Surviving the Holidays

We have almost survived Christmas. We have one more to celebrate - this weekend Derek's family is coming into town to stay with us for a couple of nights. Owen can't wait to see his Grandparents, he has a special relationship with Derek's Dad and with my Stepdad. Grandpas can play and play and play and play Starwars until the cows come home!

Christmas begam for us when we went to Illinois on the 17th. Over the course of five days we slept in four different beds. Even though it was hectic to be away from our house and our routine it was awesome to see all of my family. My mom's side of the family always gets together at my cousins house in Chicago and I can't believe how many of us are in one house and the noise level that we create. I think at my cousins house there are at least 50-60 people! We all bring a gift to exchange for a game and it is a 20 dollar minimum so they are pretty decent gifts but the ones that go the fastest are the lottery tickets and alcohol! After Chicago we spent a couple of days in Galena with my mom, stepdad, my sister and the boys in a house at Eagle Ridge Resort. Derek took Owen skiing for the first time and he loved it. It is so neat to see him trying out new activities and being excited about his accomplishments. He got to ride the ski lift so I think that was the highlight of the whole trip! Then we packed the boys back up and drove to Sterling, to see my Grandma and my Dad and Diane. We only spent one night there because I had to get back to work on Thursday. Good thing we have a van because we wouldn't have gotten all of our things home. Let's just say my children are a little spoiled. Owen is so use to my sister getting him tons of presents that this year I told her get him one little thing because she spent way too much money on him for his birthday. After opening her gift I said OK Owen that is it and he replied "you're just kidding, right."

Christmas day was just the four of us and we went to the Water Park of America and that place is awesome. It is super warm inside and great water rides for kids and really reasonably priced. I want to make it a tradition that we go every year on Christmas - next year Keaton will be tearing the place up just like his brother was this year! Owen really enjoyed Christmas this year and he is still in a funk that it is over. I still have the decorations up and he wants to open the the advent calendar every morning. He told me today there was a piece of candy in number 14. I think Derek put a piece in there to cheer him up! I can imagine how disappointing it could be after Christmas is over for kids because there is all this hype and then the next day is just another day. Kind of like your birthday as you get older - just another day! I can't believe that I am going to be 32 in 2011. After having kids it does seem like the years fly by just a little bit faster.

In November we took some family pictures with Christine Wood and so happy with how they turned out. I am highlighting some of my favorites in this post.

Keaton turned 6 months old in December and still not sleeping the best for me at night. I want to give him a break since we were gone and messed up his schedule but I just think I have a bad sleeper. He does go to bed around 6:30 and sleep until about 6:30 but is up a couple of times at night crying out to to me to feed him! I also think he is going to be my trouble maker! Owen was and still is a very special child - he never opened up any of my kitchen cabinets to play in, I never had to lock things up because he wouldn't get into drawers, etc.

On the other hand Keaton is almost ready to crawl and tries to stand up in his baby bath and looks at me when he does it like he knows he isn't suppose to be doing it. He refuses to eat his baby food and wants to eat what we are eating so I have just resorted to giving him breadsticks to eat when we are eating dinner and then try and sneak baby food in his mouth. Derek said the other day he could see the mischievous demeanour in his eyes!

I have my race schedule all ready to go and super excited about 2011. I have some goals I want to accomplish for myself and for the future. I have registered for one race since it was discounted in December and want to register for the rest of them but holding off just in case a unforseen circumstance happens. I will be putting my race schedule up here in the next couple of days so stay tuned. Happy New Year everyone!

Sleep Training = No Sleep

I am tired. Plain and simple. Keaton has wore me out. For the last month and a half he has been waking every 2 hours at night wanting to be comforted in some way. We tried the cry it out method for a while and I hated it but now we are going back to that and just letting him nurse once at night. He is 17 lbs and does not need to eat three times at night! I couldn't stand to hear him cry but now I am like OK kid.. suck it up and sleep!

That has been my life lately oh and add on that I started training for 2011, went to a USAT Clinic to be a USAT Level I coach, studied and passed my NSCA Strength and Conditioning Specialist exam, and trying to be a good mom and wife....so if you haven't seen me in a while - that is why!

Even though Keaton is not a good night sleeper he is a pretty cute kid - he loves to watch Owen play and loves to have his feet played with. He is really good at the yoga pose happy baby.

I have been trying to force a sippy cup on him so I can put some milk in there and be able to get away for more than 3 hours at a time. I don't know what it is with my children but neither one of them took a bottle - guess they love their mom!

Some great news is that I will be coaching with Optum Health performance. So excited to be working with a great company that wants to help people live healthy lives and has an state of the art training facility as well. The company is hoping to roll out more training centers like the one in Minnesota in other metropolitan cities. Check it out at OptumHealthPerformance.com.

So looking forward to Christmas. We are heading to IL for about 5 days and staying at a resort in Galena called Eagle Ridge. Owen is going to go skiing for the first time and I am going to try cross country skiing. I have never done it but heard it is a great workout and since I won't have access to a pool or bike for that time I figured that would be a great all body workout I can do. This is my Christmas post until the new year so Merry Christmas everyone!!

Owen's Half Mile Race and My 10 Mile Race

Owen had been waiting for this weekend for a long time! I can't precisely remember but I think it was in June when we signed Owen up for the half mile race which was a part of the Twin Cities Marathon weekend. We initally were going to sign him up for the one mile race but Derek took Owen on a "training run" one day and said there was no way he could do a mile - he had to carry him most of the way home.

We really wanted Saturday to be about his race because he is always coming to ours and cheering us on. We talked a lot about it and he said he wanted to be body marked and have a cup of water to throw down! Saturday morning we woke him up and told him it was race day and that he needed to have a healthy breakfast. We then body marked him with Lighting McQueen temporary tattoos on the back of his legs. I also made sure I had a cup to put water in and a cowbell.

When we arrived to the State Capital Owen could hardly contain himself. We picked up his shirt and race number, did a little prewarm up stretching and he was ready to go!



The fan base went to the designated spot to get some good pictures and video. Owen was the last group of kids for the half mile so it was fun watching the older kids before him run. It was hilarious seeing these little legs moving so fast and the expression on their faces was priceless. Derek was running with Owen so it was easy to spot the 6 foot 2 inch guy with sunglasses amoungst the kids! Owen had the biggest smile on his face as he was running towards us. My sister was ringing the cowbell and I had the water ready.
Owen wasn't quite sure what to do in the moment so I told him to throw it down and as you can see from the picture - he sure did! Owen finished just under five minute so that is just about a ten minute mile if he would have done the mile - pretty darn good! Here he is with his medal after the race- I was so proud of him - he looked so happy and was having so much fun. I am pretty sure he won his age group :)

Sunday I was racing the Twin Cities ten mile and I had a blast. I really didn't have a time goal in mind for the race but just wanted to do sub seven minute miles since I haven't been running alot. Here is a picture that Terrence Lee took of me I think around mile seven or eight.

As you can see I have a big smile on my face - the weather was beautiful for running and I was just enjoying the moment of not actually competing. I still wanted to do well but it was nice not to have any pressure and just run. I finished with a 6:51 per minute mile so I was happy with that. Next up is the Monster Dash Half Marathon on October 30th. We are also celebrating Owen's 4th birthday that weekend - I can't believe he will be four years old - time really does fly. I am going to have to freeze Keaton right now so he doesn't get any bigger!

Peregrine Charities Race Report - Forgot the bike shoes, but not the lightsabers

Derek and I absolutely love this race. We have traveled to Waterloo for the past 3 years for a number of reasons: Waterloo is closer than Minneapolis for both of our parents to come and see the boys and with the grandparents there we can both race. Also, Cedar Falls is a town right next to Waterloo and where Derek and I met and went to college - University of Northern Iowa.

I felt like I just wasn't myself this week, with my training. I am not sure if the lack of sleep had caught up to me (Keaton is still getting up twice a night to nurse) or if my body was saying "hey you haven't slowed down for me to recover from having a baby 3 months ago!" I knew there was going to be some great competition at Peregrine, so I was looking forward to having a solid race.

I started packing for Owen, Keaton and I a couple of days before we left because I wanted to make sure I didn't forget anything, but low and behold I forgot my bike shoes. I had rode the trainer with my road bike Saturday morning and forgot to take them off afterwards. We were about an hour out when I said to Derek "CRAP" I forgot my bike shoes. We didn't want to turn around because with two kids any extra time in the car is not cool. Derek's Dad was coming to race the sprint course in the morning, so he was able to bring me my mother in laws road bike shoes. I was pretty much freaking out about it the whole night and between Keaton waking up to eat, I think I got 4 hours of sleep.

Race morning was COLD! As Derek and I were driving to the race it said 42 degrees and then it went down to 40 degrees! I got the bike shoes and they worked...however I was having a hard time clipping out of the shoes and getting them off. You had to push down on some part of the lever and I thought to myself "Oh boy this is going to be interesting when I get off the bike and my hands are frozen".

Swim was same old same old - 24 minutes. Derek and I were talking about this on the way home and I think I am just in survival mode out there - I wasn't really huffing on the swim and he said that he is pushing so hard he is grunting... so for next year, I will be grunting on the swim. That is a priority of mine for next year - swim lessons and coach! I knew I was second out of the water and Janet McCullough had about a 2 minute lead on me. I should have listened to Derek and not put my socks on in transition, because my feet were still frozen on the bike - probably costing me an extra 10-15 seconds. The bike was so cold that my jaw still hurts as I am writing this from clenching it on the bike. There were times that I was secretly wishing I was one of the novices on a mountain bike., and I was racing my first triathlon and had my warm North Face Jacket on! I did manage to catch Janet at about mile 20 on the bike, but knew she was going to push me on the run and I was dreading dismounting with my borrowed bike shoes.

As you can see from the picture I had to do an old school mount/dismount - pretty much all out stop to clip out and then I couldn't get the shoes off (exactly what I was afraid of) and finally just yanked them off. I think I had about a 20 second lead on Janet coming out of T2. I felt strong for the first 2 miles and I still need to stick to my nutrition plan, because I didn't take my gel until about mile 3. I felt pretty sick to my stomach and almost didn't take it at all. I knew Janet was coming for me and I saw her on the turnaround and she looked really strong. She passed me at mile 4 and I tried hanging with her, but knew I just didn't have it in me today. I finished second for female and happy, considering all of the issues I had going into and during the race. My running is still not where I want it to be, but rest is what I need and I'll get it in November and December. This winter will be about rebuilding and strategizing for next year. Dan Cohen (my coach) gave me some great advice today and he is right on the money when he says it is all about what you do in the off-season. I will need to be patient and take it easy this winter because I feel like my triathlon season just started when for others it has ended. I am running the Twin Cities 10 mile next weekend and Owen is doing the Half Mile race with Derek - we are getting the cow bell ready for him!

On a side note I was finally able to meet Elizabeth Waterstraat. I really like reading her blog, since she and I have a lot in common. She also had a baby about 9 weeks ago and ended up winning the sprint race - Way to go!

Bike crash, Puke and 100 dollars later

I signed up for the Maple Grove Triathlon pretty early in the season because I knew I would be able to do the race since Keaton would be about 10 weeks old. Derek's parents were going to come up that weekend as well because they bought us tickets to see the musical Wicked for an early Christmas present so we would have babysitters for the race.
The race was on Saturday so Friday was an extremely busy day trying to get ready for the race. I like Saturday races because you have the next day to recoup before going to work or in my case having Derek go to work and getting some time to rest with the two boys. My brother, sister in law and nieces were visiting from Kansas and arrived Wednesday night so I wanted to be sure to spend as much time with them as I could since I do not get to see them that much. We had a great day on Thursday going to the Walker Art Center, hanging out downtown at Loring Park and visiting the Basillia. My nieces and Owen are ready to go to church everyday after going to the Basillica - they thought it was the coolest place. Owen asked me Darth Vader was in there! He loved how it was so dark and quiet and had tons of questions about the statues and pictures he saw! I wonder what goes on in the mind of a 3 year old!
Friday, Owen went out on the boat with my family (my sister lives in town and she docks her boat on Lake Minnetonka - pretty awesome for me)! I didn't go of course because I had Keaton and it is not the best idea to be out in the sun the day before a race. Derek's parents arrived in town Friday and Derek's Dad was doing the race as well as Derek, Derek's brother and his wife - so I was very excited to be able to race with everyone.
The race started at 7:30 in the morning and so we were up bright and early - around 4:45. I was already up though at 2:30 because that is the time that Keaton likes to eat - it is so weird how at 10 weeks old they already have a clock that goes off in their head that at precisely 2:30 I eat! Anyways...it was hard going back to sleep because I knew I was going to be up 2 hours later.
It was a great morning - nice and cool but very windy. I do not mind the wind and actually think it gives me an advantage over others. I felt really good coming into the race and tapered well for it.
The swim was pretty brutal because it was so windy but I was extremely pleased with my time - I came out around 24 minutes and some change. I knew I could fight through the water but there were some people that were going to be having a hard time out there. Coming out of transition onto the bike course there is a little hill that I made sure I was in my small chain ring but I must have not checked my bike too carefully after coming back from pumping in the van (another crazy thing I have to do with a 10 week old) and my chain was off my bike. Good thing Kris Swarthout was there just calming me down saying "just relax Kort and put it back on"... thanks Kris! I came out of the water with Julia and Michelle and knew that CY was far out in front of us. I passed Julia within about 3 to 5 minutes of the bike and pushed hard. When the wind was at your back it was some fun riding but man when you rode against the wind it was brutality. There were a couple of times I took the corners a little to hard and had to slow down and get back up to speed - I need to work on my cornering because I know I was loosing time. With about 3 miles left in the bike course I went to get a drink of water and got a nice whoosh of wind as I was trying to put my waterbottle back in it's place when I dropped it and it went into my front wheel. My bike went one way and I went the other! I think the people behind me were more freaked out than I was! I was more concerned about my bike than if I broke any bones. I was fine to ride and run the rest of the race but my Zipp 808 wheel was not. The tube part of the wheel had tore off and so it was the end of the race for me. I was so depressed seeing people ride by but everyone was so nice making sure I was OK and Diane even offered me her bike! I got picked up and dropped back off at the race site (the guys who picked me up and the race marshal who waited with me were great by the way). I got to see Derek finish so that was fun and he won his age group! I went to go find my coach Dan before leaving the race because I needed a pep talk and I knew he would make me feel better.
Later that afternoon we went over to my sisters place to hang out with my family again before going to the Musical Wicked. Owen was going to stay with them and spend the night and then I had a babysitter for Keaton. Well....Owen got very upset when Derek's parents came to get Derek (I was going to meet them at the Musical after I put Keaton to bed) and proceeded to get so worked up that he puked all over me and him...ALOT! Poor kid... he has had a couple of busy days and is extremely tired. After taking a shower I asked him if he wanted to come home or go with everyone else to dinner and have a sleepover...he wanted to go home with Mommy. That's OK - I am pretty bummed sitting here still smelling like puke but there will be plenty more races and Musicals to go to. Great job to the Maple Grove Race Directors - they put on a amazing event and I can't wait to do it again next year. Also congrats to CY for winning the race and to Julia for coming in as the fist amateur - way to go!

Turteman Triathlon Race Report - 8 weeks postpartum

Derek and I have discussed this race so many times when I was pregnant with Keaton, that it was driving Derek crazy. He finally said “Kort, you know your body better than anyone and if you feel you are ready, do it”. Going into the race I knew my training wasn't where I wanted it to be - especially the run. I was able to bike a lot when I was pregnant and that seemed to come back pretty quickly, but on the run I just still feel out of shape and don't have that kick I used to have. I feel good running aerobically for an hour, but bring speed work into it I am pooped out!
My mom was in town visiting this weekend, with her two sisters and my uncle. I was so thankful my mom volunteered to watch Keaton and Owen because I really need Derek there to help me just calm my nerves and give me some advice. My uncle also came to the race and he was excited to watch his first triathlon.

I didn't need an alarm clock because Keaton always wakes up around 4:30/5:00 to eat so we got out of the house right on time. As I was racking my bike, my good friend Suzie Finger arrived and it was so nice to be able to talk with her about the race. We then got into talking about how much I eat because with nursing you burn about 500-600 calories a day and then with training I can't seem to eat enough!

I knew I had to plan my warm up strategically because I would have to go back to the van around 7:00 and pump before the race because 1) I had to keep up my supply and 2)I didn't want to be carrying around extra pounds at the end of the race!!!

The swim start was pretty interesting because the lake is really shallow and there were so many spots where you would sink into the mud. We could barley walk or stand, much less dolphin dive or run. All of the folks in the first wave were laughing about the situation as we were getting ready to start! The water was so warm and it wasn’t wetsuit legal, but I was so happy when Kevin at Gear West contacted me Friday that someone had returned a Blue Seventy swim-skin in my size. THANK YOU GEAR WEST because I was the first women out of the water and that has NEVER happened. I’m not sure what happened, but I think the lake conditions slowed everyone down. Here is a picture that Catherine's husband - Terrence took of me coming out of the water.

I know that Catherine Lee is a good swimmer and sure enough she was right behind me out of the water. I had a hard time getting the swim-skin off because I was thinking it was a wetsuit and was trying to pull up on the zipper and then I had never raced with my new helmet, so I was having trouble getting that on. Catherine gained almost 15 seconds on me in transition and we left to go out on the bike course pretty much together. We went back and forth a couple of times on the bike, but then I gained a very slim lead coming into the final stretch. I was pushing pretty hard on the bike, but not racing for so long was catching up to me and I had to upchuck a couple of times - most likely from drinking so much lake water! As I came into T2 I knew I needed to gain some time on Catherine because she is a great runner. Jerry McNeil was having a heyday with Catherine and I being so close to each other and I had never been in a situation where I had someone so close to me throughout the race - I am usually trying to run people down. The run was about 5 miles long but it seemed like a lot longer when you know someone is hot on your heels. There were so many times I would look down at my watch and say to myself "OK, when my watch hits 1:35 I’ll run faster", and when that time would come, I would say “OK, when my watch hits 1:36, I’ll run faster!” Finally, I knew that the finish line was only about a quarter of a mile away and I just took off, but I think I faded right before the finish line. Derek has videotape of me approaching the finish line and I look like I wasn't even moving! It felt great to come back to the sport and actually win my first race - I knew I would be competitive going into it and there were some great girls out there pushing me that is for sure! I don’t think I could have put forth that kind of effort without Catherine pushing me throughout the race. Congratulations to Catherine as she went on to win at Lake Marion the next day - there is no way I could have done that!
I was so happy to be back out there doing what I really love, but there is no way I could do that without the support of my family. Some people may think I am selfish or doing this too soon, but this actually makes me a better mom and wife. Just to add, the volunteers at Turtleman were amazing. Than you so much - without you there wouldn't be triathlons!

Training Logistically

Keaton will be 4 weeks old this Thursday and this will be my first week of having the two boys by myself which means that training and working out will be tough and may not happen as much or as long as I would like it to. Some people, many who read this blog think I am insane that I can go for an hour and a half bike ride or run but I really do feel great and I do listen to my body and know what I am capable of. I am definintely not pushing it like I want to and giving myself time to heal before I do those hard workouts that I have been dying to do for the past nine months!

I have a goal of wanting to do Turtleman Triathlon and Derek keeps saying to me....I don't want you to be dissapointed if you have a bad race or not be able to be competitive like you were last year. I have decided though that I will make a decision the week of the race if spots are still open and see how I feel. I think I will feel ready for it, it is just will Keaton let me be away from him for more than 2 hours and with breastfeeding every 2-3 hours I may be carrying some extra weight by the end of the race!!

I was able to go for a nice aerobic bike ride with Suzie today for an hour and a half and I can't wait to be able to train with her next year. We talked the whole time and it was so nice to get outside to feel fresh air on my face and not the fan on the trainer downstairs in the basement.

I am a little anxious about next years triathlon season and have already planned out my race year! I know for sure that I will be doing three half irons and possibly four as I think this is the distance for me.

My cousin sent me a cute outfit for the boys and Owen was so excited about it that he has worn the shirt for the last two days and won't let me take it off of Keaton. I told him that we HAVE to take it off tonight and he can possibly wear it in a couple of days. He loves being a big brother and while I was away on my bike ride with Suzie Keaton had woke up hungry so Derek was trying to calm him down with a pacifier. I walked into the door and Owen came up to me and said Mom, Keaton needs you, he needs Mommy Milk. He hasn't been jealous or anytjhing (NOT yet at least) so I am very blessed and lucky to have two wonderful boys!

Welcome Keaton James

We are so excited to announce the arrival of Keaton James Haag. Keaton graced us with his presence on his due date - June 17! I guess he wanted to follow in his big brothers footsteps because Owen was born on his due date and on a Thursday as well - kind of weird and cool! My doctor told me that she hasn't had that with any patient before.

I could tell Wednesday morning that my body was preparing itself for the big day. I went to the gym to swim and do the elliptical and could just tell I was not feeling the best. I got off the elliptical and went to the pool because I thought that would make me feel better. My swimsuit was extremely tight at this point and I was thinking to myself as I was swimming laps that either it has gotten tighter or I am having contractions. They didn't hurt but my stomach was tightening every 10-15 minutes. I decided it was time just to pack up and go home. When I got home Derek was surprised to see me home so early and commented that well if you ended a workout early then something has to be going on. I told him to make sure his cell phone was charged just in case. Owen and I went about our day that day but I did let him watch some more TV than he is use to because I thought hmmmm I may need some more rest than usual! However, we got bored and went to the local pool when it opened and went swimming for a couple of hours. I was continually having these contractions but like I said it just got really tight but didn't hurt.

As I put Owen to bed that night I prepared him to let him know that his baby brother will probably be here tomorrow or in a couple of days. I called my sister and mom to let them know as well because Owen would be going to my sisters place until my mom or Derek's parents got into town.

Thursday am at about 2:00 in the morning I just couldn't sleep anymore. The contractions were still coming at about 10 mintues apart but now they were keeping me up at night and I thought well I gues I could just watch the rest of the Real Housewifes of New York City! I watched that and then tried sleeping some more. Finally it was 6:00 and Derek was getting up to workout. I told him to get it done and then let's go to my sisters place to hang out until we go to the hospital. I just wanted to make sure that when we go to the hospital we didn't have to wait around and we were admitted right away. With Owen we had to wait like three hours to get a room and I was not a happy camper about that. This time around I wanted to be home or somewhere as comfortable as I could be because I knew I did not want any drugs and wanted to do this naturally. I had an epidural with Owen and didn't feel any pain. I only pushed for 15 minutes with him but didn't like the feeling of being drugged up and since this is my last child I wanted to feel the whole thing - call me crazy!

We got to the hospital at about 11:15 and was admitted right away because I was already dialated to a 5. The contractions were starting to hurt but it was tolerable. My mom arrived at the hospital at about 1:30 so it was nice to have her to talk to for distractions. My labor and delivery nurse was great and she explained to me that since I had an epidural the last time with Owen this time around it is going to be A LOT different - boy it was!

I starting squeezing Derek's had pretty hard at 3:00 and told my mom to leave the room at 3:25 - at that time my Dr. came in and said well we are almost ready to go I am going to put my scrubs on. At about 3:40 I said to the nurse I REALLLY WANT TO PUSH! She went and got the Dr. and it was go time. I could hear them getting everything ready and Derek was saying to me - you have been through more hurt than this you can do it Kortney.... He was an awesome supporter. Keaton was born then at 3:59.

Owen came into the room about a half hour later and was super excited to see his brother and what his brother got for him for a present! Owen has been getting so many presents I think he thinks it is his birthday! He has been such a good boy and only got jealours once when Keaton got a superhero shirt. He thinks it is his and that it will fit him. I told him he could try it on but if it doesn't fit then we need to give it to Keaton - I am just going to go out to Target and get him the same one so they can be twins!

Here are some pics. Owen can't wait for him to be able to play Star Wars he already got him a lightsaber!

Keaton is almost back up to his birthweight so that is good. He is so much smaller than Owen - but about the same in length so I know he will catch up to him. I am taking advantage of people helping me with Owen and have taken some naps with Keaton because at night I am not getting much sleep. Since he is so small he is wanting to eat about every 2 hours. I feel great and we went for a family walk last night. I definintely am not up for a swim, bike run just yet but give me a couple of weeks and perhaps a swim will be in my plan. Thanks to everyone for all of the support and nice comments on facebook and for all my friends who have come to visit and bring over meals we really appreciate it!

Almost 37 weeks & Gear West Duathlon - I wish it was a race report!

I wish I could say that I raced the Gear West Duathlon this past weekend but I didn't...however, I did have a great time volunteering and watching Derek race as well as my fellow teammates and other racers.

I can't seem to sleep in these days and got up at the butt crack with Derek on his race morning. I knew I had to be out of the door by 6:45 so Owen and I could get our coffee and smoothie. I always envied those people at races who were drinking their latte's and this time that was me!

It was a hot morning already and you could tell it was going to be a challenging day for people on the course. Owen and I were ready with the cowbell and every time a wave of people came by Owen was all about ringing it. Next up is the Buffalo Triathlon for Derek and for me to be the sherpa. I won that race last year so it is kind of bittersweet that I am not racing in it this year. A good friend of mine the other day told me to take it easy though because this time won't last forever and there are always more races but you will never be able to snuggle with your children forever.

Baby boy #2 is moving like crazy and I thought I was ready to go into labor this last Friday. I felt miserable and I think he was doing somersaults in my stomach! The baby room is going to be finally done this weekend, I think we had the baby room for Owen done like 2 months before his due date! Poor kid I have only take two pregnancy pictures of myself this time around, and with Owen I took one every week. I am not going to the Dr. this week because she told me if I didn't feel any different there wasn't a need for me to come in. The next time I see her will be week 38 - let's hope I feel different by then!

More Ice Cream Please

At my last doctor appointment yesterday I had an ultrasound to see how the baby was growing. The little guy - aka "Spike" (this is the name Owen has picked out for him) is doing great and is almost 5lbs. The doctor was shocked that he was that big already - she told me I was hiding him well. I was told to not run anymore and that is a killer for me. I can do the elliptical still and bike and swim but since running is an impact sport and I am already dialated to a one at 34 weeks I need to make sure he doesn't move down any lower and we make it to 37 weeks. With Owen I delivered right on my due date and he was 7lbs 14oz - so I am capable of having a big baby! I am also eating ice cream at least 3 days a week - I have discovered Sebastian Joes Oreo Ice Cream and it is a new love of mine.

Spike moves around like crazy - at 3am I can see my belly moving around like there is an alien in there and yesterday at the ultrasound I finally saw what he is doing to me! I could see his hands punching my stomach - it was pretty cool to finally realize I didn't have an alien in me but my very active son. I guess he gets it from me!

My mom is doing good but we still do not know what caused her to have a mild stroke. They have ran all sorts of tests but cannot pinpoint the exact cause.

I am volunteering at the Gear West Duathlon in a couple of weeks and then going to watch Derek and cheer on some fellow triathletes at the Buffalo Triathlon and Manitou Triathlon. It's going to be hard watching and not racing...I am a very competitive person and have to remember there is time to race later this year and next year. Derek was complaining about a workout he had to do... I told him to suck it up because I would love to be able to do his workout. I can't wait to get a heartrate above 140 beats per minute!

7 more weeks - I think I hit the crazy stage!

It's been an emotional last two weeks for me. I think the hormones have hit and I am a full fledge crazy pregnant women! We put our house on the market a couple of weeks ago and have had some hits but decided that if it does not sell by the time the baby comes then we are fine with that. It is not like we have to sell the house and we really like where we live, our location and our house.

Owen came to my last Doctor appointment with me and I told him if he was good then we could go and get ice cream. The Dr. again told me to eat some with him! Here is a picture of Owen after ice cream - he really wanted blue ice cream so the only place I knew to go to was TCBY....mmmm I love that place!

I have made some changes to working out. I no longer do flip turns in the pool and feel really slow stopping but I figured that the baby probably doesn't like doing somersaults anymore. I also cut down the mileage on running to 15-17 miles a week instead of the 20-22 miles I had been doing. I feel as though the baby is doing great - he moves so much and I am trying to figure out what body parts are jabbing me.

I wanted to get my certifications done before the baby is born but it doesn't look like that is going to happen. I am not able to take one of the tests until July and I do not know if I can be away from him for more than 3 hours only 3 weeks after he is born so I am most likely going to wait until late July or August. I am so ready to be done studying and just need a break from it. It is hard to get the time in to study when I am home all day with Owen and work a couple nights of the week and then when I am not working I want to spend time with Derek. I sometimes wonder how the heck am I going to do this when I add one more to our family, but where there is a will there is a way.

I recieved some other news that has stressed out as well about my Mom whom I talk to every day and even though she is my mother she is also my best friend. She and my sister are the ones I call to complain to, to share my good news , and just to hear their voice. My sister called me while I was actually picking out a Mothers Day card at Target with Owen and I could tell something was wrong in her voice. She told me everything was OK but Mom had a minor stroke. I couldn't talk for a second and just said what, I don't understand. I quickly paid for my things and left to go to my sisters house. Derek was doing the Ironman Minnesota Bike Ride so I couldn't get a hold of him and I felt so alone driving to her house. All of these thoughts kept running through my mind of her in the hospital and wondering how this could have happaned. My Mom is home now and they ran all kinds of tests on her but couldn't pinpoint the reason why she had this minor stroke. She was planning on coming up here when the baby is born but it scares the heck out of me with her driving if this could happen again. Thank goodness my stepdad was with her and took her to the hospital right away. We should receive more information later this week but please say a prayer for her :).

Happy Easter...10 weeks to go!

A lot has happaned since I last blogged - I am in my 30th week of pregnancy and still active but had to slow it down this week as I got the flu. It was pretty bad - I was in bed all day - poor Owen kept coming into the "germ room" bringing me books to read and playing instruments to get me up. At my last doctor appointment I was told to go home and eat some ice cream but I go and loose about 5 lbs! I gained the weight back pretty quickly, especially with the three cinnamon rolls I ate this morning! No one else in the house has gotten the flu so that is good - I thought for sure this was another case of the Owen supervirus which Derek and I got when Owen brought it home from daycare a couple of years ago.

Some other exciting or perhaps stressful things that are going on is that I finally convinced Derek that we should do some house hunting since it is a good time to buy. I have been telling him this for the past 6 months, but now that I am a couple months away from having another baby he thinks it is time to buy! We have looked at a lot of houses but nothing is standing out to us and we really like our house and area but going to grow out of it and would like other options with a bigger house. We are now in the process of looking at some lots to possibly build. What I love about Derek is that he is determined, hard working and reliable. He is researching these lots like a mad man, talking to builders, etc.. there will not be a piece of information missing, stone left uncovered, etc... in that case I do not need to stress. However, if we put out house on the market right after having a baby may make me a little stressed out.

I am registered for my NSCA strength and conditioning certificaton for April and can't wait to have that over with. It is interesting information but will be nice to just read a normal book at night and not a book on the antagonist of muscles! I am then planning on taking my personal certification test in May - hopefully the baby won't be born early so I can get that done.

I know I am biased but do believe I have the best little boy and so glad to be done with my part time position as an Administrative Assistant a couple weeks ago. Not having to run around to take him to daycare in the morning makes both of our lives easier and I love being able to go to the zoo with him, run to the library, take him swimming, etc... I want to spend as much time with him before the next little man comes into my life. Here is a picture of him collecting Easter eggs and a picture of me with my belly. Hope everyone had a great Easter - it is beautiful out there!

25 weeks!!

I haven't posted any pics of my pregnant belly and so I thought it was time. I am 25 weeks pregnant so 15 more to go and I feel great. The other day I ran 9.3 miles on the treadmill at a 8:36 pace - I can't believe how good I feel when I run and my heart rate stays low. I make sure not to go too high on the HR and if I am doing intervals I make sure I rest more to get my HR down. I am still biking and swimming too but had to change over to my road bike a couple of weeks ago because my legs keep hitting my stomach and I didn't want to change up my form on the bike and want to make sure I am still keeping my knees in.

It is funny in the picture I am holding a zebra because Owen and I were playing cowboys and I couldn't find a horse so we used a zebra! I sure hope his baby brother will like playing Star Wars and "Bad Guys" because Owen is ready for him to play now!

I have signed up for a couple of races for the summer. I am doing two or three in August and then two or three in September and want to try my hand at cyclocross - at least one race. Derek does them and tells me how much fun they are and he thinks I would like it. I don't have the right bike for it but going to perhaps borrow a bike from a friend or just switch out my tires on my heavy mountain bike for one race. I also am planning on doing the Twin Cities 10 mile if I can get into the lottery and also another half marathon in October.

I think the one thing that is starting to bother me about being pregnant is that everyone is signing up for all of these races and training hard and I have to just take a step back this year and prepare more for next year. I have been studying really hard for my Strength and Conditioning Certification with the NCSA and I was reading about detraining the other day and started freaking out because they said that within 1-2 weeks of not working the body you loose fitness (cardiac output , stroke volume, accelerated HR, etc). With my first pregnancy I started back into working out about 4 weeks after having Owen but not in the same way I would want to now. On the other hand I am in much better shape this pregnancy and wasn't running or training the way I am this time around, so we will have to see how I am doing after 3-4 weeks after having the baby.

I have so many plans for the next three months before the baby is born and I hope to get them all done. At the top of my list are my certifications so I can start helping people with their fitness and goals. I am planning on taking my first test for Strength and Conditioning in early April and then the next one for Personal Training in early May. A fellow triathlete and really good friend of mine Suzie Finger and I are planning on working together after I get all of my certifications. She is a personal trainer already and just started her own blog on her races and her awesome smoothie and juice recipes. She is the one that convinced me to buy a juicer and it is one of my favorite items I use! I will try and continue to post some more pics of my growing belly. It is funny because the second time around you kind of forget to do these things. I think I took a picture of myself every week with Owen!

It's a Boy!

We found out today at our 20 week ultrasound that we are going to be having another boy. The ultrasound tech tried hiding from us the fact that we could see body parts by saying that certain parts could be the umbilical cord but at the end of the appointment she confirmed to us that we were having a boy. I am really happy because I think him and Owen will be great pals and Derek is thrilled that we don't have to buy all new things for the nursery and clothes!

I haven't written in a long time becuase things have been crazy in the Haag household. Owen has kept us busy pretending that he is learning to be potty trained. He tells me all of the time that big boys wear underwear and babies wear diapers. I then ask him if he is a big boy and he responds with an enthusiastic “YES”, however, I inform him that he still wears diapers. We had so much momentum in January with him going on the potty but now he wants nothing to do with it. I think he is trying to establish control with us, because he also likes to tell Derek and I that after we pray at dinnertime he did not say Amen!

I have started studying for my NSCA – CSCS certification and hoping to take the test in early April and then take my CPT certification test in May. It is something I have to get done before the baby is born and it is tough! I know I only work part time but now I feel like I work full time. I don’t know how full time moms do it with keeping the house clean, feeding everyone and still having time to work out!

I am feeling great and still exercising and training. I am definintely slowing down though. I came home from the pool today and Derek asked me how it went. I told him fine but I can tell that I am slower, he then informed me that well you are 20 weeks pregnant! I think it is hard for me to accept that because I am such a competitive person by nature so when people are passing me in the pool or when I am not making times that I use to in regards to swimming and running it frustrates me. I need to be happy that I can still do all of these things and that I will come back stronger . I think it is a good idea to always set goals for everything you do and I have been doing that the last couple of years with the sport of triathlon. This year my number #1 goal was to have a healthy pregnancy, and then #2 was to be able to race by August. I think #3 was to be able to achieve race times similar to last year. This year triathlon will have to get my body back in shape and I am accepting that… but it’s still hard!

We leave for Florida in 12 days and I can’t wait to get out of this cold weather. Owen is so excited to go on a plane too because he knows that he gets to watch a movie on it! It will be so nice to be able to walk on the beach, eat fresh food from the farmers markets, and just relax!

I had a baby shower for a good friend of mine a couple weeks ago and
tons of friends from college were here to help us celebrate - here is a picture of all of us at my house. You can't see my tummy in the picture but I will take some soon and post them.