My Aching Back!

Where do I start? Okay, pregnancy update.

Last week I went to the doctor for my 28 week exam and the ever so fun gestational diabetes test. Actually, it wasn't all that bad. Had to drink a bottle of the orange liquid but it tasted like gatorade so I just tried to pretend I was on mile 10 of a long run and that guzzling that sugar drink was what I wanted to do most in the world. And the blood draw? Well, I have had my blood drawn on almost every visit to the doctor so that was no big deal either. Now the scale, that was another story. All I have to say is that the scale was not my friend last week - I did not like what I saw there. I am chalking it up to heavy, winter boots and the fact that fasting for the diabetes test meant I had no food to "move my system" that morning, meaning maybe there was an extra pound that disappeared later in the day! Too much info? Sorry...

Anyway, I'd like to say that last week was a wonderful workout week but it wasn't. I did not go - not even once. I have been so exhausted lately that I couldn't find the motivation. Plus, I was still partially incapacitated from the run I had attempted the previous Sunday.

*TANGENT...I could put this anecdote under a separate post entitled "Things that really stupid people do" but I won't. The Sunday before last our icy cold weather suddenly turned into sunshine and 65 degrees. It was gorgeous and all I could think about was how much I wanted to run! So I figured, screw it, I'm going. It can't hurt that much right? Well, I went for two (slow) miles and the answer to my question was, yes, it can hurt. A lot. Not so much during - except for my bladder - but afterwards was awful! I couldn't walk for about half a week. Seriously!*

So, all of that to say that working out did not happen last week. All that did happen was my back decided to scream at me every single day until by Saturday I had the worst tension headache and backache that I have ever experienced. I am going to have to admit defeat and get a prenatal massage or something because the sheer volume of knots in my back and shoulders is astounding.

I am glad to say I am back on track this week. I went to the gym this morning and did 40 minutes on the elliptical and plan to get in a least 4 days this week - I hope :) I am getting so impatient for the baby to get here. He moves around so much and the movements are so strong that it makes me want to meet that little person so much. Plus I really feel like having him out in the real world will be much better news for my back!

Random Thoughts I Have Been Having

Being almost 7 months pregnant I feel as though most of my thoughts are completely random these days. (I may indeed give new meaning to the word frazzled). Anyway, here is a sampling of random thoughts that I have been having lately....

~I must teach my 3 year old to be better about cleaning up his toys. Bending over 2 million times a day to pick up some random train or another is getting quite uncomfortable!

~ I wonder how much longer my extra small maternity shirts will last. I am guessing not much longer. Despite the fact that I am not drying them they are getting to the point where they can't stretch much more around the belly. Ditto most of my workout shirts. Question...Where in the hell does one find affordable maternity workout gear? Pretty soon I will have to start snatching my husbands stuff.

~ (While working out on the elliptical) Hard rock is my motivational music of choice to really push myself to sweat and work hard. It makes the workout seem easier somehow. Am considering bringing my iPod running play lists to labor and delivery room and listening while I push. (After all that is an endurance sport right?) Hope nobody asks me what I am listening to though. My guess is that not many women want to listen to Rage Against the Machine's Bulls on Parade while bringing their children into the world.

~ Am making conscious effort to eat well but all I really want is a giant piece of cake! (Have wanted said cake ever since I took Noah to a birthday party last weekend and they offered the parents a piece of yummy chocolate cake. Of course all the parents said no, and not wanting to be the hungry pregnant women, I demurred as well. But I really wanted it. Bad.

~ Is my husband's statement, "You don't even look pregnant from behind" really true?

~ I am soooo tired I wish I could fall asleep and just wake up again in April....except....

~ I only have 3 more months of life with "just Noah" and want to enjoy every moment we get to have together just the two of us. It's so weird to think about having to split my energy and attention between 2 children. I hope I can do it!

Happy New Year...(if there is anyone still reading this)

So my guess is that there is no longer anybody actually reading this blog anymore seeing as how I have not updated it in forever. However, I am going to blab on and on anyway, if for no other reason than to make myself feel better. Also, I have obviously been slack about the belly pictures but I do have a picture of us on Christmas Eve where the belly is clearly vi sable.

Quite frankly, it has been hard to find the motivation to update my "running" blog when I am no longer running. This whole being in the middle of pregnancy thing is totally messing with my mind. I am 26 weeks, which sounds good, until I realize that I still have 14 weeks left. That's over 3 months, and at the rate I am going it is going to be a long 3 months. Up until recently I have felt pretty good, but in the last couple weeks I have been having all sorts of annoying things crop up. First of all is lack of energy. I spent all of yesterday feeling like I had been run over by a mack truck. Walking up the stairs made me tired. Also, I have been having outrageous heartburn, which I think I have finally figured out is caused by consumption of caffeine. So now I have to pick between my addiction to Diet Coke and my desire to not have my esophagus feel like it is on fire. And, of course, as I was expecting, the bigger I get the more miserable I feel. Bending over is starting to feel like a chore and my back is killing me! And let's not even talk about the fact that none of my pants are managing to stay up for more than 3 minutes at a time.

Lest you think all I do is bitch (and lets face it, it's probably what I do 80% of the time) there are some good things going on. Finding out that the baby is a boy meant that we got to start shopping for all the fun things like a stroller, car seat, crib, etc. This month we are going to start decorating the nursery which I think will be so fun! Another fun thing is that I think we have decided on a name which I am really surprised about. It took us almost up until Noah was born to agree on his name and this time we came to the agreement very easily. It was a name we both had at the top of our lists and it was pretty easy to figure out that was the one we should go with. Of course, I can't tell you what it is yet because we are keeping it a surprise until he is born. Also, I have been continuing to work out. I have tried to make it to the gym 4 times a week and usually spend about 45 minutes to an hour on the treadmill or the elliptical. And then there is my everyday workout called, just trying to keep up with Noah. All of that has allowed me to only gain 13 pounds so far, which is much better than I did when I was pregnant last time.

So, I am looking forward to the next 3 months going by quickly and getting to meet this baby and to no longer being pregnant. I have already made tentative plans to run a half (or possibly full marathon) with my friend Julie in the fall so this summer I can't wait to get back into running shape!