Week #33 - subtitle - Ciao 2014!

This week the baby is approximately 17 inches long, 4.25 pounds, and about the size of a pineapple.  The baby will continue to gain another half pound per week until next month.  I would say that pregnancy is starting to get more uncomfortable at this point.  However, we are coming in to the "home stretch" and things have been pretty good thus far.  With the exception of the Lovenox shots, I would say that my pregnancy has been fairly easy and uneventful and I consider myself very lucky.

Several people have been asking if I'm still running/working out and the answer is yes, just with much less intensity.  I wouldn't classify myself as a "runner" these days, but it feels good to get outside and get my heart rate up a little.  Here is a sample of what I did last week:

• Monday: Yoga
• Tuesday: 3 mile solo run/walk
• Wednesday: 4 mile walk with Ben
• Thursday: rest
• Friday: 4 mile solo run/walk (mainly walk)
• Saturday: 3 mile walk with Ben
• Sunday: 5 mile run/walk with Tracey

You should probably know that on our walks, I will be sweating like a pig and Ben will only break a sweat if I make him sprint to the finish and wait for me!  But the time that we spend together walking, talking, and dreaming about the future is priceless.

This past weekend, we did some serious cleaning/organizing for baby at the townhouse.  We are in a lease currently until the end of June, so there are going to be a few months where we will be here with baby.  But, we aren't planning on setting up a full nursery here.  Our plan is a bassinet for the first few months and then we will move the baby to his/her crib when our living situation is a little more stable.

Luckily, we got a few very thoughtful and generous Christmas gifts that are going to help us out.  Here is an organizer from my sister that we were able to set up and organize all the baby goodies that we have received so far:

A new welcome wreath from my parents (fox themed, of course):

Peanut's family tree (as researched and prepared by Ben's mom):

Super cute personalized Christmas ornament from Aunt Faye and Uncle Johnnie (Ben's side): 

If you are interested, this ornament is from Bronners.  We have received several ornaments from Bronner's as gifts in past years and they are always beautiful.  I can't wait to open the boxes every year and see them again.

Speaking of Christmas, we weren't really planning on taking all of our Christmas decorations down this past weekend, but we did.  It seemed like the logical thing to do since we were both home, had time, and were in the cleaning/organizing mode.  I kept joking that Ben probably couldn't wait to go back to work so that he could take a break from all the work that he was doing at home.

Saturday evening, we went over to the Holloway Holiday Party(!) in Trinity.  It was been a while since either of us have seen Chris and/or Elizabeth and we were excited to see them (and their super adorable doggies), hear some great music and relax with friends.  Both Chris and Elizabeth are both accomplished singers, and they invited a few of Chris' voice students as well as Constantine Grame who was an incredible pianist for a great performance/concert.

Elizabeth asked Constantine to play a piano solo (which he said that he had never been asked before) and he chose Beethoven's Piano Sonata No.14 No.2 aka Moonlight Sonata - both parts.  I must admit that I have never heard this particular piece before, but apparently there are two parts and the second part is much harder than the first.  Let me just say that Constantine's performance brought tears to my eyes, it was so moving and beautiful!  The baby was all about this piece as well and was kicking like crazy during his solo.

Here is a photo of Constantine and Chris: (both photos courtesy of Jennifer Crouch photography - who donated her time and talents as a gift for the holiday party!)

Elizabeth, Winston (blond) and Mabel:

It was nice that the party was after Christmas so that we had more time to really relax and celebrate since the stress of Christmas was over.  We both commented that it really put us in the Christmas spirit with all the wonderful Christmas carols.  Another highlight of the evening was all the female singers singing "Let it Go" from Frozen as our friend, Dan, played the Piano. You have to admit that the song is really catchy.

This week is my last week of Christmas break, so I've been trying to take it easy as much as possible.  When I go back to work on Monday (January 5th), we will be seeing tons of students so I'm a little worried about my stamina for an eight hour (probably more) work day.  It has been harder for me than I initially anticipated to slow down.  However, I've grown accustomed to life moving at a certain pace and it's just another transition that is going to have to happen.

I have been scheduling interviews for pediatricians and trying to figure out if I will medically need to be induced or not.  My doctor is closed this week for the holiday, so the majority of our questions (and answers) will have to wait until next week.  Luckily, we have a few weeks to get things figured out before we have to make any decisions one way or another.

Hope y'all have a safe and happy New Year!

Week #32 - subtitle - 8 months!

This week the baby is 3.75 pounds, 16.7 inches long and approximately the size of a large jicama.  Say what?!?  Just when I thought my knowledge of fruits and vegetables was beginning to reach new limits...  My research indicates that a jicama is also known as a Mexican yam or turnip (so strange).  Here is a photo:

The baby is really plumping up and will continue to do so as he or she will gain almost half of his or her body weight by delivery time.  This past week has been crazy with Christmas, holiday traditions, and spending time with family and friends. Here's a recape of the latest happenings:

Last Friday we went out with two of my coworkers and their spouses for dinner at Castile Restaurant on St. Pete Beach.  It's been a really long time since we have traveled down to St. Pete Beach, and it was nice to see everything all decorated for Christmas.  Our waiter was a little strange, but the food was great and the laughs were continuous.  (Here is a link to the menu - I had the crab cakes and Ben had a wahoo fish special).  It was a really relaxing evening.  One of the funniest moments was when we were waiting for our cars, two other (much older) couples were leaving at the same exact time and apparently drove the same exact car (white Cadillac CTS, of course) and the one guy could not tell which car was his!  The told us that we have this same sort of adventure to look forward to!

On Saturday, we were running around at the mall (apparently this is called Panic Saturday) and it was complete chaos.  We lost track of time and were wandering a little longer than necessary and much longer than we intended to be there.  We had to rush home to make some goodies for an annual family gathering near Brooksville area.  There is always plenty of good food, family and children running around, and the paparazzi photo sessions are relentless. (Kidding!)  Here are few of my favorites:

Ben's cousin, Kristi, who is due on February 26th (one week after baby R!):

Our whole family shot with Grandma and Ben's parents:

I am standing on the fireplace ledge in all the photos with Ben's family because they are so tall and I basically look like a circus midget around them, just in case you were wondering. ;)

On Sunday we did a little more running around to get a few final gifts for Christmas, which included a stop at our favorite local nursery for some plant shopping.  They have several beautiful peacocks and chickens.  This particular chicken was following us through his pen and he was almost so ugly he was cute:

Sunday night we headed over to Dade City for Church Street Christmas.  The weather was looking rainy, but this was really the only night that we were going to be able to see Church Street this year.  We checked out the play that several family members were in at the First Baptist Church and then drove Church Street instead of walking it (typically the street is closed to traffic and you can walk to see the lights, Santa, carolers, etc..).  It really wasn't the same, but hopefully this will make next year even more special.

On Monday, Ben had to take his truck in for service and since I'm on Winter Break, he was going to take my car to work and then pick me up later in the day.  Since I was homebound, I did a lot of reading in the book that I'm just finishing. (Off the Menu - didn't really enjoy it too much).  When Ben got off work, we went with my sister's family and my parents to go see Santa at the mall.  They were really excited and really well behaved for Santa (and color-coordinated, of course!)

On Tuesday, I had a doctor's appointment that my sister went to with me since Ben was planning on working late to get some hours in since he was going to be off Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.  It was nice to have my sister there because she has actual medical knowledge and who has been through this process before.  But, it is becoming more apparent to me that my doctor is not as familiar with the blood clotting disorder that I've been diagnosed with as I originally thought.

Medically, he wants to induce me on a set date so that he control the birthing environment.  He feels that because I'm on the Lovenox shots, which are essentially a blood thinner, there is more of a chance of me bleeding out.  I'm really not wanting to be induced, so he agreed to speak with the specialist that prescribed the Lovenox to determine if I need to stop them at a certain point.  Ben and I also want to speak with her after the holidays to confirm the same information. She did specifically tell us that the Lovenox that she was prescribing was such a low dosage, that it wouldn't have any affect on the delivery, but apparently that may not be the case.

On Wednesday, (Christmas Eve) Ben and I went over to my sister's house to hang out with the kids and have our annual baking and gingerbread house building session.  My sister and I decided that we weren't going to bake this year, just relax and watch the kids.  Here is a shot of Ben jumping rope with the kids and their dog, Baxter, decided that he wanted to try!  Baxter was especially attached to Ben on Wednesday, but we had a really good time hanging out and getting them ready for Santa.

Here is the final product of the gingerbread house building:

Finally, here is a shot of Ben, Alex, and Emily (and her doll, Olivia) relaxing on Christmas:

More about Christmas on next week's post - have a great week, y'all!

Week #31 - subtitle - 9 more weeks! (That's single digits, folks!)

This week the baby jumped up to approximately 3.3 pounds and 16.25 inches long or about the size of FOUR naval oranges.  (I feel like I'm really knocking my fruit and vegetable knowledge out of the park lately).  The baby continues to kick quite a bit - it is really strange to see my stomach actually move these days!  Ben has also started reading some books to the baby throughout the week, which is as cute as it sounds.

I keep thinking about how the holidays are going to be so different next year with a baby around and sometimes I just want this baby to get here already(!)  Other times, I don't want to give up being pregnant because that means our reality will be very, very different.  The only symptoms I've been experience lately are heartburn and lack of sleep.  I get up every few hours, but I just think that this will be preparation for when the baby is here (right?!?).

This past week has been a busy one (shocking, I know!).  On Saturday, I went to a baby shower for one of my friends who is due about 2 1/2 weeks before me.  She is having a baby boy (name to be announced at a later date) and the nautical theme at her shower was super cute!  Her family was so sweet and said the nicest things that made me tear up (doesn't take much these days).  There were actually two other women there who are expecting in addition to us - one December, one January, February (me), and one April - so clearly we were missing a March mama!

Saturday evening was Ben's work Christmas party at The Pub.  I'd be lying if I said that I was looking forward to his Christmas party, but it actually turned out to be much better than expected.  The space his company reserved was on the balcony overlooking the outside of International Plaza and they even had artificial snow!

I was happy to be hanging with his coworker's significant others when one of them smartly pointed out that there was no dessert!  What kind of holiday party is that?!?  She suggested that we go to The Cheesecake Factory after the party was over (9 pm).  I quickly agreed and it wasn't long until we convinced several others to join us.  When we walked in, there was an hour and a half (!) wait to be seated, so we decided to order our cheesecakes to go and eat them in the food court (another genius idea!).

It was so much fun chat with everyone in a more intimate setting and enjoy our cheesecakes in the middle of the food court.  I would say that it was the most entertaining and memorable portion of the evening.  Let me also say that 30th anniversary chocolate cheesecake was amazeballs!  And it was definitely enough for two days.

On Sunday, we did a lot of running around to Target and Publix for various different things and finally finished decorating our Christmas tree and writing out our Christmas cards.  Ben even decorated our palm tree outside the townhouse.  We have one outlet outside that hasn't worked since we moved in (2011), and we finally got it fixed...just in time to move-YAY!

Tuesday I got together with several of my girlfriends for a Christmas bunco game/Secret Santa gift exchange.  Did y'all know that Walmart sells fake boxes like this?!?  

As a joke, one of my friends wrapped a real gift inside this box.  Let me just say that when it was opened, the look on the opener's face was priceless and we all we rolling on the ground.  If you want to get someone good this holiday season, head on over to Walmart! (There are apparently several different boxes/types to chose from)

At work this week, we had graduation and the annual faculty/staff versus students flag football game. It was nice to see people that I don't get to see as much now that I'm over at the Wiregrass Ranch campus.  The speaker for the graduation was also really good (made me tear up again) and the faculty/staff team won the football game.

Thursday is officially the start of my Winter Break from work/school.  My goal over the break is to clean/organize one room in the townhouse each day in preparation for the baby.  (Nesting?)  Living in a townhouse is certainly challenging at times, but we also hang on to a lot of things that we don't need.  My first project for the week was to organize our pantry and fridge:

There were things in our pantry that were expired BEFORE we moved in to the townhouse.  Which means that we moved expired goods...not super proud of that.  However, now that everything is cleaned AND organized, I'm so glad!  I also squeezed in some Christmas shopping today (Thursday), since I've been a super slacker this season.  That is all for now, y'all - until next week!

Week #30 - subtitle - shots, doulas, and trees (oh my)!

Hard to believe that we only have 10 weeks (or so) to go before we meet our baby! (Eeeek!)  This week the baby is approximately 15.7 inches long and 2.75 pounds or about the size of a head of cabbage (another fruit/vegetable that I know-yesss!).  The baby continues to kick all throughout the day, but I have yet to experience what it's like when the baby gets the hiccups.  Several people have been asking about the Lovenox shots and what they look like, what type of needle, etc... So here are a few pictures (I will spare y'all the one of Ben in action).  In the package:

Afterwards:

Many thanks to my sister for  the Sharps Container and disposing the used needles at her hospital for me/us!

This past weekend Ben and I took in the annual Dade City Christmas parade on Friday evening with his parents.  It's hard to believe that next year we will have a little baby in tow for our annual family tradition.  For me, I love going out in Dade City because I know hardly anyone and Ben and his folks know basically everyone.  We always have a running bet to see how many people Ben will recognize when we go anywhere in Dade City.  Here is a photo that Ben snapped from the parade:

On Saturday, we had our parenting/childbirth class at Countryside Hospital.  The class was taught by the same woman who taught our breastfeeding class.  There was quite a few (graphic) videos shown during the four hour class.  There were a total of 24 people in the class (including spouses), with most of the women being due in December/January/February.  It's always fascinating to me to see other pregnant women and see/hear how their experience has been.

The thing that I was most surprised to learn is that it is not recommended that you give birth laying on your back.  Apparently my training/knowledge from movies is bogus...go figure!  Basically, it is recommended that you either lean over a chair/back of the hospital bed, stand up, or do child's pose that we all know and love from yoga.  Essentially, the idea is that when you are lying on your back, the baby has to clear your pelvic bone; whereas if you are standing/leaning, gravity can do some of the work for you.

The woman who taught our classes is a certified doula.  Since we are completely ignorant to basically everything in relation to childbirth/babies, on our break during class we asked her about the role that she plays, costs, time line, etc..  You can read a little more here about doulas.  But, Ben and I have decided to interview Melissa to see if perhaps a doula would be helpful for us.

There are two main reasons for our sudden interest in the doula.  One, I'm super scared that I'm not going to be able to give birth without having a c-section.  The clotting disorder makes the surgery especially risky, and I'd like to avoid the added risk if possible.  Secondly, I feel like it would be easier to recover if I didn't have a c-section.  With that being said, I realize that a lot can change in a matter of moments during childbirth and my "plan" my not be feasible.  But, going in with a plan with hopefully make things easier.

On Sunday, Ben and his coworker Tim headed up to Croom for the Dirthead Duathlon.  I agreed to volunteer so that Ben could race for half price.  This was the first duathlon for both Ben and Tim, and it was actually a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be.  Croom really is such a beautiful place to run and bike, even if it is so far north.

After the race and refueling, we headed over to Ergle's Christmas Tree Farm to select our Christmas tree.  Ben and his family have been frequenting Ergle's since forever. And ever since Ben and I have been dating, we've made it one of our traditions as well.  They really have grown their business in the past couple of years, but we've always had a great experience.  I'm certain our little peanut will enjoy watching Ben cut down our tree next year, too!  

The "one":

Ben doing all the dirty work (as per usual):

We did have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday.  However, we got all the way back to the room and the doctor had to leave for a delivery and then a c-section.  We did get some of our Christmas cards written out while we were waiting, but other than that we don't have much of an update on the doctor front.  We went ahead and re-scheduled for December 23rd, so at least they aren't making us go back this week.  I personally don't think that seeing him every two weeks is necessary, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

That is all for this week, lots of excitement going on with the holidays coming up.  Until next time, y'all!

29 weeks - subtitle - FINALLY some belly pictures, y'all!

This week the baby is approximately 15.25 inches long and 2.5 pounds.  Or about the size of a butternut squash (yes!  I know this one!).  Baby is undergoing a huge growth spurt in the next couple of weeks/months and thing are going to start getting a little cramped!  Here are some of the latest musings of this past week:

Workouts:

• Monday - yoga
• Tuesday - 4 mile run/walk
• Wednesday - 4 mile run/walk
• Thursday - rest (Thanksgiving)
• Friday - 6 mile jog
• Saturday - rest
• Sunday - 6.25 jog
• 20 miles for the week!  84 miles for the month of November!

My goal is still to make it to at least 30 weeks (next week) with my running/jogging and then just try to keep active.  Luckily, I only have about 2 1/2 weeks of work left until we close for Winter Break (yes, working in education does have some really nice benefits) so that will free up some time during the day to fit in some physical activity.

Symptoms: Occasional heartburn and hip pain

Movement: Still lots of kicking!  I get a lot of kicking at work and I wonder if my students can see my stomach moving.  Baby Raposa is a mover and a shaker for sure!

Sleep: Ugh, I miss it!  I've been in a pattern where I get up every two hours or so with hip pain and have to re-adjust my sleeping position.  I've been frequenting the spare bedroom lately so at least Ben can get a good night's sleep.

Black Friday Find!:  46" Samsung SMART TV!

Typically, Ben and I like to go out shopping on Friday to get a few gifts and purchase something for ourselves that we need/want.  Our TV in the bedroom has been intermediately working, so we were in the market to see if there were any good deals on Black Friday.  We live pretty close to a Best Buy and drove by on Thursday on the way home from Thanksgiving - it was an absolute zoo! 

Ben went back in the morning and Best Buy had already sold out of the 50" Samsung model that we were eyeing.  But they had about 10-40" TVs left.  He decided to head to Wal Mart to see the deals they had there and found that they had also sold out of the 50" Samsung model, but did have two 46" TVs left.  Luckily, he was able to snag the very last one and now we have a brand new TV for our living area and a replacement in our bedroom.

We also went over to Citrus Park mall after he got home and didn't really see any great deals.  I have to be honest, I was less than impressed with the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals this year.  But after braving the mall on Friday, I will happily shop online for the remainder of the Christmas season.

Question of the week: How many kids are you planning to have?  ONE!  UNO! UNE!  First of all, can I just make it through this pregnancy before I have to answer additional  questions about follow-up children?  Secondly, there is NO WAY (absolutely none!) that I will be doing the Lovenox shots through another pregnancy.  They are really horrendous and I dread them every night.  I secretly pray that Ben will forget, but he's been so good about administering them.

Several people have told me that everyone says they are only have one child until after their first child is born and then gets a little older.   Fair enough, but for right this moment, the Raposa family will be a one child family.  Ben is an only child and "seems" to have turned out okay (love you, honey!).

Current Obsession:  Mrs. Meyer's Basil soap!  Ben and I went to a holiday party at our friend Rhonda's house last Wednesday evening and she had this soap in her bathroom.  It smelled so good!  I asked her about it and she said it was something she picked up at Target.  Since we were planning to go on Friday for some Black Friday shopping, I made a mental note to check it out.  Would you believe that our Target and online was completely sold out/out of stock of the Basil scent?!?!

I texted Rhonda to let her know that she was officially making me crazy!  ;)  However, we were in Spring Hill/Brooksville on Sunday and just happened to be driving past a Target - look at what I scored: (!!)

Speaking of Brooksville, Ben and I went up that way on Sunday for an early birthday celebration for his Grandma.  She suggested that we try a newer place called the Florida Cracker Kitchen.  Oh my goodness, y'all!  This place is a diamond in the rough (the link above will take you to their menu)!  Lots of true southern dishes and nice, southern hospitality from the waitstaff.  (Also, I tried Ben's sweet tea - so good!)  If you are ever near downtown Brooksville and don't want to go to one of the chains on Highway 50, check them out!

Finally, here's a picture of the belly:

29 weeks, 6 days.  

Photo credit to Mr. Raposa, of course. Until next week, y'all!

Week 28 - subtitle - THIRD TRIMESTER!

Wooo - finally made it to the third trimester, y'all!  The baby is approximately 14.8 inches long, 2.25 pounds, and approximately the size of a head of Chinese cabbage.  I'm not sure that I've had Chinese cabbage before, but here is a picture:

Here is a run down of all the happenings this past week:

Workouts:

• Monday - yoga!
• Tuesday - 5 mile run/jog
• Wednesday - rest
• Thursday - pregnant lady workout videos!  (This week I tried this one and this one)
• Friday - 5 mile run/jog
• Saturday - 5k race at Busch Gardens
• Sunday - 4 mile run/walk

Speaking of the Busch Gardens 5k, Ben and I both had a really good time at this race.  Previously, the race was only open to friends/family of Busch Gardens employees, but this year they opened the race up to the public.  It was huge!  There were over 1000 people there.  It was a great fundraiser for the Wildlife Conservation Fund, and it was really cool to run through the park.  Even better, the 5k entry included admission to the park for the day.  

This was officially my last race as a pregnant lady!  My goal was to finish under 30 minutes and not fall/slip.  I'm very happy to say that I squeaked in at 29:26 (or 9:30 minute/mile pace).  It was a bittersweet moment to know that it's going to be a long while before I put on another racing bib or cross another finish line, but the payoff in the end is going to be so worth it!

After the race we got cleaned up and prepared to spend the day at Busch Gardens.  The only ride that I am able to go on is the sky ride, which wasn't in operation (womp womp).  But, we had a really good time taking in the shows, checking out the animals, and people watching!  We stayed at the park until 4:00 or so.  It never really rained, but stayed overcast, so it was nice that the park itself wasn't too crowded and the weather was comfortable.

Here were are post-race at IHOP:

Ben petting a wallaby:

Kangaroos so stuffed that they just fell right asleep!

Over-feeding of the kangaroos:

Super ugly emu!

On Sunday, we went back to the hospital for a breastfeeding class.  I was really not feeling like spending two and a half hours in a class on a beautiful Sunday (during the Bucs game, even!), but I knew that it would be good to go and learn.  First, I would like to say that Countryside should NOT have their classes in the basement.  No bueno.

I was surprised that there were so many people in the class (and VERY happy that Ben agreed to attend with me).  There was one other couple that was not finding out the gender of their child, everyone else shared their genders, names, due dates, etc...  I was REALLY surprised that several of the other students were due in December!  Ack!  That is the last thing that I want to be doing when 9 months pregnant.  But, I learned quite a bit and am really glad that we went.  We do have a childbirth/parenting class coming up the first weekend in December as well.

The Lovenox shots were up for refill this week (yes, we are still up to date on the shots), and I was a little nervous that there would be another issue with my insurance and the refill.  Thankfully, the prescription was able to be refilled with no issues this month (woo!).

On Wednesday, we had a doctor's appointment.  The appointment was pretty uneventful.  The doctor was pleased with the baby's growth, my current weight gain, blood pressure, etc..  The baby's heart rate was 154, which is a little higher than it's been in the past (which shoots my boy theory down, as girls typically have higher heart rates).  We will be going back again in two weeks (December 9th) for another appointment.

Finally, we have so many things to be thankful for this year, but I truly thank everyone for their questions, comments, suggestions, and concerns for our new addition arriving soon!  Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!  

Week 27 - subtitle - ACTUAL end of the second trimester

Apparently I was misinformed and thought I was entering my last trimester beginning Week 27; however, Week 28 will be the start of my third trimester.  Either way, it's close!  This week the baby is the size of a head of cauliflower (14.5 inches and approximately 2 pounds).  First time in two weeks that I didn't have to Google a fruit or vegetable to figure out what the heck it was...(for the win!)

This past weekend the baby attended his or her first concert at Water Works Park in Tampa Heights.  The park just recently opened and it was actually the first concert ever performed at this venue.  If you have not been down to the new Riverwalk or visited Ulele, I would highly recommend the trip.  Ulele is owned by Richard Gozmart from the Columbia and all the food is a "vibrant fusion of ingredients from Florida waters".  Ulele is actually a young Native American Princess considered the Tampa version of Pocahontas.

Here is a photo that Ben snapped from our visit Ulele in September with Sonia and Dave:

The location is beautiful and there is a brewery on site that utilizes Ulele spring water to brew their beer.  If you go, make sure you save room for the Candied Duck Bacon Maple Fried Ice Cream (pictured below) which was recently named one of the top five desserts in the Tampa Bay area.  

Anyway, back to the concert.  The River Rock festival was going on with the headliner being Sister Hazel.  Ben and I were talking about going and then his dad mentioned it to us as well.  The venue was really nice, we just brought our chairs and camped out.  The festival was actually a fundraiser for Children with Voices, so all the proceeds went charity (nice!).

I haven't seen Sister Hazel in YEARS and they still put on a great show!  They played quite a bit of their old music, which was really nice!  The one really cool thing about Sister Hazel is that their audience is really broad, so there were a lot of different ages and types of people.  (And the tickets were only $25!)  Here is a shot of the concert as the sun was setting (not Sister Hazel in the picture):

Ben and I also had our hospital tour this week.  I wasn't sure exactly what to expect, but I did make sure to Google some questions that I should ask before the tour and had them handy.  Surprisingly enough, we were the youngest couple there (woo!).  There were four other couples along for the tour with us as well.  Our guide, Marilyn, brought us to the delivery rooms first and we actually got to see their water birthing room.  Oh my.  The tub literally looks like an above-ground pool:

Yeahhh...I'm thinking that's not really an option for me.  Marilyn did tell us about bringing our own towels (old) and wearing clothes that are essentially throw-away.  There were a lot of helpful things that she said that hadn't even occurred to me.  We also got to tour the new wing that was just opened two weeks ago.  No offense, but I wasn't overly impressed.

We spent quite a bit of time going over the paperwork that is going to be required for admitting, any medications, birth certificate, etc...  I was surprised to learn that the hospital doesn't do that many circumcisions anymore.  Apparently, insurance companies figured out that they had to pay the hospital and the doctor versus just the doctor if he/she performed the procedure in office.  Should have known..

Overall, I was really glad that we went on the tour.  I'm hoping that we don't have to stay too long in the hospital, but at least now we know exactly where everything is.  We do have two other classes scheduled for later this month - breastfeeding and parenting/childbirth.   

Here are some other FAQs from this week:

Food cravings: Nothing really specific.  Have been trying to eat lots of fruits and vegetables and drink plenty of water (Smartwater with electrolytes, of course!) and milk.

Food aversions: Hummus!  Oh man, I love hummus so much but I have not been able to eat it since the very moment I got pregnant.  

Movement: Tons and tons of kicking!  Fortunately, the baby has picked up my early morning schedule and doesn't stay up too, too late kicking (so far, anyway).

Workouts:  I've seen been getting in quite a few workouts each week, which do make me feel better.

• Monday: yoga
• Tuesday: 5 mile run/jog (AM before work)
• Wednesday: rest
• Thursday: Workout video for pregnant ladies (one 20 minute cardio and one 20 minute strength training video, but I did not do the crunches in the strength video)
• Friday: 5 mile run/jog (AM before work)
• Saturday: rest
• Sunday: 8 mile run at Flatwoods

Several people have been asking me how much longer I intend on running/working out, and my goal for running is really to make it to 30 weeks/end of December.   I do plan on either walking or maintaining my yoga/workout videos as long as I can.  

Symptoms: Nothing really major.  I've had some minor heartburn and generally I just feel uncomfortable some days, but it's really not been that bad.

Mood: All over the map, as I'm certain Ben will attest to.  There are just some days that I don't really feel like talking to anyone or leaving home.  

Also, we've been noticing how many fox themed things there are lately.  We stopped in to Target on Sunday and could not believe the amount of Christmas foxes there were.  For $60, you can have your very own light up fox (complete with scarf!).

That is all for now - until next week y'all!

26 weeks!

This week we have officially reached the final week of the second trimester.  The baby is approximately 14 inches long and 1.75 pounds or the length of a hothouse cucumber.  Again, I don't know what a hothouse cucumber is, but it appears to be a thinner, longer version of what we all know and love as the cucumber.  Here's a photo:

The baby's lungs and brain are much more developed and can now also hear outside noises, like Ben's voice.  The baby's favorite game to play is after one kick, wait to Ben to put his hand on my stomach and then refuse to follow up with subsequent kicks.  After a little coaxing from Dad, the baby starts kicking again.  We also have less than 100 days (or so) until the baby arrives.  That. is. CRAZY!

Here are the latest and greatest adventures from this week/weekend (another busy one!):

Ben and I have been diligently working on building a baby registry, but there are so much things that we are uneducated about!  Not to mention, some of the "suggested items" seem completely unnecessary (and expensive!).  After much thought, we decided to register at Babies R Us and Amazon (links to our actual registry).  Any suggestions from my mom and/or mom-to-be friends for items that are an absolute must are certainly welcome.

Ben and I ran the Little-Markou Race to Educate (5k) on Saturday morning (11/8) and we both had a good time.  The weather was good and the course is relatively flat.  I was able to run a 28:50 (about 9:18 minute/mile), which I was super happy with.  Ben ran a 24:24 and placed 3rd in his age group.  We got to see quite a few people that we haven't seen in a while and the race swag was unbelievable!  Here is a picture that includes Ben's age group award (glows in the dark!):

We also returned to the home where we got married on Saturday for a BBQ/Fall Festival.  When we walked up, there was a huge tent (pictured below), beer on tap, wine, and more food then we even had at our wedding!  This was the first time that I've been back to the house since our wedding day, and it was awesome.  Del and Diana (the homeowners) treated us like royalty and all of their friends were excited to meet us, since they had heard so much about the wedding and us.

Diana even started welling up talking about future Baby Raposa.  This is a yearly event that they host, so she is excited to have the baby attend next year.  There may have even been jokes about birthing the baby in their horse barn and having a full-service wedding/birthing center....okay, there were.  I even didn't mind so much when Diana rubbed my baby bump (which is something I have only let Ben do so far). It appears that I'm going to have to get a little more comfortable with that as my bump is growing.  Here's a shot of us right in the same spot we sealed the deal:

This week we had a doctor's appointment where I found out that I passed my glucose test (yay!) and my iron levels look good, which means that I'm not anemic (woo!).  The doctor broke that news that visits will now be every 2 weeks versus every 4 weeks.  I was a little surprised, but since this is officially my last week in the second trimester, I guess that is to be expected.

The doctor, Ben, and I myself had a pretty candid conversation about my due date and if/how long past my due date the doctor will allow.  He said that typically around 38 weeks, he will formulate a plan and possibly schedule an induction for the 39th week.  I expressed my concern about the chemicals used to induce labor (mainly pitocin) and how they tend to lead to c-section, especially if the baby isn't "ready".  He listened and didn't really agree or disagree, but said that perhaps my feelings would change by the time I'm 38 weeks pregnant.  Touche', Dr. Ancheta - obviously not his first rodeo.

So, for now, the plan is to wait and see what this baby and my body decides.  Ben was born right on time, my nephew and I were post delivered past our due dates/ late, and my sister and niece were delivered early.  So, it's really a gamble in terms of past family history.  But the doctor will not let me go past 41 weeks.

He also recommended that I drink lots of Smartwater, Gatorade, and/or milk and eat plenty of bananas in order to help with the leg cramping that I've been experiencing lately.  Most people know that I'm a total Smartwater snob, so I'm all about drinking water with extra electrolytes.

That is all for now - lots more coming soon!

Week #25 update!

This week the baby is 1.5 pounds and about 13.5 inches long and approximately the size of a rutabaga.  I've been following along with my phone app each week, and patiently wait to see what fruit/vegetable our baby is compared to each week.  I realized this week that I had no idea what a rutabaga is or what it looks like.  So, for those of you like me here's a photo:

Apparently rutabaga's are often confused with turnips.  This is all very fascinating, right?!  The baby is starting to look a little more proportional and developing hair and even fat.  We definitely have a kicker, and I'm more and more certain that this baby will have Ben's long legs.

I had my glucose test this past Friday morning (Halloween), which was not as bad as I thought it would be.  I did have to drink "the drink" (shown below):

The taste actually wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be (orange flavor).  But basically, you have to drink the entire bottle in 2.5 minutes (UGH!) (Also, they will watch you like a hawk!) and then wait one hour to see how your body processes sugar.  I've essentially become an expert on getting shots/having blood drawn as of late so the blood draw was super easy.  We will not find out the results until we go to the doctor next Tuesday, but if the results are favorable we can move on.  If the sugar levels are high, there is an additional three hour test that will be needed.

Traditionally on Halloween, Ben and I go over to my sister's house to carve pumpkins, give out candy, and hang with our niece and nephew.  I headed over to Emily's school for a little Halloween parade in the afternoon with my sister.  (After we were able to get much-needed and super-relaxing pedicures!)  At first, Emily was Sofia the First (pictured below:)

However, she decided that she wanted to be Princess Elsa from Frozen after coming home.  My nephew, Alex, knew that he was going to be Leonardo since last year.  Here we are after their successful venture of trick or treating: 

They really are a lot of fun to watch develop from babies to toddlers to little miniature adults.  Emily, especially, is very opinionated (which she has been since she entered the world on her own terms).  Being an auntie really is the coolest, hopefully they will think that I'm still cool as they continue to grow up, ;)

Several people have been asking me about how I've been feeling and how I'm still able to keep my energy up to work out in addition to working, cooking, etc...(you know - all the things that you do without thinking about it).  The answer is that I've still been feeling REALLY good.  The days that I do workout, I feel better about myself and actually sleep much better.  I certainly do not work out every day, but here's a little sample of what I did last week:

• Monday: yoga video at home (Check out this site that I use for free yoga videos)
• Tuesday: 5 mile run/jog (before work)
• Wednesday: rest
• Thursday: 5 mile run/jog (before work)
• Friday: rest
• Saturday: 6 mile walk (weather was perfect and took full advantage in the afternoon)
• Sunday: rest (Ben's support crew for Wildhorse)

I just try to do about 30-60 minutes of physical activity 4 to 5 days a week to keep myself feeling good.  

Speaking of Ben's race at Wildhorse, it was nice to have an extra hour to snooze before heading south for him to run the first race in the XTERRA series.  Wildhorse is a race that you really love to hate, because the course is so challenging.  I did not know what my volunteer duty was going to be, but we had to arrive at 6:30 am.  There is a stream crossing that all the distances (4 mile, 10k, 10 mile, and half marathon) have to cross...twice.  Little did I know, the volunteers for the water stops have to cross it as well! 

When the race director told us that we had to cross the stream, I immediately said "heck no!"  It was 41 degrees, and the stream was chest high water.  Luckily, I got to stand on the dry side of the stream and direct runners to and from the start/finish.  It was nice to see Ben and the other racers right at the beginning and then right before the finish.  The second time through the stream crossing, Ben wanted to give me a big hug (which I refused!) but I was able to snap a photo of him before he set off for the finish line (shown here):

The weeks and the weekends have been really busy (typically for this time of year) and time is really flying by.  Thankfully I get a very generous Winter Break from work, and I calculated that I only have 25 more working days this year!  That is completely BANANAS!  I've already been making plans for January, can you believe it?!?  That is all for now, until next week y'all! 

24 weeks aka 6 months!

This week marks the 6 months exactly!  The baby is approximately 1.25 lbs and 12.5 inches long.  This kid is a SUPER kicker.  He or she goes nuts right before I get up for any race and in the evening after dinner.  This Friday I'm going to be going for my glucose test in the morning, so I'm hoping everything will turn out well for that.

There was a little "confusion" with my Lovenox shots last week.  I called in a renewal of my prescription on Monday, but the Publix pharmacy (which has been AH-MAZING!) said that my insurance has to authorize a re-fill because I'm only allowed to have the prescription every 67 days.  Even though the prescription clearly states that it's a 30-day supply and to take one shot a day.  Sigh.  Insurance companies make things so complicated sometimes!

So, I had to wait for my doctor's office to call the insurance company to get the authorization to send to Publix.  As you can probably imagine, that did not occur quickly.  I actually went about 3 days without the shots.  However, Monday morning, my doctor's office called and said that my insurance approved the refill and I could check with Publix for my prescription pick up.

Honestly, I was not super excited about the approval.  But, I know it's in the best interest of my health and the baby's health to continue the shots.  Luckily (or unluckily for me), Ben was able to pick up the prescription for me without any issues and we are back in business again!

This past weekend was another busy one!  On Saturday, I went with Tracey and her family to Tampa Bay History Center.  It's been several years since I've been and was excited to check it out again.  I was a little disappointed that some of the displays were exactly the same as several years ago, but it was still interesting.  The best part of the day was lunch at the Columbia Cafe.  The weather was perfect to sit outside and enjoy the amazing 1905 salad, Cuban bread and Cuban.  Not to mention that the people watching on the Tampa Riverwalk is always entertaining.

On Sunday, Ben, Tracey, Dougie, and myself ran the Frankenfooter Half Marathon in Port Richey/New Port Richey.  There was a Labor Day special for the half and it was only $32.50!  Two years ago, Ben, Tracey, and I did the Living Dead Challenge, which is a 5k on Saturday evening and the half marathon on Sunday morning (Dougie did the Living Dead Challenge this year).  I was not feeling quite that adventurous this year, but really wanted to run a half marathon before I take a little hiatus from racing.

I checked out the map for the half marathon before the race and realized that the course would be running right by my parents house in Port Richey.  However, it was the map from last year and the course was reversed.  So the point that we ran by my parents house was way earlier than I told my mom that we would be there.

Tracey and I decided that we were going to run together and the main goal was to run/jog the entire time and hopefully finish with anything under 2:30.  We had our plan for fueling and water stops and decided to break every 4 miles to fuel up.  The weather was really perfect, about 57 degrees (many thanks to our personal Sherpa, Ashley, for carrying around all of our jackets from the starting line!)

The nice thing about this race is that I was super familiar with the course/area so I knew exactly where we were at all times.  The route was a little boring at times without much to look at.  The turnaround point at about 8.5 miles had a DJ that was pretty entertaining.  The only issue that I had is that I felt like I had to pee basically the entire time we were running.  Here is a photo right before the finish line:

My official time was 2:19, but my watch says 2:18:50 (or 10:29 pace).  Needless to say, I was extremely happy that I was able to reach all my goals for the half marathon.  As Tracey and I were nearing the finish line I couldn't believe that we were going to do exactly what we had set out to do that morning.  Here is one of my favorite photos of Dougie, Tracey, myself, and Ben post race

It just so happens that an article was published in the New York Times Sunday about pregnant marathoners.  Link to the full article here.  The comments are fascinating and I would highly recommend giving it a quick read.  Clearly these women are a different caliber of athlete, but I liked how one woman compared giving birth to training for an athletic event.

This weekend coming up, Ben is taking on the XTERRA Wildhorse half marathon.  Jim from Tampa Races has a great program where I can volunteer and Ben can run for free.  Temperatures should be good for his race on Sunday as well.  That is all the excitement for this week - more to come soon!