Baby Update - 28 Weeks

I think we are going to
have a giant baby

Baby and I have now made it to the third trimester. Another 12 weeks or so and I should get to meet this sweet little one. Right now the baby is about the size of a Chinese cabbage or an eggplant depending on which site I look at. It only weighs a little over 2 pounds, but feels bigger.

Baby is getting more and more active. There are times when it is moving so much it is hard to concentrate. I also think it is also starting to feel a little squished. In addition to lots of kicks and punches, there are times when it feels like the baby is trying to stretch out or roll over. It is not exactly painful, but not really pleasant either. I am interested to see how it feels as baby gets even bigger.

I am starting to feel a little more prepared for the baby to get here. Thanks to our baby shower a couple of weeks ago, we have most of the necessities. I think the only critical things we need are some diapers and figuring out the breast pump thing. While we have the stuff, it does not mean there is any order to it. Right now it looks like a baby store exploded in our guest bedroom.

Physically, I am still feeling pretty good. I have some muscle aches and pains, but during the day it is not that different than when I was doing a lot of training. At night, those muscle aches are a lot more troublesome. Laying down doesn't feel good after a while, so I often wake up to go to the bathroom and then have a hard time getting comfortable again. This means that my sleep has not been spectacular.

I am also starting to feel a lot bigger. Sometimes it feels like my belly grows daily. I don't really think that is the case, but it feels like it. Rolling over is getting harder and the floor is getting further and further away. The good thing about this is I am looking more pregnant than chubby now. Over the weekend we ran into someone we hadn't seen in a while and they joked that I brought the baby with this time.

I am walking a lot and I need to start swimming again. I also started prenatal yoga a few weeks ago and that seems to help some with the aches and pains. 

Emotionally, I am all over the place. Most days I am excited and can't wait to be a mom and the baby to get here, but somedays I feel overwhelmed by all the things I need to learn and figure out. I know that normal will be different, but I wish I had a better grasp on exactly how different it will be. There is also the fear that I am not going to be good at being a mom.

I have signed up for some birthing and infant care classes through my hospital to help me gain some confidence. Breastfeeding and CPR are also on the list to take before baby gets here. I am also trying to enjoy and savor these next few months.

This weekend we are headed to St. Augustine for a short baby moon. I actually really hate that term, but do like the idea of getting away for some one on one couple time before the baby gets here. It has been a while since we had a vacation and I know it will be a while before we get the opportunity again.

Anything else I should be doing right now? Any baby-safe tips to not feel so achy?

April Showers Bring July Babies

Okay, so that may not be how it normally goes, but that is how it goes for me. Baby Marron and I took a trip to my hometown in Wisconsin this weekend, and were showered by our friends and family in the area. 

I grew up in Wisconsin and most of my family still lives there. This means that when something big happens like getting married or having a baby, I normally end up with two events. It is nice because I get to celebrate with people who I may not otherwise see. It was a little early for a shower—I am only 26 weeks—but I am trying to avoid traveling in the third trimester if at all possible. 

My Sister, Mom and Friend Christine who did an
amazing job with the shower.

The shower for baby Marron was Saturday afternoon at a new reception hall that just opened called Circa on 7th. They renovated an old building and turned it into an amazing space. I can say that it is unlike anything else in the area, and that is a very good thing. For the shower lunch we had fruit salad, a green salad with citrus and a variety of sandwiches. The food was really tasty. 

Then there was dessert. Cake, two types of cookies and chocolate covered strawberries were all on the dessert table. You know it is a function in my family when there are as many dessert options as food options. I loved the chocolate covered strawberries, but the baby pinwheel cookies with pink, blue, yellow and green swirls were the most adorable things ever. They were tasty too. 

So many yummy things!

Baby Marron also received a lot of wonderful gifts. We now have a car seat, a stroller, a pack and play and a highchair as well as a number of smaller items and clothes. He or she will also have books to read every night because guests were asked to bring a book with a message instead of a card. We got lots of great books and I am so excited to read to the baby. I am so thankful that everyone could attend and that we are blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives. 

So many lovely gifts including some beautiful handmade blankets.

The rest of the weekend was spent catching up with friends and family. It will probably be a while before I get back there, but I can’t wait to introduce the baby to everyone. The only bad thing about the weekend was that I had an even harder time sleeping, since I wasn’t in my own bed. Oh well, it is a small price to pay so I can see some of the people who mean the most to me. 

As much as I try, words really do not convey how thankful I am to everyone who helped out and came to my shower this weekend. Now back to the sunshine and warm weather.

A Different Kind of Race Day

About a month ago, my husband and I got up before dawn, put on our running shoes, packed the car with a few necessities and drove for a couple hours to make sure we got a parking spot and were in place for the race start. This time however, we were not the ones racing. These guys were...

We attended the 12 Hours of Sebring endurance sports car race. Sebring is a tiny town about 2 hours away from Orlando and known for the racetrack. My husband went to this race for a number of years both before and after we met, but hadn't been for a while. Not living in the area makes it harder to go to as well as other life related distractions. This was my first auto race ever, so other than his stories, I didn't know what to expect.

We got to the race track a little before 9 a.m and after a cruise of the parking lot, secured a parking spot for the day. While we couldn't see the track from our parking spot, it was relatively central, and as I would learn over the course of the day, this was a very good thing.

After parking and getting settled, we walked over to the pits, but most of the cars were already on the track. At about 10:30 or so, they let spectators onto the track so you could get up close and personal with the cars. It was really cool to be so close to the cars.

Soon after, they got everyone off the track and it was almost time for the start. We headed to a spot just before the first turn to watch the beginning of the race. The sounds and the smell of the race was unlike anything I had ever seen before. It is also really interesting because each vehicle had a distinct sound.

You are so close to the cars

We spent the rest of the day walking around and watching the cars from different parts of the track. It is amazing how close you are to the race and watching the cars after dark gave you a whole new perspective. You could see the brakes glow when the cars slowed down.

For a number of reasons, including my husband having to make an early morning trip to the airport the next day, we left the race about 9 p.m. and drove home. So we didn't see the end of the race. Next time I really would like to stay until the end, but that may involve camping, so I have to mentally prepare myself for that.

I was blown away by how much fun the race was. It is definitely something I want to go to again. Right now there are a lot of changes going on for this race series, but I really hope they can keep all the good things about this race in upcoming years.

Have you ever been to a non-running race? Did you have a good time?

Attitude Adjustment

I know I haven't posted in a while, and a big part of that is that I don't feel like I am doing a ton right now. I am not running or racing and I don't really want to write about my mundane trips to the gym. I was also trying to avoid discussing baby stuff, because there is more to me than that.

So I was going to write a really whiny post about how sucky it is to be pregnant and that I feel like I am being super lazy, but no one wants to read that. I wouldn't want to read that. I don't even want to write that.

The more I thought about it, while I may not be training for any races right now, I am doing something that is pretty cool. Making a tiny human. I also have it pretty easy. Sure I may not get to eat sushi (and I am talking about real sushi, not the cooked role stuff) or drink beer or not wake up at night, but I haven't had any complications. I feel very lucky and blessed about that. I also know there are many women out there who would give anything to be in my position.

I have about 15 weeks left and instead of focusing on what I can't do or the things that hurt, my goal it to enjoy every minute of it. I love this baby and can't wait to meet him or her, so there is no reason to be negative.

This also means that there will likely be more pregnancy and baby related posts over the next few months. I hope you all don't mind. I will be back running and racing soon enough.

Baby Update - 24 Weeks

Today is a big day for baby Marron and a day of mixed emotions for me. The baby is 24 weeks today and that means we have made it to viability. Woohoo! I am very happy that we have made it to viability, but as excited as I am to meet him or her, I want the baby to stay put for the next 14 weeks or so.

My belly is getting bigger. Yikes!

According to The Bump, the baby is about the size of a cantaloupe. It is about a foot long and between three-quarters of a pound and a pound and a quarter. Since I was measuring almost 2 weeks ahead at my doctors appointment this week, I have a feeling that our baby is probably in the larger part of that range.

The baby has been really active lately and that that makes me happy. Last night my husband got to feel the baby kicking for the first time. I have been feeling it for about 6 weeks now, but the thumps are getting a lot stronger and more frequent.

We still haven't found out the gender and the longer I go, the more I feel like I don't really need to know. It is funny because, both my sister-in-laws and a couple of my coworkers want to know really badly. Not knowing the gender does make me stress less about not having a nursery together when the baby first gets here.

At this point, I have gained about 10 pounds, which given all the cake I ate for my birthday and Easter I am pretty happy about. That said, I am starting to feel much bigger. It is harder to roll over and my growing belly is pulling on my lower back when I sleep. The further I get into pregnancy the more pillows I use. Last night I figured out that a pillow under my stomach helps my back. I think that brings the total pillows I am sleeping with each night to 5 and I still wake up several times.

I am staying relatively active and getting to the gym or walking about 3 times a week with a couple of other active days in there. Some weeks are better than others, but I am okay with where I am at. I really miss running and I am already drooling over races for the fall, but haven't committed to anything yet.

This week we are looking at daycares and I am going to start prenatal yoga. It has gotten too hard to modify the classes at my gym, so I figure I will give it a try at a real yoga studio. I am also doing a lot of research and trying to start putting together my birth plan. My big goal is to avoid a c-section, but at this point, I think I would like to have a natural birth.

Any tips for sleeping better while pregnant? Any suggestions for my fall race schedule? Any tips on how to get the baby out naturally?