4 months!

My oh my!  Where has the time gone?!  Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and our little Eva is officially 4 months old.  I was waiting to post this until after we went to her pediatrician appointment so I could add in her growth data.  Our little nugget has sprouted to 24 1/4 inches long, and 13 lbs and 7 ounces!  This puts her at about the 30th percentile for both height and weight.  This is about where she was when she was born, so I'd say she is healthy and growing!  However, her head circumference is 16 1/4 inches, which puts her at about the 80th percentile!  My little nugget has a big ole noggin haha!    It's beginning to make sense on why she got stuck on my pubic bone now during labor.  Andy says it's because she's Asian... whatever.

We had a lot of "firsts" this month.  Eva started sleeping on her left side at night, just like her daddy.  She can also roll over from front to back and back to front now!  The back to front is a new one.  She can also sit up by herself if you prop her hands out in front of her.  She looks like a little tripod and gives you the biggest smile.  My little Miss Independent.  Eva has started enjoying Apollo a lot more as well.  She used to not pay any attention to him, but now he is her best friend.  I can put her on the rug next to him, and she will coo and laugh at him for the longest time!  He is so nice to her as well and even lets her grab his ears and pull his fur.  She also has found her toes, and grabs them all the time now.

Unfortunately, a not so fun first, Eva got her first cold last week.  Poor girl came down with a cold and got her shots the next day.  Luckily, she had no fever or reaction to the vaccinations, so she just had to deal with a hoarse voice and a stuffy nose.  Lastly, the pediatrician okayed us to start giving Eva cereal as well!  We waited until a couple days after her shots, to make sure if she had a reaction we'd know whether or not it was the oats or the vaccinations.  We bought some baby oats the other day, and mixed up a couple teaspoons.  Her tongue thrust reflex kept pushing them out onto her bib, but she managed to swallow maybe one or two bites.  It only lasted a couple minutes though, before she got frustrated and mad and started crying!  It was endearing and pitiful at the same time.  We'll keep trying though, and soon she'll be downing those oats like a champ.  Each day seems to be more fun than the last.  She is becoming more mobile, more independent, more engaged, and more physical.  She loves to reach for anything you put in front of her.  I now have to push my plate and utensils away from me when she sits on my lap, otherwise she will pick them right up!

I can't wait for Eva's first Thanksgiving!  I may just sneak her a bite of sweet potato casserole or mashed potatoes.  How can I resist when she stares at my spoon with each bite I take?!  In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I've compiled a list of Eva's favorites and things she is grateful for (from her mommy's eyes).

10 Things Eva is grateful for:

1.  Mommy and Daddy

2.  Grandparents

3.  Milk

4.  Apollo

5.  Her clear paci

6.  Bath time

7.  Riding on Daddy's shoulders

8.  Polly Mayflower (her stuffed doll)

9.  Her seahorse glow worm

10.  Alphabet song

Last of all, here is Eva's wiggly 4 month snapshot!

Autumn Days

Not much to update here, just wanted to wish everyone a Happy November and share a few pictures from the past couple weeks.  October has come and gone, and the holidays are just around the corner! Here is a picture of my precious Eva in her Halloween costume!

The next picture was taken at Andy's parents house after we had our annual family pictures taken.  We were lucky enough to get a few snapshots of just the 4 of us.  Our little family pod just keeps growing :)

On a different note, the cool weather is finally approaching, and it's pecan harvest time here!  For those of you who don't know, my parents have a pecan orchard.  Whenever November rolls around, every weekend consists of pecan harvesting from sunrise to sunset!  My parents work so hard, and us kids try to chip in when we can.  This year, even baby Eva got to contribute.

I'm really looking forward to the next few weeks.  Eva has her 4 month appointment, Andy and I have share some days off, and Thanksgiving!  Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  The food, family get-togethers, the grateful atmosphere, and festive decorations.  I am planning on making Eva her first Thanksgiving outfit, but we'll see how far I get on that.  I will post a picture if I end up finishing it!  Until then, happy November!

October Fitness

Note to Readers:  This post is probably going to sound like I am bragging.  So if you don't want to read while I "atta-girl" myself, feel free to close the browser.

October is a beautiful month.  The weather is still warm, but you also get those crisp days mixed in.  Fall fashion is so cute, and it's finally hoodie weather again!  It's also when I start dreading running outside.  I LOVE running in the heat.  Give me 90 degrees and sunny over 45 degrees and cloudy any day!  My favorite running temperature is probably in the 70's, but I definitely prefer the warmth than cool air.

This October, I ran my very first half marathon.  I've run a full marathon before, but never a half.  I was really excited to get in my first race post pregnancy.  I did a free 5k back in September, but I don't really count that.  When all of your training runs are longer than your race, it doesn't seem as fun or challenging.  The half marathon was what I had my goal set on before I even had Eva.  I knew that as long as I didn't have a C-section, I would have no problem getting enough training in before the race.  Since I had run my whole pregnancy, up until the day my water broke, I knew getting back into running would be no problem.  In fact, 15 days after Eva was born, I went on my first 3 miler. Let me tell you, it was so much EASIER running postpartum than it was 9 months pregnant.  I seriously felt so fast.  Therefore, I set a time goal for myself.  I wanted to run a sub 2 hour half marathon.  Definitely doable pre-pregnancy, but I had been running a lot slower during my pregnancy, so I prayed I hadn't lost whatever speed I used to have.  I did a lot of intervals, tempo runs, and a couple track workouts in order to get my speed back.  A lot of HARD work went into getting back to pre-pregnancy shape, but I was able to exceed my goal of a sub 2 hour half marathon by several minutes.

I am still working on some muscular strength that I lost during my pregnancy, but otherwise I feel back to my normal self.  It's amazing how your body can bounce back after going through 9 months of stretching and supporting life of another human being.  Fact is, I am proud of myself and my accomplishment.  I put a lot of hard work into my health and fitness and am getting results.  Feel free to judge me and say I just have good genes or whatever other excuse you want, but truthfully it all comes down to hard work.  I gained 24 pounds during my pregnancy by the time I checked into the hospital in labor.  By the time I left, I had only lost 8 lbs.  To be fair, I stuffed my face during my stay at the hospital after not eating for over 30 hours... but still.  So basically, I had 16 POUNDS OF FAT to lose.  The weight didn't just fall off...  it took 3 months of sweat and blisters.  While I still feel like my mid section could use a little tightening up, I actually weigh less now than I did pre-pregnancy.  I'm back into my "skinniest" jeans and feel confident in a swim suit once again.  If only my linea nigra would continue to fade, I would have no complaints!  Apparently, it takes a lot longer to disappear if you are nursing :(

If I could do this last pregnancy over again, I wouldn't change much to my fitness regimen.  I am so glad I was able to continue running throughout my pregnancy!  I know not many people are able to continue due to certain risks or discomforts it causes them.  I feel lucky, and it definitely kept me sane.  I'm glad I kept up with core work as well, because I think it really helped my back stay strong enough to counteract the baby bump during pregnancy.  Also, I believe it helped me shrink a lot quicker back to my normal size.  I was so thankful I did not have to buy new clothes to fit into before I lost all the weight I gained during pregnancy.  Perhaps I wish I had done some speed work or heavier upper body lifting, but after my initial miscarriage scare, I am glad I took that first trimester easier.

I now have other goals in mind.  I've always wanted to be a fit mom.  But I want to push myself to a better, stronger, faster limit.  I want a firmer butt, leaner legs, stronger arms, a tighter core.  Even though I'm transitioning into the healthcare field and leaving behind my career as a fitness coach, I don't want to forget something I am passionate about.  I would still like to feel confident in my body when people ask me fitness related questions.  I still want to encourage people to set healthy goals and see them attain them.  I hope to never lose the side of me that craves to be healthy and fit.