Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We hope this letter finds you well. 2016 has been quite a year for us.

Our Biggest News – Ada Jo Lenz was born on November 5, 2016. She weighed 6 lbs, 13 oz and was 20.5 inches long. The first 5+ weeks of Ada’s life have been sleep depriving and challenging but absolutely amazing. After 6 rounds of fertility treatments in 2015, I decided to take a little break at the beginning of 2016 before starting the more invasive IVF treatments. To our surprise, we found out we were pregnant before the IVF treatments began. My pregnancy was uneventful (no morning sickness, no weird cravings) until Friday, November 4th when my midwife determined that our little girl wasn’t growing as well as she should be. I was induced that day and Ada Jo was born a little over 24 hours later. Ada is already loved and adored by our families and friends.

Em – I continue working as a nurse practitioner at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Health Services 3 days/week. I’m also still volunteering with Chicago Scholars and thoroughly enjoying my new cohort of high school seniors. I was able to continue running until the 37th week of my pregnancy. Ada and I ran the Shamrock Shuffle 8K, Crazylegs Classic 8K, Bucktown 5K, and International Chicago 5K before walking the Hot Chocolate 5K at 38 weeks pregnant. We’ve already walked our first 5K since Ada’s birth too, completing the Santa Hustle when Ada was 4 weeks old.

John – John is still trying to figure out what’s next in his career. We’re still considering relocating to Madison (and our families fully support this, especially now that Ada is here). John is still running and working out. He runs more regularly than I do these days! He also continues to enjoy playing video games, particularly Destiny, virtually with his friends.

Travels – We rang in 2016 in New Zealand. After a delayed flight out of Chicago and an unexpected overnight in LA, we made it just in time for our Stray Travel bus tour. New Zealand is absolutely stunning. I definitely want to go back. 10 days was not enough! I was a little nervous about the bus tour but our group was awesome. We now have friends in Australia and Europe and more friends in the US! Our other trips this year included skiing in Jackson Hole, a Lenz girls trip to Disney World for Em, San Francisco for the American College Health Association Annual Meeting, LA with the Matamoros Family including Universal Studios and Disneyland, the Portland area for John’s cousin’s wedding and then a Lenz Family roadtrip back via Montana, and our “babymoon” to Charleston/Hilton Head. Plus, we made quite a few trips up to Wisconsin to visit family and friends.

RIP – John’s Grandma Jo passed away in April and my Uncle Mark passed away in September.

2017 – We don’t have too many plans for 2017 yet (just our annual Crazylegs Classic race weekend in Madison in April) but we’re looking forward to all that the next year will bring. Our hopes for 2017 are that we’ll be the parents Ada needs us to be, we’ll figure out where we’re meant to be geographically, and that we’ll continue to enjoy each other, our families and our friends.

Race Report: Hot Chocolate 15K/5K

Once again, the usual crew ran the Hot Chocolate 15K/5K...but I ran the 5K instead of the 15K and Keith was injured so had to stop running the 15K after a little over 5K. Angie and Natallie finished the 15K, John ran the 5K, and Mom and Kayla ran ahead of Gwen and me after walking with us for about a mile. At 38 weeks pregnant, keeping a brisk walk was about all I could do. I'm just glad Gwen stuck with me. It would have been a lot harder to finish on my own!

I really enjoy this race. However, it was a huge difference being in Corral N instead of Corral B or C. It seemed like the start took forever to come! Luckily it wasn't too cold out...and it only rained a little bit. The gear check areas were disasters from the previous nights' rain.

We all met up easily after the finish and it was super easy to get our mugs of chocolate. The walk from the finish line to the finish party area seemed to take forever...but that's probably just because I was already tired from walking the 5K.

If we're still in Chicago next year, hopefully I'll be able to run the 15K again!

Distance: 5K
Time: 49:50
Cost: $44+$6.90 fees=$50.90/person
Pros: Delicious chocolate, quality sweatshirts, plenty of water/chocolate stations along the course, yearly tradition with friends, close to home
Cons: Packet pickup at McCormick Place, crowded course, early start
Would I run it again?: Yes.

39 weeks

Week 39 started off with a great weekend with Mom, Angie, Kayla and Gwen. Once again, the Hot Chocolate 15K/5K weekend was a success! I walked the 5K with Gwen after Mom and Kayla decided they wanted to run. I did it...but it was definitely a struggle. It was well worth the delicious chocolate at the end though!

Me and Mom at the bean

Hot Chocolate crew

On Wednesday, the Cubs won the World Series! Exciting times in Chicago for sure!! John and I even made it out to the victory parade on Friday before our 39 week appointment.

I also had a Chicago Scholars workshop on Wednesday. It was good to see my scholars again! The room was abuzz with excitement over the Cubs game. Thursday, John and I saw Fun Home, the musical. It was a good show!

Our 39 week appointment on Friday was where the excitement began. I measured smaller than I had at my 38 week appointment so the midwife wanted to get an ultrasound. Baby Girl measured small on the ultrasound too, meeting the criteria for intrauterine growth restriction. At that point, Johnna recommended that I be induced that day so Baby Girl could continue growing on the outside instead of the inside. It was pretty shocking news that had me in tears...but Johnna reassured us that everything was fine for the time being. So, the plan was for us to go get a good lunch, get our hospital bag (nope, hadn't packed that yet), and then go to the hospital to be induced.

We ate lunch at the Panera near the hospital, notified our families and my coworkers that Baby Girl was coming, and then walked home. Johnna had actually said that just John should go home to get our stuff but we figured she didn't realize just how close we lived. We packed in record time (and all I forgot was extra socks) and then walked to the hospital. It's a good thing I wasn't actually in labor because there were absolutely no cabs nearby due to the road closures from the Cubs parade. Everyone laughed at me when I suggested I would walk to the hospital but that's exactly what I did.

What's really funny is that on the way to the hospital we saw my running buddy Natallie's husband. He was so excited to see us on our way to have the baby! Small world.

To be continued...

38 weeks

38 weeks! Only two weeks to go until Baby Girl's due date. Crazy!

Baby Girl is the size of a winter melon this week. She's still positioned head down. I'm measuring on the low end of normal again but bigger than last week so the midwife wasn't too concerned. Baby Girl's heart rate was still in the 140s  which is great. She's moving a lot!

I tried to run/walk the North Harbor Tower Fall Kick Off 5K last night but ended up just walking after two 2:30 run intervals. My left shin hurts a lot when I run but is completely fine when I walk. So, I guess it's time to retire from running until I'm cleared postpartum. Sunday's Hot Chocolate 5K will be at a brisk walk instead of a run. I think my mom is relieved that she won't have to try to keep up with me running...ha!

We finally have pretty much everything ready for Baby Girl! The stroller and car seat arrived this week and John got them all figured out. I finished decorating her space. All the stuff that was being stored in her crib is put away. I'd like to have next weekend to relax yet before she arrives but I think we're ready...

 

 

My coworkers threw me an awesome "baby breakfast" this week. The bib/onesie decorating was definitely a hit!

This weekend Mom, Angie, Gwen, and Kayla are here for our annual Hot Chocolate 15K/5K weekend. Fun fun!

And, the Cubs are playing in the World Series! Go Cubs Go! Fly the W!

37 weeks

37 weeks! We finally went to Buy Buy Baby today to order the car seat and stroller...whew! I was waiting for our registry completion discount but then it was only for in-store and our stroller isn't available to purchase in our local store. When I called customer service they told me I would be getting an online completion discount as well so I was waiting for that but it didn't come. When I contacted customer service again, they told me the online completion discount wouldn't come until 10 days before my due date...yikes! But, they also told me that I could go to the store and use the completion discount to order any items that weren't available in store. So, that's what we did! Now, I have to figure out what we need from our other registries and get that ordered ASAP.

We had a good week. Sunday we did our maternity pictures in Millennium Park. I really like our photographer and can't wait to see the pics!

Monday we did the Expectant Parent Tour at Prentice Women's Hospital, the hospital where Baby Girl will be born. We'll be in three different rooms while we're there: triage, labor and delivery, and recovery.

Wednesday I made it back to yoga after missing the past two weeks. I was a little worried that it would feel really hard because the last class I was at felt pretty tough...but this one felt great!

Wednesday morning's pre-sunrise as I was getting ready to run/walk

Yesterday we took the Metra out to the Chicago Botanic Garden for the Night of 1000 Jack O Lanterns. Natalie joined us on the Metra in Evanston and we met Geiner and Marcela there. It was a fun but chilly night! The jack o lanterns were really impressive.

A few of the awesome jack o lanterns

John, me, Natalie, Geiner and Marcela

Baby Girl is doing well. She moves a lot! She demonstrated her stretching skills at our appointment today by moving just when Stephanie started to listen to her heart rate. She's still positioned head down (and hopefully stays that way).

I'm feeling really good still. I was able to run/walk and go to yoga on Wednesday which was great. I've been having more regular swelling in my feet this week but it's not too bad. It's definitely getting harder to put on my shoes and socks...and now it's cool enough that I need them more often too.

We also bought this for Baby Girl today!

36 weeks, 4 days

36 weeks! Only 4 weeks to go! Wow!!! We have weekly appointments with the midwives now. On Friday our midwife talked about the birth. The midwives group has a "Chicago 3-1-2" rule for coming to the hospital. This means contractions should be 3 minutes apart, contractions should be lasting for 1 minute, and the pattern should be established for 2 hours. I like it. She also suggested eating a full meal before coming to the hospital as the anesthesiologists have a rule about only clear liquids during labor. I was hoping I could sneak some Picky Bars in but I guess I'll have to stick with Nuun!

This week wasn't too busy which was good because I caught John's cold. I had dinner with a Chicago Scholars co-mentor and scholar on Monday and then John and I saw Hamilton on Thursday. Neither of us really knew what to expect but we both thoroughly enjoyed it! Best show we've seen in quite a while!

The Spindler Girls came to Chicago for the weekend. Mom and her friends Diane and Mary arrived early Friday afternoon and then Jill, Joy, Jeri, Bev, Joanie and Krystal arrived Friday evening. Erin and Chelsey arrived late Friday night and then Jamie joined us Saturday morning. Quite a crew! They threw me a mini baby shower with awesome gifts, we played Apples to Apples and Bingo, a few of us did a little shopping, a few of us visited a couple sites for Open House Chicago, and we all went out for breakfast at Wildberry and supper at Pizano's.

The view from the Blue Cross Blue Shield building during Open House Chicago

Mom, Diane and Mary brought Baby Girl's dresser, made by Diane's husband. It's beautiful! Now that it has arrived, I have her clothes out of the crib and in to the dresser. Hopefully I'll be able to finish her space this weekend.

I started a new prayer for this last month of pregnancy.

RIP Uncle Mark

Grandma and Mark at John's and my wedding

My Uncle Mark died on September 1, 2016 after a battle with cancer. Yesterday there was a celebration of his life in my hometown. It doesn't quite feel real to me because John and I didn't go. My midwife advised that the 6 hour one-way drive would probably be a bit more than I'd want to do at this point in my pregnancy (and I completely agree as I get pretty uncomfortable just sitting on the couch for a few hours) so we decided to stay home.

I can't say I knew Mark all that well. He lived in Florida for most of my life so I only saw him for holidays and special occasions. The last few years, he and his wife Trina would make a point to come see John and me when we were vacationing in Florida.

Last spring, I texted Mark to let him know that John and I were expecting our first child and his response was "Cool, cool, cool." Typical Mark.

Rest in peace, Uncle Mark. Give Grandpa and Uncle Randy hugs from me.

Race Report: International Chicago 5K

Yesterday I ran the inaugural International Chicago 5K, a new race put on in conjunction with the Chicago Marathon. I figured that since I would not be participating in the marathon this year, this would be a fun way to still be involved. Since I signed up quite a bit in advance, my bib was mailed to me for free. There also appeared to be race day sign up.

It was a very relaxed race. There weren't any start corrals, just pace signs to line up by. This worked out just fine for me! There were runners from all over the world, many of them also running today's marathon. Most of the runners weren't taking themselves too seriously and even stopping to take pictures of the famous Chicago Theater sign, the marathon start line, and the skyline. The course wound around a little bit of the loop and then along the Lakefront Trail, finishing near the marathon finish line.

I decided that since the Bucktown 5K went so well, I would try to run this whole race too, just keeping my breathing nice and easy. It wasn't so easy this time but I did it! My legs hurt almost the entire time but I was able to keep my breathing under control. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to run/walk (or maybe even just walk) the North Harbor Tower 5K on October 27th and the Hot Chocolate 5K on October 30th.

Finisher(s)!

Awesome finisher's hat!

Distance: 5K
Time: 36:41
Cost: $35
Pros: No packet pickup (bib mailed for free), convenient location, small race, all the food/drink you wanted at the finish (apples, protein bars, beef sticks, water, Gatorade), awesome finisher's hat (which you actually had to finish to get)
Cons: No gear check
Would I run it again?: Definitely!

35 weeks, 2 days

35 weeks! Only 35 (well, now, 33) days until Baby Girl's due date!

Week 35 was a busy one. We didn't have any plans last weekend but had lots to do at home. Karen and I treated ourselves to pedicures on Sunday which was amazing and much-needed. Tuesday I had jury duty in Maywood, IL. I ended up only being at the courthouse for about 3 hours but it took me over an hour to get there and get home so it was still a long day. Tuesday evening I had a Chicago Scholars workshop, Wednesday evening we met John's parents and Natalie for dinner, Thursday evening I had a haircut appointment, and Friday we had a baby appointment and then I met the Oiselle Team for dinner. Whew!

Baby Girl is doing great. She moves lots and lots. Her heart rate was once again in the 140s at our appointment on Friday. We now have weekly appointments so we'll be seeing the midwives a lot in the coming weeks.

I'm still feeling good...but starting to get anxious about everything I want to do yet before Baby Girl makes her arrival! I suppose it will all get done eventually...

34 weeks

34 weeks! Woohoo! Baby Girl's movements are becoming slightly less frequent but definitely stronger now. I always know she's there! The butternut squash analogy for size seems right on this week.

We had a good week. Last Saturday we had lunch with Lauren, my best friend from Champaign, who I haven't seen since we moved away. It's crazy that we haven't seen each other in over 5 years...and yet, I felt like we picked up right where we left off. Amazing. I'm so glad we were able to reconnect!

Saturday evening, we had dinner with my cousin Melissa, her husband Pat, and their son Riley. Melissa is due with a baby girl in January. It was so good to see them again!

Otherwise, we had a pretty uneventful week. My phone died last Thursday. John let me use his most of the time but I was without calls or text. My new one arrived on Wednesday. Google customer service is awesome!

We also got a surprise package from Ale with a couple of adorable outfits in it. Gracias, Tía Ale!

33 weeks

Baby Girl is the size of celery (or a pineapple) this week, depending on which baby app is referenced. Her heart rate was in the 140s-150s at our appointment today. The midwife was also able to figure out her position as head down, with her butt on the left side of my stomach and a leg towards the right lower part of my stomach (which I knew because that's where I get kicked). All good! Our appointment was otherwise pretty uneventful though I did get a flu shot (and we got to meet Johnna, one of the midwives, for the first time).

This week was a good one! We celebrated Natallie and Emil's wedding last Saturday which was a lot of fun. Natallie is Puerto Rican and Emil is Armenian. They did a great job of showcasing both cultures during both the ceremony and reception.

On Sunday, John, Keith, and I ran the Bucktown 5K. It was a fun race!

I had my first appointment with a new dentist on Tuesday (John went last week) which went well except that I might have a cavity. I'm going to wait until after Baby Girl is born to go back for the x-rays to find out for sure.

Wednesday we had dinner with Lori. It's always so good to see her! I love that she lets us know whenever she's in town. Today I had lunch with another friend. She gave me the sweetest gifts for Baby Girl! After lunch, I stopped at Michaels in Lakeview for some crafting supplies. It was amazing how I could find exactly what I wanted there after looking without much luck at Blick, Target, and online!

In not-so-great news, my phone decided it was done functioning last night. It turned off and won't turn back on. I talked to Google customer support for quite a while this morning. Their tricks didn't work either so they're sending a new phone. In the meantime, I'm unable to text or make calls. Good thing this is happening now and not closer to Baby Girl's due date!

Oh, and I finally got a video of Baby Girl's movements! I also started tracking her kicks with an app John found for me. It's fun to see how much she moves. On Monday through Thursday I tracked how long it took her to kick 10 times. Now I guess I'll have to wait for my new phone to arrive before I do it again...

Race Report: Bucktown 5K

John, Keith, and I ran the Bucktown 5K last Sunday. I had considered doing it in the past but never done it. When Keith suggested it I agreed!

The 8:30am start time was nice. John and I left home a little after 7:30am and took a cab to Bucktown. We got there in plenty of time to check John's bag, go to the bathroom, and get into our start corrals. John and Keith were in Corral A and I was in Corral C. There was a little confusion about which corral was which and I think I actually started with Corral B...oh well.

I didn't really have a goal for this race being 32 weeks pregnant and all. The temperature was nice at the start so I thought just maybe I could run the whole race, as long as I kept my breathing steady. I decided that would be my goal.

I started out really well. My legs started to burn a little during the second mile but my breathing stayed steady. I stopped to drink a little cup of Nuun at the aid station and then walked through the rest of the aid station. After that, I picked up running again all the way to the finish. I felt great!

I found John and Keith easily after the race. John didn't feel too great (stomach issues) so we decided to just go home instead of getting brunch in Bucktown. John and I took the Blue Line home and by the time we got close to downtown he was feeling better. We ended up picking up Wildberry on our way home so I still got my brunch.

Overall, this was a nice, fun race. It was especially nice to run through a new neighborhood. I wore my "running for two" shirt and got a lot of compliments and "Oh, she's pregnant!" comments.

Distance: 5K
Time: 33:17
Cost: $44 + $5.75 fees = $49.75/person
Pros: Smaller race, 8:30am start, easy to get to via cab or CTA, lots of people cheering along the course
Cons: Expensive for a 5K
Would I run it again?: Sure

32 weeks

32 weeks! Only 8 weeks to go (give or take)!

We had a pretty uneventful week this week. We're done traveling for the time being so we'll be in Chicago until after Baby Girl is born. This weekend will be a busy one with Natallie and Emil's wedding tomorrow (well, later today, really) and the Bucktown 5k on Sunday. Busy but fun!

Baby Girl continues to move a lot. I tried to take a video of her visible movements on my belly last night but then she got shy and stopped moving. One of these days I'll get a video.

John finished reading The Birth Partner this week and made me download a kick counting app. I haven't used it yet but have been informally paying attention to her movements. I started reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and really like it! I got both books from the library and they were supposed to go back on Wednesday but Tuesday night I was able to renew the Ina May one. This weekend my job is to read HypnoBirthing which has to go back to the library on Monday. Then, we need to find some YouTube videos to watch together...

Ron sent me a picture of Baby Girl's dresser this week. It's perfect!

And Ben made me these thank you notes for last weekend's shower. He's so good!

A new prayer for Month 8!

31 weeks, 4 days

Last week was a short one because of the holiday but a busy one! Natalie moved in to her new apartment in Evanston on Wednesday so John helped with that while I was at work. We had our 31 week appointment on Friday and then headed up to Oshkosh for the weekend.

Baby Girl was doing well at the appointment. Her heartbeat sounded good. I got my Tdap vaccine so hopefully she'll get the pertussis antibodies she needs from me. She is moving so much now. If she gets into a position that's uncomfortable for me, she'll usually move if I rub that area.

I'm still feeling pretty good. I get uncomfortable if I'm in certain positions for long periods (like sitting on the couch, in a chair, or in the car). Sleeping is also getting uncomfortable. This morning I woke up before my alarm because I couldn't stand to be lying on my side anymore. But, I really can't complain!

The Aunt Squad, Annie and Natalie, threw us an awesome baby shower/pregger kegger this weekend. It was a storybook theme. They found so many cute ideas and executed them perfectly! It was so good to see everyone who came and we got a lot of really great gifts. The three of us are so lucky to have such amazing family and friends.

The book cake/tower and a few of the food labels

Baby's First Library crate and our crowns

A Wild Thing is on the way!

John and I had the same "A Magical Make Believe Monster!" hoodies as kids.

Super cute diaper baby from Megan Bunke

Book Report: Miles, Mutants & Microbes

I read the remainder of Miles, Mutants & Microbes on our babymoon trip. This  omnibus contains Falling Free, Labyrinth, and Diplomatic Immunity. I accidentally read Falling Free back in the spring.

I got about 20 pages in to Labyrinth and realized I had read that before too. It also appears in the Miles, Mystery & Mayhem omnibus. I read it again though because I didn't remember exactly what happened. I was glad I did as it was pertinent to Diplomatic Immunity.

Diplomatic Immunity might be my favorite Vorkosigan story yet! I loved that it contained both Miles' personal and professional lives as well as characters from his former life. The mystery was so good that I couldn't put it down. In fact, instead of catching up on other things once we got home last night, I finished reading the book.

Title: Labyrinth and Diplomatic Immunity in Miles, Mutants & Microbes
Author: Lois McMaster Bujold
Genre: Science fiction
Pages: 495 (814 total for this omnibus)
Stars (Out of 5): *****

30 weeks, 3 days

30 weeks! Holy moly! This was a fun week. We went out to brunch with Keith and Allyson on Sunday and then walked through Taste of Greektown. I worked Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday so that I could take off Thursday without using PTO (thanks, Donna) and we could head down to South Carolina for our "babymoon."

We flew in to Charleston early Thursday morning and then visited Magnolia Plantation. It was beautiful but also a little eerie (especially the house).

 

 

 

 

Then, we headed to Hilton Head Island, where we were staying for the weekend. Our resort was beautiful! Thursday evening we went down to check out the beach and then sat by the pool for awhile. We had dinner at a local Mexican place.

 

 

Tropical Storm Hermine hit on Friday so we treated ourselves to the breakfast buffet at the hotel and spent the majority of the day in the lobby. We ventured out toward the beach just long enough to get our Week 30 photo. By that time, the storm had pretty much passed. We went to dinner at Hickory Tavern, a new-to-us sports bar/restaurant chain. There were lots of branches and a few trees down from the storm but that seemed to be pretty much all the damage in the area.

Saturday was an absolutely beautiful day! After breakfast at Starbucks, we rented chairs and an umbrella and spent the whole day on the beach. It was perfect!

 

Sunday we packed up and headed back to Charleston. We had planned to have lunch downtown but the downtown area was packed (and we got a little later start than we had originally planned). So we just drove through downtown and instead picked up lunch to go from McAlister's Deli. Of course, I couldn't get my favorite McAlister's Club but the Veggie Club was pretty delicious...and the sweet tea was just as good as I remembered!

Then it was back to the airport and home to Chicago. I'm so glad we went on this little trip. It was the perfect little getaway!