on a roll. or a run.

as you know if you've been reading for a while, i've been actively working on losing weight for about two and a half months now. i gained a lot more weight with hunter than i intended (thank you, poptarts) and taking it off is proving to be far more difficult than putting it on. but, i'm having success and i'm excited to see my hard work paying off. since june 6th (10 weeks) i've lost 15 pounds! also, i took measurements on june 30th (kicking myself for not taking them when I started!) and then took them again today. in six and a half weeks i've lost 7 inches: 1" from my bust, 2" from my waist, 2.5" from my hips, and 1.5" from my arm. i will take it!

also, if you know me at all you know i don't run. like, ever.

well, apparently that's no longer the case. i mentioned before that joe decided to train for a 10k and that i reluctantly agreed to do some of the training runs with him.

we started with running one minute, walking two minutes, repeat.

since then we have gradually increased our running intervals and decreased our walking intervals. it's been fun to do together and joe has been extremely encouraging.

honestly, for me running has been a major source of anxiety for most of my life. i literally tried to fake sick every time i knew we had to do the mile run fitness test in gym class all through grade school (you can ask my mom). i have always been slow and absolutely hated being one of the last to finish the run, especially because at my school all the kids sat on the bleachers by the track when they were done with the mile and waited for everyone else to finish. so not only was i slow, but my lack of athleticism seemed to be on display for all my peers to see. it sounds dramatic but it was truly a traumatizing experience for me looking back and i remember thinking i'd never run again once i didn't have to for school.

but i think that sense of inadequacy or failure around running has been a roadblock throughout my journey toward fitness and a happy/healthy weight. it's one of those nagging voices in my mind saying "you don't have what it takes." but i'm really getting to a different place mentally. no longer are my motivations for eating less and working out merely skin-deep. i want to achieve the things that i have been telling myself i can't for as long as i can remember, and that includes being a "runner." don't get me wrong, i'm not setting out to run a marathon or anything. and not because i don't think i can, but because i don't have the desire or the time to commit to it. but i want to push myself to do things like 5 and 10k races, and maybe even someday a half marathon.

on monday i ran 3 miles without stopping a single time to walk. it's the first time in my life i've ever run that far without stopping. i mapped out a 3 mile loop around my neighborhood and set out with the goal of running the whole thing. it. was. hard. there were a few hills i thought would never end and i wanted to stop so badly a couple of times. but i didn't. i know my body can do more than my head says it can and proving that voice that says "you can't" is what was most rewarding.

joe wants us to sign up for the twin cities monster dash 10 mile race on october 25th. i'm not sure about it yet- 10 miles is a loooong way to run. but the fact that it sounds so scary is what makes me think i should take the plunge and do it. stay tuned...

4 months.

this post is a little late, but that's basically the theme of my life so there ya have it.

my sweet hunter joseph is 4 months old. he is a smiley, happy, easy going little guy and such a joy in our lives. we hit a little snag about 3 weeks ago when hunter started having a felt rough time eating and seemed extremely distressed immediately after eating. he's always spit up a lot but he started arching his back and screaming mid-feeding and was nearly inconsolable sometimes after eating. i brought him to the doctor a week ago and she told me he has acid reflux. poor buddy. but he has honestly been a brand new man since starting zantac and nursing seems to be a pleasant experience again rather than a distressing one. so glad we got that resolved quickly!

hunter is still wanting to eat every 2-2.5 hours during the day. he's also eating rice cereal 1-2 times a day (supposedly helps with reflux) and LOVES it. he gobbles it up so fast and smiles a ton while eating.

the 3-4 month sleep regression hit us hard. but we seem to be back in the groove now. typically hunter goes to bed around 8:30pm and sleeps 6-7 hours, wakes to eat, and goes back down for 3-4 more hours. he's also taking several short naps and one long nap (usually 1:30-3:30 or 4) each day. he still gets swaddled (arms in) for his long nap and at night. his shorter naps are often in the car seat or the mamaroo if we are home.

hunter is super chatty like his big brother and is extremely ticklish! it's so fun to tickle him and hear his sweet laugh. he's loving reaching for things lately and chomping on his hands (or anything else he can find). he loves his nuk too. he also really likes rides in the stroller, sitting in his bumbo, and is starting to warm up to the jumperoo. being carried in the ergo is hit or miss on whether or not he likes it, but we keep trying :-)