Mira Fertility Tracker Review

Hi friends!

 Today I’m sharing a topic that definitely isn’t talked about enough, so I’m really excited to chat with you all about it. As you all know, my health and staying in tune with my body is so important to me. But that doesn’t just mean healthy eating, working out and keeping my mental health in check. It also means making sure I am keeping tabs on my female specific areas for many different reasons! Family planning, understanding my cycle, and having a gauge on my fertility hormones are definitely a priority and something I’ve vowed to prioritize more this year.

 Keeping track of your fertility can be cumbersome, detailed and confusing so I have been on the market for something that makes it a little bit easier. I’d heard about the Mira Fertility tracker through a few friends, and thought I would give it a try for you all! Bottom line: its worth every penny and more!

 You’re probably wondering what the Mira Fertility tracker is?

 The Mira Fertility tracker is a device that tracks key fertility hormone concentrations to give you personalized insights into your cycle. This is the first personalized, at-home, lab-quality hormone tracking system. And it gives an exact number of hormones (LH and newly launched Mira Plus is measuring LH + E3G), compared to other trackers which is measuring levels only. It is easy to use with disposable urine test wands that accurately track hormones and identify both fertile and infertile days. The hub connects to an app on your phone that displays and records your monthly data to better understand when ovulation will occur (with 99% accuracy!).  It is the most modern and precise ovulation tracker on the market.

 Women can conceive throughout a limited number of days per cycle. By tracking your fertility hormones, you can identify exactly when your fertile days occur and make informed decisions, whether you’re trying to get pregnant or not. How amazing is that?

It particularly benefits those who are trying to conceive but is also helpful for those who are trying to avoid pregnancy. Mira combines the accuracy of lab tests with the convenience of testing at home, and it’s especially useful for people with variable cycles, hormonal imbalances, or PCOS because the device gives actual LH and E3g concentration. 

Exactly how does it work?

The Mira Fertility system uses the power of high-precision fluorescent-based testing to provide accurate and reliable fertile window predictions. With only 2.6 inches in width, the Mira Analyzer is practical for at-home and on-the-go testing. This is so important with todays busy lifestyle of work, travel and just on-the-go lifestyle.

The Mira Analyzer measures your exact hormone concentrations. This method offers personalized fertility insights that help you precisely determine when you should be trying to conceive or use birth control methods. With Mira, you can forget missed peaks and hard to understand Over the Counter Fertility/Ovulation tests. The Mira Analyzer automatically sends your results back to the Mira App. Then, our patented machine learning algorithms accurately pick up on your ever-changing hormone patterns and offer highly personalized fertility advice.

The app is compatible with iOS and Android Devices, and there is a 24/7 Customer Support! I love that it is FSA/HAS/HRA qualified, so it doesn’t necessarily come straight out of pocket if you have that option! And as if their 100% money back guarantee isn’t enough for you, It is also FDA and CE registered which gives me full confidence in the product. Mira also ships worldwide!!!

I’m super excited to also be sharing with you a discount code - ALEX25- which will give you $25 off on the Mira Kit and Mira Plus Kit. For more information on the Mira or to order, check out https://www.miracare.com/ or visit their Instagram channel here.

Thanks to Mira for sponsoring this post. As always, thoughts and opinions are my own. 

xo

Alex

3 things I love about being a Mom & Gift Ideas for your Mom

I love the month of May- more sunshine, longer days, outside time, and the smell of the spring air. Its also a fun holiday month with Memorial Day at the end of the month kicking off summer and of course, Mothers Day! 

Today I'm sharing 3 things I love about being a mom and some gift ideas for your amazing mom! I'm pretty sure we are all highly indebted to our mother's before we are even out of the womb because lets be real: pregnancy isn't for the birds and labor? Yeah, there's no gift or money in the world that can pay someone back for that ish lol. #speakingfromexperience #stillhavePTSD

Then you have the sleepless nights, toddler tantrums, the 80358 messes a day, late night homework sessions, cheauffering to soccer practice...I could go on for hours. Mom's are the real MVP. Bottom line. 

When they say being a mom changes everything, you never fully understand what they mean until you actually hold your little one. And even though your life seems to be turned upside down almost instantly in every way possible being a mom is one of the most amazing experiences ever. There are moments that you laugh until your cheeks hurt, and moments where you cry ugly Kim Kardashian tears and think you can't go on another minute. But growing little humans from the lows of the low, to the highs of the highs is the most rewarding job you'll ever do. Here are 3 things that come to mind when I think of what I love about being a mom: 

1. Appreciation: I felt like I was pregnant for 40 years, not 40 weeks. Labor was horrible, and my first baby was colic. Within the first 2 weeks of having my first, I was legitimately convinced my mom was some sort of SUPERHERO for having 3 tiny humans. Of course I've always appreciated what my mom has done, but I think until you go through it yourself you never really fully understand. Becoming a mom has completely put a new perspective and appreciation on what my mom has sacrificed for me, and honestly makes me love her even more! 

2. Fulfillment: Its funny how before winning soccer games was the "be-all end all" for me, or my workouts would make or break my day. Being a mom has given me such a greater purpose beyond who I am as an individual. Seeing the boys face light up at the smallest things, or teaching them something new is more fulfilling than anything else could ever be! Knowing that I get to help shape their character and impact on the world makes me not sweat the small stuff at work and gives me true purpose. 

3. Home: I've heard the saying “Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking outside your body.” This coulden't be more true, and honestly scares me thinking of when the boys gets older and they're on their own.

But at the end of the day, what gives me peace is you'll always be HOME to your children. Where they go for all the basic necessities of life when they're babies: milk, warmth, touch. Where they go when they're toddlers and are shy, are hurt, or want cuddles. And where they'll go for advice, comfort, money(lol), and a home cooked meal when they are off in college. Nothing fills my heart more knowing I'm HOME for my boys. 

Alright, back to Mother's Day. Below I've rounded up some great gifts that I think any mom would love at all different price points. And remember, the best gift you can give your mom is your time! Get her a great gift, and spend some time together, and love on her! She deserves it! 

1. Ugg slippers: Worth the hype and these are on sale for $65! 

2. Barefoot Dreams Cardigan: This cardi is my favorite to wear around the house. So soft but not too bulky or thick. The material is literally dreamy, and its has pockets. 

3. I love this Bezel and Bytes Chunky Chain for your Apple Watch. A great alternative to dress up mom's apple watch!

4. Birkenstocks: You guys know how I feel about these! Anyone can pull them off, even if they are just a "casual" sandal, they're so comfortable, mold to your feet and last forever. 

5. If your mom is active, the Apple Watch is an awesome gift! That has some amazing features if its in your budget. 

6. Lush Bath Bombs are a nice treat for any mom at the end of a long day.

7. The Sprocket is a really unique gift which allows you to print smaller photos from your phone! I love that you can throw these in your wallet, on your fridge or in your office. 

8. These Venus Roses are AMAZING. Yes, they are pricy ((super pricy)) but they really do last a year, and the smell is incredible!! Someone has actually bought these for me before, and I loved them! They have every color you can imagine and are a great gift. 

9. I know that getting a vacuum isn't a luxurious gift, but for me a gift that makes me more efficient with my time is a WIN. This Dyson is cordless, light, and sucks everything up in sight- Perfect for mom and pet moms! No more lugging around a huge vacuum or a broom. Also, you can use a 20% off coupon at Bed Bath and Beyond to get it discounted! 

10. Yankee candle has super cute personalized candles for Mothers Day. You can pick your scent and add a photo. I think this is a great inexpensive, thoughtful gift for Mother's Day. 

11. The Clarisonic Mia is a must have for any woman! 

12. This may seem ridiculous, but I've heard these Sonicare Diamond Clean are literally the best toothbrushes ever created. Your teeth are something people see everyday, so this might be worth the splurge for your mom if she's been wanting one. (Again, use the 20% off coupon at BB and beyond)

Hope some of these ideas help! Have a great day everyone! 

xo 

Alex

Max's 3rd Birthday Party...and 6 tips for your first kiddo party

Happy Birthday to my big boy Max who is now three...where has the time gone?! 

I know a lot of people go really overboard with parties and invite tons of people including kids from their child's preschool class but I just can't get my head around that right now. For Max's first birthday I felt so CRAZED and last minute with everything and it was just a family party with 25 people. Last year I felt the same. So this year I vowed to be ORGANIZED. There is nothing worse than being super stressed trying to get ready for a party. I honestly tried to keep it really simple this year by repeating last years theme! I had some leftover supplies from last year ...and With the baby, work, and Max loving the farm theme last year I thought..hey, why not. Let's take the load off! 

                                                       Family photo on the hay ride :)

                                                                      Farm Tour!

 We went to Kelkenberg Farm last year for his second birthday and he loved it. So many activities (all included in the price): Hay ride for everyone, pony rides for the kids, a farm tour where you see all of the animals, and the chance to milk the goats. Its a great, laid back atmosphere and we just grill out, have some cake and hang out! 

                                                              Looking after the ponies!

Like I said, I had some supplies from last year (plates, cups, silverware) and I had little die cut labels that my mom made for different foods that we offered. I used a farm theme to rename foods such as "pigs in a blanket" (hot dogs), "cow dung" (brownies), silverware were "pitchforks" (forks), "butcher knives" (knives), and "shovels" (spoons), "greens" (salad), and "farm fresh fruit" (assorted fruits ie watermelon, etc.), and "pig tail pasta salad" (tuna salad). 

I picked up a majority of my supplies from Birthdayexpress.com online as well as Party city and the dollar store. All in all it was an awesome time! I honestly wish I would have had someone helping me along with Max's first birthday, so here are a few tips I have for anyone embarking on their first "bash" for their child!

1. Pinterest that ish!!!
Start Pinteresting a couple of months before the birthday and get an idea of your theme. There are soo many ideas on there and let your child lead the way! If they're older, you can let them pick or at least help you narrow your ideas down. For 1st birthdays, its a little more fun because mom gets to lead the way because they can't talk yet ;) 

2. ETSY THAT ISH!! 
Ok guys, once you get your ideas down, check out etsy. Order your child's birthday outfit {yes, birthday outfit. its a "thing" now. just do it. } early incase it doesn't fit, you don't like it, it gets lost in the mail...whatever. Order it, and check it off the list. I also found some awesome things on etsy like Invites. Last year I just got the pdf and went and printed them out. I would totally not do that again and save money elsewhere. It was freaking awesome having them delivered to my house and not having to deal with either lugging my kids to kinkos to print them, or spending probably the same amount of money with hiring a babysitter just to get them printed out! Its just one less thing to do. I guess if you have a great printer you could do it at home but clearly that is not me. You can also find random things on etsy to enhance your party- for example I got farm theme water bottle stickers (see below) for really reasonable prices as well on etsy. 

3. Order supplies early: 
Like I said, I used birthdayexpress.com. They were great and the prices were decent with free shipping. They have everything you can imagine. I do a lot of online ordering..with the two kids and working I don't get much time to get out on my own and when I'm with the boys I'd rather spend the time outside at the park.

4. DOLLAR STORE GUYS. 
yes, yes and yes. You can get kids wrapping paper, bags, treat bags (if you're doing the kid thing), bowls,big utensils, etc. ALSO BALLOONS. Ok so funny story...last year I spent the $40 on the helium tank...pumped a bunch of ballons (which took forever when I didn't have the time #thestress #omg) and they ALL BLEW AWAY IN THE WIND. I literally almost died in that moment.

That was my cue to never blow them up myself again. So anyway I found out the dollar store sells balloons and blows them up for you for a dollar. Oh. and you can call ahead and get them done in advance? sign me up. This year I bought 20 balloons, for 20 dollars. 20 dollars LESS than the stupid helium tank and I spent {zero} minutes on them. I also brought a few farm theme balloons with me I hadn't used from last year and they pumped those up for me for....yup, you guessed it. a buck! So, moral of the story is save your time and money and hit up a dollar tree. 

5. get help.

Seriously, get help. Especially if you have a baby. Babies are literally like put on earth to make you unproductive!!!!  Have someone come over the day of the party to watch said baby so you can prep. Have others make a simple side dish so you don't need to deal. Remember, It takes a village, mammas. Let's embrace that. Nobody gets a medal for doing it all on their own!! 

6. Take it all in ...and remember it is worth the work! 
After all..they're only ____ years old once #tear. 

xo

Alex

Six month sebby

The time has been flying and I am SO excited for the summer. We have been loving taking the boys for longer walks now that the weather is starting to get warmer. Our little Sebby hit his half year old birthday last week! 

The days go by and Sebby is more alert than ever. He is so different from his brother, yet so alike in some ways. He is such a happy little boy and content most of the time (complete opposite of his brother at this age) but is so in tune with EVERYTHING around him. I swear both boys from Day 1 have eyes in the back of their heads! 

Sleep

Remember when I said that Sebby is more alert than ever? No more "sleeping like a baby." The 4 month sleep regression hit our household hard. REAL hard. Sebby was up basically every 90 minutes all. night. long. After 3-4 weeks of this boot camp, I decided enough was enough. {{If you're a co-sleeper or attachment parent you may want to stop reading here!!}} Once he was fed and I knew there were no other issues, if he cried, I would let him cry and check on him periodically. There was no way I could function running a business, being a mom to him (and his brother), and trying to live my life with me sleeping in a rocking chair with him attached to my boob the entire night or being a human swing every 90 min. I've gotten him to the point where he can actually put himself to sleep when I put him to bed fully awake. This is really an incredible feat in my opinion after having Max, who would scream before I even laid him down until he was 9 months old. On a good night, Sebby is still up once between 10 pm and 5 or 6 am. Normally most nights he is up 2-3 times during the 12 hours he is down and I am still nursing him. I think I'll start to really crack down on it in a month or so if he doesn't drop any of those wakings. I do feel positive though because, well, we've improved from him getting up about 5 times a night during the sleep regression and basically sleeping in the swing most of the night! 

Breastfeeding

To tell you the truth, I LOVE this stage of breastfeeding. No more engorgement, hurting nipples, or feedings on the hour. Both you and baby are in a groove! They can control their heads better and latch on completely without any assistance (yes, this matters, especially at 3 am when theres's no lights on! I swear they just know where it is!) Sebby's still nursing (or if I'm not there) gets a bottle every 2-3 hours. He gets supperrrr distracted especially with his brother around, so I have to get creative when I'm on my own with the two of them. I cherish the moments when its just him and I though. I think this could be why I resist trying to completely night wean him. That, combined with the boost it gives my supply I think I'll hang on for another month or two. There's nothing like the smell of my little boy snuggled up next to me all milk drunk :) I've managed to freeze almost 400 oz of milk- an awesome feeling to have that little bit of backup just incase something happens to me or my supply! 

Solids

This little man does NOT miss a meal. Clocking in at over 21 lbs, we decided to start with some rice cereal just after he turned 5 months. The struggle to keep the food off his chin was SO real. The improvement he made with the spoon after about 10-14 days was so good and I feel like now he is really doing well with solids. I feed him twice a day, usually cereal and fruits in the morning, and in the evening he has cereal and veggies. I do like to keep the cereal in the mix the first couple of months because its something their stomach is used to (the breastmilk). The only food he hasn't liked has been green beans, spinach, and peas. Can you blame him? I don't think I would either! Everything else goes down without a hitch: peas, sweet potatoes, bananas, apple, prunes, carrots...now that he has hit 6 months I'm going to start working on more of the combination fruit and veggie mixes. We will see how those go!! 

Brother

I think one of the most common questions I get is ...How is Max with his brother? My answer is...he loves him. BUT I can't leave them in the same room together for obvious reasons. Max may have the best intentions at heart, but his "hug" may accidentally crush his little brother! In all seriousness, Max is a great big brother about 80% of the time. Every now and again though, he has a moment where he'll swat, poke, pinch his brother and has to do a few minutes in time out. I guess thats normal though (hopefully). Its been neat to see them interacting now that Sebby is growing into himself and smiling at his brother or laughing at him! 

Play

Sebbys favorites include the Fischer price Gym- he spends so much time reaching for things and tummy time on this (see above with his brother :): 

He loves the jolly jumper:

He's such a boy already..loves his fisher price car!

Likes: 

-PEOPLE. This little man is full of smiles whether you're family or a stranger!
-Putting anything in his mouth
-Pulling my hair
-His brother
-Bath time
-Trying to sit up. I swear he does about 698 situps a day! 
-Going for walks
-Mortimor the Moose
-His swing. Yeah, we're still napping in that. #DONTJUDGE #imworkingonit
 

Dislikes: 

-Having his nose wiped. 
-The end of the day #grumpy
 

Stay tuned for MY 6 month postpartum update....xo

Alex

6 Weeks Postpartum..Life with Sebastian

Wow...In some ways I can't believe its been 6 weeks since Seb was born. On the other hand, its completely DRAGGED by. I think anyone who is a parent, especially a mom, can absolutely relate to this! It was never my intention to wait this long to blog, but I think obviously time (and sleep!) is limited with a newborn, toddler, and recovering from a major surgery. In addition to that, I had so many emotions in the weeks following the delivery I was waiting to settle and really get ahold of where my head was at.  

Delivery: 

As a lot of you know, it was a tough decision for me to decide to go with a C-section as opposed to trying for a VBAC. The whole process this time around was MUCH easier than the 20 + hours of labor I put in and then was wheeled in for surgery for a C -section with Max. On Wednesday, October 5th, we dropped Max off at Grandma and Grandpa's and headed to the hospital. This was definitely a little bit of an emotional moment for me..saying goodbye to our "family of three" and my alone time with Max. Little did I know how much that was going to affect me the first couple of weeks! I had no idea how difficult of a transition that was going to be.

After arriving to the hospital, I was hooked up to a couple of machines prior to heading into the OR and I was actually getting contractions. I wasn't too surprised considering I had been in some pain the last week or two. The OR was running a little behind so we had to wait a little bit longer than our "scheduled" surgery time. When it came time for me to be wheeled in, it was a completely different feeling. I had spent some time with our Resident (who was soo nice and from NYC), and the anesthesiologist who was in love with my husband and his New Zealand accent. And of course, I got to know my doctor even better this time around throughout the pregnancy and over the last 2 years so I felt so much more comfortable. The room was a lot smaller and I felt more at ease.

The spinal was literally a piece of cake compared to any sort of contractions and off they went. I tried to keep myself as calm as possible and before I knew it, I was numb and they were working to get baby Sebastian out. They were having some difficulty getting his head out and had the anesthesiologist help push on my ribs to get him out. I swear my ribs were going to crack with the amount of pressure I felt! Ha! They were able to get him out and I waited for the fateful cry to know that he was okay. After our early scare in the pregnancy and everything we have gone through, we were so happy and grateful that he was here, nice and healthy!

 Sebastian Joseph Lines clocked in at 8 pounds, 11 oz and 20.75 oz delivered 5 days before his due date. Our first, Max, was 8 pounds 9 ounces born 5 days late. I am pretty sure that Seb would have clocked in at 9 lb + if he would have gone full term! Yikes! 

                                                                                     Baby Seb...looks very similar to his big brother here! 

The Aftermath

With this being my second c-section, I knew what to expect. The worst moment I would have to say is when you have to walk for the first time. Ugh. You feel like your legs are going to give out, your lungs are tight and you feel like you can't breath ..and the blood. Yeah. I won't get even go there. Your whole body is just a complete mess. Seb was very sleepy but had a great latch so my only challenge was to keep him awake during feeding sessions! 

                                                                                              The Boys at the hospital

I was feeling pretty good after the 48 hours so I decided to go home. I feel like you can never get any real rest when you're in the hospital. Between feeding your baby and the nurses/doctors coming in to check your vitals and incision, you never get any rest! So I coulden't wait to get home. But when I did get home, I literally burst into tears. It was so overwhelming being back home and knowing I couldn't move around at all and being completely dependent on other people. I had horrible engorgement the night I got home (a lot worse than the first time) and literally iced the ENTIRE night! 

I would have to say those first 3 weeks were so hard for me. I think first, breastfeeding is just super demanding the first couple of months and even more so the early weeks. It seems the babies want to eat 24-7 and everything is on you. I remembered these feelings from my first pregnancy, but it didn't make it any easier to handle especially when you're getting literally no sleep.

The part of this whole process that really hit me hard was how emotional I was about the change in our family dynamic and particularly my relationship with Max. It broke my heart to spend every waking moment with Seb and miss out on so many things that I used to do with Max. As much as I love Seb dearly and wanted to have him, those first couple of weeks were so, so hard and a lot of tears were shed. I knew that I needed to give Seb what I gave Max {{as much bonding time as possible}} but I coulden't help but feel a little bit of resentment and longing for the way my life "was" and I wondered how come nobody warned me?? And did I make a mistake having another...haha. Everyone always talked about how easy the second is because you "know what to expect..." but I disagree. I think they are both equally challenging in their own ways.! It helped reaching out to others and knowing they too had those feelings (obviously temporary feelings), and that it was normal to feel that way and soon enough we would all find our groove, routine and life as a family of 4 and it would be better than ever.

And of course I heard a lot of {{..the worst parenting advice on EARTH}} "It gets better" which we all know, but in that moment of despair with a crying infant, it seems like it will never. ever. be. better. again. 

Life with Seb

Seb is a such a little koala bear and so loved by all of us, especially his big brother Max. Max is always laying down with him on his playmat during tummy time and wanting to sit next to me when we nurse. He will try and help in any way possible..almost too much sometimes! ha ha. 

Seb is definitely an easier going baby than Max {{thank the lord}}. I actually have a baby that sleeps in the swing without the vacuum cleaner, and doesn't cry non stop all day long or need a hair dryer sound to calm him..ha ha. He is a champion breastfeeder and regained his birthweight and MORE just 5 days after his birth. He's currently clocking in at 13 pounds at 6 weeks..ha! Max better starting hitting the weights. Seb is cooing and smiling and we are loving it!

Sleeping wise he has been your average baby waking every 2 hours the first few weeks. The last couple of weeks he has given me usually a 3 or 4 hour stint right when he goes to bed. After that he is up every 2 hours for a feed and cuddle which is a drag but it is what it is, right?. I'm spending A LOTTTT of time in the rocker and am majorly sleep deprived but I know there is a light at the end of the tunnell..at some point. It might not be tomorrow- but it is there. ha. 

                                                                                                   One month photo!

Recovery

Where do I begin? Recovery from any birth sucks. I really, really, tried to take it easy and not move around as much to let my body heal after the surgery.  I enlisted as much help as I could to keep Max busy and have things taken care of around the house. Let's be honest though, its just an awful time for your body regardless of whether or not you deliver vaginally or by Section! 

Once I hit the 3 week point, I started to really feel a lot better and started to go for 20 minute walks. I still hesitated in taking Max or the baby anywhere because I didn't want to push it or strain/lift. I mean, I felt like I was on house arrest!

Unfortunately, last weekend at about 4.5 weeks postpartum I noticed some of my scar tissue widening. I knew immediately what was happening. Sure enough, a day later when I woke my incision had opened where the scar tissue was thickest mid-incision. I was so frustrated as this happened with Max 6.5 weeks postpartum. I'm not sure at this point if there is just something about this particular surgery that my body just doesn't like!! Anyway, there's no infection after seeing my doctor and its just something that needs to heal on its own so I've been laying low the last couple of weeks. Treatment wise I have been steri-stripping the open wound part and I'm hopeful it will be closed by December. Laying low has been so hard. All I want to do is get moving and get back to my normal routine..and drop a few of these last few pounds ;) 

Speaking of pounds. Ugh.  I've dropped 28 of the 38 pounds that I gained. I'm not so much concerned with the actual weight as opposed to the pilsbury doughboy/elephant skin stomach I currently have. ha. I would love to see that shrink a little in the next 6 weeks. So, for the next week or two, cleaning up my diet has been my main focus until I can start walking/elliptical and slowly get back into weights. I CANNOT wait to get back in the gym and tighten this thing up! 

                                                                                                      The road back begins!

All in all, its been a crazy 6 weeks. I have good days and bad days and so do the kids. I do have anxiety about tomorrow, and how I'm going to manage the next stage, but I have to tell myself to just. slow. down. Don't worry about bedtime routines and nap schedules. It will all be okay. It WILL get better, and at some point all of this will seem like a blip on the screen. So, in the meantime, I try to enjoy my koala bear snuggles and watching my boys interact in hopefully what is to become a great friendship between two brothers!

                                                                                                                      Brothers!! 

Mamas..what did you think was harder? Baby #1 or the addition of Baby #2? 

Thanks for reading and hope you all have a great week! xo

Alex

Weeks 17 & 18 Pregnancy Update: Nutrition & Workouts

Well, the last 2 weeks have been pretty uneventful {thank god} considering the the month of March we had. Because they wanted to monitor the baby regarding the gastroschisis concerns I ended up getting my scan at 16 weeks, a little bit early. They still wanted to see me at 18 weeks because they could not fully see everything then that they needed to so I went yesterday morning for full check up and everything looked great {so blessed}. Baby boy is clocking in just under 9 oz and growing. 

So, other than my increasing size...not much else has been happening! I mean let's talk about the flashback/comparison photo {see above}. Baby 1 vs Baby 2. My weight gain was EXACTLY the same with my first as this pregnancy and look at the size difference! Crazy how your body "remembers" and just goes with it the second time. 

Baby gear wise we are looking good. Max has tons of clothes and we saved everything. For anyone that knows me I love clothes whether kids are boys or girls...so this little guy is going to be styling with some hand me downs {and some new stuff...he he}. We picked up a crib at pottery barn on sale ..and by on sale I mean we are talking 1/2 price! I went with a white one and am thinking I'll probably go with a blue for the nursery. M has a green room with jungle theme so we will see what theme we pick for this little guy. 

Exercise wise I actually have had a great two weeks. Now that I feel reassured that the baby is growing and doing well, I feel so much more comfortable. When I was pregnant with M I really struggled with tight calves and would have to stop and stretch only a 1/2 mile into my runs. Feeling pretty good up until this point and even rocked out some 7:45 splits on my runs the past two weeks. For anyone thats a pregnant runner, you take those days and cherish them. I'm still training on the ball a couple of times a week, although I definitely taper back the intensity-sit out some reps--otherwise I would sound like I needed an oxygen tank. ha! Lifting wise I've been consistent with the 2-3 times a week and I'm pretty happy with that. I've stopped doing any plyos or jumping. I did jump until about 30 weeks with M but I was A LOT smaller the first time around so it was easier. I also wanted to be prepared to jump back into training as fast as possible (if I wanted to) and that is obviously not the case this time around!

Nutrition wise I would say I'm holding steady. I definitely am throwing back more carbs than normal but I've been keeping the sweets to a minimum ...as best as I can anyway! Typical day is usually for breakfast PB28 bread w/ PB of course or oatmeal with  scrambled eggs. Lunch is salad with marinated chicken and dinner always varies. Trying to be disciplined and holding out a little longer for a splurge meal of pizza. I think this week might be the week! Snacks I always have siggis or chobani yogurt. I rotate between plain and flavored. Normally flavored is off limits but..well...pregnancy. Anyway I have a ton of nuts, bars, and am eating a lot of berries and green apples as other snack examples.

Swimming will start to become a savior for me over the latter part of the second trimester and as temperatures increase and I get bigger. I know I'm able to keep some extra water retention to a minimum by getting in the water 2-3 times a week. I'll be doing a post on the benefits of water exercise- pregnant or not--so stay tuned! 

Here's the last two weeks of my workouts and weeklys :

17 weeks: 

How have you been feeling? Great. Very tired by the end of the day though. 9 pm is like ...11 pm. 
Do you have morning sickness? No
Do you have any cravings? None other than what I would NORMALLY have haha. Pizza anyone?
Do you have any food aversions? No new ones
Weight gain so far? Up 12 pounds
Any mood swings? Other than being grumpy when tired..no
Sleep: Has been good this week
Stretch marks: no
Clothing: Is so limiting. Just ordered a bunch of basics from gap maternity and grabbed a pair of Target workout maternity capris that I wear for coaching. They are decent and were only $30. the challenge I'm finding is the timing difference between when I was pregnant with M--total opposite seasons. :( 
Rings: ON
Movement: none yet
Starting to show? Totally
Boy or girl:Its a boy!
 

Sunday: Off
Monday:3 miles. No time listed. I think it was around 8:30 splits
Tuesday: Morning run: 7:44, 7:56, 8:10. FELT AWESOME...last mile was tough due to the hill and I can't push myself up that but will hold that run dear to my heart. haha. It may be the last one for awhile. In the afternoon I hit up the gym for a lower lift. 
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Soccer workout 50 mins, and one mile at 7:45
Friday: 45 min aqua jog in water
Saturday: 6 400's at the track in some great weather! 94, 93, 95, 95, 97, 96 with 2:30 min recovery

18 weeks: 

How have you been feeling? Pretty tiring week but its been a good one. Happy to be home last night before 7 pm! 
Do you have morning sickness? No
Do you have any cravings? Nope
Do you have any food aversions? Not any more than the ones listed
Weight gain so far? +15 pounds {I think half of that is in my chest the last 3 weeks}
Any mood swings? No
Sleep: 2 nights of horrible sleep the last week. I need to wash the cover of my pregnancy pillow this weekend. I've had a couple nights on the couch this week. 
Stretch marks: no
Clothing: We had a random day of 80 degrees and I realized I have no shorts. I will clearly try to avoid wearing them at all costs but I do need to look into one pair of maternity shorts in emergency situations when dresses/leggings/jeans are not an option. Ha. 
Rings: ON
Movement: none yet-they said I have an anterior placenta so might be awhile til I feel this guy using me a punching bag..or soccer ball! 
Starting to show? Yes..this belly button is so visible in clothing as well. Sigh. 
Boy or girl: Its a boy!
Random thought of the week: thinking about the things I miss...like runny poached eggs, spark on a consistent basis {hello, caffeine}, maybe a glass of wine, sleeping on my stomach, clothes that fit, and oh not having cellulite! 

Sunday: off
Monday: 40 min swim
Tuesday: 3 miles 8:10, 8:06, 8:14
Wednesday: Lower Lift
Thursday: Soccer workout: 45 mins, upper lift
Friday: Soccer workout, 50 mins
Saturday: lower lift

Until next time..

XO

Alex