Friday was a rather easy day for me work wise since I had to cut back on work a bit. If you missed part of that update click here.

I have 2 more days until I’m full term and I really can’t wait to make it to that date!! It’s been quite challenging for me to “take it easy” and “not workout.” I’m usually Go-G0-Go so it was a completely different change of pace.

I used the time to hang out with Ava and enjoy the perfect weather we have had these past few days. On Friday after work I took Ava to the playground for a playdate with my friend’s kids.

They had a blast running around and Ava was completely wiped after.

In the afternoon we played outside with Cooper and enjoyed Cooper’s pool. This was his pool when he was a puppy but Ava loves it and so does he!

As you can see there’s barely any water left because Ava kept splashing it out and filling up buckets for Cooper to drink.

I’m pretty sure Cooper peed about 30 times after our little outdoor play time.

Saturday morning we got up bright and early to run some errands and get out day started. We were at the beach around 10am. The skies were clear and the temperature was perfect… 75 degrees!

Ava was so much fun at the beach. She splashed in the water, played with her sand toys and even let me sit in the beach chair for some relaxation time.

I’m pretty sure that never happens.

We took a long walk down the beach and headed home for a late lunch and some quiet time around the house before I headed to my hair appointment.

The rest of the night was spent at the house eating dinner, taking Cooper out to the park and relaxing. It was great.

Sunday was Father’s Day and I tried my best to make it special for Marc. We made breakfast together and again I ran some errands with Ava to let Marc have some time to do projects that he wanted to work on. We got lunch together and then after Ava’s nap we headed to my parents house for an early dinner.

Ava played with her Cousin Emily and we spent time outside watching them play in the sandbox and pretend to hit golf balls. I love seeing Ava with her cousin and reminds me how important family is.

As we drove home in the car I realized I didn’t take any pictures and I said to Marc I was bummed we didn’t take a picture of the 3 of us and I didn’t take one of him with Ava. I was upset at first because it’s nice to look back at pictures from important occasions like these, but then I also realized that it’s important to live in the moment and make memories. I have TONS of pictures of Marc with Ava and for this particular day I had more fun watching Marc chase Ava as she tried to run through the yards in my parents neighborhood and watch Ava laugh with her cousin Emily for 10 minutes straight. I won’t forget those two things even if they weren’t caught on camera!!

How was your father’s day weekend?

Do you ever wish you had taken pictures of a special occasion but you didn’t?

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=9290 http://thefitskool.com/?p=9290#comments Fri, 05 Feb 2016 18:01:37 +0000 http://thefitskool.com/?p=9290 Continue reading →]]> Superbowl is one of my favorite holidays. Not only is football my favorite sport to watch but game day food is awesome! Am I not right?

After spending NUMEROUS Super Bowl Sundays feeling stuffed and uncomfortable after eating way too much I have learned to enjoy my favorite game day eats in a healthier way.

I’ve also learned to pick and choose wisely rather then stuffing my face and eating when I’m not hungry. It’s okay to enjoy the foods you love but keeping in mind portions will help your waistband later!!

Two of my favorite football foods are WINGS & CHILI. I absolutely love them both but I can get a killer belly ache after eating too much of those yummy snacks.

I have a few LIGHTER recipes to share with you and it will help you enjoy your favorite foods without breaking the calorie bank during Superbowl Sunday.

HEALTHY CREAMY BUFFALO PULLED CHICKEN

(Make sure to add more hot sauce to this recipe if you like it spicy!!)

While I do love wings, they are a bit time consuming to make and they can be super messy. I have a toddler to run after and messy hands just won’t work so I will take a pulled buffalo chicken sandwich smothered in hot sauce any day!

This recipe can be served on lettuce wraps, sandwich buns, as a dip or even in a taco shell!

PALEO LEAN BEEF CHILI

Chili is awesome whether served with rice in a bowl or just as an appetizer dipped with chips.

This chili sneaks in veggies, uses lean beef which cuts some of that unnecessary saturated fat and tastes amazing!!

(You could add beans, cheese or rice if you want which is what I did with the above picture)

Who are you picking to win the Superbowl? I’m choosing the Panthers.

For more Super Bowl appetizers and recipes check out these links below:

Healthy Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

Buffalo Chicken Chili

What’s your favorite super bowl food?

do you tend to overeat on Superbowl?