Random Updates

So we're back from Thanksgiving. I enjoyed the time with my family but the traffic going to and from Georgia was hell. I think we'll need to start traveling on the off-days to save my sanity. And though I love doing giveaways, I hate mailing the stuff because I ALWAYS manage to have things that won't fit in the boxes I get and then I have to go find another one. Maybe I should just find a UPS store and let them do all the work.

My medication mishap wasn't all that bad. I did get a period which I expected. But I started up on the meds as soon as I got back Sunday night. I think this may have set me back a bit but it didn't completely derail the past month and a half of work. My boobs still feel fuller and the world didn't end.

We bought our baby furniture on Black Friday. I waited patiently for a good deal and it paid off with a 15% off sale. We saved $238. Now I'm just waiting for the delivery guy to call to set up a delivery date. I'm hoping it's by the end of the week. I also sold my first baby book to a fellow blogger so I ordered my hedgehog-themed one.

I think I'm going to have to start the Couch 2 5K next week. I don't have enough time this week to make it to the gym 3 times. But despite not counting my points and going WAY off my diet last week, I'm down 1 lb. Baby steps. Oh, and has anyone tried SparkPeople? My mom mentioned it and said it's like Weight Watchers Online only you count calories and not points and it's free. I already signed up for 3 months of WW so I'm not going to sign up for SparkPeople till that's over but I did want to see if anyone's tried it out.

Absolutely no news on the adoption front. When we first went active I thought we'd be matched very quickly. Now I don't think we will. I have a feeling we'll have a spring baby. Not being pessimistic, just sharing the feeling I have.

Tonight we're re-recording our interviews for the video portion of our adoption profile. This time I wrote notes so I'm better prepared and more comfortable in front of the camera. I did freak out a bit when I saw the video that we took over the weekend with my nephew. I didn't realize I looked so fat and sooooo pregnant. All the weight I gained in the past few months centered in my belly and it looks terrible. Perhaps I should have waited a few months to do the video profile. Oh well, too late now!

Buyer's Remorse

I could kick myself in the ass right now. I waited and waited and did all my research to find the perfect baby book, and I found it. It was this one by Tessera. Well, I thought I found the perfect baby book. Then a magazine came in the mail.

About a month ago I subscribed to the Adoptive Families magazine and I finally got my first issue in the mail a few days ago. I sat down to read it and as I neared the end I thumbed through all the advertisements. One was for an adoption book called LifeInColor.

It has hedgehogs.

For those of you who don't know, I love hedgehogs. Our nursery is hedgehog and bumblebees. I have to have this baby book. Which puts me in a bad situation. The first baby book cost us $100 between the book and the additional adoption themed and holiday themed pages. This new book is priced equally. I can't justify buying two baby books at that price. So if anyone is interested in purchasing the first baby book at a discounted price of $75, please let me know. The pages are all blank, the only thing I did was take the adoption and holiday pages out of the packet and install them in the book. It comes in a nice keepsake box as well.

Miserable

It's time. Time to admit that for the past month or so I've been miserable. I did all my research about inducing lactation and was well aware that taking the meds (especially birth control) would cause me to gain 10-15 pounds. I guess what I didn't realize was how shitty that extra weight would make me feel.

I feel like an utter blob. My sex drive and self esteem is non-existent, not to mention my motivation to get out and exercise. I always come up with valid reasons to put off going to the gym. There's so many things to do before a baby arrives that I'm definitely staying busy. But my weight is suffering.

And while we're at it, let's talk about heartburn. I have no clue what happened but for the past couple weeks I've been getting terrible heartburn. I can eat bread and water and still get heartburn. I know that tomato-based products are bad and I just started cutting out spicy foods and caffeine but the problem isn't going away. I'm going to try getting rid of the Metformin and prenatal vitamins and see if that helps. If not then I'll have to make a trip to the doctor.

So back to the fat issue. I think it's time I went back on Weight Watchers. I didn't lose too much weight last time, only about 7 pounds but at this point 7 pounds lost would be a godsend. I've gained about 6 pounds in the past two months and I'm at the heaviest I've ever been. I realize that about a pound of that was added to my boobs but I still have a stomach pouch I need to get rid of. I'm not a damn kangaroo. So this time I think I'm going to combine my Weight Watchers effort with with Couch to 5K running plan. I've heard a lot of people speak highly of this program so I'm curious to see if it will work for me. I've always wanted to run a 5K. It's a 9 week program which seems a bit ambitious for a fatty like me, but it's worth a shot. I plan to start Weight Watchers tomorrow but I probably won't start the C25K for another week. I want to get to the gym and warm up for a week or so before I just jump into a running program. Hopefully this time Brandon will help motivate me to keep going to the gym even when I don't want to. I think that's the reason I've failed so many other times. Wish me luck!

Adoption is Like a Roller Coaster Ride

Adoption is just like riding a roller coaster. The first upward climb of adoption is the homestudy and the activation. You chug slowly up, up, up the hill. Then you reach the top. You're approved and activated with your agency! But the high you feel is only momentary as you speed at breakneck speed back towards the ground. Then it's time to chug, chug, chug your way back up an even bigger hill as you wait for The Call. This time, because the hill is bigger, the high you experience after receiving The Call and finding out you've been matched is a bit longer. The elation you feel is even more exciting. But eventually you end up back at ground level. Then it's time to chug back up the last and biggest hill as you wait for your baby to be born. Sure, there's smaller hills and even loops and corkscrews mixed in along the ride. Some have a really long ride, some have a very short ride. Some people wave their hands and scream the whole time, trying to experience as much of the ride as they can. Others prefer to close their eyes and only open them when the ride is over.

As for me, I usually hate roller coaster rides but for this one I think I'll throw my hands in the air and smile as they take my picture.

WE'RE ACTIVE!!!

It's finally official. We are now a waiting family with our adoption agency. I'm optimistic that our wait time for a baby won't be long, but I'm also realistic and I know that not at all adoptions work like that. But a girl can hope, right?