Things I Have Learned as a New Mom

Things I Have Learned as a New Mom:

Doing some reflecting before Mother's Day! I just wanted to talk about a few things that were on my mind. I haven't really had a chance to do so since my girl was born and I always feel like I am pushing all of my blog post ideas aside lately and thinking I will get around to it and never do. I have so many blog posts planned, just haven't found the right time to post them. I also really want to know what you guys love to read on here. I love incorporating my ideas with some requests every now and then, so if you have any requests, let me know! I have a few emails requesting more mommy things, more beauty things and even videos. How do you all feel about that? What are some fun things you guys prefer? Let me know in the comments below or in an email! You know that I always get back to all of you and love to chat with you all! 

Also, I've realized my google+ views are over 1 million views so I would love to know all of my followers. If you aren't already, do me a favor and follow along with email or any of the other options on the right hand side of my blog. I love seeing all of you guys pop-up on there! Makes interacting, writing, and blogging in general more fun when I can connect with you all! Moving on...

1. There is no right way to do anything.
 Do what feels right, I intentionally didn't over research during my pregnancy because I did not want to feel inadequate. Sometimes I feel like when you get too many opinions from a bunch of different people you stop trusting your instincts and don't go with your gut on anything. You start re-thinking all of those articles you read when you were pregnant. No mom needs to feel inadequate, trust your gut!

2. I am now ambidextrous.
Guys, I swear. Being a mom is pretty cool sometimes. You figure out you have all these super powers you didn't know you were capable of doing, like buttering toast with your left hand while holding your babe in your right arm.

3. Life does not revolve around me anymore.
Not saying this in an obnoxious way, but seriously, things change big time. It is a major adjustment being a mom. Oh, you have to pee? TOUGH. Baby needs to eat. Oh, you're hungry? BUMMER. Baby just had a major diaper blow out. Something as simple as showering requires a baby swing/jumper, a few good toys, some music and a clear shower curtain. Not even a shower can be relaxing with a new baby because you are busy shaving your legs and singing songs to keep little one occupied long enough to rinse out your conditioner.

4. I have become VERY forgetful. 
I have a great memory. I can remember dates and birthdays and I am great at memorizing things. Someone please explain to me why I can't find my phone half the time or where I put my keys. I have found it is most likely because I am more concerned about Sophie the Giraffe making it into the diaper bag and because I am wondering if I grabbed enough diapers before heading out the door. Shortly after my girl was born I started finding my phone in weird places. Zack found it in the fridge one time and another time in my mom's dresser drawer at her house...you just lose it. Every mom will tell you there is no hope, forget you ever had a memory. If I am the only one than you guys are impressive and I bow down to you.

5. I respect and appreciate all moms.
There are a BAJILLION other things that I have learned as a new mom and continue to learn as a mom every single day. However, the most important thing I think I have learned is moms are amazing. All moms. I respect and love all moms. Their love for their babies is unconditional and raw. A mother's love is so real and beautiful. I am grateful that I get to experience a love like this. As exhausting as it is to have all of my thoughts consumed by thoughts of my baby girl...I am so in love with her I wouldn't want to think about anything else. I never really realized how much I put myself first until I had a baby, but it feels so natural to give up that selfish side. Some days being a mom is easy other days it is difficult and you break down crying, but every single second is so worth it. I have a deep respect for other moms and think we all need a pat on the back, or a really really long massage because my back is jacked up from breast feeding and I can't move when I wake up in the morning, anyone else with me?

Happy Mother's Day to all of you gorgeous mommies out there. Whether you are reading this and are pregnant, a new mom or a mom to many little munchkins, you are all doing your best and you are all superheroes. 

XO Sydney 

Chatbooks Review

I ordered my Chatbooks a little over a week ago, when they were going through a crazy time with a massive influx of orders...but they still came in the mail very quickly! 

I ordered mine from the app on my phone and it was super easy to use, very straight forward and simple.

You can choose the cover photos you want for each "Volume" I ordered 4 volumes, each with 60 pages of pictures back and front!

Here are a few shots from the inside of the Chatbooks!

& 

Unlike instagram they actually put the day, month and year the photo was posted on Instagram instead of saying "125 weeks ago" as if you remember that specific date...

You can edit your captions or keep them as their originals. I chose to just keep the original captions instead of going through and changing all of them because I figured it was part of the memory anyways!

Here is a picture of the side binding of each book. You get to create the title you want on each volume. I put "Zack & Sydney" as a way to connect it to my blog and because I use my instagram more than Zack does, the photos are both of our memories!

You can also do a custom book without using your instagram photos and you can visit their website on how to do that (I will link their website below). I know I will be doing one of my bump progression pictures, or just pictures of the belly throughout the whole pregnancy.

I cannot wait to add these little books onto my coffee table at our new place which we will be starting to move within a month or so. I cannot wait to set these books out on display. So much more personal than a random coffee table book. There is something I love about having photos tangible instead of on the computer or on the phone. I absolutely love these books.

Each volume contains 60 pages back and front of your photos and each volume costs 6 dollars. Not bad & definitely worth every penny!

You NEED to go visit their WEBSITE

Check out their INSTAGRAM

I am so happy I did this! I plan to do a lot more in the future!

xoxo Sydney

IPhone Photos From the Week

Here are just a few of the pictures I picked from my camera roll that we took this past week, these pictures aren't in any particular order:

Here are just a few of my polar watch after my workouts, some days I had to keep it lighter than others because of my back, this next week I should be feeling better and get back to some more intense workouts. For now, this is what I have to work with and it is better than nothing!

Here are a few pictures from a few of the walks we have gone on this week!

Taking the pup to the harbor.

A few shots on different days of the lookout point we often walk to.

Here are some of our sweet treats from this week!

Couple pictures of puppy love.

Watching Zack as he worked on my car.

Getting in my face at lunch.

Beach days! We have been fitting a lot of beach days into our week and it has been really relaxing!

Zack out in the water! Haha :)

After our Sunday beach day we came home, showered and went to a look out point for a picnic dinner. It was relaxing and there was pretty much no one there so we had the large grassy area to ourselves to hangout:)

And of course some decaf tea and a lil shot of baby, we love you little one!

I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing week! Now onto a new week, loving these summer days!

XOXO Sydney

21 Weeks Pregnant Picture

21 Weeks Pregnant Update

How far along: I am 21 weeks on the dot in the pictures!

Symptoms: My lower back pain has been easing up since the chiropractor and taking a few days off of working out; I haven't had heartburn until yesterday afternoon after eating so there's a new symptom; My boobs still feel heavy and my nipples still hurt every now and then; I haven't noticed much light headedness nor many headaches, so that's a plus; The biggest symptom is still the peeing every five seconds

Cravings: I have really been liking fruit still, I have already gone through almost two bags of grapes in a matter of days and they're huge bags so I am having fruit with every meal and for every snack. I am liking cherries right now and still any citrus!

Aversions: Any super greasy food isn't really doing it for me right now.

Wedding rings: On

Sleep: No naps, I was really tired the other morning after waking up so I went back to bed for about 15 more minutes. I have been having to get up about 2 times a night to go to the bathroom so my night sleep is often interrupted. Other than that I am just sleeping at night and no naps here!

Excited for: Watching her grow even more now. We are in her plumping up stages so I am excited to see our little chunky monkey next time we go into the doctor's office.

Missing: I am missing my normal workouts as always, bathing suits that fit, never thought I would say this...but I am missing my pre-pregnancy boobs, they were so much more manageable haha. I am missing not peeing 24/7. I get annoyed having to leave the house knowing that I will have to pee within the next ten minutes! But it is all funny and Zack and I laugh about it all so it hasn't been bad, just enjoying the ride!

 
Movement:  She loves to move when she hears music now. Whenever she hears music she has her own mini dance party in there. She loves to move when she hears Zack's voice and when I am hungry. I recently noticed she moves a lot when I eat anything sugary like fruit, which is expected with babies! She must have her momma's sugar loving taste buds. 

Dr. update: Still another 3 weeks away! 

Exercise: I had to take a few days off this week because of my back...I think I took off 1 or 2 days. The other days I kept it a much lighter, shorter walk and Zack came with because I wasn't able to hold the dog leash because sometimes Oak can be too strong and yank my back. However, yesterday I did do my normal hour or so long walk with Oak and got him all exhausted before Zack and I headed to the beach for the rest of the day. 

Stretch marks: No stretch marks on my back, belly or anywhere yet. There is a small chance I have a few new ones on my boobs, but it is hard to tell...they may be old. I am over analyzing everything haha!

Swelling: I haven't noticed any yet, other than after I workout or when it is really hot outside.

Maternity clothes: None yet!

Labor signs: Nope!

What I am loving: I am loving her movements, it makes waiting for the next ultrasound go by that much quicker because we can feel her with us all the time and we don't need the machine to prove to us there is something in there! Haha. Those first few months are hard because you know there is a little person in there, but you can't feel it...so I am really enjoying her movements even when she is kicking my bladder all day ;)

Best moment of this week: Zack was playing some song from his computer and all of a sudden she started bouncing off of the walls. My shirt was pulled up so it was just my bare belly and she was going crazy. Moving from one side of my belly to the other, it was funny just watching her do it and not only feeling her do it. We can see her move all of the time now and it is really entertaining. 

XOXO Sydney 

Snippets From This Week

Tuesday, my mom and I went to the LA shopping district to shop for clothes for her boutique. My back was bothering me pretty badly and we were starving all day, but it was fun and we enjoyed hanging out and we grabbed quite a few great pieces for her store. This is just a picture leaving the LA market and heading home after a long, long day. 

Wednesday, Zack and I had a mid-week date and went on a walk around the Dana Point harbor and got ice cream that we BOTH had been craving for about two months now! We love the bubblegum ice cream they have at the ice cream shop there so we figured we would cave this one day and go grab one and walk around. Of course we had our white furry child with us.

Thursday, Oak and I went on a nice morning walk like we typically do every morning. I had to take a break on Saturday this week because my back is in so much pain. I think it is from my workout shoes + the growing babe so my lower back is just kinda thrown off. I see a pregnancy chiropractor on Tuesday around noon. Hopefully that does the trick! However, it was a gorgeous morning! We have been having consistently great weather which means better workouts for me! 

Yesterday (Saturday), we went to the beach with our family from Utah, it was their last full day here. It went by so quickly and we all wanted to squeeze in one last beach day before they left. We had gone a few days during their visit and it has been so relaxing with such great beach days. Instead of going to a beach in San Clemente like we usually do and had originally wanted to do, we opted for a much less crowded Salt Creek in Dana Point. We got there early in the day and stayed until almost 7PM. It was gorgeous out and we were soaking up the last bit of beach sun with them before they head home to Utah this afternoon. 

I hope you all had a wonderful week with great people! Enjoy relaxing summer weekends, they are the best!

XOXO Sydney 

Get Fit Like Fido!

I've collaborated up with DogVacay, an online dog boarding community, to talk a little bit about staying fit and healthy and some tips and fun workout ideas to incorporate into your workout schedule or to just mix up your daily routine!

As I mention in just about every blog post...I love my pup, Oak, and I constantly work out with him.  Having a healthy and fit dog has been beneficial to myself, especially during this pregnancy because it helps motivate me to get out there and stay active. However, I do love circuit workouts and although my circuit workouts have been more sparse since being pregnant I do love to incorporate them into my workout schedule when I can. 

DogVacay came to me with this cute idea to share with all of my readers. They teamed up with Certified Fitness Trainer & Registered Yoga Instructor & dog-lover, Julia Chan to create a workout that benefits both yourself and your loving pup!

Below I have included the DogVacay's Get Fit Like Fido circuit workout for you and pup! I am a fan of circuit workouts myself.  I love circuits that incorporate squats, jump squats, burpees, push-ups, lunges and more for that all-over body workout. You will be sore everywhere after a circuit workout, but it is the best kind of workout in my opinion and also often the quickest! It is important to warm-up and cool down with any workout...even this one below.  Maybe just take the doggy friend on a walk around the block first to loosen up those muscles and get some blood flowing, that's my favorite warm-up at least. I am always ready for a circuit workout after I go on a walk with my dog. The time frame can range to fit your schedule too. You can warm-up and get your heart rate pumping or do a lighter walk and get some stretching time in too. Cooling down is just as important and the circuit workout provided by DogVacay's Fit Like Fido has a few ideas for you! Some of these moves include some yoga positions for those yogis out there. I know I will be making use of the yoga positions with being pregnant to strengthen my muscles instead of overworking my body on a daily basis. 

Anyways, I thought this was a really cute idea that was brought to me and I thought I had to share it with you guys! Even if you don't have a dog and you are one of my readers that loves to work out it might be fun to just try the circuit anyways, maybe it will help you get out of a workout rut. Circuit training always gives me more energy, however, I can't say the same for your dog. Your puppy will likely be ready to pass out for the day. 

Save this image to your phone, your computer or wherever and you have it with you on the go!

XOXO

Sydney