LA RnR Half Marathon Finished

Well, I did it! I set out to be able to run a half marathon while later during my pregnancy and I did it! After my hopes of going to Athen's with Mike got squashed, I lost my identity a little bit. More like I had a breakdown of not really knowing who I was anymore because I couldn't run the way I used to, if at all. After feeling sorry for myself and crying myself to sleep I asked Mike if he thought we could run the LA Rock N Roll Half Marathon on 10/24. I would be 32 weeks pregnant at the time of the event; 8 months. I had been able to resume running with the interval method and had run my furthest of 9 miles with the LA Leggers a couple of weeks ago so I thought, no problem, I've got this. I've run countless 13 mile loops in marathon training right? Yeah...

Well, I gave myself the goal of finishing the half marathon. Then I thought, maybe I could finish it in 2:30. I was on track for that, run/walking an 11:30 minute per mile pace up until about mile 7 when I just kept cramping up and having Braxton Hicks contractions. They would stop and go away when I would walk, so I would start running again. I wouldn't get too far. By mile 8 I had three bathroom trips and countless contractions, so I told Mike that we would just walk for awhile, until I felt better. We walked until somewhere between 9 and 10 when I ran into another one of my Legger friends and I jumped on with their pace and interval. We were able to keep that up until mile 12 when my back just seized up. Finally my body was like, "ENOUGH ALREADY!!" I bent over to relieve some of the pressure from off of my back and pelvis. 2:30 had already come and gone; shockingly by only 15 minutes! With all that walking I was only 15 minutes behind at mile 12?! I told Mike, we can finish this under 3hrs. So, despite the backpain, we resumed running again for the last half mile.

I'm not going to say this was easy. It wasn't. I definitely don't recommend EVERYONE to go out there and try to run a half marathon at 8 months preggers, but I do have to say to all of those women out there who wonder if they should continue to run after they get pregnant...."DO WHAT FEELS RIGHT FOR YOU!!" Get on board with a supportive OBGYN who isn't living in the 50's and supports your running goal. I know that throughout my pregnancy, my running, even if its 300 yards instead of 3 miles, has kept my emotional well being. Running was such a part of who I was that I was lost and depressed without it.

I am officially hanging up the running shoes, I think I am anyway. There will be plenty of time to run after the baby gets here, like when it goes to college or something. ;-p

Officially broken the 100 days left!

I just realized that I have made it past the triple didgets. We are now LESS THAN 100 days, and eagerly counting, the birth of this child. I'm starting to get more and more tired, but the good thing is I'm sleeping through the night pretty much, so its a wash. I think my tiredness, aside from being pregnant, is that I'm just not eating really well. Since this whole kitchen remodeling project began and we haven't been able to really "use" our kitchen it has been nothing but crap foods. Finally last week I broke down and got at least frozen meals which were better than eating off the kids meals at YOU NAME IT BAD FAST FOOD palace. I'm just not used to eating like this and its really starting to affect me for the worse. We finally were able to start grocery shopping and are stocking up on the staple items in the pantry but its been really hard. HOPEFULLY that all changes this week.

I had another hormonal outburst, but this one I thnk I was really entitled to have. I learned that Mike was going to be busy either running or biking pretty much all weekend, again and it just really struck me. He's never around anymore because he's off doign this or doing that, training for this or training for that, meanwhile he has left me in the lurches to train for MY next marathon. I don't feel like I'm getting the emotional support and comfort that I need from him because he's busy avoiding me. I don't know. Maybe I'm just jealous because he can do the things that I used to once think were important to me, maybe its not jealousy, rather its envious. I did tell him how I felt and gave him an option to consider not doing one of the many activities that he has going so that we could actually spend time together before the baby gets here. I mean, I know were not going to have that time when the baby comes, but I'm not sure he quite gets how upset it makes me to feel like I've lost him. He said he didn't want to do anything half assed, but I felt like telling him I felt like he wasn't giving our relationship enough energy; that he wasn't giving his role of a new father to be enough energy. Is that wrong of me?

The Search For Our Doula Continues

I have been interviewing doulas to assist with our birth since our family is not in town. After reading all about doulas and meeting them, I swear I do not know why anyone would want to have a birth without them present. They help to increase the liklihood that you'll be successful having a natural vaginal birth by almost 60% because they are supportive of you, and help you and your family make educated decisions about your birth, rather than just be forced into a decision because a hospital attendant, nurse or doctor has scared you.

After long consideration, and after Mike and I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with my prenatal yoga instructor Patricia, we really loved her, however we heard what she was trying to tell us. She has two very young children herself and cannot devote all of her time to us when that time comes because she has her young children at home. As much as we love her, and I am so comfortable with her, I don't want to ruin our relationship as a teacher/student with a bad birth experiience because she wasn't available. So, the search goes on. Chapman Birthing Center has put me in contact with a couple of doulas, one which I had a brief telephone interview with already and I LOVED her. She was in Maui when I phoned her at 10AM this morning (so what, that's 6AM Maui?) and she still answered, still took the time to chat with me, even had a file already started on me WITH HER in Maui. I loved her bedside manners and spirit. We'll meet with her some time next week when she gets back into town. Fingers, eyes and toes crossed we'll have a doula soon.

I forgot to upload the most recent photos of Baby W and me. Here ya go.

Pulled/strained muscle

How lame is this? I was putting a large stack of dishes away this morning in an upper cabinet, when all of a sudden I had to sneeze, so I sneezed. Well, I pulled or tweaked something in my intercostal ribs along my right side and now everytime I breathe in, or cough, or laugh, or do anything really it hurts. Not sure this is pregnancy related but I posted it anyway.

I had a pretty terrible night of nightmares last night. I kept dreaming that my navel piercing was overgrown by my growing belly and becoming a bloody mess and no one could get it out. Of course I freaked out and ran to the bathroom and attempted to get the dang thing out myself, but to no avail. I aggravated the piercing so much it was becoming the bloody mess of my nightmares. I somehow managed to give up and crawl back into bed by convincing myself that a few more hours wouldn't overgrow the piercing. As soon as Mike woke up though I begged him to help me get it out. He had no problem of course.

We now have our little preggy piercing in which is huge and plastic and it is adorned by a little "W" charm. Too cute for words...well, my belly just has to grow into it now.

Four Month Photos

Since I'm showing more now we decided we'd start taking photos. I absolutely love my girlfriend Audrey for coming up with the idea to hold a little note card for every week we take the photo. She originally said take the photo wit the same dress on, but once you see the dress you'll soon know why that's gonna be a little difficult to do in a couple weeks.

Enjoy the photos!

Genetic Testing came back negative

I just received the call from the doctor's office after two weeks of waiting and nervously wondering whether everything would be alright or not. The Nuchal fold tests for genetic abnormalities including down syndrome. We've come back negative which in theory means we're out of the woods, however the physician assistant that I spoke with said that "because of my age...." they still recommend that we either have the CSV or the amnio, both of which I thought that my doctor saiad if the nuchal came back negative we wouldn't have to have. I asked if my doctor could call me back to discuss the tests, what the risk factors are etc., I'd much rather discuss with her than someone who hasn't seen me before.

On a sidenote, Mike and I drove to Santa Barbara this past Saturday to pick up the buggy of my dreams. Yes I bought our buggy used, but only because brand new the thing is almost $1000 and Mike would have divorced me if I spent that much money. We ended up getting the Bugaboo Frog, which goes from a bassinet to a full child stroller. It also has adaptions for the infant child safety car seat as well. The bad boy is pretty loaded, with 4x suspension, all terrain tires (which are inflatable, not plastic) and other options which I thought were absolutely crucial, ie the seat needed to be able to adapt to both forward facing and parent facing for bonding, in addition to having the option to recline in multiple positions with ease. All that for just $400! That's a steal!

Finally, since its been awhile since I've updated last (probably actually was the day we went for the nuchal translucency now that I think about it) I have gained 7 pounds during the course of the past four months. 5 pounds during my first trimester and a pound a week so far during the second. I'm up to a whopping 114 pounds now! How many more weeks do I have? About 25 right so I should technically only gain about 25 more pounds. IN THEORY!! I have to admit, I'm getting nervous with the numbers! I should do what they did when I had the eating disorder and not face the scale when I get on it, that way I don't concentrate on the numbers so much as healthful gain. I'm also hoping that I'll start to have more energy now and be able to work out more regularly. Today I went to a bootcamp style circuit tone and strengthen class. It completely kicked my pregnant butt, but I'll be back as long as I can do it comfortably.

Thats it for now. Dawne n Bun signing off. xoxo

The cat's outta the bag!

Thank god too! I got a call early Saturday morning from my father asking me about how to backup a hard drive...he fooled me! He was really calling to tell us congratulations. My mum received her Happy Mother's Day Grandma! card and gift in the mail. It was the first time they got to see a picture of the bun. It was funny too because my dad said when my mum opened it she said, "Bede, I think your daughter's having a baby." I don't know WHAT gave her that impression! Was it the grandmother mother's day card? Or maybe the Baby picture frame with the sonogram in it? Hmmm.

Yup, the cats out of the bag. They were so excited that they notified all of our relatives in the same day. I feel like a huge secret has been lifted now and finally feel truly happy to no longer have this secret.

Yay!