The Fit Wife – A Lovable Lifestyle

February 9, 2013

Tick – Tock

I swear every day gets shorter. I can’t even remember what I do in a day anymore it is non-stop from the second I get up. Except for today. ❤

I got to the computer early today thinking, “I am going to blog!!!” I have some pictures I want to share, updates about the new job/new house/new routine. Then this little dude reached up with his arms towards me:

So I melt, and it has been down hill since then. I just cuddled with him for a nap and decided I need to get up and get stuff done, so now here I am… Looking at pictures and completely smitten with my little dude. *sigh* He is so darn cute:

My little strong dude soooo on the verge of crawling.

So much is going on, as I stated above, I simply just wake up and get through my day. I think that is hand in hand with a career change, I love it so far but getting use to waking up an hour earlier and being out of the house by 6:30a.m. has been a bit challenging. The main thing I’m trying to focus on this week is MY EATS and Evan’s new eating adventure, yep we are finally….

This is almost unreal, and I’m a bit excited to give him foods and SAD that he is growing so fast that he is no longer exculsively breast fed. I’m so thrilled and proud of us for making it this far exclusively, but I really am just lucky that for the most part nursing Evan has been quiet easy. He had a great latch from the start and I just so badly wanted it to work out and has. Obviously he is still getting momma’s milk, but it is strange that he is also going to be eating. We started Evan late, and he is still not completely ready (pushes food out of his mouth, doesn’t swallow all the time), but the nice thing about the start of this is that it is slow… very slow. So I can’t wait to update you on our progress, this week’s shopping list includes some organic goodies to cook for my little dude!!!

What else is going on with us? We are still getting settled in our new house. One thing that I’m still not sure about… HOW WE ACQUIRED SO MUCH STUFF!!!! I joke around saying, next time we move we are giving/throwing everything away and starting new but as this process is STILL ongoing this might actually be a very true assessment of my feelings. Where did all this come from!?

You didn’t honestly thing I would show the world a picture of our mess did you? lol Hector was disappointed about how much we spent painting the upstairs bedrooms so he decided he was going to paint the living room and dining room… Well after this (the painting of our small dining room) he will be paying someone to paint the living room. Hysterical. *Sigh* Husbands.

On TOP of all this, I have neglected this:

My yoga mat. As much as I have neglected it, Oso has been giving it some love (after he walked around in plaster, apparently).

and this:

The new tredmill my WONDERFUL momma gave to me. But, I still have been getting in strength training and walking quiet a bit downtown 😉 – So again, this shouldn’t be neglected and it is on my brain constantly as working out makes me happy.

Today I’m off to a yoga class, and some more cuddle time with my sweet baby.

February 3, 2013

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A late 6 month update – 6 Months

Time has escaped me. I’ve been thinking about this post every day since Jan. 21st. because on Jan. 21st we celebrated this little dude’s first half year of life:

Dear Evan:

You are the most amazing baby, ever. You continue to amaze me, every single day. This month you are easily rolling all over the place, sitting up with little effort and doing killer down dogs, cat cows, and Pilates v-ups (Auntie Nicole would be so proud!). I have never been more proud to be a mom. It doesn’t hurt that after a long day I walk into a room and you smile this HUGE smile and practially jump in place when I go to grab you. The feeling is mutual, I practically jump out of my skin when I see you after work.

[look mom! no hands!!]

You are so independent too, you will nicely play all by yourself but you also have your needy moments which I love because I want to indulge you and still hold you close (you still love cuddle time, it is WITHOUT A DOUBT the best part of my day, everyday). You make us smile so much, your smile is the most contagious thing on the planet, grandma and I comment on how our cheeks hurt at after smiling at you so much! You still do this awesome thing where you gently reach out to touch peoples faces, it is the SWEETEST thing ever. I hope to never forget how awesome it feels, you are my little gentle giant.

You love hanging out with family too, and everyone is simply smitten by you – I mean, how could they not be?

You are playing in your pack and play these days, it is so cute how you sorta scoot around it playing with all the different toys we shove in there. What else you are loving? Splashing at bathtime! It is so cute!! You just slam your hands and feet in the water. You talk a lot when you are tired, grandma says you start singing to yourself, but your eyes always give you away they turn a bright shade of pink all around and you start to rub your eyes. You communicate so well, it really amazes me. You simply AMAZE me. Everyday.

We are still nursing! 6 months is a huge milestone for a nursing mom, and I’m so proud to still share this with you.

You light the room up my little love. I’m excited about everything when it comes to you. You have also embraced our move! I’m so excited we get to provide a stable home for you and I everyday I look forward to making memories here with you. My life has never felt more complete, daddy and I are so proud of you.

HAPPY HALF BIRTHDAY!!! xoxo

wordpress ate half of this post… so expect a few updated versions as I try to remember what I wrote in the first one!!

January 19, 2013

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That’s a Wrap!

Well, we came, we signed, we closed.

Another huge, life changing event, complete.

We have keys:

We are officially on a couple “happy clients” lists:

We also have awesome people who have supported us – I swear I am so lucky. So. Lucky. My mom came, and DIDN’T CRY! 🙂

Today we are bringing over essentials so we can do a little work, what essentials you say?

ipod dock + ipod
wipes, diapers, a few bibs and a extra outfits
a coffee pot and a few mugs
deodorant
my water bottle!!!
a couple candles for a homey scent
Tea pot and tea!

AND, I’m stopping at the store for fresh fruit, easy to eat veggies and healthy snacks, although the pizza last night was awesome, my tummy is not happy this morning!

Although we don’t officially move until next week there are a few odds and ends we need to get up and done before we move, so I need to decide on paint colors, buy outlet covers and get soap for the bathrooms (we have toilet paper, and paper towels there already 😉 ) – This was such a crazy experience and like many things just fell into place, really the way things should. Things shouldn’t be too “forced” in life. I haven’t posted much about it because I knew at any moment it could fall through.. Bank could have rejected our bid, our loan could have been stalled… all that stuff. Yet, everything slowly worked out and we were lucky to have the opportunity to take advantage of a short-sale due to our current landlord. In a short-sale world ours closed on the shorter end of the spectrum, in about 3 1/2 months. It is definitely not unheard of for these processes to take 6, 7 even 8 months on the long end. So we feel lucky, because you get a little antsy right about now!

Everything is totally moving right along… With that I must say, I have a busy day!

Off to the dentist, followed by some flash packing, driving, the Blackhawks, friends, Costco and chillen with that little dude:

January 18, 2013

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Friday Fitness – Family Style.

Hello all!

Happy Friday! Fridays are always (as I’ve said before) a little more exciting then other days of the week. Especially THIS Friday. We are closing! I’ll have to post about our crazy short-sale experience and all that stuff that goes along with buying your first home via this avenue. It has been SUCH A JOURNEY and I can’t wait to share the pros and cons of this sorta popular way to buy these days.

Back to fitness. With today being closing day, we might only get in the fitness walking around our new home with baby on the hip and lots of hugs from friends and family. This weekend will be dedicated to upper body (via a fancy paint roller and some heavy paint…). Family fitness is cool! I’m starting Evan out young we practice upper body and core control together:

It is in my dreams that I’d be making it to a heated yoga class tonight, I still might. I finally got my new mat and got to use it at a private Pilates session (LOVE. love love, more on that later – I never thought I’d be able to say the words private session in this blog but I have some pretty awesome friends lol). It has to make it to a yoga class before the first week of its life is over, you must celebrate these purchases, what better then sweating all.over.it? 😉

Any-who what are your Friday fitness plans??

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

January 14, 2013

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Planning for the Week

This weekend was awesome. My sweet hubby and I FINALLY made time for a date night, we enjoyed some clean eats (spinach, gornozola, pecans and salmon salad for me and a chorizo and spinach flatbread for him) and a awesome glass of red:

We also had a great conversation about life, future goals and all that grown up fun stuff. It was great way to kick back and relax and it reminded us we need to make time for just us a little more often. I honestly had sort of forgotten how much we had in common.

Not going to lie, I missed my little dude he has been so smiley and awesome even with his teething. He has two little teeth that cut through right in front, and he has handled it like a champ. His sleeping is all over the place but I like when he wants nighttime cuddles (call me crazy, but the feeling I get from soothing my upset baby really is something I enjoy… even live for). Granted, I do need my sleep, but for now the little night ninja is keeping me on my toes and I’m OK with that.

Yesterday we got up, started cleaning and organizing and I had a ton of cuddle time with my little guy. He slept on my chest while I got some work done:

I look worse for wear but it was a lazy Sunday and I stayed in my workout clothes and cuddled up. Perfection. I love how the only thing you can see are his little baby lips in this picture ❤ Here he is up close:

Man oh man to I love this little nugget so much. SO much.

Something that came up on our weekend chat? Fitness, of course. My sweet husband has been an intemmitant lifter. He hates cardio, and really just tells me he isn’t interested in fitness. He comes around a bit when his weight hits a high point then he decides “no, I want to work out” he will clean up a little bit in the eating department and drop a few lbs and the idea of becoming more active leaves his body. This makes me nuts. I think it is great that people get motivated when they want to change the number on the scale but to me, fitness is SO. MUCH. MORE. to me.

When I wake up in the morning and have my cup of coffee I daydream about the daily fitness I am going to get in. I get excited about it. When I’m actually doing the activity of choice sometimes I hate it (this happens A LOT with running) but when I’m done my mind, body and soul feel so fulfilled. You never regret a workout. It is so not just physical for me, it helps my mental state so much. Since Evan has been born, I’m not going to lie, a lot of the time fitness takes a backseat. I don’t want it to but when I roll out of bed with a few hours of sleep, work a full day and do my daily commute and find time to pump so he can eat while I’m away… Sometimes even the best laid plans take a backseat to baby cuddles and an evening nap that turns into a very early bedtime. But each week gets a bit better, one step forward.

ANYWAY, my point is, I love health and fitness, I live and breathe it. I sorta beat myself up for not doing a science and being a personal trainer/yoga instructor etc. (still a future goal!) Our bodies are so important to take care of, no more so then ever with my little guy I need to make sure I do everything I can to stay happy and healthy for him, for a long time. I really hope the hubs gets on the bandwagon.

Today I’m going to do another heated yoga class or a boo-tay workout with that crazy sister of mine.

My newest motivation to stay happy and healthy is to be the best mother I can be. ❤

Happy Monday!

Do you workout for the fun of it? Is it a chore to you? How do you get your friends/spouse/partner motivated to hit the gym, take a class or do a DVD?

January 11, 2013

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Friday Fitness! [by one humbled yogi]

It is FRIDAY! After a late night at the office, I’m ready to make sure the second it is 5:00 I’m out the door, running home to my sweet baby and off to another challenging yoga class at what I like to call my heated wonderland, crazy happy place. Who am I kidding? The class isn’t until 7:00 p.m., so I guess I could stay late but I’m hoping I can be super productive today and I will be out at 5:00 if only to meditate a bit more on my intention of the month.

So rewind to Wednesday. I’m chatting with a co-worker and friend, trying to get him to go to my heated intermediate yoga class, to which he replies “I will die, no thanks.” I tried to encourage him that he wouldn’t die, that the beauty of this class is that he could modify and he’d be fine. Sure it wasn’t beginner but in beginner classes they break down all the poses and move a tad slower, in the class I was asking him to go to they don’t break down the poses as much because they assume you are familiar with them but they give you cues nonetheless. I have known him for many years, I knew he could and would be perfectly fine as 1) he is brilliant and 2) he has had a lot of practice. Well, he said definitely not. So I went alone, no biggie, I always do.

I got to class early, noticed that there were quiet a few people there considering it was early so I figured the class might get pretty full. I took my mat, towel and water bottle and moved to the front corner of the room. I had been in pretty full classes before and have found I do much better if I’m closer to the front and if I can have a wall as one neighbor I find my balance poses are not compromised. What I didn’t pay attention to was the heating vent I laid right next to (ha!). I laid on my mat thinking of my intention trying to relax and release tension (typically I stretch for the whole time before class but I wanted to clear my mind and focus, as it had been a tough mental day). I opened my eyes to a gentle tap that asked if I could move closer to the wall (I wasn’t more then a foot away from the heating vent) and at that moment noticed that the class IS ABSOLUTELY PACKED. The mats were only about 4 inches from each other (without exaggeration). Why is this crazy to me? Well, as stated I was next to the heating vent (which I noticed as the warm air was running over my body while trying to focus) in the far corner of the room and when there are that many bodies a 98 degree room can get much hotter and stay a lot hotter, I figured “psht. I’ve been in 90 minute Birkam classes, I’ll be fine.”

Oh. M. Gee.

Bikram is a series of 26 static postures… This class I was taking was a vinyasa flow, and boy. was. it. challenging. Wonderfully challenging and crazy hot (helllllllllllllo heat vent in my face). This class humbled me so much. The packed class (which gave me slight anxiety) was just challenging enough that even though I could touch my neighbors to the front, side and back… my mat was all I focused on (and someones rolled up pair of pants against the mirror (LOL). That is when you know you have a good class, when you can’t focus on anything but what you are doing when your body immediately responds to the instructors verbal adjustments before they are even fully articulated.

Needless to say, I’m excited about today’s class.

Source

My Friday Fitness will be another intermediate vinyasa flow (heated).

What about you?!

January 6, 2013

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Catching up.

Phew! These weeks are just, flying. We are 6 days into the new year and I must say my life has already been flipped upside down, in an amazing way. [More on that later]

But, it hasn’t been short of absolutely cray. Fitting in time for everything I want to do is always going to be a challenge, but I like challenges 😉

I recently decided my fitness goal is going to do 120 days of yoga. I believe I’m going to start the daily practice sometime next month as I have some time consuming projects taking place this month (i.e. moving! and all that fun stuff that goes with it like packing haha… probably) and I’m not going to put added pressure on my shoulders. I’m going to practice as I please and hit the weights (my FAVORITE way to de-stress).

I did make it to this place yesterday:

Oh yea. One happy momma. It was wonderfully challenging and a warm. I LOVE heated yoga classes in the wintertime!

I’m also still in the hunt for the perfect yoga mat. I keep going back and forth but I have a feeling when I go to use my giftcards at a certain store that practically absorbs my money I might get a shiny new mat to match. The only thing holding me back is reviews regarding major chemical smells… How did people shop without the internet? I feel lucky that I’ll never have to know 😉

What else is new around here? Well:

Hockey is back! I’m not the HUGEST fan or anything but my family goes NUTS over hockey so E is sporting his Chicago Blackhawks gear today. His Auntie Cole (maybe even both his Auntie Coles) is screaming her head off right now… I can hear her from miles away.

Basically, I’m catching up on things. We are eating right, exercising and enjoying my little man and my redbox case eating bear (Oso!!). While crossing our fingers on the house and getting excited about new endeavors on my end.

Also, who am I kidding? As soon as I get my new kicks, I’ll be running again regularly too. If I register for the Soldier Field 10 miler before the 16th it is 10 bucks off, I’m a sucker for deals 😉 and nothing gets the mileage back up to par then a great race, right?

What are you up to on the fitness front? Hockey fan? Happy Sunday!!!

January 1, 2013

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New Year

Well, if you haven’t noticed we have entered 2013! I must say 2012 was so good to me. I had a beautiful healthy baby boy:

Although he wasn’t in “the Plan” to begin with, he has been the most blessed curve ball the universe could have thrown me and he has made my plans for the future much clearer as well as taught me to live in the moment. His baby breath, sweet smiles and awesome disposition continue to be my favorite part of the day.

I must say 2012 has been consumed by him, and learning to adjust to becoming a parent. It is hard for me to justify ever being away from him when I’m home from work so allowing my fitness goals to be a little more loose has been an adjustment that I hope to tighten up on in 2013 as he becomes more an more independent *sniff, sniff*. However, Hector and I also took the leap and went under contract on a new house, so we have been busy behind the scenes with other things, too.

I have thought a lot about career goals for the future and more personal goals (a half marathon maybe? or a 120 day yoga challenge ) I’m still up in the air but something about 1/1/2013 makes you feel like you can start things off clean and on the right track. I’m not huge on new years resolutions because I feel you should re-invent yourself and adjust goals at all times of the year but if the Jan. 1, 2013 lights your fire as a good place to start, power to you! I am using it as a start to make sure I remain on the right track as far as health and fitness.

Cleaning up my eating habits even more is huge right now. With my little night ninja, fitting in work, some fitness, and some personal study time on other things has proven to be difficult and I feel like sometimes night time dinner is the first thing to go south. Why? My husband works long hours, I work long hours, we want to get home and just be together but now we have to also focus on getting our family back to as healthy as can be.

I hope your new year is happy, healthy and fit! I hope that your goals get realized and that things challenge you (life would be terribly boring without a challenge).

Be back with a baby’s first Christmas post! I told you 2012 was awesome. 😉

December 24, 2012

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Traditions: Holiday Edition

When I was growing up the holidays were always a very big deal. My mom would decorate, we would have holiday parties and I will forever have fond memories of the holidays. Now it is my turn to do the same for Evan! I followed in the Macy’s land tradition of seeing Santa:

SANTA EVAN 2012 II

(My sister pulled out videos of when WE WENT and let me just say not much has changed!)

We have some family traditions that burn stronger some years then others. Last year, with my bun in the oven meant a making cookies day, wasn’t in the books nor was late night hot chocolate or anything that required eating, staying up late or music (yeah my morning sickness & exhaustion was that. bad.). This year I feel great! My body is getting back in the swing of things (I promise an update, soon!), some days I have more energy then others (this depends on my night ninja and the amount of caffeine I down in a day) and we made LOTS of cookies, although no crazy festive sugar cookies like in years past, maybe next year (I made lactation cookies, instead haha):

We are festive peeps! Anywho, this year as I wake up and my little man, big man and fluffy man all are still lazily laying around, I day dream about getting a good deal on stocking hangers for our new fire place at Target, the yoga class I’m going to make it to tonight, and the beautiful Christmas Cheer we will be enjoying today.

Lots of family, including the newest addition:

[Wayyyyyyyyy more pictures to come!]

Some last minute shopping…. I know, I know.. haha

Some last minute wrapping and a few more salt ornaments for next year:

He already has GIGANTIC feet!

I think we may even take a trip downtown late tonight to see the lights, because they are totally Mr. E’s favorite:

We love the holidays. It really is a great time to reflect on all your blessings, and I have a lot LOT LOT to be grateful for.

Lets break down some of our family holiday traditions:

– Decorating! We always make a big day of it. We are a fresh family (this year not included, but majority of the time we do real):

– Cookies! And way too many of them!

– Watching the Santa Clause, over and over and over. I own them, they are my all time favorite! I hope my favorite little nephew has them! Otherwise I know what his next gift will be 😉

– Last minute Christmas shopping. I love to HATE this haha.

– A trip downtown to see Santa (this one is new, this year), the lights, Macy’s windows, Daley Center’s German-Style Christmas fair and the tree:

– and plenty of excuses to cuddle up on the couch, stare at the Christmas tree and enjoy the company of loved ones.

I know I’m missing a bunch, so I’ll update if I remember. But for now I’m off to begin the countdown of my Baby’s First Christmas and the arrival of Santa Claus.

December 24, 2012

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5 Months

This holiday season I have the best gift a girl could ask for:

A beautiful, happy and healthy little boy.

This month has FLOWN by, Thanksgiving felt like yesterday yet it was a month ago. My little ham is still the best part of my day and he will light up any dull room. This month he has giggled up a storm, started rolling from back to belly and our hearts have expanded to depths I never knew existed.

Dear Evan:

Happy holidays my little love! You are really enjoying Christmas lights and cuddle time (yep, still the most amazing time ever). Things I am LOVING about you at 5 months? The way you gently touch people’s faces. You really are such a gentle little baby giant (EVERYONE comments on how big you are and they aren’t really that far off as you are in the 98th percentile for height). Your cooing is more like a scream but it is accompanied by this gum baring smile that will melt anyone in view’s heart. You smile so much and when you do we smile back, my jaws hurt by the middle of the day because of how much we smile at you.

Things you love at 5 months? Your exercausers, Sophie, lifefactory teethers, bathtime and Baby Eisenstein with grandma.

You drool so much you can soak the whole front of your shirt, you are totally in teething land but no teeth yet!

Things you don’t like? Your carseat and bed time (my little night ninja). We are still nursing like champs and pumping at work is still working out. It isn’t my favorite pass-time, but it is worth it for you.

You really are the light.of.my.life. I look forward to every second with you. I love that I can comfort you, and that you look for me, even prefer to be held by me once and a while. It makes me feel so special that you want to be around me, but my little love the pleasure is all mine. Thank you for being so amazing and teaching me that even when I’m in a bad mood, you can turn it around with that beautiful smile of yours. As quickly as time is passing, I’m trying to soak it all in. Thank you for the cuddle time, before I know it you’ll be more independent than I want you to be. So with that said, I’m going to go rock you to sleep and hold and admire you for a great long while as it is the day before Christmas Eve.

Love,

Mommy

xoxox