My Precious

Whole lotta mish mash coming your way...fair warning!!
How was your weekend?  Aside from the obligatory baby ready-ing and a titch of drama, we did well this weekend.  Celebrated Father's Day yesterday with the hubbers (daddy to be, current daddy and fur daddy...it all counts!) - my godfather had to work, so we arranged for our Dad's day to be next Saturday.  Hey, whatever works, works.   We got the baby room finis - Greg hung the curtains and wall accoutrement's, and I organized all of our clothes by size to figure out what we still need (nothing until 12 months).  Sweet.  This week, we meet with the OB nurse, I get to do disability paperwork, and we interview our pediatrician.  Still looking for that car seat inspection (all of the towns around us require you to be a resident, and our town doesn't so them.  Lame.)  Luckily, we have some fire department members in the fam, so we've agreed on a fair lunch swap for our kiddos safety check.  It works.

On Saturday, we went out to Honeoye Falls to move some furniture to clean out Gram Glaser's apartment - we took a beautiful hutch that matches our china cabinet, which fits perfectly in our dining room.  Score.  We also helped move some other furniture (fine- I directed, on family orders :-P)  and unraveled the mystery of the bequest.  See, Gram had a pretty standard Will....with a few extras she left to a few selected people.  My cousin got the chandelier.  My Aunt got a specific gift Gram had in mind.  And she left me something.  What?  Well, I had no clue what it was, but it had the family in stitches, so clearly this must have been something I made a comment on that she remembered.  Well....I found out what it is.  And I have a few ideas....but was not prepared for this one.  She left us a dog.  Yep, my very own black poodle.  A guard dog.  One that should not be messed with...

...lest you stub your toe.  LOL.  I'm thinking I must have commented on her guard dog at some point, or lamented about how I wanted my own dog so badly, but Greg is making me wait until kiddo g is 3 or 4.  (Which I totally can do, but it's a joke with us).  So....Gram got us a dog.  A non shedding, non pooping, non barking dog that's heavy as all get out, wears pearls on Mondays, and makes a great door stop.
I love her.  I immediately named her Precious, cause it's clearly a girl dog and....somewhat creepy.  But ya know what?  She thought of me, thought it was important to leave with me, and I'm going with it.  Plus, I burst out laughing every time I pass this silly dog standing watch by our front door.
Love you Gram.
And that's my big story for the weekend.  Have you ever had something really strange left to you that you can't figure out?  Share!

Week 34: Checkin it off....

Wait, are you telling me that in 6 weeks we're gonna have a baby??  How in the heck did this happen?  Well, okay, fine, we all know how it HAPPENED, but this is a family blog, remember?  So, let's talk about the stork, the kiddo, momma and daddy and all that jazz.  After all, that's why you're here, right?  Right!

Week 34:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (about the size of a cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

Awww, it seems we've hit another layer of safe zone (does that even exist?)  It's good to know that Baby G would most likely be okay if I delivered today, and also to know that my hospital (which doesn't have the NICU) would be able to deliver safely.  Still...bake, baby, bake!  Give us a few more weeks before you come to play, please.  Speaking of playing, though, it seems to be my lil rambunctious kicker wants to do just that.  All. the. time.  Good thing s/he lets momma know whats up in that little world, huh??  And without further adieu, here's whats up in my world in week 34....

Week 34:  Momma

Body: Up 22 pounds- go baby, go! This week, I truly feel every inch of 8 months pregnant.  Not waddling yet, but Greg is officially on alert to let me know when it happens :-P

Cravings: Fruit.  Loving cherries, peaches, mangoes, blueberries, and oranges.  So refreshing and yummy!!

Aversions: I gave up on oatmeal and bought whole wheat English muffins, cheese, and egg beaters to make breakfast sammies.  It takes me awhile, but I learn.  Eventually. 

Sleep:2 hour stretches.  That's just the way it is.  Thanks lil turtle, for training momma one month early (face palm).

Fears: Doing super well this week as far as "stuff"...hospital visit done, hospital bag packed, nursery 99% done (just need to hang curtains!), and Greg has started teaching me my Bradley Methods exercises.  Makin the list, checkin it off. One step at a time-baby is coming soon!!

Best Baby Moment: Well, I must officially look socially acceptably pregnant (about damn time!) because I've gotten a ton of "You look awesome"! And "You are doing everything right!" and "8 months-holy cow, you look amazing!"  Which....hey, I'll take it.  Everyone likes compliments :-)  And then the baby will kick when someone's holding my tummy and it's even more worth it :-)

Items Bought/Received: One of our old family friends sewed me a baby blanket in the shape of a turtle that will look PERFECT on our wall.  I also bought 3 bottles of baby shampoo, diaper rash creme, infant toothpaste, 2 onesies, and a 40 pack of pampers for $11.  Sweet.  Mom also bought us some 9 month turtle onesies....so spoiled!!

IRON BABY: Week 32

Swimming: 6.5 miles

Biking: 61 miles

Running: 3.1 miles

Total: 70.6 miles.

Iron Baby’s Travels to date (week 19 on)….1405.9 miles-that's the distance from Rochester NY to Bismark, North Dakota.  Where I wanted to take our honeymoon.  No joke.  Seriously, why go somewhere exotic when all you want to do is spend time in the....wait.  PG.  I'm sorry.  So sorry.  (We went to Vermont for our honeymoon....but it was gorgeous for hiking and biking in August :-))

And, of course...more nursery shots!!  AHHH, I can't wait to meet our kiddo!!

Swiss Family Glaser

I'd like to promise you that "Tri'ing for Balance" is in a little bit of a blogging break and I'll soon go back to posting every day or at the least, every other day.
But I promised I wouldn't lie to you quite some time ago.  And as I'm working through this darn third trimester and family emergencies, work commitments, and, oh well, lets face it...LIFE...keeps getting in the way, I find myself being able to grab 15 minutes to blog less and less.  So, we're working through it.  I'm assuming life with an infant will improve many things. But not the blog.
So, bear with me if you will.  I promise to keep posting on my pregnancy, running adventures (waning now, but planning 2014 with a vengeance!) and recipe testing...just maybe not as frequently.  After all, your time is just as valuable as mine, right?  Right.
So, speaking of recipes, whens the last time I posted something good?  I know!  It's not the I've fallen out of love with cooking, but due to time constraints (see above #firstworldproblems) and lack of functioning taste buds (really does happen when you have da Buddha belly), I just have been more reliant on non-interesting food.  But this past weekend, I decided to change that.  Greg and I had designs to grill out, but the combination of the crap weather and running out of propane cooled our jets (literally).  So here I had these gorgeous steaks all ready to go and no grill to work with.  What's a girl to do?  Make swiss steak!  (with some tweaks, natch).

Swiss Steak a la Glaser (serves 4)

2 8 oz sirloin steaks, cubed

2 tbsp flour
Salt and pepper, to taste
28 oz. diced tomatoes
2 onions, diced
2 cups mushrooms, diced
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 cups white rice, uncooked


Just a note- this dish can be done in the crock pot for those busy weeknights.  Don't tell Julia Child, but I've been known to throw the above mentioned ingredients all together in the crock, set on low for 8 hours, then go (omitting olive oil).  But, you want a real recipe.  So if you want real swiss steak, let's do it.
In a skillet, heat oil.  Dredge steak cubes in flour, salt and pepper, and brown.  Add in onions and garlic, saute for about 5 minutes. 
In a dutch oven, add in tomatoes and mushrooms.  Top with beef, onions and garlic, cover.  Cook at 300 for 90 minutes, no peeking!
During the last 20 minutes of cooking, cook rice as directed on stove top.  Spoon rice onto plate and top with beef and veggie deliciousness.  Serves 4 people comfortably.

Well, it might be summertime, but comfort food has no season.  And this was delicious.  I would add peppers next time a la traditional swiss steak but....the pepper fairy forgot to pick those up at the market this week.  Ooops.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!  Any recipes you're loving on lately?

The ones we love

This is dedicated to the ones we love......

As I mentioned briefly last week, it's been a rough week in my little corner of the world.
Last Tuesday, I got the news that my aunt passed away from lung cancer.  She was only 62.  To say that I wasn't expecting this one would be like saying that I didn't really expect the sun to rise that morning.  I had no idea.  I guess she found out last December that she had cancer, but decided that she didn't want anyone but her daughters to know.  Which I respect.  She passed peacefully on Tuesday morning at home.  A full life, for sure.  Just cut way too short.
Then, on Thursday afternoon, we got a call from Greg's aunt letting us know that his grandma passed.  Granted, she was in her 80's, but it's never something you want to hear.  I'd only known Grandma Glaser for 8 years, but loved her to bits with her fiery, take no bullsh*t attitude.  So, for one entry, I wanted to remember these two special women and the way they impacted my life.
My Aunt Barb taught me....
Never to take no for an answer.
That I will be a brat, no matter how old I am.
That in order to stay healthy, you gotta stay active.
That watching Twilight in your jammies at 1am when you are 9 years old is...perfectly acceptable.
If it's yellow, let it mellow.  If it's brown....yeah, flush that down.
That exotic birds and super cool, and yes, parrots do mimic you.  Especially if you keep callin' em turds.
 That peanut brittle is the best invention ever.  And the perfect Christmas gift.
That even though you might be getting older chronologically....you're never old unless you say so.
That you can, in fact, change everything about your life.  It just takes some time, creativity, and faith.

Even though she ended up living 3000 miles away, I'll never forget the fun times we had and am so glad I got to see her when Greg and I went out to Cali a few years back.  You will be missed, but I am so thankful we were pals for 30 years :-)

As for Greg's grandma, well.....that was only an 8 year friendship.  But from the moment I met her, I knew this was a grandma to be reckoned with.  One they called "the queen" (she had a striking resemblance to the queen of England.).  One that took no crap, whatsoever.  If you looked fat in the dress, you looked fat in the dress.  But I loved her.  Because....
....She had a ridiculously quirky sense of humor.  Part and parcel for a Glaser, of course.
....She had a real, square between the eyes view of life.  A few years ago, I was visiting my grandma's grave, and saw her grave a few rows down.  Freaked me out.  When I asked her about it, she told me everyone dies, and that was her house for her time.  And I should visit her in real life now, dammit.
....She loved barbies.  In a childlike, magical kind of way.  And delighted in showing me each and every barbie she had.  
....She never treated me like Greg's wife.  Just a granddaughter.  I could actually say the same thing about every member of my husband's family, which is special and amazing to me.  Thy aren't in laws.  (Out laws?: -))  They are family.  And that's priceless.

Grandma G., you will be missed.  Heaven caught two fine ladies last week, and while we are missing them and our world is a little less bright, I know they are up there, raisin' hell and takin' names.

I love you Aunt Barb and Grandma Arlene!

Week 33: Blocked

Well, we've hit another milestone this week.....my pregnancy blocks.  Since I am a cheap frugal mommy to be, I'm using date blocks for my weeks (never ending calendar deal).  Well...since there is no such 33, 34, 35 or 36 in each month...i can't make those numbers in blocks!  Doh!  It's okay....time to bust out my pathetic paint skills.  I'm sorry in advance, but I'll work on it in the next few weeks :-)

Week 33

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds and has passed the 17-inch mark (about the size of a pineapple). He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

I have no doubt this lil bugger is a growin-I've gone from being that teeny pregnant woman to "holy cow"  look at your tummy!  Well, at least they aren't busting on my toosh....

Momma: Week 33

Body: Up 20 pounds.  Steady as she goes....doo doo, doo doo do.. At this stage, I'm just glad I'm not a waddlin like a duck.  It goes without saying that I feel verrrry pregnant by now, even though some people might digress.  Proof is in the puddin-tummy is over 15 inches bigger than at week 5!

Cravings: Cheese, cheese cheese.  String cheese.  Cheddar cheese.  Mac n cheese.  Oh you bet I made some Kraft the other day.  It's funny-I'm still enjoying my sweet treats, but any GOTTA HAVE IT NOWs are all about salty, savory, and...cheese.  I wonder if I will ever eat banana oats again?

Aversions: Not too many, just, as always, food that doesn't sound good.  Mostly sweet stuff.  I can live with that.

Sleep: Sad as it is, the couch is my new best friend.  It's comfy, I can make my own pillow heaven, and use the back for support.  Poor Greg.  Then again, maybe he likes having a big bed all to himself...hmm.

Fears: IT'S ALMOST TIME!  PACK THE HOSPITAL BAG!  WHERE'S THE BIRTH PLAN?? (well, i did finish that this week).  We did our hospital tour this week, which was super cool, but also made shit more real.  Yeah, that'll be me in less than 7 weeks.  Yes, kiddo, you heard me right.  I'm evicting you in 7 weeks.  Stat.

Best Baby Moment:Seeing the nursery and birthing unit at Highland.  I can't wait to meet our kiddo!!

Items Bought/Received: My friend Carly, who is a super couponer, sold me 17 cases of diapers and 6 boxes of wipes for a freakin sweet deal.  I also had some luck at target this week...2 boxes of diapers, 2 things of baby wash, and 2 things of lotion for $11.  Sweet.  Tomorrow is the Gananda garage sale, so more deals on the way for week 34!!

IRON BABY: Week 32

Swimming: 6 miles

Biking: 85 miles

Running: 0 miles

Total: 91 miles.  No running this week....treadmill is busted and I've been a tired momma.  We'll give it a go next week and see if running is still in the picture :-)

Iron Baby’s Travels to date (week 19 on)….1335.3 miles- That's the distance between Rochester,NY and New Orleans.  No, baby, no beads for you!

Week 33 was a bit rough...we had a few deaths in the family, which made for a pretty sad week in the Glaser house.  Here's hoping that week 34 will be lookin up....and we keep counting down the days until we meet our little g!

Who's Your Sherpa?

Hey all, how was your weekend?  We had a pretty crazy one at casa Glaser- a little bit of drama, little bit of excitement, little bit of injury, little bit of pregnancy meltdown.  Such is life, right?  Not to leave anything dangling, but let's just scoot on out to the fun stuff.  Well, I suppose Greg would debate it, but we'll talk about it anyways.
So this weekend was the kick off for tri season in New York-the famous Keuka Lake Tri in Pen Yan, and the Pittsford Tri in Rochester.  We usually venture out to Keuka for our first race-it's a nice town about an hour east of Rochester and the race is run really well.  For the last few years, we've done the Olympic distance tri, and aside from some nasty hills on the bike and a frigid lake, it's a really nice race.  However, this year we decided to stick closer to home (blame it on el preggo) and do the Pittsford Tri. 
We've shied away from this race in the past because the swim portion is a pool swim-which is great, but the open water swim is really a favorite of ours during races.  But, necessity is the mother of invention, and with

baby g waiting to make an appearance, close is best.
The sprint tri event, with a 300 yd swim, 15 mile bike, and 3.3 mile run drew about 250 athletes and started at 7am on Sunday morning.  We arrived about 6am, racked Greg's bike, then took a tour of the transition and swim set up.  He took off to acclimate, and I wandered around.  The structure of the swim was kind of neat-they started at 7am on the dot and one swimmer went off every 15 seconds.  You went up a lane, back down, then under the dividers in order to end up at the end lane with 300 yards swum.  Seeding for the swim was based on your estimate of how fast you planned to do the swim (indicated during race sign up).  So, the fastest estimate was #1, slowest was #250, etc.  Greg was seeded #30, so he took off at 7:07.  Of course, no seeding is perfect, so there was some passing in pool, but it seemed to work pretty well overall.  He came out of the water in 4:19 (speedy Gonzales) and headed out to bike.  I knew the bike would take him anywhere from 45 to 50 minutes, so I walked around a bit and made a few friends....ran into old co-worker, and met a few MIMs (Moms in Motion.  Oh you bet I'm joining those guys in a few months...they are super friendly and fun!)
After almost an hour, I started to worry.  Greg's a strong biker, and I knew he could average about 19 on this course.  He came rolling through in 1:02 (15 mph avg) with black hands and a dejected face.  Crap.  Flatted.  He shouted over his shoulder..."11 minutes gone to hell!" and I really felt for him.  As he threw on his running shoes, I shouted encouragement to have a strong run and forget the effin bike.  He headed out, lookin good, and I travelled to the finishers chute to cheer on the winning men. 
As I waited for Greg with some of the MIM's, I got a chance to fall in love with the sport all over again. It was so neat to see all of the finishers-from about age 12 to age 82...some sprinting in, some smiling, some bursting at the seams, all of them no doubt loving what they do.  It was also cool to see the range that the swim had-since the "faster" swims were the lower numbers (theoretically) you

could see how the bike and run were equalizers.  I saw number 6 and number 83 finish together (#6 had about 15 minutes on #83).  I saw #22 and #25 sprint it out....only 45 seconds separated them.  Kind of cool....even if you "beat" someone to the finish, you didn't necessarily beat them overall.  After about 35 minutes, I saw a figure in red approaching.  Walking.  My poor guy.  I jogged up about a third of a mile to meet him, where he explained that he heard his calf pop at mile 1.5 and was in alot of pain...which I could tell by the limp.  I gave him a big hug and told him how proud I was of him.  We walked to the finish together and he proudly finished his race.  The awesome swim, the frustrating bike, the heartbreaking run (he pulled a calf muscle and is now sidelined for 4-6 weeks, bummer).  He could have quit any time.  But he didn't.  And that's a true warrior of a triathlete.  Not when the race is going well, but when it sucks and you finish anyways, because you need to.  So glad I married that man!
Pittsford Tri, we will be back.  Your course is awesome, your race management flawless, and you are close.  I'm itching to give you a go, and Greg needs retribution.  See you in 2014.
And with that, I sherpa-ed my triathlete home.  And did massages.  And ice cream.  Cause it's all about balance, right? :-)

Confessions of a Pregnant Triathlete: the 3rd Trimester.

Hey all, how's life treating you on this gorgeous 90 degree day?  Other than the fact that I would bribe my high school nemesis for a dip in a nice, cold outdoor pool....things are good.  Lack of cankles?  Check.  Plenty of Popsicles?  Check.  Out for a run?  Not so much.  Which, with a recent comment on my last "confessions" post, made me realize that....5 months pregnant and rounding 8 months pregnant....changes a few things.  A few things other than proximity to my due date.  (Holy hell is that coming fast).  So as I round out 33 weeks in this gestating an alien stage of my life, I thought I would share how my "training" (used SO loosely) is going.  Read on.

Confessions of a (very) Pregnant Triathlete

1.  I can't race.  Its not fair.  As the "tri" season kicks off tomorrow in western NY with the Keuka Lake Tri and the Pittsford Tri (which Greg is breaking his cherry on this year!)...I'm excited to see another year of multi sport in our house.  And on facebook.  And with my tri-friends.  And....I'm jealous as hell.  I thought about doing the relay but....my father in law would have a heart attack (yes Dad, I KNOW) and it was kinda pricey for a 300 yard swim and 3.3 mile run. So, we're spectating.  Which is totally fine.  I love just being around the sport and cheering my hubby on, but....let's be real.  I wish I was out there, toeing the line.  baby, you're worth it.  But wouldn't it be cool if I could just take you off for 2 hours like those fake bellies they used to train 16 year olds how to cross their legs with?  No? No?
2.  I'm down to one pair of shorts that fit.  Running shorts, that is.  NONE of my bike shorts fit, and I thank goodness that I have a male in the house who is a bit bigger than me.  But I still feel bad....as he goes out for a ride, "Hey Babe, where are my favorite shorts"  Oh, you mean the super comfy ones with the high waist and nice big chammy?  Um....I dunno......Poor guy.  He heard he might lose his clothes, but probably not his bike shorts. 

3.  My treadmill is broken.  Lame.  It's been 90 degrees for most of the week, which means my big tummy ain't sweating outside, so I haven't run since last weekend.  We ordered new springs for it, so fingers crossed they come in soon.  Aside from the fact that I have to pee every 5 seconds when I run anyways (no kidding, I think I went 16 times during the du...DURING BREAKS OF COURSE!)...it's nice to be lumbering on the dreadmill.  Yeah, you'll never hear me say that again!
4.  Swimming is my saving grace.  Except that whole rotation thing.  I visited the pool four times this week for 45 minutes of freestyle, backstroke, and kicking.  Aside from the fact that I get some wicked leg cramps and a few side stitches (we take breaks, no worries), swimming is manna from heaven.  I asked Greg if we could install an endless pool in the backyard this weekend.  He thought I was joking.  HA.  Um, no.
5.  I'm sorta looking into a June 5k, with caution.  I've managed to run every month in a race with the lil bit (except December, damn).  I contemplated the Mendon Mauler today (4 miles of trail) but once again, too damn hot.  I'm hoping for the airport 5k in 5 weeks.  If I can still run, and my clothes fit.  Never thought that would be a consideration for a race :-P  I also never thought I would be so amped about a freakin 5k.  I know, I'm a snob.
6.  Here's the big one.  (Pun intended).  Even though I would kill to be at the starting line of Keuka or Pittsford tomorrow....I sort of doubt I could pull off a swim, bike run right now...even a 90 minute one.  And that sort of depresses me.  C'mon, I can do half marathons in my sleep.  This is lame.  But I know that it's only short term, and for the best reason possible, so I'm trying to remember that.  Even with all those damn bike pictures and medals on facebook.  Lucky stiffs :-P

7 weeks left (ish).   Just always trying to remember how damn blessed I've been not only to have a healthy kiddo, but to even be able to swim, bike and even do some running races during these last 7.5 months! This has been the coolest, weirdest, most rewarding, most frustrating experience ever.  All at the same time.  And we've barely begun!  (Note:  Remember that these "confessions" posts are meant to be tongue in cheek.  I adore the fact that we're going to have a baby.  But I'm also honest about that little green monster.)