Life Changes

Ricky and I have been going through a lot of life style changes since Sophia has come into our lives. These lifestyle changes are basically to make all of our lives healthier.

Some changes that Ricky has made are 1. He quit smoking after being a smoker since his teens! I am so proud of him for that! He has been saying that he wants to quit for a very long time and he has accomplished his goal. Ricky made the change because he wanted Sophia to be raised with 2 smoke free parents and to set a good example for her.

Some changes that I have made are 1. Eliminating all dairy and soy from my diet. Sophia has been having a hard time with feedings. I have done a lot of research and talked to her pediatrician and have decided to  eliminate all dairy and from my diet to see if she has an allergy or sensitivity to dairy or soy. Hopefully if this works she will 1. Be happier 2. Not cry as often 3. Stop block feeding 4. Have less gas issues. This switch is going to be vary hard for me and actually eliminates a lot of foods I really enjoy eating. I LOVE cheese, cheese on almost anything just makes it better. I also enjoy eating yogurt and making healthy fruit smoothies with yogurt and wont be able to do that anymore. Hopefully this wont be a change that I will have to follow for a long time, just as long as I am breastfeeding. Dairy and soy are in a lot of foods and I although I dont drink milk I do often cook with it, so I foresee this being a difficult transition. If this helps Sophia I am willing to do this. I want her to be happy and healthy and if that means changing my diet, so be it!

Some changes we have made together!
 1. We decided to eliminate all meat products from our diet. Ricky and I have done a lot of research (read books and articles, watched documentaries, etc) and have found that meat is not necessary as part of a healthy diet and most people eat way more than the recommended amount of meat. Based on our research we have concluded that eating a vegetable based diet will overall be the healthier option for our family and we intend in sticking to this route. I dont foresee this being a difficult switch for me, and it hasnt been. I never really enjoyed eating meat so for me this is not difficult. Ricky has always enjoyed meat so this may be a little more difficult for him, although he is doing really well and says he hasnt missed meat.
2. We are eating more whole foods. Ricky and I have always eaten pretty healthy but we are taking it up a notch and are choosing to eat foods that are less processed. Processed foods are not healthy at all and have so many additives in them. We are going out of our way to choose the healthier option of eating more raw foods. We go to the farmers market every week and get seasonal fruits and vegetables and I plan meals around the items that we get. We are eating less and less prepared food and more and more raw foods.
3. We are active! We have always been fairly active people and are constantly on the move but we also like most Americans spend way to much time on the computer, cell phones, or watching tv. We are making an effort to unplug our lives and not eliminate but cut down on the amount of time we are using these devices and spending more time doing physical activities (taking a family walk, going to the park, running etc.) This also opens up more time to spend as a family making a garden (we intend to start this very soon! Spring is in the air!) reading books, talking etc.
4. Sophia comes first! This is the biggest and by far the biggest lifestyle change we have made. Everything that we do revolves around Sophia. Every single thing we do throughout the day and every single decision we make we consider how it will affect Sophia first. This is something that came naturally but at the same time has been our biggest change. Before Sophia it was all about what we wanted to do and nothing else really mattered. Now everything is based on having Sophia in our lives. Its also probably the easiest most natural lifestyle change we have made. We both love Sophia so much that we want to put her needs above our own, we wouldnt have it any other way.

Getting ready to feed Sophia (we were at the park)

Feeding Sophia- I love my cover! Its pretty! 

Happy Daddy, Sleepy Sophia 

These may not be HUGE changes to everyone else but to us these are pretty big lifestyle changes. We decided to make these changes to make all of our lives healthier, happier, and more fulfilling. Ill keep you posted on how it goes but so far I have seen nothing but positive outcomes due to our change in lifestyle. Happy Mommy, happy Daddy, happy Sophia!