Good News!

We finally were able to get in for the echocardiogram last week. A specialist took a very detailed look at little man's tiny heart, and at the end confirmed that everything looked normal! Big relief. So glad that all is well in there.

We also finally got the go-ahead from the moving company. They will be here tomorrow to pack up and move all of our belongings back west! Wahoo! We will leave on Wednesday, with stops in Denver, Utah, and Oregon before arriving for good in our new home. Which we don't have yet. It's just too risky to get locked into a rental agreement before seeing the apartment yourself. If all goes according to plan, we will get there a few days before Colt starts work, and we will spend the time looking for a place to live. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Also, I may have been tinkering around on the internet to get an idea of what our little boy could look like. 

Yeesh. Never a good idea. Forgive me, but all internet-generated babies look like creeps.

Also, this kid-bot is full on ginger. Is it even genetically possible for our babies to have red hair?  There are no red-heads in either of our families, although in some lights my hair can look slightly coppery, and Colt is super fair-haired and fair-skinned, with lots of sexy freckles and a beard that grows in red...

I suppose if I end up giving birth to a little redhead, I can't say there were no signs. He'll be our "Lucky Charm!" 
Seriously, though, I'm a little sorry I posted the picture. His gaze seems to penetrate the depths of your soul, and not in a good way. Feel free to exit as quickly as possible, before he learns all of your darkest secrets.

Running While Pregnant

I've been running since I was 15, but honestly, in the last couple years I've been slacking. What with grad school, working full-time, getting married and then pregnant, and moving across the country, it's been busy! I went from running almost every day, to about three days, to about...one, if I was lucky. 

But I've missed it so. And since I never gave up running completely, and was doing a lot of cycling and other forms of cardio, I figured (with the approval of my doctor) I could start going regularly now that I have more free time, even though I'm pregnant. My dad and I want to run a half marathon next summer after little man has exited my uterus, so I'm hoping I won't have to start training completely from scratch.

I've been running a few days a week lately, and I've found that running while pregnant has a bit of a learning curve. You have to be really aware of your body and how you are feeling, because "pushing through it" is no longer recommended. In the past, if I felt tired or my knee was tweaky or I had a side ache, I kept going. No pain, no gain, right? No longer, my friends. The new motto over here is 

"No pain=No problems. You don't have to go on bedrest!" 

So, I have to make sure I don't go too fast or too hard. In fact, if I get to a point where I can't have a conversation or whistle while I'm running, I have to slow down. I run alone, so don't mind me. I'm the one whistling a song and talking to myself every few minutes or so. Just checking in.

And this. So much truth, especially during a run:

Also, I'm five and a half months along, so I'm kind of at the weird stage where people don't automatically assume I'm pregnant. I'm showing, but not in a super obvious way. I just look a little...thick. But I am pregnant, and I am SLOW. So slow. Like, there was a very pleasant 70 year old man running on the track this morning, and we were probably going about the same pace. Part of this is due to the fact that as soon as I start to feel like I'm breathing too hard, or I notice I'm going a little fast, or I feel the ligaments in my belly start to pull, I slow waaaay down.  But, for some reason, pregnancy also just makes you slow. In fact, I'm slower than I was in 7th grade. Which is sad, but also kind of funny, because most people don't know that I'm running for two. So I just look like a perfectly healthy girl with a bit of a tummy, running slower than my elderly counterparts.

Additionally, I have to use a belly support band now. Like I said, my belly isn't super big yet, but it's big enough that I'm experiencing some stretching pains, especially while running. The ligaments in my stomach and sides are stretching, and when you add the jaunty bounce that occurs while jogging, it feels like a painful side-ache is encompassing my entire lower abdomen. Ouch. This is especially frustrating, because I'm going so slow that I'm not tired, and my legs and lungs feel like they could go forever. I want so badly to keep running, but my baby bump hurts, man! And I'm not supposed to run through the pain anymore, remember? So I went and bought a belly support band, and used it for the first time this morning. It really seemed to help. I had an actual side-cramp when I started, but it went away pretty quickly and the rest of the run was super comfortable. Hopefully the band will continue to work as I expand like a balloon.

Despite the learning curve, the aches and pains, and occasional frustrations, pregnant running has been great so far. It feels so nice to get outside, to do something familiar (with a few modifications).  If you have realistic expectations for yourself, and you're willing to forget about pace/time, listen to your body and your baby, and be flexible with your mileage, I think it can be an enjoyable experience for anyone who wants to give it a try.

Ask me again in a couple months if I still feel the same way.

Washington D.C.

After my mom and sister left, Colt and I took a day trip to Washington D.C.  Despite the heat and humidity, it was still a lot of fun to see these famous monuments in person. I also liked how everything was close together, and how open the city was. It was a lot less busy and crowded than NYC.

The White House ✓

The National Monument ✓

The World War II Memorial ✓

The Jefferson Memorial ✓

The Lincoln Memorial ✓

The Capitol Building ✓

The Holocaust Museum ✓

The Pentagon ✓

The Washington D.C. Temple ✓

Sorry to our family that there are virtually no pictures of Colt and I. Seriously though, we were so sweaty. It just wasn't happening.

Things I Can't Find/Are Hard To Find On the East Coast

1. Cinnamon rolls. 

They don't do cinnamon rolls over here. They strictly  consume "sticky buns." Sticky buns are basically a cinnamon roll without the frosting, which defeats the whole purpose, in my opinion. My poor, in-utero son has yet to enjoy the transcendent experience of eating a soft, fluffy cinnamon roll. When we pass through Utah on our way back west, you can bet we will be stopping at Shirley's for a cinnamon roll (in regular, orange, raspberry, and blueberry flavors, obviously). 

For the baby, you guys. For the baby.

2. Fast food restaurants with an indoor (or outdoor) play place for kids.

I thought it would be fun to take my little babysitting charge out for lunch at a fast food restaurant and let her play for awhile on the indoor play structure. I called several places (including McDonald's, which goes to show just how desperate I was getting) before finally finding a play place at a Chick Fil A about a half hour away from us. That's the only one I've seen out here.

3. Tim's Jalapeno Potato Chips/Maui Onion Flavored Potato Chips.

None. Not a single bag to be found out here. But they do love their pretzels. I have never seen so many varieties of bagged pretzels in one aisle. 

4.  7-Eleven.

Ok, there is one 7-Eleven about ten minutes away from our apartment. But that's the only one I have seen out here on the east coast. In Utah, there is literally a 7-Eleven on every other corner. The 7-Eleven equivalent here would be Dunkin Donuts. You can't turn around without running into a Dunkin. But guess what? Dunkin Donuts does not have free Hazelnut creamers to put in your hot chocolate. Nor do they have Slurpees, or cheese danishes. So...

5. Families with more then three kids.

You almost never see families with more than two kids out here. Occasionally, you will see parents or a nanny with three children, but it's always one of two scenarios: a) there is an older child and a set of twins, or b) the family is clearly LDS or Catholic. I have yet to see a family outside of an LDS church building with more than three kids.

6. Entenmann's Classic Glazed Donuts.
They do not exist here. What is this place?!

Yeah, most of these are food related. I'm pregnant, ok?

Little Mango Baby: 20 Weeks

How Far Along? 20 weeks on Sunday! Five months and counting. Baby's Fruit-Size Equivalent? A mango! I wish I had a Mango Madness flavored Snapple right now. Maternity Clothes? I've worn a couple of maternity shirts, but they are still a little big. Comfy, though! I can still wear my old clothes, but they don't look as good as they used to ;) How Are You Sleeping? Pretty well! But I have some very vivid dreams, and wake up every five minutes to pee. I don't love it. Best moment this week? Having my mom and sister in town. They are completely spoiling me and the babe. Also, we had our 20 week ultrasound, and we got to see our little monkey! Limbs were examined, junk was identified (DEFINITELY a boy). From the front, his little face looks possessed. However, his profile continues to be adorable. We prefer the profile shots. Even better, he appears to be perfectly healthy. Weird pregnancy moment? Just how much I've changed in the last couple of weeks. I wasn't really showing much at all, but then a little gut just kind of appeared this week. I haven't popped completely, but there is definitely a bump. And I get sharp little pains around my abdomen, as the ligaments start to stretch. It's weird and sometimes uncomfortable.  Any Movement: Yes! It's like bubbles inside my belly. I can't wait for Colt to be able to feel it on the outside. Anything making you queasy? Luckily, no! Hopefully the nausea is gone for good. How About Cravings? Scotchy scotch scotch, down into my belly. Just kidding! Toast and jam.  What I'm Looking Forward To: Having the echocardiogram in September. Apparently there was a miscommunication when they told us they would do it at the ultrasound this week. Sheesh. So, we will have a detailed scan of the baby's heart in a couple of weeks. Can't wait to have that behind us.

My Happy Place

This may be a little weird, but whenever I flash my membership card and step through the vast entrance of Costco, all my worries and fears, all my problems and stressors, seem to immediately melt away. I inhale the scent of spacious warehouse and cardboard, and I feel home again.

I have vague memories of being pushed around Costco in their huge shopping carts as a small child. I remember shopping with my mom and playing pretend with my sisters amongst the vast aisles, searching for sample stands as the rain poured outside. I remember getting a slice of pizza and a churro with my dad after shopping on Saturday mornings, eyeballing the big table full of books, looking to see the new seasonal muffin flavor(I still do this, obviously).

It's so comforting to me that no matter where you are, Costco always smells the same. You can find literally anything in there. Costco polish dogs and pizza taste the same in Pennsylvania as they do in Utah or Oregon, and their relish is always delicious. I love the samples. Costco has sold me on many a product by offering up a tiny portion of a delicious substance (mango salsa, mojito-lime seasoning, organic bean and rice burritos, chocolate mousse layer cake, jalapeno yogurt dip, etc). And their prices. Oh, the prices! It's all so comforting.

Additionally, the warehouse appears to be exceptionally sturdy. I feel quite safe in there. 

In the event of an apocalypse, you'll know where to find me. I'll be kicking back on one of the sectional couches in the center of the store (just behind the boxes of thick socks), a polish dog with extra relish in one hand, the other tearing enthusiastically into a six-pack of Streusel Lemon Blueberry flavored Costco muffins, watching movies on a huge flat screen T.V. You're welcome to join me, but you'll have to find your own couch. 
Don't worry, there's plenty! 
Because you're at Costco, my friend. 
The land of many comforts. 

Just Sittin'

I'm currently watching Shark Week with Colt. Sort of. 

We're trying to watch one of the two full-length Shark Week shows that Discovery.com has so generously shared online for free, for those of us too cheap to pay for cable but are sad to miss out on the annual shark extravaganza. But "Blood in the Water" keeps freezing on us. 

"NO!" We shout in protest.

But "Blood in the Water" refuses to cooperate. So we will be viewing "American Sharks" instead. I can already tell by the upbeat tone of the narrator's voice that "American Sharks" will not be quite as enthralling as "Blood in the Water." But, also probably a lot less scary. You can't win 'em all, I suppose.

I saw and felt the babe hiccuping for the first time...and maybe some movement. My whole stomach was rhythmically twitching for about 15 minutes or so. I asked my mom about it, and I googled, and both confirmed that this sounded like an episode of the hiccups. His hiccups are a lot cuter than my own, which are often a cross between a convulsion and a burp. It's fine, Colt married me anyway.

It was a nice reminder that the baby is really in there, though. Just hanging out. 
The movement is like tiny, almost unnoticeable twitches that I can see more than I feel. I think he's trying to entertain himself in there.

Dear Baby: Sorry life isn't more interesting right now, little man. Just keep swimming. Love, Mama.

Colt has an interview for a full-time position in Auburn, Washington. It's next week, so we will see how it goes! Keep your fingers and toes crossed for us, if you please. 

Here's some old pictures. I don't even know when or where some of these were taken.