It has been so long since I sat down and wrote, I honestly can't even begin to get caught up on everything. We had a spectacular time during Scott's vacation week, though. There was a lot of beach time, and a lot of fun family time.
One rainy afternoon we rented Star Wars and all watched it together, and the boys loved it. Their favorite parts were the scenes with all the battles and explosions. They're such typical little boys. They were also pretty excited about the real popcorn I made - on the stove - with real melted butter. I was pretty excited about that, too - the microwaveable stuff doesn't even come close!
We had Scott's parents over for dinner one night, too, and Scott and I also got out for a dinner alone, which was fabulous. We tried a restaurant that we've been wanting to go to for a while, and were so glad we finally got there - the food was delicious, and the service was fantastic, too. I ate so much rich food that I couldn't even make room for dessert, but the meal was worth it!
Managed to fit in my regular workouts, too, including a 20-mile bike ride, during which I realized that I could not hold out and had to splurge on some maternity bike shorts. 20 miles in unpadded shorts is just not ok. So I shelled out the $60 and ordered a pair the other day, and won't be riding again until they arrive.
It's crazy how expensive they were, but even when I'm too big to bike outside, I can still go to spin class at the gym, and then when I'm done with the shorts, I'll sell them on ebay. Since I'll only use them for 3 or 4 months at the most, they should still be in really good shape, so why not pass them onto someone else who can use them?
I've been very discouraged by how hard to find - and how expensive - all the maternity workout clothes are. There's lots of stuff available for yoga, or just general gym wear, but so little for running or biking. And what is available costs a lot of money, especially considering that I'll be using it for less than a year! I really thought it would be different, given how much more supportive most doctors are now of women exercising while pregnant, and that it's actually recommended that you get regular exercise as long as you have on complications, but I guess the clothing hasn't caught up to those recommendations.
Speaking of supportive doctors, I finally went to the orthopedist yesterday about my ailing hip, which has reduced my running schedule to just one or two runs a week, at the most. His diagnosis is that it's just a hip flexor issue, and not joint-related, which is a big relief. I was very concerned that I had some sort of joint injury, which is much more complicated than a muscle/tendon issue, so I was happy to hear this. With a little bit of PT, I should be able to get back on the road more regularly.
I was also very happy that he didn't seem surprised that I was pregnant and running, nor did he say that since I was pregnant and injured, I should just stop running. I don't know why I thought he might say that, but I was skeptical about what kind of response I would get, and was pleasantly surprised that it was the complete opposite of what I expected!
The boys are doing great. They're loving all the beach time. They seem pretty well able to handle two long beach days in a row, and then we need to take a break and have at least one or two days where we do something else, which is fine with me, because two long beach days in a row takes a lot out of me, too. We have so much fun, though - they put me to work digging holes for them, and then we build sand castles all around the holes, and wait for the tide to come up and fill the holes with water. And of course they love splashing in the water, and spend tons of time doing that.
We were there all day today, and will be there all day again tomorrow, since the real summer weather has arrived - hazy, hot, and humid. No better place to be than the beach! It was foggy down there all day today, which was great, because it kept it nice and cool. And although we have to use the a/c in our bedrooms at night in order to get a decent night's sleep, it cools off enough here at night that the downstairs is pretty comfortable, so we're not suffering too much. And these kinds of nights are perfect for eating dinner outside on the deck, which we all love.
So all in all, we're just thoroughly enjoying the summer, and making the absolute most of our days. I'm not so sure that we'll be able to get in so much beach time next year, as I'll be toting around a 6-month old in addition to the boys, so we're going to be sure to get our fill this year!
I've been feeling pretty great lately, and will be 17 weeks as of Friday. I still can't believe I'm almost halfway through this pregnancy. But since the first trimester was so stressful and anxiety-ridden, it was kind of a blur. I'm happy to finally be enjoying the whole experience now.
I'll go for an ultrasound in a few weeks, and we plan to tell the boys before that, because we want to bring them to the ultrasound with us. It's going to be very interesting to see their reactions! And no, they have not yet noticed or commented on the fact that my stomach has grown rather large. I mean, I'm not huge yet, but my stomach is very obviously a lot bigger than it used to be, yet they remain oblivious. It's really pretty funny, and I just keep waiting for one of them to mention it.
We had their second-to-last youth track meet last night, and it was so much fun, as always. We'll all be sad to see it end next week.
As we walked out to the car afterward, Gabe said very casually "Hey, I have an idea. Why don't we have all our friends over tomorrow night for a cookout?"
He loves when we have people over and entertain - now if only he could do some of the work.....
I would just like to point out that you are a superhero. Running, biking, blogging, entertaining two boys, and gestating. You're making me look bad :^)
Maybe we'll join you at the beach one of these days -- I just need to buy a big umbrella, since I'm a shade worshipper!
Posted by: Kirsten | July 29, 2009 at 10:37 AM