Welcome back everyone!!! The last month has been fabulous. I’ve finally entered my 3rd trimester and I actually feel and look pregnant. Because I officially have a mushy brain and forget things frequently I’ve become obsessed with journaling and picture taking. Husband and I have been working hard to capture all the special moments during our first pregnancy. Here are some pictures of my changing belly. ☺

WEIGHT GAIN

The number game has been interesting. I’ve tried not to pay too much attention to the scale, but in all honesty that’s impossible. All I want to do is make sure our little man has everything he needs to grow up happy and healthy. Of course the athlete inside had me setting a weight goal the day I found out I was pregnant.  30-35 lbs is what I decided to aim for. When I told my husband of my weight goal I knew right away he was confused. He had a look that said “If a baby is going to weigh 8.5-9.5 pounds why on earth are you gaining 30-35”. Ok, maybe he didn’t have any sort of “look” but my sensitive pregnant self thought there was a “look”.  I took the time to quickly educate him about where the weight comes from and why it’s important.

So, at 30 weeks I’ve gained a total of 17 pounds. The 3rd trimester is supposedly where you pack it on so I’m hoping these last 10 weeks will allow me to gain about 1 pound a week. Sometimes I get worried, that I won’t gain enough but my doctor says I’m just fine. Baby Turners heart beat is strong and he’s measuring 12 days ahead of schedule. He kicks like crazy and he’s got to be long because I can feel him at all ends of my belly. He rolls and flips around like a gymnast! My stomach is measuring exactly where it should even though it looks smaller than other women in their 30th week. It’s amazing how different all moms are and how different each pregnancy is.

FOOD FOOD FOOD

During pregnancy doctors and nutritionists say you should add approximately 300-500 extra calories to your diet each day. For most it’s easy to just add an additional snack, but I already eat 5-7 small meals a day. Eating another might push me over the edge. So, I decided I would keep my diet pretty similar and gradually add extra calories throughout the day. How do you do that, you ask? Here are 2 of my favorite recipes for a protein snack with the added baby calories.

(NORMALLY I WOULD EAT HARD BOILED EGG WHITES AND A PLAIN SWEET POTATO)

I love cooking my snacks in muffin tins. They are perfect for portion control and make packing meals to go easy.

TURKEYLOAF CUPCAKES



Ingredients

• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped

• 1 red pepper, finely chopped

• 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

• 1.25 pounds ground turkey (at least 90% lean)

• 2 egg whites

• 1 packet taco seasoning mix (preferably reduced-sodium)

• 1/4 cup ketchup

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425° F. Liberally coat muffin tray with oil spray and set aside. Coat a large skillet with oil spray and sauté the onions, peppers, and carrots over medium heat until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and allow the vegetables to cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, add the ground turkey, egg whites, cooled vegetables, taco seasoning packet, and ketchup. Using your hands, mush the ingredients together until they are fully mixed. Divide the turkey mixture between 8 muffin cups, smoothing the tops of each mini-meatloaf to make it level. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. NOTE: The mini turkeyloaves will generate some mushy goo on the top… simply wipe it off and discard after they cool. Whipped sweet potato frosting: Bake 4 medium sweet potatoes, remove the skin, and mash the potatoes with 1 tablespoon skim milk and 1 to 2 tablespoons honey, salt to taste. Frost each mini meatloaf with a large dollop of whipped sweet potato.

EASY EGG WHITE CUPCAKES

Ingredients

• 2 cartons liquid egg whites

• 1 bag frozen or fresh spinach

• 1 red pepper, finely chopped

• 1/2lb turkey bacon

• 1 cup shredded cheese of your choice

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375° F. Place the cupcake liners in the muffin tins. Fully cook the turkey bacon and cut into small pieces. Put a couple small pieces of bacon in each muffin tin, sprinkle with cheese and fill ¾ of the way with liquid egg whites. Sprinkle the tops of the egg whites with spinach and finely chopped red pepper. Bake 15-20 minutes.

Stay tuned for my next blog where I plan to share some of my workouts as well as my #1 secret to a happy exercise plan…. ☺

All Smiles,

Tyra

Tyra Turner, new Fit Mama 2B!

Hi Ladies, Tyra Turner here your newest Fit Mama 2B blogger. I’m 34 years old and have been married to the wonderful Chad Turner for 6 years. I couldn’t be more excited to share my experiences as I make my way through my first pregnancy. I guess I should give you a little background information before I start to babble. There are 2 things I’ve always wanted to do in my life. First and foremost I’ve wanted to be a mom, and secondly I’ve dreamt of being a professional athlete. The past 12 years I’ve been focusing on the latter. Playing professional volleyball has allowed me to travel the world, make amazing friends and of course remain fit. I honestly hate to admit it, but I think I’m actually a pretty selfish person. Since becoming a pro beach volleyball player I’ve put my nutritional and physical needs above almost everything. Some people think I’m like a machine. I literally think of food as fuel. Only high test for this hot rod.

Tyra Turner

So here comes the challenge. It’s no longer about me. This hot rod now has a baby on board. From the second the ultrasound showed that little flicker of a heartbeat I handed over the wheel. Yes, my little baby boy Mommy will do whatever you say. Selfish to selfless I guess???

While working out and eating I promise to:

-stop when you want me too

-slow down if you insist

-monitor my heart rate

-refuel when you ask

-yes, I’ll add more carbs and dairy into my diet

-Nap (haven’t taken one of these since I was probably 2 or 3 years old)

I’m joining you in my 26th week of pregnancy so I’ll have to give you a speedy recap of the prior weeks. First trimester for me was pretty uneventful. I was never sick and actually played 2 international tournaments. I spent weeks 8-10 competing in China and Thailand. The only things that grew during those weeks were my excitement and my chest. Yes, my swimsuit tops were definitely too small. Weeks 10-14 I actually had some major fatigue.  I’m not a napper, so when my husband came home and saw me passed out on the couch he freaked out. Each day around 2pm I managed a little siesta. I don’t know how working women do it!!! My hats off to you all. You are studs, give yourself a pat on the back. From weeks 15-26(current) I’ve been blessed with an abundance of energy. No it’s not like before baby Turner but I still frequent the gym and play volleyball on the beach.

I think the changes in my body are similar to many moms, but they are just happening at a later date. I’m 6’1” and have a larger muscular frame than most women. A personal goal of mine as a Fit Mama 2B has been to share changes specific to my body type. It’s been difficult for me to find information about pregnant women built and shaped like myself. I hope in my future blogs to relay my own tid bits on workouts, nutrition/diet, weight gain, and everything else under the sun as a pregnant woman. I know we’re all built differently so I’ve always felt the more information the better. If one thing I write helps or encourages a new or experienced mom then I’ll be grateful. I look forward to chatting again soon…

All Smiles,

Tyra Turner

Our Fit Mama 2B Katie Lindquist Jameson welcomed into the world the little baby boy we all came to know and love on this blog that she affectionately called  “Baby Ralphie”.   On February 18, at 10:46am this cute bundle of joy blessed the Jameson family.  By the way, they didn’t name him Ralphie, but his middle name is Ralph.  Trevor Ralph Jameson weighed in at 9 lbs 1 oz and was a whopping 22 inches long!

Congratulations Katie!

Enjoy your sweet baby boy.

We LOVED joining you on your Fit Mama 2 B journey, and we know you are going to be a GREAT MOM!

May God bless you and your family.

You’ve got to LOVE this picture of baby Trevor! He’s already had his first photo shoot!  Adorable!

Annett Davis, Olympian & Founder of Fit Moms Fit Kids

Let’s just get this out in the open: being 38 weeks pregnant is just a little burdensome.  My bundle of joy is a couple of weeks (if not sooner) from making his grand entrance, but until that day comes I am saddled with a gyrating medicine ball in my stomach.  A basic task like getting out of bed has become a spectacle from which my husband derives far too much amusement.  I am like a turtle on her back, rolling from side to side until gravity finally pulls me over the side of the bed.  Of course, with each of these side-to-side movements it is very likely that I am affecting the tides.  My husband swears I am a beautiful, graceful woman, but I find it hard to believe him, especially while he chuckles at my attempts to get out of bed.

Plus, for the past several weeks I have found that I wake up each morning with swollen and sore knuckles on both of my hands.  When did I grow these sausage fingers making it impossible for me to wear my wedding ring?  Fortunately, my Amazing, Saint of a Spouse, provides excellent hand massages that have helped alleviate the swelling and pain (in return for the hand massages I am contractually obligated to refer to my husband as my Amazing, Saint of a Spouse…you can figure out the unintentional acronym for yourself).

Working out has become more difficult in this last month, but I’m still dragging my weary bones to the gym each day.  You would think lugging around a 10 pound medicine ball in my belly would be workout enough.  It’s not.  Walking, biking, and the elliptical are still my go-to workouts.  I’ve added some swimming (mostly kicking around with a kick board) because of the gorgeous weather we’ve been having in January.  My goal each day is to just move around for an hour or so.  I don’t worry about how fast I walk or how far I bike.  I’m moving around, and that’s good enough.  Plus, Baby Ralphie seems to be as fond of exercise as his mama, as he never seems to sit still in there.  That’s got to count as part of my workout, right?

However, the most difficult challenge from the past month has been my inability to get a full-night’s sleep.  In fact, most of this blog posting has been made in the wee hours of the morning while my husband, excuse me, my Amazing, Saint of a Spouse, snores peacefully at my side.  I’ve been told this is to better prepare me for the challenge’s of getting up every couple of hours to feed, but at this point I think it is more to drive home the point about how easy he has it during this process.

So, at this point, being pregnant has lost some of the luster and magic that it held when I first found out.  This blog would make it seem that I am tired of being pregnant because of some pains, or being perpetually tired, or of dealing with petty annoyances, but in reality, I just cannot wait for my Little Ralphie to get here.  The happiest day of my life is so very close and my excitement makes the daily waiting that much more difficult.

I hope anyone who has read my occasional postings has enjoyed them as this is most likely my last blog post.  I hope to pop in every couple of months to give y’all some updates on Little Ralphie (including his actual name) and my experiences in getting back into shape for some volleyball.  Thank you for your time and I hope you had a good time joining me for this ride.

Katie Lindquist Jameson, Pro Beach Volleyball Player, Teacher, and Fit Mama To Be