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?
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Forgive me for a moment while I reminisce and mourn the end of a season.
My doctor has suggested that I wean Calista before the 2nd trimester, and while I completely understand and agree it's still emotional. I didnt even know if I was going to enjoy nursing and we didn't have an easy start. Sobbing in the middle of the night for weeks was never my idea of fun. However, I was determined to make it to a year and I was blessed to have found a way to make it work. Not everyone gets that opportunity and I promise that I have relished it for all of you who wanted to but couldn't. 😘 So, here we are at 15.5 months and she only nurses about 3 times a day. I had started to think that weaning between 16 and 18 months would be good for us, so I'm not against my doctor's recommendation. I mean, the caloric intake needed for 2nd trimester nursing mothers is close to 800 calories if my La Leche League research memory is right. That's a lot of eating. So I agree, but I'm sad. As of tonight there will be no more bedtime nursing sessions. 😭 We've been following the "don't ask, don't refuse" policy with a few "do you want water instead" checks. So when 3 nights ago she didn't ask before Tim put her to bed, no biggie. Then the next night, she didn't ask after I read her her books. Yesterday, she didn't ask again before Tim put her to bed, and tonight, nope. So just like that we are done with this one and down to two nursing sessions. Why am I writing a post about this? Well, they say it goes fast. They say that you may not remember the last time you did something and just one day it will be over. Well, it just happened. It's like when she stopped sleeping on my chest. I didn't know it was the last time or else I would have enjoyed it more. Things become routine and maybe if I would have known I would have held her a little closer or prayed a little longer. It's just a reminder to soak in every single moment, even the ones that you want to rush through so you can go eat. It just goes too fast and just like that seasons are changing. 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! As a mom of an independent toddler, it's becoming a challenge to make sure she gets balanced meals. One day she will eat all the veggies, another day she only wants grapes, the next it's chicken thighs and yum yum crackers. Sooooo, I tried to sneak as many veggies into a meatball as possible and the result was something my whole family fell in love with.
Ingredients: 1/2 cup shredded carrots (about 1 large carrot) 1 cup greens (I used broccoli and spinach) 1 egg 1/4-1/2 cup feta cheese 2/3 cup breadcrumbs (I actually used oat flour) 1-1 1/2 lb ground turkey salt, pepper, garlic powder, thyme, and parsley (to taste) Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 2. Mix all ingredients together. 3. Roll into approximately 36 meatballs about and inch to an inch and half in diameter. 4. Bake 18-22 minutes. For Calista we served them alone. My husband added his to zoodles and tomato sauce. 😉 If you are like me, trying to feed your toddler is an all day task. Making sure she actually eats the food is number one. Number two is finding healthy, balanced meal ideas that don't take FOREVER to prepare. I am not an expert, but I am a believer in sharing what works for me. I truly hope that these simple ideas help you have some new ideas for your tots. We also are on a budget, so sometimes our variety is lacking, but that's something I am actively working on and will share my progress with y'all. I hope you get an understanding of how I structure her meals and it helps. :) Please comment with your top tips so that we can all help each other. This mama thing is tough, but together we are better. Some general guidelines and tips for each meal: -A protein source ideally cooked in healthy fats like olive oil or coconut oil. -1-2 veggies or fruit either steamed or roasted in healthy oils. (Babies need those healthy fats like whoa.) -Complex carbohydrate -Water on the side. Skip the juice because it tends to curb these little eater's appetites. -If your little doesn't like a food right away, leave it on the tray, walk away (still visible obviously, just not paying so much attention), and let them figure it out. Often times, when I'm not hovering Calista will eat whatever she was fussing about moments before. -Don't be scared to try a new food 5-10 times. MEAL ONE: My husband usually knocks this one out, which makes me super happy. Here are some fool proof daddy options. 1. Protein: Whole-milk yogurt mixed with a little natural applesauce, cinnamon, and baby oatmeal. Carb: above oatmeal. Fruit/veggie: entire banana or apple. 2. Protein: Scrambled egg(s) in coconut oil. Carb: My favorite gluten free, high healthy fat pancake recipe. baby-pancake-success.html Fruit/veggie: Berries 3. Protein: Egg muffin with spinach and tomatoes. Carb: Paleo sweet potato biscuits from The Paleo Kitchen. Fruit/veggie: Veggies in muffin, also a banana. MEAL TWO: This is probably the meal that varies the most. It's also the hardest one to spend time on so often I'm throwing together random leftovers or it is time for her shake. Most of you know that we drink Shakeology in our house. Calista and I drink the vegan formula that simply has 70 foods in it. Examples of ingredients are flax seeds, chia seeds, pomegranate, spinach, prebiotics, probiotics (yes, they are different), green tea, pea protein, to name a few. Basically this means that we do not need to take multivitamins in our house and if the fridge is empty, she still gets all of her goodies, other than breastmilk that is. :) 1. Shakeology: 1/2 scoop vegan chocolate with unsweetened almond milk, frozen chopped spinach (babies need iron), half a banana and flax. 2. Protein: Baked chicken thigh. Carb: I'll keep it real here... Puffs Fruit/veggie: Roasted broccoli AND grapes. 3. Protein: Cottage cheese which is still hit or miss, mostly miss. Carb: Leftover biscuits or pancakes Fruit/veggie: Sweet peas AND roasted carrots. MEAL THREE aka dinner:
1. Protein: Slices of cheddar Carb: roasted sweet potatoes or sweet potato fries (Trader Joe's has good ones) Fruit/veggie: sautéed zucchini chopped into quarters cooked in oil. *Note: zoodles will end up on the wall 😂 2. Protein: Beef meatballs Carb: Sometimes for dinner I double up on veggies and skip traditional carbs. Veggies: more roasted carrots. It's a phase I guess. Also, berries or grapes. I may be healthy, but I love chocolate cake. I am always looking for ways to make recipes "healthy", but I also believe in balance and treats. That might be why her first birthday party was titled "Cocktails and Cupcakes". :)
So, for Calista's first cupcake we decided we had to go chocolate all the way. I tried two different chocolate recipes and bought Trader Joe's Vanilla Cake Mix for anyone who wanted "real" cupcakes. :) One of my icing attempts was a massive fail, so I won't be sharing that one here, but the chocolate icing we made is probably the best I have ever had and it's only 2 ingredients! Our FAVORITE recipe from The Paleo Kitchen Cookbook by Juli Bauer & George Bryant Ingredients: 3/4 cup coconut flour, sifted 1 tsp fine grain sea salt 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 10 large eggs 1 cup coconut oil 1 cup maple syrup Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line your cupcake pan. This made more than one dozen since the original recipe is for a cake. 2. Mix coconut flour, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder in small bowl. 3. In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, combine eggs, coconut oil, and maple syrup. Mix until well combined, add the coconut flour mixture and blend until smooth. 4. Pour the batter into cupcake pan about 3/4 full. 5. Bake between 14-18 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 6. Cool completely before icing. Chocolate Icing Ingredients: 1 can full fat coconut cream/milk (put in fridge 24 hours in advance, only use the cream, drain excess water) 1 package of Enjoy Life Chocolate chips Directions: 1. Add coconut cream and chocolate chips to a double-boiler or pan on low heat. Melt together. 2. Pour into a large ziploc bag and place in the freezer for 2 hours. 3. When the cupcakes are cool and you are ready to ice, cut a corner of the ziploc bag and pipe icing onto cupcakes. Enjoy! Chocolate Cupcake Recipe #2: These were delicious but a little sweeter than the first recipe because they use coconut sugar which to me has a very distinct taste. They were a huge hit. I found the recipe here: http://www.texanerin.com/paleo-chocolate-cupcakes/ Quick Shout Out to my friend, Heidi Rew, for providing decorations! Check out her wonderful blog, http://partiesforpennies.com/ I am always looking for finger foods for Calista and I read that pancakes are a great one. We love this gluten free recipe from the Fixate cookbook.
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups all purpose gluten free flour (I ground up so rolled oats for oat flour) 3 tsp. Baking powder 1 dash Himalayan pink salt 1 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk 1 large egg 1 tbsp pure maple syrup 5 tbsp grass-fed butter, melted 1 tsp pure vanilla extract Directions: 1. Combine dry ingredients; mix well. Set aside. 2. Combine wet ingredients; whisk to blend. 3. Add flour mixture to almond milk mixture; whisk until no lumps. (Note: The baking powder makes it rise, so don't stir again or you will lose the fluffiness.) 4. Heat large nonstick pan over medium heat. 5. Pour 1/4 cup batter onto pan; cook 2-3 minutes, until bubbles form on the edges. (In my experience, the longer the better.) Flip and cook 90 seconds. 6. Continue with remaining batter. We keep some in the refrigerator for snacks and pre workout fuel. Enjoy! For more delicious, clean recipes from Fixate send me a message. The cookbook has 101 recipes to pair with 21 Day Fix. We love it. |
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