Fitness Friday - 10/30

Saturday – I took Saturday off from a long run to recuperate my IT Band...I think it did the trick!
Sunday – Rest Day
Monday –  3 mile run/walk
Tuesday –  PT Routine - Lunges/Squats/Stretching; also pulling weeds outside
Wednesday – Rest Day
Thursday – PT Routine - Lunges/Squats/Stretching; also pulling weeds outside (going to finish that up today)
Friday – 2 or 3 mile run/walk

Tomorrow, I plan a long run with my running buddy Heather. We've dressed up the past few years for Halloween runs and haven't decided yet what to do this year. Three years ago, we dressed as super heroes and had so much fun! Sooooo....we'll see what Saturday brings! :)

I'm also participating in Gone for a Run's Faster Than Boo Virtual 10K!

This week, I did my first walk/run since the Gulf Coast Half Marathon. My knee held up just fine and I'm no longer worried about it!

During the run, I listed to The Disney Exchange for a little entertainment. I know I've blogged about them before, but they are hilarious and I love listening to them!! :) You can find them on iTunes...go check them out when you have a free moment!

Above, you'll also see my "cautious" run/walk ratio. It's funny how much pregnancy has slowed me down, but I don't mind one bit as long as I can keep on running! I compared the difference of the Louisiana Half Marathon earlier this year (my first sub 2 hour half marathon) with the Gulf Coast Half (a 2:38 half marathon just 8 months later) and how different each circumstance was from the other! That's how I take running in general - each race brings about new experiences and opportunities. You're not going to PR in each event and that's OK...it's simply being out there, having fun, and taking away the learning experiences that matters!

Have a fabulous weekend! Do you have anything planned for Halloween? Any fun themed races?

Pregnancy Update: 17 Weeks

Well, we are smack dab in the middle of week 17 and the bump is continuing to grow! It won't be long now before we find out if our little one is a baby boy or girl!

I can't decide which gender I "think" it is...someday I think girl and some I think boy. The heart rate has ALWAYS been in the "girl" range but all of the "old wives tales" point to boy. I don't mind either way to be honest - I'm just praying for a healthy baby, whatever the gender! Guess we'll find out soon enough!

How many weeks are you now?
17 weeks + 5 days

 
Baby's size?  

Turnip - 5 inches, 5 ounces (estimate from the What to Expect app)

Symptoms:

Lots of stretching with baby growth, a little acne here and there, and clumsiness TO THE MAX - who knew that was a pregnancy thing? I certainly did not...

Hormones...oh my gosh the hormones. The kind that made me sob like a baby while watching a video about Christian the Lion video on YouTube (which, I might add, I'VE SEEN BEFORE). Sobbing, y'all. For real.

Exercise: 

I resumed run/walking this week and all is well!

Clothes:  

I'm almost finished collecting clothing items for our upcoming Disney Cruise/Baby Moon! Can't wait to begin the packing process!

Cravings? 

 Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches...yum! Also tootsie rolls!

Aversions? 

Fish. We had an oncology nursing dinner last night and one of the menu items was fish. Thankfully, I was sitting at a table where no one ordered it! :)

Any Movement?
I think so...every once in a while (and it's not every day), I feel this slight movement like someone is fist bumping me lightly from the inside. It's the strangest thing! 

I keep hearing the word "fluttering" but that's not quite what this feels like. Who knows...it might just be gastric contents moving around! Haha!

Sleep:
No problems here! Still loving my naps, too!

Purchases:

A dress for our cruise from Pink Blush Maternity. I also ordered our gender reveal party invitations from Kendyll Raes etsy shop!

What I miss: 

Still deli meat. I haven't convinced myself that it's ok to eat. I'm sure I'll get there, but it hasn't happened yet. 

What I’m looking forward to:
Our Baby Moon...followed shortly thereafter by the big reveal! YAY!

Best Moment of the Week: 

Finalizing gender reveal party plans....it was stressful there for a while but is officially scheduled for 11/21/15!

This week, I did have one scare - it happened on Saturday night. I moved around a lot that day and don't think I rested enough (although I didn't run on Saturday and hadn't run all week, actually). I also ate this nasty processed crap I shouldn't have eaten for lunch and never will again. To top it off, I didn't drink near enough water throughout the day. That night, I was standing at an event with a friend when I had this really tight pain in my lower pelvis. It wasn't like a cramp, I just knew something wasn't right...it's kind of hard to describe but the pain didn't come and go like a cramp, it lasted a solid five minutes at least. We walked back to my car where I was able to sit down and drink some water and the pain stopped - it was also accompanied by a little brown spotting (sorry if that's TMI). Thankfully, I have access to a doppler and a blood pressure machine and all was well on both ends so I didn't freak out too much (although I was still a little worried). I called my OB on Monday who told me that if it hadn't happened again, I should be fine. I also know what they say about spotting and watching for bright red (this never was), but I was still a little nervous about the whole situation and am glad I made the phone call. She also instructed me to make sure I keep myself hydrated daily. I was doing a good job of it but totally slipped on Friday and Saturday. My goal ever since getting pregnant has been about 90-100 ounces per day but I totally messed up this weekend. Ah well, it won't happen again! :) I'm just thankful all is well! Baby's heart rate remains in the high 150's to low 160's!

That's all for today! I hope you're having a great week! Thanks for following along in our journey! :)

Weekend Fun!

This past weekend brought around a lot of fun times with friends!

It all began with our local university's homecoming parade. It's a tradition of my friend Jane and I to attend, so we always mark our calendars ahead of time for the parade! We are all alumni of the university as well, so it's fun to see the homecoming parade year after year!

First, Jason and I had dinner at a local Mexican restaurant. We always split the Mexican nachos which are delicious!

We also like to stake out a spot for the parade near the University President's home because that's where the judges sit and there aren't a ton of people around. Those in the parade make sure to put on their best showing for the judges, too! 

We also get a ton of candy here but shhhh...don' tell our secret!

This year, a little excitement was thrown into the mix. One of the bigger floats threw a bunch of confetti off their float towards the judges area. All of a sudden, we saw a streak of green fire coming out of one of the transformer boxes followed by a loud sound of electricity buzzing. The lights around us went out and lots of people in the judges stands jumped up and began running away. It all happened so fast, it took a second to put two and two together!  

A few minutes later, I saw an empty confetti cannon tube on the ground. Apparently the float people popped the cannon right into/near a generator and made it short out. No one was hurt, thankfully...it just scared the mess out of a bunch of people! The lights also came back on within minutes which surprised me!

My love and I at the parade! 

Jane and I! Her gender reveal party is the one I blogged about yesterday! :)

I wasn't able to go for a run on Saturday because I took the week off from running. My knee (IT Band) bothered me a bit during/after the Gulf Coast Half, so I decided to give it a week of rest. Actually, it was kind of nice to sleep in on Saturday morning! :)

Someone else enjoyed sleeping in on Saturday morning...and napping later!

On Saturday night, my friend Kim and I met up for dinner and the McNeese Homecoming game. My crunch lettuce with ranch dressing craving returned, so I ordered a salad from McAlisters and it was really good!

We had awesome seats for the game because my dad was out of town and let us have his season tickets!

It was a little rainy but we were prepared with our ponchos!  Best part? McNeese won the game! YAY!

On Sunday morning, I went to church then attended my friend's gender reveal, then went back to church to work the coffee shop! Despite the rainy weather ALL day long, it was a fun day! :)

I caught someone else enjoying my Snoogle for an afternoon nap on Sunday! These dogs are so funny!

I hope you had a great weekend, too!

What was the best thing that happened to you this past weekend?

Best Friend's Gender Reveal

One of the best parts about being pregnant is the opportunity I have to share this experience with a close friend! We wanted it to happen this way and as it turns out, she's only three weeks ahead of me!

Yesterday was her gender reveal and it was such a fun party!! (I just love gender reveals, showers, etc!)

I offered to make something for the reveal and was given the task of cookies, so I turned to pinterest for inspiration! I couldn't find a container of regular sprinkles, so I went for white pearls instead. They were tasty, too! :)

According to this chart, Jane ranked all girl! (Mine mostly line up as all boy except the heart rate...guess we'll see in a few weeks!)

Dessert table! They also had sandwiches, Canes chicken tenders/Texas toast, BBQ sausage, and a veggie tray! 

 Delicious!

Of course, no gender reveal is complete without pink and blue punch! 

The big reveal was planned with cans of silly string. We were supposed to spray these outside, but the remnants of Hurricane Patricia had other ideas. So, we sprayed the cans on the inside of their home instead...I'm pretty sure they're going to find silly string for DAYS!

Its a.............................

GIRL!!

So excited for these two!!

I couldn't be happier for my friend!! This means pink bows and frills...yay!

What do you think of gender reveal parties? 

(Personally, I love it when no one in the room knows...not even the parents!)

Pregnancy Update: 16 Weeks

Time is slowly ticking away! I've almost reached month five and am loving the second trimester. Our gender scan is scheduled for the middle of November, so we will know if Baby Seal is a boy or girl before long! It's time for my 16 week update, so here we go!

 

 

How many weeks are you now?
16 weeks + 6 days

Baby's size?  

Avocado- 4 to 5 inches, 3-5 ounces (estimate from the What to Expect app)

Symptoms:

Thankfully the sinus mess has mostly cleared up and gone away...and the headaches have gone with it! YAY! I actually didn't "feel" pregnant this week if that makes any sense.

Exercise: 

I ran/walked a half marathon on Saturday. My old right IT Band injury decided to act crazy during my run, so I've been babying that this week. Other than a few walks and some foam rolling, I've been taking it easy. My goal with this pregnancy is to run/walk as long as I'm able. I'm just going to take it day by day and see where that leads! 

 

Clothes:  

In some maternity clothing (jeans/shorts) although most of my regular tops still fit!

Weight:

I gained three pounds over the past month! That's up four in total! I lost 8 pounds during my first trimester (not sure why because I wasn't sick or anything), so I'm making my way back to my pre-pregnancy weight!

Cravings? 

Nothing new this week. The salad and ranch dressing craving has diminished along with the Hershey chocolate craving. I'm still loving cereal and could eat it every meal!

Aversions? 

Nothing new here either...still fish and steamed veggies. I did try a bite of fried catfish last week which was pretty tasty and completely surprised me! I guess with the bread coating, the fish smell wasn't able to permeate through. I think my aversion stems from the fish that smell really fishy (like tilapia)...blech.

Any Movement?
Nope, not yet!

Sleep: 
Still doing well with this although I had a hard time falling asleep last night. I think it's because I ate late then attempted to fall asleep. Not going to do that again!

Purchases:

A cover and travel case for my snoogle. Also a few baby books to read on our upcoming trip! I still feel so lost in the world of cribs, high chairs, strollers, car seats, etc...

What I miss: 

Sandwiches. I do love sandwiches...and I miss my deli meat. I've read that it's ok to eat them every once in a while and only if the meat has been heated, but I'm overall super paranoid and don't want to take that chance....

What I’m looking forward to:
Planning the gender reveal (now that I have an ultrasound date) and our upcoming trip on board the Disney Wonder! :)

Best Moment of the Week: 

Tuesday's doctor appt...although they were running terribly behind, I do understand since my OB has to leave randomly throughout the day to deliver babies. I only hope when I'm in that situation, other patients will understand, too!
Another great moment of the week happened on Sunday with baby's first half marathon! :)

Did you feel lost when it came to large purchases like cribs, strollers, etc? What helped you decide? Any tips or advice?

Gulf Coast Half Marathon 2015

If you read yesterday's recap, you know that my friend Heather and I spent our weekend in Mandeville, Louisiana for the Gulf Coast Half Marathon! We had an amazing time and the weather couldn't have been more prefect!

Today, I'm bringing you the recap of the race itself! By the way, this just so happened to be Baby Seal's first race! :)

My outfit for race day was created several weeks ago in my head - although the arm warmers didn't last! I'm so thankful for the sweatshirts we found at Academy the evening before the race!

I also created the little yellow sign, simply so people would be cautious when running up behind me. I know that my child might not like running and that's a-ok with me...

On race morning, Heather and I both slept WAY later than we intended...by like an hour...seriously. I slept well the night before, I just didn't want to get out of bed! Whoops!

However, we got up anyway and were dressed as fast as possible - hence the reason I still look half asleep in the above picture!

We stayed at the host hotel, the Courtyard Marriott. Since we weren't able to partake in their continental breakfast, they created breakfast bags for the runners! Mine included a granola bar, a giant orange, and a bottle of water. So nice of them!

After a little bit of traffic coming into the park, we made it in plenty of time for the start! The race began at 7 a.m. out of Fontainebleau State Park in Mandeville.

Thankfully this year, workers were directing traffic and that made a WORLD of difference! I liked that addition! :) (I haven't run this race in several years, by the way!)

We found a few of our runner friends to say hello, then made our way to the start line. Y'all, it was COLD out there. Seriously. I think my app said it "felt like" 49 degrees! I'm definitely not complaining but I'm just not used to running in that! 

I also bumped into Mindy at the start line! It was so nice to see her before the race - she even PR'd! It was a gorgeous day and the perfect course for doing so! Congrats, Mindy!

Heather and I decided to join the back of the pack runners in the very last section of the corral. It seems that a 4:1 run/walk has been working for me since I've become pregnant, so that's what we decided to stick with. I've never run/walk intervals in a race before, so this was a new experience for me for sure!

Off we go! This course led us through the park, then out to downtown Mandeville.
 

We blinked and before we knew it, mile 3 was upon us! Yay! 

The water stops were hilarious! Various clubs/departments throughout the city work the water stops and really keep the runners pumped up. At the end of the race, runners were able to vote on their favorite water stop and the water stop that won received money towards their club/department. It was awesome!

Running along the waterfront was one of the best parts of this race!

It was nice to run and feel great...unlike the last time we ran this race where the weather was so hot and we tortured ourselves and I almost ended up in the ER. No, this race experience was COMPLETELY different!

The waterfront was also lined with gorgeous homes!

Heather's favorite water stop was the ballet girls! They were preparing for the Nutcracker and several "characters" were there handing out water...even the rat!

This race had two options, a 10 miler or a half marathon, and they split along the waterfront. 

Another gorgeous home...this one was decked out for halloween!

The next section of this race took us through another neighborhood of gorgeous homes!

Over halfway there!  I finally made a potty stop at mile 8 and I'm so glad I did! I didn't see another porta potty for a while after that!

It was also around mile 8 that my IT band started to act up (right side). It still hurt even after the race, so I'm going to take it easy this week/weekend to baby it and see if that helps. 

Last but not least, the final several miles of this race were in the park.

So glad I remembered my sunglasses! This part of the course is gorgeous but can seem rather long. I pointed out the back of a runDisney shirt to Heather (it was from Wine & Dine last year). After catching up to the girl, I asked if she was running Wine & Dine again and she said yes...then she said, "KAREN?" Hahah it was Wendy, a long time social media friend I've never actually met in person! It was so nice to finally meet her!!

Speaking of social media friends, I've been running a BUNCH of the same races as this chick and we never ran into each other until this race!! It was so nice to bump into Ernise and say hello! 

Before long, we were back in the park and I just had to take my traditional mile 12 picture!

As we approached our vehicle, Heather took our sweatshirts and put them on the car so we would have a decent finish line picture! (Always thinking ahead!)

All done! Baby's first 13.1 in the books! I honestly thought we would finish around 2:45, so I was pleased with our results!

The finish line party was fun with lots of food and a fun band! 

We did it! I'm so thankful for this girl who stuck with me the entire race!

Number 23 for me!

I seriously couldn't have asked for a better race! This course is gorgeous and the weather was ideal!! This is one of my favorite Louisiana races! My OB told me to watch out for any signs of pain/cramping, etc and I didn't have any other than my right IT Band which is an old injury that comes back to haunt me sometimes. I also made sure to stay well hydrated as this race had plenty of water stations! Overall, I have no complaints about this experience and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!

Running while pregnant is definitely a different experience but I want to continue as long as it's safe to do so and as long as I'm able! I'm just taking it one day at a time....

Just cause I still think it's hilarious...I gotta share this one again! Heather's going to disown me as her running buddy...

Have a wonderful day everyone!