Be Strong!

Do you see that baby ticker to the right? Apparently there are less than 60 days until we welcome our baby girl! Excited! So with less than 60 days to go and the festivities of Mother's Day behind me, I'm deciding to do something crazy. I'm ceasing the consumption of sweets, treats and desserts. I've done this type of thing before with very favorable results, but this time it's a little intimidating as I intend to keep this up until our baby's 1st birthday. That is a year and 2 months, folks. For a sugar addict like me it's a big deal. I've had people look at me like I was nuts regarding doing this while I'm still pregnant. "You shouldn't worry about that while you're pregnant" is what I keep getting. So here is the logic behind this somewhat extreme diet change happening at this time. When I went off of sweets the last time it was the first time I felt like my body was able to "let go" of some of the extra garbage (imagine that... being more affective without a bunch of toxins ha ha). I was exercising about 3 times a week but not super vigorously. And with that exercise I started seeing encouraging body changes that I hadn't been able to achieve with exercise alone. The biggest thing was that my thighs were smooth within about 2 months. I had never been able to get rid of cellulite like that before. More importantly I was more stable emotionally and felt an added sense of healthy control in my life. But the first couple weeks were sooo hard. I was moody and grouchy and always hungry and headachy and seriously exhausted. My body was rebelling as I withdrew it's substance of choice. When I got pregnant, I lost my willpower to resist tasty treats. I felt gross all the time regardless of what I ate and that affected my eating choices. But, I always knew that after I had the baby, I'd re-commit myself and go at it hard while my body was in "shrink mode" to make the most of that natural cycle of weight loss. Lately I started wondering if this plan was a good idea. Keeping in mind the withdrawal I went through before and then remembering the hormonal roller coaster that occurs in the weeks following delivery I started doubting the wisdom of stacking these two events. I could become a crazed monster!!! I finally decided that I needed to get off the sweets now while there was still enough time for my body to be used to that before I have the baby. I know this will also be good for the baby while it finishes up it's development. I'm hoping that by the time I have the baby, my body will be clear of toxic amounts of sugar and I will be able to see a steady amount of weight loss. I am scared to put this in writing in case it doesn't happen, but my hope is to hit 120 pounds by the time the baby is 1. Then I'll be at my ideal weight and I can just keep it there. If it doesn't happen, I'll still be a lot healthier than I have been for the last 7 years or so. I've got to be strong!

Our Amazing 5-Year-Old

I can barely believe it! My little Jadelynn is 5! It just doesn't seem like that much time has passed since she was a tiny baby in our arms. Yesterday we celebrated with a ladybug party. The Beach and Lilly families came and I was so glad they could be there. It was really fun to plan the party with Jade in the weeks proceeding. She had so many ideas for games and treats and even decorating. I think she'll be a great event planner someday. My favorite part was making the pinata with her. It was made over the course of 3 days and it  was cool to see it transform. I did the finishing touches the night before so Jade was happily surprised when she woke up in the morning. We wanted to put a tutu on it, but I didn't have the right materials on hand, so a little flower on it's head was the feminine alternative. With 4 layers of paper mache, it was pretty strong, but it still got destroyed in about 15 minutes. Other fun things we did were playing pin the spot on the ladybug and eating sweets. I chose cupcakes to make it easier to serve. Jade had the sweetest little face while everyone was singing "Happy Birthday" to her. I think she liked having everyone doing something especially for her. She did a great job blowing out the candles. It was a fun time and I'm glad we got to celebrate our amazing 5-year-old.

Jade trying to smash the pinata 

The moment after final impact.