Friday, November 22, 2013

Thursdays with the FNRC

Run-ning? What's that? Oh yeah, the reason why I created this blog in the first place! So, let's talk about running for a change. I got the chance to run with the FNRC last night. Looking at the calendar, I hadn't had the chance to run in almost 2 weeks. Oops! I guess that's what happens when you're busy working part time while being a mom. (I don't know how I'll do it when I'm back at work full time. I guess I'll have to figure it out!)
Bathroom Selfie (the only area with a light)
Amanda and her boyfriend Derek slowed it down and hung back at my pace during the run. I have been feeling that my pace is about 11:00-11:30 these days. I don't really like to focus too much on pace on my Garmin at this point, but I thought it was funny that my average pace for the run was 11:09... Right on target with how I was feeling. Little by little, I'm getting back into shape. I'm enjoying the journey along the way! I'm trying to get back into the habit of taking photos of myself (instead of just the baby). I finally got the chance to test out my Oiselle Flyte top on a run. (I bought it while I was pregnant and I've been looking forward to wearing it!)


And just for good measure, here is an adorable Patsy photo of her in her pjs... complete with bunny slippers.

said before that I thought I was having a boy, but Patricia has totally rocked my world! I absolutely love picking out her outfits pajamas included) every day.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Saturday Strength With Kim

A little while ago, Kim had sent out an email to her blogger friends about a weekend workout class she would be hosting. The date of the class happened to coincide with my clearance to work out, so I was in and excited about it. I haven't attended a strength class in a long time and this was the perfect opportunity. I made the over an hour trek to Essential Fitness with plenty of time to spare. Bobbi had so graciously agree to watch baby Patsy while I worked out. As Bobbi is a fellow mom, it total put me at ease leaving Patsy with her. :)

Pre-class photo... Complete with Bobbi and baby
L to R: Bobbi, me, Erin, Rachel, Maggie, Alyssa, Anne, Melanie and Amy
Class got started and the playlist continuously made us smile. It kind of reminded me of a sleepover from when I was younger. Kim was a great teacher and had some slight modifications for my weak arms and it was quite helpful. Erin had brought up an interesting point before class started. We were talking about how many women have a mindset that they can't lift a certain amount of weight. I used to be in this mindset so I totally get it. I actually thought about this during the class. The smallest bar weight that everyone had been given was 12 pounds. Kim had given me a 6 and 9 pound weight, depending on what I could do. For one of the exercises, I was going to use the 6 pound weight... But then I thought "Patsy weighs 9 pounds and I lift her all the time" so I went with the 9 pound weight instead of the 6.

In between instructing us, Kim was able to take some sweet action shots of our workouts. Don't mind me working my butt off in the corner!

My arms and abs were so sore for the next day, which I guess means it was a pretty good workout! Special thanks to Kim for hosting the class for her pals that live far away from Essential Fitness. Thanks to Bobbi for watching Patsy while I worked out! I had an absolute blast.


Wednesday, November 13, 2013

A New Running Routine

Thanks so much for all your kind words and support on my post from last week. It really is great to open myself up and be honest with all of you, and to hear all your kind words of encouragement and support!

It really is quite crazy how quickly the time goes by. Pregnancy and raising an infant is kind of a weird time vortex. Things seem to go extremely slowly yet very fast all at the same time. It really is hard to explain. I've been trying to run 3 days a week but it seems like 1 or 2 days a week seems to be much more normal. I'd like to get back to my 3x per week runs, but that will take some time. Patsy isn't really on a routine just yet and I'm doing some part time work for my job while out on maternity leave (this will allow me to take more leave time off).

I've been able to meet up with the folks on my Thursday night group a few times. The group is so amazing and I love that there are some people willing to hang out and go my speed. Definitely a "pay it forward" type of thing; no runner left behind! It is starting to get a little too cold to bring Patsy out on runs in the BOB so I've been out with Pepper. I'm hoping to make this a part of my weekly routine. I had to wipe the dust off my head lamp and find my reflective stuff all over again!

While some of my friends were running the Naperville Marathon on Sunday, I was going for a leisurely jog around my neighborhood. My SIL came by to watch Patsy and I went out for another run with Pepper!
The temps were beautiful! I had a lot of fun out there in some nice weather. I also loved wearing all my running gear again. I have lots of stuff that I still need to take the tags off of. Oops! I think I have a bit of a shopping problem. I only went for a mile but it was a fun mile!
This is what a mother runner looks like. I wanted to post this photo also as a follow-up to my post from last week. Looking at this photo, all I can see is my little pouch. I totally get why many moms hide behind flowy tops and capri pants. I'm working on getting my confidence back and posting this photo is taking me down the right road. :)

And because she is smiling all the time, I just had to post my new favorite photo of my little angel, Miss Patsy Rose. She was kicking up a storm (the hubs calls it "riding a bicycle") and smiling like a big ham for the camera. I just had to share this photo with all of you. I hope it makes you smile just like it makes me smile all the time.

Monday, November 4, 2013

My Thoughts on Food and the Post-Baby Bump

I have previously spoken a few times about my experiences and issues with food (here and here). I talked about how I dealt with these thoughts and ideas during the beginning and end of my pregnancy. Now that our little nugget is here and I have one of those "post-baby bodies", I thought I would give an update about how I'm feeling and coping with some of these new thoughts, feelings, and body images.

During most of my pregnancy, I felt pretty confident in my body. I was gaining weight, just like I was supposed to. Many people told me "you're just all baby!" Well, after the baby came out, turns out that your stomach doesn't look the same as it did before a baby was in there. These are things people (and books) tell you, but I thought things would be different for me. I was physically fit before the pregnancy. I ran for more than half of the pregnancy! I thought I was going to bounce back and be in my pre-pregnancy jeans in no time.

Turns out my expectations did not quite line up with reality. I have a little pouch and not many of my pre-pregnancy shirts fit and none of my non-maternity jeans fit. I had a baby 7+ weeks ago and I'm still wearing maternity clothes. As it turns out, this is completely normal. Some/many women wear maternity clothes for months after having a baby. Hearing about this and experiencing it are two different things. At first, I was a bit upset about my post-baby body. But then, I look down at my little nugget (in my opinion, she happens to be extra adorable) and it makes me smile. The little pouch was worth it. I'm not so down on my weight or waistline. It is only a few pounds. Right now making sure I get enough calories so I can keep breastfeeding little Patsy is most important. (Dropping my caloric intake can affect my milk supply. Life is all about priorities.)

In the end, I'm still not in love with how I look, but I'm in love with my little baby who was so worth it. I know I'll have confidence in my body again some day, I just need to give myself some time. I know I'll get there eventually.

And because this post needs some photos of my adorable little nugget... Here are some photos from her first Halloween! In case you were wondering, Patsy was Princess Leia and Pepper was Chewbacca. :)