Baby Bundles

Last February I started my adoption process and in March I began working out to prepare for baby lifting. It was explained to me early on that birthmoms usually start out with a 6-8 lb. baby who gradually grows in their arms and they have some time to build muscle. Those of us adopting a child, who will likely be a year old, can go from carrying nothing to anywhere between 13-25 lbs. overnight. Many women have posted that they wish they had been more prepared physically to carry their babies. Because baby wearing is such a big part of attachment and bonding I decided I better get in shape! Fortunately I have a good friend who is a PE teacher and personal trainer. She met with me for a few weeks and got me on a great weight lifting routine. (Thank you coach Lara!) Of course it also involves squats, lunges, crunches, and my favorite part - walking. I work out 3x's a week. I wish I could bump it up to 4x's a week but it's so hard to squeeze the time out, especially with daylight savings. The July Dragonflies are "walking to China" to help distract us from our wait. We are each logging in all our walking miles each week and adding them up to meet the total distance to China. We all want to be prepared to climb the Great Wall. I also use my walk as time to pray for my baby, her birth mom, the trip, the orphanges, and those who work there. It's such a great de-stressor too. I hope I can keep it up when she comes home.