My Baby girl is 6 months OLD!!

Today my sweet girl turned 6 months old. Where did the time go? Seriously! I know that every mom says enjoy every second because they grow up so fast. And now, I'm one of those moms! I seriously feel like I blinked and we're here. She is starting to sit up by herself. She is eating real food. She is developing this perfect personality! She is so funny and so sweet!

I thank God everyday that  I have had the privilege to stay home with her these last 6 months! I know so many mommies yearn for that. It took a lot of prayer and sacrifice on mine and Chris' part. We both knew that this was something that we both wanted and felt it was what was best for our sweet girl. I'm going to be honest. It's been hard. We knew it would take a lot of sacrifice financially since Chris was still in school. But by Gods grace we are making it!

 My mom was a stay at home mom as well. I always took for granted how hard she worked. I never knew being "just a mom" could be as hard as it is! Don't get me wrong I love it with everything in me! But IT'S HARD!! There are no lunch breaks. There are no mid morning coffee breaks with your coworkers. There is no such thing as leaving it for tomorrow, because tomorrow there will be another list of things that need to be done! It's just me and her all day and its wonderful, but sometimes I miss adult interaction haha! I miss listening to my coworkers life stories and what they have been up to! I miss it.... but I would miss her more.... I would miss these precious moments with her WAY more than I miss those little things!

Sometimes I wonder, how Chris feels when he comes home from work and I'm still in my pajamas at 5pm. How does he feel when I haven't showered in two days. Thankfully I work out everyday so most of the time showering is not an issue haha!! Yes he says I am beautiful without make up but lets all be honest what man wants to see his wife without a stitch of makeup on for a week? I wish it was like the movies and he came home to a sparkling clean house with me all dolled up in a beautiful outfit with my hair perfect! Ava sitting perfectly in her swing in the cutest outfit ever and Charlie laying on the floor being calm. But do you know what he comes home to most days? Me still in my pajamas or workout clothes, no makeup, my hair in a greasy ponytail, Ava is either crying or just finished crying, still in her onesie she slept in last night, and Charlie is going crazy because someone is coming in the door! But not once does he complain. Not once does he say why isn't this done. Im so thankful for him and how understanding he is

Ive done my share of comparing my life to others. I look at all these other women and it looks like they have it all together. They bake, they craft, they do pinterest projects, they go and do all this fun stuff with their kids, their children are always dressed to the T and I can't even seem to get me and Ava dressed most days!! How do they do it?

But I've come to realize I'm comparing my behind the scenes to their highlight reel. I'm sure their life isn't as perfect as it seems on facebook or instagram! And Ive also come to realize God created us all different! He created us all with our own unique personalities and talents! I'm good at things that you might not be good at and vice versa!

So when you start to compare yourself to others, just stop! Stop! God created you uniquely for HIS purpose! And there is no one on this earth that is like you! So go out into this world and shine your light. Don't let the mundane things of life dull your sparkle! I know life can be overwhelming and you just feel like you aren't good enough, but rest assured that God thought you were good enough, strong enough, smart enough, brave enough, and capable enough to live this life!


Here are a few pictures I snapped of my beautiful 6 month old :)

Jessica Ringley Beachbody Transformation

This is my updated Beachbody Transformation Video!

I'm BACK!!!!

It's crazy to think that it's has been over a year since I've written. Its also crazy how much your life can change in just one short year! My last post we were moving back to Florence for Chris' fourth year rotations for pharmacy school! 

Two days after we got moved into his parents house I took a pregnancy test and it came back positive! We had been waiting for this moment for so long. We had prayed and cried and wondered if it would ever be in Gods will for us to have a child. Our prayers had been answered and we could not be happier. 

After I found out I was pregnant, I wondered how it would be possible for me to stay a beachbody coach while being pregnant. I let negativity and self doubt invade my mind. I didn't believe that while I was continually getting "fat" that I could help others get fit. In my mind, it just didn't seem logical. So I decided to take a break from coaching while I was pregnant. (Biggest mistake ever!) I told myself that I would continue to eat healthy and exercise but I slowly stopped doing both. In the back of my mind I knew that I needed to be exercising and eating healthy, but made up excuses not to it. By the end of my pregnancy I had gained 40 lbs and ended up with gestational diabetes. 

I was without a job for 3 months and I got very depressed. I would lay in the bed all day and mope around the house. I felt like I didn't have a purpose. Chris was also in rotations at the beach part of the time and it was very hard being away from him especially with pregnancy hormones running wild in my body! 

We found out we were having a sweet baby girl on July 24 and we were so excited! I finally found a job in August 2013 and was very relieved. Although I was very excited to have found a job, it was very hard on me physically and emotionally. I ended up being taken out of work for pre-term labor at 34 weeks. Little miss Ava Grace Ringley made her debut on December 27, 2013 at 12:02pm she weighed 6 lbs and 14 oz and was 20.5 inches long. The moment I laid eyes on her I fell completely head over heels in love with her!

 

 

The first two months of her life were a complete blur. Chris was working a night shift rotation so I had newborn night duty all by myself! I was very thankful for my friend Lyndsay Gormley who was staying with us at the time for her rotation at McLeod hospital! It was nice knowing I wasn't completely alone!  Thanks to my amazing husband, we sat down and worked it out to where I would be able to cut back to PRN at work and be able to stay home with Ava, which had always been a dream of mine. We made many sacrifices and I cannot thank him enough for allowing me this privilege! 

I decided in April 2014 I needed to get healthy again. I sat down one day and thought about when I was the happiest and healthiest in my life and it was when I was coaching. Even though I was scared to get back into it I took the leap of faith and signed up again. Thanks to my awesome coach Liz Horne for not giving up on me even when I had given up on myself! I knew deep down in my gut that this was what I was meant to do. I was meant to help women find themselves. I was meant to be that encourager to the woman who needs to lose weight, but just doesn't have the willpower! 

I have found my calling. I always knew I was meant to help people and before I found beachbody I always thought my calling was to be a nurse. But I always knew that nursing would take me away from my family for long hours and I didn't want that! I want to be present in my family's lives!  I don't agree with the way healthcare has taken a turn for the worse. I couldn't see myself being a nurse where I couldn't give the care I wanted or needed to because of budget cuts and short staffing. With beachbody, no I don't get to actually perform patient care, but I get to help people find themselves by getting healthy! And that gives me so much joy! 

Do you truly love what you do? Are you passionate about your job or do you dread Monday morning? Your work is going to take up a huge part of your life, love what you do!!! If you think you would enjoy helping others, let me know! I would love to have you on my team- as we work together to end the trend of obesity!!!