Pregnancy Weightloss

When pregnant, doctors say a healthy amount of weight to gain is 25-35 lbs.  If you start off smaller, you should gain closer to 35 lbs. 

I'm 5'3, and weighed 117 (in the evening on doc's scale) when I got pregnant.  This was about 5-10 lbs higher than I prefer to be, but it is what it is.   I've always been pretty small - in high school I was always 100 lbs or less and in college I was about 105/110 - but marriage and a lack of exercise will definitely cause you to gain!  It's ok though, I don't really stress about my weight but wanted to share my story and how pregnancy affected my body.

This was the summer of 2011 - right before I got pregnant.  I would guess I hovered around 112 or so.

The bottom picture I was actually 4 months pregnant.  I didn't start showing until about 21 wks.  I can't completely remember what I weighed throughout my pregnancy, but I think at 4 months I had gained about 10 lbs.  

Now, there's no denying that I ate and ate my way through pregnancy.  I'm talking Einstein's bagels and orange juice for breakfast every day (this was a 1000 calorie breakfast lol), Philly cheesesteaks or Fudruckers for lunch, and whatever I felt like for dinner (Chick Fil A? sure.  Yogurtland for dessert? Definitely).  I also didn't exercise much (well, I walked about 1 mile per day if you count that).  I'm surprised I didn't gain more, and also very thankful.

Left: 6 months; Top right: 7 months; Bottom right: 8 1/2 months

I feel like my arms and face gained the most weight, which is weird because still to this day I can barely zip up my pre-pregnancy jean shorts.

So anyways, all and all I gained 36 lbs.  I was 153 lbs when I got to the hospital to deliver.  For my next pregnancy, I fully intend on eating healthier and working out.  Labor was pretty hard for me and I attribute a lot of it to the fact that I was so out of shape.  

8 1/2 months

Off topic but looking at these pictures totally makes me miss being pregnant...even though I wasn't one of those girls that loved pregnancy.

Now on the to weight loss...

Came home from the hospital weighing 147 lbs.  They say you lose at least ten pounds after birth, but I managed to only lose the exact weight of the baby (um, not fair).  I almost fell off the scale when I saw that, as I was expecting to weigh at most 140!

I didn't really do anything the first two weeks, and I mean anything, but I somehow managed to get down to 133 lbs.  Walking around and doing normal things hurt, so exercise was out of the question.  I did breastfeed, so I attribute that and just losing general bloat weight to the weight loss.

This was 11 days after I delivered

About 2 months after I delivered, I started doing P90X as often as possible.  I also started eating less and healthier.  I got down to 125 lbs within 3 months of having her, and currently weigh 122.  I would still like to lose 5-10 lbs, but I'm pretty happy with where I'm at.  It's funny how your priorities shift once you become a mom -  yes, I'd still prefer to look how I did in college, but as long as I'm healthy than so be it.  Truth be told I just don't have the time or the energy to work out as often as I'd prefer, and sometimes grabbing fast food for dinner is just easier and less time consuming than cooking.

Hmmm, I've just realized that I don't have any "current" photos of myself other than the ones in John's Birthday post.  My camera is completely bogged down with pictures of Camdyn, haha.

So to be continued!  I'll have John take some pics of me tonight and this weekend (his favorite thing to do...haha...not) and post a follow-up.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Cookies...and weight

So I literally wrote out an entire post about my weight throughout pregnancy and how I'm trying to lose it.  I was going to include before, during, and after photos...went to add the photos and the "images" button is NOT WORKING!!! I tried about 10 times, restarted the computer twice, and still NOTHING.

What did I do instead?

Figured it be a great time to make cookies.

As I was on my 3rd cookie (and this was after I ate about 10 bites of dough), I realized the irony of making cookies after writing a "weight loss" post, haha.

Post will come as soon as the "images" button is back in order.  Anyone else having trouble with this right now?!?

Thai Chicken Pitas

So I swore to myself after yesterday's picture-less post that I would include pictures in all posts going forward.  Unfortunately, my delicious dinner was devoured before I remembered to take out the camera.  Boo.

Anyways, tonight for dinner I made Thai Chicken Pitas.  My mom used to make these growing up, so I asked her for the recipe and made them myself.  If you're looking for something quick, easy, and cheap (yet still incredibly delicious), give these a try.

Ingredients

• Pita bread (I use whole wheat)
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1/2 bag broccoli slaw (in veggie section next to the Dole pre-made salads)
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp. soy sauce
• 3 tbsp. water
• Salt & pepper

Directions

1. Put chicken in a pan and cook entirely on med/high or high (I put a splash of olive oil in there too, but you don't have to)
2. While chicken is cooking, combine peanut butter, sugar, soy sauce, and water in a small pot and cook on low (I add a bit more water and soy sauce as I prefer my sauce a little runnier, actually, I don't even measure any of the said ingredients haha and it always turns out great!)
3. Once chicken is cooked, use two forks to shred it while still in pan
4. Add the broccoli slaw and continue cooking until slaw is hot.  Add salt and pepper to taste
5. Break pitas in half and fill with chicken/slaw mixture and then add the peanut butter sauce to the inside of the pita as well

Voila!  Seriously, this meal is one of John and I's all-time favorites and it took me about ten minutes to whip up.  Thanks, mom!

What Camdyn's Taught Me

Having a baby is life-changing.  Though I'm still the same person, I now see the world through the eyes of my daughter.  Every decision I make affects not just me, but her.  I want to be the best mom I can to her.  She deserves a safe, loving home and I'm going to make sure she gets that.

Not only am I going to be Camdyn's main "teacher," but she's going to be mine, too.  Here's a few things my 3 month old has taught me so far:

• Life is simple.  Camdyn cries if she's hungry or uncomfortable, just like any baby.  We cry if we're emotionally sad, our feelings are hurt, etc.  We get mad at things that don't matter.  We gossip and get upset over nothing.  Life's short - choose to be happy and not succumb to things that really don't matter.  Now if you're starving, like a baby, or are sitting in your own poop, than yes, that right there is a reason to cry :)
• Love.  They say you never know love until you have a child.  This, my friends, is true.  Of course I love John and my family, but my love for Camdyn is different.  The other day she was screaming in pain because of gas, and I started crying as well because I so badly wished I could take that pain from her and have it myself instead.  I would do anything for my precious baby.  
• To appreciate my mom.  Ever since Cami came, I've felt a lot more love and respect towards my own mom.  I now see firsthand exactly what she sacrificed and went through with me.  My "job" is taking care of my baby, and at one point that was my mom's job, only with me.  My mom also spoils Camdyn to no end.  She helps with diapers, babysits whenever we ask, buys her new toys, and loves her almost as much as I do :)  Thanks, mom, for everything!
• To be a good role model.  She's going to grow up to be an independent, self-sufficient woman (I hope!), and I want to make sure that I'm a good role model for her...again back to my decisions affecting her.  I want her to see what a good marriage is like through me and John.  I want her to see that we follow our hearts, set goals, and do our best to accomplish them.  I want her to choose a career that she's passionate about, just like her dad does.
• Life is no longer about me.  This one's obvious, but having a child makes your life not just your own anymore.  Yes, we still travel and go on dates and hang out with friends, but our day to day life is different.  We save money, we plan for the future, we don't drink as often, we make decisions that are best for Camdyn and our future, not just ones that sound good in the moment.  My days of being selfish are gone, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

There's a lot more, but I'll stop for now.  Babies are a lot of work, but the value and meaning she's brought to my life is incredible.  Thank you baby Cami for being you!  I love you more than anything and can't wait for us to continue teaching each other things.

Maintaining a house

John and I bought our first house back in April, and let me just say...maintaining a house is a lot of work.  Much more than I expected!  I am so thankful I stay home, because I know for a fact our house would be a disaster if I was working full-time.  To all the working mom's out there, I admire you more and more each and every day.

This past week, John did about 10 hours of yard work, and this just got it back to how it was two months ago.  I spent a good 6 hours cleaning on Saturday, and a lot of this was just general maintenance that I do every day.  Not saying I clean 6 hours everyday, but I always do dishes, laundry, make beds, clean tile, clean hardwood, and clean the kitchen / unclutter everything.  

I also try to vacuum, steam clean carpets, steam clean couches, wash bedding, organize Camdyn's room, clean dog area, and clean the bathrooms (we have three) at least once a week.  

Like I said, it's amazing how much time simply goes into maintaining a house.  I sometimes miss the apartment living days where we had 800 sq ft of living space to clean, grounds that were maintained (quite nicely) by other people, and hot tubs and fitness center's within walking distance.  

We're also in the process of "remodeling" our house (pics to come soon).  We're not doing a full-on renovation, just painting all the rooms and making them look nice :)  My "theme" - btw, coming up with a color theme is next to impossible for me.  I've been thinking of different color variations since we moved in, and have just now made a decision - is blues and grays throughout!  I love blue, but was sick of the usual "blue and brown" combo (we had this in both our apartments).  In fact, I want to do away with brown all together.  It's pretty common, and like I said we've had it now for 3 years! So blues and grays it is.  We did a dark blue accent wall in our main room, and another huge light blue/gray accent wall that extends throughout a lot of our house.  Currently we're doing our office - cream walls with same light blue/gray accent wall.  Next will be our room - light teal with dark (ish) gray bathroom!  So excited to see all of this come together!

Dark blue accent wall (we still need artwork and I'm dying for a new couch!)

Light blue/gray wall

John's Birthday!

John and I had a great time celebrating his birthday yesterday!  We started with breakfast - cinnamon rolls, coffee (for John), and diet arnold palmer (for me, my new obsession):

Then, John headed to work for a bit and I also worked for about an hour and cleaned.  John came home and we went to Desert Ridge so he could get a massage and I could go shopping.  I got Cami the cutest bright green, polka-dotted, ruffly skirt, and myself a bright green top (haha, figured we'd match!).  

We then dropped Camdyn off at my parent's house so Mandy could watch her, and John and I headed to Cheesecake Factory for dinner followed by Bingo.  Unfortunately, we both lost...but it was a lot of fun to have a night out!

Birthday boy!

My sister and Cami

Love Cami's face here!

So that pretty much sums up our day!  Happy Birthday, John!  Love you more than anything :)

Birthday Boy

Today is my husband and best friend's birthday!  I couldn't be more excited to celebrate with him.  We woke up this morning and I tacky-decorated our house with "Happy Birthday" banners, plates, ribbons, and more.  I made cinnamon rolls and coffee before he took off for work.  

His actual gift is a trip to Laughlin in two weeks for the Gary Allan concert.  We're both huge Gary Allan fans so are looking forward to seeing him and having a mini-vacation with each other.  For today, I'm going to take him to dinner and then we're off to play Bingo!  If it's your birthday, it's free!!  *Which we found out last year on my birthday, haha.

Pictures to come soon, but for now...here's some pics of Cami (you didn't think I'd leave her out of this post, did you??!):

Taking a nap with my babe

Giant bow...I think she's scared of it, lol

Blogging

Though I don't post much, the blogging world is something that fascinates me.  So many people (SO MANY) have great blogs and I only wish I could be as good, or as interesting, as them.  Maybe I am...maybe I just need to post more.  I always have a lot on my mind, I just need to start putting these thoughts into words.  

I also love that fact that there's literally a whole blog world right here in front of me.  It's a way to make friends and connect with people just like me.  There's mommy bloggers, fashion bloggers, military wife bloggers, food bloggers, and more.  It's a way to feel more connected and not so alone in this world.  If I could make someone's day or change someone's outlook, if even only for a second, then it's all worth it.

It amazes me too that some women actually get paid to blog.  Of course, they didn't start out this way, and it took hours upon hours of work to get there, but still...the fact that they followed their hearts and are doing what they love is admirable.  I did an article on How to make money blogging, and was pretty astounded by what I discovered.  Having followers alone isn't what generates an income, you have to have advertisers, sponsors, affiliates, a shop, and more.  Income is generated from numerous sources, but guess what...you have to maintain all that.  After all, it's your business.  If it's not something you enjoy, it's not going to work out.  Also note that if you're only in it for the money, the readers will see that and quit reading.  Successful bloggers truly. love. blogging.

So my goal for now is to simply write more.  Who knows if this will go anywhere, but I have a lot to say, and lead a fairly interesting life, so why not?

Food on the Table

While on our family vacation in Georgia, my cousin Susan told me about the website Food on the Table.  Just last week I got around to exploring it, and have decided that this is my new favorite website (so good that yes it deserves a post of it's own even though I barely post!).

First, you enter in your exact grocery store that you shop at.  This will be used later to tell you the items that are on sale!

Second, select the types of foods you like (chicken, beef, veggie, pork, etc), followed by the style of dishes you like (pastas, baked, grilled, etc).

Third, browse tons of recipes for the week.  They're all super simple and require very few ingredients, plus they look absolutely delicious.

After you've selected your recipes, the website creates a grocery list for you.  You delete items you already have, and hit "Done."  You then get an email of your list to print out and take to the store.

Seriously, I'm impressed.  I like to have dinner ready for my husband when he gets home from work, but I have a lot of trouble finding recipes and deciding what to eat without spending a fortune.  I've never been a huge "dinner" person - seriously, if it were just me I'd be totally content with a bowl of ice cream - so that's why every night is a challenge.  I used Food on the Table over the weekend, went to the store and spent a whopping $47 on four dinners (not to mention lunch foods and snacks for John).  Amazing.  I have yet to try out the recipes, but I'll be sure to post my favorites!