When fall comes a number of things start back up after a summer break. One of these is Story Time which is a program of the Wakefield Public Library. Riley has been going to Story Time since last fall at about this time and he absolutely loves it. Stephanie, the woman who leads it does a great job and has a great connection with the kids. Here are some pictures and video of the festivities:
Today was a day we had been waiting for with anticipation. Shelby's ultrasound appointment...we'd get to find out if we had a girl or a boy. We're happy to announce that our baby girl was very forthcoming!
I took a few minutes of video of the ultrasound. You'll hear the tech talking about what we're seeing as well as the excited parents. So without further delay, here is Kendall Acadia Berg!
Last weekend we took our annual Columbus Day Weekend trip to Bar Harbor, Maine and Acadia National Park. It blows me away that this was actually my sixth trip and Riley's third! Shelby was there for the tenth time. I guess you can tell we love the place.
Riley has been big enough for the last two years that we can do just about anything we want. He's also small enough that we can do just about anything we want. A long hike with him in the backpack is still possible and we can put him in the trailer and do whatever bike riding we have in mind. He loves the kayak, popovers at Jordan's Pond House and hiking on his own when he gets the chance.
Things are going to change a lot when baby number two arrives on the scene next year, so this is our last "unrestricted" year until at the very least 2011. We took advantage of the situation.
Our weekend started with the l0ng trip up to Mount Desert Island on Friday. The car and our boy were both ready for travel:
Not a totally full car, but close 
Plenty of toys to keep him busy
The trip was uneventful until we got a few miles from the entrance to MDI. It took us about an hour and a half to travel that distance because they were doing road construction on the one intersection that lets you on the island. On a holiday weekend. On Friday after 5 pm. Right.
Riley was amazing as usual, and actually we had a lot of fun saying, "Stop!" and "Go!" with hand gestures, hiccups and hands blocking mouths. Two year olds are so much fun when you get them laughing. Here's some video of Shelby getting him laughing earlier in the trip:
Ponytails are fun
This was the annual weekend for the gathering of The Four, Shelby and her closest friends from her days in Nashville. What that means for Riley and I is another Boy's Weekend.
I miss Shelby when she's gone, but I love having such a large amount of one on one time with my son. I find him to be great company, and we really do have a lot of fun together.
This time around it was four days. More than a weekend, Shelby left early on Thursday morning (they met in West Virginia) so Riley and I were on our own for the duration. This means that I had a helper at work for a couple of days. Always a fun time for all involved, even my patients.
The days at the office were fairly typical if you've read one of my past entries about Riley coming to work with me. One difference is that Riley is showing more of an interest in buses, especially school buses lately. Well, at 3:09 pm every day the elementary school down the street lets out and the buses come by the office. We went out to watch. Riley also had some playmates when patients brought their kids in. Some pictures and video:
Riley playing with his toy bus while waiting for the buses
Bus!
I learned a few tough lessons after I became pregnant with Riley in the fall of 2006. I went into my pregnancy in the best shape of my life, but the fatigue that came along with the first trimester was tough. I gave in to it and exercised less and spent a lot more time on the couch. I didn't eat as well either and it left me with a lot of work to do once the pregnancy was over -- 50 lbs to lose to be exact.
After a year of eating healthy and exercising, I was finally able to lose the pregnancy weight. I then focused on my endurance training to see if I could improve my fitness from where I was at in 2006. I was encouraged to hear the women atheletes peak in their late 30's - early 40's. It seemed to prove true when I ran my Mother's Day Marathon in May, beating my best time (set at age 28) by almost 30 min. My way of thumbing my nose at middle age...ha.
When I got pregnant in July, I decided that this time around things would be different. So, despite the nausea and fatigue, I've been watching what I eat and exercising at least three times a week. I've continued running, trying to maintain as many of my recent fitness gains as possible.
Each September, I enjoy running the Ollie 5 mile road race. This year's race was my fourth. In 2006, I had just become pregnant and although my legs felt heavy I ran a pretty good race at a 9 minute per mile (mpm) pace. The next year, I was 3 months post-partum, and I ran an 11:22 mpm pace. Last year I ran the race at a 9:27 mpm on a hot, muggy day. This year at 12 weeks pregnant, I was just hoping to run at least a 10 mpm.
I wasn't sure how fast I would run it this year. I am running noticably slower than earlier this summer, but since I run trails, I don't get a good gauge of my mpm. Since my two runs earlier in the week felt slow and labored, I figured that a 10 mpm pace would be reasonable under my "delicate" condition.
One of the things I love about running is that you never know what kind of a run you'll have until you start. I have been sleep-deprived and had a great run and I've run in ideal temps and conditions where my usual course felt really hard. It's such an intricate and complex thing, that it's just this big unknown until you get going.
This year's race took place in conditions that are well suited for running. The temp was about 60 degrees and there was light rain for most of the race to keep us cool. I felt great throughout the race and ran at a faster pace than expected. I ran the race in 45:31 which is a 9:17 mpm pace, only seconds per mile slower than my best time on the course.
I was so encouraged by this -- it shows me how much the training and eating well have done for me. Hopefully it will also mean an easier pregnancy for me this time around and a faster recovery once the baby is born.
Jonathan had some problems with the button on the camera so I don't have any video of me crossing the finish line, but here's a video with some pictures of me before and after the race and pics and video of how the boys kept themselves occupied while Mama was off running:
Shelby
Labor Day weekend is normally a time for us to travel a bit. This year was no different. Several times before we've taken a trip that began in CT visiting my family and ended in the Big Apple giving Shelby a fix for her New York City addiction. This year was the first time we did the trip with a toddler...Riley would get his first taste of New York.
We started by spending a couple of low key and fairly restful days visiting my Mom in Old Saybrook. Here are a couple of pictures:
Grandma reading Riley's new "Cars" book
Riley helped Grandma collect acorns from the yard
On Saturday afternoon we headed off to Stamford, CT where we'd be staying the nights. We met up with our friends the Zivans who were coming along for a taste of NYC with toddlers...they have two.
We made a trip to the Stamford Mall for a quick dinner and some playtime for the kids. Stamford has the coolest mall playground we've seen yet:
The boys and Taz
Our precious flowers
Then it was back to the hotel. No late nights out with the kids...although the playground was still filling up at 8:30 pm as we were leaving. Who can figure. Our kids got ready for bed and then Shelby read them a bedtime story.
Nice to see the kids riveted to the Rhyme Bible Storybook
The next morning it was off to the big city. The kids enjoyed the trip in on the train. The conductor was really cool. He came back and asked if the kids would like a chance to blow the train's horn. Riley did, but seemed a bit freaked out and was done after one quick blow. Funny, since he loves to press buttons so much.
We got to Grand Central Station and had a quick look around. It's a big place and a very impressive structure. Riley was fascinated:
Checking out the architecture
He particularly liked the big American Flag
Next it was a quick trip on the subway and off to church. Shelby and I have always tried to visit Redeemer Presbyterian Church when we're in New York. We love Tim Keller's preaching (although one of the assistant pastors was preaching this time...still good) and it's nice to be able to travel somewhere and still attend a church we love. It was A LOT more work though. Everything is different when you've got three kids along. And the nursery was in a building across the street from the auditorium where the church meets. Things sure are different in the Big City.
After church it was off to Central Park. Our priorities for this trip were very different. We wanted to do fun things with the kids this time around, so we hit the Central Park Carousel and a toddlers playground.
It was love at first sight for the kids at the carousel
Riley even loved the little horses on the fence
Riley and Mama take a ride
Riley goes solo (think he was having fun?)
Some video
Yesterday was a big day for the Berg household. Shelby had her second appointment with the midwife at the the birthing center and this time if all went well we would hear our new child's heartbeat.
There has been some nervousness on our parts with this pregnancy. Neither of us are 'spring chickens' and Shelby in particular knows a number of women who have miscarried on their second pregnancies. So this was a big day. That being said, here's some video:
