Hello, Motivation!

Finally, after almost 2 weeks of the scale showing minimal (if anything at all!) weight loss, I lost 2 lbs this week!  I was feeling confident as I stepped on the scale this morning.  I worked extra hard this week because I knew that I had hit the dreaded "wall" - losing 2 lbs in 1 week means I busted through that wall.  Hooray!
I also incorporated a new exercise routine into my daily schedule; while I'm still using the treadmill for a minimum of 20 minutes per day I'm now also using a work-out program via the Xbox 360 Kinect.  "Dance Central" is a fun, interactive game that I bought for Jim back when I bought him the Kinect.  The object of the game is to mimic the moves the dancer makes.  For each move you do correctly you score points.  The dances are set to some high-energy songs, but there's an easy/medium/hard mode to choose from.  Since I'm about as coordinated as the Scarecrow from the Wizard Of Oz the easy mode works out just dandy for me!  In addition, there is what is called a "work-out" mode (which is what I've been using all week).  You enter in your weight & it keeps track of how fast you're moving, how long you've been moving for & how many calories you're burning.  Awesome!  I'm trying to get in a total of 30 minutes per day using Dance Central - 15 minutes in the morning/ 15 minutes in the evening.  Yesterday I was able to get in a total of 35 minutes.  I was a dancin' fool as I moved around the man cave, awkwardly trying to mimic the dancers moves but the beauty of this is that I'm all by myself so I feel entitled to act so silly :)  And it's a lot of fun, too!  However, the not so fun part came this morning when I got out of bed & realized how SORE my back, arms & shoulders are!  Apparently there are more than a few muscles in which I don't use when I'm on the treadmill.  Ouch!  But I suppose being sore today is a good thing as it means that I'm actually exercising - when I'm playing the game it doesn't feel like I'm working out. 
I finally feel like things are starting to 'click' for me again.  I'm still using the Lose It! program online, which helps keep track of the amount of calories I'm consuming every day.  The 2 lbs I lost this week bring my overall weight loss to 16.2 lbs since March.  Hello, Motivation!
Meanwhile, Savannah's first top tooth has finally broken through the skin which explains why she's been so "off" lately.  While her teething pains haven't bothered her sleeping pattern (thankfully!) her appetite has been up & down as has her moods.  I'm noticing this week that she seems very frustrated over her inability to walk.  Keep in mind that she's not quite 9 months old yet!!  Last night she pulled herself up into a standing position while holding onto her a small toy.  Testing her balancing skills, she let go of the toy for a good 30 seconds & just stood there.  Then she tried to clap for herself & she fell down.  Not an hour goes by when she doesn't take some sort of a fall.  In her mind, she can walk.  She's so determined to walk, too!  She's at her happiest when she's standing.  I've never seen such a young, strong baby before!  Kyle & Bella didn't walk until well after their 1st Birthday...& Savannah won't celebrate hers until August 9th!  Another thing I'm noticing is that, unlike her brother & sister at this age, she seems really interested in food.  I only recently introduced her to Gerber Puffs, which are similar to Cheerios but they melt almost instantly in your mouth so there's no chance of choking (which is a huge concern of mine when it comes to babies eating!).  Kyle really had no interest in feeding himself at all (we spoon fed him ourselves for WAY too long, but we won't even bother going there!) & Bella was literally "scared" of Puffs - she would cry whenever we put a few in front of her, hahaha!  Savannah, on the other hand, immediately put her fine motor skills to use & was able to not only grasp a Puff but also get it successfully into her mouth on the first try!  She'll eat as many as you give her, too!  That fact that she has no problems feeding herself & enjoys her "snacks" so much leads me to believe that she may be ready for some "real" foods soon.  We'll see.  Again, I worry over choking & right now she only has 2 1/2 teeth (that top tooth is not all the way down yet).  I'm not in any rush!  I've increased her meals & give her cereal not only with breakfast but also with dinner now - so I know that she's good & full.  She goes for her 9 month check-up in a few weeks - I'm curious to see how much she's grown since her 6 month check-up!