Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Nolan's Newborn Photos

Note to new moms, don't decide to {finally!} share your baby's newborn photos the day they turn 2 months old....cue tears! I cannot believe how teeny Nolan looks in these photos and they were only taken two months ago! He was 5 days old when we went to visit Sara Jayne in her studio and per usual I adore every last photo that Sara took!







Friday, June 3, 2016

Baby Weight

How I am already six weeks into being a mom of two, I have no idea! Needless to say, it's flying! Before Nolan arrived, I thought a lot about the baby weight I had put on and what I was going to do about taking it off. With Kenley, I really struggled. I just did not take care of myself for the first year of her life. I was so focused on her and did not take the time or put in the effort to take care of myself - in the gym or in the kitchen. It took a toll, a big toll. Not only did I end up the heaviest I've ever been but I felt like crap. I had no energy, wasn't sleeping, my clothes didn't fit and my self esteem was damn near close to rock bottom. So needless to say, I want desperately to avoid all of that this time around. 

Because of the changes I made and effort I put in once I'd hit that turning point {right after Kenley's 1st Birthday} I weighed 10 pounds less when I got pregnant with Nolan than I did when I got pregnant with Kenley. With Kenley I gained a total of 34 pounds during my pregnancy and with Nolan I gained a total of 40. So even though I gained more weight this second time, I still weighed less at the end of this one than I did at the end of my first. 
I decided before I had Nolan, that I wanted to document my journey of getting back in shape and losing the baby weight. I think posting about it and setting goals will help me stay motivated but also I love so much the support that this blogging community offers. So many of you have been through this already and if even you aren't a mama so many of you have a passion for health and fitness and your ideas, wisdom, and support have been so great in the past and I hope will continue to be as I embark on losing the baby weight 2.0. And hey, maybe I will even help or inspire some other mamas along the way! 

Now that I have had my 6 week postpartum visit and have been cleared to workout, I am hoping to set up monthly progress reports/recaps {time willing} to share what I've been doing, what has been working or not working and where I am in the process. I also want to set a few goals each month that I can check in on with these posts as well! Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be so excited to have permission to workout! 

So let's jump right in! 

My long term goal, is to get into a healthy routine and habit that is maintainable! I want to be an active and healthy family, I want to have energy to care for my kids and I want time to myself to take care of ME. I want to feel good inside and out for myself, my husband and my kids. I do have a number on the scale I would love to hit which was 6 pounds away before I got pregnant + the 40 pounds I gained with Nolan means I am setting my official weight loss goal at 46 pounds.

I'm setting a couple of goals to get myself started and then will check in again in a couple weeks when I hit that two month mark! 
JUMPSTART GOALS
□ Utilize my FitBit - Since about week 34 of my pregnancy my FitBit was off. Honestly, wearing it just depressed me. I was so very tired and steps just were not happening. Seeing how few steps I took did not motivate me, it just bummed me out. So I opted to just go without it at the end. Now that I have it charged back it up I need to use it to motivate me to get those steps in and drink enough water!

□ Set up fitness analysis at the gym - Our gym offers a complimentary analysis and workout with a trainer and I need to take advantage of this to get a plan of attack in place.

□ Log calories using MyFitnessPal - It's time to get diligent about counting calories. Because I am breastfeeding it will take a little trial and error to find a number that works to maintain my supply and gives me enough energy but still results in a loss each week.

□ Start C25K again - I am signed up to run my first post-baby 5k on July 17th, I'm a little nervous to start running again as I imagine I am wildly out of shape so starting with C25K which helped me to get into running in the first place seems like a smart way to get back into a groove.


Alright, there it is and here I go!
Wish me luck! 





Thursday, June 2, 2016

Nolan | One Month Old

On May 22nd, our sweet boy celebrated his first month on this earth and in our family. I can very honestly say it was the fastest month of my life. Nolan is such a sweet baby and I can't believe we hit the awesome baby jackpot twice! {knock on wood he keeps it up} He is so chill, only really cries when he's getting his diaper changed, and is an awesome sleeper. We can already tell he is a lot like his mama, he loves to cuddle and hates being cold {two things very different from his dad and sister}. My attachment to this baby boy has really caught me off guard, I knew for sure I would love him with my whole soul as I do his sister, but something about my son just has me totally obsessed. 

Here's a little recap and update on his first month of life!
Weight: 12.2 pounds

Sleep: Nolan will take a long (3-4hr) nap in n the afternoon, doses in & out from 6-10pm then sleeps around 6 hours, eats then sleeps another 2-3 hours. 
Daily Routine: No set routine but definitely noticing some patterns (see above & below)

Feeding: Nursing has been going awesome! Nolan eats every 3ish hours during the day, cluster feeds like a boss from 6-10 every night, then 1-2 times through the night. He typically only nurses for about 10 minutes on one side then is good. I've also been able to pump 1-2 times a day allowing me to build a pretty good freezer stash!
Diaper Size: Size 1 Pampers Swaddlers

Clothes Size: Still in newborn, but those are getting snug
Hair Color: Looks like it's brown but is much blonder in the light 

Eye Color: Super dark blue
Milestones: 
4/22 - born! ...8lbs, 0oz and 20 inches long
4/23 - First bath {at the hospital}
4/24 - Home! ...7lb 9oz 
4/26 - First doctor's appointment...7lb 14oz
4/27- Newborn photos with Sara Jayne
5/1- First bath at home, not a fan!
5/5 - 2 week appt...8lb 9oz, 22in, cord fell off 
5/6 - First Bottle

Nicknames: Noley, Noley Bear, Noley Cannoli 
My Sweet Nolan, 

Just like that, you are a month old. This time around I know how quickly this all goes so I am trying my very best to cherish every moment and soak up as many newborn snuggles as I possibly can. You are such a good baby and such a sweet little thing. There is no denying that we have special bond already and we may just be two peas in a pod. It seems a weird thing to say, but I can't really believe how much I love you - you may even say I am completely obsessed with you. You have completed our family in a way that I was hoping but never really could have anticipated. I am so excited to watch you grow but don't grow too quickly now, I need more itty bitty baby snuggles first. 

Love, Mama





Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Hospital Photos

Being in the hospital those first hours with your new baby is a surreal and special time. You are getting to know this tiny little creature that just came out of you, you are more tired than you've ever been before, you are grateful for the help of the nurses but wish they weren't coming in every 30 minutes and you get to show off your pride and joy to visitors. Being in the hospital after having a baby is like you are in your own world, you kind of forget there is life outside of those four walls. I was so happy to have Sara Jayne come and visit the morning after Nolan was born to document our time there. Nolan is only 17 hours old in these photos and I know I will cherish these forever and ever.