Friday Free For All

Happy weekend everyone! Hope you all have had a great (short) week. The tough thing about the 4 day weeks is everything is crammed into the 4 days and I always feel like I'm trying to play catch up! Anyone else? 

Labor Day

Labor Day was super low key for us..spent some quiet time with the boys and got some things done around the house like organizing my desk area and attic storage. I had a bit of coaching on sunday so that took up most of my morning. The weather here was a little bit of a buzz kill but we try to spend as much time outside with the boys unless it is pouring rain while we can before the weather turns!

                                           Participants at the Hurricane Harvey Soccer Pick up Fundraiser!

Hurricane Harvey Fundraiser

Seeing all of the people affected by Hurricane Harvey has just absolutely broken my heart. Seeing lives lost, families lose everything and not have a home is so hard to see. Having a family myself, its devastating thinking of other moms out there struggling to keep it all together for their families and in need of simple things like food, water, shelter, diapers, etc.

I kept thinking to myself..there has to be something that we can do to help to show our support and had an idea about bringing together the community for a night of soccer where the proceeds of the "games" would go directly to Houston. I enlisted our Director of Coaching, Rob Ferguson, who set up an incredible "pick up soccer" event where youth players came and donated some money to play pick up. Any player, any club, come one, come all. We put this event together in basically 5-6 days. (Bravo, Rob)

The support was overwhelming with so many young players coming to participate, as well as volunteers coming to help in every way possible. Canisius and Buff State sent players from their collegiate programs to support and hang out with the kids. Sahlen's (obviously) donated hot dogs available for purchase and proceeds also went to the cause. The event was incredible- I can't tell you how amazing the vibe and atmosphere was. THANK YOU to everyone that attended and donated! As of now, we have raised over $4,000 for the Hurricane Relief efforts. The WNY Soccer community sure did rise up to the occasion and a big pat on the back to all of the WNY Flash Academy and Sahlen Sports Park staff that helped us make the event a reality. Our thoughts are with everyone in Irma's path and we are praying for all of you down south! 

My go-to night snack

I don't know about you guys, but whenever the cooler temperatures roll around, I CRAVE COMFORT FOOD (and sugar). 11 months postpartum and I'm still trying to lose those last dang 5 lbs :P #thestruggle

Its been about 2 weeks since I've had the self control to stop having my bowl (or two lol) of nightly granola. I love granola and although there are certainly WORSE things I could be eating, the portion size that I have been eating is basically for two people, lol, and the sugar content in that is just....yeah. not ideal. My replacement? some Quest Peanut Butter Protein Powder mixed with Chobani plain greek yogurt.

I find that its sweet enough (the peanut butter flavor), and filling enough with the protein content of the yogurt as well as a 1/2 scoop of the powder. Its low sugar, and lower carb. If you like peanut butter, I definitely recommend trying it! I also have done this with different flavors of protein powder (vanilla) and it was pretty good. This gives you FLAVOR without the added sugar content of the flavored greek yogurts! 

Have a great weekend everyone! 

xo

Alex

Friday Free For All

Hey everyone! Wow..its friday and its SEPTEMBER. Bring on the cardigans, booties, chunky sweaters, and thick socks. I swear that every month I'm like "omg, I can't believe it's already ___" And this month is no exception. How is it almost FALL already? It's somehow shocking to me (still lol) how fast time can go.
 

                                                            Hellooooo September!!!

Last year at this time I was just flat out scared. totally. absolutely. scared. I had no idea what was coming my way with adding little Seb into our family. I'm really looking forward to this fall. The hardest days are in the past (well at least in terms of sheer exhaustion and lack of sleep), and I'm looking forward to embracing the routine of school starting the week of the 11th for Max. He'll start going 3 mornings a week and while I love my time with him, I know how important it is for him to feel comfortable away from his "safe place" at home. He's definitely a shy boy and is super attached so getting out in a school and socialization environment is great for him. Also, I'm going to embrace having mornings on my own to spend some time with my almost one year old ...(tear). 

Easy Breakfast

With the 1st day of school quickly approaching next week after labor day for kids in our area, I thought I would share one of my go-to quick but healthy breakfasts. This is an awesome one for hectic mornings especially the first few weeks of school when everyone is still adjusting to a routine. All you need is any kind of bread that you (or your child likes), a cup, and an egg! To make the "gas-house egg," grab your bread and a small cup (Your kids cups are perfect- you don't want the hole too large). Press down into the bread making a circular indent enough to take the indent out of the bread. Next, place the bread on the pan. Crack the egg in the open, circular area and cook to desired liking and flip. I also place the small circular piece in the pan so it gets a little toasted. My boys like it when I add jam to the toast when its finished cooking, but you can add whatever you want (peanut butter, butter) or nothing at all if you like a nice runny egg to dip your toasted egg in! There's something about the way this tastes cooked inside the bread that is just super tasty! Protein & carbs to keep you and your little ones going all morning, all in one shot! 

                                                                  The final product!!!

Bobs Double Stroller

If you follow me on instagram, you probably have seen my post on the Bobs double stroller. I have had the Bob single running stroller ever since Max was 9 or 10 months old and have loved it. Ever since Seb was "of age" to take a run, I've been eyeing the double stroller but the price always stopped me in my tracks. I thought that someone, SOMEWHERE would be wanting to offload theirs and I could get a used one? Please? Someone? .....Anyway weeks turned into months and I honestly could not find a used one for under $300 or $350 which I thought was completely outrageous. Fast forward to last week. I'm just done. Done having to rely on other people to get my cardio in and at this point in time, a lot of the time I'm still up once a night, so waking up at 5 am to run just isn't going to happen. The Double runner was my answer. 
 

SO.  I went to buy buy baby over the weekend to "test" the double out. I was honestly worried that maybe it would be too tough to push with the two boys in it? Anyway, I went to the store with the mindset that I would just have a look at it and keep waiting for A. a huge sale or B. a used one, if I liked how it moved.
 

                                Testing the BOB Double stroller out in store. They look thrilled! Ha!

I LOVED HOW IT MOVED, guys. So I'm sure you can finish the story for me. I BOUGHT IT. But- the catch is I got it for 15% off PLUS another 20% off.. #WINNING. Best thing I ever did. I am such a big proponent of online shopping but sometimes it sure does pay to go to actual stores. 

I would definitely recommend the stroller to anyone who runs consistently during the week and has two little ones. It glides and is super easy to run with. I was pleasantly suprised that my splits weren't much different than with the single! And yeah, when anyone asks me about my stroller I'll definitely be bragging not only about my mileage, but how cheap I got it for :) 

Hope you all have an amazing labor day weekend :) 

xo

Alex

My review on: Ollie Gray Breastfeeding/Pumping Bra

In honor of World Breastfeeding week, I thought I would share with you one of my favorite, favorite bras that just came out a few months ago! Breastfeeding has been an incredible {and hard} but rewarding experience for my two boys and I! Please note that I am just trying to HELP other mama's who breastfeed and this is nothing against mother's that don't! Everyone is different and you have to do what is right for  you and your families! :) This bra has made my life a TON easier as a working mom and I just want to share my experience! 

Entering the world of breastfeeding and pumping can be overwhelming to say the least. You honestly never knew you could need so many accessories for something that everyone claims is "natural." 

I realized VERY quickly that it is tough to find good breastfeeding accessories- especially bras that have good support and aren't ones that your granny would wear!! Its amazing to me that up until this point, nobody had come up with a supportive bra that you could wear for pumping AND nursing. I swear that I must've ordered 5-8 bras {some serious trial and error} but none of them were ever supportive enough for my nursing chest! I ended up finding the bravado nursing bra on diapers.com. It was the most comfortable, supportive and un granny like bra that I could find. But I definitely didn't LOVE how it looked. I'm always coaching and being active and it just didn't feel super natural to wear a “regular bra" while running around. Also, whenever I needed to pump I would have to put a hands free bra on over it {I've always used the Lansinoh pink strapless one-the others were never tight enough and fell down}. It was just an unnecessary step and made pumping when you didn't have a lot of time (or privacy) difficult. I’ve never been the type to just wear a normal bra while breastfeeding and lift it up so my baby can eat- I just don't think its functional especially when you’re nursing 8-10 times a day for up to 6 months {and still up to 5 times a day still at 10 months old!} so I always liked to have nursing bras. 

As I was nearing the end of my second pregnancy I had accepted that I would be using the bras that I had used with Max's nursing. One day I saw on instagram a bra that was about to be released and it was created by a woman who used to design for lululemon {this got my attention right away}. I'm always game for some LULU! The bra could be used for pumping and nursing, AND was cute. I pre- ordered right away and honestly prayed that it would have enough support. When Seb was 7 months old, I finally got my bras! And omg, guys. I don't wear anything else! 

                                                               How cute is this packaging??

Functionality: 

I can 100 % nurse AND pump with this bra. All I have to do is easily slide the flasks in the bra and power on! YAS. Pumping in the car now becomes so. much. easier. If I’m traveling and wearing a looser/flowy top or dress, I can pump wherever. Nobody can even tell what I’m doing. It comes with a white cover which is also really great for those semi-public pumping sessions or car rides. It could also be used as a nursing cover in public. I haven’t generally nursed a lot in public, and when I do I don’t use a cover. I usually wear clothing that doesn’t reveal a lot and I want my baby to be comfortable, not stifled under some wrap. But if you did use a cover, this would be a great one to use. Thin, breathable and easy to get on and off. 

My only criticism of the functionality of the bra would be that there aren't two straps so when you go to nurse, sometimes the strap falls down and you're searching for them on your back as they've fallen down.  Especially when babies get more mobile as they're older, finding the strap when you're juggling the baby is kind of annoying! They did say that they were working on that for their next model though!

Support

The support I would rate is very good. I definitely would not go for a run or do anything super active in this bra, but it gives me (32dd) enough support if I'm going for a walk, coaching, or chasing the littles around.

Style/Comfort

So comfortable. The material is really breathable and I find that if I forget to wear nursing pads {{the bra obviously still gets wet }} it holds the moisture so much better than a regular bra. Same thing goes for sweat! Really easy to wash and dry and of course there's no wires which is ideal for breastfeeding. Style wise it comes in your basic neutral colors (black, white, nude) and a couple of fun patterns so they cover all of your bases! 

All in all, this is the bra to get if you are starting your nursing journey or you are still searching for a great nursing bra and you pump as well. Their price point is pretty competitive (around $60) to what you would pay for any other decent nursing bra. Trust me, it is worth the $. Love this bra and company!  Thank you Ollie grays! #lifesaver.

To purchase: www.olliegraybras.com

Nurse on mamas! xo

Alex

9 Month Sebby

9 month Sebby

Wait…what.. Baby boy has been outside of my belly as long as he’s been in. Those first few weeks seem so hard, so long…but it really does go by fast! 9 months has brought us even more glimmers of his personality and lots of movement. Seb can walk with help and its honestly just a struggle to go anywhere. He hates being constricted to anything..whether its the car seat, pack and play, and even protests unless the stroller is moving! The toughest part to manage is when his brother wants to play outside and he is just crawling around and eating grass and getting into everything! 

He has developed quite the goofy personality and is always laughing. The antics that he already does at 9 months is making me nervous for when he is a full blown toddler boy! He rocks himself in the high chair to the point I think he’s going to be concussed, grabs my face while nursing, laughs at my sunglasses and grabs them off my head, and climbs on me and pulls my hair! He is a handful. He has started to protest with a clench of the fist and a moan/growl when he doesn't want to do something..its hilarious. 

Sleep

Ugh. The never ending topic. Sleep. At 9 months I basically sleep trained my first, so in the back of mind this was slightly haunting me. I hate, hate, hate sleep training. I honestly laugh when people talk about potty training. Sleep training is far worse. Listening to my baby scream for extended periods of time is seriously torture. I realized that whenever Seb puts himself completely asleep, he sleeps so much better- ie. only wakes up once. So last week I started to put him down while awake (rather than the “fall asleep at the boob and transfer him into the crib after he’s pretty much asleep!), and let him figure it out. We had 60 minutes of full crying (obviously with checkins periodically). I swear it took every ounce of me to not pick him up. I honestly was coaching myself “you can do this. you are an adult. he is a baby. he is just resisting change.” Sure enough, after the 60 minutes of crying, I didn’t hear from him until 3 am, and then I nursed him, and he went back to sleep until 6:45 am. Success! Each night the crying decreased and he now can (most nights) put himself to sleep. He is still inconsistent with his wakings but at least we are getting the once a night wakings more often. For example, this week he woke once a night wednesday and thursday, and last night was up twice. I'm hopeful that he will slowly drop feedings like his brother by the time he is 1 so I don't have to actively pursue night weaning! Any tips/suggestions welcome :) 

Breastfeeding/Food

It’s funny because even though not much time has passed since I had Max in these exact stages, I feel like I don’t remember some of it! Take for instance..starting real food. I don’t remember this being a “thing”. In my mind, Max just somehow already knew how to eat and chew. Of course, that can’t be possible but I seriously don’t even remember it. {this could also be because M had about 8-10 teeth at 9 months where S only has 6} Anyway, the last couple of weeks we have been trying to get Seb to eat some different “first foods” where he has to actually chew. First attempt was cheerios, which I used with Max. This was a no go. Clearly had NO IDEA what to do and it made me way too nervous having the cheerio sit in his mouth. Next tried mashed bananas…they became too mushy and he wasn’t able to pick them up. I had a few people suggest Puffs. I generally try to stay away from stuff like this, but honestly its been a god send with Seb! It crunches so he knows to bite, but it basically disintegrates in their mouth if they don’t necessarily chew the whole thing. He is doing so much better now and soon I think he’ll be ready for cheerios and maybe some soft bread. Phew! 

My love/hate relationship continues with breastfeeding. I love nursing, I really do. But I can’t WAIT to have my own body back. I try and pause a second and just take it all in every time when I’m nursing because I am never going to know when will be the last time. I hope that he weans himself similar to what my oldest did because I don’t want to have to make the decision for him! Pretty soon he’ll only be nursing 2-3 times a day so holding on to the moments because I know they’re going to fly by! 

Brother

I’ve heard from everyone that having two so close in age is hard but totally worth it for so many different reasons. I’m still waiting for the “worth it” phase to come! Between the “hugs” (which sometimes resemble tackling), toy taking, and bandwagon screaming…I think I might go craxy. Like I said…still waiting. Current occupation is referee and hoping it ends soon! 

Play

Seb loves free play (where he can just roam) and toys where he can completely stand up. He is really loving his jumper-roo or his walker at the moment. Its crazy how they go in phases! He starts jumping before I even put him in the jumper-roo where 2 months ago he would cry!! 

Likes

-Balls-chases them all over the house! 
-Bouncing
-eating
-swimming
-bath time
-standing
-any toy that he can’t have
-talking
-being outside 

Dislikes
-pack and play
-face being wiped

Until next month...

xo 

Alex

8 Month sebby

You know that awesome phase that babies go through where they can sit up, but they can't really move? Yeah, I am totally out of that phase already. It lasted about 2 weeks. Sigh.

Summer is officially here and every day my baby takes one step closer to becoming a toddler. Sunday morning he was babblng "ma-ma" and later on that day he put his arms through his shirt on his own. I swear I died a little inside. Don't get me wrong, I love when they can become more independent..its just a catch 22. You want them to be babies..but you don't at the same time! ha! 

Things are starting to get crazier and crazier at our house now that Seb is moving and grooving! Between him and his brother I feel like its complete chaos...all day.

Sleep

Well. Sleep has definitely improved but I guess it really coulden't have gotten much worse than it was? For about a two week period my main man was sleeping until about 2 or 3 am, nursing, and then back to bed until 6:30. #heaven ....Then came along 4 TEETH ALL AT ONCE #help. So now we are back to waking 2 times a night. Hopefully once the eye teeth cash in we'll get back to the once a night waking...

Breastfeeding

Not much to report here other than a few fun clogged ducts and milk blisters over the last 6 weeks. With Max I was lucky enough to only have 1 clogged duct but with Seb I've had two so far and one milk blister. NO BUENO. I'm not sure if it's due to just adjusting to less feedings but luckily they have seemed to stop! I have about 400 ounces of frozen milk and I've started to use that for his cereal and on the days I bring home 1-3 oz less than what he drinks. I don't want to add an extra pump in while at work because that would give me a major oversupply. I'm Ok tapping into that frozen stash a couple of times a week especially as we start to introduce more solid food. Hey, thats what its there for, right? 

Brother

Not much new to report here. Sebby continues to impress me with his toughness around his brother! Max is still like Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde with his baby brother and I'm not sure its going to change anytime soon! They are already entertaining each other and egging each other on. Shocking enough Max has actually fed more off of what Seb is doing...whether he's rocking violently in his high chair (see: my instagram stories. Max thinks its hilarious which only makes Max laugh harder and do it too), or crying (Max will start screaming to make the situation louder and clearly more obnoxious)...I know I am going to need a lot of wine and caffeine in my near future! 

Play

Seb loves to roam. He's crawling everywhere and getting into everything! I've tried the pack and play but honestly the screams sounds like I am seriously torturing him when I dare place him in there. He hates to be constricted. Which is super AWESOME. I Psych. I swear he thinks he owns me. I need eyes in the back of my head!!!

He can pull himself to a standing position and takes steps holding our hands. I have a feeling this guy will be walking by the end of July which is a good and a bad thing I guess! 

Favorite toys include the fisher price car, fisher price house, and anything that he can press and it makes noise!

Likes: 
-Being held
-Walks
-his brother
-balls (he will chase them all over the house)
-making funny noises with his mouth
-swimming and bath time

Dislikes:

-the pack and play
-face being wiped
-when his brother takes his toy
-any sort of hygiene check: teeth, fingernails, toenails, ears...typical BOY! LOL
 

Have a great weekend 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

Thursday Thoughts 6/1/17

Hi everyone! Happy June! Hope you are all having an awesome {{shortened}} week! YASS to 4 day weeks! :) I had a quiet memorial day as my oldest was away with my parents at the races and hubby was away coaching. Let's talk about how EASY one kid is! I feel like I got so much done! Laundry, organizing, cleaning, down time and even some quiet time. 

I took Sebby to the grocery store, {{and because for once in my life I wasn't in a complete rush}} ALSO...sans car seat! Things will now be 83984542 times easier {and lighter} without lugging a car seat into said store. YASSSS. I grabbed some new items at the store...and I'm obsessed. First things first- the HERO bar. Literally tastes LIKE a candy bar. But isnt! Definitely try out Quest's newest amazing invention. 

Next...my husband is obsessed with ThinkThin's flavored oatmeal. I can't break away from my plain quaker oats with Peanut butter mixed in, but he SWEARS by the flavors he has tried. I guess it changes things up for him. Anyway, I was browsing at Wegmans and found ThinkThin Unwrapped Protein Bites (I chose peanut butter flavor of course). I decided to try them out. These are *awesome* when you need a quick snack..with only 170 cals, 22 g carbs for 8 pieces and 10 grams protein you can't go wrong!

Lastly. I cannot believe it has taken me so long to try Halo Top. Guys. This was so so good. I have been eating Arctic Zero the last 2 years, I can honestly say that the texture of Halo Top tastes so much more like ice cream than Arctic Zero. I snagged the vanilla and mixed it with..yes..of course PB. With only 240 cals for the entire pint..makes you feel a little less guilty for treating yourself! 

                                                                        Halo Top...definitely going to try this flavor! 

Hope everyone has an awesome weekend...xo

Alex

Seven Month Sebby

Seven Month Sebby

Another month has passed and we officially have a mover! Sebby is rolling, scooting, and trying to stand up on his own. This has also on several occasions given me a heart attack with Max's small toys laying all over the place. I've set up the pack and play and luckily he tolerates it from time to time! Sebby remains a pretty happy, good natured baby.... most of the time.

Sleep

The positives: we have MASTERED THE NAP SLEEPING IN THE CRIB. The negative: he's still up 3 times a night. Ugh. the struggle. Sebby KNOWS how to self soothe and put himself to sleep, but a lot of the time he just wants to nurse. Usually he is up around 10 or 11 pm, 2 am and 5-6 am. On a good night he wakes at 2 am and again at 5/6 am after falling asleep around 7 pm. At some point I'll put the foot down (with his brother it was 9 months)..so until then I'm trying to embrace the late night snuggles. 

Breastfeeding

Baby boy is still loving his milk..2-3 times /night and another 5-6 times a day. I have a feeling he will not be self-weaning like his brother..Pumping has become a lot less frequent during the day which is fantastic. My ollie grays bra is seriously a life saver. I feel like I'm running from meetings, to workouts, to training sessions so pumping on the go is pretty frequent for me! I find myself pumping in the car (hands free of course with my ollie grays) so much more than I did with Max!. The ollie gray's bra is an all in one-breastfeeding & pumping- no need for an additional bra to hold your pump flasks in place. Its crazy to me that the little guy will slowly be eliminating his nursing sessions..it seems like you nurse for forever and then one day its all over. I'm trying to really enjoy it knowing how much I missed it when Max weaned just randomly one day...lol. Talk about emotional...I swear it took me a few weeks to get over it. I was so hormonal and legit cried for a few days. It is such a big part of your relationship I got to the point where I was like "How am I going to move forward without nursing Max? How will I put him to sleep." Crazy how I had those thoughts as we moved on without a beat. Regardless there is something special about nursing and I'm trying to enjoy it for as long as I can (even with the crazy pumping in the car, nursing bra, leaking {{yes this is still happening 7 months PP omg}}, huge boobs and being restricted with what I can/can't do for weight loss). 

Brother

Max so loves his younger brother. He talks about him all the time and constantly says "Sebby come?" wherever we're going in no matter where it is! Despite this brotherly love, I still can't leave them in the room together alone and every now and again Max spends a few minutes in time out for a quick pinch or swat of his brother. We're working on it! As I write this Max tried to throw a shoe at Seb..HELP PLEASE. lol. Let me know if any of you have tips for the #BIGBROTHERSYNDROME! 

Play

Sebby has moved on from the mat to enjoying ANY sort of walker. He loves to be upright. He still spends a little time in the jumper but he will be growing out of that very very soon!!

Likes: 

-People
-Chewing on everything and anything
-Nursing
-pureed foods
-Standing
-Going for walks
-Bath time as a big boy in the tub
-Swimming lessons

Dislikes:

-Waiting for any type of food #impatient
-Being left alone
-Having his face wiped

 

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

Our New Normal: 4 Months

Family of four. 4.5 Months. 19 weeks. 

Our New Normal.

Now that we've become a family of four, its almost like its always been this way. Those initial first {{really}} tough days are in the past and we've settled into somewhat of a routine. And yeah. Its gotten easier. Definitely not EASY. But easier. Some days I totally feel like I've got it all together. And then I have days like today where I'm trying to nurse the baby to sleep upstairs and my toddler is screaming {{literally hyperventilating}} in his playroom downstairs to let him out. 

I swear that I don't even blink an eye now thinking about packing both kids up to go somewhere, and I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that there is no down time with 2. When one is napping, the other one is ready to party! But I woulden't change it for anything. 

                                                                                                At Sebastian's Christening last month

Now that I'm a real veteran with multiple kids (haha JOKE) here's 7 things I've learned {fast} as a mommy of 2: 

1. Multi tasking: As women, we are conditioned to multi task. We do it at work, at home, and I swear even in our sleep! I always considered myself pretty good in that department. Then, baby 2 came along. I learned pretty quickly that I had to step up my game or I literally would not survive! Things like Breastfeeding while cutting up my toddlers lunch and doing squats while the baby is in the carrier have become the new normal. 

2. Divide and Conquer: I can't stress this enough. I think back to having just one baby and how if one of us had Max, the other was free. To do ...whatever. the. hell. they. wanted! Wow..those were the days. Now we're man to man. And having one seems SO EASY you guys. Life is so much easier when you're only dealing with one little persons needs. Your statistics for a meltdown are cut in half so your outing is already going to be more successful! Even at home, knowing that my husband is playing with Max while I'm putting the baby down for a nap makes so much of a difference. So. Divide and conquer my friends (when you can). 

3. Lower your expectations: This honestly goes for everything in your life. I know for a FACT I have become less productive due to the sheer fact that I never sleep. On top of that I have two little peoples needs that I am constantly juggling. Lower your expectations. Shit like dishes, laundry etc. can wait. I know its hard, but when you're on your own sometimes it just needs to wait until one of them is down for the count catching some ZZ's. Life will get easier ....soon. 

4. Get out: I know how much energy it is to plan to get out with multiple kids. You're juggling eating and napping schedules and spit up and poop and potty training and everything else that kids do and are. Without either one having a complete meltdown or the older one seriously injuring the other when  my back is turned..but just GET OUT. I always find when I make the trip out its just better. Yeah, the baby is a handful sometimes and do I love nursing in public? NO. BUT THE KIDS GOTTA EAT, people. Max is so much happier when stimulated so if I can even take them for a run around the {{smaller}} mall, or even Barnes and Noble for an hour I do. A happy toddler = a happy mom. And lets be honest as long as there's milk and my arms, the baby is pretty happy. 

5. Just say NO: I know this may sound like a contradiction (see #4), but sometimes you just have to say NO. I went through a period {{a very dark period lol}} where both of my kids were sick {{read: no one was sleeping, least of all me between the two of them}} and I had to bail on two social events with BFFs within a 3 day time period. Yeah, that was a drag. I was working on about 3-4 hours of broken sleep, a full working schedule, 2 sick kids, and being sick myself. The guilt train was in full effect. I miss my friends. And sometimes IT ISNT FAIR but thats life with kids and it won't always be this way. Sometimes, you have to say no and look after yourself. A majority of the time they will totally get it. They've been there. And if they don't get it, why are you friends?!!! Cut yourself a break and just go to bed. There will be time to catch up with friends. Just not when you're sick. And your kids are sick. 4 months after giving birth. 

6. Bribery: Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. When I'm on my own 2-3 times a week for bedtime and I don't want to hear my toddler screaming for me in our playroom when I'm nursing/putting the baby to bed, he gets to use my computer. Or gets to use the washable bath crayons in the tub IF HE's GOOD and waits patiently. Yeah, it sucks when I have to clean the washable crayon when he's in bed and in essence its making more work for me, but I get 10 mins of {{sweet, sweet }} silence putting my baby to sleep and we are all happier for it. 

7. Crying is ok sometimes: At the end of the day, I'm only one person and I can only do so much multi-tasking. And I'm doing my best. As long as they are both healthy, safe, warm, and fed, its ok that I can't get to them right. this. second. They'll survive. And not only will they survive, they'll also slowly over time learn the important lesson that the world doesn't revolve around them. 

4 months down,  a lifetime of learning to go. 

xo

Alex

On the Clock: 2 Months Postpartum

On. the. clock. 

If I could sum up my life right now, it would be with those three words. Now that we have settled into somewhat of a routine and the recovery/getting to know your baby period is over, that is totally how I feel. Everything is a rush. Everything. I am either rushing to get to work because I waited to feed the baby, rushing to get home to feed the baby, or rushing after a meeting or training session to do every mom's favorite: pumping! {{note the sarcasm, please}}. Pumping in the car, pumping at work, pump, pump, pump! Its funny how easily you forget these days once you are finished having a newborn and breastfeeding! But I do know how fast it goes so I'm trying to embrace the chaos. 

Mentally I feel like I am in SO much of a better state than one month ago. I was so on the struggle bus wondering what the hell I had done to my life! You know its going to get better, but in the moment, those days seem so far away. Sleep helps. Healed incisions helps. Regaining human adult contact helps. BEING ACTIVE HELPS a gazillion times. Spaced out feedings helps. Baby's maturing helps. God is so good. 

Seb has settled into a GREAT sleeping pattern {{hopefully this doesn't jinx it}}...the last week or two he has given me a 5-7 hour stretch of sleep. Most of the time after the big stretch he is up every 90 mins or hour, which is tough, but I'm trying to be grateful for the long stretch. Two out of the last three nights he gave me 5-6 and then another 3! Amazing!

 I can attribute this to pure luck after my first {{devil child}} was up every 2-3 hours until he was 9 months and I have changed nothing about my approach. I swear.  The last two nights I have even been able to put him down after nursing him when he is awake and he actually put. himself. to. sleep. YOU GUYS. I swear that someone is going to jump out of the closet, and yell PUNKED! and Seb will start screaming ha.  I am praying that all this continues. 

Sebby is a super smiley and happy baby. After that first 6 weeks he has settled in and is pretty content most of the time unless he needs to eat. Yeah, lets talk about that. Little man can down 7-9 oz of breastmilk when fed the bottle! Outrageous! He clocked in wednesday at his 2 month check up at 15 lb 14 oz and 25.5 inches. I know Max was a big boy and in the 90th > percentile when he was a baby and it all seemed to even out when he got older so I would assume this guy will be the same!

Sebby's favorite things to do right now are nurse {{obviously}}, sit in his bouncy seat (which Max hated and I wondered why we bought it back then!), and play on his mat.

Max is a great big brother, but I am sure as you mommas know, you just cannot leave them in a room together. I'd be back to a family of three. ha. This time of year brings so much more meaning now that Max is starting to understand everything: Jesus, God, the manger, snow, santa, stockings, etc. Our trip to see Santa was absolutely traumatic. The second time we went we brought Sebby and he was a lot more calm which was great. I'm totally excited to see his face Christmas morning. 

The best part of the last two weeks would have to be my recovery. My incision healed up so much faster this time around after it opened up. It only took 2 weeks of steri strips and laying low. At 8 weeks and 4 days I was able to start some cardio on the elliptical and a few days later I hit up some accessory work in the gym.  It felt so dang good! On top of that, I started the Advocare 24 Day Challenge on Dec 1st so I'm excited to have a plan and feel accountable to something bigger than myself. Two friends are also doing it with me so its an awesome support system. Because I'm nursing there are only certain supplements I can take so I am on a modified version (approved by my dr, of course). One of the best parts of the challenge is there isn't strict portion control. If you're eating the right things and moving--you will see results which is especially great for nursing mothers.  My personal approach is different this time around --I want to lose weight of course, but not at the cost of providing nutrition to my baby. I'm definitely eating a little more carbs than a year ago due to the demands of nursing and the importance of providing that for my baby. Happily I can report that I haven't seen a drop at all in my milk supply. I know my results may not be as dramatic as if I wasn't nursing but at the end of the day I have the rest of my life to get super lean, and I am lucky enough to have a. enough milk b. a good support system c. flexible work conditions to enable me to pump. SO...this is a gift I can give to my boy that will pay dividends for years to come.

Regardless, I am such a type A and goal oriented person that I can't wait to weigh in and do some measurements on Day 10! I'll be posting some meals and my progress throughout the next 2 weeks. Until then my goal is to get strength training 4 times a week (4 hours) and 3-4 days of cardio (20 mins each day for a max of 90 minutes). 5 hours a week. There's 168 hours in a week. Gotta Find a way to fit it in! 

Have a great weekend everyone! 

xo Alex

PS..I am obviously a big advocate of breastfeeding after nursing Max, but have tons of family/friends that formula fed for many reasons and I totally respect all of those reasons. I know how hard breastfeeding can be and as long as mommy and baby are happy..its all good :) 

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

A 'lighter' lasagna

Now that the cooler weather is finally upon us, I thought I would share one of my favorite comfort foods --with a healthy twist of course! What I love about this dish is it can be cooked in the crockpot, or in the oven. 

I never used to even eat lasagna. It always turned me off because I absolutely cannot stand ricotta cheese. But when my mother in law made this for me and ricotta was not in the recipe, I fell in love and its become one of Max's favorite meals. I usually swap out turkey for beef, and whole wheat pre cooked lasagna noodles to make it a little bit lighter. I add tons of veggies as you will see below. 

                                                               Pan frying the veggies 

Ingredients: 

Meat sauce:
1 lb ground turkey (or beef)
1/2 chopped onion
2 cloves garlic (optional)
1 red & 1 green pepper chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
mushrooms
Sliced Carrots
1.5 jar of any red sauce of your choice- or homemade if you choose
Olive Oil
Salt, pepper, italian seasonings to taste

                                             White sauce and the no-boil lasagna sheets I use

White Sauce: 

300 ml milk
2 tablespoons flour (I use Arrowhead mills organic unbleached white flour)
1 cup- 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
Pre baked lasagna noodles (I choose whole wheat DeLallo in the organic section)
Shredded Mozzarella cheese to garnish (for top)

                                                               Red sauce...complete!!

Directions: 
Chop all of the vegetables, onion, and garlic. Cook in pan with olive oil on medium for 5-7 minutes. Add meat. Cook thoroughly and add salt, pepper and italian seasonings. Add jar of sauce and set aside. In a pot, heat milk and flour and whisk. Add cheese and stir until melted. You can always adjust amounts if you feel as though the sauce is not thick enough/too thick. Grease pan or crockpot with olive oil. Place pre baked noodles as bottom layer. Put meat sauce on noodles as second layer, then add white sauce. Repeat until you have no more meat/white sauce. I usually finish it with one layer of the noodles, with extra sauce on the top and garnish with motzerella cheese.  Bake for 45 mins in the oven, or 4-6 hours on medium/low in the crock pot and you have your light lasagna ready to go! 

                                                                  Layer by Layer...

I feel as though you can add a ton of veggies to this meal other than the ones I have listed including spinach. I have actually also pre made the meat and veggie mixture and frozen it for when the baby comes so all I have to do is defrost, throw a can of sauce in it, and make the white sauce which literally takes 3 minutes! Amazing! 

                                    Comfort food at its finest with only a little bit of guilt!

Enjoy everyone
xo

Alex

36 weeks..

Happy Saturday everyone...!! 

Oh boy..36 week update. So much to do, so little time..! The last 4 weeks have really been a whirlwind trying to get the house, nursery, work, and let's be honest..MYSELF ready. Ha! 

Here's a few updates:

Safety first: 

I swear that we are cursed when it comes to vacations! We were supposed to head to Florida at the end of July/early August and literally the day or two before we were set to leave news came out of Florida that local ZIKA transmissions had been found in Miami dating back all the way to June. For us, there was no risking heading down there. How did they know that it hadn't moved up the coast? Big gamble. Unfortunately, as you can imagine, flights were crazy expensive to change the trip to go anywhere else, so we ended up driving up to Toronto for a few days and had some down time up there. It was a nice time, but it was no Florida! 

Labor/Delivery Decisions:

After my 32/33 week appointment and speaking with the Dr., doing some thinking, research, and also speaking with my doula from my first pregnancy I've decided to do a scheduled C-section. The closer I have gotten to the end of this pregnancy the more I started to get cold feet about a VBAC. I know that there are so many successful VBACs out there but a number of things concerned me: the time between births (only 2 years, higher risk), my failure to dilate after 20 hours last pregnancy, and issues I've already had with my incision with my last pregnancy. Of course all of this plays into my thought process in the risk of a uterine rupture where the baby could potentially die or have serious birth defects. I would love more than anything to give birth vaginally or naturally but sometimes life just doesn't work that way. I'm definitely not looking forward to the recovery or the surgery but I just have to remind myself its just temporary. At the end of the day I would never forgive myself if something ended up happening to my little man {{even if the chances are small}}. I'm scheduling in for the first week of October so a little bit less than 3 weeks to go!! 

Nursery:

FINALLY the closet and the room are DONE. Let me tell you how horrible the closet was before we gutted it. I guess for those of you that know old houses or have old houses can relate!! Crib, mattress, Bookshelf, changing table/dresser, and night stand are all in. I went with white from Pottery Barn while they had their "Friends and Family" promotion in July so that was bomb...saved over $700. I also ordered the rocking chair during friends and family and that will be delivered this upcoming week. I'm really excited to share the nursery with you guys in the next week or two! It's really starting to come together. I feel like everything else I have already with regard to baby gear- car seats, rock and play, bassinete, and the LIFE SAVING swing that Max used for a whole year we already have. Once the rocker comes I'll feel a lot better about where I'm at. I've organized all of Max's old clothes. Unfortunately the seasons will be a little bit off (June vs October) but I'm sure I'll be able to use some of the same onesies and just have stocked up on more pants/long sleeves for Baby 2. 

Workouts:

Still hitting the streets 2-3 times a week with running. Some days are better than others and some days I get out there and have to try again later in the day or the next day due to pelvic pressure or pressure on the bladder {{the worst}}! Definitely slowed down substantially over the last 4 weeks but the most important thing is I'm moving, sweating, and have more energy after I work out afterwards!. Swimming was so nice through the month of August {{the hottest month ever recorded ..smh}} so I definitely took advantage of it! I'm still aqua jogging 2-3 times a week on my off days and I like that because it adds a little resistance into my workouts. I've all but given up on my strength training and lifting once I hit 31 or 32 weeks (see below for workout log). I honestly just feel so much pressure in different movements that I've really just stuck with the cardio. Also...I have sooo much less time now that I have Max. I feel like first pregnancy was sooo much easier to fit in a light lift because you have all the time in the world. Now, I have to pick and choose and due to the discomfort I've stuck with the swimming and slow running :) I've also been doing quite a bit of coaching and of course walking with Max so that keeps my step count close to 15,000/day, even at almost 37 weeks pregnant. 

Hospital Bag:

..Is still not packed. Oops. I'll get on that this weekend! When I do finish it, I'll be sure to list out my essentials from my experience the first time for any of you mommas that need guidance. 

Super Fun stock up time: I have had some fun stocking up some cute baby clothes, but now that its almost "time" I've had to face the music so to say and stock up on some really fun stuff...such as : maxi pads for the never ending period, a new belly bandit (I used it with Max and totally think it helped compress my stomach), nursing pads, and some new pumping parts. Not exactly the packages you are excited to receive in the mall but hey, they're necessities! 

THIS SUMMER.... has been absolutely brutal. Who's with me on this? I mean honestly I coulden't have picked a worse summer to be pregnant. From being drenched with sweat just taking Max for a walk, to completely zapping my energy coaching, its been tough. Add in swollen legs and ankles and no central air and you have an unhappy momma! So, so happy the nights are getting cooler and its making being active a little bit easier! 

The lowdown for weeks 30-36: 

How have you been feeling? Uncomfortable, tired, massive. Haha. It's about that time where you're just getting to that "done" stage! 
Do you have morning sickness? No
Do you have any cravings? I actually feel like I'v eaten less this pregnancy than with Max. I swear I'm not as hungry (could've been the heat as well!) Add in the heartburn too...yikes.
Do you have any food aversions? Nope
Weight gain so far? At the end of  36 weeks I'm up 36 pounds. With Max I gained around 36-38 so looks like I'll be in and around the same! Sometimes it worries me when I hear about others that only gain 20-25 but I just need to remember everything is temporary and its all about the growing little bub in there! Everyone is different, and start out at different body fat levels. #YOUvsYOU, amirite? 
Any mood swings? No
Sleep: Is definitely a struggle. I'm up 3-5 times a night to go to the bathroom and nights are tough. I feel like I can't even relax on the couch after dinner because I have restless legs. Thankfully I haven't had many nights in the last week or two where I've been up for an hour or two at a time. I've added extra pillows to my huge pregnancy pillow and that has definitely helped! I went through a rough patch as this guy has been growing!!
Stretch marks: I got a few small ones around my belly button with M's pregnancy ...this time I definitely have gotten more {sad face}. The last 3 weeks he's grown so much and I'm trying to do my best with the creams, eating right and staying active but I think his growth rate is just killing my skin right now. All of them seem to be around the belly button so hoping they fade and aren't too noticeable. 
Clothing: I just don't even want to wear anything anymore! ha! Right now wardrobe is about 3-4 maternity tops that still fit and most of my leggings aren't even comfortable anymore. I have capris from Nike that are fold over at the waist and cotton- super comfy so living in those!! My birkenstocks have been a life saver...shoes/sneakers are just not happening right now. 
Rings: ON...suprisingly. I know I'm swollen but I do see pics from my first pregnancy and feel I'm a little less swollen...I can actually get my rings on and off! Hard to believe. 
Movement: Tons of movement!  
Boy or girl: Its a boy!
Things I miss: Oh god. Where to start...for starters being able to relax at night. The restless legs is horrible..and I miss my daily Advocare spark more than ever now that I'm getting more tired {{I do try and stay away from the caffeine while preggo}}. and clothing! My gosh, none of my maternity stuff even fits. Yikes. I just keep telling myself I am almost there. 
 

Week 30: 
 

Monday: 3 miles, 8:46, 8:49, 9:12
Tuesday: 40 min swim
Wednesday: Stroller run: 10:19, 10:13, 10:16--> was soooo hot! 88 degrees.
Thurs-Saturday Off-travelled to Toronto
Sunday: 3 mile run, 9:14, 9:24, 10:12. Had to slow up at the end. 

Week 31: 

Monday: 40 min swim
Tuesday: 8:50 splits- 3 miles
Wednesday: Stroller run with Max, so hot AGAIN. 10:01, 10:24. 2 miles.
Thursday: lower lift
Friday/Saturday: Off
Sunday: 3 miles in Central Park: 

Week 32:

Monday: 2 miles after no sleep- 9:40, 10:11 on gravel surface
Tuesday: 40 min swim
Wednesday: 20 minute run, lower lift
Thursday: off
Friday: 45 min swim
Sat: off
Sunday: Stroller run with Max- was very cool and felt amazing!! 9:47, 9:44, 9:57!! wow! 

Week 33:

Monday: 40 min swim
Tuesday: Trail run-- slow 2.42 miles. 10:45, 10:25, 10:28
Wednesday: off
Thursday: 2 mile run stroller--hot and slow! 10:29, 10:50
Friday/Saturday off
Sunday: Ran 2.62 miles.  9:23, 9:37, 10:15 splits

Week 34:

Monday: 40 min swim
Tuesday: off
Wednesday: 40 min swim
Thursday: off
Friday: 2 mile run- no time listed
Saturday: 2 miles: 10:09, 10:39
Sunday: off

Week 35: 

Monday: 3 miles, 10:13, 10:24, 10:23
Tuesday: off
Wednesday: 40 min swim
Thursday: 40 min swim
Friday: 3 miles, negative splits. 10:56, 11:01, 10:31. Felt horrible to start, but ended well :) 
Sat/Sun off

Until next time...xoxox

Alex

Bye Bye Second Tri...

Firstly I can't believe its been about 10+ weeks since I've done a pregnancy update! Hard to believe another 10 and this little nugget will be here to meet the world! Life has been so crazy but I will tell you I am SO Happy I am out of the second trimester, but unfortunately there is no immediate relief in sight. Case in point: its 3 am. No, I'm not coming back from a great night out. #pregnancyinsomnia. Gross. 

I guess I am so happy that the second trimester is over is due to the fact that I was sick for basically 2-3 whole weeks (I feel like the only time I get sick is when I'm pregnant?!!), and also had some serious issues with my glute which inhibited my activity level for about 2 weeks. I also had to put my sweet dog down during this time which was really tough....I miss her :( Thinking about my little man never getting to meet her makes me so sad. 

Oh, and I can't forget heat. This heat can't possibly keep up into September, am I right? Relief HAS to be in sight. Week 19 finished off great for me, but weeks 20-22 were such a struggle. I think this was a combination of all the coaching I was doing and the fact that I spent a good 20+ hours driving (myself) in a car to tournaments. I had radiating pain whenever I bent over and at times when I walked. This was so hard for me and I was really scared that my days were over of running, lifting, and even walking! Amazing how you take things for granted. I ended up getting 2-3 massages from my massage therapist who kept me on the field during my career and I actually hit up a chiropractor who told me my SI joint was out of place. Viola- 2 days later and I was back on track. I was never so grateful! Let me tell you, it was a long two weeks of aqua jogging and dealing with pain.

Once I got over the glute pain, on came the sickness from week 23-25. I managed to do what I could depending on how I felt. I only did cardio during these times as I felt that taxing my Central Nervous system with weights while sick (and pregnant) would not be the best idea. This basically meant that I went 4-5 weeks without lifting. Yikes. What had become my main source of exercise pre-pregnancy had gone to the wayside. Temporary is the word I kept repeating to myself...

26 weeks I found myself back in the gym, but week 27 was difficult with probably one of the worst weeks of my life in the workplace and no time for the gym- only cardio. Better than nothing right? Its funny because during my first pregnancy nothing got in the way of getting my workouts in- but with this second pregnancy I've had to be very disciplined with my time and at times make a decision choosing one over the other. Time is of the essence when you already have one little tyke at home waiting for you! 

Even though I know the third trimester comes with new challenges (read: sleeping!) I welcomed a fresh start and week 28 & 29 have been consistent with both cardio and weights. I'm feeling pretty good other than the lack of sleep and my running has actually been great other than a day here or there to this point. Grateful for the ability to stay active throughout pregnancy. 

Everything has been going smoothly in terms of the pregnancy -- no issues with any blood work and glucose testing came back negative which was awesome. I had a pretty horrible first labor experience {{still have PTSD thinking about it}} but here I am again. Ha. I've made the tentative decision to try and give birth naturally (VBAC) and see where it takes me. The C-section experience was pretty horrible for me and I don't want to have to rely on other people to take care of things, especially now that I have a toddler that needs me. At my next appointment they will schedule a C-Section for 41 weeks so this little guy doesn't come naturally before then, a C-section it will be as I can't be induced. I'm at peace with that I suppose, but I do want to give myself and my family the opportunity to have this little boy naturally. There are so many reasons why, but mostly due to recovery! 

This week we head to Florida (a trip that was postponed a couple of weeks due to work) and I'm looking forward to lots of down time with my boys and some Olympic watching!! 

I'm going to recap all of my workouts here but only do one "update." 

How have you been feeling? Feeling good for the most part! 
Do you have morning sickness? No
Do you have any cravings? Nope..this time has been so different as its been so HOT that I actually have had a lot less carbs than last pregnancy. 
Do you have any food aversions? Nope
Weight gain so far? At 30 weeks I'm at a total of 29 pounds. Weight gain in weeks: 
Week 19: +1 (18 total), Week 22: +2 (20), Week 25: +2 (22), Week 26: +2 (24), Week 27: +2 (26), Week 29: +2 (28). If I didn't list a week, there was no weight gain that week. Looks like I'm on track to a similar weight gain as last pregnancy. Would I love to gain less? Yeah, of course. But I know I eat healthy, am super active and at the end of the day its temporary and necessary in building this guys little life :)  I know that I generally gain a lot of fluid so I'm just trying to embrace it! 
Any mood swings? No
Sleep: Not so great-- between 2-4 am have been horrible for me most nights (I'm up and can't sleep). Sometimes falling asleep has been tough. I've felt sooo much pressure in my stomach area I'm basically falling asleep sitting up. Naps have been a god send once a week when I can fit them in. 
Stretch marks: I got a few small ones around my belly button with M's pregnancy and they are becoming more noticeable as the skin is stretching but I'm not seeing any new ones...yet. 
Clothing: The heat has been a challenge for sure. I have been living off two great pairs of size large athleta shorts and maternity capris from target. I snagged some great Gap tank tops for under $10 to finish my summer off. The search for a pair of jean shorts that actually fit right was completed at target, believe it or not after ordering about 4-5 pairs from pea in the pod...
Rings: ON
Movement: All time time and its getting stronger! 
Boy or girl: Its a boy!

Week 29: Super impressed with my stroller runs this week you guys...

Sunday: Run 3 miles: 8:33, 8:31, 8:32 splits
Monday: 40 min swim, lower lift
Tuesday: Stroller run-- 3 miles,  9:13, 9:25, 9:08 splits
Wednesday: upper Lift
Thursday: Stroller run-- 3 miles,  9:17, 9:29, 9:28 splits
Friday: Lower lift
Saturday: off
Sunday: 35 min swim

Week 28: 

Sunday: 40 min swim
Monday: 3 miles: 25:54 w/ 8:35 average splits
Tuesday: lower lift, 40 min swim
Wednesday: Stroller run: 9:32, 9:22, 9:21 splits
Thursday: Upper Lift
Friday/Saturday: Off

Week 27: this weeks was really for the birds...stress combined with being so tired made for not great runs

Monday: off
Tuesday: Run- 3 miles..25:42, 8:31 splits
Wednesday:off
Thursday: Stroller run-- 3 miles,  10:04, 9:50, 9:40 splits
Friday: off
Saturday: 2.6 miles: 9:14, 9:17, 10:07- started to feel uncomfrtable so stopped short of 3 miles. Some days are just like that...

Week 26: 

Sunday: Run 3 miles  8:44, 9:01, 9:16
Monday: Run 2.56 miles. Had to stop, felt uncomfortable
Tuesday: 40 min swim
Wednesday: Starting to feel better! 3 miles, 25:26: 8:26 average splits
Thursday: Got a lift in! Lower..
Friday: Upper lift and 3 mile run, 25:52 w/ 8:35 average splits
Saturday/Sunday: off

Week 25: This was a weird phase where for about 10 days my runs were really hit or miss. Those of you who have run through pregnancy will know what I mean..some days its just not there whether its positioning of the baby or just the day! You just gotta roll with the punches. 

Sun: 2 miles: 8:22, 8:21- felt great
Mon/tues: Off
Wed: 3 miles in central park 8:35, 9:10 and 8:52 splits
Thursday: 35 min swim
Friday: 40 min swim
Sat/Sun: Tried to run a stroller run on Saturday with M but just felt horrible. Stopped after 1 mile. Managed 3 miles on Sunday but stopped every mile to rest and stretch: 8:44, 9:01, 9:16

Week 24: 

Monday: 35 min swim
Tuesday: Stroller run-- 3 miles,  9:06, 9:25, 9:12
Wednesday:off
Thursday: Soccer workout, 30 min swim
Friday:Run 3 miles, 8:19, 8:08, 8:21
Saturday: off

Week 23: Pretty sick this week- took 3 days off

Monday: 45 min swim
Tuesday: Stroller run-- 3 miles,  8:34, 8:44, 8:56 (started feeling sick this day)
Wednesday: off-worst feeling day
Thursday: 2.5 miles to get body going. 8:35 average splits
Friday: 3 miles. Still not feeling great but got a sweat. 9:01, 9:14, 9:28
Saturday/Sunday:off

Week 22: This was the tail end of my issues with my glute :) Felt awesome at the end of this week

Monday: 45 min swim
Tuesday:off. massage/ chiropractor
Wednesday: 3 miles: 8:12, 8:19, 8:17
Thursday: 5 miles, 9 min increments. 7:50 average miles
Friday/Sat off
Sunday: 3 miles: 8:21, 8:11, 8:15

Week 21: This whole week glute issues hindered me. Did 5 days of aqua jogging (35-45 min/day)

Week 20: 

Monday: 6 400's under 1:35, lower lift
Tuesday: off
Wednesday: 4 miles in Central park. No times
Thursday: off- glute issues begin
Friday: 45 min swim
Saturday/Sunday:off

Week 19: 

Sunday: 35 min swim
Monday: 3 mile run, no times
Tuesday: Stroller run-- 3 miles, 8:43, 8:14, 8:13
Wednesday: lower lift
Thursday: soccer workout
Friday: upper lift
Saturday: lower lift (on my own), 30 min swimming
Sunday: 40 min swimming

Thats all for now....

Have a great Monday everyone!! xo

Alex

On the Road

Wow! What a crazy 4 weeks its been. Let's just say that I've been "on the road." 3 soccer tournaments and one trip to NYC with Max in the last 4 weeks. I think I am all travelled out for now. On top of that we celebrated Max's 2nd birthday which was super fun...but really exhausting preparing for. 

At the end of May, Aaran and I decided to bring Max to Manhattan. It was a quick trip but honestly I would totally recommend it to any parent. There is SO much to do in the city, especially in the summer. We hit up central park, the Central Park zoo, and walked around a lot taking in all the sights and sounds. We didn't make it to the Museum of Natural History or any of the other kids museums due to lack of time, but we will definitely make a trip there next time. It was so cool to watch him experience all the different people, sounds, animals, and LIFE in the city. Location is key if you have little ones- being able to walk to destinations is super important as taking the subway can be a pain depending on how many little ones you have (and especially if you don't know where you are going). We did take him on it but having two people vs one kid made it easy, plus I am there so often I know my way around easily. I am sure that the Bronx zoo is a far better zoo than the Central Park zoo, but we were only there for about 36 hours and needed something close so we could work around our tight schedule (and Max's nap!).

 The hardest part for us was being in the same room. M is in bed at about 7:30 pm. We managed to push this back to 8 pm but I think next time we will definitely stay in a one bedroom as we were sitting in the dark at about 8:15 pm. Ha! So much for a romantic evening! haha!  He loved it though and we will be bringing him back for sure! 

Little Max in Central Park (Upper West Side) 

Family Photo woulden't be complete without GA, Max's elephant that goes everywhere with him!

     Some ice cream to cool off in the 90 degree heat by the American Museum of Natural History

                                    Max and his Dad checking out the seal at the Central park zoo

I Kicked off (literally..) memorial day weekend with a soccer tournament in Hershey, PA with temperatures soaring into the 90s. As some of you may know-this is clearly NOT ideal pregnancy weather to function in much less COACH in all day. On my way to the tournament, I had to drop Max over for his first overnight trip with my parents as both my husband and I were coaching. I was nervous but he seemed to do great! He didn't stay at my parents house though-he stayed in their RV at Watkins Glen, a local racetrack where my dad's team was racing. He was in h e a v e n. Max is a huge car lover and soaked up every moment. My team narrowly missed out on the championship game but I honestly think the god's may have been looking out for me. After all the coaching in the heat and driving about 12+ hours for the weekend, my body was a wreck. The following weekend we had State Cup in Cortland, NY (another 3 hours of driving each way!). By the time I got back from the third trip in 2 weeks I was struggling to walk. My alignment or SOMETHING was completely off. More on this in my preggo post coming soon. 

                                                              Max at the races!

Next up was Max's birthday celebrations. We decided to do a farm theme. The party was complete with a hay ride, pony rides, time to milk the goats and pet the animals. All of the kids had a blast.  I'll be doing a completely separate post on his birthday party at the end of the week! 

After another tournament in 90+ degree weather this past weekend, its safe to say I am SO ready for a break from the grind of coaching. Its been a lot with the heat and pregnancy. I know I'll miss my kids when we finish in a week, but I'll be welcoming the extra down time! 

Hope you all have a great week and stay cool in this heat! 

xo

Alex

Easy Chicken Bake

So I just absolutely have to share one of my favorite meals right now. Easy, low prep work, and pretty healthy. I know that at first glance you are probably not going to believe that last statement. The trick of this recipe is to swap sour cream for plain greek yogurt, and use half the amount of mayo. 

Yes. Mayo. For those of you who aren't mayo fans {like me}, I promise you it doesn't taste like mayo. In fact, my mom tricked me and did not tell me that it was an ingredient when she made it for me. Good thing because I probably woulden't have tried it! 

I like to use earth balance mindful mayo made with olive oil and of course the standard chobani plain greek yogurt. After all is said and done, you can bang this meal out in about 500-600 calories depending on the size of your breast (this is based on a 6 ouncer) and how much cheese you garnish it with at the end of baking! Not bad, huh? 

I usually steam up some veggies and serve with them but I do think serving this over brown rice or some tortellini would also be exceptional especially for growing and active kids! 

Ingredients shown above and slices of cheese on chicken in dish with foil

Ingredients:
4-6 boneless chicken breasts
6-8 slices of swiss or motz. cheese-I usually use two slices/chicken breast
1/4 cup mayo + 1 tablespoon
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Optional: salt, pepper, and garlic powder
Motz cheese or mild cheddar cheese to garnish
 

Right before the chicken hits the oven!

Instructions: 
1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Place chicken in pyrex dish either greased with olive oil, or place foil in it. Today I used foil and there was NO difference in taste and it was an easier clean up. #nobrainer
3. Add sliced cheese on top of chicken
4. In a bowl, mix mayo, parm cheese, greek yogurt and optional salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste. Spread over chicken with spatula. 
5. Bake for 45 min-1 hour. Optional but I recommend: At the end I sprinkle a little moz or mild cheddar cheese on the top and broil for 3-5 mins. 

Enjoy!! 

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 

Pregnancy weeks 12-16: Our big scare

Wow. All I can say is the last 4 weeks has been a huge emotional rollercoaster and probably the scariest time of my life. When my OB asked me if I wanted to do the optional neo-nucal scan at the prenatal specialist at 12 weeks, I didn't think much of it because I did it with Max. For those who haven't had it before (or who have never been pregnant), they test for chromosomal issues like Down Syndrome, Trisomy 18, and look for other abnormalities. So I said yes. 

I showed up to the specialists office where they did the finger prick to get a blood sample. This would be sent off and would give me percentage chances of any issues with the baby within 5-7 days. Then I proceeded into the room where the ultrasound tech would scan me vaginally and externally on my stomach. Everything seemed to be looking great. I was happily texting family photos of the baby as the tech left the room to grab the dr. After a few minutes I started to wonder...why am I waiting so long? I don't remember even speaking to the dr. last time, why is this taking so long? A long 10-15 minutes went by and finally the Head Dr. came in. She told me she wanted to have a second look. Cue: Panic mode. 

I felt like I was in some sort of movie or something. Was this real? 

Heart pounding, she proceeded to show me an area that she was concerned about: the stomach and the intestines. She was worried that the baby had something called gastroschisis. Basically this is a birth defect where there is a hole in the abdominal wall and does not close. Due to this hole, the intestines are outside of the body when the baby is born. So you can probably imagine how shocked, scared, upset...I felt numb and none of it was making sense to me. I was a mess. She told me she wanted to see me back at 16 weeks but did tell me it was "highly unlikely" that the intestines would go into the stomach this "late" in development. Hearing those words crushed me. She did tell me she could not rule out omphlocele, a similar condition that is associated with other birth defects...but was much worse. But honestly I coulden't even think about that. 

The rest of the day was a daze to me...I literally could not stop crying and questioned everything I had done until this point. I just didn't understand. I am healthy, eat great, am super active-- the very little they do know about this birth defect is that some of the risk factors are women who are young (teen or early 20s...clearly not me!!), and first born (this is my second), and issues with diet (umm..hello...I'm cleaner than clean!). I spoke to my OB and he assured me that this was a sporadic event (if it was indeed the case) and there was nothing I did, or could do moving forward. He told me I could exercise, and do everything as normal while we waited. I did cut back a little bit out of fear and I added in more swimming (less impact) while I waited.

Thoughts of life in the NICU for anywhere from 4 weeks -6 months flooded my head...thoughts of how I was going to manage my little man at home missing me while I was helpless watching my baby in the hospital fight for its life...Thoughts of numerous surgeries {{some of these babies can have up to a dozen surgeries before they are 2 months old}}..it was so overwhelming.

I was beside myself as you can imagine. I know looking at the internet can be dangerous at times, but I knew I had to get more knowledge. After all, knowledge is power. Where else to get it but to find out from people who have been through it? I joined a few Facebook support groups, and got my head around the whole thing. After about a week I was ready to take this on if it was really it. I've never been one to question  the great moments or the tough moments and this was something we would have to get through as a family. 

The more research I did though, I was finding that some books/pregnancy information were saying that the intestines go into the body through the umbilical cord between 10-12 weeks while others were saying 13 weeks is when it happened. How could the specialist be SO sure that this was happening to my baby? How could she be so sure? A sliver of hope slid through me as I had my scan at week 12. Maybe my baby was just a little late and she was wrong? 

I tried to keep myself busy over the 3.5 weeks. After the first weeks feelings of shock, disbelief, worry, and just being completely so scared..to gathering info...to the last week or so where it felt as if not knowing for sure it was almost like there was nothing wrong.  

The weekend prior to the appointment I was so sick to my stomach. Like this was it. Shit's gonna get real Monday morning. No more not knowing. This is it. 

I went to the appointment and the ultrasound tech was telling me how great everything looked...but she had to wait for the final word from the Dr. The Dr. came in and confirmed that the intestines were indeed inside the body and that everything else looked great. I have never been so relieved and happy before! 

As any mother knows, seeing their child in pain is the hardest thing to ever go through. Seeing the photos of these little babies absolutely broke my heart on the support groups on Facebook. Honestly my heart goes out to the families that are dealing with this rare {but increasingly more common} birth defect. I think about those families and little fighting babies every day now. They're almost a part of me now. 

Like I said before, this was the longest, most stressful month of my life so I am so happy that MAY is here. New month, healthy baby, bring it on!! We are so blessed and grateful. For those that knew, I thank you so much for your support, thoughts, and prayers during this super difficult phase. 

Oh...and its a BOY!! {{sometimes mommas just know}}

Until next time...

xo

Week 5 (top left), Week 12 (top middle), Week 13 (top right), Week 14 (bottom left), Week 15 (bottom middle), Week 16 (bottom right). As you can see, my body is slowly changing everywhere...gains..gains..gains...Gonna have some work to do when this little guy comes out!!!! 

Weekly Roundup:

12 weeks: 

How have you been feeling? Good..until I had my appointment.
Do you have morning sickness? No
Do you have any cravings? Cravings are slowly fading :) 
Do you have any food aversions? Not any more than the usuals
Weight gain so far? Nothing logged for this week..
Any mood swings? Yes...permanantly scared to death for my little one
Sleep: getting more uncomfortable. Stomach is no longer an option
Stretch marks: no
Clothing: Still wearing my normal gear..jeans are now becoming a challenge though. Had to unbutton mine in New York when I was out with my cousin for dinner. 
Rings: ON
Movement: none yet
Starting to show? End of the day the secrets out..ha ha. 
Boy or girl: I’m thinking team blue right now!
Random thought of the week: No random thoughts...just praying for the babe.

Sunday: 5 miles: 8:07, 8:02, 7:55, 8:05, 8:23. Should have been off but coulden't resist the 70 degree temperatures! 
Monday: lower lift
Tuesday: Off
Wednesday: 4.75 miles in Central Park: 8:33, 8:09, 8:13, 8:04
Thursday: Soccer workout: 40 mins
Friday: 30 min elliptical, accessory work upper lift
Saturday: lower lift

13 weeks:

How have you been feeling? Things are sinking in..trying to get my head around all of this
Do you have morning sickness? No
Do you have any cravings? Cravings are slowly fading :) 
Do you have any food aversions? Not any more than the usuals
Weight gain so far? +8 total
Any mood swings? In tears one minute then optimistic the next. 
Sleep: Has been tough due to thinking and worrying
Stretch marks: no
Clothing: Officially pulled out the maternity gear people! Its game time! Maternity jeans are too bid so leggings will be my go-to in this inbetween stage!
Rings: ON
Movement: none yet
Starting to show? Yes
Boy or girl: I’m thinking team blue right now!
Random thought of the week: Had my D license this week so adding to my stress levels. Yikes. Talk about pressure. Diet was horrible this week. Got some nice J Brand maternity jeans though!! 

Sunday: 30 min aqua jogging(swim)
Monday: off
Tuesday: 3.36 miles with Max in stroller: 8:49, 9:03, 9:14, 8:46. Felt so slow and tired..
Wednesday: off
Thursday: Soccer session: 45 mins
Friday: 40 min aqua jogging
Saturday: 3 miles- 8:30, 8:31, 8:33
Sunday: off

14 weeks: 

How have you been feeling? Ugh..worried, tired, stressed. Trying to be positive!
Do you have morning sickness? No
Do you have any cravings? Cravings are slowly fading :) 
Do you have any food aversions? Not any more than the usuals
Weight gain so far? +9 pounds
Any mood swings? Yes...permanantly scared to death for my little one
Sleep: Getting a little better now
Stretch marks: no
Clothing: Sticking with leggings and a size up in all of my tops/gear. I did buy Athleta's maternity leggings and they are AMAZE you guys!
Rings: ON
Movement: none yet
Starting to show? Yes
Boy or girl: I’m thinking team blue right now!
Random thought of the week: Getting me through the last couple of weeks was the Melting Pot date I had with my friends this week...

Sunday: off
Monday: Lower lift, 45 min aqua jog
Tuesday: 3.34 miles with Max ..soo COLD!! 9:00, 9:10, 9:04, 8:48
Wednesday: off
Thursday: 45 mina aqua jog
Friday: 3 miles 8:38, 8:29, 8:23
Saturday: lower lift

15 weeks:

How have you been feeling? Getting a little nervous heading into the appointment!
Do you have morning sickness? No
Do you have any cravings? Cravings are slowly fading :) 
Do you have any food aversions? Not any more than the usuals
Weight gain so far? +10 pounds
Any mood swings? anxious!
Sleep: sleeping is going okay considering everything. By 9:30 I'm pretty tired and need to be in the sack by 10 pm ha
Stretch marks: no
Clothing: Leggings is my go to..
Rings: ON
Movement: none yet
Starting to show? Yes
Boy or girl: I’m thinking team blue right now!
Random thought of the week: My stomach looks huge!

Sunday: off
Monday: 45 min aqua jog
Tuesday: 3 mile run with Max 8:50, 9:21, 9:24
Wednesday: lower lift
Thursday: 45 mins soccer workout
Friday: off
Saturday: 40 min aqua jog
Sunday: off

16 weeks:

How have you been feeling? So H A P P Y
Do you have morning sickness? No
Do you have any cravings? A bottle of wine to celebrate! Too bad I can't! Ha!
Do you have any food aversions? Not any more than the usuals
Weight gain so far? +11 pounds
Any mood swings? Just elated...seriously elated!
Sleep: is amazing
Stretch marks: no
Clothing: Starting to get to that point where things really start to look bad cause I feel really big..
Rings: ON
Movement: none yet
Starting to show? Totally
Boy or girl: Its a boy!
Random thought of the week: B L E S S E D 

Sunday: Off
Monday: Lower lift
Tuesday: Soccer workout 60 mins
Wednesday: 3 miles, 8:38, 8:41, 8:42
Thursday: Soccer Workout 60 min
Friday: Upper lift, 35 min swim
Saturday: Lower lift

Hot Chicken Recipe: The healthy alternative to Chicken Wings

Morning everyone! I thought I would share a super yummy recipe thats been one of my favorites for years {{courtesy of my late aunt Qui...we miss you!}} For lack of a better name we call it "Hot Chicken." 

So Yummy......

When I was a kid I LOVED chicken wings. I mean, ate them by the bucket. literally. When I got older I realized they weren't the healthiest for you so I stopped eating them cold turkey. Haven't had a wing in about 20 years. I haven't stopped my *love* of chicken wing TASTE though. This recipe can fill this void and is a lot healthier {{read: #guiltfree }} Warning: You must like spicy/hot food to like this. I would recommend this dish to anyone who like medium, hot, or extra hot wings! I am so obsessed with hot sauce that I add Franks to my plate as well ha ha! 

What I love most about this recipe is that it is only 4 ingredients! And you can pop it in the oven and is low on prep time which is key when you have kiddies {{or you're just super busy. which is everyone!}} running around. Also, even though you do use flour, there is only 26 Carbs in the entire recipe which is a keeper for me! Divide that up between 3-4 breasts and you're looking at about 10 g carbs per breast of chicken and tons of flavor! 

Hot Chicken

1/4 cup flour (I use Arrowhead Mills enriched unbleached white flour)
3/4 cup Franks Red Hot Sauce
1 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon butter, melted
3-4 breasts of chicken

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter in microwave in glass bowl. Mix in hot sauce and juiced lemon to melted butter. Put 1/4 cup of flour in different bowl and place next to hot sauce mixture. Line a pyrex dish with foil. (I find that foil works better than parchment paper). You can cut the chicken breasts into tenders or leave them as breasts-up to you (I do both-below they are in tenders and the above photo is just breasts). Dip chicken in flour, then into hot sauce mixture and place in pyrex dish. Repeat with all breasts of chicken. When complete, if you have extra sauce leftover, you can dish the rest on spots that may have not been covered with the hot sauce mixture.  In this photo I show using parchment paper but like I said I find it works better with foil. 

Bake for 30-40 mins. I like to broil mine the last 3-5 mins to get a little crisp on them. This is served great with mixed veggies & salad! 

Next time you have a hankering for some chicken wings...try this recipe! Have a great day everyone....

xo

Alex