It’s been almost 11 months since I had my 2nd daughter. Here is my fitness update.
A little back story... I’m a certified personal trainer of 6 years and I teach Pilates fusion, body sculpt with barre, and a yoga fusion class. I generally workout 4-6 times a week and I eat healthy. I don’t do processed and my carbs are generally oatmeal, wraps, and the occasional enchilada. With my 1st baby, I didn’t workout as much as I should, but was still moderately active, aka 3-4 workouts a week. I gained 49 lbs. After I was cleared at 4.5 weeks, I worked out like crazy (6-7 days a week) and was very careful with my food even though I had to find the balance with breastfeeding. I was back at my pre-pregnancy size at 6 months PP. I felt like my pre-pregnancy strong self around 9 months PP. I fit in my smallest clothes around 1 year postpartum and we found out about our 2nd baby 14 months PP. With this pregnancy, I worked out 5 days a week or more. I taught 3-4 classes a week and I did 1-2 workouts of weight training a week. My food was basically perfect. I craved broccoli for crying out loud. However, even though I did everything “right”, I gained 56 lbs. Our bodies do what they do + my doctors actually praised me for my health. I was put on bed rest around 32.5 weeks pregnant because of preterm contractions, which is different than labor. I was removed from bed rest at 37 weeks + delivered at 40.5. (Thanks for being on time, Brynnen. 😘) I was cleared at 12 weeks PP. I had a surgery 5 weeks PP to remove very large cyst and my right ovary, so I had to be even more cautious when coming back. I did a lot of core and pelvic floor work due to the classes that I teach. However, I just didn’t want to push myself so hard like I did after my first. That meant I only worked out 3-4 times a week, and now 8 months later, I’m still very much in the postpartum weight loss journey. First things first, I am thankful. Thankful for a body that made it through 2 very difficult pregnancies for very different reasons. Im thankful that giant cyst wasn’t cancer. I’m thankful for a body that continues to nurture my baby. Yes, I’ve been pregnant or nursing for 3.5 years. I’m honored to have stripes, loose skin, and bags under my eyes. I am. However, I still have 15 lbs to lose + I need to lose it. My fitness goals always have a bigger purpose than just a number. My goals revolve around how I feel + what I can do. About a month ago, after 4 years, I joined a gym. I haven’t paid for a gym membership in 6 years! It’s like coming home for me. I’ve been fired up, inspired + excited. I’ve been lifting heavy + doing circuits. I’m incorporating my body weight classes with HIIT + hypertrophy workouts. It’s been amazing for how I feel. Yet, the scale hasn’t budged. My clothes still don’t fit. I always tell my clients that you have to do the right work + the right results will come, but y’all, it’s still frustrating. I want to see tangible results. I want to do circumference measurements and see a change. One area, I feel like I can focus on more now is nutrition. Earlier, I mentioned that I eat well + compared to the average American I eat amazingly well. However, in order to lose weight we generally need more vegetables, so I’m working on getting back into the meal planning game. All mamas know how hard it is to eat something balanced with babies running around. I’m excited about buckling down here + now that Brynnen isn’t nursing as often, I feel less pressure to keep my milk supply up. (Milk supply is hard for me.) All that being said... here’s what I do know, as long as workouts are challenging, I will see change. As long as I’m consistent, I will see change. Period, end of story. Why do I share all this? Because someone out there feels like the right work isn’t working... someone feels like they will never get back to pre-pregnancy clothes/weight... because someone needs to know they aren’t alone. I am tracking what I’m doing + I will share what works for me. We can do this, mamas!
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One of the best parts of having your 2nd baby is having an idea of what baby Items you really need and the ones you could do without. This isn't a list of everything you need, just my go-to items. I figured I would share my personal faves to help any pregnant or new mamas out there. This is not a sponsored post and none of these brands even know I exist. ;) 1. Receiving blankets! We got an inexpensive pack from buybuybaby and some as gifts from Target and we use them for a ton of things. I actually use them most for nursing. I keep one on our boppy pillow and use it to wipe up overflowing milk (that happens more than you know) and then I use it as a burp cloth. I also pack an extra in the diaper bag to lay over either a changing pad or changing table. It helps keep germs away and allows for a change anywhere, including the front seat of our car. https://m.buybuybaby.com/1/1/15681-receiving-blankets-pink-set-of-5-from-be-basic.html 2. I mentioned my Boppy pillow above, and while I know other people may have different favorites for nursing, I have used this one for both girls and I found a system that works for me. In bed, I usually have a 2nd pillow I prop underneath so that it's high enough to support my arms. However, it's become a fave for propping up baby. She feels comforted in it and it's a nice thing to have when I want her close but need both hands for her big sister. 3. A cradle. Sleep was my big worry when I was pregnant the 1st time. We knew we would have baby girl in our room for awhile and do naps in her room in her crib, but what would she sleep in in our room? We originally thought pack n play, but I just didn't feel settled about it. The day before my water broke, my parents ordered us this awesome old school cradle that's tiny, on wheels, flat, and is a safe sleeping space. We have loved using it with both girls and I love that Brynnen is about a foot away from me and then I can pull her next to me to grab her and nurse. Sorelle Dondola Cradle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S7E7APE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_trvvzbH16M9SR It is also sold at Babies R Us. 4. A carrier. We love our Lillebaby all seasons, but my go to is a ring sling. This is the Maya Baby padded shoulder sling. I started using it when Calista was 6 months old and going through a super clingy period. It's really fast, very cozy, and comfortable for all. Brynnen has loved this baby from day one as it cups her as close to being in Mommy's belly as possible. I would love to invest in a brand like Sakura Bloom or MyWildbird and skip the padded shoulder all together, but this one works for us. If you decide to babywear, be sure to check out safe babywearing guidelines. https://babywearinginternational.org/what-is-babywearing/safety/ It is also a good idea to join a FB group for babywearing and check out buy, sell, trade for inexpensive slings. 5. Breast pads. If you are nursing this is a MUST. I love my Bamboobies reusable bamboo pads for later on, but for the first 2 months or so, disposable is best. Now, I'll be real. They don't lay super flat and you have to make sure you have a thick shirt or bra or you will see them. I avoid wearing white. Anyway, I've tried Avent, Medela, and Lansinoh and by far Lansinoh is the most discreet. You can find them at Target, buybuybaby, and Amazon to name a few. 6. A meal train. If anyone asks you what you need. Ask them to set up a meal train. This was my first time ever experiencing this awesomeness. A friend from church set it up so that for 3 weeks, every other day, a sweet lady brought us dinner. It was a huge lifesaver. It was amazing to meet new people. It was encouraging and on many days saved me. My husband works nights so you can imagine how hard it was to find time to cook every night with 2 under 2. Lifesaver. Do it. 7. White noise. We bought one that plugs in, otherwise you pour through batteries. We also bought one that isn't marketed for babies. They are generally less expensive. Big Red Rooster BRRC107 Sound Machine, 6 Sounds https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H6WXUX8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_keVkdS9Lkyasl 8. Swaddles. Our girls are always swaddled for sleep until they can roll. We use SwaddleMe swaddle pods and Halo sleepsacks as well as giant muslin swaddle blankets. Make sure they are 44x44. Always check HomeGoods for expensive brands on sale. 9. Blooming Bath. This item was out when I was pregnant with Calista and I seriously thought it was dumb. Then after trying to balance her on one arm in an itty bitty sink and wash her with the other... awful. We made it through and then switched her to 2 different baby tubs, but this time, oh this time I wanted this silly flower. It's comfortable. It's soft. It fits all types of sinks and Brynnen doesn't cry. It's machine washable and dryer friendly and it's the best gift we received this baby. Get it at Target, buybuybaby or Amazon. The old version has more petals, the new one has 4.
10. Support. You can't do this mama thing alone. Whether it's your spouse making sure you eat, get a 30 minute break, or extra sleep... or it's your parents or friends or church family. You will need breaks. You will need someone to message in the middle of the night. You will need to be prayed over. Reach out. Ask for help. If you feel like you have no where to turn, call me. Seriously. Send me a message. You are not and never will be alone. You can do this mama. You are more amazing than you know. Brynnen Clare Eskew
8 lbs 1 oz 20.5 inches 5.13.17, 7:51 AM Name means: Salvation from God, Clear/bright One week with our 2nd little girl and I need to get this story down before I forget the details. This will probably be TMI... you've been warned. 😜 Friday the 12th I had a doctor's appointment at 40w3d. As some of you know, I had been having contractions since 32w5d. I was even on modified bed rest until 37 weeks so we could make sure she didn't come too early. The fact that I went over my due date was a little 🙄. An important thing to note here is that we make GIANT head babies and I have a small pelvic structure. Hence, 4 hours of pushing with Calista, bone on bone. This coupled with being overdue made me nervous about my ability to deliver vaginally. Anyway, we decided that we would strip my membranes, which basically separates the cervix from the amniotic sac. The goal here is to release a hormone that can stimulate labor. Since I was already 4CM dilated and 70% effaced, we all felt like it was a good option. I'll also be transparent and say that I did not want to induce labor before 40 weeks. I also had a really hard time making this decision, but I did and that's that. Since the procedure is only 24% effective, we also scheduled my induction for 41w1d. Tim went to work around 4pm. At 9pm, as it had many weeks before, my contractions picked up. I tried the usual tricks... lay down on the left side, sit on the ball, take a hot shower. Instead of easing up as they usually did, these got worse. Around 11pm, Tim left work early to come home. At this point contractions were about 7-8 minutes apart. We decided to try and get some rest... it never happened for me. I started having rolling contractions which is what I had with Calista, where I would have a contraction, it would act like it was done but then come back with a vengeance, repeat. At 3AM I called my doctor. They originally told me to wait to come in until contractions were 5 minutes apart; I was still 6-7 minutes apart but in WOAH pain. For those of you who don't know, I ended up delivering naturally with Calista after the epidural wore off, so I know what these feel like. Dr said to come in, but we had to wait for my parents to wake up and drive to our house to stay with Calista. Fast forward through back labor that I couldn't sit or lay down through, we got to the hospital at 4:30AM. In triage, I immediately asked for an epidural. My contractions had me repeating "help"... my poor husband. My water broke and I was 6-7CM. They moved me to L&D, all which had me sitting on my booty, the worst possible position for me at the time. The anesthesiologist came in quickly, yay! By the time he was done I had been at the hospital about an hour. I have to say trying to sit through an epidural while contracting the ENTIRE time was incredibly hard. But blessed relief came and I was at 10 CM. Around 6AM, they had me push. Brynnen's HR dropped so we went into "recovery" which typically lasts an hour. This was my favorite part because after 30 minutes or so, I could feel my body working to labor B down. I really wanted my body to do the work and to trust that B and I knew what to do. At about 7:25AM, I felt like I could push, still no pain, yay! So we pushed about 4 times per contraction and in less than 30 minutes she was here! We were able to do immediate skin to skin and delay the cord clamping, just like we wanted. They then left us alone for an hour. I don't think it really hit me until she started to nurse for the first time. All of a sudden I realized that I get to love a new precious person and my heart already knew where she would fit. Just like with Calista, I feel like I've always known her and was just waiting for her to be mine. God always knows what He's doing and I can't help but be awed by His timing, His grace, and His forgiveness. We ended up going home from the hospital after just 34 hours, on Mother's Day, just like all those years ago when my parents brought me home. It was incredibly special. Well, week 32/33 did NOT go as planned. Last Sunday after church, I noticed that I was having more Braxton Hicks than usual. That's actually saying a lot because I had a lot with Calista and have been having them for weeks this pregnancy already. I've even talked to 3/5 doctors I have about what would be a cause for concern. Each one said if there were more than 4/5 in an hour, give them a call. So, I started tracking. I'll call them all contractions because at this point the difference between a contraction and a Braxton Hicks gets a little hazy. Hour One- 5 contractions. Hour Two- 7 contractions with one of them not going away with changes in position, etc. So, I called. They had me come in to triage and that 3rd hour, I had more than 5-6. While I was hooked up to the machine, my doctor came in and noticed that these weren't Braxton Hicks, but real contractions. Cue panic. They did a FFN test which basically measures a protein that can determine whether or not you will go into labor in the next 2 weeks. It took 1.5 hours for it to come back and during this time I was given what I call "the jitterbug drug" to stop my contractions since at this point they were ranging anywhere from 2-7 minutes apart. Once the FFN test gloriously came back negative, aka less than 2% chance of going into labor barring my water breaking, they sent me home. Strict bedrest. Feet same level as your hips bedrest. 😳 Needless to say that is a doozy for a mother of a 21 month old who teaches fitness classes. I was able to get into my follow up appointment within 18 hours and this doctor, who saw me through my entire pregnancy with Calista, was very reassuring. He modified my bedrest orders to be a little more realistic but stressed the need to get to today, 34 weeks. He said that because of the FFN and the condition of my cervix, he has no reason to believe she will come before now. However, we have NO way of knowing that if these "preterm contractions", not preterm labor, mean that she will come early at all. If she does, at this stage of the pregnancy he wouldn't interfere with her making her appearance. So, I've been stressed. I've been struggling with peace as I contemplate a preterm birth and NICU stay for my girl. I've been worried about not being able to teach classes or keeping up with Calista, BUT God is so good. He has shown us that we are surrounded by people who want to help in any way that they can. Tim's mom came in to help us get last minute baby items done and to help with Calista. We've had friends bring by food. My parents helped us with Calista while I was at the hospital. We've had more messages than we could ever imagine. I have to say that I'm incredibly grateful. At the the end of pregnancy, there is always uncertainty. You never know how this baby will enter the world, but now that the biggest cause for concern is past us with this 34 week marker, I can breathe a sigh of relief. I am still having contractions, oh yes I am. They vary from 20 minutes apart to every 5 minutes for over an hour. This makes it hard for me to imagine her waiting for 6 more weeks, even though it's possible. So we are waiting. We are waiting for my contractions to be 5 minutes apart and painful, like whoa painful. So far, no dice. I have a doctor's appointment Thursday and we pray that everything looks good. After that appt, I may try to do some light movement because not working out is making me bonkers. I'm not considering anything intense, but being able to do some gentle yoga or a few squats would go a long way. It's mentally hard on me after working so hard this pregnancy to stay strong and healthy that I might lose it all at the end. Prayers for peace here would be much appreciated. 😍 Note: I would love to make it to at least 37 weeks if not further, but pray that it's not over 40. 😘 Contractions all day and night for over a week is already exhausting me, let alone 3-6 more weeks. It's good news that 80% of women who go into preterm labor (I'm not even technically preterm labor, just contractions) do not deliver before 37 weeks! Priority number one is always baby B's healthy, safe delivery. I can't wait to give her kisses and hold her sweet little hands.
These updates seem few and far between, but I was warned it would be like this. :) Let me try to keep it organized for all of our sakes. This may seem more like a journal than a blog, but these days I'm just happy I'm documenting something somewhere. 😜 Overall, I'm incredibly grateful for this messy, precious, hard, and special life I get to live. Calista: She's 20 months and in the last week and a half has cut her bottom two 2-yr molars, which aren't even supposed to consider coming in until 23-31 months. 😳 She's on a bedtime and naptime strike and we've had to re-institute the 3, 5, and 10 minute check ins. She's also getting really good at taking her clothes and diaper off at naptime and has even been known to rip some blinds so she can watch the birds out the window. Her words. We've moved her crib to the middle of her big girl room and now it's a favorite game to play peek-a-boo all the way around it. 😂 She's combining words to make short sentences and also gets really frustrated, as in flailing on the floor frustrated, when she can't explain herself, but such is toddler life. On my favorite notes, she has felt her little sister kick, calls her by name, and asks to kiss my belly. She even tried to feed my belly a few times. It's pretty sweet and I'm getting really excited to watch her with the baby. She just learned to say "love", which resulted in my favorite mama moment ever... "mama, I love you." 😍 She loves bows, picking out her own clothes, saying "no" followed immediately with "yes" and is newly loving the potty. Today she even asked herself to go and went 3 times, so I'm thinking in the 8.5 weeks we have before baby sister gets here I might be potty training. 😳 Baby Girl: She's roughly 3-3.5 lbs and instead of slowing down, she's speeding up. This child is so strong and constantly moving. Seriously, Calista moved A LOT, but this one, wow. It makes me really curious as to what her personality will be like. We already know she looks more clearly like me than Calista, and Calista is becoming more easy-going like her daddy, so we may have a trouble-maker, wild thing on our hands. I am pretty confident that they will both be stubborn and headstrong just like me. :) This one will be a Taurus just like her mommy since her due date is my bday. She wakes up when I wake up. It's like she hears my heart rate change and boom, awake. It doesn't bode well. 😂 I'm carrying more in front and not as wide in the hips, and she's head down so that's good. The concerns over the placenta location are gone and my cyst is out of the way and will be dealt with at a later date. Workouts: Up until this past week, I've been teaching 3 classes at a local church. I teach an advanced Barre on Wednesday nights, a yoga/Pilates/bodyweight class Thursday mornings, and Barre on Friday AM. I've been doing BOD Active Maternity on Mondays, resting Tuesday, and doing 3 Week Yoga Retreat on Saturdays. I am no longer recovering well enough to teach Thursday, so I'm dropping down to 2 classes a week. I will need to either do Active Maternity or another Beachbody On Demand workout on Thursdays and I'm grateful to have such a large selection from which to choose. I get out of breath very easily since the baby is moving up towards my lungs. I'm still lunging, squatting, and planking as long as I feel stable and my form does NOT suffer. Physical: My ribs are almost as wide as they were with Calista which means they have separated approximately 5-6 inches. This causes me near constant pain and I've tried wrapping my belly and it doesn't really help. I'm using a heating pad and trying to strengthen my back through my workouts to counterbalance the weight in the front. It's better this pregnancy, but it isn't good. I'm not having as many hip problems this time around and I'm grateful. However, I'm swelling and this is early for me. It's just normal swelling and my BP at the last visit was 118/68. I'm rocking some Braxton Hicks contractions but the doc isn't worried as long as I don't have more than 5 full uterus contractions an hour. At that same 30 week visit, I had gained 36 lbs. That is faster weight gain than with Calista and my total with her was 49. I have to say, I freaked out a little, okay, maybe a lot. I have honestly been sooooo healthy this pregnancy. I've barely had any chests and my workouts are seriously happening and I'm not just coasting by. I did NOT keep this pace with Calista. I was really hoping that these healthy choices would lead to less weight gain, but apparently my body needs it. I want to be clear, my recommended weight gain was 25-35 lbs. I have tried incredibly hard to maintain a healthy, active lifestyle this entire pregnancy. Since I have, my doctors are not worried, but mentally it's daunting to face that type of gain and ponder the postpartum work I will have to do. I am convinced however that it will be easier this time because I am way stronger than I was with Calista and I'm also praying this makes pushing less than 4 hours. 😜Speaking of pushing.... I seriously think this girl is coming a week or so early or maybe that's wishful thinking. Tim thinks I'm nuts but I'm entering delivery the same way I did with Calista, let's see how long I can go without an epidural and if I can do it unmedicated, which with C was not really an option (her birth story is on my YouTube), then I'll go natural. 😳 I've lost my mind. Nutrition: Still rocking the 6 servings of carbs a day like recommended and I need every single one of them. I'm loving finding healthy versions of treats and overall, I'm craving broccoli and taco salad. I am crushing on some veggies this pregnancy and that's wicked weird to me. I'm still drinking vegan chocolate Shakeology and taking my Rainbow Light Prenatal One. I recently ran a group where I did research on the majority of the ingredients in Shakeology and I'm convinced it's why I feel as good as I do. Having girls takes a lot out of you and I'm grateful for as many nutrients as possible. I also had to take my glucose test not once, but twice, and then do the 3 hour test. I passed, but it was interesting to learn that the way that I eat plant-based, high healthy fats, and mainly gluten-free complex carbs has changed my body into a sugar burner, which is why I spike at one hour. Life lessons: God is awesome and He has really surrounded me with some wonderful friends who encourage, listen, and support me. This has allowed me to make tough decisions like quitting teaching a class 6 weeks earlier than planned. It's kept me from losing my mind when I did a side by side comparison and saw the size of this belly. They've sent me essential oils to help with my feelings of anxiety that I can't tell if they are coming from not being able to physically take a deep breath or because in less than 9 weeks I will have 2 children and a husband that works odd hours. I've learned that no matter our financial situation, our careers, our house, our cool baby things, fancy nursery or not, the list goes on... no matter any of that, we are incredibly loved, blessed, and God's plan is truly better than anything I could ever have imagined. I don't know how I'm going to do 5 bedtimes a week by myself, but I'll figure it out. I don't know how I'm going to nurse through a growth spurt with a toddler, but I'll deal. I don't know when I'll get back to actively working on building my Beachbody and training business, but I will. God has shown me that this season is to be treasured. Today is all that matters. Now is the time of salvation. Now is where He wants me, and so, I will be here. I will love every crazy hard challenging second. I will embrace the tears of pain, struggle, joy, and sheer wonder. I can't believe God loves me so much that He has crafted every aspect of my life and I will choose to see each moment as a blessing, hard or easy, because He calls it all good, me included. Just for fun... nursery and first initial sneak peek!18 WEEKS with Little Lady Eskew #2! Y'all, I have to say it... I told you it was a girl, lol! We are so blessed and feeling more excited everyday. I've always wanted to have 2 girls in the mix of children, so I'm feeling extra blessed.
I started feeling her move VERY early and now feel her on a daily basis. Tim also felt her kick this past Sunday. That's a good 4 weeks earlier in my pregnancy than with Calista. It may have something to do with Calista having an anterior placenta, aka a pillow between my hand and her. I also am showing SO MUCH FASTER. I kind of love it though and am grateful I popped right after Thanksgiving. No awkward "is that a baby bump or did you gain weight?" comments. I now have to make modifications in my workouts. Wider feet, no full abdominal exercises, and less jumping. I couldn't jump at all with Calista, so this is a huge plus. My goal each week is to do 4-5 workouts. Generally, I do yoga, barre, weighted interval training, and walking. We do have a name, but Tim won't let me share it on social media yet. :) Do you see it? I certainly do. Baby #2 shows so much faster. I don't know how I would have kept it a secret if we were tried to wait until the 2nd trimester.
We just got back from a trip to Louisiana for my best friend's wedding and it was amazing. However, I only worked out once and totally gave in to the Louisiana food goodies. This week I am tracking my food and my goal is 5 workouts. I just know I have to get on top of it or I will have serious guilt. A long time ago, I realized that as long as I control the controllable as far as eating healthy (80/20) and working out 4-5 times a week, well, then I'm okay mentally. It protects me from freaking out over every little thing in the mirror and it for sure helped me through my 49 lbs weight gain with Calista. I mean, imagine if I only put stock in the number on the scale... I would have lost my mind and felt horrible about myself. Instead, I focused on eating as well as I could, minimizing my pregnant treats, and being as active as my pregnancy would allow. That's all I can control anyway and for me this is a safe plan. So, this week is about tracking my food, making sure I'm eating enough calories (I'm still nursing), and getting my body moving and stretching. I am having some pretty intense hip pain, but it's not as bad as it was with Calista. I'm also really feeling the stretching pains of my uterus. Other than that, there is of course fatigue, but I actually feel pretty decent and I am NOT taking that for granted. :) We had a 10 week doctor's visit that was basic lab panels and everything was awesome. We also attempted to hear the heartbeat via Doppler which is iffy at best at 10 weeks and this little nugget (I'm calling girl) was unbelievably easy to find. Instantly, we heard her little heartbeat thump thumping away and it was the most reassuring sound. Our next appt isn't until 15 weeks, so we can do a quick ultrasound to find out gender. 5 weeks is a long time, but it's good for me because it makes me rely on prayer. This baby makes her presence known in growing pains, nausea, and this belly and I'm totally okay with that. So, mark your calendars (lol), November 16th is gender day. We probably won't do anything fancy for a reveal because we are impatient and Calista is too young to care. ;) Until then, what's your gender guess? Just in case we aren't friends on social media, we have a beautiful blessing hanging out in my body for another 8 months. 🙌🏻 We are currently looking at a May 9th due date, which is extra special since that is my birthday. 👊🏻 It took us 11 months to get pregnant with Calista and not knowing what our next journey would look like, we prayerfully embarked on trying to get pregnant again. You see, we waited to get married. We waited to get pregnant. We did things SLOW and backwards, but now we are really trying to be obedient.
Motherhood is a challenge for all of us, I'm pretty sure, well at least it is for me. I am a super Type A, driven, ambitious girl. I have held jobs in anything from high end sales to waiting tables to owning my own personal training business to now being, well pretty much a stay at home mom. Here's the thing, I still teach some group fitness and train a client or two and I still have my online fitness ministry that I use to encourage others, BUT my first priority is being a mom. What that means is my other "jobs" all take a backseat to being a mom. I've had to start an end of the day checklist for myself that my sweet friend, Michelle Myers, gave me. 1. Did I serve God first? 2. Did I serve my husband? 3. Did I serve my children? If that is all I did that day, success. So, why am I telling you all of this in my pregnancy announcement blog? It's because I want you to understand where my heart is. I am trying to follow God first, even against my ambitions. Night after night as I put Calista to bed, He kept saying to just "be here", just be a mom. It's been a hard pill for me to swallow and no that doesn't mean I can't maintain all of the above mentioned jobs, it simply means that God is calling me to be a mom. So when He blessed us with a precious baby the 2nd month we tried, I knew this was His doing. So, as worries creep in of how in the world I'm going to have babies 22 months apart, concerns of whether or not I'll be in pain the majority of my pregnancy again, or just how we are going to pay for everything, well, I'm doing my best to remember that God is blessing us and that means He provides as well. So, some basics: -A little nausea and indigestion -Lots of fatigue, like instead of working during naptime, I have to nap too and why oh why did Calista pick this time to drop her 2nd nap!?! 😭😭😭😭 -Food is weird, like I either hate it all of want all of the bad things like Mac and cheese and pizza. -It's a hectic week where I teach at church so I'm currently doing 11 workouts this week. No modifications needed other than extra rest, food, and water. Oh and I keep getting asked why we announced at 7 weeks. Well, the way we see it is that once we hear that heartbeat, not only does miscarriage risk drop to 3%, but that baby is so alive to us and neither my husband or I can imagine keeping that blessing a secret. We realize this is a very personal choice, but for both of us we feel that the more prayers we have for a healthy, whole baby the better and no matter what happens this baby was wanted, loved, prayed over and cherished. Love y'all and am excited to share this journey with you. If you have any questions or want to know certain things I'm pretty open so send me an email or comment on this post. And Calista is going to be the best big sister ever! |
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