Three Things Thursday

My first Three Things Thursday! (I think...)

1. I am obsessed with getting this chair for Zoey. She is so over her lobster chair and I've been coveting the ridiculously expensive stokke chair for years. They are hard to find on kijiji and when they are there, they are still really expensive. Yesterday morning, one popped up for $50!! That's a good $100 less than most used ones, so I emailed the seller (twice) in hopes for a response. The chair in conveniently located in High River, where Matt works (and where most other Calgary shoppers don't live) so I hoped I'd be a shoo-in. Well fast forward to today when I FINALLY got a response which basically said "how high are you willing to go" since they got so many responses. The only thing keeping me from offering $125 is that it's disassembled, so there's no way to truly verify that all pieces are there. I wrote a response that showed my extreme interest, reminded her of quick pickup, but that also wasn't just a blank cheque, and I'm dying to hear back. The suspense is KILLING ME!

2. We had our 20 week ultrasound yesterday which was actually our first one this pregnancy. We got confirmation that there was only one baby, and that it has all the normal limbs and organs. They don't give much more info than that (other than the sex, which we opted not to find out), so I guess I'll find out at my midwife appointment next week if there is anything concerning.

3. I think my heartburn has returned. When I was pregnant with Zoey I had awful heartburn for the whole second half of the pregnancy, and wouldn't you know, at 20 weeks and one day, I started to feel the slow burn again this time. I guess I'll be walking around with a bottle of Gaviscon in my purse. I feel like Elaine's co-worker from Seinfeld who walked around with tic tacs in their pocket and drove everyone nuts. That's me but with heartburn relief! Oye.

What I've been working on

Totally haven't been posting. I'm tired and busy. And if you follow me on twitter then you know the reason why is that we are expecting baby number two!

I'm trying to be a little more regular with taking pictures this time around, but so far it's a total fail.  I will try harder. (And I'll also try to post more in general.)

13 weeks

17 weeks

I still have to figure out the best way to take those pictures... sideways makes sense to see the belly but front ways shows the quirky shirt more, so I'll experiment. Excuse the tired look on the 17 weeks photo; I was.

Overdue

No, I'm not overdue right now like I was a year ago, but a post is overdue! I have a lot going on right now, so a bullet list is in order!

• Yesterday was my last day of maternity leave. Sad face.
• I start re-qualification training on Monday (yes, Thanksgiving Monday. Oye.)
• I will be away and flying on Zoey's first birthday.
• We are having two parties for her! One with one side of the family, and one with the other! (Only family this year... We decided that we have years of big birthday parties ahead of us, so for her first one, one she definitely won't remember, we'll keep it casual.)
• I have been madly studying and completing homestudies which take FOREVER in preparation for work training. I forgot how annoying these are.
• I have been battling with Photoshop and trying to get Zoey's weekly photos all done and edited before my 30 day trial runs out. I really wish I had: remembered to smooth out Zoey's onesie before taking the pictures, tried to white balance the camera, and taken them at the same time of day. Oh well. They are what they are. (I'll post the finished product soon!)

I think that's it for now. My brain is a flurry of random airplane facts and to-do lists. I'll leave you with a couple of pics from our fall photo shoot!

Diaper Stripping with a million links

Today is a very exciting day around this household! Diaper stripping day! (cue the sarcasm).

Since I exclusively use cloth diapers on Zoey, they get a lot of use.  We have about 25 diapers (I seriously can't understand how Clara over at young house love survives on 12 diapers! They must wash and wash and wash all day long!) and we wash them every 2-3 days. I used to use Claudia's Choices detergent, but I recently picked up some soap nuts and am trying that for now.  Soap nuts are much cheaper in the long run and are defintiely cloth diaper approved, so we'll see how they work.  I normally hang them to dry using this drying rack hung over either the nursery or master bedroom door, depending on the time of day and when Zoey will be going to bed thus needing to close her door.  Once they are mostly dry (or I've run out of diapers) I throw them in the dryer for 10-20 minutes to soften them up for her little bum.

Big cloth booty!

Every few months, it's important to strip cloth diapers, which essentially means soaking and rinsing them repeatedly to get any soap residues out of the cloth. This helps them not stink and be as absorbant as possible.  We have been dealing with some absorbency issues at night (we actually use bum genius pocket diapers with two liners at night) and if I don't drag my butt out of bed early enough in the morning to change Zoey, she normally pees through her sleeper.  Yesterday I got up around 5 and changed her, but when I woke up again at 7:30 she had already peed through her shirt again. I wondered how that was even possible, and then I realized it was probably time to strip her diapers.

There are many methods to stip diapers.  This blog has a video (and a lot of other funny videos) that describes their method.  I actually don't have either ingredient they use, and so I just am doing repeated hot wash/rinse cycles.  A top loading machine is ideal for this process, since it uses more water and you have the ability to let your diapers soak by lifting the lid and halting the cycle. My front loader doesn't have the option for a soak, and in fact it won't even do a hot rinse, so I have been choosing the "quick wash" cycle, with a pre wash on hot. I have done 3 so far (without soap, which is the key), and will probably continue to do them until this evening and then I'll dry them.  That means that all day she's been in disposables and I'm realizing why I like cloth diapers so much.  First of all, these are probably too small since I bought them back in March for our plane ride to Montreal.  I also have a hard time knowing how exactly to put them on her properly, so she's leaked a couple of times already. Finally, her pants are too big! Those cloth dipes take up a lot of room!

In other news, I'm busying myself with bridal shower plans and running.  The race is coming up quickly!

Also, our baby & me yoga class was featured on shaw tv, so if you'd like to take a peek here's the link!  I am narrowly out of every shot, but it's fun to see the class in action.  About half of the people there aren't regulars at our studio since our instructor teaches the class at three different ones around town, so I had actually never met the girl being interviewed. If you watch the link, you will know why I mentioned that!

Have a nice rainy week!

6 months

I honestly can NOT believe that Zoey is 6 months old! On Tuesday, we celebrated by going to the dr, going to our mum & baby yoga class, and eating cupcakes. (Zoey just watched us eat ours... she didn't get any).

I've been a little absent from the blog world, and it's really just because I don't feel like I have much to say! I am so busy but I don't feel like I do anything exciting enough to talk about.  I run a little, I play with Zoey, I struggle with sleep problems... I don't feel like you all want to read me complain about not sleeping or Zoey peeing through her diapers at night.  If you do, I'd be happy to share, but I know personally, before I had a baby I really didn't care about babies, so I don't expect all of you to care!  Nicole and Rebecca might care, but I don't think the rest of you do!

I can, however, share a few running related newsworthy items today!

First, I got a BOB running stroller!!  My "old" stroller was a Valco Tri-Mode stroller, which is a regular stroller that can be used for light jogging.  We bought it on kijiji before Zoey was born, and the reasons we got that one over the BOB turned out to not really be valid anymore. I liked that I could add a kid to it later, while the bob is a single stroller with no "extra" attachments. It turns out that I don't use the stroller much at all except while running (and you can't run with the Valco when it has the extra kid attachment anyway), as I prefer to wear Zoey in the Ergo.  If and when we have another baby, I can wear the new baby and Zoey can ride in the bob, or Zoey can walk while the new baby rides, or if I want to run, one kid can stay at home!  I also wanted to save space, but it turns put the bob folds down to smaller than the Valco.  Anyway, I took it for a spin today and I love it! So much easier to control, and the sun shade pulls down a lot further than my old stroller, which is great since Zoey is a redhead and needs that protection. I also liked that it's a little narrower, so I don't constantly hit door frames when I come and go from places.  I ran 14.5 km today (FINALLY got a good long run in) and I am super stoked about the upgrade.  (We sold our old on eon kijiji and used that money plus a giftcard to buy the BOB, so we didn't end up spending much in the end, making it a little easier to handle.)

Second, I have decided not to do the NYC marathon.  We just can't afford the whole trip this year.  Boo hoo.  I would like to defer it one more year, but I found out that you have to pay the fee twice, and spending over $700 for a marathon is just not happening.  I will enter the lottery again next year and that's that.

I think that's about all I have for now!  What races are you gearing up for?

Family Day

I am lucky enough to live in a province where we celebrate Family Day, which meant that Matt had the day off.  We decided to celebrate by heading down to Olympic Plaza to see what they had going on there.  Once we arrived, we realized that a 4 month old baby doesn't really benefit from ice skating and hot chocolate, so we just wandered around for a few minutes, checked out my brick, and then left.  We were happy to spend the time together and outside, so it wasn't a total loss.  I snapped a few pics of the day.  Can you spot Zoey?

I can't really see her!

I think that's her grey hood!

My brick! (and my aunt's)

A look at 2011

*On my computer, there are random hyperlinks that are linked to ads in my post... I didn't put those there and I have no idea how to get rid of them.  So don't click on them.*

2011 was a big year for me!  At the end of January I found out I was pregnant.  I stopped flying and got a placement in our corporate office working for an event planning team.  This also meant that I was home all the time, which was new for Matt and me.  We had a little adjustment period but we soon found that we enjoyed having each other around all the time.

I struggled to get in with a midwife but after a little coaxing I got a team of 5 midwives for my entire pregnancy care until 6 weeks post pardom.  I was thrilled.

I took a quick little trip to Vancouver with my sis. That was very fun since that marked the start of my second trimester and I got to be really excited about having a baby.

I ran a 10 km and a half marathon in slippery snowy weather.  They were my slowest races, but I will definitely remember them!

I had to stop running in May, which led to a severe lack of motivation to exercise.  I sort of found my mojo again, but I really just wished I could run.

I learned that I was carrying a little furnace and was perpetually hot from June onwards.  That wasn't too fun for me.

Matt and I travelled to Ontario in the summer and spent some time at a lake and watched a Blue Jays game.

As my third trimester began, I really felt the physical effects of pregnancy.  I suffered some terrible heartburn, and was pretty much uncomfortable all the time.  In the grand scheme of things, my pregnancy was pretty easy (no morning sickness), but it was hard to remember that during the last couple of months.

Matt and I celebrated our first anniversary on October 15th.  We had expected to have a baby by then, but the little one held off so that we got to have our day to ourselves.

I worked right up until my due date, which was good in the end since I ended up being 12 days overdue.  Those last 12 days were doozies, but in the end, I was granted a VERY fast labour and had baby Zoey at home and without any major complications on October 17th.

Life with Zoey has been an adventure.  She is really starting to have a personality and it's so fun to watch her interact with various people and things.  I didn't feel like an "instant" mother, since at first I felt more like a machine than a lovey dovey oogling pile of mush, but as the days and weeks progress, I find myself just staring at her in amazement.  I miss her when I am somewhere without her, and I eagerly wait my turn to give her hugs and kisses when other people are holding her.  I didn't know what to expect before I had her, but I am having fun every day and can't wait to see her every morning.  I can't wait for this year to see her learn more things and grow more and more into her own person.

This year I hope to get back into exercise with a vengeance, to keep my relationship strong with Matt, to teach Zoey new things and to appreciate every day I get to spend at home with her.

Bring on 2012!

What I'm thinking about

As much as I don't want to post only about mum related things, it's hard not to since that's about all I'm doing.

• Zoey is still congested. I took her to the Dr today and it's only congestion and we just have to wait it out.  I'm relieved she's not actually sick, but I wish I could do more for her.  
• Tomorrow I'm doing a very mum thing: Going to Play a Latte, a playground and coffee shop thing.  It should be interesting.
• Zoey got a play mat yesterday from kijiji and she loves it!  She can't do much with it, but she stares at the toys hanging down, and sometimes bats at them, though I'm not sure whether that's on purpose or not.  Side note, my home is becoming a little more kid ish!
• I haven't gotten the courage to take her in the stroller for a run yet.  I'm not sure what's holding me back, but something is.  I need to just bite the bullet and take her out for a short run. (I like how I'm blaming it all on her, and not admitting that I'm nervous to run again and might not be able to run for very long!)
• I feel VERY family ish and grown up because I ordered christmas card / pictures yesterday.  I have always thought that sending out christmas cards is a very family / grown up thing to do, and have never considered it until this year.
• I would love to go to hot yoga again.  I need to do that soon!
• I also would love to get a manicure, but I don't want to bring Zoey to a nail salon and would feel really lame asking someone to watch her while I got my nails done.
• I've become obsessed with finding a well priced Keurig coffee machine.  I really want one all of a sudden!

That's about all that's on my mind!  Oh, that, and finding some long shirts so that I can wear tights and shirts and pretend like I'm wearing real clothes but really am wearing something that feels like pyjamas.

What's on your mind?

Trying to post with one hand

Poor Zoey has a stuffy nose, so she just wants to be held.  Therefor, one handed posting and a list.

• Kristen came to visit and it was great.
• We did a small blogger meet up and it was fun until Zoey lost her shit and I had to leave.
• Speaking of Zoey, she's getting a little more of a personality every day.  I think she'll start smiling soon!  
• I'm relieved that the weather warmed up again.  I don't think I'm ready for winter yet.  
• I think I'm going to have to start exercising again!  Kristen and I went to hot yoga once while she was here, but aside from walking around, that's all the exercise I've gotten since Zoey was born.  I wonder when I'll be able to run without feeling like my insides are going to fall out?  (sorry if that was TMI).
• Leaving the house takes a lot longer with a baby.  It's also very annoying to drive a stroller indoors.  I'm glad I have a good baby carrier!

And now, another picture!

Baby Zoey

I've been a little MIA lately.  I'm sure you can assume that means I FINALLY had a baby!

12 days overdue, Zoey Murphy Brillinger made her grand entrance.  I won't go into the details, but what was supposed to be a hospital birth under the supervision of midwives ended up being a home birth due to a quick labour (sorry Linda).  Matt, with the help of the midwives, "caught" her at 2:30 am on Monday the 17th and got to tell me that we had a daughter!  She was 8 pounds and 2 ounces and I think 52 cm long?  Since then we have been on an insane learning curve, but we are slowly adjusting!

I'll try to post a little more frequently now that things have slowed down a bit!

For now, pictures!

My favourite sleeper that she has already outgrown!

Zoey's first car ride

Nice family portrait

One Year Ago

October 15th, 2010, Matt and I got married.  Here are some of the highlights from our wedding day.

I really thought I would have a baby on my anniversary, but now that I don't, I'm happy to say we had one year of marriage before we had a family!  I love you Matt! Thanks for making this year memorable and the best of my life!

Trying to think of something other than babies...

I don't have a baby yet.  I am 7 days overdue.

Moving right along!

Lately I have been filling my time with walking, coffees and lunches with friends, laundry, watching tv and reading.  If it turns out that something that I thought was recorded on my PVR isn't actually recorded, it's as if the world has ended and I may or may not get very irritated.  Then I realize it's TV and get over myself.

I have heard a lot about The Hunger Games from a few different blogs (like Healthy Tipping Point and Healthy Ashley) and thought I should give the series a try.  I really liked 1984, which is another "big brother" type book, and I also liked Twilight, a teenager series of books about vampires and love, so why not try this seemingly mesh of the two!  (I'm sure George Orwell would cringe at the thought of his book and twilight being mentioned in the same sentence... sorry George!)  I read through the first of the series in two or three days, and so off I went to get the next two right away.  (I tried putting the series on hold at the library, and I was about 200th in line for them for all three, so I just bought them instead.)  They're really good, in spite of being written in first person, which I tend not to like.  They keep me interested, have a LITTLE taste of a love story (I'm only halfway through the second book right now, so the love factor could get more or less important from here forward), lots of big brother type stuff, and a little bit of Harry Potter esque challenges (which is another series I went wild over).  If you like any of these books, I suggest you give them a try!

I'm off to pretend like I don't care I'm still pregnant!

Thoughts at 40 weeks pregnant

I would like to preface this post by saying that I have the nicest, most caring friends and family, and what I'm about to talk about does not mean that I'm annoyed by them or am trying to make them feel bad.  I'm really just trying to be funny.  I really love them and am thankful that they care so much about me.

Today is my due date.  I'm 40 weeks pregnant.  The little thing has gone from nothing to a full on baby.  Crazy.  The people in my life are really excited.  How can I tell?  Here are some common questions / statements I have received in the last week.

• How are you feeling? How do you think I feel?  Is there a way to answer this question to satisfy you?  I feel large, uncomfortable, slow, a little impatient, a little nervous, or my most common answer, "fine!".

• Any changes?  Changes in what exactly?  Would you like me to describe what my vaginal discharge looked like yesterday and what it looks like today?  How about the cloudiness of my urine?  I really don't know what this question means or how to answer it.

• Any baby news?  Oh yeah, didn't I tell you?  I gave birth last week.  It was quadruplets.  We named them after the first four Duggars.  No there's no baby news.  I think I'd mention it.  Really.   
• Has the baby dropped?  I don't know.  That probably means no.  Even if it had, it really doesn't mean that I will have the baby immediately.  Why don't you call my midwife and ask her.

• Are you excited?  Am I excited to have a baby?  Sure.  I'm excited that I will have a baby.  Am I excited to give birth?  Let me tell you something.  I have an app on my phone that gives me a daily description of my body, the baby, and little tidbits of random info.  Today when I opened it, when I looked under "size of baby", it said "pumpkin".  PUMPKIN.  I'm not even joking.  I'm really really not excited to push a pumpkin sized baby out of something that I promise has never housed anything close to pumpkin sized.  
• Take advantage and sleep now!  On what planet does one sleep well when they have a 25 pound beach ball between their legs?  I have to flip sides every HOUR because my hips are so sore.  I can't sleep on my back or my stomach.  I have to pee every two hours.  It takes me a good minute to get out of bed, and when I get back in, it takes another minute to arrange myself into a moderately comfortable position.  Yeah, I'll get right on sleeping my little heart out.

• The wait between when you're in labour and when the baby is born is going to kill me!  Really?  REALLY? Kill YOU??!!  Put yourself in my shoes.  Oh wait, I won't be wearing shoes, or pants, or underwear, and I'll have people staring at my crotch watching me push a pumpkin sized baby out of my vagina.  I really feel for you.  Maybe I'll call you midway to see how you're holding up.  

• (Said by someone who is pregnant and due later) I'm so ready to not be pregnant.  I hope my baby comes early.  Shut the f&%k up.  Thanks.

• Are you sure your due date is October 5?  You look like it will be another 10 days or two weeks!  Oh, I don't look like I could give birth on the 5th?  According to you?  Ok well I'll just change up my calendar, let my medical professionals know, and sit tight for two more weeks.  Also, do you think this is something a 40 week pregnant person WANTS to hear?  Because I really don't want to hear it.  Really.

That's KIND of how I feel today.  Except I'm not actually angry or bitter like this implies.  I'm healthy, as far as I know the baby is healthy, I don't have to go to work, I can go for coffee with random friends whenever I want... I'm really not in a bad place.  But every single time one of my friends or family members asks me how I'm feeling, I kind of want to kick a puppy.  

Photoshoot Success

I'm quite pleased to report that we didn't do terribly on the photoshoot.  I think everyone is their own worst critic, and Matt tends to "not see" a bunch of things I think are deal breakers when it comes to good vs bad pictures, so my idea of a good picture and his were quite different.  That being said, we walked away with a handful of pictures I liked, and that's that.

New Look

I've wanted a new look for my blog recently, and although things might change a bit more once I stop being pregnant and start being responsible for another human, I figured I had more time now than I will in then.  I didn't have to guts to take the plunge and write "mother" or something crazy like that in my "about me" section, but that can come later.

I messed around with the new dynamic layouts that blogger provides, but they just didn't really seem to work the way I wanted them to.  I'll chill with this one for a while and maybe tweak it a bit.

Since I've finished working, I have done the following:

• Had last minute coffee dates
• Slept in (if you can call 7:30 sleeping in...)
• Made some granola
• Had a romantic dinner date
• Walked to the new gluten free bakery and bought some amazing bread
• Forgotten to go to a friend's house and then rushed to get there an hour late after she called to see if I was still coming
• Made some chocolate quinoa crepes
• Gotten acupuncture
• Panicked a little about the thought of potentially having a baby in the extremely near future

On the docket for today is trying to take a few pictures of me in "my condition" as keepsakes.  I'm not really into getting pro pics done in a studio, especially the seemingly intimate ones that people tend to get when they're pregnant. I don't think there's anything wrong with getting intimate pictures taken, pregnant or not, but I do find it weird that people show them to everyone.  I don't ever want to see a picture of a close friend or family member lying on a bed with a sheet hiding their privates, pregnant or not.  Sorry.  Little side rant there.  We will stick to fully clothed outside pictures in the nice fall colours.  Matt and I don't have the greatest history when it comes to taking pictures (we aren't good at taking pictures of each other... I think I may have alluded to that in my belly pics post) so I'm hoping today works out!

Any tips for my new blog design??

A weighty issue

I've never been one to know how much I weigh.  I can normally guess, give or take 5 pounds, but normally my indicators are how my clothes fit.  I've always had a little extra around the gut area, sometimes a little, sometimes a little more than a little, but I normally have a handle on what to do to get rid of it and it's never been awful.  (The exception being before I knew I had celiac... that was awful because I was working super hard to get rid of it and it just wouldn't go.)

But now, I have to weight myself all the time.  During my first and second trimesters, it was once a month, with the goal of seeing numbers rise, and if they didn't, I got scolded and asked to gain a little more weight.  At the start of my third trimester, I weighed myself every two weeks, and for the last month it's been every week.  I can honestly say I have never weighed myself every week before now.  The concept is just foreign to me, because I can honestly tell you I have never cared what the number on the scale was.  I know I'm getting bigger.  It's pretty freaking obvious.  Now, to be fair, it is a little startling to see numbers I never dreamed I would see on a scale, but I know that it's for a good cause, so I don't really mind.

Throughout my pregnancy, I have noticed a few things.  Let us look at a point form list, shall we?

• People call me tiny.  It's odd, since I weigh a lot more than I ever have and I have a huge belly.   I think the skinny jeans and the fact that I still continue to have no ass are contributing factors to that optical illusion. Tiny has never been a word people have used to describe me, except for that unfortunate time in high school when I had tonsillitis multiple times in two months and lost all sorts of weight. I really WANTED to eat, I just couldn't.
• My weight really differs from morning to afternoon.  When my appointments are in the morning, I will have gained a pound or stayed the same since the previous week's appointment.  When they are later in the day, I'll be up two or three pounds.  Can we tell I may be retaining a bit of water throughout the day?
• People flat out ask me "how much have you gained?"  I find that crazy.  In what situation would someone ask that question other than pregnancy??  Crazier?  I'll tell them. I won't tell them the names we have picked out for our baby, but I'll easily spill the number of pounds I'm up.
• Other people tell me about their or their wife's weight gain.  I really don't want or need to know how your wife has ballooned like a blimp, and I'm pretty sure she doesn't want you to share that with me either.  If your wife had gained 60 pounds and she wasn't pregnant, would you tell me then?  I doubt it.  Granted, I have asked people about their weight gain during pregnancy, so I am equally guilty of this odd behaviour.

I think the main reason for my reasonable weight gain is that I haven't given myself a free pass to eat whatever I want.  I know a lot of women do that during pregnancy, and that's fine, but I didn't want to be left with this enormous task of losing it all post baby.  By no means am I dieting, and I am giving myself many more liberties than I normally would, but I am still conscious of what I eat and when I eat it.  That being said, today might not be the best example of my healthy diet, since I've had three chocolate chip cookies (someone made them just for me; I HAD to eat them), two little brownies (I made those... no excuse) and some ice cream.  I'll just give today a pass and work on tomorrow. 

I also think genetics have had something to do with my weight gain.  My mum didn't gain much when she was pregnant with both my sister and me.  She also wasn't sick during her pregnancies, which is especially lucky, since she has an abnormal aversion to being sick, and she point blank said to me "good thing I wasn't sick when I was pregnant with your sister, because you probably wouldn't be here!"  I am thankful for her lack of nausea which in turn has allowed me to experience the same.  The fact alone that I haven't thrown up once made me a little nervous at first that I WOULD gain lots of weight, since I had a fine appetite and could eat until the cows came home, but luckily that wasn't the case.

All in all, this obligatory emphasis on weight has been a new experience for me, and I hope to go back to my old non-weighing no-number-knowing self after the baby is born.  I'm in the "safe zone" for pregnancy weight gain as it stands (and maybe today's treats gave me an extra pound or two for my weigh-in on Thursday) so I don't need to worry, and hopefully the baby will be healthy, and I can go back to not stepping on a scale aside from my annual physical soon.

Do you find pregnancy makes people a lot more open about their weight? 

Race envy

I'll be honest - I have some major race envy right now.

My sis ran a race last week and is running another tomorrow.

Caitlin raced a tri today and I think a tri tomorrow!

Meghann and company are racing a 70.3 tomorrow.

Kirst is running the harvest half tomorrow too.

I just want to race!  I know I have great reasons to not race, and I don't want to come off like a complainer, but man o man I can't wait to lace up my sneaks and get training!

I figured in order to keep my envy under control, I'd take a peek at a few races that I might like to do in the future.  I don't want to sign up or commit to anything at this point since I really have no idea what my body and life will be like after this little baby comes, but I figured it couldn't hurt to look.

On February 11, there's the hypothermic half.  That's an option.

In April, the Glencoe Icebreaker 10 km happens and then the Police Half comes about a week later, both of which I did this year, so those are both possibilities too.

I don't think I want to look at anything in 2011, though maybe a late 5 km could be an option.  Since I had to stop running what feels like years ago, I don't want to have any thoughts of grandeur thinking I can bust out a nice 10 km a month after delivery, but I could do something like the santa shuffle which I believe is a 5 km, if my body cooperates.

I hope everyone racing this weekend has a great time and does their best!  I know weather poses issues for lots, but remember that you just can't control it, so don't waste your time worrying about it!

Anyone else racing this weekend?  Anyone else feeling a little green with envy?

Well hello blogger traffic!

Today Meals and Miles linked to me and my page views went up by over 300%!  She referred to my 70.3 post and called it "inspiring"!  How nice!  I still can't read that race report without my eyes welling up a little... I just remember how freaking hard that day was, and how much I wanted to stop but couldn't because I am too stubborn.  Hopefully that theory will cross over to childbirth, though I don't really have the choice to give up!  It's crazy to think that last year I raced a 70.3 and this year I am a big ole pregnant lady!

So hi! to any new readers.  My name is Heather, I'm 27 years old, married almost one year, two weeks away from my first baby's due date, a celiac, a runner, triathlete, flight attendant turned temporary office worker and a healthy blog reader!  Welcome!

BUT, I actually have a race report to share today!

Last weekend, we (Matt, Kaitlin, Jordan and I) went out to Canmore for our third annual trip to the Canmore Rocky Mountain race.  My mum and I set out to walk our little hearts out for 5 km!  I will admit I haven't walked very far or very quickly in a while, so I wasn't 100% sure how I would feel (and I haven't run in what seems like forever since I got work from my midwife that I am not allowed to run).  My belly was tight and a little uncomfy by the end, but it was great to participate in the event and be in the mountains.

So this baby has officially run a 10 km, a half marathon, and walked a 5 km all before birth!  I wonder if it will be a runner or hate running. We will have to wait and see!  (Side note, both my sister and I HATED running until we participated in our first race together in 2007, so even if it hates running as a child, it might develop a liking to it someday!)  (Is that right? 2007?)

10 km!  Can't REALLY tell I'm pregnant.

I think this (the police half marathon) was the last time I could squeeze into my CW-X tights!

Here I am laughing that they announced our names as we were about to cross the finish line of the 5km

So there you have it!  My final pregnant race report, and now I can focus on having this baby, recovering, and getting back into running!

A little baby room update

My sis has requested some pictures of the baby's room since I've been working hard for the last little while.  I took out my big girl camera and took some real pictures, so here's the progress so far.

Crib, little shelf, and a "placeholder" chair.  (We have a different one in Kirst's basement that will hopefully live in that corner soon)

Curtains!  

Donkey!

My big ole belly in the extremely dirty mirror!

Easy hoop art inspired directly stolen from this blog

Crib, crib skirt and chalkboard accent wall

Mobile that will move from this spot

Dipes!

Duck towel!

Ok, enough cuteness and exclamation points.  So there is a mattress leaning against the wall in the corner by the window.  You can just ignore that.  We definitely need a few more things on the walls, but that will come.  Matt can't wait to get his hands on some chalk for the chalkboard wall.  I was hoping to get a big frame that we could put on the chalkboard wall to break it up a little.  What else?  There are more things, I'm sure, but I can't really remember them right now.

So there you have it!  Baby's room exactly 5 weeks before it's due to be born!

Anyone sick of baby business?

Too bad.  I have more!

First, I made the curtains! BUT, it's really hard to take a picture in front of a window, so I'll have to try again at night so that I can actually show them off.

Also, I had a really nice baby shower, where I got spoiled.  I was so thankful that people got me things I would need and have to buy anyway, like my awesome diapers, a changing pad, crib linens and more.  I also was so thankful to my friends and mum who worked hard to put it all on.

Now, I have a question for anyone who has had babies:  How many newborn sized clothes do I need?  I have heard they outgrow things so quickly, so anything I've gotten, I've chosen size 3-6 months.  While I was putting things away in the dresser, I realized that I only have one sleeper and one two piece PJ in newborn size.  This just doesn't seem like enough.  So what should I buy?  How much do I REALLY need?  I have a little sweater that a family member knit that can work as a "coming home from the hospital" jacket, as well as a sleep sac that can keep the little one warm in the car, but otherwise, I have jut the one sleeper and PJ.

Help??!!