The Contest

In my desperation to lose the baby weight I asked Todd and Timmy if they wanted to have a weight loss contest. I know my competitive side will kick in to keep me motivated. We are all putting in $100 and the winner takes it all. Wanna join us to up the ante?

We are officially starting next Monday. I started a week ago (and I've lost 2 lbs woo hoo). The boys are actually eating really bad to gain a few extra pounds to shed so they can win. I'm not willing to add any extra pounds that I will just have to lose. I'd rather lose the contest :)

The winner will be determined by highest percent of body weight lost. We are doing before pictures, measurements, body fat and overall weight at the start and finish. (I will not be posting my before picture until I have an after picture. It is just too depressing)

We are all doing different programs. Todd is doing P90X. Timmy is doing high protein and low overall calories. I'm counting calories on sparkpeople and we've added weights to our normal workouts (we already do 5 days of cardio a week).

I plan on posting more stuff and our progress on my fitness blog. So feel free to check it out and cheer us on.

What to wear....

Honestly - I have nothing to wear. None of my clothes fit me right now and I refuse to wear my maternity clothes any longer! It is just so depressing to have 15 pounds to lose AGAIN.

The thing is this is my 4th baby. You would think I would have some of my "in between" clothes left over from the last 3 kids but I can't seem to find any of them. Why is it that I would throw away all my bigger size pants and keep skinny jeans from who knows how far back? I will never wear those old jeans again...yet I keep them cause they are a smaller size...but the pants I need I got rid of the second I lost weight. UGH!!!

I guess I'll just wear my pajama bottoms and Todd's t-shirts for a few more weeks.

Ready to Pop?

I will be the first to say I'm not a tiny pregnant girl - you know the cute ones you think are smuggling a basketball? I show early and I get nice and BIG (it's better for the baby right?) I put this horrible picture of me on here just to show that I'm not making any of this up. I have yet to gain the recommended 25-35 pounds during a pregnancy, let alone less like so many people I know. I'm always over and now that I'm finishing my 4th pregnancy I'm learning to live with it rather than let it bug me. I'm sure Todd would tell you differently he's the one who I complain to about being fat all the time. But with 2 weeks left there is nothing I can do now except embrace it!

Here are a few comments I have heard recently about being prego:

• You look like you're ready to pop!


• Wow! I can't believe you haven't had that baby yet. I thought you were due a month ago.


• You just look so tired and uncomfortable.


• When are you due again?


• So how ya doin? Just gettin' fat, fat, fat?


• Were you this big with all your pregnancies?


• You about to throw that calf? (this is one of my favorites and I request it to be said each pregnancy now because it cracks me up)


• Mommy, what are all those lines on your belly? (Luke asking about my stretch marks most of which came from him)


• Do you have 2 babies in there? (my sweet little neighbor asked me this one in pure innocence...it was so cute)


• Mom it's just because you have such a big belly...I was going to say fat belly but I thought big sounded better (Tayson said this in response to me telling Todd about the 2 baby comment)


• There are also numerous nice things said to me...but they aren't as funny!

Luckily, I know all of this will end soon and I will be back to my normal self in no time. I just had to document this moment in my pregnancy to keep a smile on my face. No reason to be offended by people at this point. I'm big and that's just the way it is. :)

24 Days to go

I can't believe that I am so close to my due date already. I know the next 3 or 4 weeks will be the long tough ones, but I was just telling Todd last night that I can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone. I was looking at my kids and how different each of them are and wondering if this little one will look or act like any of them or if I will have another completely unique kid.


Tayson was 8 lbs. 5 oz. 19.5 inches long and born 7 days before his due date.

Tayson looks like just his daddy except that he is built just like me (a nice roll of back fat, a long bum that always shows crack, and skinny little legs). He has a temper and is very competitive. He wears his emotions on the surface is so dramatic it is funny.


Luke was 9 lbs. 3 oz 20.5 inches long and born 2 days before his due date.

Luke has a big block head (which he gets from my side) and he has total Schultz hair (just like David and my Grandpa Schultz) he has Todd's gorgeous big dark brown eyes and has a big strong build like his daddy. His legs and bum look just like Todd's to me. He has a very laid back personality and has a long concentration span for a 3 year old. His personality reminds me of Todd's.


Claire was 7 lbs. 12 oz. and 20 inches long and was born 3 days after her due date.

Claire has gorgeous big eyes and wavy hair. Her face shape, nose and mouth remind me of Todd and Amy. She really looks nothing like either of her brothers. Her personality is hilarious. She really is very bratty - she will not make eye contact with you if she doesn't "feel" like it and has done this since she was a few months old. It is her way or the highway. She is picky about what she will and will not wear. She has a very strong personality and I know I'm not ready to see her personality as a teenager!


So who knows what I have coming to me this time. I've managed to have babies in the 7, 8 and 9 lb. range before and after my due dates. I guess we'll know soon enough.

Boy or Girl?

Last week when I was at Motherhood I saw this book and had to buy it. It has 50 fun ways to find out if you're having a boy or girl. So far I have done 33 of the tests.

Girl: 21
Boy:12

Some of the tests are hilarious and can't mean a thing (i.e. which way does your pillow face? North or South?) I'm going to try to do all 50 before the baby is born just for some fun.

30 Weeks down .... 10 to go

This week I've decided that instead of "Thankful Thursday" I will do a post on things I will miss when I'm not prego anymore...and of course that list can't exist without things I won't miss when this all comes to an end.

Maybe I'll look back at some point and miss this, but honestly right now I'm pretty much ready to not be pregnant anymore. Too bad I still have 2 1/2 months left to go.

Also, this is the first time in 4 pregnancies that I have posed for a picture to show my big ol' belly. I'm not loving the picture but there you have it. Blogging makes us do things we'd never do otherwise. :)

Things I will miss:

Not having to suck in my tummy

Having boobs again!

Eating whatever I want whenever I want and having a great excuse

My hair and nails growing fast

Not feeling the baby move

Having to pack a diaper bag and carry the car seat in order to run into the store instead of just packing my big belly in there with me

Being able to go to bed as early as I want and not feeling silly (or having Todd make fun of me for being worn out by 8:00 pm)

Wondering what my baby will look like (and if it’s a boy or girl)

Rock hard abs (only when I’m having a contraction – but it’s better than never)

Things I won’t miss:

The constant heartburn

The back pain

Not being able to turn around enough to see when I’m backing the car out

Not being able to tie my shoes

My bellybutton sticking out

My skin being so bad … eczema, pimples and blotchy skin

Leg cramps

Feeling fat

Not wearing normal clothes – I can’t wait to button a pair of pants again

Being woken up in the middle of the night to pee or because the baby is kicking me (of course this might be better than waking up every few hours for the baby to eat)

My New Blog

I've decided to start another blog to track my fitness. I am slightly obsessive about working out - not that I have to workout but in the fact that I LOVE to track what I'm doing and I love to do programs for different goals. Just ask Heidi, I always have my "plan" and my "notebook". I just love the feeling of checking off what I've done and then looking back to see what I've accomplished. So, instead of doing it all on paper I'm going to blog it. I'm in desperate need of motivation these next few months and I'm hoping this will keep me moving and I'll need it to get all the baby weight off too! Hopefully when Heidi's life calms down she'll join in as the nutritional expert and give tips and help do plans if people want them.

I'd love to see what you all are doing for fitness and swap stories to keep us all motivated!

*this picture is from the turkey trot last year and was Claire's first race!

Pregnancy Advice

I have 12 weeks to go and I don't know how much more heartburn I can take. Every pregnancy my acid reflux has gotten worse and this time it wakes me up at night burning so bad. I started on Tums with Tayson and Luke then moved to Pepcid AC with Claire and it worked great her whole pregnancy. But it's not doing the trick this time ... once a day is almost never enough so I have to do one mid-morning and one before bed. Anyone have good advice on what I can do to last the next 12 weeks? If the wives tale is right and heartburn and hair are linked this baby is going to be one hairy beast!

Look at the Bright Side

My last boss used to tease me and call me Pollyanna because I can be overly optimistic. But this past week I was thinking about a few things in my life and how I could easily dwell on the negative side or focus on the positive side. I'm choosing to look at the bright side.

Claire hasn't cried once when going #2 in the last 2 weeks. This is a huge improvement for her and I am so excited. She has had problems since last October. The downside of this one is that now she is back to square 1 with potty training, but I would much rather focus on her being healthy and happy. She still loves to sit on the potty and read books she just rarely goes any more.

The other one I was thinking about is pregnancy. The part of pregnancy I hate the most is that I put on the pounds (I'm rarely in the recommended 25-35 lbs range) I gained 50 with Tayson!!! UGH. But I am so lucky that I never get sick I don't throw up and I don't have food aversions...which is why I put on the pounds. But when I see my friends sick it makes me so grateful that I don't get sick and I try to remember that every time I get on the scale at the doctor's office.

I Need Motivation!

I am soooo lazy these days and really need some motivation. I have such an "easy" excuse with being prego to just sleep in and not do anything. But it is starting to get to me. For the last 3 weeks all I have done is teach my spin class (2 days a week) and not do one additional minute of exercise. I realize this is still doing something...but so not like me! I am a 5-6 days a week exerciser and have been with all 3 of my other pregnancies. I'm packing on the pounds and just getting lazier by the day. I've put on more weight the first half of this pregnancy than any of the other 3 and at this rate it will take me 5 years to get back in shape after this little one is born. Hopefully by posting this cry for help it will help me want to get my butt out of bed and stay fit and healthy for 19 more weeks.

No Peeking....

We had our ultrasound today and we didn't peek! It wasn't hard since Todd was there with me and is all about not finding out. I just need to keep him around every time I go to the mall and walk by the ultrasound place there. Although I've always sworn that I wouldn't get an ultrasound at the mall...so I know I can hold strong for 19 more weeks.

For those of you who want to guess we have decided not to release the DVD until after the birth just in case you think you can make something out of the fuzz on the screen. But I will tell you what we know at this point and you can decide for yourself.

Heart rate: 128 bpm

The baby is measuring a full week ahead (July 3rd instead of the 12th)

I am gaining a nice amount of weight this pregnancy - no need to tell specifics but it's a good amount (please remember I've been lazy this pregnancy and I really like chocolate lately)

The Chinese Gender Chart says girl:
Woman's Birth Year: 1972 Month: 9 Day: 20 Time Zone: PST
Conception Year: 2007 Month: 10 Day: 5 Time Zone: MST
It's a girl! (Chinese Age 36 at Lunar month 8)
(it said girl for Tayson and Luke too though)

Everything is healthy and looks great!

Feel free to guess on the poll

We are really excited that the baby is healthy and that my blood pressure is low (116/69 - I think that's a record for me).

The race for #40

As many of you know from an earlier post the entire Schultz family got shirts for Thanksgiving with our family numbers on the back. I asked my sister to order me an extra one ....because we are expecting baby #4 this summer (July 12). Little did I know at the time that it might not end up being mine. Right now there are 4 of us pregnant in the family. Jeannie is due in a few weeks so she'll for sure walk away with her #38 shirt and I knew Kami was due the month before me so she got her own shirt. But then at Christmas we found out that Danny and Emily are due at the same time as me. Her C-Section is already scheduled for July 12th!!! Hopefully I won't end up going late this time like I did with Claire so I can keep my cute shirt :)