I am only a few days out from my due date and feel blessed I have been able to be active this entire pregnancy. I wanted to share a quick overview of how my workouts changed through this pregnancy. Remember, this is my personal experience. As a certified personal trainer, I advise you to listen to your own body and reach out to a fitness professional if you have any specific questions regarding prenatal fitness.
I started to modify my workouts at around 20 weeks. I remember my first pregnancy being so confused on what exercises I could and couldn’t do. I never wanted to push myself because I was scared it would impact the baby. This pregnancy I felt more confident in my fitness routine. I credit that to being more educated. Before pregnancy, most of my cardio was from running. Running is convenient cardio for a mama to complete with your kids in a stroller. I stopped running pretty early in my third trimester because it just didn’t feel good.
Barre and Pilates were my main workouts through this entire pregnancy. I attended Barre3 2-3 times a week and always felt amazing when I left. Barre3 offers childcare which meant I didn’t have to use nap time or get up extra early for my barre workouts. As a fitness professional, I am aware of how I needed to modify the core exercises but don’t be scared to ask the instructor. They will always have prenatal modifications for you. I practiced Pilates from home 3-4 times a week. My advice if you want to practice Pilates throughout pregnancy is to find a studio that offers a prenatal specific class or make sure the studio knows you are expecting before signing up for group Pilates classes. So many of the classical exercises do need to be modified for later in pregnancy and you want to make sure the instructor is aware.
I don’t like buying a lot of maternity clothes just for pregnancy. The good news is there is so much activewear you can wear for pregnancy and beyond. Sharing my favorites below:
Logan will be 19 months soon and has no idea that he is about to have a little brother. When I ask where Mason is, he sometimes points to my belly and sometimes his. Even though he is clueless, I am so excited to see how he reacts when Mason Hawke arrives.
I am trying to cherish these last few days of one on one time with Logan. If only the weather would stay dry and warmer, we would spend even more time outside.
Thanks to Terez for the providing the cutest skull top. Check out all their amazing workout gear here. They have the best print leggings!
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I am super excited to share that I am now a KIND® Ambassador. There are very few bars that I will eat and I have always loved KIND® bars. They offer over 50 different tasty and healthy snacks and are on a mission to make the world a little kinder, one act at a time. I am excited to be a part of the KIND® movement.
The weather has been so rough this Spring. I try and get Logan outside on the few days the weather has cooperated. Golden Gardens Park and Beach is a favorite of ours and right by our house.
On Saturday, we celebrated our friends Scott and Courtney getting legally married. They had a little ceremony in Pioneer Square and then we brunched at Loulay. While I will likely be giving birth this week, they are off to St. Lucia for a bigger destination wedding.
Our weekend ended at the Mariners game. Baseball isn’t my favorite sport but I did have a good time at the game. I even paid attention the last inning as the game came down to the last few plays!
Tomorrow is the official two week countdown to my due date! I’ve mentioned on here before how the first part of this pregnancy was tougher than my first. I felt sick more and the exhaustion was tougher to deal with in my first trimester this second pregnancy. Fast forward to the last month and I feel better this second time around. My heartburn isn’t as bad, the sleep has been better and the official waddle hasn’t set in completely. Now, I just pray the delivery is easier this time around 🙂
Knowing this might be my last pregnancy, I will really miss my bump. Of course, I can’t wait for our son to join us but there is something special about being pregnant. I will miss feeling those ninja kicks and nightly parties in my belly. Sharing a few bump photos today in the dress I plan to wear home from the hospital. I won’t be wearing heels leaving the hospital and probably won’t look this put together. This non-maternity dress will be a comfy wear home look.
It has become hard to find the time to post regularly on the blog. Once baby #2 arrives, I know that will become even harder. Sharing some snaps from the past week. Ryan took a few days off this weekend and we even got some kid free time at our friends’ wedding. You know you don’t get away much when you come home and your husband says “I feel like we were on vacation today.”
Not sure if the title prepping for baby #2 is appropriate since I don’t feel quite ready. I am down to three weeks to my due date and it still seems unreal we will become a family of four soon. The photos above are from our backyard and my attempt to get a good photo of Logan. He had other plans to run around the yard so these are the best we could capture. We tried!
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I want to start sharing more candids from my daily life so I will have something to look back on. Below are snaps from our daily life since my last post over a week ago.
“I always trust my gut reaction; it’s always right.” – Kiana Tom
Following your gut is hard and scary sometimes. I believe that timing is not always right to make a big change in life. If there is something you are passionate about or a part of your life you are unhappy in, realize only you can make things change. The change might be slow, challenging and take time but it’s always possible. One of my favorite blog posts about taking chances and believing in yourself is here in case you missed it from last summer.
A few weeks ago on my Instagram, I hinted at some life changes coming to our family soon. I have received so many calls and texts from friends thinking we are having twins, moving to a new state or that we even won the lottery. As much as I wish the lottery was our secret, it isn’t. I probably hyped up the excitement behind our news but that’s how excited I am.
Ryan is changing his career path and taking a big leap of faith. It’s a calculated leap of faith though — don’t worry! Most of you know that Ryan went to law school at the University of Arizona and has been practicing law the past five years. What some might not know, is that tennis has always been a huge part of his life. His Dad is a tennis professional and he spent his childhood at tennis clubs and playing competitive tennis. He was a high ranked junior and went on to play college tennis. We met at North Carolina State and I am more than thankful tennis brought him from Kentucky so we had the opportunity to meet 🙂
Even during his law school years, he helped coached the Arizona men’s tennis team as a Graduate Assistant Coach. It didn’t stop there either. We moved to Seattle and while Ryan was studying to take the Washington State Bar, he started working part-time at Seattle Tennis Club. He would work his legal job during the week and then work a day or two teaching on the weekends. He also started the Seattle Tennis Association and Seattle Pro League last summer. If you live in Seattle and love to watch high level tennis, the Seattle Pro League will start its season again this summer. He hopes to keep growing this league and I hope to help make it the social event it is in many East coast cities.
The downside to this was he hasn’t been around a lot to see Logan. An opportunity recently opened up at Seattle Tennis Club that made Ryan reevaluate his career path. We talked extensively about what our life was going to look like 10 years down the road if he stayed in the legal world and what it would look like if he left to pursue something in a industry he is so passionate about. I am a true believer that everything happens for a reason. Sometimes, financially it doesn’t seem like you can take that risk or follow what you really want. This time, it’s like all the puzzle pieces were fitting together perfectly.
While I know Ryan is so happy, I am beyond happy to have him around for more family time. We will be a family of four soon and I will need all the help I can get chasing two boys around! We never would have imagined five years ago, we would both have jobs in the sports and fitness world. Two kids later, wow things have changed.
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Thanks to Molly for taking all the leggings and Logan photos! Thanks to Terez for sending the leggings! I love all their fun prints!!
Happy Monday loves! This past weekend was filled with lots of family and friend time. We watched a lot of basketball and even got to spend some time outside Sunday when the sun decided to to make an appearance in Seattle.
Today, I am sharing our fun baby shower from over a week ago. It was perfection! It was a joint shower with my beautiful blogger friends Kusum and Angie. It is always so fun to share your pregnancy journey with friends.
Kendra Scott allowed us to take over the Bellevue store for our afternoon shower. It was complete with cute decor, sweet treats, and our beautiful friends. At the end of the party, the three mama-to-bes made a piece of jewelry from the Colorbar. When I saw the “Mason” necklace, I knew it was meant to be and quickly decided on this one. Love how it turned out with the clear stones! I am wearing it layered with another necklace in the above photos!
Thanks so much to Kendra Scott, Missy Palacol Photography, First and Bloom Florals, Fresh cosmetics and Ziko coconut water for providing complimentary product and services to help celebrate!
After surviving the plane ride with a toddler, we were thankful to be in Tucson! Our first stop off the plane was In-n-out burger to grab a quick bite before heading to our hotel, the Westin La Paloma. When Ryan was in law school, their annual gala was held at this beautiful hotel so it always brings back the memories and I love it so much. The views from the property overlooking the Catalina Mountains are beautiful and it has a swim-up bar, a water slide and even an adult only pool. Our first night, we went over to some friends for dinner. Logan was running on fumes but he managed to stay entertained. I think it helped they have a little girl just a few months older than him. They made carne asada and we had a little taco bar. It was the perfect welcome back to Tucson night and made me realize how much I miss Mexican food. The view from our room wasn’t too bad either!
Our first full day we slept until our toddler alarm woke us up around 7am. We spent the morning hiking a part of Finger Rock Trail (see post on hike here) and then came back to the hotel to spend the rest of the day at the pool. Logan needed a nap but we knew he wouldn’t take one in the room. We took a stroller walk around the hotel property until he fell asleep. He stayed asleep in the stroller for about 40 minutes. Any nap is better than nothing.
After an afternoon at the pool, we went back to the room to get ready for dinner. We wanted to stay close to the hotel this night so we went to another one of our Tucson favorite, Blanco. I forgot how much I loved the ambience of this restaurant and it is super kid friendly.
On our last day, we let our toddler alarm clock wake us again. We drove over to campus early and spent the morning walking around. We went to get a little gear at the book store, walked through the mall area and ended our tour showing Logan the tennis courts his daddy used to help coach on. On the way back to the hotel, we took a quick detour to see our old house and snapped a quick photo.
We spent our last afternoon at the pool soaking in as much sun and warmth as we could. My friend Gina and her family came up for the afternoon and it was so good to see her. Her little girls are so precious. It has rained everyday since we have been back in Seattle so I am so thankful we decided to plan this last minute trip.
Our dinner plans were to go to Guadalajara Grill for dinner but since Logan was running on no minutes of a nap, we opted for take-out from them. Three nights in Tucson equaled three Mexican dinners and I couldn’t have been happier. I think I had forgotten how beautiful Tucson is and we are hoping to make this an annual family trip for the next few years while the kids are young. If you are planning a trip to Tucson, let me know and I’ll be glad to share more of favorites.
Ryan and I didn’t hike much until we moved to Arizona for Ryan to attend law school in 2009. Hiking has become a routine part of our life. It’s been a long grey winter in Seattle so we threw out the idea of taking a little trip somewhere warm before baby #2 arrives. After discussing Tucson as an option, I become obsessed with seeing and feeling some sun. I called the doctor to make sure I was still okay to travel this late in pregnancy and she said I had two weeks. We immediately booked plane tickets and a room for a few days at our favorite Tucson hotel, the Westin La Paloma.
We opted to spend our first morning hiking our favorite Tucson trail, Fingerrock. I love this trail so much because you see such gorgeous desert scenery in the first few minutes of the hike. I wouldn’t recommend as a beginner hike but the first part of the hike isn’t too strenuous. I am so thankful we had trail running shoes this time. This trail is really rough and carrying Logan in a pack made me more nervous about losing our footing. We didn’t hike in as far as we normally do but it was the perfect little hike to get our sun and desert scenary fix. If you are looking for an easier hike with gorgeous scenery, I would recommend Sabino Canyon. You can even take strollers on part of that trail.
I seriously can’t rave enough about Brooks Running shoes. The technology and research behind each of their shoes is amazing. Here is the lowdown on the trail running shoes we wore for our hike:
I wore their Caldera trail running shoe, part of their Energize line. The fun, bright colors of the shoe are what first attracted me to them. I’m excited to wear these a lot on trails this summer.
– made for the most technical trail offering a stable and responsive ride
– midsole cushioning responding to your individual step
– specially designed midsole
– double-layer mesh upper that blends stretch and structure to fit well
– sticky rubber outsoles offering traction on climbs and descents
– rear foot braking lug on the outside adding extra control
Ryan wore the Cascadia 12 trail running shoe. This is part of their cushion line and one of their most popular. Ryan felt like it provided a good balance of cushion and support.
– it was updated this spring with improved overall cushioning and improved flexibility at toe-off
– improved pivot post system creating a stabilizing suspension system
– ballistic rock shield that protects against sharp rocks and roots
– midsole cushioning responds to your individual step and stride
– a rugged outsole offering excellent traction on wet or slick terrain and rear foot braking lugs to help on descents
After our morning hike, we stopped by one of our favorite Tucson restaurants Zinburger. Ryan opted for a burger while Logan and I ate chicken. We were full but we did have to get a kids size milkshake for the ride back to the hotel.
When they say every pregnancy is different, they sure are right. I didn’t experience any sciatica pain during my pregnancy with Logan. It has been different this time around. When the pain first started, I didn’t realize what it was. The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body running from your lower back to the back of your legs and feet. It can send a deep, dull or shooting pain down the glutes and back of the leg. Initially, I thought I had just pulled a glute muscle working out. When it didn’t go away a few days later, I realized it was sciatica pain. There are different treatments methods you can take to deal with your pain. I made the decision to try regular focused stretching. I also focused on strengthening my hips, pelvic floor and back through exercises in Pilates and barre.
Here are some of the stretches I have been using to cope with my pain. My biggest bit of advice for these stretches is to make sure you hold them for a full 30 seconds. I always find a good time to complete stretches is at night when you are watching TV. Stretching before bed always seems to make me sleep better.
BUTTERFLY STRETCH:
Butterfly Stretch: This stretch targets the hip adductors, a muscle group in your inner thighs, and also helps align the pelvis. Sit on mat with your legs pulled inward and feet together. Extend your spine and relax your shoulders. To get deeper into stretch, bend forward slightly forward keeping a straight spine. Hold this pose for 30 seconds and repeat 3-5 times.
2.SEATED PIRIFORMIS STRETCH:
Seated piriformis stretch: This is a muscle deep in the butt and this stretch helps to relieve some of the tightness. Sit on a chair with feet flat on floor. If your left side is more affected, pull your left ankle onto your right knee. Keeping a straight back, lean forward until you can feel the stretch. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat multiple times throughout day.
3. PIGEON POSE:
Pigeon Pose: Come down to all fours on the mat. Extend your right legs behind you as much as you can. Bring the right foot forward, folding at the knee. Keep the shin in a horizontal line in from on your body with your foot flexed. Lean forward towards the front leg. Hold position for 3o seconds and repeat 3-5 times throughout the day. This stretch helps stretch the hip rotator and hip flexors.
4. FOAM ROLLING GLUTES & HAMSTRINGS:
Foam Rolling Glutes & Hamstrings: Foam rolling helps relax and release the tight muscles. Sit on foam roller with your hands behind you. Bend on knee in to help support and balance, sitting on your glute. Move back and forth over foam roller. Once you feel a tender area, continue movement on this area for 30 seconds. Roll down and repeat on the upper leg making sure to roll area for at least 30 seconds. Repeat on other side.
4. FLAT BACK FOLDOVER:
Flat Back Foldover: Stand facing a chair or table with your feet slightly wider than hip distance. Lean forward and place hands on chair or table keeping arms straight and back flat. Pull hips away from table until you can feel the stretch in the back of your legs and lower back. Hold position for at least 30 seconds. Repeat 3-5 times. This is my favorite stretch during this pregnancy and you can find me in the position multiple times a time.
Thanks to Molly for snapping these photos after our fun lunch at Vivo53 in Bellevue. After those milkshakes, I might have a food belly and a baby bump combined. Now, let’s talk about the outfit. I live in my activewear even when I’m not working out. Brooks Running has some great additions to their spring line this year. Here are some of the highlights of the pieces I am wearing below:
Ghost Crop: I am obsessed with this print! This ankle-length pant features a ultra-light fabric. It will be perfect for hot weather workouts or lounging around and looking cute.
Pick-Up Tank:This tank has been my favorite one to wear through pregnancy and will be an athleisure wardrobe piece post baby too. It’s a super soft, four-way stretch fabric with a fitted silhouette.
Dash Hoodie: A new favorite layering piece that will be perfect for the cool Seattle spring and summer nights. This hoodie has a cozy feel, flattering fit, reliable moisture management, and feminine details. The bump is still fitting nicely under it.
Hot Shot Sports Bra: A new favorite sports bra that looks great under tops or can be worn solo. It’s modern and minimal racerback effortlessly molds to the body for everyday comfort.
PureCadence 6: I have always been a huge fan of the Pure line. The PureCadence 6 is the only shoe that supports whole body alignment in a lightweight and flexible design. The breakthrough Guide Rail system with an external heel clip eases the body into its preferred motion pattern, and works seamlessly with the updated 3D Fit Print upper to feel like a natural extension of the foot. A perfect workout shoe and one to wear around town.
What a weird day yesterday! We woke up to this winter wonderland yet again. I cancelled my morning barre3 and errand plans because the roads looked bad. However, within 30 minutes of getting up, the roads had cleared and most of the snow was already melted. Logan and I still ended up staying home all day. I was able to fit in a 45 minute Pilates workout while he napped. The afternoon consisted of more snow, rain, a little sun and even thunder!
Our weekend was uneventful as usual but we did manage to make it out Saturday night for dinner and drinks — well mocktails for me. We ate at Bitterroot with Molly, Haley and their husbands. It was a fun night of blogger talk and being out kid free. Ryan taught at the tennis club both days while Logan and I enjoyed lots of play time at home. My sciatica pain has been bothering me a little so I rested with the workouts most of the weekend. Saturday afternoon, I did get to do a barre3 class for Molly’s event with Iron Lily. It was a fun event and I always love catching up with other local bloggers and fitness people.
