Change O'Plans

That's E's and Mike's "mad" face. We all have it on this morning.

8:15 AM
In the car heading up to Asheville to figure out where we want to put our house on the land. (We're building a vacation house up there.) We're all excited. E's psyched to swim in the hotel pool...I mean PSYCHED. She hasn't stopped talking about it since we told her last weekend. Mike and I are really excited to see the other houses in our neighborhood that have gone up and see our land for the first time since we bought it. We're looking forward to having a great meal in Asheville and just enjoying a day away.

9:15AM
Speeding along 85 in Braselton and E starts puking. Poor kid. She's crying and throwing up everywhere calling, "MOMMY!!!". Turn around....E and I head to Children's Healthcare and Mike is making the trip solo to Asheville. Pha-tooey.

Update -- E seems to be fine. Little stomach bug. Already downed 3 chicken nuggets and a lollipop. Mike's making sweet time sans wife and baby in the car. We're situated on the couch viewing "Toy Story" for the umpteenth time. So happy she's not sicker than this. I HATE stomach bugs. Hate them. Gimme strep or a cold any day instead of throwing up.

4 years ago today...

...Mike and I got married. Happy Anniversary to us.

Doesn't feel like 4 years...went by really fast. Been busy since then...an almost 3 year old and one on the way. Wow. Looking at the pictures from our wedding make me wish we had it all to do over again. We had so much fun. All of our friends and family made it down to Daufuskie Island (perfect place for a wedding...no cars allowed on the island!) Good memories. I love weddings...we used to have summers full of going to weddings/showers/bachelorettes, but no more. (Now its all baby showers/kids bday parties.) Most of our friends are married off now. Stinks since they're so much fun to go to.

We're heading out to dinner tonight (my mom is sitting for E). Should be nice to have a dinner without someone on my lap telling me she's done/wants to draw/watch TV/get ice cream/etc. etc.

I am 19 weeks today...almost halfway there. Getting bigger daily. See below.



Some happy belated birthday wishes to my inlaws (Kevin, Amy and Holly). All had birthdays this week. Hope you all had great ones.

Ow.

Fighting a migraine today. Its a close battle, but I think I am winning. He started off by pounding my head during my morning ride...then continued to beat me up at the grocery store making me open up a bottle of tylenol on line, then he pulled out all the stops and kicked in with the one two punch of nausea and light/sound sensitivity. Bastard.

Although, the usual right eye blindness (no kidding...my right eye loses sight during migraines.) has not surfaced. It just feels a bit weird right now.

I am holed up in the den right now willing Ella to continue her nap until Mike gets home. Doubt that, but in my current state, I can't succumb to Hydrocodone and drift away painfree. Tylenol is all the baby allows.

Good day otherwise, had a nice indoor ride this AM. Getting back on track as far as my eating. Things were getting out of control for a while there. (Chocolate shakes, lots of snacks, not a lot of healthy stuff.) I continued the trend of eating whatever and whenever I wanted from my first trimester when that was all that would work for my sick self. Not gonna work for the entire 9 months though...unless I want to gain 50 lbs. WHICH I DON'T. About half of that would work.

Weekend Pictures

Fun times with the Riepes. Rest of the pics are in the slideshow (down and to the right) if you're interested.

Riepe's Visit

Our friends, Amanda and Andrew Riepe, came all the way down from Indianapolis this weekend to visit us. They brought their adorable little girls with them....Mia (2) and Sydney (4 months). We all had a great time....acquarium, carousel, Mexicali, s'mores, Baggo. (The guys are outside right now playing in the freezing cold. Amanda and I are inside with the kiddos..although I am pretty sure she fell asleep putting Mia to bed.)

Thanks for visiting, guys. I know it was a long trip and we're sorry that the ATL came up flat on the weather front for you (snow? COME ON!!!) There's nothing like old friends. :) (Amanda and I played soccer/lived together in college and after, too. Andrew went to Wake Forest with us as well.)

Will post some pics when I am not so lazy and fee like getting off my butt and downloading them.

A belated congratulations to some other Wake Forest friends -- Alli and Gus Kearney -- they had their second boy, Gavin. Sounds like everyone is doing great.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

"Getting harder and harder, huh?"

I got that comment from a guy I know at the gym while I was running...and sweating...and beet faced. I guess my belly is becoming more and more obvious. But, yes!! It is getting harder and harder.

This is the first week that I've been noticing the lower back pains that plagued my runs during my last pregnancy. I know they are just going to get worse as I get bigger. Better go find my heating pad that's been stashed away for the past 3 years.

Will try to keep up with my runs as long as they feel good. I can deal with the achiness post run, but there comes a point where you have to think...is it worth it? Not there yet, not even close. 40 minute run today between a 8:45 and 9:40 pace....picked it up at the end. Felt so good. :)

I found some awesome maternity workout clothes. Last time around I COULD NOT find any maternity running shorts...so I worked out in my Nike maternity pants the whole time. Not fun. I like to run in shorts. No need to be hotter than I already am. Although these shorts lack a liner...WTF? Who makes running shorts with no liner? Duh. But, well worth it even sans liner. Small steps, I guess. :)

I am so proud

Mike got his review from work today. As you can see, I am bursting with pride.

His boss and reviewer is one of his best friends and obviously very funny. This had me crying-laughing.

Supervisor's Summary of Results (Year-End)

I am very pleased with Mike's performance this year. His ball breaking
acumen is off the charts and he has made a strong effort to utilize that
skill on others beyond his supervisor. For the first time in Mike's
five years, he has gone outside the fuels group to belittle and
embarrass other company employees. Mike continues to be a master
debater and is especially admirable in his no holds barred approach to
arguing. For Mike, it is not enough to simply win the argument, he also
wants his audience visibly and audibly laughing at his victim. Some
managers might consider Mike a bully in this respect. I have another
word for it.........inspirational.

Mike's statistical database is also remarkable. His ability to recall
sports statistics, random song titles and obscure band/movie members is
nothing short of astonishing. However, for some reason this skill has
not translated into the energy sector. That being said, who gives an
eff.

An often unnoticed quality of Mike's performance is his willingness to
provide a virtually endless stream of buffoonery to his supervisor.
While it may go unnoticed by some, it does not go unnoticed by me. Mike
is more than willing to provide hilarious, though often off color, witty
gems to his supervisor who then delivers said gems as his own. Mike
does not seek nor even want credit for these masterpieces as he is
perhaps the prime example of an altruistic buffoon. I for one, could
not be more proud.

If I had to offer criticisms of Mike's performance at work, and believe
me, this is splitting hairs, they would be few. I think an
underutilized skill of Mike's is in the area of flatulence. Mike has
one of the more powerful ass trumpets I have come across in my 32 years
of life yet he will very rarely utilize it to its full potential. While
the rest of the row is straining with all their might to deliver a
barely audible grind, Mike is constantly holding back for what many
believe is a fear of seeming rude. I know better. Mike simply does not
want to show up his fellow worker. Were he to unleash his full power,
there would be nary a bottom left on the row with the courage to speak.
Let's face it, when it comes to gas, the rest of us are playing
checkers............Mike is playing chess.

In summary, Mike has performed at the highest of levels. He has become
that most rare of species, the feared yet beloved member of the
community. I look forward to the years to come to see what other
surprises Mike has in store for us and I feel privileged to have had a
front row seat for the past 11 years.

Green Monster

Not talking about Wally, the Red Sox mascot, today. Nope, just feeling a bit jealous of everyone who is training hard, racing hard and feeling all those endorphins. I miss them. I miss the feeling of a hard morning swim followed by an hour long run or the feeling you get after a 5 hour bike ride or how you feel after any race that you pushed yourself.

You know it....the tired, but semi-invincible, proud of yourself feeling. I miss that.

I know that what I am feeling is just as awesome, different, but really, really cool in its own right.

The way that I think about it is that everyone takes their turn out. Be it from injury, work/family issues, burnout or pregnancy. You can't improve/push hard/train like crazy every season. Your body and mind demand time off....well, this year is my "time off". It's my turn to cheer on everyone else in 2008.

As it did the last pregnancy, it just made me appreciate a healthy body that can and is allowed to run, bike and swim until exhaustion all the more. I was sneaking out 2.5 weeks post partum for "runs" with Ella in her stroller and LOVING it.

Yo Adrian!

E tangled with a table at J.Christophers and lost. Her first black
eye.:(

Big day...

Mike's new (to him) bike is finally ready, fitted, recabled, new chain-ed and all spiffed up ready for his first half in years come November.