Fit, Fabulous, and Pregnant-June 2011

otm25

Happy Monday Ladies! Sorry I was so whiny last post, just had a rough go. Fortunately the weekend turned out much better than expected. Inlaws were tolerable because they ended up staying in a hotel, although they spent every spare minute here, at least at night we had some time to ourselves. And my German houseguest is gone, before he left I confronted him and told him that if he ever wanted to stay here again he was going to have to be a lot more considerate. And my husbands birthday and dad's birthday went off without a hitch, and we hosted a brunch for 11 people yesterday for father's day. It was exhausting, but fun to have family here, and my husband made some awesome ribeyes.

I followed your advice and we are still keeping the pregnancy a secret for now. I have my first appointment/ultrasound this friday which is when we will tell the kids, and then finally everyone else. I do think that it is better this way, to focus more on making this a smooth transistion for my kids first, and telling the fam later.

It sounds like everyone is staying super active and I am hoping to follow suit once I feel a little less tired. Just hit 8 weeks this morning and I am not nearly as wiped out as I was the prevoius weeks. Going to start today with a bang with Just Dance2 for 20-30 minutes then my Fitness BAll routine for arms. I am striving to keep the definition I have only recently found in my arms, so this is my goal for this pregnancy, fit arms and legs as well as a 25-30 lb weight gain. Weighing in tomorrow so wish me luck! I have really been watching my micros and calories this week. Hoping to keep my gain under control!

Hope everyone has a great week!!!

nkster781

Heather I can't wait to hear what you are having today?!!!

otm25

Heather I can't wait to hear what you are having today?!!!

I was thinking the same! Canm't wait for the news!

Better_Balance_2011

Hey ladies. Just wanted to check in. I'm feeling pretty good, but hungry! I woke up and ate a granola bar immediately this morning and had a banana as soon as I got to work. Not I'm thinking about some oatmeal. And I am typically NOT a breakfast person, rather force myself to eat it around 9:30 or 10:00. I weighed myself last Friday after 2 weeks of not weighing and had actually lost 1/2 a pound so that puts my gain at 0.5 pound for 9 weeks (today!). I am pretty happy with that b/c I am terrrified of blowing up. :ohwell:

I have my first appointment on Thursday so that's exciting. I don't think we'll be doing anything "fun" rather just taking blood and checking medical history. My husband is going; the lady suggested he should, so I'm glad for that.

So someone had mentioned the lunch meat issue. I have been avoiding it (unless I nuke it) b/c I read so many places that is the thing to do, and my sister (a dr.) avoided it her pregnancy. I don't want to be one those annoying pregos that needs to know what's in everything, but I feel like I should do my best. What do you all think about all the avoidance of lunch meat, soft cheeses, unpasturized cheese, caffeine, asparatime? I WILL NOT give up coffee; I have about 2 cups a day. Every now and again I'll have a diet drink, usually decaf. I gave up my sugar free Citrucel for fiber gummies. I am trying to aboid the "bad" cheeses, but am not obsessing about it. We were at a pizza place on Saturday with another couple and we ended up with a pizza with fressh mozz and gorgonzola. I probably shouldn't have had either, but oh well. I do the best I can.

Hope you all are feeling good! I could use a nap.....

heathercrist1

Hi everyone! First off let me welcome all the newcomers! Jump right in!

So...IT'S A GIRL!!! Charlotte "Charlee" Kendall will be blessing us with her presence around November 8th! We are super excited and are already talking about painting the nursery! She looks absolutely perfect. She refused to give us a good face/profile shot but she was very willing to show us her "goods" and made darn sure she was in fact a girl. lol! Her heartrate was in the 130s and strong. I asked the tech if she saw a correlation with heart rate and gender and she said absolutely not. She said that women who tend to exercise have babies with stronger hearts and lower resting heart rates. We have a 3D ultrasound on August 26th so hopefully we get some good face/profile pictures!

I hope you all have a wonderful day! Gonna spend some more quality time with the hubby today.

minnesotamama

Good morning, ladies! Has anyone had any experience with homebirths/midwives? This is baby #5 for me and I'm considering a homebirth for quite a few reasons. Still waiting to hear back from my prospective midwife, but I'd appreciate some feedback in the meantime if any of you have any!

nkster781

Wohoo!!! Congratulations Heather! I love the name. It must be so exciting to know what is living in your belly:0) I can't wait to find out sometime in August what we are having.

Also speaking of leg cramps here is Cindy Whitmarsh's latest video that also talks about that:
http://www.exercisetv.tv/blog/post/2011/06/15/Fit-Pregnancy-with-Cindy-Whitmarsh-Leg-cramps-and-butt-exercises!.aspx

Also today only Old Navy online -- Save 24% for 24 Hours + FREE Shipping Every Day

AmyMooreOrLess

First day of summer and I've been hit with a horrible cold. I'm thankful my in-laws are looking after Colby this afternoon (hubby's at work) so I can just rest up. The sun is calling my name but unfortunately the bed wins this one. I'm so tired and need the rest.

Over 27 weeks pregnant - entering my third trimester. Can't believe it! It goes too fast. I love being pregnant and as happy as we'll be to have our baby here with us mid-September I know I'm going to miss feeling our baby inside "my belly" like I did after Colby was born.

Heather - I'm glad your husband is home at long last! Thrilled for you and your news of baby girl Charlotte! Congratulations! Thank you for sharing that info about baby's heartbeat, too. Colby's heartbeat when in utero and this baby's heartbeat has consistantly been around 140 beats. Boy or girl, I'll be happy!

Well, just checking in and saying hi. Hope everyone is well. Enjoy the great weather if you're having it!

otm25

First of all, Congrats Heather! Healthy baby sounds great, and I am so happy for you and your husband. Charlotte is a beautiful name! And I have to say I am happy to hear it is a girl! I had my girl first and am glad for it, she was super helpful with my son when he was born.

Life is good here. Anxoius for my first appointment on Friday, and finally letting everyone know our good news! I am really excited to tell my 5 and 3 year old, they are going to be so happy to have a baby in the house!

I weighed in today and found that I had lost .9 lbs, which makes me happy. So here at 8 weeks I am up .5 lbs. I have been eating just below 2000 calories this week and not subtracting my workout calories, I am still right about at my starting weight, so I am going to talk to the doc about where he think I should keep my calories and sodium (my nemesis). Can't wait for Friday!

Hope everyone is having a great day, and a nice healthy dinner!

smilegirl

Heather, happy to hear it's a girl! Sounds like your dream earlier in pregnancy might have been a little premonition...

Amy, yuck! I feel your pain. I too am either dealing with allergies or fighting a cold. I lean towards allergies since it's been watery eyes and just a runny nose. Hope you get some rest and get better soon. I agree, what a gorgeous day we had, hopefully more are coming our way.

Minnesotamama, this is my first baby and to be honest, I am a hospital kind of gal. Just want all the options available to us if we need them. I do have friends who have done the home birth route and seemed very happy with their decision. I also have friends who have done the midwife thing, but had their delivery in the hospital. Ask lots of questions to your providers and do what feels right for you. With baby #5 I am sure you know how you feel about delivery! I always tell my patients to trust their guts and not let someone pressure them into treatment they aren't comfortable with.

Our crib got delivered today and I have to say it's just as I hoped for. Still have a bit of decorating to do, but the nursery is starting to come together. I'm starting to feel some fatigue creep back in as well as the need for more frequent bathroom breaks. I can only imagine it's going to get worse over the next ten weeks. My best friend is coming into town tomorrow, cannot wait to spend some time with her over the next couple evenings!!

minnesotamama

smilegirl - do you know what you're having? Thanks for the input on the homebirth/midwife! I appreciate any and all feedback.

We still haven't told anyone except my sister-in-law and a friend of mine. Maybe over the 4th of July weekend we will since my entire family will be together.

I got in touch with a local midwife yesterday and after our conversation, I was even more excited about the idea of doing a homebirth. My main reason for wanting one is that I have very quick labors, my shortest being 45 minutes....yep, that's right. I was induced a day before my due date. They broke my water, contractions started immediately, and 45 minutes later my wonderful daughter was born! So, since my husband is often out of town for work, I like the idea of being able to call someone who will immediately come to my house and be with me in case I run into another super fast labor like before.

I've still been working out (almost) every day doing the 30 day shred. It's definitely harder to do since fatigue sets in quickly, but I'm happy to be keeping it up. Eventually I want to start incorporating the treadmill into my daily routine, but these next couple weeks are a tad busy so that will have to wait.

otm25

Hi Minnesotamama, as far as the midwife thing, I would recommend watching the documentary "The Business of Being Born" it is a fascinating look at both sides and really interesting. I know it is available on Netflix, Just a good way to look at both sides!

minnesotamama

Thanks! I'll check it out.

jenzimmer

bump!

__flexylexi

Just checking in.. There are so many people to keep up with now! LOL.
3rd trimester!!! I can't help but start to get nervous... I mean my 32 week appt is July 16, and the four weeks in between usually goes by fast.. then of course there are a lot of people who have their babies late premature so really... anytime after 32 weeks... it is SOOOO crazy. I already have my nursery, clothes and diapers ready... I am gonna hold off on getting a rocking chair to see what the baby likes as far as soothing him. I am still pretty small considering how far along I am, I dont know why but it feels like the baby is growing in, not out. I feel like everything inside me is bind and squished.

Still keeping up with my workouts, still jogging intervals if baby is sitting right, and if not, I do the elliptical for an hour. Time to increase my calories again to an extra 300 although I don't feel it. I live the life of a housewife at the moment and I doubt I burn a lot of calories so I am keeping it at 2200, I am sure that I will feel the hunger later on since this is just the start of my 3rd tri.

Weight gain- so far, I have gained 18 lbs and my midwife says it is perfect. My BP is normal still so I am now seeing a low risk (the midwife instead of the doc) practitioner since we moved to Tennessee.

I found the perfect, price friendly jogging stroller/carseat combo so I am watching that on target, walmart and ebay to see which goes the lowest. It is hovering between 170-200 in these places and is on sale today at target so I may just get it this week.

WORRIED ABOUT CALORIES?? - I went from 1200 pre pregnancy, 2000 first trimester, 2200 second, and my weight went up and down due to water retention but now I am still on point for 28 weeks. Just follow what you are supposed to do, and don't be scared to eat as long as you stay fit. I pretty much exercised consistently up to this point and some days I even ate 3000+ calories but don't be too hard on yourself.. you are growing a baby. just saying.

I met with my doula yesterday so I pretty much told her things that will tick me off during delivery, the fact that my husband is more interested in the baby not the birth LOL and she said she has worked with every type of husband and I feel so much better with her concentrated on me in case my hubby passes out or just doesn't take it well. I have been watching "baby story" and 16 and pregnant in front of him and he seems to be asking questions and seeing how painful it is.. LOL I just want him to be prepared you know? I know my husband and I know he likes to act like he can handle everything lol

For my delivery, I am planning to have a natural birth with a midwife and doula at the hospital, since tricare doesn't cover home birth. LOL. I see other natural birthing mamas here, that is awesome!!!

smilegirl

minnesotamama - no we don't know the sex. I think we are in the very small group of people who choose to be surprised! I have this feeling it's a boy......I have a 50 percent chance of being right huh?

Lexi - glad to hear from you! You look great and glad to hear the bp has stayed under control. I too am still getting in three runs a week, I keep thinking maybe it's time to quit, but it still feels okay so I haven't. The time does really start flying by at this point. I can't believe my little one will be here in about ten weeks. Very exciting.

Hope everyone is doing well :-)

AmyMooreOrLess

Hi Minnesotamama, as far as the midwife thing, I would recommend watching the documentary "The Business of Being Born" it is a fascinating look at both sides and really interesting. I know it is available on Netflix, Just a good way to look at both sides!

Funny you should mention this. Watched most of it last night and I'm going to finish the rest tonight. It is quite interesting, although like Smilegirl it hasn't swayed me from hospital birthing. I'm just hoping for a VBAC this time around. Fingers crossed.

Speaking of Smilegirl Holly- Thanks for checking in! Way to go on your running - you and Lexi both! Fantastic. I have a feeling these next few months are going to fly for us all over summer and our bambinos will be here before we know it!

magsengland

Hmm... maybe that's why I've been craving bananas lately! I have had a few leg cramps in bed, they suck!

heathercrist1

I'm so sorry ladies that I've not been as active on here as I normally am. With Al home it has been a lot of quality time together and catching up on errands, and we are planning a "meet the baby" party for friends of ours who had their baby a month ago and that party is this Saturday at our home. So things have been pretty busy. I have my 20wk doctors appt today. (I'm a little more than 20wks now...but close enough). Al is coming with. This is his first appointment. The baby is kicking like crazy the past 2 weeks. She is kicking so hard I can see her from the outside now. It is pretty amazing. I knew it would feel awesome...but I never knew it would feel THIS awesome!

Thank you for all the congratulations for the girl. I would have been just as excited if it was a boy...but girl stuff is so dang cute! lol!

Amy I hope you are feeling much better!

Autumn glad everything went much smoother than you anticipated! I'm happy you stood up for yourself! You go girl! Let us know how your appointment goes tomorrow!

Holly I can't wait until I start getting the nursery together and get my crib! How exciting! Hope you've had a great visit with your friend!

minnesotamama I have a friend who had a hospital birth with her first and a home birth with her second and she was so glad she did the homebirth with her midwife. I also loved the documentary of "the business of being born". It had great information in it. I'm still choosing to do a hospital birth because I LOVE my doctor and I feel like I've made it clear my goals and wants and desires for this labor/delivery. My doctor had a natural birth and is all for it! Keep up the awesome work with your 30 Day Shred. I believe in doing as much as your body allows! Makes a stronger heart for your baby!

Lexi glad you are settling in and things are going well for you! Are you and hubby going to do any classes together? I'm planning a natural birth and we start The Bradley method classes on July 9th. I'm super excited about that and so is Al. I just want to have as much education about the whole process as possible! Again, glad you are doing well. I saw you have to repeat your glucose test...sucks. Hope this one comes out good.

Nichole just wanted to say hello and see how you were doing?! When is your next appointment?

Sorry if I missed anyone and welcome to all the newcomers! Tell us your name and let us know a little about yourself! Hope everyone has a great day and makes healthy choices! Gotta run...gotta go on a hike this morning!

minnesotamama

smilegirl - I think it's so fun that you're not finding out the sex! We have found out with two of ours and have been surprised with two....we're choosing another surprise with this one.

911girl - hope you have success with the vbac. My friend had a succesful one a couple months ago, but my sister-in-law tried a couple weeks ago and had to go with a c-section again. Of course, she was just happy her and baby are doing well, since that is the most important thing.

Heather - girl stuff is sooo much more fun to shop for. Boys are crazy fun, but there's nothing quite like cute sundresses and ribbons.

911girl/Heather- I hear ya about loving your doctor and preferring a hospital birth. I don't think I would've even considered a homebirth with my first 3 pregnancies. I wanted to look into it with baby #4 (since that was the pregnancy right after my 45 minute labor/delivery) but my husband was not on board. And I absolutely love our doctor. So, it's a hard switch to make.

You girls that are running totally motivated me yesterday to actually get on the treadmill. I've been consistently working out with the 30 day shred but I wanted to add more cardio. It felt fabulous. I think I might alternate days of Shred and treadmill.

Um, here's a little info about myself....
My name is Stephanie, I'm 28 years old, pregnant with my 5th child (although, I did have one miscarriage so this is technically pregnancy #6). My kids are 6, 4(almost 5), 3, and 11 months - 2 boys and 2 girls respectively. My husband and I get rude looks and comments all the time because we're both so young and it's not the "norm" to have large families anymore. I think people must assume we're very careless in our birth control methods and that's why we have so many. On the contrary, only one has been a surprise, the rest very carefully planned. We joke that we're addicted to having babies. We probably don't look like the normal large family group. I don't leave the house looking like I haven't slept/showered in days. I like me and my kids to look neat and put together. Also, my husband's kind of a hottie and gets checked out left and right by girls when we go out. It makes me proud I'm his baby mama. I'm a recovering control-freak that loves cleanliness and order, although I'm learning to let that go with each kid we add! :laugh: My husband, Josh, is a truck driver and it's not unheard of for him to be gone for a week at a time, if not more. I also homeschool our older children so I'm super busy, but also have learnedd just how strong I really am since I have to take on so much. I've never gained more than 29 lbs in any of my pregnancies however I started out 10 lbs more with the last one so I'm wanting to gain even less with this one. My weight is in the "healthy" range at 142 so I'm not overly concerned. I just want to be healthy.

I love reading about all of you and your own personal pregnancy journey that you're on! And keep up all the good work to be healthy and fit...it's inspiring!!!

minnesotamama

Oh, and I watched that documentary and thought it was fantastic! Thanks for letting me know about it.

Better_Balance_2011

You all are very inspirational in your cotiniued activities! I have been a runner for a while but have backed off some since finding out I was pregnant. I still haven't talked to my dr. about what is safe for me; have my first appointment today! This is my first so it's all very new and exciting.

I know I hear from all of you that you have continued what you're doing and I have for the most part. I swam almost a mile on Monday and that was great so hope to do more swimming. I'm trying to up my cardio over the next couple weeks but have been pretty busy si haven't gotten as much as I'd like in this week.

Minnesotamama.....4 kids and counting?! Wow. That is impressive. I like that you keep yourself put together. I have a friend that has become all about baby since she had hers about a year ago. Her and a group of my girlfriends get together a couple times a month for girls night out and she rarely looks put together and says, "this is how it is when you have kids" (she is the only one with kids). I really want to maintain my identity and "put togetherness" once the baby comes. I know life will change forever, but I still think it's importatnt to still be Ashley, wife, friend, worker, athlete, etc. instead of only Baby's Mom.

Hope you're all having a great week!

Just curious....how many are finding out what they're having? We are mostly b/c we are big time planners.

AmyMooreOrLess

minnesotamama - So glad you watched it and liked it. I did, too! Have to say, it made me feel a bit better to see all sides to the stories - including the woman who planned for the natural, home birth needed to go to the hospital and have a c-section. Not everyting can go according to plan (as I learned the hard way the first time) but you can only hope! Thanks for the boost about VBAC, too. Doc says as long as baby is in the right position there's no reason why I can't try. My first delivery (42 hour labor) ending in c-section was a result of my son's head being slightly turned and therefore not dropping; not dialating past 7...

Better_Balance_2 - We're not finding out! Second surprise for us! I'm a big planner, too so it's tough sometimes - especially having a boy already and seeing all of the sweet girl stuff out there... The nursery is done (babies will be sharing a room for now) and if it's a boy I'll be excited to put baby brother in big brother's barely worn clothing.

Heather - Thank you! Starting to come around. Can actually breathe through my nose today.

Baby just went down for his second nap of the day and I'm going to sit in the sun on our front porch and try and finish the current book I'm reading "Superdad: A Memoir of Rebellion, Drugs and Fatherhood" by Christopher Shulgan. A true story of his addiction to crack cocaine. Eeek. Interesting read.

Anyone reading any good books they care to recommend?

minnesotamama

Better_Balance,

I know so many friends/family members who have completely let themselves go just because they've entered the role of "mother". I don't come from a naturally "skinny" family so I definitely have to work hard to maintain a decent weight and level of fitness. And with 4 kids, it takes a tremendous amount of work and some great time-management skills to keep everything together. But, for me, it's totally worth it. And my husband completely appreciates all the effort I put in. So, I believe that as long as you make it a priority you can still be the most nurturing, loving mother and at the same time take care of yourself. You just may need to have a really good sense of humor on some (if not most!) days. :laugh:

smilegirl

Happy Friday!

I had two late nights with my girlfriend in town so getting up to run this morning was tough. The fact that it was raining really made me want to crawl back into bed. I didn't want to let myself or my fit, fabulous and pregnant friends down so I forced myself out into the rain and got in my four miles. So happy I didn't give in to the lazy monster!

Stephanie - I love that you make it a priority to stay put together. :-) Definitely a goal for me once our bambino arrives. Drives me crazy when people use the excuse of having kids or being a mom as a reason to let themselves go. I think moving into motherhood a little later in life has my priorities in some different categories. I know that being a mother is going to be the best thing I have done in my life, but I will not let it change me. I will make it a priority to continue to take care of myself and plan to make time for date nights and my marriage as well. Plus, still need my occasional cocktails with the girls! Very much looking forward to enjoying a martini in a few months ;-)

Ashley - hope the appointment went well! I know for me the first appointment helped cement the fact that I truly was pregnant. As for finding out the sex of our baby, I've just felt strongly from the beginning that I wanted to be surprised. My husband and I are just tickled that we get to have this experience in our lives so we could care less if it's a boy or girl, we just want a healthy baby! The only thing I've found more difficult with the planning is buying clothes - they do tend to be quite specific for boys or girls. I guess we'll just being doing lots of white for the first few weeks.

Amy - hope you are over the yucky part of the cold. As for books....did you read the Steigg Larson (pretty sure I spelled that wrong) books? I really enjoyed all three.

Wishing everyone a great weekend.

Better_Balance_2011

Hey all. My appointment was relatively uneventful. I got some questions answered, like about working out. My dr. told me if I can talk, then I'm okay. But if I am rather winded, adequate blood flow is not getting to the baby. So I'm going to keep that in mind. I'm also going to cut out the heavier lifting. I had started a new program right before I found out I was prego, and have backed off for the past 3 weeks, but now I will put that on hold for now. Still try to do some strength, just lighter weights. She also checked my uterus and thinks I am more like 8ish weeks rather than 9.5 (the count we got from first day of my last period). I am a later ovulator (day 18) so that already puts me 4 days behind. The good news is I get to go back in 2 weeks to hear that heartbeat. For some reason I felt a little nervous after I left, like I wanted more confirmation that everything is fine. I guess the next appointment will provide me some comfort. We also decided against the extra testing (for Downs, Spina bifita and the one I can't remember). My nurse said a lot of people do it so they can have an early ultrasound, so we thought maybe we'd do it. Then when I mentioned that to the dr. she said that was a bad reason to do it. Once I realized it just gave us a risk factor, we decided we didn't want to know that. If our risk was high, I would be worried for the next 7 months. No thanks. I'm sure I'll find enough to worry about between now and then!

MinMama - way to go for working so hard on everything! I am a pretty motivated person and I hope I do not lose that part of myself through all this. I am glad to hear you have not! Good attitude and sense of humor is a must in life in general I think.

It's intersting to hear that so many people aren't finding out what they're having! Part of me wants to wait, but more of me wants to know. Even last night my girlfriends were bumming because "we" have to wait 10 more weeks to find out. Speaking of friends, most of ours found out the same day we did. We had a wedding reception and I tried to pretend drink and totally got busted. I still have kept it on the DL at work (only 4 people here know), but family and friends all know already. So everything better be good over the next few weeks!

Hope you all have a great weekend! I hope to get some activity in this weekend. I've been busy this week and have not worked out as much as I'd like. BTW...smilegirl....you are awesome. When I was not prego I used to get up every Monday morning to run and those rainy days are HARD to drag out of bed. I do not choose to work out in the morning much anymore. I hate mornings.

minnesotamama

Ab question...anyone here keep up an ab routine? What point did you stop or plan to? I have a great ab workout I do now that I'll continue with as long as my baby bump doesn't get in the way but not sure what to do after that. Anyone do planks or any other baby bulge friendly ab excersises later on? I've never kept up strength training in my other pregnancies (only cardio) but I'd like to with this one. Just looking for ideas....

__flexylexi

Minnesotamama- I kept up with ab workouts till I was maybe 18 weeks? I didn't really get that big though, but I worked out my obliques with weights, leg raises, but I didn't concentrate much on it. I figured that my running kinda sorta keeps my core worked out? I really don't know lol.

911girl - I read Battle hymn of the Tiger Mom yesterday. I really enjoyed it because I also had really strict chinese upbringing that did almost the same thing in the book, but as I grew older I really do appreciate how my mom raised me because I set really really high standards for myself in school and almost always end up excelling. I have been debating in my head on the best way to raise this child because my hubby is very very "western" as the book defined it and I don't believe in letting kids do their own thing and be "lucky" if they come out right... I rebelled a little when I became a teenager but I turned out okay... My mom softened up when I was 14 because she married an American so I feel like I got a really good balance. The book is controversial in the USA but it brings out the reality of how a lot of asian families... Might want to look that up it was very interesting! Another book I am reading is the Marathon book by Hal Higdon, I think I am going to come around and finally finish it, it is a really good running motivation book...

Heather- No WE are not taking childbirth classes... Like I told my doula, my husband is not into the whole process of childbirth so to him, understanding why I chose unmedicated birth and knowing he will be there is enough for me. I might go to a couple to help me relax but my doula (who also teaches the classes) says she has met plenty of husbands like mine and reassures me that she will help him in the moment (which he does better at, rather than taking classes in advance). She has also sat down and talked to me about techniques, sent me resources and reading homework... I am debating on taking lactation classes although I think it is pointless for me since I taught those classes last semester and did rotations with the lactation consultant during my rotation... I kinda feel like I won't learn anything new... lol Classes and stuff are in the air.. I might take some.. What do you think? The whole L&D, phases of labor etc is still pretty fresh in my mind from last semester so I am debating...

Can't remember who was talking about the 5 kids (don't want to press the back button and lose all this lol) but WOW. kudos!!

I really need to pop out soon (but hopefully not too too big)
Here is a 28 week pic

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/lexxxiee/258168_171173629612531_100001596858837_472905_4702058_o.jpg"&gt;

AmyMooreOrLess

Thanks for the suggestion, Lexi. I have heard many controversial things about Battle Hymn and have put it on my list of things to read! Can't wait to see your "pop" - your pic din't work.

otm25

Well, I had my first appointment of Friday and got my first ultrasound pictures, everything looks great! Doc said not to stress too much over my diet and keep up the exercise! We made the big announcement, because as my bf says, if it isn't of Facebook, it isn't real, lol! So the word is out, the kids are thrilled, life is good!

We spent the weeknd camping near the Sierra Buttes and had a wonderful time with friends. We ended up hiking (not so fun with a whinning 5 and 3 year old) and then kayaking both days for almost an hour and a half each day. THis was our fist time out the year on the kayak, and the first day it felt really good. I didn't get tired at all! The second day was a different story, after just 30 minutes of paddling I was exhausted! I kept going but this time I really knew I was getting a workout! I have been targeting my upper body for the last few weeks, but it really doesn't feel like it helped! All day yesterday my shoulders were super-sore and my back is aching, I may have over done it. Going to do just a short cardio workout today, followed by a 1 mile walk tonight, taking it easy.

Hope you all had a great weekend, and that this week is productive as well!

BTW, I find that it isn't too hard to be well put together and have your children well dressed and groomed everyday, I think it is really a matter of priorities! I take pride in my own as well as my childrens' appearance (as well as behavior) and I think it shows.