There were so many things for me to be thankful for as we celebrated this past Thanksgiving Holiday, but of course number one at the top of my thankful list is this little Turkey Bum cutie...

When we were registering for baby items I honestly was unsure about 50% of the things we asked for. I searched list after list of recommended items to buy or register for before we actually made our own list and still I wondered if I would use everything or if I was forgetting anything extremely important.

Happy 2 months to our sweet baby girl!

Our 2nd month of being parents flew by just like the first, but with a bit more normalcy filtering back in to our lives. We feel pretty confident taking Reaghan wherever we want to go, it just takes us a lot longer than it used to to get out the door! In fact, most things take a lot longer to get done. I often start the day with high expectations and a long list of things I want to get done, only to accomplish about 50% of it by the end of the day! I've always had a very "Martha" type attitude, so sometimes I have to remind myself that it's okay certain things didn't get done. I wouldn't trade my precious moments with Reaghan for any chore list though!

Here are some highlights from Reaghan's 2nd Month:

• At her 2 month appointment she weighed in at 11 lbs. 7 oz. and was 23 inches long! She is definitely growing. She fell right at the 50th percentile for height and weight.
• She is finally out of her newborn size clothes and into 0-3 months. She even fits in to some 3 month clothes, but they are still a bit baggy. I got a little choked up putting away the little sleepers that she wore in the hospital.
• She had her first true "sleep through the night" night on the 16th. She slept from 10:30pm until 7:30 the next morning. It was fantastic! But her typical night time is about 6-7 hours at a time - waking only once for a nighttime feed.
• Just when I thought she was done with the swaddle, she started struggling at night falling asleep! We brought the swaddle back and it definitely helped! 
• Bath times have become our favorite part of our night time routine. She loves to to stay in the tub and kick her feet in the water.
• She is successfully taking day time naps in her crib, but they are a bit sporadic. We are currently working on getting her into a good routine to make things easier when I go back to work in 3 weeks. {Back to work already?! Insert mommy meltdown here!}
• She doesn't love tummy time - but tolerates it for about 5 minutes a couple of times a day. She is getting more and more control of her head every day and she is constantly moving her arms and kicking her legs, but hasn't mastered more purposeful movements. 
• She likes to look at books and listen to us read to her. We've added book reading to our bed time routine.
• She has become very animated over the last few weeks. We love it when she coos and smiles back at us! She has the cutest dimples!
• Sometimes I will catch her staring at me when she nurses and when I look down and smile at her, her eyes light up, she smiles and she starts "talking". It melts my heart every time.

Reaghan will be 2 months old next week, which means it is high time that I get myself in gear and start working out to shed some of this baby weight.

Actually, the weight is pretty much gone. I only gained 25 pounds during my pregnancy and the number on the scale has returned to what it was pre-pregnancy (give or take 2-3 pounds depending on the day) but there is just so much flabbiness that I didn't really have before! I wasn't really doing more than walking the last month of my pregnancy so a lot of muscle turned to, well, fat. And then theres the belly.

Oh the belly.

Don't get me wrong. I actually still love my belly now, flabbiness and all. I take so much joy in what my body was able to do this past year - I mean it grew another human! - and I know my belly is a reflection of that. I need to get back in shape because I want to be strong and healthy for my next go-a-round at growing a human, not because I am ashamed of my body now.



With that being said - I made sure to give my body a good 6 weeks of healing before doing anything extremely strenuous. I wanted to give my body a chance to figure out the whole new sleep schedule + producing milk + returning inside parts to where they should be before getting back into running. And having a background in physical therapy I know it takes a good 4-6 weeks for the physiological healing of most things. During the first 6 weeks I did walk a lot around the neighborhood, did lots of Kegels to start strengthening my pelvic floor and squats to get some functional strength back as well. Active healing is always better than just sitting around!

But now it's time to turn up the heat. I am running my first post baby race November 22nd and plan to run my first post baby 1/2 Marathon in the spring so I am excited to start training again and have something to train for! It always helps me stay motivated. Also, nursing burns an extra 500 calories (estimated) a day so I definitely want to take advantage of that! It's the easiest 500 calories you'll ever burn!

So what am I doing now? A little bit of everything - running, some cardio workout videos, and just some general strengthening.

This is what I try to do 2-3 times a week

One time when I went grocery shopping our store was having a 10 for 10 special on Barilla Pasta. Pasta is like a staple in our family. However fattening and carb loaded it may be, we might as well be Italian because we eat pasta at least 3 times a week. So when I saw pasta was on sale I was all over it. I decided to mix it up a bit though and go for some noodles that I have never used before - instead of buying 10 boxes of macaroni and spaghetti noodles I branched out. I bought Stelline, Veggie Farfalle, and Ditalani noodles. I had no idea at the time what I was going to use them for but I figured I could find some recipes on pinterest!

I wasn't quite as adventurous as I first thought I would be when I bought the noodles, seeing as some of the boxes have been hanging out in my pantry for oh, about 6 months now. But after cleaning my pantry out the other day, I am on a mission to use up the majority of the items before grocery shopping again. {Aside from the milk, butter and bread shopping ;)}

The first to go?




Original Recipe

Kicked off November 1st with my first post - pregnancy run!

1 whole mile! Its a far cry from the 26.2 miles that I had just finished running about this time last year for the Marine Corps Marathon but carrying a baby for 9 months tends to lower your running endurance just a tad!

I did sign up to run a 5k at the end of this month on the 22nd to help motivate me to get out there and get back into a running routine. I felt pretty good today and probably could've run more than 1 mile - but I wasn't pushing myself to run fast and I didn't want to be away from the house for too long, so 3 miles in a few weeks should be doable!

I'm excited to get back to running! It felt great and my pup was excited to go for a run too! I know she missed it. I wanted to take a picture but it was rainy and windy outside, so no photo to document this special occasion... I am going to be in a need of a running stroller too so I can take Reaghan out with me when she gets a little older and when my runs get a little longer! I've looked at reviews and everyone recommends a B.O.B. running stroller. I especially like the Revolution Flex pictured below...



But the price tag is a steep $479.99! Yikes! Time to start keeping my eye out on craigslist!

How did you start off your November?

Does anyone have any other suggestions for a running stroller? 

• She had her 2 week appointment. She weighed 8 lbs and 13 oz. 75th percentile for weight, 50th for head size and 40th for height.
•  She is starting to fill out a little bit but still fits into her newborn size clothes. 0-3 month clothes are still a bit too big for her, especially the pants because she has little short legs!
• She is starting to outgrow her newborn diapers though and we've started using size 1's even though they are still a bit too big.
• She is a good sleeper! She has been sleeping 3-4 hours at a time since she came home from the hospital and now it is changing to 4-5 hours at a time. 
• The sound machine works wonders to help her fall asleep initially when its bed time!
• She is starting to fight being swaddled. 
• She is bipolar when it comes to bath time. Some nights she loves the warm water other nights she acts like it is pure torture!
• She has kept her blue eyes so far! We are hoping they stay that way!
• She loves to be held! She isn't too fond of staying in her swing or on a blanket for too long. But doesn't mind hanging out with mommy in the sling or the ergo carrier.
• She prefers to be walked around while being held! And also loves to be bounced and patted.
• She's gone a whole week of breast feeding without the nipple shield! (nursing struggles!) So we are declaring ourselves 100% weaned from that thing!
• We think she gets gassy when I eat dairy products. This is sad for me because I love milk and there is literally cheese on everything!
• She has been out to the doctors, both of her grandparents houses, her Aunt Erin and Uncle Adam's house, church, the grocery store, shopping at malls and a few random shops, a Beach Breakers volleyball game, a couple of restaurants and a picnic at the Botanical Gardens.
• She smiles a lot as she is falling asleep and is cooing and making other noises more and more. We can't wait until she starts interacting with us!
• She is holding her head up more and more! She's a little wobbly and somewhat of a bobble head but she's getting better!

.... As soon as I felt the gush I bolted to the bathroom. It was 5:25am. Luckily the the initial gush was more internal so I only dripped a little before making it to the bathroom. (Yay for not having a big mess to clean off our leather couch!) I sort of stood in disbelief for a minute or two in the bathroom. I couldn't believe my water had actually broken! I was almost unsure that it actually was my water breaking - weird, I know. I mean, I was pretty sure it was, but I had been waiting for it happen for so long that it was sort of surreal when it did happen! Even when I woke Mark up I told him I "thought" my water just broke. We had a brief conversation making sure it really was my water, including questions regarding the color of the liquid coming out of me, before we decided Mark should get up.

I called the hospital to let them know we would be coming in soon - they wanted me in as soon as my water broke to get antibiotics because I was GBS+. I took a quick shower and mentally ran through all of the things we needed to grab that we hadn't put in our hospital bags. I called my parents to let them know and before hanging up the phone my mom asked how I was feeling.... I said excited but nervous! I was actually getting ready to go push this baby out of me!

For the first 30 minutes after my water broke - I didn't feel any contractions. I was nervous that labor wouldn't really start for a while and that they might want to give me drugs to help get things started. But thankfully, right before we left the house, I had a nice strong contraction and they continued to get stronger on the way to the hospital. They were about 5 minutes apart and they were different than any of the ones I had felt in the past few weeks. They were strong, painful and I felt them all the way into my thighs.

It was 6:30am when we got to the hospital. The midwife came in to check me and found that I was 6cm dilated and 100% effaced. She was very excited for me and said the baby would probably be here before lunch! I was a little skeptical because I knew I was 5cm all last week so at this point I wasn't too convinced that my labor was going to be fast, but I was hopeful. We talked about our birth plan with the Nurse and we all agreed that no pain meds would be offered to me unless I requested them.



 I spent the first hour laying in the bed, getting the IV antibiotics and monitoring Reaghan to make sure she was handling labor without any stress. The contractions were still about 4-5 minutes apart at this point. I was breathing through them fine and still smiling, joking and conversing with Mark and the Nurses during and between. Mark and I took that time to pray with each other for a safe labor and delivery for me and the baby and strength to get through the day. After the dose of antibiotics had finished I was able to get up and move around so I decided to sit on the birthing ball for a while. The contractions started getting closer together, about 3 minutes apart, and a little harder to breathe through each time. Our labor and delivery nurse was fantastic at giving me tips to get through each contraction. She wasn't in the room the whole time, leaving Mark and I to work through labor together which is what we wanted, but when she did come in she helped remind me not to tense my shoulders, not to furrow my brow, and keep my groans low. She reminded me to relax and breathe into the contractions instead of tensing up and keeping Reaghan from dropping.




At about 9:00 the midwife came back in and suggested that I try to get up off of the ball so that labor would keep progressing. I was hesitant to do it because I felt like I was able to handle the pain really well sitting on the ball, but I didn't want things to stall either so I got up and tried different positions. I tried quadruped on the bed, but that lasted all of 5 minutes. The pain was really intense in that position and I couldn't breathe through it so I got up and just stood at the edge of the bed. I remember thinking briefly at that point during a contraction that I didn't think I could do this for several more hours because the pain was intensifying with each contraction. Thankfully Mark was there with encouraging words, hand squeezes and back rubs to spur me on.

We decided to walk the halls around 9:45. The Nurse told us to walk around for 20 minutes or so and then come back to see how I had progressed. As soon as we started walking the halls the contractions became 100x more intense then they had been. Mark would hold me up as I tried to relax in to the contraction and not fight it. About 5 minutes after we started walking around I suddenly had the urge to bear down during a contraction. This was the strangest sensation - I read about the bodies urge to push during labor and to follow your natural urge but I guess you just never know what to expect until you actually feel it. We walked by the nurses station and let them know what I was feeling. She took us back into the room and when she checked me I was 9 1/2 cm dilated!

It was 10:05am when the nurse called the midwife and the nursery nurses to let them know I would be pushing in about 20 minutes. I remember thinking theres no way I can wait 20 minutes to push! My body wants to push now! I was sweating and shaking through each contraction and the nurse was making another call in about 5 minutes to try and hurry the midwife in. Unfortunately the midwife was caught up with another patient so they had to page the Dr. on call. With each contraction I wanted to push harder and the Nurse was exceptional at coaching me to follow my body's urge but complete each push gradually to allow things to slowly stretch and avoid tearing. (Thankfully Reaghan was doing great through the whole process!) The next 45 minutes were a complete whirlwind. The nurse and Mark coached me through most of the pushing. My legs were cramping, my throat hurt, and my lips were chapped, I was getting pretty tired. With contraction I tried to push 3 times but often the 3rd time I couldn't finish the full push. Thankfully the Nurse and Mark provided excellent feedback - I needed that positive reinforcement that I was doing a good job. Just making eye contact and getting a smile and head nod from Mark was  what I needed to keep going. Since this was my first time giving birth each new phase of pushing was a learning process but also completely natural. I knew were getting close to the end because I could feel a distinct fullness as she was beginning to crown. I got excited when the nurse and Mark could see her head and they told me she had hair! I was ready to get her out!

But just when we were getting close to the end the nurse had me stop pushing during contractions to try and wait for the Dr. to get to the room. That was the most difficult part of the whole process. My body was naturally pushing during the contraction and I had to fight the urge to help it out. Not fun! I knew I had to start pushing her out soon and the nurse assured me she could deliver Reaghan without the Dr. and I totally believed her! I wasn't concerned about who was going to "catch" Reaghan as much as I was with just getting her out of me! The Dr. did finally come in at the midnight hour though to be the one to actually deliver Reaghan. With a big push her head was out - they had to hold us there and cut her cord because it had become wrapped around her neck and the Dr. couldn't get it around her head, but once that was done I pushed one more time and she was out!

11:05am Reaghan took her first breath! Only 4 1/2 hours after getting to the hospital and 5 1/2 hours after the whole process of active labor started! How awesome is that? Especially for my first time!

While the pain of child birth was excruciating, it was the most beautiful thing I have ever done or experienced. Nothing in my life has even come close to that moment of reaching down to grab my baby and pull her up on to my chest - finally seeing her beautiful face and head of hair after carrying  her for the past 9 months. It was overwhelming. Mark even teared up a bit! (and he's not one given over to emotions easily.)

Unfortunately I only got to hold her on my chest for about 10 seconds before they took her from me because she wasn't making any sounds. She was breathing fine, but not crying so they took her over to the table to give her oxygen and clean her up a bit for some stimulation. Praise the Lord she found her cry in a few short minutes and they brought her back to me! We got to enjoy skin to skin contact for the following hour and some special one on one time as a new family of 3 before my family came in to see her.

























They made it to the hospital just as she was being born! The nurses waited to get her further cleaned up and weighed until my family came in, so my mom got to be a part of seeing Reaghan's first washing and my sister got the chance to take some pictures. I couldn't wait to see how much she weighed! Her official stats were 8lbs 0oz and 20.5 inches long.




























I was so happy to have my family there right after her birth. We got to tell the whole story and Reaghan received so much love and kisses in her first few hours of life from many hands...








We spent the following 2 days in the hospital. We didn't sleep for the next 48 hours following her birth. I tried the first night but I couldn't stop holding her and staring at her precious face.

Midnight photo :)

And then I really did try the second night but we had rough night of learning to breast feed. (More on that another time maybe.) But no sleep didn't matter. We enjoyed family time just the 3 of us...

 ... and parents and sibling and friends coming to visit. The Lord blessed us with wonderful post partum care nurses and nurses and pediatricians who let us come down to the nursery for everything they wanted to do with Reaghan.

It was the most invigorating thing I have ever done. Only because it is the only other physically demanding experience I have put my body through, the labor process was much like running a marathon. I needed mental strength to help push me through physically. And just like when crossing the finish line of a race, I knew instantly after giving birth that I wanted to do it again. Many more times.

Overall I couldn't have asked for a better labor and delivery experience. I was able to make it through child birth naturally like I wanted, Reaghan was born healthy, there were no complications, and we received the extra blessing of a quick labor process. I can't thank the Lord enough for the beautiful and memorable experience.

5 days over due.

I couldn't believe it.

It was Tuesday, Sept 16th and I found myself in disbelief that I was still pregnant. Overall, physically, I was doing pretty good... I had good energy during the day, no swollen ankles, and still able to go for my daily mile walk without much discomfort. Night time was the only time that I was truly uncomfortable - it was hard to roll over with such a big belly, I had to pee every 1-2 hours and the heart burn really seemed to kick in as soon as I laid down.

So you've got to be thinking, "Big deal - 5 days over due isn't that bad." Right? Well in the early stages of my pregnancy I would've agreed with you and even told you that I had a feeling I would probably go past my due date. What changed my mind? Well let me share some excerpts of the conversations I had with my Dr.'s and midwives the last 5 weeks of my pregnancy.

36 week appointment: Dr:"You're 1 1/2 cm dilated and 60% effaced!" me: "Wow! Is that normal for still being 1 month away from my due date?" "Yes, sometimes it can happen early, we would like for you to be at least 37 weeks but we won't stop labor if it happens! Are you guys ready?"

37 week appointment: Dr. "You're 3cm dilated and still 60%! Go ahead and make your appointment for next week but I wouldn't be surprised if have the baby this weekend. Make sure your bags are packed."

38 week appointment: Dr: "Still a good 3cm and really thinned out. You've also lost your mucous plug and your babies head is down and engaged!" me: "Great! But, just in case, what's the plan if I do happen to go past my due date?" (because the last Dr. totally got my hopes up and told me my baby would be here by now...) "Oh honey, you're not going to go past your due date. I've been doing this a long time and I will probably see you sometime this weekend to deliver that baby of yours."

39 week appointment: Midwife: "You're a good 3-4cm, 80% effaced and baby is at station 0! You should be so proud of your body, especially since this is your first. You're doing so much work now before you even go into labor! Go ahead and make an appointment for next week, but I doubt you're going to need it." me: "awesome!" (yea, yea, yea, you guys keep telling me my baby is going to be here any day and I'm still pregnant!) The midwife tried to sweep my membranes to help get labor started but my amniotic sac was bulging and she didn't want to accidentally break my water.

40 week appointment: Dr: "You are 5cm dilated! I don't know why this baby hasn't come yet?!" me: "haha yea, you guys keep telling me my baby is going to be born any day!" Dr: "Lets try to strip your membranes again." She ran into the same problem as the midwife with my amniotic sac. We did an impromptu ultrasound to check on Reaghan and everything looked great. Dr: "Well, once labor starts don't wait too long to come in since you live 30 minutes away and you're already halfway to fully dilated!" me: "Okay, so do I still make an appointment for next week?" Dr: "Yes, it will be a stress test and ultrasound and planning for induction. But I seriously doubt you'll make it 7 more days!"

So you see... from August 13th until Sept. 16th we were expecting me to go in to labor at any moment. Every time I had a twinge, we were on high alert wondering if it was time, because based on what the Drs told me, I was going to go early! And I had several nights where my contractions would get to be about 7 minutes apart but then they would fade away. It was so frustrating! This made the last month of my pregnancy seem much longer than 4 weeks. If you remember my post on September 14th, you know I was getting pretty anxious. We were trying to do things to keep me distracted, so the night of the 16th I went out to watch my sisters volleyball game and got dinner with my brother. I wasn't feeling any contractions or cramping that evening and went to bed fully expecting to wake up and be pregnant another day. I couldn't believe I would be going in to work again!

Unfortunately that night, the pregnancy insomnia was in full force! I kept tossing and turning and sadly being quite grumpy towards Mark. The poor guy was on the edge of the bed and I was still asking him to scoot over to give me more room! I finally decided to take my restless self out to the couch to give Mark a break.

I was in a weird half sleep/half awake state when it happened. My eyes shot open as I felt a pop and then a sudden gush!