Mom Paranoia

Hi. Remember me?
I'm still me, only different.
I'm a mom, but I still don't feel right using the title. Sure, I keep a fifteen pound bundle of joy alive and well, but I always assumed moms knew everything and could handle 'it all'. As the military say... "You don't know what you don't know," but now I am well aware of a LOT of things that I didn't know. We only survived because of family, friends that are nurses (thankfully on call 24/7), and Google. Dear, sweet, Google.

That's partially why I took an unplanned blog sabbatical, and then when you throw in a PCS (military move), deciding to buy another house, a renovation, and mom paranoia I'm sure it's obvious. I guess the mom paranoia isn't necessarily obvious, but that's where I am stuck. I've always felt a freedom in sharing our life story, and even when we were told to censor ourselves because of terrorists I felt compelled to continue on living our normal life and blogging about it. Now, however, I have become very protective over Miss Charlie and her online presence. It's the real reason that I stopped blogging, and went so far as to start a private Instagram account. I know it's completely normal to share our kiddos over social media since I've been enjoying other peoples children online for years, but for some reason I've been very reserved. I figured it was better to err on the side of caution than to regret it later, so I've been waiting to see if the feeling passes. Unfortunately, it's only gotten stronger.

She's been the center of our world for almost three hundred days, and I don't even think I've posted that many pictures via Facebook and Instagram combined in nine months. But don't worry, I've probably taken 9,000 PLUS for our own enjoyment, haha. In the end, I guess that's all that matters. She is a perfectly healthy and happy baby that has turned our world upside down, and she has most definitely become my favorite photo subject. Will is still a close second (don't tell him I said that), but I just can't help documenting every adorable thing she does.

So am I crazy? Am I just being paranoid? Please tell me this is just a phase, because I think I'm ready to start blogging again. I have soooooo much to tell you all, and I need to catch up on all of your lives too! I think of you all often, and I hope I haven't missed anything too important. Let me know if I have and send me links for fun stuff I missed.

We Have A One Month Old!

A month ago, the nurse told me that each day would get easier even if I couldn't see it day by day, and I am thankful to admit she was right. I've cried more days than not, and felt like I must be doing everything wrong more than I'd like to admit, but I feel like we've come so far since then that I'm slowly forgetting the root of all of the fears and 'baby blues'. As my love for her grows, everything seems to have begun falling into place and I can now have more of a sense of humor about all the ups and downs. Yep, love, a sense of humor, and savoring the little things seem to be the key. Here are some of the little things:

+ Her eyes have begun to lighten.

+ Loves to sleep on us, but especially Daddy.

+ I love that I can calm her by simply putting my hand on her chest. It's funny that I've been doing that to her daddy for years. Proof that he's trained me for motherhood well.

+ Tried to get her on a schedule, but she showed us who's boss. For now, we are just thankful she can sleep up to 5-6 hours at a time at night. Doc said let her sleep, so that's what we are doing even if it does mean changing the sheets.

+ She is strong, which she showed by almost ejecting herself out of the bucket during the newborn photos, and she's only gotten stronger since. Every time she holds her head up it blows my mind, and we love tummy time for more practice...even if sometimes her strength is fueled because she is mad I woke her up for tummy time. Sorry Charlie! Pun intended.

+ We can't believe she's already grown out of the Newborn Swaddles, hats, socks, and is even too long for some of the onesies. Speaking of the swaddles, she's also an escape artist and can get out of them no matter how good we swaddle her. This kind of defeats the purpose when she spends all night fighting them, but it still seems to be better than her flailing her arms around. I'd love any insight on this from other parents of escape artists.

I had actually posted a one month photo last week because I was going by weeks, but as Will kindly pointed out- we now have to go by months. Even worse...eventually we have to go by years. I know this is common sense, but I'm beginning to realize how fast time is going to fly and I don't like it one bit. Sure, there are days when I look forward to taking her to Disney World, school recitals, and getting to re-experience life with her, but I know that when those days come I'll be desperate for the memories of late night snuggles during feedings, her little fingers wrapped around mine, and yes...even the laughter caused when diaper changes go wrong. Charleston Quinn...you are a pretty cool chick so far. Keep it up.

Things Are Lookin' Up

A lot of times we get wrapped up in what's wrong and forget to be thankful for what's right. Sure, we have a lot to be thankful for when it comes to Miss Charlie, but then we also get caught up by lack of sleep, changing diapers, dirty laundry, etc. and realize that things aren't all rosy when you have a newborn. Like seriously...I don't know how this tiny little thing can create so much laundry. Anywho, there have been some positives this week!

+ After a FULL week of no AC, we now have a brand new unit!

+ Will had his final check ride last night, so he will have the rest of the week off and more importantly, NO MORE NIGHT FLYING. I can't believe that we have two weeks until graduation and we are done...D-O-N-E with flight school.

+ Charlie has grown a FULL inch in four weeks and is in the 90th percentile for height. We had a checkup this week and she's still doing great! I need to take her one month pictures before she changes anymore, and I swear she's one month going on sixteen.

Now if only I could manage to get her to sleep on my schedule...Ha...Ha. Have a great weekend everyone! We are starting ours early.

Birth Story: The Best And Worst Day Of My Life

I still hold our wedding day as the best day of my life, but the day we brought a baby into the world together takes the title for "BEST and WORST Day of my life". Everyone kept telling me that my labor would be so easy, and the doctor even swaggered in thinking that it was going to be a breeze after bragging to my nurse friend that he wished all of his patients were like me. They said this would be a great labor experience with my health and fitness, however, that's not exactly how things turned out...but let's go back a few days.

On June 30th I went in for my last OB appointment a day after our original due date. I was 2 cm, 60% effaced, so we came to the agreement that we would Strip the Membranes {natural way to induce labor}, and if that didn't work, I would be scheduled for an induction. I hadn't wanted to be induced because that's just more drugs, but we also knew that leaving her in there for too long without knowing a true due date was a gamble too. So basically, we scheduled it, gave the family notice to head this way, and we were rarin' to go. My parents and Natalie {Charlie's Godmother} even arrived the night before, so we all had a nice dinner and a very sleepless night. Natalie and I giggled over the fact that we were basically having a sleepover like the old days, only now we were whispering about babies rather than  boys and instead of staying up until 4AM, we were getting up at that time to go to the hospital.

It didn't take long to check in, but emotions were high as we got the process started. Dressing gowns, IV's, Monitors, and going over and over the process filled the time until the doctor arrived, and then the Pitocin drip started about 8AM. Just in time for Will to finish up his academics and meet us at the hospital. {We couldn't have him missing class if we could help it!} Slowly the contractions started, and I realized that the day would not pass as quickly for everyone else as it was for me, so I sent them off to get some rest, which left time for Will and I to rest in between contractions. As you can imagine, we didn't have much success with that, so around 11:30 I was ready for the Epidural. I had been a little apprehensive about it, but I can honestly tell you that the lidocaine they use to numb you is the only thing that I felt. As a matter of fact, I didn't feel anything for the rest of the day and not in a good way. Well, good in that I wasn't feeling any pain, but bad because I didn't have any feeling from the ribs down. I was pretty worried when I touched anywhere below my ribs and I felt like I was touching a corpse. When they would move my legs I would say "What legs? I don't have any legs", and if only they had believed me...

Fast forward to 6:02pm, and the pushing began. I had no reference for how to push, but I listened to every bit of advice to start getting her down the birth canal. In spite of the fact that I had zero feeling, she was moving down and things were looking good up until we realized that she was turned to the side and didn't want to budge past my pelvic bone. After thirty minutes I suggested turning off the epidural, but the doctor seemed apprehensive. Instead, they pulled out extra handlebars, gave me every option known to man about how to push/pull/contort my body, and had Will and Natalie wrangling both my legs. This lead to another thirty minutes of pushing that got us nowhere until I could tell my doctor was getting frustrated. He was telling me to push where I felt his hand, so I told him I would if I could feel where he was pushing. I think it finally clicked that I did not have enough feeling to do what needed to be done and the epidural was then turned off. It would have been nice to take a break until it wore off, but nope...we kept pushing, and they kept telling me I was doing sooo great. I had to be on oxygen, was getting conflicting advice on how to push, and simply emotionally and physically drained, so I snapped back "I don't believe any of you". Luckily, it only took another thirty or so for me to tell that things were coming along, and as Natalie started getting bucked every time I pushed with growing strength in my legs, I at least felt like we were getting somewhere.

It was when I regained feeling in my abs that I knew we were in business. A nurse took over the leg opposite Will, and although I had barely any strength left, it only took one push for the doctor to realize it was time to pull out the safety net and put his delivery gown on. Two more pushes and he threatened mentioned that he may have to open me up to give her more room. Apparently that was just the push I needed to get her out, because he wasn't getting anywhere near me with those scissors. One more push and a tiny little human was placed on my chest. I was exhausted, they were sewing me up from a small tear on the left side, among a few other minor complications, but I could care less. I just was happy to be done with the hardest two hour workout I'd ever had in my life.

While they cleaned her across the room, we marveled at how long she was. We were thinking she would be 6 pounds and change, maybe 19 inches, and instead she was 7.13, 21 inches, and all legs! Actually, not all legs at the time because she had the WORST cone head I'd ever seen. I told Natalie to get her hat ready, because baby girl was not going to meet everyone like that. I know it's normal, but I totally had a "what have I done to my baby?!" moment. Poor thing hung out under my pelvic bone for so long that it was inevitable. I was only thankful that her face was perfect from being turned, and all that really mattered was she was healthy and loved.

Finally, once everybody had gone home, the three of us began our new life together. We clung to the natural instincts we didn't know we had, and hoped that would be enough to get us through the night, and well, the rest of her life.

Why Does The AC Only Go Out In Summer?

I'm glad y'all have appreciated all the pictures this week! It's funny, they make it look like we've got our act together, but just so you know...that's impossible with a newborn. In fact, on the day we took the newborn photos I was so engorged that I told the photographer I didn't want my chesticles anywhere in sight, and even worse- we forgot to refasten Charlie's diaper all the way on the way home and as you can imagine, we had to take apart and clean the whole car seat. See what you future parents have to look forward to!?

As if life with a newborn isn't difficult enough, we woke up to hot air blowing out of the AC unit on Wednesday. I called and let our rental company know that we had a newborn in an 85 degree house which got us moved to the top of the list, but then we found out that the whole unit may need to be replaced, which doesn't happen in one day. We now have two window units working full force, and I don't mind running errands so much right now.

All in all, things are going as good as can be expected, though. We are still working on our breastfeeding, but she's still alive and growing and I have proof. I took a meal to another brand new mommy this week, and was blown away by the difference between the two babies. Christian was born at the exact same stats as Charlie (7.13 pounds, 21 inches), and yet she's grown SO much in the two weeks before he was born. Crazy right?!

And in non-baby related news, I braved Target while out and about with Charlie and finally found my favorite calendar/planner! For whatever reason, my brain only functions with a calendar that is set up horizontally, and Blue Sky is the only company that makes one. These buggers are hard to find in stores other than online or Target. but they are still worth the hunt. Forget those expensive calendars that all bloggers are addicted to {you know which one I'm talking about}, because these are where it's at and the price tag is way better!

Now it's time for us to get out of this hot @$$ house, and head home for our final baby shower/reveal with the family. I've been stressed about driving Miss Charlie all the way to Pensacola by myself, but maybe the AC going out was meant to make me want to leave. Not that I want to leave Will and I feel bad that he'll be stuck here in the heat, but he knows he could come with us if he wanted {I'm only slightly trying to make him feel guilty}. Unfortunately, he's got studying to do to get ready for his FINAL check ride, and he doesn't think he'll be able to study as much with the fam. Either way, his girls will miss him terribly. He's been the only thing keeping me sane, so we shall see how this goes without him. Wish us luck!

Charlie's Newborn Photos!

Soooo I was going to hold out on these, but that would be pure torture for me. I drove all the way to Dothan with baby in tow on Monday just to get them, and I'll have you know I cried the whole way through the gallery Charlotte put together for us. I couldn't believe how incredibly beautiful they turned out with the two beings I love the most as the focus, and mostly...I was blown away by how much she has changed in her two {almost three} weeks of life.

Things are hard when you have a newborn, but having moments like these to look back on will make it all worthwhile. People constantly ask how things are with our little bundle of joy, and I reply "Hard, but we are lucky she's so darn cute, so I don't mind!" We love you Charlie bug! Even if you do keep us up all night.

Love Comes First

Hi. My name is Janna, and I've been deliciously lost in the eyes of my newborn. I mean there's also breastfeeding, diapers, loss of sleep, and allowing myself to heal, but mostly we are just enjoying our new doll baby. I have started the birth story, but I'm takin' my time while trying to find appropriate words for the...um... 'intimate' parts let's say. I also figured that before we get to that I should probably share the maternity photos first, because I don't ever want to forget the special moments where we were just 'us'. I look back at these, and it's amazing that I really do love him even more now that we have charlie, and I can only hope that this love continues to grow. Love is where it all started after all.

I can't believe that two months ago we were footloose and fancy free on that beach, unaware of how much would change, and now it is bittersweet as I come to the realization that life will never be this simple again. I worry about the changes a baby can cause in a relationship, but I know that we both have the desire to become even stronger for her. First comes Love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage...

I'm A Sucker For...

I like to think that I make pretty rational decisions most of the time, but I guess I will always be a sucker for some things. Aaaand it doesn't help to be in the home stretch of pregnancy where my will power is slightly diminishing. Don't judge me.

Anything 'Cake Batter', and if you want to know what heaven is:

Donuts on National Donut Day and taking Will to Krispy Kreme for the first time. He's had a Krispy Kreme donut, but we all know that unless you have them hot off the line it's not the same. Although, he still didn't even want one, so that meant more for me! Seriously though, I don't know how you can watch the freshly glazed jewels come down the line and say no.

A good deal, and even better, a good deal on an iPhone. Yeeaaaahhhh, I know I wanted to break up with Apple, but most of you told me you were happy with the 6's and I already knew I liked the camera from trying a friend's. What sealed the deal, though, was the sale that Sam's had last week. I got the 64GB for a whopping $197, which is unheard of. That's a HUNDRED BUCKS off, and I can get minimum $115 for our old phone. We also save money by using Lifeproof cases instead of buying insurance, but since it's not here yet I've had the phone since Friday and it's just sitting on my dresser. I'm telling you, Will gets on to me if I even look at it longingly. Hurry up Mr. Postman! Oh, and anyone need an iPhone 5?

Tubing down the river against my doctors advice. Technically, he never said "don't tube down the river", but I'm pretty sure it was implied when he gave me a long speech about not traveling at this point, staying near the hospital, taking it easy, etc, etc. Sorry doc...we had to get one trip in this year, because we probably won't be here next summer.

As usual, it was an absolute blast to leisurely float down a river on a warm Alabama day with some of our best friends. It's sad that we've got the whole trip down to a science now that it's probably the last time we will go, but oh well. We will most definitely end up stationed here in the future, and it will be a whole new adventure we can share with Charlie. Perhaps a little more G-Rated when she comes, but fun nonetheless.

Will Spills All: What A New Dad Is Really Thinking

I've had my dear husband on the blog multiple times when he so sweetly entertains my interviews, but it's usually upbeat and mostly a joking tone. When I came up with a few questions that I thought we would all be interested in a man's perspective, I assumed he would approach it in the same manner. However, I found tears streaming down my face very quickly and in complete shock that he took it so seriously. I'll just let him do the talking...

1. How surprised were you when I told you?
I was pretty much flabbergasted (sweet word, right?), the possibility of you being pregnant literally never crossed my mind. You just kept complaining about how big your boobs were getting, so I naturally kept pretending to be upset too, haha.

2. What were you thinking when we found out how far along we were at the first US?
Definitely pure shock, because it honestly didn't feel real up until that point. Being told is one thing, and seeing it is another...Seeing an almost fully formed mini-me inside you made it very real, very fast. Followed by "What the hell do we do now?"

3. How do you really feel about this pregnancy? I won't get mad, pinky promise.
It's honestly been the first time I have ever thought about money in the long run. She's gonna want fancy stuff and need even more, and we both know that I love toys- the more expensive the better, haha. I also feel kind of left out with school, homework, or studying to do, so I leave you at home all day to plan everything and make decisions for her. Now she's coming in less than two months, and I have no idea how to be prepared or what to do.

4. What makes you the most nervous?
With us finding out so late the doctors gave us several speeches about how not taking prenatals and other medicines that you had been prescribed could affect her growth and development among other things. I am just very thankful Janna isn't a drinker and we are very healthy other than that. My only hope is that she's healthy, and so far she's perfect.

5. What was important from your childhood that you hope to share with our daughter?
SPORTS, lots of SPORTS! Not that I want to force her into anything she doesn't want to do or make her a Tom boy, but I feel sports will help her build self confidence and a positive self image.  Be it from soccer or chess club, I don't care. Anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I find watching sports boring, I will gladly play any sport at any time, but watching them is just dull aside from the big events. However, growing up playing sports kept me mostly out of trouble, and also made sure I had friends everywhere we went when my family moved every two years with the military. Other than that, I want her to be self sufficient. I was a latchkey kid from about 4th grade on. My parents were gone when I woke up and came home after me in time to make dinner. This forced me to take care of myself, get to school on time, get cleaned up after practice, and make myself snacks when I wanted them. I want her to rely on us, but also be capable of taking care of herself.

6. What are you looking forward to the most?
Probably to her being a toddler, because at that point she will officially be my little minion to train and unleash on the unsuspecting masses, MUHAHAHAHA! Also, Janna seems to have some skewed vision that she has some say in whether or not she becomes a daddy's girl. So, I'm looking forward to seeing how that lifelong battle plays out, should be fun, haha.

7. You've come up with a daddy daughter name, would you like to share?
CHUCK! I know, I'm a genius. I figure she will be around thirteen when she starts begging me to stop greeting her with "What's up, Chuck?" in front of her friends and in public. So of course I will begrudgingly agree to stop, only to absentmindedly continue and blame it on old age.

8. Anything else you'd like to share?
Pizza should be it's own food group. That is all...

I'm going to get really real here...I felt really guilty that Will felt in the dark. I know a big part of it is that he spends every bit of spare time learning to fly helicopters, but I also realize that maybe I underestimated how involved he wanted to be, not to mention I'm terrible at asking for help. I'm sure it's a combination of just being a doer, but I'm ashamed to admit that I don't always trust other people. Part of it is 'If you want it done right, do it yourself', but a big part of it is that I don't trust that people actually want to help when they offer. I figure if they really mean it, they'll just step up and join in like I will, and since most people aren't like that I do a lot by myself. Will steps up a LOT, don't get me wrong, but there are many times I want to ask him to do things, and I don't because I don't want to add more to his plate. He tells me over and over that he will do anything I need, and I should have been trusting him when he said that.

It's still strange for me to refer to Will as a Dad, but he is and I love saying it. Dad, DAD, DADDY!! He has even proven it when he sold his precious GTO to get a Volvo, every time he makes dinner when he can tell I'm tired, when he's attended baby classes, checked out baby books from the library, researched the perfect jogging stroller, helped me pick out the fabric for the crib set, and a million other little gestures. I happen to think that he's probably more prepared than a good bit of expectant fathers, but I have still been working harder to make him more included since I read his responses last month. I know hardly anyone is ever really ready, but I think we've both come along way in a very short time and that's more than enough.

NINE Months, What??

Cheesy, I know, but I guess I'm just feeling pretty strong and ready for this baby. Well, as ready as I'll ever be, which is good considering she's practically here. I'd like her to cook as long as possible, but I am starting to feel antsy about meeting her ;) It's funny, I told the kiddos I was watching that I would bring her over after she's born so they can meet her, and Jackson chimed in with "Uh...we've kinda already met her." Man, leave it to a ten year old to put me in my place. I do feel like I already know her and I think it's cute that it's possible for others to feel that way too. She really is quite the character already.

In other news, at nine months pregnant I'm officially a SAHW again. Technically I'm almost a SAHM now, but I think she actually has to go through the birthing canal before that applies. Anyhoo, we got word this weekend that ten people had to be cut from the Fort Rucker exercise I was supposed to work in two weeks. They took volunteers, but obviously everyone wanted to work. I knew that it wouldn't really be fair for me to take a spot when there was no guarantee that I would even make it to the middle of June before labor {let alone all the way to July}, so I didn't make the cut. I'm a little sad because it's a super fun job, I love the people I work with, and who doesn't want to make easy money, but in the grand scheme of things it was really bad timing and I already had that in the back of my mind. I still plan to get as much done in the next two weeks as I can because who knows when little miss thang will decide to make her appearance, but at least I won't be feeling the pressure.

Speaking of which, you can find the bumpdate on the baby blog, and these are the questions on my mind right now. Questions This Month:

Have you tried Amazon Mom?

How many bottles does one need to start out with if you plan on breastfeeding?

What are you tips for last minute baby preparation?

What was in your hospital bag?

The Secret To MY Easy Pregnancy

This post is strictly about my experience, helpful knowledge that I have found, and advice I've been given. There is no denying the benefits of fitness and nutrition, but I realize that every pregnancy is different. Just want to make that clear ;)

I must admit, every time someone has said "Don't be intimidated by the pregnant chick running faster than you" or "You make me feel inadequate when you outrun me", it's a BIG ego boost. Not that I'm trying to outrun anyone these days and I'm certainly not running as fast as I used to, but it's an amazing feeling to be defying everything I've ever heard about pregnancy. I truly believe that between fitness and my healthy eating habits, I have found the formula to the perfect pregnancy {FOR ME} and I think all you non-preggers need to take note before you are faced with morning sickness and back problems. Yup...I've avoided all those pesky symptoms. 

The trick is starting these habits well before you get pregnant to have the most effect and to be SAFE.  You want to know the biggest secret? While Will was deployed everyone talked about how easy it is to get pregnant when the boys return, so I started working out with the mindset that if I accidentally got pregnant I would be fit and ready. Some may say that was my biological clock ticking, but all I knew was that I didn't want to end up like friends I've had that were lethargic, miserable, and in some cases bed ridden because their bodies were not 'primed' AS THEY PUT IT. That being said, here's why you should start now and keep going on strong:

1. Any fitness routine for any reason will boost confidence, improve body image, make clothes fit better, and up your immune system along with a long list of miscellaneous benefits. Yadda, yadda, yadda... I know this has been shoved down your throat for years.

2. When you have an established routine, your doctor will tell you to keep on keepin' on if you get pregnant. There are a few restrictions that must be considered, but my OB told me that my pregnancy and labor would be a LOT easier if I was able to maintain a routine. Even if you have to slow down, modify your routine, and take breaks, you are still burning major calories cooking a baby and working out. Matter of fact, they say a pregnant woman laying  on the couch burns more calories than a body builder. Hence why any activity has even more effect than normal. Good bye every ounce of fat and water weight on my body, and hello healthy pregnancy!

3. Just as a good massage helps balance hormones, exercise does too. They say that massage during pregnancy helps to regulate the hormones associated with stress, relaxation, and mood: norepinephrine, cortisol, seratonin, and it has been found that exercise has the same effect! My doctor asked Will if I had any mood swings up until five months and he really couldn't think of any. Sure I've gotten a tidge bit weepy lately, but 99% of the time I'm overly happy and 'love everything', i.e. the watermelon cake, how nice people are to pregnant women, how sweet my husband is, etc...I can even tell a difference between the hormones when I work out and the recovery days. Plus they say the regulation of these are said to help with complications throughout the pregnancy and leads to an easier delivery. Please be true...please be true!!

4. Remember I mentioned water weight? The fluids that you gain during pregnancy are actually what make women 'blow up' {well, other than ice cream and other terrible cravings}. Your body DOUBLES the levels of blood and other fluids to make a baby, so between that and natural water retention you can easily feel bloated and even develop pregnancy complications. But alas, there is hope! Even 'easy' pregnancy friendly exercises that have never exercised before can prevent water retention. I had feared this the most, because honestly, I've always retained water. Other than detoxes and clean eating, I've never even seen my abs or my real arm muscles, but now that I'm working out while pregnant I've dropped EVERY BIT of water weight I carried! If that's not a good enough reason to get going, then I don't know what is.

5. I don't know if this is concrete fact, but I read that nausea could be associated with sugar levels, and that makes sense to me because I've been managing my Hypoglycemia for seven years with fitness and nutrition and I never even got nauseous once. I also think that these practices have had some effect on controlling my cravings and allowing me to make healthier choices, which could be the magical combination for an 'easy pregnancy'. 

Now I know this sounds unappealing and daunting to those that aren't about that 'fit life', because I was you a few years ago, but I can promise you that if you get pregnant you will regret not getting started as you think of this post if you are part of the unlucky group that lives in the bathroom and simultaneously gains 60 pounds. More importantly, think of your baby. I could care less about these bonus benefits because I know that I'm being healthy for her. This is also why you need to speak with your OB about your personal fitness and know how to do it safely. As much as I LOVE running, I made the decision yesterday that I ran my last mile of this pregnancy. It's putting stress on my lower abdomen even with a maternity support belt, so I'm sticking to core workouts to keep her safe. My motivation is to be the best wife and mother that I can be physically and mentally, and I'm completely okay with that.

Until getting pregnant, I would look in the mirror and see things I still needed to work on. Now, I look in the mirror and think "Look how my hard work has created the perfect vessel for my baby." Because I sweat, she will be healthier, because I condition, she will be stronger, because I am dedicated, she will enter this world ahead of the game, and that's what keeps me going.

PS. I am very interested in hearing experiences of other pregnancies out there, good and bad! Especially personal experiences, and how it affected your labor and delivery.