Thursday, February 13, 2014

Coming Into the Final Lap (or, 12 Weeks Out)

I'm sure some of the moms I know are just going to flat out laugh at this post, and that's fine. I tend to be ambitious and over commit ahead of time. :) I know this about myself, and that's okay.

We are gearing up for baby! I was waiting until I was completely full term before prepping these meals, more as kind of a mind bender that there was NO WAY I would have a premature baby (like I am able to control that LOL). Whatever, mind tricks. But have taken the time to start stocking up on spices and buying loads of freezer containers.

Right Now Goals:
1. Have 5 weeks worth of clean freezer meals prepped for after delivery.
2. Room Ready
3. Continue workouts/yoga 3-4x a week until labor

Post-Birth Goals:
1. My overall goal is to breastfeed Chloe for a full year.
2. Have a meal plan laid out, and clean up my eating immediately after delivery (without lowering any kind of calories to ensure my body still produces milk. Lowering calories can tell your body that you don't want to produce. Our bodies are fickle and amazing).

Macro split: 40-40-20, calories starting at 2,400... I'm going to see how this goes for me. I've heard that some women have an insane metabolism while breastfeeding and it just depends on your genetics.
I tend to be mostly a mesomorph, meaning that I tend to gain muscle easily. So, I'm going to start high with minimal exercise and see how that goes for me. Changes will be made in the event that I stop producing milk or don't lose weight.

3. Start with walks around the block (which is 3 miles in the country :) ) within a week after delivery until my body is ready for an easy weight lifting split (no cardio, only a 10 minute walk warm up). I'm excited to give my body the chance to reset my metabolism!
4. Enjoy every minute of my time with my little one :)

I will be working on the meal plan in the next few weeks, and will be ABSOLUTELY be looking for good clean freezer meal recipes, so feel free to share! :)

Week: 28! Officially at my 3rd Trimester and 12 weeks from meeting our sweet Chloe (I'm actually at 29 tomorrow)
Weight Gain:  30 lbs (@ 155 lbs) - Gaining weight like a champ! LOL! Yes, that does mean that I've gained 12 lbs in the last two months. And this is the one time in my life that I'm not giving myself a hard time over the gain. :)

Sleep: Pretty awful, but let's be honest... It isn't going to get better anytime in the next year or so. I'm just praying little Chloe has inherited her papa's sleeping habits: HARD as a log. 

Miss Anything? Lots of things. Mostly margaritas and non-pregnant sex. It's true, having a little person in the bed is very similar to knowing your dog is watching you. 

Symptoms: I hate telling people this, but I'm still getting sick. And often, like 3-4x a week still. Again, I haven't been diligent about keeping up with preventative measures because I'm really tired of doing the fruitless preventative measures.

I also have at times unbearable back pain, but yoga is a tremendous help with this. Something new, I'm experiencing a new nerve compression - It feels like the baby is an alien and is going to come crawling out of my abdomen. But seriously, like a really intense sunburn on your upper abs. This is due to my posture being off and compressing a nerve in my upper thoracic spine. Awesome.

Mood: Depends on what minute of the day it is and the last time I ate. Right now I feel fine. Ask me in a few hours, and I might have a meltdown. haha! Mostly I just crave holding my little baby in my arms. 

Cravings: Fruit, cinnamon, and chocolate. I found myself getting wrapped back into a cinnamon roll habit (Okay, just to reiterate.. these rolls are pretty amazingly delicious... made with biscuit dough and not too much icing... They are so fantastic with coffee in the morning), but quickly realized that my craving for these was simply due to wanting/craving cinnamon! (Okay, that and comfort eating from getting sick nearly every morning still.) So, I quickly bought some cinnamon cream cheese for my P28 Bagels, and BOOM! Breakfast is now both satisfying and filling. 

Diet: Not too bad. Now that I've come to grips with the fact that the nausea and sickness I experience is never going to change until little Chlo makes her arrival, I'm trying not to get too caught up into eating everything in sight just because I'm STARVANG and wanting to comfort eat. I allow myself one treat per day, which usually is something like angel food cake and strawberries, and am also eating a good amount of fruit everyday. 

Still working out: In the last few weeks, I've only made it to yoga twice a week and the gym another 1-2x a week. This is a VERY busy time for us business-wise (taxes, W2's, etc.), so I'm giving myself the flexibility and sympathy I don't typically when it comes to my workouts.

Stretchmarks: They're happening. I mean, I already had them so I'm not concerned about it. It's just re-stretching out my old ones on my love handles. Luckily, none ON the front side of my belly yet. :)

And introducing another new category... "Belly Button Watch"
Still In. :) But getting shallow. 

Baby Room Progress: 

WE DID IT! Actually, Mr. Bang did ALL of this. I wish I had a good before picture, because this room was CRAPPY! It was seriously our junk room that we kept the door closed to when we had people over.
Mr. Bang painted the entire room, including the trim... He painted the dresser gold, the cabinet in the closet white, and the cute little pink table. He also completely put together the crib and the glider with ottoman... And he put up the cute letters I wrapped in yarn. Now, it's just time for details... organizing the closet, getting some drapes put in, and pictures on the walls.

So yeah, we are moving right along. This little baby will be here before we know it, and it is so hard to believe that we'll have a new person living with us! And it's time to get on making my freezer meals, so PLEASE share any great recipes you have! 


Have a great strong week friends! Spring is around the corner! :)

5 comments:

  1. yeeeee!!!!! look how beautiful you are!!!!!!!!
    and yes I had to laugh wen i read this post,as I was very similar! the goals you listed post baby were almost exactly like mine!!!!!!
    and after I had my 2nd baby,i was on stage 5 months later. I followed a 40/40/20 split and breastfed all through prep without problems with my milk drying up. oatmeal and sweet potatoes are actual milk boosters!!!! I did have to keep my calories up some but the macros worked well.
    I did stop nursing a few weeks before the show though, my baby girl was just NOT a good nurser and would snack every 10-20 minutes from the time I got home from work until we had to leave to go to daycare in the morning. she would have about a one or two 1-2 hour stretch of sleep somewhere usually from 9-11pm and 3-430am. good times!
    : )
    anyways glad things are going pretty good for you aside from STILL getting sick sometimes! just 12 more weeks though,give or take a few either way....
    a quick freezer meal idea-
    taco soup:
    1lb lean ground turkey
    1 can corn
    1 can red kidney beans
    1 can pinto beans
    1 cup rotel
    1 package taco seasoning
    1 package powder ranch dressing mix
    1 onion (optional)
    sautee onion,add turkey meat-brown until done, add taco and ranch mixes with about 1/4cup water-let simmer 5 minutes, add all can ingredients plus 3 cans of water-bring to boil then let simmer for 20 minutes
    have a bowl then put rest in freezer for a rainy day...

    hope that helps you some!

    *hugs*

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    Replies
    1. MMM! Taco soup sounds soooo goood! I didn't even think about freezing soups!! Thanks so much Melissa!!

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  2. Lacey you look great!

    Have you considered any meatloaf (regular or turkey) with roasted potatoes?

    I found some really nice whole wheat pasta at costco that had a nice flavor. I froze that with chicken and some green peas.

    The crock pot is good for cooking a bunch of chicken at once :)

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  3. I love how well your plans are laid out. I am kid of giggling at all of them as I know and you, that LIFE will get in the way. Just when it does, don't beat yourself up, roll with it. You are definitely LEAPS AND BOUNDS of where I was with my first. It will happen as it is supposed to. Cant wait to see pics of your precious bundle. Take care of you.
    Crystal

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