"I work out"...well, I used to

Good morning everyone! I have just been thinking recently that I need to make some changes in the way I eat and in the amount of time I spend "working out". I follow several girls on Instagram that are pretty inspiring, sharing their crazy diets and WODs. I am always like,"I can't do that, I have a baby" and "there's no way I could be that strict," so I normally just pass by them and think momentarily about the beautiful bikini bod I could have if I put in the effort then the next picture is usually a bow that would look adorbs on Georgia or something creative like a DIY project and my bikini bod in my head goes away.  Well, this morning one of the fitness bloggers wrote something to the effect of, "big, small, thin, fat, everyone has opinions but the most important opinion is that of yourself. If you are happy the way you are, the just be happy! Don't worry about what others have to say!"  That is not a direct quote, I definitely made it my own because I can't remember what day it is, much less a quote hah. But anyways, it got me thinking. The thing is, I am happy with the way I look, I do feel that I have a nice shape and that I look pretty good for having a baby 3 months ago. Although, I feel I would look and FEEL better if I made some small but manageable changes daily. I would really like to have some muscle tone. Right now I kind of feel like a noodle..just straight legs and arms, no muscles or even fat haha just skin and bones, and I don't mind it, but I'd like some of those Carrie Underwood legs, abs and arms. If only things we wanted came easy, right?? But normally, the things we want take hard work and sacrifices. Waa waa :/  I'm not too keen on the whole hard work and sacrifice thing, but I do believe I can make some small changes that would help me to feel better. While I was deployed, working out was just the thing you did, so I started lookin pretty fit, and I remember how much I liked it. I also remember how easy it was to make healthy eating decisions. Now that I'm a momma, and exclusively breast feeding Georgia, I really feel that a healthy diet is important. Up till now, I've just been hoping that what I eat is okay enough that Georgia and I are both getting the nutrients we need. That is a silly way of eating for me because I'd rather eat Little Debbie cakes and drink Diet  coke all day than actually put effort into my meals. Here's the thing, I'm not about to become some fitness blogger or claim that I know anything at all about fitness or eating healthy, but I am going to use this as a type of diary/log that I'll try and do daily, but that isn't really realistic to do for me, so I'll try. I also wanted to be accountable with someone other than Cade. The way I'll be posting will probably be like a "morning after" type thing, where I share what I've eaten/how I worked out. I hope I can make little daily changes that will help me look and feel better both in body and spirit. I do believe that the way we feel about ourselves can either uplift us or keep us negative, as Satan would have it. I don't know about you, but I don't want to me miserable like Satan, so in order to be the opposite of him, I will try to have a positive outlook on life and myself. I will also be trying to live the Gospel more than I have lately. I know that once I start to make changes, The Lord helps to open doors of opportunity and He helps with the positivity.  I guess you could say I'm starting my New Year's Resolutions now. I will need to make a list still, but I've got two things just in this post I'd like to work on throughout 2014 and the rest of my life! :) Oh, and one more thing, I'm thinking of changing the name of my blog to "Cross My Heart", because I'm just speaking the truth! And it's clever... Hehe tell me what you think! Thanks everyone for your love and support! Here's to knowing that as soon as I start to make changes, all Hell will break loose and trying will be a pain in my patootie! :) love y'all! --Britt

GOOD morning!!

So, as you all know last week was quite rough for Georgia Lynn and I. She was uncomfortable, I was exhausted and the cops were called due to the noise in our townhouse... Needless to say, this first growth spurt took me by surprise. I didn't know what it was at first, I thought, ear infection? Virus? Teething? Am I not making enough milk? Am I a bad mom? What is wrong?? Then I googled it. When I typed in "3 month old" the suggestion at the top was "growth spurt" so I clicked on that and clicked on the babycenter page or whatever. Sure enough! She was having a growth spurt! I didn't realize why she was eating so often, I just thought maybe I wasn't making enough milk, and that was part of it, feeding her on demand helped my body to start producing the nourishment she needed. I thought it was so amazing that my body just knew what to do!  She was sleeping a lot/crying for naps more, but the problem with having a nosey baby is that she didn't want to take a nap for fear of missing something (that's what I'm assuming). She fought naps like crazy but her eyes looked so tired so I held her facing out and she fell asleep like that everytime. My back,of course, didn't appreciate that, my ears sure did.  The days seemed to run together with the constant crying and feedings. I was loosing hope thinking, "this is my baby forever now. I guess I just need to suck it up." I was so incredibly exhausted (which explains the child-like outburst a few days ago) and so was Georgia. So when I finally googled my questions for answers I was relieved to find that what was happening was totally normal and not something serious. It didn't stop her fussing, but it made me more understanding of what she was going through.                                               You may have noticed that I use the word 'was', that's because my little bubbly baby girl is back to herself this morning!! I knew it when she woke up at 6 this morning smiling and cooing at me while I was still waking up. Oh-side note- my sister-in-law mentioned putting Georgia in her own room on one of my Facebook statuses where I was whining about our bad days, and I was like, "but I don't wanna..." Then Cade and I made a quick trip to Target and got my new favorite gadget, a baby monitor that let's you see the baby and hear it!! The other kind of baby monitors creep me out because you get so much interference and here in Roswell, with all the aliens, I didn't want to take my chances....you know, I didn't want to get abducted... We put Georgia in her bed that night and I shed a little tear, but then when I wasn't waking up every five minutes when she'd move, I quickly snapped out of it. With the growth spurt she still wasn't sleeping very well, but when she was in the bed or even in the cradle next to me, her constant moving unknowingly kept me awake. I wasn't really able to fall asleep all the way. So when she woke up to eat, I was much happier getting up and going to her. I think she slept better too because she wasn't waking up when I was moving around in the bedroom or bathroom as I was getting ready for bed. So, back to where I left off, I have been bringing her into our room in the early mornings because I still want my snuggle time with her, and since it's looking like she wants back on her schedule, 6AM to 7AM is mommy and me morning conversation and snuggle time.  When I heard her cooing at me I just was so happy that my girl was back. She didn't have a furled brow, she wasn't screaming at me to fix her, she was just cooing and smiling. Never ever did I think someone so tiny could determine what kind of day I was going to have.                           Here are a few things I learned during little squirt's spurt- 1) it's okay to stay in your jammies for several days (baby and momma) 2) don't yell at the baby...that should probably be a given, but I'm kind of psycho so I learned something 3) The Tinkerbell series of moves on Netflix is actually adorable and the bright colors kept Georgia preoccupied for 30 minutes sometimes 4) my solly baby wrap and baby monitor are the most amazing purchases I could have ever made 5) it's okay to ask for help, I didn't and I should have 6) don't give up, like all things, "this too shall pass.." 7) it's okay to cry 8) patience (obviously there is more to be learned, but I got a little taste, it is a virtue so I know I won't come by it easily) 9) diet coke, Swiss rolls, and water can be breakfast sometimes 10) I love my little baby more than anything in the world and it hurt me to see her so upset.            Now that she's coming out of the spurt, I'm happy the source (for the most part) of her fussing can be determined. We are learning together every day. I'm so happy I have such a cute little girl to learn and grow with. Because Christmas is literally next week, I've been reading Luke, and I started to think about what an amazing woman Mary must have been to carry Christ in her womb. It also made me think of how she might have handled a bazillion diaper changings, growth spurts and feedings.  It has made me want to settle down and really take each day as a new one, one where I can learn and become more of the mother I want to be. But it also made me think, did Jesus even cry? Was He the perfect infant? Did he have growing pains?? Haha.               I am so grateful for everyone's support, y'all truly make my life better by your examples and love. We love you! 

--Britt and GA                                     Here are some pictures from this morning, Georgia is always missing a sock by morning haha also, we had such a good morning, we even went for a walk!

A baby is crying, quick, call the cops!

Good afternoon everyone! I am about to share the story of my day. I hope you all enjoy! Here goes.. Today was going to be a bad day, I could feel it in my bones. Georgia had another (that would be three) sleepless night and that meant I had another sleepless night. She woke up with a scowl on her face which quickly turned into crying then screaming. I became her pacifier, because the plastic/silicone thing just wouldn't do. I was okay with that since it was keeping her quiet. She fell back asleep and so did I. Not an hour later, she was up and crying again. I had to start getting ready as I had told the Sister Missionaries from my church that I would be more than happy to go out with them today. I put Georgia in the bouncer, got a shower and then started to do my hair. That is when Hell broke loose and there would be no survivors. I listened to her scream for about 15 minutes, but you know when they are screaming each minute that passes seems like an hour. I tried to feed her- screams, I tried to change her- screams, so I put her back down and put on my clothes. Of course I was frustrated and I loudly said, "I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, PLEASE TELL ME SO I CAN FIX IT!" And held back the tears of my own as I just couldn't handle it. I picked her up and held her while I did my makeup (talk about multitasking...Gisele would understand ;) ) Then I started to get Georgia dressed and I hear a knock on my front door...... It was........ THE COPS!!

Yes, a neighbor of mine had called the cops on me!! They said, "One of your neighbors called because they were concerned about the safety of the baby." I invited them in and of course the day I get the cops called on me my house looks like it has imploded, literally every drawer, cupboard, closet, nook and cranny had exploded into my living room/kitchen. It was awesome. So there I am, crying because the cops are standing in my front room and I feel like a complete idiot. I was humiliated, embarrassed, discouraged, and upset, to say the least. They left with some encouraging words, like "It's okay, we've all been there," and "Don't let the screaming get to you, everything will be okay." But I was NOT okay. I went back upstairs and called Cade. Luckily, he was on his way home from lunch so he could quickly save the day. When he got home, I was in the bathroom where I was dry heaving..Not really sure why I felt like I was going to throw up, but this is my day.... anyways, he comes in and asks about what happened, I tell him and I just feel defeated. I feel like the worst mom in the world. Cade tells me I'm the best and I change into comfier clothes and put clothes on Georgia... Oh yeah, she was just in a diaper this whole time..... my day... So, I call my mom we talk a little, she tells me to forget about it and by this time Georgia is asleep, and my mom tells me to take a nap with her. We go upstairs, I again become a pacifier and we watch Tinkerbell on my phone. I couldn't just "let it go" that's just not me. I decided to bake some cookies and write a letter to my dear, concerned neighbor... Now, your probably wondering how I know which neighbor it was, but by process of elimination, I know who it was. I baked the cookies and while they cooled I wrote this letter:

Dear Concerned Neighbor,

I apologize for the disruptance myself and my 3 Month-old daughter caused you this morning. Thank you for assuming the worst and calling the cops. I really appreciate the added stress you added to my already hectic day. I have seen that your children are out of the Newborn stage so you have probably forgotten the frustration one can have when there seems to be NOTHING you can do to stop the screaming.

I understand my words of frustration were spoken to loud and I will work to be more patient. Thank you for calling the cops. It really helped me to step back and re-evaluate how I handle the stress of being a first-time mother. Because of that call, it has inspired me to be an even BETTER mother! So I truly appreciate it.

I hope you can also learn that when your children are bouncing off the walls at 2&3 AM, we can hear it. Also , when your husband/boyfriend/partner yells, "SHUT UP!!" we hear that too.

So I guess we all learned a little from your phone call to our great city's law enforcement this morning. If you ever feel that maybe things on my side of the wall are getting a little crazy, please feel free to stop by or leave an encouraging note.

Please enjoy these cookies :)

Thank you again!

It may not be the most grammatically correct letter I have written, and I just learned that disruptance isn't a real word, but I think I made my point. I was going to be angry and hurt by the whole situation, but I decided that there is nothing I can do about it now, except move forward. Georgia is still incredibly fussy and I have her in the baby wrap, strapped to me so she won't cry, but tomorrow is a new day, so we will see what happens. Now, to laugh at myself and look back on this day as a learning experience. Of course I made a copy of the letter to put in Georgia's baby book. Don't worry, I plan on remembering this for the rest of my life! Have a great evening! I love you all!! -Britt