The big 55 (that's 55 lbs people)

Okay...this post may be a bit random and nonsensical at points because I'm very tired and just getting over a cold with a flu-like bite, but I'm going to soldier on so I hope you will to.

When I was pregnant with Henry, some normal panel of blood work that my OB did at 12 weeks revealed that I had thyroid problems. That made me feel a little better about the extra weight I had gained right from the start, so I was cool with it. My sweet OB said that most women with pregnancy related thyroid issues saw them disappear before they left the hospital with a baby in tow. Cool. Fine.

Skip ahead a few years. I knew that I was pregnant with Ash BECAUSE I gained 10 lbs before I could even take a pregnancy test. There was an incident with a prescription that had gluten for a filler (really lovely, every pregnant woman should experience wicked allergic reactions when they are still trying to keep food down) and I landed myself in my GP's office. My equally sweet GP looked at all of my blood work done in the last two years and realized that I probably had Hashimoto's disease, not fibromyalgia. Fine. Autoimmune diseases run amuck in my siblings and I was pregnant with my third child; in other words, I was too tired to really care.

Skip ahead to a month after Asher. I had lost five pounds of baby weight total. I hadn't even lost all of Asher's body weight at birth. Ridiculous. JL told me to be patient. I was patient. I went to my 12 week postpartum check, received my green light to exercise, and went at it. I was logging my food, wearing a pedometer, and going to Zumba/yoga five times a week. Two months later I had only lost another five pounds, making my total weight loss at five months postpartum ten pounds. I spent a night just crying in frustration. My body was in protest and I felt the extra weight in every step. I called my GP and scheduled an appointment.

(May 2013)

We adjusted the dose on my thyroid meds... A LOT. She also put me on a metabolism booster to help counter the effects of Hashimoto's on my body. I don't know how many people read this, or how many of you might have thyroid issues, so I'm going to let you in on a secret. If you have thyroid problems, thyroid meds don't make you lose weight. They just stop your body from gaining weight. They don't eliminate the exhaustion or the joint pain. Levothyroxin will just get your body to a balanced point. No matter how much you pound the pavement, losing weight will always be a one pound a month at best scenario. And of course, the lighter you are, the easier it is for your thyroid to function normally. I kid not, when my GP wrote the script she told me, "Most people react to this like a person on ritalin who doesn't have ADHD. For you? You'll probably feel like a normal person for the first time in years."

Holy moly. I did. After a few days, it was like a fog had been lifted from my life. I was happier. I didn't need ten hours of sleep to function on a basic level. My water weight dropped right off my body. I lost ten pounds in a week. Ten pounds of water weight! Every morning before I take my meds, I carry an extra 3-5 lbs of water weight. An hour after I take my meds, the swelling is gone and I can go about my business of being a mom.

Oh, and taking care of the other order that my GP gave me before I left her office: lose 100 lbs.

One hundred pounds is a pretty daunting number when you think about it all at once. That is more than the combined weight of all of my boys. I was pretty sure she was slipping into a crazy place for a moment, but she explained that she wanted me to do my best to get my body fat percentage down to 18%. That put me down 100lbs from where I was when I walked into the hospital to deliver Asher. She wanted me to do it in a year. Totally healthy and feasible. I hit the gym and got back to work.

Now to the point of this whole post: I am officially over the halfway mark. This week I hit my 55 lbs marker! I have 45 lbs to lose in the next five and a half months and I know that I can do it!

(September 2013)

JL has been the most supportive husband through all of this. He cheers me on and pushes me out the door to get to the gym. He fixed the jogging stroller so now I'm that lady walking the trail pushing 60lbs of todder and carrying 20lbs of baby on my back most mornings. He's given up a lot of his favorite foods, and even has a goal to lose 25 lbs before his brother's wedding at the end of the year. That's true love people.

recovery 101

I am probably putting a jinx on my house by saying this, but we are all finally better. By better, I of course mean that JL and I are still functioning at about 85% but the boys are back at full strength and back to their usual chaotic selves.

I have to admit, recovery from a third baby is really doing a number on me. At 6 weeks out I still have 30 lbs of baby weight to lose and am definitely still being stylish in maternity pants. Also, Asher added about two dozen new stretch marks to my body and my skin itches in a diseased way now that they are starting to heal. With the other boys, I got maybe 6 stretch marks total and at 3 weeks out was back into my normal clothing and almost back at my pre-pregnancy weight. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the fact that Asher is 100% on formula due to some non-existent weight gain in the beginning of his life. I also know that third babies are much harder to recover from. The nurses in the hospital all told me that their third was their worst.  I really feel like pregnancy and labor should get easier the more you go through it, not harder. But let me tell you, those labor pains were no joke this time around. Pain meds? Yes please!

With this last pregnancy, I also enjoyed the separation of my abdominal muscles. After labor, I felt great, I wanted to moved around and accomplish wonderful things, but my body wouldn't even begin to let me. It took almost a month before my muscles reacquainted themselves. I spent the entire time feeling like a cripple.  The slightest thing would put me down. My prayers developed a recurring theme: "Heavenly Father I'm so grateful for my comfortable couch, I just don't want to sit on it anymore!"

Now that my complaining is done with, let me just say what an absolute joy Asher is to have around. I love seeing how similar and different the boys are right from the beginning and that journey has been really delightful this time around. Like Henry, Asher is extremely mellow. If he continues his current world views, then he will be my most mellow guy. He loves mirrors. He loves to give the baby in the mirror dirty looks. Something along the lines of, "I don't know who you are baby, but that's my Mom/Dad so you best get to stepping." He really really hates the cold. He also really hates laying on flat surfaces. He really only screams when we change his diaper, but good golly gee whiz, you'd think we were murdering him. How dare we give him a clean diaper?!?! Asher is also my loudest sleeper. He grunts and squeaks all night long. JL and I have almost gotten used to the added noise in our bedroom. Almost. Sometimes I'll hop out of bed to help him only to discover he's having some awesome dream that involves barking like a dog at someone. He loves nightgowns and hates real clothes. By real clothes, I'm talking about sleep and plays. Or really anything with legs. He has a real knack at only pooping when JL is at work. This morning at 3:30 he finally pooped with JL around and you better believe I did not change that diaper.

I saved the best for last. Asher can fall asleep anywhere. Absolutely anywhere. For example, in this picture he is asleep and using my shin as a pillow. Because that is totally comfortable.  In general he is just a happy little guy. I feel so blessed to be his mother.

Welcome to the world Asher Lynn

I had a whole clever introduction to Asher post planned, but the little guy got RSV and now things in this house are a little crazy. He is also looking extremely sick with his tiny red rimmed eyes, so this picture is going to have to do.

Even sick, he's the sweetest of my boys. He only cries when he's hungry, stuck with a needle (shots), or - as we found out today - bothered by a tube inserted down his nostrils.

And my favorite Asher feature is not pictured. He has tiny duck tail curls all over the back of his head that look just like JL's curls when they are coming in after a good buzz cut. Maybe third son was the charm?

Either way, we adore him and I'll tell you why after we've gotten him over the worst of the RSV.

I think we'll keep them

Last night we cashed in our Christmas present from Belle and went on our last pre-baby date. We saw a quirky play at Hale Theater and grabbed a late bite at Olive Garden before coming home to our two favorite guys passed out asleep. 

haircut proof

Walter kept making a face until 3 and letting it go right as the picture snapped. After four months, we finally convinced Walter to let me cut his hair with scissors and a comb. The comb was a very integral part of our deal. An hour later he looked pretty snazzy and completely ready for his first day in Primary on Sunday. I'm hopeful that a week of growth will hide all of my Mom mistakes. *fingers crossed*

On a completely different note, it was 1 degree here today. Disgusting. Why don't we all hibernate?!

brothers

Sometimes JL walks in from bath time and throws his phone at me. Last night, this is what I caught:

One of them had just been hit. Bet you can't tell which one.... Hint: it's not the little guy smiling. Little loves of my life.

Happy 2013!

Another year is upon us and I still do not have a baby to show for the last nine months of effort! The past week has been interesting, to say the least, and we definitely thought that we were going to have him for a day or two there....but alas, no such luck. I did walk away from the experience with a shot of morphine and I hear that nothing is more comical than a high pregnant woman. I'm always glad to provide free entertainment to JL, my parents, and my in-laws.

As a result of the morphine, the boys ended out their year down south at their Grammy's house and we happily welcomed them back home just in time to throw in our own New Year's Eve festivities before putting them to bed! JL and I rang in the year snuggling on the couch and watching movies. In our (almost) four years of marriage, this was our first night staying up till midnight. I had to have a second dinner of sliced tomatoes and pita bread to keep our energy, but it was worth it for a little alone time with JL before baby boy comes!

We have exactly one week until that baby gets here! I cannot believe how time flies! I'm so glad that I got everything done early on, because I am barely moving through the basic routine these days. I don't know how women deal with bloating and giant bellies during every pregnancy. This is our third time around this track, and for the first time I am retaining water and cannot touch my toes! The one plus side to my inverted uterus is that I typically stay small until the end, but not this time! I have a dozen new stretch marks, or "tiger stripes" as JL calls them, to show for this little guy. The irony is that on the ultrasounds he is measuring out to be my smallest baby! My OB told me at my last appointment that we'll be lucky if he's 7lbs by our induction date. All I could think was, good gravy, what if this baby had even been average size? I would have had to have been rolled around like the blueberry girl from Willy Wonka.

[Special props go to my dear friend and old roommate Lex who is currently pregnant with twin girls. If you can't tell by the above paragraph, there is a reason why Heavenly Father has never put two babies in me at once!]

But, griping aside, we were extremely blessed this past year! I know that Heavenly Father has been keeping a close eye on us and I know that this next year will be even more amazing with our little addition!