Pregnancy Brain and Cinnamon Rolls

So there is something called "Pregnancy Brain". From what I can tell it's the card I can pull when I do really weird things for no reason at all. I have noticed for the past month or so random things that I will do and not even realize what I am doing. This weekend, I have something that I will definitely blame on my pregnant mind. My mom and I were out shopping for clothes that will fit my ever growing body at a local consigment shop. Turns out that this shop was really cool with lots of clothes for me and for our baby. I had gathered quite a lot of tops and dresses to try on in the dressing room and was coming out of the room to model to my mom who was waiting for me. I was trying on a cute pair of shorts that ended up being too big for me but my mom wanted to see them anyways....so I stepped out and showed her, spun around and quickly realized that I did not have a shirt on. Just my bra. Oh my gosh! I was mortified!! I quickly scrambled back into the dressing room and got dressed.

This weekend has been full of adventure and rest. On Friday night, Mark woke me up to take him to the emergency room. Just how every wife wants to be woken up, right? He was taking the trash out and sliced the back of his foot open on a mug that I broke the day before. Saturday proved to be not too bad. I went to work for a few special events happening that day and Mark stayed home and worked on his Ebay business. We slept in on Sunday, went to church and Mark left for a training on campus. I went on a walk in Cameron Park and came home and made delicious cinnamon rolls (a very healthy version). Now I am just waiting for Mark to come home while I eat all the cinnamon rolls. Maybe I will have one left for Mark. Here's a link to the recipe that I used: really healthy cinnamon rolls

Tuesday we find out if our baby is a girl or boy. We can't wait! Don't worry! We'll post that day and let your anxious minds know too!

Until Tuesday...

Week 16 and Week 17

I've been hearing a lot of old wives tales about whether it's a boy or a girl. The most recent one I've heard is that if the heart beat is above 140 the baby is a girl and if the heart rate is below 140, the baby is a boy. What if the heart rate is 140? That's what we found out at our latest appointment with our midwife. Maybe our baby just wants a little more time to decide. Hopefully by May 3, when we have our sonogram, the baby will decide. We are hoping for a healthy baby - boy or girl. :)

Last week I ran in a 5K here in Waco at the Xterra Trail Run Series. It was AWESOME! I haven't been running lately, but I have been working out a lot lately. My job as a Fitness Director keeps me very active and I am learning to respect and listen to my body for limitations and abilities being pregnant. During my trail run last week I was able to process being active and pregnant while running in a race. It was motivating and emotional and inspiring at the same time. There is a blog that I read often - Athleta Chi. It's written by active women pursuing their passions ranging from triathlons to marathons to yoga to surfing and more. It's been encouraging to read this blog, run in my first 5K as a mom knowing that my life will filled with children and races. I don't want to be a mom that stays home and on the soccer game sidelines only. I want to be a mom that competes in triathlons and other adventures before the soccer games. 

The pregnancy journey so far hasn't been too bad. I've gotten over the hump of nausea and am now into the infamous second trimester full of energy. Some days I have more energy than others but overall, I am feeling really good. I've gained about 10lbs and had to buy my first pair of prego pants. I'm not quite sure how I feel about the foot wide elastic band that is supposed to cover the tummy, but I definitely like that ability to put non spandex clothing on and it fit comfortable. I think Canaan, our dog, knows something is up. He has been a lot more protective and often doesn't leave my side. Mark's been great too. Whenever I ask him if I look pregnant (knowing that what I am really asking is, "do I just look fat, or is it obvious that I am pregnant") he answers with the best answer - You're beautiful and yes, you look pregnant and not just fat. Thanks, babe! 

Here's a few pictures for your enjoyment! Week 16 and week 17. Can you see my innie of a belly button changing to an outie? So fun!

We will post again on May 4 after our sonogram! Check back to find out if we will have a baby girl or a baby boy!!! 

Love, 

Kenda & Mark, plus one.

A blog worth posting!!!

It's been a long time coming. We know that we haven't posted in a long time.....but really, we just had to wait until we had a post worth posting!

Get ready, Baby Mullert is on his/her way!!!  

That's right, we are pregnant! We couldn't be more excited about this new twist in our adventure called life. This week marks our 14th week and our baby is growing rapidly!  According to our new day-by-day calendar of our baby's growth status, our baby is 3.5 inches long and weighs almost 3 ounces. (too bad that's not the amount I've gained)

A few of our friends and family have asked if this was a planned pregnancy. Of course it was! We knew that we wanted to have babies when we said, "i do". We found on that we were pregnant on January 31, 2011. The day before, Kenda ran her first half marathon and didn't feel so "right". She knew that she was a week late on her period but thought with all the training and working out that it might account for a late period. We took two pregnancy tests actually. Who really takes only one? I (Kenda) sat in our bedroom while Mark went into the bathroom to read the pregnancy stick said. He looked at me. I looked at him. Then I ran into the bathroom and checked for myself. We looked at each other and said, "we pregnant". Then we decided to take the second test. Good thing that I had a lot of water to drink that night. After two positive tests, we realized that we were indeed pregnant. 

Mum was the word.

We kept pretty quiet about our new secret. It seemed like the very next day, (I) Kenda began feeling the symptoms of morning sickness. I would wake up and go to bed nausea, allthougth I never threw up.  I had a love-hate relationship with food. I loved eating because it would make my nausea temporarily go away and I hated it because the sight of food made me sick. We scheduled our first doctor's appointment on Feb. 24 (Kenda's birthday). What a birthday present to see the baby's heart beat!! The doctor's determined that we were 9 weeks and 1 day along as of Feb. 24 with a due date on September 28. We kept our little secret for three more weeks. It wasn't easy though. Kenda still had to teach her 10 group exercise classes a week - a feat in of itself when she was so exhausted and nauseas all the time. And really, there isn't too much room to hide the weight gain in spandex. On March 11, we broke the news to our parents and family members with a video.  Both sets of parents were estatic and everyone we have told so far has been really positive and proud of us. We had our 12 week appointment the next day - Mark got to come to see and hear our baby's heart beat. What love! 

We began telling our work and friends the next day. It's been such a fun adventure so far. I have definitely gained some weight and my belly is definitely showing signs of a baby inside. Supposedly, not many women show until their 14-15th week (according to some websites) but I have been showing since week 12. We wanted to wait until our first trimester was over to tell everyone. 

Mark and I are busy making plans for having our baby. We have registered the baby at Target and are busy scowering the garage sales and sales racks for baby furniture and items we might need. Since this is our first, we are starting from scratch. Do you have any recommendations on what baby item you would never trade? Tell us! We want to know!

Until our next post - in about a week or two after our next appointment, keep us posted with your ideas and baby item recommendations. 

Mark and Kenda

Christmas with the Mullerts

It's been a very exciting week at the Mullerts household. We hosted the Baylor Outdoor Adventure tacky Christmas sweater party on Tuesday night only to have our refrigerator quit working. Actually, we still don't have a new fridge and I am surrounded by four ice coolers filled with food that we are praying will make it till Saturday. Meanwhile, Mark and I are hosting our Christmas with the Mullerts holiday get-to-gether. Its actually a winter formal and its time to dress up!  We've asked a few friends to come over with a bottle of their favorite red wine and I am making some appetizers. 

So far, I have made a lot of new yummy recipes: coconut flour bread, coconut flour brownies, crackers, black bean hummus, traditional garlic hummus, french bread, and soon some bruschetta to put on top. I am super excited about my new found love for cooking healthy recipes.  So is Mark!  

I have been seeing a nutritionist the past two weeks and have found discovered some new information! I have an intolerance to fruit sugar, brown sugar, honey, milk and a permanent allergy to soy. I have taken a few whole food supplements plus a few supplements to decrease the levels of mercury and aluminum that was found in my body as well.  It is a very interesting technique - Nutritional Response Testing. You can read about it here. I think it's really interesting. I'm not sure how convinced I am that it does what it says it does, but I think it at least helps me listen to my body and respond better to it. I have actually been not eating any fruit, fruit juice, sugar, honey, or any other sweet things for the past two weeks. I have really seen a great response in my body but it is hard during the holiday season. I do my best but still eat a sweet or two at a Christmas party. 

Mark has been busy with work and trying to sell old stuff on eBay and making me fun meals, like my "love pizza".  At least that is what he calls it.  It was so tasty and a fun surprise after a long day of work.  He has been very sweet and helped me with getting my bootcamps set-up.  He even did one and was sore for a week!  We are doing our best to live in the moment and are really excited about spending time with family and friends over the holidays.  

One really awesome thing is that we got our first tree together.  We went to Home Depot, yes the big box store.  We had romantic ideas of going to cut down our own tree and realized we live in a city in a state with not a lot of pines.  So, we arrived there at 6:53pm and they had already started closing down.  Mark said, "it is not 7:00pm yet.  We know what kind we want."  The salesman was really nice and showed us a few, and said, "this one is on us since we already put away the credit card reader.  Merry Christmas!"  We felt so blessed.  We strapped it on the old Subaru and headed home.  I felt so inspired to decorate, I bought tons of decorations in preparations for all of our parties.  Canaan even got in the spirit.  The house is really starting to feel more like a home.  We are still very much in love and our hearts skip a beat when we see each other across the room.  

More holiday blogging to come...

~Kenda

don't be a hater

all right you blog followers...don't hate.

mark and I are still in love as madly as ever, still haven't eaten out (well, i (kenda), had a "big" snack at FFT the other day), and are loving life together. Actually, we are both adding a few things to our resume. Mark is growing his ebay business and I am growing my personal training business. I created a website: fitwithkenda.com and have started hosting boot camps. If you don't know what a fitness boot camp is then watch this. I am having a blast doing so and it's been a great way to meet potential clients and workout as a group. I hear that my workouts are tough, but then again: why not? 

Tomorrow we leave for Hereford to spend Thanksgiving with my grandparents and extended family. I am excited for these next few days off. The work hours seem to be creeping in and causing me to slowly suffocate. These days off will give me a much needed breath of fresh air. I am in charge of bringing cookies to grandma's house. Of course, I can't just bring any kind of cookie! I had to go on a hunt to find the healthiest recipe I could. I found two. Check them out below. While in Hereford we are going to spend black Friday in Palo Duro Canyon mountain biking. Our good friends Hilary and Dave just raced there and gave us a bunch of good beta on the trails and layout. 

http://viveleveganrecipes.blogspot.com/search?q=super+charge+me

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art68314.asp

If you try these recipes, let me know what you think! 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

PS: don't hate. :)

sweet potatoes and poodles

Right now, I am:

eating my delicious sweet potato crispies (recipe below)

drinking a coca-cola classic (only on the weekends!)

researching how to make my website better (www.fitwithkenda.com)

and, of course....

missing my husband! 

Mark left for a week in San Diego yesterday. He had some vacation time that needed to be used before it vanished into the point of no return. I did not have any vacation time to spend, which leaves me here...in Waco...updating the blog about how much I miss my husband. It has been quiet around the house today. My day started with a road ride with my friend Sarah. Actually, it was a bit eventful beforehand. I snoozed my alarm a little too long and soon enough I was supposed to be meeting her at our pre-planned meeting point and I was just getting my bike out of the garage....and then I had to change my tire. I have to remember that when I am finished airing up my tires, it is ALWAYS important to fully unlock the air compressor before yanking it off of the valve. You can imagine what is next. I quickly changed my tube and put my tire back on...with the help of Sarah. Unfortunately, my bike mechanic is not here. 

We had a great ride even with the wind against us coming back. It was the first ride of the Fall and with that, jackets (or arm warmers) were required. We rode 30 miles and finished on University Parks. I am convinced that University Parks is a wind tunnel. Regardless of which way you ride, it always seems that you are riding into to the wind. After the ride, I have been enjoying Sunday. Usually I feel overwhelmed and pressured with the week ahead, but today seems to be different. 

Last weekend, Mark and I - with some good friends - rode in the Waco Wild West Century Ride. We decided to ride the 50 mile route and it proved to be a fun yet challenging ride! We saw a few funny riders that included a man riding with his poodle attached to his chest (allowing it's paws to rest on the top tube), a family of 4 on a tandem bike, and of course the riders with helmets with a mohawk on it. Our next race is on October 25 - Bear Downs. Last year it was quite the event and hopefully it will turn out better. (long story, another post). This race is composed of a team of 4 riders, 1 bike, and 40 laps around Baylor's campus...all at night. It was a blast last year and we hope to take 1st this year. 

Mark and I continue to eat healthy, the best that we can. We are still cooking our meals at home and enjoy doing so! Mark cooked a really yummy meal the other day that included: couscous, chicken, black beans, red bell peppers, and onions. This week I am trying a new Salmon recipe, which I hope I like so I can cook it for Mark when he returns. As for my sweet potatoes: did you know that sweet potatoes were just declared the healthiest food! The Center for Science in the Public Interest (a well-respected health watchdog in Washington DC) rates foods for the maximum amount of nutrients. Sweet Potatoes are roughly 130 calories a pop, give off 2x the daily recommended amount of Vitamin A, offers tons of Vitamin C, lots of potassium (can you say, "goodbye charlie horses" and sore muscles) and provides slow burning sugars which keeps you full longer. You can imagine how much I love sweet potatoes. Here is how I prepared mine this afternoon:

How to make the best sweet potato crispies ever:

1. Slice the sweet potato into slices (about 1/4 of an inch or thinner), then cut in half. (they should be half-circles)
2. Warm up your cast iron skillet (or regular skillet) with grapeseed oil or other (go for canola or olive) on medium-low
3. put your sweet potatoes inside the skillet and stir, making sure both side of the potatoes have oil covering it
4. pour 1/8 of a cup of water into your skillet and cover for 5-10 minutes. This allows the sweet potatoes to soften before you cook them
5. remove lid and finish cooking - you may need to add a bit more oil just in case. Don't allow your potatoes to stick to the skillet
6. they're done when you say they are! I like mine soft and crispy, but you may like them more crispy then soft.
7. enjoy!

top 10 things we love

Well again, I have fallen off the blogtastic wagon. How do people keep up with these things? Mark and I have been super busy. I actually hate that word and/or phrase. "I'm busy". I wish that we could move through life slower and not feel the impending pressure to do much more than what our little ol' bodies can do. 

Mark and I are most likely riding in the Waco Wild West Century Ride...ok, we don't want do the 100miler, but maybe we can squeak out the 50miler? Last time we signed up for a ride like this we intended to do the 35miler but missed the turn-around and had to do the 50miler. Yikes! We just haven't been on our road bikes in awhile and for use to sit in the saddle for the length of the 100miler, well...I don't think that there is enough Chamois in the world to help us out.

Last weekend I competed in the Ft. Hood Sprint Triathlon. I found out about this tri on Wednesday of that week and couldn't pass it up. It was FREE!! That's right, a normal Sprint triathlon runs about $75 so when this one was free...well, I had to do it. I figured I could at least finish. Up to that point, I hadn't swam a lap in 4+ months or been on my road bike for 2+ months. I ended up doing quite well though, thanks to all the hours I have been on my mountain bike pressing my aerobic threshold as well as my job teaching 8+ fitness classes a week. (don't worry, they are not all intense)  I finished 1st in my age group (20-29 females) and 5th overall women. It was awesome to see so many people out there competing in their first triathlon. Mark was great as ever and cheered me on with the only cowbell in the whole crowd. I felt loved! 

We have still been cooking all of our own meals and only eating out when we are out of town. We did eat at Freebirds when we were out for the triathlon - and it was yummy! For the first time in my life, I ate the whole burrito (those things are big!) and chips and salsa.  I don't think we've taken a lot of pictures of our meals lately, so I thought of incorporating a few of our favorite meals in our "top 10 things we love"

10.  Our water: we have three 5 gallon water jugs that we rotate through. As of right now, we drink about 8 gallons a week - so, we are filling it up a lot.

9.    We love home made bread. So far, I have been trying new recipes as I discover we have the ingredients for it. 

8.    Our dog. he barks like crazy when the crazies are outside. good thing too, we live in the hood.

7.    Bison. We have tried Bison in the form of hamburgers and steak. One thing we always forget though: it cooks fast!

6.    Redbox. Although the marketing for $1 movie works on us, never fail it ends up being a $5 charge because we forget to take it back.

5.    Trying new wine. We are into Cabernet Sauvignon - know any that you would recommend? (remember, we are on a newly married budget)

4.    RutaMaya coffee. This weekend I traveled to Austin, TX to pick up a 2lb bag of this coffee we love...but they were out. sad day for the Mullerts.

3.    Sundays. Mark and I love Sundays because we actually get to spend the whole day together! Today we cuddled, worked on bikes, did loads of laundry, blogged, and more!

2.    Sweet Potato Fries! We have been making our own thanks to the Big Daddy Deep Fryer from our friend Kelsey!

1.    Each Other! We are madly in love with one another and are so grateful for this time in our lives.