Gender Reveal

A few weeks ago we found out baby's gender! We had the sonographer put the results in an envelope which I then passed to a friend. She baked a cake and brought it over the next day so that our son and my dad could be a part of it. It was so fun!

It's A GIRL!! We are overwhelmed and overjoyed! I was up half the night preparing myself to cut into a blue cake (which would be just as exciting), so to see pink was just incredible.

Here's my 20 week baby bump:

Thanks to long hours at work, exhaustion, and holiday stuff, I didn't work out for 2 weeks. But this past Saturday I got in a 4 mile run and it felt great! I'm planning on a New Years Day 5K and will post about that next week. Now I need to wean myself off of the excess sugar that Christmas brings. Too many cookies and m&m's! I just want to throw away everything that's left. I think I just might do that...

I hope everyone has a terrific New Years!

Turkey Burnoff

Every year my local running club puts on a Turkey Burnoff race the Saturday after Thanksgiving. You have the option of running either 5 or 10 miles. Last year I did 10 and I really enjoyed it. This year, being 19 weeks pregnant, I knew I would not be able to do 10 but decided to go for the 5!

I've been running 30-35 minutes (2.5-3 miles) a couple of times a week and it's going well. I was thinking a 5K would be my limit but knew I'd be able to do 5 because I could walk if necessary. I did end up walking up the hills but ran the rest of the time, just more slowly.

About half way through, an obviously pregnant woman passed me and ended up finishing before me. I mention that she was obviously pregnant because I don't think that I am there yet. If you know me, then it's obvious! But if you don't know me you might just think it's how my body is shaped. Or maybe I had too much stuffing on Thanksgiving. ;)

After the run I asked her how far along she is and she was 29 weeks! She looked great and it's definitely motivating. I've decided to run the New Years Day 5K the running club puts on every year. I'll be 24 weeks pregnant by then!

My dad has been volunteering with the club, taking pictures at some of the races. He happened to be at the finish line of the Turkey Burnoff and it was great to see him!

Here are some of the shots he got of me:

And one from another photographer who was on the course:

My belly looks huge in these photos! I don't think it's really as big as it looks. And these are one of the only pairs of pants that are fitting me right now but I refuse to buy new ones that I'll only wear for a couple of months. I'll make it work! Thankfully I have some bigger shirts that fit well.

This is a new experience but I'm loving it. Being a woman who is growing a life, I already feel strong and amazing. Add running to the mix and it goes to a whole new level. I'm amazed at what my body is capable of doing!

I'm doing my best to make more time for exercise and to eat (mostly) healthy. I know it'll make a big difference come delivery time and for that alone I'm highly motivated to continue!