Naming Baby and Second Trimester Worko

I'm in my 35th week and I really can't grasp my head around the fact that very, very soon I will be holding sweet baby Remy in my arms. Did I mention his name yet?  Remington "Remy". We fell in love with the name Remy- it's origin is French and it means oarsmen or rower. We wanted little squiggles to also have a longer name, and wanted Remy to be his nickname, so we Googled and found that Remy was short for a few different names, but our favorite was Remington. Sounds legit if he's going to become a lawyer or something. :)
Remy: People with this name have a deep inner desire for travel and adventure, and want to set their own pace in life without being governed by tradition....

One day, little Remy, you will have many of your own adventures. But that day is not today. First, you have to grow in me for a few more weeks, then together we will fight (well a little more me than you) to bring you into this world, and then I'm going to be crazy mama bear and love on you all the time and want to protect you from all harm, and then one day when you're good and ready (and I still won't be) you will have your own adventures and discover so many things this amazing world we live in has to offer. 

Anyway, onto my fitness life! I actually came down with a virus/sinus infection for the past few days and have been out of commission. I knew especially with growing a little one I needed to rest a lot more than usual. I'm not sure if it was getting sick or just this growing babe, but my back pain is back and it's been pretty painful. So when I have been at the gym, I've been sitting on the upright bike taking it easy. My routine has been 20 min. on the elliptical and 40 min. on the upright bike. Since all the pain and sinus issues, I've kept my heart rate exertion less than 80% (I wear a monitor when I workout). However, I've found that the best method to keep your heart rate in a good place for you and baby is to use the Rate of Perceived Exertion. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) says stay between 5-8 and ACSM says 3-7 on a 10-point scale.

Rate of Perceived Exertion

0 Feeling you get when sitting.
1 Activities like getting dressed.
2 Feeling you might get while doing laundry.
3 Taking a casual walk.
4 Walking briskly, but still maintaining conversation.
5 Feeling you get when rushing out the door.
6 Feeling you get when rushing up a flight of stairs.
7 Exercise while singing.
8 Slightly tiring exercise, but still speaking full sentences.
9 Feeling fatigue. Breathing hard.
10 All out exercise. Could not maintain for more than 30 seconds.

Workout below (remember I am just now posting workouts from my second trimester):

35 week pic :) with a bad, bad cold!

My gym selfie vs. some random girl :) :)

My sleepover with these two was the best!!! <3 my nephews!

Workout #6 & Peanut Butter Protein Bites

Little babe,

You are a mover. It's official- day, night, after meal, during meal, before meal, while I'm sleeping, when I'm working, etc. you are always moving, little babe. It's lovely and special, but sometimes it makes me feel a little nauseous and sometimes it just downright hurts. I watch your little dance every night before I fall asleep, it reminds me that although you might cause slight discomfort, you are in there growing and happy. I am so incredibly grateful for that.

Your daddy has been home for a week- and this is a HUGE blessing. He not only adores you and loves to spend time talking to you, but he also takes over some of the housework and this give my back a much needed break!

Your aunt, Whitney (who you'll call Titty because as a child I could never say "Sissy"- this became our nickname for each other growing up) loves you so already. She has 3 of her own boys and has already walked me through much of "what to except".  She took me to register for all your baby necessities this week and wow was I overwhelmed! SO many types of everything, from burp-cloths to strollers there were options galore.

Don't worry, little one, you'll have everything you need and probably more. 

27 weeks...and I love you already more than I ever thought possible.
xoxo, your mommy

I am still documenting my workouts and hoping to utilize all this documenting through my next pregnancy to A) laugh at myself and B) have a gameplan (I will be grateful to not have to recreate the wheel with a little one at home).

In an effort to get more protein (for the babe) and to keep my energy levels good through some tough workouts, I decided to create my own protein-packed energy bites at home (did I say they were peanut butter flavored?!). I've seen them in specialty stores, but they are expensive and usually have a whey based protein powder (I only use plant based protein powder). Honestly, I was shocked at how easy these were to make and DELICIOUS! Even my nephews loved them! They kept requesting more "peanut butter balls"!

Little Babe + Pregnancy Workout #2

Dearest little babe,

I'm pretty sure that upon your arrival I will no longer have the energy to keep up this blog, OR perhaps it will be just the thing that keeps me sane and feeling somewhat normal amidst the "newborn fog", which by the way someone at the pool told me she had just come out of after 5 months --- 5 MONTHS!! I was thinking more like a 6 week fog. I must consult my sister on this. She is a mom of three boys and just a few short months ago they were all 3yrs and under. Isn't that crazy?! Crazy, but fun! If anyone should write a blog it should be her, but as you might imagine she has her hands quiet full.

Anyway, sweet boy, you don't care about all that. You want to hear the good things. Things like you looked perfect and beautiful in your 20 week ultrasound. You weigh 12oz. I have no idea how they know that, but the doctors told me you did. You move ALL the time. I began to feel your little movements around 17 weeks, from the outside. Before that, I'm sure you were in there moving but for all I knew it was gas bubbles or my stomach upset at what I had for dinner. I am attempting to teach you french, and by you I mean me (too).  I feel like I need to be more dedicated if I say I am teaching my son. We plan to take you to France shortly after you're born, you will love it just like your dad and I do.

And for those of you that came for the workout, voilà, see below! This workout is a back & arm focused workout, for those of you that don't know me well, I truly believe in weight/resistance training for woman. Building lean muscle helps to increase our resting metabolism, so we will burn more fat throughout the day.  And during pregnancy, it has even more benefits, such as increasing our stamina during labor, increased energy during pregnancy, decreased back and leg cramping during pregnancy and quicker recovery post pregnancy (umm hello, that last one alone is worth it). Muscles that are constantly used tend to heal faster because of increased blood circulation and better cellular response to trauma/the breaking and building of muscle. 

*As always, run your workout plan by your OB before attempting.