Running in Circles

Well my due date has come and gone...again!

I so wish I was one of those women whose water breaks at 37 weeks and they can just have their baby safely and be done with pregnancy a few weeks early! I can honestly say that some days I'm still really comfortable and fine with being pregnant and some days I'm on the verge of tears all day because this basketball under my shirt feels like its going to break my entire ribcage!

dramatic?!

Yesterday I had my 40 week (+3 days) appointment and got to see our little guy during a routine ultrasound to check movement, size, fluid levels, etc... it is amazing- THERE is actually a baby in there! Sometimes it is so hard to wrap my mind around how a baby really grows from cells to an entire human being, and the fact that it all happens inside of me while I live my everyday life!

Anyways, he's doing great in there- he flashed a few smiles and made it clear that right now he's happy as can be in there- but I keep telling him he is so welcome to join us out here anytime!

As of right now, I'm being induced Friday morning at Baylor Hospital in Dallas. We're looking forward to my mom flying in on Friday too (so she might actually be here for his birth) and am so grateful for good friends who have done a great job at keeping me busy/distracted and who are so quick to help and are planning on watching Hazel for us.

I still hope I go into labor before Friday but I doubt I will. Yesterday was my last run of this pregnancy- 4 miles on the treadmill- and now I'm just walking outside and enjoying the beautiful weather we've had. I hope exercising all of pregnancy shows its benefits during labor/delivery/postpartum- but mostly I'm just really looking forward to meeting this little guy.

We had a wonderful Christmas at home, just the three of us!

We were pretty bummed to "miss-out" on a family Christmas this year, but I was just about full-term and not loving or permitted to travel long distance. The holidays are just so great surrounded by more people and food and activities that you even know what to do with.

Plus we don't own any puzzles

#holidayfail

We spent Christmas Eve with friends for a potluck dinner and then had a fun Christmas morning watching Hazel open a few gifts. She finally got excited about opening presents and would ohh and ahh and yell "Surprise." She had a a hard time waiting though while Brice or I opened a gift too!

Brice has stayed busy making a mess on the balcony-sawdust has been everywhere! He's been busy making himself a standing desk for his office at work. It's turning out great, but I am not a fan of outside and inside spaces being overcome with tools, wood pieces, and sawdust.

I am definitely nesting, but not all that much more than my normal OCD self...cleaning, hanging pictures and curtains! (finally), organizing, and cleaning our carpets.

Hazel has loved playing with her new baby doll, reading a dozen new books, helping Brice "make noise" outside ( which translates to using the power drill), Skyping with grandmas & grandpas and helping me cook in the kitchen.

We feel so blessed and so grateful for the wonderful things that happened in 2014- and we can't wat to see what the new year brings!

HAPPY 2015!!

Baby BOY is full term and is welcome to come anytime now :)

- Visiting the doctor every Monday from here on out

- Hazel loves joining em at my appointments because she asks every nurse for a band aid :)

- Blood pressure was 112/72 which is great (but actually high for me)

-Weight- 147 (+24 lbs) whew and feeling everyone of them

- He's head down and the doctor felt his head today

-Belly measured in at 34 cm (which his normal for me to be 3-4 cm behind)

- Lots of movement still, but his booty feels like its going to get stuck under my right ribs

- Tired, tired, tired...

- I feel big, and while I get a lot of nice comments about me being "so small" I feel BIG!

- Running is feeling good, but getting harder everyday. It really is harder to lower my expectations but I just have to now.

- No swelling, stretch marks, or varicose veins...so grateful!

- Picked out two outfits for baby boy to possibly come home in, now we just really need to narrow down the names. This is the hardest thing for Brice and I to agree on.

- Hoping he comes before his due date (the 15th) but I know better than to get my hopes up. I know pregnancy will be over soon so really I am just trying to enjoy the down time.

- "A TUMS a day keeps the heartburn at bay"...but seriously!

27 weeks

37 Weeks

At 36 weeks pregnant with baby #2 I have surprised myself by still running as much as I am. Honestly, the motivation to go is definitely slipping but during and after my runs I feel so good! I can't believe I'm full-term now.

During my pregnancy with Hazel I ran until 2 days before my induction and felt great during labor and recovery so I guess that is sort of my plan again... but I think I'm gonna go ahead and start scaling back a bit (even if I feel great!)

I am so grateful that I've been able to run so well during pregnancy but don't let the numbers fool you- it isn't a breeze and I have had to keep myself motivated more than ever before!

Monday: 8 miles on the treadmill

Tuesday: 7 miles and a few light moves with weights

Wednesday: 6 early miles outside before Christmas morning

Thursday: 9 "easy paced" miles in 1:17

Friday: 8 miles- 2 mile warm-up and then 6 miles of .25 sprint intervals

Saturday: 8 miles on the treadmill ( between 8:40 and 7:40 minute miles)

Sunday: rest day!

Miles this week: 46

Total miles this year: 2458

Weekly Workouts

34 weeks pregnant with baby #2

Monday: 9 miles + 15 minutes of planks/lunges/squats

Tuesday: 7 easy miles on the treadmill

Wednesday: 7 miles ( 2 mile warm-up and then .25 intervals for the next 5 miles)

Thursday: 10 miles outside ( felt great until I stopped)

Friday: 6 miles on the treadmill ( these were so hard for some reason)

Saturday: 9.6 miles with a friend

Sunday: rest day

Weekly Miles: 49

Miles this year: 2489

In the last few weeks...

1. Brice got in a car accident in our Jetta the last week of October. this happened the night before Doug & Lucinda came to visit ( and we were planning on buying their Edge from them as our second car). After a month of dealing with insurances, pay-outs, and repair estimates we sold the car and deposited a little check in the bank. So there goes our plan of having two cars!

2. Brice is thinking about buying a motorcycle again- its the cheapest option for us to have two vehicles BUT neither one of us feel like its the best option. We're hoping something works out sooner than later.

3. We drove 13 hours over thanksgiving Break to visit The Johnson's' and Hancock's in Washington, Illinois. The drive was long, but Hazel was so good and Brice and I loved the time to just talk and be stuck in the car. We listened to our fair share of podcasts, and Goo Goo Dolls and took turns entertaining Hazel ( whom i might add only needed 45 minutes of screen time the whole drive).

In the future I think road trips will be off limits in the third trimester.

We had a great trip and Hazel learned just how fun it is to play with cousins!

3. Some wonderful friends took me out to dinner and threw me a baby shower! I feel so grateful for their wonderful friendships and to be treated to a girls night. It is amazing what getting dressed up, going out, and chatting for hours and hours can do for your soul. I came home and stayed up the latest I have this entire pregnancy.

4. I've slowly bought thing for this new baby here and there- sales at baby gap, amazon gift cards, new white onesies, etc... but just the other night I bought our first box of newborn diapers again! I'm a fan of paying a little bit more for Pampers at the beginning but by size two we have bought the target brand diapers and have loved them.

5. We decorated our little apartment for Christmas this last weekend. In four years of marriage we've never actualyl been home for the holiday ( due to visiting families for the school break). This year we got a real tree and it has made our apartment smell so good! Hazel is loving the nativity sets and wrapping packages that keep coming to our doorstep!