Sisters and Babies and Cousins

While the husband's away (racing), the girls and boys will play. Baby Honter (as Ethan calls him) and I hosted Jenny and Megan and Ethan (2 yrs old) and Annie (1 1/2) this weekend. Or rather, they came to help us out! Our 3.5 days were filled with activities like running through the sprinkler,

drawing chalk murals on the driveway (those won't wash away for a long time), hiking in the desert, playing with the balls hijacked from the neighbor kids when they kicked them over the wall, and sledding sled-less on tummies down the dunes at White Sands.

Huntah Baby (as Annie calls him) wasn't able to fully participate, as his running legs are still in training, but I can tell he was entertained and possibly a little overwhelmed at all the action. He slept very soundly after they left. And he still is sleeping, at least during daylight hours.

I'm going to miss waking up to have at least one sister and at least one toddler downstairs eating breakfast and making me coffee, holding the sweet bundle while I shower more than once in a 24 hour period, and having company and lots of entertainment all day. It's pretty boring and quiet here now when the daddy is at work. We hope they come back really soon! And soon Hunter can come outside and play with Annie, like she kept asking. Sadly, we forgot to get a picture of all 6 of us!

We come bearing gifts... of crackers.

 

Peaceful sleep

Weekend Plans

We have a big weekend planned here. My sisters are both coming in town tomorrow with their babies Ethan and Annie. Hunter is the newest member of the Under 3 Club, and this is their first meeting. We're very excited (but we sure will miss the older two cousins). Jeremy has big plans as well. He'll be seeing Damie in New Orleans for the 70.3. Funny he picks my all time least favorite half Ironman. I am certain he will do much better than I did down there, and hopefully have a better experience.

In other news:

-I have already blown a BOB stroller tire. We get a ridiculous amount of flat bike tires out here with all the thorns and whatnot. I still haven't patched it yet, but it'll make it 3-4 miles every time I pump it back up.

-My running frequency has slowed a little. Plus I think every time I run it's for a shorter distance. I must've overdone it when I started (because running 3 miles two days in a row is waaaaay too much), because I was really feeling it in my abs/incision area, and I was super tired afterward. But I got in about 25 miles of walking/running last week, and I've continued with 3-4 more every day since.

-I ran a whole 1.25 miles without pushing the stroller yesterday. It was awesomely slow. My Garmin says 9:38 pace. My last run the day before Hunter was born was 6 miles at about 9:30 pace. So I'm lighter and ran a quarter of the distance and I'm the same speed. Gotta remember that whole abdominal surgery thing, I guess.

-And yes, I'm using the Garmin for my walks. I have no way of knowing how far I go since I'm not a consistent 15:00 mile pacer yet. I need some kind of number to log these days.

-I'm hanging on to that extra 4ish pounds still. It's probably because I actually like eating now.

-I actually like eating! For most of my pregnancy I wondered if I'd ever be interested in food again, and it has happened! I'm especially enjoying Nutella.

-Our second anniversary was this week. Can't believe it's been 2 years! Can't believe I've had a baby for 5 weeks either. I have the sweetest little family :)

-In breastfeeding news: this stuff really squirts. Hunter likes to nurse a bit to get it going and then pull back and let it go. This means we're both usually doused in milk. I've been caught without a burp cloth way too many times and have even resorted to catching it in my hand. Not so effective.

-My poor sleep deprived brain has finally figured out that I only have one baby. The first few weeks I was so confused in the middle of the night, trying to figure out which baby had eaten most recently. It culminated the night Jeremy brought me Hunter and I asked, "where's the other baby?" I had warned him of my confusion before, and he just said, "there is no other baby," probably while planning to look up which anti-psychotics are ok while nursing.

It's a beautiful day, so we're off for a walk!

Mileage

Because I like numbers and keeping track of all my "training" (I have a year or so of the last 10 from which I am regrettably missing logs), I have been writing down my walking mileage from the past few weeks. In case I have another baby some day, I'd also like to look and see how slowly I started back, so I don't feel bad about it next time.

Hunter and I are getting some good mileage out of the BOB. Last week I got in just under 21 miles of walking plus two bike rides. I was a little surprised it was that high! In the mornings, he tends to sleep soundly as soon as his head hits the bumper pad. Lately in the evenings, it's quite a different story. He realizes what he's been missing on these walks and does everything possible to stay awake. And then he gets bored about .3 mi into it. This makes my walks speed up significantly, with a few puffing running steps added in these last few days. My heavy breathing seems to amuse him, because he calms down immediately, at least until I walk again. I also like to amuse neighbors by trying to discretely support what the bra does not.

This walking is serious business

Wanting to get more mileage out of my morning sleepy walks, I decided today to just go for it and run. Actually "run" may be too strong of a word, considering the blazing 11 min/mile pace (I had to walk over some bumpy spots to not jar the poor sleeping baby, and there was some elevation change...). But I covered 3 miles running with a mile walk cooldown. I feel so accomplished. I also learned that people other than my mailman have taken note of my running habits. I passed a neighbor who said, "You're back running already?" I wanted to tell her how far behind I am. But I actually was proud of myself for making it that far. Nothing split open or fell out, but I noticed how incredibly weak my abs are, even though they're starting to look almost like a normal person's.

Please Hunter, keep liking the stroller! You can keep me up hours at night if you let me run in the morning! It's a deal.

Bicycle!

For the first time in six months, I rode my bike outside. Twice! Given the opportunity to take an hour to do something with Jeremy, I chose a bike ride date. Now I know that those computrainer numbers weren't a lie. I'm very slow. I do realize that one benefit of a c-section is that riding a bike 3 weeks after birth wasn't painful to anything but those atrophied leg muscles.

Finally to the point of feeling that running will again happen one day, I'm optimistic about starting back as soon as I get a few new sports bras. Wow, I underestimated the importance of that equipment until I took 3 jogging steps on one of my walks. Walking has been great. The baby likes to sleep as soon as we bump out the front door threshold, and he has (knock on wood) rarely wakened before we come to a stop inside again. I'm slowly increasing my mileage just as I would do on any good training plan, but have only gotten up to about 3.5 miles total on any one day. And I often do two-a-days.

Bike rides plus sleeping baby walks! What success. Things seem to be evening out. After the delivery that I had hoped to avoid, I've found success in the small things, and one large thing: breastfeeding. Hunter knew exactly what to do right from the start, and has been a great eater so far. He looks different every day. Wrinkles are filling out (wish mine would), legs and cheeks are getting pudgy, and he's getting heavy! Fortunately I've gone a bit in the opposite direction, but I still have about 4 pounds over pre-pregnancy weight to go. I think it's all in the sports bra area though.

The hardest thing for me has been the sleep cycle that Hunter and I can't quite coordinate. I'm the person who can easily sleep 12 hours a night while training hard, and I even got 9-10 through pregnancy when I let myself wake up without an alarm. Now 2 hours at a time is a luxury. Jeremy has been really sweet to hold the baby a lot at night between feedings, since he sleeps so much better being held. I certainly can't sleep soundly when he makes his little noises and moves around. Since he's in the co-sleeper next to my bed, I hear every sigh. We have found the couch to be a nice spot to sleep, since I feel ok about letting him snuggle up right next to me there. 

We've had company the last 2+ weeks, with Jeremy's mom here first, and my mom until tomorrow. I thought up all my favorite meals for Mom to cook for us, but now I'm afraid Jeremy will have a taste for all this delicious food that I won't cook quite as well! We've also been out of the house a few times, with a trip to Lowe's to get good dirt (that we are lacking here in the desert) so Mom could plant the onions in the garden that I'd been planning on doing before the baby was born. Jeremy and Hunter and I also went to a dinner party last weekend where I had my first glass of wine! Hunter slept the whole time, right up until time to leave, when he wet himself and me. I need to start bringing lots of extra clothes wherever I go in case of wet, poop, or like yesterday as I was coming home from the hair salon, sudden milk leakage. I should be used to this; in the past I've been prepared for a spontaneous workout, having shoes, swimsuits, towels, etc. in the car always.

April is our second anniversary already! I've got a plan to go to brunch that weekend, all 3 of us, since I'm getting more antsy to get out of the house. Then I have a doctor's appointment in a couple weeks, and I'm planning on being cleared to run. :) Next on the agenda is a visit from my sisters and their little ones while Jeremy heads to New Orleans for a half Ironman. I'm really excited to see how he can do, since he just gets faster and faster all the time. Of course I'm a little nervous for him too, since I did NOLA 70.3 three years ago and had a disastrous race, but don't tell him that. :)

I'm so thankful to moms who have told me how much faster they were after having babies (even after c-sections, and even after months of bedrest!). I'm hoping my next blog is reporting how well my running is going!

This is obviously in the daytime. He's sleeping soundly.

The recovery phase

Just like in any training plan, after the big event, you've gotta have some down time. Now that Hunter's due date is past, I feel like I'm right on my plan. Before March 23 (how many times during the last 9 months have I said that date?) I'd felt like a few more days of training had been needed before the hopefully short recovery.

In my first Ironman, I managed to develop a little tendinitis in my Achilles. Normal Ironman recovery might have been a little shorter, and I'd have been back running sooner if I hadn't had a growing knot of tendon damage to deal with. My baby's birth had after-effects that I hadn't planned for as well. I must've been in denial that a c-section was actually a real possibility, because I skipped all sections on it in my pregnancy/birth books. Actually, most of the books I read were written by Ina May Gaskin, the famous midwife, or about the Bradley method of natural drug-free birth. I really concentrated on these since I believed the hardest part of birth would be intense labor.

I have to start thinking of these weeks as post-season recovery. It's hard not to think of the detraining effect that taking off so many weeks can cause (and just how hard will it be to run again when my body is ready? I've never taken off more than a few weeks at a time). I'm not worried about weight loss. I'm down about 12 pounds and so only have 6 or 7 to go to get back to a normal weight. Actually I could live with this weight; it's pretty close to my past winter weigh-ins. I'm not worried about the pooch of numb, swollen skin around my incision. Well ok, maybe a little, since that could look pretty weird in a swimsuit. It's still early, and I know these things take time to heal. I learned that my doctor did what most don't: gave me real stitches as opposed to big metal staples. She'll be getting a huge thank you at my follow-up appointment.

Just like in the weeks after an Ironman, I've been surprised at how sore some parts of my body are. I've felt a little sentimental about the "training" that's now gone; I enjoyed being pregnant and am so thankful it was easy and fun. "Race" day was so exciting that I would relive it anytime (with extra morphine please?). But this time I have a much better prize -- better than an age group award, being recognized on stage, or getting a Kona slot.

 

He's already learning to talk with his hands, just like his mommy.

If I can brag a minute: at his 2 week weigh-in yesterday, he'd gained a POUND over his birth weight, which is a pound more than his daddy expects out of 2-week-olds. Should I start selling this rich breast milk?

He's Here!

My sweet baby Hunter is lying here sleeping next to me. He is one week old today! It was a surprise for all of us to have him so early, since we thought we were just going in for a version when he was 38weeks, 4 days. He didn't tolerate it well; his HR dropped really low, and my doctor decided it was best to go ahead and deliver him then. We had about an hour to mentally prepare before he was born. Glad I packed a sparse overnight bag just in case!

I was really disappointed that I was not even able to go into real labor, not to mention actually give birth to him. We learned why he was so stubborn in turning, despite my best efforts: he had the cord around his neck twice. Poor Hunter had no cord slack to let him move, even though I know he tried.

Recovering from this surgery is going to be a lot longer and harder than I'd realized. It's such a huge shock to go from swimming with flip turns plus running 6 miles on Monday to not being able to sit up in bed on Tuesday. I'm surprised I'm not able to stand up for longer than a few minutes at a time still. I can't put into words how lucky I am to have Jeremy. Not only has he done everything for us, from making food to helping me walk to changing almost every diaper (and getting peed on countless times), but he also knows infinitely more about diapers and babies that I probably ever will. What a blessing to have such a wonderfully sweet husband, and the best daddy in the world.

What I most want to be doing is sitting and holding and nursing this precious blond-haired, blue-eyed baby (which is nice since locomotion is still difficult). I'm a little obsessed with him, and couldn't have imagined that he'd be so sweet and perfect.

Hitting the Wall

Eleven days until D-day, and I hit the wall last week. It was so similar to when your training is going so well, and you've seen improvement after improvement (or in this case, plenty of energy and no major pregnancy pains), and them bam, something causes a setback. Or multiple things, like in this case.

I'll say it again: I promise I wasn't taking any of it for granted. I have been loving running, and after the Achilles pain, I kept my longest runs at 6 miles and mostly ran around 20 per week, plus computrainering and swimming. I was perfectly happy with that. Then the dominoes started falling. Our pool closed for two weeks, so swimming and doing handstands became more difficult. Next the sickness that my sharing husband brought me took over.

And then came last week's doctor's appointment. Hopping up on the scale fully clothed and shod and usual, it announced a slightly lower number than the week before. Never before have they mentioned my weight, good or bad, and it had been somewhat steadily increasing over the weeks, depending on the outside temperature and my shoe or boot of choice. The nurse mentioned my weight drop, and I explained I'd been sick and lacking much of an appetite. I only felt slightly scolded. When the doctor came in and mentioned it as well, I started getting a bit defensive and blamed my lighter clothing. They do realize I'm not naked on this thing, right?

As usual, a quick, grainy ultrasound was performed, and I asked about the baby's size. I have been a bit scared of the potential baby size. I was over 8 pounds and Jeremy was almost 9.5, and averaging that plus considering it's a boy with the possibility of a head the size of mine had me a little nervous. Also, he's breech, and I'm hoping he still has room to turn. Then of course I want to make sure he's growing well. At a 31 week measurement, he was measured exactly at his due date. This time, 6 weeks later, he was only 2-3 weeks bigger. Immediately I blamed myself and my lack of weight gain, sickness, exercise, etc. I am totally aware that her estimate of 5.5 pounds GIVE OR TAKE 2 POUNDS is a gross estimate. But after all this time feeling good about my exercise and the benefits to the baby, this voice in the back of my mind is asking if I have done something wrong.

I tortured myself for a few days over this, but have tried to see the best in it if she is accurate. He still may have plenty of room to turn, and should come out easier, plus over 5 pounds is not a low-birth-weight baby. Jeremy, the head medical advisor of the household, has assured me that I have not caused this by exercise. And honestly, my doctor's forte is most certainly not ultrasonography. She prints out pictures for me that I literally can't make heads or tails of. Seriously, what is this? Part of his head? Thanks for that keepsake. It'll go in the scrapbook.

I was recovering from the particularly nasty cold, still stuffy, but not in as much pain, when J and I both seemed to get a stomach bug. I might have to blame it on a delicious burger we shared the night before. Of course, just like the last sickness, his lasted about half the time mine did. Lucky for him, he was out of town at a beautiful wedding that I had to miss while I was up all night with stomach pain.

Of course this put a damper on my running again. I didn't bother getting on the trainer and burning calories I wasn't taking in. The weather turned windy, dusty, then cold for a couple of days, and we even got rain. The mailman even asked me why I wasn't running one day.

Finally, on Sunday, everything turned around. Jeremy came home, I ate normal food, the sun came out, and I went for a 5 mile run. The saboteurs tried, but they couldn't ruin the last few weeks of pregnancy for me. Back at the doctor today, I held my weight steady (even without resorting to boots), my fluid looked good, and we are scheduled for an external cephalic version for tomorrow morning. I'm optimistic that this baby will be easy to turn and that this potentially excruciating procedure will be tolerable to me, and especially to the baby.

The bright spot in last week's sickness and anxiety was the army base's pool about 40 miles away. It was clean and bright, twice as big as ours, with a slide and climbing wall. I took my beach ball with me and stayed in for a 3000m swim.

So glad even polyester suits can stretch like that.