Wednesday Stuff

We had our first appointment with the Midwives on Tuesday. The first thing I can say is this is not a trip the kiddies will be making with me very often. They are both just too crazy to control.

My Primary Midwife is Ann and her co-Midwife is Amanda. I have had experience with Ann before. In fact, she was there when Connor was born. She seems very sweet.

BP - 100/56
Weight - More than I thought.

My protein and glucose were also a little high, which can probably be explained by the extra weight I am carrying around. I have been told that I need to try and watch what I eat and do everything I can to not gain any weight (yeah, easier said than done). I am also going for the 1 hour glucose test early to make sure that I do not have the beginnings of Gestational Diabetes. Greeeeeaaaat.

My next appointment is on February 24th. I will be sure to leave the kids at home for this one!

In other news....well I really don't have any thing else. It has been snowing here again and that makes going out with the kids nearly impossible.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Me, Fabulous?

My BFF Marlene tagged me saying my blog is Fabulous! Well thanks very much!

So I have to list 5 things that I am addicted to and then tag five more bloggers. So here goes:

1) My Laptop - I am attached at the hip to this thing..............most people that see me daily know I am usually on this computer NON STOP.

2) Soap Operas - I have been watching since the days of Mac and Rachel Cory on Another World. The only soap I watch daily now is Y&R, but I follow every storyline on every show.

3) Pizza - I can eat pizza morning, noon and night. And now that I am pregnant again? Well watch out! My favs? Pizza Hut Meat Lovers and Pizza Pizza Sweet Chili Chicken Thai

4) My children - I am the most blessed lady in the world and it is all thanks to these little buggers! Anyone that knows the "real" me knows that I have always wanted 4 kids, but I am pretty sure that we will be stopping at three!

5) Reading - Anything. Magazines, books (finished the Twilight series in less than 4 days!), blogs....you name it, I read it. I especially like Recipe books. I am always looking for new delicious meals to make.

So here are my five tagged bloggers:

Marci at I Signed Up For This

Mel at 2nd Chances (btw, we need to PROPERLY meet lol)

Nikki at Slow is the New Fast

Carly at Chubby Chicks Run Too

Thanks again M! Love ya!

Not much new to report

Hi Everyone!

Still here. Although I am feeling a little worse for wear. The first trimester was difficult, but it will be over soon.

I managed to snag a spot at our local Midwives office which is awesome. Apparently here in York Region they are VERY busy and even though they have seen me TWICE before they may not have been able to see me this time. But I was relieved to hear that I was going back! My first appointment is on Thursday. They are usually all about questions and stuff. There really isn't anything more to discuss this early on.

The weather around here has not been the greatest, so getting out and walking has been a bit of a hassle. But I am sure that it will warm up soon, right?

August 6th

Pregnant through most of the summer. How much fun will that be?

After a very taxing morning, I managed to have mt dating ultrasound and we got our due date. I was also able to see the baby, which was pretty cool. It is less than three centimetres long! But it was still pretty cool to see. It is WAY to early to see if it is a boy or girl yet (I vote girl!) and we aren't sure if we are going to be finding out this time. We are set for either or at this point. So I think I may keep it a surprise.

There are a lot of changes coming in the next few weeks. Hubby is in full swing for his marathon training, which I enjoy watching him accomplish. He is such a natural when it comes to athletics and he never really seems to need to try. He has all these races lined up for March, which I will be standing by and cheering him on. The problem is making him aware that he needs to run at a "training" pace and not at a race pace. Bugger.

So far the only race I am doing is the Nordion 10k during Ottawa Race Weekend (Hubby is running the Marathon). I wanted to try to get a few more 5k's under my belt, but I am not so sure. I feel great when I run, but with everything else going on, I am not sure what I will be able to fit in!

Alrighty then........

Happy 2009 Everyone! I apologize for me disappearance as of late. There has been some.....developments.

So does everyone remember my mentioning being sick? Well, it turns out that I wasn't sick with the stomach flu!

Baby #3 will be making his/her arrival in the summer of 2009!

Can we say shocked much?

So my running has now turned into walking. When I feel good enough to crawl out of bed. I am beyond sick this time. And I mean, really sick. I hate to complain, but I still feel awful!

On Monday we will be having a "dating" ultrasound. Since my WACKY PCOS makes keeping track of normal cycles, well, impossible, we are using an ultrasound to figure out the length of the pregnancy so far. We are pretty excited.

So what does this mean for my 2009. I now have THREE race bids I need to get rid of. But I think I just might eat them so I can keep the swag. One of the races I know I can walk, so I may do that. But one of them I know I can't walk. So it will have to be figured out.

Also, my blogging may become a bit.....sporadic. I walk/ SLOWLY jog about everyday. But I am busy with work, my hubs and kiddies, my niece. The list is long and time consuming. Plus as I have said before, it seems both redundant/inappropriate to talk about losing weight when I should be "gaining" it, albeit not tons of weight. Both pregnancies have been good in that department.

So here is where I am. I am pretty excited. I will let everyone know any news after Monday, if anyone out there cares anymore!

I am sorry

Hello fellow bloggers!

I apologize for my absence of late. But things around here have been INSANE!

Christmas is fastly approaching and most of the shopping is done. Just a few small bits that we need to pick up and it will be finished. Then I can get my hubby to start wrapping!

The "surprise" I spoke of in my last post has come and gone. I had planned with the help of some family a 30th anniversary party for my Mom and Dad. It was a huge success and there were a lot of laughs.

Connor turned 2 on December 5th! 2, I can't believe it. And I found it hard to start thinking about Christmas BEFORE his party was over.

And I feel sick, which makes things harder. But I am always sick over the holidays. My only hope is that the little boos don't catch it too!

Oh, and I sprained my ankle, which put a huge damper on my running. But slowly I am back at it. VERY SLOWLY!

Friday Ramblings

This beautiful Angel is Sydney. She is our little surprise!

This is my main man Connor. The light and love of my life!

--Man it is COLD outside.

--Another successful running week thus far. I am pretty excited about how I am progressing. Still slow as tar, but it's getting there!

--I FINALLY got my camera I have been waiting for since forever - the Canon Rebel. It is a fine piece of machinery. But I will have to take a camera course to learn how the hell to use this thing LOL!

--I sell AVON (in case anyone out there didn't already know!) and McDreamy himself has his own cologne for men coming out. What a weird world where the Guy from "Can't By Me Love" is now pitching cologne.

--Christmas Baking time is almost here. Anyone have any idea how to FREEZE cookies? And for how long before they taste "funky"?

--There is a HUGE happening in the next few weeks in my life and I cannot wait to tell you all about it. But for now it is a big, fat, stinking, secret.

--I miss my BFF Marlene. Where the hell are you girl LMAO?!?

--I am winning the family football pool this year. Too bad the four teams I chose to win the Super Bowl are all sucking!

--Happy Friday Everyone!

Drawing a Blogging Blank

There is a lot going on but I can't seem to find something to write about? Go figure.

The holiday season seems to have come early for us this year. We have already had two pretty significant snowfalls and a lot of people seem to be putting their lights up and turning them on earlier this year. I usually wait until after the American Thanksgiving to get into the swing of things. So next weekend we will be putting up the Christmas tree and all the decorations. Luckily I am working so hubby will be doing all the work. I will miss it, but they will wait to decorate the tree once I get home!

Running was great this week. I misplaced my schedule, but I think this week looks like this:

Monday - off
Tuesday - 4k
Wednesday - 4k
Thursday - 3k
Friday - off
Saturday - 4k
Sunday - 9k LSD

Total - 24k

I am working a lot in the next few weeks, so that means more morning runs than I would like.....

Woo Hoo

I am sure I mentioned that I currently work at The Running Room. For anyone in the US that may not know, the Running Room is a specialty store that caters to, you guessed it, runners and walkers!

It is an AMAZING place to work. I have the most supportive manager in the world. And my co-workers are awesome. I know I have made some life long friends working in this amazing environment.

It also keeps my running honest. I joined the latest 1/2 Marathon Clinic at the store so I would keep up with my training runs, especially those long Sunday runs.

They also have a clinic called "For Women Only". It's a great clinic because it incorporates all the "Learn to Run" Clinic points but is for Women. So that means there are no men in the clinic. And the clinic instructor is also a woman.

And for January's Women's Only, the instructor is ME!

I was so excited to be asked and can't wait. Certainly it will take some planning since Colin is also teaching the 5K Clinic. But I think that it is definitely something that we can do. It is only for ten weeks after all!

Awww Mannnnn

As my son says, Awwww Mannnnnn.

Nothing went to plan this week. I mean N O T H I N G.

First, hubby was sent to VERMONT on last minute business. So we needed to find someone to help look after the kiddies during the nights I worked. Since we were going out on Tuesday night and my Mom and Dad were taking the kids overnight, we decided to spend the rest of the week at their place. So me and my two babies spent Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday AND Friday night at their place. Of course, I tried hard to stay on plan the whole time I was there, but managed to eat a few things that I could have done without!

But mostly the running suffered. I ran twice, but I haven't run since Thursday.

Then there is this cold I seem to just be fighting off. I was in bed last night at nine and slept all the way to EIGHT this morning. And I still feel a little under the weather. So it is off to work today then home tonight for a rest.

Training wise, here is this weeks schedule:

Monday - 4K
Tuesday - off
Wednesday - 3k
Thursday - 3k
Friday - off
Saturday - 3K
Sunday - 7k

Here we go to week two!

So.......

14.5 did not happen. I just wasn't feeling it! But I had a great birthday evening anyways.

My hubby took me to see the Leafs game. And it was awesome. Then it was dinner at the Bier Market and lots of champagne. I was NOT feeling very good but it was still awesome.

This week is turning into a real doozy. My hubby is going away unexpectedly which puts us in a bit of a bind to find help with the kiddies, since I work weeknights!

And I got a new pair of Lululemon pants with a gift certificate my sister gave me. And I love them!

And My 1/2 Marathon Training begins this week. Here is how it looks:

Wednesday - 3k Steady
Thursday - 3k Steady
Friday - off
Saturday - 3k Steady
Sunday - 7k LSD

Total - 16k

Hopefully I will be able to go out and make these happen. Wish me luck!

P.S. Congrats to Marlene for her awesome new PR this weekend. I knew you could do it girl!

My Scariest Halloween

Halloween has always been big in my life. My birthday is November 1st, so I ALWAYS had a Halloween inspired birthday party while growing up (and a sister's birth on my 4th birthday, but we'll save that story for another day).

Last October 31st is, and will be, my scariest Halloween to date.

Sydney was 10 days old and she woke up at four to eat. She seemed like she was tired, but ate and fell back asleep.

At seven she woke up. I always describe it as someone came into her crib and switched her with another baby. First, she woke up screaming. Sydney never cried, she her screaming was frightening. When I went to pick her up, she would cringe, like touching her was hurting her. My Mom came over and by ten I had called Colin to tell him we needed to take her to emergency. She had a high fever and would not stop crying.

When we got to emergency, she still was crying but her temperature had gone down. They decided that it couldn't be too serious, so they had us wait in the waiting room. We were infuriated, but felt helpless to do anything about it. Of course, many nosy nancies said it was "Just Colic". Uh, no. I had a one year old at home who did suffer from Colic and this wasn't it.

About THREE hours later, she became listless and we ran her back to admitting. WITHIN 10 Minutes she was in the NICU and they told us she may not make it through the night. We were horrified. She had some unknown "infection" that they couldn't seem to diagnose. Their only hope was to give her as much antibiotics and tests as they could perform and hope she was strong enough to fight it on her own.

I don't remember much about the next 72 hours. They were a blur of hospital, to home, to hospital, to see our son at my Mom and Dad's. She had a feeding tube, and on Sunday, when we thought she was in the clear, she took a bit of a step back.

Twelve days later, we took our little girl home. That morning, we had our family portrait taken for our churches registry. We look so tired. And you can see the band aid on Sydney's hand from where they removed her IV not twenty minutes before.

We never found out exactly what infection Sydney had, but the doctor suspects it was Bacterial Meninigitis. And how she got it, they couldn't say.

That was the worst day of my life.

I will never forget, my scariest Halloween.

Small Goals

So I believe that everything you do is about goals. Some days your goals are just to get out of bed and make sure you shower before you go to work. Other times it's to make sure you only eat healthy.

I decided that in honor of my 29th birthday this Saturday, I will be running 14.5k with my hubby. Now, why 14.5? Because it's half of 29 and there is no WAY I am running 29k this Saturday!

He has planned out a nice route for us and says no matter how long it takes, he will run with me. Really he is just my running coach for this one. If I let him run it, it would take him no time and I would be left like dust in the wind!

So wish me luck. Since Colin will be running with me, he will have his Garmin and I will let you all know how it goes!

Back to Basics

I have made it no secret that my ultimate goal is to shed some of this "Post Baby" weight. How much isn't really in my mind right now. But enough that I don't run a 8:35 walk adjusted Kilometer. And enough that I can fit into all the pretty clothes that have been hanging in my closet since January of 2006.

Recently I began using Nutrisystem. And it worked well. But it is way too expensive, especially with another adult in the house. I was still spending the same on groceries as I was before, plus buying the food. So I have decided to go back to what I know: Weight Watchers.

I have been using the online tools for Weight Watchers all year. It especially helps when my activity (i.e. training) is up and I need to figure out activity points. I always use the Flex Plan and not Core because while I don't like being told what I can't have. And I like me carbs way too much. Ideally I would LOVE to go back to meetings, but I can't afford it right now. So it will be online for me!

So it's back to the basics and these very good rules to live by:

Drink Water ALL DAY LONG
Eat your Veggies, especially at lunch
Limit my Alcoholic Intake (See I can't drink "just one" glass of wine. All my nearest and dearest know that!)
Exercise is the key (since my training begins again next Wednesday, that won't be a problem)

Hopefully this time, I will be able to stick to this. Especially with Christmas coming up soon!

Training Limbo

We've all been there. That place between your last race or goal and the next one!

Right now that is where I find myself. Truth be told, my limbo is actually quite longer than just my last race. Since I haven't been running since before mid August consistently, I feel like I am starting all over again. Which I guess I am!

On Wednesday I signed up for The Chilly Half Marathon in Burlington in March. Then I made my training schedule up and joined the 1/2 Marathon Clinic at the Running Room. Some good friends are teaching the clinic together, so I think it is going to be a blast.

Training officially starts on November 5th. I am really excited. This is a huge race for me both personally and physically. I wanted Scotia to be my first "running" race, but this will have to do.

Besides as the great Confucius said "It doesn't matter how slowly you go, so long as you never stop".

It May Be Safe To Say........

........that after a year, it may not be "Post Pregnancy Weight" anymore!

I refuse to complain and I refuse to be negative. But this weight loss thing is hard! EVERY DAY, there seems to be something else that gets in the way of my weight loss goals.

In the beginning I figured it would be easy. I've been down this road before. But I am starting to become a bit frustrated with the lack of results. Colin thinks I may not be getting enough food through Nutrisystem to train like I have been. And since I am doing such a high level of activity, I might just be holding on to all my reserves for dear life. Makes sense I guess.

Plus there's the baking. I love to bake and cook. I make dinner for my family every night and I love to try new things. I made an awesome Banana Loaf for a friends birthday yesterday and decided to make Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies too. And Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies. So yeah. There are now about 4 dozen cookies sitting in my kitchen waiting for me to eat them. So far this morning I have been good. But I know once my coffee is done, and the grapes I am nibbling disappear, it will just be me.........and the cookies.

I save my addiction to the Starbucks Lattes for another day (Skinny, but Venti)!

Tonight I will be going on a nice short 4k. Since it occurred to me as I was building my training schedule for The Chilly Half Marathon in March that training starts two weeks from yesterday!

Oasis Zoo Run Race Report

Well we are finally on the mend over here, so I thought I would let everyone know how my weekend went.

On Saturday, I participated in the Oasis Zoo Run 10k here in T.O. It was a cold morning, and I was glad that I had decided to wear my running jacket. Colin and I got to the zoo at 7:30, so we easily picked up our packs and were back in the car in no time! Soon we met up with some friends and proceeded to the start corals. Someone must have been playing a trick on me, because my 1:00+ purple sticker was covered with a 40-50 yellow sticker. I traded with hubby and we went to our corrals!

The race started and some runners I had planned to run with took off. So I was pretty much my own company for the entire race.

It was a beautiful route, but there were A LOT of hills and even more turns it seemed. By the time I got to the first water station, the first elite (see Kenyan LOL) passed. It is always a thrill to see they elite. About 1k later I saw something that gave me chills. The top three ladies fighting for first place. They practically looked like they were running arm in arm. It was so inspiring. And it is one of the things I love about this sport. You run with THE BEST in the world. The same route, the same race, the same finish line. It's awesome.

The remaining first half was pretty uneventful. But once I hit the 1/2 way point, I was toast LOL! ALL of my fellow runners know exactly what I am talking about. That damn uphill board walk. It nearly killed me. The African Trail was also pretty demanding. More ups and downs and LOTS of turns.

By 8k, I knew my pace had slowed. So much that I was passed by a few WALKERS. But I just plugged away. Once I came around the corner, and saw the finish line, I sprinted into the end for a 1:34:19.7 gun time. About six minutes off my PR, but it was a demanding course that I was just happy to see the end of!

The BEST part of the whole day? My best friends and hubby also ran and all kicked it's butt. And my sweetie of a mother in law and her sister were there with the kids after. That was really special!

It is definitely a race that I will be running again next year. Hope to see you all there!

The finishers! Just one suggestion? That course DEMANDS a finishers medal!

Ugh

So not much time to post anything today. Both Sydney and I are sick. BOOOOOO! But I promise as soon as I feel up to it, I will be giving everyone an awesome race report for this past weekends Zoo Run!

Weekdays and Weekends

For most of us, our lives run pretty much the same. We get up on Monday, shower, get the kids ready for the day or to go to school and then we ourselves go to work. We come home, have dinner, maybe go out for a run or to the gym. We come home, get the kids and hubby ready for bed and try to unwind before eleven hits. We do this Monday to Friday until finally it's the weekend!

My life, does not work that way.

Yes, I get up on Monday mornings. Usually before the sun, and I usually run then. Because by the time my day is done, the last thing I want to do is exercise.

I am a new generation stay at home Mom. Why the "new generation" label? Simply put, I can't afford to work full time and pay for the childcare my kids would need. So I work evenings and weekends. Which puts a huge damper on living a "normal" life. But this is normal for me!

And Weekends? What are those again? My weekends are normally more jammed packed then my weekdays. For instance:

Friday-My mother and aunt in law are coming for the weekend! Hubby and I are going out while they have agreed to look after the kiddies for us!

Saturday - Zoo Run at the Toronto Zoo in the am. Softball banquet in the PM. Also have to find some time to go and get a pair of shoes for said banquet, get my daughters birthday present and pick up some AMAZING gourmet cookies I am having made for her party!

Sunday-Sydney's 1ST BIRTHDAY! Where did this year go? Pick up her cake, do some last minute grocery shopping and set up for the party. Then of course....PAAAAARTAY!

And keep in mind that I am NOT working this weekend! So that means next weekend, two days on!

Basically every weekend looks like the one above. And sometimes it gets so stressful and tiring. But I work hard and play harder!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Team Diabetes

So here is our announcement of sorts: Colin and I now belong to Team Diabetes!

Since its inception, Team Diabetes participants have raised vital funds on behalf of the Canadian Diabetes Association and the 2 million Canadians with diabetes that the Association serves.
Team Diabetes participants not only increase public awareness of the disease, they inspire their communities to get active and involved. They create lifestyle changes that reduce the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes, while raising funds in support of the research, education, advocacy, and programming that the Canadian Diabetes Association delivers in communities across Canada. Team Diabetes participants are local heroes working to prevent diabetes at home and abroad.
Team Diabetes programs allow you to walk or run in world-class marathon events in fascinating cities both nationally and throughout the World.

Colin and I will be running on behalf of his mom, Penny, in May during the Ottawa Race Weekend! I will be running the 10k event on Saturday, May 23rd and Colin will be running the Half Marathon on Sunday, May 24th!

We are both very excited to be a part of this Team. Many may not know but Diabetes is something that has affected both our lives, but especially Colin. His wonderful mom Penny has had Diabetes most of her life, and it is something that she lives with everyday.

So this is for you Mom!

Let's all support this wonderful cause together! We will both be sending out emails soon with more information!