My Pregnancy: Week 26

I started Week 26 with a fun photo shoot at the gym.  I've been loving the Transformation Tuesday stories that my coach has been sharing and felt honored to be featured!

And a brutal workout, as per usual for Friday!

My left knee has been bothering me on and off lately (a ski jump injury from when I was young and dumb) so I'm backing off of squatting below parallel (wallballs & thrusters in this workout).  I cut the pull ups to 8 reps and did 75# for the clean & jerks.  I subbed bar facing burpees for squat thrust step overs and did the thrusters at 65#.  And for the last round I did 4 toes to bar and Rxed the snatch weight!  The workout was long.  It was a 30 minute cap, but I only had 1 round left so I just decided to finish and was done in 31:44.

Look at my face LOL --->

I was really hot when it was over and after some recovery time I felt totally normal.  But around lunch I started feeling a serious pain right below my belly.  I tried going to the bathroom and stretching out and I would get some relief, but I was really uncomfortable the whole rest of the day.  My evening was scheduled full of errands and cleaning, so I waddled through the grocery store and took lots of breaks while trying to tidy up the house.  It was definitely a new experience for me and I started to wonder if my comfortable second trimester feeling was coming to an abrupt end.

The next morning I woke up and felt so much better!  I wasn't sure if I overdid it at the gym or what but I'm going to go ahead and say I probably shouldn't have done those toes to bars.  I believe I was feeling some round ligament pain:

What does it feel like? Round ligament pain is typically felt as achy, crampy or sharp sensations on one or both sides of the lower abdomen. You'll probably notice occasional round ligament pain more when you change positions suddenly or get up from sitting or lying down, or when you cough, sneeze or laugh. It may be brief or last for several hours (yet another mystery of pregnancy).

What causes it?  Your uterus is supported by thick bands of ligaments that run from the groin up the side of the abdomen. As your uterus grows, the supporting ligaments stretch and thin out to accommodate the increasing weight – which pulls on the ligaments and causes sharp pains and/or dull aches in the lower abdomen. Other causes of a sore lower tummy include increased blood flow (you've pumped up the volume to nurture your baby) and the buildup of your uterine lining.

It seems pretty normal according to the internet, but hopefully I don't have any more that lasts for several hours.

Saturday night we headed into the city for "my last night out" so I could get my dance on before I can't anymore.  We hit a few bars, I got down with my bad self, and somehow stayed awake until 3 am!  We stayed over at Michelle and Alex's apartment, so I think I got about 5.5 hours of sleep.  Sunday we grabbed brunch and then headed over to Camden to tailgate for the Dead and Company show at the BB&T.  I let it all hang out (like a good hippie would) in a bikini top and shorts and carried Dave in a game of beer water pong.  The weather was absolutely perfect and we went in early enough to grab a decent spot.  I had to beg the staff to make me a virgin frozen drink.  It was a serious feat, like nobody had any clue why I would want to purchase a drink without alcohol in it.  But I finally got a mango pina colada and it was everything.  The music was amazing and the people watching was unreal.  I've been to plenty of concerts and the Folk Festival, but I don't think I've ever seen such a huge free for all of wasted people, which was also magnified by the fact that I was sober.  The concert didn't end till 11:30 and by then I was pooped.  We got out of Camden surprisingly quick, ate a snack at Michelle and Alex's, and got home around 12:45.  Monday morning was rough!

This morning I hit CF and the warm up was feeling a little more difficult than usual.  My belly is starting to feel heavy and I'm just feeling less comfortable in general.  The strength was snatch again and it's turning into my favorite thing at the gym.  I thought maybe I wouldn't be able to go as high, but I hit 95# easily again.  There's no way 105# is going to my max when I come back!  The WOD was a mix of snatches (at 60-70% of what you hit, so I went with 65# which was almost 70%) and bar over burpees for 20 minutes, with some built in rest.  The snatches were super easy and I was able to do them all connected, touch and go.  The squat thrusts felt kind of crappy in my belly so I'm wondering if I should start doing them elevated on the parallette bars or on the side of a box.

I think this week was a turning point for my body.  My stomach is starting to feel heavy and I'm feeling less comfortable overall.  I only have 3 months left, the third trimester is almost here, so I guess it makes sense... I just need to remember to be gentle with my body.  I'll be enjoying an a trip to the chiropractor followed by a pedicure tonight :)  On the flip side, the kicks and movement have really ramped up this week, which is the coolest thing ever.  I still can't believe there's a 14 inch baby inside of me!

My Pregnancy: Week 25

The big event this week was my shower on Saturday!  It was held at Calvary Church, in a perfect little room for the event, and decorated beautifully.  The flowers were gorgeous, the food was yummy, and all the small touches were just adorable.  It was everything I hoped for and I was overwhelmed with the generosity and love I felt at the shower.  Dave and I are truly blessed with amazing family and friends and Baby Midgley is already so loved!

After skipping the gym all last week (being sick on Monday, golfing Friday, with a ton of stuff jammed in between), I decided to make it a priority this week.  I hit the gym Monday (actually week 24) and hit a 115# clean and jerk, followed by a workout of 66 jerks at 75# and 25 calories on the assault bike.

Whoa meatball.

Wednesday (also technically week 24) we were snatching and I made it all the way up to 95#!  I love that lifting still feels so good.  The workout was 5 rounds of 3 snatches, 6 bar over burpees that I did as squat thrusters with a step over, 9 hang cleans, and I subbed the 27 dubs for 5 calories on the assault bike.  The Rx weight was 75# and I decided to take it a little lighter since sometimes hang cleans hurt my back, but 65# felt incredibly easy, especially in the snatches.  Oh well!  And Friday we did this gem of a workout.

I finished in 22:29 and modified with step ups instead of box jumps, 75# for my front squats, and I still have my kipping pull ups!  I keep wondering if I should cut them (to avoid overdoing it and ended up with a worse ab separation), but they still feel great.  I feel like just by listening to my body, it's been pretty easy to tell when I should nix a movement.  So for now, I'm keeping them.  I keep saying how easy they'll be when I'm not carrying around all these extra lbs.

On Tuesday I hit some front squats (2x5 at 99#) and then the workout was wallballs, burpees (squat thrusts for me), and running (assault bike) and my quads were on fire.  I'm definitely noticing it takes me a little longer to recover after the WODs these days.  I just need some time to sit and chill before I can run off to shower.

Other pregnancy things this week:  my feet always hurt!  They may be a little swollen, nothing crazy, but it literally takes zero time on my feet for them to start seriously aching.  I'm trying to wear comfy supportive shoes, but it doesn't matter.  Some mornings I wake up and they still hurt from the day before.  It's not fun.  My back has also started aching a bit when I'm sitting at work all day.  I try to mix in time on the exercise ball I'm borrowing from a coworker, but I usually get sick of that too.  I need to incorporate more awkward under my desk midday stretching.

I'm also going back and forth with my body image.  Sometimes I feel like I'm just belly (and GIANT boobs) and then other times I just feel like a whale.  Everyone at my shower was telling me how great I look, so that was a nice confidence booster.  But the scale tells a different story.  I also need to choose my clothing carefully.  I've had a few days where I've worn stuff that was restrictive and just made me extremely uncomfortable all day.  And the other day I swore I could feel a stretch mark forming lol.  Thankfully none to report yet.  My belly button is almost flat though, it's really weird.

Another new-ish symptom is I'm noticeably more emotional lately.  Little things will really set me off and I'll end up crying over something that's not really worth it.  I have a feeling this one is only going to get worse for most of the remaining calendar year.  Dave is screwed.

The third trimester is right around the corner, holy moly!

My Pregnancy: Weeks 23 & 24

Week 23:

I didn't make it to the gym most of the calendar week, but I went Friday and had another great workout.  The strength was back squat but my left knee has been a little cranky, so I decided to do the snatch complex from the day before and I made it up to a 90# power snatch!  Then the workout was Jackie, rest 3 minutes, and then a half Jackie (only 35# for women).

When I first started, I was thinking maybe I would do less time on the rower.  My hands were still kind of ripped up from Murph, so I was thinking about cutting some of the pull up reps too.  I also considered doing Jackie and then skipping the half or making it just 1/4.  And then I felt good on the rower, turned my brain off, and just did the whole damn thing.  I finished Jackie in 15:53 and then crushed the half Jackie in 6:23, with everyone around me cheering while I finished.  I felt so proud and remembered the first time I did Jackie in 2013 when I could barely do the pull ups with two resistance bands!

On Saturday we attended a perfect little farm wedding.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous and really made the night.  They had a Quaker ceremony which was incredibly simple, but it was short and sweet and really suited the couple.  The flowers were dazzling and the reception barn decor was so cute.  It was a wonderful evening full of friendship, love, and dancing.  And photo shoots, thanks Heather!

My weekend ended with a rough Sunday night.  I either ate something crappy or picked up some germs off the train because I was up 5 different times sitting on the toilet and decided to skip work Monday.  I laid on the couch all day and tried to rally, but ultimately decided to skip our last birth class.  I was really disappointed, but getting in the car and driving to Philly was the last thing I wanted to do and I didn't want to risk getting the other girls sick.

On Tuesday, one of my mommy fairy godmothers came over with a van full of goodies for Baby M!  Aunt Kimber brought over a glider, a pack n play, a high chair, some clothes and toys.  Then on Wednesday Dave picked up our nursery furniture from Babies R Us!  The staff at the store kept asking him if he wanted to make two trips, but he said nope!

Dave and his dad lugged all the furniture in the house and set up the dressers.  Dave's dad wouldn't let me help carry anything, he didn't want me to hurt myself.  Insert all the eye rolls haha.

Week 24:

On Thursday I had an OB appointment and the doctor finally acknowledged my weight gain.  She was very nice about it and the topic didn't come as a surprise since I've gained over 30 lbs already.  She started tell me how I should be eating, focusing on protein and fiber and watching my carbs and I just laughed.  I know exactly how I should be eating.  I'm not doing a Whole30 any time soon, but I'm trying to take things down a notch.  Maybe I'll stop eating ice cream directly out of the carton.  Maybe.  We also talked a little bit about Hypnobabies and she was really open to hearing more about it, which was nice because some of the mothers in my natural birth support group on Facebook have posted about receiving a lot of negative feedback from their OBs.

On Friday I attended a golf outing for the American Society of Highway Engineers and I was really unsure of how I was going to play.  All week my coworkers had been joking with me about swinging around my belly, but I figured either way it would be a nice day out of the office.  And then I played the best game of my life!  I drove the ball straighter than ever, had a lot of nice hits in general, and my putting was actually decent.  I had a lot of fun and the weather was perfect.

On Sunday my dad came over to help Dave finish putting the furniture together.  I'm so happy all the furniture is ready to go in the nursery, it is so beautiful.

And now I can nest!  I started going through all the hand me down clothes we have and I washed all the newborn and 0-3 month clothes.  The clothes were killing me, I was literally getting emotional.  Everything is SO tiny!  I just can't believe we are going to have such a tiny little baby to care for in a few months!

Our Long Weekend in Arizona Part 2: A Wonderful Wedding & Climbing Cathedral Rock

Part 1: Courthouse Butte and Bell Rock Hike, The Hudson, and Midgley Bridge

The ceremony was held in Red Rock State Park under the shade of a huge tree.  The weather was absolutely perfect (after the forecast was calling for rain all week) and the ceremony was really touching.  I couldn't help but tear up during the vows they had written for each other. It was beautiful.  Congrats Drew & Alexa!

After a few family pics, we were on our own for a few hours before the reception started.  The venue was the Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village, a really cool little complex with art galleries, shops, and restaurants, so we headed right there to check out Oak Creek Brewery.  Dave drank, I ate some fries, and we got to know some of Dave's cousin's long time family friends.  And soon enough it was time for the party to start!

The reception was wonderful.  The space was so cute with a lot of special touches from the couple including a Polaroid camera setup to fill their guest book with fun shots.  The chicken marsala dinner was delicious.  The DJ was great and we even got Aunt Linda on the dance floor for the cupid shuffle.  It was a really fun wedding and I think the couple really got to enjoy it!

After jamming all the decorations into the groom's car, we headed back to the house for the after party where I somehow managed to stay up until 2 am to laugh with/at all the drunk people.

Sunday had a slow start.  Dave was hungover and I was pretty tired too.  I spent the morning soaking up some sun on the back porch until we were finally ready for another hike!

We headed up the road to Cathedral Rock for a 1 mile hike up to a look out point.  The hike was labeled moderate difficulty so we figured we'd just take our time with lots of breaks and see what I could do.  A mile seemed doable.  The first part of the hike was fairly easy and when we got up to the base of the rocky portion the view was so cool.

Then we started heading up the rock and about half way, it got pretty steep.  There were foot holes in the rock and we started to use our hands for part of it.  When we got to the top of that section I suddenly felt a bit of regret, I really didn't want to go back down it.  We took a little break and I was feeling slightly anxious.  I wanted to continue and we were so close!  But my gut was telling me no.  The portion above us looked even more difficult and I decided that it wasn't a good life choice to keep going.  I am not a rock climber!

 

I went back down the steep portion with a crab walk, dragging my butt along some parts, and it wasn't that bad.  As soon as we got back down, I was so mad at myself for not going all the way.  I was really bummed, but just had to remember that I was better safe than sorry.  We hiked a little around the base of the rock and then called it a day.

We spent our last night in the house hanging with our family and enjoying delicious steaks on the grill.  Then we said our goodbyes and headed to bed nice and early.

To be continued with our awesome day at the Grand Canyon...