A little green....

Happy St. Patty's Day from my little monkey to you!

Below is a little video of Rowynn "talking". I couldn't resist. When he is down on his mat he really enjoys "talking" to the fireplace, TV and toys. Sometimes, he will even talk to me! But not very often.

Chocolate Sheet Cake...

After stopping in for my daily read at The Pioneer Woman's blog, I couldn't get this cake out of my head.

She had blogged about making her chocolate sheet cake but using an icing recipe from her Tasty Kitchen's website.

I decided to take a page from my friend Jill's playbook and make one dessert every week. Well, what a great thing to start off with! I know, I know.. my last post was about wanting to lose weight. But, I know I will fail if I deprive myself of things I love. I would rather be a few pounds away from my goal and be happy then eat a salad and chicken all the time.

This cake was a PERFECT combination for Rusty's taste and mine. It was nice a chocolaty but had the yummy vanilla frosting. And the frosting!! OH MY GOODNESS! So simple and so good. I have never made a frosting like this one before.

If you are looking for a yummy dessert, I say try this! The cake only takes 20 minutes in the oven and it is SUPER moist. Plus, that vanilla frosting is AMAZING!

Accountable...

I figure one of the best ways to stay on track is to tell others what your plans are and then you have to feel like a goober it you don't follow through. So, I have a couple of things I would like to start and I figure if I share them with you I have a better chance at succeeding.

First, I want to read the Bible all the way through. I have always wanted to and have tried many times but end up getting distracted. My plan for achieving this goal is to read at least five pages of my Bible each day. If I read five pages each day I can finish the Bible in less than a year.

Second, I want to lose my baby weight. I am currently nine pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight from Rowynn but I am fourteen pounds away from where I started with Abigayl. Therefore, I would REALLY like to lose 15 pounds over the next few months. I am not trying to get into a bikini or anything, I just want to feel good about myself.

To achieve this goal, I am going to take on the "Couch to 5k" program. My sister-in-law and my mom have both done it and became runners from this program. I have seen what running did for their bodies and their energy and feel that this is something I can stick with.

Along with the 5k program, I am going to use my postpartum Lisa Hart workout DVD. I only plan on using the yoga and Pilate's parts since I will get my cardio from running.

I started the workout DVD today and I am going to try to get out and run tonight. I will keep you updated every Monday on my progress with both goals.

My Boy...

Rowynn was asleep! Such a happy sleeper.

After his cat nap he was ready to interact...

Smile! A blurry smile but a smile none the less.

His partial smile. He doesn't smile all the time but he does a few times a day.

He was tuckered out after our walk in the park. Look how proper he is with his hands folded in his lap. He likes to have his hands folded or up by his face. I'm not sure how we swaddle him with out issues!

Eye Update and Experimental Eating

I know it sounds like a wonderful combo!

First, I had an appointment yesterday about my eye and it did not go as I would have hoped. The inflammation is still really bad and he felt that it would be best to give me another shot so I could come off of the oral steroids soon.

Lets just say that the 12 days ago when he gave me the shot was better than yesterday. He didn't numb the injection site this time and he went much deeper than last. OUCH!! All day yesterday I felt as though I had been punched. It is still tender this morning but I'm hoping it will go away soon!

Along with the shot, he also increased my oral steroid for a few days in hopes that "hitting it harder" will do the trick.

I just ask for a lot of prayer. I know the power of prayer works and I am really ready to have my vision back. It has been very scary and frustrating.

On a lighter note! I was watching Good Eats on the Food Network and Alton Brown was giving advice and recipes for how he lost 50 pounds. I was pretty intrigued on one of the recipes because it looked kind of good and it was something I had never tried before.

It was this:

He toasted bread and then put smashed avocado on top. He then layered on marinated sardines.

Well, it was my first time trying sardines and though they taste like tuna, I really couldn't get passed the scales, tail and reddish stuff that is comes out of the inside when you bite it. Needless to say, the two bites are all I took.

I'm pretty proud that I tried something new though. I am such a food lover that I would rather try it once and know I don't like it than miss out on something I might LOVE.

Check-up

Rowynn had his one month check-up today and he is healthy and happy!

He weighed in at 10 lbs and 6 oz with a length of 23 in! Yay, a 3 pound weight gain!!

I can't wait for next Thursday so I can get a much needed hair cut!

Eye Update...

Since having the shot in my eye, the inflammation had gotten worse and Dr. Peters felt that putting me on an oral steroid, prednisone (steroid) eye drops and antibiotic would do the trick. Well, 4 days later and my eye sight went from a 2200 on Friday to a 2150 this morning (I normally have 20/20 or better). I guess that means we are on the right track?!

I'm hoping that when I go back and see him on Friday that there will be VAST improvement. Please keep my eye in your prayers. I really don't want this to become a permanent issue to deal with and I am having a hard time not being nervous about it.