2+1=3
So after many weeks of keeping a BIG secret, it is finally time to share the good news! Husband and I are having a baby!
I will share more updates soon! We are so happy!
MY Husband
I think I’ve mentioned it before but have never devoted a post to it. My husband is an inspiration! He has the perfect workout/diet philsophy. He doesn’t stress or count calories. He eats well, balances his choices and workout religiously.
Here’s the backstory:
I met Husband in November 2003 (we were babies then). I thought he was so cute! He was a big guy (which I liked). I am not some small, petite flower so I wanted a guy with some meat on his bones. During college and writing TWO thesis he gained a little weight. It didn’t bother him and it didn’t bother me. In grad school (poor full-time student, saving for a diamond, eating cheaply) Husband put on a little more weight. It was gradual so neither him or I noticed. He still looked so handsome!
Summer 2006
Once he got a job in January 2007 we both began working out to get ready for the wedding. He lost about 40 lbs before the wedding; I lost about 15 lbs.
Pre-Wedding Party, June 2007
Our Wedding, July 2007
Since then he has never looked back. Being healthy has become his life-style. Each morning Husband gets up to run or incline walk for 20-30 minutes. He eats very healthy and packs his lunch daily, even with countless food-choices near by his work. In the evening he stays buy with home-projects. Nate will have a dessert in the evening if he didn’t have too many sweets at work… BALANCE. He will enjoy a beer if he feels like it is a good choices. He doesn’t count calories or stress but makes smart choices EVERY DAY! He is a perfect, boring example of how to be healthy!
Friend's Wedding, November 2011
Yesterday Husband ran another half-marathon! He finished in 2:07 (13 minutes off his October’s half-marathon time). I am so proud of him! My husband is patient, hard-working and so smart. He is a wonderful example of how to be healthy in so many ways. How lucky am I to be married to him? He is my perfect example of health and balance!
My goal is to be more like him. By better-half makes me better!
I’ve Been Busy
In the last 3+ weeks I have been busy.
I have…
felt depressed that I can’t will my pregnancy plan into action. No February babies for me!
fallen back into bad habits of diet soda and sweets.
worked towards shutting down the school year. The end of the year is 10X more difficult than any other point in the year. If you know a teacher, hug him or her. The end of the year is not easy!
noticed every time pregnancy or babies are mentioned on TV, Facebook or in conversation. Babies are still on this brain!
GO AWAY!
taken a pregnancy test after getting blood results conclude that I did in fact ovulate. Why didn’t someone rely that to the ovulation stick I was peeing on for 5+ days? FYI: the pregnancy test was negative.
done yard work and felt glad to be fit enough to tear down a tree and clean up the mess.
joined a local, small gym and worked with a trainer. We are working together to get my arms rocking. I lift weights 3 times a week and actually LOVE it. I feel like an athlete when I use the cable machine and the big dumb bells. No girly pink or plastic dumb bells for me right now. I am also loving running stairs as part of my workout.
had my first period without help from birth control since I was 18. Success! Clomid was needed but not another drug to force me to menstruate.
bought a new refrigerator! It is big and nice and will fit in well in our kitchen. Starting Friday evening this lady will be enjoying the finer things in life… crushed ice.
started my second cycle with Clomid. Next week I will have a mid-cycle ultrasound to check my ovaries and uterus since I didn’t have success with home ovulation tests last month. Nonetheless, they want me to continue home ovulation tests starting Monday. I am now a pro at peeing on a stick, while being half-asleep.
openly wished I could run (was ready and fit enough mind, body and spirit) another half-marathon with Husband. On Saturday morning he is running a TOUGH, hilly half-marathon. I will be there to cheer him on. I didn’t train for the half because I was hopeful there would be a bun in the oven.
Haunted Half - October 30, 2010
regained focused and clarity about what I want. I have returned to more healthful eating. That cake and those chips don’t fulfill me or give me what I want. I don’t yearn for their taste, fat, or calories. I YEARN to have a baby and be a mommy. I YEARN to see my husband become a daddy. I YEARN to see what the future holds.
Eeyore to Tigger
My mood on Thursday, Friday and part of Saturday could be characterized like this:
My Eeyore-type mood was due to the fact that we have a 0% chance of getting pregnant this month.
While running on Saturday I started digging deep within to find some “good” aspects of not being pregnant this month. I can’t be an Eeyore when I have the natural inclination to be a Tigger!
So here is the list of positives:
1. I won’t have to worry about morning sickness which teaching during this school year. I currently teach 20 minutes from my home (in BFE or the middle of no-where). I am transferring to another school in the district that will be 3-5 minutes from my house. This will make the mornings less stressful when I do get sick.
2. I wasn’t happy with the way my body looked. I gained 5-8 pounds while doing National Boards. I’d love to get down to my wedding weight (or lower) before getting pregnant. Therefore on Saturday morning I joined Weight Watchers. A friend, Emily, has had a lot of success on it. She is inspiring! For the past 2 weeks I was counting days in my cycle and obsessing about what to do next. Now I have something else to focus on. I plan to do Weight Watchers until I see those 2-pink lines on the pregnancy test (maybe in late-June, maybe in October — who knows!).
3. If we would have gotten pregnant in May the baby would have been due in February and I would have had to go back for the last month of school. A baby born in March, April or May (conceived in June, July or August) means not having to return to school to finish the year.
What Pooh character did you like most as a child? I was always fond of Piglet.
If you have any Weight Watchers tips, please share!
Success and Hard-work
I am the daughter of a farmer. We still live on a farm. Farmers are hard-working people! When we had the dairy farm my dad had to milk the cows twice a day – rain, snow, birthday, holiday, etc.
Growing up I was taught that if you work hard, you will be successful. That attitude and work ethic has served me well. I studied for tests in college and prepared then I did well on tests and received good grades. I prepared for a half-marathon through planned runs so I was ready for the race and was able to complete it. I teach each day to the best of my ability so my students will learn and be ready for the next grade.
This attitude has served me well UNTIL now! You can’t work hard and make yourself pregnant. You can’t make your ovaries produce eggs no matter how hard you work or want it. The first round (50 mg) of Clomid has not been strong enough. I have been taking ovulation tests daily. Monday-Wednesday my results were building and where to be expected but since then my body has produced less and less of the hormone that sprurs ovulation. Almost daily I have called and talked to the Infertility specialist about the results of the tests. She said that I would likely need 100 mg of Clomid (or more) in order to ovulate.
I’m disappointed. I WANTED us to get pregnant quickly. I knew the chances wouldn’t be great (20%) but I thought it was possible! Now there is a 0% chance of pregnancy. I’m sad but am trying to relax and refocus.
Maybe June will be our month!
Self-confidence
Where does it come from? Why do some people possess more than others? What can I do to “catch” more of it?
The quest to get pregnant has brought up a ton of insecurities. Am I healthy enough to carry a child? Will I be a good mom? Will I be able to give my child everything he or she needs?
Will I gain too much weight while pregnant? Am I eating the right food? What else can I do to ensure that we get pregnant soon? Is this the best my body will look (and it isn’t looking too fit right now)? Will Husband find me attractive after giving birth? Will I be the wife and mother he deserves?
But a new fear has entered my mind. Will my child inherit my low self-esteem? I am fairly certain I inherited it from my mom.
The rational side of me realizes that I shouldn’t feel this way. I have accomplished specific goals in my life – college, grad school, 5K, half-marathon, National Boards, etc. But those accomplishments can’t seem to find their way to my mind with all these concerns and negative feelings.
So… Where does self-confidence come from? Why do some people possess more than others? What can I do to “catch” more of it?
A Good Read
In the classroom I have to plan to include nonfiction reading as part of my instruction. I am just first drawn to fiction stories (realistic, fantasy, fairy tales, etc.
However, when you see the books I’m reading it is plain to see that I enjoy a lot of nonfiction. I am currently reading Katie Couric’s book.
I am re-reading Naturally Thin.
I just read Fit From Within.
All nonfiction! I promise to later include a book review of these books.
And speaking of reading, meet my new toy! Husband bought it for me as a “Done with National Boards” gift. I bought him one for his birthday in the fall and I had Kindle envy. Now we’re a book-technie nerd couple… just perfect for each other!
The cover is from Amazon.
What books are you reading?
A New Direction
Thank you for the encouragement and kind words as we begin the process. Remember to keep it a secret!
My desire to get pregnant is stronger than any sweet, treat, or junk food out there. I want to get pregnant and I want my body to be in great shape. It is no longer about having flat abs, being a certain weight, or looking good in a bathing suit. It is about being healthy for myself and eventually for my baby. photo source
My focus is now on eating clean, natural foods. I am increasing my consumption of whole grains, fruits, vegetables and dairy. I have stopped drinking soda and drinks with caffeine. I no longer count calories but look for foods that will provide the right vitamins. I now drink over 80 oz of water a day. I said good-bye to wine and Skinny Girl Margaritas. I am going to severely limit my chocolate in-take due to the caffeine in it.. There will be no more hotdogs or cold-cuts due to listeria risks. I now take a Pre-natal vitamin.
Exercise is also changing. It is no longer about calorie-burning but simple health. I want to be healthy so I can best carry the baby. I continue to incline-walk, do Zumba, and other work-out DVDs.
I am heading in a new direction of wellbeing. Vanity is gone. Health is paramount.
Secret Keeper
Can you keep a secret? Husband and I are trying to get pregnant! Shh! Don’t tell the families.
As I had previously mentioned I have PCOS and this makes pregnancy much more difficult. On Tuesday we went to the OB/GYN and I had a baseline ultrasound. Husband and I had a good view of my “lady” organs.
The wonderful news was that my ovaries and my uterus look clear and normal. The technician referred to me as thin and she said my ovaries were beautiful. I don’t think I could have loved her more!
My doctor, who I also love, said she could not have hoped for anything more. That day I began Clomid, which I will take for 5 days (Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat). This will help my ovaries produce eggs (more like the typical woman). While the average woman has a 20% chance of getting pregnant, I have an 18% due to the medicine and a procedure that I will have when the time is right (ovulation… more on that later). My only concern with Clomid is the chance of multiples. It is just 10%. Would you carry an umbrella with a 10% chance of rain. Not me!
The doctor said within a year I should be pregnant but also said that a lot of her patients have had success the 2nd month of Clomid. Each month we will reassess (using data from ovulation tracking and blood-tests) if the level of medicine is appropriate. Yes, this sounds complicated and unromantic but it is the my reality.
The brick walls are not there to keep us out, the brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. They’re there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough.–Randy Pausch (The Last Lecture)
And just for fun, here is a picture of me with my beautiful niece. Hopefully in a year I’ll be pregnant or holding my own buddle of JOY!
Tomorrow I will share my current plan in terms of nutrition and pre-conception fitness.
Success Builds Success
Little successes build big success.
Any success should be celebrated and never down-played. Today I got my booty out of bed at 5:10 and was working out by 5:20. I did 2 miles (mostly running) and 2 circuits of NMTZ plus a cool-down. The total workout was about 45 minutes. Plus I managed to shower, get ready and enjoy a pina colada type smoothie before heading to school. After school I stayed for Zumba. Socializing > exercising. Then I came home and made a great supper (Burrito Casserole) from Kelly’s Healthified Kitchen. Finally I did something new and different and got a spray tan. Yikes! It is my first and I’m sure how it will turn-out.
