Many things in my life bring me immense joy, but none so much as my children. Adjusting to life with 2 children was intimidating at first, but honestly has been extremely smooth. My 9 year old Emma is thrilled to have her own real-life doll. She sings to him, holds him, and rocks his bounce chair while I’m cooking or showering. I couldn’t have imagined this any better! The love around this place is nearly tangible.

My highest numbers on the scale were 181 just before giving birth, which means I gained 50 pounds! I attribute most of this to the strength training I was doing prior to conceiving, and the tons of food I ate to curb my nicotine cravings… just my theory.

While it would be amazing to get my abs back, and wear my sexy prepreggo ripped jeans, I’m just as happy right now focusing on my daily nutrition for breastfeeding and focusing on my new baby. I know in time I will see 125 on the scale again, and my body will feel stronger. There is a season for everything!

Using my FitBit Charge 2 — the perfect Mothers Day gift from my husband! — I am able to log my meals each day, while it tracks the calorie intake and caloric burn. This has been helping me ensure my milk supply stays where it needs to be.

Calvin had 3-5 very fussy days and nights. He was also cluster feeding each morning, and by the end of the day I felt like my breasts were completely drained. His pediatrician said this was likely from a lack of sufficient fat content in my milk to fully satiate him. Since then, I’ve been drinking 64 oz of water, and consuming at least 1,800 calories each day. Ideally that number should be 2,000, so I’m finding other ways to balance healthy calories with caloric burn rate, like drinking shakes and doing yoga instead of HIIT training.

At this point in my life, I can truly appreciate being a work in progress. Im happy to see the payoff from the effort I put into my health, my home, and my family. And I’m grateful — so grateful — for my two healthy kids and amazing husband. Life is good.