Retirement

I'm retiring this blog.

Really.

I'm not retiring from running, but I no longer wish to write about it.

I'll probably start some kind of other personal blog in wordpress, but other than updating with the link to my new blog, I no longer plan to write here.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for your comments. Until we see each other again...

What do you do?

Something clicked today. I didn't necessarily get a ton of sleep last night. I didn't have a to-do list to follow. Somehow, I have managed to be uber-productive today. What do I do all day? First and foremost, I take care of Brody. I make sure all of his needs are met. Beyond that, I try to do as much as I can to better our household by taking care of the housework, the shopping errands, and then take a few minutes to myself (think simple things like snack/lunch/computer time/bathroom)

Here is a typical productive day (not a running day today) -

I woke up before Brody, showered and got ready. I ate a healthy breakfast just in time to watch him wake up over the monitor.

During Brody's morning awake hours, we did our regular routine things like feed/change diaper/play, but we also took a quick trip to the grocery to take care of that errand during the cool hours of the day.

During first nap, I resolved to feed myself and then tackle as many chores as possible. A load and a half of laundry cleaned and put away, vacuumed downstairs, swept downstairs, dusted staircase (it is entirely wood and was full of cat fur and dust bunnies in the corners), cleaned downstairs toilets, and one sleepy baby meant for a long productive naptime. Hurray for both Brody and me! The extra time doing chores means that I am finished with Tuesday's chores as well, so tomorrow I can devote time to fun things for me while Brody sleeps!! I have a craft/sewing project I'm working on as well as some plants that I need to pot.

During Brody's early afternoon awake time, we did the normal eat/change/play routine, but then also made a trip down to Barton Creek Mall to take care of an errand.

Now Brody is taking his afternoon nap and I continued the laundry, potted a few indoor plants, had a snack, and now am enjoying some computer time because I'm ahead on the chores.

The rest of the evening will include feed/change/play with Brody, a walk to the park swings, preparing and eating dinner, picking up things while Chad does Brody's bath, then put Brody down for the night. It will be about 8pm when that happens and then Chad and I will have an hour or two before I get tired and want to go to sleep.

Most days are like today, but we trade in a library storytime, visits from friends and family, and some days I sneak in a run in the morning. Some days Brody sleeps 2-3 hours total for naps. Some days it is only about an hour and a half total, which means I barely have time to prepare my own lunch, a snack, and possibly fit in an easy chore or two before I turn back into caregiver for the next several hours.

Good times! I am a lucky woman.

My First Mother's Day

I'm a lucky woman. Today is Mother's Day and not only do I have the most wonderful husband and baby to share it with, I got to have a day much like other weekends. Chad and Brody make me feel special most days, so today wasn't any different in that respect.

When asked what I wanted to do for Mother's Day, there were only a few specific requests I could think of - After Brody was awake for the day, Chad handled all of the diaper changes. I was able to get a run in by myself (meaning without the stroller) and have some time to take my shower and get ready without having to worry about the B-man. I also got to help out with bath time, part of Brody's routine that Chad typically gets. I just love lathering Brody's little scalp with shampoo and pouring water on him.

Other things that I got today that were bonus - Chad made my breakfast for me, surprised me with cards from both Brody and him, had a nice mommy present for me, and took us to lunch (including a girly drink, hurray!).

And a special surprise - I was able to take an hour nap for the second day in a row. Double hurray!

I feel loved and special.

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there, whether your children are grown and have children of their own or whether you are waiting to meet your child. To the Moms in my life, thank you for your example and advice. Thank you for being a part of this mothering community that helps me laugh through the hard times and reminds me to cherish the moments that go by all too fast.

Running Stuff

I ran a 5k. First 5k and first real race since Portland in 2009. I put it on Facebook and blogged about it for Brody, so I figured most of you readers here probably don't need to know much more about it.

Not sure about my official time, but my watch read 28:30-ish. I know I was 9th in my age group and either 3rd or 4th stroller overall (1st place female stroller-pusher for sure). The race should have had a stroller division. I would have liked winning a prize. I'm proud of my new stroller PR. My goal was to break 30 minutes and I did it with plenty of time to spare.

Each week I'm running 4-5 days with one of the days being a gym day where I run between other stuff like lunges and weights. My long run is still somewhere between 4-5 miles and 45-50 minutes. Go me.

Quoting a Friend

My friend blogs here about life as a runner, movie fan, book reader, and state government employee (which I used to know exactly what he did, but I can't remember the specifics other than it is related to budgets and spending...sorry Keith!!)

His closing thoughts yesterday are worth repeating here.

"I think it is worth noting that while the Republicans are having a ball telling anyone who will listen that they were elected with a mandate to come to Austin and slash "excessive state spending that has run-amok and gotten us into this mess," it was the Republican party that created the situation we are in now. This is not a partisan statement, it is simple fact. The Republican party has controlled every aspect of Texas state government for more than 15 years. President Bush, then Governor, lead the Republican party to landslide wins in Texas in 1995 (after a decade of party building), and since that time the Republicans have controlled statewide leadership offices, the Governor's office, and the legislature. So I leave you with this thought: If 15 years of Republican dominated political leadership culminated in a $26 billion statewide deficit (the largest in history), why did voter's believe the solution could be found in electing a Republican super majority (or very close to one)?"

Conquering Doubt

"Our doubts are traitors,
And make us lose the good we oft might win
By fearing to attempt."

-William Shakespeare

I did not fear to attempt a long run sans-baby stroller this morning. I was full of self-doubt, but I forged ahead. I'm proud to say that at my designated 2-mile turnaround point I felt great and did not turn around. My body found the running groove that I feared lost to pregnancy and motherhood. Nope. The runner's high, the moment that your brain clicks with endorphins and you feel as if you could run forever, hit me and I settled into it like an easy chair. Ah...my long lost friend.

4.66 miles in 47:00

new distance and time PR for running without any walking

I'm awesome.

New writing

I couldn't figure out exactly what I wanted to do about this blog and posts about Brody. As of today, I am putting true Brody-related posts on his own blog. The intention of that blog is to be like a baby book or diary, where I record things that happen in our daily life for Brody. It will be written to him.

If you are interested go here.

Quote of the night

You need to know the whole picture first...

Typically Brody wears pajamas all day, the ones with feet and that zip up. Pulling a shirt or a onesie over the helmet is a pain in the butt and so is taking off the helmet to dress him is equally as annoying. The situation for me recently has been that Brody is huge and outgrowing many of his zip pajamas. He also is now a week away from not having to wear a helmet anymore. So, recently I have been experimenting with Brody wearing onesies and shirts.

Today he was wearing a little shirt with bright yellow bananas all over it with small writing that said 'bananas in my belly'.

Part of the joy of having Chad be an involved father is getting to hear random snippets of his conversations with Brody. One example is walking into Brody's room after bathtime to find Chad singing 'Amarillo by Morning' to him. It makes my heart melt. Other times I hear him say the funniest things, which brings me to the quote of the day -

Chad's thoughtful parenting advise to Brody tonight. Read with a deadpan voice, very matter-of-fact -

"Brody, it's okay to wear a banana shirt, but not a banana hammock."

Sage advise indeed.

almost 6 months ago

Six months ago was August 25, 2010. I was 39 wks 3 days pregnant and out for my evening walk. Chad was out getting his run in. That evening I decided to run again. I hadn't really run in weeks/months, though I tried a few times in the last month at the gym and just ended up in a lot of pain. Something told me that night to run.

When we were showering and going to bed for the evening, I was remarking at how low my belly was and showed Chad how I could fit my entire palm between my breasts and the big belly. I swept my hand down hard over my skin and swear I heard and felt the 'pop' that I think was the rupture of my membranes.

Not 5 hours later, at 1am on August 26, I awoke to the feeling of water gushing out of me while laying in the bed. I thought I had wet myself with urine, but quickly realized otherwise. It was go time. My water had indeed broken.

Throughout the day on the 26th, labor progressed and we took our final pregnant picture in the nursery. Now six months later, I have finally rediscovered these pics and finished putting together the final belly progression picture from the header of my pregnancy blog. You can click to enlarge if you want. Pictured are the following weeks - 12, 14, 16, 18, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, and 39wk4days (in labor, likely 3-4 cm at that point).

I should probably take a picture in the nursery now with Brody. I think I'm about the size of the first pic of me in week 12.

Valentines Date

I did my makeup and hair.

I wore a real bra instead of a nursing tank.

In fact, I wore nothing that would suggest 'mom'...dark non-maternity jeans, red shoes, a top with a neckline that showed a hint of cleavage.

I wore my engagement ring, something that I don't wear these days because the setting ends up scratching Brody's legs when I change his diapers.

I carried a real purse instead of a diaper bag.

I purposely did not wear a watch so that I wouldn't look at the time and wonder what Brody was doing.

My favorite restaurant these days, The Steeping Room, offered a Prix Fixe menu for Valentine's Weekend with at least one item in each course that fit my dietary restrictions (no gluten, no dairy, no eggs). I guarantee no other restaurant in Austin is offering such (even Mother's). It also was reasonably priced and did not have the 'amateur hour' feel in its clientele compared to other dining establishments Valentine's weekend.

We drove Chad's truck, which does not have a car seat base in it.

It was a real date night, folks, and I'm the luckiest gal in the world right now :).

Big Week!

Well, really more than a week...a big 10 days! Hope you enjoy seeing everything that has happened!

First trip forward facing in the stroller! (Jan 29)

First time sitting in a high chair (Jan 29)

Getting the DOC Band wrapped thanks to Evolution Graphics (Feb 1)

First time tasting solids - it was much more appealing to Brody :) (Feb 1)

First time making snow angels (Feb 3)

Not the first time petting the cat, but during this week he really started to recognize and smile at Miko. (Feb 5)

First time in a swing! (Feb 6)

Loving the swings in our neighborhood! (Feb 7)

We also have run several times (walk/running) forward facing in the BOB. Brody has had a few nights of 11 hours of sleep with only one wake-up each night < insert chorus of angels singing loudly from the heavens!!>. Brody's head has made a lot of progress in his DOC band. He actually has a bit of a...wait for it....round head in the back. I swear he has grown a foot and put on 10 pounds. Well, not really, but he does seem longer and his hair has definitely grown.

Good times!

Power Outage with a Baby - The Learning Curve

Things I learned during this morning's power outages -

• You do not need to worry about an alarm clock during a power outage if you have a baby. He/She will wake you up at the regular time. Oh wait, you were already up praying that he/she would gift you some extra time to prepare the house ?? Not a chance.
• As soon as the power goes out, that dang battery back-up surge protector you own is going to start beeping loudly to announce that you have a limited amount of time before your precious electronics will go out, so you better power down. Screw that! Let the electronics go out immediately, just stop beeping so the baby doesn't wake up.
• The sound machine in your baby's room was set to "Rain". Now that it is off, you must tiptoe around the house or he/she will wake up. This goes for overnight sleeping as well as nap time. Oh, and when the power inevitably comes back on during the middle of sleepy time, it will not go back to the gentle rain that you had it set to. No, it will go back to the default "Rain forest" which involves loudly tweeting birds that will wake your baby up. Better just to leave the sound machine off during rolling blackouts. I hate that thing.
• That battery-powered Sleep Sheep that you weren't sure you would use much because it only made the sound machine noises for 40 minutes?? Well, that will come to your rescue now that your dumb plug-in sound machine insists on reverting back to the squawking rain forest birds. Yay for Sleep Sheep. Not that your baby is going to nap at all today.
• Another thing that runs on batteries that will save you? The swing!! If your baby has somewhat outgrown the swing, but is refusing to nap because "something just isn't right in the house" during the power outage, the swing will work! I at least got 20 minutes of no crying because of the swing. Note - the swing will not work on any other day anymore.
• You will become hyper-aware of the status of the freezer. Why? Not because the frozen dinners or smoothie fruit in there might thaw. No, it is because you have 4-6 weeks of stored milk (and in my case it is treasured dairy- and egg-free stored milk) that you would cry for days over if it were to thaw. So, prepare a cooler by putting it outside in the 20 degree weather and then put all of your liquid gold breast milk on the shaded back porch away from the warm house. Thanks Dad for the suggestion. I can't believe I have at least a half gallon of my own milk sitting on our back porch in Texas.
• Feeling cold? Wrap your baby in a cuddly blanket and let him/her nurse and then cuddle with you asleep in your lap. Ahh...instant heater.

I'm sure there is more that I learned, but those are the items I will take away most from. What an interesting morning.

Giggle Fest

Baby Blessings

Another reminder of how lucky we are to have Brody in good health...My friends Billy and Ashley have been dealing with their son Weston's Biliary Atresia - he has been waiting for a liver transplant since very early on in his little life. Weston is only one month older than Brody.

As of right this second, Weston is in the OR receiving his brand new liver. Also right now, the donor's family is mourning the loss of their child. What a tremendous gift it is to donate organsand may the donor's family be blessed and find peace in knowing that a wonderful little boy is receiving a badly needed liver. They are saving Weston's life today.

Please pray for/think good thoughts for/send good energy towards the Golden family as well as the donor's family tonight.

Nine Random Thoughts from Today

#1 - I'm still amazed that my son came out of my body. I still remember exactly how it felt the last few hours of labor. Only now (exactly 5 months later) am I open to the idea of having another child. First, we will have to get this sleep thing down, but the thought has crossed my mind. I'd say I'm about 25% willing to try for another baby sometime down the road.

#2 - Running blogs are boring. I'm finding myself less interested in running blogs these days. Eh, maybe I'll change my mind again, but I'm into reading about other things.

#3 - I'm so excited for next Tuesday! I get to begin my "reduced work responsibilities" on my path to being a SAHM. All I can think of when someone at work sends me an email about something or tells me something over the phone that I think is annoying is "oh, go blow it out your a$$!" Really. I'm there.

#4 - I used a pot in the kitchen last night for the first time since Brody was born. I actually read a coulple of recipes and tried new things. Teriyaki Quinoa and Simple Swiss Chard. Combine with Tamari Salmon and you have homemade dinner, folks.

#5 - I have a new distance PR with Brody in the stroller - 1.57 miles. Brody is finally strong enough to sit forward facing in the stroller (not in his car seat), which means I'm on the way to maybe trying running again someday. If only he can get over his aversion to shoulder straps. He screams bloody murder when being secured in his car seat and now in his strollers, so it may be a while before we can stay out long distances away from the house. Literally one step at a time, folks.

#6 - Thought brought on by a conversation I had earlier today- America will be a much better place when everyone understands that being gay is not a "lifestyle choice." Being gay is as much in a person's biologic make-up as hair color or skin color, but yet some people still think that it is okay to withhold rights from. Seriously makes me sad to think of how many ignorant people there are out there in the world on this issue. Religion can't even be used to justify the discrimination - if people want to claim "some line" in the Bible against homosexuality as an excuse to discriminate, they also should look to the other things in the Bible that reference sexual behavior between men and women and see if it is applicable to the relationships we know today (virginity at marriage, polygamy, divorce, stoning of adulterers). Sigh. Why do some adults fear two people of the same gender who are in a loving relationship marrying, when they would insist their own teenage daughter marry the father of her child, even if it is not in her best interest? (not my situation, but double sigh)

#7 - Torchy's tacos are yummy. The taco of the month in January is super good, too - The Revolution. I get it on corn tortillas without cheese. yum.

#8 - Lots of preggos still happening amongst friends. I'm thankful that Brody will have little buddies to play with.

#9 - Breastfeeding is awesome. It is also kind of weird. I'm not sure if I'll ever think of my boobs as being sexy again now that they are used for their intended biologic function all the time. Also, nobody ever mentions how you are trapped in time when you are nursing. You can't miss a feeding or pumping session or your boobs get really full, and that is uncomfortable. I'm thinking in terms of going for a run, or a date with your husband, or even just being able to sleep comfortably through the night. When the baby sleeps for longer stretches, you still might wake up to really full, tight, uncomfortable boobs and have to pump at 3:00 in the morning. It just gets complicated, that's all. Anyhow, my boobs make milk, and that is really cool because when I see how well my son is growing physically, I know that it is because of me :).

Goals for 2011

• Start running again this year. I would like to be able to run 10-13 miles by the end of the year. Yes, I'm that far out of shape. I'm gonna start slowly by walking first (haven't even really walked since Thanksgiving) then adding in some short distances running.
• Stop using profanity. I don't want Brody to say his first curse word by imitating anything I have said. If you really knew our little family, you would know that I'm the cusser in the house. My main words to work on...fudge, shoot, ace, dang...but the real ones. I figure I'm going to start saying durn, dang, argh, booty, and the like this year, just to keep my sense of humor.
• Eat more vegetables. Despite what a few of you think, I really have become lax in my vegetable eating. With all of the food restrictions I am now under (no beef, chicken, pork by choice, no wheat for my GI issues, no dairy or eggs for Brody's eczema issues), it is essential that I focus on eating the right foods. I am slowly becoming a junk food pescatarian.

Those are the main goals. There are lots of other things that I constantly strive to do better on. Having three main things to immediately focus on for the year is about all I can handle.