Our postpartum bodies are so different. It amazes me the differences I see and feel. At first, I didn't like it. I knew what I was getting in to but at the same time to see my body so different was hard. My belly was and is still so soft. I actually had slight diastasis recti after giving birth, too. I didn't even know where to start to getting back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I had gained about 30 lbs during my pregnancy but also was not happy where I was weight-wise before I got pregnant.

I was cleared to work out after my 6 week postpartum appointment but didn't even know where to start. I felt so loose, weak, and my tailbone was still pretty bruised. I also didn't want to make my diastasic recti worse. Plus, what mama has time to workout!? I was excited at the prospect of "getting my body back" but was also overwhelmed. I decided to make a small plan for myself though that started me out really slow and see how it went.

I slowly got back in to being physical and made it a point to make time for myself to workout. There was plenty of ups and downs at the beginning and I would go through periods where I wouldn't work out for weeks. But after my bout of PPD, I knew I needed to change something. I knew I needed to get healthy not just for Kai, but for myself. I lost a significant amount of weight when I was struggling with PPD and it was not healthy at all. After getting the help I needed, I tried to look at the silver lining of it all that I had lost a good amount of weight and the number was almost where I wanted it to be. I would never encourage anyone to lose weight by not eating and letting anxiety run their life though. It made EVERYTHING worse. So please mamas, if this is something you are struggling with please seek the help that you need. No shame. I'm here. Your doctor is here. Whoever, you need, please turn to them.

From there though I realized I needed to appreciate myself so much more. I stopped working out to lose weight and instead started working out because my beautiful body deserves to move and be loved. By changing this mind set and doing workouts that I truly enjoy, it changed everything. I love working out now. I'm disappointed when I miss a workout. I crave it now. I'm so proud of myself when I look in the mirror and see how far I've come. To me it's a moot point but I know numbers are easier to grasp for some so here it is...I've lost all 30 lbs of my baby weight plus another 10 lbs to get myself back to where I've been wanting to be for a long time. All my clothes fit again...even things that didn't fit prior to my pregnancy. But mostly, I feel good and to me that's what's most important about beginning my fitness journey.

So I wanted to share with you all how I got back in to a good fitness regimen after having Kai all the way through up to where I am at now.

*Week 1 meaning from the time I started working out again, not postpartum weeks. I wanted to state this in weeks of the journey, not postpartum because we are all ready to begin working out again at different times in our postpartum journey.

I go to yoga on Sundays and Thursdays and go running on Mondays. Monday and Thursdays are my work from home days, so going to workout is the perfect way for me to get out of the house for those days. I am currently still on the 1 mile run and 2 moderate level yoga classes phase of this journey. I was actually up to running 2 miles once a week, but after my dad passed away, I just wasn't getting my workouts in. As much as I want to believe I can run further than that, it's important that I don't rush that part of exercising. When you give birth, your pelvic floor becomes very very weak and your hips/back are very out of whack. If I miss too many runs, I back to track to 1 mile again. My philosophy is 3 weeks at a time. After 3 weeks of being consistent with a workout, I feel that I can bump it up to the next level. This has been a nice steady incline of workouts for myself to where I'm not overdoing it but at the same time not staying stagnant for too long. I was very active when I was younger and can tend to push myself too hard sometimes so it has been very hard not to do that now. It's so important though to give yourself grace and time to get back to where you want to be from a physical standpoint though...you did give birth to a human after all! Our bodies need a lot of time to heal. Exercising can actually help with this but overdoing it with exercise can make things much worse. It's about finding that balance and I believe the schedule up above was perfect for me in finding that balance. Like I've said, I feel better than ever these days! I feel good from the inside out and feel like I look it too whenever I look at myself in the mirror. So I encourage all of you to find that schedule that works for you, too. Know that it does take some sacrifice, but it's worth it. It makes me sad to give up my Sunday mornings snuggling Kai and reading to him before his morning nap to go to yoga, but at the same time I need that time for me. It makes me sad to not have dinner with Kai and Caleb after work on Thursday nights, especially because I have to go in to the office on Fridays, but I know I need that break to go to yoga for my own sanity. I do have mom guilt for even taking 3 hours a week for myself to do these workouts, but it's only 3 hours. Kai will be ok and I'm better for it. So mamas, pick out some time for yourself, do what you enjoy, and start slow! If you have any questions or need any advice or motivation I am always here for you!

The only thing I want you all to know and remember is, please do not workout prior to your doctor or midwife clearing you for it after giving birth. It is very important to rest those first 6 to 8 weeks or longer if recommended by your doctor or if you just simply need it yourself.

I hope you all are having a great week and scored big on some sales this past weekend for Black Friday/Small Shop Saturday/Cyber Monday! I definitely made a good dent in my shopping but still have a ways to go. Today I wanted to share another gift guide with all of you! Today's edition is for us mama bears! So ladies, just go ahead and pass this right along to your baby daddies ;)

1. Ring Sling - WildBird $64.95 - $119.95
I'm obsessed with WildBirds right now. I've loved baby wearing from the beginning and wear Kai daily. I've got quite the collection now but am always on the hunt for more because I believe you can never wear your little bird too much! Tonight at 8 PM CST, they are having a blind grab bag sale where all slings will be 40%!

2. Bathtub Caddy Tray - Amazon $42.97
Self care is so important for everyone, but especially us mama bears. We tend to do a lot for others so it's really important that we take a little time out for ourselves once in awhile. I try to take a bath every Sunday night after I put Kai down, so this bathtub tray would be so perfect for my glass of wine and propping up the book I'm currently reading!

3. Face Masks - LUSH $14.95
Another self care item...face masks! I love the Mask of Magnaminty from LUSH for my acne prone skin. I use it twice a week and it always helps smooth out my skin. Plus it has a nice pepperminty smell...which is perfect for the holiday season!

4. Bath Bombs - LUSH $4.95 - $9.95
More bath goodness! Bath bombs are the perfect stocking stuffer or you can pair them with another favorite self care item like some lotion or a face mask. LUSH carry my favorite ones and I can't get over this Frozen one for the holiday season! Frozen is one of my favorite Disney movies so if I had to choose one right now this would be it. But my other tried and true favorites are Twilight, Avobath, and Sex Bomb.

5. Bean Boots - LLBean $135
I love my Bean Boots so much and I think they make the perfect gift for any woman. They aren't something I'm too keen on buying myself so when Caleb got them for me for Christmas a couple of years ago I was so grateful! They keep my feet so warm and dry during the snowy winters here in Chicago.

6. Yoga Pants - Beyond Yoga $110
With the upcoming new year and resolutions starting to form, working out is always at the top of everyone's list. So a brand new pair of pretty yoga pants would be the perfect gift to motivate any woman to get back to the gym after the holidays!

7. Spoon Set - Anthropologie $32
I love Anthro so much but it can be crazy expensive. I've had my eye on this spoon set for awhile now but can't bring myself to fork over the money for it every time I'm out shopping! If I got them for a gift though I'd be pretty over the moon excited about it...Aren't they just so pretty!? I love doing different tablescapes in our dining room and on our balcony and feel like these beauties would add a little fun to my spring and summer set ups.

8. Throw blanket - West Elm $39
Again, another random practical home item that I've been eyeing/really want but won't bring myself to buy. We really need a blanket refresh in our house but I always seem to think of something we need more when I'm out and about shopping. We're in the process of redoing our living room so one of these pretty blankets to add to our blanket ladder would be a nice finishing touch!

9. Coat - Ted Baker $575
A new coat is always an amazing thing to unwrap from your significant other, especially one as pretty as this Ted Baker one!

10. Bracelet - Alex and Ani $38
I always love adding to my stack of Alex and Ani bracelets. Kai especially loves when I wear them because they jingle and he likes to play with them! Little mom hack for you...it keeps them nice and occupied for awhile! I'm really loving this little mitten bracelet because I feel like it would help remind me of Kai's first holiday season!

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Happy Holidays everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend filled with family and holiday joy. We spent the weekend decorating our house for Christmas and just enjoying our time with each other. The holiday season tends to always be a bit crazy so I'm trying my hardest to slow down for this one and enjoy every bit of it with Kai. Caleb and I also had our first date in in about 7 months, ha! We went to see the new Fantastic Beasts movie and oh my goodness it was so GOOD!

Kai turn 10 months old on Saturday! For some reason this month milestone feels very significant because he is finally in the double digits in terms of months and will never be in the single digits again. I can't believe how fast my little baby is growing. He is turning in to the most loving and kind little boy. While this last month has been a very tough with the loss of my dad, Kai is still our bright shining star.

Weight: 18 lbs
Height: 28 in

Thanksgiving dinner was a big hit! You LOVE turkey, stuffing, and gravy! You're eyes lit up so big, too when you tried yams. It was so special to share Thanksgiving dinner with you this year and I am just so thankful for you, Kai Bear. We've finally discovered a food you're not super fond of though...eggs. We've noticed a little pattern that you don't like bland foods because you've started protesting rice cereal and oatmeal now, too. If we spice these things up a bit though you're all for them! Our nursing game is still going strong and I'm still loving every single moment of it, too. 

We had another adventure filled month, little one! Of course we celebrated Halloween this last month! We just celebrated at home though since our neighborhood does trick or treating on the Saturday before. We watched Halloween movies all day though in our costumes and had fajitas for dinner. We also took a little road trip out to Toledo for our cousin's bridal shower. You are a pro traveller now and did so well in the car. Grandma and Wrigley came with us for the trip and it was such a good time. We hung out with all of our family that lives in Toledo and of course went to Shorty's for dinner one night. You looked all the meat and cornbread! Dad took us and Grandma to the Shedd Aquarium a couple weeks ago, too! You loved watching all the fishies and really enjoyed the dolphin show. We went to dinner at Elephant & Castle afterwards where you tried some corn beef and loved that, too. Auntie Ashlyn came to visit us for Friendsgiving this year and we all went in to the city for the day where we got some yummy biscuits and gravy + went to the Christkindlmarket! Dad and I love to go every year and we were so excited to take you with us this time!

We of course celebrated Thanksgiving this past month, too! We hosted our annual Friendsigiving dinner with all off our friends and you got to have your first taste of Thanksgiving dinner! You even got to hang out with your other baby friend, Harper! A few days later we hosted our family for Thanksgiving where you had so much fun with your cousins, especially Jordyn! I've been so excited for you to be old enough to play together and you just adore her. It was so wonderful to have our whole family together for the holiday and experience it with you for the first time.

You can pull yourself up on to everything and anything with ease now, little mister! You still haven't quite figured out how to get back down though so you just hang out standing for awhile, But then you start to yell at us to help you down and it never ceases to make me laugh. You and Wrigley love to play together like true baby and pup now too. You throw his tennis ball for him and he brings it back to you!

This month was definitely a complicated one emotionally for us. Grandpa passed away and went home to Heaven a day after you turned 9 months old. You were the joy of his life for those 9 months though. He adored you beyond belief and would talk about you to everyone and anyone. He loved watching all the videos of you and holding you when he could before he got sick. He was the best grandpa and we miss him every single day. I know you are so young but I hope you know how much he loves you. He's watching down on you all the time and protecting you from Heaven. While I know you won't remember him, I hope you're heart will and you'll love him forever just like he loves you.

I fall in love with you more and more every day, Kai. You're my little best friend and I'm so blessed to be your mama. This stage of how much you need me still but you're able to verbalize it and reach for me melts my heart. Every month is my favorite month with you. I love you so, my little boy, I really really so very deeply do,

The holiday season is finally here so let the shopping frenzy begin! This will be our first Christmas with Kai and I am so excited for all the things I have in mind for getting him. I want to share with you all today some of my ideas + lots of amazing Black Friday deals that are going on right now! So without further ado...my holiday gift guide for babies!

1. Noah the dog - cuddle + kind $50/$70
I absolutely love these cuddle + kind knit dolls for babies. I got Kai Sebastian the lamb for Easter and he absolutely loves it. As were rounding in on his 1 year birthday and he's going to be able to sleep with something cuddly in his crib at that point I wanted to get him another one of these knit dolls. He adores puppies, so I thought Noah would be the perfect choice! The best part about cuddle + kind though is they are all hand knitted by mamas like you and me and with each doll purchased, 10 meals are provided to children in need around the world. BUT for today only they are doubling their offer and will be doing 20 meals per doll sold!

2. Bath Toys - Amazon $5.40
Kai loves baths so much and we recently just switched to bathing him in the actual bath tub. So that means it's time for some more bath toys! We're a big Disney family so these Finding Nemo toys would be perfect for bath time in our house. They're currently on sale on Amazon right now, too! Marked down to just over $5 from $11.

3. Bath Robe - Pottery Barn Kids $23.97
With winter coming it's important to keep our baby bears warm, especially after a bath and what's more perfect than a cute little baby robe!? We usually just wrap Kai in a hooded towel but I think a cozy bath robe is in order now that he's a bit bigger, don't you? This robe from Pottery Barn Kids is on major sale right now too at 50% off.

4. Jacket - The North Face $55
Kai already has a nice puffer jacket for winter, but the downside about it is that it's too bulky for him to wear while in his car seat. So anytime we go out and it's really cold now we have to put it on him when we get there. Which takes forever just to walk in to a store and be outside for less than a minute. But it's important that he's covered up and not cold! So my solution for this is getting him a nice and warm North Face fleece jacket that will keep him warm but isn't too bulky that's safe for him to wear while he's bulked in to his car seat!

5. Xylophone Toy - Amazon $17.43
Of course Santa has to bring the Bear some toys! Kai loves music and banging things, so you can't get much more perfect that a xylophone! He doesn't have one of these yet so I think something like this one from Amazon definitely makes his Christmas list. Plus it's on major sale on Amazon right now marked down to just over $17 from $30!

6. Clothes - Zara, H&M, Gap
Kai can expect all the cute sweaters from Zara, H&M, and Gap for Christmas. I just know I'm going to go crazy this weekend with all the amazing sales going on. I need to stock up big time for his upcoming 12 month marker because he's pretty light in that size in his closet right now! Gap is currently having 50% off everything so go snag as much as possible!

7. Books - Amazon
Kai loves to "read" so much. He has a huge basket of board books and pretty much every day they all end up scattered around our living room. He enjoys looking through all the pictures and having me read the stories to him. So I think we will definitely be adding to his collection along with Santa ;)

8. Moccasins - Freshly Picked $54
Don't tell Kai, but I already ordered these for him along with some more Mickey shoes! Freshly Picked is my absolute favorite place to get shoes for Kai because they fit him so well and actually stay on his feet. They are currently having their half yearly sale right now too and everything on their site is discounted up to 50% off. Plus if you join their program called The Fringe, you will receive an additional 20% off your order! I used up my saved credits that I had stacked up and with the current sale + my 20% off ended up getting him 2 pairs of shoes for $20!

9. Mickey Sorting Cube Toy - Amazon $15.99
It's no secret that Kai really loves Mickey and will do an excited scream over anything with Mickey on it. So any toy with Mickey on it will be a hit for him. I've had my eye on this sorting cube toy because they are so good for baby's brain development and will keep them busy for awhile. Having Mickey on it is a big added bonus for us, too.

10. Peek-a-boo Elmo - Amazon $32.26
So Kai actually already has this Elmo toy but he loves it so much that I wanted to recommend it to all of you! If you press Elmo's foot, he'll play peek-a-boo for about a minute and a half with your little one! Kai really loves Elmo, too, and he gets so excited when we pull this toy out for him. Another great one to add to the list for Santa!

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Happy almost Thanksgiving, everyone! What is everyone doing for the holiday tomorrow? We're hosting at our house again and going all out as usual! I'm in major prep mode today with cleaning our house like a mad woman and Caleb is prepping all the food to make tomorrow run nice and smooth. If you need any Thanksgiving hosting help, check out my post on Thanksgiving from last year!

Today I want to share with you my baby registry must haves. As a mom to an almost 10 month old, I feel like I finally know and understand what all is needed for a baby throughout their first year of life. However, I do remember last year when we were doing our baby registry how overwhelmed we were. So I'm going to finally share with you the best things to register for along with the exact item + number of items I recommend! Alright...here we go...

Add toys, cute clothes, books, and gift cards as fillers. To be honest, people are going to buy what they think is cute in terms of those things, so don't stress too much about being short handed on those things. Plus I think it's way more fun to go shopping for that stuff yourself anyways! Half the fun of having a baby is dressing them and getting all excited about buying them toys and books!

Did I miss anything important on this list, fellow mamas!? Leave me a comment below and let me know!