30 Day Shred - Day Thirty!!

Mission accomplished! I completed Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred in 30 days! So glad to have made it all the way...and now begins the real discipline: my plan to continue "shredding" 3-4 days per week while mixing it up with some running, etc. I was kind of over the shred today knowing it was my last day, so I'm ready for a break. Only thing is...it can't be too much of a break because knowing myself, if I fall off the wagon, it gets harder and harder to get back on it.

I have been doing the shred first thing every morning (which is tough when I already don't like getting out of bed, but oh, so worth it when it's done and I have the whole day ahead of me). This morning, I had Bible study at 9 am, so that meant an early date with Jillian and then being out of the house before Steve came home from work. I sent him a quick text to let him know I finished my shred and was off to Bible study, and then headed out the door. When I came out to my car after Bible study, I noticed something on my windshield. As I walked up to the car, I saw a beautiful red gerbera daisy (one of my faves) and a note from my sweetheart inviting me out to lunch to celebrate the successful 30 day challenge. How amazing is he?!? Turns out he was parked a few rows away watching the whole thing and he called me as I started my car (he was afraid I was going to drive away!). Such a great surprise! Steve took me out to my favorite sushi restaurant and then to our favorite frozen yogurt place. I sure love that man. And I declare this 30 Day Challenge a huge success!

To top off our amazing day, we had an appointment to meet our pediatrician this afternoon. He was the one recommended by all of my KC friends, so I pretty much knew we would be going with that practice. But it was cemented even more after meeting with him today. It was a no-cost "new patient" consultation, and he spent 45 minutes with us! Such a great doctor, and he answered all of our questions, as well as gave us some great advice for our time in Oklahoma before we bring our little guy back to Kansas. Now we just need that sweet baby boy to get here :) Only 16 days until his due date...keep the prayers coming!

Zoo Adventure

We have had some beautiful weather here in Kansas…a bit of a warm-up the last couple days, but today we settled back into gorgeous Fall temperatures. I used to hate Fall, but realized that I only hated it because it led to Winter. Fall is actually my favorite season now! Anyhow, to take advantage of the wonderful day (and a “buy-one-cookie-get-one-free” coupon I had…haha), we ventured out to the Kansas City Zoo. My parents give us a zoo membership each year for our anniversary and we love it! Free dates all year long! I can’t wait to bring kiddos to the zoo, but Steve and I have also enjoyed several trips to the various zoos in places we’ve lived since we’ve been married (the Minnesota Zoo, the Oklahoma City Zoo, and now the Kansas City Zoo…all wonderful in their own unique ways).

We seemed to get to the zoo at naptime…all the animals were asleep! Luckily, they were also taking advantage of the nice weather, so they were all napping in the sunshine and we could still see them. Adorable! First, we saw the leopard…snug as a bug in a rug. Doesn’t look so dangerous when it’s sleeping, huh?

Then, we hung out with the gorillas. This one was all curled up by the tree.

This guy was Steve’s favorite. He was just chillin’…

I, personally, was fond of this guy. He was sitting in a pose that seemed to be saying “Wazzup?” which totally reminded me of my Dad (anyone that knows my Dad will understand this...and no, I'm not saying he reminds me of a gorilla).

As I was getting my phone out to send a picture to my Dad, he decided it was naptime, too.

I could have hung out with those guys all day…but we kept trucking along the Africa exhibit and came upon a pride of lions. Aren’t they amazing?

In keeping with the spirit of The Lion King’s recent re-release into theaters, we checked out the Meerkats (Timon, anyone?)

Two of them were completely out cold, but one still had a bit of exploring to do.

Until he decided it was also sleepy time. Haha!

Don’t worry; they always have a buddy on the lookout for any predators.

This is actually called the Sentry. Their role is to watch for predators or other potential dangers. The zoo is quite educational!

Our final animal stop along the way was the Rhino, who was also quite tired. The shadow of his eyelid makes it look like his eye is open, but he is also sound asleep.

Thus concludes our Kansas City Zoo Nap Tour. Well, except for a quick stop for our cookies on the way out…yummy! We had such a fun day at the zoo. Hopefully next time we go, we'll have a stroller in tow!

30 Day Shred - Day Eighteen

We're well over halfway, folks! I am so excited about keeping up with this challenge. Even when we were out of town on Monday (we got to meet our birthmom for the first time!), I wrote down the different circuits and their respective times, and Steve talked me through the entire 25ish minute workout right there in our hotel room. I actually think I probably worked out even harder that day because I moved right from exercise to exercise (while using the DVD, I sometimes slack a bit while Jillian explains each move). It felt so good to continue the Shred even when I wasn't in my own living room. Still working Level 2 and it is still kicking my tail each day, but it definitely feels better than it did the first few times I tried it :) My plan is to move up to Level 3 on Day 21...I'm already nervous about it. Once this 30 day challenge is done, I plan to keep up with the Shred, but more on a 3-4 days per week basis, and also add some running to the mix as well. Like my friend Kellie has said, I don't want to go through this part of the whole "getting used to working out" again (i.e. crazy soreness), so I am really hoping to stick with it after this 30 days is complete!

Here's to 18 days down, 12 to go! Day 19, here I come!

30 Day Shred - Day Twelve

Whew! I'm still truckin' along with the 30 day shred. It seriously is a great workout, and I feel like I'm getting more toned than I thought possible in a short time. That Jillian knows what she's doing :) Yesterday, Day 11, I moved up to Level 2 of the workout. I'll admit, I was a bit presumptuous in assuming that it "can't be that much harder, right?" Ummmmm...nope. Definitely not right. Yesterday's workout was a doozy! Today did feel a bit better, but I am already dreading my planned move to Level 3 in 8 days. I can't imagine what that is going to be like. Wait, would this situation qualify for the "Don't be anxious about tomorrow, for today has enough worries of it's own" verse in Matthew 6:34? Yes. Yes, I think so.

This has also been my biggest work stretch since I started at Starbucks 9 months ago. I worked 6 of the last 7 days...and one of those days, I worked in the morning and then went back to work the evening/close shift. Luckily, I love my job and the people I work with! But it has definitely been a busy week. Soon, I won't have the luxury of extra time to pick up more shifts at work (thanks to a certain little bundle arriving in October! Yay!) so I figure I might as well get the extra dinero while I can, right?

Well, that's my update. My fellow shredders are also still on the wagon! A couple had to take a few days off due to illness or travel plans, but we're all still in it! I am so excited to see the benefits from our hard work. And yes, I will admit fully that it is hard work (but oh, so worth it). Onto Day 13!

Finally...the Moment We've Been Waiting For...

This has been announced on Facebook, and elsewhere, but I need to make it "Blog Official." Mostly because I want to use this as a memory book of sorts, so I need to be sure it's recorded here!! After lots and lots (and lots) of waiting in our journey to become parents...we have been chosen by a birthmom!! It seems to get more and more real as the due date gets closer, so I figured I'd better get this recorded on the blog pronto!

We actually got the call back on March 27th. We found out there was a birthmother that picked us, and was due this fall. Whew, what a wait! We are so, so thankful for "J" and the gift she is giving us...a baby boy! He's due October 13th. Just 5 1/2 weeks away! Since we found out so early, and haven't had a lot of communication (bummer...we are still praying that we can build a relationship with our amazing birthmom and her family), it just hasn't seemed very real. Now, things are getting closer, and we are having a hard time keeping our excitement at bay. We are cautiously optimistic, and continue to pray for "J," her family, and, of course our sweet baby boy!

Another answer to prayer is that we get to meet "J" next week! We pray that she will see the light of Christ in us, and that there will be peace for everyone involved based on this meeting. It's such a blessing to be able to meet our birthmom before this little guy is born, and we pray that God can use us in "J's" life so that she knows just how loved she is by our family. Anyone that knows me knows that I just want to smother her with love, encouragement, and affirmation, but the road of open adoption is a tricky one. We have to really be sensitive to "J's" needs/wants/desires and make sure that above all else, she is comfortable with the relationship that we have, no matter how open it is.

I'll leave you all with some answers to the most common questions/comments we've been getting. Thank you for being a part of this journey! This is just the beginning!

Do you have a name picked out?
We have been slow on this one. I think we've just been really guarded about the whole thing, and it is a big job to name a child! We have given him a couple nicknames up to this point, as I have enjoyed playing up his meteorologist daddy. We've been calling him "Hale Storm Irwin" and "Storm Chasen Irwin"...haha! These are not the real names we're considering at this point...hehe. We are close to settling on a name, but we're going to see if "J" wants to have any input. We'd definitely be open to that! We've also decided to keep the name a surprise, so once we do actually decide...you will just have to wait in suspense! :) Don't worry...not much longer!

You'll probably get pregnant now that you're adopting.
Oh man, if I had a quarter for every time someone said that to me. :) Everyone seems to "know someone who knows someone" that has adopted and then subsequently conceived a biological child. This could definitely happen (especially since we've had no proven infertility), but it is actually statistically not common. This is one of those myths that can give the wrong impression, so I wanted to "debunk" it here. Even if it were the case, we'd hate for our adopted child to ever think that he or she was simply the catalyst we used in order to have biological children. We've always said that our desire, first and foremost, is to be parents, regardless of how God chooses to build our family. Although most people that make the comment that "you'll probably have your 'own' child now" are well-meaning, it can give the implication that our adopted children were not our first choice. We can't wait to see how God builds our family, and hope that our friends and family understand what a blessing adoption is in its own right. Adoption is definitely not "Plan B" for us :)

What if "J" changes her mind?
Well, that is definitely a possibility. Adoption is never a sure thing. That is one reason why we are so invested in caring for the birthmom first. We want to be sure she knows we're 100% behind her in any decision she makes. The bottom line is, this is her baby first. We would be absolutely honored if she entrusts us with this sweet boy, but we also understand that we are not entitled to him by any means. This is one roller coaster that we are happy to be on for the long haul. We continuously pray that God keeps our focus outward, and not on ourselves. Some days this is easier than others, but He is faithful, and we can trust our hearts to His care. No matter what happens in this situation, He's got our backs. How awesome is that?

That's all I can think of for now, but if anyone has questions, please don't hesitate to ask! We love educating people about open adoption (as we've had a lot to learn, and will continue to learn along the way). It's such an incredible thing to be a part of, and we wouldn't change our journey to parenthood, regardless of the twists and turns we've had over the past 3 1/2 years.

More updates to come! We're so excited to meet "J" next week, and we definitely appreciate your prayers as we continue this journey to our first child!

30 Day Shred - Day Eight

Whew! I've made it 8 days in row! I don't know that I've ever worked out eight days in a row before...this is an accomplishment! Even during my high school days on the synchronized swim team, we practiced 6 days a week, so I had a day off. The fact that the Shred is only 20 minutes long (ok, 22...my friend Jessica timed it...haha) makes it easy to commit to and follow through. I figure I waste that much time (and then some) every day, so what's 20 minutes out of my life each day? And it is such a great feeling to know that I'm making a good choice toward being healthy and taking care of this body God has given me! Now I need to get better about the eating part :)

The soreness has definitely worn off, but I still feel each workout, which is satisfying (then I know I'm still pushing myself each workout). My goal is to move up to Level 2 after Day 10!

So thankful for my Shred buddies who are along for this ride with me! It has really helped keep me accountable!