gifts — Blog — Fit Foodie Le

after three big events three saturdays in a row:

brother's wedding

Chiso's birthday party

my baby shower

and birthday parties, graduations, etc. sprinkled in between, i'm ready to sit down and just be pregnant. i don't even know how to do that but i've got 2.5 weeks left to figure it out. and as soon as i do, Odego will just be like 'OOOOOH NO YA DON'T', so it's whatever! just taking this thing one day at a time and enjoying solo time with my 1st born until ... it's time. i gave today my best shot and ended up in Ikea pricing bunk beds with Chiso. and hey, i got this blog post in and even started packing my hospital bag, so i'd say it was a pretty productive day.

this past sunday was baby shower day! been looking forward to it ever since my sister-in-love Michelle offered to host one for me. it's no secret that we're having another boy, and i saved so many of Chiso's things (mainly clothes) that i didn't even consider having another shower. however, God knew what we forgot we needed and provided for us, as He promised.

after church and a family workout sunday morning, i went and got jazzy to the best of my abilities to celebrate this little ball of energy in my tummy. bring on the belly rubs!!!!!!

the braids are back and so is the high bun! normally after 1 or 2 stores, i'm DONE with clothes shopping for the day, but i have my go-to dress places and usually find something super quick. sooo, imagine how disappointed i was to walk into the Houston Galleria to find both Zara AND French Connection UK....closed!? (fyi Zara will reopen in October but i needed them RIGHT THEN!!!). wasted gas indeed. the next day i tried again closer to home and was ELATED to have found this coral Calvin Klein number in the first department store i visited. that never happens. ok, not to me. i paired it with my nude Steve Madden pumps, some gold jewelry from Forever 21, and got up outta there.

i appreciate and humbly thank each and every woman who came to celebrate with me. the Egwuatus take what we can get during the week, but sunday is family day for us. (and sometimes you just want to have a day to do your OWN thing, especially if your work week begins on the following day...i get it!) so when i have to be away from my boys for any reason, i'm always anxious to get right back to them. which means i understand completely when people shift their schedules and take time out of their day to come support, spend time with, and even bring unrequested gifts to and for someone else.... it means absolutely EVERYTHING to me.

i thank my family, friends, & Sorors for simply being there. and for those belly rubs!!!!

a special, heartfelt thank you and BRAVO to my hostesses who did an amazing job putting everything together. my sisters: Michelle, Ogechi, and Kara!

aaand, i especially appreciated the gifts given to our 1st born, Chiso. how thoughtful! just WOW. blessed beyond measure and i just want to thank God as it is all because of Him. all of it.

thanks for reading! 9 month update post coming right up.

P.S. YEP, i put my cooking classes on hold in prep for those 3 big weekends and since Odego will be here super soon, the classes will be back when i am! for now, let the hardcore nesting resume.

i am far from a girlie girl.....but i convinced myself to jump on the cornball bandwagon on v-day and make some heart-shaped strawberry banana pancakes.

topped with fat-free sugar-free cool whip and pink sprinkles. it was, dare i say, kinda fun :shock:

in the middle of getting Sonny's meals together for day before he headed out, he snuck this guy on the counter while my back was turned. stunned? not even the word! my HP died like 2 years ago and i have really needed that thing since i started blogging last year. also, i wrote down my dream of becoming a well-known blogger just the day before cause Beyonce instructed her followers to do so on Instagram. lol. coincidence? not at all.

God will grant us the desires of our hearts on HIS terms and HIS time. He promised! be encouraged and know that He will take your hand and walk with you on your journey, and put the things and people you need in line to help you get there! i knew from the jump it would take a TON of commitment and time to establish this blog. anything worth having is worth fighting for and i'm ready and willing to grind it out!

leading up to v-day, there was something that had been on my mind all week and i couldn't shake it. i was asked to sub a class format that i had never taught before. while i have used the 'sorry i don't teach that' excuse for a while now...i couldn't bring myself to pull that card this time. unless it's like cycling or something..i shooole don't teach that, WHEW! LOL. i forced myself to accept the challenge right then, but immediately afterwards, doubt, negative thoughts, and nervousness darn near CONSUMED me.

would the members not like my teaching style since i'm not the regular instructor? would i mess up and forget some of my routine? would the members walk out? aaaaggghhh! SHUT UP! i mean really!!! i've been doing this for over 5 years now and can sit down and make up a routine within minutes. what was i scared of? the fear of the UNKNOWN. i couldn't answer any of those questions and it was not my job to do so. my job was to be on my game and prepared to do my BEST. control what you can and don't worry about the rest! my faith was really tested, and through nerves and all, i wanted to teach this class to prove to myself that i could do it.

darn right it does. it's how we GROW. i put that mic on, took a deep breath, said my 60 billionth prayer, and let it go. before i knew it, time had flown by, and class was fun as CRAP! i got positive reviews from the members and guess what? it's over and I LIVED. 'fear only becomes powerful when we give it power.' stop doubting yourself and your abilities when you know darn well what you are capable of. usually when someone asks something of you, they already expect and believe you can do whatever it is...so prove them right!

Sonny and i headed to a late, intimate v-day dinner at a churrascaria type restaurant in the museum district. i tried to take it easy and just hit the salad bar HARD. when i have to teach a class the following morning, i don't like to go to bed feeling too full, cause i wake up feeling the same way sometimes and it's harder to get going. also, my appetite takes a hike when i'm nervous about something. does that happen to you?

plate #1- red and orange roasted red peppers, grilled egg-plant, smoked salmon, artichokes, grilled zucchini, roasted beets, carrots, and swiss cheese.

2nd plate- the only new things were the crab salad on the left, and the pearl couscous salad at the top. everything was fresh and delish!

my hubs, on the other hand, had no class to teach the next morning nor did he hold back. his competition diet will be starting soon and he went ALL OUT that night, lol!

before,

after. no wait, he was just taking a break and went two more rounds after this. no kidding.

see?

when the meat men came around (look i don't remember what they were called) i stuck with 1 nice sized bacon wrapped chicken breast fillet. oooh bacon can flavor SO WELL!

full, happy, and Chiso-less for the evening;)