final countdown!

Just some quick updates on Henry and me:

1. I am 35 weeks pregnant. I've gained 9 pounds as of my dr.'s appointment last week - so this week I'm probably at 10-11 pounds because my belly has gotten big.

2. Henry is head down. He weighs approximately 5 pounds, 4 ounces (as of last week) - which means he is already bigger than both Emma and Claire at birth! And it means I am all baby, which I'm thankful for - I wear maternity clothes, but can still wear a lot of my normal stuff, too.

3. Gestational Diabetes is still not my friend. I'm at the point where I could kill for an entire Memorial Bakery iced cookie, but I'm holding strong on my diet. My numbers were still too elevated for my OB (they are in the 130-140 range sometimes after lunch and dinner and need to be under 120). So, she will look at my chart on Monday when I go back and decide if I need to go on this pill that will help level everything out. Today I've been under 100 all day - me, the carb girl eating no carbs. Except for that delicious Chick-fil-A meal yesterday. Wink!

4. They might take Henry early. Yep. I was shocked, too. At my last appointment my OB told me my amniotic fluid was too low. Like really low... she didn't want to wave the red flag yet, but it was low enough for her to tell me I had ten days to rest and drink as much water as possible. When I go back on Monday, they will do another ultrasound and measure the amniotic fluid levels. If they are still too low, then I get to go on bed rest and they will take Henry at 37 weeks... which is May 29th. Cue the pregnant lady hormonal meltdown. This pregnancy has been hard and I've had a lot of issues but I wasn't expecting that. So, I've been resting as much as possible - going to bed at 8:30, not walking, limiting errands, etc... - and I've been drinking probably over 90 ounces of water a day. My prayer is I go on Monday and everything is normal - that I can maintain the type of rest I'm doing and continue to drink lots of water. I'm so fortunate that we received lots of gift cards and baby items over the weekend at my baby shower - Daniel and I have a list of things we still need (like, ahem, diapers) - Babies R Us here we come! If you could pray for us I would so appreciate it - pray that my fluid is back up and Henry can stay put until June 16th when I have my c-section scheduled.

5. The nursery is basically complete. I need baskets and bookshelves from Ikea. I was going to have custom pillows made but now I feel like scrapping that entirely. All of Henry's clothes are washed and put away or hung up. We need to install the carseat base and I guess if I'm having a baby in 15 days I should probably pack hospital bags. I need to buy a few more sleepers for H and nursing stuff (like clothing) for me.

Pictures of my belly and the nursery to come!

baby boy update

Hello blog world. No fun pictures today - just an update on Henry and me. I haven't posted this information on Facebook as everyone would be commenting and I feel like the blog I can just control readership (maybe, ha!) and have it documented for my sake. 

Not the end of the world, but I failed my three hour glucose test and have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I actually got the call the Thursday we arrived in Dallas and to say I was devastated is an understatement. In true Daniel Irving fashion, he played me a goofy diabetes YouTube video to "cheer" me up... it just made me more mad at the time. (I can have a good laugh about it now though!) After crying my eyes out and enjoying my time in Dallas, I picked up my blood sugar kit when we got back to Houston. Honestly, the first prick was the worst. I've gotten pretty used to pricking my finger four-five times a day! I have to keep a record of my blood sugar levels and bring them to my doctor for monitoring. 

I met with my dietician at the Weight Management Center at Methodist Hospital on Monday. I got the giggles as I went up the elevator and quickly said a prayer that I would stop laughing because I knew I'd be offensive to someone for laughing. I was laughing because never in my life would I think I'd have to go to that floor and I have only gained eight pounds so far this pregnancy... goes to show getting this diagnosis just happens for whatever reason - even to people who are very healthy! My doctor and my dietician said I'm an anomaly and the easiest gestational diabetes patient they've had. I do need to continue to eat like I do - 5-6 small meals a day - and count my carbs, specifically at lunch. If my blood sugar continues to rise and can't be controlled with diet, next step is this diabetes pill. If it still can't get under control then I move onto insulin injections. I'm praying diet and exercise will be enough! 

I get to see my doctor more often now and Henry will be monitored more closely, too. I have an ultrasound scheduled to see exactly how big he is measuring. My c-section is planned for June 16th but he might come earlier if he's getting too big or my blood sugar/health is of any concern. I have already been having contractions and have been prescribed medicine to keep that under control - that medicine makes me feel totally crappy (racing heart, shaky feeling) - but it does stop the contractions which I'm thankful for. I tell you what, this pregnancy has been one thing after another! However, Henry is good and healthy and that is such a blessing. I'll take feel terrible for a solid 7+ months. Please pray that my diet controls the diabetes, Henry continues to be healthy and my contractions don't progress into early labor. Thank you!

On a lighter note, Henry's room is coming together and I will post some pics of the progress soon. I love his room so much and really feel like we will spend lots of time in there together!

a blog hiatus explained

Well friends, I haven't blogged since about mid-October and the reason is I'm pregnant. And the picture above is proof that I was so excited and kind of in shock that I took every pregnancy test I had on hand to confirm I was in fact pregnant. We feel very blessed. I feel very blessed... I wanted another child but didn't know if that was in God's plan after a year of trying. But, just like always, God's timing is perfect. I'm due in June and the girls will turn four in July. I will only have one baby in diapers, one baby in a crib and the girls will be in preschool full time in the fall. The timing really is perfect... and I know the girls will be the best big sisters. 

This pregnancy has been the complete opposite of the girls. With Emma and Claire, I had mild pregnancy symptoms. Some food aversions, some cramping but overall felt great. My skin glowed, I didn't show until about five months, my hair and nails were thick and strong... it was like the best thing ever. This go around has been borderline miserable. I'm 14 weeks today and feel like I've started to make a turn but the past 10 weeks have been crappy. Constant nausea - from the time I woke up until I went to bed - I popped Zofran as much as I could. No appetite, food looked disgusting, anything that could go wrong with your stomach and digestive system I had... add in fatigue, weakness and chasing after two wild three year olds, it made for a very long first trimester! At one point I had lost seven pounds but thankfully I've slowly gained all of that back. 

We didn't tell anyone about the pregnancy except family and very close friends. A few people up at the church knew because I had been so sick during our Holiday Market that I just disappeared for two days and needed to explain my whereabouts! We were very protective of who knew the news because of the girls. We didn't tell the girls until I had my 13 week check up and ultrasound. I know many people who have miscarried and just didn't want to tell the girls and then "explain" if something were to happen. Thankfully, every appointment has been very good. My doctor is very pleased and this little baby is so active! Every time we have seen the baby (3 times now), it's been wiggling all around... maybe we have another Claire on our hands!

We went public with the news on Sunday. We had told the girls last Monday and that moment was one of the best moments of my life. I will post the video here soon. We told our church congregation on Sunday morning and then everyone else via Facebook that afternoon (lame way to tell everyone, but so efficient!). 

I have several friends in MOPS that are pregnant and it will be fun journeying through pregnancy with them these next six months. My sister Laura is pregnant too and due in March and that to me is the most special!! Our children will just be three months apart. 

I hope to be really good about blogging now that I have energy back and I'm not in bed every free chance I have. Plus, I was so good with Emma and Claire and I want this baby to have just as many fun blog posts for us to look back on. We find out if this baby is a he or a she January 8! We have a boy name all ready to go but still go back and forth with the girl names... that will be a challenge! Regardless if it's a boy or girl, we are so thankful that we get to do this again and can't wait to be a party of five in June. 

kickin' the habit

I have a big celebration: both Daniel and I have kicked the soda habit. Wahoo!

Back in November, we both agreed that we wanted to drink less soda. For me, it's Diet Coke. For Daniel, it's Pepsi, PepsiMax, Diet Coke, Coke (aka whatever he can get his hands on). After really thinking about it, we decided we would just quit soda all together. Why? Two reasons: 1) it's expensive... if you buy it at a restaurant, out of a vending machine or even in bulk at Costco, it's expensive. 2) it's not healthy... we love water, Daniel loves tea. It's easy to just stick with that.

We slowly backed off the soda over the month of December, specifically over Christmas break. By January, we hadn't bought any soda in the house and I was down to 1-2 Diet Cokes a week and Daniel maybe 3 or so a week. I allow myself a Diet Coke at Chik-fil-A each Thursday and that's about it (thinking I will switch to regular Coke so I'm not drinking the fake sugar anymore).

You know what's funny though? Daniel had picked a DC up at the store yesterday and I had one sip and couldn't drink it. It tasted like metal to me... I couldn't even believe it. Me, the Diet-Coke-aholic!

I am really proud of myself and even more proud of Daniel because it's been a big change for him. I've noticed a difference in my stomach (not so much bloat) and I'm glad I'm caffeine-free from about 10am onward.

Now we are both obsessed with Topo Chico sparkling water. Squeeze a lime in it or top it off with a little bit of orange juice. So delicious!!

no nuts! an allergy scare...

image via zulily

So it happened. It finally happened. I knew the day would be inevitable and I'm glad that it was only as bad as it got.

Claire ate a peanut butter cookie.

Let me back up... it's Monday night and we arrived at the church for the live nativity. I noticed that there was coffee, hot chocolate and cookies on the table - didn't think anything of it. I went up to pay for our tickets and the girls were right next to me. After about a minute of talking with the person selling the tickets, I look down to see Emma and Claire with cookies in their mouth. Working at the church, I know every type of cookie they make and immediately knew what cookie Claire had in her mouth. I screamed "Oh S***" in the middle of the crowd (welcome to MDUMC, people!) and grabbed the cookie. It didn't look like there had been a bite taken, just licked. I chunked the cookie across the room. After screaming "she has a peanut allergy!" our friend, Deana, who is a nurse, said "we need to make her throw up"... so right there, in the middle of the church, Deana made Claire gag and forced her to spit up whatever she had in her mouth. Someone had run to get water and we made her rinse and spit, rinse and spit. During this, a man came up to me and said "I'm sorry, I didn't know..." and I just ignored him because I was so concerned about Claire.

Now of course this was the one time I left the diaper bag at home... where all of my benedryl and first aid stuff is. I had the epi-pen on me in my purse, but I really didn't want to use it on Claire. So, for about 3-5 minutes, I ran frantically up and down the hall of the church asking every mom in there if she had benedryl. No. No. No. I tried to get my work key to open up the school office (because I know I have meds in there for Claire) but the cabinets in the office were locked. By this time, I am really starting to panic and think that Claire is going to need the epi pen. By the time I get back to where Claire, Emma and Deana are, there is a crowd and Claire has hives all over her face. I'm out to get out my epi-pen when someone - thank the good Lord! - ran up to me saying they had benedryl. We gave it to Claire and I finally took a deep breath. Daniel showed up at this point - he had been working the live nativity and someone had told him what happened.

After watching her for five more minutes, the hives weren't really going down and we realized it's because she still had peanut butter cookie crumbs on her hands. Duh. So we washed her face and hands... after a few more minutes, she started to look much better... swelling of the lip when down, and her hives were fading. I was just going to go home, but decided that both girls should see the live nativity. Poor Claire was still crying and Emma looked like she was about to be upset, too. The live nativity did the trick - both girls were happy and helped calm everyone down.

Deana offered to follow me home so she could check Claire at the house, but I felt like we were good. Claire's eye was still swollen and pink, but I think it's because we hadn't flushed it with water. Once we were home, I gave Claire the biggest bath of her life - ha! I scrubbed every inch of her and flushed her eyes out as best I could. I topped her off with another half serving of benedryl and checked on her about every two hours for the rest of the night.

So, what I have learned from this:

1. I've talked with the kitchen staff about not serving cookies with nuts at programs - or at least serve them on a separate tray, out of a child's reach.

2. Carry benedryl everywhere. The next morning I went to Walgreens and bought them out of benedryl. Claire's action plan is to give her 7.5 mL of benedryl first (if there aren't any signs of breathing problems)... so I must have benedryl on me at all times. I have it in my purse, in my car, in Daniel's car... I will also never leave the diaper bag at home again!

3. We've taught the girls to say "no nuts" - we have gone over this time and time again with them, but after Monday night, we worked really hard with them on it. We even went through different scenarios like "Emma, if a friend at school gives Claire food, what do you say?" NO NUTS!  or "Claire, if someone's mommy gives you food, what do you say?" NO NUTS!

4. Zulily is selling the bracelets and stickers online right now for $8.99. I'm going to buy the stickers (48 pack) and put them on Claire when we are around people who don't know... I'll also stick it on her diaper bag.

I feel so silly that this whole thing happened in the first place. After Claire went to sleep I finally sobbed to Daniel. I felt guilty I had let Claire out of my sight at church. I felt guilty I didn't have her diaper bag or the right medicine on me. I even felt guilty I just didn't do the epi-pen right away (I selfishly didn't want to use it or go to the ER, which is crazy). After I cried and talked with Daniel I didn't feel as guilty, but I still felt like a bad mom. I know it won't be the last time I feel like a bad mom, but hopefully it will be the last time we have an interaction with nuts like that! What's crazy is she barely ingested anything and she still had that horrible reaction. So scary!

So... Any other suggestions? Many of you had great advice when she was first diagnosed and for that I am so grateful. I feel like now that we've had this experience, both girls will be more apt to speak up about the allergy. Praying it doesn't happen again!

allergies and mommy guilt

When the girls turned one I was so excited to introduce them to peanut butter. I eat it every morning on top of a whole wheat flax waffle with honey. I think peanut butter is heaven on earth... the girls loved it.  We ate peanut butter sandwiches for four or five days in a row... and then it happened. Sweet Claire's lower lip started to swell and she got these red dots all around her mouth. I immediately called the doctor and she confirmed what I thought: peanut allergy. I was told to wait until the girls turned two to reintroduce peanut butter. So we waited. We didn't do any nuts at all for both girls. Second birthday, a teaspoon of peanut butter and minutes later the same reaction. I have to say I was really bummed, like crying and angry bummed. I didn't want to have that kid with the nut allergy and become that mom who has to read every label on every box. We were referred to the allergist in July and couldn't get into the doctor until yesterday. Cue the picture above and and to the left.

We were told the appointment would be three hours long (it was only two thank goodness). Claire and I went to Texas Children's Hospital (West Campus) while Daniel took Emma on "an adventure"... They had toys for her to play in and we told her her gown was actually her princess cape. She totally bought it. I had to go over all of Claire's history with nuts - she had been exposed to almonds once and had horrible eczema the next day - so we tested her for peanuts and all tree-nuts. The nurse first marked Claire's back with a pen and then quickly began scratching her back with the serums. Claire totally freaked... I hate that "I'm hurt" cry... Best part? Can't move or touch her back for fifteen minutes. After the nurse left Claire cried on my shoulder and tried to scratch her back over and over. Finally, I had the genius idea to play Sleeping Beauty on my iPhone... before we knew it, Claire was content and the fifteen minutes were over.

The nurse came in, wiped off the serums and then started to measure each hive. The top left hive is the control to make sure it's working and the second to the right is just saline. The other four are small hives and all tree nuts. The whopper in the middle is peanuts. So our results: no nuts, probably ever, as there is only a 15% chance she will grow out of it. We have to go to the doctor yearly to get her checked out. At age 4 or 5 they will do a slew of allergy testing (like seasonal/environmental)... I have two epi-pens and a ton of paperwork to turn into our school. Emma won't be allowed to have nuts at home as she is too young to understand why she wouldn't be able to give any to Claire... Good news: I can still eat peanut butter. When I heard that, I asked my doctor a question: Is this my fault? I ate peanut butter every day of my pregnancy and the entire time I nursed. Her reply was quick but sweet: There are children who will have a peanut allergy who have never been exposed to a peanut... the only place we can see them being exposed to peanuts was in utero. 

Admittedly, the wave of Mommy-Guilt was overwhelming.

I'm looking at my little Claire, prancing around in her "princess cape" with huge whelps on her back thinking, I should have restricted my diet and this is my fault. Ugh.

Now that it's been 24 hours, I'm not feeling as guilty. I know lots of people whose children have nut allergies. I think my mommy guilt yesterday was coupled with anger, sadness and worry. Now I have an action plan. Now I am informed on what's going on with Claire. Talking with friends last night at Bunco (and two glasses of sangria!) really helped put things in perspective and calm me down...

Emma had an eczema breakout last week after eating shrimp. So, Emma and I get to go on Monday. At least this time I'm prepared for what's to happen and if she's allergic to shrimp, we can deal with that. My sister Katharine has dealt with it and I know Emma's life won't be ruined by not being able to eat shellfish. 

If you have a little one who may have an allergy, I hope this post was helpful. I had no idea what I was getting into and will probably post more on our nut free journey. If you have a child with nut allergies, any useful tips? We already have bought Sunbutter - it's sunflower seeds made to taste/look like peanut butter. Do you have allergy cards? Anything is welcome!!

eat :: get healthy

Daniel is currently on the Paleo diet - he did this back in 2009 with great results... so far, in two weeks, he has lost about 5 pounds and feels like he's had more energy since doing the diet than he has in a long time. Paleo is basically eating like a caveman - meat, veggies, fruit. That's it. No wheat, no refined anything, no dairy. This is hard for me since I'm addicted to bread and cheese... so I've been doing Paleo with Daniel for dinner... that allows me to still eat my waffle and PB/honey in the morning and a yummy sandwich or chips/salsa for lunch/snack. 

I've been trying new recipes via Pinterest and the web and have come across some great options. I thought I'd share some with you (some are Paleo friendly, some are just "healthy"):

Chicken Salad w/ Roasted Bell Pepper in Avocado Cups -  from Multiply Delicious

4 skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds total)

4 bay leaves

1 quart organic low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth (or half of each, which I did here)

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 cup unsalted, roasted almonds, finely chopped

1/2 large red onion, diced

1/2 a bunch asparagus, roasted and diced into small pieces**

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped

2 roasted bell peppers (red or yellow peppers), skin removed and diced (recipe below)*

salt and pepper to taste

Mustard Herb Dressing:

1/3 cup fresh parsley, tightly packed

1/3 cup fresh basil, tightly packed

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon gluten-free Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

fresh ground pepper to taste

Instruction:

*To Roast Bell Peppers:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with coconut oil, set aside.  Cut the peppers in half and clean out the seeds and innards. Place them on a baking sheet skin side up.  Bake peppers for 15 to 20 minutes. Once the skins are brownish-black, remove from the oven and immediately place the peppers in a large ziploc bag. Close and let sit for 20 minutes or so (or until the peppers have time to cool and "sweat"). Once they have cooled you will be able to peel the skins right off. What you will have left is a moist, wonderfully cooked pepper. Yummy!

**To roast asparagus, toss asaragus in a little olive oil and season with a little salt and pepper.  Roast in the 450 degree oven for 5-10 minutes, depending on size of asparagus, while bell peppers roast.  Remove and allow to cool before cutting into small pieces.

For Chicken Salad:

Put the bay leaves and the chicken broth in a large pot with a lid and bring stock to a simmer.  Add the chicken breasts to the pot.  Return the broth to a simmer.  Cover the pot.  Turn off the heat.  Let the chicken steep in the stock for 30 minutes to an hour.

While the chicken is cooking, chop the other ingredients - garlic, almonds, onion, asparagus, basil, parsley, roasted bell peppers - and add to a large bowl.  Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.

When the chicken breasts are cooked, remove them from the broth and let them cool.  When they are cool enough to handle, shred the chicken breasts into bite-size pieces by hand.  Mix the chicken pieces in with the rest of the ingredients.

To Make Dressing:

In the bowl of a food processor combine parsley, basil, apple cider vinegar, mustard, garlic, and salt.  While food processor is running slowly add olive oil in a small drizzle.  You may have to stop the food processor to scrape the sides.  You want the mixture to come to a liquid consistency.  Add fresh ground pepper to taste.

Add dressing to chicken salad and toss to combine.

Serve chilled or at room temperature.  Or inside a halved avocado.  Take an avocado, remove pit, and place chicken salad in the inside. 

Makes about 6 to 8 servings of salad

Little Quinoa Patties - from Whole Living

**Emma and Claire devoured these... I've made them twice in two weeks!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa, room temperature (that's about 1/2 - 2/3 cup uncooked)

4 large eggs, beaten

1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

1/3 cup finely chopped fresh chives

1 onion, finely chopped

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Gruyere cheese

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 cup whole-grain bread crumbs, plus more if needed

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Combine the quinoa, eggs, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the chives, onion, cheese, and garlic. Add the bread crumbs, stir, and let stand for a few minutes. Form mixture into twelve 1-inch thick patties. (Add more breadcrumbs if the mixture is too wet; add water if too dry.) Mixture can be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Working in batches, add patties, cover, and cook until bottoms are deeply browned, about 7 to 10 minutes. Increase heat to medium if there is no browning after 10 minutes and continue to cook until patties are browned. Flip patties with a spatula and cook the second sides until golden, about 7 minutes. Remove from skillet and cool on a wire rack. Repeat with remaining patties.

Cranberry Avocado Salad, with Candied Pecans and White Balsamic Vinaigrette

from The Cafe Sucre Farine

Ingredients for the dressing:

⅓ cup sugar

1 ½ tablespoons poppy seeds

1 ½ tablespoons sesame seeds

½ teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons dried mustard

1 tablespoon minced sweet onion

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup white balsamic vinegar

⅓ cup vegetable oii

⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

Ingredients for the salad:

12 ounces baby spinach, arugula, field greens

1 small bunch cilantro, washed and dried, leaves removed whole from stems

2 medium avocados, peeled and halved

¾ cup dried cranberries

¾ cup Candied Spiced Almonds

Directions:

1. For the dressing, combine all ingredients in a pint sized glass jar and shake well to dissolve sugar.

2. For the salad, place greens and cilantro leaves in a large bowl. Add avocado and dried cranberries and about 1/4 cup of the dressing and toss gently. Scatter candied almonds over salad and sprinkle lightly with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pass extra dressing at the table.

6 dinner size salads, 8 side salads

No-Bake Energy Bites  - from Smashed Peas and Carrots

(makes 18-20 bites)

1 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)

1/3 cup honey

1 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup ground flaxseed

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

Mix everything above in a medium bowl until thoroughly incorporated.  Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.  Once chilled, roll into balls and enjoy!  Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

*These are about 150 calories/bite... so while you may want to eat three in a sitting, that wouldn't be too smart if you are trying to lose weight. Instead, treat these like a sweet-treat after a meal or a boost before/after a workout. Trust me, when I made them last night, I kept eating out of the bowl and then quickly remembered that 2 TBS of PB has 200 calories... whoops! 

work it, girl

"Run, Fat Boy, Run" is such a great movie!
Very funny and fun to watch if you are a runner.

I'm patting myself on the back for taking my work out routine more seriously recently. In college, I hit up the gym every day. It was fun, a social time for me with friends and at SMU we had the most awesome gym with the most awesome pool. Pre-babies I was really good about working out, too. 

For whatever reason, in November I realized I was tired all the time, feeling sickly constantly and had put on a few pounds. I went to the doctor to have a physical done to see what was going on. I was actually hoping she would say it was a thyroid problem, but no, all my blood work came back to show that I am "perfectly healthy" - bleh. 

Soooo... I decided that I needed to up my time at the gym from just once, maybe twice a week to 3-4 times a week and become more committed to getting as healthy as I was pre-babies. My hope is from this post that those of you who have resolutions related to working out that this will be of help and encouragement!

In December, I started going to the gym earlier. Like roll out of bed at 5:50 and and out the door by 6:15 early. The first few times were rough. One time I was in the car about to leave and realized I forgot to put my contacts in. But after a few times, I feel like I'm on a routine and it's actually pretty easy to get up and go. I'm home by 7:30-7:45, right when the girls wake up. 

I am NOT a runner. As much as I'd like to go on long runs, I tire easily and feel like I'm the most awkward runner there is. (Although I'd like to try a 5K sometime before I'm 30.) I do have much love for the elliptical machine. I balance my time with cardio, pilates and strength. Our gym offers great classes and online youtube videos showing you a cardio/strength routine you can use each month. 

Also, the Tracy Anderson Post-Baby workout is awesome. I borrowed it from my friend Amy after the girls were born and used it for awhile. Well, I'm back to using it and, after a couple of weeks, I could tell a difference. I think anyone can use it and it will kick your butt!! It's tough stuff. I may or may not have skipped entire reps - Tracy Anderson is ripped!  

Lastly, this is my most recent cardio playlist. I'm always up for hearing what songs get people moving (please share!), so I thought I'd share my favorites for when I do my interval training on the elliptical:

1. Explosions in the Sky, "Your Hand in Mine" (warm up - 8 minutes)
2. Coldplay, "Every Tear Drop is a Waterfall"
3. Beyonce, "Run the World"
4. Coldplay, "Hurts Like Heaven"
5. U2, "Where the Streets Have No Name"
6. Radiohead, "15 Step"
7. Coldplay, "Paradise"
8. Coldplay, "Charlie Brown"
9. Miranda Lambert, "Baggage Claim" (cool down)

*Can you tell I like the new Coldplay album?!

So good luck to you who are starting fresh with getting fit and hopefully this will keep me accountable!