So Excited!!

"Congratulations - you are attending the CMT Invitation Only Kenny Chesney"

OH MY GOD!!! This is like my dream come true right here! When I opened my email and got this message I'm surprised I managed to not fall over! So here I go on another crazy ass road trip. This time Matt is staying home with the kiddos and I think my mom is going to venture half way across the country with me. I'm still so excited I can hardly stand it. You know those times when everything in your life is just aligning perfectly and you almost can't believe it? That's what I have going right now. I keep waiting for something bad to happen because I'm pretty sure I've never been this happy in my life. It's kind of scary!

Hullabalou!

Now I have to admit I could and should have taken millions of pictures at Hullabalou but it just didn't happen. It was really hot for one thing! We were pretty much drenched in sweat the entire weekend even when we were out of the sun and doing nothing. Friday we saw Train, Dierks Bentley and Bon Jovi. We missed Colbie Caillat and Green River Ordinance but it was just too hot to walk around all the different stages much. Matt managed to get his couple of pictures taken on Friday for the project he worked on and then we just went to the main stage and watched.

Saturday we decided to hang out with No Shoes Radio for the afternoon before heading in the doors. It was a lot of fun and Tambo impersonating Michael McDonald was probably one of the funniest things I've ever seen in my life. We had a good time and got a few freebie things so it was all good. Other than the heat. Because did I mention the heat. It was so freaking hot!!
There was a line waiting to get in since it was Kenny night so we spent a few minutes (unlike the times we've spent 8+ hours waiting in line, this was nothing) waiting in line before the gates opened. We didn't make it to any of the other stages because I was not losing my spot to see Kenny! We ended up hanging out with some really fun people and the cops were only called up a few times so I would say it was a total success! I was kind of bummed we missed Ben Folds but we couldn't be 2 places at once and Kenny takes top priority.

Sunday we decided we'd had enough heat and misery so we decided to head back toward home since it's such a long drive. We ended up doing a night in St. Louis and then Matt worked from the hotel on Monday (while I shopped) and we headed home when he finished up. The drive wasn't bad at all and I'd totally do it all again. We had an amazing time and met some great people. Sunday night we missed seeing Steve Miller and Dave Matthews but it all worked out and I'm glad we went ahead and headed home instead.

If you want to see the official pictures (We are in one of the Day 2 Photos) you can check them out at hullabaloufest.com. This was their first year and I think we'd be crazy enough to go back if the line-up was equally good next year.

And because of this craziness, we have now officially not missed a summer of Kenny other than when I had a baby. And even then we considered it but my doctor wasn't crazy about me going to a concert at 9 months pregnant. In just a couple years we'll celebrate our 10 years with Kenny anniversary! ;)

Next up, my appointment with another doctor on Friday! This one was recommended to me by a friend and I'm really excited to see what he has to say! Then Matt has his HS reunion this weekend so it may be Monday before I get around to posting about it. Hope everyone else had as good a weekend as I did!

Tummy Tuck Round 1!

I had a plastic surgeon appointment today and I went in very nervous and terrified of what he would say to me. I had a million things going through my head when I walked in that office today, and I kind of felt like I was going to throw up. I was worried he would tell me I was too fat for a tummy tuck. I was terrified of being told to lose more weight. I just don't know if I could actually subject myself to any more weight loss torture at this point. I want to be done and I'm happy with the number on the scale. I just am not happy with the extra skin I have around my belly. And another big problem is that it's kind of hard to buy clothes right now. I need a size 6 everywhere but they cut into my excess skin and it looks like they don't fit. It's frustrating. I'm also getting weird infections in my belly button (which he looked at today and it's nowhere near bad enough for insurance to cover the surgery) which grosses me out. So anyways, I'm sitting in the waiting room and trying to distract myself from the fear of what might happen next and thank God they didn't make me sit there long. The nurse who called me back was very nice and explained how the appointment would work and she said the doctor would be in to see me WITH MY CLOTHES ON! I have always hated that when you go in for an appointment where you will be taking your clothes off they always have you do it right away and that's the only way the doctor sees you. It drives me nuts so they certainly get a few extra points for that. The doctor came in and asked me a million questions about how long it took me to lose the weight, how I did it, what areas I am unhappy with, how much water I drink, what foods I generally eat, how much I sleep, what I do for workouts and so on. Then he stepped out while I undressed and he came back in. He examined my entire body and told me he thinks I will be VERY happy after a tummy tuck and he didn't think I would need anything else done to be happy with my body. He was very impressed by how strong my ab muscles are and how toned I am. He agreed that my stomach area just looks very out of place on my body. He even thinks maybe I'll be happier with my boobs when everything else looks more proportionate. And if I'm not, he said a year or two after the tummy tuck I could come back in and have the breast augmentation. With what I'm paying for the tummy tuck I'm not sure I'll ever be able to afford to have both though. We'll see. I'm hoping he's right and things seem more suitable to my body after he stretches everything back where it should be.

My biggest worry now is the recovery. He said it's very similar to a c-section recovery and that scares the hell out of me. I remember that being the most painful and horrible things I've endured. I couldn't lay down, I could sit up, I couldn't even go to the bathroom without my entire abdomen hurting like someone was stabbing me. It hurt to eat, drink, walk, sleep and breathe. I still remember it vividly. It hurt like hell and it's at least 50% of the reason we didn't have any more children. J would make up the other 50%.

It's a lot to think about and while I'm still slightly nervous about the whole thing, I'm much more excited now. Hopefully by the end of the year I will have the body I wanted. I still can't quite believe I made it to this point. It really was worth it all. I finally feel like me.

School Supplies, Surgeons and Road Trips!

So just in case I thought the clothes shopping was the end of our back to school torture, I was wrong. Today we did the big school supply shopping trip and it was pure torture. I can't even tell you how many backpacks my children had to remove from the shelves, zip and unzip, carry around and then put back because something was wrong with it. For M it was a variety of different problems but for J it was just determining which Transformers character was more big kid appropriate. Then we couldn't find some of the things on our list, M had to search through millions of Kleenex boxes to find just the right one and there were way too many pencil box choices for a 5 year old. And I had to buy a few grocery items since we're leaving town on Thursday and I'd prefer my fabulous babysitter doesn't starve to death while she's here. Oh and my kids probably need to eat too. So now there's food in the house, everything is clean, sheets are washed and laundry is going.

I have an appointment with a surgeon on Wednesday and then another one next Friday so I'll keep everyone updated with how that goes, but we're leaving town Thursday so chances are I won't get around to doing an update until after both appointments. Then I'll have a fabulous Hullablou review to post as well. We're both VERY excited about this trip since we haven't been able to see any concerts this sumer. This will surely make up for it. And we're always up for a road trip! We have to be the only people in the world who look forward to being stuck in a car with each other for 11 hours each way. That can't be normal.

Baby Showers

I remember being a first time mom and being really stupid about what was on our registry and not having a clue what we really needed at the time. So when I got a baby shower invitation in the mail my first instinct was to buy the girl a bottle of rum and some shot glasses. First of all, the baby will sleep WAY better if you've had a few shots, you'll sleep better and your boobs won't hurt nearly as bad. Won't help with the bleeding and cracked nipples, but at least you won't feel them! Now I wouldn't REALLY go to a baby shower with bottle of rum in hand, but first time moms (and we've all been there) really have no clue what they actually need to take care of a newborn. It's actually fairly simple those first few months so here's the list:

*Onesies

*Sleepers

*Baby swing

*Diapers

*Lanolin (because it WILL be your best friend...promise)

*Carseat

*Thermometer

*Good diaper bag (Fleurville are my favorite!)

*A good stroller

*A good breast pump (if you ever want to leave the house without your child...some people don't I hear.)

*Those pads to put in your bra to keep you from soaking your shirt all the way through

*The phone numbers for any place that will deliver food to your home

*DVDs to watch when it's 3AM and you're up, again, with nothing good on tv

*Friends...because they will be your only sanity. Good friends. Ones that you can call crying when you want to strangle your child or when you're so thrilled that your baby has rolled over for the first time and you can't believe how fast your baby is growing up!

Things you DON'T need:

*baby spoons (you won't be needing those for quite a while! The kid will be latched to your boob 24/7)

*Snack containers (Again with the not eating solid food!)

*Baby sunscreen (WTF?!?!)

*Bath toys (Again WTF!?!)

*Baby Gate (The kid can't even move yet...seriously)

*Outdoor swing (Yeah I don't even know what to say about that...)

*Blankets (The ones from the hospital are WAY better! Just sneak a few in your bag. Don't tell them I said that.)

*Sippy cups (You can buy 50 of a certain brand and it will be a guarantee that's the one brand your kid will refuse. Promise)

Any others you veteran moms can think of? I know there's a list a mile long of things I'm forgetting. Help me out.

Me On A Diet

I get asked all the time what I eat, how much I eat and why I do it that way so I'll do my best to explain my eating habits. Every morning I have an omelet with Eggbeaters, ham, 2% cheese and tabasco. I add a piece of high fiber toast most mornings since I usually workout fairly soon afterwards. At lunch I eat 4 oz of chicken with some sort of seasoning and fruit (generally strawberries or an apple). At dinner I eat another 4 oz of chicken, a vegetable (right now corn since it's in season) and maybe a fruit if I've worked out or am extra hungry. For an evening snack I do a low sugar oatmeal with a scoop of ice cream. It adds up to around 1200-1300 calories a day. I do still run, but not as much. Today I hit the track and ran 5 miles but that's pretty rare for me. You just can't work out like a crazy person when you're doing such a low calorie diet. I'm smart enough to know that at least. I run a mile or two a day, or I do the elliptical and I lift weights 3 days a week or so. I put in about an hour a day 5 days a week. And you know what? I feel so much better doing it this way! My size 6 jeans are getting just a tad bit big. That's kind of a scary thought! Once I get my tummy tuck I could easily be down to a size 2-4! Most of what I have left isn't fat at all. There's nothing I can do to get rid of it and I'm willing to admit that and do what it takes to get rid of it. I've worked hard for this body and I'm not willing to just say I should deal with what's left. I'm going to continue working hard and trust that a fabulous plastic surgeon can take care of the rest. I'll keep you all updated on prices and such when I get them!

Zoo Trip!

The kids and I ventured out to the zoo this morning! It was crazy humid and kind of miserable, but we made it. We got some new zoo keys and headed on our way.

My kids LOVE the reptiles. Love them. We spent over an hour in there today. I don't hate snakes, but they aren't my favorite animals in the whole world. This one was kind of cool though.

J was having some sort of weird hand washing moment. He washed his hands 6 times. For no reason. I think he just really liked the drier. Weirdo.

I hate the farm section and rarely let them go in there. It's just gross, it smells weird and the kids get to touch the animals. Ick!










So there you have it. Two posts in a row about my children! Next one is about me again. By request so it's not my fault!