Cheers

By the way --- mike ran 80 minutes today. He wanted me to mention
that. :)
Me? I made life in my belly.

Happy Birthday, Maria!!

Hope, my cousin, Maria, has a great birthday today. Enjoy!

Mike and I are psyched. After, a looong day of working our collective a$$es off (we're trying to get the house and yard ready for E's birthday party next weekend, Mike's mom and brother's visits and the new baby's room. Lots of odds and ends to take care of. Plus, we just HAD to get a swim in with Ella.), my mom offered to sit and we're heading to my favorite restaurant, Pure. I can't wait.

Virgin margaritas and queso fundido better watch out for my hungry and thirsty pregnant self.

Sweat

What is it about sweating that makes me so happy?

I got to workout for the first time today in a week and I couldn't stop smiling. I probably looked like a nut job....pedaling my heart out on the bike at the gym, waaay pregnant, and smiling from ear to ear. What a geek, I am. I had a brand new mix on my ipod which seemed to contribute to the good mood, too.

I had to stop the working out since last Thursday's deluge of Braxton-Hicks per my OB's instructions. I was going stir crazy though. An overload of pregnancy hormones and not working out DO NOT sit well with me. I think I need the release of endorphins to counteract the crazy preggo ones. Finally, got my OB on the phone last night and she gave me the okay to workout and see how that affects the frequency of the contractions. (I got the feeling that she was like, "why does this woman care so much about her workouts? She's 30 weeks pregnant! Just sit down, already!") So far, so good though.

So all is good with Baby No Name and Mommy. E's happy as a clam that the pool is open these days. She LOVES it. Jumping off the diving board already, like a big girl. She had me crying laughing yesterday with this gem.

We're at the bank and she says to the teller.....

"I want to hear you toot".

Toot=fart in 3 year-old-ease. She's full of it these days. Funny kid.

Happy Birthday, E!

Birthdays are supposed to be like this.


Or even like this.


But, NOT like this.


Yep, E's sick on her birthday. Poor kid. She woke up with a stomach flu. What a surprise. We've had more than our fair share of these this year. I think this might be #3 or 4 for us. I am just waiting on my turn now. (Please, NO!!) As she was over the toilet this AM, getting sick, she said, "I am just like mommy!". What a way to spend your 3rd birthday, E. Seems to be improving as the day goes on though.

Heading off to the doc later to check her out.

As far as the other baby is concerned, things are looking good. We had a crazy busy weekend and I didn't get much of a chance to slow down and my Braxton-Hicks were still a ton better than last week. So, we've successfully avoided bed rest for today. A victory!!!

Happy Anniversary to our good friends, Beth and Bill Foley today. Have a good one, guys!

Mean Girls

Girls are tough. Not in a "rough and tumble" sort of way (although we can be), but in a "being friends and teammates can be a hard road" kind of way.

This article in the NY Times is about comments made last year by the goalie on the US women's soccer team regarding her getting benched in the World Cup. She was not happy and she said so. To the press. Boy, was there fallout. Seems like there still is. I feel for her.

I was lucky enough to love my soccer teammates in college...granted, we never had the pressure that these girls deal with. But, I completely understand how much it sucks not to play. It is hard to sit on the sidelines and watch. I was always lucky to have funny girls on my right and left on the bench with me, cracking each other up. Still do...although now it is via email, since we're all over the country.

Perspective

I am no longer the angry pregnant lady today. Yesterday, I sure was. I was irrationally angry with the doctors, my uterus and pretty much whoever got in my way. (I have a bit of a temper.)

Today? Much more rational. Even keel all the way. Insert deep yoga breath here.

Still no word from my doctor to clarify this whole bedrest/braxton hicks mess. My friend, Lauren, was awesome though. She's a nurse at the NICU at Northside (the baby hospital) so she knows what she's talking about. Lauren talked me down off the proverbial wall after reading my post from yesterday. She said, "If your BH are regular or you're having 6+/hour you're probably in early labor even though they don't hurt. If they're regular, they'll tell you to lie down and drink water. If they go away, ta da..stopped the progress. If not, labor has begun. Its all about how regular they are."

Thanks, Lauren.

So, my current plan is to take it easy this weekend...see how the BH are and take it from there. I refuse to think about bed rest now. Why do down that path if not necessary?

I honestly think they will go away on their own. Going to try to identify what makes them worse and avoid those things. Much better plan than getting pi$$ed off and angry at the world, no? :)

Hard to be mad when you've got this to laugh at/with.

Schmaxton-Schmicks

Or in English, Braxton-Hicks. As in Braxton-Hicks contractions. As in, FU Braxton. And FU, too, Hicks.

Yeah, I am a little annoyed today. Had a ton of BH yesterday. Kind of painful ones. Whatever. This has been going on, off and on, since like 20 weeks. No biggie. I thought to myself, "you're going to the OB tomorrow anyway, just have them check you out."

Get to the OB for my gestational diabetes test. Haven't eaten. Have to drink gross concoction of glucose. Wait an hour and have blood taken. Try not to vomit in waiting room after drinking straight sugar on an empty stomach. Wait 2 hours to see the doctor. Yeah, that's annoying in and of itself, but whatever. I want my cervix checked to make sure nothing has changed there and I am not actually in labor. She FINALLY comes in, checks me (cervix is closed. good news.) but tells me that if these BH don't stop I am going to have to go on bed rest and to get a childcare plan in place for Ella just in case.

WHAT? Seriously, why? I don't get it. If the BH are not doing anything, why can't we continue to let them not do anything beside be annoying to me?? Why all the drama of threatening bed rest? UGH.

I am so frustrated right now. Of course, I am going to do whatever is best for this little one inside of me and do what it takes to keep her cooking, but if the BH aren't doing anything...why can't we just let them be???

Have a call in to the doc to clarify a few things (like how many BH a day is too many?/am I supposed to stop working out now?) but of course, no call back yet. Only 4 hours ago that I called. UGH.

29 weeks

Well, almost. 29 weeks tomorrow. Only 11 more, wow, kind of scary. Getting nervous here about how I am going to handle two. I feel like I already have my hands full just with Ella. Guess you just do what you have to, right?

Feeling pretty good. Getting to the point where I am have those days (um, yesterday) that I am just exhausted all day long. Wake up. Want to go back to bed. (Not like me at all.) Try negotiating with Ella to "please let Mommy close her eyes for just 5 minutes? Please?!?" No dice. Got a lot more energy today. Ran/walked/biked at the gym. Trying to do at least 40 minutes of some sort of cardio daily. Doesn't always work out, but it is a nice plan. :) We'll see how things go....I have a friend at the gym that is due in 2 weeks and has a little girl E's age. She just comes to the gym to shower now. Needs a break from her 2 year old and wants to shower in peace. Smart plan. Kind of funny, too.

My growing self at 29 weeks.


Here's E's updated "big girl" room. I love that flower light from Ikea. Looks so cozy in here.


Other side of the room. Still need a dresser. I love the picture that my mom did for her (purple one.)


Close up of rocking painting. :)

Movie Monday

Took some movies of E dancing on Saturday morning. She's nuts. So funny to watch. I can't remember why she has no clothes on here. And I can't explain these moves either.



Our busy weekend really put the hurt on me today (along with spin class this AM), so I welcomed the time on the couch messing around with imovie.

I feel like I am in an episode of "Extreme Home Makeover" these days....although, thankfully, no Ty Pennington is filming me and yelling. Lots of home projects going on lately....

We're redoing our death trap of a deck this week. "We" as in "we" hired someone to do it for us. The old one was on its last legs and totally not up to code. Time to get a new one, just in time for summer and enjoying it.

Mike and I divided and conquered this weekend. He took outside (flowers and borders installed) and I took inside (redoing E's room and the nursery) with my mom's help. Feels good to have a lot of this done. Loving the girl's rooms so far.

Check these out.

I am so impressed with this. People seem to be really rallying around the Kane family and working hard to get the word out to the triathlon community to help support his family.

Check out these links. Here and here. Nice to see.

I went to Pat's funeral yesterday. Tough, tough hour and a half. One loved guy, for sure.

Kane Survivors Fund

Please check out this link. Patrick Kane was the athlete that passed away during the swim portion at Gulf Coast last weekend. Some of his friends and neighbors have set up a survivors fund for his two boys, 5 and 7. As I said before, I knew Patrick from the gym and he was always a friendly face to chat with and BS about triathlon/family/kid stuff with.



Feels good to know that there is something, no matter how small, that we can do to show we care. I can't imagine how his family is coping with this.

Link to his obituary.

You deserve a lollipop...

That tootsie pop is for you, Mike. Although, I have to say, not sure if E is going to share. But, the sentiment is there, anyway.

We're impressed.

New job (same company, Mike is trading the oil now as opposed to um, something else that I was never totally clear about. Something about "reconciling the trades with the back office". Confusing either way.) No more mid-day workouts. Which means early, early AM ones or late ones. You rarely skip.

The crazy-trying-to- fit- her- terrible- two's- into- the- last- month- of- being- two- kid is not really giving you much of a break once you're home either. You deal.

The pregnant and unhappy she's not training for a hundred races wife is....well....um....cool as ever?
Maybe not. :)

Once again, impressive.

How much longer?

I know I just said the other day how fast this pregnancy was going by. BUT, I am pregnant, hormonal and inclined to change my mind. Today, I feel like I've been pregnant forever....and will be pregnant forever. The pregnancy, like me, is dragging today.

The residual soreness (sacrum) from a run on Sunday with Mike and Ella (a fun run and worth it) is annoying to say the least. We ran for a half an hour....not 2 or 3 hours, not even 45 minutes. 30 minutes! And I am in pain and sort of limping around 2 days later. Waah.

Alright, done with the whining (um, that's only for today. I can promise there will be more.)

Got some stuff for Baby No Name today. Crib sheets, bumpers, a sling (didn't have one of these for E, we used the Baby Bjorn -- or more accurately put, "we didn't use the Baby Bjorn" -- hence the sling purchase.) I have a feeling I am going to need my hands free for Ella's myriad requests. It is going to be hard to play cowboys, draw, blow bubbles all while holding an infant. E's not too big on sharing Mommy either.

Happy Mother's Day

I hope everyone has a great day today. I was lucky enough to get to spend time with my mom, daughter (and Mike, of course). We cooked out, had some cake, sang the traditional "Happy MO-mo-mother's day" song. Okay, so, maybe not so traditional...maybe E just made it up on the spot. But, cute and apropos, nonetheless.

Best wishes to all the moms out there. Its a tough, tough job, but the best one in the world.

Awful News

We got some awful news yesterday about a friend doing Gulf Coast. Article from the AJC about what happened here.

I knew Patrick from the gym and through my friend, David Kelly, who lived in his neighborhood. I just talked with him last week and he was excited for Gulf Coast and ready to go. He was a strong swimmer, so what happened is a mystery. 2 young boys. Ugh. I feel so sad for his family. Please say some prayers for them.

27 weeks....

....and plodding along here. Feeling good. No throwing up all week. Sweet. (Now that I said that, I bet tomorrow's breakfast is going to be down the sink) :)

Gulf Coast is tomorrow. I love that race. Love it. Love the beach. Love knowing so many ATL people racing. Love the flat bike. Love the clear, clear water. Sad I am not there. This is my first mother's day as a mother not racing down there. Hopefully, if all goes well, next year, I will be down there with two little ones to cross the line with me. Good luck to everyone racing.

I rode the exercise bike at LA Fitness today and imagined myself riding the course down there next year. Choked myself up in the process. I am such a geek.

Here's my 27 week picture. I look huge, I must admit. Please keep your shock to yourselves. :) It is only going to get worse.


Found the coolest store today. It is like a cross between Athleta and Title Nine and it is an actual store. In Atlanta. Where I can try on the cute clothes. So psyched! Lucy at the Avenue at East Cobb. Bought some stuff that I can wear now and also once my belly does not resemble a basketball. Thanks to my mom, sister and brother in law for keeping the little monster in check while I actually tried on clothes. I appreciate it!

NY Times Talks Triathlon

Interesting article here.

Love this study

New study that says chocolate can ward off pre-eclampsia. Woo Hoo. Bring on the Reeses, please. Now, can someone else find a correlation between Diet Sunkist consumption and 0% body fat? That would rock.

Thanks for the heads up, Jill! Jill's a couple weeks behind me in her pregnancy, so she's up on all the cool studies.

Where's my crane?

I should really put one on hold soon. One of those cranes to lift me out of my house when I get too big to walk or get out of bed. You know the kind that Geraldo or Montel used to have on their shows all the time?

I kid. Kind of. I have a confession to make. I broke a chair yesterday. Yep. Sat down. And it cracked and broke under my weight. I have to say it is a pretty flimsy chair that specifically says "4 years and under" on the side and I would probably have broken it before I got so....um, voluptuous, so to speak. But, whatever, I still broke a chair.

What else can you do but laugh? Mike did. My next door neighbor did when she saw it. Ella did. And I did, too. I think Annabelle was snickering at me, too in her little dog head.

Here's E with the remnants.

99 Days

As much as I whine and complain about being pregnant, this pregnancy is flying by. Well, not those 6 weeks of constant throwing up and no energy, those were slow. But, since then things are going pretty fast. 99 days left. Wow.

I remember last year around this time counting down the days to my first Ironman. What a difference a year makes. I was much more dreading the IM than this baby though...I can't wait to meet her. With E, we were so stressed about what to buy, what we needed, what brands were the safest/best. which crib to get and most importantly, how the hell do we take care of a baby?? (I remember panic setting in with about a month to go and frantically ordering "The ABC's of Infant Care" DVD from Amazon. It was actually pretty good.)

It is so nice not to have all that stress this time around. We know (although it seems like the infant routine has escaped me now....I am pretty sure it will al come back) what we're doing this time and we really don't have much to buy. We've upgraded our baby monitor to a video one, gotten some clothes, but other than that? Not too much. My sister in law is lending me her double jogging stroller which is HUGE. Those things are expensive. Grab some diapers and we're all set. Right? Probably not, but pretty close anyway.

E is great. Sleeping like a champ in her new bunk beds. She loves them and is actually sleeping all night long without too much of a fuss going down. Wow. Love that! She's starting calling me her "best mom"....as in "you're my best mommy" when she's being sweet. I guess like a best friend, but a best mommy instead. Breaks my heart every time.

Great Day in Roswell

Today was a great day to call Roswell home...especially if you like to ride your bike.

Mike did the Roswell Mayor's Ride this morning with Eddie and Michelle. They did the 40 mile option...Mike said it was a great ride. Nice to get off the trainer and outside with some good company after being solo in the basement for months on end. E and I got a nice Horseshoe Bend run in while MIke was riding. So pretty out today. Hard not to enjoy it...even if I was jealous that I wasn't on my bike with my friends.

After lunch, we headed over to the Roswell Criterium. Our third year going and we all have a great time. I am always so impressed with the fearlessness of these riders...they are so close to one another and going SO fast as well. Not for me. I like my space on the bike. We saw a pretty gnarly crash that took out half the field of one race. Scary.

E loved cheering on the women this year and discovered that there were clowns making balloon animals, no less. Score one for E! We got to see a few races before our lack of extra diapers forced an early exit. NIce to catch up with friends and enjoy the great weather though.

Some pictures....

Mike and E at the Crit.


Ladies Race.


Jason Poon think the racers need MORE COWBELL!


Michelle explaining to Jason that you only need to ring the bell when the racers are close. Not the whole lap. :)

Kicking my butt

Little baby no name is kicking my butt today. Literally. She's breech, meaning her tiny feet are facing down instead of up and she's kicking.....and it feels like she's kicking me in the butt. I am hoping she decides to move and soon. Breech=c-section and I don't want any part of that.

Pretty fitting though...this one has been kicking my butt for 6 months...just not literally until now. :)