Confessional

I have to admit that even though I am a self-proclaimed "jock" mom (to be), I am so very glad that college football is officially over!  If you didn't know, Alabama beat Texas in the national championship last night.  Of course, the commentators made excuses for Texas, with their star quarterback Colt McCoy out in the first quarter.  The SEC never gets the recognition it deserves (see what I've learned in my four years of marriage, lol). 

ESPN is ALWAYS on at my house, and while I love to play sports, I am not as interested in watching them on tv.  Trust me, we watch every sport that is broadcast (with the exception of soccer)- NCAA football, basketball, baseball, NFL, NHL, MLB, NASCAR, professional golf (including women's sometimes), pro tennis - even the little league world series for goodness sake!  I go nuts about 2/3 into a season and pick fights over the remote with my husband, J.  He is too funny...recently, he told me that he hoped the baby liked football.  It made him nervous to think that his son might not have that in common with him.  (If it does turn out that way, J may question his paternity.)  Despite his manly fears being somewhat adorable, I do pray that our son has a broader interest than JUST sports.  J's family has practically already drafted him into several profesional sports.  I don't know what I'll do if it's going to be another 18 years of ESPN - 24/7.  Is your tv stuck on ESPN, too? 

Motivation

My pregger's friend and I have decided that we're going to blast this baby fat off by training for our first triathalon!  I've never wanted to do one before I gained 40 pounds, but, I find myself newly motivated to take my body back.  It's a sprint triathalon - the shortest one we could find, lol - 200 meter swim, 8.5 mile bike and 2 mile run.  It's in Nashville, so that makes it easy.  So, mark your calendars - Memorial Day weekend.  Now I need to find a bike...

The Subject of the Belly

As a self-proclaimed female jock, one of the hardest things to adjust to during pregnancy is having a big belly. I affectionately refer to it as the Buddha Belly. Even though I know there is a little life growing in there, I feel myself relating personally to fat people for the first time in my life. For example, when you have a big belly, you have to be conscious of whether or not it is hanging out of the bottom of your shirt. You can't rely on a draft to hit the underside of your belly, so you constantly pull your shirt down. I always think of Winnie of the Pooh when I do this. Also, when you have a big belly, your pants lose their grip and sag. Pooh just skipped the pants, probably to avoid the annoyance.

When I was a college athlete, I had 8% body fat; the female average was 24% for my age range. My abs were a solid 4pack. Of course, after graduation and over the course of 7 years, the 4 pack completely disappeared and let's just say I never wanted to know my body fat percentage again...Nevertheless, other than an additional 10 pounds or so, I was still a relatively fit person. Now that I'm in my seven month of pregnancy and trying to fathom losing 40 pounds after the delivery, I find a new kinship with the Biggest Loser audience.
My giant belly has motivated me to walk more regularly - I have, in fact, become a "mall walker". It has been too cold to walk outside on our greenway, so I join the elderly in the mall for some speed laps. I am also joining the Senior Citizen water aerobics class. It's the only one approved for us preggers. Should be fun!