fitness goals, old and new

Seriously, is 2012 really coming to a close?  I can't believe it.  This year has absolutely flown by.  Long days, yes, but somehow tomorrow is 2013.  Which means it is time to review my goals from this year, and set some for next year.  First, I'm going to break down my goals from 2012 that I made in this post:

1.  Run/walk 500+ miles.
Absolutely completed, no problem.  I actually ended up running just over 700 miles.  Walking a little over 200.  So my run/walk mileage is just over 900 miles.  I'd say beating your goal by 400 miles isn't too shabby, then again I knew I wasn't being to aggressive with that goal either.  When I made it though I was already secretly hoping I was pregnant, and didn't know it would take me another six months to get there.

This past month I realized it was possible for me to maybe reach 1000 miles in 2012 (including running, walking, biking and the elliptical) and I am proud to say I did it.  The official total for 2012 is 1006.55 miles.  Not too shabby considering I was pregnant for half the year!

2.  Participate in 6+ races, including at least one half marathon.
DONE!  I managed to sign up and complete eight races, including four 5Ks (posted about here, here, here and here), one 4 miler, one 10K and two half marathons (here and here).  Last year I posted that I hoped to get my 5k PR under 27 minutes, and I actually managed to come in just under 25 with a time of 24:48 in the Mother's Day 5k.  I love races.  They motivate me to try harder and stick with it.  And the runners high when you cross that finish line?  So addicting.

3.  Include strength training AT LEAST once a week.
Well, it wasn't that tough of a goal and I still didn't meet it.  I'm definitely a cardio girl, and given the choice I'll pick the treadmill over lifting weights any time.  But I have enjoyed the couple of classes that include strength training I've done at the gym, and Jillian and I occasionally get our shred on, so not all is lost.

4.  Try to incorporate yoga or stretching.
HAHAHA.  Big fat fail.  I did try and be more mindful about stretching, but I never once tried a yoga video or made it a priority.

Also, never managed my unofficial goal of doing a pull-up.  Surprise surprise.

Overall?  I give myself a 60% on completing my goals.  But even though I didn't meet them all, I still feel like I accomplished a ton in 2012.  Now, how high to set the bar for 2013... it is a toughie, because I have no idea what life will be like with two kiddos, if I'll keep my gym membership, much help I'll have from Christopher, etc.  So I'm winging these.

2013 Health & Fitness Goals
1.  Run 500+ miles.
I would like to make my goal to cover 1000+ miles again in 2013, but with the new babe and recent order from Dr. Hubby to cut back on my exercise, I'm not quite sure I'll be able to do it.  But I really REALLY hope I can get back into running after this babe is born, and since I made it 700 miles this year, 500 next year doesn't sound too far fetched.

2.  Try a new group fitness class at the gym.
I am definitely a creature of habit, and have only tried three different group fitness classes at my gym, 50/50, Barbell Strength (which I assume is like Body Pump), and a core workout class.  It took a lot of guts for me to go into barbell, and I ended up loving it.  So I need to suck it up and try something else.  Assuming I go back to the gym at some point after the baby is born.

3.  Run a half marathon.
I think this goal is going to be more about will power and time management than anything else.  So it is here to keep me motivated to get back into a healthy lifestyle post baby.  I think a fall half is definitely feasible, if I can manage to complete the C25K program sometime in the late spring.  I may not PR, but doing it will definitely be an accomplishment.

4.  Run a 'fun' race.
I really wanted to do a color run or glow run of some sort this year, but never made it happen.  So in 2013 I want to make it a priority.  Either one of those or something where you have to dress up, I don't care.  Something fun!

5.  Lose the baby weight by July 1st.
Hopefully by the time I deliver I'll have gained 25 pounds or less.  If I could drop 20 of those pounds by the summer I'd be satisfied.  One part of me thinks this will be really easy, the other part of me isn't so sure.  With Ryann I dropped to my pre-pregnancy weight in a week (and then gained nearly 15 pounds, but that is beside the point).  So hopefully my body will bounce right back this time, and my stronger attachment to a healthy lifestyle will keep it that way.

6.  Go a week without added sugar.
I'm a sweets junkie.  There is no denying it.  I had done pretty well for a while cutting out most of it, but the sweet tooth is back hard core and I really need to kick the habit.

I think those are enough health & fitness goals to keep me busy for the next year.  I'd like to cook more (I have been slacking like CRAZY this past month!) and cut more processed food out of our diet.  But we shall see how it all goes.

 

I'd love to hear how you did in 2012, and what you hope to accomplish in 2013.  Link up your health and fitness related posts below!

project 366 {week 51}

thirty-two weeks

written December 27th

I had another doctor's appointment today.  Per the usual all looks well.  The blood pressure was 130/76 so still staying just fine for now.  I scheduled all my appointments through 39 weeks which is crazy to me (and ohmygawd only seven weeks to go!).  She has no explanation for a sharp pain I've been getting on and off near my right hip (it doesn't feel like ligament pain to me) but she is fairly certain it isn't anything significant.  So yep, pretty much I'm just getting bigger and more uncomfortable exactly like I'm supposed to.  Oh and Ryann?  Is now 100% concerned with my pee cup every time we go.  "Are you going to potty in a cup today mommy?  Hooray!"  Oy.  Fun stuff I tell ya...

how far along:  32 weeks (compare to 32 weeks with Ryann)

size of baby:  according to the bump a squash, between 15.2-16.7 inches long and weighing somewhere between 2.5-3.8 pounds.

weight gain:  19 pounds.  Ummmmmmm... the scale says I gained three pounds over the last week.  I don't really blame it, I mean I had a lot less workouts this week AND I ate a million cookies.  I'm hoping that some of it is just water weight or something, we shall see next week.

maternity clothes:  Yep.  I officially can't wear any of my regular t-shirts.  I tried to wear one to bed while we were in Omaha and it was so tight and uncomfortable.  I think I lasted for about three minutes before finding something stretchier.

symptoms:  Insomnia.  Uncomfortable.  Nauseous.  Restless legs.  Headaches.  Blech.

exercise:  Just four walking workouts this week, totaling 9.5 miles.  Kicking myself a bit for not getting in at least one more, but oh well.

cravings/aversions: I've just been eating a lot, in general.  Mostly sweets.  But after we get rid of the cookies in our house I'm going to try and kick the sugar habit a bit.  For real this time!  Figure I better start now as opposed to waiting until the babe makes her arrival.

movement:  No joke I swear she has her feet in my boobs.  Unless it is the hiccups, most movement is between uncomfortable and painful.  I know I'll miss feeling her after she is born, but OUCH.

sleep:  @$#!*^%$!  This week has been terrible for sleep.  I'm nauseous all night.  Waking up a couple of times to pee.  Waking up a couple of times for no reason.  And usually up for at least an hour during the night because my dumb brain won't shut off.  I'm so tired, but I can't sleep.

gender:  Girl.

looking forward to:  Having my body back.  Hips that don't hurt.  Sleeping on my stomach.

worries:  That I'm going to be miserable for the next seven weeks.

what's different this time: Looking back it seems as though this is when things started getting really uncomfortable with Ryann too.  But I also know I battled a stomach bug at this point with Ryann, which I am not dealing with right now.  Thank goodness.  Although with the nausea I almost would rather be throwing up (totally a lie) if it brought a little bit of relief.

milestones:  another week down

best moment this week:  Christmas with my family!

christmas eve + day 2012

Please excuse any poor editing of these photos.  I tried to go to bed early so I could get up and get stuff done, ended up waking up at 3am and not getting back to sleep, and gave up when Chris's alarm went off at 5:30am.  So I just started editing through blurred vision and not enough sleep.  Oh well.  It's about time I get some photos up from December.  My hard drive and instagram feed are full of them.  I have a feeling I'll be back dating some posts...

Moving on to Christmas Eve... We drove up to Omaha to see my dad's side of the family.  Chris had to work the night of the 23rd so he came a bit later after getting in a nap, but he made it.  Woot.  The same guy has been playing Santa at our family's Christmas Eve for over 30 years.  Is that insane to anyone else?  It is to me.  Ryann was pretty skeptical of him, and when it was her turn, she went up took the gift and ran.  Santa tried to lure her in, but her grip on the present was too strong, she won :o).  The evening was spent at my uncles house hanging out with family.  Sometimes it sucks to travel for the holidays, but it would be so hard to miss this.

Christmas morning I woke up at 6:30 am to two itty bitty eyes peering over the side of her bed making clicking noises, just waiting for Christopher or I to move.  As soon as I flinched, "Is it wake up time?!?"  Seriously kid, you didn't go to bed until 10:30.  Cut your parents some slack ok?  After hanging out for a bit and rousing my siblings, we headed to my parents hotel room to open gifts.  Ryann of course had to help everyone else open theirs too.

Her favorite gift by far was a personalized minky blanket that I ordered from The Sleeping Babe on etsy.  Of course Ry was spoiled (as were Chris and I).  She made out with some Thomas the Train stuff, new books, ladybug slippers, a vTech writing toy, a doll stroller and various other things.  My favorite gift was a Canon 60D and a new Sigma 30mm lens.  Yes, I was definitely spoiled!  :o)  Can't wait to take pictures of the new babe.  Of course taking pictures with it in general is fun, but a newborn is a lot less mobile than all of my other subjects.

The majority of the day was spent hanging out in the hotel and jumping on the bed.  That evening we headed over to another uncle's house for Christmas dinner.  Ryann had a great time playing with her cousins (second cousins?  whatever...).  I love seeing her interact with her relatives.  She felt pretty cool at the kid's table as well.

All in all it was a great Christmas.  I'm so thankful I got to spend time with my family.  Can't believe next year we will have another little one!

that's what she said

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!  We had a good time, Ryann got spoiled, I ate too many cookies, and now I'm exhausted.  That about sums it up.  I'm sure tomorrow you'll get a big ol' dump of Christmas photos, but for now just some more ridiculous things my child has said in recent days.

Ryann:  "Mama, what's a roary bore-e-ell-us?"
Me:  "What?"
Ryann:  "What's a roary bore-e-ell-us?"
Me:  "Are you talking jibberish?"
Ryann:  "NO!  What's a roary bore-e-ell-us?"
Me:  "I have no idea what you're talking about, ask Daddy."
Ryann:  "Daddy?  DADDY!  What's a roary bore-e-ell-us?"
Christopher:  "What?"
Ryann:  "A ROARY BORE-E-ELL-US!"
Christopher:  "Oh, aurora borealis?  The northern lights?"
Me:  "Well of course.  baffled Where the heck did you hear that?"
Ryann:  "Dinosaur Train."

Me:  "Ry please come get your jammies on."
Ryann:  "MOM!  We DON'T wear giraffe jammies at CHRISTMAS TIME!"
Me:  "But you only have two pairs of Christmas jammies and they are both dirty."
Ryann:  "Oh..."

Ryann:  "I can't see our house."
Me:  "Nope, we aren't there yet."
Ryann:  "Why?"
Me:  "Because we still have to drive a little farther to get there."
Ryann:  "Why?"
Me:  "Because I can't fly us home.  I'm not magic."
Ryann:  "Why?"
Me:  "I don't know.  Because God didn't make me that way."
Ryann:  "Why?"
Me:  "You'd have to ask God."
Ryann:  "When I'm in heaven?"
ohmygawd how long does the why stage last?  so annoying...

Me:  "Look there's some Christmas lights."
Ryann:  "Over there?  Are they Christmas lights?"
Me:  "No, they're Halloween lights.  Yes they are Christmas lights silly!"
Ryann:  "Dude.  Who has Halloween lights?"

project 366 {week 50}

thirty-one weeks

written December 20th

Want to know what is complicated when you're pregnant?  Playing in the snow with your toddler.  Because you don't really have a coat that fits and you didn't think about that before you put your clothes on and your long sleeve t-shirt is barely covering your belly and your coat isn't buttoned all the way because it can't and your kid wants you to bend over and pick up snow and help her do this and that and you're just plain cold and miserable.  Pretty much.  But?  It was still kind of fun because Ryann was so dang excited about the fact that it snowed.  She would have been out there at 7am had I let her.  I survived and I have a happy kid.  I suppose it wasn't so bad after all. 

how far along:  31 weeks (compare to 31 weeks with Ryann)

size of baby:  according to the bump a pineapple (kind of a painful sounding fruit to have something inside your body compared to, especially when that something has to come out at some point...), between 15.2-16.7 inches long and weighing somewhere between 2.5-3.8 pounds.  All five of Miss E's senses should be in working order and her irises now react to light.  Major brain and nerve development should also be happening.

weight gain:  16 pounds.  I somehow lost .6 pounds this week.  At one point I was up a pound, but that was after my Mexican indulgence for the week, so who knows.  Funny now my weight gain matches my pregnancy with Ryann, but I still don't quite weigh what I did when I got pregnant with her.

maternity clothes:  Yep.  Or sweats.

symptoms:  Meh.  I'm just pregnant and uncomfortable.  And a teensy bit hormonal.

exercise:  Six workouts this week.  15 miles on the treadmill and one 30 Day Shred session.  I jogged just over a mile total during my workout yesterday, and my body is 100% feeling it today.  My belly feels heavy.

cravings/aversions: Really, surprisingly, I'd look some good salads.  But I'm too lazy to come up with them on my own / don't really know where to get a good one (nothing sounds like 'the one').  So I'm pretty much still on the cookies and prenatal vitamin diet.  Whoops.

movement: Occasionally she'll have a quiet couple of hours, but for the most part this girl is always on the move.  And it hurts.  And makes it difficult to sleep sometimes.

sleep:  I stay up too late.  I get up too early.  I have to pee in the middle of the night.  My hips hurt.  Get the picture?

gender: Still a girl as far as I know.

looking forward to:  Christmas.  And getting some more of the nursery items.

worries:  Right now that my husband won't be able to make it to Omaha to spend Christmas with us.  Because of his work schedule we'll be heading up separately, and I'll be pretty devastated if he can't get there because of the weather or work or something.

what's different this time:  Ryann was transverse at this point, I'm pretty sure Baby Sister is not.  Also we got a 3D ultrasound with Ry and some confirmation that it was a girl.  Timing never really worked out so we didn't get a 3D this time around, and I'm still paranoid this baby is going to come out a boy.

milestones:  I have no idea.  Less than two months to go?

best moment this week:  Picking out stuff for the nursery, and just Ryann actually being a happy camper in general.  The last couple of days have been awesome in terms of her mood, despite the fact that she has a pretty nasty cold and is constantly hacking and sneezing.  Kids are so resilient sometimes!

snow day

Since slacking off on sharing my weekly iphone pictures, the majority of my instagram shots have remained on my phone.  Which is sad, because some of my favorite photos are on there.  So I've decided even if it means back dating a few posts I'm going to get my pictures on the blog.  That way if I ever actually get around to making a blog book they are there!

On December 20th we received our first snow of the year.  Now, I pretty much hate snow, and dread the thought of more or less being stuck in the house an entire day, but surprisingly we had a pretty good time.  And I braved the cold not once, but twice.  Just to please the wee one (and take pictures, of course.  what do you expect from the mamarazzi?).

first glimpse of the white stuff.  coloring.  holiday card display.  making puppy chow.  her favorite part.  touch it!  happiness.  snow bunnies.  lunchtime antics.  31 weeks.  mailing Christmas cards.  snow play take two.  excitement.  puffy coat attachment.  my cutest accessory.  forehead kisses.  my favorite girl.

Ryann and I truly had a great day just being together, and it is those days that remind me how much I love being a mother.  Watching her eyes light up at the sight of the snow, her thoughts and stories while we were coloring, sharing our love of chocolate :o).  It is tough work, being a mom, but it is pretty dang awesome too.

embrace the camera

I used to be really good at embracing the camera.  Regularly having Chris take 'nice' pictures of Ryann and I.  But then I started working out more and started getting dressed in real clothes less and in general it seemed too much of a hassle to make Ryann take a picture with me.

But the time left of just me and her?  It's getting shorter and shorter.  For over two and a half years she has been my partner in crime.  My little sidekick.  My baby.  I'm so excited for our new little one to join the family, but every time I think about Ryann not being my only I tear up.  How is it that you can want two things so badly?  I want our family to grow, I want another baby to snuggle, I want Ryann to have siblings to play with.  But it just being me and Ry?  Sometimes that is pretty dang awesome.  I love her so much.  SO much.  I feel terrible because she has no idea how much we are going to rock her world in just a couple of months.  I think she is going to be an amazing big sister.  It will be tough at first, but she has so much to give.  And I know she will love her little sis so much.  She already does.

But the thought of it not being just me and my little buddy anymore.  Oy.  It can be a tough one to swallow.  So I am determined to capture a little bit of just the two of us over the next eight weeks.  Soak up all that I can and record it.  I've been TRYING to remember to ask Chris to snap a picture of us here and there.  I'm not great at it, but sometimes I remember.  I think we need to play the beep game a few times.  And take too many terrible iphone pictures.  I don't want to forget this time when it was just me and Ry.

Linking up with Emily!

nursery design round two

Well, I was asked for a nursery update similar to the one I did when planning Ryann's nursery.  And since I really needed to get my butt in gear and actually make some more decisions on the nursery it seemed like an excellent idea.  So ask and you shall receive!  Here is the current direction I'm going in for the nursery...

1.  Quaterfoil Shade Pendant.  The fabric we are using for the crib bumpers (see #11) has some gold threads woven through it, so I really thought it would be fun to incorporate some gold in the room.  I found an awesome light via a google image search, only to find out it costs $4400.  Not happening.  But if anyone comes across something like that let me know!  Until then, I think this white pendant light is where we are going.

2.  Coral Tall Chevron Pillow Cover.  Snagged a 14x20 pillow cover in this fabric to use in the glider.

3.  Let's Pretend Artwork.

4.  Ruffle Rings Drapes.  Oh the curtains.  They are giving me such a hard time.  Well really I just can't find anything in the colors we are using that I like (surprise, why do I pick difficult colors?) that doesn't cost a million dollars.  So we decided to go white.  But now I'm wishing I would have made something like the ones in this room.

5.  Carnival Wall Art.

6.  Painted Frames.  Also from the room I linked above in the curtains section.  I like the alphabet print, and I think I'm going to use some of our accent wall paint to brighten up some frames and bring some color to the walls.

7.  Urban Lifetime Convertible Crib.  Same crib we had in Ryann's room.  She nicely gave it to her baby sister with little resistance.

8.  Luca Glider.  This baby should arrive at my house January 2nd.  It wasn't my first choice, but I think it will look really nice.  I was tired of the big poofy look of our other glider, so hopefully I can get it cleaned up and sold.

9.  Painted Dresser.  Love the look of a painted dresser, and think it will pop up against our white walls.  Now I just need to aquire a dresser.  I've found one that I think will work, but it is 40 minutes away, so I need to figure out checking it out in person and actually getting it before it sells to someone else.  Don't you think it would look nice in aqua with some fun knobs?

10.  Ottoman Pouf.  I want something that can be moved out of the way easily, but can function as an ottoman.  A pouf seems like a great answer.  Haven't decided if I'll order one, or try to make one (which means have my mom make one...).  I really REALLY love the one in this room, but it was a TJ Maxx find, and I doubt I will find one like it.

11.  Paisley Minky Fabric and Floral Fabric.  The paisley minky I am hoping to have made into changing pad covers.  Nice and bright on my aqua dresser.  The floral fabric we are using for the crib bumpers.  Just need to find someone to make those too.  I would have loved to use more of that Caitlin Wilson fabric in the room, but it costs a pretty penny, so we had to pick one thing.

Edited to add:  I am completely aware that bumpers are not recommended in the crib.  With Ryann we had them in until she started rolling over and sleeping in her room at night.  Then we took them out until she was around 10 months old.  Bumpers or any other soft objects should not be in the crib with an infant.  But I do think the crib looks pretty with them, so when I personally feel it is safe they will be on there.  At about a year old Ryann started using hers as a pillow, plus she is one crazy sleeper, so the extra padding definitely helps.

12.  White Shag Rug.  We didn't actually purchase that one.  I couldn't find a white rug that I could see in person that was actually white and looked good.  So we went to a carpet store, picked out a sample and are having a section bound into a rug.  I can't wait until it's done!

As far as where we are at with the room right now?  Here is a little sneak peek...

probably should have taken those before the sun was blasting into the room...

The aqua accent wall is Botanical Tint by Behr, and we painted the white on white stripes using Sherwin Williams' Snow Fall in matte and high gloss.  The stripes are super subtle, but I LOVE them.  To paint the stripes first I decided how many stripes I wanted.  Then we measured the height of the wall, and divided that number by the number of stripes.  Chris then measured out the stripes starting from the top, and making tick marks where each stripe should start in a few places across the wall and in the corners.  Then Chris, my dad and I just lined some painters tape up, making sure the tape was outside the stripes the spaces we wanted high gloss (I guess the first step was to paint all our walls in the matte, whoops).  The stripes aren't perfect, but they are pretty dang close.  Because our walls aren't level or perfect, it was actually much more efficient to simply measure from the top as opposed to using a level.  The bottom stripe might be a little off, but you'd never know, and the stripes line up with the ceiling.

I still need to find a fabric for the crib skirt.  Stupid coral is tough to match!  Also in the search for some soft light grey crib sheets.  I know I can have them made, but honestly I'd prefer to just be able to find them in a store or online.  I like either a jersey cotton, a flannel or a minky or something.  Not a regular cotton.  So if you know of any please share them with me, or if you have an etsy seller you've used for crib sheets before.  I wish Pottery Barn would make Ryann's crib sheets in a grey.  I love those things.  I want to make some sort of giant 'E' (I'm such a tease :o) for above the crib, something like this would be gorgeous.  And I also will need some book storage in the room.  Just again, haven't figured out quite what I want.  But we are getting somewhere!

If you come across any coral, aqua or goldish items or artwork that you think would work great in Baby Sister's room definitely pass the info my way.  I'm always open to suggestions on stuff.  And let me know if you have any questions about the room or anything I've linked to above.  You can find more of my nursery inspiration on pinterest.

Happy Wednesday!

nothing exciting.

For a couple of days I've been trying to brainstorm SOMETHING with at least the teeniest bit of substance for today's post, but the truth is I've got nothing.  Sorry.  I did great with the walking miles this week and only have 19.5 miles to go to hit my 1000 mile goal.  Two miles a day for at least 10 days and I'm golden.  Woot woot.

Not so golden is my sugar intake as of late, but you know.  Pregnant + holiday baking = lots and lots of opportunities to indulge my sweet tooth.  Pretty sure I'm going to have to do a little sugar detox starting January 1st.  But I'll worry about that when I get there.

And that is my extent of 'move it monday' content for the day.  Pathetic?  Yep.  Oh well.  You win some, you lose some.  Next week there will be no link up, but we can meet back here on the 31st to discuss our 2013 fitness goals.  Sound good?  Good :o).

 

Hopefully you had something more exciting to talk about this week.  Link up your health and fitness related posts below!

thirty weeks

written December 13th

I had a doctor's appointment today.  Everything is looking great.  Baby Sister's heartbeat was in the low 140's/upper 130's, weight gain is fine, no protein in the urine, and belly is measuring on track.  My blood pressure was 130/82, which is higher than it has been at most appointments, but for right now still now real concern with anything.  So that is great.  Oh and my doc was pretty confident that she is head down is well.

Now I know this is controversial, but to make life easier with Chris's work schedule, we discussed the possibility of a 39 week induction.  And my doctor said she saw absolutely no problem with it as long as my cervix is favorable for an induction at that point.  She said I was induced before with no issues, and the second time around should be easier.  SO... little miss will have a birthday of February 15th if she hasn't decided to come on her own terms before then.

So uh, 9 weeks or less until I have another baby.  EEK!

how far along:  30 weeks (compare to 30 weeks with Ryann)

size of baby:  according to the bump a cucumber, between 15.2-16.7 inches long and weighing somewhere between 2.5-3.8 pounds.  Supposedly little girl is now strong enough to grasp a finger!

weight gain:  16.6 pounds.  I gained .4 pounds this week.  Still not sure how the weight gain has really slowed down considering I may or may not have polished off a bag of Mike & Ikes (yes bag, like large bag) almost entirely by myself, AND made myself sick eating too many brownies one night this week.  But whatevs.  If I can keep this trend up I'll be good.  I'd like to stay under 30 pounds gained (shouldn't be too hard), but I'm also 11 pounds from my highest weight ever (while not pregnant) so for my own sanity's sake I'd like to not see that number on the scale.

maternity clothes:  Yep.

symptoms:  Restless legs.  General uncomfortableness.  Itchy belly (which I'm sure is in part thanks to the dryer weather).  Morning nausea.    

exercise:  SEVEN WORKOUTS.  BAM.  I guess maybe that was how I combated all of the Mike & Ikes...  13.5 miles walking.  One session of the 30 Day Shred.  One 50/50 group fitness class at the gym.

cravings/aversions: All I want is Mexican food and baked goods.  Seriously.

movement: It is painful.  Often.  You can pretty much watch her body slamming my insides from across the room.  And if she could go ahead and lay off the cervix punches/kicks/headbutts whatever they are, that would be great.

sleep:  Up once a night to pee, and generally I start tossing and turning around 4am until I eventually get up sometime after 5:30.  My hips hurt a lot at night, but the gigantic pillow didn't really seem to help.

gender: Girl.  And psst... She has a name!  I promise I'll share eventually, just not sure when.

looking forward to:  Christmas.

worries:  Um, nothing really specific right now.  Just general nervousness on bringing another life into the world.  I did have a dream that Baby Sister was like 18 months old and I didn't even recognize her because I still spent so much time with Ryann.  I didn't really get it, but I woke up kind of shaken up.  In the dream though?  Baby sister had some gorgeous long hair :o).  Haha.

what's different this time:  Having a slightly more definitive end date in site is a little crazy.  And in general I just don't remember being this uncomfortable with Ryann, but I'm sure I was.  This girl just feels so... lodged? in places all the time.  I can't really sit without having pressure on my hip bones or in my ribs (or both) and laying down isn't really all that much better thanks to my hips.  And standing too long, well that doesn't feel great either.  But again, it isn't terrible.  I shouldn't really be complaining.  Yet being constantly uncomfortable for 3+ months is kind of draining.

milestones:  made it to the 30's!

best moment this week:  Am I lame if I say cleaning my fridge and pantry with my mom?  But seriously.  My fridge is so sparkly clean it makes me happy.  Hanging out with my bestie and decorating gingerbread houses was pretty fun too.  And going out to breakfast with Christopher and Ryann.  All in all, not a bad week.

And since I've hit 30 weeks, why not another little belly comparison?  It's crazy, I don't even recognize my body from the beginning.  You're looking at 10 vs 20 vs 30 weeks.  Crazy what 16 pounds can do to your body, huh?

a day in the life - wendy

Oy.  Pregsomnia + holiday procrastination + a babe who apparently thinks 4:30am is a great time for a dance party in my belly = lack of sleep.  I would say pass the coffee, but I don't drink coffee... darn.  Maybe a delicious brownie for breakfast would do it?  :o)

Anyway, it's Wednesday, and you get spy on the day of another mama!  Today you get to meet Wendy, I hope you enjoy taking a peek at her life.

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I'm so glad to be participating in "A Day in the Life" on Ashley's blog! I've been reading her for a little over a year now and really enjoy getting a peek into other mother's lives. I blog over at Playing Parent, which started as a good way to track my pregnancy and give voice to being a mother. My own mother died when I was one and I loved anything of hers I could get my hands on. I would have loved to have her written words at my fingertips, so my blog is a way to ensure my children have a piece of me, no matter what.

My name is Wendy, and I live in South Carolina with my dashing husband Johnathan, our spoiled yorkie poo Jericho, and our precious daughter Bonnie. She is 10 months old now, and is a ball of energy! I'm a working Mom, but I get to work from home so my commute is super easy. Today you'll follow me through a Friday, which would normally be pretty boring, but I'm cheating because I'm pregnant again and today is our gender scan!

Let's begin:

5:45am- I hear Bonnie squeaking and showing general signs of wakefulness in her room. If she's not sounding unhappy I usually let her chill until one of two things happen: 1) She starts sounding unhappy or 2) It gets late enough that I've gotta get her dressed, fed, and ready for Grandma's house. But I can say without a doubt that 5:45 is not normal, and I was NOT getting up that early.

6:45am- I must have fallen back asleep, because when I wake up again it's silent. Bonnie must have actually fallen back to sleep herself, which is unusual because when she wakes up, she's usually awake for good. Part of me is in awe of this fact, and another part is starting to get worried because this never happens.

7am- I've waited as long as I can take it, I have to get up and peek in on her. I step into the room and look into her crib. She's laying on her side with her head away from her "Bonnie" pillow with nothing around her, so I know she's fine. I don't touch her for fear she'll wake up, and I wouldn't mind getting back in bed for a few minutes.

7:20am- I'm too excited about today to go back to sleep so I drag myself out of bed and go to the kitchen to mix her bottle. I made it about 5 months breastfeeding, but couldn't keep it up so she's been on formula ever since.

I take the bottle in her room and as I rustle around she starts to wake up a little. She does some cute little stretches and then I turn the lamp on and stand her up to wake her up further. I don't normally have the luxury of waking her up as she's usually bouncing up and down grinning from ear to ear when I walk in her room every morning.

Mid-stretch, not yet awake

Starting to wake-up more

"I'm awake now!"

I change her diaper and get her dressed for the day. We sit down in the chair and she has her bottle. She usually eats the rest of her breakfast with her Grandma at her house. When she's done I burp her and take the time to inspect her nails for clipping, she is in good shape today.

7:35am- I take her into the bedroom and plop her on the bed next to Johnathan. He would normally be gone to work by now, but he took the day off for the ultrasound. We spend some time playing with Bonnie, letting her bounce around, and generally being gleefully attacked by her.

7:45am- I take Bonnie into the living room and put her in her playpen while I prep her stuff. We are so lucky to have my mother-in-law watch Bonnie for us during the week while we work. I prepare a formula bottle for being put in the fridge at Grandma's. I also fill a formula dispenser with her other servings for the day. I put it all in her diaper bag. I also add about 6 nighttime diapers in the bag for a trial run. We use Pampers Swaddlers during the day and Pampers 12 hour at night. However, we've been having trouble with bad diaper rash and are hoping that switching to the 12 hour during the day might help.

8am- Grandma arrives to pick up Bonnie for the day. Normally it's a 5 minute process of picking up, discussing any details for the day, and she's off. However, since my husband is home he makes coffee for them and we sit around chatting for a while as Bonnie plays around the room. It started getting late so I went on with my normal process of taking Jericho out for a walk, coming in and showering, then logging onto my computer for work. Grandma takes our car with her and leaves her own vehicle (ours has the car seat). She lives just up the street so if I need anything throughout the day I can just give her a call.

8:45am- I log onto work (a little later then normal) and start taking care of business. We have to leave a little before 10:30 for our 11am ultrasound appt because we live in one city and have all my OB visits in another. I've been going to her well before we moved here and I didn't want to change.

9:11am- My MIL calls to talk about the new puffs she bought for Bonnie to eat, and how she incorporated those flavors into her baby cereal to make her eat more of that after tasting the puffs (cinnamon and maple). We also discuss the diaper rash issue for a bit.

10:30am- We stop at Starbucks so I can get a little bit of caffeine in me. The last thing I want is a sleeping baby with their legs crossed. I have a gender reveal dinner tomorrow with some friends and family and I certainly don't want to cancel it. I have a fun Willy Wonka golden ticket reveal planned.

11:00am- We get to the appt just in time and are immediately escorted back to the ultrasound room. This is also the checkup where they check all the arms, legs, face, brain, heart, etc. So we are in there a while. We were hoping for a boy, since we plan for this to be our last pregnancy and would love to have a well rounded family.

11:15am- It's a girl!!!! We don't even have a name picked out for a girl, only a boy name, so wow back to the drawing board! But yay! Bonnie will have a sister and we won't have to buy all new clothes! I always wanted a sister growing up! Bonnie and her sister will be 15 months apart and I'm guessing as close as can be (a mama can hope!).

12:30ish- We head out to grab some lunch at our favorite restaurant that we don't get to visit anymore because we live so far away. On the way we stop at the UPS store to drop off some gender scratch off cards for family who can't be at the dinner tomorrow.

I tease Facebook with the following: "We know the gender of our baby. Wouldn't you like to know? Too bad! You'll have to wait a few more days. Muahahaha. #MeanMama"

We get to the restaurant and greet our favorite waiter with double kisses, he's half Latin half Italian, it's what you do! We stuff our faces with Italian and discuss top three girl names.

1:30pm- I get a text from my MIL: "Bonnie just took 3 steps all by herself. Then squealed with her own happiness." I'm not upset about this because she's been taking steps for a while, so I didn't miss anything but it's still fun and cute to hear.

Playing at Grandma's

2pm- I'm way past due for getting back to work, so we head home so I can log back in.

3pm- Johnathan planned to clean his guns on his day off, with Bonnie out of the house. Seems fitting since we'll now have two girls to "protect" from potential suitors. :)

5pm- Grandma brings Bonnie home on the dot since we're both home. Normally she waits for a text from me letting her know I'm ready.

5:30pm- I start to feel nauseous so I crack open a ginger ale and make a run to the store for some crackers. This pregnancy the morning sickness hasn't been bad, but I still get bouts on into my second trimester. Johnathan plays with Bonnie while I get myself right again.

6pm- Fix some sweet potatoes and rice cereal for Bonnie and feed her in the dining room. I feed her some puffs as a side as well. She's gotten really good at throwing them on the floor for Jericho to eat, sigh.

Funny how Bonnie has her hand in the same position as the picture in the background

7pm- It's baby bedtime! Daddy gives her night night kisses and I take her back to her room for a diaper change, put on her PJs, turn on her sound machine (ocean sounds), and turn off the light. We sit in her chair and she gets her last bottle of the day. She usually falls asleep during the bottle but lately since we went away for a night she hasn't been doing that. So we have a session of what I call "Mommy Jujitsu". I hold her while she does a bunch of antics to try and stay awake. Grabs her foot and messes around. Takes her paci out and chews on it. Tries to hit or kick mommy in the face. Anything to distract herself. But Mommy Jujitsu always prevails. I withstand all of her moves while keeping quiet, and avoiding any major injury to myself. After about 10 minutes she always taps out, aka falls asleep.

7:30pm- I join Johnathan in the living room and we watch some Duck Dynasty. I realize we're sounding like total rednecks by now, but it's a fun show.

8:30pm- We fix dinner together, tonight he's having leftovers and I make something else for myself. (I'm keeping it secret because my endocrinologist might be reading this!)

9pm- Just as we're sitting down to eat, Bonnie wakes up crying. This doesn't happen very often, she usually sleeps right through. Johnathan goes back to try and soothe her while I scarf my food down. I am diabetic so I have to take insulin during dinner and I had already taken my shot so I have to eat my food. Unfortunately, Johnathan isn't successful at getting her back to sleep (he usually is), so I go back there and hold her back to sleep. We usually just lay her back down and soothe her, but sometimes that just won't do.

10pm - 12am- We putter around watching TV, looking up baby name stuff, and paint swatches online. I don't normally go to bed at 12 but somehow the day has gotten away from me. Lights out!

Ashley's Questions:

1. What is the most surprising thing to you about being a mom?

I'm constantly surprised at how it has changed my world view. Things that bothered me before, REALLY bother me now. Like when bad things happen to children on TV. I recently saw a picture of a military mom hugging her child sobbing and the second my eyes saw it, I was broken and crying. You never think that you're going to change all that much, other than knowing you'll love your children. I was not prepared to also love everyone elses children merely because I can put myself in the other parents place. I definitely feel like I'm in a club, which sounds silly but so true.

2. What advice would you give to new or soon-to-be mamas?

It's going to be SO hard in the beginning. People try to warn you, but there are just no words for it. Hormones run amuck, sleep deprivation, breastfeeding difficulties, unconditional love for a little helpless someone, etc. It took me a while to feel like myself again, and that can be scary. But your hormones will adjust, you'll somehow get use to less sleep, you'll figure out breastfeeding (and if you don't you'll discover formula), and your love will continue to grow. Soldier on Mama because in the end, it's so worth it!

3. What are your top three baby products?

-Boppy: I've used it every day since we brought her home, and if I had known better I would have had it with me in the hospital. Of course it's perfect for its intended use, but I also used it to sleep with her in the beginning when nothing else seemed to work. I just propped myself up, laid the Boppy on me, and laid her on the Boppy with my arms encircling her. Life saver!
- Diaper Genie: We've only had ours for about a month now. Before that we had a different brand that allowed you to use your own garbage bags. But it stank up the room something awful. The Diaper Genie has been a total nose saver!
- Wireless Camera: We don't use it as much anymore because I had it installed on her crib and she started ripping it off and throwing it on the floor. But when she first moved to her room it was fantastic. We could check on her via an app on our phones where ever we were. A few times we went to the movies after she was in bed, leaving her with her uncle and we could sneak peeks on her during the movie. Took care of our worries!

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Thank you Wendy, for sharing your day with us!  Congrats on Baby Girl #2!