Losing Post Baby Weight

First, I just want to say that I am not a health or fitness expert, nor am I a personal trainer.

Everything I write about in regards to health or fitness is MY personal story.

I've shared with y'all my post pregnancy weight loss journey on my blog, and I love all the encouragement I've gotten about it.

I also love getting emails from women who have told me that I've motivated them.

It makes me feel happy, because in all honesty, the reason why I have documented my fitness journey and post pregnancy weight loss is for my own personal motivation.

When I let the whole world know about my goals, it holds me accountable.

But knowing that it's motivated others is really encouraging!

Health and fitness should be a big priority for everyone, in my humble opinion.

Healthy people are happy people....happy people attract other happy people....happy moms have happy kids....YOU GET IT.

With my 2nd pregnancy, I've lost the baby weight a LOT faster than I did with my first.

However, I feel like my weight loss journey has given some women really unrealistic timelines for getting their post baby body back.

I was watching Wendy Williams today, and she had an "Ask Wendy" segment with a doctor on weight loss.

A woman asked what a realistic timeline was for her to lose all her baby weight (she had a baby 4 months prior).

The doctor told her that realistically, it takes a year to a year and a half for a woman to lose her baby weight.

After hearing that, I wanted to blog about it.

I think women oftentimes forget that it took 9 months to gain all that weight, it's gonna take at least equal that time to lose it too!!!

With my first pregnancy, I gained 60lbs....I added 60lbs to my little 5'4 frame.

I was almost 190lbs when I was full term with Dannika.

 I'm not gonna lie, I ate EVERYTHING I craved when I was pregnant with her.

We are talking In N Out, Mexican food, dessert....anything my little heart desired, I ate it.

After I gave birth, I figured the weight would just fall off.

I was SO wrong.

The weight just seemed to cling to my body for dear life.

This was 3 months after having Dannika.

These pictures do no justice to the amount of weight I was carrying, but at least you get a clear view of my legs, stomach, and butt.

Here's a photo of me on stage at Pacific Coast Church in San Clemente, CA for Dannika's baby dedication (Dannika was either 4 or 5 months old).

Look at my thighs.

It took me almost exactly a year to lose ALL the baby weight.

Nick deployed when Dannika was 6 months old, and when he came back, he came home to this...

This was 13 months after Dannika was born.

 And I was bikini ready for our trip to the Dominican Republic a month after Nick got home from Afghanistan.

With Mattis, the weight has come off a lot faster.

The biggest reason is that I was a lot more careful with my weight gain during pregnancy with him.

I remembered how hard it was and how long it took to lose the weight after I had Dannika, so I held back on my cravings, ate healthy, and watched my weight. 

Having to lose less weight was obviously way easier.

I've also been training my husband to get his run time down for OCS. 

There isn't much that I'm better at than him (as far as physical fitness), but one thing is that I've always been a better runner than him.

I guess the biggest thing I want people to get out of this is that I'm not taking any sort of miracle drug or pill.

For some women it takes a year to get back to their pre baby body.

For some, it takes half that time.

It all depends on what work you put in, and most importantly, how your body responds!

 

I know my body and I know what my body responds to.

I don't take supplements because I'm breastfeeding.

I eat a lot of calories because I'm breastfeeding.

I make sure the calories I consume COUNT.

I work out 5 days a week with an active recovery day.

I switch my work outs up a lot for muscle confusion.

I lift weights.

I do cardio.

I have cheat days...a lot of cheat days.

This is what works for ME.

Find out what works for YOU, and stick with it.

Just keep in mind that that it took you 9 months to make a human inside of you, it took you 9 months to gain all that weight to sustain that human...

It might take you that long to lose what you gained to sustain that baby....

Patience...

Love Yourself

Thank you to everyone for all the compliments about my post pregnancy weight loss.

I still have a little ways to go before everything is tight again, but I'm in no hurry.

I know things like skin tightening back up just takes time and there is no magic potion (except plastic surgery) to do that.

I had several ladies email me and ask me how I've been losing weight, and what I've been doing to make it come off so fast.

So I thought I'd address something.

I haven't done anything different than how I've been normally living my life!

I wasn't on a "diet".

I've always been into healthy cooking, and I've always been good about making wise choices when it comes to what I put in my body. 

I also work out and run 5-6 times a week.

I ate this way and worked out this way before I was pregnant and throughout my whole pregnancy.

If y'all remember, I was on the treadmill at the gym running 3-4 miles at 7 months pregnant!

After I had the baby, there were no "major changes" I had to make in my life.

If anything, I eat more calories because I am breastfeeding, and the most important thing to me is feeding my son.

But you bet your ass that every calorie that I eat counts!

Would I rather have 200 empty calories that won't do crap for my milk supply or 200 calories of good nutrients that are going to help my son grow strong and healthy?

Also, what I am doing may not work for you!

You have to know your body. 

For instance,  I don't eat breads, pastas, and starches because those are the foods that make me gain weight.

Some people can eat carbs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and not gain a pound, but as soon as they eat a steak, they've gained 10!

It's all about knowing yourself and your body.

I just want to leave women with this piece of advice.

Quit obsessing over getting back to your post baby body.

Weight will come off eventually, but your baby won't get smaller.

Eat healthy, exercise (when your body is healed and ready), track your progress (I did it through taking selfies of myself each week), and enjoy your baby.

Y'all are all beautiful, and the one thing that we can do that men will never do is give birth to a life.

Enjoy it.

And whether it takes you 4 months or 2 years to "get back", let the world know!

You deserve every. bit. of. praise. 

 

I Think I'll Dance Today

It's official.

I am back in my pre pregnancy size 2 jeans!

Allow me to gloat a little.

I've seriously worked my @$$ off these last 4 months.

Hours of working out and countless miles on the pavement even on days I didn't want to.

Knee pain and knee flair ups...

I FORCED myself.

I even had to practice some major self control over the holidays which meant I didn't quite get to fully enjoy just indulging on some delicious food.

(Maybe that was a good thing)

But it was SO worth it!

I'm totally regretting not taking a "before" pic now.

I was SO self conscious of my body after having the baby that I couldn't even look at myself in the mirror naked.

But it goes to show you that if you aren't happy with something, fix it.

Hard work and discipline.

Let me just add that these jeans did not even fit me prior to finding out I was pregnant with Baby #2.

I had knee surgery 2 years ago, and in the recovery and physical therapy process, I gained 5lbs and all of my jeans were fitting super snug and uncomfortable.

I know 5lbs doesn't seem like a lot, but I have a naturally small frame, and I'm only 5'4.

Five pounds on my frame is the difference between a size 2 and a size 6.

It's crazy because it took me 10 months for me to get back into these jeans after I had Dannika.

I really think that breastfeeding had a huge role in my post pregnancy weight loss.

I've always been a "workout-a-holic", but I didn't breastfeed Dannika past 6 weeks.

 It took me A LOT longer to lose the weight with her.

 Not to mention, I gained 65lbs with Dannika and only 35 with Mattis.

I was even taking weight loss supplements after my first pregnancy, and it took me 10 months.

I haven't been taking any supplements this time because I'm breast feeding.

Oh, and in my overly dramatic excitement this morning in wearing my old jeans, I fell down my stairs and scraped my knee really bad.

But it was in jeans that didn't fit me since after my knee surgery before pregnancy!!!! Win!!!

Let me go do my happy dance now.

Y'all can resume normal activities.

The "Push" Gift

If you have children, did you receive a "push" gift from the father of your child?

What is a "push" gift, you ask?

Here is the Wikipedia definition...

A push present (also known as a push gift, baby mama gift or baby bauble) is a present a father gives to the mother to mark the occasion of her giving birth to their child. In practice the present may be given before or after the birth, or even in the delivery room. The giving of push presents has supposedly grown in the United States in recent years. A push gift is any type of present loved ones give to a woman who has recently given birth to a child.

Here are my thoughts on this...

I spent nine months of my life carrying a life inside of me.

I spent nine months caring for my body in order to provide the safest and healthy womb for our baby.

I spent nine months gaining all kinds of weight in order to make sure our baby was healthy.

In those nine months, my body did things that I could have never imagined before having children.

My stomach stretched.

My hips widened.

At the end of those nine months, I pushed a 7-8lbs human life out of an area of my body that I would rather not think could expel something so large...

Heck yeah, I deserve a push gift!!!

(Did I mention one of my love languages is receiving gifts?)

Before I start getting "hated" on for being ungrateful, selfish, shallow, and/or whatever other adjective you come up with to judge me, let me give you something to think about.

You don't think it's shallow to receive gifts every year on a day that you were born many, many years ago (also called a birthday)?

Honestly though, I wouldn't have even thought of a push gift if it weren't for my awesome husband.

I'm also not an ungrateful person.

I don't expect anything extravagant or expensive.

I just like the fact that my husband thoughtfully picked something out for me.

When my daughter was born, he got me a ring adorned with tiny rubies (her birthstone) and diamonds....again...I didn't ask for it, he thoughtfully picked it out.

For my son, I had been eyeballing this ring...

And, he got it for me!

If you're a Justin Timberlake fan, it's the same ring in his "Mirrors" video.

I absolutely love it.

I'm also absolutely in love with my husband, and the thought he put into it.

I'm so grateful that he appreciates the work it takes for a woman to bring a child into this world.

I also love that every time I wear my "push" gifts, I think of all I went through to bring my own two children into the world. 

I still smile when I wear my daughter's ring, and it takes me back to that day four years ago, when we welcomed her into this crazy world.

See? There's a lot more meaning to it now than just some "silly gift".

:-)

Before and After Pics

I have been reluctant to post before and after pictures of myself throughout my post partum weight loss journey.

To simply put it, I'm super self conscious, and I feel like until I'm exactly where I want to be, I don't want anyone to see my imperfections.

I have been taking photos of myself every couple days to track my progress though.

I don't like to weigh myself because I feel like unless you are medically obese, the number on the scale is entirely inaccurate. 

*Remember, muscle weighs more than fat?*

I woke up this morning to have my usual bowl of oatmeal and flax, banana, and coffee.

I also wanted to nibble on a fun size kit kat bar...aka...our Halloween candy.

That is until I took a look at my "progress pic".

Then I decided that the fun size package of pure sugar and fat was not worth it.

The left is a pic I took 5 days ago (8 weeks post partum), and the right is a pic I took this morning (9 weeks).

Seeing myself in a picture like this just totally motivated me even more to continue doing what I'm doing.

I blogged about what I was doing in terms of trying to lose weight.

You can read about it here.

I had a girl ask me how many calories I was eating.

To be honest, I don't count calories.

I just eat clean and super healthy.

Maybe I'm breaking all the rules of weight loss...

I don't weigh myself, and I don't count calories...

But it seems to be working for me.

I don't need that kind of pressure in my life....

counting every little calorie I consume and stressing out about every little pound on that scale.

Also, I need to add, because I'm breastfeeding, it's important that I eat more calories.

Restricting calories while breastfeeding can diminish your milk supply, and that is a definite "no no" for me since my son is a champion eater.

This is why it's important to me that I make each calorie count, and that every calorie I am consuming is healthy for me and my milk supply for my baby.

I also really believe that breastfeeding is really speeding up my weight loss.

I didn't nurse my daughter for this long, and it took me a LOT longer to lose all the weight.

Who knows, but the rumors must be true?

I'm also a big advocate of planks.

I do 3 to 4 sets after every work out, and hold for a minute each set.

It tones up your shoulders, abs, legs, and butt!

Not to mention it really strengthens your core.

This was my very last prego pic...

I can't wait to show y'all my ball dress!

Another Happy Update

I've been up since 530 am, and it's a Saturday.

I'm not up because of the baby.

My husband has to work today, and usually, he takes over "parental duties" on Saturday mornings.

It's a day I look forward to ALL week long, but since he's not here, I figured I'd get my butt out of bed early, make some coffee, have some breakfast, and just enjoy the peacefulness of the house before the kids are awake.

I am almost 9 weeks post partum, and I am ridiculously giddy with my post pregnancy weight loss progress.

I bought a ball dress yesterday in a size 4....yes...a size 4!!!!

My normal pre pregnancy size is usually a 2 in ball gowns and a 4 in jeans.

I wrote an earlier blog post (that I can't seem to find right now to link to) that my goal was to be in a size 4 ball gown for the Marine Corps Ball this year.

I also said that I didn't think that was a realistic goal, but I am happy to say that I comfortably fit into a 4!!!!!!

I still have a long ways to go as far as toning up some of my loose skin on my belly, and losing about 10 more pounds to be exactly where I was at, but I'm really excited that all my hard work is paying off!

 

As y'all know already, after I had my daughter, it took me nearly a year to lose the baby weight.

So after I had this baby, I was determined to make sure it did not take me as long.

Just like most women, I used pregnancy as an excuse to indulge a little more than I normally would.

Although I was a LOT more mindful about indulging during this pregnancy than my first, it doesn't mean that I made great choices all the time when it came to my sweet cravings.

I gained a ridiculous amount of unnecessary weight with my first pregnancy.

I didn't gain nearly as much with baby 2, but I still did gain a little more than I would have liked. 

So here are two things that have been working for me (in case y'all are wondering)...

1) NUTRITION...DUH!

My husband and I don't eat pasta, bread or rice...NONE (unless we are doing a cheat meal or out to eat at a restaurant)! Our lunches and dinners are packed with protein and vegetables. I hate the idea that people think that we HAVE to have a starch with meals. NO YOU DON'T! I'll add quinoa to a meal if I'm really missing having that starch with a meal. Our meals are packed with protein and vegetables. Also, since I'm breastfeeding, for breakfast, I eat a bowl of oatmeal to help with my milk supply. My diet really didn't change much from before or during pregnancy, but I cut out all the "pregnancy cravings" that I gave in to during pregnancy. Healthy eating is really just a way of life. It's not something you can just do to lose weight, then go back to nasty eating habits.

I also enjoy a cup of coffee every morning :-)

My favorite K-Cup right now is Donut Shop's "coconut mocha" flavor.

People also get the wrong idea when I say that my husband and I eat super healthy and clean.

They think our meals are bland, tasteless, etc.

So not true!!

I usually take any recipe I find online, and swap out ingredients for healthier ones.

For instance, I made this stuffed acorn squash from Marshall's Abroad.

Instead of using chorizo (which can be really high in fat), I replaced it with chicken sausage (they also make chicken chorizo at Whole Foods).

I also replaced the gorgonzola cheese for a light feta cheese.

It was delicious!

My husband LOVED it, and when he took leftovers to work the next day, his coworkers were all jealous.

 

My husband NEVER eats breakfast.

Usually because he is rushing out the door to go to work at some ridiculous hour in the morning (4am-5am).

I am a strong believer that if you don't eat breakfast, you're setting yourself up for failure for the rest of the day.

I found this cool recipe on pinterest where you put eggs in a muffin tin, bake them, and you have mini omelets!

I scrambled a dozen eggs, poured them in a greased muffin tin, put a little handful of chopped spinach and mushrooms in each tin, and topped each one with some goat cheese. 

I popped them in the oven for 10 minutes at 425 degrees.

I put them in individual ziplock bags and put them in the freezer.

Every morning, my husband makes his coffee, grabs a mini omelet from the freezer and goes to work.

Once he gets to work, he can microwave his breakfast and eat!

 

Also, I bought some really nice and expensive non stick pans.

It's so worth the money because I use half the olive oil (or whatever oil) I used to use (with my old pans) when sauteing or cooking different foods.

Olive oil is a super healthy fat to add to your dishes, but at the end of the day, it's still extra fat that you're adding. 

You can still have it in your dish for the healthy aspect (and so that your food doesn't stick to your pan), but it's even better in moderation!

Most people tend to add so much oil to their food when cooking because their food keeps sticking to their pans.

Invest in a good non stick pan!

2) Work Out Routine

I work out everyday. I know a lot of people tell me I need a day of rest, and I totally agree. I choose to do an active rest day. Usually that means I either go on a really slow and short jog. My hour or two each day that I make for myself to work out is my stress reliever. It's the time of day when I can clear my thoughts and get a work out in at the same time which is why I don't have a "day off". I run, spin, and Crossfit. I'm looking forward to joining a box when my son can be put in childcare at the gym.

I'm also blessed to have a husband who is as passionate about fitness as I am, and it makes it a lot more fun when we can motivate each other. 

"A family that runs together, stays together."

If you enjoy running, you can't live without a BOB jogging stroller. Seriously.

This stroller is God's gift to mommies and daddies who love to run.

I have the BOB Duallie Revolution.

All of these things have really been working for me as far as post pregnancy weight loss.

I also feel that breastfeeding has helped a TON.

A couple of my friends said that breastfeeding made them keep some of the pounds on, but it's been completely untrue for me. 

I hope this helps anyone who's having some trouble getting the baby weight off!

I'd love to hear about what you're doing that's working for you! 

And of course, I can't let you go without sharing some pics of my little family :-)

Seriously though....

I don't know what I'm gonna do with her...

 Or him...

Or those cheeks...

So in love...

Post Pregnancy Weight Loss Update

It's Marine Corps Ball season.

I haven't bought a dress yet. 

I am waiting till the last possible minute to buy one because I have been losing weight every week.
I'm hoping I'll drop another dress size by then.

I guess it's a good problem to have, but inside, I'm stressing out a little. 

As far as progress with my post pregnancy weight loss, I think I'm doing alright.
I'm impatient though, and it's just not happening fast enough for me.

Since I'm breastfeeding, it really limits the types of supplements I can take, so I'm really just using good old healthy eating and a ton of exercise!

Some days, I look in the mirror, and I can see a little hint of my abs coming back (major progress)!

Other days, I look in the mirror, and I just see a woman who just had a baby (blah).

With the ball being 3 weeks away, I decided to start doing 2-a-days starting today hoping to do some last minute toning up and hopefully dropping a few more pounds. 

Other than that, I just wanted to add...

Life has been a little crazy lately, and I've gotten super behind on reading blogs.

I've finally had some time today to sit down and catch up on your lives and your adorable photos :-)

Just some pics of life....

I'm loving a glass of good white wine after a long day to relax.

My little diva.

I've never seen a real 4 leaf clover! 

Dannika found one at her school.

So cool!

Little man...

Fell asleep during tummy time.

I would have to agree with him that nap time is way better than tummy time.

Hubby's been crazy working lately, so I took the kids to Outback for a little dinner date.

Best little dinner date ever.

Dannika's preschool is almost 2 miles away from our house.

When I take her to school, I throw both kids in the double jogger, and run her to school, drop her off, and run back with the baby.

I love that run!

Dannika and her best friend at school.

Gorgeous New England Fall time foliage.

I've seriously never seen leaves this pretty!

That tree on the left looks like it's on fire!

An awesome read.

Maybe I'll do a book review once I'm done with it.

I'm not good at reviewing things, but this book is so good, I just may have to!

I'm gonna admit, I take a lot of "selfies" of myself after a nice run.

It's when I feel best, and when I feel the greatest about my appearance.

Some people post "selfies" when they're all glammed up or wearing a special outfit.

I prefer my sweaty face :-)

On Saturdays and Sundays, our family goes on runs together.

It's my favorite thing about the weekend.

Recently, our 4 year old has started running with us!

She ran an entire mile of our 4 mile run yesterday!

So proud.

Hope y'all are doing well!

I promise to catch up on all y'alls blogs soon!!!

Post Pregnancy Weight Loss

Post pregnancy weight loss sucks.

There's no other way to put it.

I LOVE to work out, and I LOVE to stay in shape.

Fitness is a HUGE part of our family's life, and the only time I've ever been in a position to lose weight is after I have a baby.

I've maintained a pretty fit and healthy lifestyle for the majority of my adult life, so I've always worked out to "maintain".

I've never had to lose weight....except for after I have babies.

And it sucks.
I've been running, spinning, and Crossfitting for the last 3 weeks.
I don't eat carbs after breakfast.

I'm impatient, so when I don't see results right away, I get frustrated.

I just want my body back.

I want my stomach that's been stretched out to carry a baby for 9 months to go back to the way it was before....tight and toned.

It also drives me insane when people tell me things like, "It's only been 6 weeks."

I know it's only been 6 weeks!

Can't a girl just mope a little?

Remember how I said I never looked at the scale when I was pregnant?
Because of that, I'm not sure exactly how much weight I gained, and how much I've lost since giving birth.
Based on how my pants are fitting though, I'm guessing I have another 10 to 15 more lbs to lose.

BLAH!

On a random note...
Breastfeeding is going good...not great.
But definitely not bad to where I want to stop.
Breastfeeding is tough, but I'm enjoying it a lot more with my son than I did with my daughter.
I've also been pumping once or twice a day...

There's all 150ozs so far.
And since breastfeeding supposedly helps you burn calories, it's more of a reason for me to continue doing it.
Can I just add though that running for a breastfeeding mama kinda sucks.
I'm sure you can imagine why.

Little man had is one month well check last week.
He's 12lbs 8ozs and 22 inches long.
He's chunky.
90% for his weight!

And the "Duchess" of our home is still doing great.
She's an awesome big sister, and such an amazing help to me.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Welcome to the World, Dear Son

Mattis Mark Vincent Romer

7lbs 11ozs

20 3/4 inches

August 26, 2013 @ 1637

Newton-Wellesley Hospital

Newton, MA

Thanks for all the well wishes, prayers, and support!

Maternity Slideshow

Walked outside after a nice long nap, and I caught these two barefoot, laying in the grass, beer in daddy's hand, and just talking about life.

This is one of those moments that I want to cherish forever...

I don't even know if she truly realizes what is about to happen tomorrow.

She knows we are having a baby tomorrow, but I'm not sure if she knows that her life will be forever changed.

Every single mother with more than one child has told me that once the new baby comes, my feelings of guilt for my first child would go away...

The thought of, "do I even have enough love for two kids?" becomes a distant and faded memory.

But I still can't help but feel a little sad.

D has been my one and only, my first love, and my best friend for the last 4 years.

Her and I have such a special bond.

We have been through deployments, separations, and military life together...and oftentimes just the two of us. 

In my midst of crazy pregnant and hormonal emotions, it makes me feel better just piling my emotions on God, and letting Him deal with it.

I'm so glad that I serve a God that lets me do that.

Last Saturday as 3

My mama's here from Texas.

My hospital bags are packed and in the car.

My induction is scheduled for Monday at 0700.

"Baby M...you can make your appearance any time now, and I will be ok."

These last few weeks have d-r-a-g-g-e-d by, but now that I'm realizing it's our last Saturday as a family of 3, it feels like time flew!

My husband makes us pancakes from scratch, bacon, and scrambled eggs for breakfast every Saturday when he is home.

It's our Saturday morning tradition.
He will not let me in the kitchen on Saturday mornings to help him with anything!
I've learned to kick back, and let him do his thing.
And he seriously does make the best pancakes and scrambled eggs ever.

It's the only time I'll eat full fat, real bacon, butter, and anything else besides egg whites :-)

I even pour a healthy serving of real maple syrup on my pancakes.

Live a little, right?

So today, I'm going to enjoy my last Saturday morning breakfast with my family of 3.

I'll probably do a little walking and enjoy the cool New England "end of summer" air.

I'm so privileged that God chose me to carry His child inside of me for the last 9 months.
It's been amazing to watch and feel my body change with every week of this pregnancy.
I'm excited for my daughter to meet her new baby brother, and I know both my husband and I are excited about adding a new (and final) addition to our perfect family of 3.


Happy Saturday, everyone!

Dear Lord...

 Here's my 39 week baby bump pic, and also my last one before baby comes next Monday (or sooner).

I'm thoroughly positive that Baby M will not be here until my induction date on Monday.

If I weren't being induced, I'm sure he would probably wait even longer PAST my due date. 

It's a funny thing, but at church last Sunday, part of the sermon was about surrendering your will to God.

Do you know how hard it is for a 9 month pregnant woman to surrender her will to God?!?!

It's tough!

Lately my prayers have been this...

Dear Lord,

I know this is not the right way to pray, but...

I need you to put me out of my misery, and make this baby come out...

like right NOW...or sometime today or tonight!

But only if it's Your will of course...

And if it's not your will, can you make it your will to make this happen soon? 

In Your name I pray, Amen.

God has a sense of humor, right?

I'm sure he's laughing at my prayer while quietly telling my heart to be patient.

But seriously...

Mama is uncomfortable and miserable.

Let's speed this up, God...

I wonder if he reads my blog?

Bike Rides and Maids

My favorite part of the day these days are our family's evening walks after dinner.

It's a new thing we started a few weeks ago.

We got my daughter a bike a year ago, and I can honestly count on my fingers how many times she has gotten on it.

I decided that she needed to get some good use out of it before she outgrew it, and thus our new "tradition" began.

My daughter has an extremely cautious personality.

She's very dainty and careful with everything she does.

On our first walk (through our extremely hilly neighborhood), it took us a good 35 minutes to walk a mile.

She was deathly afraid of riding her bike downhill.

She was unsure of her brakes.

She constantly wanted to stop.

She even wanted to give up a few times.

As the days have progressed, she has gained a ton of confidence.

The other day when we were done with our walk, she boldly announced that she was ready to take her training wheels off.

"WHAT?!? Is this our daughter?!"

My excited husband took her training wheels off, and started practicing with her on our front lawn.

She was obviously nervous at first (if you can't tell by her facial expression).

As she gained a little confidence (after a few falls), she was peddling on her own!

We're not quite ready to take her training wheels off permanently, but she sure is enjoying the practice time on our front lawn!

On a final note...

Remember how I said that I have ZERO "nesting instinct" with this pregnancy?

Well, I still have no desire to "nest"....no desire....absolutely none.

So my absolutely wonderful hubby hired a maid to come deep clean our house today.

I'm giddy with joy!

When I was active duty, I had a maid to come to our house weekly and clean.

It made sense at the time since I worked, my husband worked...
My husband was gone most of the time...
The last thing I wanted to do on my off time was clean my house and catch up on household chores.

I provided a substantial part of our income, so it was doable.

When I got out however, it was one luxury that I gave up (since I was going to be a stay at home mom and no longer financially contributing).

It's the one of the things I miss the most about working.

Seriously.

One of the things I miss most about being a Marine is the fact that I had a maid.

I just laughed out loud reading that. 

So today...

I'm gonna enjoy paying someone to do all my dirty work while I kick back and wait on this baby to come.

38 Week Baby Update

I'm officially into week 38 of this pregnancy!

I'll admit, I'm a lot smaller than I was with my first pregnancy...

In this photo (below), I believe I was barely at 30 weeks (with D), and look how much chunkier my face and arms look!

I gained 60lbs with my first (thanks to my intense In-N-Out cravings), and only lost 15 upon giving birth. 

That means I had 45lbs to lose on my own...

Awful!

So this pregnancy is a welcomed change.

I've been eating well, working out throughout the entire pregnancy, and I've been mindful about my cravings (the only thing I didn't do different last pregnancy!).

It doesn't mean I feel less miserable than I did at 38 weeks with my daughter!

I may not be as big, but I feel just as big....

And just as miserable...

I'm 2cm dilated as of yesterday afternoon.

The baby's head is nice and low.

My doctor scheduled my induction to be on August 26th, but he predicted that I may not make it till then (fingers crossed).

And inconveniently, my doctor is going on his annual vacation next week to Mexico.

And...the week I am due, he is working at a different hospital than the one I am delivering at.

So I'm being delivered by another doctor from his practice.

He sounds pretty confident that I won't have any complications, so I feel ok about being delivered by someone else.

Honestly at this point...

Any trained medical professional could deliver me, and I'd still be happy.

I just want baby out already!

Waiting on Baby

My doctor already told me that it didn't look like baby M would be here before his due date.

I'm "right where I need to be" as far as dilation and effacement for this stage of my pregnancy.

We've already discussed being induced just a few days prior to my due date.

To make a long story short.

I had what is called a "precipitous" labor and delivery with my daughter.

Because of that, I am at high risk to have a repeat of that episode.

So in order to give birth in a more controlled and safe environment, my doc and I feel more comfortable controlling my delivery before my body actually goes into "delivery mode" on its' own. 

I actually have a little anxiety about going into labor before my induction date for fear of another delivery like my daughter's.

ANYWAY...

Even though doc predicts that baby won't be here early, a girl can still hope and pray, right?!

I'm considered full-term, so TECHNICALLY, he can come any day now...

And frankly...

Mama is tired of being prego.

I also hate dislike it when people tell me, "Oh honey, you don't want him here anytime soon! Enjoy your sleep now, cause you won't be getting any when he's here!"

WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I'M GETTING GOOD SLEEP NOW?!?!

I'd much rather be getting the 2-3 hours of continuous sleep when when baby's here than the 8-9 hours of tossing and turning I am doing now.

 While waiting on baby, I've been trying to make the most of my weekends with the family.

I think I may have overdid it this weekend because I'm ridiculously tired today.

We spent the entire day yesterday at the Belkin Family Lookout Farm here in Natick. 

 They have apples and peaches ready for picking already, but we spent so much time at the children's play area that we ended up not picking any fruit.

Nick and D had a blast though, and this pregnant mama exhausted herself.

D had her face painted...

The rock climbing wall freaked her out a little...

 Or maybe it was daddy threatening to let go of her...lol

I don't know what came over me, but after we spent an entire afternoon in the sun at the farm, I decided that we needed to go on a mile long walk with D on her bike.

As a child, I was afraid of EVERYTHING.

My poor daughter inherited my "scaredy cat" gene.

When it comes to riding her bike, she is deathly afraid of riding downhill.

It doesn't help that we live in an extremely "hilly" neighborhood.

So I was an extremely proud mama when she rode down this little hill all by herself...

 

And as if the bike ride/walk wasn't enough to tire me out, I decided that we all needed to pull out the motorcycle and D's Powerwheel out for a little impromptu car wash.

New England isn't the greatest state to own a crotch rocket. 

The weather is only good for riding for maybe 6 months out of the entire year.

It also doesn't help that hubby was gone for 3 out of those 6 months, and I've been pregnant the entire time.

So the poor R1 has been sitting in the garage ALL winter long and ALL summer long. 

Actually...due to deployments and training, the poor bike barely gets any good use. 

She's a 2008, and we've only put 5,000 miles on her in the 5 years that we've owned her. 

But at least in Cali, we could ride it year around!

By the time bed time rolled around, I was OUT.

And here I am today...

exhausted...