And So it Goes

Nathan had his 4 month appointment this week. 4 months!!!! I can hardly believe my precious little baby is that big. Where did the 4 months go?

Everything looks good and he is growing as he should be. The doctor commented on how active and strong Nathan is and he loves how happy and smiley he is. He said we could go ahead and start introducing solid foods. We tried a little bit of rice cereal to hopefully help him sleep through the night but he hated it. Completely and totally. So we will be waiting awhile before we try anything else. He is still fully satisfied with only breastfeeding and I would like him to have a bit more stability and control before we start solids. He now weighs just over 15 lbs (55th percentile) and is 25.43 inches long (69th percentile). I really wasn't surprised about his stats because he is outgrowing all of his clothes length-wise. Abrielle was really tiny until 4 - 6 months and then she really ballooned with baby rolls so we will see if the same thing happens for Nathan.

We got Jake all registered for Spring 2012 semester at SLCC. He will be taking Sociology 2370 (Gender in America), Chemistry 1010 (Intro to Chemistry), and Management 2050 (Legal Environment of Business). It is 9 credit hours but Socio 2370 fulfills his Social Science and Diversity general education requirements. The hardest part of this schedule will be the fact that he will have class on Wednesdays from 5:30 - 8:15 pm. Wednesday will be our Young Women mutual nights next year and so I will have to either find someone to watch the kids while I go to mutual or I will have to take them with me.

We are really excited that this semester is coming to a close. It is always good and stressful to get to the end of a semester. Jake only has to go to class 8 more times until this semester is over and that includes the class he has to go to tonight. But...who is counting, right? :-)

My fitness goals are going really well. Several members of my family have jumped on the bandwagon including my dad, mom and even Jake. My dad has lost 10 lbs in 2 weeks, my mom has been running even though she has always had a bad knee, and Jake is eating healthier than ever and has lost about 3.5 lbs since Sunday.

As for me.... I have lost 20 lbs since my 6 week doctor appointment after having Nathan. That puts me 14 lbs under my pre-pregnancy weight. It is so wonderful to see my hard work paying off. I feel better than ever and stronger than ever. My lungs are still ever slowly conditioning and it is taking longer than I would have liked but I am trying to stay positive and persevere. I can definitely tell that there is a difference, even though some days it seems very subtle. I bought myself a yoga mat, a new workout DVD and new hand weights for my Christmas stocking and I am really excited to have them. Most of all I am extremely happy to have family members to work with me so that I can feel extra motivation when it is hard to produce it on my own at times. For anyone looking to jump start your fitness goals I would strongly recommend finding a partner or a community that you can do it with. It makes it a lot more enjoyable.

We are extremely excited for the holiday season upon us. We feel love and gratitude for so many things, but especially for each other and for those of you whom we have the privilege to call our friends. Much love to all at this season of happiness, joy, and thankfulness!

Love, Shayla