A snap shot of life

The major reason I have not blogged lately is this.....

I have been sick, sick, sick and tired too. As I posted the other day, we all had the stomach flu. Mama and Charlotte got it first. It was miserable and honestly I am still not feeling so hot. My stomach is a mess and I cannot eat anything. But worst of all I pulled several muscles in my neck and back and bruised my rib cage. I am praying that I will feel back to normal next week.

This meant no gym, forcing food down and just generally trying to survive at work (I missed two days).




But on a positive note I have been trying to enjoy my babies. Liam turned 4 years old yesterday. I cannot believe I have a 4 year old. This kid certainly have a crazy streak in him. He is hyper and active and naughty...but boy do I love him. His best quality is how he treats his little sister. This photo says it all. She worships him! Liam is the major light in her life. I love watching them interact. They do fight a good amount, but she always forgives him and returns to copying his every word and move.




It is hard to believe that Ms Charlotte will be a big sister soon. I am worried for her. She is still pretty little and I already feel like it is hard to give her enough attention. I am going to work REALLY hard at making her feel special when Vivienne arrives.



Despite our illness we are doing our best to celebrate the big 4 for Liam today. We are bringing him to Boston to the Science Museum and having a special lunch and then letting him pick his present at a toy store. I hope he has a great day. I think birthdays are extra special and I always want my kiddos to feel extra loved on their big day.



And just to wrap it all up. Look at those eyes. She is my angel baby and I love her so darn much.

P.S. I finally broke down and we got the IPhone 4S. This may seem like nothing to you..but for me it was a big step. I have never had a phone other than one I got free with my plan. I HATE spending money on myself. But the pictures on this are way better than the point and shoot camera I have and I admit it is pretty cool. Maybe someday I can afford a fancy camera too.

Hopefully next week I will be reporting on my last few weeks of pregnancy AND some gym trips. I felt cruddy not being able to work out this week, but I was THAT kind of sick and had no choice.

33 weeks

33 weeks prego and counting down.....



This picture is taken on a date night with the hubs. Probably the last one in a LONG time.
I am getting BIG and feeling even bigger. These "skinny" maternity jeans were feeling a bit tight. Have you ever felt like your pants were eating you alive????? I would prefer to be in yoga pants ALL day and night.
I weighed in this morning at 163. This was after a delicious dinner and ice cream last night.
Since my mama was in town, not only did we get a date night,,,,but we got to get in a great workout. Mike and I would LOVE to be able to workout together all the time, so it was a special treat for sure. We hit the gym for some cardio and circuit training and I did okay for a pregnant chick.

The rest of the weekend was spent loving on these sweeties.



Sadly our family is now dealing with the stomach flu and I have spent a few days in bed.

We are on the mend and getting ready to celebrate the birth of our big boy, who will be 4 on Friday. Amazing!

32 week bump and fitness report

I am 32 weeks pregnant, which means there is now less than 2 months left until Vivienne is due to arrive. I have really started thinking about delivery and baby prep, but I haven't done much else to prepare. March is my busiest work month and school has been crazy, so I am looking forward to April and that is when I will get some last minute stuff done.

Anyhow. I debated over being brave enough to post a bare belly picture. I think this is a good week to do so, as I am not quite HUGE yet, but certainly big enough to get an idea of what's to come.

So here it is:

Excuse the fact that I have on no makeup and it looks like I am bald. It was 6am and no beautification had been done at this point.This is what 32 weeks and plus 25 lbs looks like.

I am doing okay. I can't say I am great, mostly because sleeping is not really very fun. But I am usually fine once I am up and out of bed. I just don't move as fast as I used to. My husband is my saving grace and helps me a ton.

It is key for me to go to bed early and do some stretching and small pelvic and back exercises before sleep. This seems to help a lot.

32 weeks is a big bench mark for me this pregnancy because in my prior pregnancies this is when I basically stopped exercising. I worked out much harder throughout this entire pregnancy, but the last two times I did do videos, walking, prenatal yoga, etc. I am really hoping to stay motivated and to keep up my routine. I have had to change it up, based on how much sleep I get and how I feel, but in one way or another I have been active.

I have worked through every pregnancy and at work I am on my feet the majority of the day, as well as walking around. That is probably the major reason why I didn't gain too much weight. This time I am eating better and doing much more lifting. Not to mention I have two toddlers at home to chase and rarely do I sit around doing nothing when I am home. It doesn't seem to have changed the weigh gain much, but I feel like my body is tighter and that I look better. I really hope it helps things after she is here.

So I thought I would post last week's schedule to motivate me and to show what I am managing to do at this point of pregnancy. I will start with last weekend.

Saturday: Rest. Though I am pretty sure that I exerted way too much energy taking the kiddos to the playground and library.

Sunday: A few miles of trail walking with the family

Monday: Gym: 20 minutes very high intensity arch trainer hills and then some moderately heavy lifting. After work we walked a few miles on the bike path but it was SLOW going because the kids kept stopping to explore.

Tuesday: Prenatal exercise video w. the hubby (Summer Sanders) and lots of stretching

Wednesday: Gym: various intervals and  weight work

Thursday: Rest and stretching

Friday: Gym: lifting, core and 20 minutes high intensity hills on elliptical

Saturday (today): we may go swimming later or maybe an exercise video

Sunday: will most likely be a long walk in the woods.

I think this isn't too bad and it is pretty typical.The only difference was that we didn't make it to the pool mid week, which we have been doing with the kids. I love swimming while pregnant and I am sure we will go next week. Some weeks it is 4 times to the gym, but I needed the rest this week.

So hopefully I can keep it up for the next few weeks. I am working right until the end, so I really need to feel good.

Wish me luck.

21 vs. 31...then and now

As I approach my 31st birthday (tomorrow), I can't help but think about the changes in my life over the years. I am now full-swing into my 30's and I really am loving this phase in my life. It is hard to believe that it was TEN YEARS AGO that I turned 21. Wow. So here is a little then vs. now reflection.

Birthday plans

21 I did what most 21 year old college kids did. I went to a bar with all of my already 21 year old friends and took way too many shots and then threw up. My birthday happened to always seemed to fall near midterm exams, so I am not sure we stayed out too late. But of course there was some kind of party the next weekend.

 31 I will be going to the gym, working all day, coming home to my family, plopping my big pregnant belly on the couch and maybe enjoying some sort of special takeout dinner. Then I will go to bed very early to enjoy a massage from my hubby. The thought of taking a shot makes me want to die....so I am pretty happy with this.

Time spent

21 At 21 I spent a lot of time partying, a good amount of time working out and a decent amount of time reading.


31 I really enjoy working out and being active and spend most of my time wrapped up in things that my kiddos have fun doing. Someday I will read again.

Job

21At 21 I was a full time college student at Umass Amherst. I worked part time at a local gym where I was a shift manager and did a little bit of everything. I think I was also just starting my job working as a sample girl for Red Bull, which was a REALLY fun job where I drove around giving people free Red Bull. I actually worked a lot in college. I even babysat on the side and cleaned some people's houses. Had to make that money to spend partying.

31 I have been teaching full time for 9 years now. I have never taken more than 2 months off (to have Liam) and have always taught 8th grade English. I enjoy my job despite the fact that the kids test my limits. It is a great career and allows me summers with the kids. I am on a teaching team with a bunch of funny guys and we have a good dynamic going.

Love life

21 I did have a boyfriend at 21. He was a nice guy who I probably should have just been friends with. We spent most of our time together hanging out with friends. He was also an education major and though I am not sure we were in love, I certainly could have done worse. I enjoyed our time together but we were not each others "one" by a long shot.

31 I have been married for just about 5 years and have known my husband for 7. From the day I met him he was my "one" and immediately became my best friend. We are happier now than we have ever been, mostly because we learned what really matters and we really just live for our own little family. One of the best parts of marriage is when you are all (the kids and us) together in a room, or in a car, or whatever and you look around and realize all I ever really need in this world is right here with me. I am looking forward to the rest of our 30's together now that we are almost at the point where our family is complete.

Health

21 At 21 I ate way too much junk and drank WAY too much alcohol. I was lucky to have a good metabolism and to work at a gym. Staying in decent shape was my only saving grace. I shudder thinking of what I did to my poor body, but I sure had fun doing it.

31 It took until 30 for me to really get what I needed to do to be the best version of myself. I knew almost all of the facts behind being healthy. I knew what I should eat..I just had to stop making excuses. I am pretty happy with where I am now. I plan to spend the rest of my life staying motivated to be mentally and physically healthy.

Looking Forward to

21 By 21 I was starting to look forward to starting my life. I had 3 years of college under my belt and though I loved having fun, I was almost ready to move on. I knew I wanted to be a teacher and to someday find a great man and have a big family. I didn't know how many bumps in the road I would face to get there, but I knew it was what I wanted. I am pretty sure I was also looking forward to getting my student teaching over with.

31 Mostly now I look forward to watching my kids grow in a healthy and happy home. I think about what else my family will get to do together. Currently I am looking forward to meeting my last baby, getting back in shape and having a successful garden this summer. Things are simple and I have most of what I could ever have dreamed of.

Self-worth

21Oh, my poor 21 year old self. My 20's were so insane. When I think about all I squeezed into those 10 years (college, 3 different teaching jobs, moving 8 different times, finishing graduate school, planning a wedding, having 2 babies) Yikes. But through the course of that time I was able to learn A LOT about myself. At 21 I drew confidence from the people who I surrounded myself with. I think I drank a lot because I did a lot of trying to feel outgoing, trying to be funny, etc. I had great friends, but I am not sure I knew myself very well. I didn't even really know what I liked vs. what I didn't like. At 21 I was just trying to figure out who I was and I didn't really love myself yet, because I didn't really know who I was.

31 Now at 31 I feel so much more settled. I know much more about who I am. I am not outgoing, and I am okay with that. I don't like to drink, and it took years for me to be confident enough to say that out loud. I enjoy being at home with my husband and I feel good about the fact that I am a good person who tries hard at what I do. I am no longer on a journey to find out what my life should be...I am just living that life. I have much more self-worth because I finally understand what it is that I truly love and enjoy.

So Happy Birthday to me. 21 was fabulous and exciting and crazy. 31 will be simple and uneventful and happy...and that is exactly how I want it to be.

Randomness: food, fitness, complaints and life

We have to buy a "new" car. I hate everything about cars and could careless what I drive as long as it safely gets me from point A to point B, doesn't cost too much and fits all of the kids and crap. I am dreading going and doing all the stupid game playing that comes with buying a car.

I feel better this week. I mean I am 30+ weeks pregnant and so it isn't like a dream or anything...but my hips feel better and I have made it to the gym 3 times, as well as swimming and doing exercise tapes with the hubs. I had a bad week last week and feel like I am in a much better place this week.

I have 9.5 weeks left of pregnancy `and I weigh 161 lbs. I am fine with this and I just hope to keep my weigh gain in check and be as healthy/ in shape as I can as I reach due date day. I weighed 178, 2 days before I had my first, but I feel like I ate a lot and totally stopped exercising in my last trimester....I just don't see that happening this time.

I am anxiously waiting to hear from the accountant as to what our tax returns are looking like. I am PRAYING that we get something back. I can never quite figure this out on my own.

I plan on having certain goals post pregnancy. My first goal will be to weigh 145 or less by the time Summer is over. If/ when I reach this goal I plan to reward myself with a Garmin. I plan on making fitness a major part of my life and will need to keep it fun and interesting.

My husband is in such good shape right now. He looks amazing and really has changed so much for the better in the last few years. I am so proud of him, but I am not going to lie..there is something that kind of bothers me bout me getting bigger and he gets more toned and weighs less. In fact it is possible that he and I might weigh the same in the next few weeks. I know it is for good reason, but it sort of makes me self-conscious.

I took my son on a date last night. We went out for ice cream and then to my school's talent show. I really believe in finding time to spend one on one time with each child. It will be a challenge with 3, but I know it is important. He kept telling EVERYONE that we were on a date. I love him.

Speaking of my son. My first "baby" will be 4 at the end of the month. Liam Michael was born at 3:44a.m. on March 30, 2008. I am having a hard time accepting that he will be 4 and no longer a toddler. Watching them grow up is priceless and painful all at the same time.

My poor dog is so neglected lately. We have a 2.5 year old black lab named Cowboy. he is the sweetest dog ever and I feel bad that he rarely gets attention. He is 6th tier just in front of the cats and the chickens. I can't wait for Spring where it is easier to take him on long walks.

Speaking of pets, another one of our chickens was murdered last night. Probably a coyote, or maybe a hawk. We are down to 4 and we need to figure out a more secure area before we gets our chicks this year.

And to end on a positive note, I am making avocado egg rolls tonight. This is inspired by a recipe I tried from Linsday at the Lean Green Bean, which you can find here. Her recipe is fabulous as is..but tonight I am going to try a few modifications. I am drooling just thinking about it and will let you know how it goes.