Two month postpartum body

Hello friends!

Whew, it has been a crazy emotional couple of weeks! My cousins were here from England, Jensen turned 2 months old and Liam is off to kindergarten. Stack those milestones with less sleep than desired and you are asking for a basket case! Oh and today is Our 9th wedding anniversary!! Things have been crazy, but also really amazing.

I owe you all a two month postpartum update, and it has taken just as much courage as it did last time to take and post these pictures, so be kind. Actually I’ve been feeling really down about my body recently. I haven’t been seeing the numbers on the scale go down at all really in the last month and that is very very discouraging.

I know I’ve only been working out for two weeks, but I was expecting more from myself. One could argue that the numbers aren’t going down because I am gaining muscle, but it still hurts to see. I just have to keep reminding myself of this poster I found a few years ago

Actually, today was good, I am really glad I took pictures last month because I can actually see a teeny tiny bit of progress. It’s not much, but given that I’m only 9 weeks postpartum, I think any progress is a move in the right direction.

I have lost almost 30 lbs, so that is a little encouraging. I did decide earlier this week that I was going to start going full paleo again. I think it’s the right move at this point. My milk is (knock on wood) great, and Jensen is doing really well without diary. All that is really left to cut out is carbs and refined sugar. The carb thing will be harder this time, because I am currently obsessed with pb&j sandwiches 😳. But I think I can manage. I haven’t decided if I am going to cut out rice this time, but I will limit it for now and see how things go.

Alright, here we go… it’s picture comparison time! The picture on the left is one month postpartum and the picture on the right with the purple pants is today! these images come at a good time for me, because I was feeling very discouraged and unmotivated… but seeing even the smallest result is good enough for me!

If you are on a journey like mine, I encourage you to take the before picture, it really does help to see the side by side once in a while.

I would love to hear some success stories!! Share them with me below, or message me ❤️

I hope everyone has a great night!

Cheers!

On the eve before kindergarten….

I sit here watching him read a book to his little brother and think to myself, when did this happen? Where did the time go? I was just sitting in this chair nursing him a few years ago, and now.. he is off to kindergarten. The little person version of “the real world “. There are so many emotions running throughly head, I can’t even keep track anymore.so I thought I would write a letter….

Dearest real world,

Please be kind to my little boy. Show him there is lots of good and love in this world. Continue to teach him to be kind and considerate. Love him like his teachers did in preschool. Take care of him, he is my first baby, the one who made my heart explode with unimaginable love. I know he will be successful, I know he will thrive, it’s me who will have a hard time letting him grow. So real world, please be kind to my aching heart too. This is my first time, and I’m struggling. Also please be kind to my friends, I know they are struggling too.

Love,

First time kindergarten mom

Good luck to all the new school mommas out there… we will be okay

Cheers.

Post baby workout plan

Hello friends!

As promised, I finally picked a workout plan to get me back in shape. You all had some amazing suggestions, but in the end I really wanted to push myself, so I will be doing 80 Day obsession.

I’ll be totally honest, this is risky. I haven’t done any sort of exercise in over a year, maybe even a year and a half. 😳 but like everything I do, I need to go all in. So yesterday m after Jensen fell asleep, I decided I was going to start my plan. I have been paying for Beachbody on demand and on,y used it a handful of times. I think I spent a good 30 minutes looking for my darn fire stick. I was going to give up and try to look for the stick today, but I told myself if I didn’t start…. I would never do it.

I took my iPad downstairs, clicked the on demand app and finally pressed play! The first workout in the program is called “total body core”. I had to modify a lot of the moves, but I did it.

Well, truthfully, this picture was taken after the first 30 min of the 60 min workout. I was going to call it quits…. but this little peanut came downstairs and started working out with me.

He will never really understand how grateful I am for this gesture. He did the entire rest of the workout with me. He even told me to keep going when I was struggling. In short, my sweet little guy, was looking out for his mommy. He got a pretty good workout in too

me too buddy, me too.

After the workout he asked if we could do another later, and I said only one a day. He was pretty disappointed to learn I was going to workout without him tomorrow. Maybe I will do a mini workout with him when he gets home from school. wish me luck!

Cheers!

Thank you

Hi friends!

Thank you all so much for the sweet words on my last post. I’ve been trying to write this post for almost a week now and I keep getting sidetracked. As a good friend of mine said, my time is not my own right now. It will get better, but right now I am enjoying every exhausting minute of it.

I Friday I went to the mall with my mom and aunt. We had been wanting to go to the Nordstrom anniversary sale for a week but could never find the time. Well my mom took the day off and we went. I had a great time despite the fact that I was close to tears every time I found an article of clothing I loved. My sweet mom did encourage me to try on this adorable dress I had been eying, and ended up buying it for me.

while I don’t like the way I look in the dress at all, I am happy to have a dress I love and can wear in a few months.

I will be completely honest and tell you guys that since my last post I haven’t had time to walk or exercise at all. Some days I feel like I’m making progress and other days I feel completely overwhelmed by how far I have yet to go. I go in for my 6 week appointment next Tuesday, so I will be able to fully commit myself to working out after that.

Speaking of working out, I’ve been trying to figure out which program would be best for me to start to get back into working out. Mind you I haven’t done any meaningful exercise in over a year. I need your help, which one of these should I start next week?

80 day obsession

PiYo

LIIFT4

The only problem is, that while LIIFT4 is at the top of my list, it’s not available yet to the on demand library. I would have to buy it, while the others are included with my on demand membership. PiYo is probably the smart choice, because it’s low impact, but I want to try something new… 80 day obsession peaked my interest a few months back, and I’ve been wanting to try it. Buuutttt I really dislike Autumn’s voice and general personality, so,…. ya…. I might just have to get over it.

If anyone has tried these workouts and has any suggestions, let me know. I would love to hear from you.

Alright, that is all I have for today, I have a ton of stuff on my to do list. Have a fabulous day!

Cheers!

One month postpartum

Hello friends!

Long time no talk. I was talking to one of my dearest friends, and she asked me if I was going to start blogging again. Initially I told her that I didn’t have time and I had no idea what I would write about again. But it got me thinking….. I really do love blogging, and I know the 2.5 people that read my blog seem to enjoy it. So here I am and this time I am really putting myself out there. I am putting aside your pride and I’m going to show you the raw journey of me getting back in shape, of for no other reason than to hold myself accountable. I also know a handful of my friends are pregnant and might want to join me in this journey after they give birth.

I should start out by telling you all that I gained 54 lbs this pregnancy. 54. I weighed in at 195 lbs on the day Jensen was born. This was 15 lbs heavier than I was when I had Quinn. Hard to believe, I know. But it happened, and while that number is really hard for me to say out loud, my little bear is here and healthy and that is all I can really ask for. I know it’s going to take me longer to lose the weight and getting back in shape is going to feel impossible, but I am determined to do it.

At one month postpartum, I have already lost 26 lbs! I want to lose 34 more lbs to get down to my absolute goal weight. I’ve done it before so I know I can do it, now I just need to find the motivation to keep at it.

I wasn’t going to take pictures and post them here, but I felt that if I was hoping to help someone else through this journey I needed to be completely honest and transparent. I’ll start by saying that I am not 100% paleo quite yet. I am waiting a little while longer so I don’t ruin my milk supply. Once that is established a little more I will cut out carbs. As of now, I am not eating dairy or refined sugar; carbs and processed foods are next.

Okay here we go, here are my before pictures. One month postpartum and everything is loose and jiggly, but it’s my mom bod and I have three amazing kids because of it. Please be kind, I am super self conscious about posting these.

So here we go! This morning I squeezed into my workout pants and nursing sports bra and took Jensen for a walk, then came back and did some upper body work. I am not cleared to work out yet, so for the next two weeks I will be walking and lifting some light weights. When I am cleared to work out I will be starting 80 day obsession.

Wish me luck, and if anyone join me in this weight loss journey, email me or message me and we can hold each other accountable.

Cheers!

Maternity Stitch Fix #1

(This post contains referral links. You get free styling and I get some coin in my stitch fix account. Thank you for supporting me as always.)

Hello friends!

Ahh, I haven’t been this excited to get a box of clothes since I first started selling LuLaRoe. I received my first Stitch Fix box on Friday and couldn’t wait to rip it open.

I was so happy with the pieces my stylist picked out, even though I only ended up keeping one of the five pieces. I am being very picky about what clothes I spend money on right now because this is my last pregnancy and I don’t want to drop hundreds of dollars on clothes I will only wear for a few more months. It is still really exciting to have someone else pick clothes out for you to try on!

If you’ve never tried or heard of Stitch Fix you may be wondering how this random stylist knew my style. There are three things that I believe you must do in order to maximize this experience. One is the styling quiz that everyone has to take when they sign up. This will give the stylist a general idea of your sizing and what you are looking for. Second, there is a section where you can write a note to your stylist. This is key because you can tell them what you are looking for and what gaps you need to fill in your wardrobe. I told my stylist I was looking for dresses, cardigans and blazers; absolutely no pants because I had just purchased a few pairs. She sort of listened, more on that later. The third and most important thing you can do is to create a Pinterest board with your style. I’ve been building my clothing board for about six years so there is a nice variety of things for her to choose from. I really think the Pinterest board was the reason my fix was so on point.

From the second I opened the box I knew it was going to be awesome. They include a piece of paper that has all of the pieces styled in different ways. Sorry I didn’t take a picture of this, but it is pretty awesome. She did end up sending me a pair of pants, which I didn’t hate, but again, I didn’t want to spend any money on pants. Had this been my first pregnancy I would have 100% kept the pants.

The pants were actually pretty amazing, they are pictured in the first two pictures here. Like I said, if this was my first pregnancy I would have kept the pants, but I really couldn’t justify spending $70 on a pair of pants I am only going to wear for a few months. This first piece was AMAZING.. seriously, I freaking loved everything about it.  It was such a simple white and navy striped shirt.  The length was amazing and it was soooo soft. I actually regret not keeping this one, but it was priced at $48, and I thought I could find something similar to it at Target or somewhere else on sale. So I passed on this one. *total regret*

You see how amazing the pants are?! ugh I loved them. Anyway, the second shirt I got was fabulous too. I actually didn’t think I would like the way it looked on me, but both Erik and I really liked it and agreed that I didn’t own anything like it.  I ended up keeping this one ($44). I think it will be a shirt I can wear long after I have the baby. It may be a little big when I get down to the weight I want to be, but I think it will look cute as a long tunic.

The third piece was a dress. I really liked this dress, but it didn’t do anything to wow me. It was a simple dress, but Erik and I both agreed that it wasn’t a wow piece and for $54, it wasn’t something I wanted to splurge on.

The very last piece, I REALLY wanted to keep.. Like really really wanted to keep. But after I looked at myself in the mirror, I realized it was a little to Chest-y for me. It would actually make a really awesome nursing dress, but it was a little big in the top area, already, so I knew it wouldn’t really fit me when I got smaller, so for $70 we passed on this one too.

but ugh look at how cute it is.. The colors are so perfect for me. I can’t tell you how sad I was to send this one back.

I wrote my stylist some more feedback for my next fix, so hopefully we will get another excellent box. I am looking for more layering pieces this time around, so we shall see. I think I will probably do two more maternity boxes then stop until I get back into shape. I hope when I stop they don’t change my stylist. I think we have a good thing going so far.

If you want to try your first fix fee free try my referral link. –>Fee Free. 

I hope everyone has a great day!

Cheers!

D

(This post contains referral links. You get free styling and I get some coin in my stitch fix account. Thank you for supporting me as always.)

Down for the Count

Hello friends!

Welp, I thought we escaped the dreaded flu season this year, but I was wrong. We got the word yesterday that Liam has the flu. Oddly enough, I was looking at my Facebook memories and he had the flu exactly one year ago yesterday too!! I am am so beyond stressed about all of this, but I know we will get through it.

I’m pulling out all the homeopathic stops on this one. I’ve got him on 1 tsp. Of elderberry syrup 4 times a day to help his little body fight this thing. I made him some rice with bone broth in it yesterday, but he refused to eat it. I did get him to eat a slice of toast with turkey in it though, so I call that a win.

I am also counting on help from my essential oil friends to help get us all through this. We’ve been rubbing some diluted oregano oil on the soles of his feet to draw the germs out. Oregano oil is known for its natural antibiotic and antiviral properties. I’m actually staying away from the oregano oil, because of a few articles I read online about pregnant people and oregano oil. My sweet, sweet husband is my rock, he knows how to keep me calm and bring me down to earth when my thoughts are of out of this world. He has been taking care of our little man while I try to keep Quinn as far away from Liam as possible.

For now I’m living in a medical mask and I’m trying to do my best to help out.

We hope to be on the mend in a few days, until then, please say a little prayer for our little family!

Stay healthy and have a great weekend!

Cheers!

Jumping on the Bandwagon

Hello friends!

Thank you all for your feedback on my last post. I think the reason we didn’t get a rock n’ play the last two times was because we were afraid Ella would run into it and knock it down. But since she passed last May, we don’t have to worry about that anymore. L Speaking of Ella… I’ve been away from my blog for so long, I haven’t been able to write my thoughts and blog about her passing. Perhaps one day I will be ready to do it… But for now, I did not come here to talk about Ella.

I was scrolling through my facebook feed last night and saw that one of my friends posted a link for Stitch Fix that waves the first $20 styling fee. I’ve been living in LuLaRoe clothes for the better part of two years and I am ready to get back into wearing normal people clothes. Stitch Fix allows you to write a note to your stylist about the types of pieces you want to see in your box. Since I hate pants, and I just bought three pairs of maternity pants, I told them I did not want to see any pants. I asked for dresses, skirts, cardigans and told t hem I’ve never owned a blazer so I would love to try one out.  I know, thirty something and I’ve never owned a blazer. I am hoping I get some pieces I can wear for many years after I have this little graham cracker.

I’ve heard mixed reviews from Stitch Fix, and the best ones have been from people who regularly post items to their Pinterest board. Luckily, my clothing board is on point with my style (or what I wish my style was).  So hopefully that will help my stylist. My first fix is supposed to arrive next Saturday, so stay tuned for pictures and reviews of what I got in my box.

Have any of you tired it? Let me know what you thought of it if you have.

If you want to give it a try and wave your first styling fee, go through my affiliate link.

I hope everyone has a great day!

Cheers!

Baby Products

Hello friends!

It’s been a solid three years since I’ve had a baby, but by the looks of all the insane new baby products you would think it had been 10 years since I had my last kid. I’ve been obsessively stalking blogs after blog to find out what I have been missing out on these past three years. I found a few that I’ve added to my must have list and I want to know if any of my amazing mommy friends out there have experience with them.

The Owlet Smart Sock

My friend Tara loves this thing, and frankly that endorsement is enough for me to want to strap this thing onto Quinn to see how well it works. I’ve read a ton of great reviews about the smart sock, and quite frankly I can’t wait to use it. It is pretty much an at home pulse ox monitor. They use them in hospitals, so I feel good about using this at my house. I know the company is developing an FDA approved version, but I don’t know when that will be available. For now, I will be using the one I got from my wonderful friend.

Kiinde Twist Breastfeeding Kit

Omg you guys….this kit looks fabulous. Talk to any parent and they will tell you how much they hate washing bottles. It is literally the worst thing you have to do as a parent.  The worst…… Seriously the thought of never having to wash another bottle again makes me want to run out to buy buy baby and snag this bad boy up right now. But I won’t because it’s after 10 and I’m sitting on my couch in my pjs wishing I had a glass of wine in my hand. But I digress…. This miraculous invention has an adaptor you hook up to the actual pump. After which you screw a cap on and store the milk, when you are ready a to use it, you stick that bad boy into their bottle warmer and voila… Perfect temperature milk for your lil babe. Oh ya, then you pop it into whatever this amazing bottle contraption is, hook up the age appropriate nipple and it’s off to feeding town.

Do you know how rich I would be if I had thought of this darn thing? It seems so logical now, but man… Good for the people who did this. Take all my money!  Well actually not all of it, the whole kit is quite reasonably priced and so are the milk storage bags. I reallllllly hope this one meets my expectations, because I’m putting all my big hopes and dreams into one basket. This is a must have on my wish list.

DockATot

You guys… I don’t know about you but this thing looks scary to me. I’ve seen people put their babies in this thing in their cribs to sleep and something about it to me screams suffocation. All the studies tell new moms to get rid of bumpers and anything in the crib until they are 16 years old….. This one just seems… How shall I put it… Totally off the rails. I don’t know, maybe I’m just out of loop, so if anyone has thoughts on this bad boy, I would love to hear them.

I could actually be here all night showing you things I’ve seen online, but that would be ridiculous, and I’m actually quite tired… Soooo I’m going to call it a night and ask that you help a momma out.. Let me know your thoughts on these products and any other new things I’ve missed in the last three years.

have a great night!

Omg.. Pressed publish and totally forgot to share, I think most people know this by now, but we are having another little boy!

Cheers!

soooooo soooo done!!!

Hello friends!

Boy oh boy, who knew closing up my LuLaRoe business would be such a nightmare. Let me tell you something; when you discount items all the crazy people come out. My regular customers have been amazing and very supportive, but man.. other people are greedy and ungrateful. I have had people get very snippy with me about shipping and lack of inventory. The latter just makes no sense what so ever, but I do not feel bad telling people to bug off if they give me tude about shipping. You are already getting a crazy discount on the items, now you want me to ship them to you for free??!?! No, sorry,  move on. I cannot wait to be completely free of this awful company.

I know I used to sing it’s praises, but this going out of business process has been very eye opening. I was not able to send any of my inventory back for a refund, despite the return policy written in my contract…… ugh, anyway, I am down to under 200 items! If anyone is looking for an awesome deal on clothes please go here. Everything I have left is $10.  Please please help free me from these crazy people!

I hope everyone has a lovely day! I’ll be back tomorrow with some fun baby news 🙂