If I just lay here...

Total steps yesterday:  13,528
Exercise for today:  3 miles on elliptical

I was crazy high energy during my workout today.  Last week, I struggled to get to three miles on the elliptical at a rate of around 5 mph - today, I sailed through three miles at 7 mph and barely felt it.  It's a weird thing about pregnancy - some days I have the best workouts and some days I have the worst, and until I'm a few minutes in I always think it's going to be terrible. 

In other news, Lil W is moving a lot today, and it's fun.  She seems to have settled in to a vertical position for the moment that mostly involved kicking my ribs.  I've heard from other moms that this can get really annoying and painful once I get to the 8th month or so, so I'm trying to enjoy the feeling now while it still mostly just tickles.

Sleep has been weird lately, too.  I'll fall asleep quickly and deeply, which is awesome for naptimes.  But when I'm trying to sleep at night, I almost inevitably wake up around 3 a.m. and then fail to fall fully back to sleep the rest of the night.  It leads to me convincing myself that there's still value in just laying still, and I drift in and out of a doze, having weird dreams and abstract thoughts.  I actually don't hate it, even though it makes me tired when I have to get up.  I'm tired, but it's almost nice to have that time in which I don't have to do anything but lay there.

I've been thinking lately that pregnancy is really nothing like I'd expected it to be from the movies and television.  I haven't had any particularly insane cravings.  My hunger levels have been higher than normal, but not significantly different than they would be if I were training for a race.  There's some slight physical discomfort here and there, but nothing that's unmanageable.  I don't feel fat and I'm not super self-conscious about how I look.  I don't know.  Right now pregnancy just feels like not a big deal.  I know there's a long way to go and hopefully about six more pounds of baby growth before the end of it, so all of this might change, but right now it all feels pretty good.  I'm hoping this same thing will translate to labor.  I'm so used to the popular culture image in which the woman grits her teeth in pain while she pushes, usually uttering some version of "I can't do this".  But my experiences so far make me think that's probably an exaggeration. 

Regardless, it's getting close and I'm now starting to think a bit more about labor, birth plans, and other nitty gritty details.  I may share some thoughts once I've solidified mine a little more.  Or I may not come up with any plan and just roll with it when it comes.  We'll see.

And now we've reached the end of the least substantial blog post ever.  Thanks for reading!

Nap versus blogging

The beginning of the third trimester, so far, is very similar to the beginning of the first trimester.  There's no morning sickness (thank god) but I pretty much just want to sleep all the time.  Confession: sometimes if traffic is  light, I get to work super early after dropping James off at the train.  When that happens, I'll sometimes take the opportunity to grab a 30 minute morning nap before work starts.  Yep, that's how I roll - up at 5:30, napping at 7:30.

And then the weekend hits, and it's like a sleep free for all.  I opted to skip yoga this week so I could sleep in.  I've slept 9-10 hours a night this weekend, with a 2.5 hour nap on Saturday and a one hour nap today.  So, long story short, napping has won out over both exercise and blogging the last few days.  I'm hoping that my prodigious napping will be passed on to Lil W and she'll become a master sleeper very quickly.

I have the feeling already that next weekend will be even more sleep driven.  I'm so looking forward to the four day Thanksgiving weekend.  Initially, James and I had talked about going to visit his family for the holiday, but decided that the logistics of getting to Georgia with a dog and a 6.5 month pregnant Kathryn were too much.  Then we decided we'd just do something simple at home, maybe just make Indian food or something similar.  Somehow that evolved in to the following menu:

Roast duck with cherry-rosemary sauce
Fennel and cabbage slaw (we'll probably add some apple and jicama)
Garlic mashed potatoes
Roasted Brussels sprouts

So, that happened, and is going to be more complicated than we'd initially discussed.  But I also figure it might be one of the last really involved meals that I have the energy to make for a while, so I'm going to embrace it.  Now I'm toying with what to do for a dessert.  I make an apple green chili pie that tends to be my go-to holiday dessert, but am not sure how well it would go with the duck.  We'll have to see how I feel as Thursday gets closer.

Exercise has been lazy the past few days (see earlier paragraph about napping), but I'm hoping to get back in to it in the next few days.  I'm continuing to slow down and it can feel very exhausting to even get started, but I'm still getting out there more days than not.  This next Friday marks 30 weeks - I'm just happy to still be doing as good as I am.

Back in action!

Total steps yesterday:  6,775
Exercise for today:  40 minutes on the elliptical

It's probably a bad sign that I walked almost three miles yesterday even when I was actively trying to rest my foot one more day.  It makes me realize how much I'm on my feet most days, even if it's not an exercise day. 

Luckily, I'm happy to note that my ankle is 99% better.  I spent most of the day Sunday unable to do more than hobble along, and pretty much just rested, iced, compressed, and elevated my way to the foot feeling much better yesterday, and almost perfect today.  I'd planned a bike ride to ease back in to working out, but didn't realize that my gym only has reclining bikes.  I have never liked those because I get no sense of core engagement like I do with the upright bikes.  So I jumped on the elliptical instead and, other than a few minor twinges here and there, made it the 40 minutes without any major foot issues.  So yay!  RICE, people.  It works. 

I'm still probably going to try really hard to not run until Thursday.  I want to get back to it, but don't want to risk making the injury worse again.  It's so, so hard to say no to running when injured, and it tends to be very easy for most runners to overestimate how quickly they heal.  Especially at this point in my life, I really need to be smart about it and hold back.  So tomorrow might just be a walking day.

Other than that, my mom pointed out on Facebook today that Christmas is only five weeks away.  I don't even understand how time is passing this quickly.  I feel so unprepared for the arrival of Lil W, and so stressed about everything I still need to get, including these rainbow leg warmers that clearly need to be a part of her coming home outfit.  On top of that, I somehow have to figure out Christmas gifts, birthday plans, weekend getaway with friends in NJ, and about a thousand other things.

It's really all too much.  I think I'll take a nap instead.

Nesting

Total steps yesterday:  4,489
Exercise for today:  failed attempt at 3 mile run

Zoe and I have spent approximately 90% of the weekend like this:

James took a creeper photo during yesterday's naptime

Apparently we've entered the nesting stage of pregnancy.

And now it appears that I'll spend even more time like this since I managed to twist my ankle about a quarter of a mile in to my running attempt this morning.  I made it most of the way back to the apartment on my own, but eventually had to call on James to comes help me the last little bit.  And that's why you should always have a cell phone on you when running outside. So, if nothing else, I'll probably be giving up trail running for the rest of the pregnancy.  Hopefully there won't be any other long term effects.

Here's a challenge, though.  One of the ways to treat a twisted ankle is to keep it elevated above your heart, which isn't a big deal.  But you're also not supposed to lay flat on your back because you're pregnant, so I'm currently sitting in a weird V position with a pile of pillows both behind my back and under my foot.  Pregnant life is so hard.

Also, Ibuprofen is a pregnancy no-no and could apparently kill the baby.  While it's unlikely to do so from one dose, this is one of those pregnancy risks I won't be taking, so I'm just living with the pain for right now.

I guess this means James will just have to take on extra housework today since I should probably rest.  Pregnant life is so hard for him too.

3rd Trimester = 3 mile run

Total steps yesterday:  6,376
Exercise for today:  3 mile run

Well, as of today, I'm officially in the home stretch.  Pregnancy is 2/3s of the way done, and I celebrated by taking a great 3 mile run.  I'm slow and awkward and sometimes my feet hurt, but overall, for 6 months pregnant, I'm feeling pretty good.

And as a prize for following along this long, you get a non-gym clothes bump selfie!

Lil W is plugging along and is now about the size of an eggplant, which is cool.  I like eggplants, and also the color purple, so it's a good week as far as pregnancy vegetables go.  Yesterday was a rest day which largely was rest - other than a few errands, I spent the day on the couch.  I'm hoping to make up for it with a more active weekend, but we'll see how that goes and how I'm feeling.  Is it bad that I'm tempted to actually schedule nap time in to my weekend?  Because I'm thinking 2 p.m. on Saturday sounds like a great time for a nap.

For those playing along at home, Lil W and I have taken 1,953,133 steps together, or just over 860 miles.  That means that sometime within the next week we'll hit the 2 million step mark, and shortly after that we'll get to 1000 miles.  I think it's a doable goal by the end of December, and then anything after that is just icing on the cake.  Hopefully I'll still be able to run by then - if not, I'll keep moving along on the elliptical and walking on the treadmill as we tick ever closer to arrival date.

I'm beginning to look a lot like pregnant

Total steps yesterday:  14,643
Exercise for today:  3.25 elliptical miles

Well, team, I think it's official - I'm pregnant:

And this is the week that everyone in the entire world seems to feel comfortable noticing it and commenting on it.  Which is cool and all, but seriously, I still have three months of this - give me a break.

You may remember me talking about well-intentioned coworkers being super annoying and overprotective a while back.  It's getting worse and now the madness has spread from the men to the women.  Male coworkers now don't say anything to me and frequently have work conversations while awkwardly trying to look anywhere but at my stomach.  Women coworkers, on the other hand, have schooled me on how I shouldn't do the following things in the last few days:

1.  Reaching over my head to change the time on a wall clock.
2.  Taping labels on to boxes.
3.  Walk up one flight of stairs.

I had a brief mental battle with myself yesterday on how to handle this new treatment.  Specifically, I found myself wondering if at some point I should stop doing things because it makes other people uncomfortable.  I questioned whether or not it was fair to subject my coworkers to watching me do things they deem dangerous, and if I had any responsibility to helping them feel more comfortable in their work environment.  My entire job is focused on making sure people are comfortable in their work environment, so it feels weird to blatantly disregard their feelings.

And then I decided that was bullshit.  I know myself and my body.  I am comfortable asking for help when I need it.  It is not my responsibility to make my coworkers comfortable with how I look, just as it is not their responsibility to care for my unborn child.  If they are concerned, that is their issue to address, not mine.  I will make sure that they have the tools they need to do their jobs, and make sure that I do mine for as long as I'm comfortable.

The flip side, though, of being noticeably pregnant is that I have much more awesome discussions at the gym and in the locker room.  So many people who are in there at the same time as me have words of encouragement, many of them from the personal experience of working out throughout their pregnancy.  I'm definitely getting bigger, slower, and more waddly as the days go by, but it feels good to be moving and happy for at least another day.  We'll see what tomorrow brings.

NV Weekend

Total steps over the weekend:  28,332
Exercise for today:  3 mile run

There is nothing better than returning to your own bed after a trip, and when you add in being 27 weeks pregnant, this feeling just gets exponentially better.  I had a great weekend in Nevada seeing friends and family, but my sleep was just terrible.  Part of it was the time change, and the lack of my snoogle, and a few short nights of sleep due to early or late flights.  Either way, I got home yesterday, did the bare minimum number of chores to get ready for the week, and then spent the next 11 hours in bed.  About 50% of that time was spent with Zoe curled up right next to me.  It's like she missed us or something.

Despite the lack of sleep / formal workouts / puppy kisses this weekend, I had a really good time at home hanging with the family and getting to meet two new babies.  It's a different experience holding a newborn when you know you're three months away from holding your own.  Before there was a feeling of "look what my friend made!  Oh, but now she's crying and how quickly can I hand her back to mom without hurting her."  This time around, I felt both incompetent wondering how I'll handle this when it's my own kid, and comfortable with the knowledge that I'll figure it out.  That's a good way to feel.  For his part, I think James was comforted by getting to talk to the other young dads and figuring out some of the ways his life will change and the many ways in which it won't.

It also made us more comfortable with the idea of moving back to Elko.  Not that we were uncomfortable before, but we at least caught a glimpse of how our day to day life would be different and decided we were okay with those differences.  Now we just need to figure out when / how we're going to move our family of 6 living creatures across country.

In Lil W news, we are now at 27 weeks and she weighs almost two pounds, or about the size of a head of cauliflower.  So there's that.  We only have 4 more days in the 2nd trimester.  This pregnancy has very much flown by.  I'm glad that the weather is getting colder as we settle in to the last three months before baby - I think I'll be very much in a nesting / hibernation mode and am glad that that's very acceptable in wintertime. 

Overall, though, it's been a relatively painless pregnancy so far (though Kathryn at 8 weeks in the midst of morning sickness would probably disagree).  I still feel good most days, though I'm always ready to lay down by the end of the day.  I can still run and lift things and catch and throw firewood with the best of them (aren't all pregnant women made to restack firewood with their dads at 27 weeks?  I think that's a standard pregnancy checklist item). 

I'm excited to go for a run in a few hours.  Every run feels like an experiment in whether or not my good running luck will last.  At this point, I'm really just hoping I can at least run/walk during the 5k I'm doing in early December.  I want to hit that goal, and then I'll reevaluate to see how I'm feeling and whether or not I can push through the two months of running after that.  I'm sure I'll keep you updated on my progress!