Harper Rae 12 Month Update

(Wayyy late posting, trying to catch up!)

Ohhhh hey you BIG one year old!! 

Age: 12 Months Old

Weight: 19 pounds 6.5 ounces, she's in the 20th%ile

Length:  29 inches long, she's in the 42nd%ile

Size: Harper is still wearing size 3 diaper and most likely will be for quite a few more months since she's apparently just a little petite peanut. I mean 20% for weight and only 42% for height?!? By no means does she feel heavy but she fits perfectly in all her 12 month clothes so we are all a bit shocked at how petite she is.

Hair: Light brown/blonde and long enough to wear hair clips. It’s pretty straight although the back ends tend to wave/curl a bit when wet, so we’ll have to wait to see if she inherits any of my curls. 

Eyes: She has the most beautiful big blue eyes with long eyelashes. Everyone always compliments her on those gorgeous eyes of hers.

 

Health: She had her first illness this month. Madden caught croup and was nice enough to share it with his little sister, who tried passing on the yuckies to mom but didn’t hit me as hard. Madden ended up having a 104 temp in the middle of the night when he got sick so I made sure to have Dave pick up some baby Tylenol while he was out in case Harper got it too, which of course about a week later she did.  I ended up taking Harper to the doctor, she was miserable and would cry almost every time she coughed. The nurse practitioner ended up putting her on a steroid because her chest/lungs sounded so tight. Thankfully after 24 hours she sounded so much better but still took a few more days till she was back to her good ole self. 

Teeth: Harper is working on her molars! I can feel she is just starting to cut one on the bottom and one on the top. The doctor said her other bottom molar will be coming through soon too as her gum is very inflamed and bulging.

Sleeping: Madden and Harper continue to tag team and play a fun game (for them) of “Who will wake mom up tonight?” She has been waking up more nights than not. Madden generally just wakes me because he needs to go potty or to cuddle for a few minutes then he's fine with me leaving to go back to bed. Harper doesn't let me off that easily.  She still goes down for bed between 7-7:30pm and sleeps till 6:15/6:30am. She takes two naps, her first nap is around 9am which lasts about 1.5 hours and her afternoon nap is usually around 2:00pm but varies on weekends for me.

  

Eating: Harper is an eating machine! She eats about the same as her brother does, sometimes more. She loves her yogurt and yogurt bites, cottage cheese, mac 'n cheese, pasta, bananas, pears, peaches, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries (basically ALL fruit), pizza, and sweets. You better be prepared to share any ice cream, cookies, or pudding with her or drama queen meltdown will ensue.

She is still breastfeeding! She only nurses twice a day, first thing in the morning and at night. She takes two bottles and we are working on using the sippy cup. She loves my water bottle but when she's given a straw sippy she still tips it back like a bottle and regular sippys she prefers to chew on. I still have a few weeks left of frozen milk but I have already started the transition to cows milk, so her transition will be long till all the Liquid Gold is gone.

Movement: Still a crawling machine. She has now started bear crawling, or I call it her man cub walk (we watch a lot of Jungle Book). She cruises furniture like a pro now, walks back and forth to the coffee table and couch.

Milestones: Standing on her own in the middle of the room. Takes 1-2 steps. Love to face dive into mommy when standing or taking steps. Blows kisses, although she will only do it for Rachel, her daycare provider. Waving bye-bye.

Favorite Toys/Activities: Playing in brothers room and with all of his toys. She love mommy/daddy's room, particularly throwing all the DVD's in our room on the floor or taking everything out of our bathroom cabinets. Loves playing peek-a-boo and chasing or being chased by Madden. Playing in the pantry. Dancing and music. Magnetic blocks, the stand-n-ride puppy, music table.

Dislikes: She's gotten much better with her car seat but still not that big of fan, will cry and squirk but doesn't get into roll mode nearly as much. Still doesn't like to sit still for diaper changes. Still a mamas girl and wants me as soon as she gets home from daycare, won't let me put her down unless its in her highchair with food. Food makes everything better. Although once she's done eating she wants out of her highchair asap.  HATES strangers. Gets pissed when someone closes the pantry door.

Words: No. Mama, Dada, Nigh-Nigh

Sounds: She has started mimicking noises and sounds that you make to her. She squeals, yells, babbles, and still blows raspberries. "Sings" into the toy microphone.
 

Favorite Moments

• Harper got her first anatomy lesson. It's been awhile since the kids have taken a bath together, Madden has been back to wanting to take showers. I ended up giving both kids a bath together in our master bath since it's a bigger tub and deeper so Harper can't try to climb out. Well Madden loves to lay down and put his head or ears under water which I'm sure lots of kids do. This time he laid on his back to splash around, Harper saw his little boy parts and went to grab them. Thankfully she stopped when I yelled no at her but she did make another attempt. Now we have Madden cover with a wash cloth and only laying on his stomach. 
• She loves the movie Zootopia. Madden gets into phases were after dinner or bath he wants to watch a movie in our room. Zootopia has been on repeat lately. Harper loves watching the movie too now. She insists on getting up on our bed to roll around then sits and just stares at the movie. Every time the theme song part comes on, Harper stops what she's doing or if she's in a different room and hears it she will beeline to the TV. She sits and dances the entire time to the music. 

Monthly Highlights

• Babysat by grandma and grandpa so mommy and daddy could have date night
• Had Uncle Jay, Aunt Kathy and cousin Jason and Erica visit to watch the Iowa game
• Went to MJ's last soccor game
• First trip to the pumpkin patch
• First hay rack ride
• Refused bottle from daddy while mommy had girls night....(it was a cold bottle, no wonder!)
• First time getting sick
• Trick-or-treat at Hy-Vee
• Carving aka playing with pumpkin guts
• Went to Trunk or Treat at Madden's school
• Started putting her face in the water during bath
• First Halloween
• Went trick-or-treating with her cousins
• Had her one year pictures taken
• Had her first birthday party
• Turned ONE

Harper 9 months

This little lady is three quarters of a year old! 

Time sure is flying with this girl. She is a girl on the move and there ain't no slowing her down. 

Age: Nine Months Old

Weight: 17 pounds 15 ounces, 29%ile

Length: 27 3/4 inches, 51%ile

Size: Harper is wearing size 3 diapers, 9 month clothes and pajamas and we have broken out all of her 12 month summer clothes too

Hair: Light brown/blonde

Eyes: She has the most beautiful big blue eyes with long eyelashes. Everyone always complements her on those gorgeous eyes of hers and she sure knows how to work them already. 

Health:  Another great month in the books! She only had a couple days with a runny nose and water eyes due to teething but that has been it. We have been so extremely lucky in this department and I really have to give it to using essential oils on a regular bases with her. I roll one little swipe of OnGuard on the bottoms of her feet once every day to help boost her immunity. 

Teeth:  This girl has been teething ALL.MONTH.LONG. And not just with one tooth, she’s been working on FOUR teeth at once! Her top two front teeth came through and one on each side of her bottom two middle teeth. Those two bottoms seriously have taken the entire month to come through, they have been some serious hard work. We’ve been using lots of diluted lavender essential oil along her jaw line to help with discomfort and pain as well as natural teething tablets. For the most part she has been in really good spirits despite those darn teeth. That fourth one finally popped through at the very end of this month. She now as six teeth.  

Sleeping:  Harper has been a fairly good sleeper this month. At the beginning of the month when she was working on her top two teeth coming through she seemed to wake up earlier in the morning more often than not. There has been a some random nights she might fuss a bit more falling asleep or wake up in the night but it’s not very often. We did have one very bad night where she woke up just after 2:15am and was up off and on till 4:30am then really got pissed off and upset when I tried to lay her back down. She finally passed out in my arms sometime after 5am but it was useless for this mama to go back to sleep, it made for an extremely long day.  

Harper usually is ready for bed by 7:30pm and typically sleeps through the night. During the week I usually have to wake her but on weekends she has no problem waking on her own before 6:30am. She is still taking two naps. Her first nap is around 9am and lasts 1.5-2 hours. Her afternoon nap at daycare is usually around 1:30pm but for me on weekends she never will go down for me before 2:30pm. Not sure how that works out.

Eating:  Mommy fail this month on keeping track of new foods. I pretty much just feed her whatever we are eating for dinner just in smaller servings and cut up in smaller pieces. No idea what new foods we introduced this month. She has done a complete 180 in the whole eating department. She now loves food and will pretty much eat or at least try anything I do give her. She prefers to self-feed herself so she can stuff all the food in her mouth on her own. We still eat purees, mostly at daycare and sometimes at home or if we’re out but mainly it’s just whatever we have for dinner or we share our dinners with her to try.  Harper's favorite food by a long shot is Watermelon. Other top faves are dried yogurt melts, sweet potatoes, cheese, pasta, nectarines, blueberries, French fries, Puffs and.....ice cream.    

  

Harper is still breastfeeding. She usually eats about 5 times a day, two bottles at daycare. She still randomly comes homes from daycare with an ounce or two still left in one of her bottles. I’ve only been pumping once at work now which had led to a decrease in the amount I pump but I have a good supply frozen that we should be able to make it to 1 year if everything stays the same.

Movement: Harper is a girl on the move! She crawls everywhere and tries to get into everything. She is definitely getting faster and will really move to get to her mama when she’s tired, ready for bed or ready to eat. She bear crawls a lot too. Loves to do some baby yoga, downward dog and the splits. Before she fully started taking off crawling she started pulling herself up onto her knees and tries to pull herself onto everything. And now she is pulling herself up to standing, although she is still wobbly and it’s more of a standing lean. Gone are the days she will stay still for a diaper or wardrobe change! No matter how quick you try to be or toys you offer she cannot be distracted long enough to lay still. The wrestling matches have begun! 

Milestones: Pulling herself onto her knees. Pulling herself up to standing. Lowering her crib. Riding in the shopping cart for the 1^st time. Getting four teeth in one month. She can clap her hands. She often waves. Says mama!    

Favorite Toys/Activities: She loves non-baby toys, especially things that are big brothers. He has a Melissa & Doug hard lock puzzle that she loves to play with the different locks. She is always after his Nurf bullets or practice golf balls if she can find them on the floor or will bolt after them once she sees them. She still loves bouncing in her jumperoo. Knocking down anything that stacks. Bath time! Grabbing hair, necklaces, drinks, anything in front of her or within reach. Putting her toes in her mouth. Likes to touch/feel/grab faces. Still loves diaper changes and being naked, though she doesn’t want to stay still for them. Watching big brother all of the time!

Dislikes: Has turned into a mamas girl, not a fan of mommy putting her down or walking away from her. Being still for too long, particularly for diaper and clothing changes. 

Words:  Says Mama and Dada…..mama is definitely on purpose and when she wants her mama!

Sounds: She squeals and makes high pitched screeching noises, girlfriend knows how to get loud! Still makes lots of raspberries and babbling. 

Favorite Moments

• Girlfriend had her first fit! In the above collage, please note the bottom middle picture. After picking the kids up from daycare, we got home and I immediately fed Harper per the usual. After she was finished I usually always set her down on the floor with toys to play so I can go start dinner. I sat her down and turned around to take TWO steps to turn on the lamp and this girl went into full fledge fit mode. I looked at her and she had dropped to face down on the floor crying! She then looked up at me (not crying), saw I was looking at her and she put her face back into the floor to cry more. She did it two more times until she was done and started playing. It is far too early for THIS to start!!  

Monthly Highlights

• Had her first non-family member babysitter
• Went to the Farmer’s market
• Met her Uncle Bill and Aunt Marge, along with her Uncle Terry and Aunt Kim for the first time
• Family cookout at campgrounds
• First time sitting in the shopping cart
• Celebrated daddy’s birthday
• First time in a restaurant high chair
• Celebrated Big Brothers birthday
• First time to Chuck E. Cheese
• Partied at MJ’s birthday party
• Got to taste Madden’s birthday cake and ice cream
• Went swimming for the first time
• Celebrated Papa Jim’s birthday
• Had Great Aunt Alice’s 90^th surprise birthday party
• Chiropractor visit
• First Mississippi Valley Fair
• Still Breastfeeding

A girl on the move!

A Weekend of First

You might have thought this post was going to be about Harper.

Well it's actually mostly about my little dare devil 3.5 year old... and a little about an almost 6 month old. 

Madden had his first dentist appointment the other day with me. He did fantastic!! I personally love the dentist! I know, I'm one of those crazies. I love getting my teeth cleaned and having the feeling of smooth, fresh clean teeth for weeks afterwards. So I was so happy that he did such a great job. They counted his teeth, cleaned them and even flossed! After he jumped out of the chair he said "That was fun!" And he loved his goodie bag he was sent home with too. 

Our awesome dental visit was followed by a special trip for donuts. Because a sugar filled breakfast is completely appropriate after seeing the dentist. 

Our next first included stitches!

MJ was playing with the couch cushions while I was getting lunch started and trying to feed Harper in her highchair. I remember vaguely hearing him talk about building a bridge from the couch to the coffee table then a few seconds later him crying because he had tried crossing the so called bridge. He split open right across his eyebrow on the bottom corner of the coffee table. So this mama had to tend to a bleeding head wound, stop making lunch, pack up two kids and off to the ER to get his cut stitched up. 

Poor buddy :( 

Both kids did so well for being at the hospital for 1.5 hours. Madden only got two stitches because after the first one he just wasn't having it! I felt terrible for him.  But of course shortly after getting home he was back to his boyish ways trying to wrestle and jump of the coffee table again completely unfazed.  

On a much more fun note, we have our first sibling bath! MJ is so ready to share some bath time fun with his little sis. He has been trying to "help" me give baths and entertain her for months. I know he will absolutely love it when she can sit up on her own in the tub (as will I).

Harper Four Months

My four month old little peanut!

Age: Four Months Old

Weight: 13 pounds 3.5 ounces, 42%ile

Length:  24 inches long, 40%ile

Size: We are just finishing up the last of her size 1 diapers and are moving up to size 2. This past weekend I took some time to pack up all her newborn and 3 month clothes. I really tried all of last week to get one more round out of all her 3 month clothes and pjs but had to be real with myself that I just cannot force her into squeezing into them. When all your leggings become crops, it’s time to move on. The bright side is we get to wear a whole new wardrobe!! Harper is officially in 3-6 month and 6 month clothes/pajamas. 

Love all her facial expressions

Hair: She might just turn into a little blondie! She has some new hair growth starting to come through under the hair that hasn’t fallen out and it's definitely lightened up from that dark brown she was born with. 

Eyes: Blue is coming through! And those lashes, girl has inherited the long lashes that all the boys in our family have been blessed with.

Health: At the beginning of the month we were both kind of miserable with colds together. Mine was a cough that turned into a terrible sinus cold for about 10 days. Shortly after mine started Harper started getting a cough that developed into lots of spit up and mucus. Thankfully hers never really seemed to bother her and didn’t seem to affect her sinuses or her breathing. She just had a bad cough for about 10-12 days.

Teeth: None yet, just loves chewing on her hands.

Big Bro loves joining in on her monthly photo shoots. He just woke up and just wanted to sit with her. 

Sleeping: Sleeping is pretty much the same as last month. I think this month she only gave me one night sleeping the entire night through and maybe a week were she was waking up more than once. We typically start bedtime around 6:45pm and usually is asleep by 7:30pm but is starting to go down a little easier. She wakes up once during the night, although it’s not consistent and could be anytime between midnight – 4:30am. Then goes right back to sleep till I wake her at 6:40am. She still kind of catnaps throughout the day. An average nap for her is 45 minutes.

Daycare no longer swaddles her for her naps as she does fine for her without it. So last week I decided to try taking it out as well to see how things would go. All of her swaddles are getting small for her, I had to pack most of them all up, and she has started rolling onto her side so I know it’s just a matter of time before she starts rolling over on her tummy and getting stuck. I am hoping we can transition before that for peace of mind on my end! 

I started with keeping one are arm of her swaddle at night. The first night she woke as usual, the second she woke super early and Dave ended up swaddling her all the way back up. The third night she slept the entire night through and the fourth night she had a rough time staying asleep. On Saturday for her afternoon nap I tried no swaddle, it took her about an hour and a half but she finally gave in to staying asleep and took almost an hour nap. Saturday night we had a later than usual night out at our friends house so when we got home I put her down in only a sleep sack, she woke up once and slept in till 8am. Sunday her first 2 naps went terrible and would not stay asleep, she did end up taking a 45 minute afternoon nap. Sunday night we tried the sleep sack only again, she did wake up once about 45 minutes after I put her to bed but then went back to sleep after I gave her paci and shushed her. She stayed asleep till about 2:30am, ate and went right back to sleep still I woke her at 6:45am. I realize next weekend is Daylight Savings, so I imagine we’ll get this no swaddle thing down just in time for daylight savings to mess it all back up. Perfect timing.

Eating:  Harper’s second week back at daycare, that Monday she fought taking a bottle again but has since been a rock star! Sometimes even needing an extra few ounces. She takes 2-3 bottles at daycare, each 3-4 ounces, the last one sometimes is only 2 ounces. I typically do a short feeding as soon as I get home from work, she’s tired out at that point from daycare and that tends to keep her happy for another 1 hour or so till bedtime. I fed her once more at bedtime then she usually wakes only once for a nighttime feeding and goes right back to sleep still morning. If she wakes more than once at night for a feeding it’s typically due to a growth spurt but only lasts 2-3 nights but we'll see if that changes in the future. This month she has finally stopped fighting/fussing during her bedtime feeding. I think she is finally getting use to our schedule and bedtime ritual. She is now calm during that feeding, I don't have to bounce her or pat her bum to get her to stop fussing. If I do have to pat her bum it's because she falls asleep during and I try to wake her to finish eating. 

Movement:  Harper now rolls from her tummy to her back (or falls over but it’s happened a lot!). She rolls onto her side and will really try to keep going onto her tummy but her arm gets in the way. I don’t think she knows she could do it yet because she’s not at the point of getting mad. During tummy time she will kick her legs and flail her arms to the point she looks like she wants to go somewhere. 

Meeting Great-Grandma Dorothy!

Milestones: Started mimicking facial expressions, if you stick your tongue she will too and go back and forth with you.  Laughing!!! She went from the silent laugh to a full sound giggle. Has really good head control on tummy time, pushes up and has started reaching out for toys that are close by. Grasping and grabbing toys. Blowing raspberries.

Favorite Toys/Activities: Her bouncer, eating her hands, sticking her tongue out, baths, watching TV (particularly Bravo), blowing spit bubbles, blowing raspberries, being held, watching her brother, diaper changes, being naked, playing under the play mat, cuddling. 

Matching Mommy and Harper hats via grandma Karen

Dislikes: Naps still, taking a bottle from dad, and being overly tired. Other than that she really had brought down her high maintenance attitude quite a bit and is turning into a very alert and laid back little lady.

Words: N/A

Sounds: Laughing and talking a ton! Squawks, cries, cooing. Blows raspberries. 

Favorite Moments

• This month we went to finally visit my Grandma, and her Harper to finally meet her only Great Grandparent, Great-Grandma Dorothy! It had been a while since Madden has seen her also so it was about time we made a trip to see her. My mom came with us. Harper was so good! She slept the entire car ride up there then was so alert and content while at my grandma's place. She just hung out on my grandmas lap without making a fuss. I remember Madden was like that too when he was a babe, my kids just must really just love their great grandma, she’s got the magic touch! Madden had a blast entertaining us all with an app he found on our ipad and I think my grandma was highly amused by his antics and laughter. After a little visit with her we stopped to get lunch then decided to check out the Iowa City Children’s Museum. It just happened to be Free admission because it was Rockwell Collins day. It looked like it was going to be a little crazy because it was a free event but it ended up being fun and the crowd thinned out after a short time. Madden got wore out with all the activities and fun things to do, definitely something we will come back to. I carried Harper around in the Baby Bjorn, she stayed awake the entire time we were at the museum. She loved people watching and checking out all the kids activities while chewing on the carrier straps and ended up drooling completely through the carrier.   

•  How much she just loves watching her brother. The other day I had Harper sitting on my lap facing out, she just sat there chewing on her hands. Madden came up to her to give her kisses and talk to her. When he did that she would take her hands out of her mouth and start talking or blowing raspberries at him. He’d then walk away to play with something and she would put her hands back in her mouth. Every few minutes or so Madden would come back over to show her a toy, talk to her or give her some sort of attention and every time she would take her hands out of her mouth and start talking back or blowing raspberries at him again. He thought it was great! The continued so do this back and forth for a good 15-20 minutes. It was the cutest thing and makes me so excited to watch their relationship develop. 

My little elf still rockin her Christmas pj's well into March.

Monthly Highlights

• Mimicking some facial expressions
• First cold
• Went to the Thissen’s for Copper’s birthday and super bowl party
• First Valentine’s Day
• Valentine's Day party at daycare
• First laughs for mommy
• Started grabbing at toys
• Blowing raspberries
• Found her feet
• Started rolling to her side
• Round trip to Iowa City
• Met great-grandma Dorothy
• Went to Iowa city Children’s Museum, stayed awake the entire time
• Rolls from tummy to back
• Visited the Vincent's for pizza night
• family movie nights at home
• Loves to interact with her big brother
• Chiropractor appoint, laughed at getting adjusted
• Went to Jackson’s birthday party
• Harper/Daddy date night
• Still breastfeeding

Falling asleep sitting up on daddy's lap

21 Day Fix Week 3

Week 3 and it's Doubles Week!!

So week 3 has the option to get two workouts in each day for an extra fat burner or more dramatic results. The majority of everyone in our wellness group was on board for it and I was too! Ideally your suppose to them at different times of the day since you continue to burn calories for several more hours after your workout. But life happens as sometimes in order to get them both in you just have to do them back to back. I failed day days to get my workouts in but was able to complete doubles on the other 5 days I did get my workouts in.  

This week I actually tried getting up earlier and earlier each day in anticipation of returning to work next week. It was definitely a bit tougher getting two workouts in a day. Friday (Day 19) I had the best of intentions to get my workouts in, I was up at 5:30am but just as I was getting dressed I hear a little voice yelling "Mommy mommy, come cuddle me!" How many more times is he gonna want me to cuddle him or will I have time in the morning, so I cuddle him...and we fall back to sleep. Then Dave's uncle make an unexpected trip to town and took us out to eat. Then daycare had play date at Monkey Joe's for all the kiddos and we picked up ice cream on the way home. Friday was a bust. But I didn't let it get me down and started over on Saturday. 

One of the new recipes I tried out this week was Turkey Chili found here. The last time I used ground turkey Dave said whatever it is I had made tasted funny and he didn't like it (which is his feeling about almost anything remotely healthy!) so I made sure to not tell him and actually hid the package from his eyes. When I asked him how it was, he said it was okay but then proceeded to go back for another bowl so I call that a win! I thought it was really good and even added a yellow container of sweet potatoes to my bowl just because I needed another carb for the day and that was even more delicious. It was also toddler approved :) 

Turkey Chili, Lean ground beef, whole wheat spaghetti with cottage cheese and parm: tuna wrap on flat out with spinach and avocado dressing and side grapes; and an omelette with sweet potato and turkey bacon. 

My Results:

I took all my great "before" pictures on my actual camera which I barely use currently so now i get stuck using sweaty unshowered before and after pics.  

I decided to wear the same clothes to be able to compare better. At first glance I really didn't think I could notice much of a different but upon closer look I CAN tell in my tummy, butt and chest. 

After just 21 days I lost a total of 5.8 pounds and lost a combined 4.45 inches!!

I am pretty darn happy with my results in just 3 short weeks.

My coach started another wellness group challenge for the month of February which started on the 1st and I decided to join in for Round 2. I figured it would be great motivation to keep going through what could be a tough week returning to work. I see myself making too many excuses to not get up early workout, say I'll go to the gym over my lunch break but not go,  order lunch with my coworkers, or not prep any lunches because I'm "too busy" or "too tired". Being in another group challenge will help keep me accountable for my workouts and healthy eating, plus I really want to start fitting into some of my non-maternity pants!!!

21 Day Fix Week 2

Week 2 is in the books!

I’m trying to get my workouts in before the kiddos get up in the morning but it doesn’t always happen. Luckily Miss Harper typically likes to sleep in till 8/9:00am and I can let MJ sleep in on Tuesday/Thursdays as they are non-daycare days right now. Nap time is hit or miss with little miss thang. There have been a few days I didn’t get up early enough to workout and I get interrupted multiple times but thankfully the workouts are mom friendly and I can pick up right where I left off.  

This week, starting the workouts over, I definitely am feeling stronger than last!  It’s crazy how much of a difference I feel in just one week. 

This week I cooked a few chicken breast in the crockpot to keep on hand for meals. My favorite was my "Chipolte salad" which included mixed greens, brown rice, shredded chicken, 21DF approved creamy avocado dressing, and a little salsa. Totally hit the spot and filled that Chipolte craving. This plan has also gotten me to try out almond butter and I gotta say I am a huge fan! So yummy on a banana, with apple slices or in with my Shakeology.

Clockwise from Top Left: Steak with mushrooms, peppers, and blue cheese serves with sweet potato with cinnamon and raw veggies; 2 eggs on whole wheat toast with avocado; whole wheat waffle with peanut butter, turkey bacon and cuties; banana with almond butter and coffee; taco salad.

Then pizza happened again.

We had an impromptu lunch date with the in-laws at Happy Joe's Jungle Bungle so MJ could run off some energy. Thankfully you are allowed pizza to swap out a meal with once a week.

Saturday night Dave and I had a much needed/delayed date night out with dinner and a movie. We went to dinner at Tantra which is Asian Fusion, it is really delicious fresh food. I had a Ginger Beef Stir Fry with brown rice AND a glass of wine (which is also allowed on the eating plan!). It was the perfect amount of food and I didn't feel overly full or heavy from the food. So good! We saw the movie Sisters with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler (highly recommend, seriously funny!) and we skipped the popcorn :)

21 Day Fix Week 1

I was just recently introduced to the 21 Day Fix by Beachbody from a friend of mine whose been using the program for the past year and became a Coach. She decided to start a 21 Day Wellness Challenge group in January on Facebook for anyone who might be interested in joining who wanted a healthier and more balanced life.

 Getting closer to the countdown of going back to work I emailed her for more information about the program. I have been wanting to get back into an exercise routine and shed a couple more pregnancy pounds prior to going back to work in hopes to have a few more regular clothing options and start packing up those maternity clothes. We would be doing the workouts and following the eating plan together while holding each other accountable. The program sounded pretty doable and a great way to ease back into things. What I really loved was the idea of doing it with a group for that accountability and having to check in everyday so I went ahead and decided to try it out. 

I just completed week 1 and let me tell you I am out of shape! The program comes with a DVD of 7 different 30 minute workouts, one of each day of the week. I can do them in the convenience of my living room, or my case basement, and all I need is two sets of weights (I don't have a yoga mat that is suggested). The first 4 days I was so completely sore all over. Working muscles I haven't worked for awhile!! But I have to admit at day 5 it was starting to feel good again. 

The workout schedule includes

Monday: Total Cardio Fix

Tuesday: Upper Body Fix

Wednesday: Lower Body Fix

Thursday: Pilates

Friday: Cardio

Saturday: Dirty Thirty (Sweat session!)

Sunday: Yoga

There is also a Bonus 10 minute Abs that can be added on to any of the days as well as a Bonus DVD with an additional 30 minute workout. 

The eating plan was a bit more of an adjust for my the first couple days. I think I was trying over complicate things. The containers are completely deceiving!! They look so tiny when you're looking at them, I was thinking I was going to be starving the entire 21 days. But fear not, the portions are on point and it helps that you're suppose to eat every 2-3 hours. 

 A few of my meals from the week: Lots of eggs! Clockwise starting at the top Left: Hard boiled egg, turkey bacon, whole wheat toast, blackberries; mixed berries; spaghetti zoodles; eggs with sauted sweet potato, mushroom, onions and cilantro; egg white omelette with spinach; apple with almond butter. 

The eating plan is all about portion control and clean healthy foods. I think my entire maternity leave the only vegetable I've eaten are french fries....those count as a vegetable right?! I've made some freezer meals I stocked up on prior to having Harper and things people have dropped off or made for us. But we have been eating out a lot, picking up fast food or having pizza. Nothing good for this waistline, so it definitely have been a challenge this week to get change mindsets. 

One thing I am really proud of is that I finally made Zoodles (zucchini noodles) with marinara sauce, chicken sausage and a little bit of cheese....OMG they were so delicious!! I will definitely be trying out different recipes with them. I've had a few slip ups and cheats. Of course on day 2 Dave's parents came over and brought pizza, I held strong and didn't have any even though on the plan I could have. Then two days later his mother send over M&M chocolate chip cookies, 'because they're Madden's favorite"! Those I cheated with :( but I only ate 2 two different days and not more than that or have it ruin my eating habits the rest of the day. Then on Saturday Dave ordered Happy Joe's pizza....yes pizza again....and I had my allotted amount for the program, although it actually made me feel gross. 

Overall, after one week I am actually feeling great!! I feel like the bloat is gone, I've feeling leaner, stronger, and a but more energy. Looking forward to see what week 2 brings. 

Announcing

As I've mentioned in much earlier posts a few times we had been trying for baby #2 for a while (since MJ was 10 months to be exact) and were hopeful 2015 would be the year. So although we had been trying it was still a very unexpected surprise to actually get a positive pregnancy test after over a year and half!!!

Technically Madden was the first one that found out :) After being a week late, I decided to take a test late Sunday morning on March 1st. Distracted by giving MJ horsey rides all over the house, I didn't look at it right away but we eventually made out way back to check out the results. He was on my back when I looked at it and asked "What's that?" I said "It's a test that says Mommy's going to have a baby". He got a big smile on his face and said "Ohhh!". Then I told him "you're going to be a big brother" and he responded with a "YAY!!" I asked him "Should we go tell daddy?" And he whispered "Yeah".

 

We made a quick little note with the test that said From Mommy and Big Bro, put it in an envelope and Madden went and gave it to Dave. He was also a but surprised and shocked. After trying on our own for over a year and half, I really had no desire to to turn to any medications or medical intervention at this point. I wanted to try do a few things on my own to help my body heal itself and balance my own hormones a bit more naturally. Before turning back to acupuncture I decided since I've been using essential oils for the past year, and "there's an oil for everything", I would give it a try for a few months or so. 

I started taking doTERRA's LifeLong Vitality vitamins and supplements in January on a daily basis. Then in February started a Fertility Cleanse using the GX Assist, PB Assist, Lemon oil, and ClaryCalm along with the LifeLong Vitality.  

 

I started taking doTERRA's LifeLong Vitality vitamins and supplements in January on a daily basis. Then in February started a Fertility Cleanse using the GX Assist, PB Assist, Lemon oil, and ClaryCalm along with the LifeLong Vitality. This is what I started off using the first month and then planned on adding Phytoestrogen and Grapefruit oil once I got in the hang of the cleanse and would add the follow month to help if need. Fortunately for us, it only took that first month of the cleanse which again, took me by complete surprise!  

We told both our parents together, over at out house. The day of our first doctor's appointment and ultrasound at 8 weeks we invited them both over for dinner. After we ate, Madden came out with his Big Brother t-shirt and superhero cap on to inform them he in fact was going to be a Big Brother! It took a little time for the grandparents to figure it out and catch on but they were all very excited once they realized his shirt was for real! :)

Easter weekend we went over to my brother's for dinner and egg hunting and were finally able to tell the rest of the family the news. It sure is hard keeping secrets!! Steph saw Madden's shirt the second I took of his coat, she's much quicker than everyone else.

We had a little impromptu photoshoot in this little getup! 

It was too cute not to use for a public announcement.