3 months

today marks three months of motherhood for me ... 

three months since i met our "mister" for the first time ...

... my heart is full

{see month one here and month two here}

*photo by simply photography

high five for insta-friday

today im linking up with lauren, jeanette, lindsay and rachel to share all the little things from this past week that really make it all worth while. 

ONE:  when i posted about how im loosing the baby weight, i mentioned the workout program i started.  well, im going strong on level two now and this week i completed my first run.  i am looking forward to building up to running a 5k this year with my sister.  

TWO:  i love the time henry and i have in the evenings.  he is usually full of giggles after i feed him but he has a cold this week so we have been cuddling more.  

THREE:  i do "henry lifts" while henry does "neck lifts"  :)

FOUR:  ok, so i know that i wont always find baby drool so freaking cute, but for now, it is.  this is my favorite photo of henry right now.

FIVE:  mailey is so gentle with her little brother.  she loves to give him kisses on his head.  

have a great weekend!

wise wednesday

source

the man room

we have lived in our house for a year and a half now.  in that time, we have managed to only do a handful of projects from our list.

1. start a family :)
2. switching out the stove top and front light
3. finding a few antiques for the house
4. putting up the instagram wall 
5. decorated the nursery  
6. switch out and set up the guest bedroom (once used for this)

we also have a space we call "the man room."  we call it this because its in the basement and its is a space where husband can retreat to play his video games.  unfortunately for husband, its the only room in the house that has a tv, so we use it more like a den.  even though its not technically a man room, i still try my hardest not to girly it up the space too much.  its hard though because its sooooo "off-white" down there.  you know, that awful cheap off-white carpet that they put down in apartments and the walls are painted about the same color ... yuck.  

anywho, my plan is to add splashes of color and collect some man-tiques and other guy things to make the space a little more fun.  i wish i had a REAL "before" photo.  when we first moved in, we went to walmart and bought the cheapest futon they had and the tv was sitting on an antique kitchen table.  the shelves were packed with randomness and there was a huge stack of unpacked boxes behind the futon. you can see that we have added a nice sofa bed from ikea and the old foot locker i found is being used as a coffee table.  i felt like the walls were too bland but i had zero desire to paint the entire room.  i decided to start with the built-in shelves above the sofa. 

before

after

i had seen this little do-it-yourself project on other blogs and then all over pinterest, so i thought i would try it out.  i paid all of $15 for the paint and i still have enough left over to save for another project.  it took a total of 3 hours to complete, including cleanup.  i feel like painting the back splash of these shelves has really added to the room. it was an inexpensive and quick change that added a little life and character to the space.  

do you have an easy and inexpensive project that really made a difference? 

* please excuse the photos.  the "before" shot was taken with my nikon and the "after" was one i took with my phone.  

growing baby bump 21 - 38 weeks

my bad! 

i just realized i never posted a recap of the baby bump weeks 21 thru 38.

(see 13 thru 20 HERE)

high five for insta-friday

i love fridays and i love linking up with lauren, jeanette, lindsay and rachel to share my favorite little things from this past week that make my heart smile.

ONE:  isnt it awesome, that with just $10 and 30 minutes, i can prevent myself from spending more money and chopping off my hair.  i was so bored with it but i think i want to wait until march to get it cut.   

TWO: speaking of my hair, i have decided to give the "no poo" (aka: no shampoo) thing a try.  i hear its really good for your hair and so much cheaper.  maybe i will do a little review later of how it works out.  

{btw my hair had been washed with baking soda and vinegar in the photo above.}

THREE:  last saturday, sister and i went to get a tattoo we have been talking about since before i was pregnant.  and dont worry, my doctor said it was fine to get inked while breastfeeding, as long as i went to a reputable place. 

FOUR:  this weeks fresh20 menu has been really yummy and full of greens.  

FIVE: henry's drooling is getting out of control.  im glad to finally get some use out of this dribble bib i made.  

im looking forward to the weekend.  i hear we should expect some snow that sticks this evening :)  

happy friday!!!

pregnancy weight

what do you get when you have a growing pregnant woman, with no exercise routine, no morning sickness and zero food aversions?

this lady right here

total weight gain: 55 lbs

yup, i have decided that i am officially not embarrassed about the amount of weight i gained during pregnancy. it took me a while to be ok with it.  i finally realized that i did not throw up once when pregnancy and EVERYTHING tasted yummy.  in fact, the only thing i couldnt really enjoy was spaghetti because it gave me bad heartburn, and even that only lasted about 2 weeks.  that alone would allow me to gain a few more lbs than your average woman with child.  

i know that a 55 lb weight gain during pregnancy is not unheard of.  my doctor told me several times that it was fine.  i guess i started feeling a little self conscious because of some of the blogs i read and just general comparison to other women i know that were recently pregnant.  some of these women gain only 20 lbs or so (which is also a healthy weight gain).  it wasnt until after i had henry that different parts of these stories stuck out.  they often spent the first trimester queasy and turned off by a lot of different foods.  some of them had an awesome exercise routine and was able to stick with it through most of their pregnancy.  so, while i might wish i had been working out before we found out we were pregnant, i sure am thankful that i didnt spend the first 3 months hugging a toilet.  

the best thing i did to loose weight was breast feeding.  i lost 30 lbs those first 6 weeks.  these past 15 lbs have been a bit more stubborn (5 weeks) but i really didnt start doing anything special until about 3 weeks ago.  since january 1st, husband and i have been doing this workout routine.  i love how it slowly introduces exercises, increases the intensity and the time it takes, at a steady pace.  i have done it before and was able to make it almost all the way through (i even stuck it out during vacation).  when we moved into our new place, i was so tired and overwhelmed and very slack when it came to keeping up with my workouts.  i just started level two and im looking forward to getting my run on (for those of you that know me well, yes, i just said that).

in addition to breast feeding and the new workout plan, i also signed up for the fresh 20.  i mentioned it in my high five for friday post i couple of weeks ago.  they offer meal plans for the week, with 20 ingredients for 5 healthy meals.  each meal is without preservatives, processed foods or frozen ingredients.  i have only been doing this for 2 and a half weeks and i am loving it.  i have never really spent a lot of time in the kitchen, so i am getting used to the time it takes to cook 5 meals a week from scratch.  the plans include a shopping list and prep guide.  on sundays, i cook most of the meat and cut the veggies for the week so dinner only takes about 30 to 45 min to prepare.  i love how these recipes get me out of my comfort zone without being too intimidating.  the best part is that i have only eaten fast food once this year because we always have left overs to eat at lunch.  

i have also been keeping track of my calorie intake using myfitnesspal app.  the daily calories are set at 1800 and i try to have no less than 1500.  the great thing is that my fresh 20 meals are perfect for this plan.  i eat real food that fills me up and offers plenty of nutrients for nursing without going over my calorie intake.  also, its amazing how much less i graze during the day or go back for 2nds since i hold myself accountable.  i usually eat a snack of almonds or greek yogurt and drink a lot of water. 

in conclusion  i have lost a total of 43 lbs in 11 weeks and 4 days.  i am tracking what i eat but i am way more concerned with what type of food i am eating.  i havent bought one item that is "low fat" or "diet."  instead, i am concentrating on eating meals made of real food that comes from a farm instead of a lab.  i feel great and im excited to be serving meals that will improve/maintain the health of my family.  i have started exercise routine that fits my goals and lifestyle.  although i only have about 10 more lbs to loose, i still carry around a belly bump.  i hear this is harder to get rid of after a c-section but im up for a challenge.  

one last thing ... i am setting a goal to run a 5k this year.  my sister is a runner now and i think it would be fun to do one together.  :)

do you have any post baby weight loss secrets?