Life lately.

12 Oct

It’s that time of year: elk hunting. Travis and his parents headed up this morning and I’ll head up right after work. Since I spent pretty much all of my PTO going to Alaska for two weeks and I can’t take unpaid time off without VP approval (stupid corporate policy), I will only be going up for Saturday, Sunday and Monday, heading down Monday night. Everyone else will come back down Wednesday. If you’re wondering, I don’t hunt. I hang out with my mother-in-law and we do fun stuff. 🙂

Read about our trip last year here.

Even though I’m going to freeze my butt off and I am really not looking forward to heading out to the lug-able loo at 2 am (thanks to pregnancy), I am looking forward to doing some hiking and lots of reading. The forecast calls for snow near us so we may or may not see any snow. Luckily, I have my warm boots this year. No more cold toes for me!

One more thing I’m excited about – driving my new car!

After 3 trips to the dealer and much hemming and hawing, we finally signed the paperwork for a 2008 Mazda Tribute. The Tribute is just the Mazda (and slightly less expensive) version of a Ford Escape.

I absolutely love it! It handles like a car and accelerates really fast (thanks to the V6 engine). And best part, I won’t have to spend 20 minutes on a Friday afternoon sitting in the parking lot at work because my car won’t start. (Yes, that happened last week.)

This past Monday night, while Travis was heckling with the dealer, I went to Starbucks (car shopping stresses me out because Travis and I have opposite buying personalities) to read my book Unbroken and have a good hour-long phone chat with my dear friend Holly who lives in Minnesota. It was so enjoyable. (Oh and Unbroken is a good book too!)

I tried the Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate. It was ok, but I wouldn’t order it again. Too rich.

Last week, we awoke one morning to a light dusting of snow. Now I know that the weather (especially that of a week ago) is not breaking news but I bring it up because I am LOVING Denver’s weather this fall. It’s been cold, dreary and rainy – reminds me so much of Minnesota.

 

This next picture is kind of dark but you can just barely make out a pile of grass sitting on the carpet in our living room. What is it doing there? Charlie puked it up. We’re convinced that she’s part cow. Who eats that much grass? No wonder it didn’t agree with her. (I promise she gets plenty of dog food to eat and is not starving to death.)

 

And lastly, a quick thought I had this past Sunday at church – I was standing in the sanctuary during worship and thinking about how amazing everything is in my life right now. It’s not perfect by any means but I can honestly say that 90% of the time I am completely content and grateful for all of the things God has blessed us with. At the same time, I recognize that my joy is partly because God has worked everything out with Travis’ school and PE, getting pregnant, finances, house stuff, a new car, etc. exactly how I wanted Him to. But He didn’t have to do that. He didn’t have to make everything happen this way. And yet, He did. He chose these circumstances for us, as much as we so do not deserve them. So I am praising and thanking Him for this season of excitement and joy, knowing that it won’t last for the rest of my life, but embracing the wonderful reality of NOW for the gift that it is.

I also recognize that this attitude of contentment in my heart is God’s doing – on my own, I am naturally bent toward discontentment and ingratitude. Like Ann Voskamp says, “Ingratitude was the fall – humanity’s discontent with all that God freely gives.” Without God, I would find something to be discontent about even in this season of abundance. So I am doubly thankful, not only for God’s blessings, but also for His allowing me to recognize them as such.

We sang this song in care group the other night and I think it sums up these ideas well:

Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name
When I’m found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I’ll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name
When the sun’s shining down on me
When the world’s ‘all as it should be’
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there’s pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I’ll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

 

Have a great weekend!

 

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Pregnancy Update: 14 weeks

8 Oct

I’m officially in the second trimester! The baby has grown to be the size of a lemon. I celebrated yesterday morning by throwing up for the first time during pregnancy. I think it was caused by drinking tea on an empty stomach? It was kinda weird – I have a lot of energy in the morning so I was tidying up the house and all of a sudden, I felt sick. It lasted for about 5 minutes, I puked and then I was fine – but I made sure to eat something so that it didn’t return.

On Thursday, I ran almost a full 3 miles. Even though I’m still ridiculously slow and have to stop and walk every once in a while to keep my heart rate under 150, it felt great to get out there. It reminded me of why I love running – I love getting outside and I love how even a slow jog feels like a good workout.

I bought two pairs of maternity pants at the used maternity store on Saturday. They cost half of what I would pay for new pants so it was definitely worth going there. The lady said they get new stuff in all the time so I plan to go back.

The rest of the weekend was spent car shopping and room organizing. We bought a bunch of totes and filled them with all the stuff that was in the dresser that we’re putting in storage. Progress towards the nursery!

Side note on cravings: I used to prefer sweet things over salty any day of the week but now, my tastebuds are completely reversed. I would gladly pass up chocolate to eat potato chips. It’s so very strange.

Also, if I hadn’t discovered that I can still eat cooked or vegetarian sushi, I would be very sad. We have eaten it more often during the past 3 months than we did before. Probably another result of the salty tastebuds.

………………….

My week of workouts:

Su: 1.55 mile walk

Th: 3 mile jog

Sa: 20 min Pilates

…………………..

Symptoms: 1 episode of morning sickness, face acne (though it’s improving)

Cravings: cucumbers with French dressing, egg sandwiches, sushi, licorice, POTATO CHIPS, nachos

Weight Gained: same as last week (5 lbs)

Tags: , ,

The irony of pregnancy

3 Oct

You have headaches often but can’t take aspirin.

You feel like a zombie but can only have 200 mg of caffeine. And coffee sounds disgusting anyway.

You’re overwhelmed by monthly checklists, diaper options and product reviews, but can’t have a drink.

You’re actually supposed to gain weight by eating more, but nothing sounds appealing.

You need new clothes but have no idea what size you are and 80% of stores that sell maternity clothes only have them online.

That last one is the one I’m struggling with.

Buying maternity clothes has been one of the things I’ve looked forward to most about pregnancy. A valid reason to buy more clothes? Heck yes!

But the frugal side of me wants to find good deals, make sure I love the things I buy and try my best to not duplicate things I already have (pre-pregnancy or otherwise). Needless to say, it made my head spin a bit yesterday.

So I decided that I needed to plan a wardrobe and not just buy random pieces that I happened to like (yes, I do overthink things). I pasted screenshots into a Publisher file and finally narrowed it down to the things that I want to buy (at least for now).

 

Most of the pieces are from Old Navy, some are from Target and a few from Kohl’s (but I plan on buying pants in person, with the exception of those adorable green ones!).

But since I don’t have $360 to spend all at once, I narrowed my list down to $150 (which is my Blow Money amount) for this month. Pants are my most urgently needed item so I bought the green pants from Old Navy and will look for a pair of black and tan dress pants this week or weekend (planning to spend about $35 on each). After much deliberation, I decided to also buy the black maternity tank, camel sweater, and taupe dress top from Old Navy. And that will probably be it for this month (assuming everything fits well, that is).

I’ve been hesitant to go buy pants because the used maternity store I want to go to is only open Monday – Saturday 10 am – 5:30 pm. I’d really like to see what the prices are like and if it’s even worth shopping there, but I can’t find out until Saturday. But I can probably survive until then.

In other news, our Ford Focus, which we’ve been driving “until it dies” is on its way out. I went to start it on Monday and nothing. It’s working again now but Travis is very skeptical of its reliability. We know we need a new car eventually (the Focus is a 2001 with almost 170,000 miles) and we’re thinking we might as buy it now rather than wait (since the Focus has been sketchy for several months now – it’s not the first time it hasn’t started). So this weekend will probably also involve car shopping in addition to maternity clothes shopping. We’ve pretty much decided that we want a certified pre-owned Ford Escape with a V6. It will definitely be the nicest car either of us has ever owned. I’m pretty excited!

Tags: , , , , ,

Pregnancy Update: 13 Weeks

1 Oct

I have officially outgrown pretty much every single pair of pants I own – they no longer button, or at least, button comfortably enough for sitting down 9 hours a day. I have 2 pairs of jeans left and one is slowly becoming borderline. Since I find the rubber band trick annoying and not really that helpful, it’s time to buy real maternity pants.

I had planned on going to a used maternity store this past weekend but I had coffee with a friend Saturday morning and then spent the rest of the day moving all of the now-too-small clothes out of my closet and organizing some other stuff. I also made an actual dinner (not from a box!) and took the dogs on a walk. Yesterday, I was beat. We went to church, ate lunch at Arby’s, then I took a long nap during the Broncos game. We had a church meeting last night, so I took the dogs on a quick walk beforehand. We didn’t get home until almost 10! Way past my bedtime.

………………

I actually did a pretty good job this week at being active. Katy decided that she had had enough with not going on walks everyday so she started chewing things – like the comforter on our bed – to let us know that she was not happy. So I took the dogs on a walk 4 days. And I realized that being active is not only good for my physical health, it’s also good for me emotionally – instead of feeling like a lazy blob, I felt happy and thankful for doing something. Hopefully this is the beginning of a trend in the right direction.

Here’s what my week looked like:

Su: 30 minutes Pilates

Th: 1.55 mile jog, 10 minutes Pilates

F: 1.15 mile walk with dogs

Sa: 1.7 mile walk with dogs

(Su: 1.55 walk with dogs)

………………..

Other than still feeling a little more tired than usual, I feel pretty much like myself these days. I’ve even been able to sleep on my stomach a little more (since my constipation/bloating has gotten better).

I had an ergonomic evaluation at work in the hope of nipping my back pain in the bud. In addition to adjusting my workstation, the lady also recommended stretching, since tight hamstrings can cause lower back pain. No surprise there, as my hamstrings are as tight as a fiddle right now. Duly noted.

Symptoms: none really

Cravings: tortilla chips with queso dip, tacos, fruit snacks, cucumbers, french fries

Weight gained: 5 pounds (which my midwife said was “textbook”)

Tags: , ,

13 Week Appt – Heard the heartbeat!

28 Sep

I had my 13 week appointment this morning. It started with the usual – pee in a cup, stand on the scale, get your blood pressure taken. Today, I also got a flu shot.

Then I met with the midwife. The clinic I go to has about 6-8 midwives and you can either see them all, or request a specific one. I’ve had a different midwife for each appointment, which works just fine for me.

The one I met with today was very friendly and informative. She told me I could drink herbal tea as long as I watched my caffeine intake and that I can sleep on my back until 20 weeks since I’m at an average weight (sleeping on my side is more comfortable, but I get tired of my legs being bent all night).

And I got to hear our baby’s heartbeat! The midwife found it fairly quickly but then the baby moved and it took a while to find it again. She said the baby must be a pretty active little one because we kept hearing loud noises on the doppler. She finally did find it again and hearing that little heartbeat makes it so real that there’s a baby inside me.

All I can say about these experiences are that they are amazing. I never fully appreciated other women’s ultrasounds or stories but having it happen to me personally is a totally different story. I get all choked up and teary whenever I even think about it!

Because of that, I totally plan to put a frame like this in our baby’s nursery:

 

{source}

That couldn’t be more true. I’m amazed at how much I already love this little one. How someone could deem this not a human life, is beyond me.

Anyway, everything is as it should be. I go back for my next appointment in 4 weeks. Praise the Lord for a healthy baby!

Tags: , , , ,

A genetically mutated potato.

27 Sep

This morning, nothing we had at home sounded good for lunch so I planned to make a repeat trip to Jason’s Deli for the Best Lunch Ever. I was planning to order a whole bowl of the broccoli cheddar soup, instead of just a cup like I had last time, but as I was looking at the menu, the Spud Au Broc stood out to me.

 

The combination of my two current loves – the best broccoli cheddar soup in the world and a potato. Naturally, I got the full size potato because I’m pregnant and was starving.

Well, the potato was so monstrous that I’m convinced it was genetically mutated:

No worries though. I took it down.

I’ve been paying for it a bit since lunchtime with a very uncomfortable stomach (whether from eating too much or eating cheese, I’m not sure) but it was worth it.

My only complaint? That I burnt my tongue since I couldn’t wait for it to cool off before digging in.

And bonus points: there’s my veggies for the day. 😉 Never mind the calorie count of that bad boy. Ahem, 1,510.

 

 

Tags: , , , ,

My Latest Workouts

25 Sep

I’ve already lamented my laziness/exhaustion several times so that’s not what this post is about. Rather, I thought I’d talk about what working out looks like (when I actually do it) now that I’m pregnant.

Running these days looks pretty different from a few months ago. I do 3 miles max (though that’s more owing to my decreased energy than anything else), actually do a warm up and cool down for 5 minutes each (walking), and do jog/walk intervals – usually about 5 min/2 min. My Garmin has won big points in this area, with its programmable intervals.

The reason for all of this is that my doctor said I could still run but needed to keep my heart rate below 140. That’s definitely easier said than done. During Weeks 7-8, I did a little online research and decided that it wasn’t the end of the world if my heart rate was higher than 140, but stayed below 150. That way, I could jog the whole thing, instead of walking some (since my jogging heart rate is around 145).

But these days, I actually enjoy running more if I build in some walking. Maybe it’s because I’m losing my running fitness. Maybe it’s because I’m tired to begin with. But regardless, one benefit of wogging (walking/jogging) is that I’m barely sweaty when I get home. Fewer showers!

Another benefit of wogging is that my pace is so slow, I can’t compare it to anything I used to run. Now, it ranges from a “speedy” 13:30/mile to a moderate 16:00/mile. I just remind myself that this isn’t the time for an ego trip – I need to focus on being healthy and protecting my baby.

I’ve also had to adjust my expectations for exercise. Whereas before, I never would’ve considered a walk a workout, it is now. It’s weird to go from marathoner to near-couch potato but I’m trying to strike a balance between giving my body the rest it needs and just being lazy.

As much as I like the thought of being one of those pregnant ladies who runs all through pregnancy, I don’t know if I’ll be able or want to. So I plan on getting back into swimming and getting some prenatal DVDs I can do from home. I’m often a lot more motivated to work out in my own living room than drive the 5 minutes to the Rec.

Here’s what the past couple of weeks have looked like:

 

September 9 – 15

M: Jog/walk 2.58 miles, 15 minutes arms + legs

Sa: Jog/walk 3 miles, 10 minutes back + core

 

September 16 – 22

Su: 1.15 mile walk with pooches

M: 30 min elliptical + 10 min arms

F: 10 min Pilates

 

I’d still like to increase my activity level to at least taking the dogs on a walk every day but I’m not beating myself up for it. I’ll get there.

Tags: , ,

Pregnancy Update: Weeks 11-12 (Bump pics!)

24 Sep

Week 11

The secret’s out! This week, we told our extended family, church friends, Facebook friends and my blog friends. I also told the people at work I’m closest to. Every time I planned to tell someone, I got all nervous and excited beforehand. It’s big news!

In addition to my workout goal of 3x a week, this week I started trying to be more intentional with eating at least one serving of vegetables a day – whether a salad, lettuce in my smoothie, or cooked veggies with dinner. Most days, I meet that goal. I still love fruit, especially citrus, so I’ve been eating a lot of that too.

Week 11, I got a cold and my head felt congested and throbby for many days. Not fun. I also started to feel some lower back pain (possibly posterior pelvic pain). It’s the worst when I try to sit/stand up from being bent over at the waist. I plan to talk to my doctor about anything I could do to keep this from getting worse.

Travis and I started talking about names and have it narrowed down to, oh, about 15 for each gender. No big deal.

Symptoms: Sneezing, lower back pain

Cravings: Sushi (cooked), potato chips, French dressing

 

Week 12

On Monday of this week, I finally broke down and bought new bras, a whole cup and band size bigger. This is probably the part about pregnancy that I’m least excited about, besides the whole giving birth thing. My boobs are big enough, TYVM.

My stomach is also rounding out – no more flat days for me!

 

Even though I feel like it’s “too early” for me to show, I can’t really argue with reality. It is what it is.

To avoid the dreaded constipation, I’ve taken to consuming lots of apple juice and Fiber One bars (since I still can’t stand my beloved coffee). I also avoid eating cheese. That seems to make it worse.

I’ve been determined to sleep on my stomach and back for my entire first trimester but sadly, those positions are no longer comfortable for longer than 5 minutes or so (and I’d really only have a week left anyway). Side sleeping isn’t too bad when I use 2 pillows for my head (otherwise my collarbone hurts when I wake up) but it’s still not my favorite. And so it begins…

Symptoms: Crazy sense of smell!

Cravings: Chinese, waffles with peanut butter and cool whip, licorice, potatoes of all kinds (French fries, baked potatoes, potato chips, scalloped potatoes)

Weight gained: 3-4 pounds

………………..

And finally, I’m all caught up! As of yesterday, I am 12 weeks along. One more week and I’ll be in the second trimester!

Tags: , , , ,

Pregnancy Update: Weeks 8-10

22 Sep

Weeks 8 & 9

We told my family about my pregnancy when we went back to MN for Labor Day. I had made my parents a scrapbook for their anniversary and the last page said SURPRISE with our announcement picture. We flew in Thursday night and didn’t celebrate their anniversary until Sunday, Sept 2 so I had to keep it a secret for 2.5 days! My sister-in-law was very observant though and she suspected something was up before we announced it.

Anyway, we were finishing our breakfast when I gave my parents the scrapbook. When they came to the last page, they looked at it for several seconds and then looked up at me with a look that said “Are you serious?!?” I said, “Yep, we are expecting a baby.” Everyone was excited. My parents both teared up a bit. It was so fun to be able to tell them in person!

With Travis’ family, we weren’t so lucky. We tried calling his parents on the Wednesday after our first ultrasound but both of his parents were out of town. Travis ended up telling his mom over the phone one day while I was at work. But we’ll celebrate when they come out in October for elk hunting!

Our first ultrasound went well. They tried to do it on my belly first but our biscuit was too small to see so they ended up doing a vaginal ultrasound. It was a little unpleasant but so worth it to see our little bean squirming around in there! The baby’s Crown to Rump measurement put me at 9 weeks 3 days – about 4 days farther along than I had thought, making my new estimated due date April 7. We also saw the heartbeat and it was somewhere around 180 beats per minute. As we watched our baby do a happy dance, I cried from a mix of joy and relief. Our baby was healthy. It had a heartbeat. Everything was perfect. What a blessing from God!

Cravings: Fruit

Aversions: Vegetables still but I put them in pasta or smoothies to make them more appealing

Weight Gained: Two pounds

 

Week 10

This week continued the trend of feeling the worst at work but pretty good on the weekends — which was both a blessing and a challenge. It made work days even longer and harder, but I was able to enjoy and be productive on my weekends. I guess I would choose it this way, rather than the reverse.

There had been several nights when I woke up around 3 or 4 to use the bathroom and was absolutely starving. So to avoid having to eat in the middle of the night every night (because it makes it harder to get back to sleep), I started eating a snack before going to bed, even if I wasn’t really hungry. That helped.

On Friday, I was craving sushi after work and had recently learned that cooked sushi like California rolls is okay for pregnant women to eat. So I got a Cali and veggie roll from our favorite sushi place and they were amazing.

My nesting urge started on Saturday. I started researching baby stuff and created a spreadsheet of everything we need to get, including a ranking of how much we need it, where we’d find it and if we should register for it. The spreadsheet actually made the whole baby gear “How much stuff do we need?!?” feel much more manageable.

While Travis was hunting on Saturday, I went to a store that sells used baby stuff and bought a Baby Bjorn for $25 and a rearview car seat mirror for $5. I found a couple newborn hats for $0.25 at a thrift store too. And I walked around Target and Kmart to get an idea of how much stuff costs so I’d know a good deal when I find one.

On Sunday, I picked up a crib sheet (yellow ones are surprisingly hard to find!) and some paint samples. Then I started to organize our office closet and threw away a bunch of old files and papers that despite good intentions, I’ll never read again. Travis and I have filled our office and guest room to the max with stuff so there is a lot of organizing and storing things in the attic that needs to happen before we can even think about setting up the nursery!

We also need to store our guest room furniture and (I think) move Travis’ office to the guest room. We’re trying to think of how it’s going to be for him to work from home while I’m there all day with a baby, in a small house that only has one level. The guest room is back in the corner, instead of right next to the kitchen like the current office, so that’d probably be best for him. The guest room is bigger too so we’d be able to put a futon or hide-a-bed in there for guests.

Symptoms: Bloating and constipation disappeared!

Cravings: French fries, sushi, pasta, Magnum ice cream bars (saw them on a commercial and had to have them), oranges, potato chips

Aversions: Still coffee 😦

Weight Gained: Three pounds (total)

Tags: , , , ,

Pregnancy Update: Weeks 5-7

21 Sep

Compared to many women, my pregnancy has been very easy so far.  I’ve had the typical first trimester exhaustion and some nausea and feelings of ickiness (like I have an upset stomach all day) but no morning sickness. That is a huge blessing because it has allowed me to keep working like usual.

Week 5

I went to my first prenatal appointment the week after I found out. My pregnancy was confirmed and the nurse practitioner said I was measuring correctly, around 5-7 weeks (they couldn’t know for sure until an ultrasound, since my cycle isn’t the typical 28 day kind). I also got pricked with a needle 3 times trying to give blood – it didn’t want to come out!

Symptoms: Bloating!  and exhaustion.

 

Week 6

During Week 6, I bought my first maternity clothes. No, I didn’t need them BUT I did find some good deals (like a shirt for $5 at Target!) and they are items that I can wear during the awkward stages and post-pregnancy, as well as when I’m early in pregnancy but clearly showing (they may not fit when I’m 8 months along but I’m ok with that). I realized that I don’t own many loose-fitting tops and with all the bloating, I definitely needed them!

Symptoms: Moodiness. Exhaustion. Sore boobs.

Cravings: Anything unhealthy (hello Taco Bell, Chinese and McDonalds). Ice water. Burgers.

Aversions: Coffee. Anything sweet. (I’d much rather eat a burger than a bowl of ice cream).

Weight Gained: Zero.

 

Week 7

During Week 7, I ate my favorite pregnancy meal so far. I was craving soup like crazy so I went to Jason’s Deli during lunch all by my lonesome and had a cup of broccoli cheddar with half of a tuna melt. The soup was to die for. Seriously. I must go back soon. That lunch started my soup craving. What I’ve discovered since then: Progresso makes a pretty delicious Chicken Wild Rice. But anything cheddar/broccoli/potato that comes from a can is disgusting. Don’t waste your money – go to Jason’s Deli.

One night during Week 7, I was awake for hours with horrible cramps and nausea. The next day, I realized it was probably because I was completely backed up (if you know what I mean). Seriously, you don’t realize how wonderful it is to be consistent until you aren’t.

I also discovered this week that I had more energy at night if I took a short nap after work, rather than trying to power through until bedtime.

Symptoms: Bloating, constipation, waves of nausea/upset stomach all day, exhaustion, acne breakouts

Cravings: Sleeping on my stomach; fruit and fruit-flavored things, like oranges, fruit snacks, lemonade and yogurt; deli sandwiches (toasted or tuna); soup and Spaghetti-O’s

Aversions: Vegetables of all kinds (except potato chips!), Mexican food

Weight Gained: Zero.

Tags: , , , , , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →