It's official.  I'm a grandma!  On the 13th, little Michayla June Fitzsimmons Little enterred the world.  We have all been on cloud nine!  She came in a month early but a healthy weight, good lungs, etc etc.  Frankly, I'm a little obnoxious, making anyone who sees me look at pictures and hear stories!

Tomorrow I travel to Georgia for business, but it is to the town where they are all at, so it will be FABULOUS to finally get to hold her and spoil her.  :-)  I'm VERY excited!

Weight loss wise, it's going well.  I am under 200 and looking forward to more loss.  The "skinny" comments are getting to me.  I'm not used to people commenting on my exterior and it's a little uncomfortable for me.  I exercise nearly everyday and track my food on fitday and on Charlie's daily post here.  How do people manage without tracking?  When I try to do it with just my head, I always overeat and don't get enough protein.  Ah well ... perhaps others are more skilled than I!

How are YOU doing?

It seems I am on the journey rather well ... I think.  Someone wrote a blog this morning about how they feel like they are testing themselves something fierce with the requirements.  But I think we all do that.  Gratefully, my pouch is not a fan of such testing!  It REALLY grumbles, tumbles and dumps.

In the meantime, sometimes things come up the other way too.  And so they think that I have vocal cord stress from acid reflux.  The ENT made the prescription quadruple what the surgeon had, but there are also swollen lymph nodes at the back of my tongue.  Sigh.  I don't know what that is about, but prednisone and I are getting to be friends and we'll see how that does. 

In the meantime, life goes on.  I've reach step 8 and 9, making the list of people I've hurt and being willing to make amends.  This is not a step that inspires energy and happiness, but it is necessary.  So here we go .....

My hope is to make it to 210 by the 4th (four months surgiversary and my birthday).  That would make 71 pounds lost since surgery.  How awesome is that?  Truthfully, there is a part of me that wishes it was all coming off more quickly, but my clothes are hanging and replacements aren't coming in fast enough, so maybe I should get a grip!

So life is good .. now to go try on clothes in the closet that have been too small for years.  :-)

Y'all be good!

It's been a loooong time since I posted!  I've been back to work, been to San Diego, and am right now in Montgomery, AL.  With the weight that has come off, I am so very very happy! 

But I find that I am struggling with eating too fast and the knee jerk reaction to eat in discomfort.  This week, my class is about sexual assault.  It is graphic and very clear and touches me where it hurts.  At the same time, I just found out that my 28 yr old niece has lung cancer. 

Yesterday in response to the build up of the week, I went back to my room and ate an ounce of chicken in about a minute.  And it hurt so badly and came back up.  Scaring me further was that blood came up with it.  Ick ... As much as I don't want to hurt my pouch, I have to admit my first thought was "I hope that wasn't my vocal cords!"

So, I am learning lots between the physical reactions, the 12 stepping, counseling and the delight of being able to move so much easier in clothes that are increasingly loose, loose, loose.  Life is good.  In time, it will become more routine to eat slowly.  That is my big downfall.  I'm afraid to stretch the limits with food. 

Now onto the last day of class and getting to see my children tomorrow.  I figure they should pay homage to me for Mother's Day since I am in the neighborhood.  :-)