17 Weeks!

How far along: 17 weeks as of October 11, 2015!

Total weight gain/loss: At my doctors appointment last week I was up 6lbs. So total weight is 121!

Maternity clothes: I officially cannot fit into any of my pants so I have been sticking to leggings!  Luckily for work I mainly wear dresses and skirts so I have been lucky and able to fit in most of those since they stretch. 

Sleep: It's getting better but I still toss and turn a lot to get comfortable. 

Best moment this week: Having another appointment and being able to hear her sweet heartbeat! Also being able to call her by her name and a her. Also being able to feel her little kicks is really exciting and crazy! I can't wait until they become stronger! 

Food cravings: Chick-fil-a, steak, sausage & eggs. I guess I want protein! haha

Food aversions: Peppers

Gender: Baby Girl! 

Labor signs: Nope! 

Pregnancy symptoms: Feeling pretty good this week! Still having a growing belly and my belly button is starting to poke out. I'm really self conscious about it. 

What I miss: Sushi!

What I am looking forward to: My 20 week appointment. I am just so nervous about his process and I feel like once I finally have that big scan and make sure she's growing how she should be and that everything is okay, I'll be able to relax a little.

Milestones: I am only three weeks away from the half way mark and that blows my mind! I am loving every minute of the second trimester! 

One tip I could give a first time mom who is also 17 weeks along: Take time everyday to touch your belly and enjoy being pregnant.

13 Weeks

How far along: 13 weeks as of September 13, 2015!

We got our family pictures done during this week and I LOVE how they turned out! 

Big thanks to Melanie from http://www.melanieisaacphotography.blogspot.com/ 

Total weight gain/loss: I don't have a scale at home so I can only update this when I have a doctors appointment.

Maternity clothes: Not yet

Sleep: It's been really hard for me to get some good sleep at night. I toss and turn and it's really hard to find a comfortable position. 

Best moment this week: Finally having others notice my little bump!

Food cravings: I thought I would like CRAVE one thing and feel like I needed it that second but I really haven't. I guess you could say I've been craving pickles this week, but I'm fine if I don't get them.

Food aversions: Meat

Gender: I keep going back and fourth on this! I had a really strong gut feeling that it was a girl but now I kinda feel like it's a boy! Ahh! We get to find out in about 2 weeks and I can't wait!!! 

Labor signs: Nope! 

Pregnancy symptoms: Still feel sick if I am not eating every 2-3hrs, my nipples are so sore (tmi?) and thats about it for this week. Can I just say that they are not kidding when they say making a baby is hard work!!! It was not what I was expecting AT ALL!!

What I miss: Sleeping on my tummy

What I am looking forward to: Finding out the gender in 2 short weeks!!! 

Milestones: Almost to my 2nd trimester!!!  

One tip I could give a first time mom who is also 13 weeks along: Make your husband rub your feet. You totally deserve it!

9 Weeks!

How far along: 9 weeks as of August 16, 2015!

Maternity clothes: Not yet! 

Sleep: Fatigue hit me hard this week. I feel like I can't go a day without taking a nap, but that might also be because of how sick I am. 

Best moment this week: This was a really rough week for me but the best moment(s) for me were being able to see how much this has impacted Zack's life. He has been so amazing this entire time and I have no idea how I would survive without him. Every night while I take a few minutes to puke up my dinner he always makes sure to tell me he loves me! haha! He has seriously been a life saver! 

Food cravings: Not much sounds good these days. 

Food aversions: Way to much to put down! haha 

Gender: A girl! I really think it's a girl! 

Labor signs: Nope! 

Pregnancy symptoms: Morning sickness... or should I say night sickness. I am sooo sick at night that 99.9% of the time I can't keep my dinner down. It's been rough and I spend a lot of time crying by myself in the shower. Haha 
I also finally noticed my boobs are growing (itty bitty titty committee over here) so this is awesome!!! 
I've noticed a little bump coming in! 
Really tired!
Peeing a lot more! 

What I miss: Not being sick. Oh I can't tell you how many times a day I pray that I wont be sick that day. I also miss being able to do simple things like the dishes, laundry, cleaning the house. By the time I come home from work I am dead and I feel so horrible that I leave Zack to do it all... I cry about that in the shower also! 
I am trying my best love bug!!! I'm sorry!! :(

8 Weeks!

How far along: 8 weeks as of August 9, 2015!

Total weight gain/loss: 115.2! .2lbs more then pre-pregnancy weight

Maternity clothes: Not yet! 

Sleep: Very tired again this week! Love when its finally bed time! I get really sick at nights so sleep is heaven to me! 

Best moment this week: Our appointment!! Oh my goodness! It was amazing actually being able to see that little baby inside of me!! It still blows me away looking at the pictures! Zack is really cute and has them on display at his desk at work! 

Food cravings: Depends on the day. Hour. Minute. Second.  

Food aversions: Still candy. 

Gender: I really think its a girl now! 

Labor signs: Nope! 

Pregnancy symptoms: Morning sickness still. :( It sucks. Some days I literally barf my eyeballs out. Another thing that is really weird is I get the hiccups EVERY SINGLE DAY! It will only be like one or two really loud ones and then its gone.

What I miss: Waking up feeling refreshed and ready for the day. Now I just wake up and want to barf.  

What I am looking forward to: Being able to announce the good news to everyone! Anyday now!

Milestones: Saw that little blueberry for the first time and was able to hear its heartbeat!!

One tip I could give a first time mom who is also 8 weeks along: Thank God for that little miracle every day! 

7 Weeks!!

How far along: 7 weeks as of August 2, 2015!

Total weight gain/loss: 115.00 same as before.

Maternity clothes: Just wearing dresses or workout clothes.  

Sleep: So tired... I am literally falling asleep typing this and its 9:30 in the morning. My dreams are so freaking crazy sometimes! This week I had a dream about a snake biting our dog in the desert, giving birth while trying to walk to the hospital (like full on details people! It was a boy!), and last but not least I was Peter Pan.. Sometimes these dreams are fun to wake up to but vivid dreams also mean vivid nightmares. Terrifying people. 

Best moment this week: This was a really, really hard week for me. But i'd have to say the best moment was finally feeling better and able to get out of bed and eat food like a normal person.

Food cravings: Nothing really. Everything sounds gross. 

Food aversions: Candy, anything sugar and sweet.

Gender: I had another dream last night that it was a boy. So I really have no idea at this point! 

Labor signs: Nope! 

Pregnancy symptoms: I am sooooooo sick. Literally been in the bathroom or bed 24/7. Some days I don't even want to move it's so bad! I finally went to the doctors on friday and they gave me some medicine to help and it has been helping a ton but it makes me super sleepy! 

What I miss: Not feeling sick every minute of every day. 

What I am looking forward to: First appointment and feeling better! 

Milestones: Only one more week until our appointment!  

One tip I could give a first time mom who is also 7 weeks along: Just give in and puke whenever you want. It's okay. 

6 Weeks!!!

How far along: 6 weeks as of July 26, 2015!

Maternity clothes: Not yet! Just mainly wearing dresses! 

Sleep: I got extremely tired again this week! When I wake up for work it feels like I only got 2 hours of sleep! I almost always have to take a nap!

Best moment this week: Talking baby names with the hubby! & Zack has been so sweet this week. He went out and bought me some 'Sea Bands' to help with morning sickness & was also looking on the back of medications to see if I could take anything. And every time something sounds good he'll go out and get it. He has been a lifesaver this week!  

Food cravings: Barf! Everything sounds so disgusting! 

Food aversions: Everything? haha 

Gender: I had a dream this week that it was a girl!! & I did this Chinese gender thing that also said it was a girl!!! (: 

Labor signs: Nope! 

Pregnancy symptoms: Morning sickness is coming in hot. It feels like I am car sick 24/7! And I am one of those people who the moment they feel like throwing up, I go and throw up! But I can't throw up with this... :( I cried to Zack yesterday because I just wanted to throw up so bad. 

What I miss: Feeling like I don't need to puke all the time! 

What I am looking forward to: Still out first appointment! Only 2 weeks away!! This week I have also been looking forward to feeling the baby move. 

Milestones: Halfway through month two! 

One tip I could give a first time mom who is also 6 weeks along: Crackers are your best friend. 

5 Weeks!!

How far along: 5 weeks as of July 19, 2015!

Total weight gain/loss: 115.2

Maternity clothes: I bought my first pair of Maternity jeans not thinking I'd wear them now but I tried them on and... omg love! 
I HATE wearing pants. They are so uncomfortable to me so I am either always wearing a dress or workout clothes but when I tried those bad boys on for fun I think I could wear those pants! So comfy! Other then that I wouldn't say "Maternity" but I bought a few dresses for work that I can wear now and will be able to stretch throughout my pregnancy. 

Sleep: Not feeling as tired as I was last week but around 5:00 pm I can't wait for it to be bed time! 
I don't sleep as well at night anymore. :( I feel like I wake up every hour and have to toss and turn. I also have crazy, vivid dreams (nothing with baby) but I did have one dream where I went into labor! 
Also have to get up at least once in the middle of the night to pee. 

Best moment this week: Finally being able to pin baby stuff on Pinterest!!! I still can't believe I am actually pregnant! 

Food cravings: I'm not as hungry as I was previously. Nothing really sounds crazy good anymore.

Food aversions: Cereal grosses me out. 

Gender: Still think it's a boy. (Daddy will be so happy!) Come on baby girl, Mommy is still rooting for you! Twins? (: 

Labor signs: No, thank goodness.

Pregnancy symptoms: Slight cramping, boobs hurt like crazy, bloating. 

What I miss: Playing soccer to my best ability. (I am still playing & played until I was about 7 weeks but I tried to distance myself from getting hit) Every time I scored I wanted to yell, "you just got scored on by a pregnant lady!" Is that bad? haha!

What I am looking forward to: Still looking forward to our first appointment!! And also looking forward to having a cute baby bump!

Milestones: Another week down!  

One tip I could give a first time mom who is also 5 weeks along: Don't worry so much! 

4 Weeks!

How far along: 4 weeks as of July 12, 2015! 

Total weight gain/loss: 115

Maternity clothes: Nope! I am very bloated right now, so I like maxi dresses, peplum tops or anything that helps me look not so fat. (: 

Sleep: Cannot get enough!! Always so tired! Last night I fell asleep at 6:00 pm and enjoyed that sleep until 7:00 am! Very sleepy around 12:00 pm & 5:00 pm! Naps are my best friends! 

Best moment this week: Telling our families the news!! But as of right now, Grandma's, Grandpa's, Aunts, Uncles & Cousins have no idea! (: Hehe! 

Food cravings: Anything salty/cheesy, get in my belly!! 

Food aversions: Anything sweet sounds horrible. 

Gender: I am going to guess weekly on this just for fun! I think it's going to be a boy! I want a baby girl so bad but I just have this feeling! We will see if I change my mind from week to week.

Labor signs: No, thank goodness.

Pregnancy symptoms: Soooooo hungry & tired!

What I miss: I'm growing a little human inside of me! Whats to miss?! 

What I am looking forward to: Our first appointment on August 10, 2015!!! I wanna hear that little heartbeat!! 

Milestones: Officially one month down! 

One tip I could give a first time mom who is also 4 weeks along: The internet is a bad place right now. Stay away! Don't worry to much and know that God is with you every step of the way! (: 

We're Pregnant!!!

I don't even know what to say, or how to put into words how I feel.

Excited.

Nervous.

Happy.

Terrified.

I feel like I have been waiting for this moment my entire life and now that it is finally here I don't know how to feel!!

I'll be posting weekly about how everything is going and keeping everyone updated about this really exciting time in our lives!!!

(Please note that I will be writing each of these posts at the week I am currently at but you will most likely not see them be posted until around 8 weeks when we announce the good news to you all!!)

I am currently 4 weeks along as of yesterday (July 12, 2015) but this post is going to be all about finding out I was pregnant! So let’s begin...

Zack and I had originally planned to start trying in October so that we could announce the good news on Christmas. I was set on this plan and Zack was set on this plan but if anything happened sooner than I would be totally fine with that!! (: During the month of June we decided (I should say Zack decided) that what the heck, let's do this!

I like to research and read that you are not likely to get pregnant the first time around so we didn't think much of it. But for some weird, crazy, unexplainable reason, I just had this "feeling" I was pregnant. I told Zack this and as you could imagine he was a little nervous!

During the waiting time the only symptoms that really stood out to me were:

-Weird cramps. They didn't feel like normal cramps, more like a pinching feeling.

-Back pain. It kind of felt like the pain you get with a kidney infection to me but it wasn't just on one side.

-Starving. I was literally so hungry, ALL THE TIME! I would wake up with hunger pains every morning!

-Bloated. So much bloat!

Those were the things that stood out and made me cave and take a test!

I took a test early morning on July 7, 2015 and nothing. I was a bit disappointed because I felt like I KNEW I was pregnant, but I also knew it was still early to test.

Later that day I came home from work and took a nap. I had a dream during that nap that I got a positive, so I woke up and took another tests. BAM positive!! I ran out of the bathroom and ran to Zack taking a nap on the couch and said, "I told you!" "I told you!"

In his sleepy voice he said, "Cool" and went back to sleep. Haha

I kept testing on July 8, 9 & 10th to make sure the line was getting darker! And to somehow convince myself that this was really happening because I couldn’t believe it! 

It still blows my mind that a little human is growing inside of me. And that this little human is made up of both Zack and I. And this little human is going to be our baby!! Ahh I can't wait to meet you little baby!!!

Until next time!

Love Always,

The Crazy Collards

Why I Chose to go Organic

I know what many of you are thinking... "Oh boy! Here goes another one!"

I know this because I was one of you. I was the one always criticizing those who chose to go organic saying things like, 

"You are spending extra money for nothing!"

"We've been eating this food all our lives and we turned out just fine!"

The truth is I watched a show(s) that changed how I see food entirely.

The earth is full of so much variety when it comes to food, and that food is full of rich vitamins and minerals our body needs to stay healthy and strong. So the thing that's hard for me to understand when it comes to our food these days is why are we completely changing how food is made? 

In the show(s) I watched it shows and explains just how the food companies these days work. They work with only one thing on their minds... money. They don't care about the farmers, the food or us. They only see the dollar signs. And that just didn't seem okay to me. 

We should know exactly what we are eating and exactly where it is coming from. I don't need a genetically modified chicken, or the poor cow that spent its entire life at a factory waiting to be killed for me to have that dollar cheese burger. They deserve more than that and so do I!

So organic is the way I went. 

I feel so much better knowing that my family is getting healthy, REAL, natural food. And my body is feeling the benefits as well. I have more energy when I make food from scratch and not a box. I have a better mood when I eat organic and I feel happy knowing that my body is getting what it needs. 

For those of you who think organic is too expensive, it really isn't. You will maybe be spending $2-$5 more for the same items you already purchase. In the long run your body will thank you for spending a little more for giving it a lot more.

If I had to give a few tips for those looking to change their lifestyle habits when it comes to food this would be it:

1. If it comes from a box, don't eat it. Rarely does it have any nutritional value for you.

2. Check how much sugar is in the daily items you eat. You'll be surprised. Many things you "think" are healthy really aren't. That "low fat" or "0 calorie" item you picked up really isn't that great for you. They usually replace the fat or calories with sugar making your liver work overtime to produce more insulin. And when insulin is being produced in large amounts it gets stored as fat. Quick fact: everything on a food label shows the daily value next to it besides sugar. Seems those food companies are being a little sneaky.

This is a food label for yogurt. Lots of sugar for something you'd think would be healthy for you. 

Make sure you know the difference between added sugar and natural sugar. (Fresh fruits our natural sugar.) 

"According to data from the U.S. in 2008, people are consuming over 60 pounds (28 kg) of added sugar per year and this does not include fruit juices. In 2008 the average intake was 76.7 grams per day, which equals 19 teaspoons or 306 calories."

Recommended daily sugar intake:

• Men: 150 calories per day (37.5 grams or 9 teaspoons).
• Women: 100 calories per day (25 grams or 6 teaspoons).

http://authoritynutrition.com/how-much-sugar-per-day/

3. Soda is the devil. I do not drink soda. I haven't since middle school. Of course I’ll have a little sparkling cider here and there but I do not drink anything with carbonation on a day to day basis. It is SOOO bad for you people! I know it tastes so yummy and can even become addictive at times but get rid of it! Once you stop drinking it for a while you do not crave it and when you do have it, it does not taste the same. (When I have soda it literally burns, and I can feel it burn all the way down into my stomach!) My favorite saying of all time, "Soda makes you slow." (For all you athletes)

4. Not all calories are created equal. 60 calories in a soda is NOT the same as 60 calories in almonds. Soda will give you a fast sugar high followed by a crash of lost energy. Almonds will process in your body different giving you gradual energy throughout the day.

5. Water is everything. Don't forget to drink your 8 glasses a day. It changes everything!

Sorry this might be a long and boring post for many of you but I hope you decide to make a change for the better in your life. You WILL feel the difference I promise!

Here is a link to the show that changed my outlook on food:

http://www.takepart.com/foodinc

Thank you for stopping by and be on the lookout for more posts later this week.

Love Always,

The Crazy Collards

Good News!

Good morning everyone!!

I just wanted to give you all a quick little update...

My hubby is blood clot free!!!!!!

I am so beyond happy at this point. We went to the doctors yesterday and they gave us the great news and all I can say is how grateful I am that everything is okay! We can now move forward without having to worry!!

Happy wife over here! :)

I hope you all have an amazing Friday and be on the lookout for some more posts this weekend!

Workout Lover

Long time no talk my friends!! Hope you are all having an amazing week so far! I thought I'd get a post up about one of my all-time favorite things in the world...

Workout clothes!

Guys, I could literally spend a million dollars on workout clothes.

I am all for the comfy and cute and workout clothes do just that!

Today I put together a simple workout outfit that can be easily recreated by anyone.

Enjoy! (Links to everything will be listed below)

Shorts

Bag

Top

Socks

Shoes (I bought these a while ago so this is the closest I could get)

I hope you enjoyed this post and get a little inspiration for your next workout outfit!

Love Always, 

The Crazy Collards 

Through Good Times & Bad

My husband has another blood clot.

I am still in denial and I don't understand why or how it happened...

If you've been keeping up with his story you know that we just got out of surgery number two, 2 weeks ago to have his first rib removed. Doctors believed that his collar bone and rib were to close together so the vein that runs in-between the two bones (subclavian) wasn't getting the blood flow it needed, which was causing the blood clots. (So they thought)

We spent 3 days in the hospital.

Three incredibly painful, long days in the hospital.

Zack was in so much pain after this surgery it was hard for me to watch him. It was hard to watch my husband cry out in pain for days and not be able to do anything for him.

I am a worrier (if that's even a word). I worry and stress over every little detail of my life... And sometimes it gets a little too much for me, and I feel like I am being such a horrible, selfish person for thinking that it is too much for ME.

Because all the doctor visits, the hospital stays, the tests, the bills... it's not happening to me.

It’s happening to my husband.

To the person I hold so close to my heart.

And it hurts.

To know that he is going through something that he doesn't deserve, it hurts knowing that I can't do anything to help him and it hurts that every time life seems to be going great, I have a constant worry in the back of my mind that something bad is going to happen. That something bad is just around the corner.

I know we don't have it near as bad as some people but it's hard and I always wonder why him?

I pray that everything will be okay and that we can get back to a point in our lives where we don't have to worry about any of it. That it will all be a thing of the past.

But for now I’ll continue to be by his side through it all. And I'll continue to cherish life because you never really know what tomorrow brings.

I know everything will work out and I know God has a plan for us.

I just wanted to give a quick update to let you all know why I have been mia for a few weeks. I will be getting back into everything this weekend. Thank you for understanding.

Please keep us in your prayers.

Love Always,

The Crazy Collards