001-08:00

These are a new favorite in our house! Very yummy & “healthified” to boot!

1 2/3 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 medium mashed very ripe bananas
3 egg whites
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup skim milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Topping

1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 375°F. Spray bottoms only of 12 regular-size muffin cups with cooking spray, or line with paper baking cups.
In large bowl, mix flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and salt.
In medium bowl, beat bananas, egg whites, oil, milk and vanilla with fork until smooth. Stir into flour mixture just until flour is moistened. Gently stir in chocolate chips. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
In small bowl, mix topping ingredients. Sprinkle evenly over batter in cups.
Bake 20 to 24 minutes or until light golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately remove muffins from pan to cooling rack.

Nutrition Facts: Calories 210; Total Fat 6g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 160mg; Total Carbohydrate 33g (Dietary Fiber 3g, Sugars 18g); Protein 3g

Source: www.eatbetteramerica.com

PS Stay tuned tomorrow for a baby/pregnancy update and a nursery sneak peak!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-26T03:13:00.001-08:00

Pink or Blue?

2011-01-25T08:27:00.000-08:00

Today has finally arrived! Kyle & I get to find out whether we're going to bring on the pink or have a mini Kyle! ;) We are so excited!! Our appointment is at 2:30 this afternoon and I can hardly concentrate! I should have scheduled it earlier!

So just for fun...what do you think we're having? Boy or girl? All the old wives tales point to girl, but honestly I have no opinion! I'm just super excited to find out!!

20 weeks

2011-01-19T18:40:00.000-08:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 20 Weeks
Size of baby: Baby Bangert is the size of a cantaloupe
Total Weight Gain/Loss: gained 18lbs
Maternity Clothes: I wear maternity jeans and pants but everything else is regular. Things are getting tighter though!
Gender: It’s a girl!!!
Movement: Beginning to feel my little girl more lots more these days!
Sleep: Not too bad, I get up a few times throughout the night to go to the bathroom. I guess it’s preparing me for a newborn!
What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach and a bigger selection of clothes!
Cravings: I don't have specific cravings. I just like to eat! ;) I don’t think ice cream counts, I love that anytime!
Symptoms: Really can’t complain! Feeling pretty well!
Best Moment this week: Finding out & seeing our baby girl! Amazing!

Nursery Preview!

Last weekend Kyle installed a closet organizer in the nursery. I just LOVE how it turned out, I’m all about organizing!!

That’s all for now friends! Kyle & I are enjoying our snow day off work today. Going to do a few more projects in the nursery!! :)

Questions…Answered!

2011-01-10T17:51:00.001-08:00

Hello friends! Please don’t disown me for being a bad blogger! The past week has been nuts! I’m pretty sure I put in close to 60 hours at work last week. I know that is the norm for some people, but man it sure did take a toll on this momma-to-be! I’m proud to say even with the busy-ness and the fact that I didn’t blog my eats each day, I was still smart about my choices!

Vitamin C

Calcium

Yellow, Green and Leafy Veggies and Fruits

Whole Grains, Calcium, & Protein

Obviously I ate more than just those things, but I was conscious about my choices, making sure they were nutritious & not just empty calories.

Luckily today we had an early out because of a snow storm! Btw, we are supposed to have 10 inches of snow by the time it’s over! Sheesh, but hey I’ll take the extra time off! My fingers are now crossed for a late start tomorrow!

I thought I would take some time to answer the multitude of questions I’ve been getting about my pregnancy!

Are you going to find out the sex? YES!!! January 25^th is our ultrasound!
- The next question we get is “Don’t you want it to be a surprise?” My response is that we’re going to be surprised 4 months early! ;) Come on people, I’m a planner!!
Have you had morning sickness? None, which I am SSSOOO thankful for! :)
Any weird food cravings yet? Nothing really. I eat a lot of Mexican, but I think that’s pretty normal! ;)
When is your due date? June 16, 2011
Do you have any names picked out? Nothing set in stone yet. We have a few favorites, but will probably narrow those down once we find out what we’re having!
Are you working out while pregnant? To be honest, I haven’t very much lately. And cancelling our gym membership to save $$ doesn’t help with that! I plan to do things at home, for example, I’ve found a few different specific pregnancy work out videos on You Tube that I want to try and I have a plethora of work out videos to do.
Nursery plans? Oh yes!! Kyle & I got a great start when we were off over Christmas break, but I’ll save that for another post!

So far I really enjoy being pregnant & I hope that feeling continues! It’s hard to believe I’m almost half way, Thursday I will be 18 weeks!

16 weeks, 1.3.2011

Usually Monday nights I spend solo, but because of the weather Kyle’s classes were cancelled! So I’m off to enjoy some extra time with my main man! Later peeps!

Tiiiirrreeed!!!

2011-01-04T19:58:00.001-08:00

Hey all!! First of all I need to say thanks for all your sweet comments on my bump and the support! You all are just too sweet! I just can’t believe how much my tummy is already sticking out. I’m pretty sure it gets bigger everyday!

I feel very good about my eats the first 2 days of the week. Here is a summary of Tuesday’s eats. For breakfast I had 1 glass orange juice (Vitamin C) and a bowl of oatmeal (whole grains) with a sliced banana (other fruits).

One thing I love about my job is that I had almost 2 weeks off over Christmas, but boy oh boy, coming back to insane, crazy busy work has been rough on this girl!

Mid morning I snacked on 1 c of multi grain cheerios (whole grains).

Like I said the office was pretty crazy, so to hold me over till lunch I sliced an apple (other fruits) for another snack.

My late, but delicious lunch was leftovers! I had cheesy crock-pot chicken (protein) with brown rice (whole grains).

When you take lunch at 2pm it really makes your afternoon fly! Before I knew I was carpooling with my main man to our humble abode! I love that we work at the same place!

Supper was a true midwestern meal, steak & potatoes! We use our new *larger* George Foreman grill to cook 2 good sized steaks. I had 1/2 of one (protein & iron).

And the roasted potatoes (iron) rounded out the meal! Felt like a farm girl again! ;)

After supper was eaten & cleaned up, I got right back to work. I brought home a bunch of things that are VERY time sensitive right now. Needless to say, I’m ready to hit the hay!

Here is a run down of my stats. The top number is how many servings I got in, the bottom number is how many is recommended. I think it will be hard to get all the recommended servings in of each category. But I think the big thing is that when I do choose food, I choose nutritionally rich ones.

Whole Grains 3/6
Calcium 0/4
Green Leafy/Yellow Veggies/fruits 0/4
Protein 2/3
Vitamin C 1/3
Iron 2/3
Other Fruits & Veggies 2/2
Fats 2/4
Fluids 104oz
Prenatal – check!

I’m still in decision mode. These are a LOT of thing to track. But I know they are important for me & my baby, so I’m giving it a shot. If anyone has any advice to more easily track I am all ears!

Pregnancy Eats Plan

2011-01-03T05:16:00.001-08:00

The reason I started this blog over 2 years ago was to become a healthier me. I haven’t really touched on that subject since my “announcement” of baby on the way! When I first found out I was pregnant I was very strict with my eats. I basically ate like I was on WW, just a little extra.

Then came the cruise…of course on vacation I enjoyed all the different eats the ship had to offer, but it didn’t stop there.

The next weekend we made a 10+ hour trip for a family wedding. I ate all the “no no” quick snacks from gas stations on the way there & back (think donuts, ice cream, etc). Wedding cake, anyone?

Then it was Christmas. We all know there is always a surplus of food at Christmas.

And lastly New Years!

Now I wasn’t eating horrible the entire month, but not what I needed nutritionally. One of the first things I did when I found out I was pregnant was researching what the eating guidelines were. I vowed to have a healthy pregnancy, not only for me, but baby too. Somehow in the month of December, I lost sight of that.

Aware of what I let get slightly out of hand, I’m making a change! I’m going to continue to use this blog as a tool to track my eats, just a little differently! In the past I’ve always counted points. I think the majority of us know when WW finds out you’re pregnant, you are kicked out! In my research I’ve found while pregnant it’s important to focus on nutrition rather than counting calories, fat, points, etc. So that’s just what I’m going to do. Here is a summary of the recommended serving/day of each item:

Whole Grains and Legumes (6 + servings)
Example: 1/2c brown rice, whole-grain bread/cereal, 1 oz whole-wheat pasta, pita, tortilla, beans, peanuts, peas, 1 c oatmeal
Calcium (4 servings, 1200 mg total)
Example: 1c milk, 1/2c hard cheese, 1c yogurt, edamame, sesame seeds, calcium-fortified juice
Yellow, Green and Leafy Veggies and Fruits (3-4 servings)
Example: winter squash, 1/2c broccoli, 1/2 carrot, 1/2 sm. sweet potato, apricot, mango, 1/2c cantaloupe, 1 lg peach, 1 clementine
Other Veggies and Fruits (1-2 servings)
Example: green bean, zucchini, corn, potato, apple, pear, banana, cherry
Vitamin C (3 servings)
Example: 1/2 med orange, kiwi, strawberry, peach, 1/2c cantaloupe/honeydew, 1/2c broccoli, cauliflower, 1/2c pineapple
Protein (3 servings, 75g total)
Example: poultry, beef, eggs, cheese, yogurt, nuts, peanut butter, beans, 1c. cottage cheese, edamame, 3-8oz glasses milk
Iron (3 servings)
Example: beef, duck, spinach, dried fruit, beans, soy products, pumpkin seeds, barley, oat bran, baked potato w/skin
Fats (roughly 4 servings)
Example: peanut butter, sour cream, cream cheese, salad dressing, olive oil, butter, mayonnaise
Daily Prenatal Vitamin
Fluids (at least 64 ounces)
Example: water, juice, milk

Note: the examples are things that I eat/like. I don’t consider myself picky, but I’m not a fan of lettuce and a few other things I took off the list. If you’re looking for more examples I recommend checking the book “What to Expect When You’re Expecting”. They had great examples.

I think a lot of these foods look quite familiar, WW good health guidelines anyone?!?! So instead of totaling my “points” each day I’m going to calculate my daily nutritionally servings. Now, yes I know there are a lot, but I’m going to try to keep it somewhat simple. For example, use this as a guide when I make my grocery list.

This is Christmas day, I was 15 weeks.

Hope you’re on board to follow me while I strive to have a healthy pregnancy, ending with a healthy baby!

New Years

2011-01-01T14:52:00.001-08:00

Kyle, Abby, and I made the 4+ hour trip down south to Kansas City on Thursday for New Year’s weekend!

The purpose of our trip? To spend some quality time with 2 wonderful people, Mark & Jenna!

It was an unbelievable 68 degrees when we got there! Doesn’t seem right for December! The boys squeezed in a game on the PS3 while us girls freshened up a bit!

Abby did what she does best! ;)

We had a night of “favorites” planned! First up, Texas Roadhouse! Mark & Jenna are regulars! ;)

Who can say no to their awesome dinner rolls & loaded potatoes?!?!? :) Mmmm good!

The other favorite of the night…ICE CREAM!!! DQ to be specific!!

Wendi & Hayden also made the trip to KC to see some of her college friends!

But first they spent the night with us!

Friday Jenna made us an amazing breakfast! (thanks hun!!) And we hit the mall! Hayden was pumped!!

So was Mark! This reminds me of another guy I know! ;) See this post!

After our day of shopping we “pretty-ed” up for a low key night out!

Tough boys! ;)

I sure do love this guy!!

Soon to be Mr & Mrs!!! :D

We enjoyed Mexican food for supper and spent the rest of the evening at their apartment. Unfortunately I didn’t make it to midnight. But Kyle did wake me up to get his New Years kiss! ;)

Kyle, Abby, & I headed home early Saturday morning. We keep telling our friends they need to move back to Iowa!! I guess we’ll just have to keep working on them.

I wish you all the best for 2011!!

Year in Review

2010-12-31T09:48:00.001-08:00

2010 was a great year, filled with accomplishments, trips, additions, and much more! Sit back & enjoy my year in review!

January I started back on track…for the millionth time! ;) In my mind that is a great accomplishment in itself, making the commitment to get back on track!

February was a great OP month! And we have squeezed in a trip to see Kyle’s sister & her hubby in the windy city, Chicago!

March marked the 7th year in a row I made the trip to Florida to see my Grampo (pronounced Gram-poo) and sister, Wendi, over spring break. Click here to see Day 1 and if you want to see more Florida posts, just click “newer post” at the bottom of the page.

April was my first race of the year! It was a 5K in a small local town. I finished in 28:38, not a PR, but still a great time!

May marked a big change in the Bangert house, Kyle left his job. It took lots of careful thought & consideration over a very long period of time, but we decided you cannot put a price on time off. No amount of money is worth what he was doing. And he started back to school full time. Click here to read more.

It was Kyle’s golden birthday, he turned 26 on the 26th! I was super sneaky and threw my main man a surprise golden birthday party!

June started out with a work trip to Austin, TX! I think we did more recreation that work things though, ssshhh! ;)

I squeezed in a few runs exploring downtown!

And tried a few new things, including alligator! ;)

In June I also ran my first 20K, the Dam to Dam in Des Moines. The big side note on this though is that I was completely un prepared! But I pushed through and finished the 12.4 miles, couldn’t have done it without Kyle!

In July Kyle had multiple interviews and accepted a job at the community college in the town where we live, which also happens to be where I work! ;) Of course we had to go out to celebrate!

And that next week he started his job, M-F 8am-5pm, can’t put a price on that!

August was a rough month. We lost Kyle’s Grandpa. We miss him dearly, but were so thankful that we had the ENTIRE family together over the 4th of July weekend.

One good thing about August is I marked another year in the books, yep I’m now 26! We celebrated a day early because…

I had to work on my birthday, but my staff did well with making the day extra special!

September was an extra special month, my nephew finally arrived!! Hayden James, born 9.12.10!

It was extra special because my sisters & Mom all got to be there for the birth.

I sure do love this little guy. He spent the first week of his life in the NICU, but is now a healthy growing boy!

Of course we all spent many weekends in Iowa City cheering on the Hawkeyes! This was our 3rd year as season ticket holders.

October started out with our final race of the year, the Applefest 5K. It was our first race in our hometown! Little did I know…

I was pregnant at the time! We didn’t find out till 10.16.10, a day Kyle & I will forever remember! Click here to read all about that day!

November was a fun month! November 4th marked 2 years that I have been on this journey! It was fun to look back to see what I have accomplished over that time! Click here to read my blogiversary post.

We also enjoyed sharing our “news'’ with our immediate family over a few weekends!

And we finished the month off with an awesome 5 day cruise with family & friends! Click here for the 1st half & here for the 2nd!

In December we got to see our little one for the first time! Not to mention also hearing that heartbeat! Priceless! Click here to read more!

December we also made the 10 hour drive to my cousin’s wedding in Oklahoma!

My entire family made the trip!

And of course we can’t forget Christmas!

And now we are ringing in the new year in Kansas City with some great friends!

I know that 2011 has lots to offer, can’t wait! :) See ya next year!

Christmas Recap

2010-12-29T06:08:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone! Before 2011 gets here I wanted to give you a quick recap of our busy, but wonderful Christmas weekend!

It started on Christmas Eve. Kyle and I went down to my sister, Wendi’s house. We spent all afternoon doing our Christmas baking, including oreo balls, peanut butter ritz crackers dipped in almond bark, chocolate star cookies, and puppy chow!

In the midst of all that we got he house ready for extended family Christmas that night!

And what else do you do at Christmas family gatherings, but eat!!

A delicious Christmas dinner: ham balls, deviled eggs, cheesy potatoes, strawberry pretzel salad, green bean casserole, and scalloped corn! Not pictured is dinner rolls, oreo salad, and of course all those yummy deserts!

And what else do you do at Christmas family gatherings? Open presents!!

And then play with your new gifts!

Only if you can figure out how to get the batteries in the toys! ;)

We went to Christmas Eve service at church that night and then set up the Christmas present we got for ourselves: a new tv!!

Football games will never be the same in the Bangert house!

Christmas day we went to Mom & Dad B’s house for our immediate family Christmas. Mom B made her yummy homemade pizza, not the traditional Christmas dinner, but still delish!

After lunch we did our gift exchange! Mom & Dad B must have been good this year! ;)

Abby even got in on the fun!

Travis was anxious to rip off that beautiful bow!

It was fun to have Mel & Steve home from Chicago! We keep telling them then need to move back here!

Grandma joined us for the day too!

Mom & Dad B got us a big Geroge Foreman, now we can make more than 1 chicken breast at a time! Our small George Foreman just wasn’t cutting it anymore!

Laura was pretty excited about her new Twin’s jersey, she’s a HUGE Joe Mauer fan!!

And Mel, the baker, can now make Hawkeye cakes!

We spent the afternoon playing cards & other games!

The next day our headed to Kyle’s aunt’s house for extended family Christmas. I didn’t get many pictures of the day, but it included more food, gifts, and family time!

One special gift we got was from Grandma. Grandpa passed away this summer and she had each of his ties made into a purse for the all daughters (& in-laws) and grand daughters. Such a neat way to remember Grandpa!

Grandma knew just the one for me, black & yellow! There is a long strap that is tucked inside, it will be perfect to take into Hawkeye games!

Other than family & food, we enjoyed our cousin’s little 3 year old boys! They are always on the go and kept us entertained with funny things they say!

An overall wonderful Christmas weekend! I hope you were able to enjoy it with the ones you love! Now let’s get ready to ring in 2011! Can’t wait for all that 2011 has for us! ;)

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T05:28:00.001-08:00

I wish I could send a card to every one who reads this blog! I SOOOO would if I could! But since that MIGHT be a little costly and take a while - I'm posting our card and wishing each of you a VERY merry Christmas from our family to yours!

front

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Sharing the news…

2010-12-21T12:06:00.001-08:00

In case you’ve been MIA lately, click here & here for a quick update on what’s going on in the Bangert household!

So we waited a few weeks to share the news with our family. Initially we were going to wait until after we heard the heartbeat, but that would have meant I would have had to spend a week on the cruise ship with my sisters. No way could that happen! ;)

The first weekend in November we got my family together, which wasn’t the easiest task! ;) Everyone is so busy these days! We had everyone there except my Dad & 1 sister. We sat down at the supper table and I volunteered Kyle to bless the meal. So he did like he would any other prayer “Thank you Lord for this food and the hands that prepared it, etc….” but he ended it with:

“And thank you for the addition to our family coming in June, amen!!”

Everyone shrieked and was so excited!! My sister, Mindi, said she knew it because I was so adamant about getting everyone together for supper and I’ve been “SO TIRED” lately! Well, she was right! We spent the rest of the evening talking all things pregnancy & baby!

The next weekend we were in Chicago with Kyle’s parents, his sister, & her husband for the Iowa vs Northwestern game. The day after the game we went out for breakfast. I had been wearing a zip up hoodie, went to the bathroom, got rid of the hoodie, and came back to the table wearing this shirt:

Needless to say everyone was surprised! When we got home that night we shared the news with Kyle’s brother and skyped his sister in Omaha! Sharing our exciting news is SO fun!!

The week of the Thanksgiving we spent 5 days on a cruise ship! The only reason I was excited to come home was because Monday, November 29th we had an appointment to hear our baby’s heartbeat! I was so anxious/nervous for this appointment! Hearing that beating inside me was a completely indescribable feeling! Of course I cried and Kyle said it was the proudest moment of his life!

He also said he thought he heard 2 heartbeats! But the doctor reassured him that one was mine the other was baby’s! He thought it would be perfect to have twins, 1 boy, 1 girl! Good thing he doesn’t get to choose! ;)

My Dr. ordered an ultrasound for a few days later so we got to see little Baby Bangert! It was so crazy to see how much that little baby was wiggling around inside me! So now we even have pictures to show off of our little one! ;)

These are when I was 12 weeks. Look at those long legs all stretched out!

Hope everyone is all ready for Christmas, only 4 more days!

Must Try!

2010-12-19T13:27:00.001-08:00

I made a new try last night for supper! I think this is definitely a family friendly recipe! Not sure where I got it from, but trust me, it’s good! Keep in mind the points are calculated based on the old system. I haven’t even come close to checking out all the changes with WW lately! I’ve had other things on my mind! ;)

BBQ Beef Filled Biscuits

1/2lb lean ground beef
1 small green pepper, finely chopped
1 small red pepper, finely chopped
1/3c BBQ sauce
1 7.5oz can buttermilk biscuits
1/2c 2% shredded cheddar

Heat oven 375 degrees.

Brown meat w/peppers. Remove from heat & stir in BBQ. Separate biscuits and press each one into the bottom & sides of muffin pan. Spoon meat mixture into biscuit cups. Filling will be mounded.

Bake 10 minutes. Top with cheese and bake 3-4 additional minutes.

Serves 4, 2 each. 7 points/serving

Enjoy!!

10.16.10

2010-12-16T16:56:00.001-08:00

October 16th, 2010 is a day that Kyle & I will never forget!

I woke up early, 5am to be exact! I think I was so sure I was pregnant I couldn’t sleep! And I took the test I had purchased the night before. I didn’t tell Kyle I had purchased it though!

Seeing those 2 pink lines was almost surreal. I was excited, surprised, shocked, anxious, happy, etc all at the same time!

Since it was early on a Saturday I let Kyle sleep in & I ran down to my craft room to get busy! I wasn’t 100% sure how I wanted to tell Kyle. I brainstormed and knew just the way!

Before I show you a picture of the card I need to give you some background! The weekend before was 10.10.10, the day of the Chicago marathon. I tracked a bunch of people, fellow blog friends, strangers, and a few “real life” friends! I was so inspired that day, people of all shapes, sizes, weights, ages ran & conquered this race!

I had always thought I didn’t want to run a marathon, the 1/2 marathon was enough for me. But something changed that day and I had this HUGE urge to run a marathon! The next day I started researching spring marathons and came across Grandma’s Marathon in Minnesota. I read that it was a great marathon for your first, a mostly flat course! Race day was June 18th, 2011. I had convinced myself I was going to do this! I was so pumped that week, researching training plans, reading race recaps, setting dates to get started training, etc, but then…

Friday I realized I was about 1 week “late” and that’s when I decided to buy the test! And Saturday morning it was positive! Ok, so now that you’re caught up here is the card I wrote to Kyle:

And I wrapped a gift with a few things! When he finally woke up, I gave him the card & gift. He was a little confused, but I told him to just open it! The card totally threw him for a loop, almost made him mad! ;) First I didn’t want to run a marathon, then I was all for it, and now I was saying I didn’t think I wanted to do it! It was perfect because he didn’t have a clue!

Confused, he then opened the gift! Once again he was confused at first, why did he need baby clothes?!?!? He thought maybe it was for some friends who were coming over that night for supper who were 8 weeks pregnant at the time! But then he read the notes:

“Not only are you SuperMan, a Super Husband, but I know you’re going to be a Super Dad!” Kyle loves anything Superman!

“We may not need this to cheer on the Hawks today, but our little Hawkeye will get good use out of them next fall!”

With an ear to ear smile, he looked up and said “We’re pregnant?!?!?!?!” All giddy with tears, I squealed YES!!!!

We spent the next few hours talking & talking! It was a wonderfully happy day!! But let me tell you hanging out with our friends who were 8 weeks pregnant that night was SO hard not to spill the beans!!

Last, but definitely not least, Kyle & I thank each & every one of you for all your sweet comments on the Wordless Wednesday post yesterday!! We were overwhelmed with your excitement & kindness! So obviously the focus of my blog is going to change, gaining weight is now ok! I hope you all are up for some changes & continue to follow me in the new stage of my journey! Stay tuned for more!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-15T04:53:00.001-08:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-08T18:19:00.001-08:00

*Abby’s in the Christmas spirit*

Family Fun Cruise – Days 3, 4, & 5

2010-12-07T17:53:00.001-08:00

Just in case you missed days 1 & 2, click here.

Day 3 – Costa Maya

I woke up at a perfect time Wednesday morning, I worked out while the view of Costa Maya came into sight!

This tiny little boat helped us dock!

Check out the rainbow that welcomed us!

I almost forgot how big our boat was, until we got off! Wow!

We first scoped out all the local shops!

And then found the pool in the middle, with a view of the Gulf & our boat!

We enjoyed a dolphin show!

We spent the afternoon in the pool, ate some yummy Mexican…

and just lounged!

Gotta love vacation!

We were wore out from the sun, but made it back to the boat, can’t miss dinner!

These were the wonderful people who took care of us each night at dinner. This night all the wait staff came out singing & dancing, it was too fun!

Of course we had to join the party!

So glad this is a food blog, I know you guys appreciate good food, otherwise I worry you would get bored with all these food pictures!

Yes I was one of those nerd-y cruise passengers that wore the Royal Caribbean lanyards, but it was so convenient to keep my SeaPass card & Cruise Compass (our daily list of activities!) for the day!

It was so fun to get to know Julie, my cousin’s fiancé. They got married the weekend after we got back from the cruise!

We all got a good laugh out of this random guy that decided to join Brent & Shelly for a picture…Brent & Shelly didn’t know till afterwards when I showed them the picture!

I think it’s funny I mainly only took pictures of dessert! ;)

After dinner we hung out in the Centrum, enjoying the tree that was put up while we were at Costa Maya for the day.

Us girls sat & chatted the evening away…

The boys did…well boy things! ;) Drink beer & gamble!

In the spirit of gambling, we played a friendly game of Texas Hold ‘em! Julie & I were the newbie’s at the table, but check out all those chips I have! Beginners luck?!?!?

Day 4 – Cozumel, Thanksgiving Day

This was the extent of my Thanksgiving…lounging on the beach & in the Gulf!

It was perfect!

So it’s not the traditional day with family, but we were both ok with that! I mean who can say no to lounging in 80+ degree weather!

For lunch we sat by the pool & bar, water fall included!

Cheers to Thanksgiving vacations!

Do nachos count for Thanksgiving dinner? They were delish!

So when we pulled into port Thanksgiving morning our Captain said we were docked next to our big sister, the Liberty of the Seas, he wasn’t kiddening! I thought our boat was big!

It felt like we were walking in between 2 sky scrapers, rather than 2 boats!

When it was time to get back on the ship we headed to the front to see how everything all worked!

Look what we saw, a boat that almost sunk that was getting pulled into shore! That sucks!

See those ropes, they are actually HUGE!! And those 2 guys laying down were just waiting for there cue to un hook us!

We watched us leave port and waved goodbye to Cozumel. Then it was that time again, to eat! ;)

They had traditional Thanksgiving options on the menu! I went for the ham, it was BY FAR the best ham I’ve ever had!!

Kyle went for the turkey, he said it was awesome!

I’m so thankful for this wonderful man and that we had the opportunity to go on this vacation with family & friends! We are truly blessed!

No Thanksgiving dinner is complete without apple pie a la mode!!

Or pumpkin pie! ;) Yep, once again I had multiple desserts!

The show that night was the Love & Marriage game!

The questions & answers kept us entertained!! I even quizzed Kyle in our seats!

Day 5 – At Sea

Friday came & was bitter sweet! We looked forward to a fun day on the ship, but it was our last. :(

We spent the day at the pool, in the sun, and of course eating! ;)

So jealous of my cousin & his new wife, they went with us on the cruise for a week, came home for 4 days, got married, and this week they are on their honeymoon in Jamaica! Sounds like an amazing 3 weeks!

Our last dinner together on the cruise. :(

I think the chef saved the “fancy” foods for the last night! Mindi was excited to have lobster!

Going in…and she liked it! :)

Us cousins like to be silly! Keep things fun! ;)

The waiter even took the lobster out of the shell! What service!

Kyle & I aren’t sea food fans, but he decided to give it a try! I think that’s an “I’m not sure about this” smile!

Still smiling….not for long though! He wasn’t a fan!

We decided we’ll stick with dessert! A triple threat this time! :)

There was a variety show for the last night! Music, singing, & dancing! Very fun!

And a former Olympic gold medalist who did circ de soleil, but comedy too!

This dude was pretty impressive!

Such fun memories!!

We docked the next morning at 7am and got off the boat by 9am and headed to the airport.

Can’t wait for our next group vacation!!

Family Fun Cruise – Days 1 & 2

2010-12-06T19:23:00.001-08:00

Early Sunday morning Kyle & I arrived at our local airport to wait for a delayed flight. :( We ended up sitting in the airport for 2 1/2 hours before taking off.

We stayed positive though and were excited for our upcoming vacation!

We missed our connecting flight and got to Tampa around 6pm, rented a car, and picked up my sister, Mindi, & her hubby, Preston.

We hit up Giordanos for 2nd time in 2 weeks! Chicago anyone? ;)

Mindi & Preston were more than excited to try Chicago style pizza!!

And of course Kyle knew all the yummy, pizza goodness that was he was about to devour!

We met up with my sister, Stef, and her husband, Geoff.

And my cousin Dar, and his fiancé, Julie!

We all stayed in downtown Tampa for the night, just a hop, skip, & a jump away from the port!

We all met up for breakfast the next morning and couldn’t wait to get on the boat!!

It was a short bus ride to the port.

Everyone was all smiles!

Especially me & my Superman…aka Kyle! ;)

Checking in was a breeze, this was the first view of my home for the next 5 days!

We spent the first few hours exploring the ship. Check out our room!

The bathroom wasn’t quite big enough for my burly husband!

We even squeezed in a few activities before we left port.

At 5pm sharp, we left the Tampa port…..

and we had front row seats!

Everyone cleaned up & changed for dinner!

Brent & Shelly were the last couple to join our group, 10 of us total!

The menu was full of options!

Even healthy options!

And maybe some not so healthy ones! Gotta splurge on vacation!

Dessert is our favorite course!

After an excellent dinner with happy tummies, we headed to the front of the ship for the opening show!

Day 2 – At Sea

We spent the majority of the day, RELAXING! We slept in, enjoyed a wonderful breakfast was a view of the Gulf, and soaked in the sun! It was glorious!

Dinner day 2 was the formal one and I LOVE to dress up!!

I picked up my dress at Younkers, a size too big, had it altered and still only had $17 total in it! LOVE good deals!

We met up at the President’s Reception before dinner for some complimentary champagne!

Who can say no to free drinks?!?!

It was SO fun to go on the cruise with my sisters! One little sister was missing though! :( Next time, Wendi, right?!?! ;)

Once again, the food did not disappoint!

But of course, dessert was, as always, my favorite!

And I love that you can order more than just one! ;)

Heaven!

I ended up calling it a night after dinner. I know, I know, party pooper! I was feeling a bit under the weather. The rest of the crew enjoyed the show & some dancing!

To save you from picture overload, I’m going to split my cruise re cap into a few posts. Check back tomorrow for more!

Technical Difficulties

2010-12-03T11:19:00.000-08:00

TGIF friends!!!

I'm very sad to say that I have to delay my cruise post due to some difficulties, aka my computer won't turn on! But I'm penciling in Monday night to get it done. My computer is currently getting fixed (fingers crossed).

Right now I'm on a 10 hour road trip to Oklahoma for my cousin's wedding weekend. Hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend. I have to say I wasn't too sad to leave 'cause there was a snow storm headed right through Iowa!

Cheers!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-01T18:38:00.001-08:00

*more to come soon!

I’m Home!

2010-11-29T18:22:00.001-08:00

Hello friends! I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving last week! I sure did and I can’t wait to fill you in on all the cruise details, but what’s more important when you get home from vacation….getting right back on track!

That is just what I did! This morning I had a delicious bowl of honey nut cheerios with a sliced banana for 5 points.

I was surprised, I really didn’t dread work! I mean come on, who wants to go back to work after 9 days off! It wasn’t bad though, I kept busy! My first morning snack was an apple for 1 point.

Before a lunch appointment I had 1 c cantaloupe and 1/2 c cottage cheese for a total of 3 points.

After my lunch appointment I scarfed down some carrot sticks for 0 points…because evidentially 2 minutes & 30 seconds for my SmartOnes to cook wasn’t fast enough! ;)

I made it through the “long” cooking time and had a Smart Ones for 4 points.

My afternoon flew by and before I knew it quitting time was here! Kyle had class tonight so I was solo. I hit the gym with a friend for a 30 minute treadmill workout. Felt great!

After the workout I whipped up a quick supper, whole wheat pasta, zucchini, and 2% shredded mozzarella for 5 points.

It’s not even 9pm and I’m ready to crash! The cruise was amazing & I can’t wait to fill you guys in, but it will have to wait till tomorrow!

T-Day a Day Late

2010-11-26T16:11:00.001-08:00

This little turkey was sad he didn't get to spend his first Thanksgiving with his Aunt Darci..but he's glad that she is having a blast on her cruise!

So Darci gave me (her little sis Wendi) the password to her blog this week so I could publish a post for her and I told her I might just have to write a post of my own! I have to say that blogging is such a great form of entertainment. I don't write my own, but I love to read them and I have found so many through my sister's that I read on a daily basis. I think it's such a wonderful community and I know a lot of you out there help my sis to stay on track and keep motivated. I can't say that I do even close to as good of a job at the whole healthy living thing as my sister Darci does, but she definitely motivates me! She is a huge inspiration to me and I would love to be more like her:)

Well even though it's the day after, I thought I would give you all a little list of what I'm thankful for. And here goes nothing...

My sister Darci who is also my best friend. (And Santa too!)

My Faith.

Life long friends and the beach.

Some of the most amazing women in the world, my mom and my sisters.

And finally what I am most thankful for this year..

The love of my life..my pride and joy..and this blog's most popular baby..Hayden James:)

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Blog Interview: Bobbi from Nhershoes

2010-11-23T07:24:00.000-08:00

While I am cruising the tropical Caribbean waters I thought I would keep you guys entertained with a few posts! Today's comes from one of my favorite blogs, Bobbi at Nhershoes. If you haven't visted her blog before, it's a MUST read! She is a rock star athlete, creative in the kitchen, and just overall such a fun, beautiful, honest person! Bobbi always has great tips & is so up beat! Check out the "interview" I had with her!

Let’s start with a general question! Tell us about a little about yourself.

I am one busy women who is trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle in a crazy busy world. I wear several different hats every day as a wife, cook, runner, athletic director, registrar , blogger, small business owner, coach, and kickboxing instructor!

What made you want to start blogging?

I wanted to write about my Boston Marathon training and then it just grew from there. I just started reading a lot of other blogs and just got more and more inspired.

You are in such great shape! Have you ever struggled with your weight?

I went in to college at 5′5 and 155 pounds (I lied on my driver license and put 150 because that seemed smaller to me). I started my college education as a Kinesiology major because I wanted to be a PE teacher one day, and this was how I thought I would lose all the weight. Well I was partially right. I began to exercise a whole lot because all my classes were exercise classes. I had yoga in the mornings, Akido in the afternoon, and kickboxing at night. I was also taking nutrition classes and learning a little about what the right things were to eat. I slowly started knocking the weight off, but I wasn’t doing it the healthy way. I remember people saying to me, man you look great, keep it up. I was so happy but started to get depressed. I knew that I was messing with God’s temple. The breaking point was when I got down to 10 wheat thins, and an apple a day. I was starving myself. How could have I have gotten this far? How was I justifying this? I was falling a part. I got some help and started developing a better relationship with food, better but not great.

My sophomore year I left to Memphis Tennessee, the third obesity state. Don’t get me wrong they have some great food in the south, but a lot of it is full of grease and salt. I knew what to eat, and I tried to stay healthy but college got the best of me, and I had one to many beers and free pizza dinners. I gained all my weight back plus some. I was in a size 12 and still fighting to get down to 15o even though that was still considered overweight for my body frame I thought 150 was fine. I finally decided to bust out the old running shoes and start running again. I took it easy and got back in to running shape; well at least I could do a good three miles without dieing. I then started to get inspired and motivated I loved the way I felt when I ran. I was born to run! I have and will always love it. I knew that I was going down a path to freedom.

My senior year of college I decided to do my first marathon, St. Jude. I started training with a friend who had to drop out, so I finished the training on my own. I didn’t have any kind of plan, I just ran when I could and did long runs on the weekends. I had no idea that I should be taking goo’s or doing interval training and yoga was out of the question. I still ate OK, not great. Had those late night Chilli’s runs oh so often with happy hour margaritas! I ran that marathon the best I could and hated it. I remember hitting 18 miles wanting to run off that road and go home! I ran the whole thing and got a 4:20 and was proud of myself!!
What is your exercise regimen?

I try and do a little bit of everything so I don't get BORED! When I am not training for a marathon I run at least 2-3 times a week. Do yoga twice a week, ride my bike somewhere in there, and hit kickboxing 3 times a week. I make sure to take at least 1 rest day a week.

I know you’ve done quite a few marathons, what have you learned from all those races?

That each one was HARD! Mostly mental but physically too.

Your house is so cute, I love how you decorate! What would you say is the style of your home?
Well thanks girl! Hmm, not sure I guess I would say Modern Chic :)

I know you like to entertain, what is your favorite “go to” meal when you have dinner guests?

Anything in the crockpot or pasta!

What is your food weakness?

Salsa and Chips!

With the holiday’s right around the corner, what do you do to stay on track with the “busy-ness” of the season and all the food at gatherings?

I am a little OCD with planning. For instance I have already written out my gift lists and put down days to shop and things to do for the Holiday season in my calander :) We keep a family calander with google and a hard calandar for myself to write down tasks.

Name one fun fact about yourself.

I have four younger brothers and I tend to have more guy friends then girls because of it!

Who is your role model or who inspires you?
I think people who really go out and do their dreams and don't worry about failing!

Thanks for your time Bobbi! You are so inspiring! You can go to her blog here.

And I’m Off!!!

2010-11-21T03:48:00.001-08:00

Hello friends!! In case you missed it, I’m going to be spending this week on a cruise with friends & family, 10 of us total!! Kyle and I are flying to Tampa today and our cruise leaves tomorrow!

Saturday I spent the day packing! I’m all about packing outfits, rather than just a bunch of shirts, shorts, & skirts.

And I think I was good on the number of shoes I brought…8 isn’t too many right?!?

Abby thought she fit in my suitcase nicely! She is actually spending the week with my Mom, Step Dad, sister (Wendi), and Hayden! Thanks for taking care of her guys!! :)

I got a pedi! Love to be pampered!!

The rest of my day was spent cheering on the Hawks, only to have my heart broken. :( They put up a good fight though!

AND…..

I finished decorating for Christmas!!! I usually do this the weekend after Thanksgiving, but we wont’ be home so I wanted to do it early!! :) I went with some bright colors this year! Love the green & teal together!

This is behind my sink in the kitchen, one of my favorite pieces!

And probably one my favorite Christmas decoration, my nativity set!

And the star of our living room, the tree! Last year I had a teal/blue & silver tree, this year I skipped the silver & added green & pink! Love the fun bright colors!

That’s all for me now! Kyle and I need to get to the airport. I have a few posts planned for while I’m away so make sure to stop back! And especially next weekend for a full recap on my cruise!! :D

Have a great week everyone!

Weekend

2010-11-17T04:52:00.001-08:00

Hello my favorite blog friends!! I’m counting down the days till Kyle and I head out on our cruise…only 5 more to go!!! But first let me catch you up on our weekend happenings!

It started out with a scare! My Grandpa was rushed by ambulance to the ER, he had fluid on his heart and it was racing. We all sat in the ER waiting room for 3+hours waiting to hear. They finally were able to stabilize his heart and Kyle & I made the tough decision to go ahead with our weekend plans, heading to Chicago. Thankfully he was able to go home from the hospital on Monday!

Kyle and I with his parents hit the road to Chicago Friday night. Kyle’s sister & her husband live there. Also Kyle’s Aunt & Uncle flew in from CA.

And we all went to the Iowa vs Northwestern football game on Saturday!

It was fun to see Kyle’s Aunt & Uncle from CA! They are quite entertaining!!

And we all couldn’t wait to cheer on the Hawks!

If anyone says Iowa fans don’t travel well, they weren’t at the game on Saturday!

I don’t see much purple in that crowd!! It was awesome!!

Unfortunately it was a rainy, chilly day…!

But we had our ponchos to stay dry!

Unfortunately the Hawks pull out a win. Such a bummer!

Even with the loss we couldn’t pass up some Chicago style pizza! Giordanos!!!

Aunt Debbie got her own personal sized pizza…no one wanted to share a spinach pizza! ;)

Kyle and I split a Hawaiian with his sister & her hubby!! Mmmm, delish!!!

Mmmmm, love this pizza!!!

We let our pizza settle and couldn’t finish the night without some ice cream!

I <3 ice cream!!! ;)

We all passed out from our food coma and the sadness of the Hawkeye loss. The next morning we went out for breakfast before hitting the road.

We said our goodbyes and drove the 5+ hours home.

It was a good weekend, minus the Hawkeye loss! Now we’re looking forward to our cruise next week with my sisters and a few other friends!! Cannot wait!! :)

Happy Hump day friends…only 2 more days till the weekend!!

almost WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2010-11-11T04:12:00.001-08:00

no longer a honey crisp virgin! ;)

Sunny Tuesday

2010-11-10T04:48:00.001-08:00

Tuesday was a gorgeous day here in Iowa, sunny & 70 degrees! Too bad I had to work inside all day!

Breakfast was a few left over pancakes with peanut butter for 9 points.

My first morning snack was cheese & crackers for 4 points! I love these 100 calorie pre-portioned cheese cubes!

Kyle got stuck in a meeting and it was after 1:30pm so I went for another snack before lunch to calm my tummy, a fruit parfait for 2 points. I love how convenient these are…fruit, yogurt, & granola all in one container!

We finally got to go home for lunch a little after 2pm, which I don’t mind because that means our afternoon at work flies by!

I had a triple threat plate, starting with 1/2c cottage cheese and pineapple for 3 points.

A serving of steamed broccoli that I didn’t eat, had a horrible taste. I think it was on the verge of going bad. :(

And I rounded things out with a grilled cheese sandwich for 2 points.

Great lunch, minus the bad broccoli! ;)

After work Kyle and I ran a few errands, had to make a quick stop at the post office to mail a certain package! ;) And then we hit up the grocery store, we were running quite low on food!

By the time we got home it was after 7pm, so I went for something quick & comforting! The mini pizzas strike again, 6 points.

I had a craving for mac n cheese, so I made a 1/2 box and calculated the points. Not too bad if you have 1/2 a serving and make it w/no butter & skim milk. My serving was only 3 points and totally satisfied my craving!

I had to show you guys my dress I wore today! It’s pretty simple, but I love it! I had already ditched my heels, walking all day at the office & grocery shopping was enough! ;) Can’t wait to pair it with leggings & boots this winter!

TUESDAY’S STATS
POINTS = 29/23
WEEKLY ALLOWANCE POINTS = 6 used/29 remaining
ACTIVITY POINTS EARNED = 0 today/0 week
H2O = 88 oz
EXERCISE = none

Are you a dress girl? I would say I definitely am! But I don’t wear them often enough!

Catching up and a WINNER!!!

2010-11-09T10:30:00.000-08:00

Hello friends! I've been MIA the past few days! LOTS going on! :) I'll give you the short version!

Thursday was my blogiversary...hard to believe 2 years ago I was in a much different place! If you missed my post make sure to go check it out here!

Friday was work like normal and then we spent the evening w/my family! Always love family time! :)

Saturday was an unexpected road trip to Kansas City!! I packed my bags quick...

Had some cereal in my favorite bowl...

And my sister, Mindi, and I hit the road!! She had a wedding to go to and I was going along for the ride & to surprise my friend who lives in KC!

We had a few snacks along the way...

Some healthy...

Some, not so much! But I counted out my serving! ;) The 4+ hour trip flew by, I always enjoy sister time!!

Our first stop was the Legends at Village West Outlet mall!!

Mindi made friends with some "animals"!!

We couldn't shop on an empty stomachs though! We made a quick stop at Five Guys, a new try for me!

I got the "little" burger, but there wasn't much that was little about it! ;) But it was one good burger!

Mindi's got the little burger too...but went "all the way" with her toppings!

Word the wise, if you go to Five Guys, get the regular fries! Our little container was overflowing. We barely made a dent in them!

We shopped the afternoon away and I made a quick call to my friend, Jenna. She had NO idea I was in town and was TOTALLY surprised!! I love surprises!!!

We met up downtown at The Plaza for some more shopping. It was EXTRA fun to see her because she recently got ENGAGED!!! For supper we hit up one of my favorites, Cheddars!

We had their homemade onion rings...LOVE these!!

And I got the chicken tender wrapper! I think they changed something on it though 'cause it wasn't the same as past times. Why mess with a good thing?!?!

We enjoyed supper and met up with my sister from Omaha, Stef, who was also in town for a wedding. It was a fun girls night! Oh and Jenna asked me to be a bridesmaid!!! Can't wait for your big day Jenna, you're going to make a gorgeous bride!!!

Sunday involved sleeping in, more shopping, and Mindi & I made the drive home! We didn't get back till after midnight though! I was one tired girl!! It was worth it, such a fun weekend!

Now on to some blog business!! My first giveaway ended yesterday and I used random.org to choose a winner.

Comment #3, my good [blog] friend & fellow Iowan Alyssa from over at A Journey to Thin said:

Congrats Alyssa!!

Ok, so question for you guys! Do you enjoy last minute trips? Or are you a planner & don't like to change plans? I'm usually a planner, but I didn't have a whole lot going on and figured "what the heck"!! Glad I did! :)

2 Year Blogiversary!!!

2010-11-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

Two years ago today I was in a much different place. I had just had a long “life talk” (family, finances, health, etc) with Kyle, my husband. I realized I wasn’t happy with the place I had let myself get to and needed to make a change. That very next day I got back to counting points and exercising!

I started a blog to document my eats and I’ve gotten SO much more from it! I’ve been inspired by your support, love the inspiration the blog world offers, and I’ve learned SO much from my fellow blog friends & this community.

I have had a few ups & downs since, but I’m committed to this journey! I know that the support of my husband, family, friends, and YOU (my readers) have helped me to be successful! And for that, I cannot say thank you enough!
I have gone from being able to run less than 1 mile to running a half marathon, something I would have thought would never be possible! I have a new outlook on life, food, fitness, the scale, and the list could go on & on! I know that it is not the number on the scale that determines if I’m successful, but what I’ve accomplished.

Today I’m a stronger, smaller, happier, committed woman! I can’t wait to see what the next year holds! ;)
Just for fun I’ve I thought I break a few things down when it comes to the how long, how many, etc! I do have an accounting degree, you know!

351 - The number of published posts to date
1971 - The number of comments I’ve amassed from you, my lovely readers
357 - Most blog page views I’ve received in a single day according to Blogger (thank you amazing readers!)
6,355 - Total number of blog hits I received last month, all time high! (thanks again amazing readers!)
16,810 - Total blog hits to date (did I mention that you’re amazing?)
14 - Average number of posts per month
202 – My weight on 11.4.08
40 – The number of pounds I’ve lost since my first post
8 – Abby’s weight ;)
13.1 - The furthest distance (in miles) I’ve ran
6 – The number of races I’ve completed (Hope to greatly increase that number next year!)
7 - The number of running shorts I own, one for each day of the week!
86 – The number of days I had a blogging hiatus (GOAL: get that lower next year!)
97 – The average number in ounces of water I drink per day
7 - The number of weeks ago my sweet nephew, Hayden, was born
So there you have it! I proud of my numbers! :D

My hope for the blog going forward is to give back as much appreciation, love, and inspiration as I get from blogging!

As a small token of my appreciation, I am going to do my FIRST giveaway! It includes a few of my favorites: a Hungry Girl cookbook, an Iowa magnetic chip clip, Larabars, $15 Subway giftcard, and an Envirosax resuable shopping bag!
How to enter:
1. Comment! - Leave a comment telling me what inspires YOU!
2. Tweet! - @darcibangert is hosting a Blogiversary giveaway over at darcithelbloser.blogspot.com – Leave a [separate] comment telling me you did so.
3. Follow! – Become a follower or let me know if you already are. Leave a [separate] comment telling me you did so.
4. Blog! – Put a link on your blog post “Check out Darci’s Blogiversary post for a great giveaway over at http://darcithelbloser.blogspot.com” - Leave a [separate] comment telling me you did so.

Deadline is Monday November 8th. Good luck!

Free Supper

2010-11-03T09:52:00.000-07:00

Happy Hump day my friends! We're half way to Friday, hooray!!!

Here's a quick recap on my Tuesday eats. I had 1 lonely leftover pancake from this Sunday with some cool whip & a banana for 6 points.

Mid morning I sliced up an apple for a 1 point snack.

Kyle and I had an errand to run on our lunch break, so we were squished for time. I had 1/2c cottage cheese for 2 points...didn't eat the cantaloupe, it was still hard!

Because of our time crunch my main course for lunch was a Smart Ones for 4 points.

After work Kyle got busy on homework and I made a quick Target run. I LOVE that store! Somehow a bag of Reeses snuck into my cart. I had 1 serving of those little guys which is 5 for 5 points. Darn clearance Halloween candy! ;)

Supper was FREE! We got a coupon in the paper for KFC's newest chicken sandwich. I order it grilled and only ate 1/2 the bun for an estimate of 6 points. I love their little song on commercials, 'G' double 'O' 'D', GOOD!

TUESDAY’S STATS
POINTS = 24/23
WEEKLY ALLOWANCE POINTS = 1 used/34 remaining
ACTIVITY POINTS EARNED = 0 today/0 week
H2O = 104 oz
EXERCISE = none

Just so you know, you MUST stop back tomorrow for a FUN post!!! That's all I can now though! ;)

My Road to Weight Loss

The Plan

It's Going to be Different!

TIGF!

Quick update

Time to get serious!

Post Baby Update

TGIF!

Update

Post Baby Plan

Adelyn’s Birth Story

She’s Here!!!

40 weeks

dear daughter…

37 weeks

Nursery Tour

Work Baby Shower

Bow Holder

Tweet Baby Girl

33 weeks

31 weeks

30 weeks

29 weeks

28 weeks

27 weeks

Nursery Progress

26 weeks

25 weeks

Weekend Chicago Trip

24 weeks

23 weeks

22 weeks

21 weeks

20 weeks

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Wordless Wednesday

Pink or Blue?

20 weeks

Questions…Answered!

Tiiiirrreeed!!!

Pregnancy Eats Plan

New Years

Year in Review

Christmas Recap

Merry Christmas

Sharing the news…

Must Try!

10.16.10

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Family Fun Cruise – Days 3, 4, & 5

Family Fun Cruise – Days 1 & 2

Technical Difficulties

Wordless Wednesday

I’m Home!

T-Day a Day Late

Blog Interview: Bobbi from Nhershoes

And I’m Off!!!

Weekend

*almost* WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Sunny Tuesday

Catching up and a WINNER!!!

2 Year Blogiversary!!!

Free Supper

almost WORDLESS WEDNESDAY