I can’t believe another month has come and gone, it really feels like I posted Bradley’s 6 month update last week.

This past month has been GREAT. I attribute the greatness to the extra hours of sleep I’ve been getting, thank you Bradley, it’s about time. (just kidding.. well not really)

I like to talk about a lot of positives in these posts but lets be real and honest here, there are a lot downs with those ups. There are sleepless nights, there are days where kids are crying and screaming left and right but those days get out numbered when there’s laughter and baby giggles, those bad days somehow get forgotten.

Before I get started on all the baby updates I want to let you know how much joy Bradley brings into our lives. He has been such a blessing not just to me, but to Marc and Ava. Even when the day seems tough, he will flash his smile and somehow our day turns around. We are lucky with this little one.

Bradley’s 7 month Baby Update

Current weight an ounce shy of 23 pounds (at his last check up he was like 97th percentile for height and weight)

Bradley is outgrowing 12 month clothes. I can’t believe I just bought 18 month onesies!!

He’s a big boy for sure. I almost debated measuring his thighs and comparing them to Ava’s because I swear they are probably the same size. There’s so much chunk to those little legs you can’t see his ankles and I LOVE it. It just makes him that much cuter.

LIKES

• to be tickled
• when people sing to him
• to play with anything and everything
• roll over especially during diaper changes
• watching his sister at ALL times
• to reach for Cooper when he’s in the high chair, mainly to clean his hands I think
• smile with his mouth open
• put every item he can in his mouth
• scream loud when people are talking so we can hear him. Yes we know you are there Bradley
• smiling
• and smiling at everyone he sees

DISLIKES

• when someone takes something from him
• being put down when he needs to burp
• his face being wiped after he eats
• getting dressed
• getting his buggies sucked out of his nose
• staying still for diaper changes
• waking up from naps (he wakes up crying and then 2 seconds later smiles so big)

EAT

Bradley is a great eater. He loves food, milk, and chewing on anything he can get his hands on. Bradley has about 5 bottles a day and we are trying a new solid every week. So far we love: sweet potatoes, oats, rice cereal, green beans, peas, apples, bananas, avocado, butternut squash. We do not like peaches. To be honest I didn’t like them either. Peaches were one of the foods I ate every day while I was pregnant, but these gerber pureed peaches taste nothing like the real thing. Which reminds me that I need to start making my own baby food. I will… I will.

He currently has 2 bottom teeth and one of his molars and other bottom teeth are coming in so I guess we could probably try eating steak soon?? just kidding.  I bet he would like it but we’ll stick to our pureed food for now. I can’t wait to continue trying new foods because it’s so fun to see what new foods he will devour.

SLEEP

Last month Bradley had a couple of ear infections that left me craving sleep. Thank goodness these past 3 weeks have been so much better. Bradley goes to bed anywhere between 7pm-8m and sleeps until 6/630am. Sometimes he falls asleep earlier if Ava interrupts his naps during the day. For the most part I won’t complain about sleep, he’s made drastic improvements this past month and I’m loving it. I honestly think he’s sleeping more soundly because he eats 3 meals a day and his belly stays full!

PLAY

Ohhhh how I love playtime. Bradley’s smile and laugh are contagious. He smiles at everyone he sees and it makes me smile to watch him. We are currently in teething mode so a lot of playtime consists on putting as many toys into his mouth as possible. He likes toys he can hold and chew on. We have a zillion toys and we rotate them so he doesn’t get bored, but believe it or not he loves the random things that aren’t toys…. packages of wipes, diapers, remotes, phones, plastic spoons and cooking utensils that Ava gives him. It makes me question why we buy toys?????

Bradley is rolling and scooting all over the place. He will be crawling any day now.

It’s funny to me because Ava was already crawling and pulling herself up to a standing position by 7 months so I’m enjoying the slower pace that Bradley is moving at. He can stay put for as long as his little heart desires

Ava and Bradley’s interactions continue to melt my heart and also give me heart attacks. Ava has been such a good big sister though in all honesty. She helps me with diaper changes and brings me wipes, garbage bags, whatever I need to take care of his mess. She wipes up his spit up, she brings him toys, sings him songs when he’s crying, she tickles him to make him laugh more and I couldn’t be happier with her for doing the things she does.

I can’t wait to see what new things these two do together this month!!

We can’t forget about the bond between Cooper & Bradley. It’s super special and they both have so much interest in one another.

Cooper is a SAINT for letting Bradley tug on his ears, rip out his hair and tickle his paw. I couldn’t ask for a better dog to lookout for our baby.

I love this little boy so much, even if he is wearing a Boston Red Sox hat that Daddy makes him wear.

His smile is contagious and I hope that he always remembers to share that smile with everyone he meets.

Check back this week for a workout that you can do at home on your own time and under 30 minutes!!!

I figured I would do a quick recap of our weekend for you:

Friday night Marc and I had a little date night at Harvest on Greenwich Avenue. We have been there plenty of times, but we love the food and atmosphere. My mom was kind enough to watch Ava for us so we could get out for a bit.

We split a bunch of small plates rather then ordering entrees. We had my favorite brussel sprout salad, lamb meatballs which I wasn’t a fan of, grilled calamari, mussels, and a chopped salad which was delicious.

Marc and I enjoyed our alone time, it was much needed

These are some post dinner pics when my belly was at its fullest

Saturday we spent the morning at the beach and in the afternoon headed to a friends pool.

It was a beautiful day and I’m glad we didn’t really spend a second inside!

Sunday was pretty much a repeat of Saturday and we headed to the beach again just for the morning.

I have so much fun watching and playing with Ava. It’s amazing how happy kids are when they play with sand toys.

Sunday afternoon we BBQ’d with my family and kept it low key!

On the 4th of July we took Cooper & Ava to the field first thing in the morning before it got hot to run around and play before we headed to Byram Shore Beach to hang out.

My parents joined us at the beach which was lovely. It’s always nice to have extra people looking out for Ava and playing with her. I was actually able to sit in a beach chair and relax for a bit!! AWESOME.

Around 330pm my family came over for a BBQ.

It was a great evening and we enjoyed their company.

everyone loves grandma!

My mom did all the cooking which was pretty special and made the day so much easier for Marc and myself.

We even had a little ice cream cake for dessert.

Think my dad is excited for this baby boy to arrive?? He picked out the cake.

Ava didn’t nap on the 4th so she was out cold by 7pm.

Those are tired eyes!

Marc and I spent the night on the couch relaxing and watching TV. It seems like we watch TV once a week so it was nice to kick our feet up and chill.

Now it’s back to the work week and I’m looking forward to it. This weekend was amazing and I loved being outside but I can’t wait to have a schedule to follow to pass the time until our baby boy arrives!

What did you do for the 4th of July?

Did you spend the weekend outside?

I’m so excited it’s Monday. I know that’s weird but I get to teach Group Power today and I truly missed it these past 10 days. I’m definitely going to ease back in this week and it could be my last week teaching so I guess that’s why I’m pumped for it.

This weekend was perfect. I know that’s a bold statement but that’s exactly how I felt when I woke up Sunday morning. Everything was just going smoothly and I couldn’t have been happier.

Saturday morning we woke up around 630am and I decided to head out and get us Dunkin Donuts coffees and muffins. I haven’t had a decaf coffee in a while because my stomach hasn’t been up to it, but for some reason I wanted one.

I also felt like we ate super healthy this week so why not have a chocolate chip muffin???

Saturday was Cooper’s 4th Birthday so we spent the day treating him like the King that he is.

We made bacon with our breakfast and of course my little doggie got some.

We took him to the park to run around and watch him smile. That’s honestly one of my favorite things to do. We are very good about giving him 2 walks a day so he can get his exercise but there’s something about seeing him with other dogs that is so fun.

After the park we headed to Tod’s Point Beach to enjoy the PERFECT weather.

Marc said it was kinda cool out but this pregnant lady thought the breeze and cooler air was perfect. I didn’t sweat once and I could’ve spent the whole day there.

Ava enjoyed splashing around in the water

playing with her toys and just being a kid.

She’s a goofball too.

It’s amazing how kids can play with themselves at a certain age, and I love watching her!

We had an awesome lunch together with a pretty view before heading home. Ava fell asleep within 2 minutes of the car ride. Mission accomplished haha.

I then headed to the nail salon to treat myself to a manicure and pedicure which I actually had a gift card for. I got a spa pedicure which was amazing. It came with a foot reflexology massage and also a chair massage. Umm….  PERFECT again.

I left feeling the most relaxed I have felt in WEEKS. It was very much needed. The rest of the night we spent hyping up Ava’s new big girl bed that we set up. She said bye to her crib and absolutely loved having a big bed. I couldn’t have been happier that she was so excited and pumped about it.

She also slept like a CHAMP. I for sure thought that we were gonna have a rough night but when my girls asleep and comfy she’s passed out!!

Rather then ramble on about all the things we did Sunday I’ll keep it short and sweet.

I got a prenatal massage from my friend Michelle… I told you in the title of this post (pamper the pregnant lady) it was fabulous!

Marc’s parents spent the rest of the day with us and it was a great end to the weekend.

(This is an older picture of Ava with Marc’s parents, but she loves them and I felt like I should share it!)

Now that I’m super relaxed and got everything I wanted completed on my to-do list, my little baby boy can come wheneverrrrr he wants

Do you ever feel like you have had the perfect weekend?

Do you ever treat yourself to massages??

I haven’t done an update in a while but I felt the need to. She’s become such a smart, caring, fun little girl and I can’t get enough of her.

My love is strong but to be honest these last 5 or so months have been some of the most challenging days for me.

Not only is my strong willed, independent girl getting smarter, she’s getting wiser, she’s learning how to talk back to mama, how to manipulate daddy, and knows how to push ALL of my buttons.

I mean buttons I never knew I had!!!

They call this phase THE TERRIBLE TWO’S

All you moms out there know what I’m talking about.

Ava is a ball of energy and I knew that from day one. She’s a firecracker and I LOVE IT. I couldn’t imagine her sitting still because that’s not me. I always heard about the Terrible two’s from my mom and other moms. I also experienced it when I was out at stores, malls, and kid activities and watched other parents deal with crazy toddlers. I thought to myself, my sweet little girl would never fit the bill.

The terrible twos are real though and well, I was wrong.

Everything I’ve seen other parents have to deal with has happened to me. My toddler runs away from me, she’s hit me in the face, she says no and yells really loud in stores when she doesn’t get her way. She rolls on the floor and causes a scene and will pretty much throw a tantrum if you don’t give her what she wants. Basically she’s embarrassed me and I was blindsided by the whole thing.

I know it all. The kicking and screaming sounds bad, and believe me, it is. But it doesn’t happen all day long. It happens when Ava is tired, hungry, doesn’t feel well or has to use the bathroom.

Although her vocabulary is AMAZING she still has a difficult time communicating to me. So as a parent I have recognized her BAD behavior happens when she’s trying to tell me something.

I’ve tried many different ways to handle her TERRIBLE behavior and some things work one day and different things work on another.

Handling the terrible two’s:

• at home I can walk away from her if she is crying/screaming/causing a scene that doesn’t need my acknowledgment.
• I kneel down next to her and tell her I know she’s frustrated but if she needs help or wants to tell me something she can. If she continues the tantrum I will ask her yes or no questions. Do you need to pee? are you hungry? Are you tired? Sometimes she will answer
• Ava has hit me several times, a couple times when she needed to go to the bathroom. In those situations I told her we don’t hit, we hug. If something is the matter you need to use your words to tell me.
• Ava is a runner. She has run away from me at the YMCA and on playgrounds/parks. This one scares me. When it’s a dangerous situation I have to pick her up and let her kick and flail her arms because I don’t want her to get hurt. I have tried using words like “stop your feet” or freeze but she hasn’t responded well to those just yet. If I say “let me see you walk slow” she sometimes will listen.

Now… this list can go on and on and while I try to keep my reactions calm and approach her with a calm tone it doesn’t always play out that way. I’m human, I lose my patience and she pushes those buttons I was talking about.

Some days she pushes those buttons too many times and I need to yell. It usually NEVER makes the situation better but my body almost needs to let it out. Sometimes she gets time outs in her crib and when we are home I find that to be most effective. It lets her cool off and I get a break for a minute or two until she’s calm and I go in and talk to her. She sees me and says “sorry mommy” and gives me a hug. It’s always the best hug and I know we both feel so much better.

Lately I have been reading a lot of other mom blogs and blogs that discuss parenting, different approaches, and just funny blogs that make me laugh about the Terrible Two’s.

In the end I know I’m doing the best job I possibly can and that I am truly a good mom. But believe me I’ve had my doubts and sometimes you need the bad days to appreciate the good ones!!

I’m thrilled to say that over the past 2 weeks my healthy Ava has been a GREAT listener and has been making me more proud each day. A happy healthy kid is all I want and when she’s happy she’s so much fun to be around!

_____________________________________________________________________

I am writing this post so that I can keep myself sane and somewhat vent about having a sick child.

Let me just say it’s been the hardest part of parenthood for me. Ava has had a fair amount of illnesses since she was born and I find it to be the most stressful and frustrating part of parenting. I have no control and the only thing I can do is try to help her feel comfortable. I find myself getting so stressed out because most of the time there’s nothing I can do but wait for her to get better.

I want to say Ava has a weak immune system, but I don’t believe that. She’s a healthy eater, she’s active on a daily basis and she sleeps well. She’s a happy energetic kid and it doesn’t make sense.

The times that she gets sick are usually when she doesn’t nap or stays up too late 1-2 days in a row. That’s probably our fault because we happen to be out at a party or traveling when her schedule gets thrown off. Sometimes we can’t help that but it usually results in a run down tired kid that ends up getting sick.

It feels like we just got over the stomach flu and here we are again, home sick with a nasty cold again. I took Ava to the Doctor on Friday and she had bronchitis so we had to do some nebulizer treatments daily. I honestly feel like this cold is harder to deal with then the stomach flu. She’s more miserable, cranky and I can’t seem to keep her comfortable. With the stomach flu I just had to feed her a bland diet and push the fluids.

There are so many families with kids that don’t get sick as much as Ava and I sort of envy that. I find myself comparing Ava to them and question if I’m doing something wrong as a parent. Why is my kid ALWAYS sick? I wonder if there’s something I can do better or change?

I guess it’s the cards I was dealt with and it’s making me a stronger mom.

BUT……I can’t help but get frustrated when Ava starts sneezing & coughing because I know the next few days to a week are going to be super challenging.

She’s not an easy sick patient.. but then again who is!?

Sometimes I want to blame other parents for bringing there sick kids places when they should be home resting. I understand we still have to function with our daily lives but what happened to keeping your kid home when they are hacking up a lung?? It’s not healthy to drag your kid all over town to run errands or so you can go work out at the gym while your kid cries miserably at daycare. It’s not fair. Kids for the most part don’t cover their mouths when they cough and they wipe their bugars all over themselves and the toys they play with. It’s gross and it’s not healthy.

Maybe you don’t agree with me maybe I’m overreacting?!

I would love to get some more opinions because like I said I am venting and I needed to let out some of my thoughts so that I can move on and let this spring and summer weather bring me some health!!!

For all you moms out there with a child who gets sick frequently, how do you deal? Do you find yourself getting frustrated?

I couldn’t help but be excited myself.

I took a bunch of pictures this weekend but I also put my phone down a lot to just enjoy the time with my family.

Here is a quick Photo Recap of our Easter filled weekend:

We went to an Easter Egg hunt at the Glenville Fire Department in Greenwich.

It was a great event for the kids.

Ava enjoyed TOO much candy & munchkins and eventually her belly hurt but she loved it.

She won a kids raffle easter basket that had more toys then we knew what to do with.

She played with sidewalk chalk.

Dyed Easter Eggs at home with Marc and I.

On Easter Sunday she couldn’t wait to see what the Easter bunny hid for her.

Especially the eggs around the house!

Cooper was just as excited for the hunt.

We basically had an ALL day Easter egg hunt for her at our house and at my parents.

She was beyond EXCITED when she found eggs.

It was such a great day and I can’t help but smile when I think of how happy she was.

We even managed to get a group picture and a big smile from Ava!

How was your holiday weekend?

Did you have an Easter Egg hunt?

WARNING.. long post ahead!!!

Hi there,

It seems like it has been forever since I picked up my computer to do anything this past week. My last post was Wednesday and since then I have been taking care of Ava and myself.

This was our last picture outside having fun before we both got sick!!!

We both got hit hard with the stomach flu and I’m happy that I am finally on the mends and slowly getting back to normal activities.

Wednesday morning I taught Group Power and after class Marc updated me that Ava had thrown up. My first thought was OH NO, she definitely has the stomach bug that’s going around. I tried to stay positive, it was my birthday and we had some plans so I didn’t want to get upset before I knew how she was doing.

When I got home she was lazy, quiet and of course not her high sprung cheery self. We took Cooper for a walk, I showered and got ready to go out to my birthday lunch.

2 seconds before we were walking out the door Ava threw up again. I called and canceled our lunch plans  with my family and they brought me lunch instead.

To say it was a great birthday would be an understatement but it doesn’t surprise me that this happened. I’ve learned that being a mom is the hardest job and things come up out of nowhere. Rather then be upset, I did whatever I could to keep Ava comfortable and try to enjoy the rest of the day.

These flowers from Marc and my mom’s friend definitely helped brighten the day.

And of course this birthday balloon that Ava wanted to give me for my birthday.

 Then again this was just one birthday and we still got to enjoy some ice cream cake at the end of the night

THURSDAY

We woke up and I was beyond exhausted because Ava had us up from 1130-230… she was throwing up… then hungry, then fussy, then tired. It was draining.

I felt very run down and was praying I wasn’t next in line.

Around 4pm I had an ultrasound and I couldn’t stop thinking about how nauseous I felt. I felt like I was going to throw up but I fought it.

It was so great to see our little boy on the screen and to know he was growing strong & healthy.

My mind kept thinking about my stomach, it was SO uneasy and I literally felt like I was going to throw up at any second.

I forced myself to eat something because I had to teach boot camp and I didn’t want to go on an empty stomach. I couldn’t stomach much but I did manage to eat a little chicken & potatoes.

March 10th goes down as the TOUGHEST class I have ever had to teach. It was hands down a struggle for me but I didn’t want to cancel because I love my class and I rarely cancel.

Sure enough with 10 minutes left in class, my mouth was watering, I felt like I couldn’t open my mouth to yell anymore and I ran out of the class to throw up. Luckily there was a huge janitor’s trash barrel right outside the door… it was my savior. I then ran into the men’s room and kept throwing up for about 5 minutes until one of the ladies in class came looking for me!

I felt SO much better but my body was confused as to what just happened.

I wrapped up the class and quickly headed home to lay on the couch. I couldn’t get comfortable and I felt that nausea feeling again. I knew I was doomed again.

I’ll keep this short and sweet.. the next 3 hrs were spent running to and from the bathroom and grabbing trashcans when I could.

I finally woke Marc up at 1130pm and told him I think I need to go to the Emergency Room, I had nothing in my system but I was still throwing up. I was shaky, weak, tired, and on top of that I’m pregnant. I didn’t want anything to happen to the baby and I knew my body needed fluids.

We were in the ER until about 245am and after 2 IV’s, 2 cups of ice water and an ice pop they released me. I still felt weak, tired, and nauseous but I hadn’t thrown up in 3 hours so that was a BLESSING.

Lets just say I couldn’t wait to sleep.

(There were lots of snuggles on the couch this past few days and we both didn’t mind!!)

The next morning Ava woke up at 640am and I actually wanted to get up to get some water and food so I let Marc sleep.

I ate a piece of toast and drank water but ran to the bathroom. This time it wasn’t throw up.. and I’ll spare the details. The next 24 hours my body had to deal with a whole new type of bathroom issue and I was still having trouble eating and drinking.

The doctor warned me if I didn’t drink fluids and I couldn’t pee normally I would have to go back to the hospital. This was all I needed to hear and I started forcing myself to chug pedialyte and ice water.

It wasn’t until Saturday at around 10am that I felt a sense of relief. My body was holding onto food and liquids.

I don’t want to bore you anymore with my stomach flu story, but I have never experienced anything like this before. I was never sick when I was pregnant with Ava so this has been a whole new experience and I wish I never have to go through it again.

I am super thankful for my family who was here to help me with Ava when I couldn’t move and for Marc playing dad & mom this weekend so I could rest.

It’s now Monday and my mind can think about more then just being sick and man does it feel good. I’m still trying to get my energy back and I know that will take a few days but I’m SO SO happy that the worst is over.

For all of you out there that had to deal with the evil stomach flu of 2016 it wasn’t easy but you are stronger for having surpassed the illness. I am so relieved that both the baby and I are healthy and I will be forever grateful for that.

Have any of you experienced this years stomach flu, if so was it the worst bug you ever had?

]]> http://thefitskool.com/?feed=rss2&p=9586 3 http://thefitskool.com/?p=9549 http://thefitskool.com/?p=9549#comments Mon, 07 Mar 2016 11:23:52 +0000 http://thefitskool.com/?p=9549 Continue reading →]]> Monday is here again and while this weekend was fast I believe I made the most of it and did all the things I wanted to!

Friday evening Marc had a work meeting and dinner event so I spent the night with Ava which was lovely and relaxing. I was in bed early which is always a plus!!

Saturday Ava decided she didn’t want to sleep in and our personal alarm clock woke us up at 5:55am. I wasn’t exactly excited but I thought to myself it could be worse!!

Lets just say Marc made a trip to Dunkin and I had 1/2 cup of coffee to get my day going. I can’t wait to be able to chug coffee when I’m not pregnant just for fun

My productivity started after a big breakfast and I headed to the YMCA to do a quick workout while Ava played in the childcare.

After I finished my taxes for 2015 which is always a HUGE accomplishment!

One of my early birthday presents to myself was a trip to the car wash to have my car vacuumed and washed! It’s always nice to have an extra clean fresh car.

Ava had been asking to go to the pool at the YMCA so we went!

She had some much fun kicking and splashing… I think Marc and I enjoyed it too. It got me excited for the summertime and being outside at the beach.

We all showered and got ready for the party we had Saturday night.

My best friend Megan has an annual party to raise money in memory of her dear Aunt for a Memorial Scholarship which will be awarded to one Greenwich High School Student.

Megan is such a caring person and is always looking to help others. I couldn’t have been more happy to attend and donate for this scholarship.

The party was great and everyone was smiling and having fun. It was a lovely celebration and was great to be with my friends.

Sunday I trained a client in the morning and then did some relaxing. I got a manicure and a massage which was quite the treat. I needed some time to myself and it was perfect.

The rest of the night was spent at home with the family!

It was a great weekend and I’m looking forward to the warm weather that is in store this week

Did you do anything fun this weekend?

Are you a fan of indoor pools?

2 weeks ago I got a silly head cold that wiped me out, then Ava got it and then we had a little accident at our house where Ava hit her head on the corner of a wall which resulted in stitches… it was a rough 2 weeks and before that it was a rough few months of being nauseous while pregnant. SOOO when we had a stress free and healthy weekend I couldn’t help but laugh and smile.

You need the bad days to appreciate the good ones right?

Friday night we had a low key night at home and watched the new episode of Grey’s Anatomy. UM that was a tear jerker. Pregnancy hormones are no joke and I shed a few tears.

We went to bed early in anticipation for an early morning trip to Rhode Island. We got up at 630am and were out of the house at 8am. Once we arrived in RI Ava ran around and played with her cousins while Marc and I chatted with his mom, sister, and dad.

I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to see Ava having a blast with her cousin Natalie. The two of them played, ran around, chased each other, played hide and seek, ate lunch, frosted cupcakes and even enjoyed a lollipop with supervision.

It was relaxing for me because Ava had someone to play with all day and I didn’t need to worry about her being entertained.

I really wish Marc’s family lived closer but I am super fortunate that we get to spend these long days together without interruptions. When we go to RI we are there to spend quality time and it always makes us sad when we leave but we couldn’t have enjoyed ourselves any more.

SUNDAY was Valentine’s Day.. which meant I needed to think of some special things to do for my loved ones.

I promised Marc I would make breakfast and as soon as I woke up I made my way to the kitchen. I started some coffee, drank some water and got to my food prep. I made us a huge bowl of fruit salad to nibble on.

We also had scrambled eggs with red peppers, hash brown potatoes, and bacon!

It was so delicious and we agreed that we loved it.

Rather then buy Ava tons of candy I opted to purchase a couple puzzles that she could play with. I did allow her to eat a few M&M’s that I wrapped in a bag for her but she did enjoy those puzzles.

The temperature this weekend was FRIGID and the windchill was below zero so we spent most of the day doing stuff around the house.

We cleaned out our guest room which is soon to be Baby G’s nursery. We really only had to take out some stuff in the closet and relocate it, but it still took time to do.

Before lunch I did a quick workout. I was going to do a Hammer & Chisel dvd but I wanted to do some bodyweight cardio so I popped in an Insanity Max30 dvd. I know… insanity max.. pregnancy??? What are you thinking Kelly?

Well I followed the modifier in the video the entire time and my heart rate never went about 140. It was actually the PERFECT at home cardio workout and I got a little sweat in. Win.

When I finished I felt amazing and I will definitely be doing that dvd more on the weekends!

My evening finished off with a delicious dinner made by Marc. My request was steak… 1. because I feel like steak is an appropriate date night meal 2. Baby wanted it 3. We had been craving it!

When Marc cooks meals, it always tastes better I swear. I gobbled up my plate in no time.

I rented the movie Trainwreck from Red Box and we laughed as Amy Schumer amused us with her humor.

Midway through we indulged in a delicious HEALTHY brownie sundae. These brownies were 1/2 the fat because we used some applesauce in place of the large quantity of oil that usually is required for brownies. They are moist & fudgy and I had to hold myself back from eating more.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

What did you do for Valentine’s day?

Does your family live close by?

Last month you all know Ava turned 2 years old.

The month leading up to her birthday I contemplated having a kids party for her and some of her friends over (well actually my friends kids who have become her friends).

I also contemplated making tons of different “pretty” appetizers and buying decorations to make it the most special birthday party ever.

I’m not kidding when I say I snapped photos of things I wanted to do for her birthday party, and how I wanted the Minnie Mouse Oh-TWOdles theme to play out.

I was super excited and couldn’t wait to get things planned out…

AND THEN…

I found out I was pregnant. Well that wasn’t the turning point, it was the first trimester morning sickness that forced me to change all my plans and scratch just about everything I had organized. I would not make homemade minnie mouse cupcakes, I would not cover the kitchen with tons of minnie mouse ears, and I definitely wasn’t having a kid party on top of a family party.

Don’t get me wrong, I really was upset about it but it just couldn’t happen

I’m sorry Ava, but reality struck. I chose napping on the couch when Ava napped, I chose watching Mickey mouse to entertain Ava when she was awake and when my stomach wouldn’t allow me to move from a seated/lying position. I chose my health and resting as much as possible over throwing a big time & money consuming party.

I also chose not to be like any of those Pinterest do it yourself moms out there and I ordered dinner for my family and I ordered a Carvel Ice cream cake for dessert. I did manage to buy some minnie mouse plates, cups and a few hanging decorations that cost me about $20 and you know what????

Ava LOVED it. She smiled so big when she saw the plates & hanging minnie mouse decorations. She went on to play with all her toys and have fun with her cousins. She really could’ve cared less if I had done anything else and it made me happy to see her happy.

Sometimes we compare ourselves to others. I compared myself to people that have the time and energy to put such amazing thought into parties and get creative with all the little details and decorations. That’s not me. I’m not crafty. I’m not artistic. So why put the pressure on myself to do that??

I’ve always been a plain jane and I enjoy the company of family and friends more then the materialistic part of life. I hope I can rub that off on Ava too because sometimes simple things make you happy.

It’s not the size of the party it’s the love that you are surrounded by!

This is quite a random post for you today, but I feel the need to share it with you because it is an example of how I try to preach a healthy lifestyle for my family. I chose to listen to my body & rest over trying to make a 2 year old birthday extravagant and I am so happy with the way it turned out