PT progress and other things

Holy cow it's been a while since I've updated here. I know I was getting back into talking about my training and how that was all developing, but then I hit a wall...a big one. Let me explain.


So I've been going to PT since July, I've been seeing the same therapist and we have been working through my hip and plantar fasciitis issues. I saw immediate and lasting results with my hips when I started going to PT and I would experience short bouts of temporary pain relief in my heels, but the pain/irritation would not completely go away. It was dismaying but I was also still in training for my Dumbo weekend at the time, so I couldn't expect that pain would completely go away until after the race weekend when I could rest my legs and feet from running regularly.

Training and the Alter G

So my training, or what you can call "training", started last week. I was allowed to run one mile. Yes, just one mile. And not even when or where I would usually run, nope, I had to schedule my run at my PT's office to use a treadmill I had never used before.

The Alter G.

What is the Alter G, you ask?

Training Struggle

I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for the support and words of encouragement I received regarding last weeks post. It was a tough decision to make and the more I think about it and the more stories and comments I received and read about all of you making that same tough decision (to listen to your body), I realize that it was the best decision I could have made. So again, thank you for all the stories and encouragement, it really means a lot to me.

That being said, my view has changed drastically since last week. I am no longer setting my sights on a big goal that, at times, seemed insurmountable. But rather now I am working on facing a familiar adversary, the half marathon. The distance that I love to hate and hate to love, so much pleasure (finishing) and so much pain (during). (That sounded dirty, btw. He he...) Anyway.

After last weeks post I felt the need to pull everything in and "hide" what I'm going through, put on the happy face and post about seemingly benign things. Then the more I thought about it this weekend the more I realized that line of thinking is completely opposite of why I created this blog to begin with. I came here to write about my trials and tribulations, successes and jubilations (and my apparent need to rhyme at times, HA! Did it again.) To keep the process secret and not be honest about what I'm going through by only talking about good things would be silly of me to do. I have prided myself on being honest here and talking about things I'm experiencing, no matter how stupid or embarrassing it might be.

I feel like a failure

Nice way to come back from a blogging hiatus, right? Well, unfortunately, this is how I'm feeling right now. I will be posting my race and Disneyland trip recaps soon, there is lots to report on that front and things are finally starting to slow down in my crazy world right now. So those tidbits are forthcoming.

So, now...what is going on?

Well, let me say that this year I had goals that I had set out at the very start of the year. I had made it very clear last year and throughout this year so far that I had the goal to get fit after the pregnancy, to run Dumbo again and to train and complete my first marathon in January 2015.

However, it seems that with every attempt I make to try and accomplish these goals I get more and more road blocks and encounter even more pitfalls.

Disneyland Half Countdown: 7 days!

Wow...how time flies. I swear it feels like it was just two months out from the race just yesterday. Where does the time go? I feel like the weeks have been a blur of worry, anticipation, excitement, concern, focus and lots of hard work. It may not be reflected in the mileage that I've accumulated over the past couple of months, but the proof is in my ability to simply get up and down from a seated position. Not all progress can be easily measured.

I was worried about my training and the ability to get my body healthy by race weekend. Now we are one week out and I still have some concern about my body being able to handle the rigors of this race weekend, but nowhere near the concerns I had even a month ago. I can't even begin to express how happy I am that I decided to go into physical therapy for my hip issues. I am so incredibly thankful for my therapist and the work that we have been doing over the past month. Her attention to my problem areas and exercises I have been doing have literally changed my life. It really is amazing.

The strength and stability I am gaining is giving me confidence to attack the coming race weekend with peace of mind. As I have said before, I am not going into these races expecting to run the whole time or get even get a decent time, let alone a PR! I am going to simply enjoy the experience and run in one of my favorite places on Earth. Oh...and to take home these beauties!! (except for the kids race one, though I love the lanyard!!)

End of Week 16 Dumbo Double Dare Training

Oh geez...week 16 of training done! That means we are in week 17 now and week 18 is the race! GAH!!! That's NEXT WEEK!!! It's almost here! It's almost here!!! Disneyland NEXT WEEK!!! ::jumping up and down, clapping excitedly::

I'm not scared about running the races anymore now. I'm mostly excited. I have been working on my running and my training has been moving along. I can't be mad or down on myself for not being at the point of health I wanted to be for this race because SO MUCH has been going on with my physical therapy. So much change and improvement has been happening that I couldn't POSSIBLY be completely ready for this race weekend. That being said, I will be able to run, have fun and work on recovering better after each race.

So let's get to the training recap!

Tuesday: 30 minute run
Saturday: 9 mile run

End of Week 15 Dumbo Double Dare Training

Holy cow...did I just type week 15? That means I'm currently in week 16 and week 18 ends with the race weekend!!! AH!!! That means I will be in Disneyland in TWO WEEKS!!!! GAH!!!!

Oh man...I need to start packing. Yes, I am one of those people that starts packing way before they leave on the trip. Well...at least I get my list ready and do laundry and get it all organized, so not really packed into the suitcase, but more like have it prepared to throw into the suitcase the night before I leave. Because that's how I roll. I've been fine tuning and tweaking my pack list for the past 4 months (yes, 4 months, I get excited about trips and start to plan!) and I'm still to this day making small adjustments. Take this item off, add a different item on, increase the number of this item, decrease the number of another item. See what I mean, it's hard work being organized. 

Though this post isn't about my packing skillz, this is about training, so why don't we get to it! The scheduled training runs for Week 15 are as follows:

Best Hotel Accommodations - Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend

When planning a Disney racecation, there are certain things that are important to lock down fairly early on. First of all is your registration to the race (they sell out so quick now!), flights/transportation and of course, your accommodations! When thinking of a hotel for a racecation it is all about location, location, location. Oh and price! Whether you are going with your family or sharing a room with your best running friends, it is important to get the most for your dollar. And since you are travelling somewhere to race (and possibly sight see) you really would like to have a hotel that is close to the action without breaking your budget.
Luckily, with the Disneyland races there are many hotel options for you to choose from that fit all price levels. Now with all the options (44 in all between on property and Good Neighbor hotels) it would be tough (and a bit long!) to write a comprehensive list of all the available hotels. So I am going to pick a few options to review and hope that they give you a broad sense of what is available to book on your next racecation to the Disneyland Resort!

It just so happens that the three Good Neighbor hotels I will be talking about happen to be in the Moderate category, however they offer very different experiences and are at different locations around the Disneyland Resort!

Run Disney also provides comprehensive information on shuttles to the resort for race and expo days. They have outlined the hotels and routes that ART (Anaheim Resort Transit) goes in order to get you to the expo as well as the race start and then back to the resorts after you have finished. Please make sure you leave enough time for the transfer in the mornings and prepare for long lines after you finish to be back to your resort.

The first best hotel (and my personal favorite) is Best Western Park Inn and Suites which is located just across Harbor Blvd from the Main Entrance to Disneyland. You literally cross the street and you are walking onto the resort property, it is very close and convenient! The rooms are spacious and nicely appointed. You have your choice between king or two queen beds and each room also comes with a pullout sofa bed! So if you are looking to save some money, you can get a double queen room and be able to sleep 5-6 people! Though there is only one bathroom, so pick your battles!

Speaking of the bathroom, the shower/tub and toilet are separate from the sink area, there is a large closet with mirrors on the sliding doors, a large desk and comfortable chair, large entertainment center with a flat screen TV. There is also a mini fridge and microwave in each room as well as many plugs to charge all your electronic devices. They also offer an impressive complimentary continental breakfast each morning with eggs, bacon, waffles, along with all your standard breakfast items. Please note that it opens at 6am so it will not be open in time for runners to grab something on their way to the start line. (Side note: I would grab an extra banana and bagel and put it in my room for the next mornings breakfast while I walked to the corrals, worked out great!)

They commonly have discounts and we used our AAA membership to get a room for around $90/night during Disneyland Half weekend last year. It was a fantastic rate for a great room in a great location! 

The next hotel is the Anabella Hotel located on Katella Avenue just south of the resort by the California Adventure park. While the hotel is close to the parks, it is quite a walk to get to the entrance of the resort. You would have to take Katella to Harbor and follow that up to the main entrance there, or take Katella to S West Street and enter the resort via Downtown Disney. Either way will be about a 30 minute walk so just be aware! The ART is also available to transfer you to and from the resort.

The rooms are beautifully appointed and provide many rooming options from your standard to concierge level. Options include two queen beds or one king, with full granite bathrooms and free wifi (a must nowadays!) There is a fridge and coffee machine along with a complete entertainment system including a flat screen TV. They have a great restaurant on site, but do not offer a complimentary continental breakfast unless you are a Business First or Concierge level guest. 

The grounds are beautiful and the hotel is quite lovely with so many options (even bunk beds for the kids!). Their prices are a bit more than the Best Western coming in at $121/night for a standard room up to $150-190 a night for concierge or kids suite rooms. This is a great option for those that want to be a bit more removed from the parks and be able to enjoy some peace and quiet. 

The third Good Neighbor hotel is the Howard Johnson located on S Harbor Blvd just west of the Disneyland Resort. This hotel is also serviced by the ART and will be providing transfers for Run Disney for the races and expo. You can walk from the hotel to the Disneyland resort, just realize that it will take some time because you are walking along a busy area and can take approximately 20-30 minutes depending on traffic.

Howard Johnson is a world of its own! Not only do they have warm, spacious rooms, but they also have a pool and water park area (yes, I said water park!) that can rival some stand alone parks that you have to pay to get in to. And this area is complimentary to all guests! So if you have kiddos and want to have a place to come have some fun at outside of the park, this place is perfect!

Their rooms are nicely appointed, spacious and include a fridge, coffee maker (it's a Keurig!), free wi-fi (bonus!), desk area and TV. There are a few bed configurations with two queen beds, or one king, or one queen with bunk beds, a fold out couch, there are so many options. Basically you can fit a family of 4-6 easily in one of these rooms, just again, be aware of the bathroom situation, there is just one! :)
Unfortunately they do not offer a continental breakfast, but do have a restaurant on-site, along with other options on the street. The rates run any where between $175/night and upwards of $220/night. They do have rate sales and offers through out the year that can cut those rates in half sometimes, making it a very economical place to stay!

Lastly but not least, are a couple of on-property options for your magical Run Disney experience. The Disneyland Hotel has done some major room remodels and have provided guests with a room experience not to be missed! Including the headboards pictured below, with a flip of a switch a fiber optic light show appears with some music to add to the magic! The rooms come with two queens or one king and a fold out sofa, floor to ceiling windows with fantastic views of the grounds (and parks!), beautifully appointed bathrooms with hidden Disney touches, a coffee maker, and premium bath amenities.

The Grand Californian is a beautiful homage to the rustic Arts and Crafts period with dark woods and luxurious features strewn throughout the resort, it is tough not to get swept up in the whimsy of this Craftsman style treasure. The rooms are wonderfully appointed with two queens or one king bed with a pull out sofa, flat screen TV's, comfortable seating, a coffee maker and premium bathroom amenities. The views are also hard to beat from anywhere in the hotel!

In addition to these beautiful hotel accommodations both of their pool areas are fantastic places for an afternoon respite from the parks, offering water slides, hot tubs and cabanas, there is a little something for everyone. Neither resort offers a complimentary continental breakfast unless you are on the Concierge level, then there is a special room where there are complimentary snacks, drinks and offerings throughout the day for those guests.

What is wonderfully unique about these resorts is their proximity to the start and finish lines of the races, they are quite literally right outside. The runner area and finish line is staged in the parking lot and street right outside the front of the Disneyland Hotel and only a few minutes walk from the Grand Californian. You can reach the runner area in less than 10 minutes, talk about prime location! That location can come with a hefty price tag though, the Disneyland Hotel rates start around $300/night whereas the Grand Californian rates start at $400/night with Concierge level rates starting at around $650/night. Both hotels provide wonderful memories and amenities (including an exclusive entry way into California Adventure from the Grand Californian) and are a must see even if you don't have the ability to stay there.

There you have it! Some really great choices of places to stay that have many different offerings for any budget and age range. There are so many other places that have rave reviews from other runners, so don't just take my word, ask around and get opinions! With so many choices you will never run out of options for your next Disneyland racecation! 

Good to your "self" - Week Four: Empower

It's Wednesday already and that means its the final installment of my body series Be Good to Your "Self" project. It's been a humbling and eye opening experience for me and I hope you all have had a chance to think about and look at yourself in more positive ways.

Today's final topic is not actually about a body feature at all. It's about your personality, another part of your self that people see that isn't physical but can be torn down by others just as easily. Our personalities come through with everything that we do. How we treat people, how we dress, what type of career path we take, and so on. What we are confident in and how we carry ourselves gets projected in the physical sense all the time. Our personality takes on a physical persona and people view that as a physical part of our "self".

End of Week 13 Dumbo Double Dare Training

Wait...week 13? What happened to week 12...moreover...what happened in week 13? Ha! Well...about that. The training as listed and even as I have adjusted didn't happen, at all. ::defeated sigh::

As you all know, or may not know, I've been having physical problems since having the baby. My hips have been bothering me a lot more and my left heel started to hurt after (and even during!) my runs. These two ailments have put me out of training commission for far too many weeks, my hip issues have even kept me from running a race all together (Snoqualmie Valley Half & 10k). 

These past few months have been frustrating and humbling beyond belief. From chiro visits, to sitting out many training runs, to getting a new mattress set, to trying new stretches and strengthening exercises. All to no avail...I was still plagued by horribly stiff, aching and painful hips and an increasing presence of heel pain that is now appearing in both feet.

Good to your "self" - Week Three: Embrace

Well, we are three weeks into this body series Be Good to Your "Self" project, where we are talking about what we love or appreciate about ourselves. The first week was Engage, where we talked about our best facial feature, the second week was Enjoy, where we talked about our best body feature. This week is along the theme of acceptance and appreciation, but it's about the thing we are pushing against, our flaws.

I know, how can talking about flaws be positive? Well, it's all about perspective. We can talk about positive things in negative ways and make the whole conversation negative, it's all about structure and wording. I have flaws, just like everyone else. I see them every time I look in the mirror. I know exactly where they are and my eyes go to that point every time I go in front of the mirror. It's like my sub-conscious is keeping tabs on them to make sure I'm reminded. "Is it still there? Oh yep, right where it was before." Yes, they are still there but you know what happens? I leave my place in front of the mirror and get on with my life.

Yes, life still goes on even though I have flaws and everyone can see them! I'll wait and let you process that for a second, go ahead, I'm patient.

Good to your "self" - Week two: Enjoy

I hope you all are having a great week so far, it is Wednesday, we're half way to the weekend! Today's post is the second installment of Be Good to Your "Self" project where the hope is that you read and share the great things about you, instead of focusing on what you want to change.

So today we will talk about the second word from the list I had provided in my previous post. To recap, the positive "E" words are: Engage, Enjoy, Embrace and Empower. We covered Engage last week, so this week we will talk about Enjoy. 

There have been very few times in my life that I've been told that I need to enjoy my body, that I need to be thankful and happy with what I have, I've always been told that there is something "wrong" that needs to be fixed. Whether it be the length or style of my hair, needing to wear make up, working out to lose weight, get a tan because my skins too pasty, etc. There has always been something about me that needed to change. 

But why? And for who's benefit, yours or mine?

End of Week 11 Dumbo Double Dare Training

Oh boy, it's only Tuesday? I could have sworn today is Thursday, well at least that's how my body feels! I had the most horrible headache last night and it hit me hard all at once. I was actually sitting at the dining table crying because my head hurt so much. My poor baby was so quiet and just staring at me from his highchair because he knew I wasn't myself last night. Luckily I got decent sleep, so that helped to get rid of my headache and I'm feeling better today.

So now we talk about training! Woohoo!

This past weeks training according to the schedule looked like this:

Tuesday: 30 minute run
Thursday: 30 minute run
Saturday: 4 miles

Good to your "self" - Week one: Engage

Today is the first of the four installments of the Be Good to Your "Self" project where I want us to explore the wonderful things that make each of us unique and perfectly us. When I was thinking about this idea, I wanted to concentrate on aspects of our bodies and our personalities and four words kept cycling through my head - engage, enjoy, embrace, empower. Not only are they all "E" words (remarkably) but they all have positive meanings to them, no negativity. That's what I wanted to promote in this whole dialogue, even when we talk about something we don't like, I want you (and me!) to talk about it in a positive light. More on that later.

So today we will talk about the first of the four words that will be the theme of each of the posts, engage. By definition, engage means: occupy, attract, or involve (someone's interest or attention). When we enter a room with people in it, what is the first thing we look at? Their face and surrounding area. That information will give you a quick read on the "climate" of the situation you are walking into because our faces show our emotions and those signs can advise you how to approach those situations. So if you walk into a room with people smiling and conversing in a lively way, it feels more welcoming and light-hearted giving you the feeling of comfort where you can engage with people. Whereas if you walk into a room with people scowling, not talking to each other or making eye contact, you feel a lot more defensive and are less likely to make the effort to engage with those around you.

End of Week 10 Dumbo Double Dare Training

Wait...what? End of Week 10? Have I been training all this time and not updating? 

Nope. 

But this is where the training schedule is for last week, I've just missed the previous 9 weeks due to misc issues and road blocks. So my training for this big race weekend is beginning now...right in the middle of the schedule. Oh yeah...here we go!

Considering how far behind I am in the training, I have augmented the prescribed miles to suit a different ramp up of miles for me.

For week 10 my training looked like this:

Tuesday: 30-45 minute run
Thursday: 30-45 minute run 
Saturday: 2 miles 4 miles (adjusted mileage for my training)
Sunday: 9.5 miles rest day planned

Be good to your "self"

I know you have done it. I do it too. You stand in front of the mirror peering at yourself and pick out all your little imperfections. "There are blackheads on my nose", "My hair is graying/or thinning", "My skin puckers on my arm here, I need to cover that up", "Holy cow, I've got a Costco sized muffin top!" You stare and stare and stare, picking yourself apart until all you see are shapes and blobs and flaws all over the place. You leave the mirror unhappy and grumpy, resolved to make changes and get rid of those imperfections so people can see the real you, the perfect you.

What I guess we don't realize is that what we see, right now, the person you see in the mirror is the real and perfectly you. It is so easy to peer at ourselves and compare our features to those that we idolize (models/movie stars) or aspire/train to be like (athletes). But that is like comparing apples to oranges, and wholly unfair. I'm not saying that you may never have a toned, sleek body like Lauren Fleshman, for example. However there is a reason why these people are famous and at the top of the game, it is for the most part, that they are genetically dispositioned that way. If we all looked like these people, then they wouldn't be special or stand out from the crowd for us to admire. It's not even something that they necessarily had done (plastic surgery, etc), it's what they were born with and learned to use and cultivate.

Monday Mojo: Time to Run

Ah Monday, we meet again. Why are you so difficult? I was having a lovely weekend and then you had to barge in and ruin the party. Someone needs to teach you about social graces, seriously!

So last week was some time for me to get healed and feeling better. I've been struggling with nagging hip issues and it got worse over a week ago, keeping me from running a race completely. So I spent some time at my chiropractors this past week getting adjusted and I also started working on my back and core strengthening exercises again. This is especially vital because this will help me to stabilize my hips and keep them strong so I have fewer painful relapses.

Today I hit the pavement...with my shoes that is. I will be running for the first time in forever, it feels. I'm nervous and cautious all at the same time. I know I have a lot of ground to make up on my training to get me ready for Double Dare weekend in August, but I also know that I need to start out slow so I don't injure myself in the process. Low and slow. Keep the miles low and run them slow.

Today's mojo is a reflection of what I am doing today. I'm getting back in the saddle again as of this week. I'm starting to feel better physically and I have a game plan on training and nutrition (needing to get that back on track too! Sheesh!) So my quote for today is: 

Monday Mojo: Starting Over

Well, it's been a while since I've written a Monday post and I've decided to change it up a bit. I usually call it Momentum Monday, but lately I feel like I've been lacking (or downright missing) my mojo. So I've decided to change it to Monday Mojo, because sometimes I need to stoke the fires of my mojo to get me going for the rest of the week! Today is no exception!

It's not a secret that I've been struggling with my running. Inconsistent training, injuries and physical setbacks have kept me from getting out there and logging miles. Then I find that the longer I spend in between runs not running, the less I want to get out there and the easier it gets to make excuses not to run. Which is crazy because I feel better when I run and after I run. Running makes me want to run more and the more I run the better I feel. I always tell myself after every run, "man, I need to remember how good I feel!". 

Race Recap: Emerald City Run

Well, it's been a while since I've done one of these! (Race...well, and recap too.) Let's throw those training wheels back on and take this for a ride!

I had decided to sign up for this race a couple of months ago when I realized that I didn't have a recent 10k time to submit for the Disneyland race weekend in August. (Then when I read the fine print, they were taking times for 10k's raced AFTER August 1, 2012, oops...oh well.) I have been having issues the past month getting my training runs in. I threw out my hip and was working on getting it adjusted back to health and just trying to juggle running while taking care of an infant and somehow finding time to spend with my hubby. :(  So as the race day approached I was becoming more and more leary about my ability to even RUN this race, let alone have a time worth submitting! (Luckily I had a couple of 10k times I could submit for my corral placement for the DL races, so I submitted one of those instead.)

Which brings me to the week of the race. I hadn't run in at least a week and my longest distance had been 3 miles...since September!! My last 10k was in August, to say I was wholly under prepared for this race was an understatement. So I decided, to hell with it, I would run and just have fun and not worry about my time. I haven't run this distance in so long, I couldn't possibly demand this from my unprepared body. So I would run and enjoy the journey.

I'm here...I swear!

Wow...I can't believe that it has literally been a month since my last post! How is that possible!?! It doesn't feel like it's been that long. I know I've created posts in my head, dozens of them. Maybe I just didn't get a chance to actually post them. That's probably it.

I'm here though...I swear!!

It's Registration Day!

No, I'm not talking about school classes registration, I'm talking about WDW Marathon Weekend Registration! Though people do get schooled with the lessons learned from that weekend apparently. I wouldn't know, I've never been...until now!

I had talked about it during my post last week about how I registered for a big event during the WDW Marathon Weekend, but didn't go into much detail. Now that registration is opening today for the general public, I will talk about what it is I registered for.

Training mantra: Back in the saddle again

So this week has been an eventful one for me in the area of running. On Monday I posted about my first run back since baby and all the feelings I was experiencing during that first run. Then yesterday I had my second run of the week (gasp! I know, right!?! Two runs in one week!) and had very different feelings about that run as well. Then on top of all of that, yesterday was early registration day for the WDW Marathon weekend and for the first time I will be participating in this epic weekend of running and camaraderie! So much to talk about, let's get started!

Monday was my first run back and I was feeling so many emotions about being out running that I was just letting myself soak everything in.

Momentum Monday: Ain't no doubt, this momma is a runner!

I did it.

I ran today.

It was a weekday morning run which I hardly ever get, so I took advantage of it. It was bright and sunny, yet still cool and crisp.

I ran 2 miles, which is more miles than I've ran since December. Which is a total of zero.

It was a combination of pain and elation.

Happiness and frustration.

Love and hate.

Blogiversary - Two years and counting

With all the crazy going on in my life lately, my blogiversary came and went very quietly without a fuss or any pomp and circumstance. It was on March 31st. Two years ago on that day I started this little blog without a clear notion of what I wanted to do with it. I knew I was a beginner in the world of running and I wanted to be a guiding voice for all of those new runners just starting their journey. I was hoping to share my pitfalls and lessons learned so that they could hopefully not make the same mistakes I did. I wanted to create a place where I could share my stories and others could comment and contribute without judgement or conceit. This would be a learning blog for both myself and others.

Momentum Monday: The C word

I have been missing from here for a while. I'm sorry, there is no excuse other than I have an infant and I have recently gone back to work. Not really a viable excuse some would say, but hey, that is my new reality and it is taking some adjustment. I'm hoping now that we're getting into the swing of things that I will be able to be back on here a bit more and gasp(!)...finally get back into training. My lower back/glutes have been giving me lots of trouble lately. I think the combination of my hips moving back after birth and the different ways I stand when I hold the baby has thrown my hip alignment off creating pain when I sit/stand/walk/lay down. So I have an appointment for an adjustment today and I hope that will help with the pain so that I can get back into running.

Oh yeah, running...kinda what I talk most about here, right? I'm missing it more and more with each passing week, especially now that the weather is getting so nice around here, I just want to lace up my shoes and get out there. I just know that if I did that right now I would be hobbling home after about two blocks because I would have a cramp in my ass. Sexy, right?

On top of adjusting to my new normal, I've had a rough couple of weeks and my main motivation for today's Momentum Monday quote, but I'll get to that in a moment.

Momentum Monday: Finding Balance

Hello! I bet your saying welcome back stranger, right? It's been a while since I've been here! I know, I'm sorry, its just been crazy for me the past three weeks. Ever since my last post I've been a bit MIA, having a newborn will do that to you. :)

I wanted to thank everyone for the outpouring of support in regards to my last post where I shared about my disappointment with how my pregnancy was ending. All the kind words and stories that you shared were wonderful to read and I am thankful that you shared them with me. I have a lot to update you on with regards to how the birth went and the struggles I've had since that day, but that is for another post.

Today I am wanting to share about something that I'm having to learn and remind myself about everyday. It's a hard lesson and one that I think we all struggle with in so many facets of our lives, that it never really gets resolved. Is there actually a resolution? I'm not thinking so.

Today's Momentum Monday and life's lesson is:

Bumpdate: 39 Weeks, the finale!

Wait, did I just say finale? I'm only 39 weeks, what happened to waiting until 40 weeks and beyond? Well...there is a story about that.

If you remember during my 38 week bumpdate I had mentioned that the baby had flipped breech on me. Well during my time with the doctor we agreed that we were going to do an external version to get the pumpkin turned back around in my belly. The procedure basically includes the doctor getting their hands and arms and my belly lubed up and they, using all their upper body strength, try to turn the baby around in my belly from the outside. Sounds like fun, right?

So Monday morning hubby and I headed to the hospital and got checked in for the version. Checked the baby on the NST and ultrasound, everything looked great. Doctor came in did some final checks and lubed my belly up. The movements were slow and graduated and hurt like a bitch! I'm sorry, I don't swear here very often, but damn, this was no walk in the park! She tried both directions to get him turned around and each direction she tried he would begin to move, then he would hit a pocket of fluid and slip right out from under her grip. I could feel it every time and every time it happened my heart sank a little bit lower.

Bumpdate: 38 Weeks

38 weeks...wow, I saw this week as a far off goal. I always felt like there was plenty of time to get stuff taken care of and organized. No need to rush and stress about putting the nursery together. It will all get taken care of in time for the babies arrival. Right?

Bumpdate: 37 Weeks

Ho-lee cow! 37 weeks? When did that happen? Thank you holidays for making time go that much faster. Guess who's behind the 8-ball with baby prep? This girl!

Speaking of the holidays, look at how lame I have been over the past couple of weeks!?! Not one post, not one update, my apologies. It's been so crazy! Between the holidays and my sister having her baby last weekend, we've been running in circles getting things done!

Oh yeah...I'm an auntie!!! My sister was induced on Friday and, after two long days of laboring, gave birth to a BEAUTIFUL baby girl on Sunday night. 7lbs, 12oz, 21 inches long. Her name is Aurelia, such a beautiful name and totally fits her. She is so perfect. 10 fingers, 10 toes and a pair of steel lungs! Whew...that girl can belt a good cry. I'm totally smitten with her, she is just so freaking adorable. I can't wait to get baby clothes for her, oh geez...Auntie is going to spoil this girl!

Today is my bumpdate and the theme is Discomfort Town! Woohoo! Or rather, ugh. Last night was an eventful night for me that has left me nothing but uncomfortable. Had my usual NST and ultrasound and everything looked good.