I'm going to come right out and say it. I cheated this week. Actually, I cheated a lot. I had a chic fil a grilled chicken sandwich on Friday and then today we were invited to lunch with my family and dinner with Mark's family so I had spaghetti for lunch and a hot dog for dinner. And cookie dough. And also a brownie. Ha. Soooo.... What now?

Well first, I'm going to give reasons excuses for my cheats.

We've had a very depressing, stressful week. Reaghan had a fever and an ear infection that is still on going which means I'm getting next to no sleep and she is not the happiest tiny person to be around during the day. Mark and I also caught her cold so that has been adding to the general crankiness in the house right now. We spent $$$ at the vet on our dog who has a "suspicious" lump on her leg so she was put on medicine that is making her have to pee every 15 minutes and have accidents if left alone too long and has to go back to the vet in 2 weeks for a re-check. And worst of all my sister received the worstt news possible for her right now - that her baby had stopped growing and they couldn't find a heartbeat.

Why am I sharing? Honestly... it makes me feel better about cheating. I'm not really proud of my decision but when I think back on my week... well, I'm not holding myself to too high of a standard. I was stressed and sad and exhausted and didn't want to think about new recipes or cooking.

Soooo... What now?

I learned that I absolutely use food as a comforter; a way to check out of reality for a second or too and make me feel better for the few minutes that I consume delicious food. One of the things Whole30 is supposed to do is break you of these unhealthy relationships we have with food, so by giving in to the cravings for comfort food, I sort of defeated the purpose of the whole process.

I guess I have 2 options - just end the Whole30 now and be happy with the 20 days that I did complete, or jump back in and finish my LAST week strong. I'm going to go with the latter. I honestly just want to quit, but I don't want to let lousy decisions send me on a downward spiral.

Okay - with that out of the way - I did make it 5/7 days this week without cheating so here were some of my favorite meals of the week:

In my New Years post I shared that my sister Erin and her husband Adam were finally pregnant after 4 years of infertility struggles.

It was the very best news to start of the New Year and we were so excited to dream of all this year would bring - growing belly, gender reveals, baby showers, and a fresh new squishy baby to cuddle at the end of the summer.

I had been giving her progesterone shots every other day since they found out to help sustain the pregnancy. My poor sisters hips were tender and bruised from the multiple injections. But it was all going to be more than worth it. We just knew it.

It's with a severely broken heart that I share that they were unable to hear a heart beat at her last appointment and the ultrasound didn't show any growth of the gestational sack. They've instructed her to stop all medicine and return for another appointment on Thursday, as well as to prepare for her body to realize there is no longer a baby there.

Week 2 came and went and I'm still pressing on. There were a few days this week where I was extremely aware of all of the things I'm choosing not to eat right now... Like on Friday night when my grandma was in town and we all went shopping and out to dinner. *sigh* I ended up having a salad at Panera with just some lemon juice squeezed on it. Surprisingly, it didn't taste bad with just the lemon juice so I'm tucking that little trick in the back of my mind. But I may have been drooling a bit watching everyone else eat their baguettes and scrumptious soups and sandwiches! I will always love bread. The end.

I only lost 1/2 a pound this week too! I weighed in at the end of the second week at 148. That was a bit discouraging. But they say on their website that the second week you might feel some bloating and other intestinal discomforts due to your gut healing... so if your jeans are feeling tighter not to be discouraged! Here's hoping Week 3 I start seeing a bit more magic.

I worked out 5 of 7 days this week too! Yay me! I did P90x workouts 3 days and then went on 2 runs, including a 7 miler at the end of the week. I ate a Lara Bar before my run and I felt much better this week than last. I'll test it out again this weekend for another long run.

Here are some of my favorite meals from the week:




So that was week 2! I'm already 2 days into a week 3 and doing okay. Pretty excited that after this week I can start a count down to the finish line!!

I made it through my first week of this Whole30 thing! It wasn't too bad, but then, I've done a week of clean eating before so I was never too worried about the first week, its the 3 weeks thereafter that concerns me. Haha But I'm feeling good and committed to finishing this so I'm just taking it one week at a time and not thinking about how many more days I have left. (*cough*23*cough*)

My family even came over to watch the Redskins lose the playoff game and Mark made everyone homemade pizza and I even whipped up some brownies for them and didn't have a bite of any of it! I just ate a sweet potato. Talk about self control.



At the close of the first week I weighed 148.5 - 4 pounds down! I can already tell a difference in the way my jeans are fitting and my stomach feels a bit flatter. Technically I'm not supposed to be weighing myself because this Whole30 thing isn't about weight loss as much as it is changing your eating habits, but lets me honest...Weight loss is good motivation! So I'm keeping track! I've also been being super consistent with a workout routine. I did 3 p90x workouts and ended the week with a 6 mile run on Saturday. Which is also the official kick off of my 2016 Shamrock 1/2 Marathon training.

The first couple of days I got a bad headache in the evenings, not sure if I just wasn't drinking enough water or if it was a side affect of not having any caffeine, but those have faded away now! I've had pretty good energy over all, my only other issue has been feeling a little blah during my run. I've got to find some good whole foods to fuel my body for long runs because I'm totally used to having a few slices of pizza the night before a run to "Carb load."

Here were some of my favorite meals of the week:




We also had taco salad, spaghetti squash and baked chicken for dinner that I forgot to take pictures of.

I already have my menu planned for this week and did my grocery shopping this morning to replenish the produce drawers in my fridge. Hoping for another solid week!

We spent this New Years Eve at my parents house having a family and friends game night that involved a new game called "Things..." and a dance off with the Wii Just Dance 2016. And of course when midnight hit I was right where I always want to be getting a kiss from this handsome guy.


...But sharing this picture isn't really why I'm writing a late blog post about New Years...

Some blog post themes I don't really care if I ever get back around to, but then there are some posts that I really do want to keep up on - like annual new year posts! In the midst of busy schedules and life I'm always like "ehhh... I don't really need to write one this year" but then when I actually do have a chance to sit and blog and I look back on last years post I'm all "Ahh! I need to write one. Why didn't I sit and do it sooner?!" Because its fun to document things and be able to go back and remember!!!

So without any more procrastination, and fingers crossed I finish this quickly as we're nearing the end of the afternoon nap time, here's a look back at our 2015!

Travels - We did a lot this past year, actually it was really just over the summer! We went to the OBX in May with Mark's family, flew to Texas in June for my cousins wedding, drove to Ohio in July with my family for a family reunion, drove to Blacksburg, VA in August for my best friends wedding in which Reaghan was a flower girl, and finished off the summer with quick trip to Charlottesville for a Labor Day canoe trip. :) This fall we also went to Massanutten with Mark's family for a long weekend and apple picking.

New Accomplishments - Keeping a tiny human alive for a full year! *high fives all around*. Also losing my baby weight and getting back in to semi regular running and workouts was a big deal for me! But its always a work in progress. ; )

Milestones Reached - We celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary! I got a special plaque for being at my job for 5 years this past July!

New House Updates - Mark tore down our old shed and built a new one. He re-stained our back deck and built a small arbor for our hammock swing and baby swing. We also finally tore out the overgrown bushes in our front flower bed!

New Things Tried - Mark is taking college classes again! He already holds a B.S. in business with an IT specialty but will have more opportunity for growth where he works if he obtains a certain number of credits in accounting classes. His work is actually partnering with the community college here to offer these classes so its been a great opportunity! He's finished one class and has a few more to go to reach the right hours and may have enough to get him an Associates Degree in accounting.

Races Run - Shamrock 1/2 marathon in March - my first big post baby race! The Step Up for the Up Center event where I climbed the tallest building in VA 3x, a doggy dash 5k, and a Surfin Santa 5 miler. Its harder to find time/money to run races these days.

New Scary Moments - One evening while I was on my way home from work, Mark called and said Reaghan was in such a crying fit that she was gasping for air and wouldn't settle down. When I got home I couldn't console her for a while either and when trying to feed her she couldn't catch her breath. She was only about 4 months old. I called my mom and then because of the way she was gasping I called the pediatrician... turns out she really had just worked herself up over something that we'll never know... Looking back I can definitely see a small over reaction on my part haha but I'll always remember it being the first moment that I was truly scared as a new mom that something might not be right. Another scary parenthood moment? Reaghan fell backwards on a patio at 10 months when trying to cruise along a table and hit the back of her head on the concrete. My stomach turns at the thought of hearing that "thud" sound. She was fine, but you guys... being a parent is hard in all sorts of little ways that you don't even realize. Like hurting when your baby hurts. So for new scary moments??? Yea, being a parent in and of itself is pretty scary.

Prayers Answered - Aside from the minor incidents above, Reaghan has had a healthy year! Only minor colds and rashes and no emergency situations! Thank you Lord! We are praying the same for 2016!

Also... *drum roll* My sister and her husband announced their pregnancy just shortly before the New Year! After 4 years of struggling through infertility God has answered their prayers! We are ecstatic!! I can't wait to watch her belly grow and I'm so excited about all of the goodness this year will bring because of this new life!


We are ready for you 2016!!!

I started a Whole30 today! Yikes! It was my New Years Resolution. I'm a little nervous about it. Remember when we did the 14 Day Clean Eating Challenge? I decided after that was over that I would do a full 30 days after New Years. I was totally on board and ready to go in the few months leading up to New Years, but now that it's here I'm not as excited about it.