I love books.

My title is pretty lame but it's true...I love books. 

I remember going to the book store with my Dad to pick out my first chapter book, which I promptly finished that afternoon much to my mother's dismay.

I remember setting a goal to read books each month in elementary school with the Pizza Hut Book It program, do any of you remember that?

I remember my mom hiding the books she would buy me for our yearly vacation at the lake.  She knew if I packed them myself that they would all be read before we left.

Last year I set a goal to read 100 books, I exceeded that goal by reading 108 books last year.  I'm pretty proud of myself.  This year I have set my goal to read 60 books.  I know with Violet arriving soon that my reading time is going to be hard to come to by. 

I'm already reading my 5th book in 2012 so I have high hopes of reaching my goal.

This year I'm using GoodReads to keep track of my books.  I'm having so much fun with this website.  You can rate and review books, see what your friends are reading and keep track of what you have read.  It's awesome.  If you want to be my friend on there let me know, I'm always looking for suggestions.

I'm working on a list of my favorite books that I read in 2011 and hope to post that later this week. 

Any good book recommendations that you'd like to share?

I love all the different types of widgets that goodreads has for you to put on your blog or website as well.

Leslie's books

The Favored Queen: A Novel of Henry VIII's Third Wife

by Carolly Erickson

Chosen

by Chandra Hoffman

I really loved this story. I wasn't crazy about the ending, it felt a little rushed but I would recommend reading it.

Sister

by Rosamund Lupton

Loved this book. I couldn't put it down. From page 1 you want to know what happened to Tess and her sister Beatrice is determined to find out.

What Alice Forgot

by Liane Moriarty

This was a quick, fun read. Nothing earth shattering or deep but a fun read.

Random Things

I want to thank my Secret Bandit for a second package she sent me.  I received this cute little Mary Poppins carpet bag keychain, which is practically perfect and a note that had Mary Poppins trivia that I didn't know!  It was a very cool package and it made my day.

Jen from Just Foolin' Blog Designs is working with me to revamp my blog header a bit. I'm very excited, Jen does the bestest work ever.

I had been thinking about changing my blog name but I've decided against it.  I think where I'm at in my life has a lot to do with my Realize Band.  I'm just going to incorporate some different aspects from my life into my blog design and then I will be blogging about them.  I think one of the big reasons I haven't been blogging as much since I found out I waas pregnant is that I feel like it's off topic but in reality it's not.  This is my blog and I can blog about whatever I want.  I try to keep everything focused on weight loss and my band but that is just not realistic for me right now.  I have so many other things going on that I don't want to leave anything out.

I had my 28 week OB appointment yesterday.  Things are looking good.  I scheduled all of my appointments up to my due date which a pretty scary reality check for me.  I feel like I still have so much more to do to get ready for Violet.  Eeek!

I think I need to make some lists and get my butt in gear.

Happy 2012!

I'm kicking off 2012 with my word for 2012 and a plan to change up this blog a bit.

First off, my word for 2012 is...

I think the word fits perfectly for 2012.  So many things are going to change with Violet coming.  I'm not very good with dealing with change so I really want to embrace the changes coming and handle them better than I have in the past.

I'm also changing the direction of my blog a bit.  For the past year I have focused mostly on weight loss, which is all fine and dandy but there is so much more to me than weight loss.  I'm going to start blogging about other aspects of my life like becoming a Mom,  crafting, the books I read and anything else that I feel is blog worthy.  Don't get me wrong, weight loss will become a huge focus again once Violet is born but right now that isn't my main focus.  

Next post, I plan to share my resolutions for 2012.

Happy New Year!

Thank You Secret Bandit!

On Sunday when I got home from my parents for Christmas, I came home to a lovely package and note from my Secret Bandit.

My Secret Bandit knows me well, this onesie for Violet is perfect!

Thank You Secret Bandit!

Bullet Update

I think it's time for an update of sorts.  I'm feeling bullet pointy today so here we go...

• I passed my second 1 hour glucose test.  Yay!  The first one I took I failed by 3 teeny little points.  My midwife decided to let me taket he 1 hour again and I passed, my numbers had to be under 130 and I was 115.  I am VERY happy about that.  I did not want to have to worry about gestational diabetes.
• I had so much fun being a Secret Bandit for Cece from Banded for Boots.  She was so much fun to send little packages too these last few months.  The only bummer is that I never received a single thing from my Secret Bandit.   
• I can't believe that Christmas is in 10 days!?  Where have the last few months gone?  The time is just flying right by. 
• My foot is still giving me problems, it still aches all the time and I've tried to exercise with it and it just hurts too badly.
• I have gained 31lbs since July.  Blech.  I'm actually trying not to dwell on it too much.  I can't even blame it all on pregnancy because in July when they told us we would need IVF my eating spiraled out of control.  Then I broke my foot and haven't been able to exercise since August so my less than stellar food choices aren't even being helped by exercise.  Honestly, I don't feel hopeless though.  I feel like once the baby is born than the weight will come off more easily than in the past before my band.  I know I have the tools to get back on track. 
• Most of the time when I daydream about how things will be when Violet is here, I think about taking walks with her.  The "old" Leslie would have never thought about that.  I can't wait for the spring and walks.
• My biggest craving right now is spicy food.  Before pregnancy I was a very mild eater, I'm not huge into spicy foods so my husband thinks this is hilarious.
• I met my New Year's resolution of reading 100 books in 2011.  I think I'm actually on 104 or 105 right. 
• I can't think of anything else to update you on so I'm going to end it here.
• Happy Holidays!

Thankful

I have been loving all the Thankful blogs that a lot of bloggers have been doing this month so I thought being the day before Thanksgiving that I should give it a whirl.

I'm Thankful for....

*My wonderful husband, Marc. 

He is really the best guy I know and I feel incredibly lucky to be his wife.

*My parents. 

They have always supported me and been there for me when I needed a hug or a kick in the butt.

*Being pregnant. 

Deep down I never thought I'd ever be able to get pregnant.  I feel so lucky to be pregnant with our sweet baby girl.

*My Kitties.

They are just so lovable and sweet.  I love my fur babies.

*Books.

I'm an avid reader and can't imagine my life without books.

*My Realize Band.

I wouldn't be where I am today without it.  It has given me the boost I've needed to lose weight and keep it off.  I can't wait to get back to losing after the baby is born.

Those are just a few of the things I'm thankful for this Holiday season, what about you?

Update on Life in General

I'm not a very consistent blogger anymore.  I guess I just don't have much to update on concerning weight loss while being pregnant. 

Things are going well on the pregnancy front.  We had another ultrasound on Monday and we got to see baby girl.  I can't remember if I posted her name or not.  Here is a picture of us with the banner we made.  The banner will hang in her room.

At my appointment on Monday, I had lost 2.5lbs since my last appointment and my blood pressure was perfect.  Yay!  I'm for sure eating more while pregnant but I'm trying to focus on healthier choices, sometimes with success, sometimes not as successful.  I'm okay with that.

I'm feeling really good now, no morning sickness anymore.  I'm still not able to exercise because of my foot.  I'm still in physical therapy and I'm still limping when I walk for the most part.  I'm sick of this recovery process.  I think my weight gain wouldn't be so bad if I would have been able to exercise these last few months.  I miss my walks outside, I can't wait until I can start exercsing again.  The only thing I'm not really happy about with being pregnant is that I don't look pregnant at all, just overweight.  Like when I buy baby stuff I get asked, "oh who is having a baby?"  Isn't that rude?!  Grrr.  I would like to actually look pregnant soon but oh well.  It's a minor thing overall.

I'm starting to gear up for the holidays.  I love the Christmas season, trees, lights, decorations, Christmas cards, the holiday movies.  I just love it all! 

I'm just in such a good mood lately.  I don't remember if I have ever been this consistently happy.  It's a very nice feeling and I hope it lasts!