Two Week Highlights-Elsie Marie

I can't believe already how big Elsie is getting.  Yesterday she was two weeks old and on Tuesday we had her two week appointment.  It is amazing how fast they change already.  Already I don't want her to grow up :)  I am loving her at this stage right now, she is just so precious and small and snuggly.  Here is a few updates of our life together so far:

Feeding/Breastfeeding
Our biggest challenge thus far has been the breastfeeding.  It started in the hospital and has continued still to this day.  I just don't make enough milk.  I don't feel like my milk really came in.  Since being discharged from the hospital we have had two visits to the lactation consultant and two phone calls from them to check in.  The day after we left the hospital we went back in for a weight check and she maintained which was awesome.  She hadn't lost anymore which was a concern.  Then the next Monday we went back again and she had gained 2 oz.  More good news.  We then changed our routine for feeding at that point.  This is what we have been doing:

• No more feeding tube!  yay!! Let me tell you that was a big pain and definitely needed John to help with it.  
• Pump every three hours with the hospital grade pump that they loaned out to me for two weeks, then feed Elsie that first.  I started getting 1/2 ounce each pumping, then moved up to 1 ounce and now the past few days I have been getting and ounce and a half (this morning I got 2.5 ounces-not typical). 
• Then we supplement with formula until she doesn't want to eat anymore. 
• Take herbal supplements to help produce more milk:  Blessed Thistle and Fenugreek
• Hope she gains more weight and I make more milk.  

Also, we were told that until she gets back to her birthweight we need to wake her every three hours to feed.  We decided to go straight to just pumping for now instead of continuing to nurse so that I could see how much milk I was producing and if it was increasing with hopes that she will be able to go back to nursing.

Two Week Check Up
Elsie had her two week check up on Dec. 27th.  It is hard to believe two weeks had gone by since she was born!!! I have a feeling I will be saying that a lot!!  The first thing they did was weigh her.  It was the moment we had been waiting for.  She really needed to gain weight and boy did she do that.  At her last weight check she was 6 lbs 11 oz and at her appointment she weighed in at 7 lbs 14 oz.  So she gained 1 lb 3 oz in one week.  I was excited!  The rest of her check up went well.  Her length was 20-5/8" long.  We also found out she has a mild case of thrush so she will have to go one medication to get that cleared up.  The doctor also told us we no longer have to wake her up every three hours to eat.  We can go as long as five hours now.  He also recommended that I start to nurse her again first, then give her any breastmilk I have pumped previously and then formula.  He said that nursing will do a better job of helping with my production than just pumping alone.  He also recomended that she be given a Vitamin D supplement since we are doing 1/2 breastmilk and 1/2 formula.  Apparently breastmilk doesn't supply them with the amount of Vitamin D that they need.  So all in all the appointment went great.  Elsie's

Exciting Bits of the Week

These are the things I am excited about for this week!

A)  My mom's last day of her cancer treatment was yesterday!!! YAY!!!!! I pray that never again she will have to go and sit in that stupid chair and get chemicals pumped into her body through her port!!!  She has been doing her Herceptin treatment for a whole year!! (Last time she was diagnosed she was only able to make it through a few treatments before she had to stop because it was damaging her heart too much) This time she was able to get all her treatments!  Every three weeks she goes in and gets her treatment!  Well no more!  YAY!!!!! So let pray that this cancer is gone FOREVER!  That is something to be very excited about!

B)  We found out over the weekend that my brother who has been in Germany for the past 3 years (He is in the Air Force) will finally be moving back stateside.  He will be stationed in Mountain Home, ID.  He is really excited due to all the outdoor opportunities in the area.  We are excited because he is now only a short plane ride away (and affordable-only $250 from Des Moines to Boise at last check).  And we don't have to wait for him to call us from Germany.  We can call him whenever we want!!

C)  Kitchen Update:  Well the countertops were installed last week and the plumber has moved the plumbing.  This week we have been working on installing the last of the cabinets where the old sink was and the pantry cabinets.  I will post pics after the weekend when everything but the floor should be done!

D) Finally the heat here has ended for a while.  Yesterday the high was still 90 degrees.  For this pregnant mama I have had enough!  I run my A/C at 72 and I am still hot!  The 10 day forecast doesn't predict any temps in the 90's YAY!

E)  I ordered my first cloth diaper yesterday!  It is as Grasshopper Quick Dry Bamboo All-In-One in a size M.  If we .  I can't wait to get it in the mail.  www.grasshopperdiapers.com.   Reviews ont his diaper come highly recommended.  The biggest complaint is the cost ($32.00 including shipping). Once we get this one and see what we are getting we are thinking about ordering a small. So we will see!

20 Weeks-Halfway There

Well last Monday I reached our 20 week mark in our pregnancy (I am now 21 weeks).  This first half has gone by so quickly!  I can't imagine how fast the 2nd half will go!  I am still feeling pretty darn good!  I can tell in the last week or so my appetite has definitely increased!  Good thing I am still mostly craving fruits and veggies.  I love this time of year-all I can think about is Watermelon and Cantaloupe.

As far as getting ready for the baby we are actually making some decisions.  We decided on the nursery bedding!  So I can paint the room once we decide on a color!  We also have a daycare provider!  We are really excited about where our little girl will be going!  So that is a big thing out of the way! We of course have decided about cloth diapers (my newest obsession-see previous post).  If you are wondering about names, well we haven't come up with anything yet but we haven't talked much about it yet.  And once we do decide it is going to be mine and John's little secret :)

I think right now my biggest complaint would be the heat.  I have no desire to spend much time outside right now in the Iowa heat.  This is my first summer working inside for a long time, I should be used to summer heat but I think that with being pregnant it is affecting me a lot more!  I am normally a no air conditioning kind of gal but now I say bring it on!  Along with a fan.

Another annyoing thing for me is heartburn.  Some days it is sooooo bad.  Tums have become one of my best friends.

So all in all things are good!  Here is me at 20 weeks.  I can't believe how big my belly is getting!  Seriously!  If I am this big now, how big am I going to be full term!  Maybe because it is the end of the day and my belly if full of food too :)  haha

Cloth Diapers for Our Baby's Bum

So after doing quite a bit of research John and I decided that we are going with cloth diapers for our baby.  Not only is it better for our baby and the environment, it is also quite a bit more economical (especially if you can resist buying all the adorable diapers out there).  There is so much information out there about cloth diapers it can be overwhelming.  I have a few go to sites (my fave being www.allaboutclothdiapers.com) and there is really a community of support too.  With cloth diapers there are challenges and problems that arise but you just have to try to work your way through it.  We are under no presumption that this is going to be easy or as easy and convenient as disposables but in the end we believe it is worth it.  Keep in mind this is coming from a girl who has changed a minimal amount of diapers total in her life.  :)

So a few nights ago I made a spreadsheet which outlines the types of diapers (All in Ones, Fitted, Covers, Pockets, Flats) and how many we need/would like of each as they are a newborn and then an infant.  The whole cloth diaper thing seems to have come a long way in the past years.  No more is it just flats that you fold and hold together with pins and put a plastic coated cover over.  Now you have All in Ones (AIOs) that are just like disposables except you wash them instead of throwing them away, Pockets that you stuff with liners depending on the absorbency amount that you want, and Fitteds that have snaps or velcro but you still need a cover for them.  I picked the brands that I wanted based off of reviews and reccomendations.

So one of the brands that I want is Ragababe.  When I first went to their website they were out of stock and so I decided to check back frequently.  So I check first thing this morning and they were still out of stock.  For some reason I checked again 45 minutes later and they had stocked a couple colors in a couple sizes.  I thought "this is my chance".  Well I was wrong.  In that time they had stocked and were sold out of the ones they stocked already.  They have a minimum per family on how many you can buy in a month so I have a feeling these are good ones.

What I love about these diapers is that they are made by a mom.  Her name is Joy and you can learn about her and her family and how RagaBabe came to be on her website.  www.ragababe.com.  Here is a photo of one of the 2-Step diapers.  Aren't they cute?

 So my quest to get my hands on one of these continues.  These are just one of the many brands I want to try out and have in my stock of diapers.

Overall I am really excited about cloth diapers and am super into doing the research. I am happy to pass any of the information I learn onto anyone else who is interested in learning more.  I think it is something worth considering for your next baby.  If you decided it isn't for you, that's okay.  We may find in the end it isn't for us (let's hope not) but at least we gave it a try.  I am excited!  Now I just have to resist from over buying :)

Happy 3rd Birthday Allie Jean!

So quite a few weeks ago (almost a month already) Allie celebrated her third birthday!  I can't believe what a big little girl she is becoming!  WE had a great time celebrating with her and the family and friends before we headed out on our vacation.  Here are a few pics from the special day! 

 

Barbies!  She was pretty excited about them!  

More excitement over her gifts!

Can't get enough of licking the frosting off the candles.

Enjoying some cake with her friends

Water Fun! 

Hanging out with Grandpa Craig on the porch, taking a break from the water. 

Or so she thought, the sprinkler could reach all the way up to the swing! 

Allie and Uncle John playing upstairs after the guests all left.  

John and I relaxing in the sun!  What a beautiful, enjoyable day!  

The Envelope Has Been Opened

So we took our sealed envelope with us to Lanesboro, MN this past weekend when we went camping with some friends.  Lanesboro is a special place for John and I.  It is where we spent a lot of time while we were dating (since I lived there), where John proposed, and where we we got married.  It is only fitting to add one more special moment to the list right?  So on Saturday afternoon we went for a bike ride on the Root River Bike Trail and made our way to the spot where John proposed.  It was on that same picnic table we decided to open the envelope.  Prior to opening, we both were convinced we were having a boy.  Well, we were wrong!

We are having a little girl!  No matter what the picture said we would have been so excited!  I am still trying to wrap my head around pink since I have been thinking blue for the past few weeks but we are so excited to welcome a little girl into this world in 21 weeks!  Before I got pregnant I had always hoped for a girl someday but it didn't make a difference if it was this time around or another. So we are very excited and have now started talking names.  We looked at some lists last night and were throwing some names out there.  What we decide on for a name will however, remain a secret until she is born! :)

So that is the news for the week.  We are now 19 weeks along, almost halfway there!  I am feeling great and definitely feeling and looking pregnant.  No definitive movements felt yet but I am sure that will be here soon.  I actually kind of felt something this morning but not sure that it was for sure the baby. I could do without this heat wave but thank goodness for air conditioning!   Camping wasn't too bad this weekend but the A/C definitely helped in the camper when it was time to go to bed!

Mid-Pregnancy Ultrasound

Well we had the big appointment today.  The ultrasound. I started to get nervous this weekend because I had talked with John's cousin who just had her's on Friday and she was telling me everything that they measure and check for.  so of course I was worried that they could find something wrong.

Well everything went great.  They check the brain size, the heart and it's 4 chambers, blood vessels, fingers and toes, nostrils, femur, spine, and on and on.  Everything is measuring right on for 18 weeks which is where I am at today!  So yay!  It's heart beats 140 bpm and weights about 8 oz.  It was really moving around too.  I of course could not feel it yet.  Which she said is normal and that I might feel it later because of how things are positioned.  It was such a relief to hear all is going well.

As for the gender... the results are currently in a sealed envelope.  I doubt we will wait until it is born but today we are celebrating that so far it is healthy from what they can tell with the ultrasound.  I am thinking boy, I think John thinks it is a boy too.  Only time will tell ;)

Everything else with the pregnancy is going great!  I am feeling pretty good-I could do with out this hot humid weather but no big deal.  I have A/C.  I walked a 5k on Sat night and even jogged a little at the end and it felt good! Let's hope that the 2nd half of the pregnancy is as good as the first half :)

Boy or Girl or Wait to Find Out

Okay so we have less than 2 weeks until our big ultrasound where we get to get a good look at the baby, check to make sure it is doing okay and to check for gender.  We still have not decided 100% if we are going to find out or not.  Part of me really wants to wait and then part of me things we should just find out now, because why not right?  So I think we can still be persuaded either way at this point.  Maybe we will make a game time decision.  Who knows.  So anyways I put a poll on the side of the blog so cast your vote, boy or girl or we should wait until it is born to find out.

The daycare interviewing has begun and is going good so far.  I have like 5 different prospects so we will see which one is the best for us!  We had one last night and it went great and another one tonight.  The others we are waiting until a few weeks into July to meet with.  I suppose we still have a little bit of time to decided ;)  I have gotten a lot of great advice on what to look for and what is important when looking for someone who your child is going to spend SO much time with.  So thanks for that!

Well I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July!

One of My Biggest Fears

I had to laugh at myself this morning as I was recounting my night last night to my mother-in-law.  So, one of my biggest fears is SEVERE thunderstorms that could produce tornadoes.  I feel like this has started only in the last 5 years or so and I can't figure out the root of this fear but lately it has gotten bad.  Tornadoes I feel can be so unpredictable.  And they can be so dangerous and cause so much damage in just a short amount of time.  If I know that a storm is just going to cause thunder, lightning, and some hail I am okay.  But I fell at any moment a tornado can arise.

So the other night I had John get our "tornado area" ready.  Our plan is to go underneath the stairs in the basement so we have a sleeping bag down there to wrap up in and flashlights in case the electricity goes out.  In our bedroom, I have him get Cinder's leash by the bed, we have both our headlamps by our bedside and I get my "tornado outfit" ready.  My outfit includes sweatpants, sweatshirt, and tennis shoes that I am protected head to toe haha.  I know it sounds silly but if it makes me feel better...  And of course we keep our weather radio in our bedroom too.  I have the most wonderful husband who does all this to make me happy.  He has no fear of tornadoes and would sleep through the whole thing if I let him.

Well last night we had strong strom predictions.  Around 11:30 PM the weather radio goes off for our country for a servere thunderstorm warning.  We had given Cinder a sedative (prescribed by our vet) before the storm came our way.  If you think I am scared of storms, you should see Cinder haha.  We gave her one pill (it is prescribed for up to two).  There had been no tornado warnings since the storm got to Iowa so I had relaxed a little thinking that it must have died down. Well I was wrong, not too much longer the weather radio went off for a third time and before it even said what the warning was for I knew it was for a tornado, there was no other options.  So I wake John up and he goes downstairs of course to look out the window.  I get my "tornado outfit" on and go downstairs.  I bet I looked ridiculous.  We found out the tornado was south of us and would miss us but I refused to take my outfit off until the warning expired.   But I felt ready and in control.  I am so glad John as so much patience with me when I look silly.  There I am in my whole outfit and there he is in glue to the window-the place you should not be.

Cinder slept through the entire thing thanks to the ace (sedative).  We tried to get her roused before we fell asleep and she was just like a rag doll that is how bad it knocked her out.  Even this morning she has trouble walking and is still really loopy.  We will definitely have to cut back the dosage even more the next time but at least it kept her calm through the storm.

Bottom line, I just want to be safe and I want my family to be safe.  And when we do have a tornado, we will be ready :).  At least I can still laugh at myself.  Right?

Dr Apt and Some Random Bits

So yesterday I had my 14 week check-up.  Through this pregnancy I haven't worried much about how things were going.  It was going to go how it goes right?  As long as I am eating healthy and doing what I should, everything else is out of my control.  Until yesterday.  The bad thoughts kept going through my mind.  What if we don't hear the heartbeat, what if something happened since the last ultrasound and I never knew, what if what if what if.  If there was something wrong, I would find out at the Dr.  So off we go to see my Dr.  I am armed with a short list of questions which I wrote down so I wouldn't forget.

1.  Can I got swimming/floating in rivers or streams (I am hoping this is a yes but doubtful).  I didn't even have to finish asking the question  and she is saying No way.  Pools-great but not those dirty places.  So no tubing on my trip to Lanesboro this summer :(

2.  Can I eat suhsi rolls that are made with only vegetables and cooked meats- Yes totally okay-YAY!  I have been craving wasabi and sushi rolls this whole time!  I know what I will be having for lunch next week.

3.  Is it okay that I still find myself sleeping on my back-Yes, for now.  If I do later in pregnancy it won't hurt the baby, just me. Plus she said I won't be comfortable on my back later in pregnancy so not to worry. 

4.  Can I use insect repellent and which kind- (I am not big on insect repellent and not so keen on ones with DEET)-She says I should be using insect repellent and it should have DEET.  It is not good for me to get mosquitoes bites

Super bummed about the water since it is summer time but oh well, won't be the last sacrifice I make for my child :)

So after my questions were answered she checked the heartbeat-We heard it and I am so relieved.  So far so good.  Everything else was good and as I was leaving she said " I am going to track your happiness level through this pregnancy and see if you are this happy through the rest of your pregnancy-I haven't seen someone smile so much in a while"  I told her it has been a couple of good weeks.  Why wouldn't I be happy right?  So all in all it was a great appointment!  

Couple of other random updates:

A. Our countertops are backordered and won't be here for at least another 3 weeks :(  I am getting tired of cardboard countertops but what can you do.  

B.  I am loving watching the Twins-they have been winning even when I watch.  Joe Mauer is back tonight in the lineup so hopefully that means we will be playing even better.  

C.  We got our first CSA disbursement last week from the local farm and I am loving the fresh veggies!  They are soooo good.  It is fun to get some different things than we normally eat.  At the grocery store I buy lots of fruit because that is so what I am craving right now.  I can't get enough!  

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!  

14 Weeks-Into the 2nd Trimester and Weekend in MN

Well it is official!  I am into the 2nd trimester.  Time is flying by!  I am feeling so much better now too.  Still a bit tired but I still have more energy than I did a few weeks ago.  Our little bugger is now about the size of a lemon and it's arms are proportionate to it's body.  It can now squint, frown, grimmace, oh and pee too.

We still haven't done much on the baby front.  No real name discussions or purchases.  I did buy a couple of summer maternity clothes when I was up in MN this week-no sales tax there!  My fav is a Twins t-shirt that says "Minnesota Twins:  Fan on Deck"  I can't wait to wear it!  I feel like some days I REALLY have a bump and others I just look like I ate too much or have put on some pounds around the waist.  For the most part my pants are still fitting me.  Another symptom that has started in the last week is having to get up to go the bathroom in the middle of the night-how annoying.  I have also had some headaches too.

This past weekend I went up to MN-alone-John stayed to get some work done.  It was a great weekend!  I left work early so I could get up to the cities before major Friday night traffic and went out to dinner for my Grandma June's birthday.  Also at the dinner was my cousin Nicolle, who I don't get to see nearly enough.  Fun catching up.  It was a great night!  Saturday morning I went shopping with my mom.  We ended up walking through Pottery Barn Baby and I found two sets of crib bedding that I LOVE-one for a boy and one for a girl.  I had a grad party for my cousin and then I went to visit my sister for the evening.  Sunday morning I got up, got packed up and met a college friend Katie for breakfast!  It was so great to see her-She has spent the last year and half in Korea. After breakfast I headed home so that I could go out with John and his family for dinner for his Birthday!  It was a great, busy weekend catching up with family and friends!

To Watch or Not to Watch

So, I have watched most of the Twins games this season.  It seems I always have the game on.  Even though they are losing a lot, I want to watch so that if they do win, I get to see it!  Well, I am not kidding but every game I miss, they win!  Seriously!  And just about every game I watch, they lose.

Last night I was at Chicago the Musical, which was awesome!  Sooo good.  Our seats were close but kind of off to the side.  But it was a very different experience because we normally sit way towards the back.  This time we actually saw thier facial expressions, even their sweat haha.  So I was sitting there thinking about how I was missing the game and how I bet they would win because I wasn't watching it.  And sure enough when I got home to see the score I was not surprised to see them win.  So this weekend I will be missing all three games so it will be the real test to see if they win.

The weather this weekend is supposed to be really good so I hope every one has a great weekend and enjoy the summer weather!  I know we will be :)

Our Little Stink Pot

The other day I was trying to take some pictures of Cinder.  She HATES the camera.  When I started taking pictures she went and hid under the desk at the shop which is her "Safe" place she goes when she is scared.  I guess it didn't stop me from taking more pictures though.  Cinder is a very special dog :).  Although she has undergone knee surgery, gotten her spleen removed, has Bell's palsy on the right side of her face, was diagnosed with diabetes last April, and is going blind we love her so much.  She is currently fighting a sinus infection so she has feeling a little down in the dumps.  We are moving next week back to our house in town and this will be a very stressful time for her.  Because she can't see, new places are hard on her.  Some people say why do we do what we do for her.  She is just a dog.  But to us, she is not just our dog.   She is the one who gets excited when we walk through the door.  She is the one who depends on us to take care of her. She is the one who is so proud when she finds something (shoe, stuffed animal, clothes, whatever she can find) and brings it to us.  She's our little stink pot! 

Cinder-8 years old. 



Lack of Motivation

So the past few weeks I have had no motivation to work out at least to work out hard.  It has been bad!  So now I am getting down to business.  This morning I regsitered for the 5:30 AM Cardio Kicks class here in town.  It is two days a week for 10 weeks so hopefully that will get me up in the morning.  Quite a few people I know are in the class and I hear she works you pretty hard.  So I hope this will do me some good and whip me into shape.  I figure by the time the class starts at the end of March I will be back in Nevada and have no excuses :)

New Kitchen

John and I decided that we are going to get a new kitchen when we move back into our house in Nevada.  Our current kitchen is pretty non-functional.  We met today with the kitchen designer at Lowes and got an idea for the design and cost.  It quote came in lower than I expected so that was good news!  Below is the picture of the color and design of the cabinent doors we think we migh be going with.  We are going to home depot tonight to check it out there and compare so we will see if this changes but this is what we like so far!

We Had a Baby Girl!

Floppy

Born March 3rd, 2011 at 7:08 PM

82 lbs

 Our First Calf of the Season!

Week Five-LHI

So, I think I am going to take a new approach to my goal setting.  This past week I failed in all three of my goals. 

Goal 1:  Waking up early-did not happend.  Well I have been getting up earlier but I did not exercise. 

Goal 2:  Eat More Veggies-I ate more veggies but not 3 servings a day.  Mostly just at dinner and a couple of days I ate salad for lunch. 

Goal 3:  Run 3 times for 20 minutes in additioan to my walking-  I did this twice and it felt good but I only did it on the treadmill.  Because the weather was so nice I did a lot of outside walking so I didn't run when I walked outside.

I decided maybe I need to approach this in a different way.  This week I am going to focus on days of exercise vs. what I am going to do, or how fast, or how long.  I realized I like to decide that day how I feel and what I want to do.  Yoga vs. weights, walk vs. run.  I do know when I am on the treadmill I need to run to mix it up, otherwise I get bored. 

Goal #1:  Get in at least 45 minutes of intentional exercise 6 out of 7 days this next week. 

That's it, just one goal to focus on to help me get into a routine. 

Have a happy healthy week!

Week Four-LHI

Well week three did not go as well as planned.  In the middle of the week (Tuesday night) I came down with the flu.  So that threw off most of my goals for the week.  I made it until Wednesday morning without drinking pop but broke down when I was craving a sprite when I was sick. 

As I was on the treadmill last night I starting thinking about goals and whether I should set my treadmill goals based on time or distance.  Is it better to go a certain distance in as best of time as you can or should you set a specific time and go as far a distance as you can in that set time?
For example:  should I aim to go for 4 miles a day and it doesn't matter how long it takes me.  It could take 60 minutes if I walked the whole time or maybe it takes me 45 minutes if I run/walk or maybe 35 minutes if I run the whole time.  So do you set goals based on distance or time exercised? 

Also, does anyone have a good reccomendation of something to drink beisdes water or pop?  This past week I have been drinking a lot of green teas which then late in the week I realized that green tea has caffeine-which I didn't want to drink in the afternoon. I know with green tea it is not as much caffeine as coffee but. . . 

Week Four Goals:
I have been struggling a bit with getting home to get my exercise in before dinner so...
Goal 1:  Wake up at 6:00 twice this week to get in a workout before work.  This one will really be a challenge

Goal 2:  Eat more vegetables!  At least 3 servings a day

Goal 3: Bump up my running-after my whole back pain thing I cut back on my run time.  I would like to work back up to at least 20 minutes of running in addition to my walking 3 times this week. 

Hope everyone has a happy healthy week ahead!

Vegas Vacation 2011

  Friday, January 28th, John and I left for Vegas to meet up with my parents and my brother who is currently temporarily deployed there from his home base in Germany.  We hadn't seen him since Christmas 2009 so it was great to spend time with him.  We spent our days off the strip and our nights on the strip.  Most of our pictures are from our daytime adventures. 

When we landed we met my parents, picked up our rental car and went out to the base to meet my brother. 

After we met up with my brother, he took us to the where the jets take off to head out into the desert to do drills.  We were able to watch jet after jet take off for an hour.  Here are some pics that I got as they were taking off. 

Friday night we walked around on the strip.  I failed to take pictures at night of the sights on the strip.

Saturday we got up early and off we went to explore the sights outside of Vegas. 

First Stop:  Hoover Dam

We went on the Dam tour which led us into the middle of the dam.  At one point we were able to look out the side of the dam out down the river.  I am glad that we spent the extra money for the dam tour versus the visitor's center tour.  Our guide was awesome! 

Recently, this bridge behind us was built for vehicle traffic so that cars, trucks and semi's wouldn't have to drive over the top of the dam.  I believe it was just finished in October 2010.  This bridge is about 900 feet above the Colorado River.  Not only do cars drive across but you can walk across it as well. 

 (See pics below)

Lake Mead--the difference between the dark and light is where the lake normally is.  Right now it is like 70 feet lower than normal, which worries many people in the area.

This plaque marks the division between Nevada and Arizona.  Bonnie is in Nevada and Craig is in Arizona.

The picture below is from when we walked out onto the bridge.  It was sooo high!  But you can get a good picture of the dam from this view. 

After Hoover Dam we set off on another adventure.  Derick told about this place he saw on the History Channel called Pioneer Saloon.  He said it was this really cool place that had a lot of history to it.  He said it was a bar that people go to when they want to leave the strip and go somewhere interesting.  I can tell you it sure was interesting.  Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of this place, however, I don't need them to remember this place.  Thanks again Derick for the recommendation :)

On Sunday we visited Red Rock Canyon not too far from Vegas (about 30 minutes).  It was the coldest day of the trip and really windy.  Unfortunately, we did not dress for the elements so we mostly had a auto tour of the canyon. 

Burros are run wild in the canyon.  This one was along the side of the road.

Sunday night John and I decided to try Eifel Tower Ride where you ride an elevator up to the top.  As I am afraid of heights, I was a little nervous about the experience but it was awesome!  The view was amazing.  While we were up there, the Belaggio played one of thier water shows and it was so much better looking at it from up above!  Here are so views of Vegas from the top!

We left on Monday.  Our original flight was set to arrive back in Des Moines around 4: 30.  I was excited to be able to get home, unpack, start laundry and relax before heading back to work the next day.  Well those plans changed when our flight from vegas to denver was cancelled.  We were rerouted on a later flight that went to Chicago instead.  That flight was set to land in Des Moines 9:21 pm.  Well when we were getting ready for decent into Des Moines the pilot got one to tell us that we were put in a holding pattern until the ground crew could see if they could de-ice the taxi and runways.  The flight attendants started talking to eachother about how they thought we were going to be diverted to Kansas City.  Fortunately, the were able to de-ice and land in Des Moines around 10:30 PM.  I can tell you that it was one of the worst landings I have ever experienced.  We were just grateful to make it home before the blizzard really hit.  Besides our air travel on Monday we had a wonderful vacation!  It was great to see my brother and spend time with the family! 

LHI 100 Day Challenge Week 3

Well Week two was kind of a bust.  With spending Fri-Monday in Vegas and then Tues-Wed in Nevada at John's parents I didn't get too many workouts in betfor Friday.  I logged some time for the extra walking we did in Vegas and then a workout for Wed night and Thursday night but that was pretty much it!  I have however gone two whole weeks without a pop.  Before this I would challenge myself to limit myself to a pop every other day and would struggle with that goal but so how I did this and how easy it was I don't know. 
Friday on our drive up to MN I was so craving a pop but I was able to pass on it (Hi-C orange isn't pop right ;). 

WEEK THREE GOALS
1.  Get back into the routine of working out.  If I can get in a workout 5 out of 7 days this week I will be happy. 

.2.  Bring my own healthy meal to work each day this week.

3.  No caffeine after noon. 

I hope everyone has a happy, healthy week!

LHI-100 Day Challenge Week 2

WEEK ONE REVIEW:
To review how week one went, to sum it up it did not go as planned.  For my workouts, I started out  strong last Thrusday with one of my running workouts and Friday with a 45 minute walk and 25 minute weights workout.  I got in one yoga session over the weekend and it went all down hill from there.  I ended up in so much pain in my back and ended up going to the Dr and the Chiropractor.  The chiropractor told me to hold back with the running and to walk slowly instead until my back starts feeling better.  So that put a little crimp in my plans.

As for the drinking water i did okay.  I know not every day did I drink my goal amount of water but I drank considerably more.

And breakfast, there were a few days that I ran out the door without eating.  I would grab something to eat when i got to work but then got caught   up in work.  But I would say more days than not I ate breakfast. 

WEEK TWO
I am posting about my week two goals late because we were in vegas.  So this week I have been trying to continue to drink more water and am really thinking about what I am eating.  One of the things that has happened without even realizing it is that since I have been drinking more water, I haven't been drinking pop.  Today will be day 9 without a pop.  I am proud of that because I was drinking at least one pop a day.  So I guess I am going to make that my goal-to not drink pop for two weeks-only 5 more days to go :).

Live Healthy Iowa-The 100 Day Challenge

So tomorrow begins the Live Healthy Iowa-I00 day challenge!  I am on a team of eight.  Each week we track our minutes and what not. Mostly, it is just an excuse to set goals and to exercise and develop healthy habits.  Tonight I got together with Amber and we set some goals that we want to achieve.  Here are my weekly goals.  I am planning to update this every week so I can track how I am doing with my goals.  Wish me luck.  Week One begins tomorrow.

Week One Goals:
1.  Drink More Water-At least 48 ounces a day.  I am terrible at drinking water.  I drink tons of coffee and I need to make sure I am staying hydrated.

2.  Eat Breakfast Everyday

3.  Run for at least 15 of my 45 minutes treadmill workouts 3 times a week and do 2 yoga sessions a week.

Christmas 2010-My Mom's Family

okay, this is my last Christmas posting.  Next year I will have to do better at taking pictures of all of our Christmas Celebrations! 

We spent Christmas Day with my mom's family.  There was a great turnout and we got to spend time with some family that we don't see very often.  That is what the holidays are all about!  That night we spent the night at my parents. 

My Cousin's little Girl!

My cousin Jake working hard on his homeade

Christmas Ornament for his girlfriend.

The finished products!

Family Pictures

We are looking forward to a very happy 2011!!!!!