Monthly Archives: August 2013

For this child I prayed

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Yesterday, Ainsley had her 6 month check-up. She is growing at a perfect pace. She now weighs 18.5 lbs which puts her in the 87.9% for weight (she was in the 81% at 4 months) and she is 26.25 inches long. She only gained a quarter of an inch in length. We were waiting for the decline in length growth to happen. At 4 months, she was in the 95% for length. We all found this funny since neither Hunter or I are tall. She is now in the 66% for length. That’s more like it ;). We have just started giving her some fruits and vegetables. She has been exclusively breast fed until about 2 weeks ago. Her favorite foods are baked sweet potato, raw avocado, and cooked carrots.
Her list of tricks now include sitting up, walking in her walker, and she is becoming very vocal. She is a lot of fun these days!

One thing her doctor said though, that I can’t get out of my head was, the days are long but the weeks and months are so short. Isn’t this so true? Some days seem to drag on and on but before you know it you’re at another milestone, birthday or holiday.
Last year at this time, I was probably in bed wishing the days away, since I had severe morning sickness. And now I am holding my sweet girl who takes the best naps in my arms.
As I see everyone getting their babies ready for their first day of school, I hold Ainsley a little tighter. I, of course, want her to grow and be a happy, healthy girl and continue on to be a happy, healthy woman. But right now, I am happy to have a cuddly, squishy baby. Because I know the weeks, months and years will fly by.
Hunter and I are so blessed to be her parents. I thank God for Ainsley (and hunter) every day.
I prayed for them both before I knew them. They make my life so complete. I was made to be Hunter’s wife and Ainsley’s mom.
No doubt about it.

-Callie

Ainsley 1-6 months

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The name Ruth

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Ruth is actually our daughter’s middle name. Her name comes from two places, the Bible and family.

As part of mine and Hunter’s vows, we quoted Ruth1:16. “Where you go, I will go and where you stay I will stay. Your people my people and your God my God.” I think of this verse often. That I will always be by Hunter’s side. I love his family as my own and he feels the same about mine. Ruth was loyal. The Hebrew meaning of the name is friend. These are qualities I want to instill in my Ruth.

But more than anything, she was given this name after Hunter’s grandmother, who we call Mawmaw. Mawmaw is a huge part of our lives. If you are looking for a cheerleader, this is your lady. Ever since Hunter and I started dating, she has always made me feel welcome.

I look to her as the kind of woman I want to be. She always puts family first. And ask anyone that knows her, she is not afraid to tell you what she thinks. She is ALWAYS supportive and undoubtedly makes you feel loved.

I think a lot of people keep their feelings to themselves. They may think the sun shines out of your butt, but they never truly tell you how they feel. Not the case with Mawmaw. Every time she sees us she tells us she loves us. She has told me more times than I can count, how wonderful she thinks I am for Hunter. This means a lot to me since she thinks so highly of presh Hunter. She has also told me that she thinks I am a good mom to Ainsley Ruth.

These short little sentences that she has spoken, mean more to me than I could ever explain. Sometimes, it’s nice to know that people are proud of you or that they approve of you.

I think a lot of us could strive to be more like Mawmaw. She is the kind of woman I want to be. And I want to raise my daughter to be like her great-grandmother, Ruth. A loving, spirited, strong woman.

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Mawmaw Ruth and Ainsley Ruth

-Callie

A few of my favorite… blogs

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I follow a lot of different bloggers on all of the different social media sites. I wanted to share some of my favorites, in case anyone is looking for some motivation whether its food, health, natural cleaners etc.

Motivation for health and diet Whole9life

Dinner recipes Everydaypaleo

Baked goods and other grain free recipes (this is also my favorite cookbook right now) Againstallgrain

Green cleaners and motherhood Wellnessmama

Science behind paleo and other health related articles Robb Wolf

Tips for eating on a budget. This site has a lot of good information though. Balanced Bites

If you are looking for something else just ask me!

-Callie

Our Journey to Health

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My husband, Hunter and I were both in our early 20’s when we decided to take control of our health. Neither one of us had any energy and spent most days complaining of aches and pains. We were both overweight. Our weight wasn’t extremely out of hand but we were both a little fluffy and on the wrong path. We were starting to think about the possibility of having a baby but I knew there was no way we would be able to keep up. My husband at about 21 was diagnosed with high cholesterol and he was put on medication. We pretty much accepted that was the only way to fix it. I was later diagnosed with borderline insulin resistance. So I started taking medicine. We started cutting calories and eating whole wheat. The only problem was the “heart healthy” standard American diet was not working for us. In early 2012 I was sick of being sick and knew something had to give.

I kept seeing a lot of buzz about the paleo diet. I messaged a friend about it and she told me about the whole30 challenge. I talked to Hunter about it and as he usually does he supported me and decided we would both try it. We started the following Monday.

We spent the first week or so hating the world and wanting to quit. But we didn’t. We went the whole 30 days and it has made all the difference in our lives. Parts of us were fixed that we had no idea could be related to diet. Of course there were the outside changes. Hunter lost 20 lbs and 2 pant sizes. I lost 10 lbs and one size. Well probably 1.5. I was starting to get a muffin top and should have been in a bigger size. My fingernails began to grow. They would always break and tear before. My stomach issues I have had as long as I could remember got better. We could fall asleep without having to take Benadryl. My daily headaches became a rare thing. Hunter’s cholesterol numbers were in the good range! And thank the Lord we were both a little less moody.

It has been almost two years now. Since then we have stepped off the path a few times but it is always short-lived as we usually get sick and say “I am never doing that again!”

I think a lot of people look to medicine to fix all of their problems when they have the power to fix some of their health issues, themselves.

It is hard but it is so worth it. I don’t have control over the length of my life. I know that. But if I can improve the quality in anyway then of course I am going to try.

We now have a beautiful little girl. I want to be help her live a happy healthy life. And of course I want my husband and myself to be an active role in it!

And that is why we choose health.

-Callie