Saggin Pants

Sky was playing in the living room and I was reading a magazine and I look up and she has pulled her pants down, but only in the back.  And, no these things are not too big, so she totally did this on her own and on purpose. 

My baby girl is sagging her pants!  No more gangster rap for her!  ;-)

Odd Fact and A Photo

The odd fact (one of many odd facts about me) is that I refuse to drink anything with alcohol in it out of my Aerosmith glasses.  Why?  Because they have all had addiction issues and have been in and out of rehab over and over again.  They say they have a dry backstage/tour bus and because of that it just feel wrong to put alcohol in Aerosmith glasses.  Almost like I would be responsible if one of them falls off the bus yet again. 

And the Photo...this is a pic of Sky from Key Wast.  Her hat all sideways like that totally makes her look like a gangsta baby.  She pretty much has her tongue sticking out all the time.  

Have a great weekend all...not sure I will be posting.  I have a race tomorrow morning, then a Relay auction to go to in the evening.  Sunday Mark has a "thing" to go to on Seattle and Sky and I are hitting the Lululemon store and a few others in the search of my 1/2 outfit/new running cloths.  Because, you know a girl can never have too many running clothing options...particularly if a girl doesn't want to do laundry every day! 

Thankful Thursday Post #2

That's right...a second post! 

You know some times (really most of the time) I feel like someone who runs, and once in a great while I actually feel like a runner. 

Today was one of those rare days.  Today I was a RUNNER! 

This is my week to get back on track after vacation interrupted the last two weeks of running.  I ran 3 miles Tuesday with the first two miles being 9:28 and 9:30, the 3rd mile slowed down to 10:38 ish I think (but it was the only mile that included a big old hill), that is fast considering I have been trying to keep my pace at around 11 to 11:30.  While I was excited my first two miles were quick I was not excited about how hard it felt. 

It felt like I had weighted shoes on and was trying to wade through knee deep mud.  Not great considering I feel like 5K distance should be a give me at this point. 

I was feeling way less than enthusiastic about running 5 miles today, in the cold rain, while pushing Sky. 

(I have been doing more runs without her than with, since Mark was working from home and/or sick, so I took advantage of him being home so much and ran with out her.  Pushing the stroller makes it a lot harder, for me at least.  My hips hurt more (I have to work on keeping my hips under the handlebar and not lean forward like I'm pushing it so much), and hills with the stroller make me go backwards pretty much.)

I had a partner lined up to do 5 mile drive with me today, but that fell through so Sky and I took off alone from the house. 

And you know what....I felt great!  My legs felt strong, my breathing and pace were steady the whole time, even though my shoes and new compression socks were soaking wet I had zero hot spots on my feet and no blisters!  I had water dripping off my hat, my clothing was dripping wet and my feet were soaked withing the first 10 steps, I pushed my 20 lb baby the whole way, but I felt great.  Running in crap weather makes me feel hard core add that to the fact that I felt good while doing it, and yea today I was a runner!  

Bring on my first 10K this Saturday, I'm ready!

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful to have received my Dome Direct pre-sale password for the Aerosmith tickets that go on sale today! 

I was getting a little worried that the T Dome forgot about me, but then I also received the same email from Mark and two friends who have my back.  :)

I let my fan club membership laps because well it was expensive and the pre-sale tickets it gave me access too were at least $125 per ticket, so while I was guaranteed tickets I was also guaranteed to never be able to afford said tickets. 

10:00 am...I have the Ticketmaster site up and ready to go and my password ready to go as well! 

Bad Boys of Boston

Aerosmith is at it again this summer, and Mark is nice enough to get me tickets for my birthday!  Pre-sale starts tomorrow and I'm all over it!!! 

Two tickets to see the man I have had a crush on since I was 12, thank you babe!

Now I just have to figure out who wants to go with me, because Mark absolutely does not.

Two New Races Added

I'm excited, I just registered for two more races this year! 

My June race is the Sound To Narrows: http://www.multicare.org/home/sound-to-narrows

I did this race last year (was my first solo race), but I did the 5K, this year I'm doing the whole, hilly thing...12K!  This will be my first race after the 1/2, so hoping 7ish miles seems easy breezy after doing the 1/2. 

Super excited about my August Race...Tacoma Dirty Dash!!!  Yes, that means mud, lots and lots and lots of MUD!  There is beer included as well though, so I'm looking forward to that.  One of Mark's co-workers is doing a team, so he hooked us up and I joined her team.  They walk it, which I may do if I have a beer at every beer station along the course, but if I'm feeling super athletic I may run it, but that sort of defeats the purpose of being part of a team.  The fun part is watching everyone get through the mud!  http://www.thedirtydash.com/

Now I just need to find a July race then I will still be on track for my race a month through August at least.  There is talk of doing the Warrior Dash in July, but it's $75...I want to do it, really want to...but that is sort of a lot of $$ for a 5K, even if it does have obstacles.  Plus I already have a mud run in August...do I want to do two of those type of races in a row?  But, I really want to be able to say I'm a Warrior...I have heard they are the hardest of those type of races and it would be an accomplishment to finish it. 

Who knows.  I will continue contemplating. 

Would You Do It Again?

It's a question I get a lot in regards to adopting.  There is not a clear cut answer either. 

Just to be crystal clear...YES I would do it again considering it brought Sky into our life and we feel so very lucky to be her parents. 

However, it was a long costly experience.  Costly financially, but more so emotionally.  It was years of ups and downs, high high's and really desperately low lows.  

At this point we have decided we will not actively pursue adoption again.  For one it would be really difficult to afford it since I'm not working, and we have Sky to provide for and spoil (but only a little).  Two, we don't want to go through the emotional ride again, nor do we want our friends and family to go through it again.

But, if a friend of a friend, or a cousin, or something/someone like that came to us and said we know someone who is pregnant and they would like you to adopt their child, then yes we would totally do it.    

If an opportunity presented itself great, but we will not be actively seeking out that opportunity.   

All in all I wouldn't change a thing about our experience...it led to Sky after all.  The years of stress and emotion were more than worth it to get to Sky!   

10 Months

We have a 10 month old in the house!  It still feels so new and I still look at her in disbelief that we have a child.  She was a thought in our mind for years and at times it seemed like it would never happen and we still "pinch" ourselves to make sure it's real.

(At 4 am I have all the reminder I need that it's real!)

Life has changed so much in so many wonderful ways and I love all of it! 

Currently Sky is saying Dada, Mama, Baba (for bottle), singing all the time, dancing, free standing in the middle of the room for seconds at a time, using her taller toys to stand and walk across the room while pushing them (we don't have any tall rolling toys for her, but I'm going to fix that soon!).  She has also started whining when things aren't going her way, she understands no hit, no pinch, and no hair but that doesn't mean she always stops doing those things - when she does listen and stop she gets ton's of good girl positive reinforcement, she claps when she is happy or when she want's you to acknowledge how fabulous she is, she loves remotes, cell phones and laptops and she also loves Daddy's office - not that she is much help when he is working though. 

She is eating any and everything we put in front of her, this girl is not a picky eater at all.  She even had Cuban rice when we were in Key West.  She likes doing things herself and doesn't care for my help very much (just like me...I would rather do it myself and fail 100 times, but eventually figure it out for myself), her laugh has developed into more of a little girl laugh the last few weeks (Mark was sad when he heard her laugh after we got back from vacation because he could hear the change), she is still fascinated with her hands and will play with her fingers and look at her hands for 10 to 15 minutes (an eternity for a 10 month old) at a time. 

Sky is supper social and loves any and all attention she gets from anyone, but particularly from little people, specifically the 5 and under crowd.  She is the perfect mix of cuddle and loves and play alone for extended lengths of time.  She loves Ellen and ESPN, and Mark thinks she enjoys hunting shows, but I'm not so sure about that. 

I could go on and on about how wonderful our little girl is.  I still get up excited every day to see what she is going to do and what new thing she will learn.  We have so much fun together, she even makes cleaning the house fun. 

I love you little girl and love every day I get to spend with you!

Easing Back Into It

I still feel sea sick today.  This really sucks.  I so want to push it and run, but since I still stagger a bit and get waves of dizziness that require me stopping everything and deep breathing, I'm easing back into it.

At this point I have missed the 3 and 4 mile runs I was supposed to do this week.  I hope tomorrow to get 4 or 5 in (depending on how I feel) and then do 8 on Saturday.  I have to get the 8 in for sure.  I am not letting anything get in the way of my long runs every week.  I need the confidence that comes with completing longer distances.

Thankfully I did 8 the week before vacation, so I at least know I can run 8.  It won't feel great after having over a week off, but it is what it is.  I did manage to get 5 total miles in on the cruise.  9 laps for a mile...got dizzy running in such a small circle, but it felt good to get some miles in.  Plus, we walked a lot, so I felt pretty good about my activity level while gone.

Apparently Sky is still feeling out of sorts as well.  She has been nothing but one big needy, whining mess who wants to constantly be held, won't play by herself, and refuses to hold her own bottles.   I'm giving her this week to get back on track after that the tough love kicks in. 

Missing The Sun

It was so nice to have a sunny, warm escape in the middle of what was some strange weather for the PNW.  I missed the snow thankfully and got 7 days worth of sun to recharge me and get me through until winter is over. 

Our first port of call was Key West and it was lovely.  Very low key, fun to walk around and take in the history.  We were able to enjoy great Cuban food and the best Key Lime pie ever! 

Second port of call was Grand Cayman Islands, and was a tender port.  Which means we had to transfer from the cruise ship to a smaller boat that ferried us to the dock.  This was my least favorite stop of the trip.  It was hot, crowded, lots of banks and concrete.  I did get some good shopping in though and yet again had a really yummy lunch. 

The last port was Ocho Rios Jamaica and was by far my favorite port of call.  It was like waling the gauntlet from the dock into town.  Lot's of taxi drivers and locals trying to get you to purchase tours and taxi's.  Once we got past all that we found a little shopping center and a private beach that we could use if we paid a small fee.  (I think it was around $2 or $3 per person.)  There were locals on the beach trying to sell stuff but after a while the security guys ran off.  We spent the whole day laying in the sand and swimming in the ocean. 

The green and blue of the water was so pretty I kept waiting and waiting to find the perfect opportunity/spot to swim in the ocean, and this was it!  It wasn't cold ocean water like what we have here.  And, it was a really pretty teal color.  The drinks did hurt either. 

I'm thankful to Val that Sky and I were able to go on the trip.  It was nice to spend time with family and celebrate dad's birthday. 

Sky did a great job traveling.  Flying to Miami she didn't cry or fuss at all.  She did great on the boat given there were very limited areas and activities that catered to the under 5 crowd. 

We are both trying to get back on our regular schedule and get over feeling like the whole world is rocking like a boat. 

 There was a nice kid camp play area, but Sky was too young to participate in any of the activities they offered.  There were two times during the entire cruise that Sky was allowed in the play area as long as I was with her.  Since there were only a few under 2 kids on the boat she had the run of the place.  She was trying to call DaDa.  

 Dad, Sky and I in Grand Cayman.  One of the few pics I'm in.  

 Dad with Mikaela, Hunter, and Sky.  The three kids got along great!  It was nice because Sky loved the attention and they loved playing with her.  

 

 Happy Sky.  Every time I try to take a pic she crawls up to the camera and sticks her face right in it.  

 View of Jamaica from our room. 

 This is in Chicago on the way home.  We had a long layover which gave Sky time to crawl around and burn some energy. 

 Sky sleeping in her stroller...this is how she spent almost all her time in port at every location we visited.  She would fall asleep as we left the boat, sleep through till lunch, wake up long enough to eat and then sleep until we were back on the boat.  

 Sunset from our room the first night of the cruise.  

 This angle through the water makes me look bigger than I really am.  I'm not a skinny beanpole, but I'm not that big either.  Anyway, this was at the Hilton pool the day we got off the boat.  Our flight was not until the next morning, so we spent the night in Miami.  Sky was not allowed in the pools on the boat, so I was supper excited to get her in the water at the Hilton. 

 This was the kiddie pool on the boat.  Sky couldn't swim in the pool because she isn't potty trained, but there was this little moat around the pool that had a little water in it and she was able to play in that.  It was cold water though, on the front of the boat so was really windy.  She didn't last long in the wind and cold water.   

It was nice to have a whole week of spending time with Sky, not having to cook dinner, do laundry, clean etc.  Sky and Mommy hanging out making new friends.  Sky was so happy the whole time and smiled at everyone she saw, she was a little charmer the whole week.  

The only time she got upset was when she would crawl around saying DaDaDa and he wasn't there, and on the flight home.  I think by the end of the trip she was tired and overwhelmed with all the input and activity from the week.  We were both really glad to come home and see Mark and sleep in our own beds. 

I'm Back!

Sky and I made it home today!  I'm so very happy to be home with Mark and looking forward to sleeping in my own bed. 

I just wish my house would stop rocking like a cruise ship.  I so don't have my land legs back yet, and feel way more sea sick now than I every did on the cruise!

I will do a more in-depth post Tuesday with pics.  I'm spending tomorrow with Mark (he took the day off to spend it with Sky and I) and Sky. 

For now I'm going to concentrate on not getting sea sick!  

 

Quick Update

First a BIG shout out to Jodi who is running her 1/2 marathon tomorrow!!!  So far Jodi has gotten me through my longest training runs yet, and for that I'm thankful.  I love running with her and wish her the best race ever tomorrow!!! 

We are packed and ready to go!  I am not taking my laptop and won't have phone service, so it's peace out until the 18th or 19th depending on how tired I am when I get home. 

Oh...here is the new hair...

It is way fun and has lots of chunky pieces that don't show in the pic. 

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful Sky and I are packed and ready to go. 

The only thing left to do is pack the toiletries that have to wait until the last minute.  Not only are we packed, but Sky and I are both in one suitcase!  I may be wearing the same three outfits the whole week, but so be it...I was more concerned with making room for my work out cloths than having an outfit for every day.

It helps that the stroller bag has a ton of extra room in it so all the diapers, wipes and formula fit in there.  I'm not even going to contemplate what a pain in the a$$ it will be if that particular items gets lost in transit and doesn't land in Miami with me.  My plan is to pack enough food and diapers in the carry on (along with a couple of outfits) to get Sky through flying all day Saturday until lunch time Sunday.  That way if anything does get lost as least Sky will be taken care of until I can make a quick shopping trip.  

Tomorrow I plan on getting all the laundry done and cleaning up.  I hate coming home from vacation to a messy house.  I know Mark still has to be able to live and be comfortable while I'm gone, but at least all my stuff and all Sky's stuff will be neat and clean, and stay that way. 

Not to rub it in or anything, but I'm also really thankful that we leave on Saturday and the next round of snow is coming a day or two later.  I don't mind the snow, but I'm really ready for some hot sunny weather! 

Proud Older Sister

I was holding off from blogging for two reasons. 
1.  I want/need to post updated pics of Sky
2.  I have really only been logging on to see if my sister had posted her race re-cap and pics from the race.  Here is the link to her race re-cap: http://lathamsontherun.blogspot.com/2012/03/napa-valley-marathon-recap.html

I love her race re-caps.  She is always very, very honest about the challenges, the successes, the fun things about running and the not-so fun things about running.  I love how giddy she gets about meeting and listening to big names in the running world!  She is not a very star struck person, but pro runners are a big deal.  :)

And, I always, always cry. 

I cry because I am so proud of her, I don't even know if she knows how proud of her I am.  I'm inspired by her strength and determination and her ability to run through pain.  I know what her starting point was and how much effort her, and her husband, have put into being healthy and using running as a way to lose weight and be healthy.  And, lastly if it were not for her kids running 5K's I wouldn't have started running.  She (and her husband)  inspired her kids and her kids inspired me and for that I am thankful.   

Tracking her during the marathon was really hard.  I knew her injury was worse than she had let on and knowing she was in pain was difficult.  I know how hard she works and trains for her races and my hope with every race she does is that she will enjoy it, not be in pain and feel good about her effort and finish time.  To know that was not going to happen with this race, before it even started, was hard.  But, she had one goal and that was to finish and she did that!  And, the finish line video she took is funny! 

I'm really proud of you Beth, and Brian too!  I love you guys!

Random

-Shout out to my sister and brother-in-law, they are running the Napa Valley Marathon Sunday! 

-A new challenge started in class on Monday, the fact I'm not mentioning it until today tells how into it I am.  I think I'm already putting so much effort and energy into my running that I don't feel overly motivated to take it too seriously. 

-I hate dog $hit on my stroller tires!  People who don't clean up after their dogs need a  red hot poker in a sensitive place!

-This time next week I will be packed and ready to fly to Miami (is it strange that I hear Will Smith singing in my head every time I say or type Miami?) to go on my first cruise. 

-I got two new pairs of good running socks.  I only had one before and I was going crazy trying to wash them between each run.  Now I have three pair, one for each run during the week.  I need more, but will worry about that after vacation. 

-I'm headed back to being blonde!  Tiffany did a great job getting a lot of the red out and adding some blonde.  There are a few more steps to go, but it looks good so far.  Also have a shorter and much more layered cut.  A pic would be nice wouldn't it,but alas I don't have one.  I will work on that. 

-Sky is feeling much better, totally into everything and flirting with every single person that crosses her path.  I bet a pic of her would be nice as well.  Sorry...don't have one.  I will work on that as well. 

-My training runs are now officially longer than any races I have done.  Which means I feel like I need to eat and (not) drink like I would for a race 3 times a week. 

-The heater in our trailer is fixed!  No more cold camping.  (Just kidding, we have a portable heater that worked perfectly, but with Sky crawling all over the place that portable heater was a tragedy waiting to happen).

-It's almost March Madness!!!  So excited.

-Steelers have been cleaning house the last few days...I get it, but don't always like it.

-Would people look at me like I'm crazy if I come back from vacation with dreadlocks?  Sort of a must while in Jamaica no?

-I had a Monte Cristo sandwich for the first time yesterday, and I don't know how I survived 36 years without them in my life!  That is my post 1/2 meal!!!  Can't wait for May 6th!

-#1 piece of travel advice I don't need...don't let any strangers walk off with your baby.  Because I would do that...just sit there and watch them walk away with my baby.  I would even pack the diaper bag for them. 

-Is it football season yet?!!!

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful that I live in WA!  We may have crap summers some years, and lot's of rain/gray days, but we don't have tornado's, hurricanes, extreme seasons, poisonous bugs/snakes/spiders (for the most part in this part of WA anyway). 

I will take the rain and the sometimes luke-warm summers any day. 

I feel bad for Harrisburg, IL and everyone that has lost family, friends and homes in the Midwest storms.