Fast Running Mommy

felt good this morning. I found a half dead butterfly on the trail today. I put it in my pocket to take home to my kids. I wasn't sure if it was totally dead so I tried to let it escape...it couldn't fly or even flutter it's wings so I called it good and kept it. I think it's a monarch but I'm not really into butterfly identification. 

You think you are in good shape if you run every day...right? I think my body is very very smart and it only saves energy for running in the morning. If I try anything else like say.....dancing like a crazy lady with my kids...boy do I feel it the next day. I was okay some of the run but for part of it I was reallly really really really slow. Oh well...the dancing was lots of fun. 

I had a bad night and slept in late so I only got in 2.5. I don't know if I'm going to run in the afternoons anymore. I'm just too tired by then and it really is torture for my still fairly little pregnant body. 

The butterfly we caught the other day recovered from the shock of being placed in my coat pocket and flew away happily. I really thought it was injured as I tried to let it fly away several times. We gave it some food and water and it recovered in a couple of hours. Kind of fun.  

Also, I finished my story "Rose". My estimation of the story is that it is a great story and I think I have a fabulous idea for a series of books for young adults to help them cope with moral decisions they must face as they grow up. I think I'm a great story teller but a terrible writer. If I really wanted to have my stories written down I have a lot of work to do to get them to where I'd like them to be. It was an enlightening process though and helped me appreciate the seemingly effortless work of thousands of authors whose fruits we often enjoy for free (via the library or internet)

 And last but not least...my run...I don't want to run 5 miles a day anymore...help...I know I shouldn't give up yet but it takes so much longer. I felt fine today and got to run back with Sasha a little bit which was really fun.
 

I actually enjoyed doing all 5 today...see how fickle I am. I think I've decided to only cut down my miles as I get bigger and really can't be on my feet as much. I'm still barely showing and so I think I'll be fine for now. 

Had to cut the run short. Sasha needed to be at the temple early today. Feeling good...going nice and easy and doing well.

I had a lady at Walmart today tell me that I'm a genius. Even if thats a cliche term if always feels good to hear it. In our other house we had a sand box that my kids played in for hours and made lots of messes with. It also was the neighborhood litter box....GROSS.

I wanted my kids to have a sand experience without the kitty debris. I thought about building my own with a cover on it but that didn't seem to be up my alley. Then I was going to buy a swimming pool..the hard plastic kind...and make some kind of cover for it.

Well my genuis idea came last night and I went to Walmart and bought the supplies today. Have you ever seen those sand tables that they sell for big bucks? Well I bought some shallow rubbermaid containers and filled them with sand and sand toys...stuck them on the table in the backyard...presto....a sand discovery table. I still kind of wish we had a huge sand box all the kids could fit in and sit in for hours but for now we had fun with our purple and green sand in our "discovery boxes." 

Pretty good run today...I'm still slow but I'm doing good. I felt the baby kick for the first time for sure yesterday...and oh..she just kicked again. (not an announcement on sex...not sure yet)

Felt pretty good today. I heard a strange duck on the trail...turned out to be Sasha and his partner seeing how well they could stay in tune while running at different paces..

Maybe next week I'll get in all 30. It would be nice but it's not a priority. I am on survival mode when I'm pregnant. If I feel like it's going to exhaust me for the rest of the day...I don't do it. I have gotten better with each pregnancy at not exhausting myself. For the most part I've felt better this pregnancy than any other.

I slept in today because of a rough night the other day. I just couldn't get up. (sleeping in for me was 7:30...but my kids were already awake and that meant no morning run..time to feed them breakfast) I just can't run the full 5 miles in the afternoon. I'm too tired by that time of day.

I got one more mile in. My legs were tired but it didn't kill me. We went on a nice drive in Hobblecreek Canyon. Perfect end to the day.  

Something was keeping me from starting today....just really tired. Then I woke up a bit and finished fine. Ran 2:40-2:50 quarters most of the rest of the run....just had a rough start. I am tired today though which is annoying because I usually feel good on Mondays. 

I think today was my slowest day yet..I even had to stop and walk for a minute or two at the end....When my body says run slow...I run slow. Can't push myself. I was a bit confused that I never warmed up today. Usually I'll at least warm up on the second half. No such luck today. Hopefully today goes well and I can function for my kids and hubby. 

i guess running slow yesterday paid off. I felt great today. Now when I say great...I still had to stop a couple of times to catch my breath. I've noticed I have to do this and then I can start again and feel fine. I'm trying to tweak things so I don't have to do this but it keeps me running. 

In other news. I'm getting my ultrasound tomorrow so we may have an announcement....It will either be a Mary or a Bill. Mary is the name that Sasha's mom would have named him if he was a sweet docile black haired female type thing. Instead she got him and just slapped on whatever name she could think of at the time...Just kidding. Alexander is his real name and I think it's a family name too...ooops I guess I should know that.Okay I just asked and he said it was her grandpa.  Everyone named Alexander in Russia goes by Sasha unless they are famous and have conquered something.  

Bill is for a very dear friend who was a lawyer in Moscow and put pressure on the Embassy workers in order to help Sasha get a Visa to come over. He also sponsored him for a year or so. We are forever indebted to him. Literally Sasha would not have been able to come to America and make the life he desired for himself and his family.  So we decided awhile ago to eventually name a boy after Bill...so we'll see who this little delight in me turns out to be....Mary or Bill. The kids are very excited.  

I only wanted to do 4 today but instead just slowed down on the parts I was feeling negative. Feel a little worn out today but I'm really excited for my ultrasound...and nervous. You always hope everything is normal but you never know....

Just got back from the ultrasound and....... 

              It's a Boy!!!

So I'm gonna have three little boys in a row..sound familiar Lybi...no match for Adam..we'll have to set our sites on Juila and Joseph...they like each other...

I think I knew deep down it was going to be a boy but I'm still a teeny bit disappointed that it's not a girl...probably because I've had two boys in a row and was ready for a change. I will love him to bits of course. We are naming him William and I think we'll call him Bill. So we'll have a B name four J's in between and another B...fun fun. I don't really go for stuff like that..especially 10 J's or T's or M's or whatever in one family but it's kind of working out cute for us so we'll go with it.

Warmed up the first half and tried to tell myself to enjoy the slower pace. I've decided after I have the baby too to try and psyche myself into not resenting the exhaustion by telling myself to just relax and enjoy the break from real life and the treasure I'll have to hold..I'm all for positive thinking..it really works. 

 Last half I was energized and felt that can't get enough oxygen feeling..not out of breath but a good feeling like I couldn't get enough of breathing and I don't know...you guys know what I'm talking about right?
 

Congrats to Sasha on his Odgen victory!!! Good pacing yourself honey!!

We had homemade carob mint soy ice cream to celebrate. I bought this great little ice cream maker that doesn't need ice or salt and it's very easy to use and pretty quick to make it. The only problem is that it too small for our family. I need to buy another one so we can have more than one little serving if we want.

hard run again today 

felt much better today. i think it was because my  hormones were off last week. i got a migraine last night and felt better this morning. I'm going to try upping my calcium when I feel tired....haven't decided how....maybe just another glass of milk on the days I'm feeling extra tired. I'm not really  into kelp or sardines. 

After a visit of a month Sasha's mom left today. I cut my run short because I had to say good-bye to her. I didn't feel right about coming back and just getting a quick hug. I wanted to spend a few extra minutes with her this morning. I hope she had a good trip. I know the kids love having her here. I'm sure she'll be happy to be home in her own place with her familiar surroundings. America is a different place for her and of course she prefers home. 

The wettest run of my life. Somehow I've been lucky all these years and never gotten soaked to the bone. It was interesting to experience what I've seen happen to Sasha many many times. I felt okay...my legs were fresh. I'm a little tired now but Sasha is going to go with us to the library today so that should help. 

I had a hard time getting through the miles today but then had lots of energy later in the day. I made homemade mint carob oreos and then dove straight into homemade tomato soup with salad and garlic toast for dinner. Sasha and I loved the soup. The kids had to be spoon fed to get them to finish it. ....luckily I had oreos to bribe them with for after dinner. :)

Average run today. I beat the 12 minute mile girl so that's okay for me. I have plans to try and make these raw flaxseed crackers that Sasha loves. I've never tried anything like this before...you basically just food process all the seeds and veggies together and then glop it onto your dehydrator and check it in a day. I hope they turn out. Sasha really loves these crackers. 

I've started a new quilt. I had so much fun making my last one I couldn't help myself. This quilt also won't prove to be too glamorous but it will be functional. I'm making a quilt almost completely out of old jeans. I'm going to throw in parts of a favorite jacket of mine that I literally lived in when I was a teenager in Russia. I kind of made up the pattern myself so we'll see how it actually looks when it's done. At any rate. I know it will get lots of use. We love to go on picnics.  

My one rule when I'm pregnant is I stop when I'm contracting...even Braxton Hicks I think are my body's way of telling me to change my activity...so if that means I don't run..I don't run. Tonight I was one big Braxton Hick the whole run and so I only did the one. I rode a bike later in the evening and was fine until afterwards so I think I'll just go to bed :)

i got 2.5 in around the block in the rain..didn't get soaked as bad this time.

The braxton hicks I had the other night really scared me. I researched a little and saw that many women experience them during pregnancy but that it is a sign you should stop. I can't seem to remember getting them as intensely as I did the other night. I even starting doing what every woman does...fearing for my child. I don't know if it's because I ran at night. I was fine today besides just the ol' tired legs from getting fatter syndrome. I guess I'll just have to play it by ear.

later:

I ran 3 miles total today..woo hoo..I added a big .5 tonight. I'm still paranoid about braxton hicks but mostly it was because my legs KILL me at night. i guess I'm heavier from all the food of the day and my body just groans beneath the extra weight that seems to keep coming on every day.  I walked a mile at the race. I couldn't run because I had the double stroller and I'm not into pushing the kids in the stroller pregnant. ( I did do that once 8 months pregnant at a pretty fast prego pace and didn't go into labor or keel over) but I was a bit younger and dumber then.  

i did all 5 miles by myself around the block and didn't die from boredom. i had trouble sleeping last night and so I was determined to get my full workout today. My body is very sensitive to the work rest balance. If I'm lazy I don't need the sleep and I get insomnia...lovely. I had a busy day and felt really good. Drew murals outside with the kids, made lunch, took them to the park, came up with a new chore plan, wrote menus, took Joseph on a date and made cupcakes for him when we got home. He's been asking for cupcakes three times a day for a week straight...he's my little idea man and is so sweet. He'll say, " Mommy, next week can we...." make cupcakes, hamburgers with pickles, go to the motorcycle park, find caterpillars....whatever is on his mind...it's adorable. 

I did all 5 this morning and I'm ready for the day. Has anyone ever had waffles and icing? I'm contemplating making waffles for breakfast and smothering them with icing...we have some leftover from the green cupcakes with green sprinkles that I made for my darling little boy Joseph who thinks everything is better in green. :)  the icing however is white..:) 

I just lost steam right at the end. I sat down and ate some cantelope and then tried to start up again but my pregnant tummy/ligaments felt strained and so I called it a day. 

Today I'm dreaming of what my little boy is going to look like. I feel like all my kids are really beautiful. I think I'm very lucky. I've been teasing Sasha that I can't have any more children with red hair(aka ones that look like him) because I've noticed that they are a little bit more stubborn and difficult. My brown headed babies have been more shy and obedient.  

Made it to all 5 today. I feel like I can handle running around the block, pregnant and by myself if it isn't cold and dark. I'd still love to go on the trail but I don't have the heart to make his running partners run around the block....so I do it. :)

I got all 5. Kind of disappointing today..no really good part of the run with energy and endorphins...felt kind of tired not too bad though. I'm babysitting 5 kids today. They are probably the best behaved children I know so it shouldn't be too bad but I want to get the house cleaned up a little before they come.