Alternate to Running and CHOCOLATE!

I bailed on my running partner yesterday morning because as I was packing my clothes for the run (the night before) I looked up the weather on my phone.  100% chance of rain and 41 degrees at 5am.  Yikes.  Um, no.  So I texted that I was going to bail and would do a workout video instead.  Sweet sleep, dry indoors and heat.  Ahhh.

But then I had to complete the other half of my bailing promise-- a workout video.  So after putting the cub down for his nap, I spent 30 minutes with Jillian.  That girl knows how to kick a butt in ways you don't realize until you wake up the next day, and think, "ow.  Why do I hurt in unusual places?  Oh yeah, that half hour with Jillian." 

I really should do those more often.

I have to share this recipe, kids.  It is so easy, so good and totally is close enough to my addiction to Bear Naked Chocolate granola, without costing $5 a bag!  Found originally here.  I tweaked the oats slightly because I like mine a bit more coated than the 7 cups she calls for in her recipe.

 Source

Homemade Chocolate Granola

• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup oil
• ½ cup honey
• ½ cup cocoa
• 5-6 cups of old fashioned oats
• 1 cup chocolate chips

1. In a small sauce pan combine brown sugar, oil, and honey. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk in cocoa.
2. Place oats in a large bowl and stir in sugar/cocoa mixture.
3. Spread into 2 9×13 pans.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and stir in chocolate chips.
6. Turn off oven and return granola to oven. (Yes you turn the oven off and place granola back in it. This helps the granola to finish cooking without over cooking it.)
7. Leave in oven for 1-2 hours.
8. Remove from oven and let cool.
9. Store in sealed containers or jars.    

Make it and you'll be saying yum too!  It's as close to Bear Naked Chocolate Granola as we'll come in my kitchen-- and I tried lots of other recipes!

You said, what?!

I'm starting to wonder who else is teaching our kid to talk?  Seriously he says full on paragraphs but they happen to be in a language only he knows... some days it's close to Italian, other's Mandarin... today, I was wondering if Arnold Schwarzenegger snuck for a little while...   WOw.

Just when I'm impressed with all the new words he's learning he throws in certain reoccurring "Italian" words like "tet tet ta nini" that I can't quite place as much of anything, but considering it's daily use in his vocabulary I am starting to wonder?!

He did get his first Christmas present and has played with his "mon more" (lawn mower-- said like you have marbles in your mouth, though-- kinds like "mon more") non-stop ever since.  Look at that expression of pure focus in the picture.  He's our little mission-man.

So do all English-speaking kids start out speaking another language first? 

Does our son know his name?

Cubsy, Cubs, Cubby, Little man, Sweet Boy, Baby Boy...  the list has evolved with age but continues to grow!  I really do try to say his real name-- and he does answer to it-- but he also answers to all the names on the this list.  Oops.  Do you think he knows he has only one real first name?

On this day we added "Dirt Eater" to the list...  I wish I could say it was the first offense.  Alas.

Do you all have nick names for your kids too?  Do you end up using their given names or nick names more?

Men vs Women: The Sick Day

So my husband has been sick since Monday.  It's Thursday and guess who is still home, yep... hubs.
I have no doubt he is sick-- not the kind I ever stayed home for but wow-- do men ever do "sick days" differently than women:

Men vs Women: The Sick Day

First thing in the morning...

Men-- Lay in bed, cough, complain your throat hurts. The world as we know it must be ending.

Women--  Realize you might puke, oops, puke. Pull self up by the bootstraps, make breakfast for everyone anyway.  Decide only because you're puking that your really sick.

After breakfast:

Men-- Thank your wife for the breakfast in bed, you could have gotten up but you just feel too horrible to move.  Instead you pull out a lap top and proceed to watch Netflix and Hulu.  Cough.  Sniffle. 

Women-- Decide that only because you are puking you won't go in today.  Pull out your laptop and get to work from home.  You'll run to the bathroom between calls.  Or if you are an at home Mama-- you tell yourself you can do this-- make it to the bathroom before puking on the head of kids.  Have a fleeting thought about how nice "sick days" used. 


Mid-morning:

Men-- Ahhhh... so tired from laying in bed.  Decide to take a nap before lunch-- maybe even move to the couch for the nap.  Cough. Scratch. Cough.

WOmen-- Ugh, I feel icky.  Wish I could take a nap.  Instead, I'll eat a cracker and make some hot tea to sip as I continue working.  Must. keep. going.


Lunch:

Men-- Wow, that nap make me even more tired.  I guess I'll get up to pee, grab some snacks and then come back and watch a movie.  Cough. Sniff.

Women-- It's only lunch?  I feel like this day is dragging on forever.  Guess I'll try to eat something while doing 10 other things at the same time.  Oops... that didn't sit well... puke.   Ugh, I feel like a dog.


Afternoon:

Men-- Zzzzzzzzzzzzz

Women-- Breaks out the cleaner to sanitize and clean the bathroom so no one else gets sick.


Evening:

Men-- Keep the kids away, I feel awful!  I'm pretty sure I am going to have to stay home tomorrow too.  After dinner I think I'll hit the hay early.  TV. Movie. Sleep.  Cough.

Women-- You're home! Yes dear, I've got dinner cooking even though I have zero appetite and might hurl.  Hurl.  Clean the bathroom again.  Take a hot bath while your husband and kids pop in and out of the bathroom.  Ugh.



Ok-- maybe that's just the difference in my family. ; )

Seriously when I was uber sick a few months ago with the pukies-- my husband just told me to wear a mask all day so the baby didn't get sick too.  When he's sick this week, it looks more like this around here...

Photo Source

Good thing women do the child-bearing or we'd really all hear how miserable it is!  I may have told my husband that yesterday too-- to which he said-- if I exert energy I might get more sick-- I'm trying to avoid getting it really bad.  Can't fault that logic!  Cough. Smile. Cough.

Happy Thursday everyone!

Predicting a Baby's Gender

One of the blogs I enjoy reading are the Being Pregnant and Toddler Times on Babble.  I started reading it because one of the writers for Being Pregnant was also a pregnant runner.  She has since had her baby and has probably moved on to their "first year" series.  I kept reading Being Pregnant because I'm kinda passionate about pregnancy and birth after the whole experience. 

So... today's post really intrigued me about predicting a baby's gender.  I never did any of the "pee on things" tests but most things pointed to having a girl.  I carried out and round (most say that's a girl) verses carrying low (supposedly a boy).  I was also very sick from 6-14 weeks (also a "girl" thing).  Obviously they were all wrong for us.  I just calculated the Myan calendar thing that is mentioned in one of the slides and it also said that N would have been a girl.  (I was 29 years old when I conceived in the year 2009= even numer = girl per the calculation)  Oops.  Wrong again.

Supposedly we could even predict a future child's gender by N's hairline.  Hmmmm... looks like it would be boy because his hairline doesn't come to a point (supposedly meaning we would have the same gender as the first).  Interesting stuff. 

Did you all look up old wives tales when you were pregnant?  I admit that I did a lot because we were'nt finding out N's gender until birth, which left 9+ months of looking up these things. 

Were they right or wrong for you?

Familiar Topics and Thanksgiving Ramblings

I certainly did my fair share of eating yesterday... but I did start the day with a 5 mile run to offset at least a little of what I planned to consume that day.  Yum!  I LOVE THanksgiving.  Not just for the food but I love getting time with family and I love that the day after is usually casual and filled with family time too.  And today has not disappointed.  I woke up about 6:30 (I can no longer sleep in if I wanted to!) and did a mental list for the day.  Around 7 I got up and decided to hit Lowe's for some storage bins.  It was ghost town-- I thought it was "Black Friday"?! 

Anyway-- once I got the boy back down for his morning nap I got to organizing all his clothes that I had just been haphazardly putting in bins the basement.  Now it's organized in NB-3months, 3-6months, 6-9 and 12+, toys and other newborn/birth stuff.  I love days when I can check something off my to-do list!  Plus it gave me time to remember when the little guy wore different outfits and hope for the day another kiddo might make memories in those clothes.  It helped make a case for having a baby around the same time of year and another boy.  I realized how much all of the different increments of sizes are also in very specific seasons.  But alas, that would mean conceiving, like, now, which doesn't seem to be on the radar yet.    And how do I always end up back on this topic lately?  Moving on.

The hubby has been around all day today which is great too-- though he's been doing his own projects around the house.

The weather is gorgeous today!  Right around low 60's.  Ahhh!  Got in a short walk, eating leftovers and hanging out.  Perfect.

And while I am making random statements-- I have all but 1 gift bought AND wrapped for Christmas this year.  I'm usually pretty on the ball but never this early!  Yeah for all the homemade vanilla extract I made for the ladies in the family this year which took a nice chunk out of my shopping list!

Finally-- to my friends up north-- do you have a "black day" filled with shopping deals after your Thanksgiving in Canada?

Signing Off...

Ramblings about a Future Kid

Now that it's been about 30 days since I last nursed.  (And you all were right-- it does get easier-- and while I loved nursing, it is nice to keep my shirt down all day!)  I am to the point where my OB said I might start a cycle again.  So of course I continue to think about the possibility of adding another child to our lives.  You can read more about that in my weaning posts when I closed the chapter for good here and wrote about tapering feedings here and here and here. 

Part of me is super excited about the idea of another kiddo... Another side of me is like-- are you CA-RAZY?!  My sister and I were about 16 months apart (both "accidents")... and I loved having a sister that close in age (most of the time, if we're being honest!).  So I'd hoped to have kids close in age.  As time ticked by and I knew having kids that close wasn't going to happen, I was a bit sad but I know the Lord knows what I can handle-- so maybe a bigger gap is what I need for sanity!  Anyway-- here's the pros and cons I look forward to with adding a kid (Lord willing) and in no particular order:

Happy Thoughts:

--I look forward to Running for two again someday!

--I am actually excited about the idea of giving birth again (hopefully naturally again and without induction)!  And seeing how we write a second birth story.  N's birth story in case you missed it.  It's a mega rush even if you don't know it at the time!

--I want my son to have a built in friend and playmate throughout his childhood and life

--Getting that newborn oohy-gooy kiss your face off, gummy smile, a year of milestones, meeting and bonding and nursing experience again.

--Seeing my husband hold his new son or daughter.  That expression of love and pride wrapped in a package that you can't fake if you tried.  (It's pretty sexy too)

--I expect to enjoy the changes of my body more the second time.  I just felt awkward the first go-round and paranoid about people always looking at my belly.


Other Thoughts:

--I know my husband thinks 2 kids is a good number-- so I am a little sad that the next round could be the last.  Last time to pee on a stick and see I'm pregnant, last time to tell the family, last time to give birth, last time to watch a child grow... My husband says this is negative and irrational thinking.  But at the earliest I will be 34 when I could have a 3rd child which starts to get close to being "high risk"... yeah-- that's a bit far out to think before even being pregnant with #2!  Hubs is right.

--Could we possibly love #2 like we love #1?  Will #1 get enough attendtion with a #2 around?  Will #2 get as much attention by having an older brother?

--One kid is so easy to take everywhere and to find a last minute sitter for.  Two.  Gotta be harder.

--Having that first month of having a newborn again.  Sleep deprivation.  Emotional roller-coaster.  Hard.



That's enough ramblings for a day...

No-- I am not pregnant.  Just baby fever.  Yes, this was not about running.  Maybe next time. 

PS-- The blister is healing up but still looks super ugly. Ew.

My version of a race recap

I know some of you love reading race recaps.  I don't.  I think they are boring.  So you'll find my versions are a little different and hopefully satisfy those who like boring recaps and those who don't.  Ha! 

Got up Saturday morning before the alarm because of course I was worried about oversleeping!

Popped my baked oatmeal I prepped the night before into the oven.  PS-- this recipe is so good and has all the makings of a hearty pre-race breakfast!  Mine had peanut butter and chocolate chips-- you know, for protein and energy... ; ).

So-- arrive at the race with my stepdad.  I started getting a little nervous as we got into place.  I really had not been nervous until that point but it really hit me then.  Thankfully it was pretty chilly (around 45) so I wasn't getting sweaty with the nerves.  ; ) 

Crossed the starting line about 1:15 after the clock so we weren't weaving through too many people to begin-- and it was just a smaller race than we usually run-- so that party was nice.  About a mile or two into the race I stripped off the long sleeve t-shirt and gloves I wore (with intentions of tossing them).

The course was pretty flat to start and I was feeling like we were at a good pace-- staying between 9:15-9:30 which is about what we kept the whole race along the flat parts.  When we approached the park I started looking for my two boys-- hubby and the cub.  I guess it was about mile 4 (right before the first hill) that I got to see them and that shot of adrenaline kept us pumping up that hill at a quick trot.  Baby boy was just starting at all the people and even when he saw me he just kept a serious look on his face.  By the second time we saw them I got a wave out of him, and by the third time he clapped for me!  What a sweet boy.

Here are a couple photos my hubs took sometime between mile 4-7. 

About mile 6 is when I knew my blister was going to hurt bad the entire rest of the race but I made up my mind it was not going to slow me down even if my toe was torn apart by the finish (spoiler alert: it was pretty nasty by 13.1!).

We kept trotting along-- not talking too much but maybe once a mile to exchange quick conversation, ask about pace or comment on the time or people.  Ya, know, important stuff.

That's me in the pink-- coming up the bottom of the first hill... (Yes I wear my camelbak on any long run now!)

And coming down hill 3... (yes we swung wide when we saw my fam-- no we are not running into oncoming traffic!)

One of the highlights was about mile 9-- there were three kids sitting outside their apartment downtown.  I said "hi" and one of the girls yelled "are you all racing?"  I yelled back "yeah!" and then I could;t hear what she said back but it was a sweet "conversation."  Since the route changed due to a bridge closure it's not an area used to having a race go through and honestly not the prettiest area of Louisville.  This was the first year for this particular race -- put on in November by the Louisville Sports Commission.

Final Time:
2:03:57. Dangerously close to 2 hours and 4 minutes!

OK-- I'm bored writing this so you have to be bored reading this!  Have a great day!  I'm off to only a 4 mile run again on Tuesday morning (blister-willing).

Rest Day and Remembering my best. meal. ever.

Today was a running- "rest day" but I still was up early after one of those scary dreams that make up wake up shaking and then I couldn't go back to sleep.   Yuck. Must have been the quiche we ate for dinner.

Speaking of food-- I was making lunch this week dreaming about the sandwich I had after giving birth.  Does anyone else think their first meal after giving birth was nothing short of the best meal ever?  Want to know what mine was?  A ham and swiss sandwich with lettuce and tomato on wheat bread (and baked lays).  Seriously it was so good.  I'm not sure if it was because I have not been within a mile of a cold-cut since I found out I was pregnant (and it was recommended to avoid), or if it was because I hadn't eatten in hours or maybe that little thing called labor and delivery?  Either way it was the best sandwich I have ever eatten.  Oh-- and it was about 4:30 in the morning when I ate said sandwich.  : )


Image Source Here



If you have been reading long enough, you have come to expect my randomness. 

Well-- I will be off to packet pickup soon.  Taking the boy and another running friend with me!  Saturday's forecast is looking PERFECT... low of 52, a high of 63!!

Awkward Photos and Future Runs

Tomorrow is the last weekend run before race day next weekend!  8 miles is on tap and then we will only do one 5 mile run next week!  THEN I have to decide if I still have the motivation to continue early morning runs or if I will switch to evenings as it gets colder and I keep my base up for the race in April.

And since I don't take running pictures like everyone else, I have to supplement with others.  So below is my first ever photo taken on a weight machine.  (Wait, is that even what it's called?)  Anyway-- kiddo boy wanted to "drive" and my mom wanted a photo, hence the awkward photo below with my little Pooh Bear.

And this is Pooh Bear in his boots.  He is mildly obsessed with them right now-- so hopefully a certain Father-in-Law-Santa will decide to bring him the next size up for Christmas!  The boy wants to wear them as long as he can!

And here is the kiddo with his "painted" pumpkin.  A 14 month old doesn't exactly understand this concept just yet-- so you get a few small patches of paint which actually turned out better than him putting the seeds back in the pumpkin when we tried to carve it.

Fall Fun

It was a fab weekend here and the weather did not disappoint.  I LOVE fall and it was fall wrapped up with a bow this weekend!

So I turned the big 3-1 and celebrated the day with a 6:30 run (yeah! got to sleep in!) of 8 miles and then headed off for some fall fun with my sweet family.  Behold...

Kiddo boy and me...  he requested to wear his coyboy boots so he was fitting right in!

Let's hope it's a while before the kiddo is driving me around!

Tarzan... attempting to "paint" his pumpkin.

And finally... a family shot from the day (taken at the level of a tripod-pumpkin!)

12 mile runs and closing a chapter

First a running update...

We ran 12 miles on Saturday morning... starting at 5am! Ick!  It took us right at 2 hours and felt WONDERFUL!  One of those runs where you just feel good.  An "all-is-well-with-the-world" kind of run! It was fab.  I feel ready for our race (a half marathon) in another couple weeks.  We will do a tempo run or two during the weekday and weekend runs will taper back to just 8 miles or so.  Once race day is complete it will be time to maintain a good base for the April half marathon!

I turn the big 3-1 on Saturday.  I'm pretty sure that makes me "in my 30's" now instead of just 30.  Is that just my logic or do others do that too?

And finally-- I am officially finished nursing baby boy as of early last week.  I have actually had two cry-fests over that fact.  It amazes me that something that was so hard at first, that I pretty much despised in the early weeks could turn into such an amazing time and bond that I did not see coming.  The blessing of a baby and nursing all took me by surprise!  I'm never good at ending chapters in life but usually future chapters are just as beautiful in their own way.   That's what I have to remember. 

An end to nursing has made the past year flash before my eyes and probably why I couldn't help shedding a few tears.  I have pictured those first days of trying to figure out how to nurse a newborn and be a mom, watching a baby grow and change just a tiny bit as I held him for each new feeding along the way, being around for the littlest of milestones that no one but a mother would know about... it's been amazing and I will miss these days.  I look forward with hope to doing it again with another child.

And I leave you with a photo or two of my little guy at 13 months old!  The first is after eating beets.  Yum!

And playing with his Mama's lens cap...

The alarm sounded today at 4:40am! Yuck!

Another befor crack-o-dawn run this morning... 8 miles starting at 5:15.  Thank goodness the park is close but that was still a 4:40AM wake up call!  BUT I won't have to do a long run this weekend now and also don't plan to do it early!  Yeah!!  There is always good news!

And I have been burning the candle at both ends this week.  I've been blessed with two small archi projects but they are happening around the same time!  So working on that and house rental stuff all on top of life = wanting to crawl into a hole and sleep.

I finally called my OB office today about the lack of a period.  Just to put my mind at ease that it's ok/normal/.  ; )  I'm actually at peace in the waiting (yes, of course I'd love another kiddo soon) but just in case this little lady should have started again after almost 14 months from having a baby, I'd like to be proactive. 

And a last random nugget for today since some of my old elementary to highschool peeps read this 'ol blog... I just finished looking back at some old photos from the middle and highschool years and seriously wanted to laugh/cry/cringe over spans of my dorky years.  I actually wore a homemade halloween-themed puffy paint sweatshirt at my 15th birthday party!  Who does that?!  (Yes, my birthday is right before Halloween so at heast it wasn't spring or something too!)

My poor kid might have no chance at having dork-free years with these two parents!  : ) 

Please-- someone make me feel better and share your own dorky highschool moment!

B.O.B. Stroller Safety Alert

I bundled up my little guy and took him out for my run this morning-- my hubby had to be at work early so I had to cancel my plans for a 5:45 run.  It's definitely not my preference to run with the little guy but it worked out and he always enjoys the runs-- so that's good!

But the real reason for this post is that BOB sent me an email today about another safety alert regarding the backing to the logo patch on the canopy.  For instructions on removing the patch backing follow this link:  http://www.bobnotices.com/recall1/documents/OMB06.pdf

Happy running!

Whoa Baby!

You have got to check out this article about a Mama giving birth immediately following the Chicago Marathon (that she ran at 39 weeks prego)!

I can guarantee my husband would have vetoed the idea of me running that long at that far along in my pregnancy... I was running at 39 weeks but it was only for about 2-3 miles.  : )  

And in nursing news-- we're still just doing just one nursing a day (most days)... why most days?  Well I've "caved" two times now after my little boy (13 months old) signs "please" and tries to lift up my shirt.  Breaks my heart.  Both times were when we've been reading a book in the chair I usually nursed in so he obviously associates the two.  Sniff.

Eliminating Garbage

Today's rant after unsubscribing from some new (to me) running blogs I decided to follow on Google Reader:

I'm not mad at you if you like to cuss (or write and cuss) but life's too short to read that garbage aside from hearing it more than I'd like on a daily basis so I'm not going to read your blog if you consistently write and cuss. 

And I'm ok with having less reader's becausse I don't cuss and maybe that's boring to some. 

Keeping it real today.

~Running For Two

Breaking Out the Old School

Wow-- I have a million things I'd like to write about today but just as I run... so shall I write one step at a time and see where we get.  Deal?

Just returned from my trip to Pella, Iowa-- where they make Pella windows.  Go figure.

As a fan of Mr. Roger's growing up it was totally cool to go visit an actual manufacturing company and see how lumber gets turned into a window in the course of just a few days!  (Remember that time Mr. Roger's had a neighbor that made crayons?  No? Oh well-- I loved that show and fully admit I was and am a dork!) Anyway, the people at Pella were about as cheery as Mr. Roger's neighbors used to be too... And to see all the really cool tests they do to make sure you get a quality window was neat-- like this machine that simulates a shipping transit, another that thrusts a 2x4 into a window with the impact of a hurricane force.  If I had been allowed to have my camera back in there I would have taken pictures to show you. 

Here is one of Pella, Iowa-- I wouldn't book your vacation here but it was cute if you will be close... all photo's via my iphone this trip.

And another from Des Moine in a very cool sculpture park...

They treated us right and packed our agenda from morning to night.  I went from about 7:30-11 every night!  Plus they fed us about every 2 hours so I stayed busy and stuffed.  I was able to get in my 8 mile run Saturday before I left and allowed myself a hall pass to skip my Tuesday morning run.  It worked out because I really would have been tired trying to fit that in too. 

Mr. Roger, Hall Passes... wow, I am breaking out some old school today, kids.

And in case you are wondering I did not make the self-imposed deadline of dropping all feedings (Talked about here and here).  But I am down to just one feeding a day and may have cried a little when I dropped the morning feeding.  Oh how I love the bonding time of nursing and if my body would have a period I'd still be nursing more!  Come on and ovulate, body so I can do this baby thing again soon!

It was so good to see my family again after three days away.  I miss my boys when I'm gone!  It was a nice break for this Mama though!

Oops... the little boy beckons for dinner... on tap tomorrow... a 5:45 run of 5 miles.  I'm back in the Bluegrass State and ready to run!

Run by the (fun) numbers!

Todays run by the numbers:

Running buddy: 1 (my step dad)

Run Distance: 11 miles

Started run: 5:15am

Finished run: 6:55am

Deer: 6

Cars: 6

Rabbits: 4

Times I wanted to scream: 3

Times I actually did scream: 1

Bird that flew into me: 1 (Hence the 1 actual scream above)

Times we had to slow up to keep a 10 min/mile pace: 3 (One of these times was after the bird incident!)

Energy bar: 1 Chocolate Powerbar

Water Consumption: 1 Camelbak

Hours of sleep the night before: About 4.5 hours (ugh!)

Nap after my run: About 1 1/2 hours (yeah!)

Next run: 5 miles on Tuesday at 5:45am

Today's run

Got in 5 miles today and I am feeling wiped out.  Between getting up early, sleeping poorly the last 2 nights, having friends stay with us before their move out of state and working on this dang rental house (it just posted to MLS today-- fingers crossed we get a buyer!)... I just want to curl up and sleep.  Instead I need to keep moving and catch up on my own stuff.  Alas.

Today was 5 miles at a 9:30 pace.  It was decent temps at least and not as DARK as it has been that early!

The forgotten run

My 8 mile run this morning totally, completely fell off my radar.  I woke up at my usual time and had a missed call from my stepdad which immediately reminded me I was supposed to meet him at 5:15 for an 8 mile run.  Oops.  Looks like a long run alone (or with a jogging stroller) is in my future.  Bummer!

How did I forget-- aside from being human?!  Let me tell you a little story...

One of the dumb things my hubs and I did when we were early in our marriage was buy an "investment" property.  Dumb for many reasons but mostly because it has tied up a nice chunk of change and we didn't sell it right away like we thought we would! 

He's handy, I enjoy design and can swing a hammer when needed so we bought a fixer upper, added a full bathroom, bought carpet, updated tons... well... then the margin of profit wasn't as great as we thought so we decided to rent it out and wait on the market to go up more.  Low and behold a friend of my hubby's needed a place--so we let him rent it at our cost.  Another bad idea.  He also had a dog.  Bad idea again.  And without bad mouthing the guy-- the place did not stay looking nice in the 3-4 years he lived there and smells like dog.  He just moved out to change to an out of town job so I have camped out there painting and cleaning all week. 

Knowing all 4 bedrooms needed to be repainted I got the bright idea to attempt it while the kiddo was with me and awake. I brought his pack and play along but that lasted about 30-45 minutes before he really wanted out.  So I decided to let him roam for a few minutes and planned to put him back in.  That was until this happened...

Oh yeah-- that's a gallon of paint tipped over onto the carpet.  I only noticed (your backs to the room when you paint) because I heard him giggling and then saw him happily smearing his hands around in the puddle!  Whoa.  I scooped him up-- called my husband in a panic who said-- just take him home and get him cleaned up, leave the paint (there was no water on in this house at the time) and he said-- take a few pictures!

So here is kiddo after stripping him to his diaper...

 

So yeah-- all that to say-- the house and messes and constant working on it and knowing I was going to be back there all day again today-- is why I completely spaced that today was Saturday and I had a long run planned.

Disclaimers-- This was No VOC paint but did not make it a good idea to allow a toddler to roam in the room with a full can and a lid that obviously wasn't on very well!

Yes-- we usually use cloth diapers but knowing I would be here for a long day-- we put on the easier ones.

I do indeed do archi work at home but this week was a bit slower and therefore I tried to play this role too.  Little man has now had many naps there and I only paint during those.  Some lessons you do learn quickly. 

Here's to hoping we can sell the house and make an investment property another lesson-learned-- at least until a later phase in life!

Random Ramblings...

Do any of you ever feel "stalker-ish" for reading random people's blogs?  I know I do.  And with the advent of Google Reader and suggested sites I will sometimes just wander the blog world and find myself intruiged by the lives of random people.  Is that odd?  I do try to publically "follow" blogs I read most and leave comments to maybe be less stealth-like.

Y'all know I don't post many pictures of my hubby or me. I still feel wierd about the blogging thing and putting myself out there. Especially when I started this blog sharing lots of the graphic ins and outs of running while pregnant. But today I am going to share a couple photos of our family "trip" this past weekend to a local farm.

Little man and me. (Oh-- and a Llama)  I'm pretty sure we are all pretty darn pasty-white. 

Little man and his dad and an overzealous Zebra! Freaked them both out for a second!

And now a couple other randoms...

Little man helping his dad work on plumbing in my mom's new kitchen.

Little man.

Thanks for the comments on the jogger!  Yeah-- they seem pretty effortless until you add kid(s) and hills!  : )

Jogger

Next time I want to bail on my running buddy at 5:45am on a Tuesday or a Thursday morning-- remind me how much harder pushing a jogging stroller is and I will make sure I set my alarm!  Whew.  Arm workout today with the kiddo after cancelling for my early morning run.   Note to self-- go to bed earlier on Wednesday night!

An Early Saturday

Woke up at 4:45am to do an 8 mile run this morning before I needed to be back home and get the family going.  Whew it felt good!  It was perfect temps (around 65 degrees) and kept the pace slower (10min/mile as opposed to the 9min/mile I'd been running).

I don't think I've mentioned it yet but a few of my friends/family are planning to do a half marathon here (Kentucky) on November 12th.  I am looking forward to doing a race in a time of year I have never done one before!

After the morning routine-- during baby boy's first nap-- I decided to sneak back to bed for an hour and a half too.  Then we all headed off to a little family "zoo" of sorts here in town.  What a nice Saturday!  ; )  Hope you are enjoying yours too!

PS-- Hubs is saying he wants to start running again... we'll see if we pair back up as running buddies again soon!  He's such a good runner and inspires me with his dedication and enthusiasm once he's back in the saddle.

This weeks Weaning Update

Since I was soooo sick for a couple days last week I decided to extend the "dropping a feeding" out a couple more days.  How's that for justifying?  So as of today we will be down to just a morning and bedtime nursing.  My two favorite cuddle times with the little guy.  Let's talk about my emotions after one or both of those gets dropped.  For now I am feeling ok with things and my big 12-month old boy is nursing for shorter amounts of time anyway.  After a few minutes he signs "all done" and then he wants to eat real lunch or dinner.  He is still trying to get the sippy cup thing but we're sticking with it and he takes a bit more every day.   The kid loves big people food-- he loves him some veggie lasagna and red beans and rice this week! 

Have I mentioned my goal timeframe for weaning... I am taking a solo trip for a few days to Iowa at the beginning of October (for some architect continuing education junk) and thought it would be nice to go to bed and wake up without feeling full and needing to take along pumping stuff.  So that is when (right now) I am shooting to have dropped all feedings.  One month to go. 

Would love to hear what you feed your younger kiddos!  I want to keep him trying lots of stuff so he isn't a kid who will only eat two things when he's older-- but it has to be easy enough to cook for a non-chef person like me!

Supply

Yeah a reader question!

I mean ... Today we are going to answer a reader question... ; )

N.D. wrote-- That's great you made it to the year. I don't know how you did it - I failed both times! 10 months was around when my supply declined. Any tips for when I do this again?

Thanks for the question-- first you made it 10 months!  That is not at all failing!  That's great!

I was never one to make tons and tons of milk so I think this is a good question for me to actually answer... 

A bit of background first... I had a combination of a very content baby who didn't fuss even when he was obviously not eating enough, a little guy who would not nurse all I made and I was not really making enough to feed him.  So he wasn't gaining weight real well in the early weeks.  Thanks to an amazing lactation consultant (which I'd highly recommend at any point in the journey you reach a road block) we worked through early issues with extra pumping to increase my supply. 

At 6 weeks we started letting our son sleep through the night-- so the first thing I did was to keep setting an alarm to wake up and pump and save the milk.  If he has been gaining fine I might not have done that, but it definitely kept my supply up.  I would also pump right after he nursed (again, this was to feed back to him to help him gain weight normally but helped my supply).

Once we were past those hurdles and he was only nursing 4-5 times throughout a 12 hour day (and not any at night) I would just pump after the morning feeding when I was extra full and before I went to bed at night.  Since he goes to bed between 7-7:30 there were lots of hours left before I went to bed and when I'd feed him again.  So I was never going without pumping/nursing for over a 9 hour or so period of time.

I totally think taking Organic Fenugreek (found at your Health Food Stores in a capsule) several times a day was a huge help.  Early on you may smell like maple syrup -- you read that right-- taking this is natural and increases your supply.  I know some people like it in other forms like whole or in teas-- but I recommend this throughout nursing!

Once we started introducing solids I would still nurse first and at his usual times and then feed him solids.  I think that's important for you to keep supply up (and of course for baby).  And the final biggie was staying hydrated and well fed-- especially on running days when my body needed more fuel!  It can be easy to slack on that once nursing and a baby become such a routine.

I hope that helps.  When I put my mind to something I can be a stubborn mule.  I feel blessed this worked out but I also know it was not without a lot of hard work, tears and effort along the way!  Thanks for the question!

This weekends Run

Did 6 miles on Monday.  Felt my lack of running and lack of water the week before. 

Temps are down, finally!  Yeah! 

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Running For Two

Oops How is it Friday?

How is it Friday?

Oh yeah-- I got hit with that HORRIBLE stomach bug for a day and a half and missed one of my runs this week along with being completely out of commission!  That is when working from home with a 12 month old was just not working.  Thankfully I have an easy going kiddo because I literally only picked him up to nap or eat and I laid around and watched him play.  When he had both naps I took naps too.  I don't think I turned on my computer all day Wednesday which is saying a lot.  Very Sick.  I thought it was food poisoning as sick as I got and quickly as it came on but it seems to be going around here after talking to people.

So I shall get back to the grind and hopefully knock out a long run this weekend.  I have missed running and actually am kinda feeling bad about saying I don't feel like a runner... because when I miss running I am reminded that I am a runner regardless of how slow or often I get at it!

Weaning is going ok-- little man is 100% ok with it and actually is nursing for shorter amounts of time when he does nurse.  He kinda likes this people food thing!  One day he did great with the sippy cup and the next few-- not so much.  So we'll see how that continues to go.  So we've heard me say how much I have enjoyed the bonding moments and snuggles that come with nursing... here are a few things I won't miss:

Things I won't miss about no longer nursing:
Being sore when I shower
Wearing nursing bras
Craving sweets and carbs constantly (I honestly see a difference in just a week of tapered feedings in my level of cravings-- hopefully not coincidence!)
Wearing two bras to run
Pumping
Being engorged (... before a run, in the morning, after missing a feeding, traveling... anytime!)
Nursing pads

A little secret...

Want to hear a little secret?

I don't actually consider myself a runner.  There I admitted it.  Are you shocked?

I really don't, though.

I know I have this blog and I talk about running but hear me out on this...

In a typical week my only exercise is a run 3 days a week.  If I'm not quite feeling it, that number may drop down and I don't let myself feel that guility about it. 

I only do a race or two a year.

Up until about three years ago I would start training for the April half-marathon and after the race not run regularly again until the winter to start over again.

I don't really get into heartrate, PRs, hill trainings, cross training...

Sometimes I don't even like running very much.

I don't look at protein, eat special bars before a run or even subscribe to a running magazine.

When you blogger runners post stats and details and paces about your runs I gloss over until you write sentences again.

When I run a mile around 9 minutes I feel like I had a pretty good mile.  I was never the sporty one in my family or friends!

I don't follow a training plan for working up to a half-marathon.  (After doing lots of them I go with a gradual build up that just seems to work.)

What do you think?  What makes a person a runner to you?


Now my husband... he's a runner.

He doesn't run regularly at all-- as in I don't think he has run in months maybe even years now-- but he is a runner to me. When he does run, he runs fast! And he can even talk and run fast!  He coached cross country to high schoolers for years.  He knows about heartrates, proteins, carb loading and reads books by a guy named after a whiskey (Daniels' Running Formula - 2nd Edition)



But me... I run to keep my head straight and my stress down.  I run so I can eat the sweets and carbs I can't seem to stop eating! 

I buy gear when I need it and don't geak out on it when I do.  I own a few running shorts, a few running shirts, have a few pairs of running socks, a working pair of running shoes, got some blinky lights (as a Christmas gift) so I can run in the dark and a very nice jogging stroller (as a shower gift) to make sure I couldn't use a baby as an excuse not to run...

I read some great blogs about running and see how dedicated many of you are to making it an actual competative sport.

I love supporting others who think they can't run for whatever reason.  Maybe I have that passion because I don't feel like I am a pro at running myself?  I'd like to think that as long as a doctor gives you a decent bill of health-- anyone can run.  Anyone can do a 5k and I truly think anyone can even do a half or a full marathon too! 

Shoo... I feel better getting that off my chest. 

I'm just your average 30 year old (when did that happen?) running for fun and fitness and I want to take as many of you along on the ride too!

Weaning

While this blog started to cronicle running while pregnant I also desire to keep it real on life with a baby (ok-- 1 year old) too.  I know breastfeeding unto itself is sometimes a sensative subject... but I am going to kick it up a notch and talk about weaning.
Now that baby boy is a year old and I shared that I am ready for another kiddo (whenever the good Lord would bless us with another) and since Aunt Flo has yet to return onb her own-- we're going to start the weaning process.  (How else can I keep a blog called Running for Two?  Haha!!)  My plan now (sitting at day 1) is to drop a feeding and stay one less feeding for a week or so before dropping another.  Of course replacing the feeding with solids (which he already gets) and whole milk.  I may hang on to the morning and night feeding a bit longer.  The night will definately be the last one I drop because it's such a bonding time to snuggle and be the one to put him to bed.  I could cry thinking about dropping it right now.

Baby boy currently nurses 4 times a day-- when he wakes up in the morning, after his morning nap, after his second nap and before bed for the night... so the first feeding to go will be the one after his second nap. 

The pediatrician gave the okay to start organic whole milk.  I gave him some yesterday when he woke up from a nap and after about an ounce he was signing "please" to nurse instead.  So in today's replacement milk I warmed it up and mixed it with my milk and he did fine with it.  I should also mention that because he has nursed he hasn't really figured out a sippy cup.  And he is going through a stage of being soooo picky with solid foods-- but we're forging on. 

His 1 year stats:
20 lbs (exactly) -- only in the 10-25th percentile
30" tall (exactly) -- 50th percentile

I'll keep you posted on how things go, physically, emotionally, etc.

Happy 1st birthday to our sweet Little Man!

Happy 1st birthday to our sweet Little Man!

A year ago today I laid eyes on the most beautiful baby boy I had ever seen.  Around 9 last night I asked my husband to remember back with me and we talked about where we were this time last year.  In case you missed it... his birth story is here.

Here is a photo from the first moments we met our sweet boy...

To a photo taken just a few hours ago (on his first birthday)!  Oh how I love this little guy!  I did not know I was capable of being so full of love until I became his mama a year ago today...

Edit:  For the sake of his Mama... I wanted to add his last "weekly" photo here-- taken on his birthday.  His shirt was another one I made that says "I'm Uno".

Turning Uno-- The Birthday Party Edition

Watch out Blog Friends... The cat is coming out of the bag to talk about the birthday bash... we officially celebrated kiddo turning UNO!  I'm going to let pictures do the talking in this post.

He officially hides from the camera now so this is the best I could do getting his Uno shirt...  (oh and his dad had him wearing his tool belt!)

Weely photos from weeks 1-48...

 We asked guests to sign in with there favorite memory from the past year... hoping to do that at all birthdays!

I made up cards for the food and such.  This one for the party favors said that "he likes to sign 'please.' Kids-- please accept a little gift!"

I made an "UNO" fruit pizza as the cake for the big people.

My Father-in-law and baby boy share a birthday.  So I made him a cake that said 71 and a shirt also announcing his age.  ; )

Fruit bowl in "Uno" colors...

Kiddo's shirt...

The birthday boys!

 The food!!

With all of the food I made signs like the one below...  Around N's birth I craved Papa John's Pizzs with tomatoes and extra sauce!

Guests (and no this is not at my house-- it's a rented clubhouse.)

And this is pretty much how he wanted to be the entire time... in my arms or holding my hand.  He was a bit overwhelmed!

I ended up going with the vanilla (reduced sugar) cake that I posted the recipe for.  I surrounded it with bananas and put a dab of (melted) whip cream on top for a mess-factor.  He LOVED it and cheered up a little after eating.  I think that many people were a little too much for him.  But cake helped make it better!

So that's it... the Uno party is over and the guy officially turns Uno on Thursday.  Sniff.

Squatting Reminders

Nothing like squatting to pick something up and feeling a burn to remind you that those 25 minutes with Jillian Michaels the day before were really doing some good!  Or to remind you that an exercise-regimen of only running leaves certain muscle-groups untouched!  Note to self: Do more "ripped in 30" with Jillian on a regular basis.

Headed out of town for a quick girl's overnight tonight then back tomorrow to finalize birthday plans for the big day on Sunday!  Stay tuned!

Take Two

Just as I was going out for my morning run today it started thundering, lightning (that doesn't look right?) and raining.  I was running with the kiddo this morning so we went back and I let Jillian kick my butt for 25 minutes instead.

Sometimes you have to roll with the punches.


I don't think I've had a kiddo pic up in a while so here are a few...

Bath Time...

Wearing his new tool belt and "fixing" the baby rocker that used to be mine.  (He would not let me get a picture from the front...)