Irondiva Momma

So most of you probably saw the Twitter and Facebook posts and if you know Tom and I all that well, have recovered from your jaws hitting the floor.  

Yep, we're having a baby!  After 7 years of going back and forth with whether or not we wanted to be parents (there was a time when we were pretty adamant that we didn't want to be parents), around July, we decided that things were right for us.  We are in our dream house, live in the 3rd best town to raise a child, have our careers (for the most part) figured out.  We've raced, and traveled and figured out the whole marriage thing and were finally ready to add a little creature into our lives.

As some of you might remember August sucked for us.  Big time.  My grandfather passed away.  My sister's (and kind of my) first dog passed away.  And two days after my grandfather's memorial service, I found out that I was miscarrying.  I didn't talk about it much at all, which is weird.  Women tend to do that.  But I come to find out that miscarrying is SUPER common... like way more common that you think.  I was only about 5 weeks along and the doctor said that I should have no problems getting pregnant again. 

Lo and behold, 4 weeks later I was staring at a positive pregnancy test.  Happy birthday Tom... we're going to be parents. :)

I decided to wait until my first trimester was over to announce it, in fear of miscarrying again.  That's the part that people couldn't explain to me... the constant fear that something is going to go wrong.  Every time I felt a twinge, my heart sank (and you feel a ton of them those first 13 weeks).  I was fearful I wasn't eating the right things.  Or drinking enough water.  Was the one diet coke doing damage?  How about running, biking and swimming?  I was in a world of the unknown.

At 8.5 weeks, we got to have our first ultrasound.  I sobbed.  I had a real live sour patch kid living inside of me.  And it's heart was beating 172 bpm (Tom and I joked that it was in zone 5 all the time).  This was really happening. 

We told my mom and dad (who are besides themselves to be grandparents).  We told my sister and John (who are going to be the world's most amazing aunt and uncle).  We told Tom's mom and dad.  We told my extended family.  And then a select few others.  But I did pretty good of keeping this to myself (that's hard for me.  I'm a babbler.)

Finally, yesterday, we had another ultrasound.  We were given the option for some early screening for birth defects and although we don't care of the results (we'll love this child no matter what), we knew that it involved another ultrasound and a chance for us to see Baby K again. 

Holy crap is that amazing.  As we sat there with this image of a little still baby... with two arms and two legs, a minute pasted and our minds were blown.  Baby K started moving like crazy.  Somersaults, pushups, waving.  The ultrasound tech just giggled as Tom and I gasped with excitement.

Because if it didn't feel real then, it sure did now!  We came home with the goofiest grins on our faces. From the outside no one would know that I'm pregnant.  But if you could see my heart, you'd know that I love this baby more than anything already!!!


We held off telling people until we knew we were in our second trimester.  We held off finishing our Christmas decorations, until we knew things were going well. 

And they are.  YAY!

Okay, so some of the things that people have been asking or you might be wondering...

• I'm due June 4th.  I should hopefully escape the heat of the Georgia summer while I'm the size of a whale.
• Yes, we want to know the sex of the baby.  And yes, we will tell people that.  We won't tell people what we are naming the baby though.  That will be our little secret.
• I'm still running.  Kind of.  I will say that was the hardest part of my first trimester.  I ran a half marathon with Matt when I was about 6.5 weeks.  He knew at the time and we kept it really slow the whole time, finishing at 2:05.  At 8.5 weeks I ran 7 miles of the Atlanta marathon relay.  Other than that, I've maxed out around 5 miles. I don't wear a heart rate monitor when I'm running and truly go by feel.  If I can talk, I'm doing okay.  It's slow and fairly ugly. There are many days when it feels like a 300 pound man is sitting on my chest while I run. I'm hoping that the second trimester gets better.
• Instead of running, I've been doing a lot of walking.  Charlie loves it.  I'm bringing biking back.  And swimming.  Soon.
• First trimester fatigue is no joke.  I literally slept 12 hours a night and could nap at any time.  I never understood this until I was pregnant.  I mean, really, how bad could it be, right?  Holy hell, it's bad.  If I make it past 9pm, it's a good night and thankfully I work from home so I get up when I want.  Poor Tom only gets about 12 hours a day with me now. :)
• I didn't get sick.  I had about 2 weeks where dinner was less than appealing, but I never puked.  I know that I'm super lucky.  As someone who recently miscarried though, this was kind of a curse, as I feared something was wrong because I wasn't sick.
• Chicken is not appealing.  Meat in general isn't.  Veggies don't sit well with me.  I'm not doing very good with the healthy stuff.  But I'm trying.  
• I've gained maybe 2 pounds and I will swear up and down I know exactly where those two pounds have gone.  I've already had to buy new bras.  Enough said.
• Pregnant people are coming out of the woodwork when they hear that we are expecting.  I love it.  I think we have 10 couples now that are due between April and July, and then one due this week (yay Smith's!!!) and one due around Christmas.  Seems all but one couple is in the same boat as us... married a while and just waiting for the right time, between racing, traveling, etc. and now having their first.  It'll be fun to get all the kiddos together in the future!
• I'm deathly afraid that my child will hate me.  That's totally normal though, right? :)

 

My Thankful 20

A lot of people have been putting their "30 days of Thanks" on Facebook.  I like it.  I'm just not on FB every day to do it (okay, maybe I am, but I didn't jump on the bandwagon).  So I've decided in honor of November 20th and one of my favorite holidays, I would do a 20 Things I'm Thankful For post.  Here ya go.

1. I'm thankful for my amazing husband.  As a girl I dreamed of marrying a man only half as good as he was.  In my eyes, that would be the perfect man.  He has and always will amaze me with the amount of love that he has to offer, his drive, his optimisticness (totally a word), his compassion, his belief in me and just the man he is.  I love him.
2. I'm thankful for my parents.  I wasn't always easy for them (ahem... sorry about the years between ages 13 and 20).  But... they never lost hope in the woman that I would become.  They never turned their backs on me.  They never stopped pushing me, stopped encouraging me, or stopped loving me.  And they let me make mistakes, many of which would shape my life for the better.  But most of all, they have given me so many things that I will never be able to repay them for.
3. I'm thankful for my sister.  Not many people are super close with their sisters.  Not many people can call their sister a friend.  We've had our ups and downs.  I'm incredibly proud of her and the woman she is, and I can't imagine my life without her.
4. I'm thankful for my brother-in-law, John.  He makes my sister happy.  That's all I want for her.  Plus he's a goofball and every family needs that! :)
5. I'm thankful for my Charlie girl.  Yes, she's a dog.  But, she's an amazing dog.  Always happy, always full of life.  Doesn't ask anything of us except for unconditional love and maybe a daily walk and some treats.  She brightens every day.
6. I'm thankful for the time I had with Buddy.  He changed my life in so many ways.  And he helped make our family complete.  My heart is filled with memories that include him and that's a cool thing.
7. I'm very thankful for my extended family.  I have an incredible group of aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins and a very special grandma.
8. I'm thankful for friends that have become family to me.  There are a handful of friends that I truly count as family.  I've learned that you can't always choose your blood family and that just because they are blood related, doesn't mean that they will support you, be proud of you or even love you.  But there are those special people who started out as friends and have made a place in my heart that many family members don't even hold!
9. I'm thankful for my friends - in real life and my creepy Internet friends. :)  You have all been such a support system to me through thick and thin.  You make me a better me.  You inspire me, you make me laugh, you love me and you support me.  That's a really amazing feeling.
10. I'm thankful for the house that I live in which keeps me warm and keeps my family safe.  It's my dream home.
11. I'm thankful for a business that my husband and I grew from the ground up.  It's taught me a lot, challenged me even more, but given me the flexibility to do what I love... from home... in my pj's.
12. I'm thankful for my husband's job.  It's something that he loves to do and I know that he feels fulfilled when he lays his head down at the end of the day.  Plus, it introduced us to the South.  And I love the south now. :)
13. I'm thankful for my health.  In a world where I feel like your life is too short, I've been very blessed with good health.
14. I'm thankful for Tom's diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes.  Does this seem weird to you?  I've written about how it has changed his life for the better and I think that it made our marriage so much stronger.  I've said it before and I'll say it again... Diabetes doesn't stop him, diabetes fuels him.
15. I'm thankful for the opportunity to have been part of REV3.  Although my path is changing is 2013 a little, they are an amazing organization, with top notch races and I have met some of my best friends from being part of the team.  
16. I'm thankful for the ability to swim, bike, run, hike, walk, and play each and every day.  I might not always feel like it's fun, but the fact that I CAN do these things, is a blessing.
17. I'm thankful that I live in a world where I have freedoms - as an individual, as a woman, etc.  And I thank the people who fight for MY freedom every day.
18. I'm thankful for life's little indulgences - be it a warm bath, a diet coke, Reece cups, Cheetos, sunshine, flip flops, sandy beaches, or whatever it might be for that day.  It's the little things that make me happy.
19. I'm thankful for the future - it's an exciting time in our lives and I'm thankful that I have so much to look forward to.
20. I'm thankful that I'm living my life to the fullest.  I'm thankful that I love my life.  I'm thankful that I'm happy.

What are you thankful for this year???

Friday thoughts

• First and foremost, I want to thank all of you for your kind words about Buddy.  It's been nearly a week and a half and it is getting easier, although I still have cried at least once a day because of something that reminds me of him.  
• Tom and I keep saying that we are getting used to our "new normal".  Long walks with Charlie, eating a calm meal, less barking when a truck/squirrel/leaf goes by our house.  It's not better, it's not worse, it's just the new normal.
• I got to cheer on some friends racing last weekend... always fun!  And let me tell you - I have some amazingly kick ass friends.  Holy smokes are they fast.  And powerful.  And mentally strong.  Each one of them did amazing and it was such a pleasure to stand at the 5,8,18 and 21 mile mark of the run yelling and screaming for them!  You girls all did amazing - congrats!

•  So now we're getting ready to head to Tempe for IMAZ.  Tom and 6 of his teammates are racing.  I'm excited because I've never been to Tempe, and it'll be great knowing people out there on the course throughout the day.  Plus I get to meet Jason and Emz which pretty much makes my weekend complete!
• Can you believe the holidays are coming so fast.  I need to buy my turkey next week (because, as you know, the Kingery's do it right with like a 13 pounds turkey for the two (well three including Charlie) of us. :)  And I'm already so excited to decorate the house for Christmas.  We're pretty much starting from scratch this year with the new house which is fun and overwhelming.
• Speaking of Christmas decorations, for those of you that do a tree - real or "permanent"?  We have always had an artificial tree and left it when we moved, thinking we'd get one down here.  They are no hassle, I can keep it up as long as I want, etc.  But dang... they have gotten REALLY expensive (or maybe my taste has improved).  We are considering a real one, but oh the hassle.

Finally, I wanted to leave you with a review of a product that I'm loving.  I try not to tout products that I'm not in love with, but I'll give anything a fair shot.  A few weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to try out a pair of Saucony Triumph 10's. I've never run in Saucony shoes before, but I know a ton of friends that have and swear by them.  I'm always on the lookout for a neutral cushioned trainer so I jumped at the chance to try these shoes out before they launched.  I had all intentions of getting a review up before their launch date (November, 1st), but with shoes, I want to really get a feel for them... put some good miles in them and see how I like them.

My package came in the mail about 3 weeks ago and they looked amazing from the start (I'm a sucker for shoes that look good...)  I put them on and they were really comfortable right out of the box.  Usually I don't need to "break in a shoe" and these were no different.  I wore them the night I got them on a 5 mile run and they were amazingly comfortable.  Lots of cushion, not a lot of weight. No blisters.  No rubbing.

Since then I've run probably 20 miles a week in them.  I've taken long walks in them.  I've worn them on the beach, in my house, on the trails, to the store.  I love them.

The description on their website is perfect - "Form and function strike a perfect balance in the new Triumph 10. Breathable open mesh and supportive underlays provide a clean, modern look while securing the foot to the platform. The redesigned crashpad features three fully-decoupled, independently responsive pods for a smooth landing and efficient transition. Deeper flex grooves in the forefoot add flexibility and PowerGrid™ midsole technology provides a plush ride for the runner seeking a cushioned feel. Weight: 9.2oz."

AKA... little pillows for my feet.

I'm sold.  

The only thing that I am changing about them (and I do this with all of my shoes) is I'm adding quick laces.  This isn't anything against Saucony or the Triumph itself.  It's just a personal preference as a triathlete to be able to just slip on my shoes. 

Thank you Saucony and FitFluential for the chance to review these for you.  I was given these shoes at no cost to me and the opinions stated here on my blog are solely my own.