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

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!!!

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

Crazy weather!

It's January! We've had a few awesome 70 degree days, & then today it's cold & snowy!! Welcome to Missouri winters!  I have a busy day ahead but thought I would share a few pic's before I hit the road :)

It feels like a super power some days :)

This was last week (15 weeks)  It seems that it's grown a little bit more this week :)

12 week ultrasound pic!  20 week u/s is right around the corner :)

Catching up!

It's been a crazy few months & I have totally slacked on this blog because...  we are expecting in July!  I've been really sick & tired (& did I mention SICK?!!) but I'm finally starting to feel a little bit better!  I will be 16 weeks on Thursday- time is moving pretty quickly!  We are all super excited!  

Here are a few of our pictures from December that we used to announce this awesome news!  (Photos by the amazing Jennifer Snider!)

Our next ultrasound is in February, so we may know whether it's a boy or a girl in less than a month!  I'm excited either way!  

Fitness & nutrition...  Fitness has stayed pretty great.  I've definitely listened to my body & slowed down when I needed to, but I've kept up pretty well!  Nutrition is a different story...  I had to quit paleo for now- I've had a big aversion to meats and I've been so sick that I pretty much just eat what I can stomach!  Luckily I still love fruits & some veggies, but I had to quit feeling guilty about the grains :)  (I had a blueberry muffin for breakfast!)  I haven't gained any weight yet (actually I've lost, but I had the stomach flu over the weekend so that didn't help) but at my last appointment the baby was doing fabulous!

I'll try to post more often (& a few belly shots!)