Fun Fact Friday: The Better Late Than Never Edition

Yes it’s Friday and no I didn’t post my facts. Why? Because I don’t have any. I’m completely out of facts, fun or otherwise. Therefore, I’m just going to write whatever so certain people will get off my ass about it already.

* I bought Maddie some cute Fall clothes today.

* I had to buy her a boy’s shirt because clothing companies don’t see fit to put dinosaurs on girl’s shirts. Apparently, girls are only allowed to like flowers and butterflies.

* Maddie’s going to be a dinosaur for Halloween.

* I also bought her a pair of pink Converse hi-tops.

* I’m going to buy myself a pair of Converse as a “I’ve lost 50 lbs!” present. You know, when I lose 50 lbs.

* Three weeks from right now, I will be in Florida with my bff and her sister.

* I ordered a new bathing suit from Old Navy for the above mentioned trip. It’s cool though because I got it on clearance for $9.99. I wasn’t about to spend a lot of money on something I’m going to wear once.

* I’m dying to buy new clothes. Only because I no longer wear the biggest size in Lane Bryant. I haven’t bought anything except a pair of capris on clearance at Target and that was weeks ago.

* Since I got my Kindle, I’ve read seven books on it. Three at that same time. I’d read a few chapters of one and when I got bored, I’d jump to another. Yeah, it’s pretty damned awesome.

* I miss Tessie. She’s incommunicado with me lately and I didn’t get invited to her private blog. I guess we’re not friends anymore?

Who needs therapy when you’ve got a blog?

Having bariatric surgery is a lot like being pregnant. I’m spending a lot of time waiting for things to happen and wondering who this new person is going to be. Buying small new clothes and daydreaming about what life will be like when “it” finally happens. And did I mention the waiting?

I’ve found that I’ve been obsessing over my weight loss… much like I did with my pregnancy. It’s almost all I think about anymore. That doesn’t strike me as the healthiest way to go, so I’ve decided to stop. No more weighing myself multiple times a day, no more trying on smaller clothes just to see if they fit yet and no more obsessing. From now on, I’ll weigh on Monday mornings and I’ll only try on smaller clothes when my current clothes are too big, or if I need an outfit for some event.

I’m just going to live my life and let my weight loss slip into the background. I know I’m going to lose weight; I don’t need to micromanage every single ounce.

Advice Needed

First off, thank you all for the compliments on yesterday’s post/photo. You’re so good for my self-esteem. : )

Secondly, I need some advice. Gerald and I have decided that we’re going to get Maddie a trike for Christmas or her second birthday, but I’m not sure what kind to get. I’ve coveted a Kettler for a while, but I’m wondering if there’s a cheaper option that’s just as good. (I do want one of those parent handle things, though, because I’m not about to hunch over and push her all over the world.)

Those of you with kids and trikes, will you please comment and steer me in the right direction? kthanx!

Differences

I’ve lost 45 lbs thus far and I’m really noticing some differences both in my body and in this weight loss episode itself.

With this round of weight loss, it’s happening fast enough for me to notice. It’s really odd to be able to see a difference weekly. Usually my weight loss is on the slow side, so this 45 lbs would’ve taken me at least six months to accomplish. A couple of Saturdays ago, I got a pair of capris on clearance that were FOUR sizes smaller than my starting size. I tried them on and couldn’t button them. No big. I just set them aside to wait until I lost some more. ONE WEEK later, I could button them. I can wear them comfortably now. It’s crazy. I’ve also missed out on some of my favorite outfits because by the time I thought I was small enough to fit in them, they were already too big.

I’ve also been surprised by the changes in my body. The last time I lost this amount of weight, I was a good eight years younger and things “shrunk.” As I lost weight, body parts got smaller. This time around, it’s not that way. I’m losing volume but there’s no shrinking going on. I guess it’s a combination of losing so quickly and being older, but my skin is NOT keeping up. My boobs are the same size, skin-wise, but losing volume on a daily basis. Same with my belly. It’s not a pretty picture. Plastic surgery is looking more and more likely.

Here I am last Friday when I went out with some old friends. Looking pretty cute, huh?

Fun Fact Friday

Did you know that Friday comes EVERY week, and that if you do this FFF thing you have to come up with facts EVERY WEEK? I’m just sayin…

* I have a girl crush on Amy Poehler.

* Maddie has a puzzle book and one of the pieces is a llama. Of course, she calls it “mama.” You know, because it looks just like me.

* We’re not in any danger from Ike. Depending on the path it takes once it hit land, we’ll get storms and wind. At least that’s what they’re predicting for Saturday and Sunday. Please pray for my fellow Texans in the south, though. This one’s going to be a doozy.

* I got a Kindle on Monday. I love it so much that it’s a toss up as to what I’d rescue in a fire: my child or my Kindle. (I kid, of course. I’d grab my Kindle and go back for Maddie if there was time.)

* I met up with my best friend from high school last weekend. We went to school together in St. Louis, but both ended up in Texas. She’s lived less than a 1/2 hour from me for five years and I didn’t know it. We had a great time and I’m looking forward to seeing her again soon.

* My hair has started to fall out. At least it’s not my teeth.

* I read Perez Hilton every single day. It’s a sickness.

My god, isn’t this list done yet??

* I can’t draw, paint or sculpt. I’m not good at any “artsy” type things at all.

* Since she was about a year old, Maddie’s been obsessed with the Pancake Puff commercial. Seriously. No matter what she’s doing, if the commercial come on she stops and watches it intently and then tells us all about the pancakes. Target had it for $19.99, so I finally got it for her. I made pancake puffs for Maddie and Gerald for dinner earlier this week. I hope they were everything she dreamed they’d be.

* I broke down and got a myspace page. I know, I know. I’m far too old for myspace, but most of my friends are there instead of facebook. I gave in to peer pressure. QUICK! Put on an after-school special!

I heart Threadless

I just ordered these two shirts for Maddie:

The Good and The Bad

Today was my six week post-op checkup. (Although, it’s been seven weeks since my surgery.) I’ve lost 40 lbs and now weigh 260. My BMI has gone from 48.4 to 42. YAY for me!

I had blood drawn to test my vitamin levels. I have to wait for the results, but I already know what they’re going to say.

I’m deficient in everything. BOO for me!

I haven’t been taking care of myself. I KNOW. I had a $45,000 surgery that permanently rearranged my guts and I can’t be bothered to take care of myself? I need to be taking a bariatric multivitamin twice a day, a calcium supplement and protein supplements. As it stands now, I don’t really do any of those things.

I’m not making excuses for myself. This is deplorable behavior and I’m stopping it right now. I had this surgery so that I’d be healthier and live a long life with my husband and daughter. At the rate I’m going, I’m going to end up dead of malnutrition. Or all my teeth are going to fall out, which is WORSE than death.

I ordered some good vitamins and they should be here soon. Yesterday, I downed a 42 gram protein supplement. It threatened to come back up on me, but it stayed down. I’ve decided that I’m not going to find a protein supplement that I like, so I’m going to take the easiest one I can find. This one is 3 ounces and 42 grams of protein in one shot. It’s absolutely vile and I literally have to drink it with my nose plugged, but if that’s what I have to do to be healthy, then so be it. Luckily, the physician’s assistant knows the horror of protein supplements herself, and she was able to give me some recommendations. I actually stopped to get one of the things she recommended on my way home.

It’s time to put on my big girl underpants and do what needs to be done.

Surprising Thoughts

* I’ve been thinking about going back to work. In an actual office, I mean. I’ve been working from home for a year now and while I can say that it’s been rewarding, I can also say that it’s been lonely. I really miss the social interaction with other adults. Maddie’s great and all, but not so much with the conversation. I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d ever entertain the idea of giving up sweet, sweet freedom for the shackles of a 9 to 5.

I don’t think I’m actually going to do it. I love being with Maddie and it’s important to both me and Gerald for Maddie to have a stay-at-home parent. But still… there are days when I’ve got the phone in my hand, ready to dial my boss’s number.

* I’m not so sure I want another kid. I sort of waffle back and forth on this one. When Maddie was first born, there was no way in hell I was ever going through pregnancy or birth again. Then, when she hit six months old, I wanted another baby so badly that I practically foamed at the mouth. Since then, the hormones have receded and my biological clock isn’t ticking so loudly anymore. I really like the idea of Maddie having a sibling since she won’t have any cousins and hardly any extended family. I don’t want her to be alone when Gerald and I die. On the other hand, I like just having one kid. I feel like we’ve got things down pat and another kid would just mess it all up. And like all parents of only one child, I can’t fathom being able to love a second child as much as I love my girl.

At long last… the return of Fun Fact Friday!

* My current breakfast: Steel-cut oatmeal (not that instant shit, either) with a splash of milk, a spoonful of Splenda and some fresh fruit. Yesterday was blueberries and today is strawberries. It’s LITERALLY the only thing I’ve tried that doesn’t make me sick. I’ve tried approximately eleventy bajillion breakfast items, people. All I can say is thank the sweet baby jebus that I found something I can eat… even though it takes 30 minutes on the stove every morning.

* I am not remotely political. I don’t like either candidate and have no idea for whom I’m going to vote. It’s a “lesser of two evils” situation for me, I guess. I can tell you that I don’t give a rat’s ass about Sarah Palin’s pregnant 17 year old. That has absolutely no bearing on her competence as a Vice President whatsoever.

* I don’t like half-assed hugs. You know, those hugs where it feels like the other person doesn’t actually want to touch you or anything? If you’re going to hug me, then hug me, damn it.

* When I was a little girl, I used to put on shows for whomever would watch. There was a lot of  “tap dancing” involved. (read: wearing clicky shoes on the linoleum.) My stage name was Fajita Picante. I had no idea what it meant, but it sure was glamorous.

* My maternal grandmother died three years before my mother did. I have both of their last bottles of “signature scent” perfume. When I’m missing either of them terribly, I take a sniff. It’s almost like being hugged by one of them again.

* I am completely against the “princess-ification” of little girls. I have NEVER purchased a princessy product for Maddie. Family members have already done so, but there’s not a whole lot I can do about that. Gerald thinks I’m nuts for caring so much about it.

* I cannot remember one single instance of being called “pretty” by my mother while I was growing up. I can’t fathom not telling my daughter she’s pretty. I tell her at least 10 times a day. She likes to have her hair done, or play dress-up and I HAVE to tell her how pretty she looks.

* I’m re-reading the Harry Potter series for the third time.

* I prefer to drive in the left lane on the highway. I have to make a conscious effort to get over in the right lane. I drive fast, so I’m not one of those slow-assed people hogging the fast lane, ok? So, don’t send me road-rage hate mail or anything.

* When I was 13, I tried to commit suicide over a boy. Have you ever heard something so ridiculous? I was a total moron.

Wanna talk more about weight loss?

I’ve hit the typical four to six week stall. I haven’t lost anything in a week. (Well, I did lose those fake three pounds that I gained on vacation. I’m pretty sure Jess was right in calling them water weight.) My body is physically healed now and is trying to regroup after losing 35 lbs in a month. It’s normal and EVERY post-op patient goes through several stalls on their journey.

It doesn’t make it any less frustrating, though.

I spent two and half hours pushing Maddie and her stroller all over the zoo yesterday. Is it too much to ask to have lost a measly pound? Yes. Yes, it is. I do have to admit that I had to wear a belt to keep my “skinny” jeans up yesterday. That was sorta cool. Oh, and both my father and father-in-law called me “skinny” this week.

I’ve booked my flight to Orlando for next month and all I can think about is fitting in the seat. Will I be thin enough to fit comfortably? Will I need the dreaded seat belt-extender? Will the person next to me be all pissy about having to sit next to the fat girl? Oddly enough, I’m not worried about being in a bathing suit at the resort, or any spa treatments I’m going to have. Just the plane ride. I think planes and amusement park rides are the fat person’s kriptonite.