Jake Pictures

For the sake of my family, and maybe yours too, a Jake update.

My, my, my, where does the time go? It has already been 7.5 months since Jake was born! I sit and think often of the time when Jake fit into newborn outfits, and itty bitty diapers, and could do nothing but lay around and coo. Wow! Life is so much more fun now then it was when he was 1-5 months old. I was watching video's I had taken of him on a weekly basis and it is so strange to look back and see where is was then compared to now.
Let's see...
Jake is now mobile.  He isn't necessarily crawling but he gets around whether by scooting or army crawling, or rolling. He can get to where he wants to go.
Jake loves to stand! Anytime I am nearby he reaches out for my hands so that he can pull himself up and excitingly bounces once he is up. It is pretty darn cute. Soon I will have to clear off the coffee table of anything I don't want him playing with or throwing off. He already does that but it doesn't really bother me yet.
I am constantly talking to him and repeating words as I show him things, hoping that he catches on fast. Not because I want him to be an over achiever, but because I just want him to understand me even if he can't talk. I am working on some sign language. Our favorites are: more, eat, milk, all done.  I think he gets the idea of milk and all done. Sometimes it seems like he is trying to tell me "all done" but probably not. He just likes to wave his hands a lot.
As far as words go I would like to tell you that his first word is "mama!" Just in the last few days he sounds as if he says "mama" when he is frustrated, hungry and tired. Could be, but it could just be baby babble as well. I think he is saying it! ;)
Jake has also learned to sit up on his own as well. Last week I went in his room to get him out of bed and he was sitting up waiting on me. I was very impressed even though every baby goes through it I am having fun seeing him learn new things.
One last milestone. Jake is learning to wave hello and goodbye. I asked him to wave hi today several times and he would most times stop was he was doing and look at me wave to him and then copy me. It is so cute! I want to kiss him every time.
I was going to post some pictures of him but for some reason my camera isn't letting me, or maybe it's the computer with the problem, but either way I am unable to load any for you. 

Workout Week # 3

I can't believe that 3 weeks of working out is complete. When I first started I thought the weeks were going to crawl by and now I feel like they are flying by. I have already re-established my love for working out! I have always heard that it takes 21 days to make something a habit and it is so true. My number one priorities for each day besides hang out with my son as much as I can is to do my daily Bible readings and to work out. Whatever else I accomplish is great too but not as important.
Week 3 workouts consisted of lots of push-ups, pull-ups, 350 crunches three times a week, biking, yoga, Karate, arms, plyometric training, and going on walks. The workouts are still really hard but I am feeling much stronger then I did on day one and I have so much more energy then I had three weeks ago.This week I take a break from lifting weights and focus on cardio, yoga and core.
I finally got on the scale today, which is not something I like to make a habit of because it isn't always about numbers for me. If I feel good and my clothes are fitting better then that makes me happy. Well, I was 1.5 lb lighter then when I started! I am now only 8.5lb from my goal! I also put a skirt on this morning before church that hasn't fit me since before I was pregnant and it fit well enough to wear today. It was a little snug but not uncomfortably snug and that made me more happy then having lost any weight.
My challenges for the week were few are far between. I can't say that this week was really all that challenging. I did try a few new foods so I guess I can consider that a challenge in a different kind of way. I have always wanted to try eggplant.  I went shopping at Meijer this week instead of my normal trip to Aldi and Walmart. I am getting so tired of shopping at those places because they don't have as large a quantity of fruits and veggies so I decided to take a break from the norm and live it up for the week.  It was a trip well deserved even if I spent more than I normally do on groceries. ( I guess I can consider this my challenge of the week) The endless choices in the produce section sent me soaring! I felt like a little kid at the candy shop! So many great choices, but I couldn't buy them all or they would spoil before i had the chance to eat them. Egg plant was on my list of things to get, as well as my normal veggies; squash, zucchini, spinach, avacado, celery, carrots, asparagus, and several others. My next stop was th meat market. Hmm. Another great section of the store. We love meat in the Wisley house. A meal isn't a meal without some form of muscle building protein.  I decided to go with a pork tenderloin and make that for dinner that night.  My trip ended quickly since Jake was almost ready for a nap. I purchased my items and headed home to get the boy down and admire all the fresh and healthy food items.
Dinner that night changed once I opened the package of pork and gagged at the smell of rotting meat. I always check expiration dates and I was not at fault for this mistake. Date read: 4?25/2010.  The date the day it was bought: 4/23/2010.  Bummer. I'd have to take that back the next day, which I did, hoping they would give me a gift card for their mistake. 
Nope, no gift card.  Bummer again!
We had salmon and eggplant cooked under the broiler with some olive oil and salt and pepper. It was not at all what I was expecting. I really didn't like it at all! It had a very bland flavor, but I am determined to find a way to make it taste good. I absolutely love watching foodnetwork. My fav chef is Giada and she uses eggplant a lot in her cooking so I have already found a few ways to improve the flavor.
Another food I am practicing with flavor enhancement is deer meat, or venison if your prefer.  I love deer meat, if cooked properly. It can be tough and boring so you have to use a good seasoning and tenderizer if making a deer steak.  Last week I attempted deer burgers. I failed on the meat holding together but passed on flavor using worchtershire sauce, salt, pepper, and B-B-Q sauce and whole wheat bread crumbs.  With the remaining meat I made meatballs in the oven and they held together just fine. Not sure what I will try this week but I would like to try a new food every week.
I am excited to get to take my 30 day photo next Sunday! I can't wait to compare it to my Day 1 photos. I have decided that I would reward myself at the end of every month with any one meal and any one desert I want, but I have to be really good in order for me to deserve it.  Here goes week 4!

Sorry Jake! ( you are going to laugh if you read this)

I use cloth diapers and love them! They are easy to use, save me money, and not hard to wash. Ever since Jake started eating solids his poop has obviously changed to good old adult-like poop.  That makes things a little more difficult in the cleaning process because I have to dunk then in the toilet to get all the poop off before I put them in the wash.  Didn't have to do that with breastmilk poop because it is water soluble.
So this morning Jake poops and I clean him up like normal. I am the only one home at this point so I set Jake down on the floor in the hallway so I can see him as I dunk his diaper in the toilet.  He is happily playing with some books and I proceed to the bathroom. Before I get to the bathroom I start to open the diaper to fix the velcro that is stuck on the diaper.  My hand slips and one side of the diaper falls out of my hand and not thinking anything would happen I look down and see Jake's leg covered in his own poop.  probably a 1/2 cup worth of it and it isn't hard, firm poop that I can just scoop up really quick. It was oatmeal consistency! Yuck! I promptly grab one of Jake's hands and try to think about what I should do first: clean the poop of his leg, or carry him to the tub. While I am taking my time in thinking Jake decides that it looks like fun and with his free hand takes a handful of it.  Noooooooo!  So I grab his poop filled hand and let go of the other hand.  Why do I do this? I don't know!  You know what happens next. Now I have Jake with poop on his leg and in both hands.  Okay now I have no other option but to carefully pick him up and put him in the tub. On my way I step in the poop make a trail going into the bathroom on the carpet and bathroom floor.  My first priority is to get that poop off of Jake's hands. I turn on the faucet and start rinsing when all of a sudden Jake starts screaming bloody murder!  "What What What" I yell! Then I realize that I had only turned on the hot water so my son was being scalded with hot water on his right hand.  Crap! (literally and figuratively speaking). With Jake still screaming I finish cleaning him off and take him to his room to find a pacifier (yes I am still using them for emergency) and wrap him in a towel and calm him down. His poor little hand was beat red and eyes full of little tears. He quickly calmed down as I covered his hand in cold Aloe Vera lotion I keep in the fridge.  Now to clean up the other mess.  10 min later life is back to normal again and Jake has forgotten how his mommy tried to body paint him with his own poop and them burn it off.  Poor little guy! I couldn't have felt any worse because it was all my fault. I am just really glad that I didn't drop the poop on his head.  ( I think I am going to go and vomit now)  Good thing it was me and not Joe. He has a terrible gag reflex in these situations.
Hope your day is less pooped filled than mine. :)

Workout Week # 2

I am three days behind in posting this because our internet at the camp is finicky and about every two weeks decides it doesn't want to work. It really doesn't bother me that I can't get online for a few days because it allows me to catch up on some things that I should be doing rather then reading blogs, posting blogs or seeing what is going on on Facebook.
Anyway, so last week marks my second week of working out consistently. I must say that it has been so much easier for me to stay with it when I know that I will be posting my monthly pictures and writing a weekly blog about it for you to read. Even if I don't get any comments I know people are reading and that is enough for me to stick with it even when I am so tired, only have 30 min to workout or if I am tempted to stop by our local ice cream shop for a treat. I actually did end up having some ice cream last week when my sister came to visit for a few days. It was totally worth it, as well as the pizza we ordered one night. 
Week 2 wasn't any easier in terms of the exercises becoming easier, but I for sure was not as sore as the first week. Personally I don't mind being sore because it makes me feel like I am working hard. That isn't a factor in how hard you work, but I enjoy the pain per se. I was able to get through all of my workouts except for this past Saturday. I decided I could use the day to veg, and veg is what I did. Joe was gone Tuesday night through Saturday and when he got home he said that I was looking like I am tightening up in my stomach! Yepee! Although I don't feel that I look much different but hey, I will gladly take the compliment.
Challenges for the week were as follows:
1: Whenever Joe leaves for a few days I always seem to have the most difficult time eating well. I snack more on carbs and don't want to cook healthy meals if I am the only one to cook for. Foods that I crave are usually, rice, popcorn, cereal, dried fruit and pretzels. I know they aren't terrible choices, but I eat too much of it at one time.
2: Baby Showers and Wedding Showers! It is that time of year when everyone and their mother seems to be having a baby or getting married and that means showers, which means food and worst of all, Cake! Cake is one of my favorite things! Oh the wonderful flavor of that moist chocolate goodness covered in sweet, thick frosting is almost too much for me to even know what the meaning of the word, "NO THANKS!"  Suffice it to say, I was good and was able to pass on the cake and eat more carrots and celery.  I also passed up a few cookies at a dinner the church had on Sunday night for all the people who volunteer in the kids ministry.
3: Not getting enough sleep! Sleep is one of the most important aspects of your health. If you aren't sleeping at least 7 hours per night you aren't getting the precious sleep you need in order for your body to do what it needs to do to function. This is especially true when you are working out everyday. In order for muscles to recuperate and heal properly they need rest. Jake hasn't slept well for the past two week it seems. Ever since we came home form Puerto Rico I have had to get out of bed up to 5 times per night. That isn't always every night but he always wakes up at least two times between the hours of 7pm-7am. The first time is almost always around 11pm. I will have just drifted off to a deep sleep and suddenly jolted out of sleep. It makes my heart race every time. Scares me to death! About a month ago Joe and I decided to take pacifiers away from Jake because we were tired of having to retrieve them for him every time he woke up at night. He was completely broken of them in a few days and then we went back to using them when we headed out to Puerto Rico. I don't know how we would have survived without the pacifier on the airplanes. It kept him happy and the other passengers as well. Since we have been home we continued to keep using them and two days ago started to take them away once again. Jake can fall asleep just fine without one. It is the trying to get him back to sleep once he has waken up in the middle of the night that has been frustratingly challenging this week.I am about to just throw 10 pacifiers in his crib in the hopes that he can find ONE of them and go back to sleep, but at the same time I don't want him to have to rely on them. I know everyone has different opinions on pacifiers. I have heard how bad they are, or how terrible it is for me to take them away from him so I don't need advice here. I am just venting and am completely capable of being a good parent to my son and making the right decisions. Either way he isn't going to grow up scared by whether we decide to give him a pacifier or not. (Dismounting my horse. Where did that come from?) Anyway, I need more sleep.
Challenge #4: I don't know if I mentioned this challenge in my last post but it is probably the most challenging next to food. The only time I can get in a workout is when Jake is napping. His naps usually last from 60-90 min and that gives me enough time to workout, shower, and eat something.  However, I have a whole list of things that I want to get done around here that I can only do when he sleeps, such as, wash windows, yard work, spring cleaning in the house, shampoo carpets, wash and wax the car etc. That means it will take me several weeks to have my "To Do List" complete. Before Jake, I would have it done in a week or less. Jake is certainly a lot more fun then a "To DO List" but I like things neat and clean. I am not OCD by any means because it is not first priority for me, but it would be nice to get it done before summer hits. Every thing seems like a chore these days and I have never liked doing chores. I want to play and be outside so if that means my house is going to look like a tornado hit it for a few weeks, then so be it. I have to have fun before I can do work. I don't know how some moms keep up with the house work.
Well, my blog must come to an end because my son is apparently ready to get up from his very short 40 min nap. Grrrrrr.

Need your opinion about car seats

I am in the market for a car seat for Jake and I need your opinion. I was looking in to the convertible car seats that start out rear facing up to 35 lbs and then switch to forward facing up to 50 lbs. What did you use and did you like it?

Jake

Our boy is growing up too fast. Every always says that and then you blink and it really is true. Jake is 7 months old today. He is cutting two teeth, been eating solids for the last month and growing out into 12 months clothes.
I feel much more rested since he started sleeping 12 hours plus thru the night. He was waking up 1-2 times during the night before we started him on solids and our pediatrician told us it was time to introduce solids. I knew he was right but I was not ready because of how easy breastfeeding is. Trying to figure out a new breasfeeding/solids schedule was a little challenging, but I think we finally have it figured out. I think Jake is going to be easy to wean. Not that I am in any hurry to wean. I would love to breastfeed until he is a year, but if he decides he isn't interested anymore then what more can I do. We are down to 4 times in a 24 hours period.
Jake's first solids food was rice cereal and he eat it up like a champ. He didn't spit any of it out and kept opening his mouth for more. His first fruit were pears, and first veggie were peas and loved them both. We have introduced oatmeal, peaches, applesauce, green beans, sweet potatoes, squash, prunes, and banana's. He loves them all. My new challenge this week will be making all of his baby food. I haven't been able to get started with it since we have been out of town so much. This week I plan to make most everything that he has already tried.
Jake wants to crawl so bad! He has been sitting up really well on his own since he was 5 months and now he is bored and ready to see the world. I often catch him rolling around the room or trying to pull his knees up to his chest.  He has also been supporting himself on all fours but hasn't figured out how to move in that position yet. Soon enough and I will be crawling around the house at baby level to see what I need to put up so he doesn't choke on anything or get hurt in some other way.
I still love being a stay at home mom more then anything else in the world right now. It is so much fun to watch him change and each stage is more fun then the last.
Here are some update pics of him easting his first foods.

Workout week 1: Days 1-8

OH my goodness I am so sore! I think every muscle in my body was pushed to the point of "ouch" last week.
Day 1- Weights (Chest, Back) and a 20 min bike ride
Day 2 - Plyometrics and a short walk with Jake
Day 3 - weights (Shoulders, Arms, Abs), short walk with Jake
Day 4 - Yoga and a walk
Day 5 - Weights (Legs, Back, Abs)
Day 6 - Kempo Karate
Day 7 - 20 min walk
I already feel better after only 1 week of working out and watching what I eat. My biggest down fall when it comes to food is sweets. I love sweets like a baby loves milk. If I see them, it takes a lot for me to refuse eating them. However, after I workout in the morning it really helps me avoid eating the bad stuff.
I almost never have junk food in the house. I eat fruit when I have a sweet craving, and I try to drink a protein shake if I am hungry in between meals. I have been focusing on eating 5 times a day which ends up being about every 3-4 hours. Ever since I started working out I am hungry all the time burning up all those extra calories. It almost feels like I am pregnant again. Hunger is a good sign that my metabolism is working great so I have no problem eating more because I know my body needs it.
Challenges I have had this week:
* it is really hard to commit to an hour of working out when I have a 7 month old to watch. My only option is during nap which means I have only one other nap to get other things done like my bible reading and house work.
* getting together with people always revolves around food so I have to be prepared when I go to functions. I know that I will refuse sweets when offered and most times I know ahead of time what to expect the meal to be so I plan on whether to eat a little bit before I go so only need to eat a very small portion of what is being served. This past Saturday we had a surprise Birthday Party for my husband and his twin brother. We had a roasted pig, baked beans, potato salad, coconut cream cake (my fav), brownies, chips, fruit, and homemade rolls. I did pretty well by serving myself a small spoonful of the beans and salad. I had more pork then anything because it rocked! I did end up having two small pieces of cake and a bite of a brownie and ice cream sandwich cake but I didn't feel over stuffed and stopped when I wasn't no longer hungry.
* I want to eat lunch at the camp more because it is free and saves me from having to cook but it isn't always the best choice in terms of health so I plan to eat a big salad for lunch and then have a small portion of whatever our chef is preparing. Sometimes you just have to improvise in order to save money and some time.
* I really need to get out and do some yard work or it will get out of hand and I will have more work to do. Yard work is fun, burns lots of calories when you are pulling weeds and digging in the dirt, but again, I have a baby I have to keep a close eye on. I guess that means I will have to wait until his bedtime at 7pm.
The following pics are from Joe and Josh's party. Enjoy!

Staying motivated to get results!

I have decided to start blogging about my workouts. Not because I think you all would be interested but because I need something to keep me going at a steady pace. I never thought that I would come to this point in my life where I thought working out was too time consuming since that was my life 3 years ago. All I wanted to do was workout and stay in great shape. Now all I want to do is play with my son and keep the house clean. I am tired of not fitting into my pre-pregnancy clothes. I don't want to have to go out and buy a bigger size when I am only one size bigger then I was so I am going to learn to love working out once again.
One way that will help me stay motivated is for your encouraging words. The second way will be posting up pics of my progress. I have already taken my before photos which will be at the end of this blog. My goal is to have lost 10 pounds by the end of June. Not a lot of weight to lose but that will get me to my pre-pregnancy weight and allow me to where my cute clothes again. I am also going to post one blog each week about my workouts, nutrition, the pain I am in as well as a picture update once a month. If you struggle with your weight whether it be that you need to lose or gain weight or if you have other health problems which you would benefit from working out feel free to write me and ask. I love answering peoples questions about health.
Well here it is: April 2nd - Day 1 Pics

Puerto Rico = humidity, baby lovers and dead igauna's

This is my first visit to a location that isn't connected to the states. I have been to Mexico 4 times and lived in Canada for 4 years, but never had to fly over water to get somewhere. We are staying with friends who are connected with the camp. They have been living here for almost 2 years as teachers in a Christian school.  Joe was asked to come speak at their  3 day spring break retreat for the junior and high school kids.
It is  now day three in Puerto Rico and so far the biggest unexpected surprise was the intense humidity! It should make sense, for the simple fact that we are on an Island and all. Is it like this in Hawaii? I hope not because I really want to visit that place.  We may be taking a trip to Haiti this winter too so and I am really hoping I will be patient with the heat. I am not picky about very many things like I am the weather.
From what I have observed, Puerto Rico is America on an Island with Spanish speaking people.  Every time I visit a place where spanish is spoken I always leave telling myself that I am going to learn to speak it as fluently as possible. This time I am serious and so is Joe. We decided we will find a language Program to help us learn.  We also really want to improve on our French. We both know more French than Spanish, but when it comes to pronunciation I've got spanish down and Joe French.  I don't know how many times I have had to tell Joe that the "H" is silent in spanish.  He He! 
Okay, some more about Puerto Rico. 
The people here LOVE babies.  I have never seen a culture of people love on a baby like they do here. It is crazy how obsessed they are over Jake.  I went to visit Joe and the kids at the retreat Joe is speaking at today and I didn't get more than 3 feet in the door and we had a group of kids running at us and squealing over Jake.  By the time I left I am pretty sure that Jake had been held by 30 kids and we were told about 15 times that Jake looks like the Gerber baby.  What a nice compliment! Joe and I agreed.They couldn't stop saying "Que Lendo" which means "cute" in spanish. I keep kicking myself that I didn't enter him into the "Most Beautiful Baby" contest on Regis and Kelly this year.  It would have been nice to meet Regis and Kelly and take home 25,000 bucks for Jake's college fund.  Oh well, there is always next year.
I will post some pics in a later blog of our trip to Puerto Rico.

The Island is beautiful! They have beaches, Mountains, and Rain Forests. We took a day to go hiking in the mountains on Wed.  It was much cooler in the mountains so it was nice to have a break from the humidity for a day. The drive up to our hiking location was long and the roads very windy.  Traffic was crazy as well. You have to drive very aggressively like you would in Chicago except there aren't as many road rules. You just stick your nose out and go, no turn singles, and you get honked at a lot.  Very much like Chicago. When it comes to road kill, it's not cats, dogs, deer, or raccoons. Puerto Rico have Iguana's like we have squirrel. On the East side of the island there is a road called Beach Road and there are always Iguana's sunning out on the shoulder of the road. Sometimes they just chill on the side or they decided to cross. I have never seen so much road kill and these are huge Iguana's. It is very common to see 10+ dead iguana's in the span of a few 100 feet and they are bigger then cats! I wish I could have taken a picture of one. Below are some pictures of our trip.

The last picture of the three of us on the plane was taken soon after take off on our way home. As you can see we had a whole row to ourselves.  20 min before this picture was taken we were sharing it with a 275 lb, over 6' 2" black guy that I would have had to rub shoulders with for 6 hours but luckily was asked to move to an exit seat so he had more room for his legs. After he moved, Joe mouthed to me, " There is a God!" We had a really long day of flying home since we didn't have a direct flight to Chicago.   We had what I thought was going to be a miserable 6 hour flight to Minneapolis that arrived at 8:30pm IN time with a 90 min lay over and then a 60 min flight to Chicago that arrived at 12:15am IN time.  We didn't get Jake to bed until 2am.  From the time we left Puerto Rico at 3pm to the time we had him down for bed he only cried for no more then 3 of those mins.  He was incredibly good for us that day. I even got to hold him while he slept for 1.5 hours on the plane.  It amazes me how well he handled such a crazy day and could sleep through a noisy plane ride. We are truly blessed with an easy, go with the flow baby. Now I don't think I will ever want to fly with him again until he is 5 years old, but if I had to do it again I won't be as stressed out over it. I think my blood pressure rose about 50 points that day because of how worried I was. We are back to our regular life at home. It is great to be back in IN, just in time for spring weather. Goodbye March!

I am a little behind

We are finally home from our 3 week adventures away from home. March was a fun one because it was spent away from Indiana. I get so antsy in March because we are at the end of winter but Spring can't come fast enough so for me to be gone most of that month was a blessing. 
Our first 10 days were spent on Anna Maria Island in Florida with my mom and dad, sisters, and future brother-in-law.  Joe and I made the 18 hour drive starting on Wed after a morning appointment for Jake's 6 month wellness check up in Kokomo, IN.  We broke up the drive into 2.5 days spending the night at our friends house in Knoxville one night and a hotel the second night.  Jake was an angel on the way down. I love how he adjusts to new things and places so easily. I won't bore you with all the details about our time in Florida because all we really did was take walks on the beach and lay out at our private pool. It was so nice to have my parents and sister around to help out with Jake. Joe and I were able to get away at least once a day for a few hours.  I wish they lived closer.

 The weather was great everyday. No rain during the day. Temps in the mid to upper 60's and lower 70's. A little windy some days on the beach. 

The picture of Joe at the sign was a great place to eat ribs and other good stuff we tried, like a philly cheese steak.  Joe was pretty excited that it was his trail name on the AT. The next picture was just something funny that was displayed at the restaurant. I just thought it was funny to see a skeleton take a leak.