.Hello

Oh hey blog, it's me Dianne. Do you remember me?

The last time there was a long pause between blog posts I announced I was pregnant...

I'm not pregnant.

I don't really have any other explanation than life happened. In the last six months I ran a half marathon, moved houses, moved offices, helped open Rogers Place, watched my baby really turn into a toddler, got two viral infections and one bad cold in a 2.5 month span and had a cough that lasted over three months, stopped working out, unpacked a lot of boxes, ramped up my Stella & Dot business, left Kendrick for the very first time for over 24 hours, planned a trip to Vegas with my girlfriends to see the Backstreet Boys in March 2017, had minor surgery, and raised money for the Mazankowski Heart Institute - in no particular order. Needless to say, it's been a little busy.

Let's rewind back to August. I didn't feel as prepared as I wanted to be for the Edmonton Half, however I was feeling pretty good. I ended up investing in some new runners a little over a month before the race (Nike Air Zoom Pegasus), and so far they have been very comfy! While I was at the start line I was still trying to decide whether I use the run/walk method or just run it out, and I ended up deciding to run it out. I was feeling ok for most of the race but started to get tired during the last 5K. At 18.5KM the 2:30 pace bunny ran by me and I decided that that I was way too close to hitting my goal to give up now...so I blew by them and almost sprinted the last 2.5KM. I ended up beating my personal best time and have a new PB of 2:28:33. 

Although I was happy, I KNOW I can do better and look forward to next year! I'm still not 100% sure when I'll be ready for baby #2, but for now I'm going to plan to run the Edmonton Half again, and possibly do some of the MEC races again although I was disappointed with their 15K's (aka they didn't have enough race marshals and I got lost on a couple of the routes) so hopefully they do get better in that department.

September and October were a bit of a blur! It was very busy at work and I admit that I let myself fall off the work out wagon. I ate out more, was lazy at night and didn't cook as often, and didn't have the energy to get up in the mornings to work out. I wanted to get back on track in November however that's when I started to get sick. It was viral infection after viral infection, and many trips to the doctor for them to tell me that there was nothing they could really do and it was very frustrating! Thankfully all that Kendrick ended up with was a runny nose for a few days. I did end up going to see my Naturopath who gave me some tips and now that I'm finished the meds for my cough I look forward to getting back on track and feeling better really soon! I also found out that I have 29 leftover passes at Moksha Yoga! 29!!!! It's been...oh I don't know...four or so years since I've been? I think I'm going to try and go this week and see if I can get it back into my routine again. 

We hosted Christmas dinner for the very first time ever at our new home! We moved at the end of August and I absolutely love it. Better neighbourhood, bigger and better house, and we couldn't be happier. We have an awesome bonus room now that is used as Kendrick's playroom and it's fantastic. Not to mention I swear our bedroom is twice the size and has an ensuite bathroom! It was so nice to be able to host Christmas dinner for our immediate families at our place, and we are pumped that the turkey and stuffing turned out and we didn't have to order pizza! :) 

Saw this quote on Facebook today and felt like it really spoke to me. 

I admit, I've been having a lot more "nothing" days lately simply because I've been so exhausted, mostly I think from being sick. Sometimes this working Mom thing is hard! But now that I'm starting to feel better and have a week off after Christmas to recharge, I'm looking forward to getting back into it and starting my New Year's resolutions early this year! My goal is to tone up and lose a bit around the belly before I head to Vegas in March, and I want to accomplish that by doing Yoga, going back to Blitz HIIT training (which I think is what helped me lose the last bit of baby weight at the beginning of 2016), doing stairs and running on some of my lunch breaks and doing some home work outs as well. I'm feeling good about 2017, are you?

It will not be six months before I write again! I promise!

xo

-Dianne

PS: After taking a bit of a break, I really ramped up my Stella & Dot business in November and it reminded me of how much fun it was (and how easy it was to make a little extra cash on the side!) If you are interested in beating the after Christmas blues and want to earn yourself some free jewelry to start the new year off right, email me at DianneCK39@gmail.com or tweet me @StyleByDianne and we'll set up a date! The new spring collection launches really soon and I'm looking for debut hostesses to show off the new line!

PPS: I went Boxing Day shopping today and it was awesome. I know some people don't understand why - but honestly, if you suck it up and go when the mall first opens first thing in the morning, it's not so bad! Maybe I saw that because all the stores I went to had no crazy lines, and I found a parking spot close to the door so I didn't have to bring in my jacket. All the clothes I bought today were 50-70% off! You can't go wrong with that! :)

.Vulnerable

If you read my last post, I'm sure you noticed that it came from the heart. On occasion, we are all guilty of portraying life as fan-freaking-tastic when it's really not. So I felt I needed to get some things off my chest and truly I did feel a lot better afterward.

Thankfully, one of the stressors has lifted itself! We got the good news that our house had sold yesterday and we are over the moon! It's still a little stressful that we have to find a new place in the next two months, but we've seen a lot of places we like so it's just a matter of making a decision. We are looking for our "almost forever" home - which means we are looking for a place to settle for the next 20ish years or so until Kendrick and one day future baby move out. Then the plan is to build our dream home. There are definitely some exciting times ahead!

Father's Day actually went a lot better this year. I'm not sure what it was, but it didn't seem like there was a black cloud hanging over the day like there was last year. I'm so lucky to have such an amazing man as my husband and the Father to Kendrick!

Photo by Breanne Marie, Edmonton

Photo by Mandi D Photography, Edmonton 

I crushed my first 15K of the season this past weekend! I'll be honest, I don't know why I signed up for a 15K when I was probably only ready for a 10. When I signed up for the race package I tried to up my mileage in the monthly races leading up to the Edmonton half. I should have done another 10K, and then completed my first 15K in July. When I realized my error it was too late to do any changes so I went for it anyways. Considering the course was pretty hilly and through some thin trains at some points, I felt not too bad for the first 12K. The last 3K however were tough and I was struggling. I was also a dummy and didn't eat beforehand, which is a no no especially for a long run like that. Usually under 10K I can get away using an empty stomach and sport beans, but 15K was too long. My longest run previous to this was 9K and although I didn't feel prepared, I actually wasn't too disappointed with my time of 1:46:09. I have another 15K on July 1 (which is actually my favourite race of the year, the Canada Day Road Race) and another on July 10 before the big half on August 21. My goal for this week is to run 9K tomorrow and 12K this weekend to hopefully get my stamina up. I also didn't feel as sore after the 15K as I thought I would, which means my cross training at Blitz Conditioning boot camp is paying off.

Speaking of boot camp, we are outside and I don't know what it is but mosquitos LOVE me. It's awful. Even after wearing bug spray my legs have at least 25 bites on them. I don't understand why they like me so much!

I'm still working on losing about 7 pounds so that my abs show up a little more. It would be really nice to do this before I get pregnant again, as I've heard it's much harder to lose the weight the second time around. I've been keeping up with bootcamp every Tuesday and stairs every Wednesday, and running 1-2 times on Monday, Thursday or Friday. I think the biggest thing for me is eating. I need to be planning better and eating better as I know I haven't been at my best lately. The food prep has been tough, I just haven't had the energy at night. I need to get better at this! My goal is to get back on the meal planning wagon this weekend. I am motivated!

I'm also craving a vacation. Particularly to Disneyworld. One can dream...

xo

-Dianne

PS: I tried out a new Epicure recipe for pancakes for Father's Day breakfast, and it went really well! I literally went on the Epicure website and searched for "pancakes" and decided to try the Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes recipe. The only difference is I added a tablespoon of cocoa to get some healthy chocolate flavour without the calories and the sugar of the chocolate chips. They tasted amazing! I think next time I may try adding some Sweet Coconut Vegan Protein Blend protein powder to the mixture too! I also used only whole wheat flower as well. 

PPS: I think I'm going to invest in a new pair of Nikes next month! I'm brand loyal and I've been using Nike Flex for the last few years and am looking to change it up. Anyone have a favourite brand of Nike runners they recommend? I'm looking at trying out the Nike Free Run Distance shoe as that was rated #1 by a poll I saw, but I am not sure if I'll need more support than that yet.

.Faster

2:33:27

That's a full 10 MINUTES FASTER than my last personal best in 2013. 10 MINUTES! I'm sitting here a little over two weeks later and I still am not quite sure how I did it.

The Edmonton Half Marathon went really well. I worked my way up near the front of the pack at the start and slowly made my way to the side and kept up a good pace. My second kilometre was my fastest at 6:16, and my slowest kilometre was at the 19K mark at 7:49. I ran 5K in 33:35 which for me is pretty good! Ideally one day I'd like to get that under 30 minutes and get my 10K time under an hour; I'll get there eventually. The best was seeing Kendrick at the finish line! He did catch my eye for a split second as I ran by him and my friend Krissie who was gracious enough to watch him while I ran since Brian was out of town, and that was the best. I sped up and sprinted across the finish line. I could tell I really pushed it hard because my body felt like it was going to fall apart! I definitely need to do more cross training, especially since the Red Deer Super Spartan Race is coming up this weekend!

I wasn't expecting to beat my personal best by so much time especially 5.5 months after Kendrick, but now that I've done that I think I want to go for another personal best when I run the Vancouver Rock N Roll Half at the end of October. Originally I was thinking of having a goal of 2:20, but the race is less than two months away so I'm thinking a goal of 2:25 or 2:30 might be more realistic. I am so happy that the weather is cooling off, but I have to say I haven't been motivated to run lately. I've been tired and waking up in the morning is hard when the baby sleeps in (I know, I know, I am VERY lucky to have a baby who sleeps!). I'm going to go for a few runs and mix in some strength training this week so I can prepare for Spartan on Saturday, and then I'm going to get back and focus on my running again so I can aim for that personal best!

This also has me thinking about running a full in the next few years. One day there will hopefully be a baby number two, and I've heard that it's harder to lose the weight the second time so I'm thinking of possibly training for one next year. I think Vancouver will be a good pace marker in my decision, as if I can beat my personal best again it will provide me with a little more motivation! Right now when I finish running my lungs go back to normal pretty quick (even with my asthma) which to me means I can keep going. My body however is cramped, sore and I'm in pain. The soreness lasts usually a day or two and this has happened to me the last two times I've beaten my personal best. To me this means that I have to up my fitness level in other areas, such as strength training. When I used to do gymnastics we would do at least an hour of conditioning after every practice, so I'm thinking I'm going to start incorporating some of that in after every run to make my body stronger. I don't think I want to attempt a full marathon until I can get my half time under 2:15, but we'll see how I feel at the end of October.

According to my Nike Running app, my shoes are at 432 KM.

That doesn't include of course a lot of the walking I've done so I'm sure I'm close to 500 which means it's time for new kicks! I love the Nike Outlet because you can get such good deals on last year's shoes! I've been wearing Nike Flex Running 2013's, and I managed to find the same pair today (just different colours) for $49.99. WOO HOO! I tried on some other shoes and didn't like them nearly as much, so I'm sticking with what I know! I also may have bought Kendrick some baby Nike's as they were on sale for $20 and I couldn't resist. They are so darn cute!

xo
-Dianne

PS: Kendrick and I went to cheer Brian on at Tough Mudder this weekend in Drumheller, AB where the weather was absolutely terrible. It was +8 and raining the whole afternoon! I made the last minute decision to throw my Baby Bjorn carrier in the suitcase as I've been meaning to try it out with Kendrick for months. It ended up being one of the best decisions I've made all weekend! We figured out how to use it on Friday night and on Saturday I used it to carry Kendrick around while we waited for Brian to finish. AMAZING! There was so much mud it was disgusting, and seeing people push their strollers caked with mud was even worse. Instead of worrying about the stroller, Kendrick was snug as a bug next to my heart with two layers and a blanket on top with a touque. This also freed up my hands so I could carry an umbrella! He absolutely loved looking at everything and even took a couple of naps. I wish I would have started using it sooner! Does this make me a granola mom? Today we took Thor for a walk and he babbled and kicked the whole time. I also did some squats, and  with Kendrick being about 15lbs now it was a good work out! I never got into the woven wraps but I do really like the Baby Bjorn and will definitely be using it more often!

PPS: Since my banana peach oatmeal (lactation) muffins were such a hit, I did some pinteresting to see if I could come up with a new recipe to try out. I am close to perfecting a maple carrot cake version, so stay tuned! I'm hoping to post it next entry. 

.Whoa

I'm a teeny bit sidelined at the moment. 

Throughout my pregnancy I had back pain. I won't lie, it was pretty annoying. I figured it was because of the extra 50lbs I gained and I think part of it was, but it came back after I had Kendrick and has been really bugging me in the last week or so. On Monday my back was so sore that I could barely lift him up, so I knew I had to go see someone. It's very discouraging to get injured when you feel like you haven't been doing a lot, so I was a little bit frustrated when I booked my physio appointment for today.

Thankfully, after my appointment it doesn't seem to be too bad. They told me likely some things were moved out of place when I was pregnant and when I gave birth so I need to strengthen my core muscles and that should help. I still have to be careful training my abs and core because of the c-section, but the exercises he gave me to do seem like they'll be ok. He said yoga is good, stretching is good, walking is good, and running is...well...maybe I should wait a bit. Ug. He said to keep an eye on it and run when my back starts to feel better, as he said it is a good sign that it's feeling much better than at the beginning of the week but I have to be careful as it could become chronic. Considering my half marathon training program for the Edmonton Half starts on Monday, I'm going to take it easy this weekend and hope for the best!

I forgot to mention in my last post that a few weeks ago a crazy idea creeped into my head. I wondered if maybe, just maybe, I should consider training for a full marathon. Part of me felt really inspired and motivated and the other part said "ARE YOU NUTS?!"

In the last few years as I've been training for half marathons, I had previously decided that I wouldn't train for a full marathon until I could get my personal best under two hours and 30 minutes. I got about 1/3 of the way through the training program for the Edmonton Half last year before I realized that I was pregnant, and I was on pace to smash (yes, smash is the right word) my personal best by about 10-20 minutes, which would have gotten me close to or under the 2:30 mark. I also told myself that I wouldn't train for one until I could run a half and not feel like I wanted to die. The last half marathon I did I finished confident and hit my personal best of 2:43, but my body felt like it was going to fall apart. Although my lungs were good, my body was extremely sore and fatigued and it really gave me something to think about. 

So I started to think about running a full this winter and before baby #2 becomes a thought. Running in the winter is not an option for a whimp like me because it's way too cold in Edmonton to run (for me anyways) so I started to look online to see if there are any races that weren't too far away but in a better climate. It looks like we are going to head to Australia this November so we haven't planned any other vacations. I ended up finding the Rock n Roll Arizona which is in January of next year. I'll still be on maternity leave and usually you can find cheap flights to Phoenix; not to mention that the temperature there at that time of year won't be too hot for running! Of course money doesn't grow on trees either...I'm going to use the Edmonton Half in August and the Vancouver Rock n Roll Half in October as trial runs and potentially start a marathon training program after the race in October and make the decision later on this year. I got some support on Facebook from a couple of my mom friends who ran marathons within a year of having their first kids, so it gives me some hope that it is do-able!

Unfortunately I've fallen off the smoothie train a little bit and haven't had that many smoothies this past week. I will get better next week when I start running again! I found it harder than I thought to get up and run after Kendrick gets up around 5ish so I didn't get to that either, but I'm going to have to come up with some sort of plan before Monday as I have to get in 4-5 runs a week! I'm remaining positive that I can do this. 

xo

-Dianne

PS: My aunt told me about these sites called Ebates and Ebates Canada where you earn a small percentage of your purchase back when you shop at a bunch of retailers online. I checked it out and signed up and made my first purchase at Vista Print as I needed some new business cards. I got 90 cents back on my $35 purchase. If you do a lot of shopping you'll want to sign up. It takes seconds and some sites have some really good deals. Check them out by clicking on the Ebates links above!

.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.

.Lists

Is it weird that I function better when I make myself lists? I'm one of those people who tends to get overwhelmed when I have a lot on my plate, and I find it hard to figure out what my priorities are. My favorite way to get organized is to make myself a to-do list.

We are currently eight days away from Baby Peanut's expected arrival. Of course we are aware that it could also be 14 days...or three days. The waiting game is tough! We recently did some shopping at Ikea to pick up a couple of shelving/storage units to help us get some organization done in the house and hubby spent a good chunk of Sunday building everything (I was really no help). Currently - our house looks a little bit like we just moved in: there seems to be stuff EVERYWHERE. At the same time, I think it actually looks more overwhelming than it actually is. To prevent myself from feeling anxiety & stress, I've made myself a little to-do list of some things that I'd like to get done this week and prioritized them. This way, if I don't get to every single one before the baby is born, I'll at least be able to get the more important ones done and not have to worry about hubby having to take on the cleaning burden when we want to spend quality time with our newborn.

We are also very lucky that our friend Sarah with Pernickety Cleaning Services has offered to clean our house this week! It will be such a relief to have the house looking great when people come over for a visit. If you are looking for a cleaning service or pet-sitting service - definitely check her out!

I wouldn't consider myself a hoarder, but I notice I tend to keep a lot of stuff. I think I get that from my Dad. I'm one of those people who is fairly organized but doesn't look it! Even though there may be stuff everywhere, I usually know exactly where everything is. Sometimes it's just a matter of figuring out where to file it, put it, or deciding if I should just throw it out. I find our problem is sometimes we come home and leave something somewhere, whether it be a bag or some papers, and then it just gets forgotten about and left there and that's where it all starts.

I've found that my nesting instincts are starting to kick in as once I get into a groove I just keep going.   The past few days I've been relaxing when I get up, doing some work in the afternoon and then resting in the evening. Standing for long periods of time is starting to prove to be a little difficult :).

Today, I've been relaxing all morning so I think it's time to get moving for the day. There's a bit of adrenaline knowing that the baby could really come any time and there's still stuff we want to get done before he makes his arrival!

xo
-Dianne

PS: Last night I tried out two recipes from pinterest! Chili Mac & Cheese and Caramel Banana Loaf. The chili mac & cheese turned out more for me like extra cheesy chili, but I was ok with that. It was delicious! I added some extra pasta and some gnocchi so it thickened up quite nicely! It also made a ton so I was able to add one more meal to our freezer meals stash. The caramel banana loaf was only ok. I used whole wheat flower instead of regular and coconut crystals instead of sugar and it wasn't too bad but I've definitely had better. It only asked for a tablespoon of caramel and I think that was the problem. It was very moist though so I may give the recipe another try another time and see if I can alter it slightly!

.Reality

Maybe it's because I'm thinking about the fact that this week I'll get my last full pay cheque for a year. Or maybe it's because the nursery is really starting to come together & baby stuff is building up in our living room. Or maybe it's because a new friend in a first time moms group I joined headed to the hospital and delivered her baby five weeks early! Things all of a sudden got real, and I got hit with a bit of a reality check this week.

I know I've mentioned it many times in this blog but I absolutely love to travel. I had a couple of ideas for trips to go on while I'm on maternity leave but my eyes seem to be bigger than my budget. I still want to conquer a few of them but I think DisneyWorld might be on hold until at least 2017. It's disappointing, but at the same time just not realistic. We're going to be in charge of a little person soon! I'm still coming to terms with that. 

At 38 weeks today, technically there's two weeks left before the due date but baby could come really at any time at this point. I can't really explain how it feels to be excited and terrified at the exact same time! I've been trying really hard not to complain during this pregnancy as I am very thankful that I'm able to get pregnant, however, as the days go on I'm starting to feel more and more uncomfortable. I'm pretty lucky that since the first trimester I've had a fairly good pregnancy. Now I believe I have entered the painful, waddling stage :). I also have crazy insomnia, which was bothering me before I got pregnant but now it doesn't seem to matter how little sleep I get the night before, I can't fall asleep until after midnight. Maybe this is my body preparing for lack of sleep once little Baby Peanut comes along?

The nursery is coming along really well. My husband painted, built the crib and changing table, and we just put up the giant Snoopy wall stickers yesterday. I love Snoopy. The room is starting to look awesome!

I miss running. I really, really miss running! Almost as much as I used to miss gymnastics when I was in a car accident and had to quit. I'm really looking forward to slowly getting back into it starting with walking around the neighborhood when the snow melts! We've had such an odd winter so it's kind of hard to say when that will happen, but I'm hoping by April I'll have the energy to start off slowly and work my way up to running half marathons again. I'm still signed up for the half marathon in Vancouver in October and fully plan to rock it (and by rock it, I mean cross the finish line) and I'm hoping to conquer a 15K in June for the Heart & Stroke Foundation, but I may change that to the 5K walk with the family if I'm not feeling up to it.

I've been trying to blog for about a week now & have been having troubles putting my thoughts together, which is why this one is a little all over the place. I blame the baby brain. :)

xo,

Dianne

PS: I've been slowly prepping some freezer meals so that when the baby comes, the nights that we don't feel like cooking we can pop something in the oven or microwave and have an easy, no prep dinner. I had some steak pieces in the fridge so I did some google/pinterest research on some enchilada recipes. I didn't really like any of them - so I created my own! Fairly healthy too! I overstuffed them so they looked more like burritos than enchiladas, but they tasted delicious! See below!

Smothered Steak Burritos

Ingredients

1 package of pre-cut steak bite size steak pieces (or any meat you'd like to use)

1 can of black beans

1 can of corn

Chopped mushrooms

1 cup of cooked whole wheat rice

Salsa 

- (I made my own - chopped up tomatoes, onion, garlic, and cilantro and mixed with a little bit of     lime juice, Epicure's Poco Picante Salsa Mix and salt & pepper to taste)

Shredded cheese

Whole wheat tortillas

Tomato sauce 

- (I used canned organic tomato sauce from Costco and added Epicure's fajita spice and salt & pepper to taste)

Cook the rice in one pot using water & a little bit of butter. In another pot simmer the sauce so the flavors mix together. In one more saucepan cook the steak, mushrooms, corn and black beans and mix in some fajita spice. Once everything is cooked, heat up the tortillas in the microwave for about 45 seconds so they are soft. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread some of the sauce at the bottom of a large glass baking dish. In each tortilla layer rice, the steak mixture, salsa and top with cheese. Fold each like a fajita/burrito and place in the baking dish with the ends down (I fit about six giant ones in my baking dish; four across and two at the top). Cover the top with the remaining tomato sauce and top everything with cheese. Put foil over the baking dish and put in the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is melted. 

ENJOY! :)

.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!

.Honest

Oh, how things change on a weekly basis! I feel like these last few weeks I've really started to pop, which in a way is a relief because now it's fairly obvious that I'm pregnant and people aren't looking at me funny trying to figure it out one way or another.

For the last five years or so I've been trying hard to buy more things (particularly fruits and veggies) that are organic. I don't like the idea of pesticides all over my food, and you can really notice the difference between organic fruits and veggies and non-organic. I also try to shop locally when I can and support the local economy! A few months ago I noticed that I was getting a lot of ads from the Honest Company on Facebook and noticed that a lot of my Facebook friends liked them as well, so I decided to check it out. This company was founded by Jessica Alba and a gentleman named Christopher Gavigan who were looking for items that were organic, eco-friendly, free of chemicals, and just plain all-around good stuff. I admit, I was intrigued. I don't mind spending a little more on things like this - but the product has to be worth it. The Honest Company has a fabulous introductory offer of trial kits for $5.95 each, so you can see what their products are all about and try them first hand. If you like them, they will continue to send you items (based on the selections you choose) each month, or on a 5 week or 6 week time frame. You can cancel at any time, and you can change the dates as well if you don't need anything for a particular month. I figured I have nothing to lose, so I ordered the baby bundle (which included a trial pack of diapers and wipes) and the essentials bundle (which includes household items) in the trial forms. I was so intrigued by the essentials bundle that I actually ordered the full one right afterward. I tried to order things that we needed replacing for anyways such as dish soap and dishwasher detergent, so I could see if I really noticed a difference between that and store brand that I usually buy. Here is what I received:

So far in the essentials bundle trial package (on the left) I really like the face + body cream, the organic healing balm (perfect combined with bio oil for the growing tummy & trying to prevent stretch marks), and the multi-surface cleaner. I feel better using these products knowing they aren't loaded with the same amount of chemicals as the normal items I would buy in a store. The diapers are incredibly adorable - they all have cute little prints on them! I anticipate I will order one baby bundle closer to when the baby will be born and see how the diapers hold out. In speaking with my friends who are moms, you have to see what works for your baby as every one is different! In the baby bundle you get 320 diapers and 4 packs of 72 wipes for $79.95. For me that seems a little pricy, but I'd like to try them out and see how they are before I make any judgements. I haven't tried anything in the main essentials bundle yet, but I will definitely report back when I do! I ordered the dishwasher packs, dish soap, air freshener, dryer clothes, and the fruit and veggie wash (which I'm very intrigued by, so I'm looking forward to trying it out!) I will definitely report back with reviews as soon as I try everything out!

The essentials bundle is $39.95 and since I've tried some of the products I really think that I'll be keeping this subscription. The products are good quality, organic, and so far in the things I've tried they've been awesome so for me it's worth the price. The fact that I can adjust the date so I don't have to order every month is a huge bonus too, as I'm sure some of these things will take awhile to get through. I have to admit, it's pretty awesome getting this stuff delivered right to the door, especially when you look out the window on a day like today! (Not that I'm slighting winter, it IS my favourite season however when you are sick & in sweatpants going out in the snow is not that appealing). Have any of you tried the Honest Company? What do you think of their products?

Unfortunately I came down with a cold this week. Nothing major but I'm down and out today resting at home with some chicken soup simmering in the slow-cooker. Thankfully my sore throat is starting to subside and the cough is slowly starting to go away, so I think I'm on the mend! This is a good thing as I'm dragging the hubby along with me to West Edmonton Mall tomorrow morning to help me find a Christmas party dress that will make me feel perdy at both his & my Christmas parties coming up in the next month! I'm really hoping I can find something stretchy as the parties are a few weeks apart and my body seems to be changing on a daily basis!

xo
-Dianne

PS. According to the weekly baby emails I get, Baby Peanut is able to hear muffled noises now, so I read him a book today. Felt a little strange...but he kicked me a few times throughout so I assume he was listening! :)

.Antsy

I'm feeling a little stir-crazy at the moment. Part of me wants to get up and be more active but the other part of me is lazy and tired and feels a little restricted. I want to run, but I know I probably couldn't even run for a minute without huffing and puffing at this point (and the baby inside probably wouldn't be too impressed since it's been a few months since I've slapped on the running shoes).

Sometimes I feel like I've forgotten how to balance a busy work life with an active one. I was fairly good at it, but these last two weeks I've wanted nothing more to sit on my couch and watch TV and do nothing. Then yesterday I somehow managed to break my Nike Fuelband. I think the universe is trying to tell me something.

Speaking of the Nike Fuelband, I think I may be in the market for a replacement. This is now my third band in two and a half years. The first one just stopped charging after a year but I was able to get a replacement. Then a year after I got the replacement that one had the same problem. I just got a new one sent to me a few months ago and now it seems like part of the band has broken. I haven't taken a good look at it yet to see if it's fixable (it very well might be), but I'm starting to wonder if I should start shopping around for a new brand. I had a Fitbit before the Fuelband and I wasn't a fan of it - but I know Fitbit's have really evolved in the last couple years. I'm looking for suggestions for a band that counts calories doing every day things (not just running or activity), a sleep tracker, maybe a heart rate monitor (so it counts calories more accurately) and something that's not huge or bulky. If you have any suggestions please feel free to leave it in the comments below! I am pretty brand loyal to Nike but if this one really is ca-put I may need to look elsewhere!

I have narrowed down my wishlist for half marathons to run while I'm on mat leave. I think I'm three... oh my. That's slightly terrifying but also extremely motivating at the same time. The first one will be probably the Edmonton Half in August, mostly because I've deferred the last two years (last year I sprained my ankle a month before and this year I couldn't run due to doctor's orders), so I have free entry. It's in my home town, I know the course, and it's a chance for my friends and family to be able to cheer me on if need be. Not looking for a personal best in this one, but just looking to finish to tell myself that I can still rock these! The second one is going to be the Rock N Roll Half Marathon in Vancouver in October (essentially a year from now). I've run the Rock N Roll Half in Vegas (it was my first EVER half) and it was a lot of fun, so I'm looking forward to what the race will bring to Vancouver! I also have many friends there that I would love to see, and haven't been in so long that I've nearly forgotten what the place looks like. Let me know if you want to join me! I just now have to convince the husband! :) Last but not least, my final goal is to run the Disneyworld Princess Half Marathon in Florida in February 2016. I love Disney, and I love their races. So far I've ran the Tinkerbell Half in California and the Disneyworld Half in Florida and both were just awesome. This one is still a little up in the air as obviously it's going to cost the most and take the most planning. I've wanted to do this one for a few years (was thinking of 2014 but then we got married on the exact same weekend!) and think it would be great to take the future little one to Disney when it doesn't cost anything for him to fly. This one will need to be decision made after the baby is born to decide whether it's feasible and do-able. Usually for races I have no issues going on my own as I just love to travel, but things will change when there is a baby involved!

Just talking about all of this makes me happy and I feel very motivated for the upcoming year. So many changes but also so many experiences and chances to learn. I guess this is what they call growing up!

xo,
Dianne

PS: I've finally figured out how to fix the comments! You can now comment in the boxes below and I should be able to see it! :)

PPS: In the last few weeks I've been able to feel baby Peanut moving around. It is a crazy, exciting, terrifying, weird feeling that I can't explain, but I love it! :)

PPPS: If you want to get some Christmas shopping done in the month of November, consider having a Stella & Dot trunk show! Lots of specials this month & our new collection just launched in October. Invite the girls over for an afternoon to shop and earn yourself some free jewels. Lots of gifting ideas too! Click on the email button on the left of the blog to send me a note if you want to book a date! I anticipate they will be going quick!

.Truth

Sorry blog... I haven't forgotten about you. It's just kind of hard to write about running when you haven't been running in a few months!

My last run was July 13th. It was fairly short and I didn't feel like running but I ran anyways. I was battling a little injury but nothing major.  

On July 5 I completed the Edmonton Spartan Race. On July 6, we found out I was pregnant. This baby is going to be a warrior!

This is FABULOUS news and news my husband and I had been hoping to receive for a few months! I can't even explain how terrified and excited I was (and have been) at the exact same time. I went to the doc the next day and they confirmed the news. I looked at the doctor and said "So...what now? What do I do? What can I do? HELP?"

A few months prior, I had really started to put more effort into my running. I completed five weeks of a 12 week Nike running program where I was running 3-4 days a week and feeling like my running was improving. I was confident that I could shave at least 20 minutes off my personal best at the Edmonton half in August. I had also stopped having that casual beer here and there to try and cleanse my system. I told my doctor about all the sports I was doing this summer and he said I could still run (but no half marathon) and play slo-pitch, but ball hockey had to go. I emailed my doctor afterward as I wanted a second opinion on the half marathon and he agreed and said it probably wasn't a good idea. Not only did he think I'd be exhausted, but he also said he didn't want me to overheat or raise my heart rate too much as that wouldn't be good for the baby. Fair enough. Baby comes first!

I really did want to continue running. I had been following blogs like Through Heather's Looking Glass and NYC Running Mama (which are both FANTASTIC blogs by the way) for some inspiration from moms who continued to run while they were pregnant and tried to gather as many tips as I could so I could prepare myself to run when I got pregnant. Then I learned a very important lesson - everyone's pregnancy is different. I'll be 19 weeks tomorrow and one of the symptoms that hasn't gone away since the first trimester has been exhaustion. My running plan prior had been getting up at 6-6:15AM a few times a week to run so I could keep my evenings free. Once I got pregnant I had a hard time getting up at my regular time in the morning, never mind super early. We also had an absolutely amazing summer in Edmonton, and a lot of July it was +30 outside. I don't like running in that kind of heat normally, and I certainly didn't think it was a good idea to run in it while pregnant either, so unfortunately I fell off the wagon. I give HUGE kudos to both those mama bloggers and any other woman who can keep up a fitness regimen while they are pregnant - you guys are my heroes! I just can't manage to get the energy!

I had a bit of a difficult first trimester, with a couple of urgent trips to the doctor and an emergency ultrasound but thankfully everything so far has been A-OK. I am also happy to report that the last month or so I've been feeling a lot better! I'm still very tired, but overall I'm feeling pretty good and starting to get more excited by the day! We found out on Sunday (in the presence of my family on Thanksgiving) that we were having a baby boy! I'm hoping we have a future NHL star on our hands who will spoil his parents when he makes the big leagues! :) Big thanks to my friends Kelly and Bryan at B and K Custom Cakes for making this amazing cake for us!

I'm going to shift this blog a bit for the next little while onto what I'm doing to keep in shape while I'm pregnant, and then getting back into shape once I have the little one! I'd be lying if I said my motivation level was high right now - as in all honesty it's extremely low, and exercise has been the farthest from my mind. However, I'm trying to do the little things to try and keep as active as possible. For example, I'm going for more walks (my doggie is happy) and trying to go for 1-2 KM and speed walk when I can. Because I haven't run in so long I'm not going to start back up now, but I am going to do my best to try and eat better (which is hard when you crave burgers and McDonald's, but don't worry I only cave 1-2 time a month) and try to continue to live a healthy lifestyle throughout the remainder of my pregnancy. One thing I'm considering is signing up for a half marathon in 2015 to make sure that I get my butt in gear once the little one arrives. I don't want to go far or use too much vacation because we're hoping to visit Australia late next year to visit my husband's sister, so I'm thinking of either the Edmonton Half in August (mostly because it's local and I'm familiar with the course) or maybe the Rock n Roll Half in Vancouver, BC in October (if it's around the same time as this year). The thought terrifies me as I feel like I'll be starting from scratch - but with the Nike Training program and some friends who have promised to help me along the way, I think I'll be able to do it! And I can't think of anything better than my little man waiting for me with a big smile at the finish line - so THAT's my motivation.

Am I crazy? Maybe. But if I'm going to run a marathon before I'm 40, I gotta keep moving. I can do this. 

:)

xo

-Dianne

PS: Anyone know where in the Edmonton area I can get a fancy jogging stroller for under $300? The ones I like are close to $1000 and that's slightly out of my budget! :)