Still Lazy

Well I have managed not to put real clothes on yet. I feel I might need to today. I have been in "lounge" pants since I got home Tuesday evening. I had all four kids Wednesday morning and stayed in lounge pants. I went to work to get my paycheck Wednesday afternoon and stayed in lounge pants. I went out in the craziness that is called Black Friday to get $10 diapers from Babies R Us (I bought 6 boxes for the new baby) and $16 maternity jeans from Old Navy in lounge pants. I am loving it. I even ate Thanksgiving dinner in my lounge pants and went to see Bolt with the Family in a fresh pair of lounge pants!
I have gotten a few things done. I had my husband take the living room and dining room curtains down so I could wash them. We got the Christmas decorations out yesterday and pretty much have them up. I started stringing the popcorn and cranberries lastnight for the tree we will hopefully purchase tonight if the dang rain will stop. I think the monkeys are enjoying their time. Big monkey was so excited to put Christmas stuff out he offered to mop and vacuum for me... I let him try!
We had a great Thanksgiving dinner. I made homemade baked macaroni and cheese, the new green bean casserole I had at work, sweet potato casserole, rolls, and the turkey for the monkeys of course. Turns out the monkeys are not big Thanksgiving dinner eaters either.
Well I am off to shower and put on a new pair of stretchy inexpensive jeans.. the best kind. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and shopping weekend. Safe travels.

Turkey Day

In about 2 1/2 hours, I get 5 whole entire days off of work! I am so excited. I plan on getting a few things done around the house that I have wanted to do for ages. I am really looking forward to staying in my pajamas all day long Thursday.. or at least staying in lounge wear all day long.
It will be nice.
Happy Turkey Day to everyone! I may or may not be around the bloggy world this weekend, we will see how much relaxing I really allow my self to do!

Holiday feeding commences

Let the feeding frenzy begin! We had our Thanksgiving luncheon today at the office and I am feeling quite miserably stuffed. The unfortunate thing is that I really did not care for any of the food! I have to admit that I am not a Thanksgiving dinner kind of gal. I am a vegetarian, so turkey and ham are out and usually dressing (which I can't stand anyway) because it is made with chicken broth or whatever. I don't like pumpkin pie, green bean casserole, pecan pie, or any of those "salads" or casseroles with weird stuff in them and noodles that are meant to be warm and not cold, at least in my world. I like sweet potato casserole, but only if it is made with fresh sweet potatoes and it does not make your teeth feel like they are going to rot out. I know, I am picky. I was looking forward to the macaroni and cheese someone had signed up to make. Only, she decided to bring corn instead because someone had written macaroni casserole down later and they thought it would be the same. WRONG! It was one of those weird casseroles with strange things included. I was disappointed.
Why is it that people can not follow the sign up sheet? We must have had 4 different people bring green bean casserole and only one signed up for it. She made a good one though that had sour cream instead of cream of mushroom soup. I will be getting that recipe for sure.
I made cinnamon rolls, homemade thanks to Rachael posting her recipe for rolls/bread/cinnamon rolls. There was some hard work put into those things, but they are so yummy! I used a cream cheese icing and it really went over well.
So here I sit, miserable and happy to be in expandable pants!! It has not kept me from nibbling on this piece of chocolate cake sitting next to me!

Leap Frog Tag

I am getting the monkeys a tag system for Christmas. I think that big monkey will especially love it since it reads the book for you. I got them the boys adventure pack that comes with two extra books. It is on sale right now and I received an email from Leapfrog with a 30% off $50 or more purchase plus free shipping. This made it MUCH cheaper than at Target. The code is HY8NFF if anyone is interested.

Race Photo

Here is my race photo. I have two others but they make me look quite chunky so I tried to pick the best. I learned to smile when I see a camera after previous terrible pictures! I love my headband, it says "Marathon Mom" and is a bondi band. You can check them out at www.bondiband.com, it was so awesome I got another with 13.1 on it!

That is my running pal next to me in the pink tank. She was cracking me up at the end. Doesn't it look like that girl behind us is casually running?!? WTF? I hope she was just cooling down after putting full effort into running! HA HA

19 Weeks, yesterday

Here is my belly at 19 weeks. I am getting bigger fast! I really thought my run might slow me down in growth HA HA!! I may be gassy too (sorry, but it has been a constant struggle this pregnancy!). I do have my bella band on, and still love it.

I went for my first post run exercise today, a walk in the park. No, literally I went for a walk in the park. It was a nice walk, little chilly. I wore my new long sleeve race shirt and it barely covered my belly, I had to wear my bella band.
There was a woman who made a comment about even the pregnant lady passing her. I was just glad she thought I was pregnant and not chunky, I am still at the maybe/maybe not stage to look at unless I wear fitted clothing.
I went for my costume fitting for Mardi Gras yesterday. It is going to be bad!! Pretty cute costume, but I am going to look like a turquoise whale!! Don't worry, I will post pictures when February rolls around. Made me excited for Mardi Gras though, even though I won't be able to ride. Anyone know where I can find maternity fishnet stockings?!?

Holy Moly..

I DID IT!! I did the ZOOMA half marathon Sunday morning. Not only did I finish, but I ran the ENTIRE way! And I was not last, in fact, I finished in the middle somewhere.
The morning started out a bit crazy. We ended up leaving later than I had hoped and panic started within my guts. I don't do well with being late, no matter what. I really don't do well when I am supposed to be meeting someone and warming up and peeing before a huge race. I got there with about 7 minutes to spare and really did not need the warm up since my adrenilin was pumping so much from being late, plus you just get caught up in the excitement.
It was 37 degrees people, yes and that is without the wind chill factor. My legs were frozen but I had the good sense to wear gloves which were fantastic. The first mile or so I had a pain in my right shin and thought it was going to be an awful run, but that eventually subsided or got numb. My running partner did a great job of pulling me back when I would get excited and get going too fast. I brought sports jelly beans to keep my glucose levels up and they are actually quite good. I could easily eat a couple every few miles and not break stride or worry about puking up the gu stuff people eat.
The HILLS were torturous! There was a hill in the first half mile and I was cursing about not even being warmed up yet and having to scale the mountain. Little did I know about what was awaiting me. There were two hills that really made me pray the entire time up them. One was so steep that they had to make it into a "double" hill with a slightly leveled part in the middle to break it up. My heart rate was creeping up quickly during that hill so we had to slow down for a couple of minutes at the top so I could get it under control.
We had to stop and pee at the 10 mile potty stop and that actually took a few minutes. I was anxious to get going before I stiffened up and had to get stern with my running partner who was enjoying sitting on the porta-potty.
The littlest monkey woke up around mile 12. We were so excited to see that mile marker and he must have felt the excitement, it was also here that the sun went into hiding and it started spitting ice at us. I had one more good sized hill to go up and littlest monkey seemed to be pushing me up the hill from the inside. No kicks, just those pushes that seem to push your entire uterus around! It was uncomfortable, but I had a small conversation with him and that helped that last mile pass by quicker.
The most amazing was coming around the corner with my last good sprinting push and hearing my name yelled out as I crossed the finish line with a really great friend and my mom watching and cheering for me. It was like a cloud around me and I don't even remember feeling the rest of my body, just hearing and seeing! I made the poor girl cutting my timing chip off bend down to get it, pretty sure my legs were like bricks at that moment and I could not get it to bend at the knee for her. I hugged my friend, grabbed my awesome finisher's necklace, and found my mom right about the time that the tears started flowing. They were good tears of course. Tears of joy, relief, pride, excitement, exhaustion all bundled up into one big snotty and frozen face!
I can't begin to explain the pride I have in myself and my friend for finishing 13.1 miles and finishing with what I consider a great time of 2 hours 27 minutes 04 seconds. That includes our pee break, the slowing down for killer hills, the slower pace when wiping orange gatorade off of my face and out of my nose (I just can't seem to get the drinking while running thing down!), and the slowing for a picture at the end where we are smiling (and hopefully with eyes open). 5 months pregnant at that! I can't wait to see this beautiful baby boy and tell him the story over and over again, we already have a very special bond.

I am also very proud of my new to running friend who finished her first 5K with a great time she should really be proud of! She joined the C25K program after I suckered her into this race and has been doing an AMAZING job. I am so excited for her and hope she thinks about running the half with me next year! I hope to have a few pictures to post soon.

3 Days

Okay, panic has set in. Only 3 days and the half marathon is here. I have been taking it REALLY easy this week, probably too easy on the training front. I found out it is supposed to be really cold Sunday morning in Atlanta. I have to find my ear warmer headband thingy. I hope it is sunny at least, it makes all the difference.
I am ready, I am not ready. I just want to get there, run, not pee my pants, and get my necklace and massage for finishing!

I let myself have a day of disappointment after finding out the baby is another boy! I am not going to feel guilty about that, or at least I am going to try really really hard not to feel guilty about that. I woke up yesterday and was just fine, excited about another baby boy to love his mommy. My husband was wonderful, he was excited and talked it up with the monkeys and said maybe next time is meant to be the girl time! Maybe not, but I guess we will find out then. I told him I like the names Isaac and Adrian. He likes Carter. We will probably use Carter as a middle name. He likes Isaac best. I like Adrian the best, but love Isaac too. The monkeys like Isaac best.

Conversation with Big monkey during ultrasound:
Big Monkey: What kind of baby is it?
Tech: A boy baby.
Big Monkey (after frowning): No. I am having a sister.
Mommy: No sweetie, you are having another little brother, look, there is his winkie.
Big Monkey: That must be a girl winkie.
Mommy: Girls don't have winkies, you are having a little baby brother.
Big Monkey: Well, I am going to have a brother girl then!

Relentless! I think it is sinking in finally, though he said he was going to call the baby Isaac Katherynn. Silly monkey!

So, I have Big Monkey and Little Monkey and now Littlest Monkey. I think I will have to keep it this way even though it might be confusing. I refuse to make Little Monkey the Monkey in the middle!!

Littlest Monkey...

Is most certainly ANOTHER BOY!!
I have to take a nap right now to get ready for this one!

Nervous Nelly

Well this is the morning, the day we go for the ultrasound. Because I screwed up, my poor husband does not get to go, unless by some miracle he can get his appointments worked out this morning.
My doctor's office called yesterday to confirm my appointment, I had to laugh a little. I found out that I do get a cd burned with the littlest monkey on it, I am so excited to post it on youtube. Hope the baby goes crazy for the camera!
I had nightmares all night about this. I am nervous, for my own neurotic reasons. I am also feeling the guilt of wanting a girl and nervous about my reaction. I guess it is only natural and it REALLY will be wonderful either way as long as everything is good (I know that is very cliche).
I have to drink 32 ounces an hour before my appointment and NOT use the restroom. This is just cruel and unusual punishment for a pregnant woman. I don't know if I have enough room for 32 ounces!!
It is going to be fun trying not to pee my pants while keeping the monkeys out of trouble in the waiting room! They are convinced that the doctor is going to take the baby out of my belly today and take a picture and then put the baby back in my belly, so cute.

Pregnancy Brain

So I messed up. I wrote on all of my calendars that today was my ultrasound appointment. Well yesterday I got to thinking about how my doctor did not call to confirm my appointment. That is unusual so I went out to the car to find my instructions and it turns out my appointment is tomorrow morning. It really throws a wrench in everything since my husband took the morning off and has appointments scheduled for tomorrow morning. I am going to call and see if by chance she had a cancellation for this morning and we can get in, cross your fingers! Wow, this was a big screwy brain morning. I just can't figure out what I was thinking. I even called my husband from the last appointment and told him the 10th!!

On another note, my cat got out Saturday night (they are both solely inside cats) and he was waiting at the back door to get back in probably a couple of hours after being out. Well, the other cat has been trying to kill him ever since. Not a good thing! There was blood this war. They usually get along very well, I guess he just smells like outside cats now?! I am ready to rub something they think stinks all over them both and be done with it!

Happy Birthday Mommy

Today is my mom's birthday. I am so happy to say that the monkeys and I will be spending the evening with her to help her celebrate. She is in Mississippi this week for work and it is only 2 hours away so we are going to pack it up and go this afternoon to take her out to dinner. Then we are going to wait for her tomorrow and bring her back to our house to spend the weekend. I am so excited and the monkeys are so excited, and I know my mom is.
My mom is one of my best friends. We talk at least every other day, if not a couple of times a day. She is the one I turn to for any advice I need with my monkeys. She is an amazing mother, woman, friend, and someone I strive to be like every day.
My mom was married to my dad at 17, left for Korea a few months later and came back stateside pregnant with me. She lived as an ARMY wife for the 30 years my dad was active duty. Moving, working, raising kids, going to college part time were all part of her daily routine. Now she has worked her way through college and is an accountant for the ARMY. I am so proud of her, she is so smart and strong.
She puts me in check, calls me neurotic when necessary, calms me down when I am threatening to sell my monkeys on ebay, and gently reminds me that I don't have to be the perfect mommy (she claims she was not but I don't see it). The biggest compliment I have ever gotten was a few weeks ago when she told a friend of mine how great my monkeys are, and she knew it was because their mommy works so hard to make them good people.
I love to watch her with the monkeys. She loves them so much and would do anything for them - and they know it. When she (and my dad) come to visit or when I go there to visit, I just hand the monkeys off and I so appreciate that. I often daydream about them living closer. I know they do too. And maybe one day they will be able to move down here.
So Happy Birthday mom, hope the monkeys behave during dinner tonight (not that you would mind)!

Holy Christmas

Do you all realize that there are 50 days until Christmas?!?! Wow. I really ought to take my Halloween decorations down tonight!
I have a bunch of presents bought already, but now on to the ones for the hard to buy for people! I still need to get the pictures taken of the boys for the Christmas cards, eek!
Anybody else on the ball this season? I am trying to make it a well prepared and stress free time since it should be so fun with the age the monkeys are at this year. I can't wait. I love Christmas!

17 weeks

Yep, 17 weeks must have been my pop out week! I can't suck it in anymore and the skin has started to get tighter!
My next appointment is Monday, I am excited to take the monkeys to the ultrasound.

Vote

I went first thing this morning and voted. Quite a turn out at the ghetto youth recreation center I have to go to in order to cast my ballot. It actually only took 30 minutes to get my vote in, I was surprised due to the length of the line. Things were running fairly smoothly. I could not help but wonder as each person walked up to the line who they were going to cast their vote. Was I voter profiling?!? I know, I am just being silly. It was just something to do while I passed my time. I had already read the rules for the recreation center which included 1. If we can see your underwear, do not enter these doors, 2. No flashing of gang colors in the building, and 3. Anyone with drugs or alcohol on the premises will be prosecuted.
Interesting!

13 days...

Just less than two weeks before I run my first half marathon. I am starting to freak out a little bit, which is weird because I would normally be freaking out A LOT! I just really am ready to get it over with and feel that high after finishing. I want to go back to just running my regular 3-5 mile runs and be finished with the long runs. We ran 10 1/2 miles yesterday and it was a good run. We took our time but still made good time and ran several hills. I do believe at the end I could have gone the extra 3 miles to finish up a half marathon. That is good considering I have 13 days until I will be doing so. My running partner is REALLY freaking out. I think that maybe I am not so worried because I know that since I am pregnant, I can not really push myself. It will be just a matter of finishing the run while running the entire time. I know that is enough. I don't think I could be so calm if I was my regular not pregnant competitive self. I would be setting all kinds of time goals and probably over doing it.
I actually wore my bella band during the run and feel like it really gave me some support. I am going to go ahead and get the back/belly brace before my long run this weekend. I was incredibly sore after the 10 1/2 miles. My legs are a bit sore/tight, but the worst is my pelvic area (at least I think this is what it would be called). Basically I felt like you do at the end of your pregnancy in the "nether regions". Just achy. Another reason I will be glad to cut out the long runs! I will also be purchasing some body glide, there was some major chaffing of the bewbies going on that can not be tolerated!