The Diet

      So Troy and I have decided to go on a diet together. It's really more of a healthy lifestyle change, but I'm calling it our diet anyway.  I want to get back to the weight I was when we met. I gained 20 pounds after we got married and then 30 with my pregnancy. I am determined to reach my weight goal and have more drive than I ever have in any other diet. So far I have lost 15 pounds since Lola was born and I want to lose more more more. We are trying to eat 5 small meals a day (which is hard for me, I forget to eat a lot because I'm busy with the baby). Teaching Zumba is helping a lot in my goal. As of right now I am teaching 4 classes a week, plus one Saturday a month and Club Zumba on Friday nights. Those of you that know me well, know that I LOVE to shop. So my big reward for losing all the weight is going to be an extravagant shopping trip to Boise! I'll post every few weeks to update how I'm doing with my goal. Ideally I will be where I want to be by July...I can do this!

Bed time blues

    

       Lola is just barely 6 months old now. Time has flown by so fast and she is growing and learning new things every day! We've just begun bed time rituals with her so that she can soothe herself to sleep. Up until now we have been rocking and singing her to sleep, then placing her in her crib. This week we have started changing that up so that we can have a smoother bed time for both Lola and us. Our routine begins with bath time, followed by a bottle, then a few books and off to the crib. We are weaning Lola off of pacifiers as well as establishing a bed time routine. Lola won't take a pacifier unless she's going to bed, so hopefully it won't be too difficult. We're on day 3 of this new bed time routine and so far so good. The hardest part is hearing her cry until she falls asleep. Since we're putting her in her crib awake so that she can help herself fall asleep, she gets angry and cries for about 10-20 minutes before calming down and allowing herself to fall asleep. I know what we're doing is good for her (and us) in the long run, but it's just hard to listen to your baby cry. My only hope is that at some point she will get used to this routine and go in her crib without crying. Since we've started this new plan, Lola has slept so much better and her naps have been longer. 

      I am so glad that Troy and I are on the same page when it comes to parenting. We are only in the beginning of our parenting adventure together, but so far we have agreed on almost everything, and negotiated everything else. It really makes a difference to work together as opposed to each of us trying our own techniques and undermining the other.