Fitness (Fri)Day and a few cute stories

As is par for the course, I'm posting my fitness stuff on a day other than Friday. Oh well! I'm definately slowing down a bit more and not trying to push myself as much. I did get in three days of exercise last week, which is my minimum goal. Slowly I think I will be transitioning to videos and walking and not so much running. But, when I can get out on my own, I know I will be running a bit!

My big issue as of late is a lack of veggies in my diet. I'm lucky if I get one serving of veggies per day. Which I know is bad for me and bad for the baby. I've realized one of the problems is that I have sensitive teeth, so I can't really eat any foods straight out of the fridge that require chewing. Yes, it sounds rather weak, but it's really a problem I have! I need to make a commitment and a plan to eat more veggies in a day...but so far I haven't found the motivation.

We are looking forward to time with family this week! My sisters are coming into town and we'll be gathering with both sides of the family. Of course all centered around good food! If there is one thing my family loves, it's good homecooked food. No frozen pies or canned yams for us. We want the real stuff!!

A cute story about Miss Rose this weekend... It's so funny to hear yourself echoed in your children. Miss Rose was in her room and spilled some crayons and craft supplies. She called out asking me to help clean it up. I told her no--they are her toys, it was her spill and she needed to clean it up. She began to rant and rave about how unfair it was and I was a parent and should help a child. She was attempting to bargain but of course I wasn't buying. The whole time Miss Rose was talking to me from her room while she cleaned up the mess. Her final words were "okay, I'll clean it up this time but next time you have to help." If only she had that kind of power!!

The girls had to accompany me to an OB appointment this morning. I didn't think it would make that much of an impact on Miss Rose, but she seemed really impressed by the heartbeat. She told everyone she spoke with or saw today about it. It was so sweet. She loves talking to my belly and will ask the baby if it had a good day at work with me or to have a good sleep at night.

On a final note...we had the home inspection done on the house we put an offer in on, and everything came up all clear. So, we are moving forward on the purchase. All of the sudden I feel so grown up. You'd think expecting a third child would do that....but this feels like the real deal!

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

101st Post!!

I noticed on my blogger homepage that the Baby Photos post was my 100th! Now, this is my 101st :)

Baby Photos

I got to see the baby again yesterday! A local pregnancy care center is training some of their nurses on ultrasounds so they were looking for "models"! Got some good pictures of the baby's big noggin! It's actually measuring right on, but my kids just have very round and prounounced heads in utero.

And to answer your burning question, no I didn't see any bits and pieces!! They spent most of the time on the head and heart, not in the nether regions. Technically they aren't supposed to look for and give gender results, so they were more than happy to comply with my wishes. There was a tiny bit of temptation, but I've waited so long--what's a few more weeks? I have about 11.5 weeks until this baby will be known. When people ask if I'm having a boy or a girl, my new line "it's one or the other!"

After yesterday, I have a new nickname for this little munchkin. "Frankie" (which could stand for Franklin or Francesca). Currently, this baby is a frank breech! Which means the head is at the top of my belly and the butt is resting in my pelvis--but the feet are by the head. Flexible thing!! My children do not like to cooperate when it comes to position. Miss Rose was breech and by the time we knew it, she was too big and wouldn't budge no matter how many baby turning tricks I tried. (We decided a medical version wasn't for us). Gracie was still in a breech position around this time as well and I knew enough to start the tricks and after a few weeks of spending time on all 4's, putting frozen peas on the top of my belly and other odd positions, she did turn to vertex.

Since a c-section is a must for me, I'm not too worried about position this time around. I just like to think that my babies love me so much already they want to be close to the sound of my voice and the beat of my heart. Or they are just stubborn like their mother and father and like to do things to the beat of their own drum.

Barely Breathing

I miss the olden days. Not that I lived in them, but there are things about them that I really would have liked. [Sidenote: It amuses me that Miss Rose has picked up this phrase and uses it to refer to things when she was 2 or 3.] For one, I think motor transportation is highly overrated. I'd be much happier plodding along with my horse, worrying only about the upkeep of my carriage and feeding the horses hay and water. There wouldn't be traffic to deal with or road rage. No car payments or outrageous gas bills (although I'm so thankful our gas bill has dropped almost 50% since this summer!)

What I really would like to take advantage of is the time of confinement a woman entered in her third trimester. It was somewhat of a social faux paux to be waddling around in the advanced stages of pregnancy, so women generally kept to their homes and even their beds. I realize this happened more in the upper eschalons, not on the farm. But while we are fantasizing, let's just go with it!

I'm sure you can guess where this is heading. I'm entering my third trimester this week and my life is anything but slowing down. In fact, it's gaining speed. I am a pretty hearty pregnant lady so I handle it all pretty well. But there are moments where it sure would be nice to sit on the couch, watch old movies and eat bon-bons while rubbing my ever-expanding belly.

Holiday seasons are always busy in church life. There will be a bit of downtime, but there is a lot of preparation that comes before it. Early deadlines, coordination of special services, making sure all the proper information is available, and the list goes on. So work is not slowing down!

And, it's looking like we are buying a house. I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch and we still need to make sure the home passes inspection...but, we put in an offer and it was accepted. It's exciting and scary at the same time. The main motivator in all this is providing a place for my parents to live affordably and near-by family. My dad is disabled and they are on a very fixed income and although my dad has learned to be pretty self-sufficient, there is a great value to emotional support for them. Our families actually lived together for about three years until about a year ago. We will be pooling resources to buy this home and convert the garage and a family room into a complete granny flat for them.

By the end of the month we will have made our final decisions about the house--which I suspect will be favorable and it will be time to start packing. And once escrow closes at the end of December we will be on a fasttrack to get the house ready for us to move in ASAP so that we have at least a few weeks to settle in before the baby comes. It's going to be very hard for me to be limited in what I can do to fix up the house and paint. Poor Bean is probably going to have to hog-tie me in order to keep me from attempting to move things that I shouldn't. We are blessed to have great family and friends who are supportive and already offering their help.

In the midst of this, I still want it to be a special Christmas. Gracie may not remember this Christmas once it passes, but she's old enough now to be excited about the experiences. Of course Miss Rose can't wait for Christmas to come. And she turns 5 at the end of January, which I want to be special for her as well. I'm a bit nostalgic about this being our last Christmas as a family of 4. I can't wait for the new baby to join our family, but I really want to enjoy this time with the girls before the dynamic changes.

Oh, and I have about three weeks left of the two classes I've been taking.

As I run around like crazy this week, with a full to-do list at work, bringing paperwork to the mortgage broker, planning baby appointments, thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping...I feel like I'm barely breathing. I want to be confined!

But I am so grateful that everything going on is GOOD and of GOD! Good busy I can handle. Tragedy and difficulties would be much more challenging.

It's a special time in life for so many reasons and although there are days I feel like I'm barely breathing, there are days that I make breathing room for myself. And Bean is always so good about making sure I have that also. Time marches on. This baby will come. Life will be full. And I am loving and cherishing every minute of it.

Fitness Friday on Monday & Family Picture Day

I can't seem to blog my Fitness Friday on Fridays! Oh well. That's the life of a mom. I made a discovery this week. One I'm not so happy about, but I knew was coming. But there is a new development that I am pleased about.

I think my days of running with the jogging stroller with both kids in it have come to an end. At least running more than a few miles. Miss Rose is probably a few pounds over the weight limit for the stroller. The poor thing has to practically fold herself into the seat as it is, although she never complains.

Prior to Friday, I ran twice without the jogger and had really great runs--10 minute miles for 3-4 miles. A little bit of back pain later, but nothing significant. Friday I ran 3.5 miles and walked .5 miles in the middle with the jogger and I was in so much pain the rest of the day, and it's lingered through the weekend. The positioning and strain on my back pushing the heavy jogger is too much for my pregnant state. If weren't preggo, I don't think it would be an issue...but I am, so it is!

As much as I want to fight it, I know I just have a few months left and need accept this limitation. I can walk with it of course and I'll probably experiment with running 2 miles in addition to walking 1-2 and see how I fare. And I'll be looking for every opportunity to run on my own!

The positive development is that Bean took Miss Rose's training wheels off her bike and she is riding on her own for short times! In just a week she had mastered the balance. She's still a bit wobbly and hasn't learned all the techniques of stopping and starting on her own or managing hills. But she's well on her way! I am confident that by the time I'll need to head to the lake with three children, she'll be able to ride along side us.

Speaking of jogging strollers...look what mine did to Gracie's face.



As every one-and-a-half year old does, she fell forward while walking and the stroller happened to be what broke her fall. Had it not been there, she may have skinned her knee or simply shed a few tears.

Instead, her head hit the end of it--causing a large goose egg and bruise; under her eye and her nose hit the wheel mechanism. When she's in a lot of pain she stiffens her whole body while wailing. I felt so bad for her.

Of course, this happened the day before Family Picture Day with Bean's mom for Christmas. I sent Bean a picture on my phone and he said as soon as he saw a picture coming through, he knew one of the girls had some sort of facial injury. Although usully it's Miss Rose who these things happen to.

I don't think the injuries ended up looking too bad in the photos. Thankfully it wasn't individual portraits of her. But we'll always remember the Christmas when Gracie fell into the jogger. Last year was the Christmas when Bean gave Miss Rose gum prior to the photos and it's showing in her mouth in the portrait where everyone else looked best! Who knows what next year will be. When we get the photos, I'll share them with you!

Babywearing

I'm participating in Babywearing Week hosted by Adventures in Babywearing. And who knows, maybe I'll win a new way to wear baby #3 from Nonny and Boo.

It's so interesting how much the baby world changes from just one baby to the next. In just a few years, there are new products, new laws, different techniques, books etc.

When I had Miss Rose I was super excited to get a Baby Bjorn at my shower. I definately got use out of it, although perhaps not as much as I had expected. Although it was comfortable enough, my back still would get sore after wearing it for a while.

By the time I had Gracie just three years later, slings and babywearing were ALL the rage. I was pretty intrigued and wanted to try out this babywearing thing for myself. I found a New Native sling for about $15 at a baby resale. Not long after Gracie was born I made myself a Moby Wrap (only required cutting, no sewing!). I actually found the sling more comfortable for my back than the Bjorn was.

I got SO much use out of these items. Gracie loved being in the sling. She was a kind of fussy newborn, but plop her in the sling and she was a happy camper. It was her favorite place to nap. For 6 months I was able to have her at work with me and she'd nap and hang in the sling most of the day while I was in meetings and working at my desk.

When Gracie was 2 months old I went on a missions trip to Ireland and of course she came along. Again, she lived in the sling as we walked around neighborhoods flyering, doing ministry and of course sightseeing. Everyone was very facscinated by the sling and the moby wrap.

I'm looking foward to using a sling again with this baby. It will give me free hands to wrangle the two kids who will be running around! I sure hope this baby loves the sling as much as Gracie did.


In an old stone castle on the sea...


Flyering for Kids Week...

Yes, I realize I'm wearing the same clothes basically, on two different days. It was a missions trip so I didn't bring a lot, and I was still losing baby weight--so not much fit!!



Somewhere I have a picture of the Moby Wrap, but I can't seem to locate it

Found a few more pic's to share. Not the one I was looking for, but oh well.

Mother's Day 2007//Gracie 1 month old

July 07//Fair//3-4 months old

October 07//sightseeing in San Fran//6 months

Me too, me too!!

I saw this on Beloved Mama's blog and I have to join in. I would LOVE to win a quilt. I highly doubt it will happen, but you never know :) I think my favorite is the "Nest" quilt. Which one would you choose?

Favorite Things: Milky Way Midnight

Seriously now, how can you resist this combo? Ooey, gooey caramel with a layer of fluffy white nouget wrapped in delicious dark chocolate. I'm not one to grab a candy bar often...but lately, this one has been calling my name more and more. It's my favorite by far, upsetting the place Twix has held in my life since Junior High when I used to eat a Twix bar and drink a Diet Coke on Sunday mornings in youth group.

For some reason, these candy bars are becoming more difficult to find. It used to be that I could easily locate one at the checkout stand or at least in the candy isle. Not so much lately. The last time I was at Target I had to buy a bag of the bite-size version. Sometimes it's better to have the bite size ones as I can eat 5 throughout the day for a total of about 200 calories. But sometimes I just want the experience of eating a whole candy bar. I'm going to have to find out where I can buy a whole box!

Honestly, if you are a fan of dark chocolate, you HAVE to find one of these candy bars and try it!

Thanks Beloved Mama!

Beloved Mama gave me an award...so let me pass on the love.


Seven things I did before...

1. Took a few hundred youth to Mexico during Spring Break for many years

2. Watched my niece full-time for 1 year to stay home with my first baby

3. Worked at Souplantation...still one of my fave places to eat!

4. Babysat my way through college


5. Could quote much of "The Cutting Edge" annoying my family and friends

6. LOVED Amy Grant

7. I journaled.

Seven things I do now:

1. Blog!!

2. Work a 75% schedule which gives me a few days my girls!

3. Study

4. Contemplate my future with three children...

5. Try to keep the house in somewhat of an order

6. Try to stay in touch with friends on Facebook

7. Prepare balanced meals for my family



Seven things I would like to do:

1. Go visit my out of town friends more

2. Crafty stuff like sewing, quilting, digiscrap

3. Go back to Ireland and bring my whole family

4. Travel to Israel

5. Get a hair cut, color, mani & pedi

6. Be more organized

7. Not lose important things (see #6)

Seven things that attract me to my hubby:


(in no particular order)

1. His smile


2. His skin tone!

3. His sense of humor

4. His handsome face

5. How much loves us and does so much for our family

6. His guitar playing abilities

7. How good he is at saying no to stuff


Seven favorite foods...

1. Milky Way Dark

2. See's candy

3. Caramel Macchiato's (decaf, non-fat, extra hot!)

4. Italian--eggplant parmesan especially!

5. Thai--spicy noodles please!

6. Mexican- bean burritos and carne and cheese only burritos

7. Diet Coke...bad habit, but oh well!! (not so much while pregnant though)

Seven things I say most often...

1. Oh for the love

2. Listen the first time

3. Are you freaking kidding me?

4. My back hurts

5. I want to go for a run

6. You have to dance with the one who brought you

7. Someday, we'll get to spend time together.

I'm supposed to tag seven people. If you've already been tagged with this and I've listed you, feel free to not participate, but please keep the award. Here they are:

1. Park City Girl

2. A Mommy Story

3. Girl Who Loves To Run

4. The Unlikely Pastor's Wife

5. My Charming Kids

6. Adventures in Babywearing

7. Readhead Reverend



I chose these blogs because I read them often, I find them creative and unique, and I have not given them an award before...and I want to share them with you!!!

Now don't forget to grab the award!

Fitness Friday, Halloween & More (photos included!)

I have a little catching up to do, so here goes.

Fitness Friday
I think I missed this post last week due to Halloween. I was busy all day getting ready for our church event. However, I can report that the last two weeks I've stayed on track mostly with my health and fitness.

Well, the week of Halloween contained a bit too much candy consumption. I did exercise 2-3 times however. This week I've really gotten my eating back under control. It seemed that my weight gain was going a bit too fast. Trust me, I eat plenty. But trying not to overdo it.

I've been using Babyfit to track my food and weight. I love that site for having a healthy pregnancy. After entering your health information and pregnancy goals, you can track your weight and see a graph of your gain showing the high and low goals. It really helps me stay in the middle of the two lines. We are borrowing a Weight Watchers scale that I love!

This week I ran 3.5 miles on Monday and Wednesday and I plan to run tomorrow as well. I need to get a maternity belt to give my back and belly some support, but it still feels really good to run!

Halloween
Our church had a fun community event. Miss Rose LOVED it all. She was a very proud "bad pirate who does nothing." My little feminist was insistent that she was a "bad pirate" not a girl pirate. Then she combined that with her version of the Veggie Tales "Pirates Who Don't Do Anything." She told me she did not want to be called beautiful. In fact that night when someone told her she was pretty, she looked at me with eyes that said "see Mom, people always tell me that."

Gracie was okay with the whole package. She was sick and therefore didn't have much energy. She was my little monkey. She has a love for monkies in general and is one too! It wasn't hot that night, but not necessarily cold. Much of the night her costume was unzipped and the legs unbuttoned so she didn't overheat. Gracie had her first lollipop that night, much enjoyed!

Here's a few photos...

















Gracie the Monkey
















Miss Rose the Pirate
















That is the "bad pirate who does nothing."














Unzipped, unbuttoned, eating a lollipop













Bean and his midgets (his favorite endearment these days for the kids)













Mama and her beauties (yes...I have a belly, I'm just hiding it here)


And...here's my official 6-month belly picture. I was being goofy for the camera. This baby really is growing and moving A TON!























Have a wonderful weekend!

My Letter to Barak Obama

Dear President-elect Obama,

First of all let me congratulate you on winning the election this week. I wish you all the best in office and hope that you achieve much success as our president. I will be praying that God guides you in all you do.

I realize that you haven't made any decisions or created any legislation yet. But I already have a small bone to pick with you.

On Tuesday night I was watching as you came out with your family to accept the results of the presidential election. They introduced all of you by name. I had nothing against you or your family, but I was immediately annoyed.

You see, naming my babies is a big deal to me. I am very particular. I think part of it comes from my experiences with my own name--Corrina. I like my name. I like it because it's unique but not weird, feminine but still strong. It's not trendy, and even though there are many other Corrina's in the world, there are a variety of spellings.

I am predisposed against names that are in the top 100. It's not that I don't like them, some of them I really like. But if I can find a name that isn't popular or trendy I'm much happier. In fact the boy's name we had chosen before both of our daughters was born has recently become more popular and we won't be using it for our third baby if it's a boy.

So you see Mr. President-elect, I was not happy to hear your family introduced. Not because I don't want you to be president. But because with your rising notoriety, and having young children, their names are sure to become popular.

I am bitter, because your daughter Malia shares a name with my 19-month old Maleah. Granted the spellings are different, but it's the same name. I can just see the minds of pregnant women around the United States turning, considering that name for their unborn children. Because it's a unique name, probably not many have considered it. Until now.

I have a distinct suspicion that over the next four years at least, the name of our daughters will rise sharply in popularity. I wonder how many other Malia's will be in my Maleah's school. At least my Maleah has her own spelling.

I realize it's not something personal you have done to me. It's just how things happen. But I feel a little better writing you this letter. I still love my daughter's name and I'm sure you love it for your daughter as well.

So good luck Mr. President-elect. And if by some chance you have another child or name a new pet, please don't use the name Elianna either. I will keep you posted on the name we choose for our baby in February so you can keep that off your list as well.

A camel, a water buffalo and a race horse

You're wondering what those animals have in common, right?? No, it's not a punchline to a joke.

The commonality here is ME!

I think I'm part CAMEL with how much water I've been drinking. It's like I'm going on a long journey through the dessert and feeling the need to conserve.

I've been SO thirsty lately. If there is one thing I do crave in pregnancy it's water. I'm a water drinker to begin with, usually try to get 64oz per day. But while pregnant, I could honestly drink probably twice that much and often do exceed 64oz in a day.

But, I'm not a camel who so gracefully stores water in its humps. However I do have a few humps I wouldn't mind strategically placing some extra liquid in. (if this blog had a soundtrack, Fergie would be singing about lovely lady lumps right now)

I'm more like a WATER BUFFALO. At least that's how I'm looking and feeling. Large, cumbersome and slow moving.

Ah, now you're getting it. The RACE HORSE bit.

Yup...I pee like a stinking race horse. All the time. I wish I wasn't so thirsty, because then I wouldn't have to pee so much.

It's the worst late in the evening, which of course is close to bedtime. And even when I'm getting ready for bed I just want to drink and drink.

I get up at least once before I fall asleep to pee, maybe twice. Definately wake up at least once a night. Which is just a huge annoyance. Waking to feed a baby I can handle...waking to pee just makes me mad!

But, knowing that probably barring a major act of God, this is my last pregnancy, I am trying to remember to savor every moment. Maybe not every time I have to pee. I cherish the reason behind it though. You are so moved by my sentimentalism right now, I can tell.

Even being as thirsty as a camel, feeling like a water buffalo and peeing like a racehorse, I relish the little one growing inside me causing this mess.

Now, if you'll excuse me. I'm thirsty.