6 weeks

UUUUUGGGHH......

There. 

Since I can't complain on Facebook...and no one in my house is awake but the dog...I am letting it out here. 

6 weeks and 2 days pregnant. And holy crap. I was feeling good before, but I am starting to have some real pregnancy symptoms. I am tired. I am getting nausea. This baby only wants healthy foods...the bad stuff is just killing me. 

I had pizza at Hannah's Christmas program at school. That did not sit well at all. Then yesterday I took the kids to play at McDonald's, and that lunch just tore me up. No bad food for this little bean. I am going to get groceries and Christmas presents today...probably stocking up on apples and carrots! 

Simple Math

Nausea + driving on icy roads = A CHALLENGE

Energizer Bunny

I was on a parenting forum I post on frequently, and I told the fellow moms about the 4 snowmen I built and having already shoveled and iced the back steps once today. Also fixed my Christmas tree, picked up the living room, made lunch...anyway....she commented that she wished she had my energy. And until she said something, I really hadn't noticed. But she's right. I have a lot of energy! This is the 1st trimester, which is notorious for exhaustion, nausea, and all things unpleasant. I had a bit of nausea...but exhaustion? Nope. A bit sleepy, but nothing a cup of coffee hasn't fixed.

I think it has a lot to do with exercising. I didn't do ANYTHING during my previous pregnancies. The closest thing I got to exercise when I was pregnant with Charlotte was chasing an almost-2-year-old around. And I was tired all the time.

Just one more reason to add to my list. Hmm...I suppose I should actually make the list....

Reasons Exercise Is Beneficial During Pregnancy:

1. MORE Energy!
2. 
   

There. :)

My First Post

Well hello there.

In order to understand where I am at now, for anyone who doesn't know me, I should give some backstory. We are our own worst critics, but I am being honest when I say I was a fatty during my previous pregnancies.

It's true. I was a whopping 185lbs when I got pregnant with Hannah, and I was barely in the 170's when we conceived Charlotte just weeks before Hannah's first birthday. I was never a fan of exercise, and I was never taught the importance of it. Sure, we all know exercise is "good for you". But you don't realize the impact it has on your life until you see it for yourself.

 Me, almost 3 months after Charlotte was born. Weighing in at 185lbs. This was the start of my weight loss. 

In April of 2009, I started attending Zumba Fitness classes. I was about 8 months post-pregnancy (2nd time around) and DETERMINED to lose the weight and be healthy. Mark and I changed our diets that January, and I was walking and doing exercises at home. But Zumba Fitness...that sounded....exciting. So off I went to my very first class. And I had a blast! I continued my classes, starting with 2 days a week. Then 3. Then 5 days a week. By August of '09 I had lost 30lbs and decided to attend an instructor workshop so I could become a Zumba instructor.

I attended my Instructor training on September 19th, 2009. I began teaching September 21st, 2009.

I've now been teaching for almost 15 months. I teach 7 classes a week, and I weight train with Kettlebells.

 <---Before, 10/31/08










After, 8/26/10----->




I am SO happy :) I have come a long way, and learned so much! Now that Mark and I are expecting our third child, I have heard a lot of comments...

"You did all that hard work just to get fat again?"

"All that work for nothing."

You get the idea.

But all of this hard work was just the base of a bigger goal. I know how to be healthy. I know how important exercise is. And I know that too many moms are just like I was. It's very easy to worry about your kids and not focus on yourself. But in losing weight and getting healthy, I've become a better mom for my kids.

Now to the point of this blog...I want to share my pregnancy experience this time around. I will continue teaching Zumba and continue my kettlebell training as long as I have the ok from my doctor (which as of now, I am cleared to continue until I go into labor).

I want to share my story and my experience in the hopes that someone else out there will benefit from it.

I am 5 weeks and 2 days pregnant. And this journey has just begun.