I went to WW today. I'm down another 2.2lbs, bringing my total loss to 16.6lbs gone! Also, I weighed with jeans on today (which I never do) and still lost that much. I thought for sure I'd lost nothing or barely anything. I still have 13.6lbs to get to my pre-pregnancy weight... but that number is just getting smaller and becoming seemingly easier to attain! *See one of my new favorites recipes below*

I've been cooking weekly meals which has helped a TON. It's a lot of cooking for one day. but it's so nice not to think about cooking again for a while afterwards.

Today was a great day! The weather was nice so Cati, Dani and I took our boys to the park. They got in the swings and had fun. I tried to swing with Cooper but the "mommy/baby" swing was taken the whole time. I tried swinging in a regular swing with him.... but I don't know if he was liking it too much. We spread out a quilt after that and sat under the shade. We let the boys play and stare at each other (hah), which I'm sure they enjoyed, while we talked :-P It was a fun afternoon. Cooper was surprisingly cooperative.

He's finally been sleeping much better. Last week he was having a hard time falling asleep and it was killing me. I'm so used to him being such a good sleeper! I've learned he is used to me feeding him in bed, and then falling asleep. So, I guess this is our little "routine." Turn the lights down, fan on, feeding, swaddle and sleep. It's worked pretty well the past few nights. He was asleep a little before 10 tonight! (Which is quite an accomplishment)

We read "The little engine that could" today too. He likes looking at the colorful books when I read, but he gets bored kind of quickly... so the shorter the book the better. I think I'm going to try and add storytime and bathtime to his nightly "routine."

Next week is the "Just Between Friends" sale. It's a basically a big consignment sale in OKC at the fairgrounds. We're volunteering there too, so next week will be busy with that. I'm excited to find Cooper some stuff! He could use some summer clothes. He has some, but we can always use more! He needs shoes too. And, I was hoping to find him a jumperoo and maybe some other toys. He can't play with them too much now, but I know he will be able to in the short future so I may as well stock up.

Ugh. I still need to go to the social security office to get Cooper's SSN for our taxes. BLEH. I should probably do that tomorrow.

fun day. :-/



Baked Ziti w/ Turkey Sausage!
3/4 pound(s) raw turkey sausage, casings removed - I use ground turkey because I can't ever find turkey sausage at the store
1 medium onion(s), chopped
1 medium green pepper(s), chopped
28 oz canned diced tomatoes
2 tbsp canned tomato paste - I never use this and it's still great
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
12 oz uncooked whole-wheat pasta, ziti, cooked according to package directions
6 oz shredded fat-free mozzarella cheese - I use 8oz cause it's one bag.

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.


Crumble the sausage meat into a large saucepan and brown over medium heat, stirring often, about 4 minutes.


Drain off any fat, then add the onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes.


Stir in the tomatoes, peas, tomato paste, oregano, basil, thyme, fennel seeds, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat and cook uncovered 5 minutes, stirring often.


Stir in the pasta and half the grated cheese. Spread evenly into a 9- X 13-inch baking pan. Top evenly with the remaining cheese.


ake until the cheese has melted and the casserole is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes at room temperature before slicing into 8 pieces and then serve