Merry Christmas!!!!

Heading back to the doctor...

I still have a sick baby- but he amazes me with his cute little smiles!  I wasn't feeling all that "smiley" this morning after another non-sleeping night, but who can resist baby smiles?!  So we got up & around, got Elisabeth ready for school, my amazing hubby dropped her off for me (THANK YOU!!) and Carter & I took a little nap :)  We are heading back to the doctor this afternoon.   It's his 2 month checkup, and I'm hoping that things are still okay with this awful cough hanging on...

So yes, it's been a rather stressful week!  I'm glad that I took some time to thank God for our stresses :)  Yes, that may sound rather odd, but I am thankful for it!  

• Stress over a sick baby- I thank God for giving us Carter!  He chose us to raise this awesome kid!
• Stress over work stuff- I thank God for providing work & giving us what we need!
• Stress over lack of sleep- I thank God for coffee :) :) :)  

My point is that we should be thankful for everything that he sends our way.  Although it may be tough at times, when you look back at a specific situation later on you will realize that there was a reason for it!

Here are a few verses that I found...

'And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.' 
-Romans 8:28 

'O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.'

-Psalm 139

'For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'

-Jeremiah 29:11

Have an awesome day friends! 

~Jen

And.... just breathe :)

The title of this post is based on my day today...  

Part 1- Literally, my allergies are so bad today that I can't breathe through my nose. At. All. Ragweed is bad for my body- very, very, very bad!!  When I had allergy tests ran several years ago, the ragweed needle caused a lump like a golf ball- definitely allergic!  The good news is that I went through the allergy shot series, and combining that with Allegra & steroid spray helps a LOT!  The bad news is that I can't take any of that since I'm breastfeeding. The only approved allergy medication is Claritin, which does nothing for me... so I will be wheezing & sneezing for the better of my baby! #truelove #CarterLove

Part 2- Figuratively, it's a "take a deep breath" type of day!  My little Carter has his first cold, and it's a doozy!  He's coughing and congested, which means he is having a hard time eating & sleeping... which means I'm having a hard time sleeping & worrying about him!  At this age, all that I can do is keep him snuggled by the humidifier, and use saline drops & the nose sucker...  We are now on day #3, and I really hope that we are getting close to the end!  He is just not feeling good- despite that, I'm still getting some smiles :)  He's such a happy little guy, even when he feels icky!

As you can see, I haven't been posting as much as I planned on...  I don't know how you momma's keep up that have multiple infants/toddlers!  My house needs a good cleaning, I need to not wear sweats most days & join the "get dresssed up & wear makeup" club again, and sleep will be nice one of these days!  HAHA!!  But I wouldn't trade it for the world- if you're a parent, you totally get what I mean & where I'm coming from.  If you aren't, then someday you will get it!  I would have thought that the author of this were crazy if I read this before having kids :)

So on to my 3-F's...

Faith-
I am putting all worry on the back burner and totally turning myself over to God, through faith. #bigstepsforaworrier... I am a natural worrier- so this is REALLY a tough thing!  I've been praying about our family, our future, work, money... you know, all of the things that we worry about!  I took the 1st step, and felt God leading me to a 'Mom's Group' at our church.  It's a weekly Bible study, and I'm not sure of the reasons but I do know that He wants me there! Step 2-  I'm also trying to turn over more control to my hubby...  I *might* be a wee bit controlling, which goes along perfectly with my usual worrying.  I'm going to trust his decisions, and focus more on being a good wife & mother (and maybe try to get the house cleaned, it's seriously driving me crazy but I'm sooooo tired!)  I'm sure that this whole process of change that I'm feeling is leading us somewhere- I know that God is preparing us for some type of upcoming change, and I want to be ready & willing when He calls us to action!

Family-
Our family is doing pretty good, other than the allergy/cold issues of the past few days!  

My hubby is working hard, and I love him for being such a good provider! I feel bad that he's been so busy, but I am also thankful that God is providing jobs & that Pat is so talented at construction!  The before & after pics that he keeps bringing home from these remodels are pretty awesome!!

Elisabeth got student of the month at her new school (in the 1st month- proud mama moment!!)  I am so proud of her- switching schools was something that I prayed about and stressed over, but I am glad that we made the decision!  All A's, great friends, and it's worked out better for the family as a whole!

Carter is growing- he's almost 2 months old & maturing by the day!  We get lots of smile & laughs now!!


Fitness-
My personal fitness has been on hold for a few days, other than my nutrition!  I'm sticking to mostly-paleo nutrition plan, with a few slip-up's, but overall I'm eating really clean.  I've been running 5-6 mornings per week, and doing strength workouts 3x per week, but had to focus on sleep the past few mornings...  I plan on resting today, and getting back into it tomorrow if I can breathe a little better!  I'm still slowly losing the baby weight, & toning up!  As long as I'm making forward progress, I'm happy (most of the time... some days I get really frustrated with my body, but I think that's mostly hormones! HAHA!)
Work fitness- I'm not back at it yet...  Trying to figure out times to train clients has been difficult with Pat's schedule and a new baby!  I'm dedicating a few evenings per week to schedule clients, and maybe one morning where Pat can stay with Carter, and I'm not starting group classes at this time. I want to be there for my clients, so these personal training sessions will be amazing :-)  I can't wait to start training again- I love seeing people get healthy & happy!  It's amazing how your outlook changes when you're healthy- you just have the ability to enjoy life so much more!  That's the best part of my job!!

Gotta run- Carter is waking up & it's time to sit in the steamy bathroom to help him breathe!
Happy Friday!
Jen

Link to 'Training By Jen' blog page!!!!

http://trainingbyjen.blogspot.com/2013/09/fall-2013-program-pricing-updates.html

Follow this link to get to my Training By Jen blog page!  I have pricing information, effective September 2013, for personal training & virtual training!!

Happy September!

Jen

The 'Kate' effect... attention all mommies!

I look at this photo and see a happy couple & their newborn baby (okay, they just happen to be royal & chased by the paparazzi, but you know what I mean...)  This photo was taken only a few days after I had Carter, so I totally understood how amazing they were feeling about their new addition!  

However, what seemed to make the most news was the fact that she still had a small belly.  As a woman, and a new mommy, that is so irritating!  BUT- I totally applaud her for showing what a woman actually looks like after birth!  Too many times we see the 'movie star' back in her size zero clothing while toting around her very young infant... while there are some very genetically blessed chicks that walk out of the hospital in their pre-prego clothes, most of us do NOT!  I most definitely did not!  At 6 weeks post-partum, I still don't fit into most of my normal clothes.  And I worked out throughout my entire pregnancy!  It's tough to not get frustrated & angry sometimes! I mean, it's not like I just had a baby or anything! (& hormones don't help with the self image problems- ugh!!)

So what do we do?  

First, look to positive role models such as Kate for what the post-partum reality is... and BE a positive role model for others!  We all have rough days- sleep deprivation can be really tough emotionally!  Help out your fellow ladies by being encouraging and KIND!

Second, create a plan to help you reach your goals... and make those goals realistic!  I always say short-term goals are sooooo important (maybe take the baby on a walk 3x per week, or cut out sweets- make them attainable goals!)  My plan is to keep exercising daily, and I'm starting back with paleo nutrition next week.  I'm making progress and still losing weight each week, but it does get frustrating to see just how far I still have to go!  I'm also going to continue to blog about my journey- hopefully I can be an encouragement and positive motivator to someone out there that needs to hear it!

So, to all of you mommies and mommies-to-be, remember that it took 10 months to stretch and grow enough to have that healthy baby.  Give yourself time to get that body back!  And anytime that you start to get frustrated by the time it's taking to get your body back, just look down at that precious baby you're holding & realize that it was worth it all :)

1 month old pics!

Here are a few pics that I took of my handsome little guy- 

1 month old :)

I love them!  Check out his baby blue's- just like his daddy's!!

Monday morning smiles :) & workout updates...

Take a look at this handsome, smiling face!!!  Since Monday's tend to be rough, I thought that I would share it with you guys- he's almost 6 weeks old & developing quite the personality!  (& remember, 4-day weekend ahead- WOOHOO!!!!!!)

I've been getting in some really good, quick workouts the past few weeks!  And yesterday, my awesome hubby helped me set up a mini-gym downstairs and built a pull-up station!!  I've found that with a newborn, getting in a HIIT-style workout is the best & most effective way to workout.  I have (literally!) hundreds of hour long bootcamp workouts saved from all of my classes, but I don't have a full hour to get in a workout with Carter around!  But 20 minutes is do-able, and he will sit in his chair or lay on a blanket & watch me (& laugh!)  I'm still losing weight, slowly but surely, and I'm starting to gain my strength back.  The very first workout that I did was terrible as far as core strength...  I'm still not back to normal, but I am able to do a lot more (with good form!) now.  There are some great sites online with HIIT workouts (hiitmamas.blogspot.com & dailyhiit.com are 2 of my fave's!) and I usually combine those with some of my own fitness touches! Strength training is so important, and so many ladies don't do it!  Lift weights girls- you won't bulk up, but you WILL look much better with some muscle tone!  Cardio is good as well, but don't skimp on the lifting!!

Here is a progress pic- I still have a long way to go, but I'll get there :)

Let your faith be bigger than your fear...

My blog has gone a little off-track over the past 10 months or so!  With the arrival of Carter, and things getting back to normal (or the 'new' normal- sleep deprivation is now normal!) I think it's time to get back to why I started this blog in the first place!  FAITH, FAMILY, FITNESS - in that order!!

FAITH-

I can't tell you how much my faith means to me.  I mean, I can try to express it with words, but it's more of a feeling, and I hope that I express it with how I live my life!  Having Carter is a result of faith &of God's timing!  I know, let the jokes begin, but seriously it is!  I didn't think that we could have any kids.  We had tried in the past and it never happened.  So we quit trying and felt led to foster & adopt.  When we pursued that and truly turned it over to God, we found out that we were pregnant.  It was a bit of a surprise but we couldn't have been happier!  Now we are praying for the next step in our lives... and I am ready for wherever He leads us!  Turning it all over to God is scary- it takes out what our human fears and wants are, and only looks at what HIS plans are for our life!  Hence, the quote above...

"Let your faith be bigger than your fear"

FAMILY-

My family rocks! And so do my friends & clients!! The amount of love and kindness that we have been shown this past month has been amazing!  As our family grew to include Carter, life has been hectic!  

My amazing hubby has been working extra hard to keep the household running smoothly- being self-employed rocks until you don't get a paid maternity leave :)  So he has been working hard & taking on extra projects- did I mention how amazing he is?!  You should check out his projects at facebook.com/patostergrenconstruction Or click right here! There are some fabulous before/after home renovation pictures!

Carter staring at his dad!!

Aside from work, he is an amazing dad!  Carter sure loves his daddy!! And he is the best dad to Elisabeth as well- being a step-parent is not an easy job but he sure is great at it!

Elisabeth is awesome as well- with the new baby arriving and crazy life, we decided it was best to switch her to a different middle school this year.  I was pretty nervous about it, but after loads of praying we did it, and it has been the best decision ever!  I continue to pray about it- I don't think life is ever easy for a middle school student!  She is still rocking it at cheerleading- I love her team this year!  There are some great kids & coaches (& momma's!!)  And she is an amazing big sister- such a big help!  I miss her being here during the day while she's at school!

First day of 7th grade!!

Sis & Carter!

Carter catching some zzzzz's

And Carter is growing by the minute!  He is healthy, happy, and such a fun little dude!  We are starting to see smiles, he's rolling over, and not sleeping nearly enough at night :)  HAHA!!  He recognizes voices now, he is eating really well (like really often, really well!  I think his 2 month appointment will show a huge growth spurt!)  He's very snuggly, and loves to be on his tummy!

The rest of our family is doing great too- my nephew just turned 1 (where has the past year gone?!?!!) and had a rockin' birthday party last weekend!  My bro & sis-in-law are great!  

Happy Birthday Graysen!

My parents are loving having more grandkids!  My sis is out of the country on another MSF trip.  Pat's sis & the kids got to visit for awhile this summer which was awesome- and got to meet Carter!  His parents are doing well and we went to visit his mom yesterday afternoon :)

FITNESS-

I've been asked several times when and if I'm going to start training again...  the when is still up in the air, but I DO plan on training again!  Trying to find the time to schedule classes is a bit more difficult than I had anticipated- once I am getting more sleep it will be a little more do-able.  For now I am only taking on virtual clients, and I am so proud of each & every one of them!  A lot of my bootcamp clients have switched to virtual training while I have been out, and have continued with their healthy lifestyle and working out!  You guys ROCK!!!  Having to be held accountable to me via texts, phone calls, Facebook, etc. might have been a pain in the you-know-what, but it works!  I'm super-duper proud of you !!!  I am still taking new clients as well- since it's 'virtual', you can be located anywhere!!  Talk to me about getting healthy!

My personal fitness journey is still that... a journey!  Trying to figure out what works around a newborn's schedule is pretty much a guessing game!  I've been working out at home, occasionally at the gym with Pat & Elisabeth, and going on walks/hikes with Carter!  I'm prepping meals ahead of time and eating pretty clean (mostly paleo, but with some grains still) and I'm seeing results!  Slowly but surely! I still have a LONG way to go, but I know that I'll get there eventually!  I had someone tell me that I'm 'not bouncing back very fast' - yep, seriously!  I guess we aren't all celebrities that bounce back in a week!  I'll get there, just give me some time!  My main health priority is a healthy & happy little dude at the moment!

Me & the birthday boy, last weekend!!!

Workout time!👍

Today was a great workout- I  feel SO much better after I get some exercise in!! I've been doing lots of walking and some weight training since I was feeling better after delivery (walking around a week, weights around 2 weeks) & this week I've added in some HIIT style workouts & jogging... Let me tell you, compared to pre-pregnancy I'm about as fast as a snail!! BUT I'm striving to get back in shape and not have any changes to my supply for Carter's food!! I can't wait to be able to increase my intensity, but I'm happy with my progress so far!

And for those that have asked- no way am I back to my pre-pregnancy size! I still have about 20 pounds to lose!! I want to be an encouragement to others that have little kiddos- you do what you can, when you can. Make healthy choices, walk, SLEEP (!!) Eat healthy, & take it slowly!

I'm still trying to work out the details for starting up Bootcamp & personal training sessions again- I'm still doing the virtual training sessions for anyone who is interested in that!! Once I'm not so sleep deprived and figure out babysitting, I will get the classes going again 😎👍👍

Carter has arrived!

These were taken a few days before Carter's arrival - - I gained a lot, 

but in a healthy way!  

I continued working out as often as I could, but as you can see I had a HUGE belly!!

39 Weeks Prego-

Carter made his grand entrance on July 16th- weighing in at 8 lb's, 7 oz's, and 21.25" long, he was healthy & big!

Mom & Carter

Mom, Dad, & Carter

Big sis & Carter

Right after he was born!

He is now 3 weeks old, and we can't imagine life without him in it!  He's doing great, starting to sleep better and he is nursing well!  I had to cut out dairy products, but once we got that figured out he has been feeling much better!

Here are a few pictures from the past 3 weeks - we are all so in love with the new member of the family!

First bath :)

Me & Carter, 8 days old!

1 week old

Going on his first walk with Mom, Dad, Elisabeth & the dogs!  1 week old!

First doctor's visit- 3 days old

Cheese!

Playing with his big cousin!

Sis & Carter

1 week old!

2 week's old

And these are all from 2.5 week's old:

First bath!

Hanging out with his daddy!

We are all doing really well!  I started working out (slowly to start!) and eating healthy- working my way back to my pre-prego weight!  I am working on doing that in a healthy way because I don't want it to effect Carter or his food supply!  I'm over halfway there - I'll try to keep this updated with progress reports!

A BIG THANK YOU to all of our amazing friends & family, and my awesome clients!  We appreciate all of the kind gifts, calls, cards, rides for my daughter to cheer practice, & food that you guys have provided!!  

Jen, Pat & family :)

Prego update :)

I have done quite an awful job at keeping this blog updated while I've been pregnant!  It's been a crazy 9 months, but I'm hanging in there!  I'm now a little over 36 weeks pregger's and expecting baby boy to arrive any time now...  I went in to L&D last Thursday with contractions, but thankfully got to come back home!  I've now been having contractions every 10 minutes or so for about a week (with a few breaks, thankfully!) but they said to wait to come back in until I am 5 minutes apart for over an hour, and I can't walk or talk!  I have another appointment on Wednesday, so we'll see if I've made any more progress!  FYI- my daughter was born at 36+6 and was perfectly healthy, so we aren't worried about him not being ready (and the fact that I had a scan almost 2 weeks ago and he was almost 7 pounds, and measured 40 weeks at 34 weeks... big boy!)

The room is ready to go, and me & daddy are as ready as we can be!  He installed the car seat yesterday, and has been awesome with getting the room ready.  He re-did another dresser and got everything hung on the walls that we have found while "thrifting" the past month (lots of old sports memorabilia, looks very cute!)  I'll have to get some pictures posted of the room sometime!  He did a fab job :)

My daughter won't be back home until July 1st from visiting her Dad & his family, so I'm hoping that she will make it in time :)  Even if she misses the birth, she is going to be an awesome big sis!

Health & Fitness- I have done my best throughout this pregnancy!  Not perfect by any means!!  I've kept up with my workouts up until the past few weeks, where I had to take it easy.  Lots of lifting and bootcamps until then, but the running was cut short around 32 weeks...  I was contracting too much to run further than a few miles.  Now I just walk- my belly is HUGE!  and heavy!!!  I have definitely gained more weight than I wanted to, but I guess that's just how my body does while prego!  I haven't stuck with paleo perfectly, but I still eat pretty healthy, and compared to my not-quite-so-healthy first pregnancy 13 years ago, I'm still pretty much gaining the exact same way (not much for about 25 weeks, then BOOM!!!  Big growth spurts!) 

My advice to any pregnant mama is to just do what you can- keep moving if your doctor allows it, and eat healthier.  Don't deprive yourself (I've had ice cream or SnoBiz a few times!) but keep in mind that your baby is eating what you eat :)  You are going to gain weight, your body is going to change, and you're going to not love a lot of the changes!  LOL!!  It's part of it, and it's TOTALLY worth it! 
Post-baby, I plan to nurse him and work my way up to my workouts again when it's allowed!  I'll try to keep the blog updated with my post-partum workout updates!  The main thing is that I'm healthy for my baby!

I hope that everyone is doing well- time to figure out dinner plans!
Jen

Blog update- Baby, family, life, work... :)

I haven't posted for a bit, so I thought that I would do an update!

• I'm 27 weeks along now and getting bigger each day- our little man is growing quickly!  
• I had an OB appointment on Tuesday and I'm measuring a little big, so he has definitely hit a growth spurt!  I start 2 week appointments now- time is flying!
• I also have gained (pounds) at this point what I wanted to gain in the whole pregnancy...  kind of frustrating!  I eat healthy and still workout pretty intensely.  I guess this guy just needs more space to grow!  I'm just hoping that my healthy eating & exercise pay off after he arrives!
• I failed my 1 hour glucose test.  Talk about surprised!!  After doing some research, I found that a lot of ladies that follow a paleo-type eating plan fail it.  So I'm hoping that I pass the 3 hour test on Monday and I don't have to take any precautions for Gestational Diabetes!  I'm definitely not looking forward to sitting there for 3 hours on Monday morning...  I'm going through some book recommendations today to help pass the time!
• They didn't find kidney stones!  I have had some major back/kidney pain...  I'm pretty good with pain, since I'm used to pushing my body to the limit with workouts.  But this pain makes me stop & catch my breath.  IT SUCKS!  I'm very glad that it isn't kidney stones, but I wish it would go away!  Driving or sitting for awhile (even through a meal) is a challenge!
• I went to a chiropractor for the first time this week as well!  I'm hoping that she can help with the back issues.  She is also a natural doctor, so it was nice to talk to someone that is on the same wavelength as I am as regarding nutrition & exercise!  I am back to all-paleo diet (except I can have steel cut oats, which I haven't tried yet) instead of part paleo with the occasional ice cream indulgence!  If this helps then I will definitely keep it up!!  It just stinks that it coincides with the opening of my favorite place- Pineapple Whip :)  If you aren't from around here, you should visit in the summer just to try it out!
• Baby boy still doesn't have a name.  We do have a list made but it isn't narrowed down yet :)
• He is VERY active these days!  Right now, as I'm typing this, there is some type of kung-fu going on in my belly!
• He has a bed and the room is starting to come together!
• I'm still working out- once I got past the "sick phase" of the pregnancy the workouts were MUCH easier!  Despite the big belly, I can still do most of the exercises and lifts.  Running is getting more difficult- I need to try out one of the prego support bands to see if it helps!  If you are prego & your doc okay's it, I HIGHLY recommend keeping up with your exercise routine!!
• I made a lot of paleo foods yesterday.  I know myself- if it's prepped and ready to go, I will eat it!  So I cooked chicken & beef, boiled eggs, made some goodies that are paleo-approved, and went shopping for meat & fruits/veggies/nuts for easy, portable snacks!

Other than baby/prego updates, we have just been busy like normal!  Pat has been blessed with business growing & great clients these past few months.  Elisabeth is finishing up with this season of competitive cheerleading.  Her last competition is this weekend!  We had one a few weeks ago in St. Louis and it was a great weekend!  We spent the weekend with part of her team & went shopping, to dinner, to City Museum (I skipped this!), the zoo...  a great weekend full of memories!  Here are a few pic's:

Elisabeth, Laekyn, Kylinn, & Chesnee

My 2 loves <3 at the zoo!

The hubby & the prego :)

My awesome daughter & me (& the little guy!)

J4- some awesome kids!

Work update- my clients are just amazing!  My bootcamp's have been awesome & clients are getting results!  I've also had an increase in virtual training clients.  Not only are they getting good results, but they are getting REALLY good results!  The personalized training plans are really working well for everyone and I am so glad to see that they are doing the work & taking the nutrition tips and applying them!  Not only are they losing weight & inches, but they are feeling better and are able to enjoy life a little bit more!  

I LOVE helping people get healthier & get their 'happy' back!

Time to log off, I hear my nephew waking up!  Happy Thursday friends!

~Jen