Losing Weight, Day 2

Grapes, Strawberries, Bananas, Apples, and Carrots. Some 0 carb. ham. That's a nice change, the ham. Only baked/grilled chicken. Whew! I thought meat was only a memory.
I woke up early this morning and weighed myself. 205.8. Weight seems to not be moving anywhere but in ounces! So I put on my Sauna Suit. I went outside and got on the trampoline again. This time, I did a straight 15 minute jump. (Yesterday I only did 10) Afterwards, I took another shower and got ready for the kids to get here for the day.
For breakfast I ate grapes, apples, and strawberries.
For lunch I ate 0 carb. ham, some grapes, and apples.
For dinner I ate baked chicken and carrot sticks.
I do not eat after 6:00 anymore except for 1 snack. That has to be a fruit or vegetable. I prefer the grapes. They are sweet. The strawberries are a little tart.
After Garland got home, I cooked him and the girls their dinner and then went and got my hair cut (3 inches) and then went walking with my friend, Monica. We went walking at the park behind my house for about an hour or so. Then I took her home and came back home and took a shower, of course. haha
Garland went out and got a small chocolate pie for the girls. He said I could have a little bit of it. HEAVEN!!! OMG!!! HEAVEN!!!
Garland said it was better for me to have a little, that way I won't get the urge to binge, because I couldn't shock my body all at once with not eating all the things I was before.
Sounds good to me! Just give me the chocolate!
I felt guilty eating the chocolate afterwards. But it really was only a little bit. Garland says I'll have to wait a few days before I have anything else like that, so I can keep losing weight, but not shocking my system at the same time.
Before bed, I weighed myself again. I was scared because of the pie I ate earlier after my walk.
I was surprised to find I weighed 204.8 lbs.
59.8 lbs to go to goal weight.

Looks like exercise is the best route to go? Who would have EVER thought? hahaha

Losing Weight, Day 1

Ok. Garland took me to the store and bought me some workout clothes, some new tennis shoes, an AM/FM Radio Headphone set, and a sauna suit.
I'm not too keen on the sauna suit. Seems kind of HOT to me. I guess he knows what he is doing though, so...as long as it loses me weight I'll do it!
This diet sucks. Fruit is okay, I like it, I can even deal with vegetables like carrots and stuff. But no bread? No chocolate? Very little carbs?! (I'm a carb junkie!!)
I'll just die on this diet. I know. How can I NOT eat bread? NOT eat chocolate???
So I put on my Sauna Suit and went outside to jump on my mini trampoline. It hurts my chest to jump, but there really is no other way to lose this weight. I can't do a reduction first, then I'd really look odd! So instead of jumping up and down, up and down, I decided to go with the "Jogging in place" jump. The Sauna Suit is GROSS! I go to take it off and my clothes are completely soaked to the bone, including my socks and shoes. It's like a nasty sweaty waterfall when I take the Sauna Shirt and Pants off.
Ewwww. Immediate shower!

Tonight I weighed myself after my shower. 206.3 lbs.
It starts...
61.3 lbs to go to goal weight...hope I can make it!

~Until next time~

Losing Weight

So, Ok. I have decided that it is time to lose all this fat. Fat fat FAT! Even the WORD is fat. It's nasty. I can't even believe that I posted the pictures that I posted on here with how I look in them. I am never ever ever wanting to look or get this fat again. I'm tired of being fat and large chested. I mean, boobs are fine, make you look nice in a good looking shirt or dress, but MY GOSH! Do they have to be THIS big?

I weighed myself tonight, to see where my weight is at, and wrote down what my goal weight is in whatever amount of time.

Here goes:

Current Weight: 207.0 lbs.

Goal Weight: 145-150 lbs.

Amount of weight to be lost: 62-57 lbs.

Amount of time to lose weight: ASAP!

I have enlisted the help of Garland, who I know won't let me fail (which is why I enlisted him!), to help me on an exercise routine and diet.
The exercise should be fun, I suppose. It's always nice to get in shape and make your body feel better. The diet...well...SUCKS!
Guess we'll see how this goes in the following days...
~Until next time~

PARTAY!

Ok so, last night was my friend Tinka's birthday! We had a "12 inch" birthday celebration for her. What does "12 Inch" mean, you ask? Well, a few weeks ago, Tinka was having lunch with another friend of ours, Lori. Tinka meant to order a 12 ounce steak and accidently asked for a 12 INCH steak, not to mention, if I heard correctly, the server at her table happened to be a good looking young man! HAHAHA so, anyways, Lori couldn't let Tinka live it down, so, thus, the party came to have a theme!
All the presents bought for Tinka had to have something to do with "12 inches", it made for a pretty fun party. We ate at El Chico's (yummy TOP SHELF FAJITA STEAK QUESADILLAS are the BOMB!) and then went out to a place called Elephant Run. The music was good and loud, and I don't know the name of the band, but I do know that some of the songs they played were before my era! (e.g. EARLY Santana...hahaha) However, I had mucho fun at la FIESTA! I actually danced and that's not something you see me do everyday!
I think I'm in for it in the next few years...well...like 15 years...cause Tinka's really gonna let me have it when I turn 40!!!! That's okay cause when I'm 40, Tinks'll be...


LOVE YOU TINKA, I SWEAR IT!
Lori...just remember...YOSEMITE SAM IS HOT!
I shall post pictures of this wonderful night if and when I get pics to post!

Ciao for now!

Sophia

Ok, So I HAVE to tell you about my brand new (well, she's new to me!!! She was born Nov 5, 2005) neice, Sophia. She is just ADORABLE! I cannot wait to meet this wonderful little girl! I wish my family wasn't so spread out. I wish that I could bundle little Miss SoSo in my arms and talk to her and kiss her! Come on now...take a peek at the pics...YOU'D wanna baby talk to her too!

Natalie

Bundled up for the first trip Home!

Who should decide to enter the world right after Olivia can finally hear but Natalie! Natalie was born Dec. 1, 2003. She was born with dark black hair and also huge blue eyes. Natalie passed her hearing screen at birth (Thank God!) and again at 8 weeks of age. I was so relieved that she was not deaf, but even if she had been, at least I'd know what to do!

Info on Cochlear Implants

Olivia is receiving A-V Therapy from the Hearing Enrichment Language Program or H.E.L.P. out of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They have some fine Audiologists and Therapists at their disposal. Some Therapists even travel to Tulsa for the patients that live there to save a long trip. Here is some information if you would like to learn more about Cochlear Implants, the different types of implants, and the different types of therapy that are coupled with the implant. There is also websites for Integris Baptist Medical Hospital where Olivia had her surgery and the Alexander Graham Bell Association (for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing).
http://www.cochlearimplants.com/
http://www.cochlear.com/
http://www.advancedbionics.com/
http://www.integris-help.com/
http://www.agbell.org/
For the Hearing Enrichment Language Program:
http://www.oraldeafed.org/
If you would like to contact someone with questions or donations, please write, fax, or call:
H.E.L.P.
June Cashion
3434 NW 56th St. Ste. 101
Oklahoma City, OK 73112
Phone: 1-405-945-7186
Fax: 1-405-945-7188
Thank you all for your interest in this program and for any donations you may make! This is a wonderful program!

Olivia's Surgery

Olivia was implanted on Sept. 29, 2003. She was 15 months old. She spent 1 night in the hospital for observation, mostly because we had to go out of town to have the surgery done, and was up and bouncing around by day 2! She had such a great attitude! Olivia's implant was turned on Nov. 11, 2003. For the first time in her now 17 months of age, Olivia could hear sound! It kind of scared her at first and she cried, but after she got used to it, she didn't want to take her implant off...EVER!!!
Olivia started therapy with Speech Pathologist, Wendy DeMoss. What a great lady! What a hard worker! Olivia worked very hard to learn to speak, listen, hear, and mainly to UNDERSTAND what it was that she was hearing with her new "ear." Olivia attended therapy once a week with Ms. DeMoss. She began to speak, she began to listen, and she began to just gobble up all the information and games that we used to teach her what we hearing people take for granted.

Olivia thinks she can navigate the Web!

Olivia

As I said before, we have 2 daughters, Olivia and Natalie. Olivia is 4 now and Natalie is 2. Whew! It's been a LOOOONG 4 years! I will tell you that right now!

Let me tell you a little bit about Olivia first.

Olivia was born May 3, 2002. She was born with bright red hair and huge blue eyes. When Olivia was 8 weeks old, we found out that she was profoundly deaf in both ears. This began our quest in one of the hardest journeys a hearing parent would have to face: The Deaf World.
By 5 months of age, Olivia is fitted with hearing aids and signs 5 words.

Olivia is having to work very hard to learn how to listen and speak. But she wasn't showing as good of a response as what was originally expected. Shortly after using hearing aids, tests showed that Olivia could not function as a "normal" hearing person with them. So I started looking at other methods: Digital Hearing Aids, Cochlear Implant, American Sign Language, and Deaf Culture. I had to decide what it was that I wanted for Olivia and for our family. I decided what I wanted was for Olivia was to hear and speak. So I opted for a Cochlear Implant. Now was the decision of when to do the surgery and what kind of therapy: Total Communication, Sign, or Audio-Verbal Therapy. I opted for Audio-Verbal Therapy.

Olivia with Aunt Kaitlin

Mother's Day

Me, Olivia, and Natalie

Spring 2006

Ok, so Sunday was Mother's Day. Mother's Day is a weird day for me, considering my mother has normally been emotionally unavailable to myself and my brother and sisters. **Side note:It's okay for me to write that in here because of the fact that mother agrees!**
Mother's Day is usually a phone call to my Mom to say Happy Mother's Day! We don't usually do cards, I don't remember the last time we did flowers, cakes, etc... So, it was a huge suprise to me, ( I guess since he IS wonderful, it shouldn't be THAT big of a suprise!!) that the wonderful man I can call "mine" lets me sleep in, and took me out the night before to places I'd never seen with stars and a night sky. He bought me outfits...from JC Penney. That may not sound like the greatest thing to some of you people, but my idea of fashion is hanging on Wal Mart racks...hahaha cheap stuff cause I'm prone to dropping food when I eat and getting stains from my daily romps with all these kids I've got during the days! HAHA
Mother's Day for me WAS a card and gifts and my children being taken care of while I got to sleep in. It WAS a nice lunch/dinner with just me, Garland, and the girls.
My children are still small...only 2 and 4 years. I don't have much too complain about in what I miss as they get older. I am still the Mommy they run to when they are hurt, and still the Mommy they want to show ALL their scribbly drawings to, even though I can't really tell that the airplane is an airplane!
I can tell you this. I miss the baby stage. I've entered the terrible 2 and 4 stages. I miss when they are tiny little things...so tiny you can't pick them up without the fear of breaking them...
Now I'm just afraid I'm going to be spanking them!!! They grow up too fast. I'm still wondering what happened to the time with ME...I can't begin to fathom what's happening to the time with THEM!

The Stages of Olivia and Natalie...

Natalie and Olivia

2004

Natalie and Olivia

2005

Natalie and Olivia

2006

Our Family

Hi! Well, if you are here, then you already know that I am Joy and that I have a wonderful family. My family consists of the 4 of us, Myself, Garland, Olivia, and Natalie. This blog is about all of us, about our lives, about our frustrations, thoughts, musings, or just whatever we decide to post on here. It is for our friends and families to read and see how we are growing as individuals, and as a family. The picture here shows Olivia, Garland, Myself, and Natalie at Olivia's 4th birthday party.