Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Zachary's Birth Story

A lot of people have been asking me why Zachary came so early.  Sometimes babies are just ready to come out.  Or maybe my body didn't want to be pregnant anymore.  My blood pressure was slowly on the rise month by month, but it wasn't considered "high" yet.  Maybe I lifted something heavy the night before.  I don't know the answer.  What I do know is that in the grand scheme of things, I was extremely fortunate over the last nine months.  I'm pretty slow when it comes to endurance events.  But apparently, my body is extremely efficient when it comes to getting pregnant, being pregnant, and delivering a baby.

Nick's paternal grandma passed away the week before Zachary was born.  Nick flew up to Vancouver to attend the services.  I stayed back for obvious reasons.  I asked him what would happen if I did go into labor while he was away.  Throughout the pregnancy, neither one of us rarely talked to my belly. But he did lean over and say to it, "You stay in there until I get back, ok?"

Fast forward to September 26, I stood up from my desk around 9:30pm to go to the bathroom and then drive to the airport to pick up Nick from SFO.  Upon standing, there was a noticeable gush.  Once I realized I hadn't actually peed my pants, I called Labor & Delivery and told them what happened.  I wasn't in any pain and had no contractions. The nurse recommended I lie down for 20 minutes, make sure the baby was still moving, and if there was any trickling when I stood up again, then it was most likely it was the "bag of waters."  Assuming that was the case (which it was), then I needed to get my husband to drive me to the hospital.  The small glitch in that plan was that Nick was still flying back from Vancouver.

I called my mom.  Then I called Rob and Eileen, college friends of Nick, who recently had a similar experience (water breaking/early baby) to get confirmation that what was happening to me was similar to what had happened to her.  Robbie offered to go pick up Nick. At first I thought it was burdensome.  But then I rationalized that it would be good for Nick to be in the car with Rob rather than in a taxi so that Rob could prepare him for what would happen next. 

Although I still wasn't having any contractions, I knew that labor was inevitable so I threw in a load of newborn clothes.  I was obsessing that I didn't have any washed clothes to bring the baby home in.  I finished packing our bags.  Nick arrived around 11:30pm and we finished up a few things around the house and headed to the hospital.  I had eaten very little for dinner that night and was starving.  Knowing that it could possibly be 24 hours before I ate again, we stopped where everyone else seems to go before having a baby -- In-N-Out -- so I would have some sustenance for the next umpteen hours or so.  

I checked in to triage at 1:30am.  They confirmed it was the "bag of waters" (such a silly name), and the doctor said I needed to be induced (something I did not want so I had to throw that part of the birth plan out the window).  

Emotionally I was mourning the loss of the four weeks that I was about to take off from work.  State of California gives you disability four weeks prior to your due date.  The following day was going to be my last day of work.  I knew the baby was coming and all of the things I had planned for those next four weeks was no longer going to happen (sadly, you cannot add those four weeks on to your leave postpartum).  In addition, Nick's birthday, our first anniversary, and our BabyQ party was planned for that Saturday.  We were going to have to cancel the party.  And, I had just purchased enough food to feed 35 people!  I was shooting myself in the foot for actually being proactive.  Forget the thoughts that a baby was coming.  I was upset about losing disability leave and having 20lbs of meat in my fridge!

The Pitocin started at 3am.  The birthing class we took never mentioned that if you are on Pitocin, then you have to be on a fetal monitor.  I asked for the wireless monitor and it happened to be broken.  So now I was hooked to a machine and no matter which way I turned, the monitor would lose the heartbeat and then the nurse would come back in to re-adjust.  I was annoyed not only with having to constantly adjust the monitor, but also the noise it makes.  In my elevated mental state the sound was equivalent to nails on a chalkboard. I was also on an IV for penicillin (because I hadn't made it to 36 weeks yet), Pitocin, and sugar water.  The nurse couldn't find a vein in my arm, so she went through my hand.  Not only did it sting, but it prevented me from being able to do any hands and knee positions and I had to resort to elbows.  Although it shouldn't be a surprise, what I learned about this experience is that being in labor made me extremely irritable.  Despite those things, I did pretty well for the first few hours and was very appreciative that Nick was there lockstep with me for every single contraction helping me through it. 

The nurse kept asking if I wanted an epidural and I said no because I wanted to walk around.  She told me the only place I could walk was the little 2x4 space near the machine because I had to stay hooked up to the fetal monitor.  At that point (7:30am), I asked for an epidural.  If they were going to confine me to the bed, then there was no point to try to "work through" the contractions with position changes and breathing exercises.  She checked me and said I was only 1/4cm dilated and said I could not get an epidural until 4cm.  She offered me fentanyl, to "take the edge off", but that it would only last an hour. The fentanyl was great.  It makes you feel drunk and I think I managed to sleep for 2-3 minutes at a time in between contractions. 

My mom called at that point.  Mark was on a 6am flight back from Phoenix and she was going to pick him up at 8 from San Jose and drive up to Walnut Creek.  I told Nick to tell her not to come until around noon.  If I was only 1/4cm, then it was going to be a very very long day and I didn't want them sitting around. 

At 8:30am the drug had worn off and I was in increasing pain.  A new shift of nurses came on.  At one point, my vocalization must have changed significantly.  She looked at me and asked, "Jessica, where does it hurt?"  I told her the pressure was in my rectum.  She immediately checked me and said, "You're at 9cm.  You're going to have a baby in a few minutes."  Total shock and awe.  How did I go from 1/4cm to 9cm in only an hour?  This meant I was not going to have an epidural after all.  I told Nick to call my mom to get up to Walnut Creek immediately.  Everything started changing in the room.  More people came in.  The bed shifted.  All the baby stuff came out.  The midwife arrived.  I did not want to deliver on my back, but once again, that fetal monitor was a hindrance and they informed me it was the only way I could deliver while hooked on a fetal monitor.  Around 9am, the pushing began and all of it was a blur. 

The pushing part was overwhelming for my mind to process.  There were too many things to remember at once.  For each push, I would forget at least one of the things I was supposed to be doing.  At one point, the nurse grabbed my face and said, "Listen to me" and then told me what to do.  At another point, I remember an oxygen mask being put on me for a minute because I wasn't breathing correctly. The weirdest thing of all was pushing without making any noise.  At first I thought she was going Katie Holmes on me (the silent birth). But she told me she needed all of my energy to go to the baby and that if I made noise, then I was wasting energy out of my mouth.  Smart lady....

At 9:24am on September 27, little Zachary was born.  I'm not going to say it didn't hurt. But it was not as bad as I expected it would be.  Of course, with him being pre-term, he weighed only 5lbs 5oz so there's no doubt his small size made things easier than a full-term baby. 
I envy the woman who has a photogenic picture within a few minutes of delivery...
After delivering, I was shaking uncontrollably and I asked the nurse why I was shaking so much.  She said, "Because you just did a marathon in record time."  The irony is that it took me longer to complete a marathon than it did to labor and deliver.  








Thursday, August 22, 2013

Thankful Thursdays

Fri - Family Giving Tree

Sat - A beautiful wedding in Woodside.  

Sun - Kitchen starting to look like a kitchen!

Mon - Sold our table and chairs on Craig's List.  And he even paid full price.  Score!

Tues - Makeup - Natalie's sister always teaches me and introduces me to something new

Wed - Celebrating my Uncle Rick's birthday in SLC with family and friends.  And Natalie for being my personal taxi and driving me all over town to run errands. 

Thur - The St. Regis Deer Valley - a ride up the funicular to the top, champagne sabering at sunset (where they slice the top with a knife), and a delicious meal with coworkers and partners. 

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Thankful Thursdays

Each week I update this blog a few times with what I'm thankful for.  And each week, I forget to actually publish it on a Thursday!  Go figure....


Fri - Fridays...it was a tough week and so happy it's over. 

Sat - Lake del Valle with friends and family

Sun - Craigs List - I think I've been thankful for CL before for selling my things on it.  This time I'm thankful because I found the crib I wanted on there.  I'm sorry, but I'm not spending more money on a baby's furniture than I did on my own bedroom furniture. 

Mon - Hilton Garden Inn - finally got a good enough rate to stay at a hotel near the office (thanks to using another company's corporate rate....ssshhhh).  I always found it ironic that I could stay at any hotel I wanted in Los Angeles -- from 3 star to 5 star for $125 a night.  Yet in Minneapolis, all the hotels start at $159.  

Tues - Gel nail polish - totally worth the extra $10 to not have to wait for them to dry

Wed - Otis Spunkmeyer - damn he makes a good cookie.  It's a good thing Nick and I weren't dating when he used to work there.   

Thur - CLEAR membership - Hertz lost my driver's license.  It's a long story.  Even though they don't have the CLEAR program at MSP, they somehow were able to look me up, validate my identity, and let me go through Security without all the extra pat downs. I am grateful because I would have missed my flight otherwise.  

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Thankful Thursdays

Fri - The hole in the kitchen wall -- so much fun to use this "entrance" before it gets patched up in a few days. 

Sat - Kaiser classes -- today's was on breastfeeding.  I can't decide if it's genius or impersonal to get all your information through various classes rather than from the doctor.  I suppose if I was a doctor, I would not want to be repeating the same stuff to my patients all of the time, day in and day out. 

Sun - Celebration of life - A family friend will be passing on soon.  We used to go camping every summer with them where we would dive for abalone and then cook it all up (my job was to pound the crap out of it because abalone is very tough).  Anyway, he wanted to have a big party and see everyone while he was still alive.  How can you say no to that?

Mon - Breakfast at home -- the eating out thing is getting old with the lack of kitchen.  But at least breakfast is super easy. 

Tues - Pulled an 18 hour work day and was actually ok with it. Not that I like working that much.  But just the fact that it was an extremely productive workday with many accomplishments. 

Wed - Only 10lbs gained so far -- I was avoiding the scale at home because I feel and look as if I've gained 30 lbs. So it was a happy surprise at the doctor's office. I'm hoping it's not because I have lost a ton of muscle, although I'm sure I have. I'm supposed to gain 11 more lbs between now and the due date, so I'm right on track. 

Thur - Another class -- this one was learning all the things that no one likes to talk about -- like that you may not poop for 3-5 days after giving birth, what a sitz bath is, or that you will need to wear diapers for awhile.  The winner was that you only need to call your doctor if you happen to pass a blood clot larger than a lemon (but I guess you don't if it's the size of a lime?).  Seriously?!?!

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Thankful Thursdays

Fri - Signed the papers on our house!  Buying a house you already live in so very anti-climactic. 

Sat - Napa with college friends - I can't partake in the wine, but food and company are still really good!

Sun - Finally watched The Queen.  I have this weird affinity toward Princess Diana and can't believe it took me so long to finally watch this movie. 

Mon - Trader Joe's dark caramels

Tues - Barnes & Noble - While I do most of my book buying on Amazon or just straight through a Kindle these days, it's still nice to visit a bookstore sometimes and I really do hope they can remain in business. 

Wed - Demolition of our kitchen - A demolished kitchen isn't really anything to be thankful for, but I am thankful for the opportunity to be able to get rid of it and to design a new one!

Thur - 1st day of August!  Birthday month begins! :)

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Thankful Thursdays

Fri - Body pillow to support baby - I didn't bring my pillow to Tahoe and slept miserably, but Costco has fancy ones they are selling for $12.99 right now.  Score! 

Sat - Cooling off in Lake Tahoe - Nick ran 34 miles in 95 degree weather.  I was so hot and I was just sitting on a bleacher under a tent.  But after he was done, we went to Zephyr Cove to cool off in the water and sit on the beach.  I also got to build a hole in the sand so I could lie on my stomach.  It was glorious!

Sun - Fresh vegetables from the farm

Mon - Natalie was here to help me start packing up the kitchen.  Remodel begins July 30!

Tues - Colosimo's sausage (courtesy of Miss Natalie)

Wed - Awesome results on SanDisk project - I was hired for a really short term project to improve the amount of time they were spending in the system and it's an 80% reduction in work for them now!

Thur - Zucchini - I really should just start growing my own. 

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Thankful Thursdays

Fri - Summer rolls - I really enjoy making these for summer parties, but I don't know how you can possibly make them in only 70 minutes.  I swear it takes 70 minutes just to prep and then 2 hours to roll the dang things!  Maybe it's because I usually triple the recipe, so it takes 3 times as long...
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/shrimp-summer-rolls-recipe/index.html

Sat - Had to take the 3 hour glucose test and passed well under the range.  *sigh*

Sun - No traffic driving in to the City and found parking immediately, which happened to be right in front of the restaurant!

Mon - Started some consulting work for Intel again.  Thankful that I still have relationships with so many people there and can help them improve their processes.

Tues - Yoga.  It was actually quite humbling considering my uterus is the size of a soccer ball and I'm extremely limited in what I can do. But I'm inspired to go to pre-natal yoga now so I can learn how to properly modify the positions. 

Wed - a local client.  The traffic is AWFUL.  But at least I am not on a plane. 

Thur - Being 4 hours away from Tahoe.  One of the most beautiful places in the US!

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Thankful Thursdays

Fri - Floating holidays

Sat - Quality paint - Accidentally bought a $70 can of paint instead of a $40 can of paint.  Best mistake ever made.

Sun - Fiber Gummies - been getting really bad heartburn from oatmeal and whole grains.  Found these and they work great. 

Mon - Tylenol

Tues - SF Creamery - I'm going to say it's the best ice cream I've ever had (so far)

Wed - Crockpots

Thur - Online banking

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Thankful Thursdays

Fri - Woke up in beautiful Sunriver, OR.  Great place.  Highly recommend a visit!

Sat - Pacific Crest Festival - what a great event!  There are 2 bike tours, a 5K, 10k, kids run, marathon, half marathon, Olympic distance tri, half distance tri, and a duathlon all on the same weekend.  I was originally supposed to be racing the Olympic tri as my race for this year, but since I can't ride a bike for another 6 months or so, I had to drop.

Sun - I can still walk 3 miles!  Signed up for the Pacific Crest 5K with my sis, who drove down from Portland.  It was not hard, but I had a hard time keeping up with this other very pregnant lady I saw.  I think she was a runner.  I walked as fast as I could the entire time and it still took me 18 minutes to walk each mile.  I'm blaming the elevation!  I tried to run a little, but it was so much pressure on my bladder I thought I would pee my pants.  Coincidentally a camera crew caught me one of the few times I was jogging.
http://www.ktvz.com/news/sunriver-races-draws-elite-athletes-tiny-tots/-/413192/20780756/-/aa7244z/-/index.html

The funny thing was that when I crossed the finish line I got a giant medal.  For a 5K!  I'm not a bling junkie like a lot of half marathoners and triathletes are.  But I laughed when I realized Nick and I would have the same medal and tech tee at the end of the day.  He was racing his butt off  in 95 degree whether while I went for a walk.  Oh the irony...

Mon - Floating down the Deschutes River

Tues - Arm coolers

Wed - Staycations aren't so bad

Thur - America's Independence

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Thankful Thursdays

Fri - Bay Cities Deli - Nick's mom drove up from LA and asked if I wanted anything from the area.  I love the meatballs from this shop in Santa Monica so she picked some up for us.

Sat - The ripple effect - some good friends of Nick got married and it was a beautiful  and they kept telling us how our wedding was inspiration for theirs.  It's possible they were a little bit drunk.  But a great compliment nonetheless!

Sun - Har gow

Mon - working at the bicycle company again.  It felt great to be back in such a welcome and warm environment compared to the 4 months in Connecticut.

Tues - Jimmy John's -- freaky fast -- freaky good!

Wed - "Getting Things Done"

Thur - snow cones

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Thankful Thursdays

So many things to be grateful for this past week, but mainly it was my last week working in Connecticut!

Fri - Finally starting the process for a kitchen remodel.  Paperwork is signed!  Now we just need to pick everything out and finalize the design.  I am also grateful for my mom.  It's convenient to have an architect in the family when you are trying to figure this stuff out.  

Sat - a Breakfast at Tiffany's themed bridal shower.  Thankfully, I had a very forgiving black dress that I can still fit into and found some pearls from an old costume party to wear.  

Sun - Air traffic control - have you ever pondered the pure complexity and logistics that goes behind managing air traffic?  It's quite mind boggling to learn how much goes on that we don't even think/know about (especially the documentary on air traffic the morning of 9/11)

Mon - Haribo - the original gummi bears!

Tues - red meat - I enjoy a good steak once every few months and am a fan of In-N-Out.  But over the past month or so, I've been desiring red meat a lot more often.  The best part is that lots of happy kicking goes on during any lunch or dinner consisting of steak. 

Wed - I finally passed Level 147 in Candy Crush.  I swear I have played this level 5 times before bed every night for 3 weeks.  This movie trailer about Candy Crush is hilarious.



Thur - Hopefully, the last trafficky 70 mile drive to JFK and 6 hour flight home in a very long time!  Finally heading back to my happy work environment in Minnesota. 

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Thankful Thursdays

Fri - A very healthy alien growing in there!  It has all critical organs and likes to move a lot.  Wondering if this is any indication of what's to come. 

Sat - A day with no plans.  Those are rare occurrences and I enjoyed every minute of it.  Painted the master bath, cleaned, watched some shows and a movie, etc. 

Sun - As much as I'm tired of flying, at least I am still enjoying the Jet Blue experience.  Business travelers are generally loyal to an airline and get stubborn about switching.  I will probably never get enough TrueBlue points to redeem anything.  But with more room in coach than the others, satellite TV, unlimited snacks, and the Dasani water bottles, it's worth it to miss out on 5000 miles a week with Star Alliance (where I get treated like crap, shoved in the back row, middle seat, and don't even get a bag of pretzels).  With all the mergers of the airlines, even if you have status, if it's not Premium status, you're still screwed because there are just too many people in the program now. 

Mon - Massages

Tues - Catching up via phone with great friends

Wed - Ice cream - there is this little farm across the street from the hotel called Wells Hollow Creamery.  The ice cream is delicious and for a quarter you can also buy food to feed the goats!

Thur - Made it home despite all the terrible weather back east.  Delayed a few hours, but at least I got to sleep in my own bed.  

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Thankful Thursdays

Fri - Installed a new dishwasher. Of course, we ran into multiple issues along the way, and it wasn't a "piece of cake" like Sears said it would be.  But it was still worth doing ourselves instead of paying $120 for someone else to do it. 

Sat - Redwood Regional Park - the team had a run here this morning so I went and walked through the redwoods.  I had no idea we had redwoods in the East Bay.  I thought they were only in South, Peninsula, and North Bay!

Sun - Arriving safely in Connecticut after a 3 hour delay, an hour at Hertz due to a SNAFU, and a 120 mile drive in a thunderstorm.  It was not fun or safe and am thankful.

Mon - I was part of a workshop all day in back in the Leadership Center at work.  This means gourmet lunch.  Today's menu included shrimp, scallops, and grilled lamp chops.  

Tue - A nectarine, blueberry, and arugula salad.

Wed - Orange juice.  I eat and drink an awful lot of citrus since I've been pregnant. 

Thur - NCIS.  I was never really"in" to this show, but it's always on the USA network these days.  Since I've been flying JetBlue to JFK, I basically just set the channel to USA and can read or work while watching all these back episodes.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Thankful Thursdays

Fri - Cushion.  Because of the fall I took on Wed, the doctor wanted to do a quick ultrasound and ensure no issues.  For once, i can be happy I have plenty of cushion.  Because everything was a-ok.

Sat - spin class.  I felt good when it was done, but I don't think the alien liked all the noise as there was a ton of weirdness I was feeling down there. 

Sun - picnics.  Oh how I love picnics.

Mon - shopping for new appliances.  Reminiscent of this:



Tues - 4 day work weeks!

Wed - a couch that we can finally all fit on (because the cat seems to be the boss of it)

Thur - Craigs List.  I finally put a bunch of wedding stuff up for sale and there's a lot of interest.  It's a beautiful thing.  

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Thankful Thursdays

Fri - Pork buns

Sat - Enjoying all the sights and sounds of Manhattan

Sun - Macaroni and cheese

Mon - The Voice.  I might have already written about this before, but I just LOVE this show.  And, Blake Shelton! I especially love that I can watch 6 hours worth of episodes in about 90 minutes. 

Tues - my stepsister.  We didn't talk for many years simply because we just had very different lives.  But a few years ago she moved to Phoenix, so I talk to her pretty often now and get to see her a couple times a year.

Wed - On-site medical staff.  I had a fall at work and landed straight on my belly.  Thankfully, EMT and the fire department are on site.  As much as I was ok and embarrassed by all the attention, I was grateful to be taken to medical.  They couldn't do an actual exam on my belly, but they did take my vitals and asked me various questions to reaffirm, the baby was most likely not harmed.

Thur - Never once getting frustrated despite some terrible travel conditions.  This included: torrential downpour and I was soaked all the way through to my undergarments, a bathroom change to dry clothes, shut down runways, serious delays, a small airport that only had a convenience store for food (no restaurants at all), sharing the gate with hundreds of other people and having to hang out with TSA because there was no room to be anywhere, a 58 minute wait for a callback from the airline, a 46 minute call with the airline to find a new flight, another torrential downpour getting on to the plane (no jetway), freezing on an airplane with 40 other soaked people, landing in Detroit after 10pm and the restaurants are shut down, trying to find a hotel, but with all the other stranded travelers having to go pretty far out for the night, making a makeshift clothesline in my room next to a fan to dry two sets of wet clothes, and getting a flight first thing the following morning.  Seeing sunshine and a plane sitting at the gate that morning was a beautiful sight because it meant I was getting home!  

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Thankful Thursdays

Fri - Eye glasses - they sure make computer work less taxing.  

Sat - Birthday celebrations

Sun - Spending time with momma

Mon - Maternity pants - they make a 6 hour flight much more pleasant

Tue - Welcome to Sapphire!  It's probably my 5th or 6th time attending this conference over the years. And every year I am just as amazed as the year before at how they manage to organize 20,000 people so effectively and efficiently. 

Wed - Asparagus Fries!  downright delicious

Thur -  Got to see Bonnie Raitt, Martina McBride, and Alan Jackson in concert tonight!  Every year Sapphire hosts a concert for the attendees.  Last year I had no interest in Van Halen so I flew home. But there was no way I was leaving early this year!  They were all great, but I absolutely loved seeing Alan Jackson perform!

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Thankful Thursdays

Fri - Ultrasounds 

Sat - Impromptu dinner plans and Thai food

Sun - Friends that reaffirm I shouldn't have to justify putting myself before work.

Mon - Getting things done!

Tues - Credit unions - it's always such a positive banking experience

Wed - Hubby is back in the US after almost a month!

Thur - The excitement of prepping for Sapphire - annual SAP conference.  I love catching up with friends and co-workers from all the clients I've worked with over the years.

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Thankful Thursdays

Part of my reason why I wanted to start writing Thankful Thursdays is I was hoping an "attitude of gratitude" would change my outlook.  My client is sucking my happy quotient away and remembering the little things to be grateful for is a way to remind me that life is good and that 'this too shall pass.' I skipped a week and realize that defeats the purpose of my objective.  I'll have to remind myself not to do that again, so long as I am on this project!

Fri - I got to meet my cousin's daughter, take the train to Manhattan, and got a two mile walk in to/from the infamous Shake Shack.  The reputation precedes the quality, but it was good anyway. 

Sat - A beautiful day in the NYC, a long walk to Chelsea Market and along Highline Tower, randomly getting to meet another cousin for the afternoon, a delicious Vietnamese dinner in Brooklyn, and trying "cereal yogurt" from Momofuku's Milk Bar.  My first words of "Oh that's really weird" seem to be a fairly common theme for any first-time triers of cereal flavored frozen yogurt. 

Sun - Took the train back to my cousin's house and got to see my other cousin (her sister). That makes 3 cousins in 3 days! 

Mon - The Voice

Tues - fresh baked bread

Wed - First non-cafeteria lunch in 5 weeks

Thur - Good travel karma - the 70 mile drive to JFK took an hour less than normal, an emergency exit row all to myself (whoa!), and landed 40 minutes early!  I suppose it made up for having a middle seat with armrest hoggers on both sides on my flight out the week before. 

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Ummm...Aren't You Supposed to be Training?

I haven't been posting much about training lately and there is a very good explanation for that.  I haven't been training.  Because I'm pregnant.

When I first found out, I did a lot of research on continuing to train and if I could "complete" and not "compete" in the triathlon I signed up for.  But I'll be six months along by then.  And, it probably isn't the best idea.  Not only will I not be able to fit in a wetsuit by that time (it's very cold water), but I have no idea how much balance will be affected on the bike with a baby bump.  And, more importantly, crashes are more likely during a race since there are so many cyclists maneuvering around each other.  

I still did what I could for awhile.  I rode my bike, but avoided the hills to keep my heart rate lower.  I power-walked and didn't run.  And, while I didn't make it to a pool very often, I swam when I could.  I didn't want to pull out of the race until I knew that I was out of the first trimester.  Nick is still racing the same event, and there is a 10k going on at the same time, which I'll be signing up for instead.

As for the pregnancy, it's been relatively symptomless.  Weeks 6-10 I was incredibly tired.  Beyond tired.  But I gained back a lot of my energy.  And, when I did have the energy to ride or jog/walk, it was also harder.  All the blood is going to your abdomen which means less blood to send to your legs.  

As for the team, I've just been trying to support where I can.  We always need volunteers so it's really easy for me to fill those roles -- marking the course, roving SAG, etc.  This weekend, was the team's "All You Can Tri" where you do as many sprints as you can in 4 hours.  I knew the water was warm enough to not have a wetsuit so I was happy to get a swim workout in.  I ended up hanging in the water for 2 hours as water support and helping some of the new swimmers complete their swims.  However, I now have a raging case of Swimmer's Itch and look like I have the chicken pox.  I'll spare you the pictures.  

By the way, I do rinse as soon as I get out of the water and even bring soap to the shower at the lake.  But, I read people who get Swimmer's Itch, keep on getting it.  Kind of like poison oak...you have to have the allergy to it.  Hence, why this is probably the 5th (and worst) case I've had. Unfortunately, several other people on the team got the itch as well this weekend so I'm in good company. 

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Thankful Thursdays

I'm starting to notice that I have a hard time finding things to be thankful about while working in Connecticut. It's unfortunate as I have never been in this situation.  But I really do not like this engagement at all.  The project is going to be challenging, but a repeat of a project I did previously, so I will be extremely frustrated and yet I won't be learning anything since I basically already spent 1.5 years doing this same project for another client.  Nobody smiles at this company.  The difference between this project and the one that was just like it was our project team had fun together both in and outside of work.  Lastly, the travel is a bear - 12 hours door to door each way.  The other project was in Los Angeles.   I spend an entire day of the week getting to/from the airport or in an airplane.  Despite having a direct flight, it's still 71 miles from JFK.  A terrible airport to drive into during rush hour.  I've never had to leave for the airport 4 hours in advance!!!

Fri - Getting errands crossed off my list that have been there for months.  

Sat - Supporting my team on their first ride up Mount Diablo.  I still haven't tackled this summit.  2014 bucket list?

Sun - Jet Blue entertainment makes a flight go by much faster.  And, having the bulk head means getting to get a lot of work done without someone leaning back on me.

Mon - A new laptop!  It's paper thin, super light, and has SSD.  I don't know when I will have time to set it all up and transfer all my files.  But I can't wait to start traveling with it over my bulky one I have right now.

Tue - Orange juice

Wed - Understanding my boundaries.  It was a really hard day at work.  And, when the other consultants went to dinner, I was completely comfortable with being anti-social and not joining them.  I knew that if I went with them, then we would talk about how bad the day was and most likely I would get bothered by it all over again.  

Thur - Google Maps 

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Thankful Thursdays

Fri - My extremely wonderful and comfortable bed.  A very long week and long flight and so happy to be home!

Sat - The Voice.  With a DVR, I can watch 6 hours of TV in only 90 minutes!  I don't need to see any of the sappy backstories.  Just give me the performances and the coach's bantering back and forth.  I love the blind auditions.  

Sun - The law of attraction.  I really did not want to get on a plane today.  I was only home for 1 day.  And I guess the Universe decided the only way to do so was for me to get sick.  A trip to the hospital and a doctor telling me I couldn't travel for a week.  I never thought I'd be so grateful for being sick.

Mon - Rest

Tues - Grandma.  Since I was at home this week, I took the opportunity to visit with her.  It had been awhile.

Wed - The heat!  It's finally toasty enough out that I can sit in my cold family room without a blanket.  I will be grateful for it, in a few months, but it's just been too dang cold since November.

Thur - An upstairs laundry room.  My last two houses had the laundry right next to the bedroom.  This concept wasn't actually designed into homes until about 25 years ago.  That architect was a genius.  

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Thankful Thursdays

Fri - Language of Flowers - one of the best books I've read in awhile.  And, beautiful San Diego!

Sat - Getting to cheer on 2500 athletes and some great friends and my husband at Ironman California 70.3 in Oceanside!  Will post some pictures and a recap of the awesome day soon.

Sun - Easter egg fun

Mon - my Samsung Note. It was a wedding present that's too big to use for a phone.  But it's great to catch up on TV shows while on the airplane.

Tues - free vitamin-packed delicious meals at the client's Leadership Center.  Breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snacks!  This is our last week at the Leadership Center which means we have to downgrade to cafeteria food starting next week.

Wed - fairly decent sushi in the Farmington Marriott.

Thur - forgot to set my alarm for the first time while on the road.  Thankfully, I woke up at 6am on my own.  


Thursday, March 21, 2013

Thankful Thursdays

Fri - Tax paperwork ready for filing

Sat - Motivation to finally start shopping for furniture and figure out some of our options

Sun - Homeland. Just finished season 2.  Such an awesome show!

Mon - Started at a new client.  There is always some excitement with starting new.

Tues - Cooperative weather -- the snowstorm came as soon as we got back to our hotel and stopped before it was time to go to work.  

Wed - Got to see up close and personal of all sorts of airplane engines at the Pratt&Whitney Customer Training Center

Thur - the Emergency Exit row

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Thankful Thursdays

Fri - Costco salmon - 8 or 9 years ago my best high school friend grilled me some salmon that was marinated in lemon, brown sugar, and soy sauce.  This has been my favorite way to grill salmon ever since.  

Sat - I still can't get over how GREEN it is in the East Bay right now.  I cherish this time of year because it will be gone in a month or two.  My grandma used to say that California is called the Golden State because our hills are gold (brown) most of the year.

Photos courtesy of Jennifer Jay


She can take action shots (me drinking water) while riding her own bike!

Sun - In-N-Out - We had or first open water swim at Aquatic Park that morning and they planned to head to In-N-Out after the workout.  Unfortunately, I was sick so I stayed home.  I was most bummed about missing In-N-Out (priorities?), but Nick brought it back for me on his way home!

Mon - Kaiser - When I was a kid, that place was associated with mediocre care, so I never went there.  But when I returned to the Bay Area as an adult, I really appreciated their marketing efforts, the Thrive campaign, and the technological advancements they were making.  I was jealous that my company didn't offer them as an insurance option.  Once I got married, I switched to Nick's insurance so now I can use them.  I pay more per month than I did before.  But I also take better care of myself now that I am no longer nickeled and dimed every time I go to the doctor.  No charge for a checkup, no charge for women's health exam, no charge for the dermatologist (this fair-skinned girl mandates a dermatologist), no charge for bloodwork, and no charge for travel shots (I was appalled when I had to pay $300 for immunizations before I went to Argentina and Mason and Nick paid $0). It's definitely not a perfect system, but it beats the plan I was on before.

Tues - Bacon - It makes everything better, right?  I cooked a bunch last week to store in the fridge and it's been nice to throw it in different foods all week.  Kale and brussel sprouts taste twenty times better with a few bacon bits in them. 

Wed - Downton Abbey.  Ready to start Season 3.

Thur - Proximity to the car dealership - I used to have to drive 20 miles to get my car serviced.  Now it's only 3 miles away!

Saturday, March 9, 2013

What To Wear? What To Wear?

Like most women, I struggle with making decisions on what to wear no matter what the occasion, including bike rides.  This time of year when it's not too cold and not too hot the choice is even harder.  Because making the wrong decision can make for a very uncomfortable 2-3 hours.  When hot, when it's freezing, and when it's raining, I know exactly what to wear.  But when it's chilly and trending toward being very pleasant out, my morning goes a little something like this:

Do I need a base layer?  Hmmm....short sleeve or long sleeve jersey?  Is it time for arm warmers yet?  Should I wear a vest or windbreaker?  Do I need a jacket?  Full-fingered or short-fingered gloves?  I wonder if I should wear the wool socks today?  Where are those dang shoe booties?  What kind of headband do I need?

As for the bottoms, supposedly your knees are supposed to be covered until it's over 68 out or something like that, so at least I don't need to decide between shorts and pants.

Today I ended up with a base layer, long-sleeve jersey, vest, and full gloves.  It was warmer out than I anticipated so peeled off the vest after 7 miles.  But, for me, it's always so much better to be too hot than to be cold!



Thursday, March 7, 2013

Thankful Thursdays

Oopsie....I didn't realize yesterday was Thursday!

Fri - a walk to a great restaurant nearby for dinner

Sat - First bike ride of the year to write home about.  OK, so maybe it wasn't enough to write home about, but it was a nice 2 hour ride and I felt good.  Also, the scenery is amazing this time of year.  Between the green hills and the mustards blooming, it's beautiful out.

Sun - Being comfortable in the water.  As I've mentioned before, I am a fairly slow swimmer (which really sucks because I could go much faster if I would learn to turn my head without sinking my hips, but I still haven't figured it out yet).  Anyway, every time we have a swim workout, I am just grateful that I took up swimming on a whim to have "something to do after school" with my friends.  Our high school was notoriously awful at swimming.  A group of us started swimming together and then were encouraged to swim year-round at Santa Clara Swim Club after the season was over.  Watching very athletic people not be able to swim more than 50 yards at a time makes me extremely grateful I was looking for "something to do after school" when I was 14.

Mon - Productivity - I ended up logging 19 hours of work today.  And, it was all productive. So while it was a long day, it was worth it.

Tues - Flexibility - because I worked 19 hours the day before, my Tuesday was shot.  I was thankful to be at home, sleep late, start work late, and finish early.  I pretty much evened out the days.

Wed - Coach Dave's Carne Asada recipe - it's delicious and amazing and I now have lunch for several days.

Thur - Bravey - He's a typical cat (maybe even nicer than most cats).  But today, he just loved me, cuddled me, hugged me (yep with both arms around the neck), and licked my arms (I wish he wouldn't do that), for several hours.

Monday, March 4, 2013

Recomittment

This weekend was Recommitment for Team In Training.  Basically, you get 4 weeks from Kickoff to decide if you plan to stick with the Team and continue to raise funds for LLS.  You can drop at this point with essentially no financial commitment.  After the paperwork is signed, you are agreeing to continue to raise your minimum amount for LLS for the remainder of the season.  

I just got word on Friday that I will have to be going to Connecticut for 8 weeks straight (plus who knows how long after that).  It's 17 hours of flying time.  Plus add airport and travel on both ends.  I'm looking at losing an entire 24 hours every week to travel.  I'm not happy about it.  At all. I have to remind myself that a) I have a really good job and this was always a risk; and b) there are worse places I could be (like the middle of nowhere Kansas).  Needless to say, it screws up a lot of plans.  I was supposed to be in Hawaii (for work)  and even though I'm switching from one extreme end of the country to another, it's still a major bummer as I've been looking forward to this trip for awhile.  I probably also can't go to Wildflower Training Weekend.  The idea of camping and then swimming and riding and running that very challenging course isn't my cup of tea, yet I was still planning to do it.  And, my plans for Ironman 70.3 California at the end of March will also have to be changed.  Although I am just spectating and not racing, it was still sandwiched around some vacation and family time (Easter weekend), which will now be compromised. 

Am I recommitting?  Yes.  Because a long time ago, I learned about a guy that trained for 10 months for a full-distance Ironman on a Navy ship.  That means I can get cozy with the Farmington Marriott gym for an Olympic distance event (and grateful I had the foresight not to switch to the Long course distance when I was thinking about it).  

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Thankful Thursdays

Three trips in the past 10 days so not a lot of training to report unfortunately.  But, here is what I'm thankful for this week:

Fri - A beautiful walk/jog around Tempe Town Lake, Wildflower Bread Company (one of my PHX favorites), and dinner with three of my favorite people

Sat - a picturesque wedding complete with yellow roses for the AKPsi'ers

Sun - The Hilton - It's been awhile since I've been able to stay in a full-service hotel.  Oh how nice it was to workout in a hotel with lots of equipment and proper air circulation.

Mon - Obama's Export Reform - the changes that were announced 3 years ago are FINALLY going into effect in 2013 and I look forward to figuring out how to put all those changes in my clients' systems (job security).

Tues - the beautiful weather in Orange County

Wed - Thai food.  I'm still addicted to pad see ew gai

Thur - Short month! Spring is almost here.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Thankful Thursdays

Fri - My hairdresser - a cut and color is the cure to feeling blah

Sat - The abundant crab feeds this time of year

Sun - Emergency Exit row and Homeland (so dang addicting)

Mon - Columbia jacket with mylar lining - super protective in this below freezing weather

Tues - The sun - despite the negative temps, it was a sunny cloudless day, which made the snow around the woods and ponds at work beautiful.

Wed - Scramble with Friends

Thur - Oregano's with some great college friends 

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Hello, Bike Gear

She was a little dusty and out of air, but Ruby was finally put back into commission.  I haven't ridden on the road since August.  Oh my!  I've done my share of spinning, but I had to remember what to pack and wear again.  Not that I actually forgot, but just having to actually "think" about it and not be on auto-pilot was different.  I was a little worried about the bike ride since it has been six months since I'd been on it.  I've gained some weight and was worried I wouldn't fit on it.  Luckily that was clearly an unfounded fear!

We had a swim workout prior to the bike ride.  Luckily, we arrived early and when Coach Dave asked me where the chalk was, I had a big, "Oh shit" moment!  We have all the chalk to mark the bike course at our house and I forgot it.  So we ran to the grocery store to get some chalk and then one of the other Training Captains and I went out to mark the course.  We made a few wrong turns ourselves, then had to go buy some water to "unmark" our wrong arrows and resume the real course.  Needless to say, by the time we got back to the pool, there were only 20 minutes left of the swim workout so I changed into my bike gear instead.

We love our Rubys!

Getting ready to head out

Since this was several people's first real bike ride, I knew my job this weekend would be to help the new cyclists with their bike handling skills and to provide any support needed to them.  I volunteered to sweep.  I know how much it meant to me to always have someone behind me so I wanted to be that for someone else.  We ended up having more novice cyclists than anticipated and extra help was needed to take them out on a trail before heading out on the road.  I went on the trail with one of the other coaches and worked with the girls on shifting and clipping in and out. After awhile they were comfortable enough for a short ride in the street to get used to the traffic.

In the end, I missed my swim workout due to the chalking debacle; and, my first ride back on the road was an extremely leisurely 10 miles rather than a good 25 miles.  But I reminded myself that I was volunteering my time for LLS.  Besides the small amount of fundraising I'm doing myself, I also get to help a group of people new to triathlon (who are also fundraising) grow into the sport.  Then they will be successful and love it so much they will come back for more and bring their friends, ultimately expanding our reach to helping more patients!   


Thursday, February 14, 2013

Thankful Thursdays

I got to spend a lovely 3 nights in the Santa Cruz mountains without cell service this past weekend, which makes me just generally thankful to live among such beauty!

Fri - Scrapbooking weekend

Sat - Great hike in the redwoods and lots of fresh air and I finished my Argentina album. 

This was my favorite page in the book.  So simple with just black and white because the color of the buildings are super vibrant 

Sun - AKPsi - I figure I owe it my involvement.  It brought me a great college experience, best friends, and even a husband.

Mon - Tasty Bite's Madras Lentils

Tues - A super sweaty spin while watching the Americans 

Wed - WIT - I wasn't excited to attend as I wasn't interested in this month's topic, but I coordinated a Dress for Success drive so I had to go and collect all the donations.  I ended up running into an SAP acquaintance, who I really needed to speak with, and got to see several of my old customers!

Thur - Valentine's Day - as an adult, it's pretty silly.  But every Feb 14, I am reminded of how much I LOVED writing my Valentines and passing out cards in elementary school.  


Monday, February 11, 2013

Shoe Guts

I was organizing the garage the other day and laughed when I opened this box full of insoles and shoelaces.  I knew this was around somewhere, but forgot about it.

When either of us gets new running shoes, we change out the insoles and sometimes the laces. Every 6 months or so, we accumulate new pairs without "re-assembling" the pairs that have since been de-commissioned, which results in this:   

That's over $1000 in sneakers!  I think I might need to update our insurance premiums.... 

Of course, now that I found the box of shoe guts, I can actually reassemble the old pairs that were missing their innards and drop them off at Sports Basement where they will be collected and sent to Central America or Africa!  

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Thankful Thursdays

My friend, Bryn, writes Thankful Thursdays.  These posts always make me smile.  I've done the gratitude journal before and then quickly lose discipline in writing every day.  So here's a new twist on the attitude of gratitude and things that happened this week for which I am thankful.

Fri - Ranch 99 - where I can buy things like spring roll wrappers, curry paste, gai lan and CP Wonton Noodle.  Plus, it's the only place in the world where an entire aisle is dedicated just to soy sauce.  Yep, the ENTIRE aisle!

Sat - Fresh local dungeness crab and 20% off Sports Basement coupons

Sun - Deveined shrimp (I bought veined once.  I'll never do it again.)

Mon - Another week of no traveling/airports

Tues - Getting in a good spin workout without ever leaving the house

Wed - 90 minute track workout (which I didn't want to go to, but was glad I did) followed by Rubio's.  I love that place and they are sparse in this neck of the woods (but near our track workouts so maybe that should be my motivation for going to team track workouts)

Thur - My coworker, Michael, who troubleshooted some "uncomfortable" areas of SAP with me today via Skype for over two hours 




Monday, February 4, 2013

What I Didn't Miss

Successfully completed my first week of official training.  I made it back to the pool for the first time in 8 months and made it to a coached track workout (any track workouts I did before were on my own and never with coaches).  I found some new ab and arm muscles thanks to Saturday's core workout.  Unfortunately, we didn't get on our bikes this week as some of the teammates don't have bikes yet, but I did get on the bike trainer on my own.  

This past week, I was reminded of a few things I didn't miss such as having to do more laundry and having tech tees and bike shorts and bathing suits hanging out to dry around the house.  But the main thing I begrudged was all the extra showering.  Don't get me wrong...I like to shower.  But there is no, "I'm going to take a quick shower" option for me.  The shower, itself, is fast.  But the post-shower business is a time suck.  If you didn't know already, I am part lizard.  The dermatologist has reminded me several times that I cannot use lotion in a pump and only the stuff that you can "scoop" is good enough for me.  Therefore, there is no way I can take a shower without then taking the time to dump my hand in a bin of Cetaphil and slather away.  I can't even think about not moisturizing my feet or they will be sure to punish me when they start cracking the next day. And, of course, we have to stay young, so there is the toning, serum, anti-wrinkle, moisturizer, eye cream ritual that must occur (although I guess that would be happening anyway with nightly ablutions).  But, even worse than the whole lotion routine is dealing with the hair -- the detangling, combing, anti-frizz, brushing, routine.  You're not supposed to wash your hair every day.  Let alone twice a day.  I am very aware that working out in the morning would be an easy solution to this issue.  Not only am I a night owl, but being back on a team environment equals evening workouts.

But, I suppose I can handle dry skin and messy dry hair in exchange for helping fight cancer. 




Thursday, January 31, 2013

Ouch!

Ouch...it's what my legs are saying right now.  Why?  Because I finally started training again.  Nick and I both signed up for Pacific Crest this June.  We are training with Team In Training and I'll write another post later on our connection to the Team and the Cause.  

The last six months have been nice.  I got married.  I took several vacations.  I enjoyed every bit of the busy season that comes with the holidays.  I worked late without anxiety that I was supposed to be doing something else.  I didn't exercise as much as I should have, but I worked out when I wanted to.  I did not go to the pool.  And the only run I ever went on was through concourses and airport terminals trying to catch a connection.  

Both my brain and my body told me it was ready to be done with its self-proclaimed sabbatical.  Starting again isn't easy.  No matter what I once did or how far I could once go, it doesn't matter anymore.  Because I can't do that right now.  Yes, there is muscle memory.  And, yes, it will come back eventually.  But it's going to take awhile before I don't feel nervous or anxious before a run or a ride wondering how uncomfortable I will be and playing the mind game to not compare against what I could once do (otherwise I'll just feel awful).  

The one thing I know that has stayed the same is the skewed perspective of distance.  In December, Nick and I were at Pike Place in Seattle and needed to get to Capitol Hill.  We Google-mapped it and I exclaimed, "Oh, it's only 2 miles uphill, let's just walk it.  We'll get there in 44 minutes." So we did.  A few weeks ago I was driving in Minnesota and I was on a small hill.  With most of the area being pretty flat, there was this vast expanse of space and I could see the Minneapolis skyline in the distance.  It looked so very far away.  And then I realized it was only 13 miles away.  I suppose I could run/walk there if my heart desired.  It would hurt, no doubt.  But running/walking 13 miles is still in my vocabulary.

And so another journey begins.  It will be shorter.  But that doesn't mean it will be any easier.