surviving pregnancy with a 2 year old...

Been Tough Stuff.
I'm turning a corner physically...which is why I can now write about this.

I thought the first pregnancy was rough...and it was. Tougher than this for sure in a physical sense, as I was working 70 hours/week with clinicals and the worst nausea known to man. Definitely harder than staying at home.....
Still.....
The past 6 weeks have not been for the faint at heart. Women have been rearing children while pregnant since the dawn of TIME. And it amazes me. Because people. It's not easy pushing through pain. Labor was *so much easier than this. I can't imagine single working moms with multiple kids...we should be watching documentaries on their lives because I know I could learn a thing or two. I have no room to complain, ever.

Still....
For the sake of being honest, I just want to admit that it has been hard.

Rearing a child is hard enough without feeling like every cell of your body is maxed out and the thought anything remotely unattractive making you literally gag.

Changing dirty diapers and trying your darndest not to puke all over your kid, chasing them around when they are faster than you when you barely had the energy to change out of your PJs (and frequently, don't), avoiding having to open the fridge at all throughout the day because the smell--the look--of unappetizing food does you in..watching the dustbunnies collect in every corner and hating that you don't even have the energy to pick up towels off the floor..it's just hard.

The hardest part, though, is not being able to be the mom I want to be.
I would do anything for my son. So it kills me when I feel like I can't do anything for him.

First trimester's gone. The symptoms have started to wane slightly...but I'm not throwing any parties--as last time the Pukefest 2009 lasted 18weeks. But still, I am slightly better and that makes a world of difference.

So I made a list of things--my Pregnant Mom Survival Kit if you will--and thought I would share the top 5 things that are getting me through pregnancy with a toddler.


1) CHOBANI

At 22g (yes that's twenty-two) of protein per cup, all natural ingredients, calming effect on my stomach and a yummy taste....PLEASE AND THANK YOU! Chobani has for SURE been getting me through this pregnancy. It's protein content is insane, which is so helpful when I'm trying to down 70g of protein a day--a difficult hurdle to jump when all meats make you nauseous. I eat three/four cups per day, and it's my late night treat every night. I put fruit in it, almonds, or-- my latest obsession-- homemade dulce de leche...to. die. for. Tonight, we even used it in lieu of sour cream in our fajitas! (We used the plain version).  It has become a favorite as we now as a family make oatmeal every morning out of whole oats, mix half a cup of Chobani (plain), chop up whatever fruits available and add a local honey. YUM.

Not only are we all getting great protein and calcium to start our day (because as we all know protein stores for only 8hours roughly, so by the time you wake up in the morning your brain is craaaving it--sorry enough back-pedaling), but Justin gets his fiber to keep his cholesterol down and we all get protected from developing Austin's nasty allergies through eating honey from local honey bees. WIN-Win-WIN


2) NAP TIME

I've never been a napper. Fact, I don't even get much sleep at night, much less when it's the bright of day and I have laser-sharp focus on the daily two page list of To-dos. Let's face it, for the type A, sleep is just a waste of time..... Until Elijah turned 1 going on 14...and I got pregnant. I have to face the fact that I just can't make it through the day without my noon nap. Yes, I'm now further behind on bible study, and the house is more messy, the yard is more messy, ....but you know what, at least I got to read to Elijah that day. Spend time with him. Hold him. That's the new To-do. I don't miss my nap time now. Or I am just like this cute missy poo.


3) PAPA MURPHY'S

I. Love. This. Place. Fresh ingredients, yummy, and quick. I'm a believer in pizza, pending on what's in it of course, but I am a huge fan of this healthy meal. We *when not pregnant* usually have it every Friday, I make my own whole wheat dough, load it with spinach and a meat (which I load on Justin's side of the pizza, he's all hombre), then put fresh mozerella and whatever other vegetable toppings we have leftover that week. Baby bear is OBSESSED with pizza and asks for it everyday (which is starting to get old). But as easy as this meal is to make, the thought of cleaning up the flour and sticky counters...zero energy. That's where Papa M's has been a Godsend. Pop it in the oven and 15min later, dinner is served! (Not to mention they perpetually put out coupons so you rarely have to spend over $9 on a large meditteranean chicken, score!)

4) YouTube

Sketchville, I know. But I love YouTube! I hate all things TV for my bear cub. But I'm just not getting through the next 6 months without TV. No other way to slice it. It has become a necessity for days I can barely walk from one side of the house to the other (on an extreme day, yes I told you I don't do pregnancy well), I need something to entertain him. Because I don't want to just sit him in front of a screen, I have found that YouTube is a pretty good happy medium. For one, the videos are just long enough to keep his attention for a few minutes without the fast editing that can be assoicated with ADD (insert clearing throat sound, SESAME STREET) ((yes he still watches it sometimes)). For two, I can hand-pick what he's watching, and I can find videos that teach shapes, colors, and animals so that when I don't have the energy to teach him things, these awesome videos do while entertaining him. (You'd be shocked how many great educational clips there are out there!) For three, I can sit there with him at the computer while he watches and interact with him here and there....WHILE on Pinterest! Winning.

5) Humility.

This is actually number one on my list. It shouldn't even be on here though, because truth is I haven't been humble this pregnancy. That might be why it's been so hard for me. I hate asking for help, and I hate saying no. Dangerous combination :/.
   I've recently talked to moms who are wiser than me, and they are telling me to ACCEPT help when offered. I don't think I've done that much this pregnancy.

    One mom was telling me she was sick for nine months, and had both a house cleaner AND a nanny to watch her toddler during almost her entire pregnancy. She was a stay-at-home, and a woman who doesn't have a lazy bone in her body.
I guess it's okay to accept help sometimes.

Maybe I have been sick because God has been wanting me to learn humility...learn to be the weak one. Reminds me of the verse, "When I am weak, then I am strong" (1Cor).

This is a verse I've been clinging to, I mean clinging to, this pregnancy. It almost brings tears to my eyes as it makes me reflect on the gravity of the task set before me.

 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, ¹⁸ while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

2 Corinth 4:16-18

eternal weight of glory.
worth it.

Clueless Wife: getting that cholesterol down

So we found out recently that my husband has high cholesterol. Real high. It's been kindof scary for me, because I immediately start thinking of heart attacks and being a widow..ha yeah I have an AtoZ kind of thought process. But also, I just want him to be healthy, I want him to feel healthy and be his very best.

So over the past four months we have made some extreme--or us-- diet modifications. I did not want any medications pumping through him if we could do it naturally. My dad describes LDL as the dirt in the carpet, and HDL as the vacuum cleaner. Increase HDL (diet&exercise) and we can start decreasing the LDL hopefully! So over the past four months we've changed diet, and invested in an exercise he loves, And would you know it--it's working!

Here's what we did in detail:

1) Cut down, Fiber Up:

---Every morning, hubby eats a bowl of whole oats with honey. Now, this is hard folks. My husband is a foodie. He was really dreading this. But would you know it, he loves this meal! I keep it out on the counter so he can snack on some homemade granola too before dinner, Which. He. Loves. Who knew?!

For lunch, almost every day Justin has a smoothie, which I make in bulk on Sunday or Monday (he mostly eats monster smoothies but also sometimes fruit smoothies with peanut butter and whey protein added) Also, we're eating fish 1x/week. I know we're supposed to have two...but Honeybear always eats our leftovers and I don't want him having too much mercury (probably 2times/week would be fine...). We were already eating only whole wheat bread and staying away from sugar (I only make desserts once or twice per month). We also cut down our red meat to *only* when we go out to eat. (or pizza every other week--if my hub is cycling). Lastly, we added fish oil tablets 3x/day to hub's diet.

In summary:
-Fish once/week
-Whole oats&honey for breakfast, sometimes granola
-Only snacking on fruits/granola
-Smoothie lunches
-Cut down desserts
-Fish oil tablets 3x/day


lastly,
2) Investing in an Activity He Loves.

This was another hard one. I was really determined to get him exercising more, but it has always ended up with me--sometimes forcefully--shoving him out of bed and telling him he has to get up and go running. Not his favorite way to wake up. Or forcing him into the car with me to go swimming (which was easier when my brother was living with us, aka free childcare!). My husband is actually very athletically-gifted, but never has been able to maintain a sport consistently (other than rock-climbing in college). Then...he met a friend who was all into cycling.
We invested in a nice bike and gear (part of his 30th birthday gift)
And now I can barely keep him home! He rides 20-30 miles twice a week and 50miles once a week. That's around 80 miles a week!! He's training for the Lance Armstrong Livestrong 90mile race next month :D
I'm not saying every man will do this...but the reason this worked for him was because
a) He had someone to do it with
b) He loved the toys accompanying it (my husband loves toys, not to mention the engineering of putting bike parts together)
c) He really enjoyed the speed and feel of the activity.

The cost of this hobby wasn't cheap at the outset. But, it is a one-time cost that will save us in cholesterol medications in the future! Plus he gets to wear spandex! Ha

okay okay I'm not really dying

Okay so after my last post I received numerous emails/phone calls from my mother.
No, I am not only eating pizza and chick-fil-a the *entire time I marathon train. I'm eating yogurt and almonds every five seconds as well and fish and chicken here and there. But, yeah, the past two weeks, I *have been chowing down a loooot more than usual.....

And, no, apparently, marathon training is NOT the reason I am fatigued. Doesn't this completely negate my previous post?? Ha, I don't think so. It might be some nutrition, but the fatigue we discovered is *definitely hormonal. I am getting blood work done this week to check for anemia just in case. So, maybe marathon training isn't my problem? I definitely don't think I'd do another one with a baby in the house though.

Back to food--Is it me, or is it SUPER hard to stop eating like you're pregnant???
I say this 10 months post-pregnancy. Old habits die preeetty dang hard. The irony is, I have always usually been fairly healthy in eating habits, until I got pregnant and started eating for two. (Although, technically, you only really need a couple-few hundred calories more a day when pregnant, which is like a measly slice of bacon but nevermind that). So, I am re-comitting myself to good nutrition again. Starting today, I purchased three tubs of cottage cheese, which I loathe.

So there, mom.

Here are some past "Nutrition Notes" I took during one of my nutrition courses last year (Yes, I'm a nerd and keep all my notes). Am in Definite need of being reminded, so I"m posting here:

Top 11 Interesting Nutrition Facts I Learned in Grad School (keep in mind, this is verbatim ha)
"
1) Vitamins&Mineral supplements are not regulated by FDA whatsoever. Prof recommends we not take any at all, unless pregnant or in a severely poor state of health. If you feel like you *have* to take vitamins, generic brands usually have less chemicals and are healthier than name brands (she recommends HEB brands)


3) 60% of our produce comes internationally, and we inspect only 1% of this imported produce as of 2007. Do more research, and be mindful of fresh produce.


4) Frozen vegetables can be just as healthy as fresh, sometimes healthier, depending on when the vegetables were frozen. Be okay with buying frozen.


5) Microwaving vegetables with water preserves more nutrients than steaming or boiling many times, so it's better for you. Be okay with microwaving. (I will probably still steam broccoli)


6) Females especially need to be weary of dietary intake. We are supposed to eat similar nutrient %s as males but can have a fraction of the calories because of our higher body fat to maintain healthy proportions. So women need to really curb empty calorie intake ((guys too)) such as any sodas, table sugar, hard candies, molasses, brown sugar ((white coated with molasses)), butters ((though butter is healthier than margarine((I wrote this in 2009, might be different now because it changes every two seconds)), alcohols, even orange juice provides a ton of calories ((two oranges have the same amount of calories as one cup of OJ ((as in a CUP serving size not a glass-full)) and the two actual oranges provide 5X more calcium, 3X more riboflavin, 3X more iron with same calories. So women should eat *low energy foods, but dense foods.


7) You should switch brands of foods frequently. Just like shampoo with hair, using the same brand repeatedly can build up contamination, since each brand comes with its own contaminants ((this is FDA approved regardless of this))


8) A child's size meal at McDonalds is an actual adult serving size for foods. (and 1 chocolate shake at Mcd's =2 big macs, isn't that odd?)


9) 30min of exercise a day to maintain...60min to lose. However, does not have to be at once, walking to parking space, taking stairs, the exercise can be throughout the day. (This is different if you are nursing, and this is for adults ages 30-40)


10) UV exposure and stress significantly cause premature aging because it keeps telomerases (enzyme that elongates DNA after replication) to stop working and the DNA to shrink! DNA shrinking happens with age but we can shrink our DNA faster by stressing and being out too long in the sun.


11) Breads are NOT empty calories, they are great calories. Carbs are actually very good for you, depriving yourself of carbs is terrible on your liver, and typically those who lose weight on atkins gain it back right afterward, and are susceptible to gaining even more weight. Overall, don't stop eating carbs!
 "
Well, this was a random post. But, perhaps if anyone reads this, they will get good use out of  thousands of dollars wasted on grad school. Ha. Bitterness, much? :)

Truth is, I'd trade it all again in a heartbeat:)