Black & Blue

As I sit and examine my latest in a really long line of gnarly bruises, I found myself trying to remember all the bumps and bruises along the way in the past 4 years.  The kids have been remarkably safe, with only a scratch or scrape along the way.  They have had their fair share of bit lips and black eyes though.  I think all but my #3 has had at least one major black eye.  #2's was the worst - a week into having a new big girl toddler bed, she discovered jumping on the bed was a blast!  Make that, blast "off"!  She took a full facial header into the wooden corner of the bed frame and really did a number on herself. 

Post-op Week 2 - A look into the life of a starving bariatric patient!

WEEK 2
Monday, I went to the spa gym and had a body analysis done. BMI calculations, measurements, weigh in, assessments… the whole thing took an hour. But guess what? I’ve lost 18 pounds in 2 weeks!

oBand Just Saved My Life - Surgery Log

So I did it!  I went to the oBand Center and got me a LapBand!  This post will serve as all the details about my first week as a bariatric weight loss patient.  You'd be surprised about easy this was...!

The Second Step

It was a very stressful time. We were in escrow, selling the home I moved into when we got married. The home to where I returned from the hospital with our bundles of joy. The home we left when the Station Fire threatened our lives and returned back to after we got the “all clear.” I was packing up half of my home to go into storage and the other half to go to a temporary apartment where I would stay with our family until we could purchase another home … a larger home in a better neighborhood in an awesome school district. A sacrifice, a struggle, and a stressor, but it was for the better. I was trying to plan the Twinados’ 2nd birthday party without knowing where we were going to be living in 3 weeks. I was working 2 part time jobs in order to contribute to the family’s income. On my days off, I would drive off to spend the day in Orange County looking at homes for sale in the areas we were targeting. I also knew that THIS year I was going to do something about my weight. But I didn’t know how I was going to fit that little chore in with all that was going on in my life. Yet, one magical day, a sparkle was put in the eye of someone at work, and the ensuing result might change my life.

Round 2!

A little over a year after my twins were born, hubby and I decided that we should get going on the next baby… the doc had given me the OK and my hubby really wanted a boy. Since I had wildly sporadic cycles and it took quite some time to get pregnant the first time around, I knew it would take some time to synch up my hormones again, but we hoped that by the twins 2nd birthday, that we would be in some stage of pregnant with Round 2.  I was reluctant, since my first pregnancy was terrible and I didn’t want to go through that torture again. Of course, I was delighted to be pregnant and enjoyed the essence of being pregnant and the attention I got… but I really had to think about it! Well, 3 weeks later - our 4th wedding anniversary - and I wake up nauseous again.

OH NO!

The First Step

I don't even know where to begin, except that I am very fat and very afraid.

Blogging as Therapy

Maybe I shouldn't be putting my life out there in the cybersphere like I do, spinning stories about my weight struggles or my pregnancy challenges.  Maybe I shouldn't be so personal.  Maybe I should just keep a private journal, tucked under my pillow for safe keeping. 

Maybe I should stop writing about me and just share funny stories about my job or kids instead - certainly THEY are more interesting than I am.

Pregnant and Fat

I was the world’s most miserable pregnant woman.

But, I would give anything to have a pill that would trick my body into believing it was 4 ½ months pregnant for the rest of my life. Why? Because being pregnant made my body do what it was supposed to do! All the good-for-you foods I ate were absorbed and I got the nice shiny hair, strong long nails, glowing pink skin… All the bad-for-you foods I ate were simply processed and discarded like it’s supposed to. I didn’t look at a donut or a burger commercial on TV and gain 3 pounds via osmosis! I was simply “normal.” And I liked it. At 4 ½ months pregnant, I felt GREAT. For like a week…

Overcoming PCOS

It was suggested as late as 15 years ago that maybe I have a hormone problem and everyone kept checking my thyroid, which always tested within range. Low, but within range, and no doctor would treat me to see if the added boost might kick in my metabolism.
I was finally diagnosed with PCOS about 10 years ago. What is PCOS? Pretty much a hormonal upset that starts a chain-reaction of whacked out hormones and uncontrollable weight gain.

How to Get Twins!

I have two sets of twins. What? Seriously? Two sets? Yes, two sets. So how can a woman who didn’t go through IVF get two sets of twins, you ask…? Lemme tell you! There are many factors that increase the chance of twining. Here are a few – see if they apply to you:

Traveling Down the Road to FAT Part 2

I got off the Pill shortly after I got married, thinking maybe that might make a difference with my weight issue. Plus, we wanted to start a family fairly quickly. He wanted 4 or 5 kids. I told him I’d be happy with 2 or 3.

Battling Breastfeeding

I just read a post from a pediatrician-turned-SAHM who had struggled with breastfeeding.  Never before had I heard of such an obvious "diagnosis" for failing to produce milk even though you are trying everything in your power to produce milk - something that should be as natural as breathing, right?  

http://www.confessionsofadrmom.com/2010/08/breastfeeding-broke-my-heart.html

Photo: Bryan Mullennix / Getty Images

Traveling Down the Road to FAT

My journey into fatness started in elementary school. I was never the skinny girl, nor was I the fat kid growing up, but a rather "solid" and proportional girl who exceeded the charts in both height and weight.