The hair saga continues.

More washing, conditioning and breaking apart of the dreadlocks and I am almost a third of the way done with my head. That's pretty good for the first day of removal, right? My fingers are pretty sore though. I still have eighteen days to get them out before the trip to Virginia, Maryland and D.C., so I am not worried yet.
I'm also really not looking forward to cutting all my hair off either, but the stuff it so dead there is no saving it. I have no choice here! I actually have a long black wig if the hair has to get cut really short, haven't worn it for ages, but it may come in handy in the Mid-Atlantic climes. I leave New Orleans out because the heat and humidity here prohibit anyone from wearing wigs and hairpieces except in the dead middle of winter. ...and even then, it is unpleasant.

I was hoping to get by the gym tonight to see if I can do another 9-minute mile. Don't scoff, that's the best time I've ever had, even when I was a kid. I have become very fond of the elliptical machine, as it is a little more forgiving on the knees than the treadmill is. I hope to move up to the ten-pound hand weights soon, but the five-pound weights are still a lot of work, so I haven't done it yet. Abdominal exercises are the worst though. I hate sit-ups, but there is no machine to achieve what they do (Sadly!) or I'd be using it.
I have gone from 245 pounds to 195 in a year and gone from a size 24 (plus size xxxl) to a size 16W (plus size 1X). I'd like to be able to devote more time to workouts, but my full-time mom status makes it difficult. I hope it gets better as the baby gets older, because I sure would like some semblance of my body back.
I mean, it'll never be the same again, I know that. My midriff was stretch-marked beyond repair, not to mention it's been a year now after pregnancy and I still have the loose, hanging skin. I am not a wealthy woman by any stretch of the imagination and the thought of having corrective surgery is laughable. Diet and exercise are the only options I really have to correct this, and even then I have no guarantees that it'll be back like it was before. But if I could fit in a size 10 again, that would suit me just fine.


In other news, my daughter got a package from her great aunt today containing these...

I especially like the jacket. The outfit overall is nautical to me and tasteful. It'll go great with her black Vans shoes my dad got for her. Her great-aunt has got excellent style and taste and my daughter is lucky for it.