A-Z, Fun pregnancy survey :)

I saw this on another pregnancy blog & I thought it would be fun!  I have so many friends that are expecting this summer- I think several of us are going through similar prego circumstances with our bodies & food cravings!!
~Jen

 

 

A is for age:  35. Yikes.  And prego!  I’m up for it though- this is the happiest that I’ve ever been in life J 

B is for breakfast today:  2 eggs, bacon (YUM!), and coffee

C is for currently craving:  Something sweet.  That’s pretty much what I always crave this pregnancy.  Rolos sound pretty amazing, but I shall resist! 

D is for dinner tonight:  I have no clue.  I don’t love to cook even when I’m not pregnant, so now I have a good excuse!  HAHA!!  Last night I made a scrumptious salad (with chicken, olives, feta, & greek dressing- it was pretty amazing!)

E is for favorite type of exercise:  I heart <3 my bootcamp classes!  I’m still lifting (just not as heavy!) and running some.  I also do the crossfitmom.com workouts- I love her stuff!!  My big ‘ole belly is expanding at a rapid pace, so having modifications is necessary these days!  Example- I can’t do hand-release pushup’s without squishing the little guy!  Last nights class was pretty awesome- we did hang power snatches, push-up's, & pull-up's (modified for me- I can't do a regular pullup anymore- I'm too 'belly heavy' I think HAHA!- BOO!)

F is for a fave food:  Sushi--  I. Love. Sushi.  And since I don’t like the raw sashimi stuff anyway, I still have it every once in awhile (like last weekend- girls night with my awesome daughter!  She loves it, too- I’ve trained her well!!)

G is for gross food:  Lots of it is gross at the moment.  Most every kind of meat.  Actually it’s the SMELL of most of it more than the taste!  Except for bacon, it is always good!!

H is for hometown:  Springfield!  I was born here, left for quite awhile, but realized that it’s where I want my kiddos to grow up!

I is for something important: God & Family. 

J is for current favorite jam: Food jam- grape jelly!  Song jam- I love the Mary J. Blige channel on Pandora.  It has all of the good ones J

K is for karaoke:  I love to watch people sing karaoke.  Other people.  Not myself!  I have been known to sing a few times, but that doesn’t happen too often! 

L is for luxe: I try to be pretty thrifty.  That way I can buy more clothes (& shoes!) and not feel bad about it!  I don’t skimp out on workout shoes- they are worth every penny! 

M is for muffins: Banana chocolate chip paleo muffins.  LOVE!  Speaking of, I have some bananas that need to be used…

N is for something you need:  an energy burst would be pretty amazing. Or a massage- my lower back just aches 24/7 these days!

O is for occupation:  Personal trainer – mixed in with babysitter for my nephew a few days a week, chauffer for my daughter & her friends M-F, and wife!

P is for pet peeve:  Mean people.  Seriously, if you don’t have something nice to say then keep your trap SHUT!

Q is for a quote: I love quotes- I always post them as motivation for my clients, and right now I’m liking this one:

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”- Swindoll

R is for running: I used to be a fast runner- state qualifier in high school cross country!  Now I run for fun & health- it’s pretty awesome when you have one of those ‘great running days’…  you could run forever and feel GOOD!  Since being prego I’ve ran 2- 5k’s and both have been MUCH slower.  I just take it easy & run a few miles on my good days- sometimes I’m walking more than running!

S is for favorite healthy snack:  Fruit.  I love it!  Right now I’m into blueberries, mandarin oranges, strawberries, bananas, & apples (in no particular order!) 

T is for favorite treat:  Rocky Road ice cream. YUM! 

U is for something that makes you unique:  I have long toes!  LOL!! 

V is for favorite vegetable: sweet bell peppers have been a fave lately!

W is for today’s workout:  It hasn’t happened yet- bootcamp at 6pm!  If it gets warm I may go for a walk this afternoon with my nephew...

X is for X-rays you’ve had:  feet, knees, legs, elbow, wrist…  probably more! 

Y is for yesterday’s highlight: I spent most of the day with the hubby, got flower seeds going with Elisabeth, had a fab workout with my bootcamp ladies, & dinner & the 'Bible' show with Pat, Elisabeth & Ryan last night!  It was a great day!!

Z is for your time zoo…as in animal that I would HAVE to visit when I go:  hippo J  He rolled over last week while we were there & Elisabeth was pretty excited to see that!  I'm glad that we have a little zoo locally, but I'm definitely looking forward to the STL Zoo next month (if the weather cooperates!)

21 Weeks Pregnant!

According to BabyCenter.com, my little man is growing!  Here is part of the 21 week description :)

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.

See what your baby looks like this week.

Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.

How your life's changing:

Quick Clicks

• Inside pregnancy: Weeks 15 to 20
• Will you be a good mother? Demystifying the maternal instinct
• Measuring large or small for dates
• Live birth: Natural
• Record and share your baby's kicks

You're probably feeling pretty comfortable these days. You're not too big yet, and the usual discomforts associated with early pregnancy are, for the most part, gone. If you're feeling good, relax and enjoy it while you can — the third trimester may bring with it a new crop of complaints.

That's not to say you won't have some minor glitches to deal with now. For example, increased oil production may contribute to the development (or worsening) of acne. If that's the case, be diligent about washing well with a gentle soap or cleanser twice a day, and make sure that any moisturizer or make-up you use is oil-free. Don't take any oral acne medications — some are very hazardous during pregnancy — or use any topical acne products without first checking with your practitioner.

VIDEO

Live birth: Twins

 

Follow one woman through her pregnancy with twins and watch her give birth.

 

You're also more prone to varicose veins now. As your pregnancy progresses, there's increasing pressure on the veins in your legs; higher progesterone levels, which may cause the walls of your veins to relax, can make the problem worse. You're more likely to get varicose veins if other family members have them. Also, they tend to get worse with each successive pregnancy and as you age. To help prevent or minimize varicose veins, exercise daily, prop up your feet and legs whenever possible, sleep on your left side, and wear maternity support hose.

You may also notice so-called spider veins (a group of tiny blood vessels near the surface of your skin), particularly on your ankles, legs, or face. They may have a spider- or sunburst-like pattern with little branches radiating out from the center, they may look like the branches of a tree, or they may be a group of separate thin lines with no particular pattern. Though they may be a bit unsightly, spider veins don't cause discomfort and usually disappear after delivery.

A little over halfway there :)

Baby Ostergren update :-)

Baby Ostergren is now Baby BOY Ostergren!!!  We are so excited and can't wait to meet him!  We still haven't picked a name yet- Pat, Elisabeth & I all sat down and went over boy names last night.  How much fun was that?!  There are definitely many names that we all DON'T like!  We have a lot of time to figure it out, so the list of potential names is growing!

The doctor's visit went well- he is growing and is at a normal height & weight for his age!  My next appointment with my regular OB is next Wednesday!

There is so much stuff going on in our lives, and staying so busy is making this pregnancy fly by!  I'm starting to get antsy about having everything ready by July!!  

Have a great Wednesday everyone- I'm heading out to a huge resale pre-sale to check out baby stuff :)

Jen

Winter blast!

I was a little bit surprised that SPS had classes today- but E made it there safe & sound!  I'm just hoping that the next snow blast holds off until AFTER I have to pick her up :)  Despite all of the downfalls to winter weather, it is absolutely beautiful outside today!  Click on this link from our local news channel to see some of the awesome beauty that is out there!  KY3 Winter Pictures, February 26, 2013


FAITH:
We have been going to a new church for several months now, and are all really enjoying it!  Great people and a wonderful environment for our family!  God has been so amazing to our family, and has blessed us beyond belief!

FAMILY:
Our family is doing well!  Pat has been blessed with plenty of work and my clients have remained amazing!  Elisabeth is still liking her new school & has made a great adjustment to middle school!  She is looking forward to her spring break trip to DC with her classmates!  Ryan is continuing to improve with his health, and we love to have him over as often as we can!  We are ALL looking forward to the arrival of the new baby :)

Today I'm hanging out with my awesome little nephew- he is already 6 months old!  We have been having lots of fun on the days that he gets to hang out with me.  I can't wait until the weather is nicer so we can be outside!!

This was from last week- he is rolling all over the place now!

FITNESS:

My workouts have been pretty amazing for a pregnant chick :)  Nothing new to report, but I'm staying consistent with the workouts and trying to stay as healthy as I can for the wee one!  Yesterday morning I had a great workout- and felt really good!  I am glad that I'm starting to get a little bit of energy back in this 2nd tri!

My bootcamp & personal training clients continue to amaze me!  I won't call them out personally, but the results that are coming in are pretty awesome!  I'm also doing a corporate weight loss challenge with a local corporation and they are doing an amazing job!  The weight loss is continuing at a great pace, and we still have several weeks left!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Prego update, & working out!

I have LOTS of people asking me about my workouts & nutrition now that I'm pregnant...  I'll be hitting 20 weeks on Wednesday, so needless to say I've had to make some workout adjustments with the growing baby bump!

Prego mamma workout tips:
I am still doing all of my workouts- I do the morning bootcamps, and for the most part I do the workouts in full.  There is some scaling that I do now, both for the safety of the little one & out of necessity due to the increased belly size!  I don't do any core work, or anything else, flat on my back.  I either lay to the side, or find another move.  (My doctor ok'd this- I've kept in touch with her and she said I could continue with everything!)  Push-up's are modified a little bit also- today I did them using dumbbell's so I could get closer to the full range of motion.  I've also heard that using a mat/parellets/wall are good substitutions.  I can still do pull-up's and all exercises with weights.  I have dropped down to just using the bar (45#) on all overhead lifts, or using dumbbells.  I either do lower box jumps or stay with the regular height and do step-up's.  Burpee's have become a bit of a challenge since I can't go flat on my belly!  lol...  so I usually go down to a plank, then add a push-up, then pop back up.  Running has slowed up, and I think I may get a support band to ease the braxton hicks that keep occuring.  I'm sure that there are more, but those are the main ones that I can think of!

Nutrition:
As far as nutrition goes, I'm definitely not a shining example of healthy eating...  but I think that I am a realistic example of what many health-conscious people go through when they are pregnant!  You definitely start off feeling guilt about not continuing to eat the way you were (for me it was paleo) but I was honestly not able to do that.  I was really sick for about 15 weeks, and I still have quite an aversion to meats.  Now that I am past the morning sickness phase, I am eating better.  I stay mostly organic & healthy, but I also allow splurges (ice cream- YUM!) and I don't feel bad about eating grains.  I stick to whole grains, and don't over-do it, but it's something that I can keep down & feel good about!




This & That:
I think that the thing to keep in mind while being pregnant is that you are growing a human in that body!  Make sure that you're resting when you feel tired, eating when you feel hungry, and do the best that you can!  In the end, you will get a healthy & happy baby :)  You have lots of time afterwards to increase your workout intensity & get strict with your nutrition!


We go to the doctor on Wednesday for our next ultrasound- I'm crossing my fingers that Baby Ostergren is healthy & lets us know if it's a boy or girl :) :) :)

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!)