{Weight Loss Weigh In: Week 10}

This week has been good. I have been eating well for the most part. Except when we went to The Golden Corral - I ate cheesy potatoes and home-done mashed potatoes w/gravy mixed with some corn but I did have broccoli, cauliflower and some brussel sprouts - they just didn't have anything that appealed to me. All the smells were overpowering too, so I just went with something I knew I wouldn't toss up.

I have been eating healthy at home. Lots of salads w/diced onions, tomatoes, dried cranberries and a spattering of  croutons. Sometimes I put bacon or boiled egg or instead of dried cranberries I throw in some dried blueberries. I have also been eating lots of frozen blueberries & peaches. I have also been eating chicken in different ways but my favorite way is making Chicken Teriyaki with rice and a nice side of steamed vegi's!

On the exercise front, I have been walking more and more and making as many trips up and down the stairs as I can and working on prenatal pilates movements on my ball doing different stretches and exercises that will help me during this pregnancy & later labor. 

(found at bigstock.com)

I found some great exercises on Pregnancy 360. It's been extremely helpful and I am really liking them as they are low impact and easy to do. You can view the page HERE. It's called Secrets of a Celebrity Trainer and it's full of some good information. You can also find some good video's on YouTube as well. 

My weight loss for this week was 1/2 a pound. I was amazed considering I ate a lot of starch this week, but I am glad that I didn't gain any.  My weight loss is slow and steady and so far I have lost just a little over a pound a week (on average). I am super happy with my progress considering I am pregnant and I know I will be gaining weight (hopefully not a lot but I know it can happen).

Current Weight: 294 pounds

Weight loss: -0.5 pounds

Total Weight loss: 11 pounds 

Weight still to lose: 60 pounds to go

{nienie}

You can read Stephanie Neilson's blogs called "NieNie Dialogs" & "Nie and You"


I have been following her story for some time and it has always touched my heart and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints put together the above utube video of Stephanie's "New Life" since her accident. I found the video to be extremely moving and find her story to be uplifting and full of untold blessings for not only her family but for those who read her her journey.


Oprah also had Stephanie and her husband on her show in 2009. You can see the video clip and read how it went HERE.

{End of the First Trimester}

(image found HERE)

I am at the end of the first trimester! I had my OB appointment today and it went very well, jellybean was swimming around so much the doc had trouble keeping the doppler on, but we did hear the heartbeat and it was 168 bpm & I was so happy to hear it!! I go back in 4 weeks. By then I will be 17 weeks. 

I am wearing my maternity pants full time now due to my waistline getting bigger (I don't look pregnant, just fatter, but soon my time will come). I have been able to feel the baby move around, not from the outside but from inside. It feels like flutters and swirls. I can now feel my uterus, it's right at my belly button, (no wonder my pants don't fit anymore!). 

My blood work was all normal. No diabetes, no anemia, nothing outta the ordinary. He was a bit upset that I hadn't gone into the diabetes clinic but I told him that I know what I should and shouldn't eat and have been eating that way for quite some time and the reason I didn't go was because the diabetes clinic wouldn't tell me if they would take my insurance or not. I am not too worried about it. I am eating really healthy & I have even lost weight...

Anywho, it was a good visit and everything went well. I was so glad their was a heartbeat and that jellybean is growing & thriving inside me!! YAY!!!

(found on the internet under 13 week fetus search on bing.com)

The following was found at I am pregnant:

"This is the last week of your first trimester and your baby weighs 14 to 20 grams. The crown-to-rump length of your growing baby is 2.6 to 3.1 inches. Your baby is now about the size of a peach. Fetal growth is amazing from now through about the 24th week of pregnancy.

At this point of your pregnancy, there is a steady flow of pregnancy hormones in your bloodstream. Your body will adjust to the changes and morning sickness might stop and other early symptoms will begin to ease. Because the second trimester is approaching, feelings of anxiety or nervousness may also diminish. You have probably gained some weight by now. You are losing your waist and your clothing is probably fitting snugly.

There is a milky membrane that surrounds your baby. It is pierced by the umbilical cord and is made up of two layers, which are fused together. Your placenta provides most of the nutrients and oxygen that your baby needs. By this week, the placenta is well formed and ready to take over hormone manufacture from your ovaries. The placenta will produce progesterone and estriol. These hormones will be crucial in the maintenance of your pregnancy. Tissue that will form your baby's bones is being laid down, especially around the head and limbs. The nose and chin are becoming more prominent. Your baby's eyelids meet and fuse together and they will not open again for nearly four months. The eyes started out on the side of your baby's head and they are now moving closer together on the face. The ears come to lie in their normal position on the sides of the head. If examined outside of the womb, you will be able to distinguish male from female at this time.

The sockets for all twenty teeth are formed in the gums, and vocal cords are beginning to form."

{Birthday Wishes}

On April 21st we celebrated William's birthday with a homemade cake that the kids helped me decorate. It was cute but my cakes usually end up dry because I forget they are in the oven (which happened again), so I told William we would do a big party with everyone on May 1st with a better cake, (not made by me).

It was a fun party with family and we had pizza for lunch with a side of cake & icecream. The cake was bought at the local Albertsons and they made it in the shape of a dragon. Sam's cake was gotten from the same place (you can view his "Gizmo" cake here).

Albertsons cake decorators do an awesome job and their cakes have turned out great for us. They are moist and because we get the less sweet frosting the cake is just the right sweetness. If you need a cake done for anything I would recommend them because the cakes are good & they will try and accommodate your vision for your cake.

I took in a picture of a cool cake I found online (image shown below) and they did an awesome job in recreating it.

(cake found HERE)

William had a great day and was really happy with how the cake turned out - they even put a 20 sided dice on it. I realize the cake in the image above was made using fondant but I think Albertsons did a great job with just frosting...Don't you think?

{Field Trip}

We went on a fun field trip last week to the "Deerflat National Wildlife Refuge" with other homeschool families. It was so much fun and we got to hear a great presentation at the visitors center and then got to explore the visitors center, (which had some cool displays & fun games/activities for the kids to do), and then we went down one of the trails & just enjoying the beauty of the refuge.
We would have finished the trail if Ruth hadn't of fallen and gouged two small holes into her hand but overall it was an awesome experience and it was free & very educational!  It was a great day to go too! The very next day the weather changed from nice and sunny to dark & cloudy. I am so glad we went!
We are defiantly going to go back!!