Coffee Date – Running, Birth Planning, & Business Talk

Is it me, or is 2018 already flying by? A lot has happened for me recently and I’m sure for you too. Let’s catch up with a coffee date!

I’m currently drinking a vanilla latte (half sweetened) that my friend and teammate Kelley bought for me this morning after our run. What are you drinking?

If we were having coffee together this morning, I’d tell you…

I’m still running! Yippee! I can’t hardly believe it myself, but I am somehow still moving. There are definitely walk and bathroom breaks aplenty, but more than 50% of the time I’m out there on a run I’m able to run so I still call it a run. I’m only getting out for a run about 2 times a week at this point (I pretty much just run with friends, don’t go out on my own anymore) but it’s still happening!

I’m finally starting to get ready for the twins arrival. Now that they will officially be here in less than 3 months (ahhhhh), I’m getting ready. My friend is throwing me a “sprinkle” (a smaller version of a baby shower) so I lately I’ve focused on getting a registry completed (mostly essentials and boring stuff but some fun things like new crib sheets!), picking a “theme” for their very basic nursery, bringing up Siena’s old clothes from the garage so that I can go through them (still haven’t actually done that yet), and thinking about paint colors. The nursery will be very simple (unlike Siena’s nursery) – I based it all off these cute floral sheets I picked out from Target and there won’t be much frill, but that’s ok (second and third child probe). Luckily a lot of friends have generously let us borrow or given us things like rock n’ plays, a twin nursing pillow, clothes, burp cloths, a crib mattress, swaddles, swings, and bassinets so we don’t have a lot of big ticket items to purchase (oh, besides the freaking mini-van).

I’m thinking about how I want to birth my babies. I was kind of blocking out the whole babies coming out of me thing until recently when I realized I have to face the music. Although 50% of twins are born via c-section, my doctor will deliver my twins vaginally assuming Twin A is head down (which is the case 75% of the time) and there aren’t any other reasons for a c-section (obviously we can’t predict an emergency). With that being the case (they actually are both head down now but that can change day to day still), I’m planning for a vaginal birth and am thinking about my birth plan. I also revisited my reasons for wanting an unmedicated childbirth with Siena and am going to work toward potentially having one with the twins.

My doctor is very supportive of unmedicated births (a huge reason I switched to him before knowing I was having twins) so I know he’ll be on board. I will talk to him about it next week and then start preparing. I’m MUCH more open to the epidural this time if my birth takes forever like it did last time, but I also want to give it a go. That’s where I’m at now. It’ll be different this time because as soon as I get to the hospital the babies will have to be monitored 24/7 instead of once an hour for ten minutes (meaning I won’t be able to freely move around or get in the shower once I’m at the hospital) and I also have to deliver in an operating room with a crowd, but when you’re birthing you don’t give a shit how many people watch you push two humans out of your vagina. So, on the to do list there is to talk to my doctor about potential downsides of a natural twin birth (I’ve read some doctors require epidural with twins due to emergency c-section risk being higher), consider a refresher birth course and/or re-read my Bradley Method book and potentially look into hypnobirthing.

My Beachbody business is growing rapidly & I have big goals in 2018. I celebrated my first $1,000 weekly paycheck this week with another nearly as high this week. I’m on track to hit my goal of a modest full time income this year while working part time (I spend about 10-15 hours a week on my business, sometimes less, depending on the week) and it feels SO GOOD. I’ve been coaching just over 1.5 years and there have been hard times and great times, like any business. I’ve kept going, been consistent, and it’s paying off. I absolutely LOVE what I do and with the new year my entire team has a new fire under us. We’re revamping our new coach training program, our support system and I’m setting some big goals for us this year. If we were having coffee, I’d probably tell you that if you love health and fitness as much as me that you should join me as a coach! You don’t have to start with as many hours a week as I do – most coaches find 30 min a day on average is enough at first or if they keep it as a side gig.

It’s really weird not having a running race on my schedule. I was tempted to sign up for a 5K in January but ultimately decided against it.I’m sad that I won’t be able to run the Carlsbad 5000 this year but I’m considering entering Siena in the Diaper Dash (start ’em young!) or will at least be spectating if I’m still pregnant. I have no real idea what my first race postpartum will be or when, as I really plan to dedicate time to 80 Day Obsession before getting back into running. After that, I’d like to run a half marathon, but I’m not sure which one! Luckily I have a treadmill because I’m not sure that goal would be possible without one. I’m a Rock n’ Blog Ambassador again this year so it may be a Rock n’ Roll race (RnR LA or Vegas perhaps), but I’m not sure! It’ll definitely be in the last part of the year. The running community gives me SO much joy and just because I won’t be running much in the first half of the year doesn’t mean I won’t be participating – spectating and cheering all of you on as much as I can!!!

2018 is going to be hard but rewarding. I am trying to stay as positive about my upcoming year as possible. Siena’s in a tough phase at just over 2 years old – she’s feisty, stubborn, and adorable all at the same time. We’ve conquered taking away the pacifier and moving her out of the crib but we have potty training and adjusting to being a big sister ahead of us. Oh, and I’m going to have TWINS and there will be challenges that come with that – trying to breastfeed them, dealing with lack of sleep, managing the little time I have to myself and choosing between sleep, exercise, work, or simply laying on the couch in a daze (notice I didn’t even mention cleaning…). It’s going to be rough and I’m going to lose a lot of the freedom and sleep that I’ve grown used to in the last 1.5 years. But, it’s also going to be great. As I said in my 2018 goals post, I’ll be giving myself grace this year. But I’m not giving up on my personal goals just because my family is growing.

What race are you most looking forward to this year? What is your best tip for surviving the newborn days?