Oct IRL 2015 – Final Pregnancy Edition
| October 31, 2015 | Posted by Melinda under Mel's Life, Pregnancy |
For this month’s IRL post I’m sharing my last 10 (11?) weeks of pregnancy with you, My Dear Reader. Enjoy!
Week 31
Visiting Funder and her son and hung out on the beach.
Week 32
Left this one big so that perhaps you can see the trail sign….Tess is sitting on the finish line of the Tevis trail!
Yes I know I’m violating my one pic per week, or at least one pic per activity “rule” but I couldn’t help it. This hike turned into more of a run then I anticipated and my super thin Runamocs left my feet feeling really battered by the end of the 7 miles. After finishing this hike/run I felt as if I had run a marathon in terms of fatigue, body, and feet soreness. I think this was my last real “run” that I did.
I was still getting out for hikes at home with Tess. This is the river next to my house.
Week 33
A short little trail ride on Farley who was an angel.
And an anniversary dinner. Since cheesecake was our wedding cake, we’ve decided to make a tradition of always having cheesecake on our anniversary, along with a photo of our hands and rings.
Week 34
Baby shower!
There were lots of gifts
The activity was decorating squares of fabric that will be sewn into a quilt. Lots of horse themed squares!
Including the really really really nice stroller that I coveted. My entire mom’s side of the family got together to get me this. I decided it needed a model to properly show it off.
My husband took charge of putting together and organizing…
And Fig’s bedroom was finally useable.
I celebrated with a bareback ride. Which was a poor choice since there was spooking, cross country, and getting lost. After 45 min of this nonsense I melted off her back onto the mounting block from the hip pain and sat there unable to walk for 10 min (not even exaggerating) and decided that all further adventures would require more tack until further notice..
Week 35
This week I got serious about getting Farley solid in harness.
And before I knew it we were solo’ing in the cart!
Earl Grey the Zombie rose from the dead once again with a new battery and $20 blinker relay installed, and runs better then ever. After some test trips around town my husband now commutes in it some 200 miles a day. :-O. Wanna take bets on when it eventually bursts into flames?
Tess grew fat and bored, no longer running, trail riding, or going on long hikes (marriage is about compromise! And helping Mel make better decisions!!!!)
Week 36
Still driving
Officially vetting my first endurance ride.
Week 37
First trail drive
Draft Horse Classic in Grass Valley.
Weather and fire clears up enough for my husband to finally complete his check ride and earn his private pilot’s license!!!!! It was decided that we would wait AFTER the birth for me to go up with him since I’m already prone to get motion sick, and I was blessed with approximately 38 weeks of morning sickness.
Week 38
My last ride of pregnancy. Farley attempted to buck me off and we had a come to Jeezus meeting with a handy branch and some rather creative ground work since I was using my short reins. The decision to get OFF wasn’t made lightly since I did it knowing there was no way to get back ON without a mounting block (no rocks or logs in the orchards or river bottoms) which meant that I had just committed to lots of walking for the rest of my “ride”. Sigh. We did get in some excellent “stay in your box behind me” and “this is a whip and not a tasty branch with tasty leaves so please stop eating it behind my back” work.
And yeah, I was still working. Which is more then playing with puppies. I swear.
And I took some pictures because my friends insisted I needed to.
Week 39
I went to an air show.
And…..I had to quit work a week early – week 39 instead of 40. I had to take a sick day and once you take off one sick day, I realized that to go back for another day or two to finish out the week isn’t fair to the clinic or the clients. So instead I read a bunch of books. A LOT of books. More books then I’ve devoured since before vet school.
Week 40
Despite the midwife’s predictions that I would go a week or two early, at week 40 I was still pregnant. I took more pictures that I had no interest in taking, but friends assured me I would want later. At week 40 I noticed I was losing vision in my right eye. It was slight, but there. The optometrist determined that I had unilateral swelling of the optic disc that was compressing the nerve. After immediately following up with my OB and confirming I didn’t have preeclampsia or any other blood pressure issues, I was told there was a chance that this was pregnancy related and the best course was to see if it went away afterwards. (spoiler alert, it didn’t)
More events at local air ports….
And finally my husband kicked me out of the house to visit the ponies.
Week 41
Yeah, this happened.
Week 42
Early in the week I go my first run in. WOOT!
I went on a little hike (yes it was dirt and single track and even featured a small hill or two, thus qualified as a “hike”. Despite being very urban).
And then at the end of the week…..I rode. Not long, just 15 min of walk/trot dressage on Farley in the arena…..but I rode!!!!!!!! Shortly after this picture I got a phone call from the ophthomologist with my MRI results. I had followed up with him 1 1/2 weeks post partum after no change in my eye. He had ordered a same day MRI to rule out cancer or a blood clot. Did I think it was seriously cancer? No…but weirder things have happened. And I decided that if it was, and I died, I really didn’t have any regrets. I made the most out of every moment in my life and truthfully always suspected that my life has been too blessed to be an especially long one. Thankfully I got the news after my ride that the MRI was clean. Cancer or a clot is ruled out for now which is good news, the bad news being that this isn’t especially common and Monday I start a barrage of testing to try and figure out what is causing it. In the meantime I’m crossing my fingers that the optic nerve hasn’t been permanently damaged by the swelling, and my left eye remains unaffected.
Week 43
OK, so the 31st is one day shy of truly 43 weeks, but I couldn’t resist. Me and Tess took a run around the neighborhood this evening to see how Halloween was shaping up.
October Stats
Woot does it feel good or WHAT to actually have something to report.
Rider Fit
3 runs of 1.7 miles each. Managed to improve my pace by 2 min/mile on each one. Last one was about 12 min/mile (I’ll let you do that math LOL). All three runs were post partum and followed this format.
- 20 steps of running, walk break of undermined length. Tonight’s run had a pause in running….but no walking needed!
Farley
1 15 min dressage ride walk/trot in arena
Various driving sessions
ML
Trimmed her feet. Was so good I thought she was dying and had to go back out to the stable a couple hours later to determine that yes indeed, she’s fine and just really is that good.
if you didn’t have the most adorable daughter in the world, I would swear that you (and Tess) would take the prize for cutest girl(s) ever.
Jam packed pregnancy for sure! I love how busy you stayed and how you got right back to things as soon as you were able post-birth. Welcome to the world, Paige, you’re a very pretty little thing. =)