.Smile

April 14th, 2015: Kendrick smiles for the first time (and it's not even because he has gas!)

I don't plan to be one of those moms who document online every little thing my child does, but having the first smile happen today melted my heart a little more than usual. I had been reading some things online and read that the first smile usually happens around the six week mark. So I had been anxiously waiting and when he was awake trying to make faces and talk to him so he would smile. Until today, his only semi-smiles happened when he was gassy - which was pretty funny but not really the same. I am one happy mama! :)

It's been a bit of a tough week. My Nonno (grandpa in Italian) passed away yesterday after being in the hospital since Thursday night. I am so thankful that Easter happened and we all got to spend some time together before he passed away. I was able to take a four generations picture with my son, my Mom and my grandparents and Nonno was able to meet and hold Kendrick. I won't forget the looks on my grandparents faces when we brought him over to them for the very first time. I haven't seen them that happy in a really long time and that in turn made me very happy! We spent some time every day at the hospital since Thursday and every time Kendrick was able to bring some sunshine into the room just by being himself. We are so lucky that he's been such a good baby; he doesn't mind being passed around and doesn't play strange with anyone. He also has periods where he's wide awake and very interactive and is starting to make faces and noises that just light up the room! I can tell it's been therapeutic for especially my mom and Nonna, and yesterday when we found out the terrible news cuddling him made me feel better too. It's kind of like puppy therapy: go into a room full of puppies and it's hard to stay sad! The same goes for babies, and I'm so happy that Kendrick got to meet his Bisnonno (great grandpa) before he passed away.

Since I've been leaving my house more than average these past few days, I've really started to realize how little clothes I have that are fitting comfortably. I'll be real for a moment and say that I've lost about 20ish pounds since Kendrick was born (by doing absolutely nothing because I can't) which has been great but it's kind of hit a plateau. This is to be expected since I haven't been able to work out, and although I'm not eating terribly I admit it's pretty hard to eat three balanced meals a day while I'm taking care of a newborn. I've noticed that some of the weight I've gained has been in the legs and even arms, so I'm in between my normal clothes and maternity clothes at the moment. Not to mention that any pants that are remotely tight bother my c-section incision so I can't wear those either. 

This means I hate practically my whole closet. 

I suppose if I look at the positive it means that I get to go shopping. I've been able to sell a couple of decorations and things from my wedding so I'm going to head to Lululemon and pick up another pair of running leggings. Not only are they comfy right now, but I'll be able to wear them when I start running again too! At home I wear loose fitting sweatpants and plain tees so it's very comfy but I don't really feel comfortable leaving the house looking like I just got out of bed. It's a big change but I'm hoping once I'm able to get active again I'll be able to shed that extra 25 pounds and feel fabulous again!

Six more days til my six week appointment! Fingers crossed for good news!

xo

-Dianne

PS: Remember my excitement about heading to the Urban Diner for eggs benedict the last post? Well, that was ruined. The manager/part owner was extremely rude to my friend because her child was crying for awhile. Disappointing for a local business but this isn't my first negative experience there and now I won't be going back. 

That being said - where is the BEST eggs benedict in the city?! All suggestions welcome!

.Crazy

I'm. Going. Bonkers.

Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not bored with the little man; Kendrick keeps me entertained (and tired) all day and he's wonderful. But I'm going slightly crazy being cooped up in the house, especially when the weather is really nice! As much as I love catching up on Friends on Netflix, watching TV all day is very boring. 11 more days until my six week appointment where I'm really hoping I get the OK to carry the carseat so Kendrick & I can start going out during the day! I have my eye on Mommy & Me yoga classes, some walks around the neighborhood and in the river valley, and making visits to my office and Brian's office so that our co-workers can get some baby time! Every time I see someone running I get really antsy - I miss it so much! I can't wait to get back into it!

My incision is healing really nicely - they sewed it up so well that you almost can't even tell it's there! Other than having a little difficulty still getting out of bed or sitting for long periods of time I am feeling pretty good. It's starting to hurt less and less when I cough, sneeze or laugh so I'm hoping the healing process is going well. 

Yesterday I opened the door to let the dog out and saw how amazingly gorgeous it looked outside and got the bright idea that maybe I'll try to figure out the Baby Bjorn carrier we got and take Kendrick on a quick walk! I got really excited, except that Kendrick was screaming and didn't want to sit still while I took it out of the box to try and figure out how to put it together, so I gave that up for the time being. 

Have I mentioned 11 more days until my six week appointment?

This weekend I'm meeting up with a two of my best friends from elementary and junior high at Urban Diner - I'm hoping that I can get the crab cake eggs benedict that I've been craving for months! One of my friends had her little guy the night before Kendrick was born (and in the same hospital) so I feel like they are born to be best friends. We reconnected at a fundraiser dinner a few years ago after not seeing each other for over 10 years, so it's been really awesome to share this whole new Mom experience together!

I can't believe it but Kendrick is one month old today! Time is flying really fast! Some people think he looks more like me, and others think he looks like Brian - I think he's perfect. I take a picture of him looking adorable almost every day (and my phone's memory is slightly full because of it) and it's amazing to see the changes that have happened in the last month! I've been searching Pinterest for some ideas on monthly pictures we can do with him and got some great ones! However why is it that when I try it it doesn't look nearly as good as it does on Pinterest? Damn you, perfect pictures on Pinterest! In any case, Kendrick looks cute and that's really all that matters. Since we didn't have a doctor's appointment today I couldn't get the exact weight so I weighed myself carrying him and then weighed myself without him to get his weight. Hopefully my scale at home is semi-reliable.

I'm thinking that Kendrick & I may go sit on the deck for a bit and soak up some of the sunshine we're getting with this early summer weather. Thank you, Mother Nature!

xo
-Dianne

PS: I've been using Stella & Dot's "Keep it in the Bag" diaper bag and it is AWESOME. Pockets for anything and everything. It's cute and it works for boys and girls - and it's not even too girly for Dad to carry! It also comes with a travel friendly changing pad, which I've used and comes in really handy when my son decides to pee as soon as the diaper comes off! When I go out, I throw my wallet in there and use it as my purse too. It just got a price reduction so go check it out by clicking here!

PPS: Forgot to mention, Kendrick & I are going to VEGAS for Stella & Dot's yearly sales conference in July!! I am so excited! More about that in a future post - but feel free to throw any baby traveling tips my direction for the time being! :)

.Missed

There were a few things I really missed while I was pregnant:

• Medium rare steak
• Eggs Benedict (poached soft with a ton of hollandaise sauce)
• Sushi
• Super hot showers/baths
• Hot tubs
• Running

Unfortunately with the c-section, baths and hot tubs are out for another month or so. When I get the all-clear, I'm actually tempted to go buy a day pass for a YMCA or city recreation center and just go sit in the hot tub for 20 minutes - that's how much I miss it!

As for the food, I haven't had the steak, eggs or sushi yet. Once we really get settled with the baby, Brian promised he would make me one of the best steaks I've ever tasted! For eggs benedict I want to head to Urban Diner for their crab & shrimp cake eggs benedict. It's been awhile since I've had it and it's SO delicious! I can't wait! And the sushi, well I'm not sure where I'm going to get sushi yet. I've always liked sushi but I've never really craved it, so it's been awhile since I've been to a good sushi restaurant. Does anyone have any suggestions on where I can get some good sushi?

Sadly, in the last couple months I found out that both fundraising runs that I did last year (the Underwear Affair for cancers below the waist, and Run for Your Dad for the Heart and Stroke Foundation) have been cancelled. Not only were they cancelled for 2015, but it looks like they are going to be cancelled for good. This makes me so sad! I picked those runs very carefully as I was running for my late aunt/godmother and my Dad, so the fact that they are now nonexistent left me wondering what I could do to raise money this year? I posted this on Facebook to see if anyone had any suggestions and my friend Kelly suggested the Heartbeat Run which is happening in Edmonton in September. The money raised is going to the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute which I think is a great cause. I have an email out to them to find out if strollers are allowed on the course for the 5K or 10K walk and if they are I may do the walk with Kendrick! If not, I'll have to decide whether I'll be ready for a 5K or 10K run at that point. Considering I'll be doing a half marathon at the end of October, I may opt for the 10K run to get my legs in gear, but we'll have to see how it goes. I don't want to get too far ahead of myself just in case, but I'm excited to know that I will have a fundraising run to look forward to this year and raise money for a good cause in memory of my Dad. 

Another walk I'm thinking of doing is the 5K Canada Day Road Race first thing in the morning on Canada Day. Last year I did the 15K (not knowing I was pregnant, there were a bunch of hills and I still managed a PR!) and I loved the route. It was a lot of fun! This year I'm not sure I'll be ready to run a 15K at that point, but I may do the 5K with Kendrick to get the legs moving. I really want him to love the jogging stroller and coming to exercise with Mommy so that he gets used to it and I can get in shape while still spending time with him! The 15K was hilly and quite challenging but I think the 5K will be a lot of fun. 

I miss running. Can you tell? :) 30 days until April 20th!

.Candid

It's been a bit of whirlwind week! Last Sunday at this time I was feeling a little funny, in pain, and wondering if something was happening. Fast forward to 5:26AM on Monday, March 9 and our beautiful baby boy was born! Welcome to the world, Kendrick Peter Gene!

Many people have asked where we came up with the name Kendrick, and honestly after looking through hundreds of baby names it kind of just came to me. I asked Brian what he thought and he's says "I don't mind that". That was the very first name that we both didn't veto right away as we were having trouble agreeing on names, and then it started to grow on us as the months went by. We did have a couple others and didn't make the final decision until about an hour after he was born when we both had the chance to take a good look at him. The middle names are after his grandpas which unfortunately passed away before he was born.

I'll be candid for a moment and tell you that actual labour was terrifying. Pregnancy itself was very scary for me (mostly due to me being paranoid), and I was thankful that after the first trimester things evened out a bit and I felt a lot better.  

We'll start off from a week ago. I woke up in the morning feeling not so great. I was feeling pain and it was getting really hard to walk from all the pressure on my pelvis. I was fairly confident that the baby had "dropped" completely, which means that labour could start any time. Being only three days away from my due date I hadn't had any other signs of labour so I was starting to wonder if I was going to be overdue. Despite this, the last few weeks I had a feeling that the baby would be coming around the due date so I wasn't really sure what to think. We made a quick trip to Costco that morning and then a stop at Buy Buy Baby to pick up some last minute things for the baby. After that we had a visit with friends, and Brian installed the car seat in his car. I started to notice that my pain was getting worse and seemed to be coming and going. For some reason I thought contractions would be a lot higher in the belly than they were, so I didn't actually start timing them until about 5:30. I used an app called "CTX Timer" (honestly, what would we do without technology these days) to try and track them and find out a pattern. They started out being 7-8 minutes apart and then got farther apart but more intense. This is when we decided to slowly start preparing in case we needed to go to the hospital. We both took showers, made sure the hospital bags were ready to go, and did some last minute de-cluttering. By the time we started to get ready for bed the contractions were around 5-6 minutes apart and I knew that I wouldn't be able to sleep. Brian called the Labour and Delivery at the hospital and explained what was going on, and they said we were welcome to come in for an assessment so we decided to go and check it out. Just as we were leaving the house the contractions started to get 2-3 minutes apart - and at that point I was very grateful we only lived three minutes away from the hospital!  Upon arrival they did some initial checks and let us know that I was 3CM dilated and they were going to keep me. If reality hadn't set in initially it sure set in then! We then got wheeled to a private room where I pretty much had to be monitored constantly and wait for labour to progress. 

We had prepared to be in labour for awhile since the average for first time moms is usually pretty long (I believe they told us in prenatal classes it was around 20 hours), however mine was progressing really fast. An hour and a half later I was at 6CM and the contraction pain was pretty tough. I finally gave in and asked for an epidural. I really wanted to try to have a natural birth, however I am well aware of my pain tolerance and actually a little impressed with how far I made it. After reading me all the things that can go wrong (similar to the end of drug commercials on American channels), they proceeded and it was a huge relief. When I couldn't feel the contractions anymore I was able to nap on and off. All of a sudden I was at 9.5CM and that's when things stalled. They topped up my epidural and I feel like gave me too much because after that point I couldn't feel anything from the stomach down, nor could I move. Every time I had a contraction the baby's heart rate was going down, so the doctors were getting concerned. Although he was head down, he was facing upward instead of downward so they constantly tried to move him around. It took awhile and they finally got him turned, but at that point he wasn't moving when I tried to push. It came to the point where the doctor finally said that for the safety of both of us, they'd need to perform an emergency c-section. Although I knew this always could have been an option, I wasn't really prepared and I was scared. Again, the doctor went through the pros and cons and then got me to sign a waiver saying it was ok. As I got wheeled into the operating room they made Brian wait outside until they were ready to start, and that was the worst because he'd been holding my hand the whole time. I could tell he was just as terrified as I was but he was trying to stay strong for me. They finally let him in after he put on scrubs and again had to top up my epidural so I wouldn't feel anything. Thankfully they put up a curtain so I couldn't actually see what was going on (which I'm very thankful for as I think I would have passed out if they didn't). I swear less than two minutes passed and the baby was being rushed over to a table near by with three doctors hovering around him. We both didn't understand why he wasn't crying. That's what happens in the movies right? The baby is born and immediately starts crying? His eyes were wide open and his chest was moving but he wasn't making a sound and we were both terrified. They had a tube down his throat and we found out later that when babies are born by c-section they are usually in shock, so they have to pump out some mucus that was in his lungs. He finally started to make noise and the nurses turned to us and said that everything was ok and he's happy and healthy and that he was one of the most adorable babies they had ever seen. *Insert sigh of relief here*

Although my experience was scary, it certainly isn't the same for everyone; if anything I've learned that every pregnancy and labour experience is different. Me personally, I hope that I never have to go through a C-Section again! I was very lucky that there was only six hours between arriving at the hospital and giving birth, and I am also extremely lucky that I have one incredible husband who slept on a bench for four days, stayed by my side in the hospital and has been so hands on and supportive through this experience! And when they say that you'll forget all the pain once you get to hold your baby for the very first time, that is 100% true. We couldn't be more thankful for our bundle of joy. :)

Besides my butt being ridiculously sore from having to stay in a hospital bed in almost the same position for four days straight, the staples were removed off my incision yesterday and I'm feeling pretty mobile. The nurse says it's healing really well, so hopefully it stays that way! My belly is slowly shrinking and I've lost 13 lbs. Woo hoo! I'm still on painkillers for the time being, but the pain is starting to get less and less so hopefully by the end of the week I'll be lowering the dosage or off them completely. I'm very thankful that Brian was able to get a few extra days off so we can go through this learning curve together and spend time with the little man! I'm looking forward to leaving the house at some point this week - I've been pretty stir-crazy and I know I'm missing all the beautiful weather!

Life is busy but looking forward to blogging a little more often this year. Stay tuned! :)

xo
-Dianne

PS. Talked to the nurse and she said I could talk to the doctor at the six week mark and discuss when I could get back to running and being active again. YAY. I have April 20th circled on the calendar and hope I heal up nicely so I can slowly get back into things. For now, she said I can walk if I feel up to it, so if the weather stays nice Kendrick & I may go exploring in the neighbourhood.

.Bug

It's no secret I have the travel bug. I'm practically planning my next vacation the day I get back from one. Don't get me wrong, it has nothing to do with me not liking Edmonton. I LOVE this city and hope to live here all of my life. I just love to explore new cities and do new things! I definitely got that from my Dad. 

Currently I have four vacations (at least) I want to take while I'm on mat leave. Vegas in July (Stella & Dot's national conference), Vancouver in October (Rock & Roll Half Marathon), Australia in November (to see hubby's sister & brother in law) and Florida in February (Princess Half Marathon). The only thing that is booked right now is Vancouver - and by booked all I mean is my entrance into the race. Nothing else will get booked until we make sure the baby is born and healthy and he's doing ok. Of course there's always that fun money issue...

My husband thinks that I think money grows on trees. Funny, because my parents used to say this all the time to me when I was a kid. I'll be the first one to say that I am not the greatest financial planner. I'm definitely better than I used to be, but one would say I'm not the best with money. So to plan four vacations on mat leave pay which I believe is about 55% may be a little crazy. That being said, I am determined!

I've been a little stressed about financials during mat leave but people keep telling me it's not as bad as it seems. I won't be driving to and from work every day so that will save me gas money. I'll be eating at home more often so that will cut down on the food budget for eating out. Our plan is to buy a lot of veggies and groceries a few weeks before the baby is due and start preparing freezer meals, so on those rough days when I'm tired and feeling lazy it will be easy to pop a pre-made meal in the freezer or slo-cooker. During January & February, I'm going to really work my Stella & Dot business and make some extra money to go into mat leave with. I plan to save my pennies as much as possible and see how the year goes!

The beach on our honeymoon in Saint Maarten in February/March 2014

We all have priorities. Although I'm settled down, I still want to see the world! But there has to be a happy balance. After March, we'll be providing for an extra person! And he will take priority over everything. I guess we'll see how it goes, but I'm motivated and excited to make this work! I've been pinning some tips on traveling with babies so I will definitely be educating myself so I'm prepared. 2015 is going to bring some unique challenges but also, hopefully, great joy. Happy early new year everyone!

xo

-Dianne

PS: I am ashamed to admit I never got into the squat challenge from the last post. I haven't even done ONE. Ug. I did go boxing day shopping on December 26th and got a great work out walking around West Edmonton Mall though! My feet have been sore for two days but it was 100% worth it. I snagged some good deals. All the maternity stores were empty - I assume because most people at seven months pregnant have no desire to deal with malls on Boxing Day! :)

PPS: HUGE winter sale going on at www.stelladot.com/DianneCK - you should check it out! Treat yourself to an after Christmas present :)

.Body Image

Most of us at one point or another have been uncomfortable with how we looked. I was very lucky in that I had a fabulous metabolism while I did competitive gymnastics up to my early 20's. I could eat whatever I wanted (which included fast food and way more pop than I should have drank) and not gain a pound or lose my washboard abs. I started to notice around 25 that I couldn't quite do that anymore. Not that I went on a diet, but I started to really read labels and look more into what I was eating. I am now a constant label reader and although I still give into cravings, I have definitely convinced myself to not eat something because of the calorie content, particularly when I was running on a regular basis!

During this pregnancy body image is something I'm struggling with. When you've been around the same size most of your life, it's very odd to go through these types of changes! I'm involved in a couple of baby message boards where some woman who are at the same stage I am are and have only gained 3-5 pounds - yet I'm at around 25 (the last doctor's appointment the nurse didn't even tell me how much I've gained, so I don't really know what that means haha). Most of the weight I've gained so far has been in the belly, and so far I've been able to avoid stretch marks by using a mixture of the Honest Company's Organic Healing Balm and Bio Oil every night before I go to bed. I bought two pairs of maternity pants two months ago and I absolutely hate them: although they seem like they'd be comfortable, my belly isn't big enough so they are constantly falling down. I've been making due with most of my current dress pants/skirts during the week with a belly band - which essentially helps keep your pants up even while they are unzipped! I can tell though that some of the weight is spreading out though because some of my pants are starting to get a bit too tight, so I'm kind of an in between stage. I also fight with my closet almost every morning. This dress is too short now, this shirt doesn't fit right, I don't have anything to match these pants, etc. I'm thankful for weekends when I can live in Lulus, sweatpants and Sweet Legs leggings!

This being said, I am not complaining. I am very grateful to be pregnant and excited to be a mom, no matter what a toll it takes on my body. It's just a bit of an adjustment, and I am very lucky that I have such supportive friends and family (especially my amazing husband) who are so complimentary and make me feel good! I've noticed that people are also very supportive of my eating habits; when I start to debate whether I should eat something I get the "don't worry, you're eating for two, it's ok!" As tempting as it is (I'm seriously hungry ALL the time), I'm trying purposely not to eat for two as I really want to get back working out/running after the baby. Although I know I'm going to gain weight, I want to try my best not to go overboard!

I've decided I'm going to challenge myself to a squat challenge. I'm going to try and do 10 squats a day every day after I get up or just before I go to bed. I've been feeling particularly lazy and although I'm not able to run anymore, there are things I can still do and this is something that won't take up much time but still be a bit of a workout. If 10 gets too easy, I'll add 1-2 each time and see how that goes. Anyone want to join me? :)

My friend Steinunn asked me yesterday if I enjoyed being pregnant. I've heard some women absolutely love being pregnant, and some that hate every minute. I'll be honest, I think I'm somewhere in between. The first couple months were spent being really stressed out & worried that something was going to go wrong. I had symptoms that could have meant things were going wrong but thankfully all the tests proved otherwise. It left me very overwhelmed, unmotivated for life in general and very sad. But once I was able to get past that point and we received positives from the ultrasounds, I'm now starting to finally feel excited. Although I'm not always comfortable with the way I look or the way I'm feeling sometimes (my tough points right now are mid-back pain, sleepiness during the day and insomnia at night) for the most part I feel pretty good. So I am lucky in that sense, and am very grateful that so far everything has gone OK. I continue to think positive thoughts to get me through the remaining 15ish weeks! :)

My point is that we are all human. There's probably very few people that are satisfied with how they look every single day, and that's ok. We're all different and unique and awesome in our own ways and I think it's important to realize that because it's definitely a life lesson I want to teach my future son one day. You just have to do what you can to make yourself feel good, and always try your best to feel comfortable in your own skin. I did that this weekend when I wore the new dress I'd picked out for my Christmas party! It's stretchy so I should be able to wear it after I have the baby, and it will still fit for the hubby's Christmas party in a couple of weeks!

xo
-Dianne

PS: We had an ultrasound yesterday and Baby Peanut looked like he was trying to eat his toes! Looks like we have a flexible little one on our hands...a future gymnast maybe? :)

PPS: Gigantic Black Friday sale starting today at www.stelladot.com/DianneCK! Some sale items up to 40% off! Make sure you check it out! Some items are already sold out!

.Dad

I'd be lying if I said this time of year doesn't make me a little bit grumpy. Not just grumpy, but angry and sad too. It's unfair that my Dad isn't here to celebrate Father's Day with us. He was a great Dad, and it's hard to believe that he's been gone for 2 1/2 years already.

My Dad passed away on December 23rd, 2011 from a massive heart attack. We knew he had been stressed out and his health wasn't the greatest, but we certainly never expected something like that to happen. Hearing the words "Your Dad has a heart attack, we need to go the hospital right now" just made my heart hit the ground. We were all actually on our way to catch the pre-season game between Canada and Sweden in the World Juniors tournament, and we hadn't even made it 5 minutes from the house before we got the call. Getting to the hospital and being told that your Dad didn't make it, particularly two days before Christmas, is most definitely the worst feeling I've ever had in my life.

Thankfully, earlier that afternoon we had lunch as a family at one of our favorite restaurants, Thanh Thanh (The Oriental Noodle House) on 101 Street. I was working as it was a busy time and I was trying to get everything organized to get my work visa for the London Olympics - but I am so thankful that we were able to carve out some time to go for lunch that day, which had actually been planned almost a week prior. Although dinner was good, my Dad and I had gotten into a stupid argument about the work visa, because he thought he knew the process to get one and I was sure he didn't. At the end of lunch, I rushed out and didn't give either of my parents a hug before I left because I was in a hurry. I still think about that moment often, because it was so selfish of me to just leave. Of course I didn't know that it would be the last time I'd ever see him alive, but I really wish now that I hadn't been in such a hurry because that little moment would have made a difference, at least for me.

I have so many good memories of my Dad. He was a great sports Dad; he came to almost every single one of my baseball games, gymnastics competitions, and pretty much anything my brother and I did as kids. He picked me and all my friends up at the bar and drove us home when I didn't have a car, because he wanted to make sure we didn't drink and drive and that we'd all get home safe. He was so supportive in everything I did, and was so proud when I got my dream job of working for the Oilers. He always thought it was awesome that I always managed to get the coolest jobs, and that I had managed to work for both of the major sports teams in the city. He told silly jokes over and over again and even though we rolled our eyes, he giggled about it every time. He was a fantastic photographer, and took pictures any moment he could. He also loved Paris, and since his passing I've found myself loving it even more. I was so pumped that my Dad was around when I told him I got accepted to volunteer for the 2012 Olympics in London, and he was even thinking of joining me for awhile when I was there. I did head to Paris for one day while on my trip as a tribute to him, and made sure to have a real croissant this time, as when I went when I was in Grade 8, he couldn't believe that I didn't have a fresh croissant at a French cafe! Once at the dinner table, he was trying to get mustard out of the squeeze bottle and it literally exploded all over the table, walls, and even the ceiling - and we all just couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of the whole situation. He always called me his #1 Daughter, even though I was his only daughter.

I'll probably be staying away from public places and social media on Sunday just because I know it will make me a little sad. But I feel so blessed that I have such great parents, and that my Dad was around for as long as he was. 

Happy Father's Day Dad. I miss you.

xo
-Dianne

PS: I am running in a 15K race tomorrow morning called "Run For Your Dad" and I'm raising money for the Heart and Stroke Foundation in my Dad's memory. If you would like to donate, please use the following link: https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1079555&supId=406821148

.Namaste

I haven't been to yoga in a very long time. I love it, and I still even have some class passes left, but there's always an excuse not to go that I can't really pinpoint. I keep meaning to go back, but now I actually have a reason! My friend Debbie suggested that I check out Yin Yoga to help stretch out my groin muscle, and also suggested that I continue doing it once a week as it will benefit my running. The only type of yoga I've ever done is Moksha, which is done is a very hot room. I absolutely loved it! I loved the stretching and the softness of my skin afterward as all the toxins sweated out. They do Yin Yoga at the Moksha studio too, but I thought I would try looking into something a little bit different this time.

Randomly - I remember watching a segment on the news a few weeks back about the pros and cons of juicing. Although I would never do a juicing cleanse of any sort (because it doesn't make sense to me or seem healthy to only drink juice for an extended period of time), I think it's definitely something I would consider to add to a healthy diet and drink on occasion. On TV they also spoke to some people from Lotus Soul Gym Yoga so I thought I would take a look at their website for my new yoga needs. I also recalled seeing somewhere that they had a Groupon, so I searched my trusty mobile app and found it. $39 for an unlimited month of yoga? Ok, why not?! I even roped my friend Keenyn along for the ride!

I have never done "normal" yoga. The only yoga I've done is in a hot room where you can't leave without having a shower afterward because you are so soaked from sweat that you look like you just came out of a swimming pool (not that's I'm complaining, it's seriously a blast!). I wasn't really feeling antsy about it, but I'm not really sure what to expect. Is it going to be as easy to stretch when you aren't in the hot room? Is there music? Will it be able to keep my attention? This morning, I had all my questions answered when I arrived at Lotus Soul Gym to take my first Yin Yoga class!

Yoga went well. Yin Yoga is all about stretching and holding poses for a long time and it was very relaxing. I could tell that my groin muscle still hurt, but I feel better that I stretched it out. The class was super full but we had a great time and the instructor was very good. Although I think I still hot yoga better, I will definitely go back and do this one again. My weeks are pretty busy for the remainder of the month, but I'm going to do my best to hit up Yin Yoga at least once or twice a week for the remainder of my Groupon for sure and hoping to feel better! I'm also considering heading a physio consultation to see if they can recommend anything I can do during my injury, as I feel like I'm losing my running endurance - so we'll see how the week goes!

Random fun fact I learned this week: a five year old in Trenton, NJ completed a half marathon in 2013 in 2:22. That's 22 minutes faster than MY personal best time! If that's not motivation to pick up the pace - I don't know what is! Check out the article here and prepare to be blown away.

PS. Happy Mother's Day Mom. So glad I got to spend some time with you yesterday since you were sick today! You are so strong and I love ya! Dad's looking down on us today. :)

xo
-Dianne