Q-tip painting

Yes, you read that right, we painted using q-tips today. I found this idea on a craftsy blog I visit and wanted to give it a try. Sasha loved it! She was so into it. The q-tips kept breaking and she kept asking for new ones.

And then she made faces at me.

It's working!

This diet and workout routine seems to be working! Granted, I'm ridiculously out of breath after 15 minutes of the 30 Day Shred. Level II is hard, a lot harder than I had anticipated, but... I lost 3 lbs in just one week! That is such a huge deal for me, I think seeing this number is helping me stick to it better. Not sure I'll be sporting that new bathing suit in Mexico, as we only have 2 weeks left, but it's so much more than just about weight, it's about feeling my best and being as healthy as I (and the rest of my family) can be.

Saying her name or mocking mama?

I think Sasha said her name for the first time today. Yes, I'm aware she's just mimicking me (like with most things these days), but how cute is she? She even points to the camera when I ask her where Sasha is, since we were just looking at some pictures of her from the last few days. Enjoy!!

Specially for our Auntie Anna

My little sister is seriously the best auntie a little girl (or a boy I'm sure) could wish for. However, this little girl has been refusing (or unable) to say either the word "aunt" or her name for the longest time. While mind you, she says "mama", "papa", "baba" (grandma), "deda" (grandpa), "diadia" (uncle). But WILL NOT SAY "Anya" or "aunt". So without further ado, here she is saying "Anya" today for the very first time:

I'm a slacker

It seems that I've really slacked off on this blog and on my shredding. I've allowed myself to take a few days of a break from the evil that is Jillian Michaels. But today, I said enough and got my butt kicked (quite literally). Did a Level II today and felt fairly good while doing it - though I did need to take a few little breaks. We'll see how I'm feeling in the evening. I figured that if I want to get all 30 days in before we leave for Mexico, I can only skip 2 days from here on out. That'll be tough, but I'm really going to try to do it.
I have to say I feel so much better since I started a couple of days ago (although my scale doesn't seem to budge, but I'm also working on eating healthier, so I figure it'll be a long road). I think my belly pooch is getting a bit smaller and I managed to fit into the pants which I couldn't do two weeks ago (which really started this madness in the first place), and I was comfortable!
Yay for progress!

Weekend recap in pictures

I have a lot of photos from last weekend to share. We had so much going on pretty much every day since Friday, so tomorrow we're resting and just hanging out (well, that and it's supposed to rain all day long tomorrow)

On Friday, we went to Coney Island with our friends for some hot dogs and boardwalk:

On Saturday, we headed to Outback and Sasha did wonderfully (we haven't gone out to eat with her in a while because she used to get pretty upset sitting in a highchair and wanted to sit with me all the time)

On Sunday morning we hung out on a playground by grandma and grandpa's house (Sasha stayed at their house Saturday night):

Spring is here!

We've been pretty much living outside for the past couple of days (going inside for naps/lunches/dinners) I just love this weather, the being outside, the birds chirping, the little green leaves just starting to peak through, the sunglasses, the light jackets, the sunshine, I love it all! Sasha is loving being outside, playing with all the other kiddos, riding down the slides, and swinging on the swings. And I'm more than sure she's enjoying not wearing so many layers anymore!

Still shredding!

I'm still shredding, and sticking to it much better than last time (or two). Last week I only skipped one day and this week on day so far, but only because I was not feeling well at all. I have to admit, it's a hard workout (and yes, I'm a wimpy baby and still on level I), but I do feel better everyday after doing it. I also try to get outside with Sasha at least once or twice a day and when my husband gets home from work we usually go for a walk, which has been so much fun! For the past four days, it's been raining pretty much non-stop, so we barely got out. But today felt so so good to put on a light jacket and just go for a walk.
I like the workout a lot, although it does get a little boring after you've done it for a week every day, but Sasha entertains me by dancing along with the music, sticking her tongue out and making kissing faces at me. I do think that I need more ab exercises though, as that is my main problem area and the rest of my body is pretty much sore after the shred, while I'm barely feeling it in my belly. I think I'll be adding some belly-specific workouts throughout the day for good measure.
I'm also trying to eat better, which is much easier during the day. In the evenings, I suddenly get the urge to eat more than I really should and snack a lot. So I'm working on that too. The scale, last Saturday, showed a 1-pound improvement, which is huge! And I'm just feeling a lot better. Now if all those pants, jeans, and skirts would magically fit, I'd be all set!

Another crazy weekend!

So it seems that most of our weekends are incredibly busy and fun, but this particular weekend, I do wish we could've stayed in and cuddled at home. It is raining outside and has been since early yesterday, and supposedly will be until Monday. That weather is not conducive to going out, but alas, the plans have been made, the birthdays have happened and everybody is excited to see everybody else. Today, we're heading to visit papa's grandma, grandpa, and great-aunt. Right after that, we're going out for my great-aunt's birthday party with the entire family (good thing both my husband and I were able to take a nap today!) Tomorrow morning, mama is off to sign Sasha up for swimming classes, Y's parents are coming right after that. Then my parents and grandma are coming over for dinner. How's that for a crazy weekend? At least, there won't be too much traveling with the kiddo!
Hope everyone has a safe (dry) weekend!
And p.s. next weekend is reserved for relaxing and cuddling!
P.p.s. except for my dentist appointment next Saturday, sigh.

18-month appointment today

We went to see Sasha's pediatrician (have I mentioned how much I love this woman? She's amazing!) We chatted about a few things, how Sasha is doing and developing, our Mexico trip. She seems to love it when we have an appointment, she always gushes about the kiddo (and with other doctors and nurses too)... but then again, who wouldn't, hehe? Sasha now weighs about 24lbs (50th percentile) and 32" tall (70th percentile).
Sasha took a nice two-hour nap when we got home from the appointment (and let mama take a nice almost-two-hour nap as well, I really really needed it today). When we left for our walk in the afternoon, I managed to lock ourselves out. Luckily, this was at 4pm, so papa got home a couple of hours later. But sheesh, it finally happened, I've totally expected this moment a lot earlier!

International Women's Day!

March 8 is the International Women's Day. You may laugh, because it's practically unknown in America, but it is celebrated pretty much everywhere else. It is essentially an equivalent of Mother's Day (so yes, I do get two "days" a year). My husband got my a beautiful orchid, so I'm trying to figure out how to take care of it now. Sasha, of course, got a rose too.
So to all women out there, hope you're having a wonderful day; wishing you all warmth and love, happiness and joy!

I'm shredding!

A few weeks after Sasha was born, I remember talking to my husband about when I would be allowed to exercise. It's funny, because I was never really a big work-out fan, in fact I've been kinda lazy in the past about getting to the gym. But I was so ready to say good bye to the annoying pooch I had hanging out on my tummy (you know, where just weeks ago a large baby was residing). Well, I did lose all the pregnancy weight by about 3 months post-partum. The pooch, however, remained. And it is still there to this day. Well, I'm tired of it. I'm tired of wiggling my way into all my jeans and pants. And then I was naive enough (or stupid, whichever word you prefer) to order a two-piece swimsuit from Victoria's Secret. What I was thinking at the moment, I could not tell you. All I know is that beautiful twelve-dollar blue swimsuit is now sitting in my dresser mocking me. Sigh.
So today, I started the 30 Day Shred. Again. I've gotten as far as day 5 or 6 when I tried it before, but this time, I'm resolving to stick to it. I've got 10 extra pounds that I'd like to get rid of. I've got a beautiful blue two-piece swimsuit I'd like to wear in a month. And I figured that if I have my blog (readers?) to be accountable to, I may actually stick to it this time.
I just did my first workout while Sasha ate her snack and I'm feeling tolerably sore, but I think this might actually work for my schedule. Now, I will certainly not be disclosing the number my scale too eagerly shows me on Friday mornings, but if I get to that coveted goal of mine and a flat tummy, then I'll not only be sharing, I'll be showing off.
Here's to Jillian Michaels kicking my butt (err, tummy)

Happy half-birthday to our baby girl

Sasha is a year and a half today, that just seems like another little step closer to two (and don't even get me started on having a two-year-old!) She's such a big girl already, she loves dancing, she loves singing (she does a very cute little la-la-la-la when music is on), she loves yogurt and cheese, and would eat that and fruit all day long if I'd let her. She's working on jumping up and down, although she doesn't always know to lift both feet at the same time. She loves reading books, she loves her dolls. She's now saying around 35 words, including more animal sounds! We're working on colors now and I'm trying to do more craftsy things with her, which she seems to enjoy. We're going to see her pediatrician on Tuesday, so we'll see how she's doing growth-wise.

 

This is how we started out the day...

But after Sasha ate snack, she was so much more cooperative

We jumped after Sasha's nap a little

Then we made some brownies

...and ate them!

Then we played with grandpa and grandma

My little girl is a year and a half already! When did that ever happen??

Failblog

There's this hilarious site, called failblog. It showcases instances of absolute stupidity and "fail" (such as stairs leading into the walls... or this:

 

I submitted this picture to be on the failblog, now we just need to vote for it to get enough votes to actually make it onto the blog. So go vote (I think you can vote once a day too!) HERE.

"So when are you having the next one?"

We've been asked this surprisingly often in the past couple of months. Ok, people, our kid is not even a year and a half and we're "supposed" to be thinking of another baby already? Granted, my sister and I are almost exactly two years apart and I've told my mom that I give her so much credit for being pregnant with a young toddler, but I know I cannot do it.
I mean today was your average day with just a toddler and we both managed to cry (one of us numerous times - I will not tell who it was though!) Sasha was especially picky about everything I've offered her to eat, she's cutting 4 teeth at once (again), wouldn't let me step away from her for more than two minutes, and was just being unusually clingy today. Let me just say that I was very very very happy when my husband walked through the front door. And he had a pretty bad day at work, so he ended up going to the store to pick up some Nutella (that is my guilty pleasure and we try to stay away as hard as we can).
So yeah, we're not ready to even start thinking about another baby. Actually, the thought of two little ones right now scares me quite a bit. And Sasha was an "easy" baby, for which I'm utterly thankful. Which pretty much means that the next baby (whenever we have the next baby) will not be.
I give you a funny picture from today (for enduring this rather long post... ah, who am I kidding, I'm going to show off my kid whenever I get a chance to):

Philadelphia Flower Show 2010

Yesterday, we went to the Philadelphia Flower Show - they have it every year at the beginning of March and it always makes me feel a little better about the winter that is alllmost ready to be over (I certainly am verrry ready for this winter to be over!) I love going and I pretty much always end up buying some plants and flowers. Right now I have a bouquet of gorgeous roses sitting in a vase, right next to a potted begonia and potted gerbera daisies (my absolute favorite flower!) Beautiful creative flower arrangements, good time with family (there's always a bunch of us that go), and some nice plants to take home with you - what else can a girl ask for? Sasha may even be old enough next year to go with us, I think that'll be so much fun, she adores flowers and always wants to smell them.