She Runs By Faith

We met our midwife last week for my 12 week appointment and it was so great to meet her in person! I had contacted her back when we first started trying for Baby #2 in October 2013 and she was so helpful to answer my questions, even if it was over Facebook messaging. (See, there are a few good things about Facebook!) One of my biggest concerns was that she wouldn't work with us since E was born at 35 weeks. Because he was born without any complications, having a homebirth is an option for us this time around. He is our miracle baby! The doctors were shocked that our "preemie" would score a 9/9 on his Apgars. All the glory goes to God! Why We Chose a Homebirth This Time It's a better fit for me personally. Homebirths are not for everyone and I totally understand that! I'm most comfortable with having our baby at home in a more relaxed environment. Water birth is an option. This wasn't a possibility in the hospital where we had E and I was really hopi

Winter gets really long in these parts and can be a drag some days. For this week's Fitness Friday , here are a few positive points on this season that takes up half of our year! 5 Things That Make Winter Awesome 1. Running in the Snow. (Notice I didn't include wind or sub-zero temps in that subhead) Peaceful, snowy mornings are actually quite beautiful. The unplowed roads even have an extra leg-strengthening effect. On the days I can force myself outside in the early morning, the dog and I both get a good run in. He needs his exercise, too! I wear a reflective vest; Saul has reflective eye balls. 2. Seasonal Flavors. E and I shared a delicious pumpkin smoothie this week. SO GOOD plus it's on the healthy side. Basically anything pumpkin-flavored sounds wonderful right now.Can't wait for the Thanksgiving treats next week! Our pumpkin-y smoothie mess. 3. Family Time. We love our families - both the Minnesotans and the Californians. It gets even bett

My guess is that about 99.9% of pregnant women battle some sort of fear(s) during their pregnancy. Pregnancy is a scary time because you can do all the "right" things yet there are so many factors out of your control. Week 12 is coming up soon and this is the time when many announce their pregnancy due to the decreased risk of miscarriage . Though I feel more peace in knowing that the second trimester is near, fears still come up in my mind. In fact, I know Satan whispers lies to me about what could happen and he does his best to distract me from enjoying this pregnancy. Here are a few fears Satan throws my way... What if we lose our baby later in the pregnancy? What if baby has developmental issues? What if baby arrives premature? (this is one that comes up often for me) What if I have a horrible delivery? What if I gain a ridiculously huge amount of weight this time? Fears are going to come up, it's just a part of life. What I remind myself is that fear

It's been feeling like winter this week! I woke up this morning and was contemplating going out for a run with the dog. The temp was at 5°F above and I opted for the treadmill - I'm just not ready for cold running yet! E and I made it outside to play for only 15 minutes this week on one of the "warmer" days (+20°F). Hope you are staying warm! Here are my favorites for this Fitness Friday ... 5 Blessings This Week Snow. I really enjoy winter for the first few months. It's around March or April that I really get sick of the snow and cold! As for now, thank God for snow! It's beautiful and E looks like a cute little snowman when he's all bundled up :) Determining My Value. In my Bible study we are going through a book called "Chase" by Jennie Allen and it teaches on chasing after the heart of God. We talk about all that we are chasing in this world that doesn't satisfy because nothing is more satisfying than God. This paragrap

This weekend is deer hunting opener in our part of the country so I chose to hit the treadmill instead of running outside with the stroller. You never know where a stray bullet could end up and I'm super cautious when little man is with me! Even though it's National Stroller Running Day, I opted for the treadmill this morning. My re-organized "home gym".  I usually just listen to music while running but decided to get crazy today and watch a grown-up movie. I watched "Run for Your Life" , the story of Fred Lebow (founder of the NYC Marathon), for approximately one mile and then little man woke up. After he woke up, the movie choice changed from running-related to Veggie Tales Sweet Pea Beauty. Give E his milk, a breakfast muffin and some Veggie Tales and he's as content as could be. Yesterday I made some banana carrot spice breakfast muffins for the guys because I knew I wouldn't want to wake up early to make them pre-hunting breakfast. Wen

This Saturday is the first ever National Stroller Running Day ! Thank you to Mom's Little Running Buddy and Run Stroller Run for organizing this event. To celebrate, I'm heading out with little man in our BOB Ironman for a few miles in this cold and windy fall weather! The jogging stroller truly is a running mom's best friend. Enter the #StrollerRun14 giveaway here! We bought our stroller on the Black Friday sale before E was born in Spring 2013 and I really should have kept track of the mileage on this baby. (Call me crazy, but this was our first baby-related purchase.) This stroller has logged many miles through snow, rain, wind and even the occasional sunny day! It's carried little man through two 5k's and a 10k . He even won two of the races! When running with a stroller, the baby always wins since he crosses the finish line first :) The BOB Ironman has been keeping E happy since he was just a little guy. And it still manages to pu

Another week has passed by already and I can completely understand why some say 2nd pregnancies and on fly by faster than the first. It must be because the other little one(s) in the house keep you so busy there isn't much time to dream about your current pregnancy. With E, I was always excited for the next stage of pregnancy - the next trimester, my belly growing bigger, etc. With this pregnancy, I just want it to slow down and enjoy this the best I can. I can't wait to meet our baby but I'm not super excited about going into labor again. Though I am excited for our first appointment with our midwife coming up! This week I felt really rough and was nauseous 24/7, but I've been much better over the weekend.We just got back from church, I survived my second Sunday of playing piano on a worship team and now little man is down for a nap. I think it's time for mom to take a nap, too... Pregnancy Week 9: Baby #2 Cravings:  Similar to last week. A glass of m