Saturday, November 11, 2017

Change

This post was meant for August then September and now I realize it is November! Yes, much has happened since my last post and some I'll cover... Some I hope to in future posts but can't guarantee it because well life is a little chaotic!

In August we started school. Did I get our first day of school pics done...NO. I did make muffins or had some special breakfast every Monday for the first 2 months. The other days are pretty much cereal and milk, which is actually my boys' favorite. I felt good and like I was making this year memorable then we got to school and the tears started.


My oldest can be emotional, trying to perfect his work, but my youngest was usually pretty level headed through school stuff. I felt like someone if not both were in tears almost daily and over really small stuff...math I get but copy-work? Easiest assignment and it would take 2 hours sometimes all day for it to be completed.

Soccer was very similar, both kids have loved soccer but this year was hard on them. My oldest had a strict coach that worked on stamina and my youngest again just would break down, although it was after he played for awhile without a break due to no subs. I remember getting in the car after practice and my oldest wanting to quit. He wasn't having fun, and while it was part of it I realized they were going through the change that I always warn friends and clients about with their kids.

Kids can sense change and typically can't express it verbally so it comes out in behavioral or emotional outbursts. I'm not a psychiatrist, but the class or two in college taught me that this is a real thing. Frequently I see it in younger kids that have a harder time understanding what is going on around them but this was a first for me. My boys were excited about the new baby and understood what was coming (good and bad). Yet they were acting out.



So what did we do? Took it one moment at a time, tried to be more understanding, talked it out, and kept going. We let them talk but we also made sure they knew some of their actions were not acceptable or that even though we may not like something (running long distance sprints) the still had to do it and try to have a better attitude or learn that some of their actions/emotions had consequences. There was a lot of apologizing not only from them but from myself trying to help us all navigate through this uncharted territory. It wasn't easy for any of us but it helped.

Monday, July 31, 2017

Baby #3 Update

I figure it is time for an update..considering the last time was when we announced in April. This pregnancy has been so different than with my first 2.

In the beginning it was an adjustment. Believe me we wanted another just after 4 years of trying we thought that it probably was not going to happen and we were ok with it. Then came the positive test and rush of realization. In ways it was the disbelief and then the thought of such a big gap between the boys and this baby, and I'm not going to lie it is still there but I also know I'll have 2 big helpers.

13 Weeks
So much was happening at one time we decided to just take it one day at a time...it flew by fast. With finishing school, helping my sis with my niece, soccer, family gatherings, graduation, oh yeah the race, and trying to get things back together to start the new school year. Well here we are at 30 weeks and looking at the possibility of meeting our little guy in 7-10 weeks!

15 Weeks


We found out we were having a boy at 20 weeks. It took some time for one of the older boys to be okay with it but once he was now we all are excited for him to arrive.

28 Weeks
I have been sick during this pregnancy, not just at the beginning but as of this morning I still get sick. There are triggers but sometimes it is something I wouldn't expect. Until the last week most still didn't know I was expecting, just looked like I was gaining weight. Maybe next post I'll do an updated pic but right now I am very comfortable in my spot ;)

So far all is well and healthy, I still manage to get my Refit class in on Monday nights, run occasionally but right now most of my free time is devoted to house projects.

Now that the classroom is ready for school again we can concentrate on getting baby's room together, the hospital back, oh and probably should get a car seat. Like I said life has helped time pass that my husband forgot to tell some at his work that we are expecting. They found out when he was talking about being gone for a month. Now for that nap :)

Friday, June 30, 2017

13.1 Miles

In January I signed up for the Go Girl Half Marathon...before I knew I was pregnant. There were four of us who had planned to run together but in the end only 2 of us were able to make it. Total respect for the other 2 knowing when to call it instead of pushing and hurting themselves...possibly something I should have done but I am stubborn.

The race was June 3 and had planned to train all along but morning sickness and exhaustion gave me the excuse not to be diligent until about 10 weeks out and even then I didn't always make my long runs. I tried to follow the same plan that I did 3 years ago when I ran 2 halves...the best part of training was running with my friend Rachel, who I ran with 3 years ago, although she didn't do the race.

During my training I was still going to my CoMo Refit class to help get in other types of cardio and running an average of 6-12 miles a week besides my long runs on Friday/Saturdays. Did I feel ready for the race...NO...did I know I could finish it...YES! I knew that no matter what, even if I had to walk it my plan was to finish and believe me the last 3 miles I struggled to stay in it.

I didn't get to train with my friend Somaly but she was a constant encourager and we were able to run the first 1/2 mile together. Here is a picture before the start.


At the beginning I was pushing myself harder than I should be so I slowed down but kept pushing myself. That morning I knew I wasn't feeling great so I wanted to make sure to take it somewhat easy, which was a good thing. I was never willing to put baby and myself in danger.


My family is the best pit crew! They were willing to get up early on their Saturday and drive around cheering me on!


Giving me things I may have forgotten, like my sunglasses.


And having water on hand. They had plenty of water stations throughout the race but sometimes you need it at points that they don't and while I had a water belt with my tummy I couldn't wear it comfortably. It gave the boys an important job though.


Especially since I don't think they really knew how much it helped me keep pushing. I was terrified of needing to use the bathroom during the race, but I knew it probably would end up happening considering baby had decided around this time that my bladder was a great trampoline. Within the first 6 miles we had already been up some of the steepest hills with very few downhill runs. I knew it was coming up but my stomach was really bothering me by this time. So I handed back my sunglasses, they were fogging up, and my water bottle until the next time I would see my guys, sucked it up and waited in line for the bathroom.

Finally a good downhill stretch before the last 5 which would be pretty flat and my hardest section by far. It was good to see other friends along the way too. It was here that my family realized that they were here cheering on their mom too.



I pushed through and new I had about 2 miles left when I just couldn't run any more. I did not let myself think I was a failure even though it tried to creep in.


At this point I realized how fast I had been going even with bathroom stops if I could push myself into a run I could be done around 2 hours and 15 minutes but I was in pain.


I had passed my last water station, but there were my guys ready to help. A couple running, not apart of the race gave them a thumbs up for being there when I needed them and making sure not to get in the way of other runners.


I walked up until maybe the last quarter mile when I saw the pacer holding the 2:45 sign right behind me...I really thought I was on pace for closer to 3 hours so I mustered up the energy to at least make it look like I had been running through the finish line!


Not only was my family there but Somaly, who placed in her age group, and other friends were there. Vicki has some great pictures of my boys with my medal on her Facebook page.



I was in pain and took a while before I could stand up to take this picture with Somaly.


She also took this picture of me while waiting for the awards ceremony to start.


 This run would not have happened without the support of my husband and boys. Kind of hard to think that I completed 13.1 miles at 22 weeks pregnant in 2 hours and 45 minutes!



Monday after the race I went in for my check-up, it was a great feeling leaving there and having the nurses and doctors come up and saying how impressed they were.

I always thought I did awesome running up until 2 weeks before I gave birth to my youngest boy but didn't do more than a couple miles...now I have to say those women out there that do any running or exercising are incredible...Keep it up!

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Combining the Boys' Room

A few months before I became pregnant we had already decided that the boys would share a bedroom. They had already been sharing beds pretty much for the last year and when they slept separately the youngest ended up coming into our room. Our hope was if they shared a room it would keep him from wondering into our bed.

We decided on converting our oldest son's room because it is one of the larger rooms.


When he was 2.5 we did a Curious George Theme...



He is now 9 and overdue for a makeover.


We decided to go with a Minecraft theme, a game they both love. Simplicity is my aim especially if we decide to move I don't want to have to repaint the whole room so we chose one wall to be a mural.


First we taped off squares on the "feature" wall, then we painted the lower half and all other walls Gliddens Pebble Gray (stone blocks). Followed by a layer of dirt blocks.



Luckily all the paint we used, with the exception of buying more Pebble Gray, was paint we had used on other projects.

After we painted the blue sky and removed all of the tape it was time for me to go in and hand paint the black lines. I am sure there was an easier and more effective way to do this besides using the laser level and a kind of steady hand but I didn't want to wait a few days for the paint to cure and to tape again. Plus in Minecraft it is pixilated anyway ;)


I had a hard time finding square sponges so we bought the round ones on a stick in various sizes and then cut them into a square. My husband did a great job of creating our coal, gold, and diamond blocks.


I loved how well it came out that I had a hard time putting the bed on that wall so we changed up the layout...not really an easy task and if I knew how well it would turn out I would have switched the feature wall to be the other end of the room. It all worked out though.


I found full size bunk beds on sale at Overstock.com for $430, oh and that included the navy blue comforter on bottom. Then we had to purchase another full size mattress but overall we spent a total of $700 on the room. Included in that was the bean bag chairs for their Christmas/Birthday gifts and the letters C&C for their YouTube channel. Everything else we reused from one of their rooms. Our plan is to go in and refinish the dressers but we are not in a hurry for those projects right now.



We started the project the first couple weeks of December and officially finished it on December 26. We recorded them seeing their room for the first time. You can see it here!




We have added an Ender Portal (chore chart) and plan to change a few other things like the picture above the bookcase. While we like it the vinyl does not stay on the wall. I have to go in daily to smooth it out.






Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Surprise!

It has been quite a while since I last posted and very sporadic the last few months. Its not that I haven't had anything to say but just extremely exhausted.

See it started in November with me getting sick and by December my dear husband was telling me I had to stop working out so I could get better. I really didn't want to listen but I did and he was right although it still took until the end of January.

In mid January I signed up for the GoGirl Half Marathon which is in June. I had 10 weeks to basically start back to running about 3 miles a few times a week. My goal was to PR my Roots N' Blues time of 2:08...I wasn't consistent though.


The boys had swim lessons 2 days a week, I am still adjusting to our new real estate office and trying to transfer things around, school, babysitting, husband's school...Oh and Kentrell "moved" back in for a couple of months. You get it life was just GO GO GO! In February we were struck with a few days of bad news which kind of set me off into what I thought was depression.




I filled my time trying not to think of the things bothering me with a field trip to see the Pompeii exhibit at Union Station (along with girls night), exercising, and trying to catch up on housework. By the end of March I was finally pulling out of my funk.






It really helps when you get to cuddle a new born. My niece was born in March so we have been making several trips up to see her...and the rest of the family. My poor husband was going through a cycle of cluster headaches which seem to have now ended in the last week.



So life seems to be getting back on track I'm still exhausted but it could have something to do with our Easter Surprise for family and friends...


The boys are beyond excited! Check out their reactions when we told them on their YouTube channel Adventures with C&C!

And for those wondering yes I am still planning to race on June 3rd, I may not be meeting my time goal but I will be finishing the race 22 weeks pregnant. Training has been going well for the last 3 weeks. I will try to do better about keeping you all updated along the way to this new journey.