I'm back

I'm back!!! 

A lot has happened since my last post {hospital stays, hubby came home, and we had a baby}

I'll keep the recaps short. 

Hospital stays......UGH

I started to develop preeclampsia again durning this pregnancy which caused for high blood pressure and an abnormal amount of pregnancy swelling. I also had the joy of getting gestational diabetes too, which included pricking myself 8x thought the day (blood sugar check and insulin). The good news is it has all went away since having the baby. In the last few weeks of my pregnancy I ended up in the hospital 4x, it was annoying to say the lease. 

I was lucky enough to be able to FaceTime with John durning every dr/hospital visit. I doubt he realized it but even though he was 6000 miles away he helped keep my sanity. Due to some of the issues I was having with this pregnancy, John was able to put in a packet (to return home early) thankfully it was approved and with in a few days he was on his way home. We decided not to tell anyone because you never know how the Army operates and we didn't want to get anyone's hopes up of john coming home. 

The day John came home was of course the day I got sent to the hospital for an overnight visit! I was so upset because that was not part of my plan. I was going to get graham and we were going to surprise him at the airport. Now I was going to be stuck in a hospital bed for 24hrs. Luckily my awesome friend Jackie stuck around hung out at the hospital with me then when his delayed flight actually came in she ran over to get him.  So sadly there was no grand airport greating...just me layed up in a hospital bed. But the hubby was the talk on the OB floor that night.

Hubby Came Home

This was probably the hardest secret that I had to keep...I knew roughly a week or so prior that John would be coming home early from his deployment but we chose not to tell anyone.  We weren't looking for a grand homecoming we both knew how the Army operates and until his plane landed at home...neither one of us would believe it.

John's first night back home was spent in the hospital with me while I was being monitored.  He came in my hospital room in uniform and bags in tow.  For whatever reason, I was so nervous to see him. This was the first time, durning this pregnancy that he would see me in person (9months pregnant...Sexy let me tell yea).  It worked out in our favor because my dr was the on call dr that day and they got us out of there pretty quickly and we were on our way home.

My mother & father-in law and the boys were all at the house and no one had a clue that John was with me.  John was driving as we pulled into the drive way...luckily my windows are tented so no one noticed who was driving the van.  I got out of the passenger side of the van as my MIL came outside and I think it took her a minute to realize what was going on.

We also waited until my stepson was away from all vehicles because I was pretty sure he was going to jump off of the lawnmower.


I was most concerned for Graham and Daddy's reunion...I wasn't sure how he would react to seeing daddy in person. I didn't want him to be scared or not want to go to him...when we got home Graham was sleeping and we decided to take a chance and wake him up.  Luckily, Graham picked up right where they left off.


We had a baby

A few days after John got home, I had my bi-weekly Dr visit.  The nurses loved that he was able to make it to every dr apt (via Facetime)  My one nurse was so excited she game him a huge hug lol.  On our final visit my vitals were of course enough to send us back to the hospital.  Here we were, 4 days before our delivery date and I'm back in the hospital. At this point we were ready for baby, but the dr decided to hold off until our delivery date the following week.

August 26, 2014....we meet with our birth photographer at the hospital a little before 1000, checked in, and started getting ready for baby.  I went in to surgery at 1200 and at 1234 we had a healthy baby boy (i'll do a birth store post later)

At What Point Do You Call Yourself a Runner?

Sorry I've been MIA...I've been swamped at work and have finally gotten a moment to slow down.

Two weekends ago I finished my 11^th half marathon.

The weather was perfect for a wog (that’s what I’m calling it now).

 It’s walking + jogging=wogging

The Springfield ½  isn’t a large race, it’s actually quiet small. They finally had over 2,000 people sign up for this year’s race. I will say that next year, please have more porta potties. There was such a long line at the beginning that I knew there was no way we would get in to use them before the race started.

But I should of just waited then crossed the start line because at the start of the race we were hanging with the 2:30 group for about 2 miles. Then the 1 lone porta potty was sitting there are mile 2 and I had to potty. So knowing there wasn’t many other stops along the route I should stop now. Almost 10 mins later….we were able to use the facilities and get back into the race.

Sadly, my motivation to catch back up with the 2:30 was not gonna happen. I was in no place to even try it. I hadn’t trained or had done any sort of running since the Little Rock Marathon a month before. So what did I do…we just enjoyed the beautiful sunny and took our time.

Which I’m glad we did, because I was not even close to prepared for this race. I didn’t bring anything with me so around mile 7, I was STARVING!!!

I can only speak for self when I say with both pregnancy, when I get hungry I have about a 5 mins window before I need to get something into my system.  Well that definitely wasn’t going to be happening so luckily the next few water stops had some Gatorade so I was able to get some sugar into my body.

Note to self, for the RnR Nashville at the end of the month…I’m bringing snacks :) 

 Yesterday I received a few emails with pics from the weekend’s race and we got on the discussion at what point do you consider yourself a runner?

(I’m the squirrel in the snow leopard compression socks and sweat band on the right)

Many people tend to think that I must be fast because I’ve done, as they put it “so many races”.  In compared to others I know I have not done that many. I think people believe that because I have my medals displayed in my office.

So far I’ve completed:

5K=a lot I haven’t actually kept track of them my last count was 10

10K= 1

1/2 marathon= 11 (I’ll be completing # 12 later this month)

Full Marathon= 4

In all actuality, I’m not fast at all…not even close. 2:20 is my fastest half and 5:30 for a full marathon.  I’m telling myself after this baby…I’m actually going to train and put out a little effort just to see what I’m capable of. 

I think that is what is keeping me from calling myself a “runner” is that  I don’t train, I just finish races.

Since I’ve started “running” I’ve learned that there are no stereotypes in runners.  Runners come in all shapes in sizes. You see a  lean in shape person in front of you before the race and tell yourself “man, I bet they’re fast” and then you’re passing them along the route. On the other hand, you can come across someone who you may feel is larger than you and they leave you in their dust.  We cannot stereotype runners, they will amaze you every time.

At what point do you consider yourself a runner?

Baby #2

Baby #2 is a….

Boy!!!

(I figured since john was 6,000 miles away, I'd let him share the news)

Where you right? I wasn’t lol

Nope….I had a feeling (REALLY hoping) for a girl this time.  With Graham, I was never sick, queasy nothing.  This time around…I was never really sick just queasy here and there and not 100%.  With Graham I wanted sweats, cherry coke and a cheeseburger all the time…this time not so much…Fruit, water, buffalo chicken.

 

As much as I thought I would be having a girl, a part of me knew before I went in for the sonogram that it was going to be a boy. IDK if it was just dumb luck or it was meant for me to find out in the very beginning but as soon as the tech started the sono….there it was balls and wiener plan as day, with in the first 3 seconds. I suddenly felt gender disappointment and wanted her to stop the sono say thanks and have a nice day. But since I was face timing with Daddy…figured I’d stick it out and let him see his baby from 6k miles away.

When I found out Graham was a boy I cried and canceled out gender reveal party. Childish….Maybe but I wasn’t handling it well. John already had a son from before and I wanted a girl so if we decide on baby #2 it could be whatever. John gave me until the end of the day to pout then said I had to get over it.

 I realized that at this point there isn’t a damn thing I could do but accept that I am going to be in a house full of boys. A BOY MOM!!!! Dirty, stinky, messy boys.  Lord help me.  I actually thought to myself, how in the world does Mandy, from House of Rose do it?  3 boys under 7!!!! Bless her heart.

So I decided to make some gender reveal cupcakes and take them to work. Figured it was the least I could do since I shortchanged it the last time because I was pouting.

Am I thrilled to be having another boy? Honestly, no not really, but what can I do about it…nothing

Am I grateful and relieved he’s healthy? Without a doubt. That’s almost a stupid question.  

I have no doubt that Graham is going to be an awesome big brother.  He loves his bubba so much I know that he will love his younger brother too. I’m hoping that having a brother closer in age, they will become best buds.  There is 11yr difference between Graham and his older brother, so I think it’s safe to say that they will never be close or at least until they are much older.

As for me, I’m working on accepting a future of trucks, wheelers, broken bones, guns, hunting, snakes, and sporting events (which won’t be too bad) instead of dolls, dresses, bows, dances and makeup. I have to tell myself, that I think God knows that I don’t have the patience for the drama that girls can bring to the table.

Now the hard part is trying to come up with a second boy name. We have a few names on our list but nothing we are falling in love with. So if you have any suggestions for boy names that are not super popular, and no nick names…like you can name him William and call him Bill…No I would name him Bill if I wanted to call him that.

Sorry pet peeve.  But seriously, if you have any boy names, I’d love to hear them

And if you have any tips on being a BOY MOM, I’m listening!

My Baby Must Have List

1.       Diapers....Since Graham was my 1st baby I had no idea what diapers I would like. So of course I went the name brand route to start with.  Huggies were terrible for him because he had such little legs that he had blow outs all the time.  One day I got completely feed up with Huggies diapers and took $200 worth of diapers back to Walmart.  I really liked the Pampers swaddlers, it was great for his little skinny legs. It wasn't until a friend recommended the Target Brand diapers that I decided to give them a try.  They worked great and WAY cheaper too.

2.       Wipes....Hands down Huggies One & Done!!! They are AMAZING! I use less wipes because it will only take one maybe two wipes to take care of a mess.  They are so much more durable than other wipes. I seriously by them in the bulk packages.

3.       Moby Wrap....Graham loved the Moby wrap and I loved how well he fit in there and how much I was able to get done with a sleeping baby wrapped up on me.  I can safely say that we used the Moby wrap at least once a day. 

4.       Ergo Baby Carrier...Once Graham was big enough we switched to  the Ergo Baby Carrier.  It's a staple in our house, the Ergo stays in the van and we still use it to this day. Graham will be 2 in June and he loves it. He'll pass right out in it and I'm still able to get stuff done.

5.       Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper<https://www.armsreach.com/shop/retired-products/the-mini-convertible-baby-bassinet>...this was great especially in the beginning with all the last night around the clock feedings.  I simple got him out of there, feed him, burped him and back down he went. It was too easy. We co-sleep with Graham until about 6 months and then transitioned him into his crib.  The transition was flawless.

6.       Bloom Fresco Highchair<http://www.amazon.com/Bloom-Fresco-Chrome-Contemporary-Chair/dp/B008PD2A9I>...ok...so these are a little pricey....but I LOVE our Bloom Fresco Highchair.  Its seriously one of the very few highchairs that allow a child from 0-6 months to fit into them.  Tilt that puppy back and strap them in and they are content.  If I was in the kitchen doing something and I wasn't wearing Graham he was in the Bloom Highchair.  In reality, we should never have to buy another highchair because it transitions to so many different phases, so the initial prices sucks, but it pays for its self in the long run.

7.       Speaking of running...BOB Strollers<http://www.bobgear.com/strollers> are a MUST if you like to get out and about and running/jogging/wogging whatever you want to call it.  I came across a killer deal on a Bugaboo stroll and bought it and never used it because we only use our BOB.  My husband loves it, so much we are looking at getting a double BOB for Graham and baby #2.  Again it's another one of those expensive ass baby items...but with us both being runners and such we got our money's worth out of it.

8.       Medela Breast Pump<http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/products/573/pump-in-style-advanced>...if you plan on breast-feeding this is a total must. As much as I enjoyed feeling like a milk cow...I loved my Medela pump.  After a few uses I went to Babies R Us and bought the Medela buster to hold the suction cones on to the boobies so I could pump two bottles at once and actually use my hands at the same time...if need be.

9.       Diaper Bags...My first diaper bag was a Timi & Leslie bag and I really liked it because it didn't look like a diaper bag at all. It was nice and big but the quality wasn't the best.  I've bounced around through a few different bags but haven't fallen in love with one yet. I did come across the Boken Diaper Bag<http://www.bokenessentials.com/> and I'm really debating on getting one.

10.   Video monitor...This came in handy when Graham was napping and we were in the other room, outside or at night once we moved him to his crib.  It was great because you could see if he was really away or just moving around and being restless.

11.   Diaper pail...this is another must for all the stinky diapers.  We went with the Diaper Genie and LOVE it. We have not had any issues and it keeps the smell contained