A Three Hour Tour

Monday night I made it to Kickboxing and Body Power, even though I had Monday afternoon off from work, and could easily have gone to work out earlier. It's tough to wait around for your workout and not end up getting busy doing something else. I got a really good workout in though and it was well worth the wait. I never would have challenged my heart and lungs and muscles on my own the way I did in those classes.

After the two hour gym workout I got even more exercise in. Curtis and I biked down to TCBY. Truthfully, the calories I consumed in the yogurt probably equated the calories I worked off biking. But I think it should still count for 30 minutes or so of workout time. I was still working muscles I would not have used sitting on my couch or driving there.

Tuesday was another super-busy work day for me and I find that on these days (40 kids at morning storytime, 202 in the afternoon for friendship bracelet making) I deserve to eat a treat. So I go over to the kwik show (we don't have vending machines) and let myself buy some crappy candy item. I've decided that a york peppermint patty is the way to go. It is so rich that I only have to eat half at a time, and the whole thing only has 140 calories. I also get a really (really) big diet soda. It takes a lot of caffeine and fake sugar to get through a 202-kid craft program!

I think that this is going to be a pretty good week for working out goals. I have Friday-Sunday off for the holiday. I have a normal routine until then. I have nothing stressful planned except relaxation. I am going to try and eat healthy during this holiday weekend, because I am determined to finish these last pounds. I was down to five again this morning and nothing makes me happier than seeing lower numbers... and margaritas!

Weekend Recap

Friday evening I played Tennis with Curtis, which was a good change to my workout routine. We walked all the way down to the Mahoney Tennis courts, which was two miles. Then we played for 30-45 minutes. I won! He played left-handed. Then we walked back. It took around an hour and a half, and although it wasn't an intense workout, I am counting it as a hour of workout time. And it was fun, not like an hour of dread I experience when I have to go running.

Saturday I awoke to an early telephone call that someone at work was sick and I needed to go in for a while. I still was able to make it into BodyPower first, which was another great, high-weight-using workout. Again, the Saturday class wasn't very full, and I fear the will cancel it if they think that there isn't enough support. So if you belong to Goodyear, please start attending Saturday morning classes. I didn't have time to eat lunch, since I had to get right to work. And I was pretty upset that I had to be there, because don't I already work more than anyone else? I never call in sick, so why do I need to make up for the sick callers? Well, that pent-up frustration was taken out on the M&M bag. And Gum-drops and other treats. At least I didn't eat lunch too!

Sunday morning had beautiful weather. Well, much nicer than it had been around here. I decided to run around outside for a while. I ran two miles down to the park in 22:34, which was pretty fast. Then I was really tired and sat around on a bench for a while. I tried to run back, but my body just wasn't having it. So I allowed myself to just run the downhills (about 1/3) of it. That took me to eight hours of working out this week. Excellent! However, I made cookies this afternoon to take a dinner, and ate about 7 of them. Life's a battle.

Five Weeks till Slim

After a pretty bad week, remember I only worked out three hours last week, and I ate tons of junk food this weekend, I still managed to lose a pound this week. I weighed in at 7.5 this morning. I can't complain because I was seriously worried that it would be going up this week. However, seven pounds is quite a bit to lose in five weeks. I really need to get serious about this. I have done well working out this week, but the eating needs to be turned around.

Of course I say that on a day that my boss bought me a large frappachino type drink for breakfast. And the day that Dee brought us in a big bag of M&Ms because we are her favorite librarians. And the day that even though I went to Subway for lunch, Jennifer had coupons for a free cookie. Still, I have the rest of the day to eat healthy and all weekend. I really want to be back down to the five pound mark by next Friday's weigh in. Then it's the fourth of July weekend and all bets are off.

Tonight I am playing tennis, which includes the mile walk down to the park and back. I figure that's a great way to mix up my workouts. I am looking forward to it, because I haven't played in over a year. Still, I need to get back to running eventually. I might meet my mom Saturday morning for some gym time. Maybe I can make myself do three miles inside. When will this weather be nicer? September?!

On My Way

I made it to the gym last night for both classes! And truly, I felt better during and after them than I had felt the rest of the day. I don't want to go as far as saying the classes invigorate me, that would be too cliche. But they definitely give me energy. And it's not the same as working out on my own. When I am running by myself my mind is free to think of all the work I need to be doing, all the customer/staff that angered me that day, and all the life problems I am not currently tackling. I am starting to feel the results of taking three BodyPower classes a week again. I have been able to keep my weight high enough to be sore all the time. It's great to be able to feel the results of class again. I think I had become a little complacent regarding increasing weight the last few months. But I am happy to announce that those days are over, and my huge muscles will be thanking me.

I've already got five hours of gym time for this week, which is something I haven't had on a Wednesday in a while. It makes it much easier to get up to eight hours this week. And since I have been eating like crap all week (blame my mom lack of nutrient food and my dad's over abundance of cake products) I am going to need those eight hours!

Exhaustion

I'm not sure what exhaustion feels like. But I think I might have it. I slept eight hours last night but all I want to do is lay down and sleep. When I am inside I can't get my body to warm up and when I am outside I can't get it to stay cool. I am having trouble keeping my eyes open, it's hard to get off of my chair, I have felt rushed and out of control for over a week and a half now, and I see no end in sight. I am contemplating skipping the gym tonight, but the only times I feel better are during class and right after. Those two hours are the only time in my day that I don't have to solve some crisis, or entertain a group of people, or return someones phone call, or do someone else's chores, or make something healthy to eat, or clean my house, or fix my computer, or save the world. And all this stress is making me want to eat chocolate in large portions. I just keep denying that craving, which leads to even more exhaustion.

I made an effort to meet Erin at Gold's gym last night. It was great having someone there to meet. I am currently dog-sitting for a couple of days, so after work yesterday I went and let the dog out. I absolutely needed to take a nap, but having the commitment to meet her meant that I could only sleep for 25 minutes. It was perfect. If left up to my own devices I probably would have slept the whole evening away. Unfortunately it is too warm to take Hannah running. She doesn't even want to go outside, let alone exert any energy. And double unfortunately, I am right there with her. But I will go to the gym tonight, cause that's just what I do... and then maybe I can have a little chocolate!

Life is a Workout

Rarely do I let myself count my own life as workout time. When I say I want to work out seven hours or eight hours a week, I mean real time that I put aside to workout. I could easily get into the habit of wearing a pedometer and counting the one million steps I take at work as a workout, but that wouldn't do a thing for my physical fitness, that is just my life. However, today was different. I spent five hours helping my dad load and unload boxes into a van. I was so hot and sweaty and just couldn't cool down. I decided to skip kickboxing and count moving boxes as my workout instead. I had hoped to take a nap during that time instead but my house was just too hot to sleep. I made myself attend BodyPower because it takes a little less energy and isn't as hot. Also, I am determined to keep my weights high and can't do that if I skip a week.

When I realized that I wouldn't be able to sleep during my nap, I happened to turn on the Tyra Show. She had four ladies taking the Nivea Body Silhouette Challenge. For thirty days these ladies ate healthy, workout a little and rubbed this Nivea anti-cellulite lotion on themselves. All of them lost around 8 inches off their hips, thighs and bellies. I'm thinking I should try it. I just wish that there had been a control group.

Saturday Power

I was finally able to make it back to Ann's Saturday morning BodyPower class. I feel guilty for not going more often since I pushed so hard to get the class started. This was the first time that I didn't try to do something (run six miles, have a garage sale) before class. It always seemed that 10:20 was so late to take a class on Saturday morning. But it was perfect. I slept in until 9:30 (which I really deserved) and then prepared myself leisurely for a great class. I have really been keeping my weights high lately. I make myself use the large for back now. I am almost back to my heaviest weights on squats. I always use mediums and smalls for triceps, biceps and shoulders. This better start paying off.

Speaking of needing good arm muscles, Jen's wedding shower is tonight. I am hoping to look super cute in a new Summer dress I bought this spring. I don't have a lot of occasions to wear dresses so I am excited for a chance to look cute. In fact, I rarely have an occasion to wear anything but long sleeves and sweaters. They keep this whole world too cold.

I am hoping (cross your fingers) to head to Gold's later this afternoon for a run/walk cardio session. I have only worked out three hours as of now, and am leaving town for Father's day tomorrow. Maybe three hours at the gym is enough when you worked sixty hours at your job that week! Next week will be much better.

Dumb Scale

I had a great week. The pounds just melted off. On Thursday morning I was down to a record breaking 5.5 pounds. If you remember, way back in September, my mom and I had a challenge to lose 12 pounds. There was no end date to this goal, and both of us have been lazy and unmotivated. But thanks to my other challenges I finally hit that weight on Thursday morning. My mom owes me $25! I think I will buy a new summer outfit with that; a sundress? new shorts? Capri's? Thursday I didn't eat as well as I could have. My super-long day at work, mixed with eat two dinners (one with Jennifer) and eating late, since I didn't get off work until 8:00, made the scale act differently this morning. Somehow I had jumped back up to 8.5 pounds. A three pound gain in a day. Wowza! Still, I am two pounds down from last Friday, and well on my way to my goal weight by August 1st goal!

Today I did much better with my eating. It really helps if I have small meals/snacks all day rather than a large breakfast and lunch. It's hard to do that for dinner though. I am working on having a social life again, and unfortunately this means eating. There's not a lot to do socially that doesn't involve food or drinks. I had plans for dinner that included going to Lazlo's! I tried to eat healthfully, but you can't avoid the fries. And this has kept me so busy, that I have no time to work out. Truthfully, I may have been happier having nothing to do on a Friday night and being able to go work out at the gym. But am I willing to be that person?

On a side note, my Internet seems to be malfunctioning at home. This has made it difficult for me to update regularly, and have even made an effort to go to the public library in my rare free time, to use their Internet!

Workout Rewards

I was tired after working today. There's something about program, no matter how large they are that is just exhausting. I thought several times about skipping the gym. Even though I hadn't been there all week yet. It's a slippery slope. Once you give yourself an out, you just keep taking it. Luckily, my routine is so burned into my mind that when it came to leave work, I immediately changed into my gym clothes and drove to Goodyear. It wasn't until I was going down the steps to the classroom that I remembered I had wanted to skip. Thank goodness my body got me there. My mind wasn't working too well. And I felt so much more energized and awake afterward. We had a great kickboxing class, full of sweat and burned calories. Since I had skipped Monday's workout I made myself keep my weights high (that means medium and small or above for everything) even though I knew I would be sore. And although I was all alone and feel like a gym orphan, it was one of the best workout days that I have had. I went home and made a healthy dinner of grilled chicken and broiled sweet potato wedges. I love treating my body right!

Just Too Tired

Yesterday at work was exhausting. Sure we were busy, but there were no huge programs or anything out of the usual. but by 4:00 I was dead tired. At 5:00 when it was quitting time, I could barely keep my eyes open. The thought of struggling through two hours of class almost made me pass out. But I couldn't skip class. I never miss. Unless I have a family obligation or a health reason. So I called Jennifer for a pep-talk. If nobody is going to meet me at the gym anymore, the least they could do is encourage me to go. But Jennifer pointed out that maybe I needed a day off. Maybe this was my body's way of telling me to slow down. So I let myself bail on the classes. Good Luck getting eight hours in now. But I was able to sit around and read a little, take an hour nap, and relax while I watched TV. I'm glad that I gave myself a break. Although I wish I had burned 1000 calories anyway.

Then my mom called last night and said she had decided that she would be joining Gold's Gym too. You really can't pass up that deal they have right now. So I met her there at 9:30. It was busier than I have ever seen it! I thought that we'd be staying to work out, but apparently my mother had other ideas. We went through how to use all the equipment but didn't stay on any one thing for more than two minutes. So much for a work out there.

Today I am working an eleven hour day. I have a social engagement after-work, so I won't be working out then either. I am really falling behind on my new beefed up workout plan. Good news though: I have been eating well, and don't need to eat as much when I am not killing myself at the gym. Although handling 160 people during the library movie day should count for something!

Teaching Erin to Run

Today's Running Goal: Run with Erin
Accomplished: 2 miles in 23:40 (11:50 miles)
The few times I have talked Erin into running with me she always felt like I was holding her back. So today our goal was to see just how fast and long she could run. Turns out, I still held her back. We ran the first 3/4 mile pretty fast (6.0mph) but then I just didn't think I could keep that up, so I had her go on ahead of me. She waited 30 seconds till I caught up with her at the mile marker, and then we turned around and ran back quite a bit slower (5.0mph). Either way, she knows she can run 2 miles and has agreed to run the Columbus Downtown runaround. Soon she'll be running the five mile at Brandy's pace. We walked a mile or two to round out the workout to an hour. After a slow start I still got seven hours of working out done this week. As I mentioned I might try to beef this up to eight hours a week if I want to lose those last few pounds by August.

Running Maintenance

Today's Running Goal: 4 miles
Accomplished: 4 miles in 48:56 (12:14 miles)
I'm not really sure how I am supposed to go about maintaining my running abilities, or how I am supposed to improve my speed or endurance. But I figure running three times week (2 miles, 3 miles and 4 miles) seems like a good goal. There's really no reason to keep running six miles until I find a new goal and work towards that. Anyone have any opinions on maintaining my running? Anyhow a four mile run makes a nice complete workout. Combined with the 5 minute warm up and about 10 minute cool down, I spent at least an hour working out and burned well over 500 calories. It was beautiful weather for a run. I ran north down 84th street to the park. I paid special attention to the hills because obviously that was one thing my last training plan was missing. However, the hills seemed pretty easy this go-round, even the Wal-mart hill that ruined me during last week's race. It appears that the humidity is what I need to practice for.

I am trying to get my eating back under control. I ate a some healthy cereal for breakfast, a light lunch of salad, fruit and yogurt. A protein shake at break time. And then I was starving by the time I came home for dinner. So I ended up eating more calories in the evening than I had the rest of the day. Tomorrow will be better!

Seven weeks till Slim

After taking a week off from watching what I ate, and pretty much eating as much as I possibly could, I am back up three pounds. I weighed in this morning at 10 pounds away from goal. Today is the beginning of my next Challenge, so my goal is now to lose ten pounds in seven weeks. I am determined to do it. I think it will be hard because I am by no means at the beginning of my weight loss lifestyle and they always say the last few pounds are the hardest to lose. But I have had enough time to work past the plateaus. I know what works for me and I intend to utilize them. I am not going to do anything extreme like the Special K diet. I am just going to try to stay around 1200-1300 calories. I am going to ensure I get to the gym seven hours a week. Now that I have added an extra weight-training day, I might be able to beef up my gym time to eight hours. Just for the summer, while I am trying to blast off these last ten pounds of fat. I mean, Twenty dollars is up for grabs.

Luckily I started off my last seven weeks with a day off. I did some relaxing, met Brandy at Runza for lunch, where we enjoyed low-calorie salads. I went to Gold's and ran for two miles. I just went easy to ease back into the running world. Although even at a 12-minute-mile pace I found it pretty hard. I might be one of the only people in the world who think that think running outside is easier than on the treadmill. I had hoped to run longer but cut it short when I was drenched in sweat and couldn't fathom running another two miles. Then I went up stairs and did some upper-body weight lifting. Last week after I used the weight machines I could really feel it in my triceps. I am aiming to have that happen again.

I am cooking a healthy meal tonight. I have fallen a little behind on my new-recipe goal, so I am attempting to make three new dishes this evening: grilled salmon, steamed sweet potatoes, and whole grain couscous with vegetables. All three are things I have never made before, and all three are healthy options. That should get me back on the right track and catch me up on my cooking goal.

Without Competition I am Nothing

I have been a loser the last week, and not in the good way. I have eaten out almost every night since my race. I have worked out less often than I used to (five hours since my race) and I have allowed myself to eat crap: Chinese food on Tuesday, a candy bar on Thursday and margaritas on Sunday and again planned for this evening. Now I know this is only because I had been so regimented for so many weeks and done such a good job that I am just lightening up my routine and relaxing a bit. However, I have gained two pounds, and have no intention of relaxing for long. Luckily, my friend Curtis is also wanting to lose some weight and was intrigued by the weight loss challenge I just ended. So we are going to begin our own. This one will not be based on current weight, or a percentage. It is simply how many pounds you want to lose by August 1st. I think I want to lose nine. Can I do that in seven weeks? I am sure going to try. That will put me at my final goal weight (no silly two numbers to be concerned with). It will be difficult, but it will get me back on the path and it will challenge me to do my best. Because without a competition I am nothing.

I am also looking around for some races to run. Who's interested? I need some running buddies, both to train with, and possibly to run besides me. I think Erin and Jennifer would be great at running a 5k, and therefore I think that we should try to do the Thunder Run again. You possibly recall that race I did on the morning of my high school reunion last year. My goal is to kill my 5k time, but the two of them could just work at running the whole thing, or keeping up with me if that competition gets the best of them. That is August 1st. I have also thought about doing the Columbus Downtown Run-around. This is both a 5 mile run and 2 mile walk/run that I think I've already talked Brandy into doing with me (she was tempted by the Columbus water park) and this kid Ryan who I work with (also tempted by the water park, and running in general). My mom thought she might be interested in walking the 2 miles, so I am thinking Jennifer and Erin could run this as a warm-up for their next race. This is at the end of July. Let me know. Jen, you're always welcome to join us, but I know you're busy with school and wedding planning. Who else? The more the merrier. I need some help!

Two Gym Gal

I've decided that I need a gym make-over. Goodyear just does not make me happy. And currently I am needing motivation to get there. So I sucked it up at re-joined Gold's. They were having a great special that made it hard to ignore. For just $5 down, and $10 a month I am an official member there. Erin and I went Sunday evening and used the wonderful equipment. Free cable, new machines, air conditioning, windows. What a life. Sure I feel a little guilty when Gold's was so mean and un-customer centered. But, I have to look out for me and that means I don't have to work out with equipment from the 80s in a dark and hot room. Of course, I am keeping my membership with Goodyear. I can't part from my classes. I will continue to go there three times a week. But I will use Gold's on those days when I need to do some cardio and need a happy environment. It is getting much too warm to go running outside anymore, well it will be soon. It's good to be back!

What Now?

I am feeling a void in my life. Like I have nothing left to look forward to. And it's not that I was really looking forward to this race, or that it was the only thing going on in my life. But it does seem like it was a huge goal, which I have no put behind me. And I am left asking myself: What now? I have no focus. My weight loss challenge is over, although I still have 8-9 pounds to lose. My race training plan is over. My Summer Reading preparation is over, although that just means that my super-busy Summer Reading has begun. The one thing I have told myself that I would work on was weight training. Remember how I have to be a bridesmaid in two weddings this year. Remember how my goal was to have a great set of arms for those weddings. Remember how I have been letting myself go lightly on lower-body weight training during my race training so that my legs would never be in a state of pain? Well now it's time to beef that up. So tonight I made myself go strong all the way through. I added an extra medium to my squats (it will take a couple weeks until I can add a large again). I made myself do medium and smalls in both biceps and shoulders. Next time I will let myself go lighter on biceps and increase my triceps. That way I concentrate on working different things each time. I also went up to a large on back, which I haven't done since I started taking Kickboxing before hand. It was more difficult than I remember. I wonder if I will be sore tomorrow. Either way, I need to find something that gives my life meaning and new challenges and new rewards!

I Want a Do-Over

I have very mixed feelings about yesterday's race. I am very proud of myself for doing it. This is the first race that I have ever done on my own. And we all know how I feel about doing things alone. So just as I was proud of myself when I went to my first movie alone a few weeks ago, I see this as a great accomplishment in becoming an independent woman. Also, I know that I am capable of running six miles, which is so much more than I could do just three months ago. And I am extremely proud of myself for how far I have come. Lastly, I know that just completing a 10k race is more than so many people have ever done or will ever do.

But with all that knowledge and all that pride, I am very disappointed with myself. I wasn't as nervous as I had been in past races. I didn't sleep very well, seeing as it was down pouring and thundering all night. I was sure that the race would be cancelled, or more likely I would wimp out and refuse to run in the pouring rain. I didn't have a plan for that, and I hate not having a plan. But by 6am it was done raining and I forced myself to have half a bagel. I drank enough water that I was hydrated without having to pee every fifteen minutes. Everything was perfect. The entire Dewey Decimator team was where they were supposed to be a whole 30 minutes early. My co-worker Susan told me she'd be running 12-minute miles, so my goal was to keep up with her. Everything was going according to plan. But after running the first mile with Susan (which was really 11 minutes) I was exhausted. It was muggy, but not unbearable. The sun was only out half the time, and the wind, although strong was a nice relief. Then at mile two I hit the big hill and the wind. I let myself walk just .25 miles hoping that getting past the hill and catching my breath would leave me in great shape for the next four miles. But that's when it all feel apart. As a perfectionist, knowing that I didn't do something 100% makes me not even want to try anymore. So I kept letting myself take little walk breaks whenever I got too tired, or bored, or hilly. I probably ended up walking a whole mile. And that's why I want a do-over. Because I know I can do the whole thing. Because the weather wasn't bad. Because I have no one to blame but myself.

The most important thing I learned from this experience, is that I am not a "racer". Some people thrive on being surrounded by all those runners. The competition or camaraderie pushes them just a little harder. But not me. I find the whole experience stressful. I can't sleep, I can't eat. I wanted to puke all day, even when it was all over. And I try to remove myself from as many stressful situations as possible. So why put myself through that My real victory was a month ago, when I finished all six miles strongly. So will I do it again? I don't know yet. Part of me wants to concentrate on running shorter distances, or just running for exercise, rather than an end goal. But let's face it, without a goal, I don't work well. I'll have to rest a while, and then revisit my goals. the good news is: if I ever do another 10k... chances are I can only get better!

The Dewey Decimators

10k Karrie

Well, I did it. It's over. It was hard. I was slow. I walked more than I wanted to. At least it wasn't raining. And at least I didn't die! More later...

Final Run

Today's Running Goal: 3 easy miles
Accomplished: 3 miles in 36:34 (12:14 miles)
No record breaking today. Just a light easy three miles before the big day on Saturday. I meant to get up early this morning and get out there, but I couldn't get myself out of bed. So I made myself go out to the trail after the super-long and exhausting day at work. Still, it was beautiful weather and the trail was empty. So it was a nice run. Now I rest.

These last two days I am trying to double my water intake so I can ensure that I am fully hydrated on Saturday. However, since I usually drink eight glasses, it's a little difficult to consume sixteen glasses of water. So I will be happy with 12-15 cups. I am also eating a lot of fruits and vegetables. I am going to take Jen's advice and try eating a half a bagel and banana on the morning of the race. And tomorrow I am going to eat pasta for dinner, not because I think I should or I need to, but because I never eat pasta, and this gives me an excuse to do so.

Getting Closer

I haven't been eating very well this week. I have a lot of chips and hot dogs left over from my BBQ this week. This doesn't mean that I have been eating too many calories, and my weight hasn't increased from the eight pound mark. However, I haven't been doing a very good job of eating vegetables and fruits and protein and fiber. I really need to work on this on Thursday and Friday. I absolutely need to be in the best physical condition before my race.

I am planning on getting up early tomorrow to go running before my 11-hour work day. I know I will be too exhausted after work to do it, and also it gives me almost two full days of rest before the big run. Of course getting up early on my own isn't my strong suit. But I am so proud of all I have done for this race, that one more sacrifice should be easy. I have read lots of mixed reviews on what I am supposed to eat/drink/rest before the race. I am getting a little nervous about all the things I don't know. Does anyone have any advice for me? Jen? Carbs one day before, or two? Just drinking water the morning of, or eating something too? I wish I had prepared those things more carefully.

Winning Update

Yes, I was 2.5 pounds below the challege target. Excellent job if I do say so myself. Jennifer also was right below (.25 pounds) her target weight. So it looks like she won't be owing me any money. Erin, however, was so sure that she wasn't going to be where she needed to be weight-wise, she didn't even weigh-in. She was busy doing something else anyway. Needless to say, I am proud of myself for losing 15.5 pounds in 13 weeks. I really thought that I would have done better, and orignally hoped to be completely done losing weight by the time June 1st came around. None the less I am very motivated right now. I have the start of something good, I am on the right path, and June 1st and Monday line up, which you know always makes me happy. So for dinner I celebrated by eating a large amount of Doritos (they were left at my house from the BBQ). Tomorrow I get back on track.

End of Challenge

Well, it's not official until 5:30 tonight when I weigh in, but I am pretty sure I have the challenge in the bag. I am not saying that everyone else didn't make their goal too, I am just confident that I did, and I am the only one I have to justify! As of this morning my scale said I had 8 pounds left to lose. Eight pounds! Can you believe that? I have hit the single digits and I am going to do everything I can to make sure they come off fast and furious. I want this thing to be over. I want to reach the point in my life where I can work on maintaining my weight, not losing it. I want to be able to agree with all the people who tell me I have nothing more to lose. But for right now I want to celebrate. Unfortunatly I am in heavy training-mode this week as I prepare for my race. So the celebrations will have to wait until next week. But eight pounds!?! I am pretty excited.