I Love Everyone!

I seriously love EVERYONE these days.  Everyone is so ridiculously nice and kind.  Apparently pregnant people just make other people want to do incredibly nice things for them, but I want everyone to know I APPRECIATE THEM!  For real for real for real times 1,000,000.  

1) First off - THANK YOU EVERYONE!  Seriously everyone!  I've had multiple friends give me adorable outfits and baby toys, work colleagues bring me leftover diapers they don't need anymore, etc.  My Grandma made me the most adorable swaddling blanket.  In terms of maternity clothes I'm pretty well set because Rachael loaned me her whole freaking maternity wardrobe while Leandrea mailed me a ton more clothes and a work colleague brought me her hand-me-downs!  It's seriously seriously awesome. 

2) Thank you to bump-twin ALMA for the awesome maternity running skirt. It's Running Skirts brand and is awesome with a full belly panel, cute purple spandex shorts underneath that provide good coverage and don't ride up, and two cute velcro pockets on either side.  I'm a fan. 

I obviously took those pictures FOREVER ago when I first got the skirt (my bumps like... 3 times bigger!) but I was happy to finally take the skirt out in public at the Seahawks 12k.  

3) Thank you to the awesome amazing Nuun Hood to Coast teammate Amanda who not only bestowed on me her awesome (and expensive) Medela breast pump, but was also pretty much just walking around her house offering me all of her possessions.  I felt a little like I was robbing her!  I walked away with baby toys, books, clothes, and a freaking adorable police car that JMan was pretty much BEGGING me to leave behind, but how can you leave behind something so cute??!!  Please tell me how.

 

I have a good collection going for once Rudiger hits 18 months or so!

Ara is an amazingly adorable baby model.

4) Lindsay once again proves her worth.  Oiselle was having a very popular sample sale on a weekend I was unfortunately going to be out of town.  I have been dying to try the rogas that everyone is constantly talking about, and so Lindsay graciously offered to pretty much shop the sale blind for me.  I gave her a budget of $20-$30 and told her I promised to be happy with anything she bought me!  Someone else might have caved under that kind of pressure, but she brought me back two pairs of rogas to try! 

 This also was a while ago, clearly, and these shorts won't be making an appearance for QUITE a long time.  On first try the rogas seems rather short for my taste, but we shall see during a real try-out someday when I can fit into them again!

5)  Rachael deserves a THANK YOU all her own - not only did she loan me her whole collection of maternity clothes but she also constantly answers my numerous questions and bestows on me her huge wealth of knowledge.  She also took me registering, which could not have been that fun for her!  She rocks. 

If all that wasn't enough she even loaned us her awesome swing and bouncer!

6) And of course, thank you to Cooper -  just for being so freaking precious.

7)  Last but not least, Lisa deserves a HUGE shout out for her awesome crafty skills in helping me make an owl mobile for the nursery.  Maybe someday I'll talk more about that.  Don't hold your breath! 

Cute, right??!!

If I somehow forgot you and you are awesome - THANK YOU TOO!  Thanks for being so nice to pregnant ladies like me.  We need those kind of pick-me-ups since we can't run relays or eat deli meat or drink beer.  :-)

Two Trimesters Down, One to Go!

I made it through the second trimester!  Can you believe it?  It is seriously ridiculous and impossible to believe that I'm already in the 3rd trimester.  Only 12-ish weeks until Rudiger arrives?!?!  WHAT!  But I don't have anything or know anything about caring for a newborn!  EEEKK!!

I always meant to do a recap of the 1st trimester and even started it, but at this point it seems unlikely that will ever happen.  So let's recap, shall we?  The 1st trimester SUCKED.  Want to feel nauseous all the time and have no appetite?  It's the best weight-loss tool in the world.  In fact, I lost 3 pounds in the worst month of the 1st trimester (around weeks 7-11).  Your husband knows something is wrong when you're refusing to eat peanut butter and ice cream.  Don't even get me started on the fatigue either. 

But after the *worst* trimester, Trimester 1, was behind me, I definitely started feeling better.  It was such a relief to finally feel hungry again and not sick 99% of my days with the thought of eating food being repulsive.  The fatigue stuck around a bit longer though.  In fact, although I mostly felt energetic during the day during the second half of the 2nd trimester, I still fall asleep on the couch EVERY-SINGLE-NIGHT by 9pm at the latest.  So in that way, the fatigue never left.  

It's a Rudiger!

My workouts were horrific at the beginning of the 2nd trimester (and the end of the 1st trimester), if not non-existent.  I BARELY went running, and rarely dragged myself off the couch.  The combination of incredible cold we had around here during January and February (for Seattle incredible cold means in the 20's, but it is unbearable for this gal!) coupled with the dark going to work and coming home, PLUS of course the intense fatigue I feel after work, left me with little to no motivation to work out.  When I did "work out" I mainly dragged myself downstairs to the treadmill (i.e., I didn't see the inside of the gym for MONTHS even though some elliptical time would definitely do me some good) and I WALK.  That's right folks, WALK.

This blog title should be changed to Ricole Sleeps.  And Walks (Sometimes).

 

BUT!  But, I am happy to report the 2nd trimester DID GET BETTER.  Much much much better, in fact.  I felt much more energetic during the work day and had enough energy to work out after work.  Although I still walk a lot, I also got some runs in, including several 7 milers and enough running that I felt confident enough to sign up for the Seahawks 12k.  I walked a TON while in Europe, probably 4-10 miles every day for a total of 30-40 miles all week.  I DEFINITELY feel like eating (and my weight gain shows it!).  And I'm DEFINITELY hungry all the time, which can be obnoxious at times. 

 27 weeks was a MAJOR pop-out!

Worst things about being pregnant: 2nd trimester version

• Being SO INCREDIBLY HUNGRY and not being able to ever satiate myself.  This has come in spurts but it started in about weeks 17-18.  Coincidentally, this is also when I started to gain weight and started to show.  
• CALF CRAMPS.  Oh my gosh, if I could never get another calf cramp I would be happy forever.  I swear, if labor is ANYTHING like a 24 hour calf cramp, I will DIE.  There is no pain in this world worse than a calf cramp.  I try to drink lots of water (though this is a tight-rope act when you don't want to pee 30 times every night) and eat at least half (if not a whole) banana every day, but I've still gotten a bunch of them.  Most of them have been in my right calf, which I predict is related to the extreme calf tightness I feel when running. 
• SLEEPING (or lack thereof).  I have zero problems falling asleep, ZERO.  But once I wake up to go to the bathroom, and I WILL wake up to go to the bathroom no matter how diligent I've been with drinking water close to bedtime, I just CANNOT go back to sleep.  It's the WORST.  I'll wake up at 3:30am and not be able to ever go back to sleep.  Talk about horrible.  Sometimes I play a fun little game of chicken and chance it by NOT getting up to pee since I can fall back asleep if I don't get up.  Hopefully (for JMan's sake!) I don't wet the bed someday...!
• Not Running.  Obviously not training / racing / running much but that goes without saying.  I may have been known to have had a few depressing melt-downs about some of the fun relays I'm going to miss this summer.  :-)  
• Maternity pants DO NOT stay up!  Maybe I'm supposed to buy better ones... but oh my gosh so annoying.  I've been wearing all my old pants just unbuttoned all this time (thus why sometimes my abdomen is very bumpy in those pictures above!), but it's finally impossible to wear the old ones.  ANNOYING.  It's also obviously annoying to buy new clothes you're only going to wear for a few months, which is why I've pretty much NOT been doing it, and have been relying on hand-me-downs and Goodwill.  But I also don't look that cute most of the time!  But that's really no different than my normal don't-care-about-my-clothes attitude!  :-)

So, that's the 2nd trimester for you!  Onto the 3rd trimester!  I AM starting to freak out a bit about not being ready or knowing what we're supposed to do or how to be parents.  ADVICE IS NEEDED!

Got any advice?  About childbirth / breastfeeding / nursery-making / nesting / 3rd trimester / parenting / ANYTHING??  Please please PLEASE share!!

Rudiger's First "Real" Race: The Seahawks 12k!

Rudiger ran his first "real" race on Sunday: the Seahawks 12k.

Technically speaking, Rudiger has run the Mustache Dache 5k, the Seattle Half Marathon, and the Christmas Rush 10k, but since all of these runs took place early in the first trimester, before he was kicking up a storm and the size of the "head of a cauliflower" (not as cute as a papaya, that's for sure!), we're calling this his first "real" race.  

Although I signed up for and always planned on running the 12k, the 1-2 weeks leading up to the race had me severely doubting my capacity to do so, especially given the time limit of 15 minute miles (I do not walk fast).  All week I had been feeling really huge, my belly was feeling oh so tight, and side stitches and general tightness kept me from running at ALL.  The previous weekend I think I ran 1.5 miles.  

Then I took my 27 week picture, and just for fun, decided to compare it to my 26 week picture.  Yes, apparently I am on a schedule with what I wear - that must be my "Thursday" outfit.

That's ONE WEEK of difference people!   Can you believe that?   I still can't.  HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE???  No wonder I was freaking feeling tight and humongous!  

Anyway, back to the task at hand.  I had decided to totally play it by ear race-wise.  There's a 5k also, although they run different routes so you have to decide right away which race to choose.  The 12k is also mostly an out-and-back, so I knew if worst came to worst I could just discreetly turn around and cross over to the other side of the road.  :-)  Oh look at me, I'm in first place now... hehe.  

Sunday dawned lovely (at first!) and I felt good.  We got to the start with plenty of time to spare and found all our buddies.  Somehow I sadly missed my bump twin Tall Mom Mel though.  And then... it started raining.  Of course it did! 

Lindsay and I right before the race

But I felt pretty good the whole time!  27.5 weeks, in the 3rd trimester, and I'm happy to report I averaged nearly exactly 10 minute miles!  My right calf continues to plague me and this was no different, although it also started to move to my shin.  In the last mile or two my left outside knee (IT Band?) was a little stabby, but other than that, success!  I ran the first 3+ without stopping, walked a little in the 4th mile just to make sure my heart rate stayed low-ish, and then walked the 2 or 3 hills on the return trip of the out-and-back. 

With like a half mile to go I could see Katie waaaaayyyyyy up ahead so I forced myself to try and catch her before the finish and I just barellllyyy made it. 

Race Review:  I love this race and will be back next year again.  My only rather MAJOR complaint was the small number of port-a-potties out on the race course.  They just had two places with them (though you ran past the 1st spot twice so there was access 3 times) but there was only THREE in each location.  And apparently this year they doubled their number of participants and had 4,000-5,000 people.  FOR THREE PORT-A-POTTIES.  I definitely would have used the first group I came to but didn't want to wait in the ginormous line, but had to wait at the 2nd stop, which took 4-5 minutes.  That's a long freaking time when you're just standing there! 

This year they had REAL LIVE SEAHAWKS handing out the water and I thought that was pretty awesome.  Unfortunately I live under a rock and I didn't know who any of them were, so I can't tell you guys.  But I promise you they were actual NFL players. 

Race outfit at 27.5 weeks.  Disregard the messy room.

Total Distance: 7.67 miles
Splits: 10:06, 9:55, 9:46, 10:04, 9:55, 10:50 (hills!), 10:37, 9:41 (.67)
Average Pace: 10:08
Total Time: 1:17:42

Annddd most importantly, I didn't get last place. 

And that's a wrap!  How was your weekend?  What did you do?  
PS - I haven't forgotten that I have about a bajillion other blog posts to finish... they're all started...

Catching You Up

Lots of crazy stuff going on around here!  Let's catch you up!

1.  Yep, I'm still pregnant.  Still cooking that baby - it sure takes a long time!  I had my 24 week appointment the other day and everything looked well - baby's heart beat strong at 146 beats per minute (bpm), my blood pressure was still rocking at 102 / 60, and I was up about 12 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight (15 pounds from my lowest weight during the 1st trimester), which seems like a freaking ton to me but apparently is right on track. 

Bumpy abdomen courtesy of my refusal to wear maternity clothes.  Yes they are more comfortable, but they NEVER STAY UP!  It's so annoying. 

Although I think it's pretty freaking obvious that I'm pregnant, I guess I can understand why it's not so obvious to everyone else that I'm not just getting super chubby.  The lady who cut my hair the other day said, "Oh, I had no idea you were pregnant, I thought you just had a pooch".  When I'm not accenting the baby bump it does seem a little less obvious:

Same outfit, but less obvious. 

The doctor gave me the fun gestational diabetes test to take prior to my next appointment, which will be my last monthly appointment before I start going every 2 weeks!  Eek!  It's getting here soon!  Only a few more weeks left until I'm in the 3rd trimester!

2.  We spent last week on a babymoon vacation in EUROPE and it was freaking fabulous.  AND JMan finally felt the baby while we were there!  We went to London and Paris and I tried to pretend like the Paris Marathon wasn't happening while we were there.  :-)  LOTS to tell you about that so hopefully I get around to it someday and it's not one more post that never gets written! 

 

Also, banana Nutella crepes are the best things in the WORLD.  I really don't want to go back to living in a world where they don't serve them on every street corner. 

3.  I know all you runners already know this, but inner thigh chafe is NO JOKE.  Seriously.  It is NOT to be messed around with.  Speaking of my weight gain - which is at least some in my thighs, annoyingly enough, and speaking of my maternity pants that don't stay up, AND speaking of the 30-40 miles we walked in London and Paris - inner thigh chafe was a HUGE issue during the first half of the trip.  And it's not exactly like I brought my Body Glide! 

4.  Running is still happening!  It's definitely become a run / walk and it causes a CONSTANT need to pee which is highly obnoxious but it's still happening!  I ran 7 miles last Saturday and 7 miles again yesterday.  I only ran one sad mile in between those two days though.  Normally I LOVE to run while on vacation but a) it was freaking freezing cold in London and Paris, b) we were already walking 4-10 miles per day so it's not like I needed extra exercise, and c) the jetlag caused us to sleep weird hours like 2am - 10am so by the time I was awake it seemed necessary to start sightseeing! 

Last weekend's run was GORGEOUS and felt like SPRING.  Yesterday's run was stormy and rainy. 

For some reason my right calf has been really really tight when I've been running though, and I'm not sure why.  Do I need to stretch more?  Foam roll more?  I'll admit I don't think I've foam rolled once since I've been pregnant.  It's hardly seemed necessary with the few miles I've been logging.  Do you think my Brooks Pure Connects can't handle my growing weight?  Maybe I need shoes with more support?  Anyone have any thoughts? 

5.  Running had been happening enough that I even signed up for a race!  The Seahawks 12k will be April 21 and will definitely be stretching my abilities, so hopefully it's not a horrible decision!  Given my constant need to pee I'm also a bit worried about the number of port-a-potties the race will have (and how often on the course!), especially given that this is a smaller race.  But I did it last year (although then it was part of a 15 miler in the good ol' days of marathon training) and it was a blast, so it seems like a fun repeat.  Hopefully I'm also not dead last since I doubt many people will walk the 12k (there's also a 5k). 

Who wants to join?????

6.  I'm apparently the last person in the WORLD to finally WATCH Argo and READ Silver Linings Playbook (still haven't seen that movie) - which I did both yesterday on the 12 hour plane ride from Paris to Iceland to Seattle.  I LOVED both.  I HIGHLY recommend reading Silver Linings Playbook!  I really didn't know what to expect or even what it was really about but for some reason I just LOVED it.  Go read it!

What have I missed with you??  Who's pregnant / engaged / married / got a PR / ran a race / submitted a Nuun Hood to Coast application?? 

Run with Nuun!

Nuun finally released their highly coveted Hood to Coast team applications today.  YOU better enter!  All you have to be is be female, a blogger, FUN, and not have run it with them before.

Hood to Coast is seriously one of the best races in the WORLD, and running it with Nuun is one of the best times in the WORLD.  I wholeheartedly 110% recommend applying.  

 Seriously - look how much fun this is.  And how beautiful the scenery is.

Obviously I already knew that Rudiger would probably hinder my chances of applying to this but even with this aside I fully support Nuun's decision to have an all new team of ladies this year.  Too bad though, because I seriously had a good idea for an application in the works!  If it wasn't so much dang work I would totally make the video just for fun!

Making the video last year was a blast (although JMan did a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of editing), so let's take a little walk down memory lane, shall we??!!  You can also check out my application here.

The good news is that I AM going to run a relay with Nuun this year!  If you haven't heard, Nuun is now the official hydration sponsor for RAGNAR, and I will be running Ragnar Las Vegas with Nuun in November!  I'm seriously pumped and a ton of other awesome blogging ladies will also be there.  Some people may be taking bets as to whether I'll actually do the race or not given Rudiger's arrival in July, but I plan on being there, with bells on!

Are you going to enter?  Please say YES!  It's the best time EVER.  Seriously.  
Care to wager a bet about my participation in Ragnar Las Vegas?!

How to Paint Stripes

After I finally completed the transformation of a mess to a nursery (aka, to a blank slate anyway), I was ready to paint!  I pinned a million cute nursery ideas on Pinterest but one theme that started to arise was stripes.

source

I also was obsessed with cute tree decals with owls in them, but after we found out for sure we were having a boy, I kind of leaned more towards stripes than the tree decals (but I still love owls!).  I knew I wanted it to be a peaceful, tranquil place, and therefore I was leaning towards gray stripes like in the inspiration picture.  I also knew that while I love owls and elephants, I didn't want it to be too "theme-y", aka, no crib bedding set and no wallpaper or stickers.

So, gray stripes it was!  Let me tell you, painting stripes is not that fun.  But I LOVE THE OUTCOME.  Love love love LOVE it.  I'm so glad because I was a little worried for awhile we were going to do all of that hard work and then not like it.  And then JMan probably would have killed me.  So what a relief to love it!

So here's how you too can paint stripes!  Just be prepared for the tediousness ahead of you...

1) Paint the room the lighter stripe color.  Our room was already painted a beige-y color so we had to return it to white, since I wanted white and gray stripes.  It took two coats to cover that beige and was hard work, but the lovely thing about painting white with a white ceiling and white trim is there is NO TAPING!

2)  Next up - decide how many stripes you want.  The magic number(s) appears to be either 7 or 9 stripes - I started with 7 because it'd be less work but after looking at the size of the stripe I thought they were just too large, so I switched it to 9.  So measure your wall and then divide that number by 9.  Round to the nearest quarter inch to make it easier on yourself - the thicknesses aren't going to be perfect and no one will notice if the bottom stripe is a little fatter or thinner.  I wanted the gray to be touching the ceiling and touching the trim since those are both white.  More decisions to make. 

3)  Then - TAPE!  This is the absolute worst part.  WORST part.  I suggest a laser level, which helps, but this is TEDIOUS work.  Make your measurements, attach the laser level, apply the tape, repeat.  Our laser level didn't work in the light of day so we did the bottom two stripes by hand with just a level.  It's also difficult to keep track of which side of the line to put the tape on - we definitely messed that up a time or two and had to redo it! 

TIP: Make sure your marriage is strong before proposing this task.  There may have been some cross words exchanged in the middle of this part of the project!  JMan NEVER wants to paint stripes again.  :-)

TIP: If you can buy, borrow, rent, etc. a fancy laser level that you put on a tripod that broadcasts the laser in all 4 directions (i.e., on all 4 walls at once) - GET THIS.  This would have cut the time of this part at least in half.  If we did this again I would totally get one of those. 

4)  Prepare yourself.  I am about to tell you a secret that will solve ALL of your painting woes for the rest of your life.  We learned this lesson the hard way long ago and while it of course adds work and time to your project, it is SO worth it.  Are you ready?

If you have textured walls, you MUST paint the underneath color on top of the tape to seal it.  We do this even with normal paint jobs at the ceiling and around trim.  So in this case, we painted a thin coat of white on top of the tape.  This "seals" the tape to keep the color from seeping underneath the tape.  Now your tape lines will be nice and crisp instead of wiggly!

At this point in the project we were close to quitting here and not finishing the rest of the wall.  That's how tedious and tired we were!  Things are always better in the light of day...

5)  PAINT!  This part is so easy and goes so quickly compared to the taping part.  Two coats. 

After we saw the first few finished stripes I was able to convince JMan we should finish the wall.  :-)

6)  Pull the tape off and BE AMAZED by how beautiful it is!  Isn't it peaceful and tranquil?????  Exactly what I hoped it would be and more! 

And there you have it!  If we can paint stripes you can too.  Good luck!

A Pregnant Running Update

I've been throwing you hints about my running lately, but since this used to be a running blog (though it does say Ricole Runs SOMETIMES) instead of a pregnancy / nursery-painting / cookie-eating blog, let's chat a little about running, shall we?  

Running sucks.  Let's be honest and just throw that out there.  Running and I seem to have gotten a divorce, and it's devastatingly sad.  I don't even think I can fully blame it on Rudiger (the baby's nickname), who obviously plays a large role in this, but I think the weather is also to blame, and maybe just lack of motivation that accompanies being signed up for no races, and a myriad of other things.  A perfect storm of sorts, let's say.

Let's back up a bit.  2012 started out great running-wise.  Although I hit some  lack of motivation mid-training cycle, I had a very healthy and successful marathon training cycle, and just missed a marathon PR by a bathroom stop and a few walk-breaks I couldn't convince myself not to take in the last 3 miles.  I was ready for an awesome rest of the running year, which started off with Ragnar.

Ragnar was awesome.  I had a blast.  Clearly.

 Clearly.

But as the smoke cleared from Ragnar and my incredible soreness faded, a weird hamstring soreness did not fade away.  Apparently essentially 3 intense speed workouts in 30 hours was too much for my poor hamstring.

In retrospect, what I SHOULD have done in this case was to rest until the pain subsided, but given that Hood to Coast was quickly approaching, that just didn't seem possible.  So the hamstring issues raged on for the rest of the entire year.  I rested periodically, foam-rolled, used a lacross ball, went to chiro, got ART, did PT exercises, etc. etc. etc.  The rest periods were as long as I could make them, but I wanted to finish out the races I had previously signed up for, including my first triathlon and my first trail race (with the last race being the Seattle Half Marathon), especially since resting vs. running really didn't seem to matter.

I don't regret my decision to run these races AT ALL.  I DO regret being cautious and not just training and running the 50k, especially given my current "condition"!

So there we are.  Heading into December I had already been resting a lot and my fitness was extremely poor.  Then the thick of the first trimester hit [which deserves its own post at some point], and I was lucky to drag myself off the couch to walk one mile during Runcember.  Finally, the worst of Seattle's winter hit, in which days are short, the skies are dark, the rain pours down, and you never want to leave the coziness of your couch.

So there we are.  All of these things combined together into the perfect storm which has left me far from feeling stellar about running.

I'm actually 22 weeks today but don't worry - I look the same.

As my belly continues to grow, so do weird aches and pains and feelings.  Running is completely hit or miss - sometimes rarely I'll feel great and most other times I'll feel horrible and quit after one measly mile.  Apparently, the continuously shrinking space for my bladder also causing a near constant need to pee while exercising.  Finally, none of my running clothes currently fit, including sports bras and tights, yet I wear them anyway, leaving more uncomfortable feelings.

But I HAVE been running, and here is proof:

But you can see how low my mileage has been, especially considering Daily Mile's scale is quite skewed (look how tall that bar with 2 is!).  You CAN see an increase in the past month or so though!  I AM feeling better, the weather is getting better, the days are longer, etc.  Actually, I think the monthly miles graph sums it up a bit better:

And there you have it.  The most ramble-y post ever.  A million words all to say that pregnant running is not all that it's cracked up to be.  I'm certainly not the pregnant running phenomenon I always hoped I would be.  I'm just a lazy bum to prefers to eat cookies on the couch.  Pass the Samoas, please. 

Thoughts on pregnant running?  Advice?  How much did you run while pregnant? Did you run the whole time?  

I'm the Worst Clammer in the World

Last weekend we had big plans to head to Long Beach, Washington to get our clam on.  But as Friday dawned with drowning, pouring rain and wild winds, and the weather forecast put a "HIGH SURF ADVISORY" into effect we were kind of questioning the idea. 

My favorite part is where it says: "This is not the time to be on the beach or rocks anywhere near the surf zone.  Doing so will be TAKING YOUR LIFE INTO YOUR OWN HANDS."  Can we say over-dramatic???

But we headed there anyway, managed to NOT get a speeding ticket on the way there this time (those little beach towns with deceivingly huge roads, 25 mph speed limits, and major speed traps are a menace to society) and it did NOT disappoint. 

Seriously, what's not to like?  Good food, good friends, and 27 pound gummy bears.  It doesn't get much better than this people.

I even got in not one but TWO runs, including the longest run (5.3 miles) I've done in a loooonnngggg time.  We're talking since either Christmas or New Year's Day, I don't remember which but one of those days I ran a 10k.  Like I mentioned before, running hasn't been going that well for me.

But the beautiful views, Cooper having the time of his life, and Rachael entertaining me and teaching me everything I need to know about being pregnant / having an infant made the miles fly by.  

Seriously - Long Beach not only has the actual beach but they also have miles of this lovely path that runs along the beach through wetland grasses and is just gorgeous.

It turns out the surf advisories WERE over-dramatic, but were still a bit legitimate.  While we were FAR from "taking our lives into our own hands" (clearly - we had a baby on the beach!) - the waves would sneak up on you super quickly and were quite powerful.

This made getting the clams really difficult, especially if you didn't have waders on, which of course I didn't.  The first big wave that I didn't notice in time got over my rain boots and... well, have you ever hung out with inches of freezing cold water surrounding your feet for hours?  Yeeaaahhhh, I was wondering if my toes might have to be amputated at some point.

Although the group as a whole got a whopping 75 clams (because other people are awesome), I am ashamed and embarrassed to report that I did not get ONE SINGLE CLAM.  Not ONE.  Not one little baby clam.  It was so ridiculously depressing.  In conclusion, I am definitely the worst clammer in the world. 

But the views made up for the lack of clamming dominance!

Who's a master clammer?  I need to learn your secrets.