After our visit with the infertility doc here in Texas, I've never been more serious about losing weight.
It's not about being thin and looking good in clothes for me; it's about being able to have a baby. If losing 20-30 pounds will put me one step closer to that goal, shame on me for not giving it my all.
To date, I've lost 17 pounds and 18 over-all-body inches. I know, I can't believe it either! I had to reweigh myself twice this morning and take a picture of the scale to make sure my morning eyes weren't deceiving me.
I'm really proud of myself. I've been working out (2-3 long walks with the dogs, running 3 miles, 30 minutes on the elliptical I bought myself when Chris left, sit ups, kettle bells, squats, planks, push ups an ect) and eating clean and paleo. To be honest, the exercise helps, but eating paleo and eating cleaning are the keys to my success.
I, and we as a culture, have been conditioned to eat the way we do. Everything is covered in flour, fried and comes between two pieces of bread and served up with taters. Trust me, giving up gluten, fried food and potatoes is not my idea of living it up in this one life that I have, but it's working! I don't miss that stuff as much anymore and my cravings for it have diminished the deeper into this I get.
I used to be in the mind set of, "what can't I eat!?" But now, i'm like, "What can I try next!"
I managed to stay on track when I visited my Godson for his second birthday (through the airport and a layover from hell thank you very much) and when a friend from the ECCC in FLW visited me. I ordered smart at restaurants (No buns, no fries (or if you are like me and they don't listen, just have your friend pour mustard on 'em), extra veg) and at the birthday party I picked up stuff at the grocery store I could have so I could participate in the party (gluten free buns, gluten free treats, already boiled eggs because when you are visiting with friends who wants to waste time boiling eggs, salads and ect).
Go me! I can almost feel how good those red bottom shoes are going to feel on my tootsies!
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Sunday, April 21, 2013
New Business!
After hosting a trunk show for a girl friend and falling in love with what I got, I decided to start selling it myself!
Never in a million, billion years did I think I would be that military spouse selling something like Stella and Dot. However, crazy economic times and having too much time on your hands during a deployment will do that to ya.
I want to work full time in journalism again but with all the things I have going on back on the East Coast (my leetle seestors COLLEGE graduation, a joi-sey wedding, my Biffles bridal shower, a hubby coming home from war, a texas staycation to celebrate a successful deployment and me turning, gulp, 28, and my biffles wedding) who is going to hire me now anyway? Once my life calms down in August, i'll really start looking for full time.
But for now, I am enjoying sharing my addiction with my friends and scoring some new stuff!
PLUS I am making a concerted effort into putting myself together these days. I really feel I let myself go after we got married (gaining weight, not caring what I look like cuz I already gots me a man...). With out FIVE year coming up I need to get off this crazy train and check myself before I wreck myself. Now that I am starting to feel better about myself and how i look, 17 lbs off your ass will do that for ya, I am taking the time to put myself together.
Chris will be taking command soon and I want to look more presentable, have more confidence and have people say to themselves, "she's got it goin' onnnnn!"
With that being said, I did my hair and makeup, got dressed and threw on a fab statement necklace and hit the grocery store and I looked fab-u-lous hunny!
Here is to gettin' my grove back!
Insert Shameless Self Promotion here: http://www.stelladot.com/sites/vanessalynch
Never in a million, billion years did I think I would be that military spouse selling something like Stella and Dot. However, crazy economic times and having too much time on your hands during a deployment will do that to ya.
I want to work full time in journalism again but with all the things I have going on back on the East Coast (my leetle seestors COLLEGE graduation, a joi-sey wedding, my Biffles bridal shower, a hubby coming home from war, a texas staycation to celebrate a successful deployment and me turning, gulp, 28, and my biffles wedding) who is going to hire me now anyway? Once my life calms down in August, i'll really start looking for full time.
But for now, I am enjoying sharing my addiction with my friends and scoring some new stuff!
PLUS I am making a concerted effort into putting myself together these days. I really feel I let myself go after we got married (gaining weight, not caring what I look like cuz I already gots me a man...). With out FIVE year coming up I need to get off this crazy train and check myself before I wreck myself. Now that I am starting to feel better about myself and how i look, 17 lbs off your ass will do that for ya, I am taking the time to put myself together.
Chris will be taking command soon and I want to look more presentable, have more confidence and have people say to themselves, "she's got it goin' onnnnn!"
With that being said, I did my hair and makeup, got dressed and threw on a fab statement necklace and hit the grocery store and I looked fab-u-lous hunny!
Here is to gettin' my grove back!
Insert Shameless Self Promotion here: http://www.stelladot.com/sites/vanessalynch
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Chase Turns Two!
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| Welcome to the world Chase Mark Hoffmann! |
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| I can't believe I am holding something just a few hours old! |
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| The ONE year old! |
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| At one year's old, he hated cake and getting cake on his hands and face... |
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| At two year's old, he housed that cupcake without a care in the world! |
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| I can't believe you are TWO! |
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| I love this lil dude and his momma and poppa for giving me the best gift ever: Being his Godmother! |
Saturday, March 30, 2013
The Hardest Goodbye
Chris and I have been together for nine years and this year we will be married for five years and I have been doing the Army wife thing for six years so I am used to saying, "see you soon."
Chris has gone to different countries (Thailand, Korea) and different states (Arizona, New Mexico, The Big Island) for various amounts of time. Before we were married and he had just embarked on this Army journey he would be gone one weekend a month and two weeks a year for National Guard Drills.
Then he had to spend a few months or weeks at Fort Benning, GA; Fort Lewis, WA; and Fort Leonard Wood, MO. At the time, man, it was tough. I cried, a lot. But it got easier. Not easier to deal with his being gone, easier in the fact that I knew how to fill the time until he came home.
By the time we got to our first duty station in Hawaii, I was a pro at being separated from him.
However, saying "goodbye" during a deployment is something different. My eyes are filling up as I type this and my stomach hurts.
In a way I am glad we missed the big send off and it was just us in the battalion parking lot at 5:30 am.
Thank God it was dark because the entire way there, tears were staining my face and my eyes were puffy and red. For whatever reason I wanted to drive and he held my hand the entire drive. Chris isn't an emotional person so I knew him holding my hand meant that he was feeling a barrage of emotions.
When we pulled up I jumped out of the car and popped the trunk and started unloading what I could while he talked to the Rear D commander and another officer who was going with him. I needed to stay busy because I could feel myself about to lose it and I promised myself I would fall apart. I didn't want that to be the last thing he saw before getting in the HUMMVE. I wanted to keep it together until I drove away. I wanted him to see and know that I could be strong and that the only person he had to worry about was himself and that the only thing he had to worry about was coming home, on time, in one piece and the same way I left him in the parking lot at 5:30 am on 18 Feb.
All I can remember from our last embrace was the shutter I could feel in his chest and the trembling I could hear in his voice.
Chris has gone to different countries (Thailand, Korea) and different states (Arizona, New Mexico, The Big Island) for various amounts of time. Before we were married and he had just embarked on this Army journey he would be gone one weekend a month and two weeks a year for National Guard Drills.
Then he had to spend a few months or weeks at Fort Benning, GA; Fort Lewis, WA; and Fort Leonard Wood, MO. At the time, man, it was tough. I cried, a lot. But it got easier. Not easier to deal with his being gone, easier in the fact that I knew how to fill the time until he came home.
By the time we got to our first duty station in Hawaii, I was a pro at being separated from him.
However, saying "goodbye" during a deployment is something different. My eyes are filling up as I type this and my stomach hurts.
In a way I am glad we missed the big send off and it was just us in the battalion parking lot at 5:30 am.
Thank God it was dark because the entire way there, tears were staining my face and my eyes were puffy and red. For whatever reason I wanted to drive and he held my hand the entire drive. Chris isn't an emotional person so I knew him holding my hand meant that he was feeling a barrage of emotions.
When we pulled up I jumped out of the car and popped the trunk and started unloading what I could while he talked to the Rear D commander and another officer who was going with him. I needed to stay busy because I could feel myself about to lose it and I promised myself I would fall apart. I didn't want that to be the last thing he saw before getting in the HUMMVE. I wanted to keep it together until I drove away. I wanted him to see and know that I could be strong and that the only person he had to worry about was himself and that the only thing he had to worry about was coming home, on time, in one piece and the same way I left him in the parking lot at 5:30 am on 18 Feb.
All I can remember from our last embrace was the shutter I could feel in his chest and the trembling I could hear in his voice.
Deployment Goals
Deployments suck no matter how you shake it.
No one wants to be separated from his or spouse and no amount of un taxed, hazard duty pay or family separation money can fill the void of your loved one being a world away and be working in a hostile and dangerous area.
However, i'm trying to look at this differently. I won't let it own me. I plan on using this time to empower myself, strengthen my marriage and get my shit together.
I promised myself that I would do things that terrify in some way or another during this deployment:
1. Run a Half Marathon (COMPLETED! More on that later)
2. Lose 20 lbs, dr's orders, and get my body ready to make a baby! (So far, i'm down 10 lbs and 6 body inches)
3. Get my hoo-haw, under arms and legs waxed.
4. Buy lingerie, I actually don't own any and I have never bought any, I know, shocker.
5. This one I will announce after I have done it, ya never know who actually reads this....
6. Go Paleo- no dairy, no gluten, no carbs (Been going strong for almost a month).
Time to kick ass and take names!
No one wants to be separated from his or spouse and no amount of un taxed, hazard duty pay or family separation money can fill the void of your loved one being a world away and be working in a hostile and dangerous area.
However, i'm trying to look at this differently. I won't let it own me. I plan on using this time to empower myself, strengthen my marriage and get my shit together.
I promised myself that I would do things that terrify in some way or another during this deployment:
1. Run a Half Marathon (COMPLETED! More on that later)
2. Lose 20 lbs, dr's orders, and get my body ready to make a baby! (So far, i'm down 10 lbs and 6 body inches)
3. Get my hoo-haw, under arms and legs waxed.
4. Buy lingerie, I actually don't own any and I have never bought any, I know, shocker.
5. This one I will announce after I have done it, ya never know who actually reads this....
6. Go Paleo- no dairy, no gluten, no carbs (Been going strong for almost a month).
Time to kick ass and take names!
D Day
From the moment we started the Green Pages process, we knew a deployment was in our future. There was no escaping that ugly monster, it comes with the territory.
Although now-a-days most deployments, ugh I shutter whenever I hear, say or type that word I feel like I am cursing, are shorter (9 months instead of a year plus) I feel deployments start as soon as the word comes into you life.
We knew we had to go to a place that was deploying ASAP so Fort Hood, Texas it was. Chris had to report 10 January and we knew he would leave shortly after we arrived but we didn't know the exact date. We were under the impression that his new battalion was deploying in February. Wrong! They were already gone and had been down range for a few months, both a blessing and curse. It was a blessing because that meant Chris would be joining them for the remainder of the deployment and I count my lucky stars that translated into less than five months. Not knowing when he would actually be leaving was the curse because we had just bought a house, were in the process of unpacking and we had just gotten to a place that neither of us has ever been before.
Chris had to do his in processing to the new post and to his new battalion before we would know more about when he would be leaving. Usually, when an entire battalion deploys the entire group travels to NTC for a month for training, families get pre deployment briefs (what to expect, establish the FRG, get emergency contact info, create CARE Teams, get a phone list), you and your spouse have time to get the correct paper work in order (THE hardest part for me, hands down. I mean c'mon what other couples do you know of that have to have a living will, make sure the life insurance policy is squared away, discuss a "What if" scenario pertaining to IF they don't come home (where they would like to be laid to rest, cremation, ect, or something happens to them and you need to leave the country (so making sure your passport is up-to-date), going over how to pay the bills, squaring away finances and ect.
None of that happened for us. As soon as he in processed, he was off getting various vaccinations, collecting his gear, packing his gear and bypassed all the predeployment training. That made my head spin. I mean they have this training in place for a reason right? Now I feel like he is ill prepared and he's going to a unit where he knows no one, so who will have his back!?
We did get the house set up and unpacked, we did get our paperwork together, including tax stuff but in terms of the pre deployment brief and FRG support, I got nada, zilch. He's been gone over a month and I haven't gotten one phone call from the BN commander's wife, FRG leader, FRSA, no e-mails, no coffee invitations, no olive branches. Big. Fat. Goose Egg!
Maybe I am spoiled from having such an amazing support system in Hawaii, but this is Fort Hood Texas. This is the biggest post in the Army and they deploy units like its nothing. This should be a routine, right?
The one part I like about the Army is the sense of family and community and the coming together when spouses are gone. That's what makes being a spouse manageable. Being surrounded by like minded people going through the same thing as you to pow wow with. I don't have that. I don't have any unit support and my ass is chaffed about it. Really puts a sour taste in my mouth.
So what did I do about it? About a week into the deployment I emailed the FRG contact I had been given. After not hearing back in over a week, I called up the Rear Detachment Commander and he told me that person had stepped down and he just appointed a new person (the least she could have done was respond to my email saying she was no longer the leader for crying out loud) and he gave me her number. So I called her and of course I got her at a bad time, story of my life, but she indulged me and admitted she had no idea what she was doing but she was going to meet with the Rear D Commander on Monday and she would call me/email me when she wrapped her around it and let me know how I could help her out.
It's been three weeks and I have heard nothing. At this point I'm over it and i'm lucky that I have a friend from FLW that only lives a few miles away, and two familiar faces from Hawaii locally as well.
I consider myself to be a pretty strong and independent person. I also knew what I was getting myself into when I married someone with the sense of service to their country. I've got my big girl panties on and I am facing this monster head on and have lots of things planned to get me through this.
Although now-a-days most deployments, ugh I shutter whenever I hear, say or type that word I feel like I am cursing, are shorter (9 months instead of a year plus) I feel deployments start as soon as the word comes into you life.
We knew we had to go to a place that was deploying ASAP so Fort Hood, Texas it was. Chris had to report 10 January and we knew he would leave shortly after we arrived but we didn't know the exact date. We were under the impression that his new battalion was deploying in February. Wrong! They were already gone and had been down range for a few months, both a blessing and curse. It was a blessing because that meant Chris would be joining them for the remainder of the deployment and I count my lucky stars that translated into less than five months. Not knowing when he would actually be leaving was the curse because we had just bought a house, were in the process of unpacking and we had just gotten to a place that neither of us has ever been before.
Chris had to do his in processing to the new post and to his new battalion before we would know more about when he would be leaving. Usually, when an entire battalion deploys the entire group travels to NTC for a month for training, families get pre deployment briefs (what to expect, establish the FRG, get emergency contact info, create CARE Teams, get a phone list), you and your spouse have time to get the correct paper work in order (THE hardest part for me, hands down. I mean c'mon what other couples do you know of that have to have a living will, make sure the life insurance policy is squared away, discuss a "What if" scenario pertaining to IF they don't come home (where they would like to be laid to rest, cremation, ect, or something happens to them and you need to leave the country (so making sure your passport is up-to-date), going over how to pay the bills, squaring away finances and ect.
None of that happened for us. As soon as he in processed, he was off getting various vaccinations, collecting his gear, packing his gear and bypassed all the predeployment training. That made my head spin. I mean they have this training in place for a reason right? Now I feel like he is ill prepared and he's going to a unit where he knows no one, so who will have his back!?
We did get the house set up and unpacked, we did get our paperwork together, including tax stuff but in terms of the pre deployment brief and FRG support, I got nada, zilch. He's been gone over a month and I haven't gotten one phone call from the BN commander's wife, FRG leader, FRSA, no e-mails, no coffee invitations, no olive branches. Big. Fat. Goose Egg!
Maybe I am spoiled from having such an amazing support system in Hawaii, but this is Fort Hood Texas. This is the biggest post in the Army and they deploy units like its nothing. This should be a routine, right?
The one part I like about the Army is the sense of family and community and the coming together when spouses are gone. That's what makes being a spouse manageable. Being surrounded by like minded people going through the same thing as you to pow wow with. I don't have that. I don't have any unit support and my ass is chaffed about it. Really puts a sour taste in my mouth.
So what did I do about it? About a week into the deployment I emailed the FRG contact I had been given. After not hearing back in over a week, I called up the Rear Detachment Commander and he told me that person had stepped down and he just appointed a new person (the least she could have done was respond to my email saying she was no longer the leader for crying out loud) and he gave me her number. So I called her and of course I got her at a bad time, story of my life, but she indulged me and admitted she had no idea what she was doing but she was going to meet with the Rear D Commander on Monday and she would call me/email me when she wrapped her around it and let me know how I could help her out.
It's been three weeks and I have heard nothing. At this point I'm over it and i'm lucky that I have a friend from FLW that only lives a few miles away, and two familiar faces from Hawaii locally as well.
I consider myself to be a pretty strong and independent person. I also knew what I was getting myself into when I married someone with the sense of service to their country. I've got my big girl panties on and I am facing this monster head on and have lots of things planned to get me through this.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Hope
I was in an awful head space during our PCS move. I had just undergone the final test in our infertility work up, the HSG, and got the news that we couldn't have a baby naturally. We would need medical intervention.
Once I got into the TRICARE system here at Fort Hood, my new PCM gave me the referral to see a specialist to find out out next steps. Usually I go to these appointments solo, but this time Chris and I were being seen together. How novel, an apt to see both of together seeing as how it takes two...
Well let me tell you, I was both elated and angry all at the same time. I learned more in the first 5 minutes from our new dr than I got from being in MO for 6 months!
Here is what went down:
I already knew I wasn't ovulating and all we knew about Chris's sperm count is that the number of his viable sperm were low and slow. What we didn't know is that he has lots of sperm or why his count was low. When I asked the quack in MO if anything causes this he said "nah, this isn't a fluke, it is what it is, nothing affects them."
Well, apparently if a man is taking supplements, herbals, protein, vitamins and or anything from GNC at the time of the test those things can affect the sample. As does a diet high in caffeine and salt.
I was floored! Chris was taking vitamin supplements and protein from GNC!
Why didn't the doc ask Chris if he was taking any of those things before he made his deposit? I mean every time I have anything done the doctors ask what meds I am taking, if I am taking anything OTC and instructions like don't take x, y or z before this test and no eating after midnight and ect.
If the doctor asked him Chris would have said yes, and we would have rescheduled the test. Why didn't the doc offer the above as a possible reason behind the results?!
Now we have hope!
My new dr gave me a 5 months supply of the Progesterone all at once (this is a Godsend in and of itself! In MO I had to wait until day 38 of not getting a period, call and leave a message for the nurse/dr, wait for them to call me back to order a pregnancy test, go in and take the test, wait for the dr to read the results, wait for him to call in the Rx, go pick up the Rx and then take the pills, wait to start bleeding, and then repeat all over again) which saves so much time!
It's not healthy to not have a bleed every 5 months, because it can cause the lining to build up which leads to cervical cancer, pelvic inflammatory diseases and implementation issues, just to name a few things. Now, if I don't get a period every 5 weeks I just need to take the pills. I don't need to take a pregnancy test every 5 weeks because Chris is deployed. Once he gets home, I will have to go to the dr's office to take a test before taking the medication.
The dr gave us both homework during the deployment. I need to get my BMI down to 24-26, eat more fruits, veggies, drink lots of water and work out like a mad woman. Bringing my BMI down can jump start ovulation and all that coupled with the Progesterone can also jump start it. If I do all the above and i'm still not ovulating, which happens to a lot of women, I can take Clomid.
Chris has to also lose weight, eat more fruits and veggies and has to go cold turkey on caffeine. Hopefully his sperm will be super charged and we can be a deployment statistic =)
If we don't have luck naturally she shed some light on what our other options are. She said there is a clinic in Austin where we could have the IUI done for $800 and that the clinic in San Antonio could do the IVF for between $5-$8,000.
Our new dr feels really confident that we can have a baby naturally and that we will be pregnant before the end of the year!
Fingers crossed!
Once I got into the TRICARE system here at Fort Hood, my new PCM gave me the referral to see a specialist to find out out next steps. Usually I go to these appointments solo, but this time Chris and I were being seen together. How novel, an apt to see both of together seeing as how it takes two...
Well let me tell you, I was both elated and angry all at the same time. I learned more in the first 5 minutes from our new dr than I got from being in MO for 6 months!
Here is what went down:
I already knew I wasn't ovulating and all we knew about Chris's sperm count is that the number of his viable sperm were low and slow. What we didn't know is that he has lots of sperm or why his count was low. When I asked the quack in MO if anything causes this he said "nah, this isn't a fluke, it is what it is, nothing affects them."
Well, apparently if a man is taking supplements, herbals, protein, vitamins and or anything from GNC at the time of the test those things can affect the sample. As does a diet high in caffeine and salt.
I was floored! Chris was taking vitamin supplements and protein from GNC!
Why didn't the doc ask Chris if he was taking any of those things before he made his deposit? I mean every time I have anything done the doctors ask what meds I am taking, if I am taking anything OTC and instructions like don't take x, y or z before this test and no eating after midnight and ect.
If the doctor asked him Chris would have said yes, and we would have rescheduled the test. Why didn't the doc offer the above as a possible reason behind the results?!
Now we have hope!
My new dr gave me a 5 months supply of the Progesterone all at once (this is a Godsend in and of itself! In MO I had to wait until day 38 of not getting a period, call and leave a message for the nurse/dr, wait for them to call me back to order a pregnancy test, go in and take the test, wait for the dr to read the results, wait for him to call in the Rx, go pick up the Rx and then take the pills, wait to start bleeding, and then repeat all over again) which saves so much time!
It's not healthy to not have a bleed every 5 months, because it can cause the lining to build up which leads to cervical cancer, pelvic inflammatory diseases and implementation issues, just to name a few things. Now, if I don't get a period every 5 weeks I just need to take the pills. I don't need to take a pregnancy test every 5 weeks because Chris is deployed. Once he gets home, I will have to go to the dr's office to take a test before taking the medication.
The dr gave us both homework during the deployment. I need to get my BMI down to 24-26, eat more fruits, veggies, drink lots of water and work out like a mad woman. Bringing my BMI down can jump start ovulation and all that coupled with the Progesterone can also jump start it. If I do all the above and i'm still not ovulating, which happens to a lot of women, I can take Clomid.
Chris has to also lose weight, eat more fruits and veggies and has to go cold turkey on caffeine. Hopefully his sperm will be super charged and we can be a deployment statistic =)
If we don't have luck naturally she shed some light on what our other options are. She said there is a clinic in Austin where we could have the IUI done for $800 and that the clinic in San Antonio could do the IVF for between $5-$8,000.
Our new dr feels really confident that we can have a baby naturally and that we will be pregnant before the end of the year!
Fingers crossed!
MIA
Where in the world and what in the world have the Lynch's been up to?
Allow me to break it down:
We PCS'ed from FLW to Fort Hood, Texas (That's right we moved 2x in a year!)
Spent Christmas and New Years Eve in the Happiest Place on Earth, WDW
Signed the closing docs for our first home while on vaca in WDW
Ate our way through WDW to the tune of 7 lbs gained EACH
Chris turned 28
Drove cross country, first from MO to CT then CT to TX in TWO SEPARATE cars and with TWO dogs
Currently in the process of making our house into a home
Chris Deployed Jan 18=(
I ran my first 1/2 marathon Jan 24 (Princess 1/2 in Walt Disney World, yupp i love that place)
Did my first Epcot Crawl aka drinking around the world
Just got home from the most epic girls weekend everrrr
Allow me to break it down:
We PCS'ed from FLW to Fort Hood, Texas (That's right we moved 2x in a year!)
Spent Christmas and New Years Eve in the Happiest Place on Earth, WDW
Signed the closing docs for our first home while on vaca in WDW
Ate our way through WDW to the tune of 7 lbs gained EACH
Chris turned 28
Drove cross country, first from MO to CT then CT to TX in TWO SEPARATE cars and with TWO dogs
Currently in the process of making our house into a home
Chris Deployed Jan 18=(
I ran my first 1/2 marathon Jan 24 (Princess 1/2 in Walt Disney World, yupp i love that place)
Did my first Epcot Crawl aka drinking around the world
Just got home from the most epic girls weekend everrrr
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