Biggest Loser: Family Edition

Pregnancy for me was a really big mind game. I think I had depression there at the end when I was the biggest I have ever been in my life. Being over weight as a kid was not fun, people made fun of me and I just felt ugly all the time. In high school I changed all that when I lost 40 lbs. I felt great and looked even better and the greatest thing was that my confidence went up 1000%

Now I know that being pregnant is different than just gaining the weight but it was still hard for me to deal with. I just felt ugly the entire time. And now that Anna isn't inside anymore I'm doing my best to deal with the emotional aspect of the weight I did gain. So far I am doing great thanks to my amazing husband who always tells me how beautiful I am. Without him I would be very depressed and in a bad place.

To keep me motivated to get the weight off we have started a family style Biggest Loser contest. We are going to weigh in together every two weeks to keep track of progress and the final weigh in will be on Thanksgiving. Whoever loses the biggest percentage of body weight will get a new pair of jeans that the rest of us have to purchase for them. I am excited to get my whole family in on this so we can start a new healthy lifestyle together. After all....eating right and exercise is so much easier when you have someone to do it with.

Here is me 38 weeks pregnant, just 2 weeks before Anna's arrival:

Here is me 2 weeks after Anna was born:

My face looks pretty much the same but my belly sure doesn't! Thank goodness! When I was admitted to the hospital the day Anna was born I weighed in at 230 lbs (terrifying, I know!) So far I am down 27 lbs but that is just from Anna's weight and some water weight loss. Now I start my journey back to the body I loved!

Tools I am using to keep me on track:

• sparkpeople.com 
• adailydoseofdieting.blogspot.com/
• wii fit

Check out some of those tools if you find yourself on the same journey :) Hope everyone has a great week!

The Magic Touch

I guess I always knew moms had a magic touch. I just never realized that I would have that magic touch. And as I wonder if I'm a good mom or not, my worries are put to rest when I pick up my little darling when she is fussy and the instant she is in my arms she calms right down. I adored the moment when Josh passed her over and when she was in my arms she knew who I was and she knew that I loved her.

Ya know what?
I have the magic touch!

I'm in love

But can you blame me? Just look at that precious little face.

This is what I have to look forward to every morning :) I know you are jealous. I'm just so grateful she is mine to hold and love. Every day brings something new to enjoy and that is the greatest thing of all. I love you my Anna.

Anna Liberty Tenney

The past 6 days have been quite the adventure and Josh and I have loved every minute. Our little Anna Liberty arrived on Friday July 9 2010 at 3:47pm weighing 7 lbs and measuring 18 inches in length. She was a very loud crier right when she was born and I instantly knew she was a Tenney. Lucky for us Anna is a very content baby only crying when she is starving in the night. We are so grateful that she is healthy and happy.

Nights are really not that bad- Josh takes the first feeding and I take the second. One of our favorite things to do is watch her explore the world. Anna loves to sprawl out on the couch and just look around for hours-it's amazing to see her learn even at this young age.

Josh and I have loved every minute of being parents and we can't believe how much she has changed since being born almost a week ago. I find myself wishing she still looked like a newborn baby but she is looking more like a kid every day.

Anna is the focus of attention and the center of our lives and we couldn't have asked for a greater blessing.

Good morning!

Yesterday we spent most of the day with friends and family celebrating the 4th of July. We had not stopped going and even threw a 2 mile hike in there that was all uphill to try and get this baby here. Well, nothing worked (as usual). But by the end of the night I was so swollen I could barely move my feet.

I was so completely exhausted and had early church this morning but luckily Josh let me sleep in. When I woke up at 11 I heard lots of noise in my house and thought he might have come home for a snack or something. When he didn't answer to me calling his name I knew it had to be someone that broke in and I was terrified.

I threw clothes on and creeped down the stairs so quietly to find.....a BIRD! A bird had gotten in my house through our chimney and was flying around downstairs like a maniac! I was so terrified I RAN upstairs and locked myself in my bedroom. Don't think I have moved that fast in a really long time!

I called Josh at church and left a message since he was in a meeting. I guess he came home thinking I was in labor but when he got here he found out he had to save me from a crazy bird!

The funniest thing about this whole story is that being scared out of my mind, and running up the stairs still didn't send me into labor. I guess Anna is one stubborn little girl and I should probably be nervous.

Hope everyone has a great 4th and I hopefully you got a good laugh!

Happy 4th everyone!