About Me

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I am a Mom of two young lads, a fitness fanatic and wife to a die-hard Packers/Brewers fan. I worked in corporate america for 12 years. Now I am on a new adventure - raising my sons and working part-time in the fitness industry as a Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor. I hope you stop by and read my updates- family, fitness, or life related!

Friday, February 26, 2010

Like Father Like Son



Joe has been hinting for me to put up this pic that he took of Braden for a while now. It seems like every time I leave these two boys alone, I come home to a bunch of sporting or other random pictures on the camera. So, Joe is already teaching Braden to hold a bat. In no time I am sure he will be throwing too, and hopefully NOT in the house. I can just picture the Dad and son fun time right now, while I cringe that nothing gets broken. Good times to come! :)

PS- don't mind the nice foot in the picture!

Thursday, February 25, 2010

First Pony Ride



Yesterday we stopped at Auntie Shawn/Uncle Kurt's house as we were driving home from a visit with a high school friend of mine in town. Shawn took Braden on his first pony ride and he loved it!!! All these "first" experiences are so fun for him.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Five Months Old!




On Tuesday, Braden turned five months old. It is going pretty fast and it's amazing to see how much he is growing and changing each and every week now! He definitely is showing his personality- he is already a funny and silly guy. He also is very active, no surprise there! He flips over onto his tummy and is trying to crawl, but he can't get up on his knees yet so it looks like a fish out of water as he tries to move forward on his tummy. We better start baby proofing this house immediately because in no time he will be taking off on those knees! We love you Braden and are so proud of all that you are and do, we are so happy to have you as our own. You bring sunshine and smiles to our daily lives!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Guy Smiley!

Braden in his new toy!

Braden has been happy as a clam this week as you can see by this picture. Auntie Shawn gave us their old exersaucer and he loves it! We also have been able to do more fun things now that he is getting a bit bigger. I took him out for a nice walk this week in the Bjorn so he could face outward. It was so nice out! We stopped at a pond with ducks (which he loved), then we saw a construction site and I even took him in the skyway at Fairview Southdale hospital so he could watch the cars fly by underneath. It's fun to explain new things to him, it also makes me appreciate the small things. He loves exploring the world and I can't wait for spring/summer so we can continue to go on our adventures together!!

I also think that his sleeping and eating regimine has contributed to his extra sunny disposition this week! We had some rough past weeks of night sleep, but this past week he has slept 12 straight hours!! His naps have been awesome too - two hours for the morning and afternoon nap. I think it helps that I have committed to making sure I am home for his naps and not out/about most days! He also has been eating 7-8 ounces in bottle (4x/day) so we know his belly gets nice and full, on top of eating a little rice cereal in the morning.

Our little guy is growing up! I can see why people say "this is my favorite stage" because every month as they get more and more fun and are able to do more things! So, far- this is my favorite stage! :)

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Go Braden, Go Braden, Go, Go, Go Braden!

This is how he starts out his roll, by grabbing his feet!

This is how he ends up- smiling with a new view of the world!

We have a very strong rolling little boy in our house, watch out! Now I can't leave him alone because he will be all over the place.

This weekend Braden rolled over (the hard way)- from back to tummy. He did it once on Saturday and now he will do it like eight times in a row. What a champ. Now I cheer him on by saying, Go Braden, Go Braden, Go, Go, Go Braden. He thinks it's funny. :) He has done tummy to back for a long time, but this move requires much momentum as you can see from the first pic. He starts out holding his feet and gives a few swings of the legs and boom, there he goes. I think he is this strong from all the BodyPump teaching I did while pregnant with him.

It's so fun to watch these new tricks of his. He is so happy now that he can do more things and see the world from new angles! Way to go little guy! I guess crawling will be next...yikes.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Braden's Baptism



This weekend Braden was baptized. We were so blessed to have Father Korogi at Christ The King Church in SW Minneapolis be the one to baptize our little guy into the Catholic church. It is so nice to know that Braden is welcomed with open arms to the loving community at this church. Both of our families were present, Joe's even traveled hours from Wisconsin to be with us. The day was great. We were so proud of Braden who looked like a little prince in white. He behaved so well despite the big crowd at church, being the center of attention, having his schedule disrupted (eating and sleeping way off) and being passed around from person to person all day. It's days like yesterday where we feel so thankful to have an amazing son like Braden in our lives on top of close family to support us during these milestones in life. We look forward to many more milestones in Braden's life. I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

My Own Milestone!

Taken two days after Braden was born- end of September.

Picture taken this weekend - Valentine's Day 2010!

So most of you read this blog for updates on Braden since you don't get to see his cute bald head or smiley face as much as I do! :) Well today I am blogging about me instead- I hope you don't mind the change.

The topic I am writing about today is goals. Well, I have always known that I would not be one of those ladies who has a baby and can wear her normal jeans home from the hospital! Seriously, you know who those ladies are - the ones that look like they were never pregnant the minute after they deliver! Ever since the doctor gave me the OK to workout again (six weeks postpartum), I have been on a serious mission to lose the baby weight. I knew it would be tough, but I thought it would be easier for me since I am a workout fanatic- I love fitness and have no problems being at the gym six times a week. Well, the first 20 melted off no problem. Then I plateaued for a while. Then to get the next ten lbs. off I had to lay off all sweets, drink protein shakes and boost up the cardio classes. Then I hit another plateau, then another three or four came off slowly and then in the past ten days or so, another three. This last three came off fast as a surprise to me but I think it was because this week I got to run outside three times, on top of teaching kettlebells and kickboxing - so it was a change in my routine. I haven't ran outside for months and it felt so good!

The reason that I am blogging about this is not because I am vain (he he) but because I want to share my story with you all for two reasons. 1.) It will help me stay committed if I tell people about it and 2.) Maybe I will help to inspire others that might be stuck in a rut.

The milestones/goals that I have reached are- the first two digits of my weight are the same two digits of my pre-pregnancy weight. YEAH! And the two pairs of jeans that I haven't been able to wear yet (you know the ones that leave zero room for any weight gain) finally fit me again. They might not fit the exact same, but I can get them up, buttoned and zipped. :) These have been my two goals the entire time.

So, if you are having a hard time and think that you will not succeed in your goals, break it down to smaller goals that aren't as overwhelming- three pounds at a time, or going to the gym four times this week, etc... the smaller goals help you accomplish the bigger goal that you always want to keep in the back of your head. If you get stuck in a rut, talk about it with others to help stay committed or change up your routine! I posted the before and after pics above.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Out and About


Braden is a trooper as we bring him various places- Target, the YMCA, out to lunch, the MOA, running errands, the mall, etc... Joe and I decided now that he's a little bit older we should start doing more family things to get out of the house on the weekends. It's easy to just stay inside when you have a little one because it seems like so much work to get them ready to go somewhere. But once you are out and about, it's great to be able to do some of the things that you haven't been able to do for a while. This weekend it was nice enough to take a walk outside and we ended up over at Southdale to do a little shopping. Braden was a trooper and came along for the fun! We look forward to more family activities as he gets older and can partake in the fun!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Funny Guy



Yesterday Braden was in his bouncy seat playing for a few minutes while I was on the computer and I looked over and he had his hood over his head. He didn't cry, he was just playing with the hood over his eyes. Anyway, I had to take a picture because it made me laugh outloud! Already a clown he is! Just like his Dad! :)

Monday, February 8, 2010

First Foods!


Braden tried a little bit of rice cereal for the first time late last week. The doctor said if they seem ready in between 4-6 months to give it a try and if it doesn't work wait and try it again in another week or so. We have noticed that he stares at us when we are eating very curiously so we thought we would give it a try. The first few bites he didn't know what to do but then he got the hang of it. Now he gets overly excited when it's cereal time! It's fun to watch these milestones in his life!

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Four Month Stats!

My brown eyed guy.
Loves to suck on all toys!
Braden active as can be under the play gym.

Braden had his four month appointment today and he is weighing in at 14.5 lbs (31% tile) and is 25.5" tall (61% tile). We were surprised about the weight- he only gained a pound in the last month so he must be leaning out even though he is quite the eater! He also got two more rounds of shots so he's not a super happy camper today but doing pretty well considering. We don't have another appointment until six months!