Sympathy weight and a pregnancy update

It’s a new year, and with each new year comes resolutions. Resolutions, it seems, can only be made on/around January 1st. I’m no different—I told myself I’d begin with my kettlebell workouts again. Yup, one resolution, that happens to be health-related, like 200 million others who live in this great nation with me. Real unique.

Truth be told, I have packed on some pounds the past several years (before ‘Dad bod’ became a thing) since N was born for no other reason than because I got lazy. Not parenting lazy, just fitness lazy.

All throughout elementary, middle, and high school, college and a few years post-college, I played or coached baseball. It was a daily activity that allowed me the opportunity to spend anywhere from 3-12 hours on a baseball field. I also had no kids.

In April of 2011, N was born, and we picked up and moved in October—from Riverdale, New York, to Vernon, Connecticut. I went from the baseball field to barely-suburban Connecticut. I stayed home all day with N but would squeeze in a workout at the gym anytime I could because it was only a few steps from our front door.

There was also a park that was about a 20-minute walk from us. We’d go for bike rides (the three of us) because there was an awesome bike/running trail we could ride to that stretched for miles in either direction. I stayed in pretty good shape during our 13-month stay.

Then we moved to an 8.3 square mile town that required a 40-minute round-trip journey just to get a gallon of milk. We were no longer steps from the gym and a bike trail, like we were in Vernon. Nope, we were in the woods, which just so happened to be the town L grew up in.

And it was awesome—the problem was I wasn’t getting any more exercise than running around with N in the cul-de-sac up the block or around the playground in the center of town, 20 minutes away. Sure, we went on plenty of hikes through the woods, took trips to the brook to dip our feet in the water, but we weren’t close to a gym and were even farther from L’s work, which meant I was putting on weight and she wasn’t seeing N as much as she wanted.

We moved again, this time buying a house a short 15-minute ride from work. I was staying home with N still, but not long after we moved in, G was born. I tried getting a distance run in here and there while L was home on maternity leave because that didn’t require a gym and money was tight (still is). We live in the hills, which makes running a bear, though I’ve yet to see one. Plenty of deer and coyotes though. I packed on a few more pounds but decided to run a 5K or 10K a few times a year, tricking myself into thinking I was keeping in shape. FALSE!

Towards the end of last year I was running more and ran several 5Ks—N participated in the FitKids Runs for a few. I was back on track.

New year, new me. So far I’ve been pretty consistent with my kettlebell workouts every other day. I’m not overweight but I know that eventually, Father Time always wins, and I’d like to (and need to) be in better shape if I’m going to keep up with three boys. And if I plan on sticking around for even longer, the more I can do now while I’m still young-ish, the better I’ll set myself and my family up for the future. Besides, the kids ape me when I’m doing the exercises, which always makes me laugh.

Week 28 Pregnancy Update:

Still chugging along, no closer to picking a name despite kind of obsessing over it; N even voices his displeasure with us constantly talking about names.

We’ve finally taken a picture of the baby bump. Better late than never, right?

N thinks L ate the baby and that’s why it’s growing inside her, so there’s that. He’s also mentioned that he’s excited for the new baby to get here, but the excitement might all change once D3 is actually here.

According to the app on my phone, the baby is the size of an eggplant. Maybe I’ll mix in eggplant on the menu this week. The doctor visits are scheduled for every two weeks from here on out, and I’ll try to attend when I can. The first pregnancy I went to every single appointment, the second I went to the majority of them, but now that I’m working and N’s in pre-K, I’ve only been to a few. She understands.