Baby B: Weeks 28-32

Oh gosh, to say I am behind would be an understatement hmm...the last time I blogged was September 10th.  Trying to get a grand total of two posts in for the month, not the stellar blogger in the least huh?  I doubt anyone still even checks this little old blog of mine, but I do really want to have these posts for my baby one day. so for Baby B and anyone else out there here is the update of, well the past month.

Week 28

How have I been feeling?  Exhausted.  I guess that explains the lack of posts.  Well between being exhausted, incredibly busy at work, incredibly busy baby prepping, and the fact that Aaron brings my computer to work now, there is not much time for blogging.   Generally, through Weeks 28-30/31sh I was not too terribly exhausted.  In fact, we got a TON of stuff done.  Weekends have been full of baby prepping - my poor husband, I always come up with something "fun, new and exciting" for us (or him) to do.  Really, it is fun!  The house is getting cleaner by the day as I find it necessary to clear out and make space in every nook and cranny from cleaning out the entire kitchen to emptying the "office."  Aaron has been so graciously dealing with my nesting by helping paint, put up shelves in the garage and third floor, and making weekly trips to Buy Buy Baby.  I think I owe another post to baby prep so I will leave it at that for now.

Week 29 

How have I been feeling emotionally?  I am on an emotional roller coaster.  It has evened out a bit this week but last week was not pretty.  Again, poor poor Aaron.  I may have had one or two or three emotional breakdowns going from anger to tears.  They generally come towards the end of the day when tiredness and hunger creep in and I sort of, well, loose it.  I am working on it.  Can I please blame it on the hormones?

Week 30

Cravings and Aversions:  I have started to get sick of food.  I am too tired to care.  Whatever works has been just about good enough for me.  Nothing has truly appealed to me and I have a very hard time figuring out what exactly to eat, again not making it easy on the husband - do we see a theme here?  This week, however, I have been much much hungrier.  Maybe baby growth spurts?  Maybe the exhaustion.  Well, whatever it may be earlier this week I could not get enough food in me.  Unfortunately, there is not so much stomach space now-a-days so it is a juggling act for sure.  Other problem, last week I was too tired to even get to the store.  This week I made it to the store, but I have been too tired to cook and Aaron has been working hard hours.  Luckily, I have a very wonderful friend who allows me to "drop-in" for dinner all too often where I always get a well rounded meal and good company.  I owe her, her adorable daughter, and her chef of a husband a ton of thanks as well as about a thousand homemade dinners.

True cravings - seltzer!  I used to "guzzle" seltzer as my dad would say and that is back! Poor poor poor Aaron forgot to bring home seltzer last week.  It was not pretty, luckily the next day I woke up to this...

Yes that is my fridge the day after Aaron forgot seltzer, I woke up to the fridge being STOCKED!

Week 31

Other craving, apple pie ice-cream.  Do you remember that I love fall?  How could I not be craving apple pie ice-cream?  No, I have not gotten it yet but I did make an apple pie from scratch including picking the apples and making the crust.  My first time truly making it from scratch and it did not turn out half bad!

My very own apple pie!

Exercise:  I officially threw in the towel on the running earlier this month.  It just hurt to run.  It was not worth.  Aaron, however, has been running in my place!  He promises to post about his experiences soon, new PRs, upcoming half marathons and the like!   In the meantime, I walk during my lunch at work and elliptical.  I pretty much don't plan anything and just listen to what my body wants for the day whether that be 30 minutes on the elliptical or an hour - usually 30.

Week 32

Doctor's Visits: Today!!! YAY :)

Baby Kicks:  Two weeks ago baby was kicking so much he would not let me sleep.  I have also decided his dance parties are the reason I have no energy.  There is only enough energy for one and he is it!  Regardless the little guy is a mover and a shaker.  I still love the twists and turns and seeing my belly "jiggle" even if it sometimes is uncomfy (e.g., when he kicks me in the ribs!).

Any good ideas for quick meals? How is everyone's running season?

Down but not out completely anyway..

Well, it is official.  I knew it was coming.  But Friday, I went into Physical Therapy and announced my new training plan - to not run at all!  I did not bother trying to ask my P.T. for ideas on how to keep me running, I did not digress into a 20 minute tangent on what exactly hurt and what we could do for it.  Instead, I just stated the obvious.  I was not looking for a fix.  I know and have known for a while that my time has come, at least for now.

Corn mazes that allow dogs are more fun than running in the heat anyways

I love running.  And to keep running in the long term, I know that I have to take this pretty extensive break from running, likely we are looking at 4 months of no running, at least.  And yet, oddly I am doing O.K. with that.  Maybe because at this point there are just so many more important things and people to think about than running (GASP I know!)  But it is true.  Running will be there and as my PT said, I will be back!  But for now it is just not worth it.  Everything hurts when I run and I am more likely to end up injured than logging glorious miles if I continue to run.  Sure,  I am a bit envious of those running pregnant folks who are still hitting the pavement well into their 34th, 35th, and 36th week of pregnancy.  But that is not me and that is O.K.   Running comparisons (which I try to avoid but cannot always) are the same whether you are pregnant or not - there will always be someone out there who you equate yourself with who is going faster and longer.  Comparisons and competitions with those people are not only in one's own mind but not what running is about for me, at least.

So for now the plan for running is no plan at all.  I am still doing some weights, elliptical, and walking and that is good enough.

I knew we invested in this elliptical for a reason!

And if my body did not think my mind totally got the message, this weekend and even today I am completely sidelined from all physical activity or moving from the bed with a good "End of the Summer" Cold.   So today Wubby and I are taking it easy.  I really have to take a page from his book - he knows how to recover from the weekend - the little big guy has not left his crate and has been sleeping since Aaron left for work a few hours ago, whereas I keep getting up and having trouble settling myself down.  Here I think that Wubs pines away for us when we leave during the day and in actuality he is snoring his little head off.

Enough said

In the meantime, I will run vicariously through all of you guys!  Any good races coming up?  I cannot wait for the start of all these wonderful marathons and hear all the races reports.

Slowing Down

It's Saturday.  We are on the Cape.  Usually, I would have woken up nice and early to get a run in this morning.  Last time we were here I think I did 6 plus miles - that was in July.  No such luck today, no such luck this week actually.   In fact, I have not run since last Saturday during which time I ran a slow 4/5 miles and suffered the rest of the day from lower back pain.  The next morning, I woke up and felt like I had run 20 miles - I assure you, I did not.

My PT had previously warned me, when he watched me run two weeks ago, that he was worried mostly about me hurting my lower back and the potential for me to compensate  due to the added front weight.  At the time, he told me to run 2 miles on Wednesday and 4 on that Saturday and come back the next week.  Pre-pregancy, running Stephanie would have come back in bright and early Monday morning to report the lower back pain and see what options we had.  At the very least, I would have called.  I did neither.  I told myself I would go in Wednesday (my PT works mornings on Monday, Wednesday and Friday).  Wednesday came and the idea of trekking into PT at 5 am only to trek back out in the opposite direction for work sounded awful.  So I just let it go.  I ellipticaled and walked and told myself I would check in next week, as I will be in the area for work anyway.

The thing is I get it.  I am 29 weeks pregnant and am getting bigger by the second. When I run, just like my PT said, I am compensating.  I cannot help it and it is not so fun and kind of down right painful. I  told myself I would order a maternity belt.  It took me until Wednesday to actually do that.  There was a time that if I thought a product would solve my running woes, I would drive two hours to get it, in traffic, if it meant that it would keep me  that very day as opposed to the next day or G-d forbid several days from then.

So as I said, during this past week, as I did not go to PT and did not have the maternity belt, I ellipticaled and walked each day.  But even if I could have run this week, I don't know how well it would have gone even without the lower back pain.  My ellipticaling is getting slower, I am not pushing as hard, or really even breaking a sweat.  Do I care?  Yes sort of.  Do I have the energy or true determination at this point to push harder?  No, not really.  The "hardcore" runner in me hates this.  Hates that it is Saturday and instead of an hour long run I took an hour long walk.  "It" feels pretty lame and jealous of all of the other runners out there logging miles.  But then the mommy-to-be/pregnant woman inside of me pipes up and wins out noting that we would much rather be pregnant and not running than not pregnant and running for now.  In fact, we are pretty darn lucky.

So, my body is slowing down.  It is getting more tired, more easily sore.  And that is O.K.  Sure, I may try on the maternity belt and all my problems may go away or my P.T. may have a magic bullet (I am not optimistic on either), but if not, that is O.K. too.  I will continue to do what I am doing and that will be just enough for now.

Wubby slows down too after a day of fun!

How do you accept not running?  Did you ever find a maternity belt that worked for you?