traveling michele and goal -- you're in my thoughts and prayers. :hug:

EZ -- I wish I was back at 171! Seems like a long way away now. :(

I'm having mixed emotions today because this time last year was when I did my half marathon and I was soooo much more fit and healthy! But this year I have a little baby boy! I may be more than 60 pounds away from where I need to be, but ...I have a little baby boy!! I have so much hard work ahead of me, though. I keep telling myself not to even think about trying to lose weight until 6 weeks postpartum (which is another 3 weeks), but it's hard not to think about the fact that nothing fits and I'm enormous. I don't leave the house currently, so it doesn't matter that nothing fits, but I will have to leave eventually!

The breastfeeding is going better though I still have some pain and it's not easy to feed him every 2-3 hours. In about a week I'll try a bottle of pumped milk so I can actually leave the house. Woohoo!

My mom, my sister, my niece, and my niece's baby (yes, I'm a great-aunt -- crazy, huh?) are coming to visit today and staying until Monday. My mom says she may stay all week if someone will come get her next weekend, but she always says that and it never works out. No one wants to drive six hours to pick her up, and I don't blame them! I'm excited about the visit, but my great-niece is only 14 months old, so it may be challenging to have her in the house with my 3 week old. She's very lively, so I'm afraid she's going to try to eat him or something. I'm picturing her saying "Get in my belly!" like the fat Scottish guy says to Mini-me in Austin Powers.

The other annoying thing about a visit is that I'm whipping my boobs out every 2 hours for a feeding and I don't particularly want to do it in front of them, so this could be a bit awkward. I'm also going to have to hear the "Why don't you just give him a bottle?" thing, because none of them breastfed their children and they don't understand how important it is to me.

Ok, I've complained enough. No, wait...one more complaint. I thought I would get some more "free weight loss" after the birth, but nope. I've been stuck at 226 for a little while now. I lost 17 pounds immediately and then 2 pounds in the first week. I burn a kazillion calories breastfeeding and I'm not eating THAT much, but I'm stuck. I'm trying, like I said, not to worry about it for another 3 weeks. Then I'll be here complaining about it for REAL.

Lisa, so glad that the breastfeeding is going better. Here's rooting for him to take that bottle so you can go out! Can you just use the receiving blanket over the shoulder when you feed him? It takes a bit of practice, but it doesn't expose you, yet lets you sit and enjoy your relatives without having to leave the room every two hours.

Okay, so this isn't going to make you feel good, but I still haven't lost my "baby weight." And my first baby will be 30 in a month. Actually, one of my goals this year was to get to the weight I was prior to getting pregnant with him. Probably not going to happen, but I keep working on it. Those last 10 lbs. . .

I'm betting once you start walking or doing some sort of exercise, the weight will start dropping off again. So do we get to see more photos? I bet you and your DH are taking plenty.

Speaking of exercise, I think shoveling and hauling bark dust and gravel qualifies for exercise. I've been doing both plus packing and painting, getting ready for the big move. We were lucky enough to get renters right away so we'll be out in two weeks. Of course, the house purchase in Boise isn't going well so we may not have a house to move into once we get there. Oh, well, there's always a storage unit and my son's spare room. That way I get to see my GD more so that's a plus.

Hope everyone is having a good Labor Day weekend. I know I'm definitely laboring.