My Christmas Post To You All

I'm really not a big fan of Christmas music. I realized that when my Mom, Dad, and Greg all wanted to listen to Christmas music in the car and I claimed that California was too fashion forward to have any stations dedicated to holiday cheer. Of course Greg knew off the top of his head the station they wanted so not only was I stuck in three hours of holiday traffic, but I was also in auditory prison! Now don't get me wrong, I don't mean to portray a "bah humbug" attitude here. I love the Christmas holiday, it's just the music I can do without.

Is it just me or do a lot of the songs seem so melancholy and depressing? Or is it that they are just so slow they make me want to "put on my cap and settle down for a long winter's nap?" In fact the only Holiday song I really like is not about Christmas at all...

Bern's favorite holiday song

Anyhow, I'm sharing this special holiday post with you to tell you that I finally found a Christmas song I enjoy. So grab a cup of cocoa, sit back & relax and listen to this holiday song. And please don't be one of those folks who says "I'm just trying to get past the holidays." Take time to enjoy the season whether you are with your family and friends or alone on the trails. Have a HAPPY HOLIDAY & a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Finally, a Christmas song I enjoy.

I'm so in love!!!!!

Isn't she just adorable? Okay, I know I'm biased but dang she's cute! I just love her so much!


Senorita Sofia can now see the mobile above her crib and she really enjoys it. She can lie in there for a long time just listening to the lullaby and watching the fuzzy construction vehicles go round and round. I just wish I didn't have to wind it up every 30 seconds.

She has also recently discovered her hands. She entertains herself for lengths of time by watching her hands and putting them in her mouth. The other day I put a colorful rattle toy in front of her face and waited for her to reach for it. After about a half hour she was reaching out and grabbing it. I'm not sure that she knows the toy remains in her hands but she is learning.

My best gal Miss Gilly came back from Whistler to visit with me and to meet Sofia. I've missed her so much. But even though it's been a year since she's been gone, we fell right back into our old routine! We drank wine, went mountain biking and then we went "girly" shopping for clothes and shoes! Aahh, the good old days!

Oh yeah, and she got to love on Little Lady Sofia also!

My parents came back for another visit. They just can't stay away from their first grandchild for very long.

My brother flew in from New York to meet his niece. He too fell in love.

Baby and Mommy hands

An A+ for Senorita Sofia!

We took Sofia to her 2 month well baby check up and she passed the tests with flying colors!

She measured 24 inches long which was in the 100th percentile! Yup, she's gonna be a tall gal.


And not surprisingly she weighed 13.6 pounds which was also in the 100th percentile. I guess you can say she is "healthy!"

Unfortunately she had to get her vaccinations and of course she cried but Daddy was right there to comfort her. She was back to smiling within two minutes and I don't think she'll hold it against us...until her next vaccination appointment.

Senorita Sofia is also doing very well at "home school." She seems to really enjoy her Spanish lessons.

Little Lady's First Halloween

I wasn't going to dress up Little Lady for Halloween because I couldn't find any costumes that were small enough for her. Until one day I happened upon the cutest little witch costume that I knew would fit just right!

Witch-i-Poo

I was so excited to find it so I checked the price tag and found that it was a PET COSTUME! Yup, that's right. The tag showed a picture of the costume on a little dog. Well, so what!?! It was super cute and the right size so I bought it.

Every year Greg and his buddy Paul build the most amazing Haunted House in Murrieta.

Entrance is free and they usually have hundreds of people go through it.

I'm chicken so I go through before it opens and before all the real life characters are in place to scare me.

Sofia can't wait to go through the Haunted House someday. I'm sure she will be just like her Daddy and Halloween will be her favorite holiday.

Back in the saddle again!

Almost seven weeks post delivery of my Little Lady Sofia and I finally did a real mountain bike ride! I was afraid I might have forgotten how to push the climbs or maneuver the techy downhills but I found that the old saying really is true..."You don't forget; it's just like riding a bike."

No, this is not me now. It was me last year because I'm really not keen on posting any "baby PHat" pics of myself.

I took a spin around my favorite training trails for an hour and fifteen minutes. I huffed and puffed up the easiest climb, but I made it without stopping. This ride was very encouraging and every day I'm feeling more and more like my old self except now I have a gorgeous Little Lady to go home to.

Battling the Bulge!

After the birth of my gorgeous Little Lady Sofia, the docs told me not to do any physical labor for six weeks. SIX MORE WEEKS!?!?? After "taking it easy" for nine months, how did they expect me to take it easy for six more weeks?

Fellow singlespeed mountain biker Fuzzy John and his 14 month old son Ian came by to visit Sofia.

Well, it wasn't hard to take it easy for four weeks because my body really did need the recovery. But at the fourth week, I set up my road bike on the trainer and started riding. As Lady Sofia slept, I hopped on the trainer and took off. Unfortunately, my bottom could only take 12 minutes on the seat. So that was it; my first workout--12 minutes. It will be a while before I will ride for 24 hours straight again, but I'm working on it... one day at a time.

Sofia's First Month

Sofia at 5 days old

Sleeping beauty;
Sofia sleeps A LOT (during the day!) Every once in a while she will wake up to look around and that's when we talk to her and show her some colorful books and picture cards. During the night she sleeps anywhere from 1.5 to 3 hours at a time. I'm always checking her while she sleeps to make sure she's still breathing. Yes, I'm paranoid.

Sofia's second week of life and she's already making funny faces

Growing like a weed;
Sofia's skinny little body is getting chunkier every day. She's also very long. At her two week doctor visit, she was measured in the 100th percentile of length for babies her age! Looks like she'll be a tall gal!

Sofia's third week

Hungry Hippo;
Sofia is a great eater! She loves to snack all day long. I opted for strict breastfeeding at first but by week three, I had to start supplementing her with formula. I just couldn't handle the constant feeding with no sleep and no breaks. Giving her formula allows Greg to feed her too so that I can get out once in a while, get some sleep, and be less stressed out. She's very funny. When Greg takes the bottle away so he can burp her she'll make cute little growling noises until he gives her the bottle again.

Sofia at 4 weeks old and ready for her favorite holiday -- Halloween!

Poopie diapers;
How did anyone use cloth diapers back in the day? I would really like to use cloth for the environment's sake, but newborns poop all the time and it's very liquidy! Maybe I'll try the cloth diapers when she gets a little older.

October 7; Sofia's one month birthday

State of her Mommy;
I ended up gaining 56 pounds through the pregnancy! I lost 20 pounds immediately without doing anything but it looks like I'm going to have to work hard to get rid of the rest. The docs said I shouldn't do anything for six weeks, but I just couldn't wait that long. At three weeks, I started some short, easy walks. At four weeks I set up my bike on my trainer in the back yard and started riding. My limiting factor is not my legs, but my seat! The first day I could only sit on the bike for 12 minutes! Now I'm up to 16 minutes. I guess it will be a while before I can ride for 24 hours again, but I'm working up to it.


"La Ruta Lou" Kobin sent Sofia a darling little Stars & Stripes riding jersey to match Mommy's 24 hour National Championship Jersey! Sofia will probably fit in her jersey in a few months and maybe by then Mommy will fit back into her's too!

Sofia Hawkins Pierson is born!

After a very looooong 38 1/2 weeks of pregnancy, Sofia came into this world "relatively easily" on Sunday, September 7, 2008 at 6:28pm. We were happily surprised to find out she was a girl.

She weighed 6 lbs 12 oz and measured 19 3/4 inches long. She has very long legs, arms, fingers and toes.

And of course I think she has the most precious face in the world.

At only 15 hours of total actual labor, I must say that this birth was a lot easier than any 24 hour adventure race I've ever done.

Announcing...

Sofia Hawkins Pierson

Born: Sunday, September 7, 2008
6:28pm

Weight: 6 lbs 12 oz
Length: 19 3/4 inches



Baby and Mommy are doing well after a fast and relatively easy delivery. First baby photos are currently under negotiations with the paparazzi.

Baby & Race Chatter

I got all the baby clothes washed and ready to wear. Isn't it just so darn cute!?! But I do have a feeling that some of it will be too small for "BIG TYKE!" We chose one outfit to bring Baby ____ Hawkins Pierson home in whether it's a boy or girl.

I was able to make it through two months without puking,,,,but now it's back. I was awake at my usual 4am the other morning when I had a "Braxton Hicks" contraction and then had to run to my throne to puke! Aaaaahhh,,,reminiscent of my first 6 months of pregnancy! Well, they say this means my labor day is getting close. Two and half weeks and counting!

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Just when I was about to be really pissed that no one covered the Olympic Mountain Bike Race, it aired on the very last day of the Olympics at 2:50am. No medals for the US but great fun to watch anyway. Looked like it was somewhat of a technical course which was really awesome for true mountain bikers to show off their speed, endurance and skills! Last thing they needed was a "road race on dirt!" Congrats to our US mountain bikers for a great showing. Georgia Gould has her race report up.

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Bern trekking on day 9 of 11.5 at the Patagonia Expedition Race in Chile

I've been giving Beginner Adventure Racer Clinics....basically talking to folks about how to get started with adventure racing. It's a little embarrassing when people find out that the immensely huge girl is the one who will be telling them how to race for 4 hours to 10 days! But thank goodness I'm able to show them a power point presentation with lots of photos of me racing. That makes me a little more credible so they will believe that I was somewhat fit before and have done plenty of racing.

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Did you know?
Lisa Leslie is a 36 year old MOMMY who still plays b-ball good enough to win her 4th Olympic Gold Medal!
Dara Torres is a 41 year old MOMMY who swam her way to Silver medals in Beijing.
Lynda Wallenfels is a thirty-something MOMMY who kicks booty in the endurance mountain bike scene.
Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh are thirty-somethings on their way to starting families but most likely gonna play volleyball at the same level upon their return.

***These ladies are inspiration for me to get back to adventure and mountain bike racing!****

Chubby Chatter; Week 36 of 40

The last few weeks I've been very lazy about blogging. Especially since I didn't think anyone was still reading this blog since it had very little to do with suicidal adventures in foreign lands and more to do with my ever expanding belly. But then I received an email from my aunt in Texas who asked why I hadn't updated it in a while. Well, at least my family still reads it so I guess I better post something!

For the last 36 weeks, I have been very busy building a baby. And for those who don't know the feeling, this sort of construction requires A LOT OF REST! So I thank God for my DVR and all the great sports that have been on television! The Tour of California got me through a really rough first trimester of morning sickness. The Tour de France got me through the peak racing time while all my friends were out competing and I was at home resting. And now the Beijing Olympics are getting me through the "home stretch!"

My friends are also entertaining me via the internet while I'm on hiatus. Dave & Lynda are racing fools and just finished strong at the Trans Rockies. Fuzzy lives to mountain bike race and currently races to live. It seems like Christian and Melissa are doing adventure races every weekend! Lou is my kind of adventurous woman! And I'm living vicariously through Caroline's 24 hour solos and Mario's 12 & 24 hour duo races.

But don't get me wrong, I've been reading a lot too. I've read so much about birthing that I could do it right here at home by myself if I had to (oh shoot, I hope I didn't just jinx myself!) Anyhow, during this period of my own physical inactivity, I've been entertained and motivated by exceptional athletes, all from the comfort and safety of my own couch.
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Little did I know when I named my blog "WHO NEEDS SLEEP?" that it would apply to my final couple of months of pregnancy. Everyone says, "sleep now while you can before the baby arrives because then you will be getting NO sleep!" Hell, I haven't slept well for the last 36 weeks and it's only getting worse.
~I can't sleep on my back or stomach because it's bad for Little Tyke.
~There isn't enough room for me and my 100 pillows on the bed.
~Even with 100 pillows, I can't get my extra 50 pounds in a comfortable position so that my back won't hurt.
~I'm too hot!
~I have to get up to pee a few times. And getting myself up is a major task that requires a lot of strategic positioning and grunting.
~Sometimes I need a 3am snack.
~I have MAJOR INSOMNIA! (If anyone else is up every morning from 3-5am PST, I'm available to chat.)
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Swimming is great! After watching hours and hours of Dara Torres, Natalie Coughlin, and Michael Phelps, I think my swim stroke has improved. Well, okay, maybe my doggie paddle is getting better but whatever. I've been spending lots of time in the pool because that's where I feel best and I think LT is really getting into it also. Maybe all this swimming is producing a little swimmer inside me? Sure feels like s/he's in there doing the breast stroke sometimes.
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I don't have my overnight bag for the hospital packed yet, but at least the car seat is in place. Of course we had to really read the instructions and figure the thing out, but it seems to be a really good one (according to Consumer Reports) and very easy to manage.
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My pregnancy progression in pictures...

Just found out! 3 weeks pregnant

17 weeks and already wearing maternity pants. (Probably because all my other jeans had absolutely no room to spare!)

Between 17 and 21 weeks I grew quite a bit.

22.5 weeks

28.5 weeks

29.5 weeks

30.5 weeks

36 weeks now but I went to the doc and she measured my belly as a 37.5 week belly! Yikes! I guess that means it's gonna be a big one! We're hoping that just means it's long. The ultrasound tech measured it's femur and said it has long legs.

33 weeks of 40...and counting!

I used to think that pregnant women who waddled were over-exaggerating. Like you see in all the TV shows, there are the stereotypical pregnant women waddling around and leaning back like they're doing the limbo just to sit down. Well I must admit, that is now me and I can't do a thing about it. I think most of the waddling is due to the constant pain in my hip flexors. It feels as if I've been stricken with the worst arthritis. I guess it just means my body is releasing the hormone called relaxin and is getting ready for the birth, but it makes me feel that much wider. It's hard to walk, hard to get into the car, hard to get out of a chair, hard to put on pants, and hard to roll over in bed! The only time I'm truly comfortable is when I'm in the swimming pool. (However walking to and from the pool sucks! It's like, "Excuse me,,,yes, Shamu is coming through. I know, I know, my belly is popping out of my suit but don't worry I still have 7 weeks to go! I just need to get in the water and take this extra 42 pounds off my back and feet.")




What's going on inside with Little Tyke

All of LT's organs are now developed and some are functioning already just as they will after the birth. Rapid brain growth has increased Little Tyke's head size this week. More and more fat is forming so LT's skin is becoming a rosy color. I had my final ultrasound to check on LT's growth. He/She looks to be about 5 pounds and 17 inches long and his/her feet are about 6.9cm. The tech measured LT's femur and commented on his/her long legs! For the next four weeks LT will gain up to a couple of ounces a day and the Doc says LT is on his/her way to being an 8 pound baby!

I know that LT is already head down and is very low in my belly. It seems to me that LT is just as anxious to get out as I am to release him/her. But we still have about 7 weeks to go and LT needs that time to keep growing. I love feeling him/her move around inside. Sometimes LT kicks me so hard that I jump and let out a small yelp, but mostly now they are slow movements as if he/she is stretching. Sometimes Greg and I even push back on his/her foot or arm and play with him/her. And I can definitely tell when LT has the hiccups!

We had another great baby shower and now Little Tyke officially has more gear and clothing than Mommy! Yup, it's true. I've been forced to start selling all my superfluous adventure gear to make room for all of LT's stuff!

Julie had a very cute cake made for us. Going along with the Alaska Experiment theme, there is our cabin, a baby with a chocolate backpack climbing a mountain, and the quote, "The real adventure is about to begin." Isn't that true!?!?

My Aunt Irene & Uncle Sid came from Texas to help with the party and vacation in Cali! Pictured here with friends Kirsten and Dave.

About 60 people came through the party to enjoy the great food that Pam, Winsome and Betina made!

And of course there was music and dancing involved. These guys were great! They played Jimmy Buffet, Neil Diamond, Elvis Presley and much more!

Even our Alaska Experiment producer Brian Catalina and his family showed up for the festivities!

Christian Burke and Bill McBlaine joined Greg in the baby changing contest. Although Christian had lots of previous experience with his own child, he was still caught off guard with the "special mixture" that was smeared on the diaper! But he won the contest and left with a super cool prize!