Saturday, May 10 - 26w, 1d
This week you're eyes are almost fully developed and will be opening soon, you now have eyelashes, you're getting a little more baby fat and are about the size of a head of lettuce.
We're Rockin' CF!
Today's the day of the Bloomington Great Strides walk and it looks like we're going to have a gorgeous day for it. The Veitengruber's have been amazing supporters since I met Daddy & I am so thankful that they continue to support me every year! I'm looking forward to the Peoria walk this fall though because it'll be your first (of many!) Great Strides and of course you'll be wearing that adorable onsie from Emily. :)
May 15 - 26w, 6d
I think you had the hiccups last night! As Daddy and I were going to sleep, I put my hands on my belly (like I do every night), and I felt a constant little movement. I asked Daddy to feel and he could feel it, too. It had to be the hiccups because you weren't moving around too much and the timing was very consistent.
This week you've been moving a lot more during the day. I still think you're sitting pretty low because I really don't feel like you're squishing my lungs much at all, thankfully, or kicking up into my ribs (you tend to favor my right side). I'm sure that'll change as you grow more in this last trimester though. They say your starting to wake and sleep at normal intervals...let's hope that continues when you're born...ha, yeah right!
Great Strides went well on Saturday. I spoke a little bit about my story and how I was motivated to get pregnant so I worked my butt off to stay healthy. When I was done, Cole came up to me, gave me a high-five and said, "that was awesome!"
We spent the rest of the weekend with family and you even showed off some of your moves to Aunt Linda and Grandma! Linda loved talking to you and watching you bounce around.
Yesterday, one of the employees at the dollar store said to another employee, "aww, look! She's got an itty bitty baby bump!" HA! I beg to differ on the itty bitty part! But she might have been thrown off on the size because I was wearing a jacket. Daddy and I agreed that it just looks like I have a soccer ball under my shirt. :)
Saturday, April 5 - 21w, 1d
Yesterday you got one of the coolest gifts in the mail! I was expecting my Rock CF shirt to come since I signed up for the 5K that was last weekend and Emily (the CFer in charge) told me she would mail it to me. When I opened it, there was an adorable Rock CF onsie for you! I am so excited for you to wear it!!
Tuesday, April 8 - 21w, 4d
It has been so amazing feeling you move everyday! Each day you get a little bit stronger and your movements get a little harder and more noticeable. Daddy was finally able to feel you last night! I think I was more excited than he was, haha. It's still sometimes hard to believe there's a little person growing and moving inside of me.
We are really looking forward to your big anatomy scan tomorrow! And if you're cooperating, they're going to do a fetal echo, too, to make sure your heart looks healthy. We could be in there for up to two hours, but it'll be so worth it and I'm sure we'll get plenty of pictures. :)
Wednesday, April 9 - 21w, 5d
Today's ultrasound went very well! It took about an hour and a half - about an hour of it was the echo...which, honestly, was pretty boring because we had no idea what we were looking at. The anatomy scan was much more interesting and entertaining. You were putting on a show at times. We saw you yawn, stick out your tongue (several times), bend completely in half with your knee hitting your chin, open & close your hands, wiggle your fingers, and move your right foot each time the tech tried to measure it. You weigh around 15oz, your heart rate was 145bpm and the doctor said you look 'absolutely perfect' and you're growing right on track.
Here you are bent in half - your knee is touching your chin &
the lower part of your leg is above your head!
Side profile
Here's your foot :)
I'm still feeling great and now weigh 122.25lbs, which puts my total weight gain at just over 8 pounds so far which the doctor is happy with. I've also kept my blood sugars at or under 120 for several weeks now which makes me very happy knowing you're in a healthy environment. After my appointment I talked with Dr. Dowell to update her with everything. We decided not to start Cayston right now since I don't seem to need it. We're going to see what the Kalydeco does for me over the next few weeks.
In November, after Tim and I completed the CF CLIMB, I was determined to get back into running/exercising regularly. I found a 5k/half marathon in Michigan put on by a fellow CFer and
was determined to do it...well, the 5k. Little did I know, that a month later I'd be pregnant, so all running plans went out the window.
Well, the Rock CF half marathon & 5k are tomorrow and I'm pretty bummed I'm missing out on meeting some of the very individuals that inspired me to start running to take better care of myself. But I decided it was a safer and smarter choice to stay home so I wouldn't expose my five month pregnant self to other CFers' germs. I know it was the right choice, but I am definitely going to be sad seeing all of my friends' pictures tomorrow because I'd be there in a heartbeat if there wasn't this precious baby growing (and moving like crazy!) inside me. But, there's always next year!
So I'm wishing GOOD LUCK to everyone I know running at the Rock CF 5k, relay and half marathon, including my friend Kaitlin who I worked with while I was an assistant a couple years ago (who does not have CF) and is running her first half marathon! So proud of her and happy she chose it to be for Cystic Fibrosis. Know that I'll be cheering you all on and rockin' my Rock CF shirts all weekend for you!!!
Each day of November, I'm going to take some time to recognize at least one thing I'm thankful for, no matter how big or small, then I'll post them at the end of the week. Go here for the first week, and here for the second week.
9) I'm thankful for understanding friends. Today, we spent the day with our friend, Tony because he lives about five minutes from where we're doing our CLIMB tomorrow. This evening, another one of our friends, Chris, came up to hang out with us, too. The guys decided they wanted to go out to an arcade bar, and I decided I was going to call it a night - and I didn't get any crap from them this time! They understood that I wasn't feeling well and wanted to catch up on my sleep, especially before a big day and I just really appreciate that! I also love that Tony was asking me all about how I've been doing and everything I've been taking, like my Kalydeco. He works as an athletic trainer at a high school and is very health-conscious (he's completed TWO Iron Man events!). We compared digestive enzymes (mine are way more powerful!) and he asked lots of questions about how K has been helping me. I love educating others more about my CF, and I appreciate that he cares enough to ask. And thank you, Chris, for letting me sleep! :)
10) "I'm alive and well." Today, Tim and I completed the CF CLIMB! And although I'm in the middle of a nasty cold/sickness/infection - whatever it is - I was reminded that I'm still doing well. I'm still well enough to complete a physical challenge such as climbing 58 flights of stairs. I'm very thankful to be as healthy as I am today. Today was also a huge reminder for how much exercise is good for my health. I'm really hoping I can get back into an exercising routine to make myself even healthier. :)
I heard this song on the radio a week or so ago and I can't get enough of it! Here's my favorite part:
"But not me, I'm alive
And today you know that's good enough for me
Breathin' in and out's a blessin' can't you see
Today's the first day of the rest of my life
And I'm alive, and well.
I'm alive, and well."
~I'm Alive by Kenny Chesney & Dave Matthews~
11) Today I'm thankful for motivation, especially from my CF friends! After posting about our CLIMB, I got a lot of awesome feedback, and it made me want to do more. I miss the feeling of setting a fitness goal and the best part - the feeling I get after I accomplish it. So today I set a new goal and that's to run another 5K. But not just any 5K - this one is the Rock CF River (half marathon or) 5K in Michigan, put on by a great motivator, and fellow CFer, named Emily Schaller. Today I learned that several CFers that I've 'met' online from around the country are all coming out to either run the Half or 5K, and I'd love to join them. So my motivation for this winter is to get my butt back in shape for this race at the end of March! :-)
12) I'm thankful for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and anyone and everyone who has ever donated to them! Without your monetary support, I would not have many of the medications that I take today. Nearly 90 cents of every dollar donated to the CFF goes directly to CF research and education. That research (which is extremely expensive) is for all the new medications that go to years of clinical trials before becoming available to patients. Read this article to learn much more about the CFF and how far they've come - it's a great read! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!! You're helping to keep the CF community alive! :-)
13) I'm thankful for a HUSKIE victory tonight!!! GO NIU!!
14) I'm thankful for the roof over my head! I love our new house and we're very lucky to be able to own our own home. It's an awesome feeling to finally not be renting anymore, and to be able to do whatever we want to our house.
15) Tonight, I'm thankful for YOU, that's right, you, reading this blog right now! Without you (the readers), there'd be absolutely no point in blogging. I love knowing that people care to read what I have to say, whether it's about my CF, teaching, or just life in general. I hope that with this blog, someone somewhere is connecting with what I have to say and not feeling like they're the only one out there. I hope that someone somewhere is learning about CF through this blog. I hope that someone has benefited/gotten some advice from any of my posts. Just like the CF Living videos, I do this blog not only to raise awareness about what CF is and how I deal with it, but also to hopefully be that resource that someone needs. I was there once and I was looking for something like this - to tell me I'm not going through this crazy thing called cystic fibrosis alone - and I hope that I can be that for someone else. :)
16) Today, I'm thankful for weekends. Tim and I are enjoying a nice relaxing day filled with errands this morning, a late lunch, and a lovely nap on the couch! It's really nice not having anything planned this weekend, finally, and to be able to spend some relaxing, stress-free time with my husband. :-)
I've been bit by the exercise bug once again! Yesterday's climb has motivated me to keep exercising! So this morning I went out for my first run (aka: slow jog) since Brett's Run in June. I went about a mile and a half, switching between slowly jogging and walking while hacking up a lung. It felt wonderful!
Here's my next goal:
The Rock CF Rivers Half Marathon, 5K Run/Walk in Grosse Ile, Michigan (I'll be doing the 5K, not the half).
This race is put together by the lovely Emily Schaller who created the Rock CF Foundation (where I got the awesome shirt I wore during the CLIMB yesterday) and also has CF. She's been one of many CF motivators for me and I'd LOVE to run a CF fundraising specific 5K, and meet her! I'm looking for anyone who's willing to make the road trip with me. It's not until March 30th, so we've all got time to prepare and train. I'm serious. I want to go! And, if you have CF, you can sign up for free. :) There are going to be people coming from all over the country to run this and I'd love to be a part of that - now who's with me?!
I hope to be spreading awareness by sharing my story with you through this blog, and I hope that you'll share it with the people you know. It's been fun to share some more about my CF story through this month's blog posts.
I'll be able to share something with you in July that should help spread more awareness... :-)
I've created a Facebook page for my Great Strides team (Colleen's Friends & Family) where I update year-round.
Participating in Great Strides is a wonderful way to raise money and awareness of Cystic Fibrosis for anyone!
Even just wearing my Great Strides, Out Run CF and/or Rock CF shirts out in public and to my 5Ks help raise awareness...especially when they're as cool as my new Rock CF shirt (get yours here!) ----->
