I'm still in awe of just how quickly time has been flying throughout my pregnancy.  

I'm in tune with my little Princess' movements and I've come to expect hiccups, kicks, morning tickle-fests, and "taps" throughout the day.  Her movements are like clockwork and I know when to expect them all.  I look forward to them and love talking to her.

I've always loved to dance since I could remember I've been dancing.  Ironically she loves it too!  When I dance, and then stop I feel her start moving too!  LOL go figure I have a gymnast, MMA technician, arts loving, future foodie, curious little being and she's not even born yet!

Our most recent loves have been Kale and Mango smoothies, they are delicious!  We also love fresh fruit and veggies (of course), and a little apple sauce with cinnamon of course.  We are really into cinnamon. This fall seems to have really awakened the warmth and heartiness of the season.  My nesting cycles are in full bloom, and I've been preparing for her arrival.  I still haven't painted her room - yet, and I still have to evict my winter wardrobe from her closet (work in progress).  With that being said, I'm actually satisfied with the progress that's being made on most days and others, not so much.  I'll do some before and after photos to share.  I've also been pinning on Pinterest some of the deco ideas I have for her nursery - you can check those out here.

To me, I think my belly's sitting out there pretty far, and I seem to be mostly belly (thank God).  One of the challenges I'm facing is that I'm not able to use herbs and detox like I would normally do with the seasons - or use adaptogenic herbs to assist with maintaining balance and managing stress naturally.  I'm at peace with it and am just focused on eating well, catering to the occasional cravings when I have them and just taking good care of myself and my family.  I can still safely use Nervine herbs, such as lemon balm tea (made from the Melissa plant).  It's an amazingly calming and soothing plant that has a number of health benefits and very mild in flavor - my son loves drinking it too. Nervines are not well understood by the general population, and many have never heard of them unless you are in the natural/alternative wellness space, much like adaptogenic herbs, Nervine herbs aid your nervous system and help the body to remain in balance especially in response to stress. 

To manage my moods and help me remain balanced, I've become more creative since I'm pregnant and options are limited.  I consistently rely on essential oils (aromatically mostly not really topically) for mood balance, meditative breathing, mental clarity and a sense of calm, since my dreams are kind of out there - I also listen to an amazing playlist full of natural sounds and set the timer for that at night - it takes me into a deep and restful sleep state without the weird dreams to disrupt my sleep patterns.  I also stay in meditation and prayer daily.  This helps tremendously!  The only thing that's different is how I use essential oils, and I've eliminated certain foods/herbs and supplements from my lifestyle.  

My pregnancy so far has been an easy one, I do not look for ways to become stressed, I trust my body and I am trusting the process - God designed us for this.  I am loving every moment of it! Outside of the bouts of occasional aggression ("Hangry" moments or someone does something utterly ridiculous - like bad driving) we are good to go.

An update on the family, big bro is really stepping into the role of being a big brother, sometimes I think he thinks he's my father, Dad is very excited and talks to her daily - we are still not a 100% decided on a middle name, but I think we are close lol!  Grandparents, Aunts, cousins and a host of other family and friends are all looking forward to her arrival as well.  

Well that's all for now until next time loves - take care

 XoXo- Davon

   

Time seems to be flying at an all time high warp speed almost!  Our darling little girl seems to be developing just fine and her personality is showing already. During our last ultrasound visit (at 19 weeks) our little one amazed us yet again!  She was a perfect angel during the important portions, then put on an absolute show during the remainder.  She was in what I call "thinking pose" during the anatomy portion of the exam while all of her major organs were being checked for growth, development, and blood flow.

She's such a spirited little person, already!  This kiddo did a handstand because she could I suppose, and surprised us all - including the ultrasound tech!  She's weighing in at a whopping estimated 10.5 ounces (a little over half a pound).  We love seeing all of her movement and I love feeling her jabs and kicks, even when she decides it's a good idea to tap dance on my bladder :)

I've been counting her kicks and movement lately more often and I've come to expect her movement during certain times of the morning, day, and evening.  When you are further along in the pregnancy and you feel your little one move, it's always a good idea to keep track of the movement, I was fortunate, I could feel movement early in our pregnancy.  One of the questions I've heard throughout the process has been "How did Dad feel when you told him?"  Dad was just as shocked as I was, if not more so.  He was running errands when I took the first test, so I messaged a video to him.  When we talked again his response was, "but the line is faint, maybe you aren't pregnant".  Lol, I asked him, "do you think I did the test wrong?" In the back of my mind, I was hoping that the test was not giving us a false positive because that can happen, that's why I purchased so many - because tests can be wrong. So I told him I would take another, I took the next test and the results were the same, I showed him those results as well.  The second line was still faint.  I read the Q&A portion of the instructions for the test and of course, it specifically stated that even if the second line is faint, it is still considered a positive test.  He then said, "Oh" and it finally began to sink in, then he said, "but when, how?". I said, "um really how?" I then wished him an early Happy Father's Day :)

I love all of the belly rubs, tummy kisses, food runs, extra special care, massages, and love that we are receiving from both of our guys, from Boom and from EV/Dad.  I love them to pieces and I can see and feel their love for us, even our little one can sense it and she's still in the womb.  I'm so grateful and thankful to have so much love in my life and a supportive family of Grandparents, aunts, uncles, nephews, and nieces.

That's all for now until next time loves :)

Best,

Davon xoxo 

Ok, so I have some pretty wild dreams as it is.  But throw being pregnant into the mix and there's a ton of craziness in my dreams. Not always just depends on what I eat and how late I eat.

Last week in particular- I did not have anything late or heavy before bed (beef usually gives me nightmares or super crazy dreams), but I am heeding the warning from that dream.  I dreamt that I delivered my daughter at home ALONE about a month early and I had NOTHING - meaning we were not prepared.  Her nursery wasn't ready, we didn't have anything for her.  Not a stitch of clothing or a diaper to put on her bottom!

Oh and I delivered this happy little bundle of joy on my own - she was an awesome little easygoing bundle of joy we were just in awe of one another - she had the wisest eyes, warm, inquisitive, love.  I don't remember being in pain, but I remember the anguish I felt from not being prepared - I felt like I let us both down.  I had her food supply ready to go, and I went into MacGuyver Mommy mode with getting her bundled up in some bath towels and all - ironically I remembered in the dream to not wipe her hands off after giving birth to her so that she would be able to "sense" where to find her milk.  I also could not drive us both to the hospital.  Crazy Right!

I always like to analyze and reflect on what I dream about, I think our dreams have a way of telling us or showing us something through symbols and meaning.  I know in the back of my mind I've been feeling pressure and that little voice telling me I'm running out of time - you don't want to rush and be stressed out, plan, plan, plan so you have everything exactly how you want it.  - From my many years of dealing with Men and moving (Dad and Significant Other), I've come to realize they just throw things together kinda haphazardly and aren't really thinking about the organization or the planning of it all (women's work).  It's a painful truth I prefer to avoid at all costs.  I've already been told "we have time". Nope, THEY have time, but you don't because you then have to pick up the pieces from their "work".   

We were also preparing the eldest for his freshman year of high school - needless to say he was nervous, not sure what to expect - and all I could do was reinforce calm.  I told him it was going to be fine and that we just had to get through the first day so that he would be assured that everything was going to be fine.

Enter the sudden burst of Energy that I had out of nowhere and the insatiable desire to get all things organized and ready for high school and the little one.  We knocked high school preparation out of the park and now I have an extra set of hands prepared to help me get the nursery ready! I was shocked, and pleasantly surprised.  

When I think about it, that's kind of how labor is - each experience is different, but you don't know what's going to happen until it happens, you can read/watch/prepare until your brain bursts but until you go through it those nerves will be there.  The difference this time is that I'm much more seasoned, I am not as easily ruffled, and I'm trusting my body to do its job - God didn't design us for failure.  It's all about being self-aware and knowing yourself.  I felt baby girl's first little flutters or kicks around 12 weeks.  It's impossible not to be nervous or even worried just a bit.  

I had to check-in with myself and ask - "Davon, are you creating anxiety-filled situations to create an adrenaline rush because you're a recovering procrastinator/adrenaline junky?" I had to ask myself this because this past winter and early spring were major life altering events.  At an even deeper level, I have had to ask myself, are some of the things that worry me legitimate concerns? I ask myself this because I have had a personal struggle in the past with realizing that I'm worthy, or that I deserve happiness and not wait for the other shoe to drop and something disastrous to happen.  To be honest, this was deeply seeded in me subscribing and actually believing a limiting belief that an elder would ignorantly reiterate to myself and other children that we "didn't deserve" this or we "didn't deserve" that - it's interesting in how those limiting beliefs show up in our behaviors.  So before anyone else got the chance to sabotage my happiness, I would sabotage it myself through my actions - it took a while to really see what was going on.  Alas, that's another conversation for another time.  I'm aware of that program and I've unsubscribed from that channel and program altogether - but when I feel like I'm being spun up on self-doubt I have to remember who I am and how blessed I am.  I've learned to be present in the moment and allow God to bless me without questioning his timing or order.

To be honest, the past 12 months have been some of the most challenging we've faced.  We've endured SO much and I thank God that he brought us through it all. There were some amazing things that happened, as a result of those trying times.  Our Eldest took on a whole new level of maturity and outlook on life.  We have realized just how precious life is, and we were blessed to experience a New Life (metaphorically) and in the physical sense on the other side of such adversity and life changing events.  For that, my children will always in my heart be Rainbow Babies/Children. Rainbow babies/children are those that are born after the storm, after much has been endured.  

Until Next Time Loves,

Davon xoxo

Ok, so some stuff you may be wondering about - like how did I come to realize I was pregnant and what was my reaction?

Well, I was in denial, the signs/symptoms were there but they can be easily interpreted as signs that you're about to get your menses.  The problem is it never showed up - I have a family history of hypothyroidism - I've even had a close brush with it in the past back in 2009. I naturally treated myself through supplementation and nutrition and my thyroid has been functioning without issue since.  I had recently had my thyroid checked back in Feb - so that was not the issue.  

I also noticed I had a strong aversion to chicken, the smell, look, taste, I could not be around Chicken at all.  My eating habits started changing, I am usually a clean eater and I never crave candy - like ever.  I had to have gummy bears, tootsie rolls, and some other stuff I typically don't eat as an adult.  I started carb loading - I had cravings from potato salad, mac n cheese etc.  I also felt exhausted, I couldn't get enough sleep and I peed several times a night.  The peeing and sleeping were typical signs of Aunt Flo showing - but it took a while to realize she wasn't coming.  

All of these signs and I was STILL in denial about being preggers - not to mention my sister (I call her "Sissy") for telling me she had a dream about me being pregnant!  Talk about DENIAL - not the river in Egypt either.

I just kept saying I was "hormonal" and I continued to not acknowledge the possibility that I may be pregnant.  If I'm going to be honest with you, I think it's in part because I've been through this before, and found that I wasn't pregnant and did not want to have to come to terms with thinking about the possibility of new life - which I welcome wholeheartedly and then there not being a life present.  I would have been angry with my body betraying me with the false hope of something so promising.  I love children, I love babies, I absolutely love being a mother, and my son has wanted to be a big brother.  I would have felt discouraged and let down for even thinking the thought, so I didn't.  

Then the symptoms got to a point where I could no longer ignore them.  I decided to cave - I purchased several home pregnancy tests.  I had mixed feelings about using these due to my past experiences with them.  I tossed all of my anxiety aside and I peed on the stick.  It was June 17th, I was sitting on the squatter with test 1 in hand. Waiting and waiting and waiting.  I see 1 line then I see another - the second line was faint - but it was clearly visible.

I allowed the very real possibility of being pregnant to finally sink in.  I sat there in my bathroom for a while.  I was a mixed bag of emotions ranging from elation to downright anxiety/fear.  The anxiety and fear part stemmed from me worrying about a number of things from me being prepared for such a major change - so much change, and of course starting over.  I quickly decided to dismiss all of those feelings and focus on the positive.  

I sent a video to my significant other of the test and I also took several of the tests over the next several days/weeks.  They all came back positive.  We shared our news with our closest family and friends and decided to wait until after our first Ultrasound/wellness visits to share the news with the rest of the world.

Until Next Post, 

xoxo Davon

When you hear the word Salad, what comes to mind?

Do you dread it? Does it feel like yet another life sucking, taste lacking bowl of ew?  Or is it a crunchy, crispy, splash of colorful and vibrant yumminess? Is it just water - like plain iceberg lettuce that lost its texture and crispness? Is it boring? Or is it Where's the Bacon and fried bread, ahem I mean croutons?

I'm going to share some of my best kept secrets with you - that I only share with my clients to help you get the MOST out of your salads and to not completely void out the good intentions you had at the outset.  

1) Go Commando or Dress Your Salad with the right kind of dressing- Skip reduced calorie and reduced fat dressings - Why? Because they are usually full of added sugars or salts.  Opt for a full fat version salad dressing, if you really want to step your game up, a homemade salad dressing is ideal.  You know what's in the homemade dressing, and it doesn't contain stuff you don't want like Canola Oil for example.  A simple homemade dressing consists of your oil base - extra virgin olive oil is good, vinegar, herbs, and seasoning (salt & pepper) - it's super simple to make and only takes a few minutes and tastes way better than it's store bought counterparts.

2) Breaded and Fried Meat - Have you ever been at McDonald's or any other place to eat and you've hear someone order everything fried and then a order Diet Coke to wash it all down with?  Sounds insane right?  They justify it by saying they don't want to cause their blood sugars to shoot up, while this is a nice notion- the bleached refined bread, fried potatoes and sauce laden food they are consuming is quickly converted to simple carbs which is then what? SUGAR.  Fried meat on your salad is just as contradictory, opt for the broiled or grilled variety, even better is if you cook it yourself and add to your salad.  During your meal planning for the week, cook several chicken breasts to be used throughout the week for meal time.  Add the basics to them like salt, pepper, garlic etc so that it's versatile enough to fit in with any other dish you decide to use the remainder of the cooked chicken for, without having to cook more chicken for that dish.  It's call the "Cook Once, Eat Twice Method", I share this with my clients who are simply too busy to cook and want extra options instead of eating out all the time.  Bonus, you'll save $$$$.  Who doesn't like to save money? If you'd like some additional crunch, add almonds, pepitas, or some other type of nut and or seed to your salad - nuts actually boost the nutritional absorbency of the salad, blocks some of the fat, and you get the texture crunch that you're craving - without the guilt.

3) Drowning in Dressing - I get it, salad can be boring IF you don't kick the flavor up a notch.  Less is certainly more here, this is not the time to be modest and completely cover up in dressing, especially if you don't want to have to cover up that Bod this summer - yasssss I did just say that.  This is a two way street - you want to be able to finish the salad and not leave a pool of soggy leaves/veggies at the bottom of your bowl, & you should actually taste and enjoy the vegetables.  The dressing is just that, a little something extra to go with the vegetables which is your point of focus.  Here's how you avoid this mistake, instead of pouring your dressing directly onto the salad, especially for the heavier more dense/creamy version, try placing your dressing into a cup and dipping your salad into the dressing as you go.  You're winning because if you decide you're full, you can save the rest for later and secondly the salad is still just as crisp as when you started, and you're not wasting uneaten salad/veggies.  Also, use heavier leafy greens besides iceberg lettuce, opt for spinach, romaine, kale (massage it a bit), mixed baby field greens, and if you can purchase your salad greens organic - it's better for you.  
What are some ways you make your Salad absolutely stand out? Don't be shy, share your sexy salad secrets in the comments section below!

If you'd like to learn more about how to get the most out of your meals, and what your body requires nutritionally, feel free to schedule a free consultation with me by clicking the link. 

xoXo Loves,

Davon  
 

The organic Oranges that I've been eating lately taste absolutely amazing!  Chew Your Oranges, don't drink them!  

Drinking OJ is a quick way to sabotage your health goals due to the amounts of sugar found in the juice.  It also takes more than 1 orange to make up that glass, which means extra/added sugar.  The average glass of Orange juice purchased from the grocery store contains 22-24 grams of sugar.  Note, this does not account for those brands that have more added water or 0 calorie sweeteners to make them taste good.  This is your standard Orange Juice with or without concentrate. 

The difference is, if you just eat an orange, it's a lot less sugar, and you actually feel fuller (about 7 grams to be exact).  Eating the fruit means your getting the most nutrients because you're getting the fiber which actually helps slow down how quickly the orange you ate is converted to sugar for energy consumption. Why is this important?  To keep it short and sweet, lol - your liver has to decide what to do with the food/carbohydrates that you consume, and when you don't flood your body constantly with simple carbs, it decreases the likelihood that that sugar will be stored as fat.  Your liver decides what to do with everything you eat and drink, and what's not used is stored in fat cells.  

When you chew them, you get so many of the great health benefits:

• 1 orange = 130% daily value of vitamin C - antioxidant power
  
• Soluble fiber - which is great for managing cholesterol
  
• Limonoids - studies show help prevent cancer among a host of other great things
  
• Full of potassium - potassium helps regulate the heart
  

Overwhelmed with figuring out what's good for you and what's not?  Maybe you want to shop in the regular stores and not the speciality stores you've been shopping in.  Or simply maybe you still have those favorite pants you miss wearing.  Schedule a complimentary online session with yours truly to find out how working with a Health Coach can benefit you.

Yours in Health,
Davon  

Happy New Year!!
How are you doing?  I hope that you had a memorable 2014 and are ready to start 2015!  Yesterday is in the past, tomorrow is not promised, and the present is a gift :)

I pray that all that you hope and desire for 2015 you receive.  In today's blog post, I want to share my top 4 tips for not sabotaging or ruining all of your hard work in staying healthy. Without further ado, here we go!

Tip #1: 
Stress - find a positive way to deal with or manage your stress. How do you know when you're stressed?  There are a number of signs, your mood, lack of sleep, weight gain, unexplainable aches and pains are all signs of stress. There are a few effective ways to manage stress.  Meditation, deep belly breathing, walking, massaging your ears (watch a video on how it's done here), use lavender essential oil topically and aromatically, and regular self care - I personally love doTerra Essential Oils - you can purchase lavender here if you'd like.  If we don't manage our stress, it wreaks havoc in our lives, becomes chronic, and destroys our immune system, causes weight gain, and a host of health illnesses (including cardiovascular disease).

Tip #2:
Get Organized - If you have anything that is clutter in your life, whether it's your car, your desk at work, your home, focus on getting it cleaned and organized.  Having things in order eliminates a great deal of stress and helps you think more clearly.  Don't get overwhelmed, choose 1 project at a time and focus on completing that organization project, then move to the next.  The prior project that you completed, stay on top of it by not letting the clutter accumulate in that area any longer.  This is also a good time to reflect and write out your goals, getting those written down and on paper gives them validity, life, and allows you to organize your thoughts to work towards those goals.  Organize your goals using the S.M.A.R.T (strategic/specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time based) method.  With my clients, I always want them begin with thinking of the end in mind.  If you have a really large goal, break it down into smaller, easier to manage pieces over time, that removes the stress and overwhelm with trying to reach your goal.

Tip #3:
Get Up and Move - If you aren't active at all, start with walking.  A good way to measure your activity is to get a nice quality pedometer.  Most smart phone apps do not really track your steps as well as a good pedometer does.  The target that you want to aim for is 10,000 steps daily.  Warm up a little bit, then do some stretches.  Clip your pedometer onto your body at the start of your day, take the stairs instead of the elevator, also park further away from the entrance to buildings on purpose.  If you aren't a beginner, but find that you're usually stressed, try incorporating a low impact fitness workout into your routine that do not cause additional stress - pilates, yoga, tai chi, and Piyo are a few options.

Tip #4: 
Nutrition - this is last but not least, this is ground zero, the foundation, without this critical piece nothing else matters because food influences your mood, how well you think, and feel.  Food is the fuel for your body and brain.  When you sit down at each meal, use the following quick tips to stay on track 

• Where is the protein? For women that's the size of 1 palm, for men that's the size of 2 palms. 
  
• Where are your vegetables? This should fill half of your plate.  
  
• Where are your complex carbohydrates? - these are optional, if you aren't working out and you're looking to maintain or lose weight, you may want to just double up on your servings of vegetables,  if you are active, then this should be roughly 20% or less on your plate.  
  
• Be aware of your food experience, no distracted eating
  
• Take your time to chew your food savor it, mealtime should take a good 15-20 minutes, if it's a lot shorter slow down

Struggling with getting healthy and staying on track? Maybe you're simply overwhelmed with all of the information on the internet, and talk shows and need some help with navigating to find what works for you.  Schedule a complimentary online session with yours truly to find out how working with me as your advocate Health Coach can benefit you.

Yours in Health,
Davon  

    

I used to get the worse headaches and on the rare occasion a nasty migraine that would stay with me for days.  They were usually brought on by lack of rest, high levels of stress, and straining my eyes for long periods of time looking at multiple computer screens and monitors for hours on end.  All of those activities can be very tiring. so I when it got really bad, I would turn to Ibuprofen to relieve my pain.  Personally I don't like the side effects that come with taking pills and that they can be taxing to my liver and kidneys.  And I especially don't like how long they take to actually work.  I want to use something that will address the symptom, and the cause, without taking a long time to do it - no one has time to wait 15-30 minutes for something to travel through their bloodstream to finally kick in and work.  

I found my answer to all of these using Essential Oils.  What the heck is an Essential Oil?  Here's a quick history lesson, Essential Oils have been around for thousands of years, have been referenced in biblical texts over 1000 times, Essential Oil was gifted by the Wise men to the Newborn King Jesus.  Essential oils are plant extracts and have powerful medicinal like healing properties.  All essential oils are not created/extracted equally by all companies - so the quality of the oil from one source may not be the same quality from another source.  The right type and quality of Essential Oil can even be ingested, if you'd like to know the oils that I recommend, feel free to contact me using the contact portion on my site.  
I use Essential Oils in my practice with clients and personally to stay healthy (boost my immune system), to clean my home, relax, perk up, treat pain, improve treat mood, internal cleansing, hormonal balance, and illness.  They are gentle enough to use on children, I broke my son's fever using Peppermint oil on the soles of his feet.  That's something acetaminophen could never successfully do.  Essential Oils are an effective and natural way to address just about anything - I even use them in my homemade deodorant.  There are Doctors, some Hospitals, Nursing homes, and other medical care facilities that also use Essential Oils.  

Here's are two quick and effective recipes I'd like to share:

My Essential Oil Recipe for Migraines/Headaches:
1-2 drops of lavender oil - rub on the forehead and behind each ear
1-2 drops of peppermint oil - rub on the forehead and behind each ear

My Essential Oil Recipe for Fatigue Headaches and Need an Energy Boost:
1-2 drops of lavender oil - rub on the forehead and behind each ear
1-2 drops of peppermint oil - rub on the forehead and behind each ear
1-2 drops of lemon oil - rub on the forehead and neck