Two Pink Lines

"What is that?....Am I seeing things?...Are my contacts in? What is that? I mean- there is definitely SOMETHING there...it's not blank, that's for sure..." My thoughts as I look at my early pregnancy test on November 23, 2016 exactly one day before Thanksgiving!

I put my back to the bathroom wall, toothbrush in one hand, stick in the other. I slid down to the floor. I started laughing then stopped. Then I cried tears of joy briefly before stopping to laugh again. Then I shook all of that off and said, "No way." Then think to myself, It's only been two months....Is this what this really feels like? How amazing....I think I am actually pregnant!" *Sits on floor for what seemed like seconds but was actually many minutes. Too many minutes. Like 45 minutes... Staring. Staring at two pink lines.*

I drive my 30 minute commute to work. Smiling. Dreaming. Heart pounding. "Today I'll eat oatmeal AND eggs! Eggs are good for baby! A baby!! Wow!" Pull in. Park. Prepare to walk through office door. All smiles and chipper as a Spring chick. Savannah is on her phone calling me, pacing near the door. "Are you ok?! She asks flustered and obviously anxious. I looked at her like she was crazy. "Yes, I'm fine..why? Is everything ok?" She now is looking at me deeply confused...."Em...you are an hour late....you are always like... an hour early...nobody was here to open up...are you sure you are ok?"  Then looks at me like she knows my secret- starting to smile ....and she did...but I was not saying a peep! Lips on lock-down! I turned away to hide my face.

 "Oh gosh! I'm an hour late?! Oh my word!!" Enter Lauren Lockaby: "You are an hour late. Are you ok? We thought something happened to you!" Her eyes take note of my 2 bowls of food instead of my regular one. I am after all, a creature of habit. Apparently just one of the things that gave my secret away. I say, "Hey guys!! Good morning!!" I greet my other friends. Brandi leans to whisper..."She's eating eggs!!" Lauren: "What does that mean?!" Brandi: "Eggs are good for babies!!" Confirming Lauren's suspicion.

I sat in a constant daydream...smiling at my eggs like they were the winning lottery ticket. Then Lauren, not one to ever cease from making me laugh with her wit boldly says, "So Em, do anything special this morning? Like..... pee on a stick?" I sucked in my cheeks to hide my smile and stuffed my mouth with eggs. "I don't know what you are talking about. You are so stupid." (A term of endearment. She is one of my very most favorite people in the world.) I get up to go to my office. Lauren states as I walk out, "You aren't even upset you are an hour late! Not normal for you! I know you are pregnant!" "Whatever, Lauren!" I say, smiling like a fool!

I was so excited to tell Eric he was going to be a Daddy!!

And while the first 10 weeks of Ellie's life in my tummy were the scariest most unknowing times I have ever experienced as we battled 2 near miscarriages and overcame, the pregnancy was a very good one! She is my only pregnancy and my miracle baby! A year ago tomorrow, I found out that mine and Eric's biggest dreams were coming true! It is one of the most memorable and wonderful days of my life! What an extraordinary feeling to see two pink lines after many prayers! The day before Thanksgiving...what a blessing to be Thankful for! She is our greatest blessing and joy and we are so thankful for how to pink lines turned into our Ellie!

Oh so faint but oh so sweet!

32 Frozen Healthy Meals for Post Partum: A Review

Well! The time has come for me to start cooking again! 32 meals have been consumed. Three and a half months they lasted us! (Reminder: I make my meals for a size 6-8 person family so that we have leftovers).

We ate them every night since Ellie was born with the exception of a true small handful of nights in which we considered date nights in and cooked steaks since we haven't really gone out much since Ellie was born. I anticipated they would last us 2 months. Thank goodness they lasted 3.5 months as we sold our house and recently moved into a rental as we prepare to build our dream forever home! I honestly do not know how they lasted this long but I am thankful for how God used them and blessed us with them in many ways. We were healthfully nourished, helped me lose baby weight very quickly, provided for, given rest as I did not have to cook for 3.5 months,  and they lasted longer than we anticipated which draws my mind to how God fed the 5000! I just believe God blessed the work I prepared. Praises to Him!!

32 meals. Only one failed. I had a turkey hamburger patty with sweet potatoes wrapped in tin-foil then wrapped in the ziplock. This meal would have been cooked in the oven. Well...I cooked it on Halloween night....and it was all tricks and no treats for this supper! I don't think it was sealed well from the freezer frost. Needless to say...it looked too bad to even try and taste it. So that one meal should be removed from my list. However, the other 31 all turned out excellently. The meat was all still tender and juicy, the veggies fresh and flavorful, and truly delicious like I had freshly prepared and cooked it that evening. One other small detail I would adjust is anything that included zucchini....add more zucchini than I had listed. For example, if I used 3 zucchinis for a zucchini "spaghetti"...use 6. They shrink up quite a lot when frozen. These are the only changes I can honestly say I would make.

Would I do this again? Heck yes. Whether it were for another pregnancy, or to prepare for a move, or even just a week I knew we would be crazy busy, I can absolutely say I would and I will do this again. Life saver, game changer.

Exercising Without Sacrificing Attention To Your Baby

Many people have been asking how I managed to lose baby weight so quickly. Well in my previous posts I have explained that I just maintained a healthy lifestyle eating healthy foods and staying active all before, during, and after pregnancy.

But how does one who must cook, clean, care for baby, teach baby, and tend to dogs, (and in my case stage and sell a home) find time to workout....most importantly...how is this accomplished without your baby's attention, needs, and bonding with you suffering?

Simple. Ellie, after God then Eric is my number one priority above all things on my to do list. I also need to remain healthy in order to do all I do and to keep my heart in strong shape. I am possibly the only mom that exists who does not put my baby in a swing or a rocker or lay her down for more than 5 minutes on her back. I want her to be up and playing and learning all the time she is awake and or when she is not eating.

So, I get my exercise while Ellie and I play together. I serve her by interacting with her, helping her learn to pull up, grab, stand, roll over, and crawl. All of these are things she is doing or already slowly starting.

When Ellie is having tummy time, I am on the floor with her cheering her on and keeping her happy and ambitious as I plank, do push ups, or mountain climbers. I move and grow while she does the same. She loves watching me go up and down or moving in place quickly right in front of her eyes. She smiles and starts her tricks and antics with me.

When Ellie wants to be cuddled and doesn't want to have bumbo, jumper, or tummy time, I hold her and we dance and do light jogs around the house. I hold her and do squats and lunges. I lift her up and down in the sky and side to side and engage my core along with my arms. Sometimes, I sit and hold her hands while she stands on my legs, and I lift my legs up to work my thighs and core. Ellie loves all of this action. She giggles so hard, smiles so wide, and coos incessantly!  I continue my vocal and facial interactions with her while I exercise/play with Ellie.

When Ellie is in her Jumper, I entertain her with jumping jacks, cardio intervals, and more push ups, planks, and mountain climbers. I never stop looking her in the eyes and playing with her while I do these things. I am singing or making funny noises or talking to her. (I must look insanely crazy!)

I also take advantage of her sleepiness and put her in the jogging stroller for her nap and choose to go running during this time.

All day....and I do mean alllllll day long for about a total of 8 hours as we subtract naps and feedings, Ellie and I play and exercise together. Primarily, the idea is to entertain Ellie, teach her social interactions, teach her to discover things, help her to learn to grab and lift and push and pull, crawl, roll, etc. To not have her laying on her head in a rocker or watching tv, but to have her constsntly interacting, playing, and learning. The bonus is I can use this time to exercise because it is so easy to incorporate that into her play time and time with me to bond! She gets to learn and play and grow and wear herself out for a full night of rest, and I get to play with her without sacrificing my exercise or time with my Ellie!

I choose to do most cleaning after Ellie is in bed, though most things I can do when she takes her short spurt nap.

Exercise is totally possible when you have a little one. Just make it a game for both of you. She/he will think you are silly and funny and you will feel so good with yourself that you didn't miss the exercise.

For moms with toddlers....I am not there yet but I did keep my nephew 4 days a week when I was still single. We constantly ran and danced and jumped. He was always interested in what I was doing. Even weight lifting. Again, if you make it a fun game, it keeps them entertained, wears them out, they get bonding time with you, and you get your workout in!! He never ninded being my weight I could lift and toss or lift with my legs. he was always laugging and saying "again! again!"The key is to make it energetic and fun for them- attract their interest and keep it silly and fun!! You won't regret it and you will feel good about yourself but most importantly enjoy the play time you had with your baby!

This works for working moms, too!  Everybody knows how you can get exercise at work. Countless articles and pins have been posted on this. And when working moms get the time with their babies in the evening or weekends I know they are so excited to play with them! A lot of them feel like they have to sacrifice exercise. I am telling you, if you want to do both-  that baby won't know the difference. Your exercise time with them is their play time!! Just remember the main idea is to have fun with them and be very active. I have never met a baby who didn't love motion and play time and being silly with their mommy!! My arms are burning and on fire sometimes before Ellie is bored of my arm exercise using her as my weight. But her smile and laughter as I lift her and talk silly to her, making big expressions on my face to hers, keeps me motivated to keep "playing". It is good for both of us!

Give it a try if it is something you have been wanting a solution for or are interested in!! It is amazing how good it is for your energy level, too. Energized all day long, exhausted and ready for a good night of rest in the evening. (Both of us, praise the Lord!)

Bouncing Back after Baby- Part 3- Final Chapter

3 months post partum

It was not about the weight loss. Though it was a nice bonus to quickly lose all of the baby weight I healthfully gained while pregnant.  It was and always will be about good health. Being my best me. Being as strong as I can possibly be. Setting goals and working diligently to obtain them.

 It was and also always will be about looking my best for my husband. Because no matter what is underneath my t-shirts he will always find me beautiful-- but like I have stated before- I think it respectful to look the best you can for your man. Think about when you were newly dating your spouse...did you not go all out to look the best you could to attract their interest? Why would you ever stop that? Stopping that is like saying you don't care about their attention or taking the extra step for them...in my opinion. And I say that KNOWING my husband finds me just as attractive at my absolute grossest as he does when I am all dolled up. Ha! He would love me no matter what I looked like, he has told me this and that man has seen my absolute positively worst side...I mean y'all...the man saw all my guts during a C-section and took pictures of them...called them "cool!" Haha!! But I know as his wife that I really feel special when I notice he has donned a splash of cologne for me. It is a non verbal message of desiring me and my attention. That extra step taken for me. I find that awesome. So I knew I wanted to get back to pre-baby me as quick as possible to feel confident in myself with Eric and to be the me he married.  I have stretch marks in a perfect round ball around my belly button. My skin on my stomach is soft and saggier than I would like. But I would never choose to not have had the opportunity to earn these scars. My Ellie was more than beyond worth every line etched into my stomach. And Eric prefers me this way, now, because of how special those scars are. He says they are from our little miracle. Just like my open heart surgeries scars. My scars all seem to represent miracles in my life from God. If these views on looking your best for your spouse are not your views- cool.  But they are mine. To each their own! It's working for me and my marriage and makes me happy! That is what matters! ;)

It was also about feeling like my best self in my new found life as a mommy. I want to be a good example of health and activity for my daughter. Not teaching her to be obsessed over vanity but to teach her to care for the body God gave her so she may best serve Him first. Feed her healthy food. I want to be able to run and play and keep up with her without feeling insanely drained so that I can give her my best every day. Healthy food and a healthy lifestyle are the best way to feel and perform amazingly!

I have managed to find time and ways to run and strength train all while running a household almost alone as my precious husband works full time and pursues his chemical engineering degree right now (sooo proud of and thankful for his hard work and dedication- a great example for Ellie!), caring for Ellie, teaching Ellie, selling a house (and all that entails), and preparing to move. Anybody can find time for exercise and it is always easier to find the energy when the body is given good and proper nutrients. I will say it again and again- I do not believe in dieting. I believe people starve themselves and cut out vital nutrients to lose weight and then when the time frame of the diet has past or the goal has been met, they gain the weight back almost instantly because they go right back to the foods they were eating. They also ruin their metabolisms with starvation. There is a healthy lifestyle that is not bland, boring, or hangry. Trust me-- because I LOVE to eat. I am a foodie girl!

So by maintaining eating healthy before, during, and after pregnancy and maintaining a high activity level, I was able to lose all of my weight by just after 1 month post partum. Now at 3 months post partum I not only feel stronger than ever but can see results that I am gaining in my running and daily activity and energy level. I am getting older but I am getting stronger than ever!!

My post partum fitness recovery journey may be over as I am back and surpassed my goals- but the fitness journey of my life will never end. Daily I will strive to honor God with my body He gave me and allowed me to live in by setting fitness goals and running and exercising and eating healthy (unless I am on a date with eric and having that so called 'cheat meal' because life should still be adventurous ;p).

I hope this is motivating to live your healthiest life for God, your family (who needs you to function!), and just your sweet special self! It is not selfish to care for your body and health. ;)

Ellie: 3 Months

Wow, what a month it has been!! Ellie is now 3 months old and this past month has brought a significant progression in activity from Miss Ellie!

She began to roll over from her tummy to her back. She has discovered the toys that hang from her mat and she smiles at them and talks to them while I wash or prepare bottles. It is so cute to hear her cooing and having a conversation with those little toys! She started being able to stably sit in her Bumbo seat which she loves because she is able to sit up and look around. Mommy loves it too because I can hang up her clothes and accessories because she is so happy and my arms are free for a moment. She has started using her Jumper, though she is still a wee bit small for it. She stands and holds her head up excellently and loves to sort of rock it with her feet and explore the toys on the table of it. She has started using her abs and neck muscles to lift herself up when reclined in her car seat or bath tub in order to look around better at what she wants to see.

She talks a lot! Like.... a lot! I love it. She looks me in the eye and sighs and coos and raises and lowers the pitch of her voice and makes quite a long series and strand of babblings. She sometimes will hold my cheek or chin and look me in my eyes and coo! Heart melter!!

She loves to splash her legs in her bath water.

Ellie got to go to her first pumpkin patch and pick a pumpkin which we later decorated. She got to go to Denver Downs Farms and Boo at the Zoo with her cousins. She dressed as an Ellie-phant for Halloween!  She loved it!

Ellie met her neighbor friends, this month!

She is growing more and more hair....still looks like she grows both blonde and light brown hair- so she may be a very sandy blonde or a very light brunette. Regardless, I loveee running my lips over that fuzz and kissing it!! Soo soft!

She has learned her name! Which us just precious! She can also see quite further away and make out things now. I know this because I had her sitting in her bumbo while I combed my hair. She was in our bedroom and i was at the back of the bathroom....I looked at her and smiled and she then smiled back at me and cooed! She follows me with her little head and eyes...she just about breaks her neck craning to keep eyes on me when I am dressing! I love that!

She got her first round of shots and handled them very well. Mommy did not.

Ellie is now in 6 to 6-9mo clothing. She can barely wear any of her 3 mo onesies- they are so tight, they pull on her shoulders. Her torso is long. She can't wear 3mo clothes with legs, sleeves, footies or socks. She is very long and she can't get her body in the limbs. The heel on the little socks only covers up to the arches of her feet because her feet are so long, thus, we have entered 6mo clothes which fit well and appropriately.

Ellie weighs 14 lbs and is 24 3/4 inches long.

She is such an amzing little darling joy tp us!!

Time for photos of her past month!