Little Monkey

6 months.... already?!?

Yo and I were talking the other day about how we already can't conceive of a life without Ari in it. It seems like he has been a part of our family forever and that we would never be complete without him. So the fact that we only met this little person a short 6 months ago is mind boggling. At the same time, it's hard to believe the past 6 months have flown by so quickly. And I know the next 6 months are going to go even faster. Ari has the audacity to keep getting bigger and doesn't show any signs of slowing down.

6 months is such a fun, cute stage and I am relishing every moment. Ari no longer looks the newborn. He has filled out in all the right places, is very engaged with the world around him, and is showing more and more of his personality by the day.

FitBit

I have to admit, when it comes to my weight, fitness, and diet, I've avoided any accountability since getting pregnant...with Kai. Needless to say, it's been a while.

At first I gave myself a pass because I had just had a kid. Then I gave myself a pass because I could fit into all of my clothes so what was the point of worrying about technicalities like my weight or actual health.

While I wouldn't go so far as to say that ignorance is "bliss" it is awfully convenient--especially when it allows you to laze around the house and unapolgetically eat what you want, when you want. I admit that until I got my FitBit, I've literally weighed myself once (ONCE!) in the last 4 years.... and that was only after I had the stomach flu and couldn't eat for four days....talk about a crash diet!

Since I've made a point of avoiding accountability, I had mixed feelings about getting a FitBit. It's not like I needed a bite-sized contraption to tell me that I'm inactive. That much I knew. What I didn't know was just how motivating (dare I say, life altering?) this little contraption would turn out to be.

Here's why it works for me...

1. It makes me realize that a little activity here and there can really add up. So I'm a lot more aware when I've been sedentary for a while and make a point to get up....even if it's just to play with my kids, walk to the park, or put away the laundry.

2. It's made me realize just how much effort it takes to get to the 10,000 steps that is recommended. I, for one, would probably never hit that many steps in a day unless I hit the gym to do it. Which brings me to number 3...

3.  I go to the gym a lot more now. In addition to trying to generally raise my activity level throughout the day, I also am logging some time at the gym doing some form of cardio at least a few times a week.

4. It's surprisingly motivating to strive for a set number of steps and to have a (seemingly) accurate way of tracking my progress toward that goal. This benefit would seem obvious, but I have to say that I am usually not motivated by goals when it comes to my fitness. (Sadly, I'm only motivated by my desire to look good...nothing like a wedding or a reunion to get this girl to the gym.) As I have confessed before, if I set out with the goal of running 2 miles, I will stop at 1.9 . Or 1. Or 0.9. You get the point. But for some reason, if I'm within a few hundred, or even a few thousand steps of a new benchmark I think to myself... I can do that! And I keep going until I hit it. And sometimes that will bring just a few thousand steps from the next benchmark and I think, I can do that, too!

5. One word. Inertia. Pre-FitBit I was "an object at rest". So any activity on my part is a big improvement. I had no where to go, but up. So that's why I would call the FitBit life changing. It gave me (and continues to give me) the little shove that I need to get off my butt and get moving. And now that I'm "in motion" I don't want to stop.

What I don't like about the FitBit:

1. We all know that not all steps are created equal...but they are when it comes to the FitBit. So whether you are jogging in place or running up the side of the mountain, those steps are counted the same.

2. A byproduct of the above... I have now reduced my workout to those machines that will most efficiently accumulate steps in the least amount of time and while expending the least amount of energy. I know, it kind of defeats the purpose of working out. But I being honest, if an exercise isn't going to result in my step count going up, I'm not all that interested in doing it.

3. One of the selling points of the FitBit is that you can connect your FitBit account to those of your friends. The site allows you to see how active your friends are and even ranks you and your friends according to your activity levels. I get that some people (i.e. the majority of my psychotic friends) are motivated by competition. But while I have been accused of being competitive, I actually don't like turning everything into a competition. When it comes to fitness, I see it as being different than a game or a sport. My success should not equal your failure and vice versa. But that's just me.

4. In the spirit of full disclosure, I have to admit that my FitBit One has been malfunctioning. On multiple occasions it has frozen (sometimes for hours at a time) and missed many-a-step in the process. (My fellow FitBitters can probably understand just how frustrating this would be). But I can't find anyone else who has had the same problem, so I'm hoping that it's a fluke. I plan on exchanging my FitBit sometime this week and hope that the replacement will not have the same issue.

At the end of the day the FitBit has made me a believer. So much so that I talked Yo into getting his own a couple of weeks after starting to use mine. So if you pass by my house and see my jogging in circles in my living room or bouncing up and down on the couch, don't worry. I'm just getting my FitBit on! (And you should too!)

I can't get enough of...

...this baby's laugh. He still makes me work hard for those little giggles and squeals of his. What makes him laugh one day, doesn't the next. So I'm constantly trying new tricks and get really excited when something gets him going.

Like this....

We found ourselves some winners!

By the end of opening presents on Christmas morning, Kai seemed a wee bit overwhelmed.

If you ask him, he will tell you that Christmas is the best day E-V-E-R! If you ask me, I think that a three year old is not equipped to handle so much excitement. After opening a present or two, he kind of stopped registering what was beneath the wrapping paper. So I ended up stowing away a lot of Kai's new toys and reintroduced them one at a time over the last couple of weeks.

I knew that he would like some of his gifts more than others. The trucks and sandbox were obvious winners. Other gifts I figured would grow on him.... like the board games and his art supplies. But we've also had some surprising successes.

Including:

I found this puzzle for a steal at Home Goods. I like it because it is educational. Kai loves it because it is a train and it is really long. He has already put it together a few times in the last week since I pulled it out for him. It is the first floor puzzle that he has been able to put together on his own. The pieces are nice and over-sized and fit together in a straight line making it perfect for puzzle beginners. Once the train is fully assembled, Kai likes to talk about each car and then slide it across the floor like a real train. It keeps him entertained for a good 15-20 minutes. 

I found this Leap Frog Fridge Phonics at Outrageous Outgrowns. Just before Christmas I was asking my mom if I should be worried that Kai showed no interest in his letters and out of the entire alphabet could only recognize "o". My mom reassured me that there was no need for concern and that he would learn when he's ready. Little did I know that one week with this toy was all that Kai needed. He plays with it multiple times a day. After three weeks he can now recognize a handful of letters and knows what sounds they make. The best part is, it is totally self-directed play. I LOVE toys that Kai can and will use without me being involved.

This was another Home Goods find. I have to say for sheer entertainment value, I got the best bang for my buck on this one. It keeps Kai entertained, literally for an hour or more at a time. The clincher was when Kai decided his Fun Factory was a lot like a garbage truck. He meticulously loads up the playdoh canisters with little bits of playdoh that he calls the garbage and then dumps that into the fun factory that "compacts and incinerates" the trash (according to Kai). And that is serious business. 

What were the big Christmas winners (and losers) for your kids this year?

Hanging with Pappa

My name is Kai! I like to jump!