Not sure what I am talking about, here are some examples:

Breastfeeding v. Formula Feeding: 

I personally breastfed my child for about 14 months because that is what worked for us. I was VERY blessed that it wasn’t a physical or mental challenge for me or Elliot, and my schedule allowed this to work. Honestly, we did try forumla for a few feeding because pumping was very unproductive for me, but she ended up being allergic to the formula we tried and then rejected all others – so that just didn’t work for us, we had to find another solution, so we did. Where is the war in this? Some mamas who breastfeed look at mom’s who use forumla and immediately apply the labels “selfish and lazy.” They utter things like “why can’t she just get over herself and do what is best for her baby” without ever really knowing the full scope of the situation. How are you to know if she struggles from severe PPD and needs to be on medication that is not safe for breastfeeding so she can simply function to care for her child? Or what if her baby couldn’t physically latch on to nurse? As a bystander, there is NO way for you to know what led that mom to make the choice she is making, so is there really room for judgement? As a new mom you are told “breast is best” – even the forumla companies say that, but you know what, breastfeeding does not work for all moms, AND (GASP!!!!!) there are some moms who might simply choose to go the formula route because that is what WORKS for their family….oh the HORROR of making a choice for your family! Does that make them selfish? I don’t think so. That’s a pretty harsh statement to someone who is working really hard to feed and care for their baby, just maybe in a way that you wouldn’t for your child. I’ve even heard women say “well, she shouldn’t have even had children if she can’t make sacrifices for them and is so selfish she can’t even breastfeed.” OMG….for real? Makes me scared to know what people are saying about choices I made for my babies if someone shouldn’t have kids because they chose a different feeding method.

What is the point of this? How does the choice that I am making for MY child affect you? Why should it bother someone so much if they see a baby being fed a bottle? I actually had a friend tell me the other day she was ashamed to pull a bottle out for her baby because she felt like people were judging her. Seriously? That is ridiculous that we as moms do that to one another. Why blast women on Facebook or try to give them a bunch of unsolicited advice for their choices for their children? This isn’t a war, why make it one? Make the choice for your family, be confident in that and don’t judge others for that choice.

Co-sleeping v. Crib Sleeping

Ahhh….another hot topic! If you aren’t familiar, co-sleeping is a method of keeping your baby in your room/attached to your bed/in your bed (there are several methods), and crib sleeping is pretty obvious…haha! It’s so funny to be that these are issues of the mommy wars. Co-sleepers will tell you that your baby is safer and less likely to die of SIDS, crib sleepers will tell you that their way is safer because there is no risk of rolling over the baby, suffocating them, etc.

In our house we have been crib sleepers since day 1 and plan to do so with the second baby. We made this decision for several reasons (1) Chris is a light sleeper and is woken up very easily by noises; (2) I am an INCREDIBLY heavy sleeper and worried about having a baby in my bed; (3) we really wanted to keep our room “ours” and have our kids have their rooms – for me personally it wasn’t a big inconvenience to walk to Elliot’s room in the middle of the night to feed her (our house is very small) – this is what worked for our family so that is the choice we made. I can’t really say much about co-sleeping because it’s not something I have any experience with, but  I know there are lots of mamas that do co-sleep and it is what works for them, so…..great!

This is another one of those issues that I don’t understand turning into a debate. How does my sleeping arrangement have any affect on you or your children? Does it make me a bad mom because I choose to put my kid in her crib? I don’t think so. Does it make her “unattached” to me? Not that I have seen. So, why try to argue with me over something that is working for my family? Does where my child sleeps affect you or your child/family? I don’t think so, so let’s move on!

I could go on and on with examples, but there’s no point. Breasfeeding, forumla feeding, co-sleeping or not, cry-it-out, sleep training, Montessori, baby led weaning or spoon feeding, staying home with your kids or being a full-time working mom…. I could truly keep this list going, but are any of these choices others are making for their kids going to directly affect you? I don’t think so. (I’d love examples if you do think they will!) So….let it go!

So what IS the point of this post? Moms, let’s end these wars. It’s not worth our time or energy to judge other mom’s who are making the choices they are making for THEIR family. Don’t you find it exhausting to live to please others? I know I do. I have worked really hard the past few years to make my decisions for our family and not care about what others think and wow…it is so, so freeing! And can you imagine being on the other side of your criticism? What if someone came up to you blasting you about being selfish, or self-centered, or whatever – how would that make you feel? I don’t know about you, but as a mom I want to raise my children to love others, show Christ’s love to others and not live in judgement, and they will only learn that by example. It’s in our nature to be self-centered, so let’s work against that and support other moms (well, really all people!) instead of beating them down with our words (or thoughts!) – to their faces AND behind their backs. Be confident in YOUR choices for your family and MOVE on…let other mama’s do their thing for theirs!

And before you speak – to someone or about someone, try thinking to yourself: is it kind? is it necessary? is it true?

Let’s end these Mommy Wars….I am SICK of em!!!

Here is my REAL life, not my Facebook/Instagram “perfect” life:

This is what my daughter’s closet has looked like for 19 months. Yep….19 months. I never got it organized before she was born, and never did it after either! However, since I took this picture I did actually tackle this project! (proud!!!!) The picture made me realize how bad it really was…ha!! I am actually excited about having it cleaned out because I moved a bunch of toys and books into her closet which freed up space elsewhere!

These are our “black out” curtains in Elliot’s room. We actually HAVE a set of blackout shades, but it has been sitting in the closet (see above) for over a year now. We prefer the “meth lab” look around here with crumpled foil to keep out the sun.

The organized toy corner in Elliot’s room.

Our guest room and soon to be nursery #2. As you can see, we are totally ready for a guest to drop in and definitely ready for this baby to be born! Let’s just say the door currently stays closed on this room 100% of the time. Funny that at this point in my pregnancy with Elliot her room was close to finished! Sorry Baby #2…still gotta get movin’ on your room!

View #2 of guest room/workout room/baby room. And as you can see, the pack n’ play is filed with a bunch of stuff I need to find a home for, but the pack n’ play seemed to be a logical place to store it all for  now.

And last, this is me writing this blog post! I haven’t showered yet today (still gotta workout), have on no makeup and a hat!

So…that is my REAL life, not my “Facebook life”!

I thought this post would be funny because there are several things I said I would NEVER do, and am quickly learning I should probably stop saying that about anything! So, here is my list of things I said “NEVER would I EVER” to:

1. I would NEVER be a stay-at-home-mom. Annnnnnd, foot in mouth! Refer to my previous posts as that is now my reality. I was so scared being a SAHM would be boring, but I have to say I truly tell Chris everyday “how did I ever have time to work on top of all of this?!”

2. I would NEVER have my kids toys take over the main part of my house.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B: the “parking lot” for walkers and ride-on toys

Exhibit C: her chair. This usually lives in the corner at night and when we have people over, but during the day it sits right in the middle of the living room!

We live in the city and have a very small house – which means we don’t have a playroom. I am not really sure where I thought her toys were going to go, but some of them have definitely “taken over” our main area, and honestly, I am ok with that! She has toys in her room, but she also needs things to do in the main area when I am cooking, cleaning, doing email, etc – I like to be able to keep my eye on her which ::GASP:: means I have to have TOYS in my living room!!! We do try really, really hard not to keep a lot of toys in the house as we just don’t have the space, so what you see here is pretty much it, other than some books and a few other toys in her room!

3. I would NEVER have those stupid magnet letters take over my kitchen appliances!

TA -DA!! See image: stupid magnetic letters. I did draw the line at putting them on my fridge as that was the first thing you saw when you walked in my front door (told ya my house was small!!), so the dishwasher is a great compromise! She loved these letters and they are a distraction when she is hanging on our legs as we try to make dinner.

Those are just a *few* examples I thought of as I was looking around my house this morning, and I have to say, I am so glad I was wrong on every single one of those statements! I love that our home feels like a HOME (although, I gotta be careful it doesn’t get cluttered) and that kids can feel comfortable to come in and play without fear of breaking something….and so their parents can feel comfortable. Our life is so, so full of blessings, and I am SO glad I was wrong!

So, what did you say “NEVER would I EVER” to that has become a reality in your life?

Monday: this was a little different! Our yard is getting a makeover right now (yay!) and we needed to get out of the house for the entire day AND night since they were demolishing our driveway, etc and repouring it. We headed up to my mom and dad’s for some shopping (maternity clothes for me, spring clothes for E!), lunch, and just played up there. It was SO nice to enjoy the afternoon and not feel like I needed to check my email 5 million times or that I was getting behind!

Tuesday: We stayed at my mom’s until late-morning then headed home, got a workout in, cleaned the house, did laundry, showered, did some Beachbody work, and went to the grocery store!

Wednesday: went to the gym in the morning, came home for lunch and chores, early nap for E on that day – she was a GRUMP!!!, met my sister and her kids at the zoo and went to dinner with them, came home and watched a webinar and caught up with some of my team of coaches and customers!

Thursday: school day for E! I had a doctor’s appointment which took FOREVER, but it was SO AWESOME to be able to run errands after my appointment before I picked her up – I was practically skipping through Target! Squeezed in a workout during her nap and wrapped up some business items for my Beachbody business (officially an LLC now…yay!), finished cleaning the house and then had guests for dinner.

Friday: this is usually “daddy day,” but we had a big day planned! We met my dad and niece/nephews at Legoland, then we went to lunch. Headed home for a nap (that was ruined by noisy yard workers), then Chris and E headed on a walk while I actually took a nap (hello, awesome), then headed out to meet friends for dinner.

It was such a busy and fun week! I know all weeks won’t be filled with activities like last week, but I am thankful for that because I need time to get stuff DONE before this baby comes!

So, that’s a glimpse into my first official week as a stay-at-home-mom! This week I have big plans of cleaning out the guest room to start on the nursery and work on E’s closet so we can move some toys into her room…but I can already see time slipping away!

This blog post has been a long time coming…and I have re-written it 6 times now!  I have been excited to share this new journey for our family, but the time hasn’t been right, so I am so happy that now it is. Before Elliot was born I swore I would never be a stay-at-home-mom. I said I could do it all and that staying home was boring and not something I was interested in any way, shape, or form. I wanted my daughter to grow up seeing a mom who could do it all, juggle a full time career, owning a business (2 actually!), a strong business woman, and still doing all of the fun mom things, easy right?! As soon as Elliot was born I jumped back into work – I didn’t really take a real maternity leave. Mind you, I love my job and loved what I was doing (and am excited that as owner of such an amazing company I still get to be a part of it!!!), so responding to emails from the hospital bed and working during her naps was what I wanted to do…I also realize (now) that I was absolutely trying to prove to myself (and everyone around me) that I COULD in fact “do it all. ” It just seemed natural to try to get back into the normal swing of things as quickly as possible, then back in August I wrote a “day in the life” post proving yet again how together I have everything and that I could do it all…my goodness, that is so, so not the case. If only you could see my guest room and bedroom right now. :/

But here’s the part I haven’t been so open about. Since Elliot was about 6 month olds I have had this deep longing inside of me to be able to focus my time and attention on her and really wanting to have TIME for her. For my birthday by sister gave me a wooden sign for my house with Nehemiah 6:3 on it – that verse says “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down.” (read a blog post on that here) This sign sits in my office and I look at it probably hundreds of times a day, and for awhile there was a quiet stirring in my heart that I was not living this verse how the Lord was calling me to. There have been so many days that Elliot has come up to me with a book asking me to read to her and I say (to a 17 month old!) that I am too busy and mama is working, yes, I am am HOME with her, but I am rarely present…and I feel like I am doing nothing well – from parenting, work, marriage, church planting – everything is getting a tired, worn out, stretched-too-thin version of me, and that’s not fair to anyone! I am so thankful that my job has allowed me to be home and not have to have a full time nanny or put her in full-time daycare, but I am still not here…I’m not sure if that makes any sense to you, but it sure does to me!

The Lord has been stirring and stirring in my heart since Elliot was born – showing me that this is what He is calling me to, and I simply didn’t want to hear it. As the months progressed I realized more and more this was the decision I needed to make – but I was SO scared. How would we do it financially? Am I going to be SO bored? What will I DO all day? So many questions and doubts rolled through my mind. I constantly had it as a prayer request and one day a friend (and mentor) of mind said quite simply: “Leah, would you rather act now in obedience to God’s call on your life, or would you rather face his discipline for not listening?” ummmm…I take option 1 please!!! Chris and I had always said I would likely quit working once our 2nd child came along, but it seemed like God was telling me NOW is the time – even though there was just 1 child in the picture. So after a lot (more) conversations with Chris (of which he always said it would be totally fine whatever I decided), I officially made the decision to resign….and the next day (no joke!!!) I found out I was pregnant. I love that God so clearly honored and confirmed the act of obedience I was so scared to make with that positive pregnancy test!

So here we are about 4 months after making that decision and I am officially a “stay-at-home-mom”…whoa! We have been working with a financial counselor to get our finances in order and I have spent a little more time focusing on a business I have pushed to the side for the past 4 years (I am a coach with the company Beachbody) that provides in amazing ways for our family without a lot of time away from them. I am SO thankful that the Lord has allowed that business to thrive and flourish and provide financially in ways I could have NEVER imagined. I remember setting a goal for myself when I first started this business: “I want to be able to stay home with my kids and be active and present in their lives.” welp…check that off the goal list!

So we move forward. I have officially left my full time position and am now my own boss (yikes) and a stay at home mom….that is so weird! I am SO thrilled that I still get to play an active role in the strategic growth at (once like a spark) and have my hands in the amazing things happening there (thank you for not kicking me out completely, girls!! ), but it’s just going to look a little bit different than it has for the past 4 (amazing, incredible, growing) years.

Here we go….on to new adventures! I am excited, thrilled…and terrified! Stay tuned for (hopefully) a lot more posts from me in the coming months!

• she started walking right about 12.5/13 months and now she RUNS everywhere she goes
• she LOVES the park, but forget the baby slides and playset, she has to play on the big kid slide! There is one HUGE slide at our park that I thought would terrify her, but she walked right up and went all the way down on her down – it was kind of hilarious because she is so little!
• she goes to preschool 2 mornings a week and has been doing really well. She struggled with separation anxiety for the first few months, but now she just walks right in and says “bye bye!”
• speaking of words, she is a talker (shocking, I know), her vocab includes: mama, dada, Jack, bad dog (hahaha!), sit, eat, go, slide, outside, kids, paci, baby, night night, bath, cheese, grapes, yogurt, juice, water, shoes, socks, more, please, ouch, bite, no way!, see ya!, Yaya, Papa, eyes…that’s all I can think of right now!
• she is a great eater and will eat *most* things you put in front of her, but then she has days she won’t eat anything, so, she’s very much a toddler in that sense!
• she LOVES to play outside and will stand at the front door saying “outside?” until you give in to her cuteness
• she is incredibly busy. If you leave her alone to play for 5 minutes it looks like a tornado has ripped through our house. Exhibit A: this happened in about 2 minutes:

• she really loves working on “projects.” I felt like she was getting bored of playing with toys, so I did some quick searches for young toddler activities. Her 2 current favorites are putting pipe cleaners in the holes of a colander, and playing with pom poms and containers. These activities can keep her busy anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour…which is a WIN in toddler world! 

• she *loves* her baby – she says “beebee” and calls her “my beebee.” She pushes her in a stroller, puts her night night, gives her bottles…she is a little mommy which amazes me because it’s all stuff she picked up on her own. I love watching her play!
• she is a great helper! Her cleaning up may not be how *I* would clean up, but if I ask her to clean up, she does. She hums a little song while she does it which makes me wonder if they sing while they clean at school.
• she is great at independent play, but loves when people sit and play with her. If she wants you to play with her she will say “sit mama?” (or dada, or yaya, etc) over and over and over and over until you sit and play with her.
• she loves Jack, our dog…bummer. She cracks up laughing when Chris plays with him and absolutely loves to throw toys for him – and then take them from him and run away saying “mine!”

I am sure there is so much more I could say, but I can’t think of anything else right now! She is such a fun, sweet baby, even though we have our challenging toddler days too! She is going to be a GREAT big sister and I can’t wait to see her in action!

And now…more pics!

a day at the aquarium…..

checking out the fish!

I have been hesitant to write this post because I know some people get totally weirded out by nursing (whatevs!!), but when I was pregnant I read Sherry from Young House Love’s nursing story and I was so, so encouraged by it, so I thought I would share mine too in case there are any other new or expectant mama’s out there who read my blog! I think so often we read the horror stories of nursing (other blogs, Baby Center Message Boards, etc), I thought it would be good to share a positive experience with nursing…so,here we go!! I can’t say enough how thankful I am that nursing worked out for us and my heart breaks for the women who battle with feelings of failure because breastfeeding did not work out for them. I want to say, just because I nursed I have *no* issues with forumla feeding, by choice or because nursing didn’t work out for you  - everyone is just trying to feed their baby!! (ahem…this is your last warning to stop reading if you don’t want to hear about this!)

I went into my nursing journey with Elliot with high expectations. My sister had successfully nursed 3 kids, my mom did the same, and I felt like I was (somewhat) educated to make this a successful journey for Elliot and I. Things started out GREAT as I had an incredible nurse in the first few hours with Elliot who helped me figure out latch, getting her positioned, what it should feel like, etc – I was so, so thankful to have her assigned to me (I wish I knew her name!!) as I think without her I would have been extremely flustered and frustrated. Elliot seemed to be nursing like a champ and I was thrilled with our progress….until the 2nd night in the hospital. In the middle of the night the night nurse came in and flipped the lights on, rolled our brand new (crying) baby in and sternly said “if you don’t give this baby formula she is going to end up in the ER.” Uhhhhhh….PANIC ALERT TO A NEW MOM!!!!!!! Seriously, I had been in a dead sleep and that is what I woke up to. As a new, very tired mom, I asked her what my options were and she said I needed to give her formula immediately if I didn’t want her to end up there…um, seriously?! So, I did what I was told – Chris gave her the amount of forumla she told us (I think it was .25 of an oz) AFTER she nursed for 30 minutes – we did this for 2 feedings.

The next morning we were able to see the lactation consultant and needless to say she was ANGRY at the nurses proclamation in the middle of the night! E had lost some weight (normal!) but nothing she (or the pediatrician) were concerned about, so the LC advised to stick to our original plan (only nursing) and get our girl on track with her weight gain! So we packed up (the ridiculous amount of stuff we had…) and headed home, which is where the journey really begins.

Elliot was an EXTREMELY slow nurser for about 6 months – for the first 3 months it would take her about 45 minutes to eat (seriously…I watched a lot of TV, read A LOT of blogs, and looked at a lot of Facebook statuses during that time….). Those first 6 weeks were like having a tiny piraña attached to my body – the first minute of so of each feeding was SO painful!! At week 5 I called a local lactation consultant and went in for a consultation - at that visit I found out 2 things 1) her latch was all wrong and 2) my girl could PACK IT IN! (she took 4.5 oz in a feeding which apparently was CRAZY for a baby her age!) That 90 minute visit was the best time and money I spent in my entire pregnancy/labor…seriously. She was able to help me fix her latch and continue on without any pain ever again (phew!!!) and gave me so much confidence as a new mom that I was doing it “right,” which is just what I needed! At around 10 weeks she started sleeping 10-12 hours (we do not co-sleep and she just started sleeping through on her own without waking up), and I am so, so thankful my supply adjusted on it’s own and didn’t cause any issues for us. We also gave her her first bottle at around 2 weeks (when I got mastitis…yeeeeouch!!!) and she took to that like a champ too – which I am SO thankful for, I gotta say, I feel for the mama’s whose babies don’t take bottles.

Around 6 months we dropped down from a 2.5-3 hour schedule to a 4 hour schedule and I felt like my world opened up! It was SO much easier to leave the house (I was not very good or comfortable at nursing in public!) and we were really down to nursing when she woke up, down for naps (2 of them!) and at bedtime…I loved it! I did nurse “on demand” (somewhat….), so there were days she would nurse a few extra times (if she was sick or having a bad day especially!), but since we followed a pretty regular schedule, her nursing just followed suit. This worked perfectly for us as it was just so much easier to plan our days! A lot of people think that if you follow a schedule you aren’t nursing on demand, but if she ever wanted to nurse, I let her…however, it was rare she ever wanted to nurse outside of wake up, naps and bed, which worked great for us!

We did have one “big” hiccup in this story….Chris and I had a trip planned in August of this year. Her pediatrician did not feel comfortable with us introducing milk yet (she was only 10 mos!), so the plan was to introduce formula to her since I didn’t have enough stored up in the freezer from pumping (my body did not love the pump). Welllll…after 2 or 3 times of giving her forumla we realized she was allergic to it (hives, horrible stomach issues, etc) and then started flat out REFUSING the bottle. After doing some research (and Elliot refusing any other kinds of forumla), I started freaking out that we would have to (a) cancel our trip or (b) bring her with us, until I talked to some other mamas and they suggested donated milk. This was a life saver. I contacted Human Milk for Human Babies and connected with some amazing local moms in the area who had an abundance of supply in their freezers and they graciously donated it to us and seriously saved the day. It took me awhile to not be weirded out by all of that, but then I realized….we drink cows milk and goats milk, that is WAY weirder than giving a HUMAN baby another human’s milk! So, it may freak you out, but…I don’t really care! It worked for us and I am so, so thankful for the women who helped us out.

Around 11 months I started the “Weaning” process and dropped the morning feeding. I always nursed E before going to sleep, but never nursed her TO sleep, which I think made this process a lot easier. So when we dropped that first nap feeding, it really wasn’t an issue! (in fact, she doesn’t even want to be rocked before naps or bed anymore, my girl LOVES to sleep – she just points at her crib until you put her in there!) We had pretty much gotten down to dropping all feedings except the morning one (which she refused to drop!!) …and then we hit a speed bump.

Elliot had chronic ear infections starting in July and in early October we were referred to an ENT and recommended to get tubes. We decided to move forward with the surgery (SOOOO thankful we did), but this put us back to nursing 4 times a day for about a month while she fought ear infections and then recovered from the surgery (she got a virus right after the surgery as well). So after her surgery we started the weaning process again! This time it was much easier and it took us about 2 weeks to completely wean. The hardest one to drop was actually the morning feeding – we had to have Chris get her (without her seeing me before she started her breakfast) or she would absolutely LOSE IT as soon as she saw me if she wasn’t eating yet and I would have to nurse her….hahaha! Thankfully that only lasted about 2-3 days though. I am SO thankful that this was such an easy process for her….no crying or staying up for endless hours, it was a seamless transition (I credit this to not nursing her to sleep!!). When we finally dropped the night feedings I had Chris put her to bed for 2-3 nights just so she didn’t expect to be nursed and after that she was all set!

The only other challenge we have is Elliot will not drink ANY kind of milk. We have tried almond (all kinds!!), goat, cows and coconut and she flat out refuses is. Thankfully she eats a super balanced diet, so we just have to be creative about getting calcium and vitamin D into her since she won’t drink anything other than water. Little stinker!

So that’s our (long!) breastfeeding journey. I am so, so thankful that we were able to have a successful nursing relationship for 14 months and I know that it is not an easy (or possible) journey for some mom’s so I don’t take our success for granted. If you are a new or expectant mom I really hope you consider nursing, and if you start and hit speedbumps, PLEASE contact a lactation consultant, they will really be able to troubleshoot and equip you with tools to succeed!!

First of all, I want to tell you what the reset is NOT

• It is NOT a starvation diet – you eat 3 meals a day AND a snack
• It is not a crazy cleanse (like the Master Cleanse, etc where you drink a crazy concoction all day instead of eating…that is bad news, folks!)
• It is not a quick fix – yes, you will see killer weight loss results, but if you go right back to your old habits you WILL gain it all back!
• It is not a laxative or diet pill – yes, you will take supplements, but they are to enhance your body and not harmful in ANY way

What does it consist of?

The Reset comes with a VERY detailed instruction manual/book that lays out exactly what each supplement is, a detailed meal plan for each day, shopping lists, supplements, and access to support groups. As I said above, you will eat 3 meals and 1 snack every day…this is not about starvation! The first week you will work on eliminating meal, dairy, eggs and all animal byproducts from your diet, while weeks 2 and 3 are strictly vegan. Yes, it is a restricted diet (in the sense that it’s likely quite different than your normal diet!), but I’m telling you, I have NEVER felt better in my life!

Is it hard to stick to?

That’s a hard one to answer! For me it was not hard – I looked at the purchase of it as an investment and I wanted to make it worth it. I also kept reminding myself that it is only 21-days and I can do anything for 21-days…especially for something with such long term results! So really, if you are ready for a change and want to see some serious results in the health and state of your body, then I would say the results will keep you motivated to stick to it!

What kind of results did I see?

• the 3rd day I could FEEL my sinuses and ears draining – that was an odd sensation. I think it was from eliminating dairy from my diet.
• My sleep was more restful. Mind you, I am an EXCELLENT sleeper, but I always woke up feeling TIRED, even after 10 hours of sleep! During (and after the reset) I have been waking up feeling rested and not feeling like I have to drag myself out of bed.
• I had been experiencing some pain in my knee and hips for a few months and (as crazy as it sounds), I haven’t experienced those aches in my joints that I had been feeling.
• Increased energy – I don’t feel like I need caffeine to get myself going in the morning
• And last, I lost 14 pounds in the 21-day reset. I have been off of the program for about a month now and I have gained 4 of those back (which I expected!), but I feel like I am able to maintain this new weight and am LOVING how I feel with that extra weight off of my body and the extra “fluff” I felt like I couldn’t shake from pregnancy! And…bonus! I am 10 lbs lighter than I have ever been in my adult life!

First, throw as much spinach as you want into a bowl. Then chop up a plain baked sweet potato (I put mine in the freezer after I pulled it out of the oven to cool it down!) then dump 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa on it…easy as that. Now..the dressing, oh the dressing!!!

Creamy Garlic Dressing:

• 1/2 cup EVOO
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3-5 cloves of crushed garlic (I recommend closer to 3…or else get a breath mint!)
• 3 TB. Fresh Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp. himalayan salt
• 1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 TB. Agave Nectar or Honey

Place all ingredients in blender and blend on medium for 30 seconds or until well mixed. Makes 8-10 servings.

Put a TOUCH of dressing on the salad and toss it all together…seriously, amazing…and I don’t even like quinoa!

Elliot, at one year you:

• stand up on your own without holding onto anything! You are so, so proud every time you do it!

• You took your first steps! You are up to about 10 at a time before your fall, but you usually get right back up and try again. I have a feeling one day soon you will just take off!
• are saying more and more words. Right now you say: mama, dada, baby (you love your baby doll!), more, mum mum…and I am sure you say more than that and I just don’t know you are saying them yet.
• make funny animal sounds. You can do: dog (even though you cough instead of bark thanks to Jack!), cat, cow and duck.
• know where your head and belly are! You also know that when I say “hat” it goes on someone’s head!
• do NOT like ANYTHING other than water or nursing. I have tried to give you cows milk, almond milk, coconut milk and juice and you spit all of them out. Now you are even refusing bottles, sooo…still trying to figure out what to do with that one.
• started preschool a few weeks ago! You are going 2 mornings a week and so far you are loving it!
• loooooove your daddy! You love to give him kisses, especially in the morning when I take you into our room and he is still trying to sleep.

• love babies! Any time we see a baby you just point at them and say “more” and “please” …and if you get anywhere close to them you just try to cover them with kisses!
• speaking of kisses, you love to give kisses and blow kisses, and it’s the cutest thing in the entire world. You lean in close and go “ma!” – and you love for us to give you kisses too. You just lean your lead in close until we get the hint and give you a kiss!
• do not like going to the chiropractor…but it’s so good for you!
• have had 5 ear infections in 4 months and it makes me feel so sad for you. One time we had to take you to the hospital because your fever was so high.
• you had your first taste of cake (vegan and gluten free!) and well…you loved it!

and here’s some super cute pictures from your birthday….

Elliot, you have brought so much joy and love into our lives. I can’t even begin to express the amount of love your daddy and I have for you. People always told me the love you have for your children is something unexplainable, and that is such a true statement. Watching you learn and grow is such an honor, and I can’t believe I have the honor of being your mom. I pray daily that you will grow into a woman who passionately pursues the Lord, and I pray that I can model that for you. I cherish every single moment I have with you and look forward to kissing your sweet face every morning when you wake up. You are the sweetest little girl, and I am so excited to continue watching you grow up.

I love you!

Mama