Week 22-MOVE UP!

I think this baby is growing at a more rapid pace, and I'm feeling stronger movements sooner,so I'm not sure if its' a 2nd time thing or what.... It seems like the baby is still pretty low compared to when I felt Anisten this strong/frequently. By the time she was moving this much and strong, she was well up to and over my belly button. This little one is still a smidge under my belly button(which has fully popped!).

I know that I've heard, which tends to be true from what I've seen, that boys are carried lower than girls. I didn't start showing with Anisten until she was so high up, so I've only known to carry HIGHER. I'm not sure if the combination of showing earlier, with the stronger movements is just making me protrude lower than usual, or if there is a ( i say very slight!) chance that this might be a boy?!

I've had a strong intuition from the beginning that I would have another girl. 2 girls! Of course I'd be extremely ecstatic with a little boy! I've already had girl dreams, and just feel like it might be a girl. But I can't deny that there are a few things that are a little different than they were at this stage.
I also have to look at the fact that I AM DIFFERENT. I'm a different person physically than I was 3 years ago. My starting weight was exactly, and I mean to the half pound, the same with both. The difference? I was just starting to run/work out regularly with Anisten, so my BMI was probably higher than this time around. I was in much much much better shape with very little fat (worked hard to keep what I had!) on my body this time around. I was running 30 miles a week, yoga 2-3 times a week, lifting 2 times a week. Definitely different than the first time! I'm also older. This could have to do with so many things too!


I'm eating differently. I still crave some of the same things - Not as strongly as the first- but don't have to indulge as much. Only a few times have I had that " I need this, and I need it NOW" moment.

Still very active, between a 2 year old, and running 3 times a week, Yoga 1-2 times my fitness level is pretty much still there. * I will say that running 4 miles with +17lbs and a kid that wont move up to release the pain of my sciatic nerve, makes me feel like I ran 10! It's almost 2 minutes a mile slower than what I was at before, but the effort is so much greater! I give mad props to anyone who stays active (besides"life") during pregnancy, it's a feat!
Speaking of running, I've run in to a wardrobe issue.... My regular tech (sweat wicking!) running shirts are still fitting me.....Until I run! I will not even get 10 minutes in to my run, and it is riding up over my belly button! I checked online, and found a few maternity work out shirts, that cost like $80 No, thanks. So, I thought to myself.. what's the most important thing about the shirt that I need. I don't like wearing cotton, it gets heavy when I sweat. I even sweat in the winter, so it's always an issue. I need it to stay down. I need it to keep me cool.

Ladies, and gentlemen, here is the solution to my problem......

I have about 400 race shirts that I never ever wear, because I don't wear tee shirts regularly, and certainly don't run in them! So I cut the arms off and down to almost my hips. This worked AMAZING!!!! The shirt is big enough that it allows air to get through to keep me cool, yet its small enough to hug my hips a little to stay put. Genius right? And, free! Don't judge!

Everything seems to be moving along just fine. I'm still feeling good! I have noticed that when I feel good, I feel GREAT. But it wears off a little sooner than usual. 

Now, if we  can just get this baby to MOVE UP!

BUMP cancer! - Race for Cure 2011

Let me first of say this ... I have been back to running after sickness, and horrible summer heat for probably about 3-4 weeks. I have just been running with lots of walk breaks, and lots of water, and not really caring or paying much attention to time and pace-- So going in to this 5k run, I had no expectations. I was not out there to set any kind of records, for sure! I would have liked to finish before 40 minutes, because, I knew I could at the least do that!

Never did I think I'd actually be able to run the entire thing in under 32 minutes! 5 months pregnant! 

I'm positive that had I run it alone, I would have stopped and walked or slowed way down thinking " I should just take it easy" I ran with out an ipod, as I usually do, side by side with my bestie's husband! It was his first, and he hasn't run in, well I don't know when, but a really long time! So he was not chatty Cathy, and I just needed someone to kind of keep me accountable, and it worked! For both of us. We were happy to finish in a respectable time, as a first timer, and a pregnant girl!

We ran for an amazing cause. That is to raise awareness about breast cancer, and hopefully find a cure to get rid of it all together! So, while we had great fun showing our team spirit, the matter of the fact is still very serious! The statistics of women having and getting breast cancer are not only outrageous, but rising!

It's very inspiring to see all the survivors there walking and running the races!

Congrats to my bestie for her ah-may-zing PR!!! She set a goal of Sub 28 minute 5k (which by the way is 4 minutes faster than last years goal) and she got it! This is so exciting as a runner to set and exceed goals! Now, I'm still talking her in to training for a full marathon next year... I think it's sinking in, that SHE CAN DO IT! ;-)

Now, on to our team spirit attire...which was a blast to put together!

My friend Melissa  and I got together a few weeks ago, to work on some "team shirts" and attire. We certainly found that I should stick to painting faces, and hair- Not Tshirts. She, however, did a phenomenal job!

Our "team name" was Hakuna ma TA TAs! 

Me-MILKMAKER, Andrea-DOUBLE A's, Melissa-MELons, Jasmyn- JUGS

We each had our own name on our Jerseys. In great fun, it was all related to some sort of "breast" term! Incorporated with us.

Add some cute ribbons for our hair....

And, some awesome tube socks to complete our look!

20 weeks-HALF WAY!

I'm pretty excited to hit this mark!

Half way is a pretty big deal. It's going to just fly by from this point on!

This week has been another good one.

*Appetite is in more than full swing. I'm certainly eating my share of "eating for 2!"
*Working out 3-4 times a week by running and doing yoga.
* I felt the baby from the outside for the first time this week! And so did Scott. - Very cool!
* Ran a 5k race.
* Still getting random waves of nausea.... Not sure why, or what's causing it. But, it's nothing I can't handle.
* The belly has popped  with full force. I now have a BUMP! A real one.

19 weeks- Eating a toddler's diet.

I got fast forwarded from 17 weeks and 2 days to 18 weeks, last Wednesday! My new due date is February 1st,2012. I am not attached to the idea of having a baby early. I really want the month of February. I had Anisten on her due date, so I can't measure whether I "go past my due date, or go early" She was pretty big (8lbs) so had we done the half way anatomy age scan like we did this time, maybe they would have moved her due date up.

I am feeling awesome this week! I've been able to resume all of my normal activities- hooray!

Cooking, cleaning, running, working. All in full force. I know that it's only a matter of time, when things will slow down again, but luckily through the fall and beginning of winter, I will feel descent!

So as for my diet....... Apparently we hit a growth spurt this past week. I have been eating my usual "healthy" stuff. But have decided in addition to the wonderful fruits, and veggies.
I want lots of things like:

Apple juice
Mac and cheese
Spaggettio's (which sound DIVINE right now at 10am)
PB&J- I resist the urge to cut all the crusts off like when we were children.
Cheese-its

It's so funny, as I don't usually keep a lot of these things on hand. I have maintained a very healthy diet for 80% of the time. But sometimes Taco Bueno wins!

I've been able to resume my coffee drinking with out yakking. This is a plus in my life! The weather has been STELLAR the last week. So, I've been enjoying it on my back porch in the mornings, while Anisten plays.

I've been able to run 4 times in the last week. Each run becoming stronger and stronger. I plan to run the Susan G.Komen Race for the cure 5k next weekend. I have been doing pretty good with keeping a steady pace, so I'm hoping that I'll be able to finish it in a respectable (under 40 minutes!) time, but if I don't I won't be sad at all. I will just enjoy being out there with other runners. :-)

I can't believe I'm almost HALF WAY DONE! It seems like it went so much faster than my first time. Which is why I've decided to keep this blog. I know that I will forget little things along the way, due to a busier life with a toddler.

The baby has been much more active this week, and more responsive. So if I drink lots of cold water, have some caffeine, a big meal, tight pants all seem to trigger the ever growing thumps in my tummy.

I took a picture on Saturday which put me at about 18.5 weeks. I will have Scott take another 20 week pic, which is always better than the mirror, phone in hand pics, but the idea is still the same!

You will have to excuse the " just got finished with a 5 mile run " look! LOL. But I like taking a picture in my running stuff, it shows off my tummy more than my regular clothes. I reallly should shower and put make up on before posting this all over the interweb! But, I'm not too concerned with it. Today.

Here's to another phenomenal week!!!

Lazy self entitlement gets you no where.

I just can't understand why some people are so entitled. Like the the whole world owes them something.

We have all been hurt. We've all went through hard time. We've all been a victim of some circumstance.

At some point, we've had to either make the choice to either get up and move forward with our life, make our choices, and have our own victories- Or change nothing, and expect everyone to pity us, and constantly live in a state of self pity and just accept the hand outs.

I chose the first. Guess what. IT'S HARD WORK. There's a word so many people are uncomfortable with. Work. It takes work to have success in anything! The benefit of success out weighs anything that might come from a place of pity.

I chose to grow learn and make different choices from my past hurts and mistakes. Instead of wallering in a puddle of entitled self pity.

Yes we need support from family and friends sometimes. And sometimes it's because of them that we got from point A to point B. But to sit back and expect everyone to give you hand outs and certain allowances just because they feel sorry for you is just down right wrong.

Now, this can translate to many other things as well. For the sake of politics I wont go in to "living off the government your entire life" part of the entitlement rant.

Because I may be going through a hard time in my life, does not in anyway give me the right to ever treat people with dis-respect and expect them to carry me for much longer than the initial boost of support! It doesn't give me the right to sit back and let everyone else do my dirty work while I do nothing.

The victim roll is only valid for a short amount of time. Earn some respect from yourself, and others by getting up off your rear and making life choices that will only further you down the road of success......Instead of expecting someone to carry on their back.

This is something I see so much of, and it bothers me to no end. I can empathize with people who are in hard times. I can. But I can not understand not making changes to make my situation different, instead of just wondering why I'm doing circles, and pushing people away-- We can only drain people so much.

Stop being emotionally lazy! Face it. Fix it.

I thought maybe if I blogged about it, and took a look at it that it would get it off my chest. I have to be respectful and considerate of others' feelings. I don't want to intentionally ever offend people. But the truth (which a lot of people know nothing about) be told, people who aren't facing the issues, are the ones the most easily offended! And are the most offensive to those around who want to help.

Work hard for those relationships, that job, the family- whatever it is they are worth it! If nothing else is earned for the hard efforts, self respect and self worth is.

This means concoction of selflessness, TRUTH, and hard work are involved. Some things in life can not just be handed to you. Self respect and worth included.

We can't act one way, and expect the results we say we want.

I want to be skinny and healthy----if I sit around eating twinkies watching all my children all day I'll never be either of the two.

I have to look at myself in the mirror, face the truth, and then fix it.

I've learned that no one owes me anything! If I am a certain way, it's because of choices I've made! I do not expect someone else to make me happy, or skinny, or content, or healthy----- These are all things I can chose to change. Somethings in life I can not, and do not have control of. That's called life! What I do have control of is the way I CHOOSE to deal with it. And then do just that. DEAL WITH IT. Sitting it on the back burner will only make me emotionally lazy, fat and unhealthy!

End rant.

Running while pregnant.

I knew that when I got pregnant, I wanted to continue to run. I also knew that I would not continue to run distnaces.... But only times. I want to do 30-45 minutes 3-4 times a week. So that puts me between 3 and 4 mile runs ( since my pace is considerably slower!) And with this, I'm fine.

I feel just as satisfied at the end of a 3 mile run at an 11:15 pace, as I did at the end of an 8 mile hilly run averaging 8:50 a mile. I am just happy to be able to do what I love, even if it's different.

My doctor is on board with me running, and says I'll know when to stop.. I took about 5 weeks off completely from outside running due to morning sickness and heat. So I was barely getting 3 work outs in at the gym, and at home to keep up my cardio. So with in the last 2 weeks, I've been picking it back up here and there. This is my first full consistent week. Of running and feeling good!


I can tell a difference physically in how I feel, and mentally. I had been so cooped up and filled with "cabin fever" from the sick hot summer, that I had become so cluttered! I wasn't able to read, or watch tv, nothing with out being sick. (sucky eyes= pregnancy symptom?) I have been on a steady dose of endorphins this week, and I think it helps my energy level boost even more than it has.

I kept my options open for running. I wasn't SUPER attatched to it, and gave myself an out. I am not out to prove anything, or win any races. I am just not that radical!  Honestly, it's hard to get out of training mode though! So I've been running a lot with no watch or ipod. Now, more than ever I have to stay in tune with my body. I have to be aware of how I feel, and know if/when I'm pushing too hard. I have been taking breaks in between intervals to recover, or for water until my cardio gets built back up-which is taking much less time than I thought it would. I've got so much to think about that it seems effortless to not rely on music or audiobooks. I also have a consistent running partner, and that helps. Although, she's training for a 4 mile race with a goal of 40 minutes. I'm so excited for her! But I have no plans to run that fast. LOL. So at  some point, she will leave me, and I'll be okay with it!

I plan to do a few 5ks until I get too big. But I will probably just start walking for an hour each day once I'm no longer able to run. I'll also pick up more gym time-and certainly the spin classes!

There is hope of fall in site. I know that will keep me motivated more than anything!
I'm also keeping in mind that with swelling and weight gain, that things might not fit like they used to. *ahem* sports bra!  So I've had to retire some of my other gear that I would normally wear, but I've found a few things that I'm able to grow in to. Since I'm not doing distance running, I'm not as concerned with things like "chaffing" and such. I've been able to find some yoga-ish  spandex shorts that are great for running. And shirts are an easy fix!

I'm on the prowl for resources and support for "pregnancy running" SO if anyone has anything to offer, from personal or professional experience, I would love for you to share!

I didn't know if I would be able to do this with a growing belly,and already achy joints. But with some yoga in the mix, I think I can do it a little longer! I DO know that there will be a day when my energy tanks again, at the end of my pregnancy and the beginning of the new baby stage. I'm soaking up as much of the feel good days as possible!!!