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.