Health and Post-Op Update

So I said I wanted to do a health update each Friday, and it’s Friday again already!  While Friday is usually the best day of the week, I have been slightly dreading it this week knowing I’d have to be accountable and write about how my health journey has gone these past 7 days.  I really have been trying, and it’s going pretty well.  BUT… all of a sudden everyone has been bringing us sweets!  I am definitely not complaining and am so grateful for the meals family and friends have been bringing.  But I swear before this week we did not get so much as an oatmeal cookie.  Oh, well there was this amazing apple pie, but so many people scarfed it down, I only had a small piece.  I promise.  This week we’ve received two containers of brownies, peanut butter cookies, red velvet Oreos and more cookies!  And the ultimate….chocolate and peanut butter candy covered Oreos.  

They really were as good as they look.

During my pregnancy with Audrey, sweets became my nemesis and they continue to be so.  I’ve tried to satisfy the craving with weight watchers ice cream bars and fruit, but look at that picture again.  Come on now.  As I said in my first post about trying to lose weight, I cannot deprive myself of anything completely and have to work on moderation.  But you know what’s happened this week?  I’ve (somewhat knowingly) been eating hardly anything for meals and heavily snacking on these treats instead.  In some weird way, I’ve told myself the calories end up the same so it doesn’t matter, right?  Well, not exactly. 

You see, something else happened this week.  I went to my first post-op appointment with my surgeon on Tuesday.  It went very well and he lifted a lot of my restrictions.  I can drive (although it’s pretty painful still) and hold up to 20 pounds.  And guess what?!  Our chunky little 5 month old weighs 19 pounds!  I walked in the door from my appointment and literally went straight to her.  I have to take it slow and can’t hold her for long periods of time (I’ve tried….ouch), but I CAN hold her.  I held her close in her rocking chair and soaked her in.  Three weeks can seem like an eternity.  She smiled and giggled and I cried. 

No better feeling in the world.

The other thing that happened this week…snow!  Less than an inch, but enough for my almost two year old to run to the window and yell out, “Me-No!”  This means snow in Aiden language.  I love playing in snow and was very worried that it would snow and I wouldn’t be able to take him out to play.  But, my mom bundled him up and watched from the window as I took him out.  He loved running around making footprints and definitely did not want to come back in.  I didn’t want to either, but my energy level and frozen fingers didn’t agree. 

He looks like such a kid here, not quite my baby.

So you see, these two big important things happened this week.  Both kids are only going to keep growing and continue to want mommy to hold them and run around with them.  So I have to learn to just say no to sweets.  Every once in awhile, sure.  But, as someone who experienced both eating a red velvet Oreo and holding her baby girl for the first time in three weeks in the same day, I can assure you that the snuggles were far superior. 

My goal for this week is to eat larger, healthier meals and healthy snacks.  I was doing a great job drinking lots of water, but I need to remind myself to do that more often as well.  The weather doesn’t look too bad next week, so hopefully I can get out for more walking and maybe even get the kids out too!  Now that I can drive, I can even go to the gym and walk there.  I may be getting a little ahead of myself though, it’s only been 3 and a half weeks.  Baby steps.