Earthquake + Pampering Before the Baby

Thursday morning I woke up starving, so I had breakfast right away (oatmeal + a piece of toast with peanut butter) and then got busy doing computer work such as updating training plans for my athletes.

While I was working on the computer, we experienced a 6.2 magnitude earthquake that shook everything for about a minute. It was pretty intense, but thankfully nothing in the house was damaged. Our buildings are well designed for earthquakes since they happen so often up here–usually 100 every day in the state.

Later on this morning, I had an appointment at the chiropractor. My back hasn’t been bothering me, but I want to be proactive about keeping everything in alignment during this pregnancy. Plus when issues have flared up with my running, the chiropractor has been able to do some ART (active release technique) that has really helped me feel much better.

I met Craig at work for lunch. I packed a lunch for us, but we were still hungry and had some time to kill, so we grabbed some beverages on this gorgeous fall day. We were going to go to the Hydration Station at Natural Pantry, but the line was long and we didn’t want to wait, so we headed to Starbucks again for a couple of the shaken iced blackberry mojito tea lemonades.

Then it was off to the grocery store (Fred Meyer) to restock the fridge and cupboards with food for the week. I love this time of the year when they have local produce available.

I wanted to treat myself to a manicure/pedicure before the baby came, so I found a Groupon to Body Works salon. I’d actually been there before and had a decent experience, but I wasn’t all that impressed this time around. I didn’t have a horrible experience, but I was disappointed with the quality of the manicure (cuticles weren’t clipped well, nail polish was bubbly) and the pedicure didn’t include any exfoliating on my feet (which I definitely need as a runner). One of the nail techs told the gal who was working with me not to do a deep tissue massage on my calves or feet because it would cause me to go into labor. Seriously!?! Apparently this happened at a previous salon she used to work at.

Oh well, it was still nice to have someone else paint my toe nails since it is getting tricky these days. But I am still putting on my own socks–including the incredibly tight compression socks–and tying my own shoes.

Once I got home, I unpacked all of the groceries and then made this Chicken Wild Rice Soup. (The recipe is for the Crockpot, but I ended up making it on the stove top.) The soup was super easy to make and had a great flavor. A soup like this will always make me think of Minnesota because wild rice is commonly grown in Northern Minnesota.

Then it was off to the hospital where I will be delivering for a tour of the labor and delivery rooms and mother and baby unit. Fortunately it sounds like the staff is pretty flexible with whatever your birth plan may be. I asked about cutting the umbilical cord, bringing your own food, and lactation specialists on staff.

This evening we celebrated Lauren’s birthday with chocolate cheesecake.