Week 19 – Round 3

Size of Baby (per ultrasounds) – 9 ounces!

Weight Gain – 12 -13 Pounds.  There is definitely a pop in my belly that becomes increasingly larger as the day goes on.  It is crazy how much bigger my belly looks at 6 PM versus 6 AM.

Movement – I feel more and more every day.  She is sitting very low, which was confirmed in my ultrasound.  Most of the movement is felt around my waistline.

Sleep – I sleep with a body pillow that rotates from one side of the bed to the other depending on which way I am sleeping.  Lifesaver.  Sleep is good.

What I miss – Sushi?  Maybe a craft beer?  You know what.  I’m okay with where I am at.  I’m not really missing much these days.  I’m pretty happy.

Best Moments this Week –Our anatomy scan ultrasound and a check up with my doctor.  The day started on a rough note when my three year old threw up just before her ride to preschool arrived.  I opted to keep her home from school with my toddler.  First we stopped at the pediatrician for my youngest daughter’s two year annual appointment before heading to the OBGYN office for my own appointment. There was a little chaos, but my husband was able to stop in for most of the appointment to rally the troops.

There she is.  Measuring a little larger than her estimated due date.  Why am I not surprised?  The ultrasound technician was able to confirm that she clearly has 5 fingers and 5 toes and she passed all of her required anatomy tests.

One thing that she did that neither of my other girls did in an ultrasound was stare us down – over and over and over (see below).  Seriously, this kid sat with eyes wide open and looked right as us several times.  Technology is now able to check a baby for cataracts!

While I was at the doctor, I did discuss my exercise routine and diastasis recti (ab separation).  I did not have an issue with ab separation with my first two pregnancies.  It is not something that I want to experience round three.  That said, I had never talked to her about exercises that might cause your risk to increase and or how to prevent it.  Her answer was simple.  Our tissues are predisposed to ab separation.  While she didn’t recommend doing straight sit ups, she felt that doing hollow body ab exercises could do nothing but help.  That said, as I do pull ups, planks, even squats, I need to focus on tucking my hips and pulling my stomach in, rather than pushing out.  She checked my abs at this point and they were separated only 1 cm.  She does not expect me to have an issue.  Cross your fingers!

Aside from the ultrasound, there were a lot of memorable moments from the week.  Morgan found a new way to crush bagels (see above).  She also celebrated her birthday one final time.  This time at school (see below).  She was happier than she looked.

Madison went to the dentist for the first time!  Her look says it all.  My husband took an hour off from work to meet us.  He figured she might be a little scared.  Boy was she.  Upon the dentist entering the room she had an epic meltdown.  10 minutes later she told us we were going to have to come back another time.  At that point, we gave our daughter an ultimatum to go home and sit in her room the rest of the night or see the dentist and she chose the dentist.  Another 10 minutes later she was done and happy as can be. Wow, the wave of emotions for a 3 year old.

Looking forward to – Our summer crop!  We started a family garden last year with strawberries, yellow beans, peas, tomatoes, jalapeños, cucumbers and basil.  It’s already time to plant again!  Somehow our strawberry patch from last year survived.  What started as two plants spread to MANY.  See below.  They are already budding.

Did I mention the girls also love to get their hands in the dirt and help water?

Cravings – Serious sweet and salty.  I am still finishing off the leftovers of birthday cake from my toddler’s birthday party.  I have also had plenty of help in the kitchen these days. My kids love being hands on in the kitchen.  We cooked up pancakes and pizza this week.  Great afternoon activity AND it saves mommy time on making dinner.

Symptoms – Other than a bigger belly, symptoms have been minimal.  I have stayed pretty active which has kept my mind from wandering with what might feel uncomfortable.

Workouts – Before I detail what I did this week, I want to share the link to the Spartan Race blog post that featured 17 of my realistic workouts for expectant moms.  These can easily be done by someone who is not pregnant.  Stay alert, I will be doing more updates throughout my pregnancy!

17 Realistic Workouts for Expectant Mothers

• Monday 6:30 AM – I taught my regular 6:30 AM Flywheel Class
• Tuesday – Garage Strength Workout
• Wednesday – 30 minute easy run.  I was tired.  I just needed something to get me moving and start my day.  Heart rate was low and steady as was my run.
• Thursday – I made it to my run group this week.  Somehow it was still cold Thursday morning, but we made an effort to get some intervals in.  Truth be told, people ask me how I am still running at a good pace.  This was the first week that I strapped on my Medela belly band.  It’s essentially a bra for your belly.  I mean you wouldn’t go for a run without a sports bra.

Enough of that.  The workout?

• 1 mile warm up run
• 2 x 400, 200m recovery jog between rounds
• 1 x 800, 200m recovery jog
• 1 x 1600, 200m recovery jog
• 1 x 800, 200m recovery jog
• 2 x 400, 200m recovery jog between rounds

I went on to teach my regular Flywheel class that afternoon at 3:30PM.

• Friday – I did a short workout in the morning knowing that we were headed to check out Kinetic Heights that evening.
  • Run 800m
    • 2 Rounds
    • TRX Squat with Mininband x 25
    • Shoulder Mobility x 10
    • Dead Hang x 1:00
    • Deadlift x 15
  • Run 1 mile
    • 5 4-3-2-1 Pull Ups
    • 10 Toes to Bar
    • 25 Lunges each leg
    • 25 Pushups
    • 50 Yard Farmer Carry
    • 50 Air Squats
    • 50 Yard Farmer Carry
    • 25 Pushups
    • 25 Lunges each leg
    • 10 Toes to Bar
    • 5 4-3-2-1 Pull Ups
    • Run 1 Mile

A lot of people asked me what I thought about Kinetic Heights.  I was kind of underwhelmed.  The front desk checked us in, but did not show us around.  The location was not appealing and actually very small in the inside.  There was a distinct area that was made for obstacle racing, but if you are expecting them to resemble specific obstacles in a race you will be disappointed.  It is extremely difficult to mimic exact obstacles in OCR races simply because they don’t want you to be able to practice them.  Hence, “obstacle” race.

I was limited with what I could do because I am pregnant, but I had a great time watching everyone else (specifically the warped wall).  We will likely be back, but working out in the garage and at the gym can adequately prepare me for what I am doing at this point.

• Saturday – I am trying to get in as much time on my feet before I too uncomfortable to take too many steps during the day.  That said, I got in an easy 4 mile run before joining my OCR team at the Whitewater Center for some trail running and obstacle practice.  While I did not practice most obstacles, I did enjoy getting some good time outside with the group.  The first local Spartan Race is less than 2 weeks away!

• Sunday – I taught my regular 7:30 AM Flywheel class.

Week 18 – Round 3

Size of Baby (per “What To Expect”) – Size of a can of cola (approximately 5 1/2 ounces)

Weight Gain – Solid 12 Pounds – we had a growth spurt this week, not sure if it was baby or mama, but there was a lot of eating going on.  At this point in my second pregnancy, I had gained 10 pounds.

Movement – Definitely feeling movement at this point.  It’s so exciting to know that the baby is active and continuing to grow.

Sleep – I’m sleeping quite a bit, but I have been more tired recently.  It seems like everyone around us has come down with something over the past few weeks, so I’m not sure if the new fatigue is a baby growth spurt or my body fighting off a bug.  Either way, I’m embracing the rest and trying to get as much as I can.

What I miss – It’s funny.  As I watch my girls grow up, I miss some of my loved ones that have passed before they ever got a chance to meet them.  The girls are so lucky to have one set of great grandparents in their lives and both sets of grandparents.  Making the most out of the time people are here with us is so important.  I was reminded this when I took the girls to Golden Living Center this week to have a tea party with some of the residents.

I know they don’t know how much they made their day, but the presence of such innocent youth truly touched the residents who were able to attend.  It was a break from their monotonous routine.  I actually can’t wait to go back.

Best Moments this Week –My youngest daughter’s second birthday party.   We kept things small and simple for birthday number two, just as we did with our first daughter.  The biggest difference was that my oldest daughter led the charge to keeping our youngest excited about the festivities all day.  She was ready to party the second she woke up.

She wore her party hat most of the morning before joining me for errands all over town to pick up things for the party – balloons, cake, a nugget tray.  Surprisingly, she was aware that the party was not for her and did not try to take the spotlight off our youngest.

The “big” and only gift we got for our two year old was a Little Tikes Bouncy House.  I actually expected it to be bigger.  It was reasonably priced, well made, and suited for the age range of my two girls (now 2 and 3 years old).  I expect we will get plenty of use out of the toy as the weather warms up.  See additional pictures from the party below.

Looking forward to – The big anatomy scan is this week.  At our last ultrasound, we were able to see several of the things that we typically wait to see in the anatomy scan (hands/fingers/brain).  However, it will be great to get a better look at things and get some clarity that we are on the right track.  It’s hard to believe we are almost half way already!

Cravings – I’m back to operating on the 80/20 rule.  Approximately 80% of the food I eat is considered “healthy”, the other 20% is, well you get the picture.  With the slightly warmer weather, we have been able to roll out the grill and get some healthy dinners in.  Ain’t no shame in our paper plate game.

Symptoms – At this point in pregnancy number two, I developed pregnancy rhinitis (essentially nasal congestion and a runny nose).  I was using a netti pot to flush my nasal passage ways.  In pregnancy number one, I experienced pregnancy gingivitis (bleeding gums).  I haven’t had either of these symptoms yet.  The biggest thing going on with me thus far is widening hips and a growing belly.

Workouts – I started this pregnancy in much better shape than I did with either of my other two.  That said, my workouts pre-pregnancy were higher intensity and my core was stronger.  I have been able to maintain many of the same exercises so far (many of which I didn’t even try to do my first or second pregnancy simply because they weren’t regular to my routine at the time).

• Monday – I taught my 6:30 AM Flywheel class.  That’s it. Still no discomfort on bike.
• Tuesday – Pump it Up 
  • Run 800m
  • 2 Rounds
    • Sit Up x 25
    • Tricep Dip to Push Up Jump Through x 8 each
    • Scapular Pulls x 15
    • Overhead Squat with TRX x 25
  • 2 Rounds
    • Plank Jack with mini band x 25
    • Side mini band walk with overhead press x 10, x 8, x 6
    • Pull Up x 10
    • Split Squat x 10 each
  • 4 Rounds (:40 on/:20 off)
    • KB Swing
    • Toes to Bar
    • KB Squat Clean
• Wednesday – Body Weight Park Workout (anyone can do)  – Temperatures in Charlotte dropped to the TWENTIES overnight this week.  After dropping the kids off at school, I opted to layer up and get a run/strength workout in at the park (my favorite kind of workout).  With the cold temperatures, I wasn’t worried about too many kids being out on the equipment.

• 1.5 Mile run to park
• 4 Rounds each set (:40 on/:20 off) – alternate exercises in sets
  • Set 1 – Grip Hang with Pull up AND Step Ups
  • Set 2 – Push-Ups AND Full Sit Ups
  • Set 3 – Wall Jumps AND Step Back Lunges
• 1 Mile Run back to home

I met my obstacle race training group (crossconditioningocr.com) at Inner Peaks that evening to coach them through a workout and get some solid bouldering time in.  I am still bouldering and traversing at this point.  The thing is, I’m doing it lower to the ground, with no legs, and on an inverted wall.  The purpose of me doing this is to maintain controlled grip strength.  Having my feet loose on an inverted wall makes me feel less concerned about my belly bumping into the wall.  I can easily drop to my feet if I need to.  That said, it is MUCH harder to climb this way.

• Thursday – In our house, when we plan to get up to work out and opt to sleep in instead, we have essentially “fartsacked”.  It is an awful sounding word that is the perfect description of regretting when you should have just gotten your butt out of bed.  I will cut myself some slack while I am pregnant, but I “fartsacked” on Thursday.  I ditched my running group to sleep in.  That said, I did teach a class at Flywheel later that afternoon.
• Friday – In an attempt to undo my Thursday snoozfest, I jumped out of bed (well rested) on Friday morning for a 5 mile run.  Pace was 9:33/mile and average heart rate was 155.

Total distance running this week was 12.7 miles.  The week before was approximately 19.  Obviously the dip was a result of not running Thursday.

• Saturday – I slept in again.  It was the day of the big birthday party.   I squeezed in a short 30 minute workout in garage before getting sidetracked with training and getting things ready for our youngest daughter.
• Sunday – I taught a Flywheel class at 7:30 AM and 2:45 PM.

Week 17 – Round 3

Size of Baby (per “What To Expect”) – Size of the palm of your hand (approximately 3-5 ounces)

Weight Gain – 10 Pounds – Holding steady at about a pound a week in the second trimester.

Movement –Starting to feel little kicks very low in my belly.  I typically feel nothing when I am on my feet moving around with the kids/working out.  It is when I finally sit down at night that I feel something.  My one cup of a coffee a day doesn’t even get her moving.

Sleep – Sleeping great these days.  I am less restless and sleeping through the night.  My parents offered to have the girls over for a “sleepover” this week, so we jumped at the chance to have a parents night in.

The girls took ownership in packing for their trip up the road.  While the picture above may seem like a lot of stuff, there was actually more.  I thought they would miss me, but I missed them more.  We didn’t hear from them all night.

We haven’t had a date night in a few weeks, so we bounced around a few places (while I enjoyed “mocktails”) before joining friends for dinner at Block & Grinder.  We were still in bed by 10PM.

What I miss – It’s funny because I looked back at what I said week 17 in my second pregnancy, and I feel exactly the same.  The answer?  I don’t miss much.  Right now, I am enjoying the second trimester energy surge and the fact that this will be my last time experiencing a baby growing in my belly.

Best Moments this Week – I would say date night in, but I have already talked about that.  In all seriousness, spending quality time with my girls has been the best part of the week.  They were out of school on Tuesday because of a teacher workday.  Lucky for us, the weather was nice, and some of the other parents had coordinated playdates for the week.

Realizing my time with just the two of them is getting shorter, I am trying to get them out of the house (either together or by themselves) and excited about doing something with their mom.  If something fun comes up, I work to be unselfish with my own time to let them have time with me to themselves.  Even if that means my youngest daughter asks me to take her to the playground at Chicfila for lunch at 10:30 AM.

Cravings – I am finally starting to enjoy eating healthy foods again.  I am craving less salty, high fat foods and more fruits and vegetables.  I opted to eat a salad several days this week.  Bring on the veggies!  The picture below is a salad from Johnny Burrito.  If you haven’t made it over there, you are missing out.

Symptoms – Whatever took over my hands last week is gone and hasn’t come back since.  No real symptoms other than a bigger stomach.  I haven’t started wearing maternity pants yet.  However, my wardrobe most often revolves around elastic waistband athletic pants.

Workouts –To be honest, I am feeling stronger than ever.  My OB/GYN rode in my Thursday Flywheel class, so I had time to catch up with her outside of the office.  Having a relationship with her like this has made all three of my pregnancies significantly less stressful.  She encourages my workouts and supports all FOUR Flywheel instructors who are pregnant at this moment in time.  That’s right, I said FOUR.

• Monday – 6:30 AM Flywheel – I just taught my class.  I have also been volunteer coaching pole vault in the afternoon at Myers Park High School.  I consider all of the walking around that I do in the track area a workout.

• Tuesday – Knowing the girls had a teacher workday and I would not get any time to squeeze in a workout, I woke up early to do a garage workout before my husband left for work.
  • 15 minute warm up Run
  • 2 Rounds
    • Bosu knee to chest crunch, raise legs over hurdles x 8 each side (HARD)
    • Bosu Burpee x 10
    • Ape Crawl x 25 yards (this will be the last week I can do this, belly is too big)
    • Glute Bridge, heels in TRX, mini band around thighs x25
  • 2 Rounds
    • Side Knee to Elbow on Bosu x 25 each
    • Lunge on Bosu with Bicep Curl x 10 each
    • Leg Raise with Flex Arm Hang on Gymnastics Rings x 10
    • TRX row x 15
  • 2 Rounds
    • Side Step Up x 10
    • Ab Mat Sit Up x 25
    • Pull Up x 10
    • Overhead Press x 15

*Let’s talk about the fact that I am still doing straight leg toes to bar.  My doctor was surprised I could still do these (not in a bad way, but she is interested to see how much longer I can do them).  That said, I will attempt to continue to do them before modifying by doing knees to elbow.

• Wednesday – While I have energy, I have been trying to keep my strength work consistent.  I did a shorter workout Wednesday that embodied aspects of obstacle race training.
  • 2 Rounds
    • Run 800m easy
    • Marching crunch on Bosu x 25 each
    • Pushup with one arm roll out x 10 each side
    • Elastic Band Upright Row with shoulder rotation to overhead press x 10 (HARD, but great for shoulder mobility)
    • Miliband around thighs, side walk x 15 each leg x 3 rounds
  • 4 Rounds
    • Run 400m
    • 15 Pushups
    • 5 Pull Ups
    • 25 Squats
    • 5 Pull Ups
    • 15 Pushups
• Thursday – I ran an early morning workout with my run group before teaching Flywheel at 3:30.

*Let’s talk about my run intensity on the one day I do interval training a week.  The workout that the group did was as follows:

• 1.5 mile warm up
• 5 Rounds – Run 1000m, recover 400m

I only did 4 rounds, and my pace was somewhat consistent outside of the first round.  If you look at line 3, 5, 8, and 10, you can see my 1000m breaks.  I averaged about an 8:00/mile pace when I was on.  When I was recovering, I was closer to a 10:00 mile.  That said, prior to getting pregnant, my average interval pace would have been somewhere around 6:45-7:00 pace.  I am dropping anywhere between a minute to a minute and a half of speed when I am on.  I am totally okay with this.  I am also totally okay with being done when I feel like being done (which on this day was before everyone else).  I feel excited about the fact that I am just outside being active.

• Friday – After a long week, I spent some time playing around in the garage, but not doing a structured workout.  I did end up seeing how many pull ups I could do.  Somehow I managed to do 12.  I am shocked I still have the ability to pull up the additional weight that many times.

• Saturday – For two weeks in a row, I have gotten up early to get a “longish” run in before the kids wake up.  On these days, my goal is to run easy.  That said, I try to keep my heart rate in the 140s, leaving my pace somewhere in the 9:30/10:00 mile range.  On this day, I squeeze in 4.78 mile at  9:41 pace.

I went on to train my obstacle training group later that morning – this time only watching people workout and not actually doing a workout myself.  The first Charlotte Spartan Race is coming up in less than 4 weeks!

• Sunday – I taught my regular 7:30 AM Flywheel class, which was rough with the time change!

 

 

 

Week 16 – Round 3

Size of Baby (per “What To Expect”) – Size of an avocado (approximately 3-5 ounces)

Weight Gain – 8 – 9 Pounds

Movement – Still nothing in the movement department.  Some days I wonder if she is even in there?  My belly has gotten bigger, so she must be!

Sleep – Whoa, what a week.  Weird things happened that made it hard for us to sleep (but they had nothing to do with pregnancy).  My youngest daughter woke up us in the middle of the night Monday throwing up all over her bed.  My husband took care of throwing her in the bath, while I stripped her bed and made my rounds on cleanup. We were up for at least an hour just trying to console her while she gagged repetitively.  Ladies, this is why I say you should enjoy your first pregnancy.  This is simply something you don’t have to deal with.  EVER.

It wasn’t two days later until an unreal storm came through our neighborhood, demolishing trees and cutting out our power.  We sat in the basement until the storm passed (in fear a tree would fall on our house) before my husband jumped in bed with my youngest and I slept in the room beside our oldest.  No night lights when the power is out. You don’t realize how dark it gets!

Best Moments this Week – Gosh we had fun this week.  I am surprised everyday with the things that happen (both with the family and professionally).  I got an email from Momentum Jewelry this week informing that I was named an official Ambassador for 2017.  I couldn’t be more excited.  I have given several of these pieces to both clients and friends. I also wear one almost every day myself.

I will be holding some upcoming giveaways and sharing discounts over the time that I am an ambassador.  This is something I am truly excited to represent.  It is such an incredible gift idea.

We got our photos back from the photo shoot the week before.  I have to say, the photographer did an incredible job not making me look pregnant.  I will be working with her again over the next few months to capture some images of my final pregnancy.  Why are we wearing “Happy Birthday” props?  Flywheel Charlotte is celebrating its 5th birthday March 18th.  Save the date. This is something you don’t want to miss.

Enough about me professionally, let’s talk family. These two girls are growing up faster than I could imagine.  They really do thrive off of each other’s energy.  Morgan is on a kick where she wants to wear her Peppa Pig pajama shirt every day.  My oldest wants to be a movie star, opting to carry around a purse with bracelets.

Going out to restaurants with them has been become much easier (if we pack the appropriate toys/books).  They will actually sit and eat their meals now.  They also love being as close to dad as possible when he is home.

Cravings – Craft beer.  Maybe it’s just the time of the year.  It seems like everyone is sitting on patios or headed to breweries to enjoy this incredible time of the year.  Could someone have OMB make an NA beer for pregnant women?

Symptoms – Y’all things got weird this week. I mean really weird.  To the point that I was afraid I was sleep walking.  I woke up Friday morning and my hands looked like this.

Trust me.  I didn’t try to use tanning lotion and forget to wash my hands.  I was freaked out a little (or a lot).  I immediately texted my doctor who assured me that something on the surface of my hands would not affect the baby while we worked out trying to figure out what could have caused it.  Her thought is that it may have been the result of using a cleaning product to absorb a mess in my refrigerator.  It subsided by the end of the day and has not come back.  Has anyone else seen anything like this?

Workouts – I am very surprised how strong my body has stayed through week 16.  I truly underestimate myself.  I have been continuing to do consistent strength workouts at home to maintain basic body weight strength that I already had (including hanging and pull ups).  I have been posting videos to not only hold myself accountable but show people it can still be done.

Monday – 6:30 AM Flywheel – just taught my class

Tuesday – ROT Workout (Run to Obstacle Transition Workout)

Run 800m warm up

2 rounds

• Sit up progression (hands out in front, arms crossed at chest, hands behind head) x 15 each – 45 total
• Bosu on round side, rock left, then right, then push x 8 each side
• PVC pass through x 10
• Step back lunge x 15 each leg

3 rounds

• Run 400m
• Burpee pull up x 10
• Pull up x 5
• Deadlift x 25
• Box Jump x 25
• Side Toes to Bar x 10 each side
• Bulgarian Split Lunge x 10 each

Wednesday – Recovery Day

Thursday – Hill Intervals

.75 mile warm up run to hill

1 mile repeat on hills x 4 (total gain was around 750) over the 4 intervals

.75 mile cool down run home

I did this with my group, who was very supportive about what I was doing as compared to the speed they were going.  

I also taught a Flywheel class that afternoon.

Friday – MOCK OCR Day

Warm UP – 2 Rounds

• 25 Sit ups holding PVC pipe OH for chest stretch
• Inchworm pushup x10
• 15 pistol squats with trx each leg
• Max dead hang

3 Rounds (rest one minute between rounds, no time between exercises)

• Kettlebell swing x 15
• Pull up x 10
• Step back lunge x 15 each leg
• Side V Sit Up x 15 each leg

4 Rounds (1 minute rest between rounds, no time between exercises)

• Run 400m
• 1 pass through the rig
• Mini band around shins, walk backwards 15 steps, forward 15 x 3
• Burpee x 10

Saturday  – With second trimester energy upon me and the fact that I am not subbing as many classes at Flywheel, I am trying to increase my mileage. I squeezed in a 5 mile run before training my OCR group that afternoon.  On my easy run days (like today), I work on maintaining my average heart rate around 150bpm.

Sunday – I taught my usual 7:30 AM Flywheel class