Pregnancy Week 19

Okay, I seriously need to post these on time.  I'm like 4 days late... oops!  

Baby Bump

This is what pictures look like after sunset... sorry it's so dark!

How far along? 19 Weeks, 6 Days


Size of the baby: A delicious mango!

For those who cannot relate to fruit:

Maternity clothes? Yep!

Stretch marks? None at this point!  I know there's nothing you can do to prevent them so hopefully it's not in my genes!
Sleep: Better this week!  YAY!  Felt so good to get a good night's sleep!
Symptoms: Sacral pain is at an all time high :(  Other than that, feeling fabulous!  Lots of energy!
Best moment this week: Running my first race with baby!  Also having my 86 year-old Grandpa call twice to check in on me and his Great-Grandson.  He is so excited it brings tears to my eyes.  
Miss Anything? Lying on my back 
Food cravings: No real cravings, but cheerios and hot chocolate sound disgusting.
Anything making you queasy or sick: The above & the smell of fish!
Have you started to show yet: Yes!  Baby is growing!
Baby Names?  Just you wait!  We're narrowing it down.
Belly Button in or out? Innie!
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly happy!  
Movement: Kicks are getting stronger!  I tell you, pregnancy is such a miracle.  I love it.
Looking forward to:  Prenatal and PT appointments next week!
New mom tips I received this week (which I love getting!): Take a breastfeeding class. And be prepared for ridiculous hormones after birth.  And I thought I was hormonal now... eek!
Favorite part of being pregnant so far: Finding out the gender and hearing he is healthy and developing normally!
Still Running? The first part of the week went great, but then the wrath of SI pain started ... 7, 5, 4, elliptical, 13.1, elliptical).

Letter to Baby

Dear sweet baby boy,

This week we had a wonderful time in my home away from home, California. I went to graduate school there (away from your dad!) in what was the hardest two years of our lives!  I went to school to become the Physician Assistant I am today and although it was hard to be apart, we survived and came out much stronger!  In San Francisco you got to meet many of the people that helped me get through school... The Griffins (your surrogate Grandparents and Auntie) & my classmates: Liza, Gracee, Maryam, Bhavana, Kemi, Alejandra, and Melanie.  They all tried to feel you kick, but for some reason you got stage fright.  Don't worry though, they loved you and can't wait to kiss your little cheeks.

You are a growing machine these days!  This week your brain began designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. I got to see your little brain on ultrasound and it was amazing to see how developed it already is!  Your kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. I wonder if you will have my dark curly locks or your dad's thick and luscious straight hair. I'm also curious if you will be a bald baby like I was for about a year and a half.  Either way you will be the cutest- I'm sure of that!

Our biggest accomplishment this week was running the Nike Women's Half Marathon.  It was so much fun running with you and surprisingly I had more energy than I ever have in a race!  I could have kept running forever!  (Thanks for sharing your energy with me!)  My back is starting to really feel the pressure of you growing so I'm going to have to take a little break from running. Hopefully a little R&R (and physical therapy!) will help and we'll be out running the streets in no time!

It's hard to believe I'm almost half way done with the 40 week wait to meet you!  Every day that passes your Dad and I get more excited :) We love you to the moon!

Love, Mom

Last 2 Days in San Francisco

In the last week, I've realized San Francisco is way more fun when you are not a broke grad student. After the race on Sunday I took it pretty easy by ordering delivery and watching cheesy movies all night. Best way to relax ever.

Monday I said goodbye to the city, and moved south to my favorite parts of the Bay Area: San Carlos, Redwood City, and Palo Alto. I spent the entire day with my all time favorite family, The Griffins. They were the amazing family that housed me during PA school and put up with my moments of frustration, exhaustion, and stress. In other words, they're saints. We talked all day and made dinner together- just like old times. It was so hard to say goodbye but I know I'll be back to visit soon- and with baby next time! 

Yesterday was a day of shopping. There is a new outlet mall in Livermore, CA which was about an hour drive from my hotel.  Well, if you follow the map app on your phone... it's more like an hour and 15.  This is where my phone took me when I typed in the address:

And no, I didn't make a typo (apparently the mall and address are so new it wasn't listed on the app yet).  It made me realize I rely WAY too much on my silly iPhone!  After a moment of frustration, I was redirected to the real outlet mall, not the farmlands in the middle of California.

That's more like it.

I have a confession: I am officially obsessed with baby shopping.  I've restrained myself until now, but when you see an adorable pair of oshkosh overalls for $5.99... it's pretty hard to turn that down (among other things...!). Between that and Carters... I was in baby heaven. Unfortunately we don't really have any good baby stores in Alaska besides Gymboree which is absurdly expensive, so it was fun to get some adorable baby clothes.  Speaking of expensive, they had a Jack and Janie store which is a store made for the most fashionable babies in the world.  I really really had a tough time turning down this $200 outfit for baby.

I mean suspenders and a bow tie? And that hat? If anyone wants to buy that for me, I will love you forever. ;)

My favorite purchase of the day however, was not for baby.  It was for Diego.  He's going to be the scariest Shark-Dog ever. Duh-nah... dun-nah... dun-nah, dun-nah, dun-nah (insert Jaws theme here).

After walking around the outlet mall and getting my shopping fix, I met up with one of my classmates for coffee.  It's been so fun hearing how everyone is adjusting to being a real live, PA-C!  They are working in all sorts of specialties: cardiothoracic surgery, ER, inpatient medicine, orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, and family practice.  I got momentarily jealous when I heard how much fun it is to be in the OR every day... but then they told me their schedule and I realized why I love my job!  And I love the longevity of family practice... you really get to know your patients!

Dinner followed coffee with three of my favorite girls.  I was so involved in talking I forgot to take a picture of my delicious tacos.  Sorry, I know you're bummed to miss out on my high quality Iphone pictures of my meals. :)

Next stop, Alaska to be with my boys.  I sure do miss these two.

Nike Women's Half Marathon Recap!

This was supposed to be posted earlier today but for some reason Blogger ate the post so I got to write it again!

The Race in Numbers:

6:30AM start time

30,000 runners

13.61 miles... how is that considered a half marathon?  I think Nike forgot how to count!

3,481,239 hills (okay, slight exaggeration)

3 potty breaks

4 mini walk breaks down the hills

45 seconds of tears shed at the finish line

4 shot blox consumed during the race

2 free chocolate bars grabbed at the chocolate mile (they were a great post-race snack!)

My time?  1 hour slower than I my fastest half.  Do I care?  Not one tiny bit.

The Race in Pictures:

Moonlit Start!

Here we go!

Ready to run!

Up another hill!

True Story.

Finish Line in Sight!

Finished the race!

Got the Tiffany's Necklace!  My firefighter is a million times better looking though...

The box!

10th Anniversary Race!

Love it

The race was just as fun as I remember.  A beautiful course, a great cause (Leukemia & Lymphoma- something very dear to me as my Grandpa died from Leukemia when I was 11), great goodie bag and tech shirt, and a TIFFANY'S necklace at the finish line. The only thing I will say about the race is that there were almost 10,000 more people running it this year which = way too crowded.  The finish line was chaotic, although I think that was because they had to cut the finish line area since it was partially on government land (and is a no-go because of the shut-down).  Hopefully next year the finish line will be as amazing as past years because this year was pretty anticlimactic!  That's okay though!

So how was running a half marathon at ~20 weeks pregnant?  Well... not like running a half marathon when I'm not pregnant, that's for sure!  Unfortunately, my body decided to go into freak out mode in the last week and the sacro-iliac joint (SI) pain that I've been having went from slightly annoying to constant. Luckily during the race I was able to pull through and I had more energy than I've ever had in a race (probably because I was running at snail speed!).  I had no issues whatsoever with baby and I'm so proud of baby boy accomplishing his first race! :)

After the race, we went to lunch near our hotel and I enjoyed an amazing chicken salad.  The best part however, was this:

Cheesecake Factory, you never let me down.

As much as I love this race, I think I might try to venture out next year and try a new race!  Any recommendations for fall races??

Expos are the Besto

And the lamest blog post title of the year award goes to... :)

But expos are the best. 

The Nike Women's Marathon is tomorrow and I am so excited! Don't worry... I'm not running the full marathon but I am going to attempt to run the half! And note I said run, not race. My plan is slow and steady with plenty of potty breaks, snacks, water stops, and walking if I need it! My doc gave me the go-ahead, so baby and I will be completing our second half together! (My first was the Mayor's Half in June when I was 3 weeks pregnant and had no idea).  

The past 2 days revolved around the glorious Nike expo... and shopping. The expo is so organized but extremely chaotic! After getting my bib and bag, I walked into the expo to see my name on the big screen! 

So awesome.

There were samples of protein shakes & macaroons, free hair styling and makeovers, and I even got my first tattoo. 

Don't worry, it was an airbrush tattoo. :)

Across from Union Square is Nike town where every runner's dream awaits.... I literally could spend an entire paycheck in that store alone, but I restrained myself! 

Add caption

My friend Melanie from PA school is also running tomorrow so it's been fun to have a girls trip! 

After spending far too long on our feet, we decided to come back and relax in the hotel room. I'm thoroughly looking forward to dinner out in the city tonight... Operation carbo load. And not only do I need to carbo load for me, but baby boy needs his carbs too, right?? I see Cheesecake Factory in my very near future...

Good luck to all of the other runners in races this weekend!!! 

Pregnancy Week 18

This post is a few days late... but better late than never, right?!
Baby Bump

How far along? 18 Weeks, 6 Days


Size of the baby: A delicious sweet potato!

For those who cannot relate to fruit:

Maternity clothes? Yep, sure am.  Still rocking pre-pregnancy jeans with the bellaband though!

Stretch marks? No! 
Sleep: Better this week, but had a few nights of lying awake.
Symptoms: Low back and sacral pain :(  Owweee. 
Best moment this week: Finding out baby is a BOY!
Miss Anything? Sleeping on my back
Food cravings: Nothing really this week!  
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, feeling great!
Have you started to show yet: Random strangers ask when I'm due... so I think so!
Baby Names?  We have a few... but for now it's going to be a surprise!
Belly Button in or out? Innie!
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: More mood swings this week.  I think the exhaustion of traveling finally caught up to me!
Movement: Feeling more kicks each week! It still feels like little butterflies in my stomach :)
Looking forward to:  Going to San Fran this week and seeing my classmates!
New mom tips I received this week (which I love getting!): Kegals and ab exercises should be my best friend right about now.
Favorite part of being pregnant so far: Finding out the gender and hearing he is healthy and developing normally!
Still Running? It was hard to actually get myself to run this week, but once I got out and ran I felt great!   Workouts: 8 miles, 7 miles, 7 miles, 7 miles, 4 miles  & 3 miles!).  

Letter to Baby

Dear Baby BOY!

This week we found out you are our little son! You have no idea how excited your Dad and I were to find out you are a boy (although of course we would have been happy either way!). We had an ultrasound this week that looked at all of your little organs, bones, and joints to make sure you are developing normally.  The good news?  Your heart is beating strong (with all of it's chambers and vessels!), your stomach & intestines are working normally, your brain is looking extra intelligent, and your bones look healthy and strong!  I cried when we saw your little "turtle shell" as they call it...  there was no denying you are a boy!  Your Dad is already planning future hunting trips with you.  I wouldn't be surprised if he already secretly bought you your first gun and camo gear too. 

You are now the size of a sweet potato! My stomach is definitely sticking out more each day and random people ask all about you.  This week a very important thing happened in your little throat: your vocal cords started forming!  You're practicing your cries, although you can't make any sound yet. I know practice makes perfect, but don't become too good at crying, okay?  :) You also started growing a protective layer on your skin called vernix, although it makes you look like you have cheese on your skin, I promise it will go away after you make your grand entrance into the world.

I'm going to admit to you that I'm not quite sure what to do with little boys. I never had a brother, and I was a more girly-girl as a child, so it's going to be fun learning all about the ways of boyhood with you. Bring on the slugs, snails, and puppy-dog tails. You have a Dad that is a man's man and I am so grateful to have a role model like him to help you learn about the ways of the world.  He will teach you how to fix and build almost anything, hunt in the wilderness, and of course, treat a woman with respect and love. You are being born into a family that has SO much love. We are so excited to meet you, little one!

Love, Mom

Travel much?

San Francisco.

My home away from home.

I missed you.

I arrived this afternoon to the place I left my heart (okay that's a bit of an exaggeration, but I can't help hearing Tony Bennett's voice singing, "I left my heart in San Francisco..." every time I say San Francisco!). It was a long night of traveling that started with a flight to Seattle at 1:40am, then to Salt Lake City, then finally to San Fran. Mrs. Smarty-pants over here booked the flights long before I was pregnant and had any idea just how valuable sleep is. Never again. Never. 

The flights may not have been so bad except I sat next to a snorer, a talker, and an "I like to listen to music so loud everyone and their cousin in Antarctica can hear it." Oh well, I got to my beloved city without a delay and it made for a good story!

After claiming my luggage, I took the BART to the city and stepped into the familiar hustle and bustle of city life. Ahhh the sounds of cars honking, people yelling, heels tapping the pavement, and the distinct smells of exhaust, every food imaginable and urine (maybe that was because I seem to have the nose of a foxhound these days!). Mmm... :) On a map, my hotel looked to be extremely close to the BART station... but that was with me forgetting San Francisco is made up of ridiculous hills. Ha... It must have been quite a sight to see me lugging my suitcase and carry-on up the streets.  I made it to my hotel after a mile and a half detour around the city (apparently there was some sort of a suspicious device found in the city so they blocked off tons of streets... Scary!) and immediately fell onto my comfy bed. 

I'll give you one guess where I went to get food after my power siesta. 

And yes, that bag is full. 

Yep, Trader Joe's. Three times in one month? I'm a lucky girl!  

After enjoying my treats, I got ready to meet some of my classmates for an amazing dinner in Los Gatos. 

Three courses of deliciousness.

Pumpkin cheesecake that tasted like heaven. 

I missed this ladies way too much.

I officially got my fill of traveling today. Three plane rides, one ride on BART, two rides on Caltrain, and finally a cab to the hotel from the station at 12:00am. That's enough for me. 

I now plan to sleep for as many hours as I possibly can.  

It's a....

Today is the big day!

Are you as excited as I am?? 

Counting down the minutes... :) 

Some Advice.

Words of wisdom:  Do not schedule a flight back to Alaska at 1:00 am and plan to go to work the next day.  

My flight was delayed so I didn't end up getting to bed until almost 3:00 am on Thursday.  Although part of the reason I stayed up so late was because I have an amazing husband who left a pregnant girl's dream on the counter (he was working).  2 jars of deliciously salty pickles, 2 kinds of Salt & Vinegar chips, coffee filters and a note to check the fridge/freezer (the avocado oil is a funny story... don't worry I'm not craving that!).  In the fridge and freezer, I found 3 loaves of my favorite Great Harvest Bread, Lactose-Free Milk, Cream, Cold Oranges, & my favorite decaf coffee from Kaladi Brothers.  

Heaven.

Ahhhhmazing!

I literally cried sweet tears of happiness when I saw all of my favorite things.  I went to bed with a full belly and a big smile!  However... waking up 3 hours later was not my favorite.  I went to work and had a very busy day seeing patients, but luckily I had a lot of energy!  I tell you, some days pregnancy makes you feel like the energizer bunny and other days it feels like you could fall asleep standing up. 

After a 10 hour day on 3 hours' sleep, I rushed home to see my boys!  I have never seen two more excited people (okay, Diego's a dog, but he's practically human)!  

There is nothing like coming home to the one's you love, don't you agree? 

Last Days in Utah

After a fun-filled day on Monday with Janae, it was Mission Sister Time.  I love my sister so much it's crazy.  We watched the Great Gatsby while eating Pho (I could seriously eat Pho every day of my life) which was a perfect way to end a Monday.  The Great Gatsby was a great movie - I definitely recommend it!

On Tuesday, I got to see my Grandma who is probably one of the toughest people I know!  I don't know if you remember, but last year while she was visiting me in San Diego she fell and broke her hip and had to stay in San Diego for a month to recover from surgery!  She recovered so well that she decided to have her knee replaced 5 weeks ago!  She is already walking without any assistance and doesn't even have a limp. Did I mention she is 83 years old?  I hope I inherited her genetics!

She is a phenomenal painter and I got the tour of her gallery.  She still spends hours in her studio painting gorgeous works of art.  Here is a painting she made for me based on a picture I took in Tanzania, Africa. Stunning.

The most entertaining part of our day together was looking at pictures of my sister and I as children.  Man we were cute.

After my sister got off work, she took me on a run up City Creek Canyon.  The fall colors were out in full effect and the temperature was perfect.  I wish I could bottle up the smell of fall and open it in January when it's freezing and dark outside.  There is something so soothing and nostalgic about it!  Although the run was straight uphill (and starting at 5,000 ft altitude...) I didn't seem to notice.  Catching up and laughing with my sister was far too fun.  Sis, please move back to Alaska???

The day ended with a delicious dinner with my Aunt and Uncle followed by a visit to my cousin's house where I FINALLY got to meet the cutest twins in the world.

They all gave me my FIRST baby gifts and it made me want to swaddle and dress the little one already.  How is baby stuff so cute?  So excited.

Now, I'm off to Alaska.  As much as I want to stay and spend time with family, I am so excited to see my two boys back home!  Hope everyone is having a great Wednesday!