The Diary of a Pregnant Crossfitter: Part Twelve - Maternity Pictures!

I just posted an album on Facebook of the "regular" maternity pictures, but I felt it was more appropriate to post the workout pictures on my blog, to go along with The Diary of a Pregnant Crossfitter series, ya know?  JJ Lane of Be Lovely Photography came out to our house to shoot our maternity session, and as always she did an awesome job!  I really wanted to capture some shots of me working out in my patio gym, especially since working out has been one of the key elements of this pregnancy (and my main source of sanity!), and we definitely got some great shots!  So, without further ado, here's me and Elliot getting our workout on :)

I may have played around on my photo editor with this one...

and this one too...

Catch Up:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six 
Part Seven 
Part Eight 
Part Nine 
Part Ten 
Part Eleven

The Diary of a Pregnant Crossfitter: Part Eleven - Feeling Awesome!

I think I'm in the homestretch... That's really weird to say.  I'm in my last month of pregnancy... that's weird to say too.  36 weeks?  Due next month?  What??  At this point in my pregnancy with Harlee I was DONE.  I was so done, so ready to get this over with, get this kid out of me... hot, tired, huge, achy, exhausted, crabby, wiped out, etc.  I was skipping out on things too - I remember some family was in from out of town that year about this time and they went on a tour at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery and I opted to stay home, I was so exhausted and swollen there was no way I would have been able to walk that whole thing.  Now?  Sign me up!  I could totally do it.  I'm sad I didn't have the knowledge then that I do now, and I missed out on so much...  But, it's all a learning experience.  That's what all of life is, really.

So here I am, 36 weeks, and I feel pretty awesome.  I'm still working out.  I'm still helping Justin with projects around the house.  I'm still going out and doing things and participating in life.  I still feel like I'm in my second trimester.  It's funny because I know I've got this bump hanging off of me that definitely looks like a 3rd trimester bump, but the rest of me feels like, well, normal.  And people automatically assume that when you're this far in pregnancy, you're miserable and over it.  So they make comments at me like, "I bet you're ready to be done with this, aren't you!" and "I bet you're tired and miserable, huh?"  And I'm like, "No, I feel fine, he can stay in there til August if he feels like it, we're good..."

Foreign concept, I know.

I just hope that this blog series has inspired at least SOME women to stick with a good workout routine and good self-care practices throughout their pregnancies so they can feel just as strong and healthy and capable.

So anyway, let's recap the last few days.  Yesterday morning I decided to see how I was doing strength-wise and started loading the bar for back squats.  Not trying to break records or anything, just wanted to see how far I could go before it started feeling a little strenuous.  I left off with a 175lb back squat record and haven't really touched it since then.  During WODs I usually stay around 65lbs.  I got up to 150lbs, which I was happy with because that's more than I weighed before I got pregnant!  I didn't bother going any further because that felt heavy enough.  I can't wait to get back to breaking PRs though!

Then we went to my aunt's place to shoot targets and clay birds, and I realized another benefit to staying active during this pregnancy - it was pretty stinkin hot yesterday and it didn't affect me like I remember the heat got me during my pregnancy with Harlee.  I've been outside working out and helping Justin so much that I guess my body just got acclimatized to the heat.  That and we've had such a hideous winter that I'm SO GLAD to finally have SUMMER.  But that's just me (I hate winter).

I look like I have bad form in that last picture... don't mind that.  I had fun, though!  I'm definitely not good at shooting moving targets but it was addicting nonetheless, and I have a nice bruise on my shoulder to prove it...

Okay so then today was just awesome.  Today was one of those days that I was able to say, yeah, working out throughout the whole pregnancy was TOTALLY worth it.  Justin loaded up some straw from our neighbor's farm and drove it back to our house (gonna use it for planting grass in the fall).  192 bales to be exact.

He probably did the most back-breaking part of the job - loading them all up on the trailer.  But then he got home and had me and Harlee come out and look at the load, and I figured that was it - all he wanted me to do was applaud him for his hard work.  But no, he set the elevator up from the trailer to the loft and said, "Alright, I need you to load them on the elevator and I'll put them away up there."  Whoa, I got to do some manual labor!  There was a point in time he seemed a bit hesitant to make me do too much work while pregnant.  I guess I've finally proven I'm capable of being useful regardless of my current physical "condition"!  So I started grabbing bales and setting them on the elevator, one after the other...

Later that morning my friend Rachael was going to come out to join me for a WOD on the patio, so I texted her to tell her about the pre-workout I was getting and that she needed to join me.  So she did!

And we had a lot of fun with it!

 And got all 192 straw bales up in that hay loft!

Woo hoo!  So we were already hot and sweaty and nasty, but not about to let that stop us from doing the WOD we originally planned to do, so down to the patio we went!

I gave myself a pretty gross blister... so I was sure to tape up before picking up the bar.  Gotta love my cool Cars bandaids!

 The WOD was 21, 18, 15, 12, 9, 6, 3 each of burpees...

And 45lb thrusters...

Gotta love our facial expressions... haha :)

We were pretty wiped out!  Elliot looks like he turned into a basketball...

We were pretty proud of ourselves though, finishing in just a bit over 15 minutes!  Having a workout buddy made it way more fun!

She kept saying how awesome it is that I'm 8 months pregnant and busting out a WOD like that, but I hope she knows how awesome she is - she has made an AMAZING transformation in a short time - she started Crossfit last summer and in a matter of months achieved some absolutely killer results.  I am super proud of her hard work and dedication, and seeing how far she has come is truly inspirational! High fives to Rachael!

Ah what a day.  I should probably wrap this up because Justin's outside with the trench digger so he can bury the drain tile and finally get rain water to channel out to the lake and not pooling and gushing around our foundation.  He'll need somebody handy with a shovel to backfill the dirt! :)

But before I go, here's a recap of the WODs I've done since I last wrote:

5 Rounds
5 Hang Power Snatch (45lbs)
10 push ups
20 air squats

3 Rounds
10 Hang clean & jerks (55lbs)
20 step ups
10 overhead walking lunges with a 25lb weight

21-15-9
Back squats (75lbs)
Push ups
Step ups
Overhead walking lunges with a 25lb weight

Like I've said before, I've been trying to include a lot of moves that involve hip and pelvis mobility since I'm nearing the end of this journey.  Gotta keep those hips limber and help keep that baby moving down!  Squats are a pregnant woman's best friend, and lunges are great too.  Definitely not going to be skimping on those these last few weeks!


Catch Up:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six 
Part Seven 
Part Eight 
Part Nine 
Part Ten

Guacamole

It has been WAY too long since I've posted a recipe.  I have a few excuses - one being time... I haven't been very creative in the kitchen lately as I haven't really had time to do so.  Another being my oven.  It's been kinda... weird... like the cooking time and temperature have been way off in accordance with any recipe I've tried, so I finally had someone come out to service it Friday and it turns out that whenever our gas was hooked up, the guy who came out to do a leak check hooked the oven back up completely wrong.  It's working like a charm now!  Thank goodness, because ever since we bought it I've been in love with the concept of it, but very frustrated that it wasn't working!  It's one of those cool double oven ranges... well here let me just show you a picture (cuz I'm proud of how the kitchen turned out too!):

It was kinda hard to get a decent picture, the sun was shining right in the windows and washing the whole picture out.  But that's a view of the oven, so you can see what I'm talking about.

Anyway, now that that's working, once I get more time to experiment with recipes I'll be sure to post some!

But for now, I've got an awesome appliance-free recipe to share with you that is amazingly delicious and perfect for all the summer gatherings you've got coming up.  It's cool, refreshing, full of flavor, and has just enough of a kick to give it some extra pizazz.  Enjoy!

4 pitted, peeled, and mashed avocados
1/2 medium white or yellow onion, diced
2 roma tomatoes, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
juice from 1 lime
1 tsp sea salt

Smoosh everything together in a bowl until you reach your desired consistency and either serve immediately or chilled.

And no, that's not a paleo tortilla chip.  I need to find a good recipe for that, but for now I'm cheating...

The Diary of a Pregnant Crossfitter: Part Ten - Beyond the Gym

Today I made a comment to Justin that sparked an idea for my next post.  He asked me to help him seine the pond (drag a net through it and collect up all the moss and algae that's been growing in it the past couple of weeks).  Sure, I'd help, so out we went, he got in the water holding one end of the rope and net and I walked along the edge holding the other end (that stuff is nasty, I wasn't about to get in it and come out looking like a slimy swamp monster).  Let me tell ya, that thing gets heavy once it gets full!  And the growth had gotten a bit out of control with the summer weather upon us and our busy schedules not really allowing us to get out there and maintain it, so there was a lot.

A before shot of the pond scum - I ran back to get a rake and left Harlee in charge of the other end of the rope

Me on the other end of the rope

We pulled and pulled and Justin scooped while I raked and we made it around most of the lake getting it all cleaned out of there, and finally I said to him, "Boy I hope you're grateful I've been working out, do you realize how useless I'd be if I hadn't been?"

And it's true.  I'm 34-35 weeks along.  I'm nearing the home stretch here, and I'm out dragging heavy nets of pond scum out of a lake.  There's no way I'd have been doing that while I was pregnant with Harlee.  I was miserable at this point with him.  I was swollen, exhausted and fatigued, heavy and miserable.  This time, I can honestly say I feel like I have 3 or 4 more months left of this pregnancy.  And I have said that on numerous occasions!

Already people are making their comments - "You haven't had that baby yet?"
"You look like you're ready to pop!"
"Wow I bet you're ready to have that kid already!"

Nope, got another month to go yet!
I guess I look that way, but I don't feel it...
And,
No, I feel like I'm just starting my 2nd trimester!

And it's the truth!  I really do feel like I'm barely halfway through this journey.  Reality has not set in yet that he's due to arrive at the end of NEXT MONTH.

So today I was feeling extra grateful that I've diligently stuck to a workout routine throughout this pregnancy.  I'm so very happy I have the energy and strength to more or less function like a normal person despite the extra load hanging off the front of me.

That's what I love about Crossfit.  As I've said in my blog post about Crossfit, a basic definition of it is: "To physically prepare people for whatever life might throw at them."  And today was a perfect example of that.  Using my whole body, strength of multiple muscle groups working as a whole, coordination and balance - it's all stuff I've developed from the workouts.  And to be able to utilize those abilities while 8 months pregnant?  Bonus!

Scooping up the gunk

From time to time I've thought about getting involved in Crossfit competitions, participating in it as a sport as well as a lifestyle, but then I have days like today and I realize, no, it's not about competing.  That's not why I'm doing this.  And really, what's the point of doing it if you can't use it in life outside the gym?  Helping strip forms on our foundation and basement walls, helping shovel debris from the edges of the foundation, helping haul lumber, helping move heavy boxes from the old house into the new one - this whole experience of our new home has been packed with opportunities to realize what Crossfit had done for me, and to put my strength and skills to good use.  That, to me, is way more rewarding than beating a personal record at the gym, or competing against other Crossfitters.  And today, realizing that the rest of my life out here is going to be full of constant opportunities to continue to use my strength and skill and what I've developed through Crossfit, is that much more motivating to me to stick with it, and that much more rewarding to know that so far I have.

I know I've said it before and I'll say it again, but I can't stress enough to anyone wanting to become pregnant to GET ON A WORKOUT SCHEDULE and STICK WITH IT!!  And when you run into obstacles as I outlined in Part Two of this series, like morning sickness, ridiculous cravings, and all the crazy changes your body goes through in the first trimester, don't beat yourself up - just jump back into your routine when you feel up to it and pick up where you left off.  You'll appreciate it in the end!

By the way, since I'm nearing the end (even though I really don't feel like it), I've begun making up my own WODs, and they're mostly consisting of a lot of squatting and lunging - great exercises for the hips which will (hopefully) come in handy in labor.  Gotta keep those joints flexible yet strong!  Yesterday's WOD was:

21-15-9
65# Back squats
Push ups
25# overhead walking lunges

And last week I did:

21-15-9
65# Back squats
Push ups
20# Kettlebell swings
Step ups

And After - almost, anyway.  Looking much better!

Catch Up:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six 
Part Seven 
Part Eight 
Part Nine