Back to Running :)

Wow!  I've been back to running since I had the baby 8 weeks ago and it is tough!  I feel like I did when I just started running for the first time ever.  I was overweight, led a sedentary lifestyle and never ran in my life.  From there, I walk/ran until I could comfortably run a 5K.  I remember when running 3 miles seemed so unattainable.

Less than two years after I started running, I ran a full marathon.  The beginning of 2012 was my best racing yet - a 5K PR in Feb (Super Bowl in Novi), 10K PR in March (ShamRock N Roll in Plymouth), and 3 half marathon PRs shortly thereafter (Rock CF in Grosse Ile, Martian in Dearborn and Let's Move in Mt. Clemens).  5 races, 5 PRs and I was on my way to train for my second full marathon and hopefully take 30-45 mins off my time.

Then I got pregnant, was diagnosed with placenta previa, and told not to run.  Man, did my free time really open up.  I stopped running mid-July and only just atarted again mid-Feb, just 3 and a half weeks after my daughter was born. 

In a random turn of events, my mom found a like-new treadmill in my grandpa's basement at the same time I was looking to buy one... Three days later a treadmill arrived in my living room.  Thank goodness too, since I was not able to get outside to run as much as I thought I would be able to with a newborn. 

my view from the loud treadmill - sleeping baby girl and tv I can't hear and apparently our closed captioning doesn't work...

For the past two weeks, I've been slowly but surely increasing my mileage, just a quarter mile at a time, but I'm up to running 2.5 miles.  My mother in law came over Thursday and I got outside for a run and it felt great!! 

I just signed up for my first post-baby race - Let's Move 5K in Mt. Clemens.  I was hoping to run this  half marathon for the third year in a row, but I know that's not realistic.  So, I talked my sisters, husband, mom, mother in law and various other family members to doing the 5K, too.  Selfishly, this way I know I'll have someone to push the baby in the stroller (or stay home with her if it's bad weather) so I can run my own race :)

That race is on April 27th, so I have six weeks to comfortably cover 3.1 miles and increase my speed in doing so.  Again, it's just like I'm a beginner again, which isn't all that bad, I just had to get myself in a different mindset.  One thing is for sure: I want to get my fitness back and be a good, active role model for our daughter.



Speaking of which, Lindsay is 8 weeks old and ready for summer:

I HAD to but this bathing suit the other day as it is so cute (and I hate bikinis on babies).  Yes, there's still snow outside, but I couldn't resist. 

Being a mom is great - the absolute best feeling in the world!!!  I go back to work next week (just Thurs & Fri), so we'll see how I do being away from her and keeping up on my running.  Wish me luck!

Happy V Day and I finally went running!

Happy Valentine's Day from Lindsay!

This was the first time we tried out her new leggings.  The idea is great so she can wear all those cute onesies she's received but not be freezing.  Plus, they should be great for diaper changes.  BUT, this outfit lasted 10 minutes tops before she had a huge poop-splosion all over her onesie, leggings AND Daddy's pants!  I laughed so hard my incision hurt!

Anywho, I've never cared much for V Day, even when my husband and I were dating, it's just such an annoying holiday.  So, unlike many other men out there, he's totally off the hook :) 

I went out yesterday for my first run in 6+ months and it was a success.  My OB cut off my running pretty early and I was pretty sedentary (per her direction) for the remainder of the pregnancy.  Now, just 3.5 weeks out from delivery (a week overdue, induced for 2 days and ultimate c-section), I headed out the door while baby and daddy napped.

AND IT WAS AWESOME!!

I finally got the chance to try out my new bondi band!  I ran an entire mile without stopping and walked another mile for fun.  It felt so great, I went out and did it again today :)  Made it another mile running and then walking more with my doggy.  Other than sore quads, I feel great!  No pain and the runner's high still exists.  Not sure what the plan is from here on out, but I hope it continues to go this smoothly!!

We're parents!

Pat and I welcomed our first child, Lindsay Kate, into the world on January 19th at a whopping 9 lbs 5.5 oz and 21 3/4 inches long (which is funny since my sister's daughter who is 10 weeks old currently weighs 10 lbs and is 22 inches long!)

She is just so much fun and I LOVE being a mom.  Pat's been off for that past three weeks and it has been amazing welcoming her into our family :)

Here's her obligatory Michigan pic - she's a super fan already :)  and that is a 6 month outfit - and not that big...

do you think she looks like a cabbage patch doll?  I've been getting that a lot (along with she looks just like her dad)

Large & In Charge

Me, that is.  I'm incredibly large and in charge, well, of our household at least :)

Yes, still pregnant.  38.5 weeks.  Granted our due date isn't until Jan 10th, but I've been off work since December 21st and am bored!!  I just want baby to come so I have something to do - yes, I do realize how crazy this is.

I'm feeling good - getting uncomfortable/tired/winded easily, but nothing miserable.  I haven't slept more than 4 hours at a time in the past week, so I guess that makes me 'ready' to have a newborn.  The good news is since I am already off work (I work in a school and we're on break anyway), it doesn't matter if I have normal sleep or not.  It's cool to sleep from 5-8pm and then again from 6-10am - isn't that what everyone does?!!

My husband really wants a tax-credit baby - apparently we get an extra $5K if this baby is born in 2012 - but I don't see that happening in the next 22 hours.  I've had no labor pains/contractions/symptoms at all, so that's not gunna happen.  Honestly, I think I'll go after my due date, but who knows.

In the mean time, I've been relaxing, putting my feet up, catching up on some good books and watching some great old school movies.  A Time to Kill, A League of Their Own, A Few Good Men, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, you know, the good stuff :)

I hope you all had a great Christmas and any other holiday you celebrate.  Happy New Year!!

I'm alive and first time Daddy gifts

It's been a while since I've updated and frankly, not much to report.  Still not running; now 35 weeks pregnant and quickly coming up on our Jan 10th due date :)

For our family baby shower, I wanted to do something special for my husband since first-time dads often get shafted.  So I googled a bunch of stuff and tried to come up with some fun present ideas.  There wasn't much out there at all.

So here is what I can up with to give him at the end of the shower when he arrived to help pack up the gifts:

one heavy gift bag filled with goodies just for soon-to-be daddy

 a fun toy that Pat has been eyeing at the store since we found out we were pregnant

 some of his favorite snacks

 warm, fleece lounge pants that I steal from him :)

 Lions onesies - his favorite team

 Books specific to Daddys - surprisingly hard to find

 "For Baby's many messes - these may come in handy" - wipes, boogie wipes and boudreaux's butt paste

 gender neutral outfit that says "Daddy Loves Me" - another super hard item to find.  lots of 'mommy' things, not many 'daddy' things in general, especially gender neutral since we don't know what we're having

 Baby's first toy

 Binkies in the shape of footballs and some that say "I Love Daddy"  

I wouldn't have purchased binky holder clips except these said "I Love Daddy" so I couldn't resist    

 

Mountain Dew - his favorite pop!

He loved it!  It was a lot of fun to see him open each item and read the fun tag that went along with it.  After trying to put this gift together, I realize how few "Daddy" items are available.  Of course, there is "Mommy" stuff everywhere, but not much in terms of daddy things.  Weird.  

So here we are, just 4.5 weeks from the due date and I'm still feeling great.  Even have a come-back marathon in mind: Charlevoix June 2013.  Anyone in?

More baby stuff

It's been a little over 10 weeks since I got the order to stop running during this pregnancy, so I haven't had much updating on that front for you all - a very bizarre feeling.  

I am getting excited for our baby shower this Saturday; it'll be fun to see both of our families and talk about the arrival of baby Hacker!  (Due date is January 10th)

I have to confess that while I was first obsessed with updating our registry online to be sure I did plenty of research on every item, I have kinda been checking it now to see what's been purchased :)  I mean, it'll still be a surprise who bought it at the shower, right?  Is that bad?  I had the same problem when we got married, too.  Anyone else ever do this? 

So I'm currently 29 weeks pregnant and still feeling great!  Baby is apparently the size of an acorn squash now.  I get tired at the end of the day and need to rest and put my feet up when I get home, but that's about it in terms of pregnancy symptoms.  I've been very lucky so far and hope it continues for the remaining 11 weeks!!

For our shower this weekend, I wanted to include my husband - he's coming by at the end to help load up the gifts and I wanted to get him something special and help him feel included as well.  Clearly I'm new to this, but I picked up a few things as a 'New Daddy Survival Kit' just for him.  I'll give more details after this weekend on the off chance he actually reads this, but here's a preview which is exciting since the Lions finally won today:

Fake Thanksgiving!

Fall came kinda quickly in MI and with the cooler weather, my husband had the great idea that we should cook a turkey!  By 'we' he means he'll come up with the idea, I'll do all the work, and he'll show up at the table.  Works for me!

This morning I got up early to stuff the bird and get it in the oven.

I've only cooked a turkey one other time in my life - for Thanksgiving 2005 when we lived in Baton Rouge and weren't able to come home for the holiday.  Minus leaving some of the gizzards inside (I didn't know you had to pull stuff out of each end) and buying biscuits instead of butter rolls, it turned out pretty good.

I don't cook meals often - and I mean that in the way that I am in the kitchen often baking desserts and treats and making snacks, just not preparing actual dinners - that's my husband's role.  He's the BBQer/dinner-maker and I'm the set-up/clean-up/make desserts and drinks person.  It works for us.

Today we kept the menu simple and it turned out delicious!  Just a little googling to get me started...

And everything turned out divine!  I even made homemade gravy for the first time by de-glazing the roaster.  (I didn't like it, but it turned out very pretty - good thing I had can stuff warming up as a back up). 

Green bean casserole like my mom always makes (I never liked as a kid but my husband LOVES), mashed potatoes, white and dark meat, wet and dry stuffing (I'm a dry person, my husband wet), homemade and can gravy, and rolls rounded out the table.  We'll have to work on getting some color in there next time.  Man, did it turn out good. 

If I'm only going to cook dinner a handful of times a year, I totally make it count!  Now to watch the Detroit Lions not embarrass us - just like real Thanksgiving.  Happy Fake Thanksgiving everyone!

We have a crib!!

Jake read the directions

and Pat did all the real work :)

and now we have our first piece of furniture in our newly-painted nursery!

More not-running :)

I officially got the word last week that I will not be running any more during this pregnancy :(  Not the end of the world and I've been expecting it, so I've been productive in other ways.

I threw an awesome wedding shower for a friend of mine and made lots of goodies:

cucumber appetizers with hummus

deviled eggs - a staple at any of my family's functions

veges and dip in a baguette - totally from pinterest and delicious :)

 

caprese toothpicks

fruit mini skewers

and of course desserts, my favorite part!  sugar cookies (forgot to take a picture of), choc chip cookies and brownies in heart shapes!

 

The whole day was a lot of fun and my friend had a great time!

I finished painting the finishing touches in the nursery this weekend, so it's ready for furniture!  And the very next day, my parents suprised us by bringing over our crib!  I hadn't announced our registry to anyone yet, but my mom knew what was up and what a great surprise it was!  Pat and I will put this together soon and then will only have to wait on our dresser to be in stock at IKEA :)  Things are coming along nicely :)

Since I can't run, lift things, walk more than leisurely, or stress my body in any way, any suggestions as to what I can do? 

My house is clean, I made cookies, rice krispie treats and fudge this weekend and the pantry is reorganized.  I have 15 more weeks of 'light-duty' and need something to fill my time... Read any good books lately? 

Go Blue!

Yesterday was our first Michigan tailgate of the year and it was a perfect day!

The weather was great, we had lots of great food and it was awesome to see everyone I hadn't seen since we've been pregnant.  Fun to share the news and get some random advice.  

We did coney dogs for the first time and they were a huge hit.  Definitely going to bring them back again.

We had our 20 week ultrasound a couple weeks ago and while everything looks great with the baby, I have been diagnosed with placenta previa which means I had to stop running :(  I was really bummed about it at first in terms of missing hanging out with my friends and feeling so great after a run, but of course that didn't last long.  It's what's best for the baby and I can do it no problem.

So, I haven't been out for a run in three weeks but I'm finding ways to keep active and see my friends.  When we would usually meet for 6 miles during the week, I'll meet them all to chat, send them off and then walk around town until they finish.  Walking isn't nearly the same as running, but I'll take what I can get.  When they're all done, we still go out to dinner, so I'm still getting my friend time in.

We've been prepping the nursery and I'm proud to say it is almost done!  I patched all the holes, prepped the walls and painted the entire thing 'pebble gray'.  Now we'll just wait for that to cure to put up the fun border I absolutely love and be done.

Registering for baby stuff was fun and not as stressful as I'd imagined, so that was a fun not-running event I was able to enjoy.  Now I have to wait patiently for our shower in November.  My husband wants to go out and buy everything right now and fending him off has become pretty time consuming, which has been good since I have extra time on my hands :)

Other than that, I've still been feeling great!  I haven't had any symptoms that come along with previa and have been able to enjoy every other part of my everyday life, so I'm good to go.  I just hope the second part of this pregnancy goes as smoothly.

 

Once baby comes out in early January, I'll be ready to start training for a spring marathon - Charlevoix 2013 - I can hope at least :)