I'm back!

I never have run during my pregnancies, but this time around I've done a
very light bit (although not the past week) It isn't as bad or painful as I
thought, though I get a good workout in with my long walks. My problem with
walking is I go on my running routes and can be out for awhile oops.

We have a picture of me after my first Ironman with the two boys on each
side of me and my daughter nursing. It is hilarious because here I am
looking all sweaty and gross, but very happy and smiley (and not moving more
than I have to) It kind of sums up the whole busy athletic mom deal.

Hope it was a fun marathon course in good weather.

Kelly
#4 2/12/05

"Tiina Kartovaara" wrote in message
...


Kelly wrote:
Hi Tiina! Congratulations on your marathon and your pregnancy! I hope
you
got a post race picture of yourself (especially if you were
breastfeeding)
How great would that be to show people: a pregnant, breastfeeding,
marathon
finisher! Very cool. Are you still running a bit?



Thanks, Kelly! I got a very smug-looking postrace picture all right(and
I didn't even know the whole truth!). Strangely enough, I found out that
at a very specific time in early pregnancy, the Hcg surge will actually
increase your stamina. It has to be very well timed, though - just a a
week or two before and after the race I felt sluggish and out of breath.
So my pregnancy doping worked perfectly, even if it was unintentional..

Yes, I still run, although I now walk part of my long Sunday run. Last
time, I jogged till 21 weeks, with the aid of a support belt. I hope to
do the same this time, too!


Tiina
SAHM to Emilia,5, and Joel,1
EDD April 18





--
”What is missing is that ecstatic sense of being dragged screaming
toward one’s destiny. But this is her destiny. Isn’t it? Wasn’t she
dragged screaming toward it only... my God, was it only a year ago?
Surely it’s too soon to be tired of all this security.You can’t expect
to be dragged screaming to a higher destiny every year.”

Gail Godwin, ”Violet Clay”

"Tiina Kartovaara" wrote in message
...


Jenrose wrote:


I think I hate you. Just kidding... I'm just jealous as I am just right
now 20 weeks along and finally, the past couple days, don't seem to get
queasy anymore, and as I went from an early miscarriage into another pg
immediately, it feels like I've been pg for about 28 weeks, 90% of which
was first trimester. The idea of "sailing right through without even
realizing it"... dreamy.

Hey, don't hate me because I'm not throwing up! ;-) Maybe "sailing
through" first trimester was a little strongly put, since the whole time I
was wondering why I was so queasy, sluggish, pimply, horny, weepy, cranky,
hungry, etc. What I *love* having missed is the nervousness of those early
months, worrying about miscarriage, and that whole thing.



Quite honestly, if I hadn't *just* had a miscarriage, I probably would have
been fine with everything else.... I had three bouts of spotting, the last
one lasting for 2 weeks, and that was just the scariest. When I first got pg
this spring, I was so giddy, that I looked forward to every little hint of
a symptom. The cold reality that I could be pregnant and go through weeks of
pg only to lose it...THAT was what really put a damper on the first
trimester for me. During that first pg, I carried on as usual, walked,
etc... during this pg, I had a period of about a month or so where every
time I'd stand up I'd get crampy, and half that time I was already spotting,
so I spent a lot of time down and got *very* weak. So now everything is
starting from a point of "no muscle mass" and it's a hell of a lot harder to
get around that way.

Jenrose

Tiina Kartovaara wrote:

Hello, everybody!

I think some of you might still remember me. (Em, you still lurking?)
I'm a Finn, will be 42 in a couple of months, had my second baby 13
months ago after 3 years of trying, had major anxiety attacks in the
beginning but then everything went fine..

Hi Tiina,

I remember you! DD is 15 month so we hung around here at about the same
time :-).
I'm currently TTC no. 2, I thought we succeeded in august but alas I had
a miscarriage in the eight week...
You must have been pleasantly surprised with your second pregnancy! The
best of luck and see you around.

Cath
Mom to Fenna, 15 month old
TTC #2

"Tiina Kartovaara" wrote in message
snip
And to top all that, on Oct 1st I found out why I'd been so tired and
queasy for several weeks and my period hadn't started in spite of Joel
nursing just once or twice a day. I was pregnant, and that wasn't all-
by the time I had a dating scan the following week, I was over 12
weeks
pregnant! Instead of a blob with a heartbeat, I saw a baby waving its
arms and legs. I was actually in my 6th week of pregnancy when I ran
the
marathon! After the anxieties of prolonged ttc and getting
over-vigilant
with your body, it feels wonderful to have sailed through the entire
first trimester without even realizing it!

OMG! Tiina!!! Congratulations! I got a chill all through my body as I
was reading your news (all of it). I think running a marathon while
pregnant (and not knowing it) definitely qualifies you for supermom
status :-) Wow! I'm just so surprised and pleased for you and your
family. Also, very, very cool about the LM Montgomery text and
scrapbooks. Keep me updated on when it is published--something I would
love to see! My grandmother just got back from a trip to Nova Scotia and
she brought me a little porcelain Anne doll :-)

It is so exciting to have dreams coming true! My third short book is at
the printer as I type. One of my childhood dreams was to be an author
and sometimes I find it hard to believe that I've actually pursuing my
goals and am publishing my own work. I am also pursuing certification as
a postpartum doula. This isn't as long term of a goal as the books were,
but it really feels like a calling to me.

So good to read an update from you--brings back so many memories! DH & I
are discussing number 2, but probably not until next year. Sometimes I
actually wish that we would have a surprise and it would be out of my
hands--I really tend to overthink/overplan (as you may remember!). I'm
surprised that Joel is only nursing once or twice a day (did you tandem
for a while?). Lann will be 13 months old on Thursday and still nurses
about 5 times a day and twice at night!

Well, I feel like writing a book catching up with you, but will stop
here!

Fondly,

Em
still lurking mama to L-baby, almost 13 months old

Congratulations, Tiina, and welcome back!


Leslie

Emily (2/4/91)
Jake (1/27/94)
Teddy (2/15/95)
William (3/5/01 -- VBA3C, 13 lbs. 5 oz.)
and Lorelei, expected 11/2/04

"Children come trailing clouds of glory from God, which is their home."
~ William Wordsworth

Em wrote:


OMG! Tiina!!! Congratulations! I got a chill all through my body as I
was reading your news (all of it). I think running a marathon while
pregnant (and not knowing it) definitely qualifies you for supermom
status :-) Wow! I'm just so surprised and pleased for you and your
family. Also, very, very cool about the LM Montgomery text and
scrapbooks. Keep me updated on when it is published--something I would
love to see! My grandmother just got back from a trip to Nova Scotia and
she brought me a little porcelain Anne doll :-)


Em, how nice to hear from you again! I was hoping that you'd still lurk,
at least. I was pretty proud about the marathon thing, too, although I
never would have done it knowingly. I was proud enough of having run it
while still nursing a 11-month-old! Well, not nursing while I was
actually running.. ;-)

The book will be out in April, or at least in time for Mother's Day. Of
course, it will be published in Finland and in Finnish! I only hope I
can get to the publication party, since it will probably be right around
my due date.. Still, I'm not complaining about these two things
happening to me at the same time. Far from it!


It is so exciting to have dreams coming true! My third short book is at
the printer as I type. One of my childhood dreams was to be an author
and sometimes I find it hard to believe that I've actually pursuing my
goals and am publishing my own work. I am also pursuing certification as
a postpartum doula. This isn't as long term of a goal as the books were,
but it really feels like a calling to me.


Congratulations, Em - that is so exciting! What is the new book about? I
remember that you've written a book about volunteerism. (That's
something I'm also still involved in, and plan to be even after I have
#3.) And I think a postpartum doula is something that's sorely needed by
many women - it is so easy to feel abandoned by everyone after you've
had your baby, feel vulnerable, and no one fusses over you like they did
in pregnancy!


So good to read an update from you--brings back so many memories! DH & I
are discussing number 2, but probably not until next year. Sometimes I
actually wish that we would have a surprise and it would be out of my
hands--I really tend to overthink/overplan (as you may remember!). I'm
surprised that Joel is only nursing once or twice a day (did you tandem
for a while?). Lann will be 13 months old on Thursday and still nurses
about 5 times a day and twice at night!


I love the element of surprise in this. You see, we actually thought of
three kids originally, but time seemed to be running out, and we both
knew we never ever wanted to *try* to get pregnant again. From time to
time, I thought "what if..?" but never let it go far, because before I
knew it, we might be trying again, and we'd had *so* enough of that. And
like you, I tend to overthink things, so I absolutely love it that my
body took over and I, the former Watcher of Ovulations and Keeper of
Charts, never even got savvy to the fact that I was pregnant.. for 11
weeks!! What a hoot!

What finally tipped me to it was when I saw Cold Mountain and cried
hysterically, especially at a scene where a baby was in peril. I do cry
at movies, but this was out-of-control bawling. I went and bought a
test, and my jaw dropped to the floor when a dark second line appeared
in about one second. I thought, "I'll wait until DH gets home to tell
him personally" but my fingers were already punching the cell phone
digits. He was just as flabbergasted, but in a good way.

You know, when Emilia was 13 months, she was still nursing a lot, but
Joel is *so* different. He was much more interested in solids, which we
actually started a week before 6 months. Emilia only started to eat
solids for real around 8 months. She also nursed at night until 21
months, and even then we had to night wean her, because I wanted my
fertility back. And it was not easy! So when Joel stopped clamoring for
his one night feed at 8 months, I took the opportunity and stopped. He
just isn't attached to nursing the way Emilia was, and his personality
is much mellower.

In the early summer, he still nursed a few times a day, but around ten
months it was just twice. I gave him yogurt and water during the day,
and after 11 months, cow's milk. Unlike Emilia, he took to it
immediately. I was also pregnant by this time and probably had less
milk, and he stopped waking up for his early morning feed.

The whole experience was quite surprising to me. Emilia, after all,
nursed until she turned 5 - I did tandem for several months. But, well,
Joel is his own personality, and I guess the most important thing is to
follow the child's cues. And I'm glad I did - if I had tried and
succeeded to make him nurse more, maybe I wouldn't be pregnant now!



Well, I feel like writing a book catching up with you, but will stop
here!


Oh, I got off to a good start. :-) How is Lann - is he walking, talking,
etc? Joel still crawls on all fours and babbles in what sounds like
Italian - lots of vowels and l-sounds. (He does have a word for Mommy,
though.) But I'm so much more relaxed with my second child and not
watching for milestones like a hawk - I'm sure he'll walk and talk by 18
months. Or 2 years, at least. :-) Gee, probably I'll hardly notice the
third kid..

Being dragged screaming to a higher destiny [see my sig],

Your old belly buddy

Tiina
SAHM to Emilia,5, and Joel,1
EDD April 18


--
”What is missing is that ecstatic sense of being dragged screaming
toward one’s destiny. But this is her destiny. Isn’t it? Wasn’t she
dragged screaming toward it only... my God, was it only a year ago?
Surely it’s too soon to be tired of all this security.You can’t expect
to be dragged screaming to a higher destiny every year.”

Gail Godwin, ”Violet Clay”

"Tiina Kartovaara" wrote in message
Em wrote:


OMG! Tiina!!! Congratulations! I got a chill all through my body as
I
was reading your news (all of it). I think running a marathon while
pregnant (and not knowing it) definitely qualifies you for supermom
status :-) Wow! I'm just so surprised and pleased for you and your
family. Also, very, very cool about the LM Montgomery text and
scrapbooks. Keep me updated on when it is published--something I
would
love to see! My grandmother just got back from a trip to Nova Scotia
and
she brought me a little porcelain Anne doll :-)


Em, how nice to hear from you again! I was hoping that you'd still
lurk,
at least. I was pretty proud about the marathon thing, too, although I
never would have done it knowingly. I was proud enough of having run
it
while still nursing a 11-month-old! Well, not nursing while I was
actually running.. ;-)

The nursing part was cool too, but I was so surprised by the pregnant
part that I forgot to comment on the coolness of the nursing
marathonness that is you :-)

The book will be out in April, or at least in time for Mother's Day.
Of
course, it will be published in Finland and in Finnish! I only hope I
can get to the publication party, since it will probably be right
around
my due date.. Still, I'm not complaining about these two things
happening to me at the same time. Far from it!

Oops. I believe my ethnocentric American bias was showing--never even
realized that it would be in Finnish! ;-) That reminds me, I have an
antique copy of Rose in Bloom that I was planning to give away. Do you
have any interest in it? I'm not sure what edition it is. The preface is
dated 1876, but it may likely have been reprinted at a later date and
been originally written in 1876 (pretty old looking though--the "newest"
it could be I think would be from the 20's). The illustrator was George
Lawson. (oh! And coincidentally, the person who gave me the book has a
daughter named Emilia!)

It is so exciting to have dreams coming true! My third short book is
at
the printer as I type. One of my childhood dreams was to be an
author
and sometimes I find it hard to believe that I've actually pursuing
my
goals and am publishing my own work. I am also pursuing
certification as
a postpartum doula. This isn't as long term of a goal as the books
were,
but it really feels like a calling to me.


Congratulations, Em - that is so exciting! What is the new book about?
I
remember that you've written a book about volunteerism. (That's
something I'm also still involved in, and plan to be even after I have
#3.) And I think a postpartum doula is something that's sorely needed
by
many women - it is so easy to feel abandoned by everyone after you've
had your baby, feel vulnerable, and no one fusses over you like they
did
in pregnancy!

Thanks :-) The new book is about battered women (the second is about
families with a terminally ill child).

I agree with you (obviously, since I'm in training!) about the need for
postpartum doulas. I think people get caught up in the childbirth
education and birth pieces of the pie and then women get ditched in the
postpartum period. I felt slapped in the face by the postpartum
adjustment--utterly unprepared for the feelings and experiences! I am
really looking forward to starting to work with some clients.

I love the element of surprise in this. You see, we actually thought
of
three kids originally, but time seemed to be running out, and we both
knew we never ever wanted to *try* to get pregnant again. From time to
time, I thought "what if..?" but never let it go far, because before I
knew it, we might be trying again, and we'd had *so* enough of that.
And
like you, I tend to overthink things, so I absolutely love it that my
body took over and I, the former Watcher of Ovulations and Keeper of
Charts, never even got savvy to the fact that I was pregnant.. for 11
weeks!! What a hoot!

I think the element of surprise holds definite appeal! Seems like this
is one of those "cosmic plan" type of things.

Until last month or so, I was still having occasional moments of feeling
like maybe one kid was enough for us, maybe I'm not cut out to be a
mother of multiple children, etc. and suddenly I have started to get
kind of a baby fever and really look forward to another pregnancy,
birth, and baby!

You know, when Emilia was 13 months, she was still nursing a lot, but
Joel is *so* different. He was much more interested in solids, which
we
actually started a week before 6 months. Emilia only started to eat
solids for real around 8 months. She also nursed at night until 21
months, and even then we had to night wean her, because I wanted my
fertility back. And it was not easy! So when Joel stopped clamoring
for
his one night feed at 8 months, I took the opportunity and stopped. He
just isn't attached to nursing the way Emilia was, and his personality
is much mellower.

Isn't funny how different babies/children can be? Lann actually seemed
to become *more* attached to nursing at the 8 month mark. Prior to that,
I really felt like he just nursed because he needed to eat, not because
he really loved it or anything. Now, I feel like he really needs/loves
nursing. Confusing little guy!

The whole experience was quite surprising to me. Emilia, after all,
nursed until she turned 5 - I did tandem for several months. But,
well,
Joel is his own personality, and I guess the most important thing is
to
follow the child's cues. And I'm glad I did - if I had tried and
succeeded to make him nurse more, maybe I wouldn't be pregnant now!

Yep. I find that it can be a little hard to remember to follow the
child's cues when they don't match up with your expectations! (For
example, I planned to be totally nonchalant about nursing in public and
ended up with a baby that refused for quite some time to nurse in public
and would have big crying fits when I offered--I had to remember that it
was fine to follow his cues and go to the car before offering, instead
of following my own "lactivist" cues!). The fact that you did follow
Joel's cues and ended up with a fun surprise out of the deal contributes
to the cosmic plan theory also :-)

Oh, I got off to a good start. :-) How is Lann - is he walking,
talking,
etc? Joel still crawls on all fours and babbles in what sounds like
Italian - lots of vowels and l-sounds. (He does have a word for Mommy,
though.) But I'm so much more relaxed with my second child and not
watching for milestones like a hawk - I'm sure he'll walk and talk by
18
months. Or 2 years, at least. :-) Gee, probably I'll hardly notice the
third kid..

Lol about the third kid! ;-D Lann is walking great--he is getting faster
and faster and seems so much more independent now that he can get
himself places on his own two feet. He does still fall down a *lot*
though. He has a vocabulary of about 30 words, which has really
surprised me. Many of them start with "b" and many sound very
similar--i.e. "truck" sounds like "cook" sounds like "book" sounds like
"look"--you have to see the context to get the communication!

Being dragged screaming to a higher destiny [see my sig],

Your old belly buddy

Tiina
SAHM to Emilia,5, and Joel,1
EDD April 18

I'm just so excited for you--so fun to see your new sig! I filled DH in
on your story yesterday evening and he remembered things about you, like
your long walks to the market. Funny how people can impact each other's
lives from so far away!

--
Em
mama to L-baby, 13 months old

"Em" wrote in message

That reminds me, I have an
antique copy of Rose in Bloom that I was planning to give away. Do you
have any interest in it? I'm not sure what edition it is. The preface
is
dated 1876, but it may likely have been reprinted at a later date and
been originally written in 1876 (pretty old looking though--the
"newest"
it could be I think would be from the 20's). The illustrator was
George
Lawson. (oh! And coincidentally, the person who gave me the book has a
daughter named Emilia!)

Oops. Massive DUH moment--Rose in Bloom is, of course, by Alcott, not
Montgomery. For a moment authors with L M in their names who write
classic books about young women, became blurred in my mind! So, if you
like Alcott also, the offer still stands ;-)

I realized my mistake as soon as I shut off my computer and actually got
out of bed and restarted it, so that I could correct myself quickly
before anyone else had to!

--
Em
mama to L-baby, 13 months old

Em wrote:

Oops. I believe my ethnocentric American bias was showing--never even
realized that it would be in Finnish! ;-) That reminds me, I have an
antique copy of Rose in Bloom that I was planning to give away. Do you
have any interest in it? I'm not sure what edition it is. The preface is
dated 1876, but it may likely have been reprinted at a later date and
been originally written in 1876 (pretty old looking though--the "newest"
it could be I think would be from the 20's). The illustrator was George
Lawson. (oh! And coincidentally, the person who gave me the book has a
daughter named Emilia!)


Oh, wow! Are you sure you want to give it away? I could be valuable. But
yes, I'm also interested in Alcott, especially since I lived in her home
town (Concord, Massachusetts) for 4 and a half years! Rose in Bloom is
such a lovely, weepy, sentimental book.


Thanks :-) The new book is about battered women (the second is about
families with a terminally ill child).

I agree with you (obviously, since I'm in training!) about the need for
postpartum doulas. I think people get caught up in the childbirth
education and birth pieces of the pie and then women get ditched in the
postpartum period. I felt slapped in the face by the postpartum
adjustment--utterly unprepared for the feelings and experiences! I am
really looking forward to starting to work with some clients.


That's great! Especially after having your first child, you could really
use some help. For example, the majority of postpartum depression cases
still go untreated, at least here in Finland. Getting some support can
really make a huge difference.



Until last month or so, I was still having occasional moments of feeling
like maybe one kid was enough for us, maybe I'm not cut out to be a
mother of multiple children, etc. and suddenly I have started to get
kind of a baby fever and really look forward to another pregnancy,
birth, and baby!


Good for you! I was pleasantly surprised about how much I enjoyed having
two kids. I think that might be the case with you, too - for a neurotic,
overthinking mom, it is actually better not to be able to focus on just
one child. :-) The more kids you have, the more life becomes just about
logistics, which is actually kind of healthy!


Isn't funny how different babies/children can be? Lann actually seemed
to become *more* attached to nursing at the 8 month mark. Prior to that,
I really felt like he just nursed because he needed to eat, not because
he really loved it or anything. Now, I feel like he really needs/loves
nursing. Confusing little guy!


Well, you're still young and not in a hurry fertility-wise (and you
might have that back by now anyway..?), so I guess you can just let him
nurse to his heart's content!



Yep. I find that it can be a little hard to remember to follow the
child's cues when they don't match up with your expectations! (For
example, I planned to be totally nonchalant about nursing in public and
ended up with a baby that refused for quite some time to nurse in public
and would have big crying fits when I offered--I had to remember that it
was fine to follow his cues and go to the car before offering, instead
of following my own "lactivist" cues!). The fact that you did follow
Joel's cues and ended up with a fun surprise out of the deal contributes
to the cosmic plan theory also :-)


Oh yes. I really feel like this was meant to be. I hope I still feel
that way next spring, when I have two in diapers, one newborn, one
having tantrums etc.. :-)



Lol about the third kid! ;-D Lann is walking great--he is getting faster
and faster and seems so much more independent now that he can get
himself places on his own two feet. He does still fall down a *lot*
though. He has a vocabulary of about 30 words, which has really
surprised me. Many of them start with "b" and many sound very
similar--i.e. "truck" sounds like "cook" sounds like "book" sounds like
"look"--you have to see the context to get the communication!


Emilia was walking at 11 months and had quite a few words at this age -
in fact, if she hadn't been walking and talking by 13 months, I would
have been freaking out! But now - oh, it'll come in time.


I'm just so excited for you--so fun to see your new sig! I filled DH in
on your story yesterday evening and he remembered things about you, like
your long walks to the market. Funny how people can impact each other's
lives from so far away!


Yeah, I know, and I think it's great. :-) I probably won't be posting as
much this time - I checked my maternity card from the time I was
expecting Joel, and all my numbers at my 15-week visit - bp, hemoglobin,
weight - were *exactly* the same they were on Monday at my 14-week
appointment. So I don't feel like I need to report about everything. But
I will be here, and I will keep you posted.


Take care!


Tiina
SAHM to Emilia,5, and Joel,1
EDD April 18




--
”What is missing is that ecstatic sense of being dragged screaming
toward one’s destiny. But this is her destiny. Isn’t it? Wasn’t she
dragged screaming toward it only... my God, was it only a year ago?
Surely it’s too soon to be tired of all this security.You can’t expect
to be dragged screaming to a higher destiny every year.”

Gail Godwin, ”Violet Clay”