Marathon Mom

I think I am finally to that point of my pregnancy where I am ready to be done! Between the heartburn, return of the nausea and pubic symphysis pain I am uncomfortable pretty much constantly. I can’t complain too much since I can honestly say that from about 13 weeks until 35 weeks I loved being pregnant. Luckily for my sanity I can still manage my elliptical workouts without pain and have been trying to be better about the yoga that actually improves things slightly. Baby continues to be low and ready, so anytime now. Although I prefer she wait until after New Year’s and my coworkers would prefer she wait until after the 10th. We’ve figured out the insurance issues for afterwards and picked a peds clinic so I think we’re ready. At my OB appointment on Monday I was informed that they would discuss induction once I got to 42 weeks, that thought makes me want to cry! There is no way I can do 5 more weeks, 3 sure, but 5 no way! Come on baby, let’s go along with the multiple dreams I’ve...

Merry Christmas, we’re in the middle of a lovely snow storm here that has been said to rival the one we got on Halloween of 1991. So far hasn’t been too bad since we’re staying around home and have Matt’s truck to get us through. Very thankful for that since the Saab managed to get stuck twice yesterday. Looks like there is no chance that I will get any relief from the shortness of breath when she drops since she can't get much lower without being born. You know she's way down when the OB says "Wow, that's one low baby!" Even though she's low, she still manages to put her feet in my ribs, wonder how tall she's going to be. Otherwise, I got confirmation that she is head down and learned that the contractions and the pressure of the baby's head are actually doing a little. No dilation yet, but I am effaced, that's progress from 2 weeks ago. Oh, and here comes the heartburn! First consistent heartburn I’ve had all pregnancy, maybe it’s all the Cle...

We decided not to run the Winter Waddle today since I am continuing to have a lot of pubic bone/low back pain and had issues walking today. To bad since the weather was perfect for running. Good thing we didn’t pre-register, not knowing what the trauma world would bring today. Instead I decided I get in some elliptical time at the gym after work and once again it proved to be interesting… -The weather was perfect, 30F and sunny, why were so many people running on treadmills inside? -Just because you walk to the next row of lockers doesn’t mean I can’t hear you and no I am not planning to deliver this baby today. -Even though I am pregnant I still have a right to change in the locker room without hiding, I’m sorry you feel I should hide my big belly and change where no one will see it. -Why do some girls feel it necessary to put on make-up and do their hair prior to working out? Do you really get a good workout trying to stay cute? I for one know I do not look cute at the gym a...

Not much to say, I guess that means that the last week has been pretty uneventful. We are now a little more prepared for baby: birth prep class done, car seat bought, 0-3 month clothes washed, and blankets/sheets/towels washed. Now to get the rest of the house organized and finish getting baby's room together. The new issues are a return of the mild nausea since yesterday and increasing SI joint pain. The Braxton-Hicks contractions continue to be consistent, I'll find out on Tuesday if they are doing anything and then it's the start of weekly appointments. Sorry about the pants glare, gotta love the reflective flash with pictures.

Why is it that adults don't seem to listen during classes and always have to monopolize the time with stories about how they are so much more special than everyone else? Matt and I went to Childbirth class yesterday since I figured it would be helpful in feeling prepared and we'd probably learn something. It has been about 10 years since I had OB class/clinicals in school and I wasn't interested at the time so I didn't pay much attention, but after yesterday I guess I must have learned a lot more than I thought. The most important thing I did learn were where I go when I'm in labor and how to get discounted parking. Otherwise I now know all about one guy's allergies, another couple's friend's kid who had to wear a helmet as a baby, a woman who was given a crib and mattress, and all the statistics about the hospital I'm delivering at according to a woman in the class. I'm sure I learned more about personal lives, but I started tuning out people wh...

I must have grown again because the amount of comments the past few days has really increased. Some of my fears have were alleviated at my appointment on Tuesday when I was told that she is head down, I’ve been waiting for this so I could stop worrying that she’d stay head up. I’m also continuing to have a lot of Braxton-Hicks, but they aren’t doing anything so no worries from the doctor. All the furniture is in baby's room, but there is still a ways to go before things will be ready. We still need to buy a car seat and wash all the clothes, sheets, blankets, etc. Oh and I really need to organize. I've gotten as far as taking the tags off all the 0-3 month clothes, blankets, towels, and sheets which now sit in a basket ready for the laundry fairy to show up. Where is this nesting instinct when I need it?! I keep getting asked if my hospital bag is ready, huh? Obviously these people don't know me too well, I'm sure this will consist of throwing things together at the ...

The trip to Vegas did not start as planned, but with my flying history it wasn’t surprising. I hate not flying non-stop, but ended up booking our flight with a layover in LA, seemed a little odd to fly past our endpoint and back. As soon as we got on the plane the captain announced a mechanical issue that needed to be fixed, this actually took quite a long time and by the time we left our flight out of LA had already departed. We finally arrived in LA 1 hour after we should have landed in Vegas and found out there were no flights until the morning. We were given two options: (1) a 4-5 hour bus ride to Vegas that night, arriving to the airport around 1am or (2) a night in a LA hotel with a morning flight. We were only offered option 2 if you asked, and this crabby, hungry and tired pregnant woman was asking for something better than the bus ride. The flight from LA wasn’t without its issues either. First, I lost my boarding pass and then when we boarded they once again announced the ...

Well, I think the 3rd trimester fatigue is starting to set in. I am averaging 9-10 hours of sleep and still ready for a nap by 4pm. I'm sure it doesn't help that the left shoulder pain is increasing and pretty much constant. I have a hard time getting comfortable when trying to sleeping and eating, well that's a whole issue in itself. A few bites and the pain is bad, I try to just eat through it figuring it can't get any worse, right? The thought from a surgeon at work is that the hiatal hernia I had repaired 7 years ago is back from the growing uterus that may have caused things to re-loosen up. The other big thing this week is the increase of Braxton-Hicks, I now get them pretty much daily and sometimes with consistency. Still managing my elliptical workouts and lifting weights. I even started prenatal yoga, which I have to admit I kind of like. I've never been much of a yoga person, but maybe this was the time to start. Heading to Vegas this weekend to coach....

After the comments today, I’m not sure. I was working today and first got asked by a patient if I was going to have the baby today. I was then asked if I was sure I wasn’t having twins. Really, all of a sudden I don’t think I got that big. After work I was at the gym and typically get stares and looks from people while I work out, I guess they aren't used to seeing a pregnant woman at the gym. But today it seemed to be more or maybe I was just overly aware after the earlier comments.

Matt and I ran the Turkey Trot 5K on Thanksgiving morning. There are 5,000+ people in the race and this was the first year I didn’t feel annoyed by the slow people. I guess this means I have slowed down too. Even with our easy pace (Matt is dealing with an Achilles issue) we finished under 30 minutes (barely, but it was under). At the post-race party 2004 Olympian Carrie Tolefson was the emcee and stopped me to ask about running during pregnancy. She asked about running and cravings, all with me answering in the microphone, yikes now everyone knows who much I wanted that pumpkin pie. Too bad I managed to drop the first pie I made on the kitchen floor, this led to a trip to the only open grocery store, Wal-Mart, for more ingredients. The second pie survived and was well worth it. This along with grilled halibut, garlic mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli and a little Beaujolais nouveau made a great Thanksgiving dinner. Otherwise, baby’s furniture is now in the room, all that is left i...

This past weekend was the baby shower with friends. Sarah decided to go with a tea party theme and broke out the good china. The food was wonderful, all kinds of great appetizers, little sandwiches, caramel apples, and of course the pumpkin scones that I am still eating. Hannah even helped out by making everyone's name tags for the table. We got a lot of the essentials plus more clothes this weekend, I think it helped that many of my friends are so close to this stage of parenthood that they gave gifts that they appreciated for their newborns. Sarah is not only a talented cook, but also great at sewing. She made baby's gifts: a sling carrier that Sara and 4 weeks old Olivia tried out for us, and a sweater, hat and booties. I'm exicted to try out the Miracle Blanket from Sara that she says is wonderful. I felt like a kid as Sarah took pics of the gifts (she had to try out the new camera). The preggos, Me (31 1/2 weeks) & Sarah (24 1/2 weeks), and her girls tryin...

Today is exactly 2 months until the baby’s due date, wow how time has flown. I know the next 2 months will fly by too, with the holidays, a weekend in Vegas, and all the things to get ready before she arrives, the day will be here before we realize. As the day approaches I am feeling a mix of emotions, excited to meet our daughter and start the next chapter of life, but also nervous at the same time, about labor/birth and the new experience of being a parent.

A few months ago we got a great idea to paint a small mural on the wall in baby's room, Matt spent weeks working on the drawing and painting. Throughout the process some changes were made to the design and room, including needing to rearrange the furniture plan since the frog grew bigger than expected. Here is the finished frog, hope she likes it...

I ran again this past week, 10 miles on Saturday with my team, it was slow and easy, but I did it and it actually felt pretty good. I had no pain during my run, but as soon as I sat down it started, I think the worst part of running is the pain that comes once I sit down  and trying to get out of the car after I drive home is pretty tough. I have 2 more weeks of coaching, which means 2 weeks until we go to Vegas, and plan to only run with my team and then reassess my ability to run once their season is done. Other than the run, the past week was filled with baby showers and lots of new items for the baby. As soon as Matt is done painting the frog mural the furniture will be put in the room and I can start organizing, probably within the next week. Over the past week I have also lost my belly button, it’s not quite an outie yet but it isn’t really an innie anymore either, just kind of flat.

This past weekend was the start of the baby showers, Matt's family threw one on Saturday and my family on Sunday. Being a registry stalker didn't really work since many of the things that were bought never came off the list, which caused a few duplicates or more as in the case of spoons. We ended up with 4 packages of baby spoons, I think that is more than the number of adult spoons we have in the house. After two showers, the baby now has a bigger wardrobe than Matt and she isn't even born yet, but I have to agree with everyone that little girl's clothes are so cute and fun to buy. She also has lots of toys, bibs and diapers. Oh and all the bath stuff that we registered for was bought, are people trying to tell us something? After checking everything out, Morgan has found his favorite toy already, the Baby Einstein Octopus, he even learned how to make it sing. Why am I leaning? I look like I'm about to fall over. The 3 great-grandchildren to be, Matt's c...

Anyone else do this? This weekend is the start of the baby showers, one each day this weekend and then another one next Saturday. We started our registry a couple months ago since we had time and made changes as needed. Now that the showers are getting so close I have become a stalker of my own registry. I love looking at the lists and seeing things disappear, then trying to figure out who bought each item. We'll soon see if my guesses were right.

Some how 30 weeks seems likes a big milestone and so much closer to the end than even 29 weeks did, as of today I only have 68 days left (hopefully a few less). With the continued shoulder pain I am really hoping that baby comes a little (1-2 weeks) early to give me some relief. We think it is related to the hiatal hernia I had fixed many years ago, with the pressure of a growing baby things have loosened up again. Fingers crossed it fixes itself after she is born. I have not really run in nearly 2 weeks and the pelvic pain is now gone. I think I have been on the elliptical more these past couple weeks than I have all year. Between elliptical and biking and maybe a swim I think I can make it through. I do plan to run on Saturday with my team, they run Vegas in 3 weeks and I hope to be able to do a little running with them each week until the race. This week I took a breastfeeding class, kind of brought back some suppressed memories of being a 20 year old undergrad and having to te...

Not a very eventful week except the weather has actually gotten better and we have some sun! This was the week of great running and terrible running, I managed a pain free, but easy 9 miles on Sunday and then barely made it 1 mile on Thursday. We'll have to see what happens with this, but it’s looking like the running might be done or at least take another cut back. Cross training will be good, I'm actually starting to enjoy the elliptical and might start swimming regularly again. On top of this I got my second migraine of this pregnancy and it sucks to not be able to take anything besides Tylenol. Although, I really shouldn't complain too much considering I used to get them weekly, so I guess two in 7 months isn't terrible. The highlight of the week has been a very active baby!

Is this it, am I really done this time? Perfect night for a run, sunny and 55F, but it only lasted about 10 minutes. On Tuesday I started having this groin/pelvic pain and after some research figured it was related to the issues I've had with my pubic symphysis. My last run was on Sunday and I decided to try again tonight. I only made it a little over half a mile before I decided that pain was getting bad and I had to be done. I headed home for my big run of 1.25 miles, I was able to follow it with 45 pain free minutes on the eliptical. Now I just wait and see if I am done running at 29 weeks 1 day or if I just need a little break...

These are the words that Matt and I have heard many times in regards to life with a baby. I am not naive to think that things won't be different or change in some ways, but so many people are trying to make us believe that our lives are about to be over. We have heard all of the following (some multiple times) all preceded by the words "You just wait you'll...” -never lose the pregnancy weight -stop caring about how you look -stop running -stop traveling -not sleep -never go out to dinner again -want to get a minivan -only want to be around other people with kids -quit grad school -never have time alone -never do anything without bringing the kid(s) (I'm know there are more, but these are the most common) So I guess from this I should prepare to become a non-athletic, lazy woman who drives a minivan and never wants to leave the house, guess I'll have plenty of extra $ from the lack of traveling, running and dinners out to facilitate a new internet ...

It has almost been like I hit the 3rd trimester and I started feeling even better. The past week I did my longest run (8.5 miles) in probably over a month along with a couple other 6 milers. I'm still sticking with the every other day running to prevent any further pain with my pubic symphysis and cross training on the elliptical and lifting weights on my non-running days. Baby has also been increasing active the past week, flipping and kicking around, almost like she is doing her own runs when I try to relax. Tomorrow I have my 28 week appointment and glucose test, not really looking forward to drinking that stuff. Although I do have a sweet tooth so maybe it won't be so bad. I wonder if I could just eat a bag of candy corn for the test instead? After a rainy 6 mile run... Morgan giving baby a kiss

What a strange feeling! I was lying down last night and felt a consistent tapping in the same spot. I first joked that she was bored and swinging her leg, but Matt felt it said it felt like hiccups. Sure enough that's what it had to be :-) This went on for a few minutes until she did few somersaults and then went to sleep. Gotta love all the fun baby movements.

Wow, I cannot believe that I am finished with the 2nd trimester of this pregnancy and have less than 3 months to go. In the beginning it felt like I had forever, but now it seems to have flown by. The 2nd trimester truly was a great part of pregnancy, although I can't say the best since I hope 3rd trimester goes well too. During this time I could honestly say I was enjoying being pregnant, the fatigue (except that related to low thyroid) and nausea were gone and my running was feeling great. During the 2nd trimester I... -Gained 8 pounds for a total of 10 pounds so far -Still get disgusted by meat and can't eat any -Craved ice cream, pumpkin, candy corn, apples (gotta love Fall) -Attempted a gluten free diet (thanks to my crazy endocrinologist) with a few break downs and think I may be finished with that -Ran a 1:56 half marathon + ran/coached another half -Ran a 25:00 5K -Thought I was going to be done running twice: 18 weeks with piriformis issues and 24 weeks with ...

This past week wasn't too eventful, I am having a difficult time thinking of anything to say. Baby has been super busy and moving all day and night :-) Oh and my mom somehow took all of our crazy, confusing clues and was able to figure out what baby's name will be. We were shocked. We're still keeping it quiet from everyone else, but I'll probably give out clues closer to the due date so others can guess too.

Yesterday Matt and I were taking Morgan for a walk and the conversation turned to next year's races. Next year we'll likely stick closer to home since traveling with a baby and dog wouldn't be the easiest and then having to figure out a babysitter for the race since I don't think social services will agree with us that Morgan is a qualified babysitter. This is our tentative list and I haven't included shorter races that we usually don't plan for, I would like to look into a possible trail race or even ultra distance and maybe another relay again. Matt is planning more tris, maybe I'll get back in the pool and actually register for one again. April Earth Day 20 Miler May Oakdale Duathlon Maple Grove Half Marathon Stillwater Marathon June Du @ the Dam July TC Half Marathon LifeTime Tri (Matt) Chisago Half IM (Matt) August Half Marathon (so many to choose from) September Bear Water 20 Miler IronGirl Duathlon October TCM Any suggest...

and still running. I have actually had a few good, pain free runs this past week which is wonderful considering the pain I was having at 24 weeks from my pubic symphysis separating. My mileage is even lower now, just around 20 mpw, but at this point I am just happy to be out running. Running is even better now that the sun is back and Fall is finally here. No more snow and temps are back in the 60s, at least for a few days. This week I had an appointment with a new endocrinologist after once again having an even higher TSH after yet another increase of my meds and having to deal with a doctor who really didn't care. I think I have finally found someone who will be proactive in managing my thyroid. I hope this works so I can start being awake for life again. I am sick of having so many days where I can't stay awake even after 10 hours of sleep and then dealing with the resultant headache from forcing myself to function through the afternoon. All this on a the allowed 2 cups (o...

Today I had another of those "I'm really getting big and pregnant" moments. For some reason when I got out of the shower after my run I tied my robe above my belly instead of under it like I usually do. When I caught my image in the mirror what I saw was a big pregnant lady and I had to laugh. My first thought was of those pregnant women I see in the elevator at work with their hospital robes and huge bellies.

Snow in October! We got the first snowfall on Saturday, but that quickly melted. Today it's back and still snowing at 11am. Looks like I'm going to need to buy some Winter maternity clothes, I thought I'd be much closer to the end of this pregnancy by the time the snow came, not ending my 2nd trimester. I just hope it doesn't cause icy sidewalks because I can't deal with having to start treadmill running already. The view from the deck this morning...

Quite awhile ago I posted about my thoughts to do an Ironman (possibly 2010 in Madison) after a run with some friends who had either just finished IM Madison or were heading to do IM Florida. I still have that goal in the very back of my mind, but after my sprint tri failure a year ago the plan had been put on hold. Last Sunday Matt ran his 4th marathon and 1st where I wasn't running, being a marathon spectator is difficult for someone who is used to running them. It was fun to see so many people I knew running and cheer them on, but sitting and waiting was tough. Even though I wasn't running I was irritated by the woman next to us at the 6 mile mark telling the runners they were "almost there", uh yeah if you consider 20 more miles almost there! To make it even worse she was trying to talk to us about how she was a runner and had run TCM 15 years ago, I wonder if she forgot how long a marathon was. The last couple months of Matt's training weren't the best, s...

That's the verdict from my ob! A fancy way of saying my pubic symphysis is separating ahead of schedule due to the wonderful pregnancy hormones. So unfortunately once again I was correct with the self-diagnosis, pretty good considering I wasn't interested in OB in school and didn't retain much information. Luckily my ob is very understanding to the runner mentality and I have been okay'd to continue to run if I don't have pain. I took 3 days off and managed an easy pain free 7 miles this morning, so I think the key will be to take more days off, maybe get in more swimming. I also tried a support belt which helped but rolled and bunched so I really need to find a better one. I hope to be able to continue with running 3 days a week and cross training the rest, for my sanity (and Matt's) I really hope to continue running until the icy roads force me inside or better yet until the day I go into labor.

Things have all of a sudden gotten busy with school, working and life in general, but I am still around with a growing belly. I hit 24 weeks yesterday and my first thought was 16 more weeks to go, that's long enough to train for a marathon! No, I am not planning to start marathon training now, but to a runner this is how time is measured. Unfortunately I'm not sure how much more I will be running, this week I started having lower pelvic pain and through some research think it may be symphysis pubis dysfunction. I've taken the past couple days off running and the pain has improved somewhat, I plan to talk to my ob about this tomorrow and hope she has a different answer or at least a solution to keep me running. Tomorrow's goal is to go shopping and find a support belt, any suggestions? This week I think I have popped even more- I will post pictures soon, but without running have gotten out of the habit of belly pics. I have gotten more comments about the size of my belly...

As I was out running this morning I started thinking about how much being pregnant is like running a marathon. I love to let my mind wander on runs and often do some of my best thinking, although I should have been using this time to figure out a thesis topic or what to make for dinner instead. Both start off with a bang and you get caught up in the emotions; everything from excitement to nerves to thoughts of "am I really ready?" You try to hold back and not get caught up in everything, take it easy and just enjoy what is happening. You soon realize that you have little control over what is going to happen, no matter how well you prepared, what you ate, how well you slept, your body may have different ideas for the day. Both involved unsolicited advice and comments. Some actually pretty helpful especially when this is all new. There are always things I never want to hear, like during a marathon I don't want to hear that I "look great" when I feel like I'm a...

What a difference a week makes! In the past week I have given up on the belly ring since I felt that it would rip out at any minute, I no longer have a waist and I now get daily comments about being pregnant since it is very obvious at this point. I am also now almost constantly feeling how active my little girl is and can even see her movements outside my abdomen, this is such a reassuring feeling and I love it! I am continuing to run and actually felt pretty good last week, to the point that before I realized it I had run 6 days in a row. Ever since my year of injuries I have limited myself to 3 days and then a cross-training day. I am even running doubles 1 or 2 days a week, nothing like my old doubles, but an easy 3 miles with Morgan in the morning and then another 6 miles in the evening. My biggest complaint is the weather. I normally love the hot summer and running in the heat, but this year I have been so happy for our cooler summer and lack of humidity. Summer returned this...

I read this article today about the benefits of running during pregnancy. I think many of us knew this already, but now there is evidence to back up our arguments to those who still think that we are some how endangering ourselves and the baby by continuing to run. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/features/article6831281.ece

No I am not going to tell her real name so don't get excited, this will be revealed after she is born so don't ask :) From the beginning Matt the biologist starting calling her the "Little Parasite" which was pretty fitting considering she was living off of me and sucking all of my energy. This doesn't seem too appropriate any longer since she looks human and I don't know if there are actually parasites that weigh 1 pound. Yesterday at work I was asked if my ultrasound actually showed a human or just a belly of burritos due to my love of Mexican food and frequent Chipotle lunches. From this discussion she was named Chicken Fajita Burrito, the chicken part is kind of odd considering the name was coming from two vegetarians. This is kind of long so until birth she will be known as "Little Burrito".

Yesterday I hit 21 weeks and had the big ultrasound. We were hoping for a cooperative baby so we could find out the gender, but soon found out our little one had crossed legs and arms over the face. The tech told us these were both very girl behavior so it was likely a girl. We finally got the view we needed and sure enough...It is a Girl! And she's a flexible little thing, in there with her toes up on her forehead. I am so excited to finally know and now I can admit that I was secretly hoping for a girl. Now we can finish planning for her room and I can do some more shopping and stop focusing on yellow and green. Looks like Matt will be going to at least 1 dance recital in the next few years. I figure since she can't start out as a marathon runner, why not have her follow in my footsteps and be a dancer when she's young. I know these are only mom's plans and she may have plans all of her own, let's just hope those plans don't involve soccer since I'm not su...

2 days ago I hit the 20 week mark, some how this seems like a big pregnancy milestone. In a way it is, I am now halfway done at least, although I wouldn't complain about a 38, 39 week birth- sorry Kristy and Tammy I know you girls I hoping I go 41, 42 weeks. I'm finally looking pregnant and no longer that questionable fat or pregnant stage and I feel great! I did find it funny that last week I was asked how long I could continue to run during my pregnancy, the question was answered by another person who replied "You have to stop running at 6 months!" No way, that's only 1 more month and for every one's sanity that's not happening. I did get some strange looks when I said I'd be running until the end and a lot of "just await and see, you'll stop soon." 19 week pics (with Morgan) 20 weeks (and again Morgan)

For the past few weeks I have been feeling the occasional kick or flip, mostly when I finally sat and relaxed at night or while drinking my coffee in the morning. Today this kid has been much more active and has been moving almost non-stop since dinner. For the first time Matt was able to feel the kicks on my abdomen. What a great experience! I wonder if the half yesterday motivated this kid to start running it's own race or maybe it will take after my past life and be a dancer...only time will tell, but it is obvious it will be an active child.

I decided to run this race with Matt and have fun as part of his TCM training. The weather was perfect, mid 50s at the start and 60 at the finish with sun and only a slight wind. The morning of the race was early since we had to pick up our packets before 6:30am and it was about a 45 min drive. The plan was to pick up my parents at 5:15, so leave our house around 5am. Matt set his alarm for 4am, but decided it made sense to hit snooze until 4:53! He calmly woke me up to say we overslept a little. Surprisingly we managed to get dressed and feed ourselves and Morgan (who is a putz in the morning) and leave the house by 5:20. The timing ended up perfect, got a great parking spot at the race, grabbed our packets hit to port-a-potty a couple times and still had time to relax before the start. Matt & I before the race We started the race and kept a nice easy pace 8:45-9:00. The course was through neighborhoods, on running trails and through a lot of parkland, great course and flat at fir...