Postpartum Plan to My Pre-Pregnancy Pounds

Two days ago I had my postpartum doctor’s visit, and praise God, all is good and I’m totally cleared to begin working out. I’m inclined to publish my postpartum plan to regain my pre-pregnancy body…my reason being for accountability. I need to share what I plan to do to keep me disciplined and motivated to achieve results. I’m a firm believer in that results only happen if you track your progress. (I’ve learned that from managing my Mary Kay business.) So, consider this photo taken yesterday of yours truly as the jump starter to my weight loss transformation.

Today was Day 2 of my work out plan and although it would have been so easy to stay snuggled next to my son and my husband, I forced myself to get out of bed and hit the gym at 6:30am. I’m so glad I did. My plan is to stick to a dedicated cardio routine everyday for the next two weeks so my body can get reacquainted with exercise. It’s been a good two years since I’ve had a regular workout routine. God willing, I will begin a full out work out regimen with a buddy beginning on September 6th. The plan is to lose 25-30 pounds before Christmas. God, please help me!

I don’t mean to bore you with these details. Again, I just have to hold myself accountable for the mission I’m trying so hard to accomplish. And for the record, I gotta say that these past two days of cardio first thing in the morning has helped me feel the happiest I have felt since I had Baby Eli. I’ve struggled with the baby blues for the past few weeks. Who knew that a burst of endorphins would help me come out of my postpartum funk? I gotta keep this awesome routine up!

Dear Lord, help me to stay healthy, to stay motivated and to stay focused on the end result. Let the transformation begin!

The nanny

I received a handwritten thank you note from our nanny who went back to college a week ago. To be honest, I’ve read her thank you note at least four times. Each time I get through it, I get choked up.

She spent the most grueling of times with me while I was finishing up my second pregnancy. She even worked during those daunting weeks of recovery after Eli’s C-section delivery. She had seen me through my roller coaster trip of hormonal rages. She had seen me with makeup and when I confidently felt I looked my best. She had also seen me stripped down to a bare-naked face full of blemishes and imperfections. As Isaac’s nanny, she basically experienced the good and the bad with me in the most candid and intimate way.

Her thank you note completely caught me off guard. I will spare you the details, but her words were appreciative coupled with a spiritual sense of sincerity. It’s a beautiful letter. I was touched by her words, not just because she seemed genuine, but more importantly because she saw how I live my faith and in her note claimed to want the same for her own life. To her, I am a good wife and a good mother. But above all, she believes that I’m a God-fearing woman who inspires her to be “always faithful in God’s plan.” Her compliments are the nicest praises I have ever received.

I can preach on and on about what my Christian faith has done for me in these life-changing past three years. But I worry that for those who read this blog as their only connection to my innermost thoughts, I may sound fake and pretentious. Strike that…I was once told to my face that on this blog I sound totally fake and when I speak of my faith, I seem “brainwashed.” Ouch! For those who feel the same way, I’m sorry that you do.

If I have been “brainwashed,” it’s only been a good thing for my life and for those around me. It seems that to those who are looking for insincerity and imperfection, my faithful words mean nothing. But to this particular woman who has seen me living my life in my daily walk with Christ, I’m empowering by my actions alone. Her words mean more to me than she will ever know. Truly God has blessed my life by allowing me to be a witness to her.

For my son, Isaac and future son, Eli

I’m now just over a week away from meeting my second son, Eli. I’m up at 3:30am and experiencing another night of sleeplessness. In pregnancy, it’s something I’m all too familiar with. About an hour ago, I came across a beautiful rendition of Bob Dylan’s “To Make You Feel My Love” by the incomparable Adele.



Music has always been a huge part of my life. I’m proud to say I come from a musically inclined family. My maternal grandparents have shaped and encouraged my love for music. I’m enlivened by an innate passion to sing and to reflect on my life when the perfect melody meets the directness of heart-wrenching lyrics.

I found THE perfect song to someday sing to my son, Isaac and future son, Eli. This will be the anthem commemorating how I strive to be for them. I can safely say no other ballad has touched me the way this cover has. I think it’s the ultimate love song.

With great ambition, I want to be the very best God-fearing woman and mother for my sons in every way possible. I pray my efforts somehow empower them to never settle for anything less than the beautiful men God has created them to be.

“I could make you happy
Make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends
Of the Earth for you
To make you feel my love,
To make you feel my love”

But above all else, I’m hoping it clearly explains their mother’s unconditional love.

Let the countdown begin!

I’m in my final four weeks of pregnancy with Baby Eli. I’m scheduled for a C-section delivery on July 2 but am praying that Eli will be delivered the vaginal way. Call me crazy, but I would love to experience my water breaking and the torment of laboring for hours. My mom says I’m not missing out on much. But I’ll take 17 hours of labor over the intense weeks of recovery from a C-section surgery…bleh!

So far, I’ve gained roughly 31-34 lbs. The scale says something different every morning when I weigh myself after I get out of bed and before I put anything into my enormous stomach. My belly is SO huge these days, and I can’t seem to get myself to take pictures now that I’m so far along in my pregnancy. I am HUGE and no angle is flattering. But I feel guilty that Eli doesn’t have baby bump pictures to look back on. Hopefully I will come to my senses and will take some pictures before we all meet the little guy.

In about two weeks, I’ve been encouraged to take a last chance sonogram to see just how big this baby boy is. I was told if he’s anywhere below 8 pounds, I have a greater chance of delivery vaginally. If he’s anywhere over 8 pounds, the safe and smart route would be surgery. Isaac weighed almost 9 pounds at birth. It would be a shock to us all if Eli weighed less than that.

For those of you who read this blog, I ask you to please keep our family, Baby Eli, and myself in your prayers. We’re in the home stretch and although I’m more uncomfortable than ever, I’m so anxious to hold this baby in my arms and witness Isaac’s first reaction to his little baby brother. Thanks, everyone!

There's no business like MOM business

I’m officially 100% all in as a stay-at-home wife and mom. I made the bold attempt to maintain my marketing contract jobs alongside my Mary Kay home business while raising my son. I’m grateful for the income earning opportunities, and it’s a luxury to be able to do what I love as a profession. But no matter how hard I try to juggle it all, none have been remarkably successful. Not one has yielded a return worth the time I sacrifice away from my husband and son who deserve my undivided attention. I have come to realize that trying to be the mom who “does it all” is not the way I want to live this life because my work is most efficient when put into a role like no other – motherhood.



I’ve had a huge wake up call over the past few months thanks to life lessons, my faith and the spiritual wisdom I’ve gained. I graciously accept that while it’s my responsibility it’s also a privilege to stay home and raise our family. My calling is to work towards being a loving wife, an organized house manager, and a nurturing stay-at-home mom above all other things.



For the mothers who have the strength and perseverance to juggle work outside of the home while maintaining her family and home, I highly respect each one of them. I have attempted juggling work life and family priorities, and I was not as successful as others are. It’s not my forte, and I respect the mothers who have found that balance.

I just think I’ve been in denial for most of my son’s life. I really thought that doing the job I love while raising children would yield satisfaction and balance for me. I learned through trial and error that was absolutely not the case.

When great opportunities have come my way, I was once so eager to pursue them. I would think to myself, “Why would I ever pass up a fun work project that paid good money?” I thought it would be crazy to walk away from that. So, I hired part-time help to assist me in managing work projects and my self-owned business so that I could care for my son. It took less than three months for me to see failure from that poorly constructed strategy.

I cannot do it all nor am I expected to. The only priorities that I truly care to do well are being here at home for my husband and for my son. It puts me at ease knowing I’m the one changing every poopy diaper. There is great satisfaction when I’m the one maintaining the house the way I expect it to run. To me, there is no job that could ever be as important or life changing as raising my child. In my opinion, there is no other investment more promising than being a mother who is (and can be) 100% vested in her family’s future. There is no greater sense of peace when realizing I’m blessed to be at this point in life and I’m blessed with all that I have.

I pray I don’t give in to my own selfish ambitions. I pray that my family never has to take a backseat just because a job demands my greatest commodity…my time. I pray that God gives me His work until my life shall end and life until my most important work is done.

Repentance

I will quote a book I’m currently reading entitled, “Journeying with Jesus: Reflections and Prayers Away from Home” by Msgr. Ruperto C. Santos. Only recently have I come to understand the true meaning of “repentance.” Below is an excerpt from the book that most clearly explains its important meaning to me.

“It is to be sorry for the wrong we have done, the hurt we have inflicted, and the sins we have committed. To repent is to commit our whole self, our whole thinking, and our whole being to Jesus. It means turning away from material things in order to embrace our cross; it is letting go of our personal convenience in order to be ready for sacrifice and to serve; it is shunning earthly satisfaction in order to live our spiritual commitments. To repent is not to compromise. We will not bargain or strike a deal. We will not be neutral or fence sitters. It is either we walk with Jesus or we walk out. It is either we go with Jesus or we give up on him. Our repentance demands from us a 360-degree turn from our old self, that is, from our old self marked by sin and selfishness. Our repentance is a change of beliefs, a change of heart, and a change of life. It is not a change of words or styles, but a turning back to God.”

World's Greatest Dad

Now that I’m expecting my second child with a healthy start to my second trimester, I’d like to take this time to give props to my husband, or more fittingly, the world’s greatest dad.



He is amazing to say the least. I’ve written before that my success with breastfeeding my son, Isaac, for nearly 10 months was largely due to my husband’s support and encouragement. For all of you dads out there, I hope you can either relate to what I’m about to share or perhaps find inspiration as you help raise your offspring with the mother of your child(ren).

My husband has experienced pregnancy, a miscarriage, labor/Cesarean delivery, and postpartum issues right along with me. He’s had to endure watching me squirm out of physical discomfort. He’s had to play my bedside lactation consultant each time I wanted to give up when breastfeeding seemed nearly too painful to go on. He played the role as my psychiatrist when I had the emotionally draining bouts of postpartum depression. Nowadays, he’s my nighttime nanny who takes round-the-clock care for my 11-month-old boy. Even after each strenuous 9-hour workday, he takes on all responsibilities and chores just so I can be snuggled in bed early each night.

But I must say, the biggest help is the simple fact that he believes in the power of prayer. In every situation, he applies spiritual wisdom so that things don’t ever seem unmanageable or too difficult to endure. He always has hope in the future and growing love for our Lord Jesus Christ. If it weren’t for his unshakeable faith in God, I am convinced he wouldn’t be the beautiful man he is.

In fact, several friends and family that have witnessed the dynamic between father and his son have approached me astounded by how much my husband does for his family. People have said just how blessed I am to have a husband so loving, so nurturing, and so selfless that his greatest attributes shine like never before when he deals with our son. I’ve even been told that I appear well rested although I’m a new mom with a bun in the oven. If that is true, that’s only because my husband works tirelessly to make sure I’m first priority and my son is always cared for.

He totally stepped up and put aside his hobbies and personal time after my son was born. As a lifelong fitness fanatic, he hasn’t set foot in a gym more than twice since he became a father. He waited years and years to invest in a mountain bike and he once took to the trails so happily and free-spirited. After becoming a daddy, he hasn’t touched his mountain bike in almost a year. The few nights he decides to hang with the guys, he cuts his night out short to be home with mom and baby. With all of this, he has NEVER complained...not once! When it comes to his wife and his son, no job is left undone nor is any request ever a bother. Seriously, this man has never complained even with my ridiculous demands!

He’s my hero and never did I think God would bless me so abundantly. I’ve been wretched in many ways and ungrateful in more ways than I care to admit. But I know God’s grace is always so good. The Lord, for some reason, feels that I deserve a man who undeniably treats me like a queen.

Thank you, Honey for all that you do. Because of you, I look forward to the children we may be fortunate enough to raise. Because of you, nothing seems impossible to bear. You are my rock and the very reason I care to be the best at everything expected of me.