On Anna's Plate

So, I mentioned a while ago that I wanted to focus on more strength training…and, I’ve actually been doing pretty well!

Well, except for the week that we went to Shreveport for spring break…and then last week, I was sick with some crud, so I didn’t work out at all.  So actually I guess it hasn’t been going that well after all.  Huh.   

But—before spring break, I made an appointment at our YMCA to get logged into the FitLinxx program.  Does your gym have this?  They basically give you a pin number that you can log into each machine (most of the nautilus weight machines, that is), and then you can track your weights, reps, set, etc.  I LOVE this.  I’m never going to carry a notebook around and keep track of my workout—I’m just not.  But, with this system, most of the work is already done for me.  And, it’s really nice to see the progress that I’m making.  My progress actually went DOWNHILL at first…but today, I lifted WAY more than my previous visits.

I have it set up for 9 exercises: chest press, seated row, tricep curl, bicep curl, leg press, leg extension, leg curl, ab crunch, and back extension.  There are other machines that I use occasionally that won’t figure into the tracking, but this is a pretty nice, basic circuit.

I’m a pretty competitive person, but the person I’m MOST competitive with is myself—so this is a great way to “compete” against myself and track progress at the same time.  #winning

Yeah, I still use that hashtag.  What?

Anyway, other than getting my workout on (what?), we spent today MOVING.  We have movers coming officially on Saturday, but we’ve been moving boxes of smaller things for about a week now.  I am SO ready to be in our new house and settled—this has felt like a very drawn-out process!

Lila played in the yard:

(I’m telling you—this kid is ON. THE. GO.)

…while we boxed up things in the garage and kitchen.  After a few hours, we were ALL ready to take a break on the porch swing:

Ahhhhhhh.  I’m going to miss our porch swing!  So many memories were made here—for many months when she was just a wee baby, one of the only ways to soothe Lila was to swing with her.  And so we did:

…and she still loves it!

Maybe we’ll have to get a swing at the new house.   

Hope you had a great Wednesday!

Well…

Somebody turned ONE this weekend! 

I really can’t believe it.  When I think back on the past year, so much of it already seems so far away—when baby Dylan was born, I couldn’t really remember Lila EVER being that small! Of course, she was—smaller, in fact! But those days just feel so far removed from who she is now:

…closer to a little kid than a baby.  My little one-year old!

Of course, even one-year olds need their mamas.  Especially when they’re sick:

Lila and I have actually BOTH been sick—one of the reasons blogging has slowed down.  Sophie had a cold when we were home in Shreveport, and, not surprisingly, after a week of togetherness, Lila and I both came home with coughs and runny noses too.   We visited the doctor, and he said it wasn’t anything more than a cold—no biggie.  But it FELT like a big deal when both of us were waking up in coughing fits, multiple times a night.  Ugh.

Anyway, we’re on the mend.  Lila’s still coughing a little, but she seems to be feeling much better.  And obviously feeling a little under the weather didn’t stop her from enjoying birthday festivities.  We skyped with my parents, she opened a few presents, and, obviously—she enjoyed a very large cupcake:

Don’t touch her cake. She’ll cut you.

On Sunday, I baked these cookies:

…for a friend who is on bed rest until her baby is born.  I can’t imagine—I feel like the only thing that got me through the last month of pregnancy was WALKING!

The cookies are based off of this recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction blog, but I changed it up based on what I had.  I ended up using:

Birthday Cake Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour

2 cups yellow cake mix

1 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 sticks butter (12 tbsp.), softened

1 tbsp. vanilla

1 egg

1 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup sprinkles

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Sift together flour and cake mix in a mixing bowl.  Set aside.

Cream sugar and butter together until light and creamy.  Add vanilla and egg.

Slowly add flour mixture to sugar mixture, beating until incorporated.  Stir in chips and sprinkles.   Refrigerator dough for 2 hours (or up to 2 days).

Scoop rounded tablespoons of the batter onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Cookies might still look dough-y upon pulling out of the oven, but they’ll firm up once they’re out.

Delicious! Definitely tasted like cake batter!

Have a great Tuesday!

Hi friends!

Sorry I dropped away for a few days.  I’ve been busy welcoming our newest little member into the family:

Baby Dylan!

Three Marches ago, we traveled to Shreveport to welcome Baby Sophie:

Then, almost two years later to the T, Ryan and I welcomed our own little baby:

Baby Lila (as you know). 

And now, almost exactly a year after Lila was born, we have a NEW baby entering the family:

Baby Dylan!

Apparently we love our Easter babies.   

Baby Dylan’s birth was EXTRA special because…I got to witness the whole thing!

My sister got an epidural with Sophie, and was totally planning to get one with Dylan too—no natural birth for her!  But, when her doctor checked her for her final appointment, he realized that her platelet count was low.  Then, when they checked again on the morning that she was induced, the levels were STILL low, which meant…no epidural.

Katherine was freaking out a little—after all, she’d had NO plans to do it naturally, and so she hadn’t really studied up on any sort of natural childbirth “tips” or reading material—not that the reading material really preps you for it anyway, ha.   

But, I gave birth myself with no meds only a year ago, and Ryan and I took extensive classes on natural childbirth techniques—breathing methods, relaxation techniques, what to expect with all of the different stages, etc.—and so I offered to help “coach” her through the childbirth.

(SO happy to be giving birth with no meds! Ha.  Not really—she was PISSED! )

What an experience!! It’s very different being on the “coach” side of the hospital bed, rather than in the bed yourself.  I certainly wasn’t jealous.   

All of the things we’d learned in our classes and from our doula came rushing back to me, and I was able to help coach her through contraction after contraction—although, I must say, she would have been FINE without me—she was a pro! 

Her labor started around 7am when her doctor broke her water, and by 1 pm, we were welcoming Baby Dylan into the world:

9 pounds!!! He’s a big boy!  Which only makes my sister’s natural birth even MORE inspiring!

The birth of a baby is ALWAYS special, but I was so touched and honored to be a part of this one.  It’s something I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.

Welcome, sweet Baby Dylan!

…went to market:

….this little piggy stayed home:

…this little piggy ate roast beef:

…this little piggy had none:

…and this little piggy went wheeee wheeeee wheeeeeeeeee:

…all the way home!!!

Happy Tuesday.