wex’s first month at home!

We brought Wex home on March 30th, 2019, so we’ve just passed the one month mark with our sweet little Spaniel puppy by our side!

General facts about Wex: 

  1. His name is short for Wexford, though we’ve never called him that. Wexford is a city in Ireland! We didn’t quite like “Dublin” or “Cork” for a name for a dog, so “Wex” it was!
  2. He was born in New Braunfels, Texas on February 10th, 2019
  3. He was one of 9 puppies!
  4. He’ll be about 50 pounds – which is on the larger end for Springer Spaniels, but a good, medium-sized apartment dog 🙂
  5. I’ve always loved Spaniels! I’ve had two Cocker Spaniels so far in my life. Springers are loveable and highly trainable “velcro” dogs, so he’s perfect for us 🙂 Our dream is for him to be a therapy dog!
  6. He is currently 17.8 pounds (:

Highlights so far:

  1. Wex likes riding in the car, but does not like sitting with me in the passenger seat. He only wants to sit with Cam and be up by the steering wheel. (We realize this isn’t safe – when he is bigger and we put him in the car, we’ll get one of those dog hammocks to keep him in the back.)
  2. Cam taught Wex to sit, shake, lay down, sit back up, speak and dance so far. He loves performing his tricks because he gets treats and praise.
  3. His best friend is our friends’ Jill and David’s dog, Houston – a 70 pound pit mix. Wex is the size of his head right now! He loves big dogs because that’s all he’s been around.
  4. Wex’s favorite toys, ranked: bubbles, empty water bottles, ice cubes, shoes, people, people wearing their shoes, and dish towels that mom hangs in the kitchen.
  5. Wex is really eager to please. Any time Cam or I (mostly Cam because he’s the best reinforcer) has tried to teach him something, I can tell he commits it to memory. He’s starting to know that we don’t like when he bites so he licks more – especially when he’s in a cuddly mood aka when he’s tired.
  6. He is highly motivated by food. He loves the Kong squeezy peanut butter thing!
  7. He whines when he is tired because he wants us to put him up on the bed so he can sleep

I seriously under estimated what having a dog would do for my life – both good and bad! Haha. I’m learning how to prioritize our needs together. Like do I continue making breakfast when my blood sugar is low or do I take Wex out because he’s whining at the door while my eggs are on the stove? But most of all, he’s a huge comfort. I’ve had some sad days and some high-pain days and I’ll just crawl in bed and, if Wex is sleepy, I’ll pull him close to me and I just feel such a relief. Also Cam and I’s family feels so much more complete with a third person (or pup in this case) to love on. read more

yummy eats

if you need to see someone model normal eating behaviors right now, i feel you. maybe you’re in ED recovery or maybe you’re just sitting at your desk at work, taking “breaks” to look at swimsuits online and hate all the articles that are screaming at you to get your “beach body”, etc. that’s why i love posts like these. and because we all need some meal inspiration from time to time.

here’s my small-ish, first stab at doing an eats round-up, but if you like stuff like this, I recommend viewing Kylie’s, Robyn’s, or Connie’s, too! read more

a non-diet dietician turned out to be the best form of self care

It was April of 2017. I wouldn’t eat anything that wasn’t green, sugar-free, or “anti-inflammatory”. I wanted to be able to eat family dinner without crying, so Cam and I sat in our favorite tea shop in Fayetteville and I googled therapists.

I found Kylie, who would become my dietician. Her website said something like “make peace with food” and I imagined shaking hands with a croissant, the flakes landing on my favorite dress, and it seemed right.

I went for my first appointment just after my 21st and a half birthday. read more

IDentity after ED

This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately – especially as I’ve come up on and passed the one year anniversary of starting intensive outpatient treatment for my own ED.

I’m “recovered” as they’d say, but they also say “you’ll always be in recovery.” So both are true.

And that can be confusing.

I think the identity crisis that happens for a lot of people after an ED looks similar and different. It’s definitely a lot of “What now?” and “What am I even interested in when my mind is not consumed over food?” read more