Cragmama

Dec 05 2013

Today marks 27 weeks of pregnancy, aka the 3rd (and final!) trimester. Although I certainly hope she stays cooking in there for at least another 2 months or so, if my little girl were to be born now, she’d have a 90% chance of survival – wild, huh?!? Anyway, here’s a look back at the last 8 weeks of my 2nd trimester, from an activity/training perspective…

Peering over the bump to see my feet at 22 weeks.

Week 19 – I found myself partner-less at the gym this week, and since I’m past the stage where I feel comfortable bouldering, I had to get creative on the auto-belays in order to get a good workout in. I did 3 sets of 11 minutes of non-stop climbing (up and down) on a variety of routes ranging in grade from 5.6 – 5.11a. I also gave myself the added challenge of skipping as many holds as I could on the easier routes, and was psyched to come up with several really fun sequences in the 5.10-ish range. After 3 sets I’d climbed continuously for 33 minutes, gone up and down 12 routes, and accumulated a nice low-level pump. I rounded out the night with a few upper body exercises in the weight room (inclined chest press, shoulder press, raises, and some rotator cuff exercises.) Run/bike/elliptical routines still going strong.

Week 20 – Making it to the halfway point still able to run 4 miles at a time feels really good, as last time around I never did more than 3 miles at a time and was started to sprinkle in walking breaks by this point. It may be worth noting, however, that last time around I was running 4-5 days per week, whereas this time I’m doing no more than twice per week (and either biking or ellipitcal-ing the other days.) Perhaps the extra recovery time in between is helping to keep me running? My times are continuing to drop off, as I’m now taking 7-8 minutes longer to cover the same distance than my average pre-preggo times. We also took a day trip to climb at Pilot Mountain, which you can read about here.

Shadow selfie on a 23 week run/walk

Week 21 – A random cold snap kept me and C from our preschool bike commute for the first time yet this year. Call me lazy but bundling a toddler up enough to handle sub-freezing temps (not to mention the added wind chill from the bike) for the 15 minutes it takes us to get to school is not worth it. Despite the cold though I was able to get in several really good runs. I was also really excited to FINALLY preggo-point the project I’d been working on in the gym – a bouldery and sustained 5.11d that kept spitting me off at the same spot towards the top. I’d figured out the moves fairly quickly, but my endurance is obviously lacking (and getting worse, not better!) My strategy was to get the moves dialed in efficiently enough that I could get through it fast enough that I didn’t have a chance to get pumped. And it’s a good thing that I sent it when I did, as the past few times I’d gotten on it I’d noticed that a hand/foot match down low was getting harder and harder with a growing belly in the way!

Week 22 – Check-up this week revealed that I’d gained exactly 10 pounds thus far, which seems reasonable. I also managed a “preggo-PR” on one of my runs this week. I’m finding that I miss bouldering a lot more than I miss lead climbing this pregnancy. With C, hubby and I could rope up whenever we wanted to, but now that a toddler is in the mix, we have to rely on other folks for climbing partners, and several times recently I’ve found myself stuck without a belay buddy. The non-pregnant me would simply enjoy a bouldering session…but the pregnant me is relegated to auto-belays and low traversing. For example this past week one of my climbing sessions consisted of a 15 minute continuous auto-belay warm-up on increasingly harder terrain. After resting a bit, I methodically traversed my way around the bottom of the walls for 30 minutes. While this type of ARC (Aerobic Restoration and Capillary) Training offers plenty of training benefits in it’s own right, it gets pretty darn boring after a while. Climbed outside at Pilot Mountain again over the weekend, where I donned my pregnancy harness from Mountain Mama for the first time (trip report found here.)

NRG at 24 weeks.

Week 23 – Great climbing session w/the hubby this week. Except for the giant full body harness, I hardly felt pregnant! I was able to preggo-point two sloper projects (.11b and .11c) that had me flailing the first time I tried them a couple of weeks ago, and even flashed a steep .11a that I’d shied away from trying because I didn’t think my big belly had a prayer at that angle! Running, however, has started to turn into a chore (mostly from Round Ligament Pain, which although uncomfortable for mom is harmless to baby – more on that here.) With that in mind I decided to add in some walk breaks. It’s amazing what a difference just a tenth of a mile walking here and there can make overall!

Week 24 – With my new walk/running routine in place, I’m back to feeling good during and after my runs. My usual m.o is to walk a couple of tenths for every mile to mile and a half, which means that 3.7 – 4 miles of running interspersed with about a half mile of walking ends up being the magical feel-good combination. We took what will probably be our last trip to the New River Gorge as a family of 3 this past weekend (trip report here), where I started to notice my bump pushing me out away from the wall a bit, shortening my reach. Other than that I felt strong in spurts – I could do a few hard moves in a row, but then either needed moderate terrain or to rest on the rope. With a couple of rests I was able to do all the moves on one of my favorite 5.12’s pretty quickly (Freaky Stylee at Endless Wall), but the hardest thing I was able to “preggo-point” was 5.11a.

Turkey Day walk with my dad at 26 weeks.

Week 25 – Run/walks still feeling good – knock on wood, no discomfort from Braxton Hicks during workouts, which is a welcome change from last pregnancy. An extended rainy day session at the climbing gym went well, although I’m not downclimbing routes as much as I had been earlier in the pregnancy (a lot more tiring than it was just a few weeks ago!) I’ve been able to send several of the newer 5.11’s that were just put up, but my successes are becoming more and more style dependent, and avoiding steep terrain pretty much altogether. Haven’t been biking in a couple of weeks, but that’s due mostly to the weather rather than the pregnancy. A recent doctor’s appointment showed that my iron is low, so I switched over to a pre-natal with higher iron content, and am making a point to chow down on iron-rich foods.

Week 26 – Biggest surprise of the week for me was knocking out not one but TWO 4 mile runs with no walk breaks…and each time feeling like I could have kept going (I didn’t.) Maybe the recent increases in iron intake are increasing my energy levels? (Or maybe it’s just placebo effect…) Regardless of the reason, it was encouraging. Biggest disappointment this week was the climbing gym – I showed up psyched, but ended up partnerless so I filled my time with some aimless wanderings on the auto-belay and a bit of upper body weight lifting.

Week 27 – Starts today! I’m celebrating with a morning climbing date with the hubs while C is in preschool!

Slave to the auto-belay at 26 weeks.

And just like that, I’m 2/3 of the way done! While the first half of this pregnancy seemed to drag on and on, the past several weeks have flown by, and with the holidays upon us, my guess is that time will only speed up from here! I’ll post another update in a few weeks, but in the mean time, I’ve got a discussion starter for all you veteran moms out there – what was the biggest difference between your activity level during the 2nd trimester and the 3rd? For my pregnancy I remember it being the lack of running, and an inability to walk more than 20 minutes at a time without having a pee break!

9 Things You Should NEVER Say to a Pregnant Woman…and What to Say Instead!

Pregnancy.

24 Comments.

Dec 02 2013

(Picture from babygizmo.com)

To some, these may seem obvious…but after one completed pregnancy, and another almost 2/3 of the way through (not to mention plenty of friends that have been pregnant), I can assure you that these statements are in fact used on a regular basis. I’ve heard all of them…more than once. So if you encounter a mama-to-be on a regular basis (or just see one on the street), read on. DISCLOSURE: This post may very likely be wildly influenced by pregnancy hormones, so take it with a grain of salt 😉

1. “Are you sure there’s not more than one in there?” Yes, while some get there sooner than others, we all get to a certain point where we are ridiculously big and it does not mean that IVF with donor eggs resulted in twin pregnancy. And yes, we are fully aware of it and probably self-conscious about it. And no, we don’t care for your sarcasm.

2. “You look tired/rundown/rough/etc.” Didn’t your mother teach you – if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say it at all? This rule applies here. Odds are good a pregnant woman is fully aware that she may not look her best, but she’s probably doing the best she can. Unless you are a family member or very close friend that is asking primarily because you’d like to volunteer your help in some way, keep your mouth shut. Or present some beauty care from 16 Best Drugstore Tinted Moisturizers For Your Dark Skin, Rosacea & More and make her day!

3. “Was this baby planned or a surprise?” None of your damn business. Enough said? Nosy speculations about fertility treatments also fall into this category.

4. “Wow, you must have been hungry!” This is usually uttered after a mom-to-be has gone back for seconds…or thirds…Don’t judge. Pregnant women ARE hungry. All. The. Time. It’s just a fact – even a sedentary mama-to-be will need an extra 300 calories per day during the second half of her pregnancy, and that number dramatically increases the more active she is. No matter what size you were to begin with, facing 9 months of weight gain is difficult (both emotionally and physically). Constant reminders that everyone around you is taking notes on your eating habits is unnecessary and rude. Still healthy nutrition is essential for a pregnant woman. Many women are afraid to have dental issues during pregnancy, so they try to visit a dentist before they actually plan to conceive a child for check-up and advice on proper nutrition. For those struggling to find a reliable dental service in Marlton, NJ, check out https://www.thedentalspecialtycenter.com/.

Photo Credit: http://www.etsy.com/listing/66647545/pregnant-woman-bingo-card

5. “Let me touch that baby bump!” This is usually an offending action rather than a statement (which means it can happen without warning!!!) Some people seem to think that personal space standards go out the window during pregnancy. If you and I are not on a familiarity level that makes it okay for you to just reach out and touch my non-pregnant belly, nothing has changed. Well, maybe it’s changed a little. If a friend asks the pregnant me, I’ll probably let you, whereas the non-pregnant me would just give you a weird look and back away slowly. From a complete stranger however? Hands off!

6. “Whatever you do, don’t name the baby _______________ .” While others may choose differently, I for one, have always chosen not to share name selections until hubby and I are 150% sure on a name and ready to engrave it on a place setting. Why don’t let you in on our top three choices? Because we really don’t care what your opinion is. If I’m waffling back and forth between Helga and Gertrude, the last thing I want you to do is to try and sway me one way or the other – and besides, how awkward would that be later if I ended up going with Gertrude after you adamantly announced you hated it?!?

7. “Your going to _____________ (insert parenting advice here), right?!?” While most advice is well-intentioned, assumptions about someone’s parenting style (especially someone who is getting ready to be a parent for the first time!) is inappropriate. How you are going to raise your child involves a lot of big decisions – most of which do NOT need to be made when you’re 15 weeks pregnant. Conversations with a mama-to-be should be flavored with encouragement and support, not judgments and assumptions.

8. “Are you hoping it’s a ________________ (insert sex of your choice)?” Newsflash – most of the moms I know are/were hoping for 10 fingers and 10 toes, and didn’t really care whether the room was painted pink or blue. However, some moms (especially those that already have one or more of one gender), really do have their heart set on one particular sex. In those cases I’m sure that by the time the baby comes, she will love it whether it’s a girl, boy, or a purple-polka dotted monster. But in the months leading up to the big day, she may be working through some emotions that she’d rather not have awkwardly pointed out.

Pregnancy is NOT always this sweet…but sometimes it is 🙂

9. “Better enjoy ______________ (insert super awesome activity here) while you still can!” Regardless of how you think the expectant couple will handle parenthood, blanket, know-it-all statements about how their lifestyle will change is annoying for anyone to hear. Especially when it’s not even always true. Case in point – when I was pregnant with C, I was CONSTANTLY bombarded with statements about kissing our climbing days goodbye. While our lifestyle no doubt changed dramatically, I think our family has proven that the addition of a baby doesn’t equal death to all adventure pursuits. Ironically, I have yet to hear this statement even once with baby #2, although I’ve got my fake smile packaged and ready to go at a moment’s notice just in case.

Admittedly, there is some wiggle room with most of these statements…ie, I wouldn’t think my mom is rude for inquiring if I’m getting enough sleep, whereas the local grocery cashier would be out of line asking if I was “feeling tired today.” Close friends and family have different boundaries, and “usually” know their limits (although don’t assume you have free reign to say what you want, because sometimes it’s those folks that are the biggest culprits!!!) But if in doubt, don’t worry, there are a few things that are ALWAYS music to a pregnant woman’s ears, such as…

“You look fantastic!” Because even if she isn’t one of the lucky ones that ONLY gains weight in the shape of an adorable bump, odds are good that she’s doing the best she can with the genetics God gave her. Even if she doesn’t fit your definition of “fantastic,” she’s got a miracle growing inside of her, and that’s pretty darn fantastic, don’t ya think?

“How are you feeling?” And say it like you really care about what the answer is. Long before a woman starts to show, there’s a LOT going on on the inside. Knowing someone cares enough to ask means a lot – and don’t worry, MOST women know how to temper their answer based on the audience (ie, while I might tell a close girlfriend about how things are starting to feel different “down there,” it wouldn’t even cross my mind when the same girlfriend’s husband asks me the same question.)

“Do you need any help?” It’s always appropriate to offer something nice. Asking for help is not something every woman, pregnant or not, is comfortable doing, or even knows how to do. Whether it’s helping to paint the baby’s room, wading through registry options, or even carrying a bag of groceries through the parking lot, a caring gesture will not go unappreciated.

If you’ve been there, done that, can I get an Amen? What other statements would you add to the either list?

The 5 Most Unpleasant Things I’m Thankful For This Year…

Parenting. Reflections.

3 Comments.

Nov 27 2013

Good to know where it all goes!

Well, it’s Thanksgiving again, and like many of you probably have, I’ve taken some time to pause and reflect on what I’m thankful for this year. However, at the risk of sounding cliche and sappy, this post is going to take a different perspective than the usual rote lists of blessings. Often times, situations that seem unpleasant at first glance end up being the gateway to other blessings that we never would have encountered without the former unpleasantries. I think it was Garth Brooks who once sang that “some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.” I’ve certainly found that to be true in my own life, so this year I’d like to reflect on the 5 most UNPLEASANT things I’m thankful for this year…

1. WEIGHT GAIN – This one probably doesn’t top most folks’ list of gratitude, as for many, weight gain is an unwelcome visitor. In fact, this is only the second time in my life I’ve ever put it on my “Thankful For” list! That’s because this year, an extra pound on the scale doesn’t correlate to an extra helping of chips and dip at that last party, or ice cream for too many days in a row. Weight gain this year for me means that God’s blessed me with the opportunity to grow a little miracle inside me yet again!

2. THE AGING PROCESS – Another weird one. But over these past few years, I’ve begun to notice an interesting trend that is worth noting. The older I get, the more satisfied and content I am with the life I have right now as opposed to the life I had always pictured in my adolescent dreamings. While it’s true that the years may have added in a few wrinkles here and there, they’ve also added a marriage to a man that is my soulmate, along with a little boy (and soon to be little girl!) that I absolutely adore.

3. UNEXPECTED BILLS – Was I psyched when our air conditioner went kaput 4 days before some invasive tree roots completely blocked our sewage line this past fall? Heck no. But I am certainly thankful that we had enough money to cover those unwelcome bills without having to miss any meals. When circumstances beyond our control inevitably happen, they are a good reminder to not take what we have for granted.

4. AREAS WITHOUT CELL RECEPTION – Though the inability to check my email or even just change my facebook status can be temporarily annoying, I’m grateful that there are areas my family can still frequent to disconnect from technology for a few days at a time. Sadly, it seems like now more than ever “disconnecting” is a skill that actually needs to be taught to our kiddos!

Temper tantrum about trying on wedding clothes…

5. AN OPINIONATED TODDLER – My little guy has always been a man that knows exactly what he wants when it comes to pretty much everything. Today he wants these pants, and NOT THOSE. Yesterday he hated bananas, but today it’s the only thing he wants. Books, routines, activities, and even how much water is in the cup while he brushes his teeth – he’s got something to say about it all. But despite the extra patience his stubbornness sometimes requires, I’m thankful that he feels free and confident enough to voice his opinion, and to ask for clarification when he wonders why we do things a certain way. My prayer is that he will take that freedom to ask questions with him into the awkwardness of adolescence, and that he will feel secure enough in his own skin to handle the temptations that come with being a teenager. While his opinions and endless chatter may indeed be tiring at times, I’m thankful that God gave him a strong mind with strong convictions – at least I know he’ll be the one staunchly standing his ground in a group of peers rather than swayed by the crowd.

So that’s my gratitude list for Thanksgiving this year, unorthodox as it may be. When I first got the idea for this post, I thought I’d have trouble coming up with five…but the more I thought about it, the more the ideas kept flowing. So when it comes to gratitude, don’t be afraid to think outside the box this year. Because after all, sometimes the worst things can lead to the best things!

What blessings disguised as unpleasantries are you thankful for this year?

Fall Craft Project: Leaf Placemats (and Window Decor…)

Homeschooling.

5 Comments.

Nov 21 2013

Autumn in the Southeast!

One of my favorite craft mediums from nature has got to be autumn leaves. They come in a spectacular array of colors, each one unique, and are available for free in unlimited supply! That’s why in addition to family raking days, we try to do at least one art project with our leaves before they fall down and turn brown. Last year, one of our projects was making leaf-covered vests at McDowell Nature Preserve. This year I opted for something a little more decorative that we’d be able to use throughout the season. But considering that he’s 3 and I’m pregnant, we needed something that would run off his energy without using up too much of mine. We decided to make placemats, and our project provided a delightful morning of both outdoor time and crafting time. (And it is SUPER EASY.)

Materials:
Bag: Or bucket. Anything that will transport your leaves from the forest to the kitchen table.
Contact paper: We bought ours at Wal-mart. After scouring the entire store, we finally found it in housewares of all places…
Leaves: All different colors, shapes, and sizes.
Sharpie: Only needed if you want to write names on them when finished.

Directions:
1. Head to your favorite local haunt with lots of trees and start gathering. We decided to use our project as a hiking opportunity as well, and headed over to the Big Rocks Nature Preserve. C enjoys hiking a lot better when he has a “mission” – gathering leaves, looking for bugs, etc. But if you’re short on time, you can probably score almost just as many around your neighborhood! Don’t be picky – the more variety, the better the collage!

2. Scatter your leaves on the table, and cut your contact paper to the desired size (2 equal pieces for each placemat you want to make.) In hindsight, it would have been more efficient to have the contact paper pre-cut, but we’d of course gone out that very morning to get some. No matter, our division of labor still worked out fairly well (C was the scatterer, I was the cutter.)

3. Peel off one piece of contact paper and lay it on the table, sticky side up. I was afraid this could get frustrating, with everything within 10 feet of the paper getting stuck, but it was actually not bad at all. It’s relatively easy to “unstick” something that inadvertently lands on the paper, or to reposition something exactly how you want it.

4. Creatively place leaves onto the paper. Let your toddler’s imagination run wild! The nice thing about this project is that it will always look great because there’s no wrong way to do it!

5. Peel off the other piece of contact paper and carefully lay it sticky side down on top of the leaf-laden paper. You may have to peel up each corner and smooth out with your hand a few times in order to get ride of unwanted air bubbles and creases.

That’s it, you’re done! Now you’ve got a beautiful placemat that you can enjoy all season long! We made three – one for C, one for Mommy, and one for Daddy. We ended up liking them so much that we decided to hang them on the windows while they are not in use. The sun shining through the paper made for a beautiful effect!

Fun placemats…

…to beautiful wallhangings!

If we get really inspired, we may even make the entire extended family personalized placemats for Thanksgiving. It would be a great way for C to get involved and be able to bring something to the table (literally!) Has anyone else ever tried making these? (If you haven’t, you should, it was loads of fun!) What are some other autumn leaf crafts that are fun for the whole family?

New River Gorge Climbing – 24 Weeks Pregnant

New River Gorge. Climbing. Pregnancy.

3 Comments.

Nov 19 2013

Makeshift basement digs.

For the past few weeks we’ve had our eye on our schedules and the weather, with fingers crossed that the stars would align and we’d get one last chance to hit up the New River Gorge once more before cold weather, holidays, and new baby prep begin to overwhelm. Towards the end of last week we finally saw a weather window that looked promising, so we made tentative plans, solidifying them on Friday just a few hours before we left (not recommended, as the mad dash to pack was a bit hectic…)

Despite the fair skies advertised for Saturday, it was cold, wet and miserable when we rolled into town around 9:30 or so. Drat, the weather gods must have figured out one of the chinks in my pregnancy armor – setting up camp in a downpour. I’m partially ashamed to say that it was a no-brainer to shift directly to Plan B – crashing on some bouldering pads in our local climbing partner’s basement. C was a little confused as to why were sleeping inside, but I was certainly delighted to be able to stay warm and dry not only when I went to bed, but also throughout my inevitable nighttime potty breaks.

Halfway up Ladder #2

Almost at the top of Ladder #3!

Anyway, despite the somewhat odd start to our trip, we ended up with a great weekend – here’s our sum-up.

Day 1: Endless Wall
Exoduster (5.10b) – I am not a fan of this route, but it does present a reasonable warm-up for the area (although everyone who’s done it pretty much universally agrees that .10b is quite the sandbag rating…).
Smore Energy (5.11c) – I’d flashed this one a couple of years ago, and hadn’t been on it since. This time around my endurance was obviously a bit lacking (although for good reasons!) The pump at the roof and bulge took a lot out of me and I had to rest a couple of times.
Freaky Stylee (5.12a) – This route will always have sentimental value for me, not just because it was one of my 12 5.12’s for 2012, but because I sent it by the skin of my teeth right after my hubby had just sent his neighboring project du jour in equally desperate fashion. It’s also an Endless Wall classic, so I never pass up a chance to get on it again, even if it’s just a pregnancy toprope burn. I actually felt surprisingly strong on it – I got pumped trying to remember a sequence after the traverse, and forgot about a key hold I use in the crux, so I wasn’t clean by any means, but I was delighted at how solid I felt making the moves.

Crag-Daddy warming up at Whippoorwill

I think it’s safe to say that everyone’s highlight of the weekend was the crag-kiddo’s “send” of the Fern Point ladders at the end of the day. The shortest of the 3 ladder options at Endless Wall, this option features 3 ladders (each about 15-ish feet tall), with a scurry through a narrow corridor sprinkled in between. Our last few visits, C has been ~~whining~~ inquiring about why he can’t do the ladders by himself, and considering how well he’s taken to roping up recently, we decided to let him have a crack at it. Steve set a belay at the top of each ladder, using some quickdraws as directionals at various points, and a safely harnessed (and helmeted) C zoomed right up all three in no time! He did a great job “cleaning” the quickdraws on the way up, and was in fact rather disappointed at the top that he couldn’t go back down and try it again! His protests were somewhat appeased when we told him that next time he could try the (much taller) Honeymooner’s Ladders since he did such a good job on the little ones.

Day 2: Whippoorwill
It’s hard to believe it had been more than 2 years since we’d last been to this area (though with all the amazing rock out there, it’s not that hard to imagine I guess!) Today was a more laidback day as far as grades go, which was evident in the fact that I was clean on all the routes I attemped except for one (as opposed to hanging my way up everything the day before!) The other times we’ve climbed at Whippoorwill the water has been too high to access the largest section of cliff, so we took advantage of low water season and hiked over to terrain we’d never seen before.

Cruxin’ on Latch Key Kids (5.10a)

Unknown (5.9) – Funky start, but then enjoyable climbing to a bulging finish.
Latch Key Kids (5.10a) – This might have been my favorite route of the weekend! A long, technical romp that followed a thin crack/seam feature, just steep enough to accumulate a pump for the sloping finish. Very fun movement, with a cool crux sequence down low pulling a bulge.
Flounder (5.11a) – Our crew all agreed this was a great route – but we also all agreed that it felt pretty hard for the grade. Sustained climbing over relentlessly tiny holds made for quite the technical face climbing clinic – I was pretty proud of myself for hanging on for the preggo-flash (as well as proud of the hubby for his first 5.11 onsight!)
By this point the inevitable afternoon rain was looking closer and closer, and I wasn’t comfortable with the idea of scrambling over the rocks and scree slope at the base of the cliff in a downpour, so we decided to go ahead and make our way back to towards the car, finishing on the short routes at the base of the approach gully.
Pat-agonia (5.11b) – Only route of the day I couldn’t do clean. Maybe I’d just gotten overworked on the previous route, but figuring out all the long reaches seemed hard in a “not fun” kind of way, so I bailed about halfway up. One of the perks of being pregnant is there’s never any pressure to finish a route if I’m zonked 😉
Jowiki (5.10a) – A much better ending than it’s next door neighbor, although all the efforts from the weekend must have been catching up with me because it still felt a lot harder than it probably should have. We had planned to end with the easiest route on the wall, Whinerlamer (5.8), but the rain started in on us just as we were finishing up Jowiki, and thankfully gave us just enough time to pack up and get back to the car without getting soaked.

You know, just hanging around at the crag…

This weekend was a really fun balance between old and new – on the first day we hit up some classics at one of our favorite places ever to climb, and on the second day we had a steady diet of new (to us) routes we’d never even seen before. It’s kind of a metaphor of the life stage our family is in right now – comfortably enjoying life to the fullest as a family of 3, while preparing for a new arrival in a few short months that will change the entire dynamic! Odds are good that the next time we plan a New River Gorge weekend it will be next spring as a family of FOUR,,,hard to believe but it will be here before we know it!

What adventures did everyone else get into last weekend?

“Not all who wander are lost.” —JRR TOLKIEN

Cragmama "Not all who wander are lost…" JRR Tolkien

Pregnancy Update: Weeks 19-26

9 Things You Should NEVER Say to a Pregnant Woman…and What to Say Instead!

The 5 Most Unpleasant Things I’m Thankful For This Year…

Fall Craft Project: Leaf Placemats (and Window Decor…)

New River Gorge Climbing – 24 Weeks Pregnant