Our 1st sonogram

Today we had our 1st sonogram for Baby Flowers 2.0! I woke up 3 hours early with a pounding headache and I couldn't stomach anything to eat. I finally forced down a banana and we were out the door around 9:30am.

The whole drive over there, I sat there talking to my husband and silently praying in my head. God please let there be a baby. God please let there be a heartbeat. God... please!

We arrived, met up with my Momma and Casey's Momma and checked in. We sat there joking around, talking about Halloween, catching up... I sat there silently praying in my head. God please let this be real. God please let me hold this sweet baby in my arms. God... please!

She called our names and we all stood up to follow. Well, she refused to let my Momma and Mother in Law in the room at 1st, which kind of pissed me off. She said it was because if she didn't find anything, she wanted us to have privacy. I told her I wanted my Momma in the room... no, I needed my Momma in the room. After my last miscarriage, I felt so alone and just wanted my Momma. She still said no. I was not too happy with this lady. Heck Casey stood up once during the sonogram (before she turned the monitor to us) and she instantly told him to sit down because she didn't like people watching over her shoulder. Umm yeah, he was standing up to adjust the boys and give his nervous wife a kiss... chill out lady!!

She started the sonogram and said she would not turn the monitor to us unless she found a baby... Unless she found a baby? Really, did you have to put it like that?! Kind of annoyed me! I was highly annoyed at this time so everything she said, annoyed me! I took a deep breath and laid back.

Casey held my hand and I laid there silently begging God for her to be able to turn the monitor to us. I felt like a CD on repeat, playing the same prayer over and over. The same prayer I have been praying since we saw those 2 pink lines on October 14th. Please God... please let there be a baby!!

The sonogram tech said "Okay, go get the Moms... they can come in now." After she said that, I almost lost it crying with tears of joy and had to ask "So, you found a baby?!" We sat there and stared at that sweet little dot for as long as the tech let us, which wasn't too long. We saw the cute little flutter of a heartbeat and was told it was around 77 which is good for right at 6 weeks. The baby is measuring right on time too!

I was so thrilled and over the moon. I started thanking God right then and there!! What a blessing!!!

I have been classified as a high risk pregnancy so I will be closely watched and will have more appointments than normal. Actually I go back in next Friday for another check up. The doctor will do the sonogram herself and hopefully she will let us listen to the heartbeat instead of just seeing it.

Also, being a high risk pregnancy they are going to do a Harmony blood test around 10 weeks to check the DNA of the baby. At that time, they will also be able to tell the gender... through my blood!!! How cool is that?! It does take about 10 days to get the results back so we should know the gender around the 2nd week of December. Oh I am so excited!!!

Introducing the cutest little black and white dot you will ever see..
Cora Mae Flowers ~ OR ~ Dax Marshall Flowers!!!

Pregnancy Update

Most of you know I had some spotting this past Sunday. Coming off a miscarriage a couple months back, seeing the blood really freaked me out. We were out to eat and then going to run some errands. The minute I came out of the bathroom and told Casey what happened, he was ready to take me home and have me lay down.

Later that night I had some more spotting, pink this time and it was gone after a couple wipes. I was nervous but knew pink wasn't as bad as red. Maybe this is just a fluke.

I went to bed that night and just started praying.

I prayed for this baby to latch on and not to let go.
I prayed for the spotting to stop.
I prayed that in 7-8 months I would be able to hold our sweet baby.
I prayed that this baby would take after Casey in so many ways...
Patient
Slow to anger
Kind hearted
Quiet yet outgoing
Thinker
and the list could go on and on...
But I prayed that the baby would take after me in one area...
I prayed this baby would be a FIGHTER!!

I want this baby to fight for its life. Fight for a chance to meet us. Fight to become a baby sister or brother. To just fight to hold on and not let go.

I laid there and prayed and to be honest, I haven't stopped praying over this baby since that moment. I am very anxious for our sonogram on Friday and I pray that we see/hear the heartbeat. The doctor did say if we do not see/hear the heartbeat, she will bring us in the next week and try again. Fingers crossed!!!

The spotting has stopped after turning brown Monday morning. I have been told to take it easy the next couple days, no lifting, no straining, pelvic rest, and to kick back and put my feet up... so that is what I have been doing. It is killing me not to pick up Caleb, but he is being a sport about protecting his sissy... he swears its a girl!

Thank you all for the sweet words and prayers you are send our way! I will keep you updated on the progress and of our appointment.

Thrive & Pregnancy

I have had some people ask me about Thrive since I am now pregnant... well this blog is just for you!

Since I am a high risk pregnancy, coming off a miscarriage in July, I have decided to only take what the doctor tells me to take until after my 1st trimester. Which is my prenatal vitamins and progesterone pill. This means bye-bye Thrive!

Yes, I have done my research and it is safe for pregnant women to take the capsules but it is not recommended using the patch and the shake. This is due to the amount of (natural) caffeine in both of those products.

I have been off Thrive for a week now and boy can I tell a difference. I can feel the aches in my knee again (boo). I am exhausted (which I am also chalking up to the pregnancy). And I have ZERO energy (partly due to the baby too).

I am ready for my 1st trimester to be over so I can start using the capsules again and I look forward to re-starting the drinks and patches again this next summer after the bambino comes!

If you are interested in trying the product, check out  my link... Fitbyjordan.Le-Vel.com

And remember, I am always here if you have questions!!! This product is something I fully back and think the world of... not just for weight loss reasons but just because it makes me feel whole again.

Hey Sugar

Who has a sweet tooth? I do... or did! My one HUGE weakness is sweets. I can pass up breadsticks, chips, appetizers, etc... but if that dessert cart rolls by, well you know where to find me.

I love sweets so much that at our wedding, we served desserts at cocktail hour!

I. LOVE. SUGAR!!!

Let me tell you a little story, but no judging. When I was pregnant this summer (with my miscarriage baby) I craved sugar 24-7. I would wake up at 3am begging Casey to go to the store for me. One night I begged him to stop by and buy me a cake on his way home from working the night shift. He stopped, what an amazing husband, and bought me a sheet cake from Albertsons. I was in heaven. (Also with that pregnancy, I couldn't sleep to save my life.) Well this particular night I was wide eyed and ready for the cake the minute he walked through the door... I had a fork ready and everything!! I sat in my bed and chowed down on the sheet cake. No, I didn't eat it all... but I did make a good dent in it. I was obsessed with sugar that pregnancy!!! I am not proud of the sheet cake incident but it happened and now looking back, it is kind of funny... Haha!

When we found out we were pregnant this time around, Casey made a joke about me and the cake and I started to pray that sugar wouldn't be my "thing" this pregnancy. Well, I got my prayer/wish. For the past 2 weeks, if I eat a bite of sugar I am sick to my stomach within minutes. I had a fun-sized pack of M&M's Saturday and started to feel like I needed to throw up. Sunday I had HALF a donut... HALF... and I was crying in the fetal position not even 5 minutes later. I even threw away a s'more the other night at my nieces birthday party because one bite and my stomach was doing flips. Yall, I freaking LOVE s'mores. This is a BIG deal.

This was RIGHT before I chunked it across the yard. I had to take a picture to make my bestie jealous... it is our thing! Love ya Mandy!!

So, it is safe to say I will be staying away from sugar for the next couple weeks (maybe months). Hopefully this will help with my weight. I know I will gain but hopefully since sugar makes me sick to my stomach, I wont be gaining as quickly! A girl can hope!

With Caleb, my 5 year old, I craved meat platters. You know like the ones you take to a party? I was in love with all kinds of meat and could not get enough protein!This time around, I am not really craving anything so far... but it is safe to say sugar is NOT on the list!

Bring on the veggies & fruit!!!

Baby Flowers 2.0

Yep, we are pregnant again and I am freaking THRILLED!!!! I am going to use my blog as kind of a journal throughout this journey, but it won't all be about baby stuff. I am also going to be talking about my fitness, my food, my energy, and my life outside of being an expectant mother...

But, right now... it is all about baby!!!

Sunday and Monday I had a horrible melt down. Seriously I couldn't stop crying. I cried during church. I cried at the Cowboys cookout. I cried when we got home. I cried at work. I cried in the car. I just couldn't stop crying. Most of my cries went something like this... I want a baby, why cant we have a baby, why did we have to have a miscarriage, why did I gain my weight back, why wont it just fall off, I WANT A BABY!!!

Looking back, it was kind of funny. Poor Casey, everything was his fault and he couldn't do anything right. Man I love my husband!

Tuesday I took a pregnancy test and I swore I could see a line starting to appear. I sent it out to my line judges, aka some of my girlfriends, to tell me if I am crazy or not. They said they saw it too! I woke Casey up by jumping on the bed with excitement. He couldn't see it, but he played along anyways. Like I said, I love my husband!!!

I decided that over lunch (when Casey was with me) to take another test. The line was darker this time!! It was finally* happening again. I was so excited. I started crying again and Casey had a look on his face like "oh gosh, here we go again." But it was happy tears this time!!! (I say finally because to me, it felt like a million years since I had my miscarriage and I just wanted to be pregnant again)

We both decided that we were going to share the GREAT news with friends and family now instead of waiting for 12 weeks. I understand why people wait, I do... but I am not one of those people. I live my life as an open book and I love to be surrounded by people who love us and will pray for us. With this being a pregnancy after a miscarriage, I felt the need to share it early so that people could send us love, well wishes and tons of prayers. I think we might need them just to conquer the fear (which I will talk about another day).

Yesterday I went to the doctor and she confirmed everything for me! We are in fact 4 weeks pregnant and due June 26th. She is going to watch my HCG levels the next couple weeks and make sure they are going up like they are supposed to be. I will have my 1st set of numbers back today and then will go in on Monday to have my blood drawn again. The line on the pregnancy test gets darker each time I take a new one, so it is looking good on my end (yes, I am a pee stick addict).

To do:
Workout - cardio only
Get back on track with eating clean
Stop Thrive (will talk about another day)
Start yoga at least once a week
Focus only on the good and not on the what ifs

Y'all, I am SO excited!!!! I promise I wont be too annoying throughout this journey but if you do find me annoying, I am sorry I am just so thrilled to be having a baby with my husband and giving my son a sibling!!! This is an EXCITING time!!!! Eek!!!

Thrive & Diet Coke

I have been so busy with life this week and I forgot to blog... but today is Thursday and it is my Thrive update day, so I figured I would make time for those of you who do read my blog.

Don't worry, busy doesn't mean I have fallen off the wagon. In fact I am doing really well with being able to pass up sweets and getting some gym time in (not as much as I would like to, but some is better than none). It helps that my hubby is finally losing some weight too. When he is on board, life is easier!!

You are probably wondering why I decided to talk about Thrive and diet coke... well if you know me at all, you know I am addicted to diet coke. It is my one thing that I have always sworn to never ever ever give up. I have given up so much to lose weight, I didn't want to give up diet coke too. I know the effects it can have on your body. I know how bad it is for you. I know all of these things already. I am not perfect. Trust me a diet coke is WAY better than eating a sheet cake every day... right?! Well in my eyes it is.

Back to Thrive and why it relates to diet coke. You see, Thrive has a bunch of natural caffeine inside of it and with it being natural, it is way better for you and your body. Diet coke is where I usually get my caffeine, until I started using Thrive. I have been using this product for 2 weeks now and since starting it, I have noticed my body rejecting the taste of diet coke and now here I am and I cant tell you the last time I have actually drank a full glass/can/Sonic drink...

At 1st, diet coke started to taste weird and I thought it was from my ear infection. I kept drinking it from different places, hoping the taste would change back. Then I started to realize that I was not even craving it at all. Now when someone ask me if I want a diet coke, I do not have any want in my body for one. What has changed in the past 2 weeks? I started using Thrive!!!

I have to admit, since I have stopped drinking diet coke I do feel better. I am now drinking more water (I was already drinking enough, but now I am drinking over that amount). I have energy and don't feel blah like I would after the "highs" of my diet coke would wear off. This Thrive is the real deal. Seriously, if it can help me quit diet coke... wow!!! That speaks volumes right there!!!

Also, I mentioned last week about how my knee has not been aching much anymore? Well last weekend it rained... I mean it POURED!!! Usually when it storms really bad like that, my knee is stiff, achey, in pain, etc. This time... nothing!!! I was even able to walk around Six Flags for 6 hours without complaining once. My husband even mentioned "Hey, you haven't complained about your knee in a while, are you okay?"

Thrive has changed my life!! If you would like to check it out, here is my link... Fitbyjordan.Le-Vel.com

I am not here to sell it to you, I am not here to make money.... I am here to give you my experience and let you know what works for me. I would never promote something that I didn't 1st try and make sure it works for me!

Hope you all have a healthy day!!!

Thrive update

When I decided to buy Thrive, my trainer told me to give it a good week to 2 weeks before making a judgment if it was good or bad. That is exactly what I decided to do... and I wanted to be the guinea pig for all of you. Here is my update after 1 week.

I wont lie, the 1st couple days I was not a fan... I was exhausted and was wanting to eat everything (mainly out of boredom). The only thing I found helpful, was the shake. That drink is magic and makes you pooh. Well, it does for me and that is HUGE since I have horrible problems in that area. I am now going regularly and I don't feel as bloated.  Or as my husband says, I am no longer full of crap!

After a couple days, I started to realize that I had more energy. I am starting to feel like my old self again. I have made it to the gym every lunch break and I come back to work feeling good instead of wanting to go to bed. That is a huge change!

I have also noticed that my knee has not been hurting me. If you have followed me this past year, you know I have horrible problems with my right knee. I have had 2 major surgeries and even had to re-learn how to walk back in 2012 after my last surgery. I need it replaced! It usually aches SO bad after a leg workout, after a cardio workout, after my period, after it rains, after almost anything... In the past couple days all of those things happened and my knee was not achey at all!!! I am not saying Thrive will replace my knee replacement, but it might buy me some more time with the knee I have now!!!

The past couple of days I realized Thrive has also helped me not want to eat everything in sight. I have to remind myself to eat every couple hours where as before I was eating just to not be bored. I guess now that I have more energy I am busy living life and not worrying about just sitting on the couch eating!!!

Anyways, so far I give Thrive a 7 out of 10. It is helping in many areas of my life, mainly with my depression and being able to feel live again. I am going to continue to blog about my experience and I am always here if you have any questions.

If you want to try it yourself, check it out at this link... Fitbyjordan.Le-Vel.com

I am not here to sell it or make a business out of this... I am here to help you through my journey! If I find something that works for me, why not share the good news with you guys. Even if I help just 1 person, it was all worth something!!!

I am a LOSER!

Yep, I am a loser... but in a good way! This past week, I lost 6 pounds... SIX!!! I am so proud of myself for sticking to my plan of staying in the gym. My eating was rocky this weekend but I am not going to let that defeat me. I messed up and now I am moving on.

I have my gym bag packed and ready to go. Actually I almost left home without it, but I stopped myself and went back for it. That was a proud moment for me!

This weekend my lovely husband said "I can tell you have lost weight, not by inches or by how your clothes are fitting you, but by the way you are carrying yourself." It was a really nice compliment. For the past couple months I have been carrying myself feeling defeated and broken. I have been slouching down and hiding in a wide. This past week, I have been standing up taller and wearing my smile in a more genuine way. I hadn't really thought about it, until he pointed it out. Man, I love that guy!

I am ready for the gym and ready to tackle today. Like I said before I am not focusing on a goal number or what the scale says really, but it was AWESOME to see a 6 pound loss... My goals this week are to do better than last week. Stay in the gym and keep my eating on track, even on the weekend.

If you are wondering how Thrive is going, I will be blogging about that later this week...

Hope you all had a WONDERFUL weekend and I pray your Monday is smooth sailing!

Why I want to Thrive!

 

You are probably thinking, oh great here is another annoying person who is going to sell me something... well, don't worry your pretty little head, I am not here to sell you anything!! I just want to share my WHY to why I decided to buy Thrive.

My trainer, Lo, has always been very anti "magic" pills and shakes. I have always asked her what she thinks before I buy almost anything. The only thing she has really said "yeah that is good but you still need to workout and eat right" has been Shakeology. Until now...

A couple months ago, she started Thrive and told me about it. I was kind of shocked because she never "promotes" anything except working out and eating healthy. I was in a bad place at the time so to be honest, everything she said went in one ear and out the other. Since that conversation, I have seen many other people jump on this bandwagon and I just rolled my eyes each time. I was in a BAD place of depression and not caring... B-A-D!!

Remember my come to Jesus meeting I had with myself on the way back from Disney World (I blogged about it 2 days ago)... well, Thrive popped up in my newsfeed and I decided to listen to what Lo had to say. I read her story, her sisters, her brother in laws, and her husband's. I decided what the heck, I will give it a shot.

I read a lot online and soon learned that this is an all natural product and really helps with depression, your energy levels, your bowels, and so much more. Yes, it does aid weight loss too.

I want you all to know, I am NOT doing Thrive for weight loss. I am doing Thrive because I have been very depressed with zero energy. I am sick of feeling this way. I am sick of wanting to nap instead of playing with my son. I am sick of having an Eyeore personality in place of my happy go lucky personality I usually have. I am just sick of being "sick"!!! Plus, to hear it helps with bowels, that is a HUGE plus since I have a major problem in that area and my medication just went up to $75 a month and it is NOT safe to take while pregnant... and I want to be pregnant!!

The doctor told me I needed to get back in the gym and get back on track so I can be healthy to try for a baby again... Thrive is going to help me do that!

Today is my 1st day on Thrive. I woke up, took my capsules, took a shower, put on the patch, waited about 30 minutes and drank my shake (which I will drink every other day for breakfast). I know it will take a couple days to start feeling an impact from this product, but it only took about 30-45 minutes for my bowels to feel the impact (Haha, TMI sorry).

I am going to continue to blog about my experience and let you guys know how it is. If you have been interested in it and want to wait to buy the product until you know someone who has actually used it and can be real and honest with you, well here is your chance. I will tell you the good, the bad and the ugly about my experience with Thrive. If you know anything about me, you know that I am real and speak the truth about my journey... So, if you have any questions just ask!!

If you want to go ahead and start Thrive and do this journey with me, click this link and order yours today... Fitbyjordan.Le-Vel.com
*Make sure you get the package that has the DFTs (the patches).

I am excited to finally be excited again. It has been a long time since I have had this feeling and its a GREAT feeling!!!

My meal plan this week

To help hold me accountable, I have decided to post my meal plan for this week. I am currently on day 3 of being back on track and I have to admit, I am feeling good. I am not as bloated and I even have been sleeping better. I was having problems there for awhile. I think it was because I was just vegging out 24/7 and since I was never active, I couldn't shut my brain off and it messed with my sleeping.

Anyways... here is what I am eating every 3 hours this week.

Breakfast - 2 scrambled eggs and 2 pieces of 9 grain toast

Morning Snack - 1 cup of quick oats with 5 packets of sweet-n-low and 5 strawberries cut up AND 1 tbsp of peanut butter

Lunch - 6 ounces of grilled chicken with 1/2 cup of fajita mixture (green bell peppers, onions and black beans) AND 1 cup of sweet potatoes with 1 tbsp. of brown sugar and 1/2 tbsp. of cinnamon

Afternoon Snack - 15-20 baby carrots with 2 tbsp of Ranch Dressing AND a tbsp of peanut butter

Dinner - 2 servings of Jamie Eason's Turkey Meatloaf Muffins (I made mine in an oversized cupcake muffin tin and so 2 muffins fit in one) AND a salad that consist of spinach leafs, celery, cucumbers, onions and cherry tomatoes with balsamic vinaigrette for the dressing.

It is not 110% perfect and it is not 110% clean eating, but it is what is working for me this week and it beats me going out to eat every single meal like I have been doing.

Casey and I are having a date day on Saturday and we are going to use some gift cards a friend blessed us with. Thanks sweet SammyJoJack!!! We will be going out to lunch and then watching a movie. I will be looking online at the restaurants menu before we arrive so I can make a healthy cheat choice.

Saturday I will also create a new meal plan for next week and Casey and I will go shopping Sunday after church and then meal prep that evening. If you have a meal that is easy and healthy, please feel free to share it with the group!!

Always remember, this journey we are all on is about progress, not perfection!!!

Oh and P.S. seriously, thank you so much for the kind words yesterday in regards to my last blog. I cried happy tears reading each comment and the guilt has started to fade away. All of your comments really helped light a fire under me and makes me want to strive to do better. I am excited to be back!!!