I'm still here plugging away. . .I have been trying to get out of the house more, that is why I have been MIA lately! It seems to work well getting out and about and not thinking about food all of the time. It's also been so hot that Brennen gets bored being indoors so long, so we enjoy getting out and about!

Everything has been going great with my workout and diet. I got my new plan from Tonia last week and it changed a bit. I am enjoy the changes, even though my diet is more strict and the workouts more intense. I did my first core lower body workout yesterday and I can barely walk today! I can't wait to see what my intensity lower body workout does to me, lol!! The scale is down a little and I will get my bf tested at the gym on Wednesday morning. Aaron, the trainer here at 24 Hour Fitness who measures me and helps me out a ton, said the other day that he can tell that my face is thinning out!!! Yeah! It must be all that cardio that I'm d0ing now!!! Ha ha! I've been doing daily cardio for a couple of weeks now. I am crazy though and really enjoy my cardio! I love my iPod and it really gets me going!

I have to admit that I have felt a little spacy lately, but I think that it's due more to lack of sleep than low-carbing!!! One thing that is irratating me lately is the fact that I'm discovering that a huge majority of people who do the NPC shows (the local ones anyway) take some sort of precursor to a steriod. I do not want to get involved with that AT ALL which makes it so frustrating b/c then how will I measure up? If there were other federations around here then it would be no big deal, but the only one that I know of is the NPC. So, I guess I'll just do the best I can, naturally, but I am still very bothered by the whole thing.

Anyway, I'm off to go get ready while Brennnen is napping. We have a busy week: Randy's cousin Brian is coming for dinner tonight and Tuesday through Friday another cousin, Debbie and her 3 kids will be staying with us!!! I'm really excited, it should be a blast! If I'm not around, now you know why! Have a great week!

Happy Sunday!!!! Yeah, it's my high carb day!!!! I just finished my fave protein shake and am ready for a nap! I should be getting my new plan from Tonia today or tomorrow and am excited! I am 8 weeks out from my comp. and ready to make some big changes in my body.
Not too much going on today. It's supposed to be at least 100 degrees, so we will stay indoors. I'm going to head to the gym later, but that's about it. I've been up since 6ish with Brennen, and we've already been to Fred Meyer's!!
Here is something I copied from a friend's journal, the author is Jodi Leigh, an NPC figure competitor:
"I'm training a girl right now, and I told her I wouldn't let her prepare for a show until she knew deep in her heart she was ready...and that wasn't just physically ready. There are emotional and mental aspects that walk hand in hand with the physique when choosing to step onto a stage.You do have to be prepared to pull out your food anywhere, anytime. And prepared is the key word. I don't even go to the mall while I'm in contest prep without my cooler and gallon-jug of water unless I am positive I'll be back home within an hour of my last meal. When I run errands during lunch at work, I take my entire cooler with me. If anything were to happen and I couldn't get back to my office, I wouldn't want to be without my meals.This is a lonely existence. In the end, it's up to you. No one can do this for you. It's your legs running up and down those bleachers, your arms curling the dumbbells, your mouth taking in the chicken and asparagus for the sixth time that day. It is all you. It's particularly lonely when everyone around you says, "Don't you have any fun?" This is my fun (well, one huge aspect of it). I think a part of my soul would die if I didn't incorporate this lifestyle into my existence.The emotions ebb and flow. You have to be able to monitor them, reel them in, anchor them. Everything little thing can stress you out on some days. Other days, you feel like you're on a total high. But you can't let your emotions get the best of you and distract you from the constant entities in your life.Your body will go through so many changes. Some you'll like. Some you won't. You have to learn to appreciate your body for what you were genetically given. Accept what you can change and set out a plan to change these areas and then accept what you can't change and go with the flow.There will be disappointment at some shows. Subjectivity reigns in this sport; your effort, time, and dedication do not factor into the judging. Just because you busted your butt harder than you have for anything else in your life, it doesn't mean that you will get the trophy. And it doesn't mean you didn't deserve that trophy either. Understand that winning takes many shapes and forms in this industry.Drugs are only a factor if you make them one. When you realize that you will not go that route, then you have automatically decided to take another route. Walk that path all the way, then. Don't harp on what other girls do; instead, understand that you are natural and then devise a plan so you can see the same results as those girls do.Finally, be aware that this is all up to you. By making a decision to compete, you have made a thousand other decisions for you to follow. The moment you complain about your food, the workouts, the lack of sleep is the moment you have to realize you can fix this by simply changing the original decision. Something tells me, you won't.In the end, it's all worth it. Every tear, every bit of hurt, every second of loneliness, every pound of fat dropped and pound of muscle gained, every weight increased in the gym, every stone glued onto a suit, every dollar given to the grocery store, every bite taken and every bite avoided. All...all...all worth it if this is what you truly want.by JodiLeigh
I just wanted to share that to let you all in on what goes through my head way too often, lol! This is sooo much harder mentally than it is physically; however, like they say, nothing worth doing is easy!
Have great days! I'm going to try and get in that nap while everyone else is asleep!

I guess I just stink at keeping up with this thing. I have had zero energy this week. Neither Randy or I have been sleeping well with getting Brennen sleeping well in his crib! It was so much more sleep condusive to just roll over and feed him when he woke up, but I know that things will get better. The last two nights we have been putting him to bed, leaving the room, and doing 5 minute checks and it is going really well! Hardly any crying and he is asleep within 20 minutes! The night wakings he is having a little bit of a rougher time with, but most nights he only wakes up a couple of times. So, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, but it's just hard getting there.
We got up this morning and I took Brennen and Odee for a quick walk while Randy was getting ready for work. It is supposed to be in the 100's for a few days now, so I wanted to get out while we could. It seems like it is either too hot or too stormy this summer. I want some perfect weather days (to me that is 75-85), so we can get out more. It gets really old trying to entertain an 18 month-old in the house all day long.
On the workout front, things are plugging along. This week I have really struggling with my diet. It's PMS time, but enough already!!!! I need to stay on track, the comp. is in 57 days!!! It kind of has me freaking out!!!! My suit designer sent me out some samples yesterday, so that should make things really real when I get those and try them on!
Well, time to eat! Have a great day and weekend!

Sorry, I've been a blog slacker lately!!! I finally got back to the gym today, so I had to make that announcement, lol!!! I even made some strength gains, so that has me happy! I should have my new supps by Thursday's workout, so hopefully, I can lift heavier and heavier! I have been in contact with my suit designer and she will be sending me some samples to try on as well as some color swatches. I also have been in contact with a couple of people about renting a one-piece suit so that I can do the Evergreen State show in Wenatchee on September 23rd. I am really hoping to make both of these shows happen. . .the costs are adding up, and quickly!!!! I also bit the bullet and started tanning Saturday. I refuse to tan my face and neck (I'm so scared of wrinkles!), so I hung my head out the end! I just hope that with self-tanner, my face will be even with my body! So, that is about all that is happening here. I'll be better about updating, it keeps me honest!!! :)

Wednesday already? Things have been going pretty well this week. Last night I think I got the best nights sleep I have had since I was in the EARLY stages of pregnancy! Randy put Brennen to bed and I got to sleep without either of them, lol!! We are discovering that Brennen does so much better with Randy putting him to bed because when he sees me, he only wants one thing!! We both need to be able to do it, but for now, Randy will do it the majority of the time. I am feeling much better too and getting back to normal.
I'm still working out at home. My face is almost healed and I cannot wait to get back to the gym!! My diet is going really well lately because I am not starving all of the time. Sometimes I thought I was using breastfeeding as an excuse to want to eat more, but it's true, you are hungry all of the time!!!!! I had my low-carb days Monday and Tuesday and it was no problem at all. I am just hoping that working out at home over the last 3 weeks doesn't hurt my progress. I am down a little scale-wise, but I pray it is fat and water and not muscle. That is my main motivation in getting back to the gym.
I also got my shoes for the show in the mail yesterday. Of course they sent me the wrong ones. The ones they sent are almost identical to the ones I ordered, but the strap is thinner and not as supportive as the ones I wanted. So, I have an email into them to ask what to do. I hope this is not one more hassle I have to deal with. I need the shoes and soon: they are 5" heels!!!! I used to wear heels all of the time, but never 5"! I need a lot of practice!
I also put in my order for my two-piece suit, which will be custom made. I should hear back from the designer soon and we can start to pick out the color and she will send me some samples to try on!!!! That will make it seem more real. This Saturday will be 9 weeks out, which sounds like nothing to me!!!!!! I am thinking about going with a teal or blue of some sort. When I got my colors done years ago, teal was my best color. I'm not a huge blue fan, but I feel like it is one of my best colors. I know that I look awful in red!!!! If anyone has any suggestions, I would love to hear them.
Well, I'm off to be a mom. Have a great day!

Thanks for the comment Rachel. Did you get my PM about calling me with questions? Feel free to if you want. . .
It went great with Randy putting Brennen to bed last night. He didn't really cry at all and was asleep within 10 or 15 min. (at least that is Randy's guess, since Randy himself fell asleep on the floor for a half hour, lol! He did wake up quite a few times last night, but he more whined than cried and went back to sleep right away! He was in his crib from 7:30 p.m. until 6:30 a.m.!!! He wasn't crying this morning, but seemed wide awake, so I went ahead and did the "dramatic awakening" (opened blinds, turned on lamp, told him good morning). Tonight is the fourth night and the position moves from next to the crib to the middle of the room, so I pray that it will still be smooth sailing!! As far as I go, I am still so engorged! I'm hoping this goes away soon!!!! It looks like I will be working out here at home for a few more days. I haven't been to the gym for sooooo long. I'm sure everyone there thinks that I flaked out!!!!! Well, time to get some stuff done around here. Have a great Monday!

Copied from Transformation journal, 7/9:
Sorry I haven't posted for so long! It's just as always: constantly busy and getting nothing done, or that is how it feels!!!! I'm not feeling that great now, but wanted to check in. Randy went to Seattle for an overnight golf trip Friday and I got a wild hair: I decided to get Brennen in his crib and stop nursing him. Poor guy, a double whammy, but he is 18 months and pretty much only nurses to sleep, so I felt that the two go hand-in-hand. I didn't realize that quitting nursing so abruptly like that can cause fever and flu-like symptoms. The last time I nursed him was Friday afternoon and around noon on Saturday I got hit with what felt like a horrible flu: chills, fever, aches, pains, headache, nausea (later that day). I thought it was too much of a coincidence to be the real flu, but felt too sick to come downstairs and research it. I called a friend of mine and she said that it sound like that thing that starts with an "M" and is an infection caused from a clogged milk duct and that I would probably have to go in and get antibiotics. So, I called the on-call doc at my doc's clinic and he said that you can also get those symptoms from plain old engorgment, which I had and still do! TMI! Anyway, I took some tylenol and ibuprofen and he told me to ice and heat it and I feel better. Not 100%, but better. Brennen is doing pretty well with the crib thing so far. We are both exhausted, which is to be expected until he goes down no problem and stays down. Randy is up putting him to bed tonight and I'm feeling anxious. To be honest, I already miss nursing him and feel guilty, but I know that it has to be done. The good news is that my appetite has dropped a ton! I hope it's from that and not b/c I haven't had great workouts this weekend, due to not feeling well. Anyway, time to sneak upstairs and put my ear to the door, lol!! I hope to check in sooner next time.

Happy 4th!!! I hope that everyone is enjoying the long weekend, if you have one!!! We have been so lucky with this weather!!!! Well, my face is still very bruised and I haven't left the house once!! This is getting very old! I hope by the end of the week that I can leave the house with a little makeup and look normal! Eric, Lisa, and Nate have been over a couple of times and Norma and Ernie came over with them Sunday night, so that was fun. At least I haven't been a total hermit!!
I got my new eating plan from Tonia yesterday. It is a lot more strict than I have been doing. I am excited though because it should get me over the next hurdle. I am such a black and white person, that if I have too many choices, it just sets me up for failure. I don't know how long I will be on this plan, but I will most likely be eating a lot of the same things everyday just to keep it simple.
Today I will do HIIT here at home and I am again thankful that I have almost everything here to keep up with my workouts. There is no time to waste now!!! My comp. is in less than 11 weeks! I have a really hard time believing that I will actually be ready; but, I will just keep doing everything my trainer tells me and have faith!!!
Have a great 4th!