Healthy Tipping Point

I was hoping to do a really involved “Day in the Life” post yesterday.  But that entails: 1) writing down what you’re doing and when; and 2) taking a lot of photos.  I was pretty disappointed when I sat down at my desk and realized I snapped a grand total of three photos yesterday – three photos does not a “Day in the Life” make!

I wanted to do a “Day in the Life” post to document what non-preschool days are like for us now.  I work on the days that he’s in childcare, so on Tuesday and Thursday, Henry and I have tons of fun bonding time.  And I get to set aside the big work projects and truly relax.  I really value it, especially as this second pregnancy draws to a close.  I kind of wish we had done this sooner!

Our day pretty much looked like this:

7:00 AM – Up and at ‘em.

8:00 AM – Breakfast and household chores.  Henry plays with his trains while I do some e-mails.

9:30 AM – DadHTP stops by.  He entertains Henry while I package up two boxes of Operation Beautiful stuff I need to mail out.

10:00 AM – Dad and I swim 750 yards – it’s an awesome workout!  My arms are sore today.  After we’re done, I pull Henry out of gym childcare, and we all swim together for another hour.

11:30 AM – Post office run.

12:00 PM – Lunch

12:30 – 1:30 PM – Henry and I watch a movie on TV.  We watch an hour of one of the Air Buddies movies every single day (I know them ALL by heart now).   

2:00 PM – Henry goes down for his nap.  I do some cleaning – I vacuum the downstairs, wipe down countertops, unload the dishwasher, switch laundry out, and mop the kitchen floors.

2:30 PM – I go down for MY nap!  I slept really horribly the night before and have been counting down the minutes to naptime pretty much all day.

4:15 PM – I wake up, shower, blow-dry my hair, and put on real people clothing. I do a little more cleaning and work.

5:30 PM – I go into Henry’s room and wake him up… I can’t believe he’s still asleep!  He normally wakes up around 4:15.  There is a huge drool stain on his pillow, and he is suuuuuper grumpy.

5:40 PM – Henry’s blood sugar is obviously tanking because he sobs through an entire peanut butter sandwich. I feel really bad for him. 

6:00 PM –Sandwich has clearly hit his system, and his mood does an intense 180 swing.  He is happy now!  He helps me prep potatoes for dinner – I cut them up and he dips them in oil and then puts them on the pan.

6:30 PM – We build a new train track, go on a walk, and play with the dogs and cat.

7:15 PM – We eat dinner.

8:00 PM – After brushing teeth and reading a book, Henry goes back into bed (but doesn’t fall asleep until 9).  The Husband comes home – yay!

8:00 PM to 10:00 PM – We watch back-to-back episodes of Parenthood.  Little One is unusually active in my belly, and Kristien gets to feel a lot of big kicks and rolls.  I eat a quesadilla and some dark chocolate.  I love my couch time.

What was the best part of your day yesterday?

I was reading through some of my old pregnancy posts and came across my 31 Week Update with Henry, which is when I wrote about having a panic-free pregnancy. I’d made a list of all the things that I had chosen not to stress out over (because there are a LOT during pregnancy) and the odd things that really got my pregnant panties in a bunch.

With Henry, I did NOT stress out over weight gain, no-no foods and caffeine, sleeping on my back or right side, flying throughout the first and second trimester, eating conventional produce, and exercising (this post explains why I didn’t freak out over those things specifically).

How did I get to the place of not being panic-stricken all the time?  As mentioned, The Panic-Free Pregnancy book really helped.  Reading the studies behind the ‘rules’ made me realize how blown out of proportion most of them are at the core.  When I do feel myself stressing out over small things, I remind myself that the human race has been populating the Earth for eons; if we were truly so fragile that sleeping on your back while pregnant harmed a high percentage of babies, we’d be screwed…

I realize that my response to pregnancy may have been completely different if I suffered a miscarriage, had difficulty conceiving, or had a high-risk pregnancy; I’m not even going to pretend that I kind of know what that hell feels like.  And maybe I’d be more panic-stricken under other circumstances or if my personality was different.  But… somehow… I got to the place where I’m not panicked over everything that happens, and I wanted to write this post to simply say to other pregnant mommas that it’s okay not to be worried all the time.  Worrying all the time doesn’t necessarily make you a better parent. 

Odd things that I did stress out over while I was pregnant with Henry: walking through the backscatter machines at airport security, my protein intake, doing my Kegel exercises, my birth plan, and not inhaling toxic fumes when we painted our new house.  Not all of these worries ‘made sense’ given my non-worries or are even statistically proven/relevant, but I managed to keep my worries pretty contained. 

So – how does Pregnancy #2 compare?

The second pregnancy is weird.  Or at least it has been for me.  Because the first time you’re pregnant, it’s truly ALL YOU CAN THINK ABOUT.  But the second time – especially when you have a toddler underfoot – the pregnancy is sometimes an afterthought. I hope that doesn’t sound mean – I know other moms will get it!  I’m super excited for the second kiddo, but the actual pregnancy itself doesn’t intrigue/consume me the same way the first did.  While nothing compares to feeling Little One wiggle around inside of me, I’m so BUSY taking care of Henry that I don’t get to spend hours upon hours obsessing about the in’s and out’s of pregnancy itself. 

That means that Round Two of a panic-free pregnancy is even easier to achieve.  So much of pregnancy – and parenting – is learning how to let stuff go.  I would’ve labeled myself a Type A control freak before I had Henry; I wouldn’t come close to calling myself that now.  What’s done is done.  What will be, will be.   I still operate under the philosophy that, for a healthy momma with a healthy pregnancy, a lot of things are not not worth obsessing over.  I’ve reeeeeally assimilated the idea that – in life in general – worrying doesn’t necessarily change outcomes.  All it does is stress you out!

But I still find some stuff to overthink.  Here’s what I choose to “panic” about during Round Two:

Take my prenatals and other supplements:  I take my prenatals, a DHA supplement, and probiotics every single day. I’m really good about it (mostly because the Husband always sets them out for me – he’s awesome).

Is baby head down yet?:  I’m almost 100% positive that Little One is sideways (which looks and feels weird!).  Henry was head down by this point, and I’d really love to see Little One shift that way soon.

I’ll never sleep again:   Or I won’t for a long, long time.  I know the hell that is newborn sleep, and I am really not looking forward to it.  I counteract this “panic” by taking naps whenever I can and never feeling guilty for sleeping in.  Moms-to-be:  SLEEP WHILE YOU CAN!

Getting enough exercise:  This is something that I chose NOT to worry about with Henry, but this time around, I do.  Labor was so physically exhausting.  I really want to be strong enough to get through it a second time – I hope I’m staying active enough.  It comforts me to read my workout logs from when I was pregnant with Henry and compare my progress.

Breastfeeding:  I just hope the entire process is easier the second time around.  Many of your comments have actually really helped me relax about this – so thanks!

Whether Little One is healthy:  This is probably a universal worry – I just want to hold Little One is my arms and see for myself that he or she has all 10 fingers and all 10 toes.  Know what I mean?  We have only seen Little One once on a quick ultrasound, and I feel like he or she isn’t as active as Henry was in utero, so I worry occasionally.  All I want is a healthy kiddo.

And here are some things that I DO NOT worry about:  I don’t really worry about how Henry will adjust (there will be bumps in the road, but with each day that passes, I become more and more convinced that he will do great), traveling for work (I have an insane travel schedule in October… I will be standing on stage doing multiple Operation Beautiful speaking events at 35 weeks pregnant <—you do whatcha gotta do), and whether I’m eating healthy enough (meh – I could be better; I could be worse).

What little things do you panic about during pregnancy?  Following food rules?  Counting kicks?  Doing kegels?  Staying active?  What things do you choose to NOT panic about?  Has your panic level gone down each pregnancy?

This post is sponsored by The Honest Company.

I was thrilled to have the chance to review three awesome products from The Honest Company, a one-stop shop for families who care about the quality of their bath, body, and baby products.

I have a ton of friends who use Honest diapers because they are hypoallergenic and free of chlorine and additives like fragrances (plus, the prints are so cute).  But I’ve never pulled the trigger on ordering some myself – and I kind of thought the only thing the company made was diapers.  Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the company makes a bunch of great bath and body products that follow similar principles.

I know that many of you are constantly looking for ‘greener’ products, so my family each tested out one of The Honest Company’s items.  I tried the belly balm; the Husband tested the shave oil; and Henry used the body wash.  Here are our thoughts!

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Henry and I got sucked into awesome park action this morning – it’s cloudy and breezy and I don’t feel like my face is melting off the moment I step outside! – and we ended up missing my gym window.  Drat.

So to make up for a lost swim, I replaced the effort with this at-home workout. Completed while watching cartoons!

I’m definitely far into Modified Push-Up Land.  The regular ones are way too challenging.

Afterwards – a treat!

I’ve been loving this super simple recipe – in fact, I’ve made it three times in the last week.  I’ve tried these Rice Krispy-inspired treats with a variety of nut butters plus nut mix-ins, but this pared-down version is actually my favorite.  Runner up: almond butter with sliced almond mix-ins!

3-Ingredient Sunflower Butter Treats

Ingredients:

• 3 cups rice puff cereal
• 2/3 cup sunflower butter
• 2/3 cup brown rice syrup

Directions:

• In a large microwavable bowl, heat sunflower butter and brown rice syrup for 1 minute. Stir well.
• Add in rice cereal and stir to thoroughly coat.
• Spray a 9 by 9 inch pan with cooking spray and then scoop in cereal mix.  Wet hands with some water and press down firmly.
• Refrigerate for an hour to set.

I actually prefer to eat this snack as an addition to vanilla Greek yogurt.  Seriously – it’s SO GOOD.

Wanna play a game?  Let’s play – what is your pet’s BEST and WORST quality (the Husband and I were playing this last night).

Maggie – Best:  Really good at sleeping in our bed – she lays there like a warm lump and never disturbs us.  Also good with Henry.  Worst: Tie between “barks at anything and nothing” and “pees spitefully on the floor.”

James – Best:  Genuinely a good dog who never breaks the rules or causes trouble. Worst: Refuses to come in at night… You have to drag him from the backyard back inside.

Ferguson – Best: Good kitty snuggler.  Worst: Throws food out of his bowl as he eats.  So messy.

Your turn!