Ready for Fall

I remember when I was in school, I never wanted summer to end. Ever since I started working full time (2009….), I’d much rather it be fall and I normally “wish” the summer away. It’s too dang hot for anything in the summer in Memphis. This year in particular, I’m wishing the summer away because that just means I’m that much closer to meeting my baby boy :)

This morning, feeling in a very “fall” mood, I decided to make a Pumpkin Shake for breakfast. After I realized it tasted like pumpkin pie, it didn’t last long!

Pumpkin Shake:

• 1/4 can pumpkin puree
• 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 banana
• 1 cup plain greek yogurt
• small handful of ice

I also had a Nature Valley Sweet & Sault Nut bar on the side. These things are addicting. 

I ate part 1 of my lunch around 11:15 today.

 

Lunch #1: 2 turkey/cheese tortillas + bag of mixed fruit + 2 pickles

  

I haven’t had part 2 just yet, but I’m sure I’ll be hungry within the next hour!

21, a look back

I was so excited to find out the sex of the baby on my birthday this year, I really didn’t feel like it was my birthday but now that I’ve been the big 2-2 for 2 days now, I can’t help but look back and think about how much my life has changed the past year.

Last year my birthday was on a Thursday and since I was turning 21, Philip and I took off work Thursday and Friday and went to VEGAS for a long weekend.

I remember feeling so excited to wake up and head to the airport bright and early, we couldn’t wait to do all things Vegas. Although we aren’t big time gamblers (we went to Vegas and only gambled once), we enjoyed the all-day-drinking, the sites, and the shows!

Vegas was definitely amazing and I highly recommend everyone go at least once, Philip and I had so much fun. We saw Blue Man Group, X Burlesque, and the Variety Show. We stayed at the Bellagio and it was absolutely gorgeous but if I were to go back, I’d stay somewhere else only because everything in the Bellagio was so expensive ($6 bottled Coors Lite’s) , we spent all of our time in the other casino’s anyway. The location was perfect though because it was in the middle of everything. The eating in Vegas was amazing as well. We hit up the (very expensive) buffet in the Bellagio twice, tried several mexican restaurants, and places along the strip.

Aside from Vegas last year, I was working for a company I hated. I felt miserable going to work everyday and when I got another job offer that paid less, I almost stayed but I ended up leaving anyway and I think that was the best decision I could have ever made for myself. I’m much happier now and don’t dread going to work daily! It’s a great feeling.

Nothing compares to how I spent my birthday this year though. I was like a kid on Christmas waking up because I knew at 9am I was going to see my sweet baby on the ultrasound and find out if I needed to start buying pink or blue!I guess what they say is true, women really do become moms when they get pregnant because there’s such a special bond you have with your baby after “growing” them for 9 months. I know I’ve definitely transformed into “mommy-mode” already and I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m so excited for December to get here so I can meet my son!!!

Legs + Shoulders Workout & Baby Stuff

Enough workout talk, let’s talk baby stuff!

Let the shopping begin!

Mom, Megan and I went all over earlier doing the first of the baby shopping and I’m so excited! Little boy stuff is definitely harder to find than girl stuff, mainly because there’s triple the amount of girl stuff out there but we found a lot of adorable stuff.

Our first stop took us to lunch at Mellow Mushroom. We started with pretzels and by the time we got our pizza, we were already feeling pretty full so we only managed to have 1 piece each.

When lunch was out of the way, we were ready to start the shopping and we head to JcPenny’s to check out their baby department. This sweet little outfit caught my eye immediately.

We also ended up walking away with:

Do you see a pattern? Evidently I’m drawn to all things monkey! We also got a few outfits that didn’t involve monkeys, they were sports related.

After Penny’s, we walked down to Babies ‘R’ Us. They were having a pretty good sale on clothes and we found a really cute “I was born awesome” outfit but we spent more time looking at furniture and bedding.

We didn’t buy any bedding today but I found two that I love. Now I guess I have some decisions to make.

I think I’m leaning towards the first one because I feel like the second one is too much green and the nursery is already green. I also love the cribs in both of those pictures, now to find a crib that doesn’t cost $499. I really want one that converts into a toddler bed so we can use it a little longer, we shall see!

After Babies ‘R’ Us, we head across the street to good ole' Target. My feet were hurting from walking so much so when I came across a  rocking chair I had to “try it out”, you know, in case I decided to get one for the baby. It was actually very comfortable and there may be one in my future!

Now, I’m trying to decide what to make for dinner and since I haven’t been to the grocery store lately, I have a feeling I’ll have to get very creative to come up with something. 

IT’S A BOY!!!!!!!

 

I’m so excited! We don’t have a name yet but we know his middle name will be Kingsley. Kingsley is a family name on the Bach side so we were excited to be able to continue the tradition!

It’s funny because in the beginning I had a “feeling” it was a boy but everyone kept telling me that I was having a girl so I started being very unsure. Looks like my mama intuition was right all along. I’ve also always wanted a boy, which I feel is probably “weird” too. I know most girls want daughters but from day 1 I was telling 2 friends of mine I want a boy.

This little guy of ours is pretty stubborn though. He kept holding his legs giving the ultrasound lady a hard time. I hope that isn’t a sign of what he’ll be like after birth!

We were thrilled when the doctor told us he has all his fingers and toes, his heartbeat is 148, and all of his markers look good. We have a healthy baby, which is the best news ever! :):)

Yesterday’s Food

Breakfast: 2 toaster strudels + milk + banana

Breakfast #2: maple and brown sugar oatmeal + yogurt

Lunch: 2 red peppers + cottage cheese + turkey “hotdog”

Snack: baked pb oatmeal bar (yum!!) + apple slices

Dinner: pepperoni and sausage calzone (birthday dinner at MPC!)

Dessert: frozen yogurt from menchies <- best frozen yogurt shop, ever!

In honor of my birthday yesterday (hello, 22!) we skipped the gym and watched movies after dinner. Now, I’m typing this up around this sweet angel.

Mom, Megan and I are about to start shopping and registering for the baby and I’m a little too excited.

18 weeks

I’m a little late posting this but work has been crazy and I haven’t wanted anything to do with computers after 5o’clock.

 

Week 18

Fun Facts: At five and a half inches long and five ounces in weight, he now may be large enough for you to feel him twisting, rolling, kicking, and punching his way around the womb. Plus, he's developing yawning and hiccupping skills (you may feel those soon, too!) and his own unique set of toe and fingerprints.

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Weight Gained: 2.7 lbs

Symptoms: None as of now! :)

Food Cravings: Still carrots and pizza!

Food Aversions: Yet again, still all things sweet.

Sleep: I wake up 3-4 times a night still and have crazy dreams but, when I’m out I’m normally sleeping pretty good.

Stretch Marks: None! Thank you cocoa butter!!

New Baby Item: A diaper bag that I love :)

Exercise: Still going strong! I’ve been posting those so my workouts are all here.

Today’s Workout

I went to the gym thinking I’d complete a leg and shoulder day with Philip but once we got there I knew I wasn’t feelin’ it so I decided to have a full cardio day while he did a million squat/presses. <- No thank you! Here’s what I ended up doing:

 

Today’s Eats

Breakfast: I woke up nice ‘n’ early so I made omelets packed with sausage+hot chocolate!

Lunch: In honor of free tea day and the $5 coupon McAlisters sent me for my birthday, I had a turkey melt+fruit+sweet tea

Snack: cottage cheese+sliced apples+carrot

Dinner: french toast+turkey sausage+milk

Chocolate Lime Shake+Bicep/Tricep

I didn’t want to do anything when I got home from work today. I got home and literally wanted to curl up on the couch and stay there all night long ignoring the gym and the massive amount of work I brought home with me. Luckily, I have Philip who does seem to always want to go to the gym. I quit being lazy and got dressed and we headed that way to complete the following workout:

Now on to what I’ve eaten today..

Breakfast #1: Chocolate Lime Shake

· 1 banana

· 1 cup key lime greek yogurt

· 1 tsp cocoa powder

· 1 cup milk

Breakfast #2: Bagel with low-fat cream cheese

Lunch: Target brand Kung Pao Noodle bowl + apple slices + 1 string cheese

Let’s talk about this noodle bowl, shall we? I bought this because it was on sale for less than $2, I forgot to bring a lunch/didn’t want to grab some random fast food I’d regret in an hour, and it was supposed to be a comparison to the Simply Asia one, which I adore. However, this noodle bowl is nowhere near the standard of Simply Asia. The only pro to it was it has 270 calories vs Simply Asia’s 400-something. Taste wise it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t something I just thoroughly enjoyed eating and it most definitely wasn’t something that stuck out in my mind as “delicious”. For the cons, I followed the directions 100% and my bowl exploded in the microwave twice and the sauce/”veggies” are all in one packet whereas Simply Asia’s are separate and I typically wouldn’t added the veggies.

Snack: 1 cup cottage cheese + 2 carrots + 1 cup of decaf coffee with creamer (oh how I’ve missed that fabulous creamer!)

Dinner: chicken sandwich + “fries” + glass of milk

The days have been very long lately but I think it’s because I’m excited for so much this week. Tomorrow I hit my 18 week mark and Friday I find out if we’re having a boy or girl, I can’t wait!

Today's Food.

I keep trying to keep track of all my food on my Caloriecounter app but since I cook often, inputting every single ingredient is becoming very annoying. Since I have pregnancy patience now and the purpose of that app was so that I could physically see (and remember) what I’ve had to ensure I’m eating enough/what I need, I’ve decided it’d be much easier to keep up with my food here instead!

Breakfast #1: Strawberry Banana Smoothie

· 1 banana

· 5 frozen strawberries

· 1 cup 2% milk

· 1 ½ tbsp. light strawberry cream cheese

· 1 container vanilla greek yogurt

Breakfast #2: 1 English muffin topped with 2 tbsp of nutella + a hot cup of tea (my caffeine for the day)

Lunch: leftover carbanada pasta with meatballs + 3 carrots + sparkling ice orange mango

Snack: 1 cup of cottage cheese

Dinner: 3 slices of pizza (I know, but it’s a craving!) + 1 sliced red pepper

Snack: TBD depending on if I’m hungry or not but I’m thinking a glass of milk is in my future!

Plus lots of water consumed throughout the day, 4 bottles at work I believe and 2 glasses at home.

In other news, after work today Philip and I toured a new gym that offers childcare and is really family oriented and we absolutely loved it! We’ll definitely be making the switch, we just aren’t sure if we’ll make it soon or after the baby is born.

Pregnancy Bras

I’m pretty sure that most people know growing boobs is a side effect of pregnancy (if you can call it a “side effect” because I would call it an “awesome added bonus”). For some reason, I didn’t realize how much I was growing until one day; my boobs were literally spilling out of my bra. I’ve been pretty against buying a lot of things that I will not be able to use afterwards. But over the weekend, I decided it was time to invest in new bras. Prior to becoming pregnancy I was a 34DD and after trying on a few, I found that I was now a 34E, no wonder they’ve been hurting!

I discovered Wacoal bras and it was love at first try on.

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They’re incredibly supportive, a little pricey but no more than a VS bra and come in a large variety of sizes. Plus, I found them for buy 1 get 1 50% off.  Score!

Sunday was the first day that I wore one and I could tell a huge difference, my back felt better and my boobs weren’t hurting anymore!  I’m now a very firm believer that investing a little really does go a long way, especially when it comes to comfort during pregnancy.  

Listening to your body during pregnancy

I think one of the hardest parts about being pregnant has been learning to “listen” to my body and stop doing things that would typically feel easy to me. Today at the gym, my body was telling me to not do very easy sets that I use to crank out with no problem. For the most part, my workouts have been the same but only with MUCH less weight and today it just wasn’t meant to be a long workout. Since I did listen and cut my strength training short, my workout ended up looking like this:

When I first decided that I would stop and go bike the remainder of our time at the gym, I felt like I didn’t complete much and that it was a pointless workout but then I remembered something I heard on one of Tracy Anderson’s DVD’s  “You have to give up some of your results so that the baby is given the proper nutrition it needs”. This quote made me remember that I can’t push myself hard like I use to be able to or complete as many sets like I could before and that is perfectly okay because it’s better for my baby.

Pregnancy is definitely a huge adjustment but very worth it!

CarbaNada Pasta

I’ve been reading about CarbaNada pasta for a long time but tonight was the first time I’ve actually tried it. I was a little skeptical because on Amazon it’s around $4 which seemed like a lot for pasta and it’s not sold anywhere in stores near me, but I splurged and ordered it a week or so ago. I was surprised when I got the bag, it’s pretty big and I only cooked half of it tonight so that $4 isn’t seeming so bad anymore!

I didn’t let Philip in on what it was until after he was already eating it and he said it tasted exactly like normal pasta. With half the carbs and double the protein, I’ll take it!

Meatballs. Prego sauce. Lowfat Ricotta Cheese. CarbaNada noodles.

Definitely an easy dinner since you cook the noodles the same way you’d cook regular noodles. I just cooked the meatballs in a separate pan and added some ricotta cheese to the noodles while they were still warm.

Lookin’ completely normal here ;)

These will definitely be my go-to noodles when I’m craving pasta after the baby is here and I’m trying to lose the weight!

Pancakes just got healthy.

I'm loving pancakes lately and I'm also loving trying to eat healthy for my baby's sake!

Today, I decided to try out a new pancake recipe and hope for the best. They turned out wonderful, the taste was no different than regular pancakes!

Oatmeal Pancakes 

Normal lookin' 'cakes

What you need: 

• 3/4 cup oatmeal 
• 3/4 cup cottage cheese 
• 1 1/2 tbsp cinnamon 
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar
• 3 egg whites 

What  you do: 

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor (or blender) until you have a "batter-like" consistency 
2. Pour onto griddle (or pan) using a 1/4 cup measuring cup 
3. Cook for 2 mins (approx) and flip before removing from griddle and enjoying! 

**These do not bubble like normal pancakes so try to over cook them.

To me, they look and taste 100% normal. I also added in a tbsp of melted peanut butter before making Philip's and he said they were really good.

Week 17

Fun Facts: "My how your baby has grown! She's about the size of your palm, weighs about five ounces, and is developing some body fat (join the club, baby!). Her heart is now regulated by her brain (no more random beats) to beat 140 to 150 times per minute — about twice as fast as yours! What else is up? She’s practicing the survival skills she’ll need at birth — like sucking and swallowing"

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Weight Gained: To date, 1lb. Probably only because I was down a good bit in the beginning from being sick.
 
Symptoms: I’m over my sickness (thank goodness I only had 2 weeks of it) but now I’m feeling movement. It’s VERY cool!

Food Cravings:  

Food Aversions:

This one is weird for me, I normally LOVE coffee AND chocolate. Coffee was the only smell that really made me sick during that phase.

Sleep: LIKE A BABY! I fall asleep so quick, it’s great. I do wake up at least once a date but I fall back asleep within seconds.

Stretch Marks?: Not a one and I hope it stays that way! I’ve been using lotions like crazy to try to prevent them, let’s hope they work.

New Baby Item?: Not this week. I’m sure I’ll go crazy when I find out the sex on the 26th!!


Exercise: I’ve actually been doing pretty good. Well, kind of good. I did decide not to go today but, I’ve been going with Philip like normal but just lifting MUCH less.