Fitness Geek

Lil’ Geek # 10

This is a couple of days late, and I’m sorry. This post is more of a warning than anything. Your mother, your sweet mother, can get crazy. Be careful what you wish for when you talk to her.

If you ask her to buy you cute clothes or decorate your room, she will almost assuredly smile so bright the sun will feel pangs of jealousy. Your mother loves you and loves decorating for you. You are her little girl and the idea that you will be always dressed in pink pleases her to no end.

You are her princess.

She loves to buy for you, imagine you wearing adorable clothes and decorate your first room.

Your mom loves you very much.

I worry about you getting older. I fear I’ll have to hide the credit cards from you and your mom when you visit the mall together. I can see a day when you too come home with a new car only because it had more room to hold all of the clothes and shoes and frames the two of you just bought.

But I’m fine with that. I want you two to have girl time and go do what girls do together. I’m not entirely sure what girls do together, so it’s best left to you and your mother. Have fun together. Go buy pink shirts and laugh and shop to your heart’s content.

Remember that you will have best friends in your life, but your mother, that lover of pink and a good sale, will always be there for you. I will be there too, but probably in the bookstore while you two buy out Macy’s.

Our hearts are yours and you are our everything.

Lows, highs, and a beautiful baby

It’s been a tough week. Mrs. Fitness Geek left the house for the first time in two weeks on Tuesday to visit the doctor.

The news was bad. Placenta previa a problem again and the blood clot now possibly posed a risk to the baby. Oh and the earliest we could see a high risk doctor was two weeks away.

That was no good, so I called and complained and a high risk doctor on the other side of the state could see us on Wednesday. So we headed out, our hearts in our stomachs, the worry having settled in the previous night.

Once in the room, the doctor burst in, a bundle of energy and expertise. First, the placenta previa. The previous doctor had made a mistake. It was gone. Nothing to worry about.

And the blood clot?

He shook his head. He found it, but it posed no threat to mom or baby. Worst case scenario, I asked.

There is no worst case scenario. There is no issue with the blood clot. Go home. Go back to work. Enjoy the pregnancy.

And we celebrated. With dinner, new clothes for Lil’ Geek and four straight viewings of the movie of her ultrasound the doctor had been nice enough to record for us.

Lil’ Geek should be fine. Here she is in glorious 4-D.

She obviously has her father’s appetite and will eat anything since she’s chewing on her umbilical cord. Isn’t she just ridiculously cute?

Lil Geek #9

Dearest daughter, today is Father’s Day. For me, Soon-To-Be-Father’s Day. To look back at this year, today is easily one of the best for me. Your mother is here and you are too, only you have yet to leave your apartment.

I look forward to next Father’s Day, Lil’ Geek. Your mom asked if I would like the day to myself. I said no. I’d rather have just the day with you. I know you won’t be able to do a whole lot, outside of eat, sleep and you know. But in all honesty, that’s kinda a dream day for me.

I wish there was a word out there that could explain how much Mrs. Fitness Geek and I love you. There isn’t. No word covers our emotions and the feelings that beat in our heart at the slightest hint of your name.

So grow and grow and grow Lil’ Geek. I’m looking forward to our day together.

Your mother got you a few outfits for Father’s Day that you can wear next year:

Our hearts are yours and you are our everything.

TIART - Summer Gear

The theme for this week’s Take It And Run is actually Summer Gear and Summer Tips, but I’ll just go for the gear side for now.

I’m a geek. I love technology. iPods, computers, phones, all of it. And - despite photographic evidence - I do like looking nice. But I’m different on runs. I don’t run with a Garmin. Even in the summer, my shirt of choice is a white T-shirt. Yeah, I know. It’s not wicking. It doesn’t cool me like other shirts.

But my runs are often about simplicity. Just hitting the road and running. Now, I do go a little bit geek. I love my iPod. I’m addicted to podcasts. Addicted as in I’m currently subscribed to 29 different podcasts. My current favorites are Adam Carolla and Phedippidations.

I always run with a hydration belt, something I’ve really come to love on my long runs. I take it on my short outings as well just to stay used to the feeling of it. A lot of people love handheld bottles, but for me I like having my hands free.

So my gear is simple. It’s all about getting out the door fast and getting in my miles. Shoes, shorts, shirt, iPod, watch. fluids and phone (for safety). Wow, maybe that isn’t so simple after all.

Mrs. Fitness Geek now has one more week of house arrest bedrest. She’s in good spirits, even as Lil Geek continues to play her version of Kick the Can…except instead of a can it’s mom’s bladder.

Here’s to a great last week and an a positive report from the doctor next week.

Tuesday Addictions

Right to it…

1. Lil Geek - She continues to grow, and elbow her mom in the bladder. What a cutie.

2. The Braves nosedive - As has been the law for more than a decade: No team shall lose two straight to the Orioles, lest they be punished by a fourth place finish in their division.

3. Running - Getting in a quick run after work today. I’m trying to get back in the swing of things.

4. One hundred pushup challenge - Boy, once you hit week 5, it gets insane. Yesterday was Day 2 of week 5. I’m thinking I’ll be repeating the week next week just to make sure I’m ready for the final week.

5. Mrs. Fitness Geek - She’s slowly going insane from her first full week of bedrest. Just the other day I saw she was writing a story on her laptop. It was just one line repeated over and over “All play and no work makes Mrs. Fitness Geek a dull girl.” Creeeeeeeepy.

6. Seriously? The Orioles? Come on!

Lil Geek #8

It’s been a trying week for the three of us. Your mom has been on bedrest since Monday,  but she’s taken it in stride, as she does most challenges.

The one positive through this last difficult week? We found out you’re a girl! We couldn’t be happier! A healthy, beautiful baby girl.

Sure, we’d been calling you a girl for four months because we didn’t want to say “it.” And you’ve had plenty of nicknames in your young life: Smudge, Lil Geek, Smudgers, Little girl. But now you have a name.

Lucy Jane. Your middle name comes from your mother’s grandmother, a woman who is as sweet as she is strong. Your first name comes from…nobody. It is yours. Yours to make and mold into whatever you wish.

Will future Lucy’s be named after an artist, a judge or a teacher? Will people say your name and think of a kind, smart woman or someone who gives back to the community and bought her parents a large house for their retirement? Hey, I can hope.

So enjoy your name, Lucy. It’s yours and yours alone. Become your own woman. I know you will and I know whatever you do, we’ll be proud of you.

Finally, a photo of you.

Our hearts are yours and you are our everything.

It’s a GIRL!

It’s a girl! We found this out the hard way this morning. Mrs. Fitnessgeek has been having some complications the last few days and has been on bedrest. This morning we ended up back at the doctor with a pretty bad scare.

However, the Lil’ Geek looked great on the ultrasound and…she’s a girl! We couldn’t be happier!

On the other end, Mrs. Fitnessgeek is now on two weeks of bedrest. They found a clot, but it doesn’t appear  to be serious yet, but they want her on bedrest as a precaution.

On the other other end, our original worry of placenta previa is gone. So from one worry to another.

That’s fine. Lil’ Geek, that adorable little girl, is doing fine and so is mom. Now, I just have to deal with a wife who is slowly going crazy with cabin fever!

Monday madness

It’s going to be a busy week. We had a great weekend, one that involved seeing Mrs. Fitness Geek and her radio station winning numerous broadcasting awards Saturday night. I was so proud of her.

Sunday we spent hanging out at home. Lil Geek has found a new sport: see how many times she can make mom pee. I think the record for a day is a million times.

While Mrs. Fitness Geek was hitting the bathroom repeatedly I got in a nice 8-miler Sunday midmorning. The heat had already started to build so I got in a few miles of summer running.

The rest of the day was spent staying out of the way of Mrs. Fitness Geek as she wore away the carpet between the couch and the bathroom.

Today should be plenty busy with work and other responsibilities and the week won’t have enough hours to get in everything I want. Tonight I go for my Week 4 100 pushup challenge test. Last night I finished off Week 4 and I’m feeling confident heading into Week 5. The big 100 is just around the corner…

Lil’ Geek #7

Oh Lil’ Geek, you will face challenges and situations that will not always have an easy answer or solution that can be found in a textbook. When these times arise, and make no mistake they will, you must listen to your heart.

In the last week your mother and I have listened to your heartbeat every night before we go to bed. It is a strong heartbeat, one that thump-thumps fiercely and with determination. I picture you rolling over, kicking your legs and smiling.

We all face difficult choices. Tough situations. Bad days. Just remember Lil’ Geek. Think with your heart and your mind. Be decisive, but thoughtful too.

You have a strong heart beating in that chest of yours. Use it.

Our hearts are yours and you are our everything.

The sound of a heart

It’s been a few days. But I’ve been active. I ran a couple of days and I’ve lifted two days as well. Work has been crazy with a big project right around the corner.

But that’s not why you’re here. You’re here to because of events like this: Mrs. Fitness Geek rented us an at-home doppler so we could hear Lil’ Geek’s heartbeat right in our living room. It is the greatest thing of all time. Every night before we go to bed, we turn it on and I locate the thub-thub-thub.

And we just listen.

Thub-thub-thub.

There is nothing more peaceful.

Today will be the last day of week 4 of the pushup challenge and the first day of week four on the squat and crunch challenges. Tomorrow I’ve got an 8 miler planned, with an easy run on Sunday.

Oh, if you’re not watching Burn Notice, start. It’s the best summer show around. And it has Bruce Campbell. What more do you need?