10 Months Old

I wish there was a pause button when it comes to babies. They grow way too fast, it's almost like you blink and they are a year old. I'm sure it will only get worse, everyone always tells me it does. I have truly loved every second of the last 10 months. However, I won't lie, in some ways it has been the longest 10 months of my life, but also the best :)! 

Taking her monthly pictures has been quite the challenge. At the beginning, my hubby and I would work our butts off to get her to give one smile, then for a while all she would do is fuss and now all she wants to do is move. She is constantly trying to grab the camera or rip off the sticker. 

I managed to get a pretty decent picture, I was rattling a teddy bear like crazy off to the side :)

Check out that crazy hair, it's so straight and I think it's going to be really thick. It's a little too short to put in a pony but to just leave it be, it looks messy.

Look at those big two front teeth! They are getting soooo big.

And here we go, the grabbing continues :)

My little love bug is crawling around like crazy, pulling herself up on everything and anything. She has five teeth, three on the bottom and two on top. She loves blanket rides, peek a boo, reading and tickles. She can also wave bye bye like a pro, kiss and clap. It's been so amazing watching her learn and grow. Babies truly are amazing!

Fitness Overhaul (week 2)

I am in week 2 of my fitness overhaul. P90X is going good, I am already starting to feel stronger. I'm definitely not as sore this week as I was last week. I have done every single workout except yoga X of week 1. I don't know what it is about yoga X, but I HATE it, and it's a whoppin' hour and a half long...no thanks! I always tell myself I need to get my mind right, it will feel better once I'm done. I like every other workout in the program. I just despise yoga X, I wish I didn't, but that's the cold hard truth. I am planning on rubbing a few drops of wild orange essential oil on my wrist right before I start it, so hopefully it will lift my spirits :)!

I have been trying to use some of Bob Harper's Skinny Rules. I have been trying to take a rule at a time and implementing it in my daily routine.

This week's rule: Eat apples and berries every single day!

Why? They are low in calories, high in fiber and have phytochemicals that aid in metabolism.

Here are a few ways I have added them into my diet.

I like to buy a bag of organic apples every week. I just wash one, then slice it with my slicer and grab a spoonful of PB or Almond Butter as a snack.

Plain oatmeal with berries! I like to buy frozen berries because they are way cheaper. If I don't want them frozen, I usually pop a handful in the microwave for about 15 seconds and then let the hot oatmeal warm them up the rest of the way.

I love smoothies and they are a great way to add berries into your everyday diet. I also love smoothies because I have a really hard time eating enough leafy greens. You can't even taste the spinach in this smoothie. 

The Importance of Going to Church

It seems like most of my life I have had a love-hate relationship with church. I loved going to Sunday school as a child. As a teenager, I spent every minute thinking about unimportant things like what I was going to wear to school the next day, or wondering what my boyfriend was up to, you know, the things that make you wonder why you are even in church. Once I got into college and the choice was left up to me. Of course I wasn't going to get up on Sunday morning to go to church, when I could sleep in a couple extra hours.  I occasionally went to church with my parents when I was home visiting, but other than that my church days were pretty limited, unless you count watching Joel Osteen on TV. Now as a wife and mother, I have come to realize the value in going to church. 

Being someone that went a lot of years without going to church consistently, I have definitely lost a lot of my knowledge of the Lord and ultimately my faith. One thing my pastor said a few weeks ago that really hit home, was that the enemy tries to trick you into thinking your relationship with God is perfect. That's exactly what happened! I was tricked into thinking I didn't need to go to church because my relationship with God was fine. In all reality, no ones relationship with God is perfect. We can always strive to become closer to God and stronger in our faith. There is always something new to learn. Our relationship with God is similar to that of our spouse, parents, or children, we are continuing to learn new things, it's a constant learning process. Everyday should be looked at as a chance to grow stronger with them, and the same holds true with the Lord. Going to church is a place where the Lord is present, and is a great opportunity to learn more about the Lord and become closer in your relationship. 

You know that age old saying...if you don't use it, you lose it? Fellowship is one of the most sincere forms of practicing your faith in the Lord. You practice in order to get better. You go to church to learn more about faith, and enhance your faith. Taking time out of your day to go to church is hard, especially when you feel like there are so many other things you need to get done. We live in a fast paced world and it's easy to forget fellowship. I'm here to say, slow down and think about what really matters. 

You might think your relationship with the Lord is perfect because you read the Bible, go to church occasionally, or pray often, I know at one point I was guilty of them all. Think about what you are spending your time on. So many of us, myself included, spend so much of our time practicing other things like social media, and we think taking a few hours out of the week to go to church is HARD. It's not! Take those few hours out of the week and invest them in the Lord, because you are investing in your future with the Lord and let's face it, forever is a long time. 

One last thing, the Bible says (Matthew 18:20) "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them." If you knew Jesus was going to be at a certain place at a certain time, you would drive a million miles to be with him. Jesus is in your church every Sunday, proud of each of us because we are there in his name. Go to church and get closer with the Lord.

Fitness Overhaul

While I was pregnant I tried to stay as active as possible because fitness is something I love and cherish. I cherish it because I am able to workout, I have the physical means to be active, while some don't, so it is definitely something I don't take advantage of. While I did stay pretty active during my pregnancy, it was the weeks after that really got me. I was sore, it was hard for me to walk and Whit was a very needy newborn. I hadn't quite figured out the right balance between baby and fitness.

Then, I found walking. Before baby, I would have turned my nose to walking. It was just never for me, I liked intense workouts, with lots of sweat, weights and cardio. I can now say, I have a new love for walking. Walking really did help burn off that baby weight (except the last five I'm storing for breastfeeding) and it made me feel as if I was getting that runners high, but with walking. The best part about it, the babe enjoys it also. By the end of fall I was walking twice a day, I would do one 3 mile loop and one 1.5 mile loop, both of which had a steep hill to climb. After last fall, I will always love walking and once the weather gets nice again it will be a part of my daily routine again.

However, I have been feeling like it's time to get back to my fitness routine before baby. Since it's smack dab in the middle of winter I have decided to do P90X. In the six years I have owned P90X I have only gotten through the entire thing ONCE. I learned to absolutely love P90X and it really did change my life. It's my goal to get through the entire thing once again. I have always enjoyed working out at home, I have always thought the time it takes to get my stuff together, drive to the gym, and get situated is a waste of time (for me). Call me crazy, but I find I lose motivation really quick with gym memberships, mostly because I live a solid 30 minutes from any gym. The time it would take me to drive to the gym and back, I could have finished a workout DVD at home. I personally really like the structure of workout videos because it's all laid out for you (warm up, actual workout and cool down). I have really enjoyed P90X, Insanity and Slim in 6, and I would recommend each of them to anyone who enjoys working out at home.

I am a firm believer that nutrition is the biggest part of getting in really good shape, so I tend to eat healthier, but I do splurge :). Since I am still breastfeeding I decided to not do the P90X diet program exactly the way it's set up.  I eat when I'm hungry, I just make sure it's healthy. I do however like Tony Horton's rule of 90/10, 90% of your food should be healthy and natural food (one ingredient), and the other 10% can be your splurge (chocolate cake). He talks a lot about one ingredient foods and mixing them up to make a meal. Basically, the less processed the better. Everyone knows that, right?! :)

So, P90x began Monday. I am doing the Lean version because I like the balance between cardio and weight lifting in the Lean program, rather than the Classic program. Monday went well, yesterday was pretty tough, not as hard as today though. Today I was tired and sore, and honestly I didn't feel like doing it. Finding that motivation used to be a lot easier than it is now. One thing I like to do it look at the health and fitness tab on pinterest because it brings me back to the days of working out all the time and it makes me yearn for that passion I once had.  I know I will get back there, it will just take lots of dedication and hard work. But I am proud to say, my journey began Monday and I have already taken a few steps towards the right direction.

Baby Must Haves {7-8 months}

1. Calendula Cream: This stuff is AMAZING. It's a little expensive, but well worth the money. It's a serious miracle worker. Baby Whit got eczema once the weather turned and while it didn't seem to bother her too much, it looked pretty bad. This stuff cleared it up in no time. We also found that Shea Moisture Eczema soap works wonders.

2. Green Toys Stacking Cups: These are so fun. They stack two different way and they also make great bath toys. They have numbers on the bottom so they can teach math later on. Whitney loves when we stack them up for her to tear down. I also love that they are green :)!

3. Jumperoo: This is a life saver. We borrowed it from a friend to try out because I have heard some babies love them and others hate them. Whitney LOVED it. I say loved because now that she is crawling around she is over it. I will still put her in it when I need to go to the bathroom or something. It's a good investment, it's so fun to watch them jump around like crazy.

4. Sippy Cups: Baby Whit loves her water. She could drink water all day long if I let her.  We first started out with the NUK soft nipple ones, like the one pictured and then moved to a hard nipple one. The NUK ones don't leak, and they are easy for her to pick up and tip back. 

5. God Made Me DVD: I know the recommendation is no TV until 2 years old. However, I did read if it's educational and for a very limited time it's okay. All my nieces and nephews as well as Whitney LOVE the God Made Me movies. They teach stories out of the Bible and they seem to keep their attention really well. I will usually put one in when I really need to get something done and nothing else is keeping her still. 

6. Graco Highchair: This was a hand-me-down, and we love it. It does everything a highchair should and it also folds up nicely. It's not too bulky so it's not a huge eye sore when you walk into the dining room. It's been so handy to have around, if I am cooking and she wants to be able to see me I will just put her in it with some toys. Highchairs are wonderful and my advice would be to invest well. Whitney is the fourth baby to use it and it's still in good shape. 

7. Sophie Soother: We got the big Sophie as well as the soother in a pack from Target. The soother has been a favorite for a while, it makes for a wonderful teether. I would recommend getting them in a pack, it's much cheaper.

8. Karen Katz Books: These books make the list again! They will probably always be a favorite of baby Whit's. She just absolutely loves them. I think it will be a tradition to get her one of them for every holiday. She has the flaps down, she knows which ones you pull down and which ones you push up. It's amazing to see how fast little ones catch on to things. 

Outfit Of The Day

Top: Rue 21

Colored Skinny's: Macy's Celeb Pink Desert Flower

Boots: maurices

Baby Must Haves {4-6 Months}

1. Infantino Turtle: Baby Whitney loved this thing. Her eyes would light up every time we brought it out. It was one of our go to toys when we would go places and needed to keep her busy. It's brightly colored and the bottom has a cute little mirror so she can look at herself (always gets a smile).

2. Infantino Elephant: This is still one of her favorites, even at 9 months. It makes a really neat rattle noise when you shake it. It has that hard wooden ring at the bottom that is great for teething. It's a little smaller so it's easy for her to hold on to. She just absolutely love that thing.

3.Sophie: I don't know if there is a baby out there that doesn't love Sophie. It makes for a great chew toy, it's squishy and it makes a cute little squeak. It's shaped so it fits in their mouths perfectly. However, I warn you, the legs can get shoved down their little throats too far. Baby Whit has choked a few times, so just keep an eye on them with it.

4. Baby Trend Jogger: This stroller has been one of my favorite purchases. We use it all the time, it goes everywhere with us. I struggled with the stroller decision forever. I am pretty active, I love to run so I knew I wanted something I could jog with, so I knew the plastic wheels weren't for us. Most runners say go with the more expensive ones but I just couldn't spend $300-400 on a one person jogging stroller when I knew we would be having more kids. It just didn't make sense to me. This stroller has been amazing. The only complaint I have is when you jog with it you need to have the front wheel locked or the whole thing vibrates like crazy. I also love that the Graco Snugride 35 snaps into it. 

5. Karen Katz Books: Baby LOVES these books. She loves opening the flaps. These are the only books I have found that have sturdy flaps. We have so many of these books, and Baby loves them all. By 4-5 months she could open the flaps on her own. It's so fun to see her face light up when I pull one out.

6. Relax Melodies App: We graduated from the sleep sheep to this because it plays longer. This is a wonderful app, you can customize the sounds you want with 50 different choices. It's free and you can put it on your phone or kindle and take it with you wherever you go. I would plug my phone in at night and have it going all night for her in our room (I'm pretty sure it helped me sleep too). I can't say enough about it, definitely try it out!!