Sorry, I couldn’t resist. 

And you probably aren’t as excited about free food as this pregnant lady is.  Regardless, I wanted to remind everyone out there that Friday the 10th is Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-a. Simply put, you wear a cow outfit and they give you free food. It’s a lot of fun! (And did I mention free?)

This is a picture from last year. Oddly enough, that particular dress doesn’t fit so I’m in the process of putting something together for tomorrow’s cheap lunch date. Here’s the official link to the Chick-fil-a site, which includes some cow ears that can be cut out and worn.  Even if dressing up like a cow has never made your top 10 list of things to do, it’s kind of fun proving that yes, there is such a thing as a free lunch.

35 weeks 0 days: Weight: 149.6 (same)/B:38.5 (same)/W:35.5 (up 0.5″)/H:37.5 (same) T: 22 (same)

35 Weeks 0 Days-

Suddenly I’m at 35 weeks wondering how on earth I got here. Everything seems too close. I NEED MORE THAN 5 WEEKS. Where did the pregnancy go? Where did the time go? How many newborn diapers do I need? What kind of laundry detergent should I be using for baby clothes?

We’ve upgraded to monster baby hiccups that shake my entire stomach. So funny to see!

35 Weeks 1 Day-

I have developed a rash all over my stomach that itches like crazy. (Why do people think that the cure for itching to to forcefully tell a person “Don’t itch it!”? Like that helps.) I’m a little worried that it’s a certain rash that shows up at the end of pregnancy and doesn’t go away until you deliver. Ugh. Not only do I not want to be uncomfortable for that long, but (as any pregnant woman would wonder) how am I supposed to wear a bikini if my stomach looks like it’s gotten chicken pox?

35 Weeks 2 Days-

I found my paper chain the other day. The one that was supposed to get me through 37 weeks of pregnancy. I figure that time is going quite fast enough, thanks very much, and I’ll save it for the final countdown.

35 Weeks 3 Days-

This morning I woke up in the middle of the night, stretched my legs out and developed perhaps the worst leg cramp I’ve ever had in my life. I thought about waking up Clint while yelling, I need an epidural! As pain signals shot to my brain I tried to do deep breathing while unsuccessfully attempting to reach my leg so that I could massage it. All I could do was hope and pray that labor wouldn’t feel like that, so disorienting and excruciating. A friend pointed out later that it was good practice and she’s right, but I can tell you, after that experience, I have no desire to fall asleep and wake up to a contraction once I’m in hard labor!

35 Weeks 4 Days-

I’m ready to be done with my maternity wardrobe. Not that I don’t have a lot of cute stuff, some of which I haven’t even worn. I’m just done with the big belly and miss my cute summer dresses that were fitted at the waist. Plus there’s only so long you can wear the same clothes without getting totally sick of them.

I cannot believe that I am actually contemplating the idea of some sort of postpartum support/belly wrap. Not that I’m averse to trying something along those lines, I’m averse to spending money on something when I don’t know if it works or not! Plus I’d like to exist in two realities postpartum. One in which I wear some sort of band and one where I don’t. I’m just very curious as to how well they work. Maybe it’s vain of me to consider something like that. Too bad there aren’t any free trials for that sort of thing!

35 Weeks 5 Days-

Looking back on the long weekend, the good parts and the more… stressful moments, I find that I really want to be intentional about taking the time to stop and do things I enjoy. I didn’t get everything done over the weekend (and my list was extensive, so I’m not surprised) but there were some really good moments in between going through boxes and baby stuff and cleaning and writing thank you cards that were very restful. I need to take the time even when life feels too busy, it’s just so hard to remember.

35 Weeks 6 Days-

9 lunar months pregnant tomorrow! Aaaaaand… on to month 10!

There are a few things that I’m craving. That would be any type of protein source smothered with one of those homemade salsas that involve chopping up some combination of garlic, onion, tomato, mango, berries, cilantro, cucumber, etc. The other craving involves fruit related desserts. Peach cobbler and strawberry pie and anything loaded with lots of summer fruits. Maybe when I am a lady of leisure in a few days (AKA on disability and frantically preparing for a baby) I will cook only those things. I will also sit in the backyard in the morning eating biscotti and drinking coffee.

We had our 36 week doctor’s visit in the evening. Next week I get to start going weekly. Hurray? The nice thing about the visits is that when the NP and her nurse see us their faces light up. It’s nice to be one of those patients, if you know what I mean.

Everything looked good. They tested for strep (please no) and did a blood test to be sure that the rash I have isn’t caused by liver problems. There was a moment of panic (for me) when the NP went to hear Isaac’s heartbeat (he’d just been moving) and couldn’t find it. *insert moment of abject terror for mom*. Oh that’s right… I really need to change these batteries. Don’t do that to a pregnant woman. Just don’t.

Dear Isaac,

My dear sweet son. I wish that I could convince you that using your growing feet to perform sweeping glissandos up and down my ribs is not the best idea ever. Ow. Sometimes I catch myself telling people that you’re “hanging out” in a certain area when in reality you have come, conquered, and invaded and you are EVERYWHERE. But my ribs…? Is nothing sacred?

Sometimes I worry about your spine, especially when, knowing you are head down, I feel one foot slide over to the right and then another. That position can’t be good for anyone. Please don’t make us choose between saving for therapy or chiropractic care.

You have been putting on about an ounce a day, which is some crazy weight gain for someone your size. You’re probably around 19.5-20.5 inches long and weighing in the 5.75-6.75 pound range. Your job now is to store fat and energy and wait (yes, please, wait) for the birth process to start. Despite your growth and cramped quarters, I have not noticed much of a change in your activity. Yes, still active ALL THE TIME. What are you doing in there, little guy? All we can do is wonder when your hands and feet lift my skin into inch high tents. Such a crazy thing to see!

I used to put my hands on my stomach back (oh so far back) when I was in the 20-28 week range and wanted people to know that I was pregnant and not pudgy. Now I can’t keep my hands off because you shift around so much and it’s such an incredible thing to feel. Sometimes, when you’re positioned just right I can rest my whole hand on part of you and feel what must be your little heartbeat because it’s about twice the rate of mine. I’ve never felt anything this amazing.

This past weekend was the first time your lack of scheduling started to stress me out. I don’t know how or when to prepare for you when I don’t know when you’re coming. For some reason this hasn’t bothered me until now and now I don’t know what to do! Do I run myself ragged trying to get everything in place in case you show up early? Do I try to be balanced and still do things I enjoy or do I just operate in task mode until everything is done? And when will everything be done?

Honestly, a five week window is a little much to ask me to work with. Could I get the Isaac upgrade 09 that comes with a day planner?

Just kidding, Isaac. But please keep growing and hanging out in there, Mommy’s still trying to deal with the angst of being unable to plan the details. Because once you’re born, everything will fall right back in place. (Kidding! I’m not that delusional.)

Love,

Mom

I can’t believe that I almost talked myself out of one of the best runs ever.  Can I just say that I am very glad that I settled on the Anaheim Hills 10K rather than the 5K?  Because I am.  I haven’t had such a runner’s high in weeks and boy did it feel great, even though based on the 10K I ran a month ago, I was pretty nervous the night before.  I couldn’t help worrying that the run would feel bad.  Not that I can’t deal with an hour of that, but I don’t prefer it!

So it was with a bit of trepidation that I arrived at the starting line Saturday morning in Anaheim Hills with my husband.  It was so good to have him there with me!  There’s nothing like hitting the half way point of a run and knowing that I’ll be seeing him when I cross the finish line.

This was the first run that I actually carried water with me.  I knew it would be warm and I anticipated taking about an hour and from last year’s experience I knew it was a hilly course.  The funny thing I discovered is that this water bottle holder that I bought 3.5 years ago at the Honolulu marathon that has never fit right because, Hello!  I have a waist and the silly thing bounces up and down while I run, fits beautifully during pregnancy when I can strap it below my bump.  Perfectly comfortable.

The race started, all of us 5K and 10K runners taking off at the same time around the school track and down the street.  I felt great!  Of course, as we started down the street I remembered that after running last year that I’d meant to bring sun glasses, sun screen, and a hat if I ran the next year.  Guess what I forgot…  The course has a few little hills in the first mile and a half.  At the point the 5Kers turned around (and suddenly you wonder where all the people went) the road begins to climb and doesn’t really stop until you get near the top of a hill in a residential area.  It’s a great climb and it felt so good!

At the 3.1 mile mark we turned around and headed downhill.  Boy did I love the gravitational advantage that gave me!  I was averaging 8:45 minute miles at the beginning, 11 minute miles when we began climbing, and 7:45 minute miles running back down!  All of that translated overall into a sedate 8:46 minute mile pace for the run.

It felt so good and was over too fast.  I’m glad I didn’t miss the experience!

The back of the shirt this month.

From start…

to sweaty finish at 54:20.  Almost the exact time I ran the horrible 10K in a month ago under much better running conditions (60 degrees, overcast, flat course).  I didn’t even bother checking my placing online.  I knew that I wouldn’t come close to getting first in my age group like I did last year (except I didn’t find that out until almost a year later!) at 47:19.  Yesterday my co-worker informed me that I’d come in second.  Apparently it was a slow day for all the non-pregnant 24-29 year olds.  As I was waiting in line for a mini massage later on, a woman stopped me to mention that her 18 year old son finished the 10K and then told her that he’d been beaten by “that 9 months pregnant girl.”  That made my day!

Me and my sweetheart.  I am finally filling out the t-shirt.  Finally.

Some babies get cute baby books.  Isaac is going to end up with a bunch of bib numbers.

Then we went to breakfast at the Original House of Pancakes and ate like we’d both just run a marathon.

What a fantastic start to the 9th month of pregnancy and the Fourth of July!

I have to admit that all of the times I’ve thought about being pregnant I never wanted it to happen in the summer. I was going to be very very careful to only be pregnant during cool times of the year, because, you know things like that are oh so easy to plan. It doesn’t help that when I tell people that my due date is August 5th I get all sorts of comments and pitying glances and stories about how horribly HORRIBLE it is to be pregnant in the summer. Because that’s what a pregnant woman needs to hear.

But you know, despite the fact that the weather is warmer and I’m (much) warmer it hasn’t been that bad. In fact, I would even say that there are some perks to having a summer due date, none of which have to do with the pity that it seems to elicit.

1. Everyone else is too busy indulging their own ice cream cravings to notice that you just ate a half-gallon serving.

2. You can go the entire summer ignoring all of the silly magazines that advocate the get-your-best-beach-body-now fitness, diet, and torture regimes, the “lose all your belly fat in two weeks” guides, and the detailed “find the bathing suit that makes you look 20 pounds thinner and costs more than your electric bill and car payment combined” articles.

3. If your feet grow and swell in the last few months flip flops are cheap and forgiving.

4. There’s a new kind of popsicle on sale every week.

5. With more daylight and warmer weather there are a lot more times to exercises and a greater variety of activities to choose from. I pity the poor pregnant woman stuck walking on a treadmill mid-January.

6. Clothing costs. Seriously, have you compared the price of a maternity tank top to the cost of a maternity coat? Bring on the sun dresses and tee-shirts!

7. Fresh fruit abounds! Peaches and berries and melon, oh my!

8. What other season lends itself to relaxing in a pool and feeling weightless while soaking up some vitamin D? Combine that with friends and a good BBQ and you can’t go wrong.

9. It’s a little more normal to complain about the heat with everyone else mid-summer than mentioning it at a Christmas party when everyone else is in a turtleneck and you’re sweating in a maternity tank top.

10. There is zero bathing suit competition at the beach.

And just for your information, if I’m still pregnant around August 18th I will be taking back everything I say here. Just so you know.

Monday: Ran 6 miles (59 minutes)/Walked 1 mile

Tuesday: Ran 4.5 miles (43 minutes)/Walked 1 mile/Abs/Stretch

Wednesday: Ran 6.1 miles (59 minutes)/Walked 1 mile/Weights 30/Bike 15/Stretch

Thursday: Elliptical 40 minutes/Walked 1 mile/Abs/Stretch

Friday: Ran 3.2 miles (31 minutes)/Walked 1 mile

Saturday: Anaheim Hills 10K (54:20)/Abs/Stretch

Sunday: Off

Miles Run: 26

It’s nice to feel normal again. I am such a person of habit and running the last three days (okay I’m a little short on sleep this week but I can deal with that) has felt so good in terms of feeling like life is settling down and getting back to some semblance of normal. Of course it isn’t, really, and most things in life are messy and up in the air right now, but getting back to my normal exercise routine helps me retain a little more of my sanity in the midst of chaos.

Next week’s goals are to get to 28 miles of running and do weights 3 times. Oh my goodness how my arms miss weights!

I still feel very awkward when I walk and much better and less waddle-y when I run. I just didn’t think I’d get into my 9th month and find that the easiest thing for me do for exercise is run.

I do admit though, that I’ve started worrying about what will happen if I run 8 miles on the day I go into labor. Will I still have the energy to push?

34 weeks 0 days: Weight: 149.6 (same)/B:38.5 (same)/W:35 (same)/H:37.5 (same) T: 22 (same)

34 Weeks 0 Days-

All of my measurements stayed the same this week, but Isaac’s activity is off the charts. I don’t know how someone that big can move around that much with so little room!

The June gloom has lifted and it is beginning to warm up. Which means that to me it feels like it is hot, Hot, HOT! One thing I’d consoled myself with was the fact that we tend to have an overzealous AC unit in our office and I figured that it wouldn’t be bad to be hot and pregnant in the summer if 40 hours of my week were spent in a super air conditioned office. Until our AC unit started spitting out hot air a week and a half ago. Foiled again.

34 Weeks 1 Day-

I discovered last night that when I get busy packing and end up forgetting to drink or eat and carry too much I end up getting one long Braxton Hick’s contraction. Not fun. Not painful either but very weird to feel everything tighten up.

I was paid the nicest compliment last night when I was cleaning the apartment with a couple of angelic women who came over to help. “You must be pretty calm and easy-going to be dealing with everything the way you are.” Ha! Not by a long shot, but apparently I’m beginning to learn, which is encouraging

I am also learning that I don’t like sleep deprivation. Two nights in a much larger new place has had me not falling asleep for several hours and then waking up multiple times every hour for the rest of the night. Seriously, no newborn could be on a feeding schedule that bad, so after this, Isaac should be a breeze, right?

We had our fourth Bradley class tonight and found out that one of the couples wouldn’t be back. They lost their baby over the weekend at 22 weeks. She’d had complications the whole pregnancy (and with her previous pregnancy as well) but to be 5 months pregnant… I can’t even imagine and I’m so sad for the family.

34 Weeks 2 Days-

I am beginning to understand why people say you gain 1-2 pounds a week during the third trimester. It’s all the cake and baby showers. Enough said.

I never thought that I would be this thankful for a fixed AC unit and for being too cold once more.

34 Weeks 3 Days-

It’s a good thing Isaac has some padding around him because these days I tend to mis-estimate my size a lot, bumping into chairs and doorways because I’m not used to my stomach sticking out quite so much. I am happy to report that I can still see my feet though. If I position them in the right place, that is.

34 Weeks 4 Days-

My belly button is popped out, which is fine by me, since I think it’s sort of cute and funny looking, but it keeps reminding me of one of those timers that pops up when the food is done. And I am not ready to be done. As much as the early days of pregnancy had me wishing for a 37 week pregnancy, now I’m wanting the full 40 weeks for my sanity and preparations sake. I didn’t think I’d feel that way, but the prospect of being off work, of going to the beach and organizing baby stuff and seeing people and drinking coffee over my journal and a good book in our (temporary but lovely) back yard has me hoping that Isaac will be nice and hold out for the arbitrary 40 week mark.

34 Weeks 5 Days-

My favorite line that people say to me these days is the variation on, “You’re not huge at all!” While meant as a compliment, you should probably refrain from using the word huge, in whatever context, when speaking to a pregnant woman.

34 Weeks 6 Days-

Being in Fresno, where the heat was unbearable, has put the mid-80’s of southern California into perspective for me. I was starting to be annoyed that it was getting warm, but after feeling 103 degrees for the weekend I LOVE the 80’s. I guess it could always be worse.

No one told me it was possible to feel this good at the end of week 35. I feel amazing! Two nights of decent sleep agrees with me, I think.

Well, some books may disagree with me on the counting here, but this is where I plan on leaving month 8 and moving into month 9. Yes, month 9 will have 35 days and 5 weeks. Deal with it.

Dear Isaac,

You are one squirmy little guy! It is becoming more and more apparent to me, as I sometimes feel little legs attached to your knee or foot or whatever happens to be hitting me in the rib at the time, that you are truly a little person in there. Not that I doubted your reality before, but holy cow! You’re all connected in there! I can’t imagine how squished that would feel, but I’d love it if you could stay put for a while longer. Like exactly 5 more weeks.

I was told the other day that I’m carrying you high but I really haven’t noticed a problem breathing yet. I appreciate that, since I consider airflow to be one of those things I just don’t want to live without. You are in the 18-20.5 inch range still and are probably 5.5-6 pounds. That’s a lot of baby in there! You are definitely growing and stretching out my stomach. It helps that your dad says multiple times a day how much he loves my pregnant stomach and how cute it is.

One of the pregnancy websites says that you are full term at 35 weeks. Please don’t listen to those delusional people. You have 5 more weeks of hanging out to do in there, even though a lot of your growing is done. Your lungs are almost ready to breathe air but you need a little more baby fat before you can keep yourself warm out here.

I have to admit, I’m getting a little jumpy now. I feel like you could just show up any time. Odds say that you won’t, but it’s hard not to be oversensitive to my body and constantly wonder if certain things mean something while hoping all the while that they don’t. Talk to me at 40 weeks and 1 day and I’m sure I’ll be singing a different tune.

One website compared you to a small roasting chicken, which sounds funny. What happened to my little blueberry sized baby?!? It’s amazing how fast you grew. You would now have a 99% chance of survival if you were born today and that’s pretty amazing. You go ahead and work on that last 1% and grow for another 5 weeks, okay little guy? I need some down time and a few naps before you arrive.

Love,

Mom

 

Our little guy has gotten quite the wardrobe over the last month.  There are so many cute little boy things out there, with trucks and puppies and elephants (even squids – who knew they could be so darling?).  Not that onesies are a competition or anything, but this has to be my favorite thus far.  And I think Isaac might be wearing it a lot.  I’ll hold up our little armful of cuteness and this onesie will completely explain why mommy hasn’t brushed her hair in two days and why her car keys have been left in the fridge.

Monday: Walked 4.5 miles/Abs/Stretch

Tuesday: Ran 5 miles (49 minutes)/Walked 2 miles/Stretch

Wednesday: Got to bed at 2:00 am. Moving. Cleaning. Day off.

Thursday: Ran 5.5 miles (56 minutes)/Walked 1 mile

Friday: Walked 1 mile/off day

Saturday: Ran 9.5 miles (1:34 minutes)/Walked 0.8 miles

Sunday: Off day. Again.

Miles Run: 20 miles

I take it all back. What with moving this week I’ll be happy to run 3 days and get in 20 miles! I’m finding that it’s hard to gage my exertion levels when moving. My mentality has always been to just push through the move until it’s over and done and you collapse in a heap on the floor (which doesn’t matter because it’s done, right?). It’s just different being pregnant. If I forget to eat or drink or lift too much I get the fun of Braxton Hick’s contractions and realize after the fact that I’ve done too much. Moving is definitely an ab/leg/arm workout though!

I’m trying to keep in mind that this week has looked so different partly because of moving and working full time, partly because I feel like I’m getting sick, and partly because of traveling on two consecutive weekends. It’s hard to stick with a normal exercise routine when all of that is thrown into the equation. I don’t like that, but I can deal with a week of slowing down. Provided I can pick it all back up next week.

Running is Fresno is completely different than running in southern California. You think I would know this but somehow I forgot. I got out there on Saturday morning, the sun already out and beating down at 6:20 ( I know… it’s just wrong.). I started out running the familiar Fresno State agriculture route that I traversed so many times the week we were there at the beginning of June for my mom’s surgery two years ago and where I ran again, a month later, when we were there for her funeral. The running in summer experience is a heck of a lot hotter when you’re 20 pounds heavier, let me tell you. It didn’t help that my ipod, my dear ipod, decided to happily play in my bag while we were traveling, leaving me with enough music for 3.5 miles. And then it was dead. This is a sad happening when you are tired, hot, pregnant, in need of musical distraction, and still have 6 miles to go. It actually wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be and I did the full 9.5 miles. In retrospect though, I should have taken water with me on the first 6 mile loop. I was running at a 9:30 pace then and ended up getting a bit dehydrated. The last 2.5 I was plodding at 10:30-11 minutes per mile, simply because I hadn’t anticipated the heat zapping every ounce of moisture from my body. Live and learn, I guess. And think more about climate when running. The sprinklers were fun though, at the end. God bless sprinklers!

I got in my 20 miles. Barely. I also had 3 off days this week, which has really thrown me… well, off, for a better word. Cognitively I recognize that it’s been a crazy week with travel, moving, poor sleep, and coming down with a cold. Despite that, and despite the fact that my weight has stayed the same for the past 2 weeks, only exercising for 4 days makes me feel like I must have gained 20 pounds in a week. Not true, but weird to feel like it’s true.

This week I hope to get my mileage back into the mid to upper 20’s and do weights again. My arms missed the workout! I also have either a 5K or 10K on the 4th of July. I have until tomorrow to commit to one or the other. I remember that the midpoint of the 10K is at the top of a long hill, but I don’t know that I can deal with only running a 5K when it will take 20 minutes to drive to the run… Such tough decisions. I suppose I can always commit to the 10K and then run the 5K if I get exhausted. Is anyone really going to tell the pregnant lady that she can’t do that?  Yeah, I didn’t think so.

Since we didn’t have enough to do with trying to get out of and clean the apartment before June 30th, we’re attempting to do all that in between two weekends away. Last weekend to the Bay Area, this weekend to Fresno, to see family and friends. Except I just checked the weather report and it’s supposed to be 106 degrees tomorrow. 106??!?!?!?! Who lives in weather like that? What do you wear in weather like that when you’re pregnant? (And yes, I grew up there, but still… 106?) So I’m thinking of looking for some new family on Craig’s List. Maybe some family that lives in Seattle who I could comfortably visit during my 35th week of pregnancy.

I will be glad when the apartment is done, I can sleep through the night again, can get my exercise schedule back on track, and I can stack and organize the boxes that are towering in piles everywhere in the house we are temporarily staying in. Maybe I can also install the car seat and wash baby clothes. That will be the extent of my nesting this pregnancy, I guess. That, along with a 5K or 10K will consume my 4th of July weekend, I’m guessing.

Random Friday linkage… I haven’t read this blog but I’ve loved following the maternity series that this man has done of his wife’s pregnancy. And now she’s almost there.

Now, off to Fresno to try to fry eggs on the sidewalk.

I was packing the other day, rummaging through the far corners of the linen closet (okay, our place is tiny, it’s the everything closet), and I stumbled across a blanket that my mom made sometime in the year before she died.  I wish I could remember why she gave it to me.  I wish it had something to do with wanting to make something for her first grandbaby and that she knew that he would be a boy, hence the blue around the edges.  I wish it was created with that much intentionality, much like I wish she’d left me letters or voice recordings for different times during my life.  But I don’t think it was.  It might have simply been her first blanket finished that she felt wasn’t good enough to give away at a shower.  Whatever the case, I’m glad that I found it and glad that the edges are blue, even though I’m sure when she gave it to me I wondered what I’d do with a small blanket in those colors.

I also looked again at my mom’s sort-of-journal that she kept while she was pregnant with me.  It’s woefully lacking in details and information but I thought it was funny to find that she’d noted middle back pain on the right side two months before I was born.  It sounds like the same place Clint keeps massaging trying to get rid of whatever it is that makes the spot ache so badly. 

The ties and connections are so pitifully small.  I never thought that this would be the extent of my mom’s involvement in my first pregnancy.  If anything, I would have expected her to be over-involved, that I would hang up the phone in annoyance and remind anyone around that this was my pregnancy.

I miss her.  Today was her birthday and the last time I saw her, two years ago.  I can hardly believe that much time has passed and so many things have changed.  The landscape of life is different in countless ways, there has been so much growth and change.  Sometimes I hardly recognize myself and I wonder what she would think of it all.  The missing and the ache change but they don’t go away.

And I don’t think that I’d want them to.