A little pat on the back

...for myself, even though it's not really because of me.

I now weigh the same as or just less than I did in college!!  I'm in shock.  I'm also fitting in clothes that I've kept for years thinking that someday I would fit into them again, although never actually expecting to.  And now I'm so glad they're still in my closet! (especially since my wardrobe is down to almost nothingness, which is a whole other post)

I worked my butt off after Jack was born to lose enough weight that I wouldn't have to buy a bunch of new clothes to go back to work, since we couldn't afford it--and I did.  But since then, the weight has just continued to come off and it's so freakin' awesome.

Not that I'm a stick, by any means.  I'm still plenty mommy-ish, complete with wrinkles, sags and bulges where there didn't used to be any (tmi?), but overall, I'm thrilled.  It feels good to be healthy and (somewhat) strong and be able to keep up with both boys.

Again, I attribute this mostly to God, because without good genes and blessings from Him (what else could it be?), I wouldn't have lost any of it!

Of course, all of this might end if I don't stop treating myself to ice cream after the boys are in bed...but for now, I'm going to enjoy it.  And keep working out!

9 months and counting

Jack-Jack is 3/4 of a year old!

Where has the time gone?

As you can see, his favorite thing to do is pull up to standing on anything and anyone

(especially the train table, as here):

He makes some REALLY funny faces!

And he is quite agile:

His 9-month checkup was Friday, and he is perfectly healthy and happy! He is, can you believe it, even sleeping through the night again! SUCCESS! (now I've jinxed it and he'll wake up a bunch tonight...sigh) He's even sleeping at night in spite of teething so hard he can't hardly stand it.

Naps are a different story. He's starting fighting/refusing to take a morning nap, which is really, really unusual for him. However, yesterday after no morning nap, he took a t 2-hour afternoon nap! It was great.

Jack is such a happy baby and is always smiley:

9-month stats & loves:

-18.5 inches long

-19 pounds, 4 ounces
(same as Lincoln at this age!)

-Lincoln. The complete adoration in Jack's eyes when he watches Link run around or when Link plays with him is heart-melting.

-Eating. I've had Jack on table food for a while, and the kid cannot ever get enough! He is a human trash compactor!

-Crawling really fast!

-Pulling to standing at any chance

-Being outside. There's so much to see.

-Chewing on his fingers/fist/Mommy's toe/toys/ANYTHING.

-Toys that are meant for older kids--we've got to move some of them (magnetic refrigerator letters, your time is coming)

-Music. Bust a move!

-Books. He loves to turn pages (very rapidly) and soon as one is done, he's looking for the next.

-The activity table. We finally got it out after deciding the Exersaucer has served its time. Complete love.

-Clapping. It's so cute!

-Crawling after Mommy in the kitchen, grabbing my legs and laughing hysterically.

9-month dislikes:

-Teething. Come ON, teeth! Break through! Jack STILL only has 2 teeth!

-Having his face or hands washed/wiped. It's kind of funny how much he freaks out.

-Having anything taken away from him.

-Not being fed fast enough! Jack bashes both hands on the high chair tray and/or claps a lot when he's ready for the next bite & it's not in his mouth.

That's it. Many more likes than dislikes!