The Birkeland Family Blog

So we have begun the potty business! It wasn't my decision it was all Emmi's. One morning about 2 weeks ago she asked to wear her big girl panties. I told her that she hasn't learned how to wear them yet. Well, she proceeded to beg and beg. I finally gave in and let her wear them. To put it short....she hasn't gone back to diapers from that day. We have had our hooray party in the bathroom. She has gotten many new books for rewards, and her favorite was the trip to McDonalds for lunch. Hard part is that now she wants a reward for every trip to the potty. Which is about every hour. Dang....she is going to break the bank. Or, it means M&Ms every morning for breakfast. I guess you gotta do what you gotta do. I feel like I shouldn't get too excited about it, but I am. I am so proud of her for being such a big girl. I sometimes get frustrated when she has an accident, but I just have to know that it is going to happen. And believe me we have had our fair share of the...

DUMP!!! So here I have been busting my ever living butt for freaking 6 weeks, and not one thing has happened. I literally have not missed a workout. Nope.....nada uno. I have been eating super super good. Besides a cheat here and there. Ok.....wait I lied. I did have a spectacular lunch with friends that will be blogged about because it was the best indulgence lunch I have ever had, but hey.....cut me some slack. But here is the thing. I have lost only 2 pounds. I still have my doughnut, my cheesy thighs and the never ending back fat. I know this blog post is pretty explicit. Keep reading at your own risk. I have my gross, never to be revealed before photos posted randomly around the house to keep my eye on my goal. It has motivated me to keep going, to do my workouts when I am absolutely so tired, or to not eat the cookies, icecream, or snacks that are lying around. But, how much longer can I keep this up when I don't see a single ounce of result. Ok....I lied again...

The story about 2 months ago was that big sister was jealous of baby brother. Big sister would sit on baby brothers face or lap. Sister would jump around brother to maybe luckily step on a hand, head or foot to get a good cry. Sister would push brothers swing so hard in hopes to fly him to the moon. Sister would cry, kick, hit, and yell to bring all attention back to her and away from Brother. We can now say that things have slightly changed in the Birkeland home. Sister has mellowed out a BIT, and we are getting back to our routine. ThAnK GoOdNeSs! Sister is now LoViNg her Brother! Emmi loves to hold her baby brother! Emmi loves to have Jack in her bed in the morning! Don't you love morning eyes? You can probably guess who stuck these stickers all over Jack's face!

Week 2 down.....on to week 3! I'm onto week 3 and feeling great. I have not missed a workout and my diet has been super super healthy. I'm loving it. I love feeling my muscles again. I love the feeling of sore triceps. I've worked my lower body so hard that I can't lower my butt to the toilet without yelping in pain. I love the feeling after a hard cardio when your head is spinning and your legs are shaking. AHHHH!!! Gotta love it! I still have days where I feel super energized and other days where I feel like a thousand pounds. My back has given me some fits, but I have had several visits to the Dr. and some great massages. I am just hoping that the weight training will soon help my back instead of hurt it. We shall see. As for now I'm not giving up. I so badly want to see some change and feel like I did when I was in my 20's. Ha....can that really happen? I'll let ya all know! Stay tuned for more updates!

So here is my little Jack J Jack is 2 months old now! I can't believe it? I feel like I was just rushing to the hospital in labor. He is growing before my eyes. I wake up each morning and look at him and he is always a wee bit bigger to me. The newborn phase has almost passed. He is awake much longer, he is smiling and we have gotten a laugh or two out of him. He is the most mellow and happy boy ever. We even have been getting some 5 hour stretches of sleep out of him. Way to go Jonesy. Some funny things about him. He loves having his diaper changed, or should I say being naked. In fact with out fail there is a huge grin on his face when the diaper comes off. Even in the middle of the night. What a character. He absolutely loves his swing. I think I love his swing more. I put him in it when he is tired and voilla he is asleep. He has had his best nights of sleep when he is in the swing. We still are perplexed of who he looks like, but we are convinced he still looks more like my si...

Our yearly week at Jeremy Ranch has come and gone. We usually don't do anything super spectacular but it is just a nice getaway. This year was certainly different due to two kids and Brian going to the valley every day for work. Kinda a bummer. My philosophy on that decision was he wanted some good sleep. I really don't blame him. Anyway, we had a good time feeding the fish, playing in the stream, walks, Park City games and rides, swimming, shopping at the outlets, and good icecreams at McDonalds. Sleeping arrangements were difficult but we did come out of the week knowing that Emmi is for sure not ready for a big girl bed. She has been summoned to her crib for at least another 6 months. I am not ready for no naps and long drawn out nights.

Never in my life have I felt so depressed and disgusted about how out of shape and soft I have become. Yes....I know I just had a baby, but there is no excuse. I have gotten into such bad habits as far as eating and just being so inactive. Food has become such a comfort thing for me, and I hate how I feel about myself. My ah haa moment that I knew something had to change was when I found myself seeking out parks that don't have swings so I don't have to push Emmi, or avoiding all swimming pools since I don't own a swimsuit that is size 16, or telling Emmi every 5 seconds that "Mommy is tired and doesn't want to play" I still can't fit into the clothes that I was in after I had Emmi. How pathetic is that? I have absolutely NO ENERGY. Yes.....a lot of my low energy does stem from broken sleep from little Jack, but I do know that I would have more energy if I were exercising and in shape. So here is my plan. I am putting this out to all of you so I st...