Pregnancy: Week 14

Why hello there, 2nd trimester!

14 weeks, WOW! I wish I could say time is flying but that's such a lie!

So it has now been about a month since we announced it. Here's what's been going on these past few weeks:

• People already want to touch my belly. I don't mind, I'm not going to tell you not to, but just know that this early on in my pregnancy, the baby is still really small and you're probably just rubbing around and feeling on my last meal (likely a cheese sandwich).

• Exercise is already getting harder, but I'm still going and I feel really comfortable with it. I'm starting to substitute some stuff just because I'm clumsy, like doing step-ups instead of box jumps. That's pretty much the only modification so far! Breathing is getting harder, my heart rate elevates faster... and I have to talk myself down ALL THE TIME about not being too competitive and trying to beat everyone. I have to convince myself that it's okay to finish last and that I'm not doing this right now to compete, I'm doing it to have a healthy body and healthy baby!

• A couple weeks ago my husband and I ran the Spartan Sprint and it was SO FUN (to me... not so much to him!). 

• I cannot count the number of times that I've already been told that I shouldn't exercise during my pregnancy. It's mostly elderly people who are just concerned, and that's understandable. I just smile and say that I'll take it easy and listen to what my doctor says, which is all true.

• I've experience very mild morning sickness the past couple of weeks, but nothing too bad. Some mornings I wake up SO hungry and some days I can't eat until after 11:00 because I'm nauseous, but that's pretty rare.

• My appetite is subsiding, which I guess is kind of nice since during the first 10 weeks I could literally eat 4,000 calories a day and still feel hungry! During the afternoons is when I get most of my calories, but it's hard to eat then because I'm at work and super busy.

• We had another appointment this week... baby's heartbeat sounds so strong and beautiful! At our next appointment they will do some blood which means we'll find out the gender! WOOHOO! Almost everyone I know thinks/wants it to be a girl... we shall see!!!

• I've started getting headaches these past couple of days. I'm really lucky that I had my first really bad one on the day of our doctor's appointment because I asked about what to take for them and they gave me a prescription. So far it hasn't seemed to help lol but at least I have something to take for them!

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Today's Date: 6/22/17

How many weeks: 14

Trimester: 2nd

How big is the baby?: About the size of a lemon

Weight gain: 4 lbs (no change over the past couple of weeks, probably because my appetite has gone back to being semi-normal)

Food cravings: Nothing specific... I still want all the sweets but that's not the baby's fault! ha

Gender: Unknown

Prediction: Girl! HR is 148 and the Chinese calendar says it's a girl too... everyone knows those things are an exact science!

Diet: Not great, I snack too much and don't eat near enough protein. My diet is about the same now as it was before.

Exercise: Still going to the gym about 4 days a week, and it feels great! I have a 5k coming up in a couple of weeks. I usually do the 10k in this race because it's my favorite race of the whole year... but I'm crazy and always kill myself trying to do it in under an hour so I'm just going to skip the crazy this year ☺

Aches and pains: Heartburn, some lower back pain when I sit for a long time. HEADACHES.

Maternity clothes: None (YET) but my sister-in-law did just give me a whole bag full of stuff so when it's time to break them out, I won't have to buy nearly as much!

Favorite moment this week: Hearing the baby's heartbeat <3 I haven't felt pregnant at all since my symptoms have been so mild, and hearing the baby's heart go thump thump thump is just the most surreal thing ever.

Looking forward to: Finding out the gender!

Spartan Sprint at the ATT Stadium

BRAG ALERT. Just wanted to warn you..

My husband and I (and our little lemon, too!) ran the Spartan Sprint this past weekend at the ATT Dallas Cowboys Stadium. Talk about WOW, that was so cool!

I was super afraid that I would have to do about 300 penalty burpees throughout the race... not because I'm pregnant, but because of my shoulder. Well, I'm happy to report that I only failed TWO obstacles for a total of 60 burpees! Woot woot!

Here is my opinion on this race:

• It is definitely a Spartan. This race is not something I recommend to someone who's just looking for something fun to do: it's very challenging! And any obstacle you fail earns you a 30-burpee penalty, so don't just show up expecting to skip anything that looks too hard. You'll pay. And burpees are not easy, either.

• I loved the experience of running out on the football field, doing pushups in the Dallas Cowboys locker room, and crossing the finish line in (on?) the end zone. BUT... I will always prefer an outdoor obstacle race for its scenery. I did, however, really appreciate how clean I was afterwards! Although caked in several layers of sweat, it was very nice not having to coax mud off my body with a baby wipe!

• There were SO many stairs. Luckily, I'd prepared for this by doing a ton of workouts at the amphitheater, but still, there were SO MANY stairs. And not just running/walking up/down stairs, BEAR CRAWLS. I'd say we bear crawled up at least 20 flights of stairs. 

• I could not have picked a better race to run at 12 weeks pregnant! Two words: AIR CONDITIONING! There were a few obstacles outside, but for the most part, we were in the stadium where it was pretty cool.

• The obstacles were considerably easier than what I've done at the Beast or Super. That could be because of it being mostly indoors, or maybe it's intentional since it's meant to be more of a "beginner" Spartan race? I have no idea... just an observation! Maybe instead of the term "easier" I should say "less hard"... because it was still hard. 

Speaking of obstacles, here is a list of some that I remember:

Jump rope with a heavy heavy rope x25

Box jumps x25

Slam ball x25 

Pushups x25

Stone carry down, 5 burpees, stone carry back

Several wall climbs (Side note: I could not have done these without my husband giving me a boost each time!)

Rope Climb (NAILED IT! I haven't tried climbing a rope since shoulder surgery. I was certain I would fail. Turns out... I don't really rely on my arms for this so I had ZERO problems! It was awesome!)

Spear Throw

Some weird rolling thing you put your feet on and then pull yourself with your arms down and back

Sandbag pull (that sucker was so heavy... again, couldn't have done it without my husband)

Sandbag carry

A-frame cargo net climb

Monkey bars (they weren't bars though, they were rings)
LOTS of bear crawls

The two I failed were:

• Spear Throw (because of my shoulder still not being recovered, I had to throw with my left arm! It wasn't a terrible throw... the spearhead went straight and would have stuck IF I hadn't missed my entire target by a full 3 feet)

• Monkey bars/rings (again, my shoulder is stupid. I couldn't even hold my body weight on the first ring, so I bowed out and did my burpees) 

My next race: Fireball Classic! I LOVE doing the treacherous 10K, but I always KILL myself trying to finish in under an hour (which I still have never done). Since I'm pregnant I'm going to scale back and only do the 5K this year and I'll TRY to just jog it slowly. I'll be about 15 weeks at that point so it shouldn't be too terrible. We'll see! 

Another Kid Post: Summertime Woes

I saw this on FB and thought: YES YES YES and YES

Perfection Pending by Meredith Ethington

1. Why can't my kids shut the door? WHY? They walk in the house and expect it to just close itself? Where do they get this idea???

2. I don't have to ask "Why is this wet?".. I already know. Either Ali took a shower and then proceeded to drip dry all over the house (I'm not kidding), or one of the kids spilled something and pretended not to know, or it's pee. 

3. Why do I have to remind them EVERY SINGLE TIME to hang up the towel? Am I not speaking the same language as them when I say it? Is drying off their freshly cleansed bodies SO MUCH FUN that they just forget to follow the directions I've been giving them for the past 6 to 11 years?? 

4. PLAY OUTSIDE. I hate to be that "When I was a kid" kind of old lady, but seriously, WHEN I WAS A KID, our parents LOCKED US OUTSIDE and we weren't allowed to come back in until lunchtime. Then after lunch we did it all over again. Last weekend I made them go outside and play and they went outside, shot the basketball for 5 minutes, and came back in. What is wrong with my children!? I LOVE BEING OUTSIDE and they act like it's the most excruciating thing in the world to PLAY. 

5. I don't have to ask who left the water hose running... when it's hooked up to the sprinkler and ON TOP of the trampoline, my guess of either kid is pretty solid. 

6. As soon as my kids walk in from daycare, or as soon as I walk into the house after working out at the gym, the first thing I hear is "Hey mom. What's for dinner?" CAN I HAVE FIVE MINUTES TO JUST BE HOME before you little heathens start asking me to feed you!? Judging by the fact that this happens EVERY DAY, I'm going to go with NO, they can't wait that long. And then one hour after picking at their food at the dinner table and complaining about my cooking... "There's nothing to eat in this house! I'm starving!" Sometimes I feel like the Beast when I yell "THEN GO AHEAD AND STAAAAARVE!" 

7. Why do my children think that someone needs to entertain them? I am your MOTHER, not your personal Activities Specialist. ENTERTAIN YOURSELF.

8. "Play with the toys you already have. You know there are some kids that don't have ANY toys at all!" (I also use a similar phrase concerning food)

I'm not kidding... Jordan thinks that he if he gathers up the things he doesn't play with and "gives them to those kids that don't have any," then that's how he earns new toys. Or... maybe you could just appreciate all the junk--errrr, toys---that you already have and go PLAY WITH THEM you spoiled little stinker!

9. Ali thinks that she deserves to have a friend over EVERY WEEKEND, sometimes during the week, too. Sometimes I just don't feel like it, kid. I love you and I love your friends, but you really don't NEED to have a friend over every single day of your life. Go play with your brother. 

10. "I'm bored." Oh good! I just spent 2 hours mowing the yard, go rake up the grass.. or scrub some toilets, or give me a foot rub. Or, hey, go BE A KID and figure out how to entertain yourself. Outside. Or with your 5 billions toys. 

Kid #3, Pregnancy #2: The Lowdown.

I am TERRIBLE at keeping secrets! These past few weeks have been KILLING ME. I've been wanting to yell it out since April that

I'M PREGNANT! 

My husband and I swore we would never have another baby after Jordan. We already had Ali and even though she's my step-daughter I've always loved her like she's mine... so one girl, one boy, that felt like enough! Plus, Jordan cried constantly for like two years straight and that's hard to forget! He didn't start sleeping through the night consistently until he was three. I lived on 3-4 hours of sleep every night for a loooooooong time. And during this time of no sleep, I also went back to school for my Master's degree AND held a full time job. So smart! I really believed that I would never be able to mentally or physically go through all that again.

When Jordan turned 3... things changed SO. MUCH. He grew out of the colic. His ears started getting better (3 years of ear infections every 2 weeks... nightmare). And, yes, I am biased, but he is just the BEST kid around. He's 6 now. He listens, he's quiet in church, he tells me I'm the best mommy ever, he says his prayers, he says "Yes ma'am" (at home--I don't think this carries over at school or daycare lol). He asks to be excused from the dinner table. He helps wash dishes. He KEEPS HIS ROOM CLEAN, Y'ALL. He brushes his teeth without being told, picks out his own clothes, and dresses himself every day (sometimes I try to pick out his clothes, that NEVER works). He's polite, considerate, funny, and just a big ole sweetheart. I can't imagine life without him! It turns out that all the sleepless nights and crying and frustration is all worth it--it just took me a REALLY long time to admit it! LOL

So when Jordan turned 5 and Ali was 10, we decided it was time to either have another one or call it quits for good. But then my job as a school librarian was just so stressful and kept me busy year round, so we decided to wait a few months. Then I found out my job was going to be eliminated and we worried we wouldn't have my income anymore. And then I got a really good job and I didn't want to be pregnant right after starting... and then I got another job and felt the same way... and eventually we realized that if we kept waiting for our lives to calm down... for that "perfect timing"... it was never going to happen!

Well, no turning back now! I found out on April 3rd and told my husband a couple days later (I couldn't tell him right away because I had to wait for his gift to arrive--duh!).

We told the kids the day before Mother's Day--yes, they have BOTH been keeping this secret with us for the past few weeks! They are SO excited, but I think Ali is probably the most thrilled. She has been BEGGING for a baby sister ever since Jordan came along!

We told our moms and other family on Mother's Day. They were, of course, thrilled and surprised! The kids made bead bracelets for our moms and I wrote a poem for each of them (the poems were almost identical except for a few lines). Here's the poem:

And here is our moms' faces after reading their poems! 

Spilling the beans was such a relief! We are so excited and absolutely TERRIFIED! HA!

So what's next? My doctor says it is perfectly safe for me to continue working out and running. I've already had countless questions and concerns from friends and family about whether or not I can keep going to the gym. The answer is YES, I can. NO, I'm not going to do anything stupid or unsafe. I'm going to listen to my body. We've already had our first ultrasound and listened to the baby's heartbeat. We're both very healthy! In fact...

I was pregnant when I did the Oklahoma City Memorial Half Marathon! AND when I did the Warrior Dash! Yep! This baby is already experiencing a lot! I also have a Spartan Sprint to run on June 10th (this upcoming weekend!). My husband is doing it with me and will help me complete any of the obstacles that we don't feel are "baby safe" (which hopefully isn't a whole lot). At that point I'll be 12 weeks. My plan is to update on here every few weeks on how I'm feeling, workouts I've been doing, weight gain, cravings, and of course, some profile belly shots! 

Let the countdown begin! 

Today's Date: June 5, 2017

Due Date: December 21, 2017

How many weeks: 11 weeks 4 days

Trimester: First

How big is the baby?: The size of a fig (about 1 and a half inches long)

Weight gain: 4 lbs EEEEEK, this is going to be the biggest struggle for me...

Food cravings: All the sugar, which is actually pretty normal. Also tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches.

Gender Prediction: Girl, because I haven't been sick at ALL (yet! fingers crossed) and I was sick the entire time with Jordan. Plus that seems to be the consensus of everyone I know so I'm going with it.

Diet: Terrible. Donuts, candy, bread... I eat one healthy meal a day. The rest is junk. UGH. I'm so hungry ALL THE TIME.

Exercise: Working out 4-5 days a week, no restrictions yet on anything other than I'm not supposed to lift anything heavy, which isn't a problem because of my bum shoulder.

Symptoms: I've had a few mild cases of heartburn; headaches; fatigue (this is getting better now). So far zero morning sickness. Also my boobs hurt. Fun.

Maternity clothes: none (yet, but I've already gained 4 lbs so, you know..)

Favorite moment this week: Announcing the news!

Looking forward to: feeling the baby kick. Sometimes I'm like oooh I think I felt it! And then I'm all... ohh, that's just gas...