Oh Baby Oh Baby!

It was 8:30 AM Monday morning. My husband and I had just gotten back from a five day backpacking trip through Olympic National Park the morning before. I was back at work, exhausted, grumpy, and feeling downright miserable.  My period was about a week or two late, nothing out of the ordinary for me. I had just hiked for 5 days straight, so I figured my symptoms were just from my dreadful monthly friend getting ready to say hello. Well a pregnancy test taken at work that morning told me otherwise! [Note to self: NEVER take a pregnancy test at work hahaha]. As if Mondays don’t already throw you off balance, throw a pregnancy test in there and you’re sure to start your week off  with a bang.  Needless to say it was VERY unexpected, but we are VERY excited!!

This is Josh and I on our trip to Olympic. 6 weeks prego and I had no clue!

                                               

 My name is Jessica. Known by friends and family as: Jess, Jessie, Jess the mess, and Bowd (courtesy of my goofy husband  ) I am a 26 year old nutritionist  living in GA with my husband Josh and our furry son, and the center of our world, Chance.  My entire life I have been fanatical about fitness and living a healthy life. I’ll admit at times I can become a little obsessive, but as I have gotten older I have come to find the balance in leading a healthy lifestyle. 

Here is our "son" Chance on our wedding day. He's kind of a big deal hehe.

                     

I told you he is a big deal :).

Now I have to admit when I saw that positive test result I was pretty freaked out! And as selfish as this is going to sound my first thought was “great, I am SOOOOO not ready to get fat!”  There were several meltdowns, multiple stands on the scale, moments of crying in my closet while looking at the clothes I would soon no longer  fit into, and A LOT of tears.  After about a week long pity party, and several eye rolls from my husband, I picked myself up, shook it off and decided there is no reason that I have to get fat!  I’ve been in shape my entire life and there is no reason I can’t still kickass in the gym while growing a baby, right?! After all, I am a nutritionist for prenatal women and children with a background in personal training as well. I teach women on a daily basis how to live healthy while pregnant, I see it done all the time. So I don’t know why it was so hard  to convince myself that I too can stay fit while pregnant!

I just hit my 13 week mark and I’ve been hitting the gym 5 days a week just like I always have. Weights, cardio, kickboxing, yoga, hiking, you name it, I do it!!!! And I want to help others out there do it too! But as most people know it’s not just about exercise it’s about eating well too. And let me start off by letting you in on a little secret... All you beautiful pregnant mammas out there who have been told “you are eating for two”….YOU’RE NOT!!!! You’re still just eating for you. But you do need a little extra every day for that growing baby; by a little extra I mean about 300 extra calories/day. That’s like eating two pieces of peanut butter toast or a bowl of cereal with a banana and a cup of skim milk.  

So here’s what I’m going to do. I am going to document my pregnancy on my blog. I’m going to share all the wonderful, fun workouts I do to stay in shape! I’m also going to share my nutrition secrets with you all! I LOVE to cook. One of my favorite parts about cooking is taking normal recipes and finding a way to cut down on fat and calories to make them more nutrition friendly. I haven’t had too many crazy cravings yet, but the ones I have had I’ve managed to satisfy with some really creative recipes!!!

Nothing makes working out more fun than a cool costume!!

I hope you all will join me on this journey towards a happy and healthy motherhood! It can be easy during this time to forget about yourself amongst all the stress that comes with the changes when becoming a mother. I encourage you all to find the balance. Remember to take time for yourself. Focus on you! I am new to all this too so it will be a learning experience for me as well. I encourage any questions, comments, and advice! Let’s lean on each other for motivation and support. And let’s KICK ASS through this pregnancy!!