My Journey with weight...

I'm trying  a new thing to help me and track my journey. Ever since I was little I was always concerned with my weight and how I looked. I never looked like the skinny little girls. At least in my eyes. So when I met my (now) husband I gained about 18 pounds on my 5'4" 130 pound frame. So I was now at 148. I felt, well yuck. I didn't realized I gained it until I went to wear a pair of jeans and they didn't fit.I sat there and cried. When I  moved in by myself I was depressed. So I took to running. In three months with a diet change and running 5 days a week a minimum of 3 miles each day and walking to and from work, about 2 miles round trip, I lost it all. I was a new person. For the next 6 six years that was my regimen. I went from 130-140 and was comfortable.

I was terrified to get pregnant. I knew what was coming. Weight gain. Sure enough during my pregnancy I gained 55 pounds. This was the largest hurdle yet. The most I ever lost was 18. 55?! This is going to be tough. So here I am today making changes in my life to keep me healthy and get me back to the body I once had. 19 months post pregnancy, I've lost 26 pounds. Doesn't seem like a lot when you have a total of 55 to lose and I lost the first 20 within weeks of the birth.

I've changed my eating habits, joined herbalife and I now actively participate in a boot camp 3 days a week and run 2-3 days a week as well.

One of the questions I always get asked, how do you find the time with a toddler? And, what do you do?Well it takes a few things to make it work:

1) Supportive husband (that is the most important)
2) incorporate the baby into the workout (jogging stroller)
3) Attend boot camp mainly in mornings before the baby wakes up so I don't feel like I am losing time with him.
4) Work through lunch and leave at 4pm on the running days. (I don't like to run in the dark)
5) Post a picture of what you want to look at in a place that you see often to remind you of your goals.
6) Know this is a life change

The hardest part is seeing the number I have to get to my ideal weight. Also knowing that I am not the girl that walked out in my own clothes after birth, it isn't me and it never will be. I need to accept that.

So here I am...35 Pounds or so to go!!!

Blogging and 5 month life recap.

Needless to say I am a horrible blogger...I am afraid that if I used this like my public diary, you might get sick of me!!!

So life recap in the last 5 months.

Wyatt is amazing. I never thought I could ever love someone so much. He is the key to my heart. Not to mention for a month now he has been sleeping all through the night. Hallelujah. He is a good baby...besides those one off teething moments where is a complete crazy person. Definitely not my child. haha.

We made it through the holidays, which is always a tough time of year. I have divorced parents. Mike has divorced parents. Double whammy. We always try to figure out a schedule and it always seems to get messed up. I think next year we will be staying in the comfort of our own home. :)

As for Mike and I...we are doing well...We started marriage counseling today. After the divorce of his parents and the remarry of his mom and other things here and there...things have kind of been...wellllll rocky. So we decided to go to the counselor I have been going to for about 6 years now. Let me tell you, we are so headed in the right direction.  This is something we really did need and given that we have been together for almost 10 years now I would say it was totally the right step. It's nice to have an unbiased third party help figure out where you can make yourself and your relationship a stronger better one. It may not be for everyone. But for us, this is just right.

Hopefully I can get better at this blogging thing. I obviously have no photos to share... sad face. Perhaps tomorrow I will add a NYE post and post some pics there. :)

Delivery of Mr. Wyatt Christopher

Ok - So some of you may already be aware that the delivery of Wyatt was very LONG and intense.

We showed up to Kaiser Irvine at 8am sharp...ok a little early, we were excited. We started the induction with being told that I still was only 1cm dilated and 50% effaced. Shocking. So they put a pill in the cervix and said we had to wait for four hours to see if anything had happened. In the mean time we hung out and time CRAWLED. Finally checked me four hours later and the cervix softened to 80% but still no dilation. So another pill was inserted and we waited another four hours. Then I was dilated to 2. Yay some progress. So then a balloon was inserted that acted like the baby's head to help soften the cervix some more and Pitocen was started. It fell out after two hours, which meant I was dilated to 3cm. Yay! The midwife checked me and whatever she did, my contractions started regularly every minute and a half. That was at 6:40 pm. Finally after a long grueling excrutiating pain, (I have lower vertebrae problems and the contractions were inflaming them) at 2:30 am I decided to get an epidural and they determined I was finally dilated to 6cm. At about 4am I noticed the nurse was in my room in and out consistently...it seemed that every time I had a contraction the baby wasn't liking it. Pitocen was stopped and around 6:30am The midwife came in and said nothing was happening and that the baby was face up instead of down and just wasn't making his way down the birth canal. So about an hour later he midwife brought in a doctor and he highly suggested for my safety and the baby that we should do a C-Section. Not my first choice! After Mike and I discussed it, we agreed it was best. So at around 11am In we went to the Operating Room and at 11:26 am on 7/20/11 we were blessed with the best gift in the world, Mr. Wyatt Christopher Melendez. He weighed a whopping 8lbs 12 ounces and was 21 1/4 inches long. The doctor came around the curtain after and said, "thank goodness we did this, there was no way you were having this baby naturally, he was way too big for your body." Luckily we made the right choice.

I am so glad that I worked out almost the entire pregnancy, although I still gained 55 pounds, it helped me recover a little faster. I recovered from the C-Section quite quickly, was walking the next day and hardly on meds.

My husband has been the biggest help thus far. He has changed more diapers than I have. He usually gets up when I do to feed him. He has been far more helpful than I could ever have expected. And to be honest all of this has made me fall in love with him all over again. I give single moms and those who don't have the help, a lot of credit. This isn't an easy job. And I say "job" being a mom is a full time job, and I now understand that. I would never trade it for anything in the world. I now understand what it is like to have your heart outside of your body. We are so fortunate to be able to have had a baby and have no complications (except for some fluid he retained because of the C-section, but has since passed).

Here are some pictures of the best day of our lives, when we got to meet our son. :)

Today is supposed to be the *estimated day*

Well today is officially my *due date*...it looks like it is going to come and go. Am I surprised? Not really. Like everything else that runs its course in my life, nothing goes as planned. Quite frankly its refreshing because it keeps everything all the more interesting.

That being said, I REALLY would love for Wyatt to come soon. I am getting impatient and would like to see his little face, and of course be re-assured that I am in deed having a boy. I like not knowing what the future holds, I like knowing that motherhood is something new for me to conquer and I am so excited about it. More than I thought I would ever be.

Weird because I actually kind of miss work. Strange right? I never thought I would miss it, I kind of do. I feel like a bum right now...I am sure once the little one gets here that will all change. I am really enjoying being able to spend some more time with the husband before the baby arrives. Mostly because before this we were both always working, or I was in school or he had a race, yadda yadda. So these last three weeks have been really nice...and we don't argue...What? I know I thought the same thing...especially because we are with each other a lot more than the usual. We both crack up, he walks with me in the mornings, we grocery shop together (usually he would go on a Monday), we do lunch and run little errands....it truly has been really nice. I am so blessed to have someone like him in my life. I don't know where I would be without him. He truly completes me.

Anyway - Hope everyone has a nice week, I am hoping any second I will pop!!! :) When I do, post and pics to follow!!!

XO - Janalin

39 Week Update

39 Week Update

How far along? 39 Weeks


Total weight gain/loss: 43 Pounds 


Maternity clothes? Just pants! I wear maxi dresses and most of my shirts, I just layer. :)


Stretch marks? On my sides and now since the baby was turned they gave me some on the stomach :( Double sad now!!!!!! Bikini's are going to be long gone without cover ups.

Sleep: It has been better


Best moment this week: Getting the baby turned back into position

Movement: Lots!!! It's like gym camp in there!

Food cravings: Sweets!

Gender: Boy!!!

Labor Signs: Some Braxton Hicks and frequent bathroom breaks

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? Off. It no longer fits nicely. But hey I'm not complaining I made it 38 weeks with it. :)

What I miss: Wine, stilL!

What I am looking forward to: The delivery date! Things are crowded in there!

Weekly Wisdom: Just breathe and know that it will be over before I know it and soon I will be looking back at this time and wishing I could experience it again...

Milestones: Made it to full term! :)

Operation=Get this baby out!!!

So I admit it, I am not the best blogger...I really hope that once the little guy gets here he makes me a better blogger.

First things first, I am so ready for this baby to get out. I had a mental breakdown today because even the maternity clothes are getting tight. Really? Ew. Yes. Not to mention, I know he is crowded, as am I.

Two weeks ago we had an ultrasound to see baby's position and size yadda yadda. He was head down and ready to go. Well come the following Thursday this little champ decided he was more comfortable feet first. Which was really upsetting to me because once the doctor gave me the next options, I was devastated, I already had my birth plan set and ready to go. And those who know me, know I do NOT like change. So options were: 1) Have an External (where they turn the baby from the outside) 2) Schedule a C-Section. Well we chose to have him turned. So my boss allowed me to go on maternity leave a day early and prepare for this event. So last Saturday we arrived at Kaiser Irvine for the procedure. Let me tell you, that was painful and so not fun. Luckily I stayed calm with the help of Mike of course and she was able to turn him in 5 minutes. THank you lord, because that was some really painful five minutes. We went to our appointment on Thursday and luckily he is still in position. So the husband kicked me off the elliptical and we decided that I need to not exercise for this last week unless it is walking. Which is FINE by me. :)

That all being said, it was a very emotional time, especially because turning the baby can be dangerous and put him in distress which results in an emergency C-Section. But it all worked out for us.

The only thing that is bothering me now, is knowing that my dad and his lovely  wife decided they would schedule their vacation for July 9-17. Um hello what part of your daughter with your first born grandchild is due July 12 did you not understand? Apparently all of it. So that was a lovely blow. Am I surprised? No. After all when I was 18 she did say that she would make sure that my brother and I would never have what her kids have. Lovely isn't it? I guess that included my father since the father of one of her children is in prison.  For 22 years I have been dealing with stuff like this. I guess this is the best way for her to get to me. And well for the first time in 22 years I will admit it. It got to me. This time the boundary was crossed.

I'm off to bed hoping this water breaks or something in the next few days. :)

XOXO

37 Week Update

37 Week Update

How far along? 37 Weeks


Total weight gain/loss: 42 Pounds eeeekkkK!!!!! 


Maternity clothes? Just pants! I wear maxi dresses and most of my shirts, I just layer. :)


Stretch marks? On my sides :(

Sleep: Been sleeping quite nice lately.


Best moment this week: Continually feeling the baby squirm around...

Movement: Lots!!! It's like gym camp in there!

Food cravings: Sweets!

Gender: Still a Boy I hope!

Labor Signs: Some Braxton Hicks and he dropped a little...

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? Just took it off...can wear it in the evening but not in the  morning...needless to say I think I am safe and will not be hit on. lol

What I miss: Wine, stilL!

What I am looking forward to: My Dr. appointment on Thursday and finding out approx. how large my child is. :)

Weekly Wisdom: No matter how much your hubby says he "gets" it.. he doesn't! I would like to steal this from Stacey because IT IS TRUE. I am 3 weeks before my due date and he still doesn't sympathize with me, part of me knows it is because of his job that makes him a bit insensitive. I told him if he isn't sensitive during labor, I'll make him sit out...j/k i would never do that.

Milestones: Made it to full term! :)