Here's a question I've been getting a lot... "How're you feeling??"
Overall, I'd say I'm feeling pretty good. I have several normal pregnancy symptoms but they've been pretty mild so far (knock on wood). I tend to feel nauseous in the mornings, especially when my stomach is empty and I drink water. Eating a bowl of cereal has been helping. I feel the bouts of nausea usually throughout the morning but do what I can to just ignore it. I am still doing some sort of workout every morning and for the most part, once I get going, the nausea dissipates.
My blood pressure must be on the low side right now too because I get dizzy a lot if I stand up too quickly. I'd forgotten about this but Scott reminded me that I went through the same thing with Moana. So it's not too bothersome, but I do have to usually stop and grab onto something when I stand up until the dizziness goes away.
Finally, first trimester tired-ness is the real deal. Every afternoon I've been getting really tired and have fallen right asleep on the couch while Moana takes her afternoon nap. Seriously, it's worse than Ironman-Training-Tired. Yesterday I was reminiscing about how I used to have so much energy that I would just clean clean clean the whole house from top to bottom. Can't even imagine that right now. This is the messiest my house has ever been and I don't even care. BUT I have been getting in my daily swims/runs (there's a reason why I do them in the mornings). Mama's got her priorities straight. ;)
As far as my working out goes, it's been just fine. I've slowed down some of course, though I'm not sure how much of that is mental vs physical. I know some of it is physical, but I do think that most of the slowing down right now stems from me just on purpose not being willing to push myself. So I still swim the same amount as I normally would, but my base pace has slowed about 5 sec/100 and I don't push it. Remember those extra gears I used to talk about? Yeah, they're in storage. I have one steady state pace right now and hopefully I'll keep it right there until July. We did our Saturday morning ocean swim again this morning and I hung right in there with the group and didn't feel like I overdid it at all. One major difference between regular working out and pregnancy working out (for me) that I've noticed is that I have to bring GU all the time with me because I just never know when my blood sugar is going to drop. Normally I could get through a 90 minute swim no problem and wouldn't even think about needing carbs, but when I'm pregnant it seems like about 100 calories of sugar/carbs every 45 minutes or so is necessary so I don't start shaking. I brought a GU with me into the ocean this morning and took it mid-way through the swim and then had a Clif bar right as we finished and blood sugar was fine.
But then I went for a run (fun! In the rain!)... I actually did fine through the run. Easy pregnant pace is still 9 minute miles right now which I was pleasantly surprised about (I'm sure that will slow substantially in the coming months). Anyway, almost immediately upon finishing I had this serious craving for Coke. Real Coke. I think the only time in the last decade I've had real Coke was in Kona during the marathon- I mean, I NEVER stop in to a gas station to buy it or anything. Well, I didn't before today anyway. Driving home I stopped at the first gas station I could find and bought 20 oz of cold Coke and slammed it down like a college student slams a beer. Ahhhhhhhh. BURP. Ahhhhhhhhh. Boy there's nothing like a Coke when you're body is craving sugar!
So there you go. For the most part, I'm feeling fine. Still working out a good bit. I think I got in about 12K swimming, 19 miles running, and 25 miles biking this week (all easy), along with 2x gym lifting sessions. Not sure what I'm going to do tomorrow. If it's nice I'll go ride my bike, but if the rain doesn't stop then I'll run again. That's the nice thing about exercising vs training- you can change your plan based on the weather because in the end, it won't matter a bit of I ride or run tomorrow. I'm just a mama trying to keep her sanity, and either one will do the trick for me right now.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Changing Plans
Well I just have to say, thanks for the support on this pregnancy thing. I know a lot of people don't think you should make it public for like 13 weeks or so but you know what? There's no way I could keep this to myself for so long. In fact, I think just putting it out there for everyone to see really helped me accept it. You just can't be in denial when everyone knows.
I think my challenge with all of this is that I am a planner. And this wasn't in the plans. And now all my plans have to change. I hardly slept at all for several nights after I found out because my little brain was just frantically trying to process all of this... and re-plan 2010.
In good news, I got back on my bike yesterday! If you remember, I wasn't biking because I was marathon training. But now I am not marathon training. So I am freed up to bike. Yay! I enjoyed the heck out of myself for about 90 minutes yesterday pedaling my two wheels all around town even though it was through crazy swirling winds and a bit of rain. Last time I got pregnant I gave up riding almost immediately. I think my biggest fear was being hit by a car and for whatever reason I just thought pregnant women should not be riding bikes. But this time I am going to keep riding until it's no longer comfortable for me to sit on my bike seat and pedal. I don't know when that will be, but until then, I think I'll ride once or twice a week for like 90 minutes or so. I'll let you know how that goes.
My priority right now though is actually going to be lifting weights and staying as strong as I can for as long as I can. I'm not a big fan of that 'soft' look we pregnant women get- you know, that layer of fat that covers our whole bodies. I know I am going to get it, and I know it will go away after I give birth, but still... I'm fighting it for as long as possible.
I went to the gym again this morning and came up with a new goal for myself. Ready for this? Pull-ups. Usually I do 2 sets of 10 pull-ups on the assisted machine. It's been a while since I've tried to do them unassisted. But today I tried. I wanted a baseline. So here's the deal. Right now, I can do 5 unassisted pull-ups. My goal, 8 months and +30 lbs from now, is to still be able to do ONE. Seriously, how classic would that be to see a big pregnant lady doing a pull up?
I swam this afternoon with Nalani and told her about my pull-up goal. She told me she could not do an unassisted pull-up. But she's working on it. She said her goal, by the time I give birth, is to be able to do one unassisted pull-up. So, cool. Nalani and I still have one goal in common. Originally I was trying to talk her into getting pregnant with me next year so we could be the two pregnant ladies tearing up the pool but then I went and screwed up that plan by jumping the gun. But now we have the pull-up thing.
So here's the deal. I don't know how realistic this is, but I swear, if it's possible for a pregnant woman to do a pull-up when she's ready to pop, I'll be the one. And I will get it on video and post it on You Tube. You heard it here first.
I think my challenge with all of this is that I am a planner. And this wasn't in the plans. And now all my plans have to change. I hardly slept at all for several nights after I found out because my little brain was just frantically trying to process all of this... and re-plan 2010.
In good news, I got back on my bike yesterday! If you remember, I wasn't biking because I was marathon training. But now I am not marathon training. So I am freed up to bike. Yay! I enjoyed the heck out of myself for about 90 minutes yesterday pedaling my two wheels all around town even though it was through crazy swirling winds and a bit of rain. Last time I got pregnant I gave up riding almost immediately. I think my biggest fear was being hit by a car and for whatever reason I just thought pregnant women should not be riding bikes. But this time I am going to keep riding until it's no longer comfortable for me to sit on my bike seat and pedal. I don't know when that will be, but until then, I think I'll ride once or twice a week for like 90 minutes or so. I'll let you know how that goes.
My priority right now though is actually going to be lifting weights and staying as strong as I can for as long as I can. I'm not a big fan of that 'soft' look we pregnant women get- you know, that layer of fat that covers our whole bodies. I know I am going to get it, and I know it will go away after I give birth, but still... I'm fighting it for as long as possible.
I went to the gym again this morning and came up with a new goal for myself. Ready for this? Pull-ups. Usually I do 2 sets of 10 pull-ups on the assisted machine. It's been a while since I've tried to do them unassisted. But today I tried. I wanted a baseline. So here's the deal. Right now, I can do 5 unassisted pull-ups. My goal, 8 months and +30 lbs from now, is to still be able to do ONE. Seriously, how classic would that be to see a big pregnant lady doing a pull up?
I swam this afternoon with Nalani and told her about my pull-up goal. She told me she could not do an unassisted pull-up. But she's working on it. She said her goal, by the time I give birth, is to be able to do one unassisted pull-up. So, cool. Nalani and I still have one goal in common. Originally I was trying to talk her into getting pregnant with me next year so we could be the two pregnant ladies tearing up the pool but then I went and screwed up that plan by jumping the gun. But now we have the pull-up thing.
So here's the deal. I don't know how realistic this is, but I swear, if it's possible for a pregnant woman to do a pull-up when she's ready to pop, I'll be the one. And I will get it on video and post it on You Tube. You heard it here first.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Ooops!! I (We) Did It Again...
On Sunday I headed out for my long run... one of my favorite routes that includes lots of hills and takes me up up up an old road that is no longer maintained (so hardly even a road) through wild forests where typically you can run forever and not see a soul. The idea was that I needed to reconnect with my enjoyment of the long run. I remember doing this route a few times while training for Ironman and thinking that I would really enjoy this run when I was training for 'just' a marathon.
I felt ok on the way out. Didn't push the pace or anything but saw splits that were reminiscent of a few months ago when I was running better. But then coming home it all started to get too hard. Not that it got fast, mind you, just hard. After about 90 minutes my heart rate just felt like it was so high and there was nothing I could do to make it come down. Ok, I could stop, and I did that at lights... HR came down. Start running again, slowly, but HR would just jump right back up. Ugh. I ended up walking the last 1/2 mile home and officially (in my head) dropped out of the marathon. My body was just not handling these long runs like it should if I was going to put together a decent marathon in 5 weeks.
I checked my FB account later that afternoon and saw a sarcastic comment from a riding partner and friend of mine reminding me that I am getting fatter and slower every day. Thanks, Spence. If only you knew how right you were...
It was frustrating for the rest of the day. Ok, maybe I just wasn't recovered quite yet from Ironman. But seriously, it's been 4 weeks so you'd think I should start feeling more normal soon. I decided that I needed a rest week. Back everything off. No long swims. No hard runs this week. Let's see if that'll get my body to bounce back...
One thing that was bugging me some was that I have not had my period since before Kona. It was about 10 days late. I wasn't particularly worried about it because I figured that an event like Ironman was surely something that could/would throw your cycle off... but just to reassure myself, I bought a home test. I brought it home. Peed on the stick. Holy crap.
I think that's how I phrased it when I walked out of the bathroom holding the stick while approaching Scott. (Romantic, no?)
Um, yeah, so, um, this wasn't in the plans. I mean, it was in the plans for next year, but not right now. But what are you going to do? This is the second time I've peed on a stick and the second time I've instantly felt like I was going to puke while looking at the results. I mean, seriously, wouldn't it be nice to actually try for these things, and then be all psyched and happy when telling your spouse your great news??
And seriously, who gets pregnant immediately after completing an Ironman? Doesn't it seem like our bodies would want a little break and maybe not ovulate for a month or two? Word of caution: You can ovulate immediately after completing an Ironman.
Anyway, I know I am in control of my attitude and how I respond to all of this (well, kind of... pregnancy brings all sorts of whacked out emotions and responses that we may or may not be in full control of). Anyway, instead of focusing on the fact that I am, indeed, getting fatter and slower every day, I am trying my hardest to see the good in all of this. So here goes. The good stuff:
1. This is the last time I'm going to have to be pregnant. After this we will do something permanent to make it impossible since clearly all we have to do is sleep next to each other and BOOM. Pregnant.
2. At least we don't have to plan a wedding this time. :)
3. Ah ha! An explanation for why my long runs have not gone well. It's not just that I suck.
4. So while two babies within two years will be tough at first, the theory is that the two will be good friends since they are so close in age.
5. I get moved to the priority list to get the H1N1 vaccine.
6. Being pregnant is the best excuse for everything. Seriously. Everything. Want to eat another cookie? Go ahead. You're pregnant. Want to leave the party early? Tell people you're tired because you're pregnant. They cannot argue with you. Nap in the middle of the day? You totally should! You're pregnant. Don't feel like running hard? You shouldn't! You're pregnant.
7. It's really a license to cry at any given moment.
8. I'll get to stage another awesome comeback after having a baby. That really was pretty fun last year- doing little races here and there and knowing people were thinking, "Holy crap. She just had a baby!!"
9. Speaking of an awesome comeback, how freakin' motivated am I going to be in 2011??? I am not so scared this time about how long it will take me to recover and get back into shape. I know I can do it because I've done it before.
10. At some point in July, I'm going to get to hold a new precious little baby. If I'm honest with myself, I am quite curious about what another one will be like?
So anyway, sorry to all you triathlon folks out there... this blog will now likely turn into some crazy ramblings of a pregnant woman for the next nine months or so... though hopefully I'll still have some tales to share of how to exercise when you feel like an elephant. Maybe there will even be a swim race report in there every once in a while... (yes, I'm still planning on the Double RoughWater in 4 weeks.) After July 2010 it'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming of New Mama Kicks Ass in swim/bike/run.
I felt ok on the way out. Didn't push the pace or anything but saw splits that were reminiscent of a few months ago when I was running better. But then coming home it all started to get too hard. Not that it got fast, mind you, just hard. After about 90 minutes my heart rate just felt like it was so high and there was nothing I could do to make it come down. Ok, I could stop, and I did that at lights... HR came down. Start running again, slowly, but HR would just jump right back up. Ugh. I ended up walking the last 1/2 mile home and officially (in my head) dropped out of the marathon. My body was just not handling these long runs like it should if I was going to put together a decent marathon in 5 weeks.
I checked my FB account later that afternoon and saw a sarcastic comment from a riding partner and friend of mine reminding me that I am getting fatter and slower every day. Thanks, Spence. If only you knew how right you were...
It was frustrating for the rest of the day. Ok, maybe I just wasn't recovered quite yet from Ironman. But seriously, it's been 4 weeks so you'd think I should start feeling more normal soon. I decided that I needed a rest week. Back everything off. No long swims. No hard runs this week. Let's see if that'll get my body to bounce back...
One thing that was bugging me some was that I have not had my period since before Kona. It was about 10 days late. I wasn't particularly worried about it because I figured that an event like Ironman was surely something that could/would throw your cycle off... but just to reassure myself, I bought a home test. I brought it home. Peed on the stick. Holy crap.
I think that's how I phrased it when I walked out of the bathroom holding the stick while approaching Scott. (Romantic, no?)
Um, yeah, so, um, this wasn't in the plans. I mean, it was in the plans for next year, but not right now. But what are you going to do? This is the second time I've peed on a stick and the second time I've instantly felt like I was going to puke while looking at the results. I mean, seriously, wouldn't it be nice to actually try for these things, and then be all psyched and happy when telling your spouse your great news??
And seriously, who gets pregnant immediately after completing an Ironman? Doesn't it seem like our bodies would want a little break and maybe not ovulate for a month or two? Word of caution: You can ovulate immediately after completing an Ironman.
Anyway, I know I am in control of my attitude and how I respond to all of this (well, kind of... pregnancy brings all sorts of whacked out emotions and responses that we may or may not be in full control of). Anyway, instead of focusing on the fact that I am, indeed, getting fatter and slower every day, I am trying my hardest to see the good in all of this. So here goes. The good stuff:
1. This is the last time I'm going to have to be pregnant. After this we will do something permanent to make it impossible since clearly all we have to do is sleep next to each other and BOOM. Pregnant.
2. At least we don't have to plan a wedding this time. :)
3. Ah ha! An explanation for why my long runs have not gone well. It's not just that I suck.
4. So while two babies within two years will be tough at first, the theory is that the two will be good friends since they are so close in age.
5. I get moved to the priority list to get the H1N1 vaccine.
6. Being pregnant is the best excuse for everything. Seriously. Everything. Want to eat another cookie? Go ahead. You're pregnant. Want to leave the party early? Tell people you're tired because you're pregnant. They cannot argue with you. Nap in the middle of the day? You totally should! You're pregnant. Don't feel like running hard? You shouldn't! You're pregnant.
7. It's really a license to cry at any given moment.
8. I'll get to stage another awesome comeback after having a baby. That really was pretty fun last year- doing little races here and there and knowing people were thinking, "Holy crap. She just had a baby!!"
9. Speaking of an awesome comeback, how freakin' motivated am I going to be in 2011??? I am not so scared this time about how long it will take me to recover and get back into shape. I know I can do it because I've done it before.
10. At some point in July, I'm going to get to hold a new precious little baby. If I'm honest with myself, I am quite curious about what another one will be like?
So anyway, sorry to all you triathlon folks out there... this blog will now likely turn into some crazy ramblings of a pregnant woman for the next nine months or so... though hopefully I'll still have some tales to share of how to exercise when you feel like an elephant. Maybe there will even be a swim race report in there every once in a while... (yes, I'm still planning on the Double RoughWater in 4 weeks.) After July 2010 it'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming of New Mama Kicks Ass in swim/bike/run.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
The Buddah Belly Is Back
First of all, thank you all for your advice on the bottle thing. I brought the bottle back out yesterday and since then, Moana has been sucking down milk like a little calf and is as happy as can be with her bulging belly. Really, she's just more cooperative all around when she's fat and happy on her milk. She whines less, she doesn't try to rip her bib off when eating solid foods, she naps better... all of it.
I guess I just assumed that at a year you wean your kid off the bottle and that's that... I think I read it somewhere in a book that a year is the time to quit the bottle. And since I don't really know all there is to know about this parenting thing, I just figured I'd go by the book. But overwhelmingly I heard from many of you that that's not how it always works. I guess we can't always parent by the book, huh? ;) I really appreciate hearing about all of your experiences.
However, if Moana takes her bottle off to college with her, I'm blaming all of you.
Speaking of fat and happy, I think I would have been happier swimming today if I had more fat. Don't get me wrong- I'm working on it and have probably added four pounds of the stuff since Ironman, but it's not really enough these days to keep me warm in the ocean. I won't even venture a guess at the temperature today, because I know you'd all scoff at me anyway, but I'm not making this up when I say that I get really cold swimming out there. My hands and arms go numb, and my training partners told me at the end today that my lips were blue. We finished about 90 minutes out there this morning and I immediately ran down the beach to get out of the shade and into the sun, where I stood shivering with my blue lips until Nalani threw her sweatshirt at me. I was actually quite happy to start running afterward because I knew then I would finally warm up. Sure enough, with just a few minutes of running I could feel the blood entering back into my hands... and then the sweat came. Ahhh. I was so happy to be hot.
Other than the cold, we had a decent swim today. It was good training anyway since it was about as choppy as it gets out there. It's been rainy and kinda stormy all week so the water wasn't really clear at all. We did a good portion of the Double RoughWater course today- got to within about 1000M of the turn-around buoys (channel marker buoys that are always there) so I'm guessing it was in the neighborhood of 5000M today. And since none of it was what you could call pleasant, it felt like real training. You know, sometimes we go out there and the sky is all blue and the bright sun makes everything feel warm and fuzzy and the winds are down so it's flat and calm and we stop a lot and just chit chat about how much we love living here. Today there was none of that. It was like, battle through the swells and chop (um, washing machine, anyone?) without being able to see the bottom and stop every 10-20 minutes to regroup but then get going again so we didn't turn into icicles.
The good news is that the race will not be harder than what we did today. It might be just as hard, but it will not be harder.
I guess I just assumed that at a year you wean your kid off the bottle and that's that... I think I read it somewhere in a book that a year is the time to quit the bottle. And since I don't really know all there is to know about this parenting thing, I just figured I'd go by the book. But overwhelmingly I heard from many of you that that's not how it always works. I guess we can't always parent by the book, huh? ;) I really appreciate hearing about all of your experiences.
However, if Moana takes her bottle off to college with her, I'm blaming all of you.
Speaking of fat and happy, I think I would have been happier swimming today if I had more fat. Don't get me wrong- I'm working on it and have probably added four pounds of the stuff since Ironman, but it's not really enough these days to keep me warm in the ocean. I won't even venture a guess at the temperature today, because I know you'd all scoff at me anyway, but I'm not making this up when I say that I get really cold swimming out there. My hands and arms go numb, and my training partners told me at the end today that my lips were blue. We finished about 90 minutes out there this morning and I immediately ran down the beach to get out of the shade and into the sun, where I stood shivering with my blue lips until Nalani threw her sweatshirt at me. I was actually quite happy to start running afterward because I knew then I would finally warm up. Sure enough, with just a few minutes of running I could feel the blood entering back into my hands... and then the sweat came. Ahhh. I was so happy to be hot.
Other than the cold, we had a decent swim today. It was good training anyway since it was about as choppy as it gets out there. It's been rainy and kinda stormy all week so the water wasn't really clear at all. We did a good portion of the Double RoughWater course today- got to within about 1000M of the turn-around buoys (channel marker buoys that are always there) so I'm guessing it was in the neighborhood of 5000M today. And since none of it was what you could call pleasant, it felt like real training. You know, sometimes we go out there and the sky is all blue and the bright sun makes everything feel warm and fuzzy and the winds are down so it's flat and calm and we stop a lot and just chit chat about how much we love living here. Today there was none of that. It was like, battle through the swells and chop (um, washing machine, anyone?) without being able to see the bottom and stop every 10-20 minutes to regroup but then get going again so we didn't turn into icicles.
The good news is that the race will not be harder than what we did today. It might be just as hard, but it will not be harder.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
It's A Battle... Bottle Or Bust
Since Moana turned one, we've been transitioning some things. I think she's pretty happy with most of the changes. Like the car seat facing forward. She likes that.
There are far fewer foods on the Do Not Eat list now. Check it out! Scrambled eggs for breakfast!
I took her to her one year well child appointment a couple of days ago. On the list of things for 12 month old kids it said, "Did you know you can now give your child Vitamin D milk?"
Yep. I knew that. In fact, we made the transition just fine. The morning after her first birthday I heated up milk instead of formula and put it in her bottle. She sucked it right down like she didn't even know the difference. Phew! That was easy.
The next transition would be from bottle to sippy cup. Bottles are for babies, right Moana? Um, well, maybe... not so much. Enter, opinionated one year old who WANTS HER MILK IN A BOTTLE.
Don't get me wrong. The sippy cup is just fine. For water. Or juice. But I swear, if it's milk, IT BETTER BE IN A BOTTLE. Moana will scream like there's no tomorrow and swat that cup away if I try to give her milk in it.
I figured I'd give it some time... eventually she will get hungry enough and will drink the milk out of the sippy cup. Yeah, not so much. She'll just scream, thank you. Maybe I need to try a different sippy cup. So I've bought several versions. Guess which one of these is the only one acceptable for milk?
So now I'm kind of at a loss. For the last week I've been giving her a bottle in the morning but then sippy cup in the afternoon and evening. So essentially she's been drinking 8oz/milk per day, because those second two don't get touched. Ok, she does actually touch them as she swats them forcefully away. But she does not swallow an oz of milk out of them.
Last night I decided that's it. No more bottles. Bottles are for babies. I put them all away. This morning she woke up and I put her milk in that Born Free bottle. As soon as she gave me a sign that she was hungry, we settled onto the couch with cup in hand and instantly, the protesting commenced.
There was nothing I could do to get her to put that cup anywhere near her mouth. Eventually I stopped trying and she stopped protesting. But that didn't solve her hunger problem. So I fed her solid food breakfast early. Then more solid food a few hours later. Then nap. Then try again with the cup of milk. FORGET IT. Not gonna do it.
The thing is, her caloric intake has been drastically reduced by the limited milk she'll drink. And she's losing weight. Doc actually told me at her appointment that she was concerned that Moana is now down in the 23% for weight. That was a couple of days ago and she's thinner now than she was then. This morning I was getting her dressed and I could see her rib cage. So it's concerning. And I'm at a loss. Am I going to be that mom who has a two year old carting a baby bottle around because we never broke the habit? Or am I going to be that mom who has a skinny child because I'm hell bent on winning a battle to get rid of the bottle while my child stubbornly withers away? Is it really that big of a deal whether or not my daughter drinks milk out of a bottle or a sippy cup?
I'm really leaning toward giving in on this one, at least back to once a day with the bottle so she'll at least get 8oz of the stuff every day... It's been a week now and I really think that if I don't give in with the bottle, she will not drink another sip of milk. She's THAT stubborn. Moms out there have some advice for me on this one??
There are far fewer foods on the Do Not Eat list now. Check it out! Scrambled eggs for breakfast!
I took her to her one year well child appointment a couple of days ago. On the list of things for 12 month old kids it said, "Did you know you can now give your child Vitamin D milk?"
Yep. I knew that. In fact, we made the transition just fine. The morning after her first birthday I heated up milk instead of formula and put it in her bottle. She sucked it right down like she didn't even know the difference. Phew! That was easy.
The next transition would be from bottle to sippy cup. Bottles are for babies, right Moana? Um, well, maybe... not so much. Enter, opinionated one year old who WANTS HER MILK IN A BOTTLE.
Don't get me wrong. The sippy cup is just fine. For water. Or juice. But I swear, if it's milk, IT BETTER BE IN A BOTTLE. Moana will scream like there's no tomorrow and swat that cup away if I try to give her milk in it.
I figured I'd give it some time... eventually she will get hungry enough and will drink the milk out of the sippy cup. Yeah, not so much. She'll just scream, thank you. Maybe I need to try a different sippy cup. So I've bought several versions. Guess which one of these is the only one acceptable for milk?
So now I'm kind of at a loss. For the last week I've been giving her a bottle in the morning but then sippy cup in the afternoon and evening. So essentially she's been drinking 8oz/milk per day, because those second two don't get touched. Ok, she does actually touch them as she swats them forcefully away. But she does not swallow an oz of milk out of them.
Last night I decided that's it. No more bottles. Bottles are for babies. I put them all away. This morning she woke up and I put her milk in that Born Free bottle. As soon as she gave me a sign that she was hungry, we settled onto the couch with cup in hand and instantly, the protesting commenced.
There was nothing I could do to get her to put that cup anywhere near her mouth. Eventually I stopped trying and she stopped protesting. But that didn't solve her hunger problem. So I fed her solid food breakfast early. Then more solid food a few hours later. Then nap. Then try again with the cup of milk. FORGET IT. Not gonna do it.
The thing is, her caloric intake has been drastically reduced by the limited milk she'll drink. And she's losing weight. Doc actually told me at her appointment that she was concerned that Moana is now down in the 23% for weight. That was a couple of days ago and she's thinner now than she was then. This morning I was getting her dressed and I could see her rib cage. So it's concerning. And I'm at a loss. Am I going to be that mom who has a two year old carting a baby bottle around because we never broke the habit? Or am I going to be that mom who has a skinny child because I'm hell bent on winning a battle to get rid of the bottle while my child stubbornly withers away? Is it really that big of a deal whether or not my daughter drinks milk out of a bottle or a sippy cup?
I'm really leaning toward giving in on this one, at least back to once a day with the bottle so she'll at least get 8oz of the stuff every day... It's been a week now and I really think that if I don't give in with the bottle, she will not drink another sip of milk. She's THAT stubborn. Moms out there have some advice for me on this one??
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Spaghetti Squash
Mmmmmmmm. I'm eating freshly roasted squash seeds. They're still warm from the oven. I feel so domestic, having roasted them myself. But let's be honest, I really just like the oil and the salt. Pretty addictive.
I made spaghetti squash for the first time tonight. I didn't even know what is was until Nalani was telling me about it a few weeks ago on a run. But even as she was describing it, I couldn't imagine what she was talking about. I thought she meant that she put pasta sauce on squash (like butternut squash) and it sounded pretty gross to me. But then she gave me one and told me to cook it and once I did, I figured out what she was talking about. Is there as Spaghetti Squash fan club on Facebook? 'Cause Scott and I would join*.
So we did our longest swim of the year today (Nalani's longest evah!). 5500 long course meters later we dragged ourselves out of the pool... actually, it wasn't that bad. We actually finished up a lot stronger than I anticipated we would. We started with a 1500 straight swim, descend the 500's to fast, remember the splits for later... then at the end of the workout we did another one, with the intention of going faster than we did in the beginning. I figured we could go a little faster, but I honestly didn't think we'd go 42 seconds faster! I checked our split at the first 500 (of the 2nd 1500) and had to gulp, wondering if we'd be able to descend much from there... but the next 500 was 9 seconds faster... then I was sure we were screwed b/c there was no way we'd go faster than that on the final 500... but we went for it... and dropped another 14 seconds! Holy cow. If someone would have told me the pace that we would hold finishing up that workout, I would have told them they were silly. Seems I need to stop underestimating myself in the water.
In other news, I unpacked my bike today! It's been resting peacefully in it's bike box for several weeks now in my living room. I hope she doesn't get too excited though because I'm still not going to ride her for a while. It's really not that I don't want to- it's more that I'm running and swimming kind of a lot right now and adding the bike would make my weeks look like I was training for an Ironman or something, which I am not. Once my two long swim and run events are over, I'll spend some time recovering and then will get back on my bike when my swim/run volume is more normal. In all honesty, the only reason I unpacked the bike was because my lighter running shoes were in there and I want to use them for my tempo run tomorrow.
Finally, what is the deal with all the maintenance workers who smoke right outside our condo? I swear, whoever hires those guys must ask the applicant to describe their smoking habits, only offering the job if the answer involves the word chain. I was returning from the grocery store today, carrying Moana in one arm with 3 heavy bags over the other shoulder and had to walk right through the new guy's smoke on my way to my steps. I was actually sort of nice at first when I asked him if he was new here... he replied that he was... then I turned on him like a cat... told him to take his cigarette up the hill and away from my home.
*Okay, Scott probably wouldn't join. But not b/c he didn't like the squash. Just because he isn't addicted to FB like I am.
I made spaghetti squash for the first time tonight. I didn't even know what is was until Nalani was telling me about it a few weeks ago on a run. But even as she was describing it, I couldn't imagine what she was talking about. I thought she meant that she put pasta sauce on squash (like butternut squash) and it sounded pretty gross to me. But then she gave me one and told me to cook it and once I did, I figured out what she was talking about. Is there as Spaghetti Squash fan club on Facebook? 'Cause Scott and I would join*.
So we did our longest swim of the year today (Nalani's longest evah!). 5500 long course meters later we dragged ourselves out of the pool... actually, it wasn't that bad. We actually finished up a lot stronger than I anticipated we would. We started with a 1500 straight swim, descend the 500's to fast, remember the splits for later... then at the end of the workout we did another one, with the intention of going faster than we did in the beginning. I figured we could go a little faster, but I honestly didn't think we'd go 42 seconds faster! I checked our split at the first 500 (of the 2nd 1500) and had to gulp, wondering if we'd be able to descend much from there... but the next 500 was 9 seconds faster... then I was sure we were screwed b/c there was no way we'd go faster than that on the final 500... but we went for it... and dropped another 14 seconds! Holy cow. If someone would have told me the pace that we would hold finishing up that workout, I would have told them they were silly. Seems I need to stop underestimating myself in the water.
In other news, I unpacked my bike today! It's been resting peacefully in it's bike box for several weeks now in my living room. I hope she doesn't get too excited though because I'm still not going to ride her for a while. It's really not that I don't want to- it's more that I'm running and swimming kind of a lot right now and adding the bike would make my weeks look like I was training for an Ironman or something, which I am not. Once my two long swim and run events are over, I'll spend some time recovering and then will get back on my bike when my swim/run volume is more normal. In all honesty, the only reason I unpacked the bike was because my lighter running shoes were in there and I want to use them for my tempo run tomorrow.
Finally, what is the deal with all the maintenance workers who smoke right outside our condo? I swear, whoever hires those guys must ask the applicant to describe their smoking habits, only offering the job if the answer involves the word chain. I was returning from the grocery store today, carrying Moana in one arm with 3 heavy bags over the other shoulder and had to walk right through the new guy's smoke on my way to my steps. I was actually sort of nice at first when I asked him if he was new here... he replied that he was... then I turned on him like a cat... told him to take his cigarette up the hill and away from my home.
*Okay, Scott probably wouldn't join. But not b/c he didn't like the squash. Just because he isn't addicted to FB like I am.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Winter Storm
It's November and we've been hit by our first 'winter storm'. It cracked me up listening to a promo for the local Hawaii news last night as the weather man came on and was like, "Get ready for a BIG drop in temperatures! Find out what's in store as the winter storm approaches on the 6:00 news..." On the actual weather report he said that we should all dig out our blankets and sweaters because there's going to be A 5 DEGREE DROP IN TEMPERATURES as this cold front approaches. The high today is only supposed to be 76. Brrr... Lol. It's not like we're going to need one of these.
It made me laugh because our 'winter storms' are so unlike winter storms on the mainland... I posted something on FB, making fun of ourselves for such weather wimpiness... then I was promptly accused of 'trolling' for comments from mainlanders. Whatever. I was making fun of us. See? Funny? Maybe not I guess.
Anyway, besides digging out the long sleeve shirts, the issue with our winter storms is that they tend to bring a lot of rain. Which isn't a problem unless you've got a key run workout planned on a dirt track. Remember what happens to dirt when you add a lot of water? Yep. It turns to MUD. For the record, it's really hard to run mile repeats at 10K pace through mud. Nalani and I tried this morning. We did 2, and of course couldn't hit the pace because our feet were slipping and sliding and you just couldn't confidently push off the ground because of all the sliding. We opted to finish off the last 2 on the road, so we left and headed to a neighborhood for a 1.1 mile loop. We actually thought it would be easier on the road, but turned out is was harder. Only because we could push so much harder. I'm pretty convinced that we were running 5K pace on those last 2 because that sure wasn't a pace I could have held for a whole 10K. Or, I'm just slow right now, which is also a very real possibility. Anyway, the jury is still out on whether or not I'm going to attempt the marathon. Today's workout was not one that made me think I could run it like I own it.
On the other hand though, the swim training for the Double RoughWater has been going well! We've been ramping up our swimming to the neighborhood of 15K/week with 4 swims- one of which has been an ocean swim on the weekend. Wednesdays are our long swim days so that's been fun... Except that Nalani is getting so crazy fast these days- I have to kill myself to keep up with her now! Tomorrow should be a good one though... we're going to do a 1500 WU, descend by 500's, then a 2000M main set of some sort, then finish up with another 1500 swim, descend the 500's. Sweet. I oughtta be flat out on my couch for a good bit after that one.
It made me laugh because our 'winter storms' are so unlike winter storms on the mainland... I posted something on FB, making fun of ourselves for such weather wimpiness... then I was promptly accused of 'trolling' for comments from mainlanders. Whatever. I was making fun of us. See? Funny? Maybe not I guess.
Anyway, besides digging out the long sleeve shirts, the issue with our winter storms is that they tend to bring a lot of rain. Which isn't a problem unless you've got a key run workout planned on a dirt track. Remember what happens to dirt when you add a lot of water? Yep. It turns to MUD. For the record, it's really hard to run mile repeats at 10K pace through mud. Nalani and I tried this morning. We did 2, and of course couldn't hit the pace because our feet were slipping and sliding and you just couldn't confidently push off the ground because of all the sliding. We opted to finish off the last 2 on the road, so we left and headed to a neighborhood for a 1.1 mile loop. We actually thought it would be easier on the road, but turned out is was harder. Only because we could push so much harder. I'm pretty convinced that we were running 5K pace on those last 2 because that sure wasn't a pace I could have held for a whole 10K. Or, I'm just slow right now, which is also a very real possibility. Anyway, the jury is still out on whether or not I'm going to attempt the marathon. Today's workout was not one that made me think I could run it like I own it.
On the other hand though, the swim training for the Double RoughWater has been going well! We've been ramping up our swimming to the neighborhood of 15K/week with 4 swims- one of which has been an ocean swim on the weekend. Wednesdays are our long swim days so that's been fun... Except that Nalani is getting so crazy fast these days- I have to kill myself to keep up with her now! Tomorrow should be a good one though... we're going to do a 1500 WU, descend by 500's, then a 2000M main set of some sort, then finish up with another 1500 swim, descend the 500's. Sweet. I oughtta be flat out on my couch for a good bit after that one.
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