Even after my complaining yesterday... I don't want THIS!!! Can you get over this?? Her waist is 22 inches and she credits that to Pilates!! YEAH RIGHT!! I am just in shock! Gorgeous gorgeous girl, but teeny tiny waist!! Too teeny if you ask me!!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
22 inches???
Monday, April 27, 2009
MY Personal Struggle
WARNING: Some whining, bitching and complaining ahead!
Let me start this post by saying this: I am very thankful to be pregnant! And I know how very blessed I am to be pregnant! And I realize that many changes are on their way, body and non-body! I already am completely in love with this child and absolutely can't wait to hold he/she in my arms and spoil he/she rotten and love on them like crazy!!! CAN NOT WAIT!
But, I am not loving my body these days! Most of you are familiar with my weight gain after marriage and then my tough journey to lose it! I worked my butt off and sacrificed so much to lose that 24 pounds and I really had this serious sense of accomplishment. I finally did what I had been needing to do for years. I changed my lifestyle of eating! Almost two months after reaching that goal, Hubs and I began trying for a little one. And our first try was a wonderful/miraculous one! At the end of January, I found out I was pregnant. Now let me also say, I lost that weight for a few reasons:
1. To be a healthier me!
2. So I wouldn't have it to lose it AFTER I got pregnant. I could just focus on losing baby weight not all the extra!
3. So that I felt good about myself again when looking in the mirror or putting on a bikini!
Well, as soon as I found out I was pregnant, I said (and I quote) "I am not going wild and eating anything in sight. Just because I am pregnant doesn't mean I have to eat more (yet) and it doesn't give me the right/excuse to eat whatever I want!" Well ladies, I am here to admit today that I did just the opposite of what I said for about the last 8 weeks! I haven't completely blown it every single day! But you see, it's hard for me because I am not a healthy eater by nature. I don't LOVE veggies! I don't LOVE meat! I LOVE pizza, pasta, Mexican food and not so good for you food! And because I did this, I have gained 15 pounds in 15.5 weeks of pregnancy! Some have said, "Oh that's not bad Lynds." To me: IT'S DISGUSTING! Because I am 15.5 weeks, I don't really look pregnant, I look like I have gained 15 unanswered pounds! And I am miserable!
I have always had a self image problem. I have yo yo dieted my whole life! People keep reminding me (like I don't know ) "You are pregnant! Your body is going through so many changes! You are going to gain weight girl! Accept it." Ok, I have accepted that I will gain weight, but how much I gain is up to me! And I really let myself down these first 15 weeks. I know that now is not the time to lose weight and I am certainly NOT trying to do that, I am just trying to cope with how my body is changing and I needed an outlet to let it all out (thanks for listening girls)!
For once in my life, I can't push myself to the almost dying point at the gym. I am not a gym wuss! I workout HARD! I mean "legs are going to break" hard! And I can't do that now. I have also always gone to the gym to make myself skinner not healthier (sad to admit, but it's true and I am being honest here) So I feel like I am working out for nothing! I know I am working out for many great reasons but when I can't push myself to almost exhaustion, I feel like it's worthless! And with our move into the new house and anniversary trip, I skipped 3 weeks of working out! But no worries, I am back on the running/walking and body pumping bandwagon! Don't worry, it's all been ok-ed by my Dr.
I feel like I am so different in this weight gain so early because I had NO morning sickness! Not one single time! Which I am thankful for. So many girls I know that are (or were) pregnant had it and they even lost weight their first trimester! I am not envious of their puking but I am envious of their lack of weight gain the 1st trimester! As selfish and horrible as that sounds it's true!
My friends that read this know the issues I have always had with my body! Since middle school. I wish it weren't that way, but it's who I am! I keep reminding myself, I got it off once, and I can do it again! But it scares me that I might not get back to where I was, and where I was, was HAPPY! Finally happy with the way I looked.
Some people say things like "Oh I love my stretch marks, they remind me of the wonderful experience I went through to bring this child into this world!" I think it's wonderful to think that way! I wish I could, but I can't!! I will curse those things if I get them and I won't want them there! I will probably cry over them! I had one friend say "Oh my wife gained 35 lbs and she hasn't lost it all and I don't care if she ever does and she doesn't either!" First of all, neither of them are gym rats like Hubs and I! And they have never HAD to watch their weight and struggle the way I have! If I don't lose all the weight, I do think I will care (quite a bit)! I honestly am more worried about my "body changing forever" (I have heard this so many times) than I am about the actual weight gain! I can handle it for 9 months to a year, but I don't know about forever!
Do let me say, some people have said "Take what your mom gained and that is probably what you will do!" Well my mom GAINED 85 POUNDS WITH ME! Now, let me also say my mom is very tall like me (5'9"). She was like a size 2 or 4 when she had me. I mean skinny as a rail! And after she had me until I was in middle/high school she was really skinny! So I say to myself "If mom can gain 85 and lost most all of it, I can gain 40 and lose all of it!"
I realize this post makes me sound so self obsessed and selfish! I am likely to receive some negative comments over it. But please understand, I know the experience I am going through is one that not every woman gets the blessing of going through. And I know how lucky I am! I thank God that I am able to carry this child and go through this wonderful experience! I am just trying to cope and trying to deal with these changes the best I know how! If I gain 100 lbs I know that it will be worth it once I hold my sweet angel in my arms. But until then, I am likely to be self conscious about these changes! But I am trying hard to love and embrace them no matter what!
Everyone has their own personal struggles. This is mine! It's a tough one to deal with!
Also, for those of you who don't mind sharing! I am just interested to know: (if you would rather email me, that is perfectly fine. I am open to any and all advice!)
How much weight you gained (or have gained) during pregnancy?
How much did you lose after?
Was it easy or hard?
How did you do it?
Are you ok with the fact that you did/didn't lose it all?
I promise not to judge! I am just curious! :)
Thursday, April 23, 2009
From B's to D's
Yall, seriously! These things have gotten HUGE! I don't mean kinda big, I mean EXTRA EXTRA large!
What am I talking about you ask??
MY BOOBS!
When I lost all my weight and finally got to where I needed to be, I had dropped from a C to a B cup. Well I have now completely surpassed C's again and gone right to the D's! But I am still cramming these babies into a C cup bra and well I am bustingout.com! I have got to invest in a D or maybe even DD bra soon! It's insane! I can't get over how big they are and I am only 15.5 weeks! How much bigger will they get, geez? And will they stay this way forever? PLEASE TELL ME NO!!
I used to want big boobs. I mean, I pitched a running fit for then in high school. That was going to be my first purchase out of college. Well I learned to love my C's then when I dropped to a B. I looooved them even more. These D's are making me look bigger than I am! I can still fit into my shirts and stuff and will be able to for a while I think but the bust area just isn't cutting it anymore.
Take today for example, I have on an Old Navy button up and it's perfectly fine in the waist, but he boobs are so huge I had to unbutton one extra button and put an undershirt on. The button was about to pop!
I want my B's back pronto please! But I know I have a while before they come back to me! I am glad though that I have now experienced what D's feel like. I know they are not for me and I love my B's more than ever :) Boob job is out (unless it's a lift!)
I am struggling big time with my body image these days so look for a post where I lay it all out there! And yes, I realize I am pregnant, but that doesn't help me when I look in the mirror! But I have remind myself daily that I am pregnant (and I am so thankful and blessed that I am) and my body is ever changing. For the good!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
DIY headboard is complete & chic

Here's the frame Hubs cut.


And if I ever want to change the fabric, I now know it will be so easy and inexpensive :)
Our house is slowly coming together. I promise to do "after" pics room by room soon! :)
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
678-999-8212
So, if you haven't heard it yet, Soulja Boy has a new song out and I LOVE IT! It's called "Kiss Me Thru the Phone"! I will happily admit that I love some Soulja Boy! I loved the "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" and I know and have done that dance many times. Yes, I taught myself the way most self respecting people did. I learned it on YouTube :) haha! But seriously! And I am just not embarrassed to admit that. Although I know a few of you are giggling right now :)
Anyway, back to his most current song... Hubs and I were driving back from Hometown, AL on Sunday afternoon and that song came on and I actually had no idea what he was saying when he apparently give out a phone number! (I am notorious for singing the wrong words). I really thought he was saying words that I just couldn't understand. Well apparently, he is saying, "6-7-8, triple nine, 8-2-1-2!" Well immediately I said "678, that's Atlanta, GA's area code" so I got on Hubs blackberry and Googled the number to see what came up! And I saw all these things that said it's Soulja Boy's actual number. I looked at my husband and said, "You know I gotta call now!" He rolled his eyes as I proceeded to call from HIS phone. Well, what sounded like a guy picked up and he said, "Hello! (pause) HELLO!" I knew it was a recording but then he says something like, "Nah, I am just (bleeping) with you! It's Soulja Boy. Leave me a message and I will hit you back!" I started cracking up! I didn't leave a message. Apparently it's his fan club something or another!!
Well I just received a text from Hubs that said, "I keep getting texts from Soulja Boy! Thanks! :)" hahaha!
If you haven't heard the song, you must! It's not the cleanest song, but it's catchy!
It wont' let me post a video but here is the link to it... "Kiss ME Thru the Phone!"
Monday, April 20, 2009
Quote of the night: "Are you serious?"
Friday evening played out to be quite an interesting/hilarious one! Hubs and I went to dinner with my friend A Belle & Her Beau and her husband at a new restaurant in town. Please note, here in Smalltown, GA we are limited in different/fun restaurants. We live in a town with a huge lake. Well a new lakeside restaurant opened so we thought we would give it a try! Thankfully, Belle informed us that it's BYOB since the restaurant has only been open a month and haven't gotten their liquor license just yet. So Hubs and Belle's husband brought their own beer.
We get there and decide to sit outside. It was a nice night and we thought it would be nice to enjoy it since we have had so much yucky rain lately. Besides, great company, a good waiter and lots of laughs, the dinner was a nightmare! Let me just say it ended in Belle asking to see the manager! :) I was so proud of her!
Here is what we encountered...
- We go to order appetizers and he informs us they are out of shrimp!
- They only have like 6 entrees to choose from (two of which were shrimp). You could order from their lunch menu of sandwiches and such too but we didn't!
- We order mozzarella cheese sticks (my fave), he said "We are out of those!"
- SO, we order Jalapeno poppers with ranch, he says "We are out of ranch!"
- We order Stuffed Mushrooms, he says "We are out of dipping sauce but I can bring you honey mustard!" Seriously, honey mustard with THAT??? Eww!
- 15 minutes later he comes back to take our order, Hubs and Belle order catfish, Beau orders a steak and I order Shrimp Alfredo Penne pasta (hold the shrimp-I mean duh they were out!).
- We get our appetizers and our waiter informs us that he has sent someone to the store to get ketchup and ranch! OH MY!
- The salads arrive and they are floating in water. Belle got like 1/2 teaspoon of honey mustard. Beau's Italian dressing was only olive oil! I was so grossed out!
- 20 minutes later, food arrives... Beau's baked potato was cold. My pasta was cold. They had NO lemon for the fish so Belle couldn't eat hers without it!
It was like everything we asked for, they were out of it! I mean at one point we were frustrated then it became HILARIOUS! They were pouring drinks from 2-liters. I mean come on, you have been open for a month, get it together!!
Since Belle asked to see the Manager, we got 50% off all of our meals. They basically begged us to come back! It was the worst service i have ever experienced. But at least it was entertaining!! We will try it again maybe a few months down the road!
Then we went to a little wine/dessert bar in town! I asked our waiter if they had Dr Pepper, he said "I don't know I will check.'" I then said, "Do you have a dessert menu?" He said "No, we only have what's in the case!" Ummm, ok, "What kind of desserts do you have in the case?" He said "Cheesecake and some kind of chocolate mouse-like cake I think." UGH! He took the other's drink orders then walked away and I just started cracking up!! It was hysterical! He came back like 10 minutes later and had to be reminded what Belle asked for. I couldn't stop laughing!!
Besides the poor service, Friday night was so much fun and much needed. It was great to get out of the chaos of our ever evolving house and just enjoy ourselves with some fun friends :)
PS--to come this week... my completed DIY headboard. I finally picked fabric and it turned out fantastic!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
You WANT to have this handy!
Usually we are giving out recipes for food, yes?? Well today I have something different for you!
Ok, we all know the economy is crap and some of us have had to cut spending in some areas! And most of us love a good DIY project, right?? Well, I have a way you can save $ and have a fun, quick DIY project :)
This recipe is for some of the BEST lotion in the world! I promise! You must give it a whirl and did I mention how yummy it smells? It is fabulous!
My aunt gave me the recipe and I fell in love! It's so smooth and smells so good and it makes a TON and a little goes a long way so it lasts forever! If you decide to try it, let me know how you like it! You won't regret lathering this wonderful-ness on your body this summer!
Ingredients:
13 oz. Baby Lotion with cocoa butter
7 oz. Vaseline
7 oz. Vitamin E cream
Directions:
Whip together in bowl with hand mixer!
TADA! Your skin will thank you!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Our trip was beachy!
Our Anniversary trip to Destin, FL was unlike any other beach trip either of us have experienced! We both frequented this beach in high school and college, so you could say we have both done our share of partying in Destin!
Well this trip...
... instead of sipping on a yummy Irish Wake at McGuires, I had the yummy Water :)
... instead of hitting up the bar scene and having a few cocktails, we went bowling and putt putting!
... instead of staying up until the wee hours of the morning, we were in bed by midnight almost every night (except one where we stayed up til 1:00 watching Baby Mama)
... instead of pounding beers on the beautiful sandy beaches, I killed some Dr Pepper and read some of the best gossip magazines around!
The trip was a success! No rain, only beautiful, perfect weather! We had an absolute blast! We got up every morning and had breakfast then hit the beach! We would stay on the beach watching all the kiddies play (we were at a hotel that seemed to be more for families than spring breakers) for hours then head to the room to shower and go out for some yummy food!
I had some of the BEST fried shrimp I have ever had in my life at AJ's. Now let me tell you that I have spent many a nights at AJ's doing things other than eating! After hours, AJ's turns into one of the most popular bars in Destin. It's an open area bar that overlooks the ocean. It's so cool. They have the coolest bands and karaoke. But this trip, we opted not to stick around to see how wild and crazy it got. Those days for us are over (or at least few and far between)! I was honestly scared that Hubs might get bored. He is used to so much excitement at the beach when we would go with groups. But we both thoroughly enjoyed being alone and being relaxed and not having anything we HAD to do! WE talked about Beanie and tried to come up with some girl names (we are settled on boy names but we are struggling with girl names)! It was just such a nice trip.
I am sorry to say I don't have tons of pics. It's tough to take them when it's just the two of you! But we got a few! So I present you with our 1st Anniversary pics :)
PS-I haven't shown you lovely ladies a belly pic yet because there's not much to show. Right now, I just look like I have put on a few pounds :) I promise to post some in the next couple of weeks! I want to look pregnant when I post them, not just like I've gained some poundage in the midsection :) I will tell you though that my pants are getting tighter so that means I (and Beanie) are growing! YAY!
Also I want to point out that the shirts I am wearing in these pics aren't maternity shirts. They are just shirts from last season that happen to be great for the beach and lots of eating (i.e. bloating!). :) I have bought ZERO maternity clothes but it's coming, really soon! :)

One of the HUGE fish at the Bass Pro Shops aquarium! He loved me! He kept trying to kiss me!

Hubs coming back from the ocean!

Me and my best golf pose :) i really look pregnant here. I swear I am not showing yet!


Putt Putt! This is my serious/focused face!

Me, making sure I didn't look pregnant (although I know I am, I am not showing and I didn't want to look like this shirt was a pregnancy shirt) Weird, yes I know!

Sunday, April 12, 2009
Has it really been a year already??
That's what I keep thinking over and over!


Thursday, April 9, 2009
Much needed!
(scheduled post) Today I am heading with my wonderful husband to paradise!! I am ECSTATIC! We are leaving at 6 AM so we don't miss today's fun! It's a 4.5 hour drive so not too bad, but calculate in some (frequent) restroom stops for this pregnant lady and her coffee drinking husband and there you have about a 5 hour drive! So, 6 AM it is! Should put us arriving around 11. Just in time for a yummy lunch and some BEACH TIME! Whoooo! Hubs exact quote was, "Oh, so you want to leave at 6 so you can sleep the whole way?" And my answer was, "Why yes!" I kid! I probably won't sleep I will be too excited! I'm like a kid at Christmas right now!

And eating places like ...
and...
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Yummy soup
I don't know about you girls, but here in GA the past two days it's been FREAKING FREEZING! I mean seriously. Is it April or what?? Yesterday we even had some sleet and a little snow! CHAOS! But any how, nothing I like better than some yummy hot soup when it's chilly outside! I made this for Hubs and I and we devoured it in two nights :) Mmmm! I am sharing with you a recipe that my mom shared with me! Trust me, this is the best potato soup EVER!!!! And I am funny (note: REAL funny) about soups!
Is it super healthy? No!
Is it THE WORST THING you could ever eat? No!
Is it super yummy? Yes!
Since I found out I was pregnant, I haven't been as strict about my diet so I don't feel too bad eating this! I mean french fries and fried chicken fingers would be worse right?? :)
Ok here's what ya need: (this recipe feeds hubs and I for two nights)
- 6 medium potatoes peeled and cut into cubes (that is the most work of the whole recipe)
- 3 chicken flavored bouillon cubes
- 1/2 block of 2% Velveeta cheese (there's the badness)
- water
TADA-that's it!
Put the potatoes in a large boiling pot cover with water. Add water until it's about about two inches above the potatoes! Bring to a boil. Then add the bouillon cubes. Cook for 35-45 minutes until potatoes are tender. I like mine falling apart so I cook 45! Stir ever 10-15 minutes. When potatoes are as tender as you like them, add the cheese. Make sure you cut the cheese into cubes so it will melt quicker! Let cheese melt and serve :)
My mom serves it with cornbread, but I just eat mine with fat free crackers! :) It's de-lish-ous!
Some of you ladies might like to add onion and maybe some bacon. I am picky so I don't but I am sure it would be yum!
Enjoy sweet girls!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
What a lucky gal I am!
I didn't blog yesterday because well I am one lucky lady! So on Friday we got an email at work that said our power would be out most of the morning so we didn't have to be in until 12:00. It's spring break at the college i work at but we have to work anyway-boo on that i know! So i slept in (10:30) and then came on into work. At 12:30 they told us that the power in the other building would be out at least 3 more hours so we could go home! SWEET! That is some serious good luck! :) I ran a few errands then home I went to rest on the couch with my furbabies! (Remember, I am pregnant so I am trying to get as much rest/sleep/napping in i can before Beanie arrives)!

A GREAT and wonderful friend! I miss her!
The three amigos!!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
No covering this up!
My baby bump, that is! I mean, let's be honest... I am not going to be small by any means when swimsuit season hits full force!! I am actually going to be quite large! I mean June, July and August, HELLO, here comes BIG PREGNANT LADY in a bathing suit! We live right next to a lake, we have a boat... we spend time on water :) or near it anyway!





(this one is by far the best-it's a tankini and that's def what i want)
