Baby Legs

You'd think I was 35 weeks along. I am already feeling stuffed when I eat anything comparable to the volume of an apple. And if I am drinking water with it, forget it. It took me 2 hours to eat my dinner tonight, which was about 3 oz baby spinach, tofu, and some mushrooms.

I can't remember if this started this early with my last pregnancy. I do remember when she dropped though, and I could eat again in normal amounts.

Another thing that is just blowing my mind is the size of my rear. It's giant! I look in the mirror and it doesn't look as big as it must be in real life. But my clothes are telling me something completely different. And don't they always say clothes don't lie? Well, I sure wish they could. I guess I should just stick to stretchy skirts and yoga pants rather than put on jeans or anything with an actual size. I fear how big my rear and upper thighs will get in the next 14 weeks.

Frances the French Toast

I have to admit it. I really do enjoy not having to go running first thing in order to get in my hour or two in. Being pregnant gives me so much time. Now my workout takes a maximum of 75 minutes, and mostly, since it's excessively hot, is inside at the gym. I don't even have to worry about a sitter, or Barry being home to watch Camille. I can bring her with me and put her in the Children's Activity Center.

This morning Camille wanted a change from her usual milk and cereal. Which is odd to me since milk and cereal is one of my favorite things to eat lately. But alas, she wanted french toast. So being the awesome fun mom I am, I made her french toast and then some. For protein, I added cottage cheese for hair. And added fresh blueberries as a smile, and grapes for eyes. I even added a little bow made of strawberry slices.

In my normal running like a mad woman state, this gourmet breakfast could have only been created on a lazy Sunday morning. Now, most mornings are lazy. So Wednesday it is! Frances!

Today with the rain again, we passed on our plans to go to Brookfield Zoo and went to go see Up! instead. It was so great! Camille was scared at the end, but I couldn't tell if it was too get attention or if she was really scared. The movie was loud and the baby flipped and kicked through at least half of it.

I'm feeling quite large these days. Twenty-four weeks! It all just happened. Just about over night, Tuesday night in fact, I just got very large. After I eat I have a shelf right under my boobs. And if I haven't eaten in a while I have a soccer ball in my belly. I won't talk about my thighs. Not pretty. I prefer avoiding the mirror if I'm wearing shorts or my running skirt. Which, by the way, is the only thing I can still wear to the gym.

I went to the gym 3 times this week and worked too hard. So today I took a much needed day off. Totally eating today, and feel ok about it. Instead of cookies tonight, I have 2 cups of cereal. Yum. Don't know what tastes better - the milk or the cereal.

Clunking Along

I know I'm not very good at posting on a regular basis. It's difficult for me to think of something to say, and when I do have a good subject, I don't seem to find enough quiet time to actually compose a blog. I think that if I did it on a schedule, I would post more often. Let's see if I can start doing this. 

So enough excuses. Here's the latest: 

• I'm 23 weeks along (17 to go!)
• We're having a GIRL
• I'm still running...a little
  
• I'm feeling GREAT!

This whole pregnancy, I've tried to remember what I was like when I was pregnant with Camille. How big I was, how much weight I'd gained, what I was doing for activity. At first, I think I was way ahead in all of these. But now, passing the half-way point, I've pretty much evened out. In fact, I might have even gained less than I did with Camille at this point. I don't remember precisely, but at the rate I'm going, I might not make it to the whole 32 pounds I gained with Camille. Knock on wood! That's just less I need to loose later. Belly bigness, I think I'm about the same as well. I feel monsterous, but my doctor says I'm right on track. Exercise wise, I'm mostly on the elliptical or gravitron, but a couple days a week I run a few miles on the treadmill. Somedays, she sits lower in my belly and puts too much pressure down there. Other days she's just fine and I barely notice I'm even pregnant. Expect for having to go to the bathroom about once every mile. 

I found some great core work I can still do with my big belly, using the Fit Ball. One exercise I'm simply rolling into a knee plank position and back. It gets the whole mid-section and is really quite comfortable. The other one is going into push-up position with the ball - my ankles are resting on the ball and my arms are holding me up. I slowly roll the ball towards my torso and back. I'm hoping these simple, comfortable exercises keep my core strong so that I don't have as much work to do once the baby is born. 

I've also started swimming. I never knew how hard this was. Currently, I can swim one full length of the pool without stopping. I have a lot of practicing to do. But as it seems, I will have plenty of opportunity since my foot has been acting up quite a bit lately. I can't take any anti-inflammatory, so this is making the neuroma louder than normal. Add that to the fact that all my ligaments are loosening, my feet are taking the brunt of the changes. 

Last week I saw a podiatrist to see if there was anything I could do to relieve the pain. He reported there's not. Physical therapy, massage, ultrasound is about all I can do. And as I've learned, these modalities don't help all that much with the pain. So until the little pumpkin is born, I have to put up with it all and keep hobbling along with a very angry nerve in my foot. 

Almost Half Way

This week marks the 18 week point in my pregnancy. I find myself comparing this pregnancy to when I was pregnant with Camille. I remember I found out what I was having, was starting to show, and starting to feel pregnant. And I have to say that things are going just about the same, but definitely exaggerated. I'm bigger with this one (or just have more fat) and absolutely feel more pregnant. We don't have our ultrasound until 20 weeks so we don't know what we're having yet.

I'm still running but have cut down quite a lot. I can manage about 40-45 minutes, but know that if I want any extra energy for the rest of the day I should keep the run around 30-35 minutes. If I want a longer workout, I do the elliptical. It's much less jarring and takes less energy in general. 30 minutes just seems so whimpy. I mean, I'm used to running 10 miles any 'ol day, so this 30 minute business is quite a shift. The running itself isn't so uncomfortable, but the pace is really uncomfortable to me. My stride is short and my feet barely leave the ground. I'm not even sure I can call it running. But still, it leaves me feeling powerful and I enjoy breathing hard, so I continue to crave and need it.

Some would say that 18 weeks is just about half way through the 40 week pregnancy. But I view it more like a marathon. The second half is much more difficult than the first, and especially week 35-40. Those weeks are like mile 20 in a marathon. You could feel great all the way up until then, and even then, but it can turn very quickly. Just wen you think you couldn't feel much worse, you do. And just when you think your belly couldn't possibly get any bigger, it does.

So right now, I guess I'm about at mile 10. I still feel pretty good, but really need to start taking care and paying attention to the task at hand. I still have a lot of work to do growing this little baby! And finishing the marathon...

Wednesdays

Last weekend I attended a baby shower for my cousin's wife. She and her husband are having their first baby in June. It's obviously exciting for them, and scary too, and seeing that excitement was uplifting. I'm excited for our baby to come, but also know the work that's going to be involved so I think I'm trying to enjoy the quite(-er) times I have now.

The shower was one of those showers where we played games. But they were good games - thoughtful games where we didn't have to interact with others and embarrass ourselves. My cousin Mary Ann must have had my Grandma June by her side because she won the first two "competition games" of BINGO and word unscramble. For the third game, we had to think of something that our mothers did when we were little that still makes us smile. I decided to not write about the time when my mom, sister and I were grocery shopping at the Jewel. It was a morning after my parents were out having an exceptionally good time and I think we were maybe 10 and 13. I remember my mom looking not so good. She was in her sweat pants, no make-up, and very tired looking. Ann and I went off to the toy or school supply aisle until we heard over the intercom "clean up on aisle 7. Bring a mop." We looked at each other and scurried off, praying to not be embarrassed. Thankfully, she was fine, stomach contents still intact. But the story cracks us up to this day. I just thought this shower not being that kind of party, I'd think of something else.

One of the more pure things that we used to do was whenever we were walking holding hands, she'd squeeze my hand, I'd squeeze hers, then she'd squeeze mine, and on and on. Now, I do this with Camille and she loves the game. And it's so funny to see the force she puts behind it. To get the squeeze just right. When Camille stayed with my mom and dad when barry and I were in Portland, my mom did it with Camille and she knew just what to do. My mom thought that was just great.

Wednesdays have always been our special day. It used to be the only day I didn't work, but these days, it's kind of just a normal day. But what does still make it special is that we're on our own schedule - Barry is usually traveling, we don't have any commitments, and we do whatever we want. Today we're going to the pottery studio to paint. I'm hoping to walk it being Earth Day. And then perhaps we'll have lunch. We usually go to Panera Bread together. She gets a blueberry bagel with cream cheese, but not too much cream cheese. Then this afternoon, we'll probably head down to Ikea and get an art table for her. (I'm getting a little tired of all the art projects being created on the kitchen table.) Then we'll set it up and do some sort of project.

I love these days because it's just her and me. And now, even more so, these days are special. I need to figure out a way that we can still do these days so that she remembers them and writes them down on her smile list.

Two day record

I suppose actually acknowledging that I hadn't run in more than two weeks made me feel guilty about not running. Either that or it inspired me to get out there and run. It's not that cold anymore in the mornings, and the last two have been near my ideal temps of the 40s and 50s, not the 30s. It's mid-April for christ sake.

So Friday morning, Barry was home and I took advantage of the time and glorious morning and went for a little run. I ran just about 3.5 miles, which is good for me considering I usually way over do it after a lay-off. I feel so fresh after some time off that I think I can run 6 miles right off the bat. I did feel very fresh, and even NOT pregnant. But I didn't want to be dead the rest of the day. I felt amazing. Legs strong under me, form chi-like. Even with my pregnant belly.

This morning, I headed out again. This time for 5 miles; long these days. Again I felt pretty good. I'm finding it's taking me a little longer to feel warmed up and into a rhythm. I ran out one mile and back and a the end of the two miles, I wanted to call it a day. But I drank my water and continued on. Pregnancy is not going to stop me from moving. I'm glad I did, because by the time I reached mile 4, I got a new energy and was able to pick up the pace without feeling like I was digging too deep. I actually ended up running the 5th mile as fast as I ran the first, which has not happened since pre-preggo.

I feel like I am needing more fuel lately. More food, more sleep, more rest. Up until now I've been giving in to cravings and desires of taste. Sweets, salt, fat. I've been letting myself go. I mean I don't totally indulge, but I think I've been using the excuse that I'm pregnant a little too liberally. I've become tired of it. Now if I want a snack at night I won't eat a cookie, I'll have milk and some cereal instead. Milk is just fantastic to me right now. So clean, rich, light, nourishing. No wonder they call it the perfect drink.

So tomorrow, I hope to get out again for a short little run. 3-4 miles would be ideal. This energy I'm having right now is wonderful and I want to take full advantage. And, if I run 3 days in a row, I'll be tying my record of consecutive days since pre-preggo.