A Chill in the Air

I think fall is on its way. While we have been having record temperatures in Rochester this week, the nights are cool and I'm loving it. With the cool nights the leaves are starting to change and driving around town is a pleasure this time of year. If I could bottle the fall season I most certainly would...it's my favorite time of the year.

While the little man is only two, I still joke that we needed to get him his school clothes, shoes and haircut. So last week we took a trip to Stride Rite at Eastview Mall and picked out a new pair of skids for the growing boy. He measured a 6.5, but we purchased a size 7 so he would have room to grow. A size 7 seems so big to me! Is that normal for a two year old?

Sporting his new shoes we then walked down the mall a little and went to The Children's Place where they were having a great sale! I bought him two pair of wind pants, a pair of cords, and two shirts for $30. I was excited and the little man had some clothes in sizes that would actually fit him as in pants that didn't fall down! You would think he would be wearing 24 months or 2T, but we just pulled his 12 months pants out of rotation and he is now wearing 18 months. He can wear some 18-24 month shirts, but they tend to run quite big on him. Needless to say...buying clothes ahead to take advantage of sales can be a challenge at times.

Over the weekend we took the little man for what I called his back to school haircut. We try to see the same girl at HairZoo. She is incredible with kids and he will let her use the clippers in the back and over his ears. Before this could be a bit of an issue. So he left with shorter hair and a Spongebob temporary tatoo for being so good!

The little man and I have been snuggling under a blanket at night before he heads off to bed and I have come to love that time together. He will nestle himself in and we don't have to do anything special, we just sit together and enjoy the quiet time. So things are going along and fall is in the air. Life is good and I'll take it!

The Biggest Loser

Have you ever watch the TV show on NBC, The Biggest Loser? I had never watched it before and last week I happened to catch the season premier. I'm hooked! The premise of the show is great...two teams compete to lost the largest percentage of their body weight. Each team has a personal trainer that works with them on diet and exercise. Don't we all wish we could have a personal trainer to help us? The only issue I have with the show is that the losing team each week votes off their "weakest link". I understand it's a game, but isn't the idea to build confidence and lose weight not make someone feel like their hard work wasn't good enough that week?

I was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Is it a surprise? No. Is it a disappointment? Yes. Before I had my son I was diagnosed with PCOS which causes insulin intolerance due to a hormonal imbalance. I was put on Metformin, started a low-carb diet, and lost 50 pounds. I got pregnant and developed gestational diabetes at 16 weeks and was put on insulin at 17 weeks. By the end of my pregnancy I was taking three insulin shots a day and I followed a special diet. I was so careful with everything I ate because I didn't want it to effect my baby. The result was being induced two weeks early and giving birth to a healthy 6 pound, 11 ounce baby boy.

I have always struggled with my weight since I was a child, but when I stick my mind to losing weight I can normally do it. Unfortunately in the last few years I have been really struggling and I currently weigh the most I have ever weighed. It's hard and depressing. I certainly don't feel pretty or attractive. But since my weight is now affecting my health and I don't want it to affect my son, I am vowing to eat better, exercise, and work to be a better me. So in an effort to keep myself from straying from my efforts, I have posted a weight loss ticker on my blog. My goal is to lose 100 pounds over time. Stay tuned and we will just have to "weight" and see how things go!

The Magic Number Is ... 9

So You Think You Can Dance?

I'm in shock and can not believe that it has been so long since I last posted. Life has been busy between work, the new house, some travel and spending quality time with the little man. I feel like we spent the majority of the summer working on our house, cleaning, packing, and moving. So it was a priority for me once fall came to spend time with the little man in some structured activities. Since he doesn't attend daycare, it is extremely important to me that he spends time around other kids for socialization skills and I don't want him to become too attached to either myself or my husband so that he doesn't learn to become independent and take risks. So far it has never been an issue. When we take him to the park he happily runs up to the other kids on the playground and plays with them. He even tries to strike up a conversation with the other kids, but with this "broken" vocabulary, the other kids have a tendency to look confused and aren't sure what to make of him. It's entertaining to watch none the less.

Last week I signed us up for an early development music class at Eastman School of Music. The class is called Music Times Two and it is a small class of 2 and 3 year old toddlers. There are eight kids total in the class and it runs for 45-50 minutes and for ten weeks. The instructor, Beth, is amazing! She finds a good balance between sitting and more physical activity. She has a number of songs that incorporate the child's name so they feel part of the group. She teaches the kids how to make music with their own body and with small instruments like wooden sticks or shakers. At one point every child and parent was given a bright colored scarf and we danced to James Taylor's "How Sweet It Is to Be Loved By You".

It was amazing to sit and watch the other children in the class and how they reacted to the other kids during the various activities. One little boy refused to join the circle and sat in the corner most of the class. Another little girl just sat on her grandmother's lap and cried in absolute fear for a majority of the class. I felt horrible for these kids. I can just see them telling their therapist in another 15-20 years about the horrible music class their parents made them attend and it scarred them for life.

The little man seemed to do just fine! I was so proud of him! He would watch the instructor and follow her directions and if he wasn't completely sure he would just clap his hands to the beat. He and I had a ball dancing with the scarves while the other kids just stood there not wanting to do anything. The boy really loves to dance! At the end the instructor had everyone sit in a circle and she took a child's hand and walked them halfway around the circle and then they ran back while we sang a song. None of the kids would do it, they were all too scared, but my little man stepped right up, took her hand, and did it! He was the first kid to do it and even after watching him the other seven kids insisted on doing it with their parent. After watching the little man after one class, I think he will do just fine throughout the 10 week course and I will feel great knowing he and I will have spent this time together.