Thinking Ahead

So it's August 26th and still no baby! This little boy is stubborn. I'm set to be induced on the 29th and I really do believe that he will not arrive until that day - a week later. At least I know the end is near and without a doubt I'll be holding my little miracle in about three days.

With the end drawing near I'm getting pumped about the thought of working out again. It's so close now. My hubs and I were just talking after he got home from work this afternoon and we started talking about Insanity. He finished it two months ago and I am so proud of him! About two years ago I attempted it with two of my girlfriends. I got through the first month but stopped because I was too heavy and things started hurting that should not have been hurting. Even my doctor was shocked I was able to keep up with it for that long. Anyway...

So we were talking about how he would like to either start Insanity again or try P90X. Then he asked me what I planned on doing for a workout routine. With how excited I am to start up again you would think I'd have a great answer for him. I had nothing other than I wanted to walk as soon as possible.

The problem I have with working out is that I start with an all or nothing attitude and burn out; or I can't focus all these workout moves into a routine (I've done a great deal of pinning on Pinterest). Ideally I'd love to join a gym and work with a personal trainer but that's not in my financial future. I know I can do 30 Day Shred again and I can try C25K, but after 9 long months I've thought of all these other things I can try out.

My sister does Zumba and kickboxing and she wants me to join her with kickboxing. A few school friends started doing Pure Barre classes and those sound like fun. I feel like I just need to pick something and stick with it. Also anything I decide to do has to ease me back into the swing of things because the thought of doing a push-up after 6 weeks postpartum has me terrified. I do know I want to be healthy and lose weight.

My mind will probably change after the baby gets here because I'll be sleep deprived and will want to find the workout that gives me the most bang for my buck. The first goal is start Weight Watchers and walk, then we'll see what the future brings.

What are some of the workout routines you like to do? Any classes you enjoy taking?

Hugs and love,

The Great Wait

Tomorrow is the day. After 9 months of waiting my baby boy is supposed to enter the world. Ha, what a joke! This little guy is too comfy for his own good. He likes his current home and is choosing to hold tight. I've sent him an eviction notice because I want him out, but I don't think he cares. So if I don't see him within the next 7 days I will have to be induced. At this point and time I have no problem with it. I just want to see his chubby cheeks and adorable nose in person. 

I just have to survive the waiting...

There is only so much a person can do. I wake up each morning thinking, "Well today I am going to go to the store, check in on my grandma and see what my parents are up to." Then I eat my breakfast and realize I am just plain miserable, which I am allowed to be at 40 weeks pregnant, and I'm lucky if I make it next door to my parents' house. I now have come to enjoy watching morning talk shows, I know when Full House reruns are on, and I've even become addicted to Castle. That's what I do during the day. Then there is the evening, which is long. Yesterday the hubs and I broke out Battleship. Out of three rounds, I won once. The man beat me with some sneaky moves. By the time this little guy comes I'll be the game master.

One thing I do not have to wait for anymore is my Belly Bandit. If any moms-to-be are reading check this link out: http://www.bellybandit.com

So basically it's a binder that you wear after delivery. It's supposed to help shrink everything back to size and also give you support. I'm under no illusion that my 240lb self is going to magically shrink in size because of this binder, but if helps with the recovery process then I am all for it. Really I got it because I wanted the support and to feel like I have a buffer between my sore body and the world. I figured if I had something that made me feel comfortable about my body post baby and offered support then I'd feel like going walking much sooner. Should my belly and hips shrink in the process then it's a cherry on top of the sundae called life. 

I ordered the Belly Bandit since there was a good deal going on. I got the Couture Belly Bandit in plaid because I love plaid and have a slight obsession with Scotland. The website offers other things, like support bands to wear during pregnancy. If you are interested you should check it out!

Back to the waiting game now. It would be lovely if baby boy would actually show up tomorrow. I think my chances of winning the lotto are greater! Off to look up some Battleship strategies. 

Hugs and love to you all. 

Come On Baby

There are only 10 days left until my due date! TEN! I'm starting to freak out a little bit here. I'm not ready for the hospital visit and what it all entails. I've never had to go to the hospital before for a procedure or because I was sick. I've only ever gone as a visitor. It's making me a little nervous.

With that said, I hope this little man gets here before the 10 days are up! It would be great if I didn't go past my due date. I'm ready to get this next part of my life going. Also, I'm going crazy knowing there are only 10 days between me and a turkey sub. I wasn't joking when I said I cannot wait to have a turkey sub again. If it does sound crazy then I blame it on the hormones!

Really there hasn't been too much excitement around here. It's the calm before the storm. The only exciting news is that my Belly Bandit shipped and should arrive on Thursday. I'll share all the goodness about my Belly Bandit when I get it!

Also I am happy to report that I have only gained 10 pounds this pregnancy! It was a lot of hard work, dedication and determination, let me tell you. I hope that means I won't have such a hard time getting back to my pre-pregnancy weight because once I get the green light I am ready to bust through the pounds. I even have plans of getting my dad walking with me and the both of us getting healthy together.

Okay all you lovely readers out there, I hope you enjoy your week! Maybe I'll be a mommy by the end of it!

Hugs and love,

Things I'm Looking Forward To Enjoying Again

It's Thursday night and I should be going to bed. Seriously, I'm working on about four and half hours of sleep. I think it's very cruel that in a woman's last trimester that she is so uncomfortable she has a hard time sleeping. From what everyone keeps reminding me, I am going to be sleep deprived for a while. So why does the sleep deprivation have to occur now?

Nine months is a long time to go without something. I realized that there were things I would have to give up because they could affect a growing baby. I grumbled and moaned when I decided against eating turkey cold cuts. I cursed the world when diet soda was no longer part of my beverage selections. Through all the grumbling and the cursing deep down I was okay with it because I knew I was doing what was best to make little man healthy. However, I am now three weeks away from him being here and I am giddy - YES GIDDY- with excitement about the things I will be able to enjoy again.

Aside from looking forward to working out again and becoming a mom (of course!) I cannot wait to enjoy the things on this list again. So without further explanation here is my list of Things I'm Looking Forward to Enjoying Again:

1. Turkey Sub - I have stayed away from cold cuts, except roast beef because it doesn't taste gross when heated, because I have been fearful of listeria. Yeah, if there was the tiniest bit of room for something to go wrong because I ate a food that could maybe, possibly hurt my baby then I stayed away from it. I've missed my turkey subs and look forward to having one right after delivery. I'm not joking! The hubs has directions to get me one the moment I can have food. This mama doesn't need anything fancy. No push present. Just a turkey sub.

2. Diet Soda/Crystal Light - Can I just say I am proud of the fact that I am no longer a slave to diet drinks? I've really liked my water these last nine months. I've turned drinking the recommended amount into a game. With that said, I still want to enjoy Crystal Light and Diet Soda from time to time without feeling guilty about it. This past Easter we had dinner at my grandma's  and I almost went into full melt-down mode because all she had to drink was diet iced tea and soda. It was a special dinner and I wanted something different to drink with it. Oh man the hormones! I prevailed and drank my water. I think I'll have a diet Coke with my turkey sub.

3. Coffee - I love me some coffee. Iced, hot, blended...yum! Now, from what I've researched and what I've been told it is okay to have a certain amount of caffeine a day while pregnant. I followed that recommendation because the thought of waking up in the morning and not having a cup of coffee made me frown. Then one day I had iced tea (which had caffeine in it) and my heart sped up. That had never happened before pre-pregnancy so I freaked out a bit because it wasn't a pleasant feeling. Now all I've been drinking if I do have coffee is decaf. But then I ask myself, "What is the point?" Starbucks Pumpkin Spiced latte has my name written all over it this fall!

Aside from hot fudge sundaes and french fries, I really haven't craved anything. Even those two things were on occasion. But boy oh boy did I lust over the things I couldn't have. It may seem silly, but I really can't wait to enjoy my sub and soda without feeling guilty. I know I can't go overboard with them and I don't think I will.

After thinking about these things that I just can't wait to eat I should start thinking about healthy food now to counteract it all! After I get a good night's sleep.

Night all!

What I Have Enjoyed With My Pregnancy

Well hello again blog world! I hope everyone has enjoyed their Monday. Mine was pretty busy for a person who is 36 weeks and 5 days pregnant. I'm so ready ( and so not) to get meet my little man. Being pregnant in Florida during the summer is  no joke! Now that I am in my air conditioned home, I have had the chance to just sit and think of things. Really, there isn't much I can do these days.

Anyway...like I said I have had the chance to just sit and think of things today. As the end of my pregnant adventure draws nearer I started to think of the things I really hated about being pregnant and the things I really enjoyed. It is easy to to focus on the negative aspects of pregnancy, the things no one tells you about before you get pregnant and then suddenly once you are everyone who has been pregnant shares. For instance I could really focus on how I hated having "morning" sickness for eternity, or how I was overweight when I became pregnant and hated the pressure of my doctor watching my weight like a hawk. I could focus on how little by little I couldn't participate in the things I enjoyed doing or that I felt like some friendships became strained. The fact is I could go on and on.

I have taken little time to really stop and appreciate what I have enjoyed about being pregnant. This probably because I believe that I do not have to love being pregnant. I know I'm blessed and that because I want kids doesn't necessarily mean I would have them.  It has not been glamorous. I'm always constantly worried that something bad is going to happen. When I stopped to think about it, there are some things I have enjoyed.

1. Feeling my baby move - This has been the most amazing experience of all. When he squirms or jabs me it makes me pause and realize that I am actually growing another human being. How lucky am I?

2. My new appreciation for vegetables - One of the reasons I am fat is because I have a difficult time eating right. If you've read some of my earlier posts, my relationship with food is strained and I am teaching myself to look food in a different light. While fruit and I will always have issues, over the years I have developed a taste for veggies. Now that I'm pregnant I really enjoy them! Ask me how I feel about zucchini now. Go ahead. I LOVE IT! You want me to eat only chicken and vegetable stir-fry without any type of rice? Yes, I will and I'll even eat the mushrooms too. When I couldn't stand the sight or smell of meat sometimes all I ate were veggies and guess what - I WAS OKAY WITH IT!

3. Breaking my soda addiction - I have stepped away from the diet soda, as well as Crystal Light, during my pregnancy. I had enough people scare me about phenylalanine and what it could possible do to a growing fetus. Also, I really should be drinking water most of the time. I tried to drink regular soda every now and then in the beginning because I was craving it, but it didn't work out. I found it too sweet. I only get a Sprite on occasion and even then it has to have a lot of ice because I find it too sweet and want it watered down. I hope I can continue this trend for post pregnancy living. I'm not going to deny myself a diet soda once in a while because I do enjoy it and life is about things in moderation. I just don't think I'll need 2-3 cans of it a day.

4. Mick becoming more lovey - I have two awesome cats named Sam and Mick. Sam is older and more cuddly. Mick is younger and can be prickly. Since becoming pregnant both cats have picked up on something about me changing. Sam could care less at this point, but Mick now loves to find me and snuggle up near my belly. He either wants to sit on it (ouch! no!) or cuddle up right next to it and rest his head on my belly. He gets all snugly and starts purring like a purr machine. It's really quite sweet. I also have hormonal days when I feel bad about leaving my cats at home by themselves for a certain period of time. I won't miss pregnancy hormones!

I'll feel bad if I don't mention my husband. I always enjoy his company. It's a given. He's been really awesome throughout this whole process. I can't wait for the moment when he gets to meet his son because the poor man has yet to feel the baby move. It's all that extra padding. I love him to death and know he'll be an awesome daddy because he's been a great partner during my pregnancy.

Well that's all for today folks. Tomorrow brings Tuesday and that is just one day closer to the weekend!

I'm Back and I'll Be Better Than Ever!

I cannot believe how long it has been since I have logged into this blog and felt like writing. Really, December was my last post? Oh my, so much has happened since then. Like this one big thing - I found I was pregnant!

That's right folks. My husband and I are expecting our first little one in 3 weeks and 5 days. If you wondered where I went off to, I entered Pregnancy Land. I have not felt like myself for most of it and finally I've been itching to feel like myself again. "Feel like myself again"....I wonder how that is going to work after our little man gets here.

According to the date of my last post it wasn't too long after that I found out I was expecting. My husband and I were overjoyed, scared, excited and a bunch of other emotions. Okay, I think he was mostly in shock for a bit. A lot of things changed once I found out that I was going to be a mommy; from my body to my emotions. I'm apologize to my readers because you were important to me. However, I couldn't think of sharing because for most of my pregnancy I was so afraid and miserable.

 Christmas Day, which was 5 or 6 weeks into my pregnancy, I spotted a lot and it scared me so much. I thought that I did something to make it happen. Even though I was only pregnant for that short amount of time the thought of losing my tiny miracle gripped me with fear that I couldn't describe. I drove straight home from a family dinner, drank lots of water and put my feet up. I didn't want to do anything to jeopardize my pregnancy.

I was good for another few weeks, everything seemed to be fine and then morning sickness hit. Let me rephrase- it was EVERY MOMENT OF THE DAY sickness. I've read a funny little quote somewhere that men were the ones to give that awful period during a woman's pregnancy the  name "morning sickness" and I would be inclined to agree. Those men got it wrong. I was miserable for so long. I was not enjoying a moment of having this little jelly bean grow inside of me. I think I lost a good 10 pounds during that time. This kind of helped me in the long run because my doctor only wanted me to gain around 10-15 pounds during my entire pregnancy. If you don't remember, I wasn't exactly at my goal weight when I got pregnant.

Being pregnant during your first year of teaching is no joke. While I worked hard to keep my sickness hidden from my students, it took every bit of energy I had within me to do it. I didn't think it was fair to feel miserable in front of them. I still wanted to be a great teacher for them. With that and and everything that we call life I was pretty exhausted once I got home. I ate mashed potatoes or toast when I could. There were days when I could stomach chicken soup. In the end I really did not feel up to continuing a blog about feeling and getting healthy when I felt so miserable. I just wanted to focus on getting through my pregnancy as healthy as possible and that turned into me shutting out a lot of things in my life because I became overly cautious.

With the end in sight I am beginning to get excited about continuing my weight loss journey again. I realize that I will have new challenges to face. Right now I'm jobless (budget cuts in my county led to that), I'll have a newborn to take care of and I'll still have the role of a wife to fill. It's going to be a challenge, but I like a challenge. I have so much to look forward to and be thankful for.

Right now I have this picture in my head of my son sitting in his baby seat in the living room. I'm watching him and working on squats while making faces at him. They're probably faces of pain because, oh my goodness I feel so out of use. I feel like the Tin Man when Dorothy found him. Anyway, the faces of pain will probably amuse him. Even though I'm working hard, it hurts and even though I'm most likely sweaty I know I'm happy. I getting healthy again while making exercise the norm in my son's eyes. I'm excited to make that picture in my mind a reality.

So I'm back. I'm going to try to be better than ever. I left off doing well with 30 Day Shred, Weight Watchers and kickball and I'm going to pick it right back up again. I hope you'll join me on this continuing journey because the pit stop is so close to being over!

December Squat Challenge

Hello lovelies! Did everyone have a Sunday Funday? The hubs and I did. We just relaxed, picked out our Christmas tree and I was able to get a lot of work accomplished.

So, I'm a part of this amazing FB group, Mama Laughlin's Fit Camp. I found them after reading Mama Laughlin's blog. They are the most inspiring group of women I have had the chance to meet (as well as one can through the internet) and talk to. The ladies that I get to talk to make me want get healtheir for myself and for them. We all need support when trying to make a life style change. I know I can't do it alone. If I could have  I wouldn't be attending WW right now would I? Oh to be my hubs who can eat, drink and do whatever he wants without gaining an ounce.

MLFC (that's Mama Laughlin's Fit Camp for short) has provided the followers with a December Squat Challenge. It looks like this:

The chart of awesomeness death

I started it yesterday so that I could follow along without having to double up. And by yesterday I mean 11:38 p.m. because there was no chance that I was going to do 45 squats in one day - yet. Even my hubs is impressed with this schedule. I told him I'd be able to do 100 squats by December 31st and he almost choked on his McDonald's Angus Burger.

I'm in. Are you in? You don't have to be part of MLFC. You just have to want to challenge yourself and try something new.

Lord knows I'll be doing it everyday since the hubs and I brought home our Christmas tree. It's naked now, but once Fred the Fraser gets decorated my kitties are going to knock of the ornaments and it will be me, I'm 100% sure, who will have to put them back up. I'll call the move the Squat and Decorate!

And just for giggles, here's Fred.

Happy Squatting!