An overcooked bun in the oven.

Well....I was hoping by now I'd be writing about some beautiful baby boy that had made his way into the world. Even though I'm still 3.5 weeks out, I was sure that he was going to be here by now. And to say I'm ready is quite the understatement. But... I. Am. Ready.

I mentioned before that the 3rd trimester was my favorite. As I enter these last 3 weeks, I'm not so sure anymore. The uncomfortableness of my enormous belly, the carpal tunnel, needing a bathroom every 10 minutes, the swollen feet and hands and the inability to be as active as I want is getting to me. Especially on these gorgeous fall days where I would do anything to get my running leg on and go for a run, but can only look at my running leg collecting dust in the corner. Plus, I miss my feet, which I can't see much of anymore. And apparently I snore now. And lets not forget the difficulty of getting my shoes on, bending over and getting out of bed. Jeez, am I a downer or what!

On a happy note, I do still enjoy feeling the baby kick and the general kindness and generosity of the public is pretty great. I can drop something and someone will run from across the room to get it. People open doors, offer seats, give me a compassionate look... and as much as I am trying to eat better, I can still rationalize the extra 2 (or 8) pieces of candy I eat. Not to mention the apple juice which has been my main craving. Obscene amounts of it to be honest. Probably not the best for my sugar count but it sure is tasty. That picture to the right..that's all gone. All of it. And decorating the nursery has been pretty fun. Brian is quite the handy man and aside from waiting on our new rug, it's all done and ready. I've even taken the stroller out around the neighborhood for some practice. Now I just need that baby...

I've made a few trips in the past month and they have all been awesome. One to Minnesota where I got to see all my high school friends and Megan threw a spectacular baby shower. Megan and I also got a full day with our moms and the 4 of us had lots of laughs and good times.
We made a trip to a bridal shop where I tried on some wedding dresses. Note to self, that trying on wedding dresses while pregnant is not recommended! While we found a few decent ones, I won't make any final decisions till I can see it without the belly. 

Then a last flight to Atlanta to see my sister and her kids and my parents. I don't get to see my nieces and nephews nearly enough so to have a few days with them was pretty great. I even got to see my nephew Jackson play some soccer and the laser light show at Stone Mountain. Good times. The last day I was there my mom and sister threw a baby shower for some friends from Atlanta and as usual, it was a fun time. Games, and gifts and tasty cake and seeing some old friends. And I always enjoy seeing my parents and sister with her family.

And then a 'baby moon' as some call it down to Nashville, TN. A surprise weekend by Brian and one of our last trips before we expand. Think country music, cowboy boots, delicious food and more country music in this crazy town. He even threw in a Wilson Phillips concert that was nothing short of amazing. Yes, Brian, went to a Wilson Phillips concert with me. I'm a lucky girl.

In some exciting news, the disability classifications for Rio were announced and my class, the Tri2 women made it in! As a reminder, there are 5 disability classes for both men and women and they were only taking 3 of the 5 to Rio. It was dependent on the number of countries and athletes each class had and to be honest, I thought Tri2 wasn't going to make it. It is unfortunate that all the classes can't compete and when they announced the classes, it was exciting that Tri2 was a go but I felt for my teammates who had a similar goal and would not have the chance in 2016. Rumor is in 2020, all classes will be involved but too many have to sit out of 2016.

The whole reason of trying for a baby this year was in hopes of getting back into shape and the possibility of the Rio Paralympics in 2016. This won't be an easy feat, as I will need to get back into shape ASAP and by the time I am able to run again, it would have been over 6 months since I put that running leg on. I'll need to get into races with virtually no points from this year and do well
enough to get points at the races I am at. The more points, the more likely you are to make it to Rio.  To add to it, many of the races are international, meaning time away from a newborn.. But.. this has been the goal and still is, and I am ready to give it a shot.  Thankfully, Brian is on board and willing to help with the logistics of making it work. If it all works out as I hope, the timing couldn't be any better. And maybe this new addition to the family will give me some extra motivation. I'm dedicated to this goal and ready to tackle it head on. Even more reason for this baby to come out now!

And last, but certainly not least, having a baby is a great excuse for a stellar Halloween costume. Brian and I were pretty proud of our creation, my first homemade costume ever. In case you can't tell from the pictures, it's an oven with my belly in it. If you still don't get it, it's a bun in the oven with Brian as the master chef. Clever? Why yes, thank you. And of course, our thrilled bumble bee, for the 4th year in a
row..

So, the next few weeks will be spent waiting for this little one. I've just decided that I can't be miserable for the next month so I will do what I can to embrace it. The pool continues to be my best friend and I'm in it 4-5x a week. And if you guys can run on these awesome days, do a few miles for me. In return, I'll eat an extra bowl of cereal for you.

Next time I write, there will be a baby. That I'm sure of.

So here's to as much sleep as I can get, more laps in the pool, warm baths and spicy food. C'mon Baby T!

Until then,

PEACE OUT!