My how life changes!

A year ago, I would still be working out at this time in the morning. In fact, if i missed a workout, I would worry about it all day long. I know this sounds crazy, but I was slightly obsessive-compulsive. Running was my outlet, my way of just completely getting away from my thoughts and world.
Sidebar...In fact, a year ago, Jamie and I were running 13 miles in the snow--uphills both ways, ha! Ok, so I'm kidding about the uphills part, but not about the 13 miles in the snow, we thought we would never warm up!...
Now, I have to plan my morning just right to make it to the gym. If Parker eats for an extra 10 or 15 minutes or if he won't go back to sleep right away, I don't get to go. I even switched gyms and joined one that is only 2 minutes away as opposed to 8 because those 6 minutes make that much of a difference. This morning was one of those mornings. The combination of me hitting snooze for 10 minutes (4:55 opposed to 4:45) and Parker eating for a little longer now has me writing a blog instead of working out. The craziest part of it all is that I don't really care. Now, I take what I can get, but if I don't get to go because I have to spend an extra 15 minutes with my son--wahoo! I can't get enough of him and he changes everyday! I would rather wish I had a flatter stomach when he is five than wish that I would have spent more time with him.

Is that a tissue coming out of your bra...?

Haha, I am laughing at myself right now because you just never know when you are going to become that mom. You know, the one who has baby spit up on her clothes, leaky breasts and wait for it...breast pads coming out of her sports bra--not kidding!
Running again has been a challenge. Not necessarily because I am out of shape, but because it is hard to find time when Parker is even half an hour off schedule. I did have him on the best schedule...go to sleep at 11, wake him up at 5 to eat, at the gym by 6. Then this week hit and we have been totally off. So on Monday, I was so proud of myself because I had been up since 3:30 and had gotten so much accomplished. Parker was fed, bathroom clean, laundry done. So when I went to the gym at 5:30, I was having pretty much the best "mom" day ever. That was until around mile 2 when I looked down and my breast pad was coming out the top of my v-neck shirt. It wasn't just sticking out a little, it was all the way out with just a corner still inside my shirt. Worse than that, I had run out of actual breast pads so had been cutting maxi-pads into thirds. The paper on the back of the pad was unmistakable. So, I did what any woman would do...I grabbed my maxi-pad, made room in my shirt and then pretty much grabbed my boob in front of all my early morning work out buddies!

To run or not to run....

So, picture this...you're at the gym on a treadmill and you look beside you and see a very pregnant woman running next to you. Now, this alone would not make you laugh, but now picture that same pregnant woman with a shirt on that is slowly creeping up on her belly and she is using one hand to constantly pull her shirt down and the other to hold on to the side of the treadmill. Now you know why I get funny looks at the gym. This is my daily routine, which is kind of embarrassing. However, I really just don't care. I have convinced myself that running is what is helping to keep my ankles from swelling (watch, I say that and now they will start swelling tomorrow:) and what keeps me in shape.

Lately, a lot of people around me have started saying that I should start walking. I am so afraid to stop running. I am terrified that once I stop, I won't be able to start again after the baby is born. I know that sounds stupid, but if you are a runner, you will understand the obsessive compulsiveness I am talking about. I will be seven months next week, and until yesterday, I was convinced that if I just gradually slow down and run shorter distances, I can make it to nine months.

Well last night I received an e-mail from whattoexpect.com and it had an article talking about how you can tell if you are overdoing it. It said that you should feel the baby move twice within 30 minutes after working out. I did not feel it move until an hour after I had worked out and now I am worried sick. I am not sure what I should do and I don't want to make a mistake before the baby is even born!! So, for the next day or so I am on the hunt for any type of reading materials that have other factors for determining whether or not I am overdoing it.