24 Weeks: 6 Months In

This week has been pretty standard. Workout, hang with Z, go to the neighborhood park, slowly buy stuff for the baby. We've been taking Zs neighborhood bestie, Elle, with us to the park a little bit this week while her mom (LIz) takes care of little Lucy who is in the hospital with RSV :( It's been a lot of fun watching them run around together and play so nicely. It's such a blessing having someone she gets along with so well practically in our back yard. Hopefully Z gets along as well with baby brother!

Oh! And I completely forget about my Dr. appt this week. Luckily I checked my calendar last night and saw it on there. Man, it seems like the last 4 weeks just FLEW by. One more 4 week appointment (that includes the oh-so-delicious glucose test) then on to bi-weekly appointments. I can't believe we are getting so close to the third trimester already. 

Alright, who's ready for the weekly bump watch?!

23 Weeks: "I Love You See You Soon"

From the moment we found out we were having a little boy, we have been talking to McKenzie about her baby brother. She just loves giving my belly (which is much easier to find these days haha) hugs and kisses. And she always says "I love you baby brother. See you soon!" It's seriously the cutest. I just hope she is as sweet to him when he's here -- taking her toys and undivided attention. ;) I'm not too concerned about the baby stages (maybe naively) because I have seen how caring and sweet she is to our friend's babies. It's more of the crawling phase that I think will be an issue for her. We shall see.

Super Bowl Workout

With Mac out of town and my current "expecting" status, I decided to keep Super Bowl low key this year and just stay home - especially with kickoff taking place mid nap for Z. But, as I was sitting on the couch flipping through the channels for something to watch before the game, my strategically placed resistance band caught my eye (Best thing I could have done, seriously! Keep an eye out for a future "couch bum workout" post!) and I felt a twinge of guilt. So, I quickly out together an easy and fun workout I could do alongside game play. It turned out to be quite fun and I am so glad I did it! Not only was I able to get a workout in, but I was too busy watching the game for my next workout cue to eat endless munchies and snacks. It was also really fun to know I had a few friends across the country doing it with me! Thanks ladies!

In hindsight, I would have switched the push-ups for squats, by I suppose it was better that way since I really hate push-ups and it forced me to do them ... a lot. 

Point is, look for opportunities to incorporate quick, fun workouts into your daily routine. Or, better yet, check back here from time to time because I think I'll start posting more simple workouts like this as it was pretty simple and quite effective! 

PS - I'm not a "fan" of either team, so I picked a team for the sake of the workout and it turned out to be the wrong choice. So, my mini me decided to do my grand finale jumping jacks with me. Don't mind the insane outfit (I'd never pair fur with fur!!) - she decided to play dress up in her laundry basket, crazy kid! 

If You Don't Squeeze It, No One Else Will

Squats are great; really, I love squats. They are great for my legs, which is a constant struggle for me and makes my tushy firm and fab (just how it should be). But, even more than squats, I absolutely love, Love, LOVE booty blasters. Like many of my fitness obsessions, this one originated from my friend Liz, who kicked my butt into shape after McKenzie with Body Back boot camp classes. 

Quick note: I am 22 weeks pregnant in these photos, so just ignore our little mister trying to get in on the camera action via baby bump ;)

22 Weeks: One Pound

This week has been fun! Last week I FINALLY found some cute boy clothes that I wanted to buy (and did) and, as you all know, shopping is like a drug to me - so that baby high carried over into this week.

21 Weeks: Still No Name

This week has been great. I have been so excited about the launch of my Fit4Baby classes  and busy getting everything prepped and ready that, I once again fella f ew days behind in posting this update. Sorry! Aside form my exciting new fitness program, not much else to report. Well, except that I did the whole church thing again this week (for those of you who read my moment of defeat post from a couple weeks back) and took Z to the nursery from the get go. 



She was so excited and booked it into the classroom upon arrival. It wasn't until about 5 minutes before service was complete that I heard a kid crying. I had a feeling it was hear, but just hoped I was wrong. I wasn't. Who was I kidding?! COURSE I wasn't! So I ducked out during the last song and grabbed her. We headed back into the service (because it's the song that the kids play instruments during) and she finished the morning on a happy note. While they don't do any teachings (that I;m aware of) during the nursery time. I am confident that this will be a good experience for her. Much better than fighting with her all of service. I did have anxiety/twinges of guilt the whole service, but tried my hardest to fight them and enjoy my "me time" at church. I never realized how much of a crutch she has become for me. I think I'll need to get used to not having her around as much as she will me. Not pregnancy related, but mommy related, so I thought it was still relevant. ;)

Time for the bump!

Floral Kimono - NoBella Grace

How far along? 21 Weeks 
Workouts: With teaching Stroller Strides and, now, Fit4Baby I have been letting myself slack and believe that just because I have workout clothes on and I'm leading others in a sweat-invoking and muscle shaking workout, I too am getting one. Alas, I am not. But, I HAVE been trying to stay mindful and either do my own workouts at home (if I miss participating in a class) or jumping in for a set or two. I did some booty blasters with my Fit4Baby moms tonight. I'll feel those in the morning!

Maternity clothes? I forgot how comfortable maternity clothes are. But, my current stash is still a tad too big on me. So I mostly stick to my regular, more forgiving, clothes. I have outgrown a few paris of my regular jeans though. Those were sad moments. Im wearing a maternity shirt in the photo this week - but that was more out of laziness because I am way behind in laundry!
Sleep: Still just struggling with insomnia and the mid-night potty breaks. And I now wake up much earlier too, I just don't drag myself out of bed right away. The combination has left me quite tired in the morning and we have had a terrible streak of running late because of it.
Best moment this week: Getting closer to picking a name!!! I'm still fighting Mac on his number one choice, but if he concedes to his second choice, I think we will have our baby boy's name picked! I also, FINALLY, found some cute clothes I wanted to buy him - thank you Carter's - so that was exciting. I was getting a bit saddened by fashion options for this little boy. 
Miss Anything? Being heartburn free. It hit much earlier and much stronger this time around. I also, now, firmly believe that pregnancy removes pigmentation from your skin. I haven;t tanned much since having Z, but I have never felt whiter than I do this week. It's terrible and makes me want to find the nearest spray tanner pronto! 
Movement: He is so active. All day and all night this little boy if flipping, flopping and kicking like crazy. Looks like Z will have someone who can keep up with her non stop energy very soon!
Food cravings: Lemonade, smoothies, cereal and caramel chocolates.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Even though I have a craving for it, a bowl of cereal sent me running for the toilet this week. that sucked.
Have you started to show yet: Yes, and I swear he triples in size at night. I feel like anyone who knows I am pregnant can see it without hesitation, but those who don't know might think I'm just a little pudgy. While I'm not crazy exited for the big ol' bump, I truly dislike this stage. It's quite uncomfortable and makes me very self conscious. 
Labor Signs: No, but I have been having some awesome pressure and growing pains. 
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or moody most of the time: Happy, and still stressed. 
Looking forward to: Deciding on a name and figuring out his room. 

Fitness Friday: Prenatal Workouts

I am so excited about a new opportunity that is about to launch for me. Let's rewind a few months to my Fit4Mom Stroller Strides training. When I decided to take the certification training to become a Stroller Strides instructor, the course also included Fit4Baby certification. At the time, I didn't really think much more about it except in terms of incorporating these aspects of this program into my Stroller Strides classes when I had pregnant moms in attendance.