Pregnancy 12-16 Weeks

Today I am 17 weeks pregnant. I thought I would go back and talk about my 3rd month of pregnancy. (12-16 weeks pregnant)

Per What To Expect.com at 12 weeks the baby was as big as a large plum, weighing in at only a 1/2 an ounce. By 16 weeks baby 3-5 ounces and is as big as an onion. My belly is getting rounder as the uterus is out of the pelvic bone, but it still just feels like bloating more than being pregnant.

In the last month I entered the 2nd trimester stopped having morning sickness and got my energy back. I also ran my 8k at 16 weeks pregnant for Thanksgiving, which you can read about that here. Running isn't too bad. During the 8k I had my first Braxton Hicks contraction and had to slow down and walk while it passed. I got them frequently when I was pregnant with Mason, it was always while I exercised. It also happened if I was walking too slow or too fast. It had to be just the right speed and I would not get as many. I suspect that I will continue to have them while I exercise.

I still have to nap during the day. I actually really like it. It is my quiet time to just relax and just take a breath. With the exercise I am doing I really need it.

Thankfully I don't have to go to the bathroom as often as I did in September or October.

Also I compared my pictures
to when I was pregnant with Mace. At 16 weeks pregnant now, I am as big as I was when I was 20 weeks with Mason. That has to do with the fact that I started out at 30lbs heavier with this pregnancy than I was with Mason, but as long as I don't gain weight or as little as possible I hope to end at a smaller weight than I was when I had Mason.

My Life

I am feeling much better today. The flu like symptoms I had yesterday are gone, but the stuffy nose is here to stay. I think Mace might be getting a stuffy nose so I will take him to the gym today and tomorrow until he is sick that I can't. (They have a pretty strict no sick kid policy, which I totally understand.)

So I guess today is another How wonderful life is moment because I am just happy. I watched Mason climb up on the counter to his cabinet and get his sippy cup down and ask to be filled. Then he went to the fridge and asked nicely for some yogurt. Now he is eating it all on his own, but complaining every little bit because he has yogurt on the side of his mouth and he doesn't like making a mess. He understands these little things and knows how to tell me them, (just not in words quite yet) but he is such a smart little guy.

Tomorrow is a new year for my life. I love where my life is right now. It is exactly where I want it to be. I am thankful for the time I had with my husband before we got blessed with Mason because was are stronger because of it, and it allowed us to do things we probably wouldn't have been able to do. I am glad for when Mason arrived because it really was the "perfect time" for me and us. He helped me during the year of deployment to get through it. And even though we had 2 losses in the last year it helped me know what plan God had for me and that his timing is ultimately the right timing! Now we are expecting a healthy new baby next spring and I am just nervous and excited! I am just thankful today as this is my last day as 31. So a new year begins tomorrow with new goals!

Mark Your Calendars, Run Disney News!!

(source)

Run Disney just announced this today! Tinker bell Marathon 1/2 Weekend has been moved to Mother's Day Weekend beginning 2015. So May 8-10, 2015 will be the Tinker bell 1/2 Marathon Weekend!

Check out this video here!

Good Eats: Chicken Noodle Soup

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I am in need of some comfort soup when I'm not feeling well and well, I am not feeling all too well today. Mace was a little sick on Sunday. Matt was sick for the last 2 days with some tummy issue and now I have it along with a killer headache and stuffed nose. Not feeling the love to get these sickness germs! I was hoping I could avoid it but looks like I can't. AND this is NOT the week I want to be sick on. It is concert week for me, late night rehearsals Wednesday-Friday and concert Saturday and Sunday. AND my studio Christmas recital on Saturday afternoon. NOT A GOOD WEEK TO GET SICK!

Well after some digging around on the internet I found a chicken noodle soup that actually looks really good, and it doesn't take 13 hours to make like Ina Garten recipe does. (Who has that much time to make soup when they feel like crap!)

Another food network chef I like is the Pioneer Women. I watch her when she is on at the gym and her recipes seem easy to follow and usually don't require too much to it. Her chicken noodle recipe is not brothy, it is thick and has chunks of chicken, carrots, and celery. And thickened up at the end like a rue. And she does use the bones to simmer in the broth for a little bit so you still get that "homemade broth" taste that Ina likes to do but without the time! So here it is. I am going to try it out, probably not today, since that involves leaving the house and such when I don't feel well, but I'm putting it on here for later!

Homemade Chicken and Noodles- Ree Drummond- The Pioneer Women

Prep Time:

 10 Minutes

 

Cook Time:

 1 Hour

 

Difficulty:

 Easy

 

Servings:

 6

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 whole Cut Up Fryer Chicken
• 2 whole Carrots, Diced
• 2 stalks Celery, Diced
• 1/2 whole Medium Onion, Diced (optional)
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon White Pepper (more To Taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Thyme
• 2 teaspoons Parsley Flakes
• 16 ounces, weight Frozen "homemade" Egg Noodles
• 3 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour

Preparation Instructions

Cover chicken in 4 quarts water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove chicken from pot with a slotted spoon. With two forks, remove as much meat from the bones as you can, slightly shredding meat in the process. Return bones to broth and simmer on low, covered, for 45 minutes.

Remove bones from broth with a slotted spoon, making sure to get any small bones that might have detached.

Add the carrots and celery (and onions, if using) to the pot, followed by the herbs and spices. Stir to combine and simmer for ten minutes to meld flavors.

Increase heat and add frozen egg noodles and chicken. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes.

Mix flour and a little water. Stir until smooth. Pour into soup, stir to combine, and simmer for another 5 minutes, or until broth thickens a bit. Test and adjust seasonings as needed.

I'm Back

We are back from our fun times in North Carolina with family! Oh, it is so hard to travel with a 2 year old! I love my son, I do. I am so thankful for him, I am. But man! The screaming in the car for 2 hours on the drive down. The, I'm scared cause I don't know where I am, and wake mommy and daddy up at 4am every morning. Oh and the, lets puke on mommy at 5am because I ate too many crackers the night before when Mommy and Daddy with on a double date with my aunt and uncle, was the topper! At least he was super good on the drive up!

I am done ranting. He did have tons of fun playing with his 5 cousins. 4 of them are boys who love to get dirty and play hard. Mason had a ton of fun playing outside in their big, FLAT backyard. (Ours is not flat. It is a steep down hill backyard without a fence so we don't spend time back there right now.) We went to a park on Saturday afternoon, where Mason climbed up the rock wall that was taller than Daddy with a little help from us. (note to self, more park time, especially when new baby comes.) He loved the bon fire and watching TV OUTSIDE at night and cuddling with mommy under 4 blankets to stay warm, and the yummy marshmallows we ate!

He loves his Aunt to death and when he was having a tantrum she stepped in and helped us out. Since she has 5 kids she is super mom and I learned a lot from her. Over the weekend alone, Mason's talking has exploded! We are understanding him better (I think Matt the most because he was finally able to spend days with him at a time and just hear him speak). He learned to communicate better with us. He still gets frustrated when we don't understand what he is trying to say but we did so much better. He can now say pink, bread,  fire. He was putting 2 word sentences together. he said Bye mommy, for the first time, and bye car. It is pretty amazing to watch him grow. He also saw plenty of cows on the drive down and was pointing them out to us.

Thanksgiving the rolls were the hit for him. That was pretty much all he ate. He didn't want any of the ham, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes or spinach salad. Just bread (bead) as he called it.

All in all it was a very fun and happy thanksgiving for all! Next time we see the cousins the new baby will be here, and we will have to juggle 2 kids! EEK! But oh how fun to have 2 kids to play with their 5 cousins!

Black Friday and Race Recovery

Today is recovery day from black Friday and all the racing you did around the stores and oh if you did run a race than today is a nice little day to just sit back and relax and rest. See you on Monday with a race recap! I love the holiday weekends to spend with my family!

Black Friday

How many hours have you been awake shopping on Black Friday??? I am like my mother and really don't like this day! I hate how crowded stores are but yes, I agree that there are some amazing sales. We might just go out for a couple of hours to get some kid stuff for Mace and baby #2.

Happy Thanksgiving 2013

Hope you guys are having a great Turkey Day today. Good luck if you are running in a turkey trot this morning! We have our 8k that we are running in. SUPER COLD Conditions for me to be running in but I think that will be motivation to hurry up and get back to nice toasty warm house smelling like super yummy holiday feast!

Hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday today!

How Wonderful Life Is- vol. 4

Last installment of my Thankful Wednesday for the month of November. I hope you guys have been able to reflect on what you are thankful for too this past month.

My home: I am so thankful that I have a roof over my head to keep the cold out and shelter me from the storms of nature and of life. I consider my house a shelter from the outside world. The world is a crazy place and whenever I return home I know that I am safe and can guard those inside by the things I watch and listen to. I try to keep our home filled with love and yummy smells from the kitchen.

Over the next few months with the cold weather I love the warmth our home feels from all of us cuddling under a blanket together, watching a movie and just enjoying these winter months spending good quality time together. Or sitting by the fireplace and feeling the warmth spread through the room. Something about winter just makes me think of more family time. (yes it is because of the holidays mostly but in general we just hang out more) It is too cold to go outside so we just spend all our time inside, together.

My trials: Yes I am crazy but I often find myself thinking about the hard things in life that I have faced. Going through them has sucked, sucked, sucked but on the flip side of the trial I know I have learned something. Throughout our marriage our trial has mostly been about having children. Since it took us 8 years, 3 fertility doctors, 54 shots in my belly and 2 IUI's to get Mason I would say that is a trial. We went through a lot as a couple through those 8 years. A lot of heartache, yelling, and just wanting to give up, but I knew we had to keep trying. Since having Mason, our trial, regarding this topic of having children, has been sustaining the pregnancies. We had 2 confirmed miscarriages, (I think 3 just never confirmed I was pregnant July of 2012. Didn't think it could happen.) Then with this one, I didn't want to believe it was true. The last miscarriage really put me through the ringer! It was hard. I lost my faith in God for a few hours. I was lost and angry. But I now believe that it was my 2x4 to the head to get me moving and stop moping. Cause after that miscarriage, I tried to stop feeling sorry for myself and started to exercise again. And look at me now, running, while 16 weeks pregnant, with our little miracle. (and yesterdays run was overall a faster pace in general than I have done in awhile. So getting better WHILE pregnant! WAHOO!!!) I feel very blessed for our little miracle and the trial I had to go through to get it.

Please don't think we don't have any other trials in our life right now, OH BOY DO WE EVER! But I know we have them for a reason. They will make us stronger, even when we feel like a weakling while going through them. But look back when you have crest over the hill of your trial and see what you learned, and went through and you will know, this is why I had it. You will learn a lot about yourself and what you need to do. It is pretty amazing actually. If you haven't read this poem Footprints in the Sand by Mary Stevenson, check it out! One of my favs to read about going through trials. Again, sucks while going through a trial, believe me, but when you can see the flip side it is pretty amazing knowing that we are not the one in control. Big guy up top is!

QOTD: What are you thankful for the most this month?

Travel and Weather

Hmmmm. It is looking like it is going to be some bad weather today and Wednesday on the busiest travel days no less. We are supposed to be getting some snow by now, hasn't happened yet. But good news for the kids in my city, school has been canceled for today and if it is like this again tomorrow it could very well be canceled tomorrow too, meaning an extra long Thanksgiving break. Here is hoping that we can travel safely when we are leaving! I have some friends leaving town today during the main part of the show/ice storm. So to all who are traveling over the next few days stay safe and Happy Thanksgiving.

Just an FYI, I have some scheduled posts during the break, but they are small and short messages as I won't have my computer with me when we travel. But follow me on my Facebook, Instagram, or twitter for my latest updates. I will have the race recap and holiday recap when I get back! HAPPY THANKSGIVING! See you on the flip side of turkey day!