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Thursday, November 28, 2013

Baby Boo: 36 Weeks

Wow...what a week! I'll be short and sweet with most of it so I can tell you all about my false labor experience.
 
 
Thebump.com says nothing earth shattering this week about Baby Boo. It just mentions that if (s)he is born any day now that (s)he will have all systems ready to go!
 
I had my 36 week appointment on Tuesday and things still look great. I gained a couple more pounds for a grand total of around 26ish lbs.! We asked the doctor about any vaccinations I might need because the pediatrician mentioned a couple at the meet and greet last week. Dr. P said that his only recommendation is for me to get a flu shot (which I am hesitant of because of my experience a few years ago) but I totally trust him and plan to get it at my appointment next week. Anything for Baby Boo! They'll begin checking my cervix next week and I'll start going weekly until Baby is born.
 
Workouts are still going well and I'm having absolutely no pain. I just stop when I start to get tired or hot. I was able to tolerate 1 1/2 hours of a 2 hour Hip Hop class and I ran a mile at The Y the other day.
I had my last baby shower this past Saturday with Jimmy's side of the family. I received so many precious gifts and it got me really excited about Baby Boo coming soon! Thank you so much to his family for being a part of my celebration for the baby!!! My sis-in-law, Amy, posted some pics from the shower on my Facebook page if you want to check them out. Here's my 35 week bump pic:
 
Ok...what I've been waiting to tell you all about and why I was so quiet on Facebook yesterday:
Tuesday evening, around 930 p.m., I started getting cramps in my abdomen and just felt blah. I thought nothing of it because I was SO BUSY that day and had even ran that afternoon. I was just very tired and fell asleep on the couch. When Jimmy got home from volleyball, I told him I wasn't feeling well and we went to bed. I woke up around 130 a.m. and still felt very crampy and my abdomen was tightening. I also couldn't stop going to the bathroom.
 
It wasn't until the 2 o'clock hour that I realized that the tightening I was getting was regular and would come and go. After this realization, I couldn't sleep. I decided to start timing the tightening just in case they were contractions. I wasn't totally convinced at the time that they were contractions because they didn't hurt. They were anywhere between 7-10 minutes apart. I went back to the bedroom about 430 a.m. and told Mr. Boo what was going on. I still didn't hurt bad at this point, just felt crampy. I decided to call my OB to see if maybe they could get me in for an appointment to check my cervix rather than me deal with going to the stinkin' hospital. They nurse told me to keep timing them and if they are 5 minutes apart for an hour, I should go to the hospital.
 
Unfortunately, the contractions became closer and closer and were more intense but still not what I would call painful. They were 5 minutes apart for about an hour and a half when Mr. Boo and I decided to go to St. Ann's. While all of this was happening at home, we were packing for the hospital just in case. Luckily, I had all of our lists ready to pack...I just hadn't done the packing yet.
 
As we headed to the hospital, we stopped for a bacon egg biscuit just in case this was going to be my last meal for a few hours. We checked into the hospital, they took us to triage, and they started monitoring my contractions and Baby Boo's heart rate. They checked my cervix and said it was only a "fingertip" which basically means nothing is happening to it. Over the next hour or so, my contractions started to become further apart but I was still cramping pretty bad. She rechecked my cervix a while later and nothing had happened. At that point, they told me to go home. They also gave me permission to travel to WV.
 
My reaction to the experience: I was so excited at the thought of meeting Baby Boo earlier than expected that I took this experience very hard. When it was all over, I couldn't stop crying. I was just sad. I couldn't comprehend that I was having contractions that regularly for 14 hours and nothing was happening. Besides being emotionally bummed out, I felt so bad that I informed my family and work of all of this for nothing. Physically, the experience wasn't painful but my stomach was so fatigued afterwards. We did end up travelling to WV just after all of this and the ride sucked...BUT we made it here safely and I slept almost 11 hours last night! It was amazing.
 
I don't feel as sad today and I know that we made the right decision to go to the hospital. The doctor assured us that what I was experiencing appeared to be real labor (I was feeling so stupid after all of this). He said that I would have been wrong not to go to the hospital. Even though I know all of this, the perfectionist in me hates screwing up and I feel like I did such a foolish thing. Anyway, I'm feeling tremendously better today and Baby Boo is moving as always in my belly :)
 
P.S. Mr. Boo was awesome through the whole thing even though he was sleepy and was able to drive us to WV :)
 
 
 

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Baby Boo: 35 Weeks

I seriously cannot believe I'm only 5ish weeks away from meeting Baby Boo...unreal.

I know the numbers they show are averages but I cannot believe that my babes is that long!

Thebump.com mentions that the uterus is approximately 1,000 times its original size...that's crazy to think about! It also says that the baby responds best to high pitched noises (I automatically thought about my dog, Izzie...her bark is so high pitched sometimes that I know Baby Boo is probably lovin' it).

Yes, I pee ALL THE TIME...Yes, I'm constipated...but I still feel so awesome!!! I am totally convinced that it's because I stay so active. I know I still have 5ish weeks to grow but that's not enough reason for me to start sitting on my butt.

This was another rough week in the sleep department until two nights ago. I became very congested last Wednesday evening and didn't sleep well that night (maybe 1-2 hours). Things just go worse the next day...I even stayed home from bible study to rest/sleep. This trend lasted through the weekend but I finally started to feel better a couple of nights ago and can tell I've gotten more sleep. It's amazing what a couple extra hours can do for you!

Despite the lack of sleep and congestion, I was able to enjoy a surprise baby shower put on by my coworkers last Thursday morning at our meeting. There was lots of fruit, bagels, and cake as well as wonderful gifts :) They made me feel special, for sure.

This week, I also bought a couple of things for the baby room and washed all of the clothes, blankets, etc. that we've received so far.



I'm still surviving the same workout routine and feeling great doing it...so thankful! I'm really listening to my body as I'm working out and NEVER get pain. I'm also having less pelvic soreness which is awesome.

This week, we met our pediatrician. The books and articles I've read made such a big deal out of this task. It makes me wonder if people actually go on several interviews to find a pediatrician. I figure, if a friend recommends the doctor and the doctor seems nice and knowledgeable, it's not rocket science....I dunno...that's just how I felt after meeting her. We also found out that she is the doctor in her practice that is in charge of seeing babies born at St. Ann's (where we are delivering). She said, if it's during the week, she will be able to come see the baby for a check up at the hospital the morning after it's born. I thought that was kinda neat.

Here's what has been on my mind lately: I'm not scared about labor and delivery. Of course I'm nervous! I just feel so confident in my husband and the team at the hospital that I know I will be in good hands. I'm just starting to wonder about what I'll be doing and where I'll be when it all goes down! I guess that's the exciting part. I would like to think that I'll be at home but I might be at work or church or the store...oh my, the possibilities! I just can't wait to have a birth story to tell the world!

Alright, here's my 34 week pic taken last Friday:

P.S. I have my last shower on Saturday and I'm so excited!! Then I get to look forward to shopping for anything left on my registries!!

Saturday, November 16, 2013

My Pregnancy Goal...

...to be an inspiration.
 
 
I can't really remember a time/moment in my life that I've felt I can be an inspiration to others (maybe this is me being hard on myself...or maybe I just wasn't paying attention when God gave me these opportunities). When I got pregnant, all I could think about was staying active the entire pregnancy and being as healthy as possible...not just for me, but for Baby Boo and Mr. Boo.
 
I just felt like God wanted to use me to inspire other women and show them that IT CAN BE DONE! I am now 34 weeks into my pregnancy and never imagined that I would still be able to do what I'm doing with regards to exercise. I promise this is not me bragging but me simply letting people know it's possible. So many people get pregnant and think life has to stop. They often use pregnancy as an excuse to be lazy, eat whatever crap is in front of them, and have others do everything for them. Maybe it's my independent soul but that just never appealed to me!
 
So, what am I still doing at 34 weeks? Here are a few things (again, I'm not bragging but inspiring):
 
-Hip Hop Fitness every Monday
-Running (now more like jogging) at least twice a week...yes, I'm slower...yes, I run less
-Other various workouts at the gym
-A lot of family walks with our dogs
-Yard work including mowing and raking/bagging leaves (if you've ever seen my yard, you know I don't garden)
-Until November came around, I was doing a 5k race 1-2 times each month
-I can still tolerate my job duties (I'm a home health PT so I'm constantly up, down, and all around)
 
...that's just to name a few. Now that my belly has grown and I'm obviously pregnant, I get a lot of weird looks...especially when I'm jogging...but I also get a lot of smiles and encouraging words from strangers.
 
Being only 6 weeks away from my due date, I'm entering into the hard phase of pregnancy. I am growing by the day, I don't sleep, my body gets tired more easily, etc. but I can honestly say that I still feel amazing and very positive about the things that sound like they suck. Only the Lord knows what my labor and delivery experience will be but I feel like he has used my motivation to stay active to prepare me exactly how He feels I need to be prepared...He is good like that :)
 
So, to you ladies out there, I pray that I can be an inspiration to you all and that I didn't do all of this for nothing! I can't wait to share my next 6ish weeks with y'all and share Baby Boo's birth story!! Oh my goodness...I can't believe how close we are to that special day!!!




Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Baby Boo: 34 Weeks

I can't stand typing blogs from my phone but my computer sucks butt at the moment so here I am...ok, no more complaining :-)


Thebump.com says baby recognizes and reacts to simple songs...(s)he must be enjoying all of the time we spend in the car (where I do my best singing)! 

I shared on Facebook that I've been SO sleepy lately. I can't allow myself to chill during the day or I'll fall asleep on the job. I hope this is prepping me for late night breast feeding. Despite being sleepy, exercise gives me that little burst of energy! The past 2 weeks on "5k Wednesday," as Mr. Boo is running his 5k, I've been able to jog 1 mile, walk 1/4 mile, then follow that up with another mile jog. This week was a 2 hour Hip Hop class but I stopped after 1 1/2 hours. I was tired but didn't hurt...I wanted to end on a good note rather than push it too hard! Finally, I did some raking/bagging leaves on Sunday. As long as I feel good, I'm gonna keep on going!

I had my 34 week appointment yesterday and it went really well. Baby Boo's heart rate is 142 and (s)he's still moving like crazy! Dr. P said the baby's in the proper position and he let Mr. Boo feel the head...made me smile :-) I'll go back in 2 weeks then start going every week...I cannot believe I'm only 6 weeks-ish away from meeting our baby!!!

The only other things from this week are that I contacted a lady to do my placenta encapsulation, printed our birth plan, and bought a cushion and rug for the baby room.

I have so much to look forward to next week and can't wait to share with everyone! I'm going to a Bradley class for a little refresher on labor situations that may arise. We also are meeting who we hope will be our pediatrician. Here is my 33 week pic:


Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Baby Boo: 33 Weeks

That's a durian...I have no idea. And does the baby really weigh that much inside of me?! Crazy!
Question for the moms out there: Thebump.com says I should go ahead and install my car seat. Here's my dilemma...I will be going to West Virginia at Thanksgiving along with my hubby and two pups. Part of me feels like we should install and take the car seat with us JUST IN CASE baby comes early while in WV (I will be 36 weeks at that point). But Mr. Boo thinks it will take up too much space because of all that we have to pack (dogs, their crates, our suitcases, etc.). Plus, coming home, we will have to pack Christmas gifts from my parents into the car. Should I or should I not install the car seat?
 
I'm still having trouble sleeping but my heartburn hasn't been as bad this week. Exercise is still going well but I have decreased my amount of running simply because of pelvic soreness. My right piriformis is ALWAYS sore/tight and I have trouble stretching it. I try to use the tennis ball and Mr. Boo to massage it. Overall, I'm still feeling awesome and those things above are very tolerable.
 
I see Dr. P next week so I'll get to update you all on baby's status in my next post. I think Baby Boo is settling into a position rather than moving around everywhere! I noticed that the kicks I'm feeling are all in the upper right quadrant of my abdomen. Sometimes Baby Boo will stick  itself out to where I have this weird looking bump on my belly for a few seconds. So cool!
 
I'm continuing to mark things off of my Baby to-do list but there are some things I just can't do yet so I'm sort of waiting :(
 
A few people, including Mr. Boo, told me that I look like I grew over the weekend but I can't really tell. Here is my 32 week pic:



Sunday, November 3, 2013

Baby Shower #2- Marysville Style

If you're a regular follower, you know that I had my first shower in West Virginia in late September. I wrote about it HERE. Yesterday, I had my second shower which included friends from church, work, and/or Hip Hop Fitness. I was initially concerned because the shower was held in Marysville and my friends live in various places around Columbus. I've made that drive so many times that it's nothing to me...but for those who don't make it out that way, it may seem like an eternity! I am so blessed that a good group of women were able to show up!

The girls minus Sarah G. Two of my planners are on each side of me (Lindsay and Jenny).

The same group but including Joan (yellow shirt, my mother-in-law and other planner).
 
My obsession with themes was greatly satisfied yesterday :) I love the fall and the book "The Giving Tree." My shower planners played off of those themes (My friends, Jenny and Lindsay, along with one of my mothers-in-law, Joan, planned the party). They did an amazing job! Here are some pics of the décor:



Cute plates/napkins!

That's an actual tree that was given to me...now I just need to plant it!


The flowers were given away as gifts to game winners.
 
It was a relaxed environment that included some appropriate games (guess the baby food, guess the size of Lisa's belly, and name songs with "baby" in it). I was glad I didn't have to guess melted candy bars in diapers!
The food was amazing as well! We had chili, veggies, and a cheese tray along with apple cider to imbibe (the guests had the option of adding carmel vodka...I'm sad I missed out on that one!). There were also wonderful fall desserts including this apple granola bake, apple pie, and pumpkin pie. YUMMY!!!
The only time I felt awkward was during gift opening, of course! I felt my face turn SO RED! And my pits were sweating like crazy! I appreciated every gift that I received and can't wait to use them with Baby Boo!

Thanks so much to the planners and the party attenders for everything!! I felt so loved!