My first race as a Mommy!

Today was a beautiful day ... For a 10 mile run! After training for months, I finally laced up my shoes and got back out there. Two years ago, before Alexa, I ran the Army Ten Miler and Marine Corps Marathon. Then, when I was pregnant, we ran the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler. Today, I finally completed my first race since she was born! It. Felt. Great. Well, not at Mile 8, which sucked, and not now that I am sore, but still, it was amazing to run again! Here is Alexa stealing my post-race bagel. It was so great to see her after my run!

Click HERE to see video of me crossing the finish line, and all the "official" photos!

Re-cap of our 20-Week Appointment

Yesterday's news cycle was dominated by the announcement that we're having a girl! But I wanted to get back to the appointment to share some other details from our big day.

First of all, we're at the HALFWAY POINT! Pregnancy is 40 weeks, so I am half done growing our daughter! Of course, I didn't know I was pregnant until Week 5, so this half will seem longer. And, I'll LOOK more pregnant this half. But still. Yay!

Back to the appointment.

I weighed in at +11 pounds since my first appointment. My doctor said that usually women gain about 10 in their first 20 weeks and then about 20 pounds in their second 20 weeks. So I'm right on track with the weight gain. But now I'm starting to think about the 30 pounds that I'll eventually be carrying and it's freaking me out! Eeeeek!

Also, if you recall, last appointment, my blood sugar spiked, but I had just eaten. This time I ate a full two hours beforehand, so it came out normal. Good sign. Don't want to get gestational diabetes! And my blood pressure was also normal, too.

I discussed running (well, slow jogging and walking) with my doctor and he said he sees no reason for me to discontinue this. However, after the recent Cherry Blossom Ten Miler, I have decided to cut back to short jogs and lay off the distances.

Finally, have I mentioned here yet that I have fibroids? I didn't know until our first ultrasound, which my doctor says is a good thing because that means they weren't a problem either in comfort or in conception. During the ultrasound, the technician said one of them is a little bigger, but that's normal. She also said one of them has moved to the side and should no longer be blocking the birth canal, which is good news. I'll have more ultrasounds as I progress to check on these. But, really, it'll just be cool to see more pictures of Lima!

Now back to the gender news.

We're super excited for a little girl! Papa Bean says he knew I was growing a girl the whole time! He says it's his destiny to be surrounded by women. Ha! But I have to say that I'm a little surprised! Since I had no morning sickness and my pregnancy has been pretty easy so far, I figured it had to be a boy. I thought girls would be more difficult!

Well, as it turns out, maybe that's not the case. Our ultrasound technician said that our baby's demeanor suggested that she was a girl even before we got a look at her, um, stuff. She said our baby shows a very calm and laid back manner, as opposed to a boy, who might be flipping, bouncing, jumping and basically rough-housing around my uterus!

Papa Bean says it's only a manner of time before this laid-back baby turns into a diva, however. So we'll see if it's possible to raise a laid-back girl. Maybe? Until she turns 13?

Also during the ultrasound we saw her playing and sucking on her fingers, so cute! My mom, who is an OT, says that shows that even early on she knows how to entertain herself and keep herself busy. I did some looking and finger sucking does appear to be a sign of a baby who knows how to soothe themselves. This is a good sign both cognitively and temperamently!

Papa Bean is convinced that she'll either be the first female member of the Yankees (how about the name "Dereka"?) or the first female president.

Oh, and in terms of houses, we now have new criteria. Papa Bean says there is NO WAY are we getting a place with our room on a separate floor than hers and her room must be on the 2nd level. You know, so that boys can't sneak in and date her. Because, like, that's what infants do, apparently!

Running with Lima Bean!

Sunday was a beautiful day in Washington. The sun was out, the cherry blossoms were abloom. It was a perfect day for a long walk (er, jog) around the city!

So with Lima Bean safely packed away in my snug yoga pants, I donned my cutest Lululemon gear and took off for the National Mall for the annual Cherry Blossom Ten Mile race.

I met my co-worker at the start and we took off around 8 a.m., running what my Garmin watch said was a solid 10:50 minutes-per-mile pace.

To put that in perspective, that pace is slower than my personal best 9:36 min/mile pace that I set for the Army Ten-Miler last year and even slower than the 10:08 min/mile pace that I ran on my first Cherry Blossom Ten Miler in 2007.

Still, I wasn't shooting for a 10:50 min/mile finish. So after two miles, I told my friend to go on without me. I was going to take it slower. She surged ahead and ended up making her goal of maintaining a 10:30 pace and finishing under two hours!

Not me. Not this year. I was not running for time. I was running to enjoy the day and show Lima Bean the joys of running. I have heard that babies fall asleep to the rhythmetic motion of your gate and that the motion can be soothing to them.

Of course, I checked with my doctor before running. She said that as long as I was a runner before I became pregnant, I could safely continue. She warned that my joints might be looser and I might get to a point when it would be too uncomfortable for me to run. But until then, it's healthy for me and the baby to get regular exercise.

There are many articles out there about running while pregnant. Here are a few that I would recommend: Runner's World, Running and Pregnancy, BabyFit.com article, and BabyCener.com piece.

Back to the race at hand.

I knew that runners had 2 hours and 20 minutes to finish the race. That means that as long as you maintain a pace better than 14 minutes a mile, you're golden. Walking usually takes about 15 minutes per mile, so I knew that I couldn't walk the whole thing. But I could run very, very slowly and take frequent breaks and still finish before the cut-off.

And if I didn't feel like finishing? Well, I had $20 in my pocket to pay for a cab. And I carried my cell phone with me too (at Papa Bean's request).

So I took my time and plodded along. I stopped at all the water stops to make sure I was properly hydrated. I even stopped around Mile 7 to dart into a porta potty! I walked some. I jogged some. I found myself "running" with a back-of-the-pack crew that I don't usually see in races.

In the end, I finished the race in 2:04:31 with an average pace of 12:28 minutes/mile. I met up with my co-workers afterward and one of them teased me that I had not even broken a sweat! It was true. I was running so slowly that my cheeks weren't even red!

I am looking forward to running this race next year, or maybe doing another marathon - at a faster pace. I hope running will help me get back into shape after Lima Bean arrives. I especially can't wait to get a jogging stroller so Lima Bean can come with me on training runs!

But, as with everything, Lima Bean does change things.

As I ran, I saw two little boys along the route holding up a homemade sign that said "Run, Mommy, Run." I couldn't help smiling. I hope someday Lima Bean will look forward to coming out to cheer me on.

I also saw a woman running with her young daughter. It reminded me of the 8-mile Great Aloha Run/Walk that my dad took me on when I was seven years old. As I ran past them, I smiled to myself wondering if Lima Bean will one day run a race with me.

Because in the end, running a race, like life, is more about the experience along the way than the finish. I hope Lima Bean can someday enjoy and appreciate both!

Another productive day: Our 1st Open House! And we continued Our Search!

Sunday was a beautiful day, so I went out for a nice 5-mile jog/walk in Rock Creek Park. I hope whatever house we buy is close to a running trail!

Then our Realtor held our first open house from 1-4 p.m. It went pretty well, lots of traffic. And we have two people coming by Tuesday for a 2nd look! Crossing our fingers for some good offers!

Meanwhile, we spent the afternoon Northwest D.C. and Bethesda, Md., to continue our search for the perfect house! Altogether, we saw 8 houses on Sunday. We liked two of them...

One is in Bethesda on Glenwood Road, a very kid-friendly street with a big back deck and yard. It has a nice family room addition and finished basement, but no master bath and the kitchen is a little small.

The other is also in Bethesda and has a big kitchen and fabulous living room with huge windows that opens to a great patio and yard. The only thing is that while it is large (4Br/2Ba), it is a rancher with only ONE level. That's right, no upstairs and no basement! But, hey, that's how it was in Hawaii where I grew up!

I ended the day with another candlelight prenatal yoga class. One of the other women in the class found out that she's having a girl! So far, everyone who knows what they are having (4 women) are having girls! I wonder what that means for Lima Bean... We find out SOON!

Let's talk Details

Below is a list that I hope will become somewhat of a weekly check-in on my symptoms and details. You know, because I know you re all on the edge of your seat to find out the status of my belly button. Here goes...

How far along: 14 weeks/ 1 day

Total weight gain: + 4-7 pounds

Maternity clothes? Still using Bella Bands on pants but just purchased a few tops. Also, just yesterday ordered a pair of black maternity pants from Ann Taylor Loft.

Stretch marks? Nope, but I'm itchy all over. Will be going through my Arbonne lotion in no time!

Main symptoms: Still going to the bathroom a lot and very burpy, but not as tired, and not as much heartburn or dizzy spells. Slight nausea in the mornings before I get food in my belly.

Exercise: Ran a slow and easy 6 miles on Sunday.

Best moment this week: Hearing Lima Bean's heartbeat via doppler at my doctor's office. Last visit was on Feb. 25, so exactly a week ago.

Movement: Not yet.

Food cravings: Frozen yogurt from Yogato!

Gender: We have no clue... But we have our guesses! Our family members do too!

Labor signs: None.

Belly button in or out? Still in.

What I miss: This is unbelievable but I have lost my appetite for sushi or wine, so I am not missing much right now!

What I am looking forward to: Having a cute obviously pregnant belly so that people don't look at me like I am a cow when I go to the gym!

Weekly wisdom: Take it one day at a time...

Milestones: Put Lima Bean on the waiting list for daycare and started this blog!

How we got to this point

Come on, do you really not know how babies are made? ;-) We think THAT happened back on Wednesday, Dec. 10, or Thursday, Dec. 11, although we can't really recall.

Suffice to say, I was completely oblivious when I ran the Jingle Bell All The Way 10K on Sunday, Dec. 14, clocking a 56:55 time at a 9:10/mi pace! At that point, Lima Bean was a mere "ball of cells," measuring just 0.006 inches (0.150mm) long, barely the size of the period at the end of this sentence.

Then, we had some very sad news on Dec. 15 that sent us up to West Orange, NJ, for the better part of the week to say goodbye to a dear uncle who never knew that Lima Bean was starting to grow. I'm sure he knows now! We can only imagine how excited he must be.

By Dec. 23, we were headed to Ocean City, NJ, to celebrate Christmas Eve. Not aware yet about Lima Bean, wine was drunk and I ran a hard seven miles on the Boardwalk at a fantastic pace. This will be a good year for me, running-wise, I thought. Little did I know.

On Dec. 25, we flew to Tucson, Arizona, to spend Christmas with Aunt Kelly and Uncle Benny. So, as you can see, little Lima Bean is already quite a seasoned traveler! By Arizona, I was starting Week 4 of my pregnancy, although we didn't know it at the time.

Little Lima Bean was still just 0.014 to 0.04 inches in size (0.36mm to 1mm), so tiny that he or she was barely visible. But as we explored Tucson, hiked Sedona and toured the Grand Canyon, Lima Bean was busy as well! This was the week in which Lima Bean transformed from a blastocyst (a ball of cells) into an "embryo."

A week later, on Dec. 31, we spent New Year's Eve camping out in Tucson, then enjoyed a wonderful New Year's Day hike. We explored the Sonora Desert Museum and watched an amazing sunset overlooking the Saguaro National Monument at Gate's Pass.

Meanwhile, I was progressing into Week 5, a very important week for Lima Bean! By this time, implantation was complete and Lima Bean had become deeply embedded in my uterus, measuring 0.05 inches (1.25mm) long. What's amazing is that by this time, it was possible to identify the fold of skin that was to become Lima Bean's head. A heart forming plate had developed and the central nervous system, muscles and bone were already in the early stages of development. The brain, spine and beginnings of the nervous system were also forming.

Even more amazing, by this time, Lima Bean's heart had started beating! We think Lima Bean must have been very excited about Arizona, and thus decided to hang on and stay around a bit. We'll have to take Lima Bean back there someday!

We returned to Washington, D.C., on Friday, Jan. 2, and suspecting something was amiss, decided that I should POAS (pee on a stick).

I did, and wouldn't you know... It said I was PREGNANT!

Shocked, we rushed to CVS to buy three more tests. And one by one they each said the same thing: PREGNANT!

And that was how the journey began ... At Week 5/Day 2.