My Pregnancy: Week 35

Happy Birthday to me!  I'm 31 today and I'm pretty sure this year is going to be one I'll never forget.

Still got my pull ups!

Friday's WOD was a nice little chipper: 30 hand release push ups (incline PUs on the barbell for me), 20 squat cleans (95# Rx - I did 55), 30 pull ups, 20 jerks, 30 toes to bar, 20 clean and jerks, 25 minute cap.  I figured 30 pull ups in a row was too many, so I did 15 and then another 15 instead of the toes to bar.  I warmed up 65# on the barbell, but it felt kind of heavy, so I went with 55.  It ended up feeling pretty easy and I was able to cycle a lot of the movements.  The pull ups were the hardest part of the workout, I'm honestly not really sure how I'm still getting up there lol, but they actually hurt my hands more than anything.  My fingers have been aching, apparently carpal tunnel syndrome is common in pregnancy, so gripping the bar is more difficult in general.  I finished in 19:30.

Friday night we had a nice little date night out at Bonefish Grill.  We had a $50 gift card and a free entree, so it was very economical.  We split their famous bang bang shrimp appetizer, each got yummy seafood entrees (twin lobster tails for me!), and Dave convinced me to share the coconut pie for dessert.  Even with some drinks for Dave our bill came out to $18!

On Saturday Dave got up and took Carmela for a nice long walk and let me sleep in.  He's been so awesome with that on the weekends and apparently I really needed it, because I woke up at 10:15 after 10+ hours of sleep.  In the afternoon I attended a baby shower for Laura, a friend from the gym who is due 2 weeks after me.  It was great to celebrate her and get lots of post birth advice from the other mamas there.

Sunday we had our fantasy draft, so I stuffed my face with pizza and faked more than a few people out with my delicious rootbeer.

I'm the only girl in my fantasy league and everything felt like business as usual for the afternoon, like I was just one of the guys... until I rolled my ankle taking a step down out of the house and I went down!  Thankfully I fell straight to my butt.  My friends gathered around me in a panic... worried about the 35 week pregnant lady that just bit it!  I was a little worked up, my ankle hurt and I had tears in my eyes, but I insisted I was fine and was up and walking around with no issues except for a my ankle feeling pretty sore.  I never felt anything in my belly, no cramping or weird sensations, and my ankle felt fine the next day, but all I could think of was my OB telling me to avoid falling risks.  Apparently I can CrossFit, but taking one step down is too much!  Thankfully my ankle felt totally fine when I woke up the next morning.

I switched up my gym schedule this week and hit the gym on Tuesday morning.  The strength portion was build to a heavy single strict press and push press (aka strict press + dip with your legs).  I got to 85# on my strict press, which is pretty close to my max, so I was impressed with myself.  I did 105# for my push press and it was pretty easy.  The WOD was a bunch of burpee box jumps and double unders, so I decided to do Monday's workout.

I went with 65# and the first few rounds were super easy.  But then it got hard!  The squats were definitely the hardest part for me and I just got winded in general.  I made it through the 10 rounds and then the 11th (4 reps for each) and 12th (5 reps) and then made it through 6 cleans, 6 squats, and 3 jerks to finish.  I was totally spent.  My pelvis felt kind of sore for the rest of the day, so I'm thinking it may be time to back off of weighted squats.

Tuesday night Dave took me out for a fancy birthday dinner at the Kimberton Inn, which is where we had our rehearsal dinner.  The meal was absolutely delicious and the service was outstanding as well.  I started with the lobster bisque and Dave got the seared sirloin scalloppine.  Both were very rich and melted in your mouth.  For our entrees Dave got the boneless duck breast and duck leg confit, the breast was so tender and moist, and I went with the bourbon-molasses glazed organic king salmon fillet, which was really unique and cooked perfectly.  Dave said it's the first salmon he's actually liked haha!  For dessert we split the double chocolate torte.  It was a wonderful birthday treat.

On Wednesday we did a maternity shoot in Valley Forge with our friend Megan!  I was a little nervous beforehand since I'm feeling pretty large these days.  I was worried I was going to get the pics back and hate all of them because of my big fat face lol.  But the shoot was great!  It was a little awkward at first, but over the hour both Dave and I got more comfortable and she got some gorgeous shots.  I'm going to post a bunch of them later, but here's a teaser :)

Other random week 35 stuff:

• I'm finally starting to feel pretty uncomfortable.  My pelvis is aching (yes baby I feel your head), it's really hard to roll over and get out of bed, and forget bending over.  I guess I can't be too sad that I'm finally struggling at 35 weeks.
• My friend Jes got me this a few weeks ago and I totally forgot to post it, but I had to share!

•  The dog thinks my pillow fort is for her.  She's always trying to steal my snoogle!

Who me?

Less than a month left... except I'll probably go a week over my due date lol.  We shall see! 

 

My Pregnancy: Week 34

I seriously considered skipping CF on Friday in lieu of some extra sleep, but I packed my bag and set my alarm anyway.  I woke up "in the middle of the night" and got up to pee, and then when I checked the time it was 5 minutes before my alarm.  I was super annoyed, but I was up and going!  The workout was grueling, it was a hero WOD called Kalsu: 100 thrusters with 5 burpees every minute on the minute (30 min cap).  The last time I did thrusters they didn't feel great for my left knee or wrist, so I was thinking I would just go with an empty barbell (35#) or some dumbbells, but I figured I'd warm up and see how 55# felt.  When 55# felt totally fine, I decided to go with it knowing I could always pull the plates off midway if I needed to.  This workout had me winded.  I would finish my 5 squat thrusts around 20 seconds in, take a few seconds to breath, then rep out 3-5 thrusters quickly, and then have 15-20 seconds to sit my ass on a box and rest.  You had to do the burpees no matter what, but I took 2 separate minutes where I didn't do any thrusters to try and catch my breath.  100 is A LOT, so it was definitely a mental workout.  You get to 30 and go shit, there's so many left.  Then you get halfway and go shit, there's so many left.  I took my second break at 70 and thought shit, there's so many left!  80 was where I could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, I was pushing myself to do 5 reps per round and knew I only had 4 sets of burpees left.  I finished in 25:41 and it was glorious.  I was really proud of myself.

On Saturday we headed down to the city for a long day of good vibes and framily fun.  We ate lots of delicious food, dipped our toes in a baby pool, and tried our best to pretend we were at the real Folk Fest.  It was a wonderful time and I somehow managed to stay awake until 3:30 in the morning!

On Monday we finally had our hospital tour.  The maternity ward at Paoli Hospital was renovated a few years ago and it is really nice.  I had done my research ahead of time, so most of what the tour guide told us, I already knew, but it was really nice to see the space so I can envision myself birthing there.

Monday night was awful.  I had a little bit of heartburn earlier in the day, but it really reared it's ugly head overnight.  I woke up in the middle of the night to pee and then couldn't lay back down afterwards.  I could feel the acid in my throat and thought I was definitely going to throw up, but the feeling would go away as soon as I was upright.  I piled up all my pillows and tried to get comfy half sitting up.  I managed to fall back asleep at some point, but it was a rough night.  I couldn't really pinpoint what caused it, but it may have been the excessive amount of cheese I consumed.

Tuesday I had my 34 week OB appointment and it was easy breezy.  My belly is measuring on time, my blood pressure was good, and my OB wasn't concerned about my giant swollen ankles.  I asked her about any restrictions regarding working out till the end and she said as long as it feels good and I avoid any risk of falling.

Today I got up to workout and did not love it.  I was feeling really sluggish during the warm up and the gym was really stuffy.  It was another 20 rep squat day, but since it didn't feel great last week I broke it up into 2 sets of 10.  I did 90 lbs and it was challenging, but breaking it up was a good choice.  The WOD was 3 rounds of 5 bear complex (power clean, front squat, push press, back squat, push press), 10 bar facing burpees, 20 wall balls, and 5 bar facing burpees.  I used 55# for the bear complex movement (Rx was 75) and they felt good.  The wall balls felt fine as well but 20 was a lot at once, so I was breaking them up into 3 sets. The burpees (squat thrusts with a step over the bar) sucked and at one point I stood up quickly and was seeing stars.  I used to see stars a lot when I was tumbling, I'd always get them when I would first warm up my back handspring, so it wasn't super alarming to me, but it definitely warranted a long break.  I didn't feel dizzy or anything so when they went away, I continued and just really took my sweet time through the workout with lots of rest.  I finished in 17:53, well after most of the class, and was so overheated that I took my shirt off and let my big ol' belly hang out for everyone to see lol.

I also received this adorable package in the mail today "just because" from my friend Sarah all the way in Minnesota.  We are spoiled!  I cannot wait to be holding a little baby in my arms wearing one of these gorgeous headbands :)

1 month to go!

My Pregnancy: Week 33

Friday's WOD was a long mix of many different movements including wall balls, pull ups, rowing, burpees, handstand push ups, and lunges.  I'm happy to report, I still have my pull ups!  I subbed incline push ups (on a racked barbell) for the HSPUs and it seemed like they were going to be really easy, but apparently I haven't been using those muscles much lately because I ended up being really sore through my chest.

Friday night we went out in Phoenixville for both a little going away party for Shayna and Kyle and to celebrate our friend Jaclyn's birthday.  I failed to snap any pics, but it was a really fun night at a new brewery called Root Down.  I honestly felt like a champion hanging out at the bar after 11, 8 months pregnant and having gotten up for the gym at 5 am.  Jaclyn was fawning over my belly and told me I was a goddess.  It was just what I needed :)

Saturday Dave let me sleep in while he took the dog for a nice long walk.  When I woke up we headed to Duck Donuts!  They are so tasty.

The rest of my day was consumed by cooking!  I spent 5 hours in the kitchen prepping 4 different recipes for the freezer.  I made Leftover Roast Chicken Soup with Roasted Vegetables, this Paleo Shepherd's Pie (with an added layer of cauliflower mash), Cheesy Chicken Tuscan Pasta (plus some zucchini, spinach, and mozzarella), and a super simple Chicken Cheddar Broccoli Rice Casserole.  I started with the more labor intensive tasks (prepping all the meat, chopping all the veggies, etc.) but within the first hour I was already feeling over it and actually started to feel ill.  I think that I was experiencing a sugar crash after only having donuts and coffee in my system, so I took a little break on the couch with some water and a string cheese and felt a lot better.  It was a long day of cooking, even with trying to stay off my feet using a stool at the counter and sitting at the kitchen table as much as possible.  Dave was downstairs continuing to organize the basement, but he came in clutch to do some dishes and chop most of the chicken just when I needed the help the most.  Each recipe made two 9"x13" pans of food (and 6 containers of soup) so I think Dave and I will get around 6 meals out of each one!  5 hours for 24 meals for 2 people... worth it!

Sunday started with a short dog walk, followed by church.  Then I met up with Leah to spend the day together and run a bunch of errands.  We ran around KOP, enjoying each other's company, and got a lot done including basically robbing Motherhood Maternity.  A while ago I ordered a bunch of items online but they sent me someone else's order.  I got a full refund for my stuff and they told me they would send me a return label for the incorrect items.  I kept all the clothes in the mailing bag for months and then finally just decided that they were mine now!  I kept a few of the items but still had a really fancy dress and a bathing suit that I didn't care for or need, so I returned them and got $90 store credit!  The woman working at the store was amazing, she really made me feel great about myself and even volunteered to check out my items with two separate transactions so I could use both my coupons.  I purchased a bunch of pricey nursing items that I wouldn't have splurged on otherwise and after their sales, my coupons, and my store credit I spent $21 on $150 worth of merchandise!  Boom!

After doing all that cooking on Saturday, we woke up around 2:45 am on Monday to a huge flash of light and a barking dog!  A tree randomly fell and took out the power lines and all I could think was MY FOOD!  I was stressing all morning and kept waking up worrying about losing all the meals I worked so hard on.  When we got out of bed at 6 something, the tree removal team was out there but PECO was no where to be found.  Dave packed everything in coolers and took it to his parents' house for the day.  Our power was back on around 11 am.  The freezer food probably would've been fine without getting moved, but anything in the fridge would've definitely been ruined.  Everything turned out ok, but it wasn't exactly how we wanted to start the week.

Wednesday morning I dragged myself out of bed for CrossFit.  I was starving when I woke up but then I forgot my Clif Bar, so I kind of felt off throughout the workout.  We started with a 20 rep back squat at 50% of your max.  I went with 85# since my knee has been iffy on and off (it didn't hurt this morning, yay!) and it was so many reps.  It felt pretty heavy and was really unenjoyable (for everyone in the class based on the general complaining going on).  I felt a little something in my belly immediately afterwards and think I really should've broken up the reps.  The WOD was a mix of kettlebell swings and handstand push ups (I did more incline barbell push ups).  The kettlebell swings were a little iffy with my back, even though I know I was using good form and I used the 26# KB which is light for me, but not enough to make me want to stop.  The push ups were challenging again and I enjoyed that.

Other week 33 odds & ends:

• There's always a body part poking out of my stomach!  I feel like her feet are constantly kicking away and it feels so cool.  Of course whenever anybody wants to feel her move, she will immediately stop.
• Dave installed both of the car seat bases on Tuesday night, now we just need to get them checked at the police department near his work.
• Most of my pregnancy I've stayed away from drinking coffee on a daily basis, but lately I'm on the caffeine train.  I only drink a tiny cup in the morning, which is well under the recommended amount, but I just wish I wasn't feeling so dependent on it.  I could try and cut it out like I've done before, but I've been finding myself trying not to face plant at my desk before I've had it.  Oh well.
• My feet and ankles are super swollen.  I basically only fit in flip flops now and jamming my feet into my sneakers isn't fun.
• I got quoted on my doula's facebook page!

What a difference 10 weeks makes!  Only 6 to go!

My Pregnancy: Week 32

Friday night we had a Lift Off at CrossFit, where everyone tested their 1 rep max snatch and then clean and jerk.  When we got there I was totally surprised to find a row of diaper cakes for all the pregnant couples at the gym!  We were very generously showered with diapers, an adorable onesie, and a Babies R Us gift card.  And our friends Eric & Megan made us a really neat growth chart ruler!  Our gym is full of such awesome people, I love CFVF!

I was always planning on going at night to cheer Dave and everyone else on, but I was thinking maybe I'd lift in the morning since that's when I usually workout.  I blew it off because I wanted to sleep in, but I was having some regret thinking my body would've felt better if I had just gotten it over with.  I decided that it didn't really matter since I'm so pregnant and that I would just stop whenever anything felt uncomfortable.  But I secretly really wanted to PR my snatch.  I hit 100# pretty easily in week 29 and I was thinking 7-10# more seemed really doable.  I easily put up 100# and then 105# was still pretty easy aside from feeling a little something in my back.  Side note: I miss my lifting belt!  I wanted to put 2 little 1 pounders on for a PR at 107#, but they were all in use so I said what the heck and put 2.5# on each side figuring I could always just bail on it if it wasn't right.  But I did it!  A snatch PR at 110# at 32 weeks pregnant (only 105# in the video, didn't want my final attempt taped it was too much pressure).  I honestly still can't believe it.  Dave PRed his snatch too!

I got up to 135# on my clean and jerk, which is only 10# under my max and I honestly probably would've gone higher if I hadn't felt some pain in my left wrist between the clean and jerk.  I was really proud of my lifts and it was an awesome night!

Saturday my mom and sister were supposed to come over to do some baby prep and crafting, see the nursery, and just hang out... which turned into my entire family coming over for the day!  My parents brought over 4 lbs of bacon and a brand new toaster and we all stuffed our faces with delicious BLTs and then got to work.  The guys fixed a bed frame that had been broken for 2 years and hung all the nursery art while the ladies did some crafting and closet organizing.

I bought this beautiful decal on Etsy that I was super excited about (the quote is from Alice in Wonderland), but apparently putting it on the wall was a giant pain in the ass.  There was a lot of curse words muttered and frustration and it got to the point where I was just steering clear of the nursery.  Apparently my dad's patience was the only reason it didn't end up crumpled up in the front yard because Dave told me if I ever buy another one, he will divorce me.  On the bright side, it looks amazing!  And the felt flowers Michelle made compliment it perfectly.

So without further ado, the nursery:

I am so in love!  The gorgeous blankets were both gifts, the one on the chair is from my cousin Janet and the one on the crib was made by our friend Jenn.  And I'm pretty sure we have two more blankets on the way!  Baby Midgley is already so spoiled aka we are spoiled by having the best friends and family :)

The very last thing that needs to be done for the nursery is to craft an initial to hang over the changing table.  I searched Etsy and really liked this, but it's only 8" tall and I wanted something bigger.  So I decided to make one.  I have a big wooden letter and the fake flowers to put on it, but Dave needs to paint it!  Hopefully this weekend.  And no, her name doesn't start with a C :P  I actually slipped and said the baby's name out loud to Michelle, but she totally missed it!  Dave and I have been using the name in conversation a lot more and so it's getting a lot harder to hide it.  Later I accidentally said the letter, which she caught... so she's the only one that knows the first initial (unless she blabbed to Alex).

Otherwise the nursery is done!  I am so happy!  The last big baby task is installing the car seat bases and there's a few things left on my registry that I still want to purchase, but we are feeling super prepared.  This weekend we'll be cooking a few batches of freezer meals, continuing to organize the basement, and now that the bed frame is fixed, we can make the spare bedroom look nice again.

I've been debating doing maternity photos and sort of settled on skipping it (do I really want professional photos of myself + 50 extra pounds hanging in my living room?), but this week I put out a call for newborn photographer recommendations on facebook and my friend Megan offered to snap maternity and newborn photos for us just to build her portfolio.  She's not a professional photographer, but has a high quality camera and some really nice shots of her son and niece.  The 30 different comments on my facebook post became extremely overwhelming and most of the packages I've seen so far start at $300... which makes my head spin!  I'm still undecided, but thinking of taking Megan up on her offer!

On Tuesday I took the dog for a short walk, about 3/4 of a mile and it didn't exactly feel great.  I thought it was cool enough at 80 degrees, but by the time the walk was over I felt like a wilted flower and I was experiencing some discomfort in the bottom of my belly.  I thought I might feel crappy when I got up for the gym this morning, but I felt fine.  The workout was DT: 5 rounds of 12 deadlifts, 9 hang power cleans, and 6 push jerks.  The women's weight was 105#, so doing it at 65# felt really light.  Deadlifts are starting to get awkward with my tummy, but I made it work.  I finished in 9:21 and was just glad to get a workout out in and that everything felt good.

I had my 32 week OB appointment today as well.  It was uneventful, my stomach measured perfectly, my blood pressure was normal, and I saw my favorite doctor in the practice.  I'm officially up 50 lbs and I think my face is finally getting fat LOL.  After my appointment we went to a pediatrician meet and greet and we both liked the doctor and the practice, so that's another thing to cross off our list.

Last but not least... I was planning on missing this year's Folk Fest since the festival last year.  I figured I'd be massively pregnant or with a brand new baby, and I was right.  The festival is next weekend and it does not seem like an enjoyable place for someone that's 8 months pregnant.  I'd be hot and not able to make the slightly treacherous hike down to the creek, the hills would leave me breathless, the port-a-potty trips would be endless, sleeping on an air mattress would be garbage, and the festival would be just a little different completely sober.  But after 8 consecutive years, I am devastated to be missing it!  Our entire group opted to take the year off and we're planning a little Faux Fest gathering to fill the void, but I think if everyone had purchased their tickets and had a plan in place, I'd probably be buying a ticket and making it work.  I just have to keep reminding myself that we are saving money, saving ourselves a lot of prep and clean up work, and there's always next year!  My parents live 10 minutes down the road, so I'm picturing a little "sun chip" crawling around during the day and then Didi picking her up for the night.  But in the meantime, mild depression...

My Pregnancy: Week 31

The nesting is getting pretty serious at casa de Midgley!  Over the weekend I purchased some lamps and more decor, Dave built a book case, and we finished all the baby laundry.  We still need to stock up on a few things (mostly diapers), but if the baby came tomorrow, the nursery is pretty much ready.  The last big task is actually decorating the room.  An Etsy decal that took it's sweet time coming from Ukraine finally arrived, I have one craft project that I need to force Dave to help me with, and my mom and Michelle are coming over Saturday to create some felt flowers and help me finalize the layout of the rest of the art I have.  I'm hoping to wrap everything up in the next week or so and then I will post some pics of the room!

We've also been trying to tackle some other housework that isn't imperative before baby, but we figure once she comes we won't have the time or the desire.  Dave has been chipping away at the basement!  We honestly just threw things down there when we moved in and it has been in disarray since.  He has been building lots of shelving units, getting rid of trash and donations, and organizing the rest of our crap.  I've been chipping away at my closet room, which is a giant mess of piles of clothes that don't fit me.  We also still need to set up our spare bedroom, which became a storage room for random furniture and who knows what when the nursery furniture arrived.  And I have a few hallway closets that I really want to organize.

I repotted 13 of my houseplants on Sunday morning.  I used to have a serious black thumb at Midgley Lane, but our house gets way more light and it's hard to forget to water them when you have 2 dozen starring at you.  I rehomed a bunch a few months ago and they are thriving and it seemed obvious that some of my plants really needed bigger pots, so it was time.  We also have two tomato plants in the backyard that our friend Kraemer grew from seed.  My only goal was not to kill them so I'm pretty pumped that we're seeing little green tomatoes.  I really want to do a small raised bed next summer.  Now if only I could find an ounce of passion for the rest of our landscaping...

I got wild and went into the city for a concert Monday night!  I had a deadline at work the week before, so I worked a few extra hours and was able to take a half day on Monday and head into the city at lunch time.  Michelle and I checked out Cafe Square One in Old City and had a yummy meal, grabbed some iced coffees at Starbucks, and then hung out for the afternoon.  Then we headed to the Mann Center with Alex and Devon to see Animal Collective and Fleet Foxes.  We got there nice and early and it was nice to check out the scene before it got crowded.  We hit up their food trucks for dinner and I got a delicious al pastor pork bahn mi sandwich.

Animal Collective was pretty good, I'm only a casual fan and they didn't play my favorite song, but they were entertaining and the hipster people watching was great.  Fleet Foxes was everything I hoped for and the show was wonderful.  It was extremely hot and we had to kick some dumb kids out of our seats, twice, but it was really fun!

Still staying strong with my Wednesday and Friday workouts.  Friday was a hero WOD called Rene:  7 rounds for time of: 400m run (I did 6 cals on the bike), 21 walking lunges, 15 pull ups (I did 6), and 6 burpees (squat thrusts as per usual).  I definitely took it easy on this one, the 6 calories on the bike took me a lot less time than everyone's 400m runs and 42 pull ups seemed like plenty for the day.  I finished in 34:05.

Yesterday the strength was power snatch 6x2 at 65% of your max, so I did 65#.  The WOD was some more power snatching (I Rxed at 65#), bar facing burpees (squat thrust step overs for me), and overhead squats (which I did with no weight because I wanted to squat below parallel).  It was a quick workout that I finished in 8 minutes.  It's a deload week because we're doing a Lift Off on Friday. 

Yesterday we also attended a breastfeeding class and it was amazing!  The instructor was both knowledgeable and absolutely hilarious.  We learned so much and laughed through the entire class.  She taught us how important the first few days are and really that first two weeks set your supply for the duration.  I feel a lot more prepared for that role now.

I'm starting to get a lot of people asking me when my due date is, followed by mixed reactions.  Some people are like "homestretch, you're almost there!" and then others react like they assumed I must've be due next week.  I've taken all the commentary in stride so far, but I can see my replies getting a lot less diplomatic...