On your marks...

There's a thought that during the third trimester, our bodies' job is to make us so uncomfortable that by the time labor arrives, we will do whatever it takes- even pushing a large head through a very small space- to get the baby out.  


I'm there.  I'm very, very ready to have this baby.  Last week, I wasn't sure, and I even told Tyler that I wasn't sure I was ready emotionally.  I kept wondering if I was ready to be done being pregnant even if this is the last time I'm ever pregnant.  But this week?  Something shifted in my brain, and I am ready.  


Perhaps it's the never-ending contractions that are stronger than any practice contractions I remember with Tye (I keep telling myself they have to be doing something in there, as many as I'm having...).  Or maybe it's Baby Girl's head so low in my belly that every movement is uncomfortable, and many are downright impossible.  Or maybe it has to do with the crazy nesting urges I've been succumbing to all week that have encouraged me to launder every fabric item in our home, stuff our freezer full of reheatable meals, knit two hats, and re-organize every pocket of clutter, all between random cleaning binges.   I even have a half-made recipe of almond flour scones on the counter, ready to mix and bake so I'll have some delicious protein during and after the birth.  I'm ready.


But I'm afraid I'm the only one.  Tyler told me he has a week's worth of work he'd like to do before he takes paternity leave.  I'm not sure Tye is really ready or that she ever will be, but she's coming off of a nasty cold and any extra days towards healthy would benefit her transition to Big SIsterhood.  And most importantly, I need to wait until Baby GIrl is ready.  I keep reminding myself that she'll join us when she is ready, and until then, she's still growing and storing up fat for those first days out of the womb.  Thinking about her adding chub to her little legs and arms makes being patient simultaneously easier and harder.  I just want to kiss those tiny limbs already.  


Whenever I've run races, whether it's a local 5k or a huge marathon, I'm always one of the people rushing to the starting corrals at the very last minute or in some cases, even running to make it to the starting line before the chip timer is turned off.  But at each race, someone is the first runner to show up.  I'm sure she isn't alone- there are support personnel around preparing the stage and tents and others marking the course and directing traffic.  That first runner at the race is prepared; she's well-trained, her shoes are laced, her number is pinned to her shirt, and her bars and gels are tucked away neatly into pockets.  She's just waiting for someone to pull the trigger and start the race already.

Bucktown 5k

Tye's first race!

The Lake

After a walk through the Lincoln Park Lily Pond with our nature group, Tye and I went for a run along the lake front.  Perfect time for a nap for Tye. (Look at those cheeks!)

As we finished the run, Tye woke up and we pulled off into a shady grove of trees along the lake.  Tye was super excited to see the lake, complete with squeals, waving arms, and wiggling fingers.  She sat and watched the waves.

After a walk to the shore line for a closer view of the water (and more squeals and arm waving), we reclined and nursed, letting the lake breeze wash over us.

What a beautiful way to spend the afternoon.

Race Photos

13.1 Done!

Yesterday I ran the Chicago Rock and Roll Half Marathon!  I'd been training (somewhat off-and-on with colds and travel) most of the summer, and it all paid off.  My personal goal was to finish the race without walking, and I was able to keep running the whole time.  (Did I say running?  I jogged... s l o w l y. Embarrassingly slowly.)  Some family members and friends ran, too- Tyler, Tiana, Liz, Dad, Matt, Todd M., and John, with Tyler's parents, Traye, and Tye cheering us on.  I ran the first half with Tiana.  Our conversation kept me quite entertained, and I appreciated the company in the starting corral and for the first hour of the race.

Before the race, Annette wrote on my calves with a Sharpie, "First Race" and "Post Baby."  By the end of the race, as other competitors were slowing to a walk and I was passing them (barely), people were cheering me on as I ran.  A few women ran alongside me briefly to tell me it was their first run after their baby, too, and we bonded over how much easier it is to run without a stroller.  I heard quite a few women read my calves and respond, "Me too, but my baby's 15/17/21!"

For me, this race was really an accomplishment.  Even though I've run a full marathon before, training for this was a lot different.  I started running this spring, building up my endurance from... zero.  Limited exercise, then bed rest, and then post-partum recovery (and almost a year without running) will do that to a woman.  Now, I'm running with more weight on my body than I ever have before, which adds up over the miles.  And because Tye doesn't enjoy the stroller for long periods of time, I never ran more than 3 miles a weekday.  

All those obstacles made my finish yesterday even sweeter.  Tyler's parents watched Tye during the race, then stood near the finish line with our homemade balloon-covered broomstick waving over the crowds.  As I rounded the last curve and set my eyes on the orange and teal balloons in the distance, the sight filled me with enough motivation to pick up the pace for the last stretch.  I  was able to grab Tye from the family and jog with her over the finish line, a moment of which I've dreamed since before she was born.  Someone somewhere has a really great picture of me with Tye in arms, choking back tears.  It's a moment I'll never forget.  

Early Rising

Tye's sleep "schedule" is still far from regular.  She has a pattern, but definitely not a set schedule.  The past two mornings, Tye's been up bright and early- yesterday at 5:30 when Tyler left for work, and this morning a little after 6.  Compared to the past few weeks of waking between 7 and 8, this is early for her.  The upside is that we are accomplishing a lot each morning before the unseasonable heat sets in.  This morning, by the time we left the house at 9:30, we had apples and kale in the dehydrator, I had eaten a good breakfast (rare in itself!), we went on a run with Mico, and I showered and dressed.  


This morning was Tye's first run with me, and it went really well.  Prior to this, we'd only used the stroller twice, and both times we used the car seat adapter.  I was cautiously optimistic about the stroller, and now that's she's six months old, we can run together.  Because Tye can't see me now that she's facing forwards, I wondered how long she would go before she wanted some confirmation it was still me pushing her along.  Knowing  how much she dislikes being in her car seat, I wondered if being strapped into a different seat would be equally miserable for her.  On top of my concerns for Tye, I was very nervous about running with Mico next to the stroller.  He does well running by my side and the trainer worked with him on walking next to the stroller, but combining those two seemed a potential disaster.


I packed the borrowed Ergo carrier in the bottom of the stroller, leashed Mico, carried the stroller downstairs, spent 15 minutes adjusting the straps, and finally, we were off.  The run went really well!  I learned that Mico does a good enough job running close to me that I could loop his leash diagonally around my torso, over the shoulder, with enough slack for him to run and still enough leash for me to grab if I need to (but if you ever see me with a rope burn on my right shoulder, now you know how I got it!).  


Tye was great!  She made it almost two miles before we stopped so she could nurse in the Ergo, and I think she wanted to nurse because she'd had the hiccups for quite some time by that point.  We walked as she nursed, covered by the hood, and when she finished, she went back in the stroller for the rest of the run.  Mico was the reason we had to finally head back- he was finished running after about two and a half miles, and with the temperatures rising quickly, I decided to honor his puppydog "don't make me keep going" eyes.  Maybe tomorrow we'll drop him off and keep going!


If this is how we get to spend our early mornings, I'm all about it.  Besides, I couldn't ask for a sweeter alarm clock.