the baby weight

I've been trying various things over the last few months to lose about 20 lbs of weight. A few of the pounds are baby-related, but most was from before the baby - my philosophy then was "well i'm going to get fat anyway, so might as well just let myself go." Boy this was a mistake... I really think that my unhealthy/overweight body was not as well equipped for pregnancy as it would have been if I would have been stronger and leaner. I could be wrong, but that is my hunch.

I was talking to a friend of mine that I sing with at church about how she lost weight after she had her baby. She brought in her book on Eating Clean, and I've been reading/dabbling in it for the last two days. Generally the principles of Eating Clean are 6 meals a day with components like lots of lean protein, paired with complex carbohydrates in vegetables and fruit. Nuts, lean meats, lots of eggs, etc. And TONS of water (like 3+ liters) She really talks about eating "real" clean foods, cutting out a lot of the processed stuff. Obviously, this is hard for me. However, the thing I like about it is that it doesn't make me cut carbs completely, in fact the breakfast is my favorite meal by far, a large cup of hearty and healthy organic oats, with wheat germ, flaxseed mixed in, and mixed berries or various fruit to top it. Then one whole egg and 4 egg whites (prepared however) for the protein. I can't eat that many eggs so I've just been doing 1 egg and mixing 2 whites. Anyway - you can still eat healthy dairy in moderation, and I'm learning about things like almond butter and soybeans. The other decent thing is that most of these foods are good for chloe to eat too, so we're both eating healthier at once and she's experiencing some new foods. It's truly exhausting though as I'm moving away from baby jar foods and giving her more healthy table foods. Sigh. Anyway... enough of that.

The first day was exciting, energizing and motivating. Overall I felt great and really pumped. I drank all my water (peeing like a racehorse, which is actually very hard for me since the bathroom is upstairs and every time i leave chloe alone for a moment in the living room she has a crying fit) I went to the store and stocked up on spinach, lean chicken, almond butter, wheat germ, flaxseed, tuna (which I hate), frozen mixed veggies (it's almost impossible for me to keep fresh veggies in the house without most of them going bad since brian doesn't eat them, plus this is much more convenient for me as a busy mom of a 1 year old!), frozen/fresh fruit, greek yogurt, soybeans, sweet potatoes, etc.

I'm at the end of day two and it's already getting harder. Brian had a bagel for a snack and I wanted it so badly. I am missing my sweets/white carbs, pop tarts, etc. a lot. I'm sick of water already. I'm also feeling the effects digestively too from eating so much more fiber, protein and veggies. That's all I will say. But I believe that will pass. The food I'm eating is good, and I'm not going to the letter, or else I'd have to cook 2 separate meals on the nights Brian's home, and that's just not happening. But I just miss the convenience of the things I was eating before. But I know I was letting myself get so dehydrated, and so hungry, so I know that this schedule of eating, and these foods are really really so good for me in every way.

I did get a short work-out in today too, but I know I need to increase that as much as I can, especially lifting weights, resistance training.

So... anyway.... that's all. Going to keep it up. Hopefully I'll start seeing some changes and can stay motivated to keep going. Thanks for reading!

dear chloe, at one year.

Dear Chloe,

I am in awe of you and your beauty and sweetness. I can't believe that God blessed me with such a an incredible child. I can remember the day we found out you we were going to have you, and being in disbelief. After a hard pregnancy, I went to the doctor to be checked and they told me that you were going to be coming that night! We couldn't believe it. We went to the hospital and felt scared, jumpy, but mostly overjoyed. I remember how hard it was to get you out of me, and the precious moment when I saw you for the first time and got to kiss your sweet little face. Then they took you and cleaned you up, and brought you back to me after the doctor's checked you and I over to make sure we were going to be ok. You were so quiet, sweet, and alert. I remember when your eyes looked at me, and taking pictures of you and having the family around just in awe of you.



Chloe only a few hours old, March 9, 2010 born at 11:18am



Chloe at 1 year old, March 9, 2011 with her present from mommy & daddy

Chloe at her birthday party last Saturday, March 5

It's been one year since that day, and you have changed so much. It goes so rapidly, I feel like I blink and you are a new child, with some new talent or babble to show us that day! I look at your pictures from one year ago and I can't believe how much you've grown. You are almost walking now, you took two steps on Friday (March 4) You say dada all the time, and have a word that sounds like "duck" for yes. You've started to hum a little tune and love to laugh and imitate mommy. You love your kitties, and the lids of containers to chew on. You have eight teeth, and are eating more and more real people foods. You still like baby food though :) Generally you like most of the foods mommy & daddy give you except you are starting to push green veggies away at times. You know how to sign "more" and "eat", and will come up to us, and point to our mouths to tell us you are hungry! You love your sippy cup of water! I will soon have to stop giving you bottles/formula and binky and I'm not looking forward to it. You LOVE your binky still and whenever you suck on it, you look like a tiny baby again and become cuddly and sleepy. It is our magic sleeping charm ;)

When friends and family come to visit, you just light up when people enter the room! At church though you are sometimes a little shy, preferring to cling to mommy. You cry when I leave you in the nursery, but usually within a minute or two you are very happy and loving to play with all the kids! You are super active, loving to climb the stairs, crawl quickly across the living room and hall. We are so excited when you respond to us, point, and tell us what you like and want and prefer. Your beautiful hair is getting so long, and to me you are perfect in every way.

Chloe, your birth and life has completely changed me and your daddy. We are absolutely smitten with you, and our love for you is so deep, it is hard to describe. We will always always love you, and always be there for you, and be proud of you. I pray to God that you will know Him, and have a relationship with Him, and that the Father will protect your little life from harm. I lift you up into His hands right now, my precious, beautiful daughter.

thinking of some changes

Ok cloth diapering mommas, comment here and tell me what brand you use, why you chose it, and what your system is for cloth diapering :) I'm not promising I'm going to change, but I'm definitely putting some research into it. I've been looking at fuzzibunz the most, they seem like they would fit our lifestyle the best. The gDiapers seem awesome too and the most convenient, but they are very expensive and don't save a whole lot of money over disposable which is one of the whole reasons I am looking into this (not to mention the environmental reasons, of course :))

My other main hangup is that brian is really not into the idea due to the increased messiness, hassle, etc., (he thinks and I'm not sure). So I don't want to get into something that will relegate me to do most of the diaper cleanups for the rest of our "baby" years. LOL.

10 months old

My little newborn is now a mobile, chunky, gorgeous, babbling 10 month old-soon-to-be-toddler. I thinks he is very close to standing on her own and then walking. It's hard to believe that now it's my daughter who is almost 1! I am in shock.

Chloe is doing so many fun and cute things these days. She babbles all the time, often saying real words like dadda and momma (when she's mad). She tries to say 'light' and 'cat' and we've heard her say bye bye (randomly). She can climb the ENTIRE staircase of our house, she waves "hi" and "bye" like a champ, and she can give you things and play roll the ball. She loves peek'a'boo and loves to be tickled and kissed on her neck and belly.

She's also starting to do some of the not-so-fun things, like getting pickier about veggies and preferring fruits to veggies. I think I did a great job at providing her with tons of variety, but as babies get older, they, just like us, know what tastes better on their tongue! She is eating lots of new foods and trying new things all the time. She is also pushing things away, throwing herself on the floor when she's really upset, and screeching when I leave the room or hand her off.

She has EIGHT TEETH! She's still a pretty great sleeper, she's tending to need to be left alone more (even though she screams when we do leave) but she is too distracted when we're in the room. So we get a few minutes of crying around 7:15pm and USUALLY she's out for the whole night until around 7amish. We know we are so blessed!!!

Here's a few more pics from Christmas time since I never got to post any!

also - hello cuteness:

making chloe's food

I've finally found a book that is allowing me to make more of Chloe's foods. I don't claim that everything is organic, and I don't claim that I will freshly cook EVERYTHING she eats. I still love the foods Gerber (and other baby manufacturers provide) but this has helped stretch me and see that things are DO-ABLE and easy if I have the free moments. Right now in my slow work period I'm able to do more things for Chloe like this and I really like it.

Anyway it's called The Best Homemade Baby Food On the Planet, and it tells me simple combos that I never would have thought of to spice up and vary the foods chloe is getting. Like pumpkin and banana mashed up together, dreamy green beans (frozen to cooked green beans pureed with cream cheese & plain yogurt), etc. So far Chloe is really enjoying this stuff and she is becoming a very good little eater! I even gave her cheerios today which for some reason I've been holding back on (even though she's a pro with the Gerber puffs) just because Cheerios were a bit harder and I was convinced she'd choke on them! yikes.

This book also goes up to toddler-ness with more mature combos and I'm excited for it to help me be creative instead of just giving her applesauce all the time :) I also like it because it tells you the importance of certain things like organic, but it doesn't push or preach it and it says, it's still so good for your baby if you are feeding them healthy foods with a variety and creative combos, and that you are doing it yourself. It is super encouraging and not overwhelming or intimidating!

Merry Christmas & Boxing Day :)

We love when Chloe laughs like this - she doesn't do it every day, but that Paul-pa with his silliness can bring it out!

merry christmas from us!

In lieu of paper cards this year, mainly because we don't have the $$ to send a christmas card to everyone of you in the mail since we love you all so much, I designed a little digital one for the world.

We love you all, and have had an incredible year, with the birth of our daughter Chloe our lives have been totally changed for the better. She is our light and laughter, and the joy of both of our families! My sister got married this year to an awesome young man, Josh, and we are so happy to have him in our family. We were blessed enough to take a trip to Myrtle Beach with Brian's family in september, and then to Maryland for Thanksgiving with Chloe where she ate her first thanksgiving treats :) Chloe is growing and learning and we are just trying to hang on for the ride! 2010 saw a great year of business for Rachel's business, Puremotif, as well, and is set for some big changes in 2011 and I can't wait to annouce them and show you our new look! Brian saw a lot of changes at Grace this year as well, and has begun preaching more and accepting new responsibilities as a Pastor.

We couldn't have asked for more and are so thankful for all the ways that our friends and family have been near us, reached out to us, and helped us during our first year as parents!