Muffins + Marathons: March 2013

Baby W's best friend, Allison Claire Elliott was born ~~last Monday~~ two weeks ago (time flies)! I can't believe she's here. It seems like just yesterday I sat on the couch at her Mama's house and she surprised me with the news that she was pregnant! It's been a crazy but fun time watching her experience the early pregnancy symptoms and fears and then a few months later getting to share in the journey with her when I found out I was pregnant! These two will probably end up (based on when I deliver) being about 4 months apart and we know they are going to be best friends. Well, they don't really have a choice right now because their Mama's spend so much time together.

I really enjoyed getting to visit Brooke at the hospital and enjoyed the opportunity to photograph sweet Allison when she was just a few hours old! I love fresh newborns and while I'm grateful for the next few months of preparation I'm getting more and more excited to hold my little one too. For now I'm perfectly happy snuggling with Allison whenever I can :)

I'm so incredibly proud of Brooke and how well she did with her delivery. She is such an inspiration to me and I'm so glad to have such a great friend to share in the joys and sacrifices of pregnancy.

Congrats Elliott family, she's definitely a keeper!

The last few weeks have been going by so fast, which is great! I'm so happy it's finally March and we're taking big steps towards Spring. Warmer weather, more sunlight and spring flowers are coming soon and I can't wait. I'm SO sick of the cold! I've stayed busy with work, nursery plans, various home decorating (yes, I'm not finished with this yet!) and running.

A week ago I ran in a 15k race which was so much fun! I'm so happy to still be running and looking forward to spring running (so tired of bundling up for cold runs!) I'm enjoying the weekly Landrunner training runs and although I'm running slow, that hasn't made it any less fun and I'm enjoying getting to run and chat with different people. I still feel good while running, although it is getting harder with a big belly. The benefits continue to outweigh the minor discomforts and I enjoy feeling healthy and fit despite my ever changing body and growing belly.

Baby Girl kicks SO much now and even though I've been able to feel her for quite a few weeks now I never get tired of feeling her kicks. Sometimes I think she even knows just when I need a little cheering up and she'll place a well timed kick to remind me just how wonderful this is. It never ceases to make me smile thinking about my little girl inside me. Lately she's been kicking a lot at night. I have to say I love her kicks no matter what time, but hope this doesn't mean she'll be up all night when she's born. The morning of the race I was struggling to get out of bed. As if she knew I was thinking of sleeping in and being a slacker she kicked me as if to tell me to get my butt out of bed and get to running. This girl might well be just as competitive as her Mama!

I'm officially 24 weeks now which means only 16 weeks to go. While that may seem like a completely random number for many, for me it's an important milestone. Most full marathon training plans are 16 weeks long so this week is important to me. After 4 years of marathon training, my brain tends to work in 16 week increments. I like the idea of knowing that just like in marathon training, each week gets me closer to the important day and although I want it to be here NOW, I know how important the training process is and I'm looking forward to growing and preparing both mentally and physically for the "race day" when my baby girl arrives. And a baby is the coolest finisher medal I will ever receive :)

That was a lot of words so I'll end with a bunch of randomly placed photos from the last couple of weeks!

Growing belly!

I've been looking for a mirror for awhile but could not quite find the right one. I knew when I saw this it was the perfect soft and feminine look to complement the modern design of the nursery. AND it was on sale! YAY!

Received an amazing surprise package from my Grandma with BEAUTIFUL afghans for Baby Girl's nursery. My favorite is the navy and coral herringbone, the colors are perfect with her mint nursery. My Grandma is SO talented and I can't wait to snuggle a sweet baby in this afghan!

She inspects my most recent nursery craft purchases

Yes, I am obsessed with fabric these days! Hoping to attempt an easy and simple quilt for Baby Girl. Meanwhile my Mom is busy creating two beautiful quilts for her and it's been so fun to work together on the planning and creation of these quilts.

It's getting harder (and more comical) to pin race numbers on the growing belly!

We ran a race on Saturday - The Panera Bread Jack Rector Beacon Run.

It was COLD but a lot of fun! I ran the 15k (9.3 miles) and Will ran the 25k (15.5 miles).

My run was enjoyable thanks to some great running friends and although I'm not racing for time now it is still so much fun to be running and part of the event.

This was Will's longest race since returning from his injury and he did great. Although he wishes he wasn't recovering from an injury his patience with his comeback is great!

Made a Pink Fluff Pie for my friend Abbey's Pie Party. The pie was a success and I loved the way it turned out! Abbey's birthday party was fun and I enjoyed getting to chat with everyone. Abbey is such a great person and I love reading her blog and catching up with what's going on with her family.

Brunch at a new place - Kitchen 324

Relaxing after a weekend run

Crafting projects for the nursery are in full force!

Yes, she's still our baby :)

I love how much I feel Baby Girl kicking!

Belly is growing!

I bought a bunch of plain (and ugly) frames from the thrift store and spray painted them. $20 + a can of spray paint later and I have all the frames for her nursery!