Then, I Died a Little Bit

For awhile I've been thinking about starting the Couch to 5K program.  Honestly, I have no idea why.  I'm not athletic, have never run, and am not much on being hot or sweaty.  But I just got it in my head that I'd like to say I ran a 5K.  It was one of my goals at 30, so during my shopping trip the first weekend in May I headed to the New Balance store for new shoes.

The next Saturday morning dawned bright and hottish, and I downloaded a C25K app on my phone and headed out.  Then, I died a little bit.  Literally.  I had not felt well when I got up and should have known better than to try to do anything with my crazy sugar issues without having plenty in my stomach.  I did half the running, returned home, laid out in the recliner, and demanded water.

This, minus the hair.

While that was terrible, I was back out Monday night.  In a frigid, cold wind.  In the rain.  I did 2 jogging cycles before realizing I have no sick days left to be running around in the rain.  I came in and did the elliptical until the rain stopped, then went out and did 4 more jog/walk cycles before the rain started again.

Technically I should be finishing my 3rd week of the program.  However, a slow first week, an all elliptical night due to pouring rain, and another wasted Saturday morning attempt {mornings are not my thing apparently} put me a little behind.  Also?  My walks around the neighborhood in the years since I've had kids have not really produced the cardio effects that they needed to.  I spent about 2 weeks on week one.

Then, just as I started seeing improvement, feeling proud, and not hating every step of jogging, my knees started hurting out of the blue.  That was last Wednesday.  They still hurt on Friday, so I stayed with week 1.  I took off 2 days to no avail, and went out Monday and did Week 2 Day 1 with relative ease.  That's 6 sessions of jogging 90 seconds at a time.  For you that may be no big deal, but when I started that night I had no confidence that I'd jog 90 seconds period.  I was proud, and I was in pain.

I haven't done any walking/jogging since Monday.  I'm taking Advil to get through my days at school.  My knees are fine unless I'm walking, and I do a lot of that on hard floors during the day.  I've consulted my real-life running friend Anna, my blog running friend Courtney {who has dealt with knee issues}, and my friend Kristin who's a sports medicine major.  She's going to check my knees, shoes, etc. this weekend and show me some things to do.  Everyone has had great advice, and 2 out of the 3 have said I should continue training.  But my knees hurt.  Tonight I did our elliptical and had no pain doing that.  I'm hoping that I have 2 problems that are easy to fix: flat feet (so much that they cause my knees to turn inward) and weak leg and butt muscles.  I did not buy the insoles that they tried to sell me at the New Balance store, so I'm going to order those and focus on strengthening in a low-impact way while praying the pain will go away and stay away.  If not, I'll be off to the doctor, Fleet Feet for a custom analysis, or both.

I didn't blog about starting C25K because I didn't know if I'd like it, and I didn't know if I'd be able to do it.  Then I started and almost died.  But now I'm a little hooked, and 90% of the time I'm determined to fix whatever the problem is and keep going.  The other 10% of the time I'm sure I'm doomed to double knee replacements and water aerobics.  I do know that I'm enjoying the exercise {a biggie for me}, and I'm bummed that I've hit a bump in something I'm motivated to do.  My goal was to be able to run the entire September Color Run, but my friend Anna is running the Esprit de She 10K in Cary in June, and I thought it would be a splendid idea to sign up for the 5K.  I knew I wouldn't be able to run the whole thing when I signed up, but now I may be walking it all.

Hopefully my next update will find me back out jogging and walking pain-free, staying away from the people Avery is sure must be chasing me if I'm running.

Week in Review ~ 5/25

Our week started off on a sad note Sunday when Ned had to have his lab, Dixie, put to sleep after struggling for months with seizures.  He ended up having to take him to Richmond, so the kids and I were home during the day.

That afternoon the kids and I took dinner to my parents' house.  It was good to have dinner together again, but it was also a little hectic.  Without Ned, I was left to get everything ready for dinner but also keep the kids calm and out of Mom's way when she needed to go from one place to another.  She got sad several times because she can't help.  For the next few meals I'll definitely need some help.  Sam took his first step that I had seen while we were there!

Tuesday night we had a girls' night at FoSho.  We wanted to get together once more before Kristen has baby Alden.  We were missing several but had a great time talking and eating.

Avery had her last dance class Wednesday night.  It consisted of watching the big girls dance, having snacks, and jumping on the trampoline.  I'm glad to get our Wednesday nights back but will miss my weekly dose of mom time.

 

First and last days of dance

 

We got out of school early Friday, and I went to run some errands.  It was raining, as it seemed to have been doing all week.  I ended up just sitting in the truck for awhile in the Walmart parking lot.  I finally went in to get a prescription for my dad, and they hadn't even started filling it.  I got something to eat at Arby's and sat around some more to wait for that.  I stopped the prescription at my parents' and visited with them for awhile before going to get the kids.  We stayed in for dinner and had pizza delivered.

Ned helped the Millers move Saturday morning and the kids and I stayed home.  Camden was supposed to come play but the poor thing was very sick.  Sam hardly took a morning nap which is very unusual.  We went to the grocery store after I got him up.  Those car carts are great for the kids but just don't hold all that I need it too.  After Sam's short morning nap I just knew he'd take a great afternoon nap.  Wrong.  He played until about 3 and then was up at 3:30.  He's napping fine at the sitter's but this was the 2nd weekend of off naps at home.  We will probably be dropping the morning nap once I'm home for the summer.  Mimi kept the kids that night so that we could get our rings inspected and have a date.  Always buy the jewelry protection plan...it guarantees dates every 6 months.  We had dinner at Wabi Sabi and I had my first sushi.

It was delicious (as you can see from the half-empty tray) and I even managed to eat with the chopsticks.  After dinner we went to see The Great Gatsby.  The ticket line was crazy with the other movies that came out that weekend, and I was surprised that our theater pretty full.  I thought the movie was good and followed along with the book well.  It's definitely meant to be over the top as far as production and that was neat to see.  We got home about 10:30 and then stayed up too late.

Week in Review ~ 5/18

In an effort not to fall too far behind, I'm blogging quickly tonight and will add the few pictures I have from last week later.

Sunday was Mother's Day and Avery's dance recital.

My mom came home Tuesday, so I picked the kids up and we stopped to visit my parents.  It was busy there with both nurses who'll be staying with my mom during the day, plus my aunt and uncle.  Avery was so excited it was coming out as silly and not listening, and Sam just wanted to explore his new environment.  We had a quick visit and then headed home.

Avery had dance Wednesday night even though the recital is over.  You could pick out all of the first year girls since they all came danced in dress clothes and everyone else was in their school clothes.  They jumped on a trampoline, tumbled, and had snacks, and I got uninterrupted conversation with Anna, so it worked out well.  We have one more of those sessions to make us feel like we're getting our May tuition fulfilled.  After dance Avery and I visited the Millers' new house.  I've always loved the house they chose and I love it more now because it means they'll be here many years.

Friday night we met Ned at Applebee's for dinner.  Sam is happy in restaurants as long as he has acceptable food offered to him at every moment he wants it offered.  Once he's full, he's happy to toss the remaining food onto the floor.  So, Sam eats quite a bit then makes quite a mess.  Dinner went well and once we were done I went to the grocery store and sent the kids home with Ned to go to bed.  Once I got home I made banana pudding and a grape salad from Pinterest for our seafood boil Saturday night.

Ned helped Caleb do some moving Saturday morning, then I did a few things once he got home.  Sam would not nap and Avery wouldn't until I told her she was going to have to go to bed early while all of her friends played with her toys.  We had 10 adults and 5 kids over for a seafood boil that night, and we were missing two other couples with 3 children.  For my non-hostess self I thought that was pretty impressive, especially since I didn't cancel because of the weather.  The bottom fell out about 30 minutes before everyone arrived, but it ended up stopping and the guys were able to cook and spend all of their time outside.  It was too wet for the kids to play outside but they did well inside.  Avery is at this odd stage where no nap is not enough but a nap throws her off too.  She had a few moments of getting Giraffi and her blanket and laying and not being the kindest.  Overall she does very well but we do need more practice with friends in our house.  It was such a fun night and definitely the way to go for clean-up in my opinion because I had no cooking to do on Saturday other than heating beans.  Even with the ease of it I still managed no pictures.  Sam was able to stay up past his bed time after having no afternoon nap and was happy as could be.  He went to bed before everyone left, but Avery stayed up until most people left about 8.  We got her to bed and cleaned up a little, then Ned was asleep in the chair by 9 p.m.

A Twirling, Whirling Mother's Day

What a busy, special Mother's Day we celebrated!  Ned got up with the kids for the 2nd morning in a row, always a treat, and fixed cinnamon rolls, eggs, and bacon.  He and Avery then went to Sunday School and I enjoyed some quiet time while Sam napped.  We were not able to attend 11 a.m. worship because of Avery's dance recital, so when Sam got up, he and I were able to spend some time together with just the two of us.  We played and I made a pasta salad while he cooked on the floor.

Once Ned and Avery got home, we were able to play a little more before lunch and getting ready for the recital.  We were all dressed with Avery's hair in a bun ahead of schedule.  Ned's aunt kept Sam for the recital, which was a huge relief.  I've had many gripes about the recital on Mother's Day, but the biggest one was finding someone to keep Sam.  Mimi came with her to put him down for a nap before coming to the recital, which eased my mind.

I was pretty worried about how Avery would do when I left her in one of the school classrooms to wait until her performance.  We had talked about it a lot, and she sent me off with a big smile and kiss.  Each room had a helper so that moms didn't have to go back for costume changes.  Luckily Avery's group only changed skirts and shoes.  She and Camden had snacks and watched a movie with the other girls in their class.

Since my mom's stroke in December, it's been her goal to see Avery's dance recital.  She initially was supposed to go home a few weeks ago, but her hospitalizations increased her rehab time.  It is about an hour drive from where she is to here, and between that and it being the first time my dad took her out, it was going to be a lot on him.  He made sure it all worked out, and both of them were able to see Avery's tap performance.  I was pretty stressed thinking my dad was stressed, and also about seating, but it all worked out perfectly.  Avery's tap performance was the 2nd of the day, and I told them to go on after that.  The day was enough on both of them without sitting through all 2 hours of the recital.  Avery sadly didn't get to see them, but she talked to them both on the phone afterwards.  Prayer certainly made it all possible and it was wonderful for them to be there.  Two days before Mom's stroke we all watched Avery steal the show as a sheep in the Bible Zone Christmas performance, so it was so nice to be together again watching our favorite little girl.

Just as in the rehearsal, Avery did her moves plus a few extra, fixed the booties covering her tap shoes, and stopped cold as one of her classmates had to leave the stage for a potty emergency.  Maybe one day I'll be the mom who doesn't cry each time her child performs, but today was not the day.  I teared up during her first dance and then as I watched the big girls dancing.  I am so proud of my little girl for being fine without me and dancing her heart out on that big stage in front of so many people.  That probably means she's not such a little girl anymore.

The recital went really smoothly and 24 performances were done in 2 hours.  Smartphones and texting other parents helps to pass the time when you've seen enough dancing for a few minutes.  I texted with Anna and Ned texted with Caleb so that worked out quite well.  I didn't realize the lighting was good enough for pictures until the curtain call.  Perhaps my Mother's Day gift next year will be a snazzy new zoom lens.

We came home to a happy Sam who had napped and played well.  I wanted a few pictures with my babies, which meant I had to check my settings with Ned and the kids first.

We got changed then headed out to pick up some dinner.  Avery was fading fast after no rest but made it through dinner and some play time.  The kids were in bed early after our big day.

My two sweet children are my life's biggest accomplishments, and they have made me the one thing I've always wanted to be.  I am so blessed and proud to mother them each day.  I am beyond thankful that my mom is here today and was able to be with us.  We should have been celebrating her but she had no problem passing the spotlight to Avery.  We are looking forward to some special time with Yaya at home soon.  The day was definitely my favorite kind of stressful day, the kind that goes perfectly and leaves you feeling so blessed and happy.

Week in Review ~ 5/11

I thought surely with Ned home this week that it I would feel so much more rested and calm.  I think I picked the wrong week to try to feel like that.

We had our normal Sunday of church, lunch, naps, Yaya and Poppa visit, and Panera.  We were extremely late getting out of church and had 2 hungry kids by the time we got home.  We start a new Sunday normal now since my mom is coming home this week!

Tuesday the girls celebrated an early birthday for Ansley at Amanda's house.  We had delicious cupcakes courtesy of Anna, yummy snacks and wine, and watched Silver Linings Playbook in Amanda's fun theatre room.  It was a late, late night for someone who is old like me.

Wednesday I had conferences until 5 p.m. so Ned picked up the kids.  I think I walked in the door at home at 5:38 and walked out again at 5:45 for dance.  We left dance, went home, then went back to the Miller's so that Anna's mom could alter the straps on Avery's recital costume.  I was done by this point...too tired and feeling bad, and was asleep on the couch by 9 p.m.

We had dress rehearsal for the recital Friday night.  Ned picked up the kids early and I came straight home from school.  It was a mad dash to eat and get Avery dressed with hair done and at the rehearsal by 5 p.m., but we did it.  Then, her teacher was caught in traffic, so Avery's class danced the first time around 6:40.  I say it all the time, but Avery so reminds me of Phoebe on Friends when the 3 girls take the tap class to see who has stolen Monica's identify.  If Avery's class spun 5 times then Avery spun 12.  But, she did it like a big girl on that big stage and I was so proud.  We finally made it out of there around 7:40.  Thank goodness we had Anna and Camden to visit with while we waited.

We had nothing big planned Saturday.  Ned and I took turns running some errands and playing with the kids.  I feel like I missed a lot of time with Sam this week, and he is too fun to miss too much time with.

We went to the Mexican restaurant for dinner, which was my choice for Mother's Day.  We dropped off Mimi's Mother's Day gift on the way home.  I have been noticing a strange rattle in the car for awhile, so we tried to play detective while we rode.  Ned was convinced it was something inside the car, so he rode in the 3rd row from his parents'.

I won that battle, so we'll see how much the victory will cost.  Ned had me looking at Odysseys online Friday night, so we'll see if he uses this as an excuse for something new.  I doubt he'll have a win there either.

14 Months

Dear Sam,

 You are 14 months old today!  You are growing and learning at a rapid pace, and more and more people are telling me that you are losing your baby look.

We visited the doctor last week and you weighed just over 23 pounds.  You are wearing 12-18 month clothing and will probably need all 18 month for summer, especially in one-piece items.  You are still in a size 4 shoe and diaper, and you are holding steady at 12 teeth.

Sam, you are everywhere all at once!  You crawl at a rapid pace, cruise, push items to walk behind, and try to climb.  You are only happy in the excersaucer now if you approve of the TV choice and I am not in the room.  You are standing on your own often and think it's so great, probably because we cheer.  I haven't seen you take a step yet on your own.

I think there is nothing more amazing than a baby learning and developing, and you certainly are.  You clap, wave {when you feel like it}, point, play peek-a-boo, and clearly indicate what you want and do not want.  Uh-oh is still your only recognizable word, but you are trying hard to mimic us with thank-you, Duckie, and ball.  You babble Mama, Dada, Yaya, and bye bye.  You have a sister who talks enough for 6 children so you have been happy to speak and sing in your own language.  I love to hear you sing.  You are figuring out the world around you, from opening any cabinet or drawer to trying to put on your own sock.  You know where your bed is and throw Duckie back in after nap time.  You know cell phones are for talking and remotes should be pointed at the TV or ceiling fan.  I'm sure there is more that I have neglected to include and that you're really on your way to taking over the house.

Eating is still a time when the fussing, yelling, and fist making can appear.  Breakfast is always a hit with a waffle, pancake or oatmeal and fruit.  For lunch you like grilled cheese, meatballs, chicken nuggets, fruit, yogurt and cheese.  Those foods would be happily repeated at dinner, but I'm mean and try to get you to eat what we do.  You have done better with different kinds of chicken lately plus casseroles, pizza, or spaghetti/lasagna type dishes.  If it's breaded, you'll eat it, including tilapia and zucchini or green beens.  Vegetables must be breaded, in a casserole, or snuck into yogurt for you to partake right now.  I looked back at the blog and your sister was the same way.  Luckily for us there are expensive fruit and veggie pouches that guarantee some green gets in.  You are such a big boy that you can do them yourself.  You show interest in using the spoon but mainly just dip it in the bowl.  If we scoop it for you, you can feed yourself.  You love milk and drink it so well from your cup.  We have to limit you to 16 ounces a day.  We gave you a cup instead of a bottle before bedtime tonight.  It went well until you wanted to pop your pie-pie back in and I took it.  With your bottle you would take out the pie-pie to drink and never think of it again.  You wanted to hold it tonight with the cup, and that didn't work since you don't take it to bed.  You got so angry then got so upset that it was awhile before you finally gave up in your bed.  I promise all the crying is for your own good and hurts me as much as it hurts you.

You are happy go lucky, until you're occasionally not.  A temper tends to show during mealtimes or when something does not go your way.  You will yell and clench your fists together.  Meals upset Avery at this age as well, and I think the other times are you asserting yourself the only way you can right now.  We tell you no and to use a quiet voice and you smile and "yell" quietly.  I can count on one hand the fall down fits your sister had, so if I could keep both counts to my two hands that would be great.  I'm not so sure though!

You are happy as long as you have things to explore.  You still love to put things in containers and take them out, so the play kitchen and all the parts are really fun for you.  You like balls and are already throwing.  You have also started playing with a small toy truck and like to push it across the floor.  You like to swing and cruise around the play house outside.  You also like to turn on the water in my bathtub, push the tea table across the floor, and investigate the pet food and trash can.  You are very attached to Duckie and your pie-pie.

Things you don't like include being confined, unless it's a stroller that's not moving.  You do extremely well in the car but sometimes fuss when we put you in.  You don't care for Avery to be in your space sometimes, and those seem to be the time she's in it the most.  You no longer like to have your hair washed, and you don't like for meals to end, even if you've been unhappy for part of them.

Sam, you bring so much sunshine into our lives with your infectious laugh and bright smile.  You love your family, and we love you.  Summer is coming, and we have so many things that we are excited to do as a family of four.  Most importantly, we are excited to have more time together as a family to watch you grow.  We are so grateful for you and thank God each day for entrusting us with you.

We love you to bits and pieces!

Mommy and Daddy

Week in Review ~ 5/4

What a week!  It was one I was kind of dreading, but it turned out ok.

We had our normal Sunday of church, naps, visit with Yaya and Poppa, and Panera Bread.  Sam and I didn't make it to church because he was fussy and rubbing his ear.  I didn't to dump his fussiness off on someone in the nursery.

Ned took Sam to the doctor Monday afternoon.  His right ear was infected and his left had fluid.  So that explained the fussiness and terrible lack of appetite.  Ned packed for his trip that night and I prepared for my first morning getting everyone out the door.

Ned left about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday morning for Las Vegas.  He was one of the top-producing independent Allstate agents in Virginia, so he won himself a trip.  I was not excited about him going so far, but I told him if he won he had to go, since he had passed along the last few to his parents.

The kids and I did nothing out of the ordinary while he was gone.  We managed to get out of the house early each day.  It is amazing how productive I can be when I know everything is falling on my shoulders.  Our only issue came Thursday morning at 3 a.m. when Sammy dog started barking in the foyer then was not happy to settle back down in the bedroom.  I flipped on even more lights and finally fell asleep after 4.  Lack of sleep plus May Day and carnival at school Thursday pretty much did me in by Thursday afternoon and night, so the goal was to get everyone to bed in one piece.

Ned's flights got all messed up Friday, and he ended up missing his original flight to Vegas, putting him late getting in.  This resulted in him getting upgraded to a penthouse with 2 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 2 living areas, and quite a view from the 62nd floor.  As he described it Tuesday night he said, "You know, like The Hangover." Nice.  Luckily we FaceTimed Wednesday and I saw no chickens.  He got home about 9 p.m. Thursday night since he opted not to stay the 3rd night.

We got dinner from Applebee's Friday night so that we could enjoy some time at home together.  Ned and Avery played a few holes of princess golf outside in the wind.  Our weather is so off.

Saturday was my day away and I escaped to Richmond for some shopping.  I needed a completely new wardrobe and managed to get a good start.  After the mall I went to the New Balance store for new shoes and then stopped at Target.  I picked up King's bbq for dinner, and Mimi was here when I got home because Ned was cutting the grass.  Avery examined her new treasures and we had a quiet night at home.