Worry Wart

I think I need to be real and talk about some real issues facing those of us who call ourselves moms . . .

I confess that ever since I had Sage I feel like I've been a different person. I'm not myself, or maybe I'm just a heightened version of myself. I don't like what I've allowed myself to become. I think it's high time I made up my mind to change. What's the Bible verse? "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

Here's the struggle . . . I love the little booger so much that I worry about EVERYTHING. I stress over EVERYTHING. She wakes up too early from a nap and I'm in a tizzy. She spits up a little and I freak out. I think she should go to sleep because she's tired, but she won't and I get flustered. And for what? Is it really that big of a deal? Definitely not. I've realized that this stressful attitude is making me miserable, and probably making me miserable to live with. (Poor Brian, catching the brunt.) The fact of the matter is, I desperately want everything to go smoothly. I want to sleep. I want Sage to be happy all the time and never experience pain. I want, I want, I want, and yet that's just not the way life is. I could spend the rest of my days worrying over this child and it wouldn't do me or her a bit of good. It's time to renew my mind. Make a conscious decision to relax. Put life into proper perspective. Sage is too precious for me not to enjoy her first months of life to the fullest. And the rest of my family and friends will certainly benefit from a less uptight Lindsay too.

I'm quite sure this behavior is normal for a first time mom, but if I don't nip it in the bud it has the potential to snowball. This will be challenging for me. I'm a worry wart by nature I do believe. But I long to be transformed, and God's Word gives me hope.

Weight Loss Challenge

*** Warning to any men who read my blog . . . this post is about women and weight . . . might want to skip over this one :) ***




After gaining at least 42 pounds while pregnant, I am officially focused on weight loss. It's hard to admit, but I got up to 175 lbs and honestly, that was a week before I gave birth so it's quite possible that I got up to 180. That's 20 pounds away from weighing 200 lbs people. NOT GOOD. However, I got a beautiful, healthy, precious little girl so it was definitely worth it. I didn't exactly hold back when it came to eating when I was pregnant, but now . . .



It's time to buckle down . . .



It's time to get serious . . .



It's time to get HEALTHY.



As my days of being pregnant were nearing to an end, all I wanted to do was get rid of all that weight. I couldn't climb the stairs without getting out of breath, my hips ached like the dickens, and I resulted to "waddling" as opposed to walking. I was borderline miserable. I remember thinking, I can't wait to exercise and move without pain again! Well, that day is here.

My last postpartum visit was today and the doc cleared me to exercise until my heart's content. I won't go crazy (let's be honest I've never been an exercise addict anyway), but I will slowly build up to running and weight bearing exercises. I currently weigh 152 pounds. My goal is to get down to (at least) 130 by the time our family beach vacation rolls around on August 8. That's 22 pounds I need to lose in a little over 15 weeks. That shouldn't be too hard, right? I don't know, but there is an awesome website I'm using to help me stay on track. It's livestrong.com. It is extremely extensive, includes everything pertaining to good health, and all the tools you could possibly need. I've even got my mom hooked on it and she's issued me a weight loss challenge! Really we're more like partners, encouraging each other to stay on track. On Livestrong.com I've set a goal of losing 1.5 pounds per week. I don't own a scale, but I think I'll be able to tell if I'm losing regularly. I'll try to keep you updated on that front. Any words of encouragement are greatly appreciated as well as any suggestions for programs/websites that kept you motivated to lose weight! I think the bottom line is that it takes will power. Not exactly my strong suit, but I am able, I know it. It is in me somewhere. Here goes nothing . . .

6 Weeks Today

Guess who's 6 weeks old and starting to smile!!!!

Lone Star State

We made it to Texas in one piece. It was quite the adventure with a newborn in tow (who doesn't sleep for long stretches at night)! The good thing is, Sage seems to like her car seat and did beautifully while riding in the car all day, for several days in a row. We only had to stop to feed and change her. She literally NEVER got fussy otherwise. What a sweet little trooper. Once we got here, she and I could not have been more excited to be re-united with Brian!





After spending a week at the Comfort Inn, we're now living in the Residence Inn, where we'll be for the rest of the summer. It's small, but it feels good to finally be settled. I feel like the last 4 weeks of my life have been the most hectic, stressful, and overwhelming of my life. I had no idea that becoming a first time mom, moving to Texas with a newborn, and being away from my husband for 2 weeks would be so hard. It was a recipe for an emotional disaster, but thankfully I've had a lot of help from family and friends over the past month. Mom and Dad made the drive with me, and Mom is staying here for another couple of weeks before going back to SC.

Here is my latest favorite picture of Miss Sage! She makes some adorable faces these days. I can't wait until she starts smiling at us!