A Runner's Heart

New 5K PR! :)

2012-02-07T00:28:00.002-06:00

I realized I never wrote about my awesome 8 miler! Running during the Princesses nap time actually worked! It took 2 miles for her to actually fall asleep, but then she stayed asleep until around mile 6.5 and was happy and chewing on her toys until mile 8! I was so proud of her! And myself for running 8 miles! :) It was during the day, kinda cold, and there was a pretty strong breeze. It was a pretty day! The only problem I had was going against the wind with the sunshade down on the stroller blocking Sophie's face. It was basically like running with a giant shield in front of you pushing against the wind. It made it much more difficult, so I took several walk breaks. Especially up the hills. Those were killer with the wind added to them! But I kept going and I kept running! I really was so excited that my body had accomplished something that awesome! Afterwards, my legs felt like jello. I could barely walk, much less chase a crawling 7 month old around! haha That was fun! :) But I am still proud I did that! :)

It's been down hill ever since...

I lost my gumption. I got discouraged. I hurt. The princess wouldn't go to bed at night. She also wouldn't take her naps without putting up a HUGE fight. I was mentally and physically exhausted. I couldn't handle adding miles into my schedule. So I stopped. Last Tuesday, I set out to run 5 miles. I had missed my 3 miles on Monday and just thought I could do my Wednesday 5 miles a day ahead. Needless to say...after 2 miles I quit. I couldn't do it. I was still hurting (hips and knees) and I was just not there mentally. I came home crying and so disappointed in myself. My wonderful husband assured me that 2 miles was better than sitting on the couch and told me I did a great job for just getting out there. :) He's awesome like that. :) But I was still mad at myself. Instead of taking that and throwing it into my running. I just stopped...again...I was supposed to run 10 miles on Saturday. Did I even consider it? Nope. I know that's sad for me to even say, but...It's the truth. Inside though...I still wanted to run! Just not 10 miles! :)

Tonight, I went out to run at least 2 miles. I ended up running a 5K and at a new PR for myself! I shaved almost 2 whole minutes per mile off my time! I was pretty darn proud! My goal when I started running and this blog was to run a 5K under 45 minutes. That was back in 2010. I ran it in 43 minutes tonight! I have completed my first goal! I now have many more to accomplish and I am excited to accomplish them one at a time! :)

Tonight, I also gave up the thought of me trying to train for a half. I have almost decided that it is not for me right now. I have other goals and another person that needs me there instead of running for 3 hours. I say almost, because in the back of mind, I think I could still go out there and run/walk the half. I don't know if I want to pay that kind of money to go into it thinking I would walk most of it. I would rather my first half be something special and where I know I can get in there and RUN most of it, if not all of it!

Right now, I want to concentrate on 5K's, 10K's, and losing some weight. My weight is truly holding me back. I need to get my eating in order. I need to concentrate on being healthy for my daughter. Not whether or not I can squeeze 10-12 miles in 1 day for 3-4 hours of running. It's not for me right now. That is hard for me to admit. I want to be SuperMom and do it all! I want to be one of those Bad Mother Runner's whose blogs I read! I keep having to remind myself that I am still a Runner...And a Mother... It doesn't matter how many miles I put in...Or how many miles I sit out for the sake of my daughter... I am still a Runner at Heart.

I love Mail!

2012-01-28T13:09:00.000-06:00

I'm still finding it hard to take time to write my blog posts...if you couldn't tell. Every spare moment I find, I'm either cleaning house, doing the 4,000 loads of laundry I have, or trying to sew something quickly. Oh yeah...And trying to find a few minutes to talk to my husband lol.

I haven't forgotten about running though! I ran 6 miles this past wednesday! I was proud! It took FOREVER though! I am so dern slow! Today I am supposed to run 8 miles and It will prob take me a good 2 hours....kinda dreading it actually.

Last weekend was supposed to be my 6 mile run, but I missed Saturday again...Life keeps getting in the way...So I went out Sunday night to tackle it. Well...I went out with the wrong attitude and ended up quitting at 3.5 miles. I was frustrated because it was hot outside (in the 70's, which I consider hot in January) and I didn't have any tank tops that fit me and I didn't feel like wearing a t-shirt having it cling to me with sweat and I was just plain cranky. I used to at least dress kinda cute when I ran so I at least felt good about that part, and now I can't even find anything to fit properly. Well I just put on a t-shirt and dealt with it. After about a mile, I was in so much pain...I'm talking hips, thighs, knees, shins, calves, ankles, arches, everything. I know part of it was mental, but my left hip STILL hurts. My right knee is also hurting, though I think that is because I am overcompensating on my right side for my hurting left hip. I was not into the run mentally, so I quit. I took off Monday and Tuesday so I could rest and would have no excuses on Wednesday. My hubby was off that day, so I knew I would have someone to watch Sophie. During the 6 miles, I did walk some, but limited to just a few seconds at a time. My left hip still hurt, as did my right knee. I have no idea what's going on all of a sudden, but I don't like it. Oh! On Sunday, I also wore my Nike's instead of my Vibrams. On Wednesday I wore my Vibrams and that ended up being the best choice. I think I have finally transitioned to only Vibrams. I'm wondering if the Nike's had something to do with my pain. Not sure, and I don't think I want to find out. :/ I think I'll stick to my Vibrams from now on.

Today I am going to try to run during what is supposed to be Sophie's long afternoon nap. We will see if this works. If not....I will be breaking my 8 mile run in half and doing 4 during the day and the last 4 tonight when she goes to bed. Wish me luck! I will try to find some time to update and let you know how the day goes! :)

I also got something AWESOME in the mail yesterday...

My Road ID!

I've been doing a lot of night running and have to cross the driveways of apartment complexes and I knew I would just feel better if I knew someone could help me if If something ever happened. I bought the interactive one, so they can call a 800 number or look up in their computer (and I know a lot of EMT's have laptops in their ambulances now) and pull up all of my info. My emergency contacts, my doctor info, what I'm allergic to, my blood type, everything...I also went ahead and put my daughters name and birthday in the notes section, that way if she is ever with me, they know how old she is and that will help with her care as well. And I love that it's pink and I can wear it all the time so I will never forget it! Even in the shower! And extra BIG Plus is, when Sophie gets a bit older, I can buy one for her and link it to my account! If she ever gets lost, they can find me by that bracelet! I love it! :)

I also FINALLY got my hair cut this week!

It hasn't been cut since April of last year! Before my baby shower! I had 5 inches of dead hair and she cut off 7 inches total! It feels really weird to wash it now. I can definitely notice a lot missing!

And this is the real reason I wanted to get it cut...

So I can have a cute pony tail for running! lol :)

And the fact that I have to wear it up at ALL times around my hair pulling daughter. :)

My little Princess is hanging all over me as I type this! She has started pulling up and woud much rather be standing than sitting these days. lol This makes for a more tired momma! Especially when I have to chase her around while she crawls everywhere! She is getting so fast!

She is why I run! I have to be able to keep up with her! :)

Here's what my little lady did today!

Playing with daddy's drums! :)

I just love that smiling face!

5 miles and Crawling!

2012-01-16T16:05:00.000-06:00

Half marathon training is going well!

Not as great as I would have hoped, but it's still going at least!

I haven't given up! :)

I have missed a couple of runs, but I always pick back up the next time.

I have done 2 long runs so far. Last Saturday was 4 miles and then I missed this Saturday, so I ran my long run last night (Sunday) of 5 miles! I was pretty proud when I finished. :)

When I did another 4 mile run last Wednesday, I misjudged time and ended up running home staring at this...

Glad I misjudged! It was beautiful!

That was my first long run to have Sophie with me in the jogging stroller and let me just say...It did not go well. After about a mile in she got cranky...and it just got worse...Plus since the sun was setting, the wind started to pick up and it was getting colder. I felt so bad, because the wind was hitting her face so hard it was startling her! So I moved the canopy in front of her face, but that made her mad because she couldn't see anymore lol. Needless to say, I haven't taken her out again. BUT I just ordered a jogging stroller cover to keep the wind off of her and she can still see out! I hope it works and keeps her happy! My long runs are becoming longer and I'm not sure I continue to do them at 10 at night. I'm so slow, I'll be out there all night! Can't wait for the cover to get here! :)

On my 5 mile last night, I started out on the "Dreadmill". It was awful. I hated it...So after 1.3 miles...I went outside to finish. Much better decision! :) I was very sluggish at first and I decided at 2.5 miles that I wanted to try a GU. I want to incorporate them in my training, so I can be prepared on race day. It really made a difference! I couldn't believe it! I actually got some energy back and finished the 5 miles pretty strong! :) The only thing I didn't like about the GU, is it' so darn sticky! I will be trying a different brand this weekend for my 6 mile run. It's supposed to be sugar free...We will see if it's any good lol. I do absolutely LOVE NUUN though!

I've had the Lemon Lime before, but I just bought Strawberry Lemonade and it is soooo good! This will definitely be my hydration drink of choice! :)

And in non running news...My little princess has started crawling forward now! It's crazy! She's not supposed to be big enough for that yet! She will actually be 7 months old tomorrow...I can't believe it!

She's also started eating real food..

And pulling up...

(love her bib from my friend Maggie!)

And sitting in the shopping cart...

Such a big girl! Oh and she LOVES her little red wagon!

This is great for a nice recovery walk! :)
Makes mommy and baby happy! :)

Hello 2012! :)

2012-01-05T00:44:00.001-06:00

I have started 2012 with a bang! I decided to skip C25K because I was a bit bored with it, having already done it once. I decided to skip right to Half Marathon training! I have only done 2 days so far, but completely surprised myself both day!!! The first day (Jan. 2nd) I ran 3 miles with a bit of walking. I wore my awesome Christmas present from my hubby...

My new Vibram 5 Finger Treks! :)

That turned out to be a bit of a mistake. HaHa :)

Now please note that I have only run in Nike Free 7's. They are transition minimalist shoes, so I was used to running with little padding. Plus I had already walked 4 miles in my Vibrams with 1 mile of running, just trying them out. Apparently that wasn't enough! My arches were KILLING me after a mile. I refused to give up though! I kept on trekking along. Yes, I walked...But I did not walk as much as I had thought I would! I was definitely slow too, but I know I will have to work on speed as I go! :)

Today was Day 2 (Or yesterday since I'm typing this after midnight). I did not have time to run during the day with Sophie, so I knew I would have to run tonight. When my hubby got home, he was wonderful enough to stay with Sophie while I went to run on my own. :) It was pretty darn cold (39 degrees is cold for us Texans), but I only wore a shirt and capri's because I am hot natured and new I would warm up soon. I did, but my skin felt very cold when I was done! Maybe I should look into cold weather gear? hmm....Anyway...I just went for it. A 5K was my goal! I have to admit that half way through...I couldn't remember how many miles a 5K was!!! So I was hoping with 3.4 I was safe, but then when I was done, I was afraid it was 3.5! Oh the forgetfulness of mommy brain! lol :)

It turns out, I did run my first 5K!

ALL RUNNING! NO WALKING!!

I have to admit...I'm on top of the world! I am so proud! I never thought I would actually be able to run a full 5K without walking! Especially at the weight I am now! I can't wait to see how far my body will take me! Especially if more weight starts to fall off! I am so excited!

I came home after my run to this...

Aren't they cute :)

I have unofficially said I am planning on running the Gusher Half Marathon on March 10. I really, really want to...And I am training for it, but I am afraid to pay and then something happen and I can't make it. I'm counting on it though! So we will see!

I am also trying to commit more to blogging! I want to record this journey! I haven't weighed myself in a while, so I need to do that to see if I am loosing any weight. More important to me, though, is my health and in turn, Sophie's health. She needs a good role model! I want to be that healthy role model in her life! :)

I have another 3 miles tomorrow. Saturday is a 4 miler. I'm excited to see how it goes! :)

Goodbye 2011! :)

2011-12-31T23:29:00.002-06:00

2011 was a wonderful year!
I started it pregnant and working as a nurse at a job that I loved!

Me and my hubby last year on New Years Eve :)

February I got laid off (and got in a wreck/not so good lol)

21 weeks pregnant in February

March.. Celebrated 5 years of marriage with my wonderful hubby and went home to celebrate my bestie's 30th birthday!!! :)

April had my maternity photo's taken, had my amazing baby shower and celebrated my 28th b-day in my hometown with my family! :)

May toured the Dallas Cowboy's stadium and waited impatiently to see if Sophie would grace us with her presence early! lol Oh and realized that it had been 10 yrs since I graduated high school...crazy! :)

June had my beautiful baby girl! :) My world changed for the better! :)

July celebrated our daughter's first holiday!

August took our daughter to meet the rest of the extended family and celebrated my hubby's bday! It was also the first time he had been home since we moved to Fort Worth the prior October.

September took Sophie down to see everyone again and spend Labor day with the family! Including my brother who went down also! :)

October celebrated Sophie's first Halloween! She was the most precious little lady bug! And we moved to a new and better apartment complex! :) (Also dealt with the lose of our first babies:( ...our puppies)

November celebrated Sophie's first Thanksgiving! :)

December went to my hometown for Sophie's 6 months photo's, had Sophie's Christmas with the great grandparents and then celebrated Sophie's first Christmas! It was wonderful! :)

So..Goodbye 2011!

Here's to a healthier me in the new year!

I will hopefully be running & blogging more! :)

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-26T23:03:00.001-06:00

I know this is a day late, but...

Wrapped With Color Christmas

Find unique and Personalized Christmas cards at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

Ours was extra special since it was Sophie's first!

She is 6 months old now and sitting up on her own!

She is absolutely adorable and I fall more in love with her every day!

I (as well as most people at the beginning of a new year) will be trying to start my healthy habits and running again in the new year...

I have to change my eating habits for my daughter. She will be eating off my plate very soon, and I do not want her to be grabbing pizza and cookies...I would rather her grab carrots and spinach!

One of my "excuses" for not getting outside with her is because she won't sit still and cries when I put her in the carseat and in the jogging stroller for a run....Well...I think it's about time she sat in the big girl seat in the jogging stroller! I bet she will love that now! I'm hoping to eliminate a lot of my excuses and just get out there...

Here's to 2012 and starting fresh! :)

The last 3 photos were taken by Charissa Foux Photography!

My baby girl is growing up too fast!!

Happy New Year!!! :)

Ice Cream...

2011-10-20T01:39:00.000-05:00

I ate that pint of ice cream...I was depressed and I ate it...And you know what? It did nothing for me...It didn't even taste good...What I really wanted to do was go run far far away, but I couldn't. I'm still absolutely heartbroken about my "babies" and still can't believe it's true. Every corner I turn in the apartment makes me think of them. Every time my hubby comes home, I go to cover my daughter's ears so they don't wake her up barking....then I remember....Every time I turn the water on to run my daughter's bath, I think of Samson whining because he wanted to get in the bathtub. Every time I open the bread I think of them because they were always at my feet waiting for me to drop some. I can't even get ice because every time I opened the freezer door, She-Ra came running. She loved to eat ice chips lol. Every time I walk to go get the mail and come back to door I'm waiting to hear them barking. Every time I walk in the door I hear silence. Sophie will grow up never knowing them. They were supposed to be her puppies to play with when we got a house. Especially She-Ra. She-Ra loved her. Always bouncing around her and licking her toes...They were supposed to be my babies for several more years. I hate that this happened. I miss them so terribly. I know a lot of people do not understand, but these "dogs" were apart of our family. They were my babies. I will miss them forever.

This brings me to Tuesday and my run.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day and I could not spend another second turning corners and almost crying. I packed up diapers and blankets for Sophie and headed out the door. I didn't know how long I wanted to be out, but I knew I wanted to enjoy the weather. I started with a nice slow relaxing walk. The wind was blowing and it was actually cool outside. I had to put babylegs on Sophie and make sure her lil toes were covered! They were still cold when we got home though! :) I decided to just go ahead and finish week 4 and get it over with and then I could enjoy a walk with the princess. I finished and it felt great! Then the lil princess decided to get a bit cranky, so I took her our of the stroller and carried her for a lil while. I was showing her trees, water, birds, and even an armadillo! It was so nice! :) After I put her back in her stroller, she finally decided to take a little nap. I decided I needed to run again. I knew I had ran 30 minutes last time and I wanted to do that again. I had it figured in my head I could do 2-5 min. runs and 1-4 min. run. (I needed 14 more min.) Well I was closer to home already and didn't think I had time to break up the runs. I thought maybe I could do just 2-7 min. runs instead. Well, I started running and I decided to just not stop...I ran for 14 min. straight! It felt awesome! I actually think I could have kept going, but I ran out of sidewalk. :) But I was so proud of myself! Week 5 I have to do a 20 min. run on Day 3 and I think I'm actually ready for it! Bring it on! :) In total I ran for 30 min. and did 5.25 miles! :) WooHoo! :)

I am finally turning my mindset into wanting to run instead of eat. When I got back, I was craving cucumber's and carrots! And water of course! I like those kind of cravings! And I've had them a lot! Give me greek yogurt with fruit over ice cream! It's so much better. :) I think I am finally on the track to becoming a healthier me! In 2 months I will be introducing food to my daughter and I want it to be healthy foods! Guess I need to learn how to cook veggies! Haha :) When we move (next weekend! AHHHH!) I will be 1.7 miles from a farmers market and I couldn't be more excited! I'm hoping to go and get some great veggies and fruit for Sophie to try! And of course for us too! :) I am so excited about moving! It will be like starting over fresh. :) It will be a good thing.

I love you my puppies and I will never forget you! :)

Heartbroken...

2011-10-15T23:58:00.001-05:00

My fur babies that I just wrote about yesterday...Well it looks like they won't be coming back to us when we get a house...They passed away today....Both of them together. They hadn't even been gone for 24 hours. We have no idea what happened, but I am so sad....Not sure if running will help this time. I may need the ice cream too...

RIP My first "babies"...

I loved you so much!

A good 4 miles :)

2011-10-14T23:43:00.000-05:00

I started out my day having to give up my "babies"...

Samson has been our "baby" for the past 5 years.

She-Ra has been my "baby girl" for the past year.

It was VERY hard for me to say goodbye. I know they are just at my in-laws house, but knowing they are not here with me to greet me when I get home and to cuddle before I go to bed makes me sad. I also know that this is the best thing for my family right now. When the Princess starts crawling, I want the floor to be clean! Samson has a history of biting as well, and I just can't have that at all. I just know that the pro's outweighed the cons. It still makes me sad. I cried all afternoon and I'm trying not to cry now. It almost makes me feel like a failure, because I cannot take care of a child and 2 dogs...But at this time in my life....I just can't.

They need a backyard where they can run around and play. Not stuck in some apartment where they rarely get out because it's hard to walk 2 dogs on leashes while holding a baby.

I'm going to miss them sooooo very much.

But I know this will be a good thing...

I have already seen pictures of them at their new home and they look happy. :)

I know that when we buy a house with a backyard they will be my babies again. :)

I say all of that to lead up to why my run was so good.

I needed an outlet...The old me would have run to the store and bought a pint of ice cream and some chocolate and eaten the whole thing in under 5 minutes...The new me knew that all I had to do was just GET OUT of the house...Outside in the sunshine...I just told myself that I would just go for a walk. If it led to running, that would be great, but I needed to be outside...So I went...And I ran...And not only did I run Week 4 Day 2 (yes I forgot to repeat day 1 lol) of C25K, but I ran for an extra 14 min! Totaling 30 minutes of running in the 1 hour and 11 minutes I was out there! No, it was not a consecutive 30 min. I definitely had some major walking breaks in between, but I did it! I covered 4 miles in total. It felt good. It felt really good! I love the feeling I have afterward knowing I didn't eat that Ice Cream. I did something better for myself! Luckily, I have the best lil Princess ever and she let me go that whole 4 miles. She did have one little cranky bit, but soon found a "comfortable" position in her carseat and was happy again.

Apparently that was comfortable. HaHa :)

My run was great and I'm happy.

Now onto moving into a new apartment and starting over...Again...

This time last year I was moving to Fort Worth from 6 hours away.

You can read some about that Here, Here and Here. :)

This time I'm moving 20 min. away. Still stressful, but a lot easier.

Let the packing continue!

I need a do-over...

2011-10-07T23:27:00.000-05:00

This afternoon I headed out to begin Week 4 of C25K...I had high hopes! I knew my "long" run would be 5 min ("short" run was 3 min) and I knew I could do it, because I had already done it a couple of times before. I started running and immediately my right calf started hurting. I was trying to stretch it out while running (yes I did look pretty funny haha) but it didn't work. I kept going though! I refused to quit! After the first 3 min run, I spent my walking break trying to stretch it out. It didn't hurt to walk, just run. Then I started my first 5 min run. It still hurt pretty bad and I just couldn't make myself go any faster. I'm pretty sure anyone could have caught up with me just by walking at this point. I still did not give up... I completed my 2nd 3 min run and then began my last 5 min run. Then the princess decided she was tired of being in her carseat and started crying. So I had to stop and get her out of the carseat and calm her down. After I got her calm and back in the carseat this happened...

So sweet :)

Well apparently when I put her back in the carseat, I hit my garmin on the side and stopped my timer. I figured this out a mile later...I was kinda upset... I was trying my best to do 3 miles again today, but my Garmin only reflected 2 now. So what did I do? I decided to keep walking so my Garmin would say 3 miles. Yes, I am that OCD! haha :) The princess was happily sleeping now, so I walked another mile. All in all I did 4.2 miles! :) Even though my runs were kinda ehhh today, I still got it in and added a nice walk to it! I enjoyed just being outside in the sunshine with my princess!

I do, however, need a running do-over. So next time I head out, I will repeating Week 4 Day 1! :)

Week 3 complete!

2011-10-03T23:13:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, my wonderful hubby brought me home ice cream! My favorite...Pecan Pralines and Cream! Sooo yummy! I only ate half of the pint. :) He jokingly told me that since I ate ice cream, I had to run today! Now I know he was just joking, but I decided to do it anyway! :)

I set out around 6 (I have something on my phone that tells me around what time the sun will set each day so I don't end up in the dark) looking at this pretty face...

She is just the cutest :)

I promise she smiles all the time! Just not when I bring out my phone to take pictures. :)

I decided I was going to finish Week 3 of C25K and do at least 3 miles.

I accomplished both! I didn't use my Garmin the other day, because I thought I was just going for a leisurely walk, but this time I did and I loved being able to see how far I'd gone and needed to go! :)

It was a great run and I even did 2 more 3 min. runs and a 5 min run after finishing the program. Week 4 starts 5 min runs, so I wanted to see if I could do it...And I can! :) I'm starting to get excited again about running again! It feels so good and lil S does so good with it! She's a wonderful lil running buddy! I hope she stays that way! :)

I actually walked until the sidewalk ended today, which was a mile and a half. I then doubled back to make the 3 miles. But I'm already wanting to go farther! When I got home I pulled up Map My Run and figured out a way to go 2 miles and doubling back will make it 4. After that, I will have to find another new route! Otherwise, I will be going back and forth a bunch of times to make more miles! :)

I definitely enjoyed being outside today!

I may try to make it to a park sometime this week! :)

On another note...I finished lil S's Halloween costume today! She is going to be the cutest little ladybug you ever did see! I can't wait to show everyone pictures! :)

What are you or your kids going to be for Halloween this year?

I won! :)

2011-10-03T00:16:00.000-05:00

Today I found out I won a Given Brand Arm Pocket from the fabulous Running Diva Mom!

I am so excited to try it out! I actually have a problem with my Garmin Forerunner interfering with my wireless headphones and iPhone and I'm hoping this will help!

Last Wednesday I decided to take a little walk with my Princess. :)

It ended up being a 1 mile walk and Week 3 Day 2 of C25K! :)

It is starting to get cooler and I am wanting to spend more time outside!

I can't wait for little S to be able to sit up on her own so I can take her to the park and show her the swings! :) It will be so much fun and I know she will love them! :) (And YES I am enjoying every second of everything she does! I'm not trying to rush her at all! I don't want her to grow up too fast!)

The run went great! Even with the jogging stroller :) I know it's helping me burn more calories, so I don't mind...Plus I love having this adorable face to look at. :)

I'm looking forward to more runs in the fall and "winter"! Hopefully I can find more time to blog as well! :)

Just wanted to say a big "Hey" and "Thank You" to my new fellow blogger/runner Jesica over at Syked to Run! She has been helping me a lot with motivation to just get out there! I am hoping to run my first (and her first) half marathon with her in March! I just need to train now! lol :)

And I leave you now with my adorable little owl :)

Good Day :)

2011-09-20T01:06:00.002-05:00

I had a pretty good day today. This was one of my hubby's days off, and he watched our lil S, while I went grocery shopping! It was nice to be able to look around the store without having a baby strapped to me! :) When I go shopping I usually wear her in a Baby Bjorn, because she is so much happier next to me instead of being in a carseat in a buggy. Now don't get me wrong, I love being a stay at home mom, especially to my lil princess (she SERIOUSLY is the best baby ever), but every once in a while you need to get out by yourself! :) Then I got home and I decided I wanted to go for a run...without the stroller...So my hubby stayed with her again and I went on an hour run/walk! It was fantabulous! It was a beautiful day, and I went farther on my trail than I had gone before and ended up at a park! Well, they call it a "park", but really it's a bike trail through a bunch of tree's...which is perfect by the way! The tree's gave me some shade and there was actually a little bit of green! (Most everything here is dead...We have been in a drought FOR...E...VER!!!) I even got a Sunburn...after just an hour! Craziness! I decided to snap this lil pic of me enjoying myself :)

Later, I realized that these sunglasses are ginormous and I probably shouldn't wear them in public. :)

I FINALLY started Week 3 of C25K! Then, after I walked a bit more, I ran for 6 min. and 40 sec straight! I probably would have tried to make an even 7, but that last minute I was running up a hill and I wimped out. :) Nevertheless, I am pretty proud of myself! I think I could complete a 5K right now. It may not be with a good time, and I might have to walk some, but I could complete it! :) It has now been 3 months since I had my baby girl, (YES 3 months ALREADY!) and I have no more exscuses. It is finally getting cooler outside (Yes 93 is cooler!) and I need to just get out there!

So I am writing this hoping I will receive some encouraging words, and some JUST DO IT attitude from people! I need a good push and people to hold me accountable! I need to lose this baby fat! I may have lost the "pounds", but everything else "adjusted" itself! Can we say Junk in the trunk? :) I will hopefully be running again on Wednesday, especially since I know I won't be able to move after today! :)

Hope everyone has a good night! (Or Morning now)

I leave you with a couple of pics of pure 3 month old adorableness!

A new look at time...

2011-08-09T19:22:00.000-05:00

Isn't she the cutest? :)

I absolutely am loving being a mommy! :) It really is the best! I am starting to get the hang of things a little bit more. She is almost 8 weeks old now and growing so fast! I am slowly coming to the realization that I don't have to do "everything" in one day. I live day by day and literally hour by hour. I try to do laundry when I can and keep the kitchen clean when I can. Nothing has to be perfect. I would rather be spending time with my baby girl when she's awake rather then sitting her in a bouncer and cleaning. I am finally getting enough rest at night so when she wakes me up at 6-7 I can wake up also and start my day...while she still sleeps. :) She likes to go back to sleep until about 8:30 or 9. Sometimes I go back to sleep with her, and other times I will just hold her and watch her sleep. :) That's my favorite! :) I breastfed in public for the first time this past weekend. Sophia and I went and met my parents for the weekend and I fed her at a restaurant. I used a cover, of course, but it was kinda cool! It made me a little more confident that I can do it at other places and not worry to much. I have a new cover coming in the mail this week and can't wait to get it!

Isn't it cute?! Go it from Ruby Dean Designs on Facebook! She has the cutest stuff! :)

As for my workouts, I missed all the aerobics classes last week. Every time I would get ready to go, she would spit up all over both of us or have a leaky diaper or something would happen and I would just give up. I'm still trying to get the hang of getting out of the house on time with breastfeeding her and not having to change clothes several times haha. I did make it out of the house today, however! I actually like the class! I am constantly moving and I know most of the songs so I can sing along! The instructor asked me today if I like to dance or have done that in the past. Apparently after only the second time going, I'm doing really well with the steps. It's basic aerobics I have done before in aerobics videos and steps from twirling and flag corp. Apparently it just works for me! So i am enjoying myself! I am hoping to go again Thursday morning and maybe Saturday. Saturdays are an hour earlier and it might not work with Sophie's eating schedule...We will have to see! :)

I am on Week 2 Day 3 of Couch to 5K. I still have not become as strict about that as I would like. I would like to run on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, but since I can only run in the evenings around 7 (because it's been between 105-109 degrees everyday) it has hindered me. I'm still trying to work around her eating schedule. That has been the most difficult thing for me to get used to. I did run last Wednesday with some friend though! My friend Jackie walked with lil S in her stroller, while I ran and did W2D2 of C25K with her hubby, Brad! It was after dark so it was only 99 degrees! That's almost chilly in these parts! haha :) It was a good run! I really want to keep going, I hate that I'm struggling with finding time...I'm hoping Fall weather will make it a bit easier for me! I CAN NOT WAIT FOR FALL! This summer heat is for the birds! Plus I'm hoping to run my first 5K in the fall! If I can just get through C25K! :)

I just got a new Bondi Band in hopes it will make me want to get out more! haha I always love new stuff! Also got me 2 new workout shirts! Hopnig they will keep the sweaty smells at bay! My usual tanks smell AWFUL! Any ideas on how to help this? Just laundry detegent has not helped. I also tried washing them with vinegar...Yeah that didn't help either...Any ideas are welcome! :) I will post pictures of the new stuff later! :)

Once again, I leave you with a picture of my cutie pie! :)

A year later...

2011-07-25T21:42:00.002-05:00

July 22nd was the 1 year Birthday of my blog! :)

I had just started Couch to 5K on July 14th and was going strong!

Little did I know what lie ahead...

I went through my 2nd miscarriage, which put C25K off for almost a month. Then I got back to running! Then we moved to Fort Worth. 6 hours from our friends and family. Only to find out the next day that we were pregnant again! :) We found out October 17th, but waited to tell our families at Christmas. :) I put off my running again, after trying to run in Fort Worth. I didn't feel running was worth losing another baby, so I just stopped. I occasionally walked, but that was the extent of my exercise. We announced we were having a girl and then I showed off her first pictures! My blog quickly turned from a running blog to a baby blog! :) I knew this was one of the best ways to keep my family and friends updated on the pregnancy. I walked a couple of times. Here and Here. Trying to walk the baby girl out! Then it was time to announce the biggest news of my year! Sophia Grace was here! :)

Now she is one month old...

I have been cleared by my doctor and ready to start exercising again! Now I just have to find some time..... I started C25K on July 20th! It was my first time to run on a treadmill. I pretty much hated it! haha By the time I got up to speed it would be time to start walking again. (The first week is 8-1 min. walks) This is the way I will have to do a lot of my training because of the area we live in. First of all it's soooo hot, 2nd I have to work around Sophia's eating schedule, and 3rd I can't run in the dark around this area. Way to scary. So....I am stuck on the treadmill. Hopefully it will get better as I get farther along in the program! I did Week 1 Day 2 on July 22. I was actually able to get outside and use my jogging stroller! I am so lucky that Sophia loves riding in the stroller! She slept the whole time! It is sooo much harder to run while pushing a stroller though! Haha I know I am burning more calories though! That's for sure! :) I was supposed to do Week 1 Day 3 yesterday. It did not happen. I am still trying to learn to prioritize, work on time management, and just trying to get a schedule with Sophia. It just didn't work yesterday. Today, I had to go grocery shopping. Which has led me to another day where I may not be able to do it. She gets cranky in the evenings and I have to feed her a lot. She absolutely refuses to take a bottle so it's all breastfeeding for me! So I am the only one that can feed her, which makes it hard to schedule anything....I am taking it one day at a time though! I'm finding it very hard to find time to blog also! Just as I wrote that sentence she woke up and has started crying. It is not very easy to blog with someone in your lap! HaHa :)

Once again...I will leave you with more adorable pictures!

Hoping I can go run tomorrow! We will see! :)

Our first Walk!

2011-07-14T22:40:00.000-05:00

Tonight, lil S and I decided it was time to take our first walk in the neighborhood! :)

I decided it was best if she went in just a diaper so she wouldn't get to hot :)

Me happily pushing my jogging stroller! (With some crazy hair! lol) :)

The jogging stroller is wonderful! :) I love it! She slept the whole time in her carseat. She even did well with the bumps! I can't wait until I can get cleared to start C25K! I think running in the evenings will work just fine. It's pretty shaded where I was, so lil S wasn't in the sun and the breeze actually kept us pretty cool! :) I have my doctor's appointment on Monday and hopefully I will be cleared to get started! I know I will definitely be burning some calories running AND pushing that stroller! Especially up the hills!

Apparently I am one of the lucky ones that breastfeeding has helped immensely. I have already lost all of the 24 lbs I gained while pregnant, plus another 3! :) I can't wait to start C25K again so I can start losing more! I still have 89 lbs I would like to lose to make it to my goal weight! That's still a lot, but starting at 111 lbs to lose in September 2009, 89 doesn't look so bad! :)

I am excited to get back to writing this blog again also! Hopefully I can find time while feeding Sophia to write! I just need a good app for blogger on my iPhone. I spend A LOT more time on there since it's so easy to use while feeding lil S.

I will leave you with some new cute pictures of my little girl! :)

Happy 4th! :)

2011-07-05T16:28:00.000-05:00

This is lil S's first holiday! She spent most of the day awake and a bit cranky, but has been sleeping this evening! She wore herself out! I hope everyone had a great day with friends and family! :)

My cutie pie :)

2011-06-24T15:41:00.001-05:00

Photo Card

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She's here! :)

2011-06-20T15:11:00.001-05:00

Our little princess, Sophia Grace, made her appearance June 17, 2011.

8 pounds, 5 ounces, 19 inches long of pure cuteness! :)

She has already stolen our hearts!

We love her so much! :)

38 wks & counting...

2011-06-07T17:23:00.002-05:00

I am 38 weeks and 5 days...Almost 39 weeks.
We are in single digits now! 9 days to go!

I have NO signs of having this baby anytime soon!

I have been walking and eating all sorts of things that people say will help...Not helping me though! I guess she is just going to be stubborn and wait until her due date! I have another doctors appointment on Friday (39weeks and 1 day) and I was hoping I would not make it until then, but it looks like I will! I will definitely be speaking with the doctor about inducing. I do NOT want to go over my due date! We have a history of big babies in the family and I refuse to let her get (more) huge!

I went for a wonderful walk yesterday with my friends Jackie and Brad! We went to a really nice park that none of us had been to before. They had tennis courts and 2 huge sand volleyball courts! That looked like fun! :) We went around 8 so it would be "cooler". It's sad when we say 95 degrees is "cooler" haha. We walked about 1.8 miles and I knew I was done. My ankles were so swollen! I am so sore today! I was hoping this walk would help speed things along, but it looks like it just made me more sore! haha I will keep walking though and try to get this baby out naturally!

I am hoping soon I can write a post about my new baby girl. :)

Very soon :)

Birthday and Waiting...

2011-05-28T11:56:00.002-05:00

Today is my Puppies 5th Birthday! Only he really isn't a puppy anymore now :( He has a lot of gray around his mouth now. Cody and I got him 4 months after we were married so he has been our baby for the past 5 years! I have read online, however, that dogs can tell when you are pregnant. Well...he can definitely tell and he has his own set of hormones. He has resorted to biting at both me and Cody. Now he has even started biting at She-Ra. I think he knows he's about to become 2nd place to the baby. It's sad, but also frustrating. He still brings joy to our lives...sometimes...other times, I just want to strangle him! Like when he pees and poops all over my floor, just cuz he is to scared to go outside. Arggg...But he is still part of the family....for now. :) I know he will be better once we get a house and he can have a backyard to run around in, but for now...he hates to go outside...Especially on his leash. He still deserves a Happy Birthday though! 5 years in our family! :)

As of Thursday, I am 37 weeks pregnant!

I feel like a beached whale and look like one too! haha :)

This is half of her face. The other half was hiding in the shadows. :)

And this is her foot! The arrow is pointing to the bottom of the foot.

She is being measured at 6lbs. 9oz. and 18.9 inches so far. Which means she will likely be at least a 8 pound baby if not more. I was expecting that, but still not happy about it! lol. She hasn't dropped at all and really no dilation or any progress at all. I'm ready for her to be here! So I am just sitting around very impatiently for her to make her appearance! Until then...I will be happy that she is safe and sound and still growing. :)

Today is only 19 days until her due date!

Can't wait to meet my little girl! :)

2 miles :)

2011-05-14T14:54:00.002-05:00

I just finished walking 2 miles on this beautiful day! It's only 62 degrees outside, the sun is shinning, and there is a wonderful cool breeze! It is a great day to be outside! I wish I could have kept going, but I'm still not sure how much my body can handle right now, and I didn't want to over do it! On the way back, I started having some major Braxton Hicks contractions, so I knew it was time for a rest.

Having all my gadgets with me has also made it fun! My wonderful husband got me these awesome Altec bluetooth earphones:

I love them! They are amazing!

They allow me to take calls wirelessly as well, so if I needed to answer the phone while out there, I could do so with a push of a button! :)

Also I have been carrying my pink Nathan Quickdraw water bottle! I love it! It's almost like not even carrying a bottle at all. Plus I can keep my apartment gate key in the side pocket and not have to worry about it in my pants pocket. I know I have to stay hydrated during the pregnancy, so this has definitely come in handy! :)

And then of course my Garmin Forerunner 305!

I love that I can now see the route I am taking, and exactly how long it takes for each mile. It's just interesting to me! Plus I know how far I have walked and whether I need to keep going or turn around! It's just been very helpful!

I can't wait to use all of these things, plus my awesome pink jogging stroller very soon! :)

35 Weeks!

2011-05-13T16:42:00.002-05:00

It's official! I am 35 weeks pregnant and only "about" 35 days to go!

I feel like a blimp! I can barely bend over, rolling over in bed is becoming difficult, and I am lucky to make it to the bathroom when I sneeze! lol Sorry! TMI! :) I can't wait to meet her!

**I had this long post typed up yesterday, only for blogger to shut down and stop working and delete everything...Being pregnant also means "pregnancy brain", therefore...I have no idea what I wrote yesterday. lol :) So....this will be a short post now! :)

Long Picture post about Baby June Bug! :)

2011-05-11T12:05:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow...I will be 35 weeks!

Only "about" 5 weeks to go! :)

I just love this! Haha :)

On April 17th I had my baby shower! My brother drove me to our hometown 6 hours away just so I didn't have to drive! haha :) It was amazing! My hostesses did a fabulous job decorating and keeping everyone happy at the shower. Everything turned out beautiful and I am so thankful I have such wonderful friends! It was an explosion of pink! :) Baby June Bug got soooo much stuff! So many clothes! I actually had to leave a bunch of stuff at my parents for them to bring up when she's born. We couldn't fit it all in my brother's Honda CRV!

This is just SOME of the stuff she got! :)

Here are a few of the shower pictures! :)

The most awesome diaper cake ever! My mom made it for me! :)

The most awesome door wreath! (Also made by my awesome mom!)
I can't wait to see it on the hospital door!

Me and my momma :)

My Fabulous Hostesses! :)

My ladybug invitation that my bestie Crissy and my mom made with a Cricut!

And here are the pictures of her nursery! :)

I love it! It turned out perfect! I can't wait to see her in it! :)

I also had my maternity pictures taken by the wonderful Charissa Foux while I was down!

Here are just a few!

I loved them all!! :)

Other than that going on, I have just been slowly getting things more ready for her. My Hospital bag has been packed since I got home from the shower. We have gotten the jogging stroller into the trunk of my car. Which was really fun! haha. It barely fits! We had to take off one of the wheels! My friend Jackie and I went to get my carseat checked out by a local police department and they taught me how to properly latch it in! They also gave us plenty of tips of what NOT to do! Like... don't have anything hanging from the carseat, because it could become a projectile danger to her if we were in a wreck...and don't put a mirror to where u can see her when she's turned around because that could become a projectile if u are in wreck and it would hit her first! And don't put the window shades that roll up and down, because they could also become projectiles! So much I didn't think of that could just injure my child! lol :) Now I am prepared though and I know how to correctly put the carseat in! :) Cody and I also toured the hospital and that put a bit of my anxiety to rest. It's a very nice hospital with nice rooms. I found out the baby will be staying with me in my room the entire time I'm in the hospital (which I like) and the hospital is VERY breastfeeding friendly! I will have plenty of help in that department! Thank goodness! We FINALLY got insurance on May 1st, so now I can finally start walking again! We were so afraid I would have to go to the hospital before then, but God has been watching over my little June bug! I am just hoping she will make it to June! I just don't really want to wait until the due date though! lol I am ready to meet her! :) I've been trying to keep myself busy, but also am too tired to do anything! I can barely convince myself to go grocery shopping! I feel like a house! I will be taking a 35 week picture tomorrow, so I will hopefuly get that up soon....The last pic I posted was 28 weeks so I will leave you with Week 30! :)

I ❤ Gadgets :)

2011-04-05T18:41:00.003-05:00

Cody and I just walked my first mile in....forever! haha :) It was just a leisurely walk, but I decided to use my Garmin Forerunner just for the heck of it! :) I got it from my in-laws for Christmas and hadn't used it yet! I mainly wanted to play! haha :) We discovered a new little trail that's great! The trail leads you under a bridge, so I was always too afraid to to go this way by myself. With Cody by my side, though, we decided to explore! Little did I know that there was a beautiful little trail on the other side of that bridge! It is surrounded by tree's and really pretty houses! It has been there all these months and we never knew! I still may not brave it by myself (since I can't exactly run or defend myself at 7 months pregnant lol), but I will try to get Cody to take me walking down there on his days off! I also did not think to take pictures! I may have to do that next time! :)

It was a good little walk for a pregnant girl like me! I am in my Third Trimester now and will start Week 30 on Thursday! Very exciting! :) I can't wait until I get to meet my little Sophia! :) I also can't wait to use my jogging stroller and go walking with her! :) Maybe I need to get her a cute running headband and a jogging outfit to match momma! haha :) I will leave you with my 28 week picture! :)