Sundays

Oh how life has changed...a typical Sunday three months ago:

Slowly wake up, go for a run, eat breakfast, go to church, get coffee a Starbucks, grocery shop at Trader Joes, go home, read a book or take a nap

Typical Sundays now:

Wake up to a crying, hungry baby, feed baby, quickly get dressed and eat breakfast, get baby ready, go to church, nurse baby in car while S does the grocery shopping at Trader Joes, go home, repeat feeding process

Yep, it's different but I wouldn't change a thing. 

Running update: ran 19 total miles last week. I am now up to running 4 miles at a ten minute pace per run. I must say that I am pretty content with that especially since I've only back at this for two weeks. This week I am hoping to get a few more miles in, but keep the pace consistent. 

Happy running!!

First run...

Two words.....absolutely wonderful.  I ran 3 miles yesterday and while they were a bit slow, it felt great. It was so nice to be back running with my husband and now, of course, with my daughter. I am going to go easy these next two weeks and build my endurance back up.  Then I'll begin training for my first race of the year....the Oak Park 10k. 

Here's a pic of us after we finished the run. One happy family!!

Happy Running!

Check-up

I have my 6 week check-up today and while I don't particularly care for doctors, I am really looking forward to this visit. Hopefully, at this appointment, I get the green light to start running again. I can't wait to tie up those laces and hit the road. I am sure that first mile is going to feel a bit strange, especially since the last time I ran, I had a 7ib baby in my tummy.  But, I am ready....oh so ready to get back out there. Running centers me, running calms me, running focuses me, most of all running is 'my time'....time to let all my worries, frustrations, and stresses go....time to pray and time to just let my mind be silent. 

It's been awhile old friend....but it is time to say 'hello' again!!!

An ordinary day

O and I have many of those 'ordinary days', but in all honesty, I love them! They give her and I time to be together, to learn about one another, and time to snuggle with each other (my favorite part). 

Usually we begin our day between 6 and 7 in the morning with a feeding. Then, if I am lucky, we both take a nap till about 10:30. Then it is time to eat again, followed by a bath, play time, and a nap.  During this nap, I stay awake and eat lunch, do laundry and dishes, etc.  After nap time, we repeat the process (eat, play, nap) until around dinner time. Then we eat, usually go for a walk and then eat one more time, then head off to bed. It's an easy life :-)

We did change it up a little bit today and brought dad some Starbucks at work.  It was nice to get out of the house and go for a short trip.  And it was also nice to get some Starbucks coffee....yumm!!!

Tomorrow, we are hanging out with my mom and doing some shopping - it's going to be fun.

Finally, only two more days until my six week check-up, where I will hopefully be cleared to run. I can't wait to put on my running shoes again!!

Happy running.

Rascal Flatts = Amazing

Back before O was born, S and I, along with my sister and youngest brother, decided to buy tickets to the Rascal Flatts concert being held in Tinley Park.  While RF have to be one of my all time favorite country bands, I knew that little O would only be about 5 weeks old, so I was a little hesitant to buy tickets for the concert. Would she be ok with a sitter? How would I be away from her for several hours? But after some reassurance from my husband and a few coworkers, I decided to go for it and I am glad I did.

I wanted someone O was familiar with to babysit her, so I asked my mom.  This turned out it be a great decision.  My mom loved watching her and O did so well with her. It was great bonding time for the two of them.  For me....it was a much needed night away with my husband.  With the birth of O, S and I have been consumed with taking care of her, but now we had a few hours where we could just focus on us...it was really nice. And to top it all off, The Band Perry and Rascal Flatts were amazing and did not disappoint. I did, though, forget how much older the guys in RF are - it made me feel old. Yikes!! All in all it was a great night and made me realize that S and I need more date nights :-)

Here's a pic of us from the evening!

Happy running!!

It's the small things

Tonight I went to dinner with a friend.....without the husband or the child!! On how wonderful it was. Don't get me wrong, I love being with my husband and little O, but after 5 weeks of having minimal alone time and minimal adult conversation -going out to dinner was fantastic. It was also great to share all the ups and downs of being a mother with another mother. It reminded me that I really do need to reach out to my friends more, especially those that have children of their own and that to keep my sanity in this whole parenthood thing, I really do need to take time for myself everyday. The better I take care of myself -the better mom I can be. 

Speaking of taking time for myself, tomorrow night I am going to see the Rascal Flatts and The Band Perry in concert. It has been a dream of mind to see the Rascal Flatts for several years and I finally get to make that happen. It is going to be a great time!!!

I'll try to take and post some pics. 

Happy running!

She has arrived....

Our little girl has arrived!!! Olivia Grace was born on July 12 at 10:15 pm.  She is absolutely precious. It is hard to believe that she was born just 5 weeks ago...she has grown so much since then. At birth, she weighed 7lbs and now she weighs 9, she holds her end up more, smiles more and makes more noises. It is great to see all these changes in her. 

S and I have been adjusting pretty well to life with a child. In the beginning we were really struggling with the whole 'not getting enough sleep' thing, but even that has gotten a ton better. Tonight she slept for almost 5 hours straight, which was awesome!!

The most challenging piece for me has been nursing her. In all the books and all the classes, they don't tell you how hard it is to nurse a baby. I am glad that I have stuck with it, but boy, did I feel like giving up several times. 

The best part, though, is seeing this beautiful baby that my husband and I created out of our love for one another and watching her grow and change each and everyday. She melts my heart and nothing in this world can describe the love I feel for her!!

As for running, I ran 3 miles just four days before I delivered. I haven't run since she has been born, to help give my body time to heal. I have one more week of rest and then will hopefully be cleared by my doctor to start running again.  I can't wait to put on my running shoes!!

Happy running!

Graduation Day

Last weekend, my youngest brother graduated from Illinois State. I couldn't be more proud of him! And now I am ecstatic that we are both Alums of one of the best colleges in the state of Illinois :-)
It was just ten years ago, that I graduated from undergrad from ISU - what a roller coaster ride it has been. Looking back, I can't believe all that I have done in just those few short years. Let's see...

1. Graduated from Graduate School
2. Got my first job at CDW as a Staff Accountant
3. Moved to Libertyville
4. Ran my first marathon
5. Decided to change careers and get a marketing/web analyst position at Loyola Press
6. Moved to Chicago
7. Ran my second marathon
8. Made a life altering decision to go volunteer with the Christian Appalachian Project (best thing I have ever done.
9. Moved to Kentucky to volunteer
10. Finished my volunteer service, moved back home, and started working at Wegge Accounting
11. Ran my third and fourth marathon
12. Met the man of my dreams and got married
13. Switch jobs again
14. Bought a house
15.....and now I am having a baby...wow!

In the midst of all this, two of my best friends got married, one had an adorable little boy, my brother got married, I lost my grandma, both of my cousins got married and my one cousin had 3 children. Holy Smokes - a lot can happen in ten years. But boy does it make me excited to see what is going to happen in the next ten years. Some things on the list include, watch our little girl grow up, qualify for the Boston Marathon, obtain another master's degree in Non-Profit administration, finally get the job of my dreams, travel to Europe and to just enjoy life with my husband and daughter!

Here's to another ten years!!

Happy Running.

A few pictures from the graduation:

The happy couple

The siblings minus one...

Waiting

Last Thursday, we were one of the lucky ones (said sarcastically) that had damage in our basement due to all the heavy rains. Thankfully nothing was ruined except for the carpet, trim, and most likely a bit of drywall. Since Thursday, we have been  in contact with our insurance agent and a restoration company. Starting from Friday, each day the restoration company has promised that they would be out to start work on our house. In the meantime, we got all the water out and have had fans on our carpet to try to get out as much water as possible.

So...it is now Monday and they promised my husband that they would be here today to start work; although they couldn't give us an exact time. We decided then that he would take the morning shift and wait for them, while I would take the afternoon off from work and wait for them. At 11:30, still no company, so S called and they said they would be there either in 30 minutes or up to 3 hours. It is now 5:17 and I am still waiting. I am a bit frustrated that I took off work to sit around the house and wait for this company. Granted, the time off was nice and I was able to register for lots of baby stuff, but I really can't afford to be using my vacation hours for things like this. I only have so many left and I need as many as I can get for all those doctor appointments. Oye! After a day like today, I think my favorite comfort food - mac n' cheese is in store for dinner tonight.

Happy Running

Running log - 3 miles on Saturday and 3 miles on Sunday.

A loss for words

I am still speechless over the events that unfolded at the Boston Marathon. I can't even begin to fathom what all those runners and spectators must have felt as those bombs went off. I think of myself and all the races I have run and never once considered that I could be in danger or that someone would even think to harm runners and spectators alike. The events at Boston are truly unthinkable and unimaginable. What is going on in the world? I just don't get it.

My prayers go out to all of those that were effected by the bombs in Boston. May God bring you some sense of peace and strength to continue on living life.

Run Strong!!

Baby Bump...

Why do people feel the need to (a) want to see your baby bump and (b) touch the baby bump? I don't get it..I have never felt the need to touch or want to see any of my pregnant friends baby bump. Am I alone in this? I feel quite uncomfortable when people come up to me and say things like - "can I see your bump", "where are you hiding that baby", "just wait, you will get bigger", "only 3 months to go - dear, you need to get bigger". Comments like these drive me nuts and don't even get me started on touching my stomach.

All of these things happened to me yesterday when I went to visit some friends. The minute I walked in, everyone wanted to see 'the bump'. What about seeing me...have I already disappeared because of the baby. Yes, she is important and yes, I am well aware that she will be the center of attention for quite some time...but 'hello' I am still me - I am still here. Oye! Anyway, one lady could tell I was getting quite uncomfortable with the situation and you know what she says...."don't feel bad, we all just want to see you get fat". WHAT!! OMG! Seriously. I am sorry, but I am trying to maintain a healthy weight for my baby and for me and I apologize if that means I am not going to gain 50+ lbs, just so that people can see me 'get fat'. Oye - some people. Then to top it all off, another lady comes up to me and puts her hand on my belly and starts to rub it. At this point, it took all I had not to scream and run out the door. Sadly, I didn't say anything and let her continue making a scene and touching away. After she was done admiring me belly, I promptly put my hands in front of my stomach where they remained the rest of the visit. Oye - not sure if I can handle much more of this 'baby bump' phenomenon. However, I know after the baby is born, complete strangers will want to touch and hold her, and I have a feeling that is going to be 100 times worse.

Oh the wonderful joys of being pregnant. On that note, I think I'll go out for a quick run.

Sorry for the vent - but thanks to all of you for reading and understanding.

Happy Running.

Unbelievable

Yes, some days it is still unbelievable that my husband and I are going to have a little girl. I can see my belly growing and she is kicking with full force now, so I feel her almost every day...but is still takes me by surprise every now and then. Today I looked at the calendar and realized that I am due to deliver in less than 100 days. Are we ready? Am I ready? Some days I have my doubts....will I know what to do when she is crying? When should I begin feeding her solid foods? What do I do if she is sick? What daycare should I enroll her in? She I even enroll her in daycare or stay at home with her? Will I be a good mom? Should I nurse or use formula? Will she like the name we pick for her? And this is just the start of all the questions running through my head.

But then I feel her kick and I start to daydream about taking her to the park and going for runs with her (when she is old enough of course). I imagine her big smile and her laughter and her hugs and kisses. I imagine her running to the door when her daddy comes home. I imagine us going shopping together and picking out her favorite things to wear and then on the way home stopping at Starbucks, where I get her a hot chocolate and myself a latte. I imagine her sleeping soundly in her crib, so small, so innocent, so precious. If I let myself slip into these daydreams and push all the questions to the side, I am filled with peace and content and I think to myself...YES, we can do this and our little girl will be just fine!

Happy Running!

It's a girl...

S and I are having a girl!! Last Saturday, we gathered our friends and family and shared the good news! I decided I wanted to make the announcement in a fun way, so I had the bakery that did our wedding cake create a 'Gender Reveal' cake. It was exactly what I wanted. It was a pink velvet cake, so when you cut into it, you could tell right away that we are having a girl. We had our mom's cut into the cake which made it even more special. I also put up a board to have everyone guess on whether or not we were having a boy or girl. Right before we cut the cake, it was tied, but then my youngest brother came to the rescue...I gave him a call and his vote was boy, which unfortunately wasn't right.

We had such a great time with everyone that was able to come to the party. The best part was just being with our friends and family and being able to catch up with all them. When we have gatherings like this, I am constantly reminded how blessed I am.

Happy Running!

Our voting board (ignore the construction in the background)

The cake...I absolutely loved it!

 The Happy Couple...and yes, I am 25 weeks pregnant. You wouldn't believe how many comments I am getting on how I don't even look pregnant. Oye!

Surprise! We are having a girl!

The construction continues

Well, we no longer have a wall between our living room and the kitchen. It looks awesome (I'll be posting pictures soon), but it is a bit strange not to see a wall there. It really opens up the space a ton and brings in so much more light. S is a little concerned about the heat in the living room and wonders if it will now be harder to keep that first floor warm - so, far I haven't really noticed anything different. Hopefully, by the end of the week, this first project will be completely done. Then it is on to the garage and the mud room.

In the midst of all this craziness, we are also getting ready to host about 30 people for a party on Saturday. It really is just a bunch of our family and friends getting together, but we will also be revealing the gender of our baby. We are going to do it by cutting into a cake which will show whether it is a girl or a boy. I also plan to have a board up where people can vote whether they think we are having a boy or girl. Maybe I'll even get prizes for the winners, but we shall see. It will really be nice to see so many of our friends, especially since we haven't seen several of them in quite some time.

Running this week - 3.5 miles on Monday and 3.5 miles on Wednesday

Happy Running!

And the construction begins again

Yep, we are at it again - doing more construction projects on our house. This time, we are building out the house a bit into the garage for a coat/mud room and we are knocking down a wall between our living room and kitchen to open the area up a bit more. Steve has wanted a coat room for the house since we bought it, so that is his little project. I, on the other hand, suggested tearing down the wall in the kitchen. I figured it might be a good way to get more light into the room Well, my husband thought it was a great idea and a few months later, here we are...getting ready to tear it down. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it looks good and that everything goes smoothly. I'll post some pictures once things get going.

The construction people come tomorrow at 8 to begin working on the wall. I am a bit excited and nervous. I think I am mostly nervous, because we are having a gender reveal party on Saturday with about 25 of our friends and family and it would be really nice if the 'wall' portion of this construction is complete. Again, keeping my fingers crossed.

Oh and I pushed it a bit and ran 4 miles on Saturday. It felt good, but my legs were certainly feeling it today. Perhaps, I'll just go back to 3 miles every other day.

Happy Running!

Baby Update

Had a doctor's appointment this past Wednesday and everything seems to be going just fine. We listened to the baby's heartbeat and it sounded strong and healthy. In 4 weeks, I am back at the doctor's again, but this time I get to take the Glucose test and I get to have my Rhogam shot. That appointment will be interesting and definitely not as much fun.

Our little one is definitely a little active thing - I can feel Baby Z move pretty regularly now and it is an awesome feeling. I think s/he is going to be a runner or maybe a gymnast!!

In other news, I am extremely happy that the Cardinals have selected a Pope and I couldn't be happier about their choice. I think this is going to be a really good thing for the church!

And the running continues...3.5 miles on Monday and 3.5 today. The plan is to try to keep this up as long as possible :-)

Happy Running!

Technical Difficulties

Well, I wanted to upload pictures from our trip to Galena, but for some reason they are not showing up on the SD card when I put it in my computer. When it is in the camera, I see all of the pictures, but not when I put it into the computer. It's a bit frustrating. I am going to tinker with it some more and see if I can't get it to work.

In other news, Steve and I both had the 'Check Engine' light come on in our cars this week. "When it rains, it pours" I guess. Luckily, my repairs were not too bad...his on the other hand where not so good. They were bad enough that we are now starting to talk about buying a new/used car. Fun, fun. Oh and this week, we are starting two decent sized construction projects on our house. And, add to the list, getting ready for a baby who is due for arrival in 4 months. Nope, we don't have much going on at all. :-) But it really is all good and I wouldn't want it any other way!

Happy Running!

We are back...

Sadly our Babymoon is over, but we sure did have a fantastic time. We spent the weekend up in Galena, IL and did a ton of shopping and ate a bit too. It was so relaxing and the B&B we stayed at was top notch. I have pictures to post and more details on the trip, which I would have posted on Sunday, but we had a fundraiser dinner to go to Sunday evening, so a post never happened. Then yesterday was my birthday, so I was busy celebrating and didn't quite get to posting. And then tonight, we were digging out from over 7 inches of snow (mostly my husband) and chatting with my BIL and SIL that the evening just got away from me. Now it's 9:45 and I am just beat, so hopefully tomorrow or Thursday, I will post some pics and give a better overview of the weekend!

In other news, I ran 3.5 miles yesterday and 3 today. Still kind of surreal that I am running with a 22nd week old baby in my body. Kind of crazy.

Happy Runnning!

Babymoon

Yep, Babymoon - that's what I am calling our little weekend getaway. :-) S and I thought it would be a good idea to get one last little mini vacation in before Baby Z arrives, so this weekend we are spending it in a nice little B&B up north. I am really looking forward to just getting away and spending time with my husband. We have absolutely no plans for the weekend, other than to just enjoy the weekend being alone. I'll make sure to post some pictures.

In other news, we did find out the sex of our baby and are really excited. S and I are going to keep it a secret for a little while longer because we want to announce it in some unique fashion. I've thought about inviting all of our friends and our family over and then having the house decorated with specific color decorations or having a cake where the center filling is a specific color. Not sure what we will end up planning, but I do want to make the announcement fun. Maybe I'll check out Pinterest for some ideas.

Tonight, I ran 4 miles at the gym...I can not wait for the weather to get better so that I can get outside and run/walk, this treadmill running is getting old fast. Only a few more weeks and spring will be here! Thank goodness!

Happy Running!

Snow, Snow and more Snow

I think winter has finally arrived.....

After having a fairly warm and snow free winter, we finally paid our dues. Today it snowed and snowed and snowed. It snowed enough to close the University that S works at and several other schools in the area. Our offices didn't close, but many of the employees decide to leave early to make the long trek home. I, fortunately, got extremely lucky seeing as I work off a major expressway that they always manage to keep clean. When I got on the expressway, it was just wet - no snow at all. Big sigh of relief for me as I absolutely hate the snow.

But all that aside, it really was beautiful to look at and I am actually quite happy winter decided to make an appearance, even if we do only have 3 weeks of it left.

Happy Running!

Picture outside my office...

My niece

This Saturday, we celebrated my little niece's 10 yr old birthday. Where did time go? I can still remember the day she was born - a great day it was! She has blossomed into an incredible young woman and I am so excited to see where life is going to take her. Will she be an actress, a dancer, a doctor, a politician, a teacher - her opportunities are endless. I pray she follows her dreams and strives to be all that she can be!

In other news, S and I did not find out if we were having a boy or girl last Friday. S was really sick and we had a snow storm heading into the area, so I postponed the appointment until this coming Wednesday. I have to wait a few more days, but the wait is well worth it! I just hope the baby is in the right position, so we get to find out :-)

Happy Running!

Here's a picture of my niece from about 5 years ago!

A

Saturday mornings

Saturday mornings....oh how I love them!
I get to sleep in...don't have any place I need to go
I get to snuggle with my husband
I don't worry about all the things I have to do
I let the sunshine hit my face and warm it
I hear the sweet sounds of the birds
Yep, I love Saturdays

Still runnin'

Only ran 4 miles tonight, but considering I am 20 weeks pregnant, I'll take it. Surprisingly I've been pretty easy on myself when it comes to this running while pregnant thing. I figure it might actually help my body to slow down my running for nine months and take a break. I am hoping it will make me a stronger runner after the baby is born. Besides I am only in my 30's, so I have plenty of time to set more PR's!! And as a bonus, my little will hopeful get to see her mom win some races in her age group and maybe, just maybe, see her mom run the Boston marathon!

Happy Running.

20 Weeks and Counting

20 weeks...I can't believe it. Where did time go? It seems like just yesterday, we were meeting the doctor for the first time and seeing our little one on the ultrasound machine. I can't say I am too sad that this pregnancy is already half-way over -actually, I am really glad. While I consider it an immense blessing to be having this child, I will be so happy when he or she finally arrives! Sadly, I am just not in that group of women that love being pregnant.

Overall, things have been going really well though...and the best part is that I still have been able to keep up my running. Obviously not to the extent that I was, but I have been able to do 3 to 4 miles about 3 days a week. I'll take it!! I am hoping that by doing a bit of running, I'll be able to bounce back faster after this little one is born.

On Friday, we are going to find out if we are having a boy or girl...so exciting. I'll keep everyone posted.

Happy Running!

Cars, cars and more cars

Yesterday, my husband, my sister and her boyfriend all ventured out to the Chicago Auto Show. After years of wanting to go, it finally happened and I must say I was not disappointed. Being able to see hundreds of cars all in one location was fantastic and the fact that by the end of the year, I may be in the market for a new car this was the perfect place to be.
S and I actually ended up spending a lot of time at the Subaru section and even test drove one of the cars. We were really impressed by the company....a Subaru may be in my future!

The best part was finding the car that I think would be a perfect gift from S to me for carrying our child for 9 months; although he wasn't quite on board with the idea, but I still have 4 1/2 more months to work on him. LOL! Here it is....I would get it in blue thought!

 

After the auto show, I was craving some greek food, so we made our way over to greek town and ended up eating at Artopolis on Halsted. Great food!! We started off with a Mediterranean platter and then we each chose a different entree. It certainly satisfied my craving.  I would highly recommend this restaurant/cafe to anyone.

Overall a wonderful day with my husband, my sister and her boyfriend. I can't wait to do it again next year but this time, we'll have the little one with us!

Happy Runnning.

Time for a change

It's time for a change...a change in blogging software! After many years at WordPress, I just wasn't happy with things over at that site, so I figured I would try Google's Blogger. Many of my friends use it and love it and that was a good enough push for me. I have never been a great blogger, but I am going to give it another try.

I am hopeful that with my iphone, ipad, and the computer, I might be able to do this. I never was a good writer, but I would like to keep all of my friends and family in the loop about what is happening in my daily life especially with all the exciting things ahead!!

I know this blog needs work and in the coming weeks, I hope to add more pictures, some sort of design, an 'about me section' and even some other blogs that I follow. But be patient with me...it might take me awhile.

So here is to new beginnings and hopefully a better blogging year!

Happy running.