zane's birth story

Zane @ 2 Weeks Old. ©Glessner Photography.

On January 19th, we welcomed our second child, another precious boy we named Zane Matthew, to our family. Now, with all that’s going on in the world, two months seems like a lifetime ago.

Zane’s birth story is nothing like our first son’s. Throughout my last trimester because of how swift Miles came, my provider reiterated at each appointment that as soon as I thought I even might be in labor, to go to the hospital. My mom had arrived in town a week before baby’s due date to ensure we had someone to watch after Miles, and I was 100% over being pregnant. Some people love it, but let me tell you - I am not one of those people. As soon as she was in town, I began spending lots of time on a yoga ball, walking non-stop around our neighborhood, climbing stairs… you name it.

November 2019 @ 7 Months Pregnant. ©Taylor Elise Photography.

I had a doctor’s appointment on January 17th, at which point I was 4 cm, but not in labor. They scheduled one last appointment a week out and an induction for the following weekend, and I told them I hoped I wouldn’t see them at either.

In the late afternoon hours of January 19th, I began having more contractions than normal - they still felt like Braxton Hicks, but more frequent. I thought maybe it was because I had been busy and active all day, so once we put Miles to bed, I decided to take a bath to see if they eased up. They did, so I figured it was not labor and came back downstairs to hang out for the evening. Around midnight after a brief nap on the couch, I headed upstairs to brush my teeth and head to bed, at which point, the contractions picked up again and were beginning to feel a bit more intense. I told Josh that we should go to the hospital to get checked out, and we were on our way within a half hour.

Once I arrived at the hospital, they got me into triage and told me that my contractions were pretty consistent, and I was already 6 cm, so I definitely wouldn’t be heading home. They got me to a room, where I labored through several hours of pretty intense contractions around two minutes apart and was able to catnap on and off for a bit. Since Miles’s labor had been so quick, I had again decided against any pain medication. When they decided to check me again at 6 a.m., I was sure I must be close to delivering, but I had barely progressed at all. I felt utterly defeated and scared and just plain mad. As a first intervention, they asked if they could break my water to see if that would help baby along. Not wanting to continue on in pain with no progress, I hesitantly said yes. The doctor on call broke my water around 7 a.m. and things sped up significantly. There were many moments of thinking I couldn’t do it and regretting not getting an epidural, but…

…at 8:51 a.m., after about a half hour of pushing, I delivered - on his due date - our (surprise!) baby boy - a whopping 8 pounds, 3 ounces and 20 3/4 inches.

Zane Matthew Glessner

Like many second time parents, before I got pregnant and throughout my whole pregnancy, I couldn’t imagine possibly loving another kid as much as the first. Boy, was I wrong. Once again, it was love at first sight, and we are absolutely smitten with our two boys. Our family is definitely complete - no, we won’t be trying for a girl. Don’t even ask. As much as the newborn phase tricks me into thinking I could have a whole houseful, I remember all too well pregnancy, labor, and the “no” phase of toddlerhood, and I quickly return to reality.

Two has been sweeter than I ever could have imagined. There’s a confidence and ease that comes with the second child. We’re less anxious and we savor more moments because we know how quickly the time passes. We don’t stress the little things because we know everything is just a phase that will be behind us in a flash. We haven’t dealt with many jealousy issues - probably largely due to the four year age difference between the two - and Miles is just absolutely smitten with his baby brother.

February 2020. ©Taylor Elise Photography.

Despite the chaos around us right now, I’m over here trying to soak in all the baby cuddles while I still can and loving watching the bond between these two grow.

More updates soon! Stay well!

whole 30: week 2

Welp, we survived the second week of Whole 30, and I'm happy to say it went better than the first. Here's what I've noticed this week:

• Cravings have mostly disappeared.
• Dizzy/shaky spells have also vanished. No longer needing "snacks" in between meals to manage this.
• Still feeling like I have more energy, feel more alert, and sleeping better.

Here's what we ate last week:

I haven't talked much about breakfast, which most every day consists of eggs in some fashion. Sometimes fried, others scrambled, usually topped with salsa or hot sauce. This week, I made some sausage and had Josh grill it and O.M.G. y'all. You need this recipe in your life (...but if you make it, cut wayyyy back on the salt. Thankfully, I'd read the reviews that recommended this). Also, I've started *almost* enjoying my coffee with Nutpods French Vanilla creamer, and after I blend in my Warrior Strong Wellness Collagen Peptides and Bone Broth Superfood Protein, it *almost* tastes like a cappuccino.

For lunches, Josh butterflied and grilled a bunch of chicken breasts, seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, and paprika. Then we made up big salads for the week with a mix of spinach and romaine, cucumbers, tomatoes, Pederson's bacon, boiled eggs, and topped with Primal Kitchen Caesar dressing.

Monday: Leftover pork chops from the weekend.

Tuesday: Bunless burgers, seasoned with Montreal Smoky Steak Seasoning and coconut aminos, served with Triad local Niki's Pickles, fresh tomatoes, and skillet potatoes with onions cooked in a mixture of ghee and olive oil

Wednesday: Leftovers.

Thursday: Egg Roll in a Bowl over cauliflower rice with homemade Chinese spicy mustard. This is definitely the most "meh" meal we've had on Whole30. It just seemed like something was missing.

Friday: Dinner out at Zoe's. This time, I had the salmon skewers with Moroccan harissa with grilled potato salad (omg so good) and roasted veg.

Saturday: Clear out of eggs (we've seriously gone through like 2+ cartons a week), on Saturday, I whipped up what turned out to be a delicious little breakfast "porridge" of sorts: 2 bananas, fried in ghee and cinnamon, then pour in a splash of (compliant) almond milk to deglaze the pan. Serve topped with unsweetened coconut and raw mixed nuts (I found these at Target).

I was most concerned about this weekend, because I had won tickets to the races at VIR (thanks to the ladies at Triad Moms on Main!) and had no clue how we would manage to eat there. It actually proved not so difficult, and I wasn't even super tempted by all the treats that were available. We decided to go with the Porchetta food truck - I had a Cuban, from which I removed the bread and cheese, Josh had chicken tacos sans tortilla, and we shared some homemade rosemary potato chips. I'm sure it wasn't all 100% compliant, but we were pretty darn proud of ourselves. Miles, on the other hand, had ALL the bread and cheese and topped it all off with homemade strawberry ice cream with sprinkles.

Saturday night, I chopped up all the leftover chicken from the week's lunch prep and whipped up some buffalo chicken salad (using Primal Kitchen mayo, Frank's, and lots of celery) and had that on salads with this really delicious homemade ranch recipe (I added in a little unsweetened coconut milk to thin it out).

Sunday: Grilled New York Strip steaks with roasted balsamic baby carrots and brussel sprouts.

Now, I just have one more full week before reintroducing stuff back into my diet. Week 3, we're coming for ya!

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission on anything purchased through those links at no extra cost to you. For more info, see my complete disclosure.

whole 30: week 1

Sometime in the last six or so weeks, Josh got the harebrained idea that we should do a Whole 30. No sugar. No grains. No dairy. You know the drill.

Now mind you, I've asked this man no less than three times over the course of the past TWO YEARS to do this with me, and he has refused each and every time. *insert eye roll* BUT, since he had finally agreed (now that it was his idea), I decided to go along with it. The only requirement was that we absolutely could NOT start until after our trip to New Orleans the first weekend of August (because CAFE DU MONDE BEIGNETS, Y'ALL). So last Monday(ish), we embarked on our Whole 30(ish) journey. The first ish being due to the face that someone (me) forgot that corn is a grain (yeah, yeah... I know it's listed right there in the main rules... GIMME A BREAK), and the second ish because I'm going on a Bachelorette weekend to Nashville Labor Day weekend to celebrate my friend Megan AND LIFE IS JUST TO SHORT TO BE HEALTHY LIVING AT A TIME LIKE THAT.

Quite honestly, the eating hasn't been so bad. Our meals have actually been quite delicious for the most part. The main changes/impacts I've noticed so far have been:

• INTENSE sugar cravings for the first three or so days. Like wanting all the sugary, junky treats within a five mile radius.
• Almost immediate loss of water weight/bloating... my clothes suddenly fit much better. Not complaining about that.
• Dizzy/shaky feeling between meals - even though I'm not hungry at all. I haven't exactly pinpointed the cause of this, but it seems to be helped by having a smaller meal/snack in-between the main meals. I have this happen normally even when I'm not on this special eating plan, but usually only if I'm actually ravenously hungry. If anyone else who has experienced this on Whole 30 has any insight here, I'm all ears.
• Increased energy, especially in the afternoon when I typically crash. This is definitely a win with a toddler in the house.

While eating on the plan during the week proved to be fairly easy, Josh and I both agreed that following it on the weekend was much harder. We'll often pick up a treat (like the amazing seasonal watermelon milkshake from CookOut that is only sold THROUGH THE MONTHS OF JULY AND AUGUST... hold me) or decide to go out to dinner on a whim on weekends when we're already out and about, and that's just not as feasible on Whole 30.

If you're interested, here's what we ate this week:

Monday: Baked salmon with an AMAZING mango salsa (and the forbidden corn... oops)

Tuesday: leftovers from Monday, with a baked sweet potato instead of the bad corn

Wednesday: Dinner out at Zoe's. They have several Whole 30 approved menu items. I had the shrimp skewers with harissa sauce and potato salad.

Thursday: Threw together a dinner of turkey burgers that I already had in the freezer from Trader Joe's topped with guacamole and a fried egg, served with roasted sweet potatoes

Friday: Instant Pot beef and broccoli over cauliflower rice

Weekend: Rao's Marinara with ground beef and butternut squash noodles served with a side salad with Primal Kitchen caesar dressing

Salad with carnitas, fresh salsa, tomatillo salsa, and guacamole from Chipotle

Pork chops marinated in coconut aminos and Montreal steak seasoning served with herb roasted red onion, carrots, and apples.

For lunches last week, I made up a big batch of chicken salad with Primal Kitchen Mayo, Guilden's Spicy Brown Mustard, grapes, and celery and had it over spinach topped with pecans, tomatoes, and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Now, we're onto week two. Have you done a Whole 30? If so, what are your best tips and favorite recipes? 

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission on anything purchased through those links at no extra cost to you. For more info, see my complete disclosure.