Happy Friday and cheers to this being a long weekend :)
Since my journey to get my pre-baby body back I’ve found a
ton quick workouts that get your blood flowing and can be done virtually
anywhere. On days where I don’t want to
do much but need to get my ten minutes in doing any of these totally helps to
motivate me so of course I’m sharing...
Enjoy! I just LOVE how the workouts above are short and to
the point yet totally get your heart rate up.
During one of Baby O’s recent adventures to the pediatrician
I came across a pamphlet that stated children should go to the dentist as early
as 6 months. My first thought was...that’s crazy. In my conversations with my
own dentist she informed me that children aren’t seen until the age of three so
while waiting I pondered the thought. And, upon further consideration I realized
my kid had her first two teeth at 6 months so this theory wasn’t too far off. Of
course, once the doctor entered the room I inquired about it because I just had
to know why my dentist would suggest three and their pamphlet suggested 6
months. The pediatrician informed that general dentist which is the type I visit
typically will wait until three to take children but pediatricdentist believe
in early dental hygiene for preventative measures...Now that makes sense to me. Seeing how my kid has 16 teeth I requested their referral list.
I was curious and wanted to set up an appointment if for nothing else than to
ensure the hubs and I were doing all the right things to keep Baby O’s smile intact.
And, after rescheduling her visit for various reasons we finally made it to the
dentist last week and here’s how the appointment went...and here’s how the appointment went...
We arrived and clearly I was more excited than Baby O. She
was all like ummm this looks suspect lol
All hell broke loose when I laid her down (and held her
arms) so the hygienist could exam and clean her teeth she went bananas and got
up crying
So while waiting for the dentist to come in mama gave her lots
of lovin and reminded her that they are only here to help.
She ate my kiss and words up and was much better for the
dentist. I laid her back and held her arms the exact same way I did with the hygienist
and, the moment she begin to cry the dentist begin to sing. The tears stopped, she relaxed a bit, yet wa still reluctant (hence the eye roll below) but, she totally acted like a Big
girl. So the dentist get her five minute job done.
After her fluoride treatment she was all unicorns and
rainbows lol. Just kidding but she was literally passing out smiles, and high
fives while collecting her sticker, coin, and sugar free lollipop.
Although, Baby O did great at her first dental visit the
real star of the dental show was the hubby. He wasn’t even at the visit but the
dentist was totally singing his praises for doing an amazing job with brushing
our lovebug teeth each morning. We’ve been working with baby O on her dental
hygiene each morning and night since she first began teething and, because of
it she has no cavities (which the dentist say kids her typically do) and her
breath and teeth are right where they need to be:).
New Mom Tip: Start at least taking a finger tooth brush to
your baby mouth the moment you discover that they are teething. The reason to
do this is to ensure your child feels comfortable letting you in their mouth to
brush their teeth. If you don’t establish this early you will have an uphill
battle.
It’s been over a month since my last Fit Friday post so, in
the spirit of checking in this week I wanted to create a post to see how is
everyone doing with the goals you’ve set for yourself?
As for me I’m practicing consistency and actually seeing
results. If you remember my goals were;
Workout at least 5 days a week
Eat clean at least 6 days a week
Focus on Inches and not Weight
1.Waist – 26 I’m currently a 28.5 and started at 31
2.Hips – 40 I’m currently a 38 and started at 36
Over the last month I’ve actually managed to stick to all goals except
the food...still working on my clean eating habits but it gets better each week
so I’m proud. And, as a result of my consistency I’m happy to report progress
in my waist measurements. My waist is now a 27 which is down an inch and half
from the day I shared these goals with you all. My hips are still the same
which I’m totally fine with. I knew going into this that building muscles are something
that takes time and this is a lifestyle change so I’m in no rush.
Any way that’s enough about me and my goals. Today I
wanted to take a few minutes to share a meal plan that the hubs and I tried
last month to jumpstart our whole fitness journey. Typically we aren’t the people
that try diet/meal plans but ,I found a really good deal on Personal Trainer Foods in the beginning
of last month and ran it past him. While he mulled it over I read the reviews
and checked out the site to see what they were really offering. The food looked
really good and it was actually the same items I’d purchase for us any way so
we collectively decided to try it.
We received our food about a week after I placed the order and much
to my surprise it looked and smelled really good
After seeing it we were eager to give it a try so that weekend
we did and it was actually VERY tasty. Here’s my first plate
Not bad right? And the price was unbeatable. We got 28 lunches
and 28 dinners for $199 much cheaper than a month worth of food at the grocery store
and the food was already ready prepared for us. All we had to do each day was
microwave it for a few minutes so for the most part it worked out fairly well. Throughout the work week our food needs were pretty
much covered and, we ate most of the food before we were completely over it lol.
So, I thought I’d share it with you all in case any of you are looking for
something similar not to mentionGrouponhas the deal available again.
Yesterday
I shared a photo of the teacher appreciation gifts final product Baby O and I
created to thank her teachers for their service. Her teachers totally LOVED their
gift and, thought it was very appropriate and super thoughtful. However, I have
to admit it was totally a last minute thing on my behalf...I actually put them
together at my desk in about 5 minutes. So,
I thought I’d share the details with you all in case you need a cheap, quick,
and easy idea for future teacher appreciation weeks with your child.
Supplies
Sunflower Grow Kits from Target $1 bins
Large Green Paper Clips
Target Gift Card
Tape
Heart Sticker or Magnet
Printer
Paper
Scissors
Step by Step
Instructions
Unfold paper
clip ¾ of the way creating a bit of a hook
Insert paper
clip in the top of the flower kit box (via the smaller hook side)
Tape Gift
card to the larger hook
Adjust the
paper clip so that the gift card is straight up
Place heart sticker
or magnet (using tape) on the front of the box to cover $1 label
Add a touch
of personalization and create a cute little note for the teacher in word.
Print note
and cute it done to size
Roll a piece
of tape and place it on the back of your note
On Friday I
finally got the call saying that Baby O’s special shoes were in from my Bowed Leg Problem (update)post . Truth be told
just getting this call caused me anxiety.
Yes, we had
already gone through what seemed to be the hard part by visiting the two orthopedic
specialists and getting a diagnosis for her condition“internal tibial torsion”.
Yes, it’s true that
sincethe visit with the last specialist I had a few comforting conversations
with my in laws and, gained a lot more insight on what was going on...
Turns out this little
condition is genetic and, the hubs totally had a very severe case of it as a
child. Thank goodness for my mother in law memory because she was totally able
to school me on it and let me know what to expect. So, I truly felt better
about the situation prior to receiving the phone call.
However, the mom in me wasn’t
ready for what these special shoes meant for my baby. I wasn’t ready to see how
she’d handle this so called noninvasive nightly cure. I wasn’t ready to see how
she’d react to being confined to the shoes at night or, see how her sleeping
habits would be affected over the next few months as a result of wearing them. Boy was I nervous about it but, had to put my fears aside. I reluctantly scheduled
her appointment for the first available which was yesterday morning.
Unfortunately I couldn’t make the appointment (Mother’s Guilt moment) so Dom had
to take her. He gave me a call immediately after the visit to inform me that
all went well and, let me know the doctor was pleasantly surprised by how she
did...I was relieved.
Here's what they look like...
Last night was day one of
our 4 month treatment and much to my surprise it very well. Our routine went as
follow;
I placed her “sleepy time shoes” (my little nickname for them) on her feet
Explained to her what they were
Allowed her to play with them for a bit
Read her a bedtime story
And, Put her down for the night
She spent some time in her crib
playing around with them a bit more then fell out until this morning. Dom and I
were extremely worried that she’s wake up having a fit because she wouldn’t be
able to stand in them. But to our surprise she actually did an AWESOME job this
morning and we were super PROUD of her :).
This week I’m playing catch up. I feel like I’ve been saying
I’ll update you all soon and just never do so this is the week to catch up and
I’m starting with Potty Training. Since, my original potty training
post I’ve gotten a ton of inquiries about how things are going so as promised here’s
the skinny on Baby O’s potty time progress.
Things were going excellent, we were spending our evenings
and weekends having potty time. To be clear she wasn’t drag me too the potty or
anything thing but, we had a little routine going where I’d sit her on the
potty soon as we got home, after dinner, and again before bed (one the weekends
we did every two hours) and she was accident free. We were getting somewhere
and I even discovered that she was grasping the concept...
To be clear, by no means do her understanding equal actually
using the potty on her own. NOT AT ALL. It
actually turned out that while she did indeed where she should go potty it
didn’t prevent her from experiencing regression... She had begun to go potty in
her diaper and then walk over to the potty and take a seat or, use go in
her diaper immediately after getting up
from the potty. And for the life of me I couldn’t figure out where in the world
this little set back was coming from.
Originally I thought maybe I was too ambitious with my potty
introduction and she wasn’t ready. Until I did my research and discovered my
poor baby was probably just confused.
Since, I hadn’t engaged the school in our potty time
adventures we were totally sending my lovebug mixed signals. I was at home telling her it isn’t ok to go
potty in her diaper while, they were telling her the complete opposite for 8
hours of the day...YIKES. I had to get school involved because the only way
this would work was if everyone was on the same page. Being that she was in a
toddler room which had a restroom in it I didn’t foresee a problem. I set up meeting with her teacher and director
to discuss Baby O getting potty time throughout the day which seemed to go
well. We set a date to start and I spent
the entire weekend before hand trying to get Baby O back on track. I was serious like looked up YouTube videos,
read books, brought supplies, and picked my baby up early so we could get
started SERIOUS.
The Musical timer we set for every 30 minutes
Since Baby O is into baby dolls I got her a Baby Alive to demonstrate
how potty time works
The rewards board
The Packet I put together for the teacher to reward her during potty
time
Cute little seat
Big Girl Panties
Only to find out that the school wasn’t hence my comment“So you won’t potty train her until she’s 2?”
in the THAT MOM post. Y’all they played me, turns out they were
against my plan to potty train early and had given Baby O’s teacher very specific
instructions that made the effort a true waste of time and when I finally
discovered what was going on I was pissed. Yet, I decided to have a follow on
conversation with the director which enlightened me on the schools true
opinion...
The school doesn’t begin
potty training until children enter the 2 year old classroom. They didn’t want
to force a 13 month old to sit on the potty so, they were only willing to get
her used to the idea by sitting her on the potty every two hours if the teacher
wasn’t the only adult in the classroom at the time.
In my follow up conversations
with the teacher Baby O was enjoying her potty breaks but most times had
already gone potty in the diaper prior to getting sat on the potty. This meant
we were right back where we started and the only responsible thing for me to do
was call operation potty time quits. I can’t risk any further confusion on this
situation for Baby O it’s just not fair to her. And, although I know she’s
ready even more so now then she was three months ago I have to hold off until
she’s in environment that fosters growth and development on an individual level
instead of a place that focuses on a GROUP THINK philosophy.
Yesterday I shared the photos of my beautiful niece preparing
to attend her junior prom (Bell Of The Junior Ball). When her chosen
look was revealed via text to me all I could do was smile and respond that she
looked absolutely stunning. I have several
nieces (there are three others in addition to the two I informed you about in
Letter To My Nieces), and this one is the very shy introvert of the group so,
to see her come out of her shell and transform into this dashing beauty was
just amazing. However, I didn’t share the photos with you guys to brag on how gorgeous
my niece is (maybe a little part of me did) my overall purpose in sharing them
was to tell you about her noble plans for the dress. The day after prom my
niece and her mother decided that in lieu of just hanging the dress in the
closet and, saving it for years to come they’d like to donate it to another
young girl in need.
How AWESOME are
they?
I can’t believe that her beautiful gown is up for grabs
(free) with the only stipulation being they’d prefer that it goes to a family
in need. The younger version of me would have never thought outside myself
enough to do something like that for someone else (even though as an adult it
became something I was passionate about). I’m super PROUD of the young ladies
all my nieces are growing into and grateful for the realization that my journey
has not been traveled in vain.
With that
being said, I the dress is still up for grabs so please contact if you know a deserving
young lady :)
Before I had a child of my own I had the two of you. At the
tender age of 14 years old having my first two beautiful nieces born what felt
like back to back (November and April) changed my world. Seeing you ladies for the first time I knew
I’d have to become a better me to be an aunt to you ladies. So, I got
determined and worked my butt off to show you ladies that there was more to
life than the city you were being raised in. At times I can recall feeling like
a failure and asking God was all my hard work truly in vain (y’all stressed me
and your parents out lol). Being the
first in our family to attend college (and one that was out of state at that)
during the hard times I often regretted my decision to leave you ladies to
attend school and pursue my dreams in another city. Not because it wasn’t
important but, leaving you meant I wasn’t physically going to be there to watch
you grow. To be the hands on aunt I wanted to be, to help you get through all
your adolescent and teenage drama. I knew I’d miss your milestones yet, I had
to hope my actions were serving a greater purpose. Yes, I was only a phone call or plane ride
away but still I felt like there was nothing like being there for you
especially, with the absence of your father (at the time). So, I did my best to
love, support, encourage, and teach you from a distance.
I say all that to
say, as I sit here typing this letter I can honestly say that my efforts didn’t
go unnoticed. The two of you are 17 years young in the last month of your
senior year of high school, you’re working part time jobs, and preparing to
head to four year universities in the fall...I’m the HAPPIEST aunt on the
planet. Getting an acceptance letter to
college may happen every day in some families but in ours it doesn’t. So, there
are honestly no words to describe the way I felt when each of you shared the
news of your appetence into your respective colleges with me. The tears of joys I shed were, and the smile
of hope that beamed across my face was unreal. I just couldn’t stop thinking
about how...YOU LADIES MADE IT:). And, through all of life’s trials and tribulations
you were able to see that “You may not
control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced
by them.”―Maya
Angelou and you pushed forward. Your journeys to get where you are
today haven’t always been the most direct route but, I sat back watched, and
gave guidance (when you requested) because it was your journeys to take.
This fall as you prepare to head to your respective colleges
know that this is where life truly begins. The decisions you make from this
moment on will follow you, build your character, show others your values, and
most importantly shape you into the beautiful women I know you’ll become. I urge you not take this journey lightly yet,
embrace all that it has to offer while remaining true to you, and OWN it. I couldn’t be more PROUD of how far the two
of you have come and truly look forward to seeing what your futures hold.
I’m not sure about you all
but this National Infertility Awareness Week mini-serious has been very
informative and emotional for me. These journeys are real, the courage is remarkable,
and the strength the couples have shown is just...Unbelievable. I’m beyond
grateful that Life With An External
HeartBEAT was able to share their stories with you all. After all, they too
are living life with heartbeats theirs are just the kind we like to call angels:).
With that being said, I
thought it would be best to end this mini-serious on a high note by sharing
this powerful video I received from a former co-peep and his wife who were triumphant
in their battle against infertility. I remember their struggle like it was
yesterday, so this video truly made my heart smile and brought tears to my
eyes. Knowing their hearts I found the message to be very motivational as I
know things worked out exactly how they were meant to be for them.
Enjoy...
Follow Up from Kevin...
The “ironic” thing about
this is that right after we did this we got a call the very next week from
Jacob’s birth-mother and were blessed with two wonderful birth-parents that
we’ve had a great relationship with in an open adoption. we finalized on 12/17 on
the day we both sold our townhouse and bought the home we moved into in Jan
(talk about blessings).
Fellow HeartBEATS
If nothing else I hope that this series has been enlightening for you all by,making you more aware of what the families struggling with infertility is going through. For those of you that are already parents I hope these testimonies have brought you closer to your children.
