a confession of sorts

ok, so here it is... before i got pregnant, i was a devout pescatarian. i hadn't eaten beef in close to five years, and chicken was going on three or so. i don't know what it was (perhaps my iron levels being low), but i craved steak like no other while pregnant. and i hadn't had steak in forever (longer than those five years i'm sure; i hardly ever ate steak). so i gave in. and had steak. and had chicken. and everything in between. and my iron levels thanked me for it profusely...

after cayden got here, i just kept eating it... guiltily at times, i'll admit. and then, this past weekend, it all clicked back into place for me. i just can't keep eating like this.

so i'm back to my pescatarian ways. many people always ask why i decide to torture myself this way. it's not torture. or say, "oh, i wish i could do that." well, the simple answer is, you can do it. easily. but for those of you wondering, this is why i do it:

1. first and foremost, my health is important to me. and, with that below post about the half-marathon, being at my all-time best is very important. there are simply WAY too many fast-food joints out there that make eating meat very easy. taking meat out of the equation severely limits our fast-food intake. (thank you burger king for at least giving me the option of a meat-free burger!)

2. even though many places say "free range," it doesn't mean what you think it does. and when i think about the animals being tortured and having to live in certain conditions, it makes my heart hurt. i know god put these animals here for a reason... he did not, however, put them here for us to manipulate and make them grow bigger, faster. it's just gross.

many people might say, "why don't you feel bad for fish/seafood?" and i honestly can say, "i don't know." maybe one day i'll be a real vegetarian, maybe i won't. either way, i'm happy with my decision to return to my pescatarian ways. it was much easier to flip that switch back than i thought it would be... whew! there, it's off my chest now.

(cause i'm sure so many of you were sitting on the edge of your seats for this post! ha! as a side note, we're going to attempt smoking tofu this weekend on our smoker. and then mix in some bbq sauce. not entirely sure how it's going to turn out... i'll try to take some photos and let you guys know how it goes.)

i need your help

jeremy and i have a wedding to go to next weekend, and i honestly have nothing to wear. i've found several dresses that i think are adorable; i can't seem to pick though! i want to get one that i can wear for events (like said wedding), but something that i can also wear to work without appearing too dressed up (heaven forbid i dress up for work!).

here are a few choices; feel free to click the links to see other views:

silver dress

chimney sweep


belle epoque


left in suspense


goldi-frocks


please just leave a comment and let me know your vote. thanks so much!

we just might be crazy

jeremy and i have decided to train for the music city half marathon. 13.1 miles. gulp. training starts this next week... which gives us right at 19 weeks total before the race. the cool thing about this race (other than it being in nashville) are the awesome sites we'll see while running (you start in centennial park! hello parthenon!) and there are stages set up along the way where there will be bands playing. and at the end, there's a huge concert for all the participants.

jeremy and i needed something to get us kick-started on a healthier us... and well, this just might do it. one day at a time.

(i put this all in "writing" so you guys can help hold us accountable. don't be afraid to ask how the training's going if you run into us somewhere.)

six month check-up

cayden had his six month check-up yesterday. he got more shots. fun stuff. actually, he did great. he screamed for maybe 10 seconds, we gave him his pacifier, picked him up and he was fine. such a strong little guy.

weight: 17 pounds, 10 ounces (50th percentile)
length: 27 inches (75th percentile)
head: 17 inches (75th percentile)

he's still growing on the same curve since his first check-up, so all is well.

let me introduce you

this is my friend, hey monkey. he got that name when i was just a tiny little thing and momma used to make him dance in my face and she would say, "hey, monkey!" and well, the name just stuck. he's my best friend (short of my seahorse, which i love more than anything). we nap together any time i'm at home. i can't fall asleep unless he covers my face. momma and daddy were being silly the other night and put him on my head. this was the end result... i thought it was silly, too.