Sleepy Time!!!

Just an update, again....

Bridgette is FINALLY on a sleeping schedule!!!!YAY!!!

My visiting teacher came over a few weeks ago & was giving me some advice on getting her to sleep in her crib, saying just to let her cry for as long as it takes (which I wasn't a fan of initially.) So that night I decided to go for it. Nine o'clock rolled around and she was rubbing her eyes & getting all cuddly, so I put her in her crib.

She cried for 40 minutes : (

It seriously broke my heart, but once she fell asleep she didn't wake up until five in the morning, she ate & slept until 9 am!!! When the morning came we were both so excited to see each other- she was sooo happy, and so was I (Dan can attest to that.) It was a snowball effect, she just put herself on a schedule, 11 am nap for 1-2 hours, 4 pm nap for 1-2 hours and bedtime @ 9. I just had to go through one night of crying!

Thanks for all your tips! I'm still going to read the book my cousin Samantha suggested b/c it sounds like a good mix of cry it out & family bed methods.


Regarding my sugar free month; well, I lost the weight I was hoping to lose, but I only lasted 3 weeks (and that's not counting my once a week cheat day.) I'm trying to eat less sugar now, although I'm not on a "sugar free" diet. One thing that helped was chewing extra watermelon gum, a tip I got from watching the Biggest Loser (yeah, Trainer Bob sold me.)

For all you ladies out there, I'm running "Race for the Cure" with Joanie in May & the Diabetes Race in May... You should join me!!! It's only 5K-- c'mon, you can do it!

Dan & I are running a 1/2 marathon this year, I'm aiming for the Park City 1/2 Marathon in September, so I'm trying to get myself ready by running these smaller races. I figure it's a good goal for my big 3-0 this year.

Well, that's about it!!! Until next time ~J

Wow, I can't believe I'm posting this much.

I must have too much time on my hands because I'm posting so often. I'm doing this while watching the biggest loser. I love the show, but think Samantha from Days of Our Lives brings a bit too much of the soap opera drama to the show.

I'm also waiting for baby girl to fall asleep. I had caffeine last night and she woke up at 4am and kept me awake with a swoosh swoosh swoosh noise, which is her little arms and legs kicking like mad. Ahhh, yes, she just fell asleep! Anyways, if you readers have ANY advice on how to get a baby to sleep in the crib I would greatly appreciate it. I'm just so fantastic that she can't sleep without me right by her side : (

Oh crap, she woke up.

I'll finish my post & hopefully she'll fall back asleep.

The no sugar thing is super hard. I'm allowing myself one cheat day per week. Last Saturday I had brownies. They were super yummy...mmmmm....

I'm also posting a few pics of Bridgy I took. She's such a doll, especially when she goes to sleep easily.

Sugar Update

Just an update...
It's been 1 1/2 weeks since I've decided to break my addiction.

I had some chocolate last Sunday, but it tasted bitter, so I guess that's progress.
I had some graham crackers the other day, if that counts.

I haven't lost a pound, but I think it's about more than weight loss. It's about breaking my habit.

The hardest thing for me to skip out on is candy. I can go without chocolate for a long time (usually) but I LOVE candy. I LOVE Dots and Skittles and Laffy Taffy. Just pure sugar! I was at the grocery store & saw 3 boxes of Dots for $1. I paused for a second & then rememberd - NO SUGAR!

The month is halfway over, so I'm sure I can make it!

My Name is Janell and I'm an Addict...

It's true. I'm addicted......to sugar.

If you know me at all it's pretty obvious that I enjoy sugar a lot. It's really annoying because I will be a committed exerciser, eating salads & low fat proteins, but when the clock strikes 7ish it happens. I scour the cupboards for anything sweet. If I can't find something pre-made, I eat a piece of toast with pb & honey.... or I make no bake cookies (if you don't know what these are, just think of yummy, sugary chocolate.) It gets worse, but I'm not going to go into detail.

I've been researching ways to kick my addiction and here's what I've learned;

1. I need to clean house of all sugar; not just treats but actual bags of sugar, jellies, honey, sugary cereal & fruit juices. Also avoid sugar substitutes b/c these will just encourage sugar cravings.

2. I need to treat it like a crack addiction, because it is basically the same type of addiction, just legal.

3. Buy 3 days worth of meals & stay in for those 3 days- avoid ALL temptation... this will be my detox clinic.

4. After my detox, don't eat anything sweet before 3 pm- having sugar early in the day will only cause a craving for sweets throughout the day.

This is just a snapshot of what I've learned on my quest to kick the habit.

I've had "sugar free weeks" but I need to go this whole month, I think. Dan tries to keep me in check, but I feel since I've blogged about this I'm accountable to everyone who reads this.

Now that I've admitted my problem I'm going to dive into these solutions head first. Hopefully I'll have some positive updates in the future. I think I'm going to start my 3 day hibernation Wednesday. I'll let you know how it goes!

Holiday Time!

Bridgette with Great Grandma Mary

This was a pretty low key Holiday Season. For Christmas we went to Nevada, spending the week with my parents. It was nice to get away, it was my first trip since April. While we were there my Mom had just gotten over being sick, my dad got sick & so did Dan : ( Poor guys! It was nice to see Nathan & Danny & their families, it's been way too long! While we were there Dan & I were able to attend the temple with my dad while mom watched Bridgette. It was nice to go because we haven't been in so long!

Christmas Eve was spent at my grandparent's in St. George. I was able to catch up with my Aunt Etsuko & Uncle Rob. It's so nice to see them! It's funny because they live 45 minutes away, but we have to go all the way to St. George to see them!


It was also fun to have Bridgette's 1st Christmas, although she couldn't cared less. We went light on the gifts for her, she got a cute dolly, a book & some clothes. Grandma Trudy got her a cute, soft lamb that plays a variety of background noises, including a heartbeat. It's already helped me get her to nap in her crib once.... hopefully it'll help her sleep in the crib all night! Dan gave me some very pretty boots, games that I love and other things.

Scott & Kaylene gave Dad a BYU helmet autographed by all the players

When we got back Bridgette had her 4 month appointment. She's so big! She's 16 lbs 5 oz (90th Percentile), 24 inches tall (50th Percentile), and her head's in the 75th percentile. She's SO CHUNKY! I love it! She also got her shots, which was sad for mommy.

We were also able to see Papa Joe & Grandma Leslie when we got back, taking family photos & having a little family party before Dan's younger brother, Stewart, left for his mission in Russia. It was nice to hang out with everyone during the holidays!

Bridgette got some books from Grandma LeslieUncle Stew's last night before his mission!

Now it's back to normal life. My goal this year is to run in the Park City 1/2 marathon, so I need to start running regularly again. I also need to stop eating sugar!!! I'm such a sweets addict! So, these are my "resolutions." We'll see how I do!!!

Family Update!

Taking a nap

Hanging out under the Christmas tree-she's not sure what to think of it.

All bundled up for a walk

My Little Skittle is getting so big! She has tripled in size since birth- crazy for a baby who was considered "low birth weight!"

Dan has been a busy bee; he finished the den in our basement, it's so nice! We moved the office downstairs so baby girl could have a bedroom. He's also started taking classes through Colorado State University online. Between that & his job @ Federal Financial he's swamped!

I've been just enjoying kickin' it with my homegirl. I miss the adult interaction, but having this sweet little chub to hang out with is so great, I wouldn't trade it for a job any day!

Sorry this is a lame-o post, but here are some cute photos of Bridgette!

Baby Bridgette is Here!

(Well, she's been here for about a month now...)
I had my 40 week Dr's appointment on August 25th. Both the Dr. and I were very surprised that baby girl hadn't made her appearance yet. I hadn't gotten a full night's rest in weeks & felt like I was never going to actually have the baby. The Dr. walked in and started explaining the pro's & con's of labor induction-- I was sitting there like, where are we going with this? He then asked, "would you like to go ahead and be induced?" I thought that sounded like a peachy idea. He left the room for a minute, then walked back in & said, " you can go over to the hospital right now & they'll get you going. I'll be over around lunchtime to break your water." WHAT! I was so freaking nervous. I called Dan & told him to meet me at the hospital...
Labor was uneventful, except they had to issue the epidural twice (my epidural space is really tiny, apparently.) After being in "labor" for about 8 hours (totally numb, it was awesome)I pushed for an hour and 'ta da! She was 6 lbs 7 oz & 18 1/2 inches long (she was down to a tiny 5 lbs 14 oz by the time we went home.) The only problem was she had a really short umbilical cord. The nurse didn't realize this, and went to place the baby on my chest...SNAP! The cord split right down the middle- it scared all of us! My Dr. was a pro & clamped the cord almost as soon as it snapped. Bridgette was having trouble getting a good breath & had to be on oxygen for about 3 hours. She also lost some fluid in the umbilical cord snap & had to have an IV. I started crying when I saw her little body in the bassinet hooked up to a breathing machine with all the tubes.
The past month has really been a blur. My mom was here helping out as soon as we got home from the hospital. I had a few breakdowns (Dan is probably ready to leave me.) The next week Dan's mom was here to help. I would've gone crazy had it not been for these ladies! They're awesome!!!
Bridgette finally seems to be on a sort of schedule, even though I think she eats too much (but she's chunking out, which I love!!!)
She's soooo freaking cute & patient with her inexperienced mommy. She probably gets tired of me holding & kissing her, I just can't help it!
Dan's so great with her, I'm so lucky to have a baby daddy who likes being a baby daddy! He's also been so great to me, seriously, he's probably been on the brink of committing me a few times. I never fathomed the effect childbirth/ post pregnancy hormones, could have on my emotions. Crying for no reason (Lifetime network movies are NOT that moving & neither is Sesame Street.)

Anyways, let's be honest here- you don't care about all this crap. You just really want to see pictures... Here are a few.

Going on a walk - it was chilly outside!

Taking a nap with Daddy

Ticked off at her first bath

What she does half the time when she's with Daddy.

And after Daddy consoles her...


My favorite type of naps.


Her first few hours in the hospital... so sad : (