Mommy in the Middle

Have I really been pregnant for 20 weeks???? If you think about it, the average gestation time for twins is 36 weeks, so I'm more than half way through and that just blows my mind!!!!!

This was my half way there happy dance!

I celebrated the half way mark with a 5k. Ran it in 30 mins and I'm pretty sure that did me in. :)

Honestly, I was hoping the 12 week mark would bring me some sweet relief...and while in some regards it did, I am still a hot pregnant mess and my body is growing very rapidly. Although the raging hormones are simmering down, the past few weeks have brought on major physical changes I can no longer compete with! Well, I take that back...I'm competing with them. They just seem to be winning lately. ;)

While I probably have healthier habits than most pregnant moms with twins (as I exercise every day and eat really well) I have literally found myself at times throughout this pregnancy just trying to survive. Everything took great effort, everything drained me, everything seemed so huge, and I let much of my life get ahead of me.

I can honestly say that recently I had mastered the art of "thriving" through years of discipline and hard work, and the past year I have been able to enjoy life more thoroughly than ever. Getting pregnant totally rocked my world and after a few months of not feeling well and battling exhaustion, I began to get a clear picture of how quickly a person can let themselves go when they are in a fog.

I have been gracious with myself for the most part, but mostly what I've come to accept is that my situation is different than it was 4 months ago. I mean, I'm pregnant with TWO babies. HELLO! I can't do everything I used to because my needs are different. Trying to fit my pregnant life into the mold of my non pregnant life only left me feeling frustrated and discouraged. I missed energy. I missed vitality. I missed drive. I missed LIZ.!!! I honestly feel like someone invaded my body and took over. Oh wait, that did happen and it was TWO people and wow, have they made themselves at home!

SO, last week I was struck with this obvious but profound realization that my circumstances are VERY different and I decided to scratch it all and rewire my life so that I could thrive within MY circumstances. I do it for clients all the time! I take their situation, their health concerns, their goals, their schedules, their budget, etc....and I design training and nutrition programs to help them enhance their lives, get healthy, and achieve their goals. Why have I not done the same for myself?!!!!!

Well, that is exactly what I decided to do. I have done for myself exactly what I do for my clients. I have made a detailed meal plan for myself to nourish both my health and the health of my babies. I have been realistic with my meal plan realizing that I can't cook a RAW and vegan, superfood meal from scratch 21 times a week. Heck....that's not even what's best for me right now! I have set very clear goals for myself listing out the details in a day of optimum nutrition. If I know what I'm aiming for then I am a LOT more likely to hit the mark and feel good about the decisions I am making. I have also started meal planning and I am committing to NO MORE EATING OUT!!!! Unless of course, it is a special occasion or a dinner date of some sort.

I am fully capable of taking charge of my life. We ALL are and I think the biggest reason why we don't or why we fail is because we are following a one size fits all mentality. We aren't doing things that are manageable for us. We aren't being realistic. We are trying to overachieve before we ever have an opportunity to succeed in the little things.

I've had to take a step back and realize that for myself. I am FULLY capable of thriving and having optimal health, but I have to know what the heck I'm doing first!!!! I have made my own folder for myself and I have listed small realistic goals for myself to achieve every day.

I just found out that I'm having two little boys. Now that I know more about them and that I can call them by name, and I can feel them move in my body, I am falling so in love with them. I have this resolve and determination to take the utmost care of my growing sons. Even though YES...for the most part I am SUPER healthy, I feel they deserve the best....and one of the best things that I can give my sons is peace....not stress. I need to smile more. Laugh more. Relax more. I need to put them first. When my body aches, I don't need to get frustrated with my what my changing body can no longer do and love it for how it's accommodating my sons. I am committing to THEIR health in addition to mine. The sacrifices start before they arrive.

Baby A: William Montgomery

Baby B: Charles Judson

So, while on the one hand, I'm hunkering down and becoming more disciplined, by creating goals and visions relevant to my situation and the health of my babies, I am also freeing myself up, by putting things I can no longer do off to the side and picking them up later. They can wait.

I am so blessed to have a healthy identical twin pregnancy. There are SOOOO many things that can go wrong with my type of pregnancy, and I am blessed to be given a supreme bill of health. I need to thrive in gratefulness to that and not take it for granted.

So, I am committed to THRIVING the second half of my pregnancy. I've found a manageable way to do that and I'm excited about putting it into action and sharing it with you all. It's time to start focusing on how to birth twins and raise twins, so you may be hearing quite a bit about that. ;)