Playing Catch Up Once Again!

So playing catch up is becoming a more regular post than I ever intended! The main reason I haven't been blogging as much lately is that my normal "blog" time has now become my workout time. Kelly and I started a new 60 day workout program on Dec 14th, it's called Insanity! And it IS!! It's definitely the hardest dvd workout I've ever done! Which makes me VERY happy b/c since I've trained for sports, with a body builder and some really good personal trainers - it's REALLY hard for me to find a dvd workout that makes me feel like I'm actually working out! To be honest, when Kelly and I first watched it before we did it - I psyched myself out thinking I wasn't going to be able to do it b/c I had all the "baby weight" to lose, but I surprised even myself! I'm happy to report I've lost 16lbs since November, so I am officially lower than my pre-baby weight. Now I just have to get to my "pre car accident" weight! We actually only have 2 more days of Insanity left, so I'm starting to stress a little about losing my momentum and focus! We're going to do a week of recovery workouts, then we have a trip to Maryland so we're going to start our own rendition of P90X when we get back from there.

Anyway, now that we've committed to working out 1 hour 6 days a week, my normal blog time on the weekends during Riley's nap has become our workout time on Saturday, and then I spend Sunday doing laundry and getting ready for the next week - so that leaves no free time for blogging!! And the week days are even more difficult! As it is Kelly and I don't get to bed until midnight or later, so there's not a lot of free time to squeeze blogging in there either! Sorry! Of course, lately I've been falling asleep on the sofa around 10:30 on the weekends which is earlier than I get to bed during the week! It's definitely difficult to "do it all". I find myself thinking back to that Enjoli commercial from the 70's when I was growing up with the lady saying I can bring home the bacon. Fry it up in a pan. (Click on Enjoli Commercial to see it.) Okay...tangent here - you have to love the age we live in - it totally perpetuates instant gratification! At first, I was thinking this was a Calgon commercial - it took 1 Google search to figure out it was Enjoli and to actually SEE the commercial I was thinking of on YouTube!! Crazy and amazing times we live in!!

Okay - I'm back from my tangent! Anyway! It is very difficult to keep it all going! Kelly and I were talking about how we could try to get to bed earlier during the week, and he was like if we go to bed any earlier all we'll do is eat, get Riley ready for bed and put down, workout and sleep! I was like I know!! I guess that's what normal people do! Except a lot of people I know don't do the workout part! And I can see why! We had to finally make a decision and commitment to put working out at the top of our list after our jobs and being Mom & Dad. And it takes that commitment and consistency! That's the only way I was finally able to see results! And I mean every bite of food I eat has been weighed on a scale and cooked a certain way! Thank GOD for Kelly! I'd never be able to do this with the intensity I've been able to so far without him and his support. I joked the other day that I'm like Oprah - I have personal chef that prepares all my meals and a trainer that works out with me and I still have good days and bad days!! It's hard to never go to lunch with friends or other social functions b/c you are committed to a program! But I've found that's what it takes! Hopefully once I get back down to my normal weight, we can relax things a little to maintain. But right now, I'm focused and committed to my end goal!! Seriously though, I can't give Kelly enough credit! He really does carry a lot of the weight during the week. He feeds Riley breakfast and gets him off in the morning, then he's usually home before me and gets dinner going. During the week, our share of the work may be closer to 60 Kelly, 40 me, but when you factor in how many hours I have to be in the office for face to face time, meetings, etc it probably ends up 50/5o. Sometimes I worry about Kelly feeling like he's carrying all the load at home though, but he's so laid back! If I say anything, he's like I don't think that at all. I can't say this enough! He may not be perfect, but he's perfect for me! Sometimes I actually get a little freaked out that maybe our relationship is too easy....like there might be something wrong because it just works so effortlessly! I know...I need help! It hasn't always been like this though - we had to work on things to get it to the point where it is now! However, things with our lives after Riley just sort of naturally fell into place without us even having to discuss it very much!

Anyway! Enough with my no time no blogging excuses! I'll try to be better! Just have to find a time to fit it into an already jam packed schedule!! Now let's play some catch up on what's going on with Riley since this is his show!!

- Just in the last couple of days he's started to shake his head 'Yes' - very slowly and he has to concentrate! It's so cute!! And now he'll say it to - "Cheeeessssssssss" as he's doing it.
- He's been shaking his head No for a while, and he knows he means No when he does it! I always ask the question twice just to make sure b/c sometimes he'll just shake his head no for the heck of it.
- He also mastered the art of the High Five! And we have NO idea how!! But thank GOD b/c every stranger tries to get him to do that! And Kelly and I would have to say - he doesn't know how to high five! So now he does!
- He'll point to our noses, mouth, ears...but not his own! And if he touches my nose, he has to touch Kelly's too!
- He'll point to his own bellybutton and raise his shirt up to show it to you.
- As far as words go - he's still got the old faithfuls of sht, ball, kitty kitty, mama, dada, dadadada and mamamama (when he's excited) and gitcha gitcha. Now he's added - cheese, all done, bye-bye (he'll wave bye too), shoes, a mixture of meow and ow, dunk and ish (as in gold fish - one of his FAVORITE snacks). I'm sure there's a few more that are escaping me now. More and more, you'll say something to him and he's a little repeater and just repeats it back. I SWEAR he said "washing machine" today! And open and close! Emily said she swears he said "magician" the other day too! Kelly and I REALLY better start watching our potty mouth slip ups now!!
- Speaking of dunk - he's a dunking MACHINE!! He's even starting to get creative and do different and more challenging dunks. He'll stand behind the goal to dunk or back into it like he's doing a reverse dunk, etc. I tried to get some pictures tonight, and we take videos too so I'll have to get some of those uploaded. Kelly described it perfectly the other day - we came home from somewhere and Riley immediately ran to get his basketball and dunk, so Kelly said - it's like Christmas every day with that basketball goal and dunking.
- He also understands so much more than he can speak. I guess narrating what you do does pay off. Yesterday, I said take the paci out of your mouth so I can give you a drink, and he did it! I was like WHAT?!? If we say, where's the basketball - he always goes to look for it in 1 place first - under the coffee table. Then he'll go dunk it with AUTHORITY! I can say let's go to Mommy's room or your room, and he'll take off running to the room I said. I said do you want to slide tonight, and he ran and put both hands on his slide. And that's not something we say every day or anything.
- It's so cute every day when I come home from work, he hears the garage so he greets me at the gate with jibberish - then he runs to find his basketball and dunks it for me as if to show off! Like one of my friend's at work said - he's like a little puppy showing off! Then I'll squat down and say come give me a hug, and he'll run over to me - then turn his back to me and back into my chest like he's letting me give him a hug!! OMG! It makes my heart pitter patter just to type about it! He's so SWEET!!!
- He's still all about his baby signs too. Man have those ever saved many a tantrums!! And if you don't "listen" the 1st time he tells/signs that he's all done eating - he'll start frantically signing it! I think I said to him once. I don't know you're all done unless you do it with both hands, so I'll keep feeding him if he only "says" it with one hand. He usually eats about 2 more bites, then he's REALLY all done! He can be playing or whatever, then he'll just come up to you and sign for milk or eat if he's hungry. We should probably do more signs with him, but it's like he's starting to talk now so I'm not sure it'd be worth it.
- Kelly has this whole repertoire he goes through with him - I'm going to try to video it one day, but every time the video camera beeps - Riley gets distracted and it messes up whatever you were trying to capture! Here's the breakdown of their routine:
- Clap (very enthusiastic clapping)
- Say Yes - head nod
- Show me your belly button
- Dance
- High Five
- Where's my nose?
- Wave
So they just cycle right through them on demand! It's so cute and funny! Sometimes he'll even clap after he does one of the other things - like I know I did it!
- That's another thing - he's such a little cheerleader! It's like that "Go Hank" commercial from a few years ago every day at our house! I put dirty clothes in the hamper and he claps and smiles! He puts a puzzle piece in his puzzle and he claps and smiles! He dunks and he claps or does a little victory dance! If he gets something out, and you ask him to put it back - he puts it back, then claps and smiles!
- Dancing! OMG! How could I forget that?!??! He's a dancing MACHINE too! We finally started back to Kindermusik last week, and he danced his socks off in that class! He was running circles around all those kids! You could tell the other parents were like - why isn't my kid doing that?! And the teacher was loving it b/c all the new or visiting parents had twinkles in their eyes thinking their kids would be that excited one day too! We still have at least 1 dance song a day at home. Either real dance music on a Sirius channel on tv, or one of the dancing songs from his previous Kindermusik cds.
- I have to admit that I was concerned he might be a little anti-social since he stays with Emily and isn't in a group setting, but groups don't intimidate him at all! It's like he feeds off the attention! I was thinking he might not be as into Kindermusik, but he picked right up where he left off, but with his new and improved dance moves now. The last time we went to Kindermusik he wasn't even walking, so the teacher was totally loving all his dance moves! And we went to my cousin Cassie's baby shower yesterday, and he was working the room dancing and running around! I guess it drives home that nature versus nurture point - he was definitely born with his somewhat outgoing personality because one could argue we have not done much at all outside of Kindermusik to nurture that side of him.
- One of his favorite things is to just run around outside...omg! I think I have the cutest video that captures that - he literally runs and jibber jabbers non-stop! He LOVES it! Emily even took him to Grapevine Mills mall last week when the weather was bad and he walked and ran around the entire 1 mile loop! I'm ready for the weather to be nicer so we can go outside more!
- He has become a little more picky in the food department, but not too bad still.
- And the tantrums come and go. They can come on quickly, but the good news is they also leave very quickly.
- He definitely gets more "emotional" when I get home. I read in this weekly newsletter I get from BabyCenter last week that they do that when they feel safe to show all their emotions (good or bad) with you. It's like if your child is fine at daycare, then has a meltdown when you get there to pick them up. Sort of like we as adults do, we have to be on for work all day, so if we aren't careful our loved ones at home get the sloppy, short fused leftovers! I definitely try to be cognizant of that! I focus on being present in the moment with Riley and Kelly once I get home. I try not to check my phone, not to be thinking about all the things I need to get done either at work or home and just enjoy the few moments I get to spend with them. Especially Riley! :( Same thing on the weekends!
- I can see where people lose themselves once they have kids. I don't do as many happy hours, girls' dinners, etc as I used to b/c I feel like I should be home with Riley when I'm not at work. I'll try to squeeze some things in during his naps on the weekends if I can, but we've been working out during that time so I've been doing even less. It's definitely a balancing act all the time. I know he can't be my entire life, but when he's this small - sacrificing some of the things I used to do is a small price to pay! I know he'll grow up all too fast and not have enough time for me all too soon!
- We're definitely trying to keep dinner as the sacred "family time". Where we are all 3 at the table, no answering phones, watching tv, etc. I figure if we make that our routine and tradition now, it'll be easier to maintain later!

Wow! I think that's the highlights for now! Not to make excuses already, but it'll probably be a few weeks before I blog again. We're going to Maryland to visit Kelly's family on the 23rd, and I have two MAJOR presentations due before I leave so NO free time for me! Plus, preparing to travel with an 18 month old is already a HUGE feat in and of itself! You feel like you have to take half the house! He's not old enough to sleep on a pallet, so pak n play. Car seat for the rental car and plane ride. Stroller for the airport! And we haven't even touched on how on earth I'm goign to pack for all of us for FREEZING temperatures!! I'm praying for the travel God's to be looking down upon us for this trip! I figure it can only go 1 of 2 ways! Really good or really bad!! To be honest, I don't know if I'm more worried about Riley or Kelly! ha! I'm sure that will definitely earn a post all its own once we have survived it!