Still Running...

22 weeks into my pregnancy and I'm still running! Well, I don't know if I'd call it running? Jogging may be a better term. But still.

I went out for a little 3.5 mile jaunt this morning, which is the longest I've gone in several weeks. I've been jogging back and forth to the pool to swim, which seems like a good pregnancy workout- jog a mile, swim 1.5 miles, jog a mile home. It's pretty hilly around here so I do a little walking up some of the bigger hills to keep my heart rate in the moderate zone. Anyway, I actually felt pretty good this morning. Maybe just being outside doing 'normal' things is the key for me? I put some mellow songs on my iPod and listen to them which makes it easier to just take it easy and go slow. I have yet to feel the effects of the relaxin on my pregnant joints but I'm paying attention and know that I may have to be more careful at some point so I don't injure myself.

The good news is that I can still outrun the dog! Well, I wouldn't put your money on me if it was a 50 meter sprint and the cat was the prize at the end... but the dog can't jog for more than about a minute without slowing down so I end up dragging her if she comes along with me at all. She's not a born runner (unless there's a soccer ball to chase or a stick in the ocean to retrieve!)

And speaking of the dog, Scott and I have begun experimenting with our "parenting skills" with her this week... After clogging the vacuum with Hoku hair last weekend, we decided that it would be best to keep the dog off of the carpet upstairs, so she has been restricted to downstairs access only. This has been a bit of a shock to her, but she's a smart dog so it didn't take her long to figure out that she isn't allowed upstairs anymore. So she knows, but she doesn't like it. Especially since the cat has figured it out as well and now spends *all* her time upstairs. Anyway, Hoku complied for the first day, but has been testing us ever since. She waits until Scott and I are both gone and then sneaks upstairs to find the cat. I get home from work and she's got this guilty look on her face as she puts her tail between her legs and slowly descends the stairs. For a while she weas even sneaking up the stairs while I was home- normally she's like an elephant when she moves and we can hear her every step... but she can be stealth if she wants to. Sneaky dog! But she's getting adjusted to the new rule and she gets praised like crazy if she's downstairs when I get home. So a little more time consistently enforcing the rule maybe it'll actually stick? Parenting isn't so hard... HA!