Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!

My my how much can change in the course of a few weeks! Well, I’ll be up front with it, running in any shape or form (yes, including joggling) is now officially done until after Maddie is born. Fear not though, I am determined to stay in shape. Actually that is a bit of a mis-statement in two ways. (1) I am not currently “in shape” by my standards, so to say that I am going to stay that way is just wrong, but you get what I meant. (2) The physical shape of my body I am sure will not “stay” either, as I am bound to continue expanding for the next two months! I guess what I am trying to say is that I plan to continue some form of exercise or another in order to be as healthy as possible.

In addition to the exercising, I have had to make a few changes to my diet. At a recent doctor appointment, they commented on how much I have “popped” recently and inquired about my carb intake. I said that I eat a ton of carbs, I always eat a ton of carbs, I’m a runner! Then it hit me … I am not a runner at present. They were kind enough not to point this out as it appeared I got to their desired conclusion on my own, and the great epiphany was that I am not currently eating the way I should. Yes work got busy with some projects and we’ve been staying late at our new house making renovation decisions and often do not arrive home until after 9pm, but that is no excuse to eat poorly. So, I have made the following changes:


-  No more 2^nd breakfast, eat a more filling 1^st breakfast instead
- No more pre-dinner snack of chips, substitute with fruit or veggies
- Occasional pre-packaged dinners, but much more cooking
-  Always have a vegetable with dinner
- Eat dinner before 8pm, even if that means preparing it ahead and taking it with me
- No more sugary cereal and ice cream together after dinner, it’s one or the other

So far I’ve been pretty good at following all of the rules, I do love rules!

There has been one other rather significant change in our household … we sold our mustang convertible. The writing has been on the wall for a while now and we were trying desperately not to look at it. A few weeks ago we took Eleanor (that’s her name) to Buy Buy Baby in order to test once and for all whether or not a car seat will fit in the back seat … it does not. Technically it would fit, but there cannot be a person in the passenger seat at the same time, which means the three of us could never ride in that car together unless one of us sat in the back and the other acted as chauffeur.

After much research and debate, we settled on a Nissan Pathfinder as Eleanor’s replacement. We already have a Nissan Murano (Molly) and after 130,000 miles have never had issues with the quality. The Pathfinder drives like a truck, which Jason loves, and has ample room to grow. So we made our decision, found a 2011 with only 14,000 miles at a nearby location, and scheduled a test drive. Before we left Jason gathered together the keys and title to the mustang “just in case” this car was right for us. After the test drive we were sold and it was simply a matter of filling out paperwork for the trade.

Four hours later, it was a done deal and we found ourselves standing in the parking lot under the lights asking the sales lady to take one last picture of us in front of our beloved Eleanor. Jason handed her the keys and she walked inside, leaving us standing between out past and our future … and I began to sob. I don’t mean I got misty eyed, I mean it was the ugly boohoo. The one where your face gets all swollen and red and you sound like you’re hyperventilating when you try to inhale. All I could force myself to say as Jason was holding me trying to calm me down and figure out why in the world I was so upset was, “I made you do it!”

Last picture with Eleanor!

I could blame it on the fact that it was almost 11pm and I was just too tired for any other emotion, but I know the truth. The weight of all of the changes we have thrown at ourselves over the last six months finally caught up with me, and reality came crashing down.

Since December:
- We found out we are pregnant
- Jason took a new job
- I took a new job
- We listed our current home for sale
- We purchased a new house
- I gained 30 pounds

Turning over the keys to Jason’s car was the straw the broke this camel’s back. It is the first decision we’ve made regarding the baby that wasn’t fun, it was actually quite difficult. Fortunately for me, Jason is the most wonderful person in the world and knew all of the right things to say to calm me down. I was still sniffling as I climbed into our new car, but I managed a smile as Jason held my hand (benefit of an automatic over a stick shift … hand holding!), cranked up “Big Eleanor” aka “Big E” and we drove off into the night ready to take on this new chapter of our lives together.