McTrois Updates and Half Marathon Progress

Wow, it has been forever and a day since I've updated here!  I have lots of posts to catch up on, but I thought I'd transition easily back into the blogging mode by posting some fun updates about my pregnancy and McTrois.

We can start at the very beginning...because every story has a beginning...

And this one starts with a very positive pregnancy test.  My heart leapt into my throat!  I had been hoping secretly that it might be...but at the same time was fairly confident it wouldn't be.  After all, I had just signed up in December to run a half marathon in June!!  We weren't 'trying' anymore.  Of course that's always how it seems to work...

Max and I happened to be taking that day off of work together.  We had already planned a wonderful x-country ski escape...and I wasn't about to let a little test change that!  In fact, I think it made it even more fun.  So, off we went...and ski we did!    We had perfect snowy weather for it, even!

Afterwards, we treated ourselves to massages.  It was a GOOD DAY!

this photo was taken right before I fell.  Yes, I am a clutz.

Every pregnancy I have taken a series of belly photos.  I think it is fun to go back and look at them and compare between my three pregnancies.  Of course, at the beginning of this pregnancy I was in the middle of my 3 -week cleanse.  So I started off taking my belly photos in my bikini (this did not last long, LOL).  

Weeks 4, 5 and 6

At week 6 we went in for an early Ultrasound.  I was SO SO SO nervous.  I knew that it was possible we might not see the heartbeat, that we might only see the sac...and that would be OK. But I really REALLY wanted to see that little flicker.  And we DID!  It was like instant relief washing over me.  Heartbeat was 127...so strong!  I cried tears of joy.  We still didn't share the news, though.  We wanted to make sure before telling our families, the boys, etc.

Ultrasound Week 6 Day 4

At week 10, I had another OB appt.  I was nervous again for this appt, even though I had definitely been feeling pregnant at this point.  Nauseous, tired, bloated...you know, all the typical first trimester pregnancy symptoms.  From past experience, I knew that at this 10 week appt that they would try to find baby's HB with the fetal doppler.  I also knew that 10 weeks is still early to hear a HB with the doppler...so I shouldn't freak out if we weren't able to find it.  As luck had it, Sam had to go with me to my OB appt that day due to a sad event at his daycare.  Lucky for me he is very content to sit and not old enough yet to put two and two together.  

As luck had, it my OB found baby's HB within about 15 seconds!  Sweet relief passed over me, and my eyes welled up with tears.  A part of me was sad because I knew that meant no U/S to check (just in case if they don't find HB) but a MUCH BIGGER part of me was so thankful to NOT have to go through the turmoil of waiting for the U/S.  I had been there before.  I have a tipped uterus, which can make it difficult to find baby's HB early on with the doppler.  My OB told me that it was easier to find it this time around because I am thinner.  Hey -- any time your OB calls you thin at a 10 week pregnancy appt, you pretty much think they are awesome....

Sam even got to hear the HB at the OBs office -- although he was pretty confused about where the sound was coming from and why we were talking about a baby (since we hadn't told the boys yet).  We did end up telling them afterwards...and even though we told them to keep it a secret, that ended up being a lot of pressure on them.

Max went into his 4K class the next day and went up to his teacher and apparently said "Teacher...I have something I want to tell you by I can't.  It has to do with my mommy's tummy." LOL  When I picked him up that afternoon he told me that his teacher had 'guessed'.  Well, technically, I guess she did...he wasn't lying...he just pretty much gave her all the info in his clues.  But then he told me "But MOM, I was just so EXCITED I couldn't stop myself!  I am so EXCITED for our new BABY!"  And, really.  Who can get angry at that?  Definitely NOT me.

I bought a home doppler and after that 10 week appt (because now I knew where to look for the HB) I was able to easily find baby's HB at home. The boys LOVE listening  to the HB and ask frequently to listen to 'baby heartbeat'.  They get a kick out of it every time.   I can't wait until they can start FEELING the baby move/kick!

Listening to the baby's heartbeat...

Around Week 13, we got to go back in for the 1st trimester screening -- a standard test (that is optional) but does include an U/S to measure some development in the fetus.  I like having this extra glance at my baby, so I opt to do this test. 

Doesn't McTrois look adorable?  Of course, it is too early at 13 weeks to tell if it is a boy or a girl... Not that it would matter since we are NOT finding out this time (much to Max's dismay).  I have a strong suspicion it is another boy - which is absolutely FINE.  We make cute boys and I am pretty well accustomed to boys at this point.  Of course, I'd LOVE to have a little girl...but the chances of that are just not in our favor. The boys are convinced it is a "little sister" and I have been gently trying to prepare them for the event that it turns out to be a "little brother".  In the end, everyone will love the baby -- no matter what sex.  It is just fun to guess at this point.

And yes, I have heard it from EVERYONE already about why aren't we going to find out, how can we not find out, don't we want to have time to prepare, etc. etc. etc.  

And to that, all I have to say is that, fortunately for me (and unfortunately for those of you who have voiced their opinions), I take a small, sick pleasure in your discomfort and frustration.  :)

Ultrasound Week 13

week 11 and week 14

I had another OB appt at week 14 and everything was looking good.  Test results were all normal.  My next appt will be around week 19 -- where I get to also have my 20 week ultrasound.  Another reason to love my OB -- he again told me at my 14 week appt that  I was 'thin enough' that I could have the 20 week scan a week early.  Awesome!!

Now, remember how I mentioned that about a month before I found out we were expecting again I had signed up for a half-marathon?  Well, my training has continued (with a few hiccups) in full force.  I was running on the treadmill mostly in the beginning, but as soon as the weather cooperated, I was so excited to get my feet back out pounding the pavement!  I squeeze in runs on the weekends, and on weekday nights after the boys were snug in their beds.  And I have made progress...lots of progress!

evening runs are worth it when you get to see sunsets like this

10.5 mile was my longest by end of April...13.1 is looking more do-able now!

I saw this common Loon during my 10.5 mile run.  AWESOME!

Another fun evening shot -- there's a full moon on the rise!  :)

Weeks 16, 17 and 18.  Baby is definitely getting bigger.  In addition to my running, I am also doing a weekly PiYo class.

Last weekend, for Mother's Day, I 'treated' myself to a long run in the morning with my favorite running partner, Laura.  We had planned on shooting for 11 miles, but I had forewarned her that it might end up being a much shorter run.  I have been having a little issue with my right ankle.  But, I iced it the night before, re-tied my shoes for extra ankle support, and did a bunch of ankle exercises the morning of our run, hoping that the combination would help me power through.  And it DID!  We made it 11.3 miles!  We had 3 brief stops -- one to remove my fleece at about 3.5 miles, one at 5 miles so we could eat our "goo", and then one at 8 miles because I had to use the bathroom SO BAD I almost went in my pants (silly baby on my bladder).  Overall, the run felt GREAT.  I definitely felt like I could have finished the less than 2 miles needed to make it a full 13.1.  Let's just keep our fingers crossed that I have a similar running experience in June!  I am not shooting to break any speed records (as you can see below I am a slow runner), and I have no pre-conceptions or goals to run the whole thing, or beat a certain time, etc.  I just want to FINISH.  Even if that means walking part of it.  I'm ok with that.  At this point, I just have to listen to my body and take it one run at a time.  My goal is not to hurt myself or the baby...but to have 'fun'.  Haha.  

11.3 mile route in Delafield/Oconomowoc

Best running partner EVER!  Thanks for keeping me motivated, Laura!

So, there you have it!  I think that brings us all back up to date on this pregnancy and my running/training progress.  Life is good!  I have no complaints!  Thank you God for letting me experience ALL of this!

Old Navy - It's Tee Time - Crowdtap Fun!

I may have mentioned before that I am a member of Crowdtap. Crowdtap is an interactive marketing platform that gets the consumers involved in answering questions and shaping brands.  Plus, you get FREE stuff!  Who doesn't like FREE??

I was selected to participate in an Old Navy Sample and Share for their awesome t-shirts.  I was SO excited to be chosen for this because I know that summer is just around the corner (please!) and who doesn't need a few more t-shirts to spice up their wardrobe?

Crowdtap sends you the coupons in the mail, and then you and a lucky friend get to head to Old Navy to scour the t-shirts and collect the goods!  

Sometimes it can be tricky to know exactly which t-shirts or products are included on a coupon, so I enlisted the help of an Old Navy employee right after entering the store.  The employee was SUPER nice and VERY helpful.  She led us over to the vintage and basic tees that were included in the coupon.  There were SO many to choose from!  The colors were awesome and bright and so spring-like.  Some of the basic tees were henley-styled with buttons on the front and the vintage tees were softer and some had stripes and other patterns on them.

Of course, we tried on a bunch of the shirts to see what we liked the best...

I was a big fan of the vintage tees because they were softer and longer (therefore giving me a little more room for my expanding belly)  :)

The perfect crew tees and perfect Henleys were super cute too and they came in great colors like this kelly green Henley:

Overall, a fun time was had by my friend and I.  We had no issues with the coupons working this time and the employees were super helpful (and even a little envious).  It was a great trip, and I've had a lot of complements on my t-shirts already!  I plan to wear them as long as I possibly can!

Introducing...

McTrois!

Coming to a crazy family near you mid-October 2013.

The Everyday Effect - Part Two

For part one of this series, click here.

If every company out there took an interest in the environment, like P&G has, can you imagine what impact it would have?  It would be HUGE!  To see all that P&G has changed and accomplished recently, check out their stance on Environmental Stability.  

As a conservationist, I was most impressed to see:

P&G is partnering with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to focus on sustainable sourcing of materials for P&G products, including renewable forest products and palm oil. As we move to using more renewable materials, particularly materials such as pulp and palm oil, we need to ensure that production does not lead to loss of natural ecosystems, with associated loss of biodiversity. Over the last five years, we’ve deepened our partnership with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the WWF-led Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN), and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) in order to ensure we support our critical programs that help us, and others, meet the challenges of sustainably using forest resources.

P&G is even packaging materials in plastics made from sustainably harvested SUGARCANE.  Little steps from a big company make a HUGE impact!

But at home, you might feel more overwhelmed in your ability to make a difference.  It is hard to see the impact that the 'little guy' makes, but that doesn't make that impact any less important (or necessary).  I am a firm believer in that the future of our Earth lies with the younger generations.  Which is why I may come across as the 'crazy granola mom' to others in my neighborhood or amongst my group of friends, but I'll tell you what -- my kids DON'T CARE (at least now, LOL). And while they are young, I CAN make an impression on them that will last a LIFETIME.  I want them to see me recycle, to see me pick up the trash that someone ahead of me threw on the ground.  I want to teach them about not being wasteful and to teach them instead to be respectful of their surroundings.  Kids are SO WILLING to help out for any 'cause' at this age.  Make it a good cause!!

With that in mind, I wanted my 5.5 and 3 year old at the forefront of my Earth day plans/activities.  P&G's Future Friendly program inspired me to sit them down and ask them what they thought they could do to 'help the Earth'.  Some are definitely more do-able than others.

1.  Turn off the water when brushing our teeth (Max)
2.  Wash all our clothes in cold water (Mom)
3.  Mulch grass back into the lawn instead of bagging it (Dad)
4.  a heart (Sam)
5.  Clean up garbage when we see it outside (Max)
6.  Turn off lights when we leave a room (Max)
7.  Eat all the food we put on our plates (don't waste food) (Mom)
8.  Draw on both sides of the paper (Max)
9.  Read a book (instead of watch TV) (Sam)
10.  Recycle (Dad)

We are going to work on all these things (not sure what to do about #4) up through Earth Day.  I hope to be back next week to post updates on our progress!

This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks/P&G

The Everyday Effect -- Part One

Earth day is approaching, April 22nd for those of you living under a rock.  I always think of April as a time of rebirth -- spring has usually sprung by now (except for this year where it is hiding out somewhere and only gives us brief glimpses of spring-like temperatures), some plants are starting to emerge from the ground, trees start to bud out.  Spring has always been my favorite season.  After months of a long, dull winter I am always ready for warmer temps and the ability to escape the house and be outdoors.

That's why I also like to take the month of April to look at what types of things we are doing as a family as see if there is any way to change them to make less of an impact on the earth and to reduce our waste impact.

So, I'm super excited this year to be partnering with P&G to make that happen this year, and to spread the word about waste reduction.

P&G has a great site set up to give you lots of ideas on how to improve your health and well-being, your home and garden, etc. called P&G Everyday.  Check it out, there are lots of great articles and resources (and coupons!).

About P&G Everyday Effect

Many people think their everyday actions are ordinary, and that the things they do every day can’t make a difference to help the environment. P&G believes the most effective changes don’t necessarily start with grand acts and can start much closer to home, by changing the way we think about things like waste.

Seemingly ordinary actions - like washing your laundry in lower temperatures, doing the dishes with concentrated products or changing a diaper that uses thinner materials – can be a surprising help to the world we share... allowing us all to reduce waste.

To kick off the month and choose our challenge(s) we're going to sit down at the dinner table tonight and talk about Earth day and what we can do to help reduce waste, save energy and help our planet.  With a 5 1/2 year old and a 3 year old contributing to the conversation, this could get interesting.  I look forward to seeing the final list we come up with.  Stay tuned!

This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks/P&G

Florida Vacation 2013: Day 6

Day 6 -  I invited my momma along for my morning run and she accepted!  She hadn't run in awhile (since she was injured running in July I think), but she did AWESOME!  I hope/aspire to be just like her when I am her age!

After that we headed down to Ft. Myers beach.  We all got beers...including little Max.  Although his was technically a ROOT beer.

Sam and Granna enjoyed some coloring.

Big Max enjoyed the sunshine.

Little Max and Grumps enjoyed a fierce game of tic-tac-toe.

After our delicious (and FRESH) lunch we headed to the beach.

We were even lucky enough to see a 'pirate ship' go by!

I love digging my toes into the soft sand...

Little Max practiced writing his name in the sand.

Just looking at these pictures make me miss the warm temps!  I wish spring would hurry up and get here already!  At least the grass is slowly turning a slight shade of green (versus the brown) and almost all the snow has finally melted.  It will be here soon!

Tae Kwon Do Tournament 2013

Last weekend the boys had their TKD tournament -- it was little Max's first time.

He was competing in three 'events':  1) Family form -- where he and his dad would do the gold belt form together (in sync); 2) his individual gold belt form; and 3) board breaking).

I was hoping he wouldn't be nervous or anxious...since it was something new and sometimes he gets overly hesitant when he doesn't know what to expect. But, we had been practicing his form all.week.long, so he knew what to do and was at least prepared to do that part.

First up, right away when we got there, the boys did their family form together.  I had tears in my eyes.  They ROCKED it!  Not a single mistake!!  Way to GO Maxes!!

And the best part is they won FIRST PLACE!  Little Max was SO excited!

Then he went on to perform his individual form (same thing just by himself).  We think the 'guide' messed him up a little bit, but he still did a fantastic job.  I should mention this was after over 1.5 hrs of WAITING...waiting in a line marked '5 year olds', and then waiting and watching ALL the other belts go first.  I was surprised he wasn't a hot mess at that point...because I was!

And he won first place again!  They set up the tournament in a really great way to build self esteem in these kids.  Basically, when you get up to 'compete' you are competing against 4 other peers.  At the end, each one of you will get SOMETHING...1st-4th place.  And at 5 years old, the kids can't really differentiate between a first place trophy and a 4th place medal.  In fact, I think Max was more excited about his medal than his trophy...until he figured out his trophy was bigger than his dad's trophy.  Then, he just kept pointing out that 'his was bigger'.  LOL

After that, MORE waiting to do board breaking.  We hadn't originally signed him up to break any boards, but he really wanted to.  So he broke two boards with kicks.

He won fourth place for  his board breaking.  Overall it was a great time.  It was a great way to build his self-esteem and show him that there are rewards for what he is working so hard to do/learn.  We were all super proud of him, and he loves showing off his trophies! (Beware if you come to visit!)

Florida Vacation 2013: Day 5

The weather forecast again was for overcast skies so we opted to head out in the car and drive to Shark Valley to see some alligators.

But first, we put the kids to work cleaning all the windows that they leave little fingerprints on!  Just kidding...kind of...

Little Max and I hung out in the backseat of the car for the drive...

And then we found them!  Those sneaky gators!

They were all just laying out in the sun warming up.  Lazy bones.  We had brought the bikes (and kids seats) along with us so we decided to bike the loop at Shark Valley.  Someone told me it was 7 miles.  I thought...ok, that's easy I can bike that (I haven't biked in awhile)...

  

Well, someone FORGOT to inform me that it was 7 miles ONE WAY.  I think little Max caught my emotions perfectly, LOL.

There were TONS of alligators along the way. They climb out onto the grass almost up to the road!  It was kind of weird biking right by one of them...my imagination was getting the best of me. But, they are pretty slow and lethargic this time of year.  And, I was going too fast...right?

At the end there is a tower you can climb to look out over the area.  You can see that at least the forecast was correct for most of the day...

We climbed to the top and played I spy.  

This picture makes me smile....

In addition to all the alligators, we did see a ton of birds like these Wood Storks.

By this time, Sam was getting a little slap happy because he hadn't napped.  He was pretty goofy.

And I was getting pretty tired/sore.  My butt was just not made to ride on a bike seat for prolonged periods of time....

Cute family photo (Sam still being goofy).  Do you see who snuck in on the right?

Yeah...this guy.  Doesn't look like he's going to be moving anywhere anytime soon.

I was pretty famished after that long bike ride, so I snacked on some of the kids' cereal.  You snooze you lose!  :)

Sam didn't mind.  He was too busy being goofy.

Gotta love this little stinker!

No naps eventually caught up with us.  This guy would not.stop.talking the ENTIRE trip.  So, of course he passes out 5 mins from home.  That's Murphy's Law, right?