This is my story

My photo
New mommy to my son, Elijah Ryan. Wife to my husband and best friend, Nick. New homeowner and HGTV obsessed. Wedding Planner for Two Be Wed. Avid Pinner. Lover of writing, books, movies, vampires (not the Twilight kind) and Harry Potter. Enjoys lazy days, coffee and spending time with my little family. Here to share my tales of mommyhood, marraige, love and life.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

The end of my childhood & the beginning of another

As many of you know, I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan & this weekend was the release of the final film in the HP series. I'm a true, die hard fan meaning I read the books before the craze of the movies. I read the first book in 5th grade and the final book after I graduated high school. As I grew up, Harry grew up and became a huge staple in my childhood. Even though the book series ended 4 years ago, this final film marked the end of my childhood. It was a bittersweet feeling sitting in the theatre, awaiting for the movie to start knowing this would be the last time I would attend a midnight premiere or be able to see the characters I've come to love on the big screen. It's so much more than a book or a movie though. As weird as it may seem, the characters have become my friends over the years. We've grown up together, I've experienced their highs & lows, and related to them. After the movie, I was so sad. I felt like apart of my childhood had just died and it was true. Although I am sad that I won't be able to look forward to another book or movie involving Harry, I'm looking forward to sharing such a huge part of my childhood with Elijah. I'm planning on rereading the series by reading them to him. Not anytime soon, but once we begin reading bedtime stories Harry will be the first pick. When I was a toddler, my mother's friend read me the Hobbit every night. I think that was the book that sparked my imagination and my love for fantasy novels. I want to give him the same experience and allow him to find his own love for reading. So as I say goodbye to my childhood, I embrace my sons. I hope he will love the books as much as I have. If not, as least I can share that special part of my childhood with him and no matter what "the stories we love best, live in us forever." -J.K. Rowling.

(From Left to Right: Me & my fellow Potterhead/bestie, Lany. We've gone to the last 4 films together. Me 5 months pregnant with Elijah. And the most recent, me before the final midnight premiere.)

Speaking of the little one...
He is 4 months old today!

(yes, that is an HP onesie :P)

He's growing SO fast!! It seems like just yesterday he was a little, fragile bundle of love. Now he's vocal, kicking, chewing, drooling, sitting, rolling & sucking his precious little thumb. He's still my bundle of love but not so little anymore. He even holds his own bottle!! Before I know it, he'll be all grown up and won't need his momma anymore :( Sike, he'll always be my little momma's boy. And he's looking more & more like his Daddy every day. I tell people that he has his momma's eyes & his Daddy's looks. I just love everything about him.  

Monday, July 11, 2011

Getting Fit

You may have noticed on Facebook that I am attempting to get back in shape. I started a boot camp class 2 weeks ago, and have only made 2 classes out of the 2 weeks. Last week was more of a struggle because Nick was going out of town & Eli wasn't feeling well. But now I feel worse about my body than before. I read in all the books during my pregnancy the changes your body goes through adjusting to carrying a baby before, during & after. Yet, for some reason I thought I would be one of the lucky ones & the weight would just shed off after birth and during nursing. WRONG.

I gained 50 lbs during my pregnancy. I'm not proud of it and my biggest regret was not exercising while pregnant. Everyone warned me, "Be careful what you eat.", "Make sure your walking." But I told myself, this is the one time I can get away with eating what I want and people won't judge me. Little did I know that I would be paying for it ten fold afterwards. I have lost 20 lbs since Eli was born but have yet to lose anymore. I've been watching what I've been eating but I haven't been hardcore about it. Signing up for the bootcamp classes was supposed to motivate me but somehow it intimidated me. It made me realize how out of shape I really am and the long road ahead of me. I've come to terms that I won't ever have the body I once had. Some women bounce back from pregnancy like it was nothing, others look better than before baby. Not in my case, but that's okay because the end result was way worth it. I can accept that my body won't be the same, but I won't compromise that I always have to be this way. I may not be able to erase stretch marks, but I can lose the unnecessary weight & that's what I plan to do.

I'm not writing to feel sorry for myself but more so I can look back on this during my journey to getting back in shape as I reminder of how far I've come. My goal is to lose 50 lbs, do 30 mins of cardio a day and attend at least 3 bootcamp classes a week. I purchased 2 months of classes in advance so I have 7 weeks of classes left to go. I will be updating my progress along the way. My motivation is feeling better about myself and setting an good example for Eli.
Today is Day 1 of Getting Fit. Off to Bootcamp class I go!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Elephants, tigers, and lions, oh my!

So the circus is coming to town and I know it's forever away but its got me thinking about Eli's first birthday party. As soon as I began my elephant fetish for his nursery, I knew that I wanted his first birthday to be circus themed. I mean, who doesn't love the circus? It's so fun, colorful and there are so many creative decor possibilities! Not to mention the awesome goodies...cotton candy, popcorn & peanuts! I may have to go while the circus is in town. (for research of course! ;))




circus-birthday-party-2

Call me crazy but I just can't wait!!
(I'm a party planner...can you blame me!)

Monday, July 4, 2011

Sweet Summertime

Summertime just isn't official until you put on your swimsuit for the first time. So this weekend we officially started summer by taking our first beach trip. Growing up, I have the fondest memories of the beach. My mother loved the beach and passed that love onto me and my sister. I hope that Eli will grow to love it too.
Our little Panama Jack
Mimi & Munchkin
Fast asleep to the sound of real waves.

Hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th!