Happy birthday, Micah!

I am so emotional today! My big boy has turned one, and it has gone by faster than I ever thought it could. They say once you have kids, time flies, and now I can say that I truly know what that means.

A year of "is he okay?", diaper changes, giggles, messes, nose scrunches, and two happy parents, well, among other things. 

Gosh, did we learn so much! We learned about his gassy moments, how to let him sleep through the night, what to feed him, and how much...and we even trusted our gut and introduced cow's milk a little early! 11 1/2 months of breastmilk is all we could get to, sorry doctors and nurses, I know that two weeks makes a HUGE difference! 🙄😉

I just couldn't see what two weeks would do, and I didn't want to do formula for two weeks, really...did they do research on 12 month babies and 11 1/2 month babies? Do they really know that 12 months is that key number??

Micah is now getting two small bottles a day, one in the morning and one at night. We give him an almond milk/cow's milk combo. I will soon cut one of those bottles, and just give him a sippy cup.

On Sunday, I will run my first marathon...just a year after giving birth! That is such a huge accomplishment...if I finish! This year, I've trained hard and ran two half marathons, as well. 

What I can say about all of this is you can get through it!!! You can get through the sleepless nights, you can get through marathon training (by yourself). Take it one day at a time, and you will be where I am! Or better! 

I've also learned that nurses and doctors believe strongly in certain research, but not every single baby fits the mold with every little thing. Use your common sense too! 

For example, research said "most babies" nurse on each breast for 10-20 minutes. Micah? Yeah, right! He was a fast nurser, so I spent my time worrying that he wasn't getting enough. Do you know that's all I've done this year? Is worry? And...smile! A lot of smiling has occurred, as well! 

Then, the whole issue on breastfeeding the whole year, like two weeks, one week, even one day makes a difference! I swear, the nurse I talked to told me I shouldn't do cow's milk for another couple of days! Really?

Anyway, sorry I've been gone so long! This fall has been so busy! Enough of my journaling!

Happy birthday, my love!

10 months old!

Good morning everyone. In two months, Micah will be a year! Time travels so very quickly.
He has been all over the place lately. He's a speedy crawler, and is now wanting to use our hands to help him walk. If he had it his way, he would use our hands all day long! Which is quite tiring, let me tell you.
Remember when I did the post about how I will raise my baby boy? I've decided…I will raise him with an overwhelming amount of love. Although, he will be disciplined for things, he will get a lot of love! What mom wouldn't raise her kids that way?
Right now Micah is a spoiled little boy, and I am starting to feel guilty about having another child! Does this happen to single kid moms? I just think of how it is right now, and it is such a beautiful thing…I know it will be even more beautiful with another child, but I always wonder if Micah will be okay. Haha, I am crazy huh? People do it every day, and here I am, Miss Only Child! Thinking that Micah will suffer when we have another kid! I am sure that he will be better because of it. I hope that I can find a good balance, once I get the hang of having two kids.
Here I am going into detail about having another child…no, I'm not pregnant. We are thinking of trying after my marathon in December. Ideally, I would like to be pregnant in June (six months later). Then maybe we will have a spring baby, and our kids will be a little over two years apart.

Micah and Mama went to Deming for five days, and had a lot of fun. Micah loved spending time with his grandparents, and they really enjoyed getting to spend more than just a rushed trip with him. It is really good that we were able to do that.
Soon Conrad & I will be leaving Micah with his Ley grandparents so we can try to get an elk to provide for our family for the year.  I have been having anxiety about going for months now, but I think I should go. I know Micah will be fine, although he will have some adjusting to do. It is hard to leave him, but I know it is good for Conrad & I. I would only be leaving him for Saturday and Sunday, so it isn't as long as it was when I went to my friend's bachelorette party! I just know I will be thinking about him the whole time.
I'm almost halfway through marathon training, and it has been trying. It is so much harder to train by yourself than I thought it would be. When I was half marathon training, Steph was in LA and I was in ABQ, but it was okay because we talked about it to each other every day, and we would motivate one another to keep going. Now, it is hard because I don't have that extra motivation. All the motivation I have is within myself. I know that it will probably be even more gratifying once I finish to know I did it all by myself…but I can tell you right now that the next two months are going to be difficult for me! I just recently finished my fourth half marathon (Zia Pueblo), and it was fun!

Micah is: sleeping through the night, still taking two 1/2 naps, eating everything, saying "dog" in addition to "mama" & "dada", learning to walk (with our hands), learning to lay on his back in the bathtub, crawling quickly, clapping his legs (he doesn't clap his hands), waving hello and goodbye, signing "milk", and learning more and more every day!

Daddy & I sure love the little guy!

Sleeping through the night @ 6 months? Yea, right!

I have a six month old who has yet to sleep through the night, but I can see there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

We went to our six month wellness checkup, and our doctor told us that I don't need to feed him at night because he is a healthy baby. At this point it is more of a habit than anything else. Also, she suggested we just let him cry. She thinks it is better to do that now, then to have a toddler who cannot sleep, which is true. Another thing she said was to go longer between feedings, and to feed him solids three times a day. Finally, she suggested trying new foods every week!

Okay, now back to sleep…for naps, I have been putting him down awake, and letting him soothe himself. It has been going pretty well, I would say. He doesn't cry for very long in the afternoon (five-10 minutes tops). Don't get me wrong though, it isn't easy for me to let my little baby cry.
We have made his bedtime later, and that seems to have helped A LOT. He went from waking up 6-8 times, to waking up 2-3 times. This, in my opinion is great! However, a six-month-old should be sleeping longer stretches, and he isn't.

We used to go to him every time he cried to soothe him, now he can get his pacifier on his own, and put it into his mouth so when he wakes up we just let him figure it out. Last night wasn't the best because he had a really hard time going to sleep. It took him 30 minutes, and then Conrad figured out that he was really hot and he took him out of his swaddle, and switched him to a sleep sack. Then he still cried a little, switching all four pacifiers in and out of his mouth. Finally, he went to sleep, then woke up again at 12:30, and soothed himself back to sleep. Then again at 1:20, and Conrad went to him because I was afraid he would want to nurse. Conrad put the pacifiers within his reach, and he fussed for a little while before going back to sleep. He woke up again at two something, and soothed himself to sleep. At 4, he woke up and I nursed him so that I could get some more sleep. Finally, he woke up for the day at 6:30 a.m.
I think what messed him up was he took a longer afternoon nap than usual…and his last nap of the day lasted until 5:30, which I think is too late. Another thing that could have effected it was I tried to push his bedtime to 8:30 instead of 8. I don't know which of those hindered his night the most, but I will try to adjust his schedule today.
The other nights this week have been better than that, because I was keeping his schedule consistent. I know that I am going to have to just let him be, and eventually he will figure it out. I don't want him to be one, and still struggle with nighttime sleep. Also, I don't want to have to nurse him at night when he is one! I would like to start weaning him before he reaches one-year-old.
Anyway, he is much better than he was a month ago! We have friends whose babies still struggle at nighttime and they are a little older than he is, so it makes me feel a little better! I am sure things will come up all the time that make him sleep better or worse, and I am going to just have to ADAPT.
I just figure if I am not feeling right about something, I shouldn't do it. I think mothers have an instinct. However, I don't want him to be a spoiled brat who cannot be alone either! I want him to be more independent.

I will let you know how this goes. I hope your baby is getting some good nighttime sleep. Do you have any suggestions? If so, I'm all ears!

Leaving Micah at 6 months

I was asked by my BFF, Jen, to be her Matron of Honor while I was pregnant with Micah. Little did I know how hard it would be to leave my little one behind for a bachelorette/bridal shower weekend, and boy was it one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. When people say that you won't understand until you have kids, I think it is true. My heart has never been more full than it is now, and leaving him behind, although it was with my husband and his parents, was still very difficult. 

I started packing for Micah a week before my trip. He was heading up to his grandparents' house in the mountains. His dad would get off work, and would be there by the end of the day. 

The longest I had ever left Micah was a few hours here or there, and that was long enough, so I knew it would be torturous for me. 

Knowing that I was going, months in advance I was able to store a healthy stash of breast milk, which helped (a little) to put my mind at ease. Then I had questions like: Will he accept the bottle every time? Will I be able to pump successfully when away? Will Micah be miserable without me, and be a handful? Will he still nurse when I return?

I rented a car for the trip, and when my husband drove me to pick it up, I finally cried. It wasn't the pretty teary-eyed crying either. I straight-up bawled my eyes out.

But you know what? He survived. He was just fine. He sucked down those bottles full of my carefully stored milk! For some reason he even slept better than when I am around. I am still trying to figure out why. These are my thoughts: maybe it was cooler there, and he likes the cold (my husband wouldn't pay for it to be that cold ;) ), maybe he drank more milk than I provide him at each session, maybe he doesn't need to be wrapped up in a swaddle anymore (his arms are out), maybe he senses I am around and I baby him more than Conrad, or maybe there is no answer and he is just young? I wish I knew, and hopefully I will be back to tell you all about it. 
In the meantime, I have been trying to analyze his schedule to come up with some kind of solution. 

Anyway, it was a lot harder on me than it was on him. I pumped every three hours, apart from the nighttime where I pumped once at 3:30 a.m. (YIKES!!) I probably didn't have to do it so much, but I was so afraid of losing my supply that I thought it was absolutely necessary. 

Steph and I drove up there (Colorado) and we ended up having a great time!! I just don't know if I would advise anyone to leave their breastfed baby at six months. It is a lot of work, and a lot of stress for the mama, and that is with an easy baby…I don't know if I would leave a somewhat difficult baby! Especially if I knew he/she wasn't good at taking the bottle. 

I'm glad that I have an easy baby so that I was able to spend such an important weekend with Jen. 

My next post will be on nighttime sleep struggles.

Love you, Jen, you know you were worth it! ;) 

Crib sleep & weaning swaddle, 4+ months

How insane it is. Micah was sleeping seven to eight hours consistently for a month, then I have the brilliant idea to try to move him to the crib. I. AM. EXHAUSTED. My husband doesn't think that he is bad, and I would have to agree with him, but it takes me a long time to get back to sleep once I have to go into his room to put the pacifier back in his mouth. 
At this point, Micah goes to sleep at 7:30. I do a dream feed at 10:00. Then he wakes up on his own around 12:30-1 because he notices that his pacifier is not in his mouth. He cries, we respond immediately so that we can get some sleep. Then he is up again around 2, with the same issue. He goes right to sleep after the pacifier is back in, and he is up again at around 3-4 to eat. Then our day starts around 6:30-7. 
This, of course, wasn't the case when he was right next to me in his co-sleeper bassinet. I only had to nurse him once, and although he probably woke up for me to put the pacifier in his mouth all I had to do was reach over. 
I have created a little baby who is dependent on the pacifier.
Does this sound familiar? 
He doesn't use it much during the day anymore, but it is the key to getting him to relax enough to sleep. Micah has always been a good little sucker. Hehe. 
It sounds to me like we need to figure out how to break him of the pacifier, if we want to get better rest. With that said, it is recommended to have an infant sleep with a pacifier until they are nine months old, to help decrease the chance of SIDS. 
Like I've said before, conflicting things, conflicting things! 
What to do? 
He is also starting to try to roll over from back to front. He does this while in his swaddle, so I have had to start trying to wean him from swaddling. It is a difficult thing. One that takes time and a lot of effort and patience. 
Do you want to know another cycle that is happening? When he is awake in the crib, trying to go to sleep he decides to take the pacifier out of his mouth with his free hand. Then he will cry for us to put the pacifier back in his mouth! This is a vicious cycle because we are trying to wean him from the swaddle, but it is hard when he won't stop taking the pacifier out and crying because he has done so!
I don't think I should try and wean him from the pacifier and the swaddle simultaneously... I have a feeling we would go weeks with even less sleep! However, I just have to be consistent about leaving one arm out of his swaddle for naps. Then maybe he will get used to this, and then I can leave one arm out at night…then we can gradually move to two arms out. 
Who would have thought there is so much to think about, worry about, and stress about, with a little tiny baby!?
My good friend, Ashley, said it took her A LOT of time and patience, but eventually her girls were swaddle-free! 
I know it will take Micah quite some time, too! 
Until next time...

Four Months Postpartum

It looks like I am finally starting to fit comfortably into my pre-pregnancy jeans. I am so excited because I didn't want to have to buy new pants. I have to be honest, I haven't been eating the best, but I try to get nutrients in as much as possible along with some junk that I shouldn't be eating. Hey, I'm only human! I do work my butt off exercising though. As I have said, I am training for a half marathon, so there's that…and I also go to a boot camp that our trainer puts on a few times a week. He is so intense, and it really has been making such a difference. I see the tone and definition throughout my body from training and boot camp. If I ate well, I know I could look MUCH better. Eating really is the majority of it, but it is also the most difficult (in my opinion).

When it comes to what is left, I have A GREAT DEAL of skin that needs firming. I think this will probably come with time. I know there isn't too much you can do with the excess skin, which saddens me.

Since I don't weigh myself, I can't tell you if I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I did have to weigh myself at the doctor a little over a month ago, and I was seven pounds away from my starting weight! I must have dropped a few more pounds, surely.  I used to weigh myself and it psyched me out too much. I would workout and eat better than ever, but I would gain weight instead of losing…so I decided I wouldn't let my weight define me, and I wouldn't let it mess with my head! I am crazy enough without having to look at a number all of the time.

Anyway, my long runs are up to 8 1/2 miles! I am very proud. Of course, I am not as quick as I used to be. I am still proud of my 9 1/2 min/mi average pace. A "goal" that I made for myself for the half next month is to finish averaging 9 min/mi. We will see though. I don't know why I always have to give myself a time limit. I guess it is just what I do. This will be my third half marathon, with my quickest average pace being 8:09 min/mi.

If you are trying to get back into shape, you have to push yourself! If you want results, you have to push it…you have to go over your limit…you have to be sore the next day. You have to feel it! If you aren't feeling it, you won't see the results as quickly. Some people also have to eat very well. I am lucky, so I can slip up a little. I do think my definition of not eating "well" is better than a lot of people's diets. I don't drink sugary drinks, or too much caffeine (I do love Starbucks a couple of times a week, but I order tall and I make it Skinny.) I drink A LOT of water because I am breastfeeding, and I make sure to get my fruits and vegetables in AT LEAST every morning in my smoothie. I think everyone deserves a cheat meal once a day ;) Okay, so obviously don't listen to me when it comes to diet and nutrition. I just love food too much.

Chris Powell was on Dr. Oz and he did say that you should sneak breads and pastas in every other day, in ONE of your meals. This way you aren't craving the carbs so much when you are trying to have a healthy diet. I like this idea, and look at Chris! I think he knows what he is talking about.

I hope all is well with you all…

This is a couple weeks shy of fourth months postpartum. As you can see, I still have my good ole love handles! I am happy with my progress though! 

Moving to the crib at night...

OH my gosh…I am so exhausted after a week of trying to get Micah Avery to sleep soundly in his crib at night. I guess he always woke up a little at night because he wanted his pacifier, but it is a much different story when you have to get up and go to the other room and give it to him. It is not very fun having your sleep interrupted every hour for three hours straight in the middle of the night. 
Oh, and I am also nursing him once during the night, which isn't bad, but it is another time I need to get up and go into his room. Some babies could go 12-13 hours without nursing, but not Micah. Micah can go eight, but not this week. This week he has decided to go from 5-7 hours. What did I expect? That he would transition well to his crib the first night? Maybe. 

He is an easy baby, so I thought that this would be an easy thing to do. 

On top of all the aforementioned, he cannot really soothe himself with his own fingers because he is swaddled. I feel like if he didn't have to still be swaddled, he may comfort himself by sucking on his fingers, but then he wouldn't sleep well at all without being swaddled. Has anyone had this problem? 

Anyway, for about three weeks prior to him sleeping in the crib at night, I started putting him down in his crib for every nap. This has been working pretty well actually. Some days he needs me to help him fall asleep, while other days he falls asleep all on his own. 

He is waking up more often in his crib. I have been trying to research why…is it because he is cold in that room? Teething? Do different noises wake him? Who knows. 

Why can he sleep for about five hours straight, and then suddenly decide he needs his pacifier? 

These are all things I try to ask myself. I will keep trying because I know it will be better for us all if he learns to sleep well in his room. I do miss having him right next to me at night though. 

I decided to try and get him to sleep well in his crib before he hit the four month mark next week. I can't believe that the time has gone by so quickly. 

Anyway, if you are crib training right now…or have just started putting your little one in the crib at night…DON'T GIVE UP! You aren't the only one who has a stubborn little cutie, and I feel for you. :)

Exercising with baby, getting it back!

As I sit here with my sleeping baby I know it is wrong. Don't let him fall asleep in your arms, it is too comfy! He won't nap well when put down, which is partially true. I've been putting in him the crib for naps now, but he sleeps longer when I hold him, sorry to say. He has been so fussy lately, and we have a dinner date tonight so I want him to be happy for it! 

Anyway, I wanted to run with him today, but he's been grumpy even in the stroller. I may have to wait until Conrad gets off of work before I go. 

Exercise has been going well. I love the boot camp I go to three days a week. It is great, and just what I need to get back into shape. I run the other two days,  and sometimes I run on boot camp days. Of course, I walk every day to get out of the house, and for Georgie the Corgi. I really should run more consistently since the half marathon is next month, but things have really changed with my baby Micah around! I'm okay with it all, too! As long as I get my long runs in, I'm good.

Okay, so I actually should do more cardio for my excess weight and love handles, but boot camp incorporates cardio, so I feel good about that! 

Anyway, eating is the majority of it, and I'm not doing well in that department, but I really haven't felt like limiting myself...yet!

I'm proud of how far I've come in three months! I'm still not where I was before, but before I didn't have a beautiful and healthy baby boy! 

Life with a 3 month old, building a supply, and such...

Just as I am becoming confident in the way things are…things change!  

I like to go to a boot camp that one of the trainers at our gym puts together…it is separate from the gym itself, and a really great way to get into shape, or stay in shape. It is three days a week, and I am gone roughly an hour and a half. I also like to run a few times a week (with and without Micah)…being that I am training for a half marathon and all. Conrad said that when I am gone now that Micah gets really fussy. Last night he was crying the entire time that I was gone. Conrad asked if I fed him (THE NERVE!), well he knows that I did, but he was frustrated that he was behaving that way with him. I think it was because he is starting to get attached to me. At first though, I started worrying that my supply was diminishing because he wasn't content, and usually he only cries if he is hungry or tired. Next time Conrad will feed him if he needs to, this is why I pump once in a while…he just didn't want to mess up the schedule that he is on. 

Are you a stay-at-home-mom and want to build a supply, but are nervous about getting an oversupply? That is definitely something I was nervous about the first month! As I have said in previous posts, I am doing what they call "block feeding." I just feed on one breast each feeding because I produce a lot of milk. So now that Micah is sleeping 7-8 hours at night (YAY!), one breast is full, while the other is not. That's when my friend, Ashley, suggested that I pump the other breast while I nurse him. This has really helped me get a supply. I do not get a great deal of milk by any means, but I keep the milk I do get in the refrigerator, and I put two-three nights' worth of milk in one storage bag. Just today I have decided to start pumping at 7 a.m., with Micah's first morning feed. I produced double the amount of milk than I do at night! I think if I do this, I won't risk getting an oversupply because it is so spaced out. 

You see, my situation is different than most people's. Try not to read too many articles online that tell you, "Most people do this…" When it came to my situation, I wasn't like most people, and then it worried me because I thought there was something wrong. 

During #strollermomsABQ (Our own Stroller Mom's club, by invite only ;) ) Ashley and I were talking about how we try to get on such a strict schedule and if it goes off a little bit, we worry that it will mess everything up. Then we came to the realization that we are stay-at-home-moms…we are here for our kids, we should feed them when they are hungry, and who cares if things get thrown a bit off. 

Anyway, that is just my two cents for the day. I hope everyone has a great weekend. Let me know if you have any questions or comments!

How do I want to raise my child? 8 weeks!

I know that I was spoiled. I still am. I know that I don't want Micah to be as spoiled as I was because I don't know if we can do what my parents did, especially with only Conrad's income. Especially when we want two or three kids. My parents were/are great, and I had all of their time and attention. I would love to give my kids that much attention...and I will, but it will be moreso as a group than individually, obviously. With that said, you never know! Also, they are sure spoiling their first grandchild!!! 😍

I have been struggling with putting Micah down for naps. I would rather him be close to me; therefore, he naps in a swing, in his carseat, or on me! I know that on me is bad, so Conrad and I have decided to give him three months of being spoiled, then we definitely have to let him be independent. I know I am going to have to start now, little by little or I am going to make it harder for myself. 

At night he does pretty well sleeping in the co-sleeper, but I am scared to death of putting him in the other room. We  will finally receive our crib this weekend, and I plan to start laying him in there for naps. 

I am not so disciplined and I know it, but I have to work on it.

I do finally have him on a "schedule" during the day, which works out pretty well because I know when I need to nurse him, so I'm able to plan accordingly. 

Oh the stresses! Oh the joys!

So last post, I complained of Micah's gas pains...and he is still having them.

I took him into the doctor (I know, first time mom!) and they said to try eliminating dairy, so I've been dairy-free for a week! A little over a week more to go before I can say if it worked or not. 

I'm starting to come to the conclusion that he's just a gassy baby. I hate that he is so uncomfortable all the time. 

Hearing Micah cry is torture, so I always shove his pacifier in his mouth. He spits it out, and I put it back in. This is another thing I probably should stop doing, because he is expecting it every time!

Micah and I have been bonding, and now that he is really starting to make eye contact it has been a lot of fun. He has been smiling a lot more lately, and lifting up his head pretty well!

Micah and I have been spending time with his twin cousins. Twins are a lot of work, and I know I shouldn't have too many complaints after hanging out with them. They require teamwork! Jasmine and Liam are gaining weight and doing well. Here is Micah with his cousins:

My friend Ashley and I have started our own club called #abqstrollermoms. Hashtag and all ;)

I started half marathon training this week, and it has been slow. What did I expect? Especially pushing a stroller, no matter how amazing the stroller is! I am not going to give up, I will keep pushing! I have ran three miles a few times now, and I feel stronger each time. 

My body has been trying to go back to normal, and I've been willing it to! However when I sit down, I still have a pooch. You can see progress though! 

 I was just telling Ashley that it is strange how I look like that from the front, but when I sit down I feel like it is mush! 

Anyway, I will check back in with you when Micah turns 2 months old!!! He's growing so quickly, and I'm not as much of a nervous wreck as I was the last time!  Well maybe...

Week 34!

It has been quite a while since I last posted. A MONTH! I don't know what is wrong with me; I hope you can forgive me. I have driven to Tucson and flown to Denver, since the last time I wrote. I have attended my sister-in-law's baby shower in Santa Fe, and have driven up to the Pecos Wilderness while my husband went elk hunting. I guess I have a few excuses as to why I haven't updated my blog. 
So, although the last month has been hectic, I have still been finding ways to exercise for myself, and for baby M. I feel so huge! I still have six weeks to go, but those weeks are flying by right before my eyes. 
I have really wanted to stay in my black workout pants that stretch and stretch and stretch. However, there have been many different occasions in which I have had to dress up. First, we went to Tucson to attend my cousin, Jed's wedding. The bride and groom looked absolutely fantastic on their big day, and their decorations were beautiful! I enjoyed seeing my family, and my cousin, who is also pregnant with a little boy named Cade :) She is only a couple of weeks ahead of me. I said we would get a picture together, but we never did! The picture below is of me and my AMAZING husband at their wedding.

The week after that, one of best friends came to Albuquerque with her little one, Aiden, and boyfriend, Adrian. Christy wanted to come to the balloon fiesta, and she wanted to take her boys for their first time. Stephanie also joined us, and we had a lot of fun looking at the amazing balloons against a New Mexican sky. The one of us not ready is one of my favorite pictures!

That weekend, Conrad headed up to the Pecos Wilderness to shoot a nice bull elk. He was gone from Friday-Tuesday. While he was up there, I was able to spend quality time with his family. Virtie, Conrad's grandmother, came up for Brandy's (my sister-in-law) baby shower, and she stayed with me in Albuquerque on Friday night. Saturday morning we headed up to Santa Fe to help with the shower, which turned out beautifully. As I have said in a previous blog, she is due in February, but we are expecting them (twins) a little sooner. Our children will be very close in age. Saturday evening we headed up to Pecos, and that is where we pretty much stayed until Conrad came out of the wilderness on Tuesday.  We did go on a couple of nice drives to see the fall leaves.

Conrad packing out his big elk.

My sister-in-law and I, looking at the fall colors.

The very next weekend, I was able to fly up to Denver to help one of my other best friends plan her wedding. She is getting married in July, and has selected me to be her Matron of Honor, so I told her that we should get as much done before Micah comes because once he is here I am not sure how much I can really do! We really did get a lot done, which made me feel good! Her wedding will be beautiful, and I cannot wait!

I have decided to call it quits with Body Pump because I just don't feel right about doing it anymore. I know women do this or that throughout their pregnancy, but I think, for me, I just need to listen to my body. Of course, I always want to do more because that is what I am used to, but I am headed towards the end of my pregnancy, and I want to make sure Micah has a great environment to grow in. I am still swimming, walking, doing the elliptical, and trying to get some hikes in, but those are also getting to be few and far between. 

Conrad and I have been attending birthing classes for five weeks. They are very informative, and have helped me to relax a little bit. I don't think I will ever be prepared for the pain of childbirth, but the classes help me mentally prepare, so I am gaining more confidence. Conrad will be a great coach! 

How far along? 34 weeks

Total weight gain/loss? 25 lbs so far…it seems like I may reach the max of weight I am supposed to gain…maybe! Oh well! 
Maternity clothes? Yes.
Stretch marks? Not yet! Should I keep praying, or am I safe? 
Sleep? Not the best. It’s hard to get comfortable . Also having to wake up and pee 3-4 times a night is a drag. And the heartburn. Oh the heartburn!
Best moment this week? I don't know if I have had a best moment, but I have had lots of great moments when my friends and husband are able to see/feel Micah moving! I am trying to really enjoy his kicks in there, because I know that I will miss it!
Miss Anything? Running and wine. Movement? Yes. Very active child we got up in here.Food cravings? Pancakes!Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope, but we did go on a tour of our hospital, and I got nauseated when she was talking about all that we would deal with. Haha…great!Have you started to show yet? Yes, duh.Gender? Boy!Labor Signs? NopeBelly Button in or out? Out!Wedding rings on or off? OnHappy or Moody most of the time? I feel like I am not as moody as I was. Yay!Looking forward to? Week 37, when I am in the "safe zone"

We found out what baby Ley will be!

What a lovely couple of weeks it has been. We went on a family trip to Nebraska, which is always so special because we have a hell of a good family there! They feel more like my first cousins than my second and third cousins. 

We were able to walk around a beautiful lake every day that we were there. It was a great way to exercise, and talk with our family :) I never thought that I would have said that walking is exercise for me, but it really is!

I think last week was a great workout week, but not so great eating week (as usual). I have been feeling better about everything, especially after figuring out the sex of our little one. My parents, Conrad, and I, put on a gender reveal party that was a lot of work, but a lot of fun!

It was so much fun to get together with many of our family and friends. It was also a great way to share this special moment with them.

And then we found out...

It is a boy! We are welcoming Micah Avery Ley into our family! I am so excited because back before I was pregnant, we painted our nursery blue for a  Dr. Seuss theme. I thought that it could have been unisex, but the more I thought about it the more I knew it was a boy room. Well...it worked out perfectly! I always wanted an older brother, and look...I get to give my next child one!

And none of this would have been possible without the kindness and generosity of my wonderful parents. I know I've said it before, but God has blessed me with them! 

Anyway it was a perfect couple of weeks! And I wanted to share the news with you!!!