About thefasteryoupedal

Hi! I'm Liz and I am a 38 year old teacher from Las Cruces, New Mexico. I'm also a fan of mountain biking, road biking, running, and traveling. I'm always up to try something new! This blog is for me to share ideas and also to receive new ideas!

Ultrasound # 3

Posted on January 12, 2013 by thefasteryoupedal

When I went in for my 23 week check up, they noticed the anatomy scan had not been fully completed, so they assigned me to go to get another ultrasound. I must admit I am so glad I switched over to my new doctor’s office. They have been very supportive and very personal about everything. The midwife said I would really like this place I was going to and I was not disappointed.

Mike came along to see our little girl in action. It was nice because they had a huge screen on the wall so he could watch everything going on. The girl did the usual 2D ultrasound where you see the basic makeup of the baby and then she turned on the 3D scan. Here are some of the shots we got:

Mike and I were laughing because her hand looks like a foot. I even made a comment about it and she said the baby moved right when they took the picture. You can kind of tell on the right hand side where her hand was.

I was so excited to see her little butt cheeks. Little baby butts and feet are my favorite things! Also, this was to confirm that she is definitely a girl! 🙂

It’s weird to see her facial features. I definitely think we have a “chunker” on our hands. If you look at her cheeks, she is starting to get some fat on them. I think she is going to take after her mom with her newborn pictures. I was HUGE!

She is also has some big feet too, which we can say came from dad! There was also one picture that I can’t find where she was opening her mouth to yawn and Mike started to make raptor sounds from Jurassic Park. It was kind of creepy! I like the 3D ultrasounds, but they are a little creepy looking with the gold. But I loved, loved, loved being able to see Baby Girl doing her thing!

2013 Goals

Posted on January 3, 2013 by thefasteryoupedal

I know I have shown this before but for the ALMOST four years we have been married I have found something we actually stay pretty consistent on. It’s kind of a rip off of Oprah’s Vision board, but instead of pictures we just put exactly what goals we want to do.

Watching Mike train for triathlons has been awesome. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous at all, but I would say that being pregnant is just as awesome. (Let me just admit that it has taken the last two weeks for me to realize how AWESOME it is to grow a baby. I seriously was thinking nothing of it until you actually start feeling the baby. Anyway!)

I LOVE how I can look ahead and mentally prepare myself for things to come and it gets me so excited! Most of our goals are physical this year, but we mingled the goals with spiritual, educational, family, financial, and other types of goals too. At the end of the year, we check off the ones we did and put it on our “newsletter” and include all of the things we did that year with it. It’s pretty sweet to reminisce.

Happy New Year!

Posted on January 3, 2013 by thefasteryoupedal

Well another year has passed, and I must say that 2012 was definitely a lot better than 2011. Mike and I went back and looked at our 2012 goals and made some new ones for our “goal board” for 2013. It gets me so excited about things! This year is going to have a lot of changes, but it will be way cool to see how our family grows.

The picture above was taken on New Years Eve right when Mike came back from his last bike ride of 2012. I was taking random pictures that day because I was being sentimental about everything being the “last thing of 2012”. If you look closely, you will see he is not wearing any shoes because he had already come in from his ride.

This was the last picture of Barney in 2012. I’m sure there are plenty more to come.

We ended up going over to Mike’s parents house and hung out for a few hours and played games and ATE A LOT! I blame the 20 pounds of pregnancy weight on the holidays. I am SO GLAD they are over, even though we were very blessed this year with a great Christmas and New Years. Everyone has been so generous and supportive of us.

Mike had to have his last egg nog of 2012 and here is the spread….

So much food! We played a little Catch Phrase and hung out until it turned midnight and then we had to take a family photo. P.S. We do not ask Barney to pose every time. He seriously does it himself!

Here’s to an awesome year! Happy 2013!

23 Weeks!

Posted on December 30, 2012 by thefasteryoupedal

How far along: 23 weeks, 2 days

Maternity clothes: Yes. I still try to fit in normal tops (for example, I am wearing my favorite ROXY hoodie right now and can barely zip it up), but have found some really nice maternity clothes. I was VERY lucky to have Christmas come and a lot of shopping time with my mom and sister. I am loving the cardigan sweaters!

Stretch marks: Not yet but I feel like it is inevitable. I am this big at 23 weeks and I can see it coming to the point where there won’t be any more room! 🙂

Sleep: Love it. Problem is, little girl likes to kick and move at night so it has been waking me up. Plus, I keep getting major anxiety and wake up in the middle of the night with the most irrational thoughts. For example, last night the heater was on and I woke up and it smelled like something was burning slightly (it was just the heat of the vent), and I kept thinking about how the whole house was going to set on fire and how I was going to plan my escape route and what I would grab. It’s insane the mind of a pregnant woman.

Best moment this week: Seeing little girl again at the ultrasound with Kaycee. She snuck me in so that Mike could see her and she was doing baby things, like grabbing her foot with her hand and putting her hand up because we were bugging her. So cute.

Miss anything: My waist. I forgot what I used to look like…really. Also, racing. Mainly, listening to the hubby talk about triathlons makes me want to run out and start training.

Morning sickness: None.

Movement:Yes. I have officially hit the stage where I can DEFINITELY feel her. I was getting all worried and thinking something was wrong, but I noticed I only feel her when I am sitting down. I blame it on being on my feel all day at work. I think she has been doing this for weeks and I just hadn’t noticed! Also, one of my friends was telling me that they seem to move more at night because during the day when you are moving, it is as though you are rocking them to sleep or something.

Symptoms: I wake up with major charlie horses sometimes and I definitely can feel her dancing on my bladder.

Food cravings: Anything not good for you…hence being over 8 pounds above the normal weight of pregnancy I should be.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really.

Have you started to show yet: Oh yes.

Gender prediction: Girl

Labor signs: No, but I’ve been thinking a lot about it lately and I am starting to freak out about how she has to come out of me one way or another! 🙂 Haha!

Belly button in or out: I’m going to say in between… I can tell it will be a outie sooner or later and that is so weird.

Wedding rings on or off: Went to go get it cleaned this week and it fits just like it normally does. I was shocked!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy… first thing in the morning. The hubby would say moody. I’ve been really emotional about things, like when we went and saw “Les Miserables”, I was getting way emotional about it when normally I would never cry in a movie. My coworkers would definitely vow that I am the “emotional” pregnant woman.

Looking forward to: Getting the crib this week and going to my doctor’s appointment on Wednesday to check up on her! I am getting so much done being on winter break! I love it!

Inspiring Video Dedicated To Mike

Posted on December 28, 2012 by thefasteryoupedal

21 Weeks!

Posted on December 16, 2012 by thefasteryoupedal

How far along: 21 weeks, 2 days

Maternity clothes: Yes. Even though in this picture I am wearing regular clothes…it is VERY obvious. I FEEL HUGE and I am not even close to being to the end!

Stretch marks: No

Sleep: On and off. The last couple of nights I have woken up with leg cramps and have had to walk them off. I blame it on eating salty food (I know I need to drink more!). Other than that, I am really getting used to sleeping on my left side. Mike has made changes to where he sleeps to help out! 🙂

Best moment this week: Getting ready for Christmas! I was excited to get Mike his Aggie Fit pass so he can swim (and I can swim) whenever he wants to!

Miss anything: My waist. I’ve had a really hard time this week and keep telling myself to quit being selfish. I am more worried because I am gaining more than what the charts say I should be gaining, as well as my friends who have had kids before. I’ve been doing spin classes, elliptical, and walking and I’ve been watching what I eat, but my body LOVES to be big. 🙂

Morning sickness: None

Movement: Yes! Now that I know what it feels like, I can feel her a lot at night. She has her dad in her where she is more of a night mover than a day mover. I dance around in the morning and can feel her. Barney has to join in.

Food cravings: Cereal and salad. I made Mike go get Outback because I really wanted one of their side salads.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Some meats…the smell makes me sick. Also, Barney has this bacon cheese treats that I had to stop giving him because I seriously gagged!

Have you started to show yet: Amen!

Gender prediction: Girl. We are stuck on three names right now. I keep looking for a sign as to which one to choose! ha ha

Labor signs: No

Belly button in or out: In…but flat.

Wedding rings on or off: On

Happy or Moody most of the time: I feel happy most of the time. I am extra moody today because of having a cold (the kids have all been SO SICK at school and it scares me…so I will take a cold!) and the fact that I feel huge and want to exercise like crazy! I am getting stir crazy! I have had some really good cheerleaders on the sidelines giving me “mom” advice so it helps!

Looking forward to: Going to Vegas this week…shopping, pedicures, and getting my hair done…I need it!

Ultrasound Time!

Posted on December 10, 2012 by thefasteryoupedal

Last week we were going in for our normal check up and were disappointed to find out that we weren’t scheduled for an ultrasound. I mentioned to the midwife that we were really wanting to know the gender and were hoping to get the anatomy scan. They pulled some strings and gave me some paperwork to go to the hospital. Score!

The sad part was that we weren’t told until we were in the waiting room that husbands are not allowed in the back. I was told it was because people bring a lot of people, but still don’t understand when the father is 50 percent the reason why the baby is there.

During the ultrasound I laid there praying that all fingers and toes were there and wouldn’t even look at the monitor. She finally confirmed that to me and then turned the monitor towards me and this was the position I saw. She just wanted to dangle there and hang out. The tech was trying to find out the gender for me but the baby’s legs were all crossed.

Mike and I love this picture because you can make out her cute lips and nose. Hence the nickname, Lil’ Peck.

The tech put this picture in an envelope and kept telling me she wasn’t completely sure, but this was her suspicion as to what she thought the gender was. Mike and I walked out to the car and opened the envelope together. It’s a GIRL!

19 Weeks!

Posted on December 2, 2012 by thefasteryoupedal

How far along: 19 weeks, 3 days

Maternity clothes: Yes. For some reason I have become “extra-large” this past week. I wear some normal clothes I had before (like this dress I got at Marshall’s) but I am starting to plan on getting a few more pants and shirts so I have a little more variety.

Stretch marks: No

Sleep: I have never slept better. I slept almost 12 hours last night after a long day at the triathlon and then a Zia Velo party.

Best moment this week: Seeing the ultrasound and listening to the heartbeat of our baby GIRL. It was REALLY sad at the ultrasound because they wouldn’t let Mike in (new stupid hospital policy that makes me EXTREMELY angry) but we made a deal to put the gender in an envelope so I would be surprised with him. Mike handled it so well. It was one of my proudest moments as a wife to watch my husband this week and how he handles things. I am so glad to be married to him. P.S. Not to mention he was first place in his triathlon, which makes me even more proud!

Miss anything: Wearing normal clothes and working out.

Morning sickness: None

Movement: Oh yes. She is a feisty thing. If I lay on my right side, she gets to moving around like she is uncomfortable. When we were in the ultrasound, she kept doing spins and somersaults.

Food cravings: This week has been a “sweet” week. I was craving Honey Nut Cheerios too.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Just chicken…sometimes.

Have you started to show yet: Yes. Very much thanks to my short torso.

Gender prediction: A girly…

Labor signs: No. I get a little tightness in the belly when I work out so I have to be very careful.

Belly button in or out: In

Wedding rings on or off: On

Happy or Moody most of the time: 50/50. I have found I don’t really have a lot of patience like I used to so I have to be very careful with people. I decided that pregnancy makes me not have a “filter” when it comes to what is on my mind. I also get offended way easily.

Looking forward to: Finding furniture for the baby!

18 Weeks!

Posted on November 25, 2012 by thefasteryoupedal

How far along: 18 weeks, 2 days

Maternity clothes: Love my new maternity jeans. I like the idea of the belly band, but it still leaves a crease in the middle of my stomach that is WAY noticeable. I also am a fan of cardigan sweaters right now. They help me feel a little skinnier than normal.

Stretch marks: No

Sleep: Sleeping better this week because we only had a two-day work week and Mike has been home.

Best moment this week: Seeing family for Thanksgiving and SHOPPING. I ran a Turkey Trot on Thursday and did it in 36 minutes. It’s funny because the first time I ever tried a 5k, I did it in 35 minutes, so I felt accomplished being pregnant and running my first time. I also loved sitting down and making crafts and recipes that I never have time to work on this week!

Miss anything: Having a ton of energy, running, mountain biking, and getting a REALLY awesome workout in with the hubby. I miss riding the Rim Trail in Cloudcroft.

Morning sickness: None. Lucky me.

Movement: Not yet. I think I may be feeling it, but people say it is really obvious, so I will wait and confirm when I KNOW it is happening.

Food cravings: Bosa Donuts (chocolate covered glazed), applesauce, grapes, cranberry juice, and of course, ICE CREAM.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Occasionally, I get nauseous when I cook chicken and some kinds of microwave foods get to me. I also have been getting REALLY dizzy in general lately and they say it’s pretty common.

Have you started to show yet: Yes. I am glad I have friends in the same boat as me so I have been talking to them about their size and how they feel.

Gender prediction: Boy. We might find out this week because I have an appointment this Friday. I am SOOOOO excited to find out!

Labor signs: No

Belly button in or out: In, but it’s really flat because my stomach is pooching right on the belly button area.

Wedding rings on or off: On…I actually wore mine a couple of times this week and didn’t have any problems!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy because I was off work. Only moody at night. My poor in-laws had to deal with a cranky girl too when I was shopping and was really hungry. Mike would definitely say I am moody too. 🙂

Looking forward to: Finding out the gender! And hopefully getting back a positive scan on the anatomy scan this week! I am so nervous!

Pinterest C-R-A-Z-Y!

Posted on November 18, 2012 by thefasteryoupedal

Mike and I switched phones so I have a Bionic now, which is a lot faster than my Droid X. Now that its faster, I like to sit on Pinterest and pin away at all hours of the day (not to mention the fact that I am soaking in all the free time that I get because come April 2013, my free time will be NONEXISTENT).

Anyway! I have come to understand the power and addiction of Pinterest. The following pictures don’t even show HALF of what I have been trying to do around the house, but they will soon come to pass.

1. LAUNDRY ROOM BASKETS

On an organization website, they mentioned getting these really cheap fabric baskets from Wal-Mart and they have done wonders for my CRAZY laundry room.

2. SPRAY PAINT LETTERS

These run about eight bucks at Joann’s and I love how cute it makes my hallway look. I also painted the words RIDE for Mike on his den wall and it looks pretty sweet.

3. FABRIC COVERED CANVASES

These are going in the baby’s room with the “nature” theme I am going with. I love this fabric that I got from IKEA and I stapled them to a canvas and used them as the centerpiece for that side of the room.

4. MAGNETIC BOARD

We did this craft for an enrichment night at church. It’s made of a metal board from Lowe’s and then hot glued with fabric from Joann’s. I post the meals for the week on here.