Training (and Reno) Updates!

Spring looks to have finally sprung in Marquette!

The temps have been slowly warming up, the sun has (mostly) been shining, and we are in the midst of a thunderstorm right now!!

I also was able to enjoy (simultaneously) my first long run AND outdoor run of the year yesterday.

I ran 6 miles in 1:01:08 and managed a negative split.  I should plug in my Garmin and download the stats, but I’d have to dig out the USB cord (where IS that USB cord, anyway…?)

I am definitely feeling the difference between treadmill running and outdoor running today.  My quads and bottom are quite sore!

I also had my first speed workout on Tuesday, which was a killer!  I ran a total of 3.5 miles and threw in 4 or 5 1-2 minute speed bursts throughout.  It was tough, but I was proud that I at least pushed myself to finish the run!

In general, my training is going pretty well.  I’ve been completing at least 3 of my 4 scheduled runs each week, and making sure to finish my long runs (which have built up from 4 miles to 5 and then 6 this week).

The upcoming week looks a little like this:

• Monday:  Rest! 
• Tuesday:  3 mile hill workout
• Wednesday:  Strength train
• Thursday:  4 mile tempo run
• Friday:  Strength train
• Saturday:  3 miles
• Sunday:  7 mile long run

The half marathon is only 5 weeks away!!

Kitchen Remodel Update

We have made a TON of progress on the kitchen!  We’ve got new and working electrical, the walls and trim are painted, and the flooring is completed.  All we are waiting for are the CABINETS and countertop!!!

We had planned on April 1st for our cabinet installation date, but the company had to push us back to “between April 5th and the 11th.”  On Wednesday, we still hadn’t heard anything from them, and when Keith called, they told us it would be this Monday or Tuesday at the earliest.

Not cool.

Keith called again yesterday for an update, and we are able to go in tomorrow (Monday) at 3:00 to take a look at the cabinets and decide on how much (or little) of a glaze/highlight we want.

Unfortunately, some people have to work at 3:00 on a Monday, so I am entrusting my husband to text me a decent picture for my approval.

Anyway, we still don’t have an actual date for the installation nailed down yet, but I’m hoping they will be in by the end of the week.  It’s frustrating, because the project isn’t delayed on our end.  We have been ready for cabinets for at least a week/week and a half already!

We’ve been without a kitchen since February 27th, and I am just dying to cook again.  I miss my kitchen!  I’m tired of take-out!

I cannot eat another bowl of microwave oatmeal!!!!

Training Commences

Today was my first official day of training for the Cellcom Green Bay Half Marathon!

The race is less than 8 weeks away (on May 15th!), which doesn’t seem all that far away!  I am using one of my older training plans for the last two half marathons I ran in 2009.  I may still do a little tweaking to it.

Half Marathon
Training Plan

Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
1	Rest	Run 3 miles	X-train/ Strength	Run 3.5 miles	X-train	Run 3 miles Strength	Run 4 miles
2	Rest	Run 3 miles: hills	X-train/ Strength	Run 3.5 miles	X-train	Run 3 miles Strength	Run 5 miles
3	Rest	Run 3.5 miles: speed	X-train/ Strength	Run 4 miles	X-train	Run 3 miles Strength	Run 6.5 miles
4	Rest	Run 3 miles: hills	X-train/ Strength	Run 4 miles: tempo	X-train	Run 3 miles Strength	Run 8 miles
5	Rest	Run 4 miles: speed	X-train/ Strength	Run 4 miles: tempo	X-train	Run 3 miles Strength	Run 9.5 miles
6	Rest	Run 5 miles: hills	X-train/ Strength	Run 4 miles: tempo	X-train	Run 3 miles Strength	Run 10 miles
7	Rest	Run 5 miles: speed	X-train/ Strength	Run 5 miles: tempo	X-train	Run 3 miles Strength	Run 12 miles
8	Rest	Run 5 miles: hills	X-train/ Strength	Run 4.5 miles (tempo)	X-train or run 3 miles	Rest	Half marathon!

As you may notice, today should be a “rest” day, but I have a full day tomorrow, so I flopped days.

I ran 3 miles in 29:38 and managed a negative split.

I really don’t like running at night.  My legs feel like lead, my stomach often cramps from running after dinner, and I feel a little too wired afterwards to go to sleep right away.  Eventually, I’d like to knock out these Tuesday runs in the morning, but then there is the problem of waking up early…

In other news, we are on week 4 of our kitchen remodel.  I am so ready for this project to be over!  Keith is hoping to put a coat of primer on the walls tonight.  It looks like we are still on track for getting the cabinets and countertop installed on April 1st!

Ups and Downs

So happy it’s Friday right now!!  It’s actually only 8 o’clock, but I’m thinking about heading to bed with a book pretty soon.

On Sunday, I hit the treadmill for a run.  I told myself I would do 2.5 miles, but after I hit the 2 mile mark, I thought: Why can’t I do 3?

These last couple months, I have been trying to slowly build up a base before starting my half marathon training plan.  However, I’ve only been able to get myself on the treadmill once or twice a week.  I’ve been doing lots of 2 mile runs, but I kept telling myself that I probably wouldn’t be able to make it that extra mile to the magic number 3.

On Sunday, I decided to teach my brain who was boss, and it felt AWESOME!

I ran 3 miles in 30:32 and it felt so good.  Sometimes, all you need to do is stop the negative thoughts and tell yourself you are capable of pushing yourself.

Yesterday (Thursday), I was still riding on my high from Sunday’s run, and I hopped on the treadmill ready to pump out another 3 miles (blasting the same 3 songs I’m obsessed with on repeat, of course).

After just about an eighth of a mile, I got a horrible side stitch.

I dug my fingers in my side, trying to work it out—no change.

I tried the “breath through a straw” trick—didn’t help.

I stopped an walked a little and took a few sips of water—still hurting.

I put my arms over my head and tried stretching it out—nothin’.

I think I exhausted all of my usual tricks to get rid of side cramps, and it just felt like the pain got more severe.  I tried pushing myself to run further, and was able to finish 2 miles in a slightly hunched posture.

Isn’t it frustrating how a short, 2 mile run can be so hard to complete some days, when they “should” be easy??

I have to keep being positive, though.  Everyone has their crappy run days, and tomorrow is a clean slate!

Time Flies!!! Plus a BIG announcement!

How is this little guy already 6 months old?!?

It’s insane, I tell you!  I feel like we were just getting his newborn pictures done when he was 2 weeks old:

 

And now he’s 6 months!

I’m so proud of our little handsome boy. 

Lots of new things going on in my life, besides watching the little guy grow!

We are in the midst of a big kitchen renovation project.  Keith did all the demo earlier this week and we are “enjoying” our makeshift kitchen in our sunroom for the time being.  Our plan is to have the new cabinets and countertop installed on April 1st, if not earlier.  I cannot wait to have our brand new kitchen and show you guys the before and after shots!

I also registered for my first post-baby race:  the Cellcom Green Bay Half Marathon on May 15th!  It’s already only 10 weeks away, but my “serious” training won’t start for another 2 weeks.

Now onto my HUGE announcement!

I registered to run the 2011 Chicago Marathon on October 9th!!!

Part of my brain thinks I’m all sorts of crazy to take on this challenge right now, but I’m super psyched!!

I will be running the marathon in support of the American Cancer Society.  I have a goal to raise at least $950.  If you are interested in donating, you may do so here.  Any donations are greatly appreciated!

I will be working on a few fundraising ideas for the future, too, so stay tuned!

I am very excited to have these upcoming races to look forward to and provide some good blogging material. 

It’s a Boy!! A Slightly Abbreviated Birth Story

Let’s go back in time (wayyy back) to August 21, 2010, approximately 6:30pm.

The husband and I were at a friend’s house getting ready to eat dinner when my water broke!  Thankfully, our friends have 2 kids and were not grossed out at all.  Plus, since I wasn’t having contractions yet, they encouraged us to stay and eat before heading to the hospital (since sometimes they won’t let you eat, and we were hungry!!).

We ate, stopped at home to change out of my wet shorts and grab our packed hospital bag, and got to the hospital about 8 o’clock.  Still no contractions.

The doctor on call decided to wait overnight to see if contractions would start and intensify on their own.  I was barely 2 cm dilated at the time.  We occupied ourselves by watching Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on ABC Family.

Around 11:30/midnight, contractions finally started and continued throughout the night.  They started about 10-15 minutes apart, and slowly intensified and became around 5 minutes apart.  However, by the time late morning rolled around, they decreased in intensity and frequency.  Crap.

At 10:30am, they started me on Pitocin to help speed along labor.  Once my water broke, most physicians feel it is safer to deliver the baby within 24 hours to reduce the risk of infection, so at this point, the doctor felt my uterus needed a kick in the pants.

Well, the Pitocin worked!  Contractions intensified, and a few hours later I was 4-5 cm dilated.  About an hour after that, I decided to go ahead with an epidural.  I went into the labor experience pretty open-minded.  I had no idea what to expect, and didn’t want to pressure myself into thinking that I wouldn’t have a perfect birth if I felt I needed pain relief, but I also didn’t want to go in with the mindset that I wouldn’t be able to handle labor without it, either.

The anesthesiologist arrived about 30 minutes later, and I was already dilated to 8 cm!!  It was actually a relief to hear that I had progressed that far, and that’s why I was in so much pain!  However, the anesthesiologist deduced that there wasn’t really enough time for an epidural, but she was able to give me an interthecal instead (basically the same thing, but with an epidural they can continually add pain medication, while with the interthecal you receive one dose of medicine that lasts 2-3 hours).

At this point, the baby’s heart rate dropped from around 130 to in the 70s and 60s at one point.  The external heart rate monitor kept shifting around, so they placed an internal monitor on the baby.  The heart rate jumped into the 200s, and more chaos ensued for a few minutes.  They called in the operating room team in the event I would need an emergency c-section, but within a few minutes, thankfully, Baby’s heart rate returned to the 130s and remained that way for the rest of my labor.

Shortly afterwards, I was fully dilated to 10 cm and ready to push!  I pushed and pushed and pushed.  I pushed on my back.  I pushed on my side.  I pushed on my other side.  I pushed with a squatting bar.  I pushed on my knees.  I pushed for 2 hours.

Baby stayed at zero station and wouldn’t come down any further.

After the whole bradycardia issue, the doctor had the OR team on stand-by in case Baby’s heart rate decreased again.  Turns out, I ended up needing them anyway.

Yup, I ended up with a c-section. 

But after all the labor, the pushing, and the surgery, Keith and I ended up with the most wonderful miracle.

Kurt Allen O’Brien
August 22, 2010  5:32pm
6 lbs. 10 oz.
18 inches

 

 

 

 

So the last 3 1/2 weeks of my life have been filled with diaper changes, sleep-deprived nights, baby cries, 2 AM feedings (and 4 AM, and 5:30 AM, and 7 AM…), sore boobs, nursing frustrations, tears, spit-up, lots of laundry, and changing pee-soaked outfits.

But they have also been full of countless cuddles, kisses, and smiles.  Just knowing that he is ours makes everything worth it!  We are absolutely blessed!

P.S.  I was puked on twice while writing this post.  I am totally a mom!

38 Weeks + Birthday Presents!

The last few days have been  pretty busy.  I feel like it should be much later in the week than only Wednesday!

First, I finally found the cable for my camera that connects to my laptop, so I can post my most recent belly picture.

38 weeks…only about 2 more to go!  This was taken on Friday, the 13th, so it’s a few days old already.  We were on our way out for date night and a pre-birthday dinner (in case we ended up in the hospital on my actual birthday).

I know I’ve mentioned on the blog before that my husband is a terrible secret-keeper.  As soon as my birthday present arrived at our doorstep over a week early, he was asking me if I wanted to open it.  I would have waited until my birthday, but he gets pretty persistent!

He is an excellent gift selector.

 

Woot!  My very own Canon Rebel XSi!  Hooray!

This is an example of why I needed a nice camera (or maybe I should have just learned to use my point-and-shoot correctly…):

 

Blurry. 

My actual birthday was yesterday, the 17th.  Since I already received my birthday present, we already had my birthday dinner, and we had birthday cake with the family on Sunday night, yesterday didn’t feel much like a birthday at all.

I did manage to receive a little surprise.

Any guesses as to what the orange jug currently housed in my fridge is?  (Hint:  It’s not OJ!)

 

If you guessed that it was a jug filled with my urine, you would be correct!

Kinda gross, I know.

Yesterday afternoon I had a check-up with the OB.  My blood pressure is normally in the 106-110/68ish range, but at the start of my appointment it was 150/84.  She completed the rest of the visit and then took my BP again, which, thankfully, had lowered to 120/78.  However, she was a little concerned because it was still a bit higher than usual, so she wrote an order to have me complete some lab work.

The lab work consisted of 1) having my blood drawn (yuck) and 2) collecting my pee for 24 hours in this fancy, orange jug.  Tomorrow morning, I bring in the pee and I believe have my blood drawn again, and then I have to go back to the OB to have my blood pressure checked again.

So, this could be the signs of preeclampsia, or it could be a false alarm.  As much as I want this baby to come RIGHT NOW, I also don’t really love the idea of being induced.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed for good news tomorrow!

By the way, it is super awkward to have to carry around a urine collection hat and a big jug of pee when you’re at work!

Waiting Impatiently

Yesterday morning I broke down and gave the husband permission to get a window air conditioner for the downstairs.  He had been wanting to pick one up for a while, but I was reluctant.  I figured we would only have a few really warm days, and then we’d be fine.  A month later, I had to give in!

I felt like a complete wreck Saturday morning.  My stomach was feeling a little off, I was having hot flashes even with the A/C on upstairs, I felt miserable in my maternity clothes that are just becoming too small, and I had to go into work for a couple hours (again!).  Throw my crazy pregnancy hormones on top of all that, and I turned into a bit of a sobbing mess.

Thankfully, I didn’t have wacky hormone-induced mood swings in the first or second trimesters.  I’ve really only had a handful of little breakdown moments where I feel so overwhelmed and flustered and just need to cry it out a little.

I was really hoping that I would be pretty relaxed during my last month of pregnancy, but I’ve also found that I am way too eager and anxious to meet our baby and everyday for the last week or so, I am wishing that the baby would come NOW.  I go to sleep and think, “Maybe it will be tonight!” and wake up thinking, “Well, maybe I’ll go into labor at work today…”  Obviously, it hasn’t happened yet.

My due date is less than 2 weeks away, but I could go up to 2 weeks overdue before the doctors may induce if needed.  So, I could be waiting for almost 4 more weeks.

I am going crazy!!

Today was a slightly better day.  I have pictures of my breakfast (pancakes) and a really refreshing green monster (which was downed following a nice, long walk) and a little family get-together for birthday cake this evening (my birthday is on Tuesday, the 17th).  I also have pictures of my birthday present from Keith, which I have been meaning to reveal.

However, my camera cord for the laptop is currently MIA (which means it’s probably in a really obvious spot that I have somehow ignored), so you will just have to wait a little longer!!

I am off to bed!  I had a horrible night’s sleep last night (I was up from 3:30am until 5:30 before I could fall back asleep!), and I probably have to work tomorrow, since there are no signs that baby’s arrival will be this evening.

Hope you all had a fun, relaxing weekend!! 

Old Wives’ Tales

The last couple days have been super busy!  Yesterday, we had a group of houseguests stay overnight (Keith’s brother, sister-in-law, her sister, and their 3 kids).  We went out to dinner together and spent the rest of the evening visiting.

After work tonight, I had an OB appointment, followed by an hour-long appointment to pre-register at the hospital, and then I grabbed a quick dinner before getting a (much needed) pedicure.  I usually am not one to go out and spend money on getting my nails done, but I can’t reach my toenails to even trim them, and I don’t want to have people staring at my talons when I’m in labor!  Because I’m sure all the nurses will be fixated on my feet…

Anyway, since D-Day is getting closer and closer, I am getting more anxious for Baby to arrive and for us to finally find out if I’ve been housing a little boy or a little girl and what s/he will look like.

Of course, EVERYONE has an opinion, and they feel free to give it.  Some are nicer than others when expressing their opinion.  At this point, I think the husband and I are both getting a little tired of people asking what we are having, us explaining we aren’t finding out the sex, and then people reacting: “What are you going to do with the nursery then?” or “Well, what kind of clothes do you have for the baby?”  First of all, a nursery does not need to be pink or blue.  Secondly, there are plenty of neutral clothing options to dress baby until s/he is born and Grandma (and whoever else) decides to go crazy buying gender-specific clothing.  I don’t think the baby will have to go naked.

End rant. 

It is fun to look up the old wives’ tales and see which ones might point to us having a boy or girl.  Of course, these have pretty much all been disproven by science, and every woman’s pregnancy is different, so I take these with a grain of salt.  I thought it would be fun to compare some of these old wives’ tales to determine if they lean one way or the other!

• Heart rate:  If the heart rate is over 140, it’s a girl.  Below 140 is a boy.  Our baby’s heart rate has been in the 140s to 150s pretty consistently. (GIRL)
• Carrying:  If you are carrying high with a big, round belly, it’s a girl.  If you are carrying low with a smaller belly that sticks out, it’s a boy.  People have commented both that I am carrying high and low, but I guess my belly is on the smaller side, so…BOY?
• Shape of Mom’s Face:  If mom’s face becomes more full and round, it’s a girl.  If the face is long and narrow, it’s a boy.  My cheeks have definitely gotten a bit rounder!  (GIRL)
• Cravings:  Craving salty foods when pregnant indicates a boy, while craving sweets, fruit, and OJ point to a girl.  I haven’t really had cravings, but I have a sweet tooth in general, and did start wanting orange juice in the mornings, so…GIRL.
• Preferred Side to Rest On:  If you prefer laying on the left side, it’s a boy, but the right side indicates a girl.  I tend to flip-flop at night, but I start on the right side.  (GIRL)
• Dad’s Weight Gain:  If Dad gains weight while you are pregnant, it’s a girl.  If he doesn’t gain weight, it’s a boy.  I think Keith said he’s gained a little weight, nothing crazy, but I guess that points to GIRL.
• Morning Sickness:  No morning sickness = boy.  Sick or nauseous during pregnancy = girl.  I was lucky this time and didn’t get sick at all.  (BOY)
• Heartburn:  This one doesn’t indicate gender, but allegedly, if you have heartburn during your pregnancy, the baby will come out with hair.  I have been heartburn free, so I guess we’re having a baldy! 

From this list, it looks like the old wives are predicting a bald baby girl for us!  However, I can think of examples for all of these “tests” where the result was opposite what was predicted!  I guess we will just have to wait patiently to find out!

What do you predict?  Boy or girl?  Hair or no hair?  How about weight or birthday?

Crazy Baking Sunday

Ahhhhhh…I am finally relaxing upstairs in our air-conditioned bedroom getting ready to turn in for the night.  Today has been quite a long, productive day!  Like every Sunday, I’m wishing I had just one more day before the work week starts!

I actually slept in a little today, until about quarter to 8.  At least once on the weekends, I like to make breakfast for my hubby and myself.

I like eggs, but I don’t usually make them for myself for breakfast.  I would much rather have something bready/carby in nature, and preferably sweet. 

 

I just really wanted an excuse to have biscuits and honey, but I knew one biscuit wouldn’t fill me up.

Scrambled eggs are kicked up a notch with hot sauce!

Plus, a sliced peach.  Again, I really need to work on my peach-slicing skills.

After breakfast, I went out for a very humid walk (gotta get that baby in position!), showered, and went to work to finish those notes that have been nagging me since Friday afternoon.

Once I finished up my work, I picked up Keith and we did some grocery shopping.  We didn’t have to pick up too much, just some basics and a few things to make dinner with this week.

I was pretty hungry when we got home, so I reheated some leftovers from dinner on Friday night.  We went to the Wild Rover with another couple, and I ordered the Riverbush Salmon, which comes with mashed potatoes.  I only could finish about half of it, but it made the perfect quick lunch for today.

Keith was tired after a long morning of golf and groceries.

I got to work on dinner.  Jenna made a Cheesy Zucchini Pizza the other night that looked fabulous and easy.  I decided to make the pizza dough from scratch, since it’s been a while since I’ve made it.

Grating the zucchini was fun, and it looks so pretty all mixed in with the mozzarella.

Pre-baking:

Post-baking:

This was REALLY good!  I totally recommend this recipe.  It has a really nice flavor, and the ricotta cheese makes it so creamy.  It would be perfect with a nice, cold, glass of white wine.

I settled for iced tea.

And finished off dinner with a sundae cone.

All day long I’d been thinking about making muffins, too.  I have a really great recipe for oatmeal muffins, and I had blueberries sitting in the fridge that were begging to be used.

I thought they would be extra delicious with a streusel topping.  I’ve never made streusel before, but I found a recipe that seemed easy enough, so I whipped it together.

Unfortunately, I may have either mixed it too much, or else the kitchen was just way too warm and the butter softened too much.  It turned out like more of a creamy spread than a crumble.

I attempted to crumble it as much as possible.  I figured a cinnamon-sugar buttery topping wouldn’t hurt the muffins if it ended up just melting on top.

Final product:

No crumbles. 

 

They still taste amazing!

(Flash alert!)

I made a dozen muffins total, and I really don’t think they will be lasting long around here!

Now that I’m typing all this up, I realized I used the oven 3 times today (biscuits, pizza, muffins) and washed dishes at least 4 times.  Plus, our house is pretty darn hot and humid.  Running the oven so much probably wasn’t the smartest idea for the super furnace that is me.  Though, I did have my buddy with me:

I’m actually looking forward to doing some more baking tomorrow.  There is another recipe I really want to try, and I’d like to bring in a treat for a work meeting on Tuesday morning.

Stay tuned tomorrow to find out what my husband bought me for my birthday! 

What is your favorite food to bake?  I love making chocolate chip cookies, but I probably end up just eating the dough 75% of the time. 

Never-ending Work Week

Good Saturday morning!

The last few days of the work week have been a blur, leaving me pretty darn tired by the end of the day.  I actually have to go in for a little while today to finish some notes on the computer.  Our documentation is all done with a computer program, and we have one desktop and one laptop that is kept in a locked cabinet (so more than one person can work on notes at a time).  Well, yesterday morning the lock for the cabinet kind of fell off/broke, but we can’t get in!!  So we were limited to one computer with 3 people all clamoring to get on at the end of the day.  I decided to just leave a little early and finish my notes today rather than sit around and wait on a Friday afternoon!

C’est la vie!

The last few days of the week, I woke up thinking about how excited I was to sleep in on Saturday, and you know what?  I woke up at the same time without an alarm and ready to get up.

Mostly, I was hungry and couldn’t wait to make breakfast!

 

Oatmeal with flax, cinnamon, coconut, granola, dried cranberries, and a little scoop of peanut butter tucked in.

 

My little beverage treat was a home-made “mocha”, which is basically just coffee with milk and a couple scoops of chocolate milk mix.

Went down nice and easy! 

On my agenda for the day:

• Laundry/cleaning
• Running errands
• Walk
• Haircut
• Work (boo!)
• Dinner out with friends

What are your plans for the weekend?