Grandmotherhood and Exercise

Sick day with Gma

2009-12-07T11:37:00.000-08:00

Even though Brayden stayed home "sick" from school, he was a happy boy. This is to prove to Aunt Nancy that Brayden does laugh and smile. Enjoy!

Brayden sings Lion King

2009-09-05T18:27:00.000-07:00

Brayden's newest thing is to sing along with the Youtube videos he watches with Gpa. His latest favorite is from the Lion King. Watch and see if you laugh as much as I do (each time I watch it). He now sings while he's walking around the house - hilarious!

Short videos of happy boy

2009-08-08T07:49:00.001-07:00

Brayden is walking non-stop now. Rachel and I took him for a walk in the stroller this morning. He was thrilled to go but about half way through our 2 mile walk he decided he should walk too. Such a big boy!

When we got home, the neighbor's sprinkler was on so he had a free bath.

Brayden's Finally Walking!

2009-07-12T17:31:00.000-07:00

He's finally walking - yipee!

Random Survey...just for fun

2009-04-19T18:31:00.000-07:00

(From my friend, Jeanette's blog)

1. First thing you wash in the shower? hair
2. What color is your favorite hoodie? pink
3. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? Of course!
4. Do you plan outfits? most of the time
5. How are you feeling RIGHT now? relaxed
6. What’s the closest thing to you that’s red? candle
7. What was the last dream you remember having? really don't remember
8. Did you meet anybody new today? yes
9. What are you craving right now? Glass of wine (but too lazy to get up)
10. Do you floss? yes
11. What comes to mind when I say cabbage? stuffed
12. Are you emotional? rarely
13. Have you ever counted to 1,000? no
14. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it? both
15. Do you like your hair? most days
16. Do you like yourself? Yes
17. Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush? Yep
18. What are you listening to right now? Desperate Housewives
19. Are your parents strict? They were!
20. Would you go sky diving? not a chance
21. Do you like cottage cheese? yuck!
22. Have you ever met a celebrity? Yes
23. Do you rent movies often? No,
24. Is there anything sparkly in the room in which you are? my diamond earrings
25. What countries have you visited? Mexico, India, Malasia, Israel
26. Have you made a prank phone call? when I was a teenager
27. Ever been on a train? yes
28. Brown or white eggs? white
29. Do you have a cell-phone? Yes, my lifeline
31. Do you use chapstick? repeatedly
32. Do you own a gun? never have
33. Can you use chopsticks? yep
34. Who are you going to be with tonight? My husband and daughter
35. Are you too forgiving? sometimes
36. Ever been in love? definitely
37. What is your best friend doing tomorrow? working and going to school (both my daughters)
38. Ever have cream puffs? Yes but not a fan
39. Last time you cried? a year ago - when I saw my grandson being born
40. What was the last question you asked? "Did I send you a picture of my table?"
41. Favorite time of the year? Fall
42. Do you have any tattoos? Used to but was removed during a surgery
43. Are you sarcastic? very
44. Have you ever seen The Butterfly Effect? nope
45. Ever walked into a wall? yes
46. Favorite color? yellow
47. Have you ever slapped someone? my mother when I was younger
48. Is your hair curly? not at all
49. What was the last CD you bought? can't remember
50. Do looks matter? to a point
51. Could you ever forgive a cheater? depends...
52. Is your phone bill sky high? higher than I like but not sky high
53. Do you like your life right now? Yes I do
54. Do you sleep with the TV on? No
55. Can you handle the truth? for the most part
56. Do you have good vision? no and it's frustrating
57. Do you hate or dislike more than 3 people? Hate, no. Dislike, definitely
58. How often do you talk on the phone? everyday, frequently
59. The last person you held hands with? Brayden
60. What are you wearing? Jerzey shorts and campi
61. What is your favorite animal? dog
62. Where was your profile picture taken? my kitchen
63. Can you hula hoop? one rotation, if I'm lucky
64. Do you have a job? not a paying job
65. What was the most recent thing you bought? chicken broth
66. Have you ever crawled through a window? no

Ear surgery and more

2009-04-18T10:06:00.000-07:00

Since he hasn't learned how to walk yet, Brayden has figured out that the best way to take things with him is to carry them around in his mouth when he crawls.

Brayden loves tomatoes. Well, mostly he likes to squeeze them and suck on them and make a big mess.

After too many rounds of ear infections and ineffective antibiotics, Brayden took a trip to the ENT. His left ear was still very infected and he was in a bit of pain. Here is Brayden at the day surgery center at 5:30 in the morning, wondering what is going on.

Brayden in his gown in pre-op

He was extremely patient considering he was up for 2 hours before surgery, with no bottle. The nurse gave him a specimen cup to keep him busy. His look says "you want me to do WHAT with this cup?"

This is Brayden the next day - on his 1st birthday. He is feeling all better after having his ears cleaned up and tubes inserted. He is happy and mobile

And freaking delicious!

I've spent most of this past week preparing for the 3 room face lift. I have been packing and moving boxes (with help from Harvey, of course), moving furniture, taping walls, buying paint, pulling staples out of the walls (left overs from Valerie's high school wall decor), pulling surplus nails from the wall, and finally patching holes.

And for everyone who thinks I can't follow instructions, let the record stand that I can (I just chose not to most of the time). Our 1970's vintage house came complete with an intercom system. The only two remaining pieces were in 2 of the bedrooms and left big holes in the walls. I went from this...

To this. I marched myself down to Home Depot, bought hole patching kits, and off I went to filling holes. I'm still waiting for the stuff to dry so I can sand and start the painting. Finished product TBD

Finally - new pictures!

2009-04-13T11:36:00.000-07:00

Brayden has been sick with an ear infection, fever (off & on), runny nose and just generally feeling cruddy for most of the last two months

You can see that he is still sick by the rosy cheeks and nose

However, when the fever does break several times a day, he is mobile

Being sick has certainly not kept him from mischief - he loves to play with Tootsie's crate

The boys are trying to figure out what to wear to go out on the town
Saturday he was feeling better so off we went for his first trip to IKEA. He and Gpa had a grand time, playing with the toys

He was feeling pretty silly, checking out the big boy bed

Then he and Gpa got more silly with the hats. Brayden tried on the birthday hat, knowing that his birthday is just a week away! And Gpa, well, who knows why he wanted to look like a chicken?

Brayden wants to know "do these orange spots make my butt look big?"

Afterwards we went to TGIF for dinner. Here Brayden is having his first taste of steamed broccoli, which he seemed to like, but also wanted to share with his mommy (who was taking the picture)

And finally, Sunday morning we began moving boxes out of Harvey's study/Brayden's new room. He wanted to help (please excuse the look on my face - I was just back from a 7 mile run just before we took this picture)

Today I'm foggy headed from whatever it was that Brayden had the last couple of weeks. It could just be the Oak pollen, which is falling down in buckets from the trees. I'm sure that running through all of the dust and tree turds is not helping with the congestion. Yesterday I didn't feel as bad and was able to run 7 miles. Today I felt worse and was only able to motivate myself to run 4 miles. This spring time weather in Austin does make it much easier to run - it's been beautiful. I dread the start of summer, but have no choice. Running group starts backup this weekend, after a 2 month hiatus. I'm anxious to get back on track with more regular running.

Things are looking up with the job hunt. I have a few irons in the fire, including an interview later this week. There are tons of jobs out there, just not ones that I want to do, or ones that seem decent but pay about 1/3-1/2 what I was making before. Not that I've had any offers, just a few good prospects I'm working on...that's all I'll say about that so as not to jinx anything.

So much for spare time!

2009-04-09T19:34:00.000-07:00

Rachel has announced to me that I suck at keeping up with my blog. I thought that for sure with being unemployed, I would have all sorts of time, but it seems that fate would have other plans.

Last week I managed to run a little, though not as much as I wanted to and pack a lot of boxes (again, not as much as I wanted to). I did get to run in a half marathon in Bastrop, though I wasn't feeling all that energetic to start with, and it was ridiculously hilly, so my time sucked, but at least I finished. This week, Brayden's been sick with the same ear infection he's been fighting since February, so I've been making daily trips to the doctor with him for the past 3 days. He's on his last chance with antibiotics - which came in the form of two shots, simultaneously in his biggest muscle (thigh), 3 days in a row. Needless to say, he's been pissed. The first two days I was able to take him to daycare after. Today he was running a fever all day so we hung out together. He was feeling bad all day so mostly he slept on me, which kept me from doing much of anything else, including playing golf with Harvey in the afternoon. Tubes in the ear is the next step.

I did have a couple of hours while Brayden was in his bed to job hunt. There are tons of jobs out there - just none as appealing and interesting as the last job I had. I did receive potentially good news tonight about a job, but I'm not going to jinx myself by talking about it until I know more. Oh, and there's the other job prospect that I have a meeting on next week. Both of these jobs found me, which is always a great feeling.

Valerie booked her tickets to England for the summer - she is doing a semester abroad there. Being the summer session, it's short but she'll have plenty of opportunity to travel the week before classes start and on the weekends. Rachel continues to kick ass in school, setting the curve on both tests she's taken.

Hopefully Brayden will feel better soon so that I can post some updated pictures soon. Believe it or not, he'll turn one next week!

I'm suddenly finding myself with time on my hands...

2009-03-31T19:58:00.000-07:00

Today I joined 6.5% of Texans/8.1% of Americans as I prepare to file for my first unemployment claim this weekend. The "non-recession" is hitting everywhere, so I was not surprised that as the last in, I would be the first out at work. The good news is that I was treated with an incredible amount of dignity and was even given advanced notice before the pink slip found me. I love the job and hope to return when things get better.

So here's my plan for the next while...until lady luck shines on my again with work:

This week:
Run 6 miles (at least) on Wednesday, 5 miles on Thursday, and rest on Friday
Pack up Harvey's study & Valerie's old room a bit each day to begin the face-lift
Pick out paint colors
Half marathon on Saturday

Next week:
File unemployment claim
Workout more consistently:

Run 6 miles X 4 days
Freshen up the bike and ride 1-2 days
Dust off the Bow-flex and start weight training

Strip wall paper from Harvey's study and Valerie's old room.
Buy paint, tape and whatever else I need
Paint
Cook dinner for my family (take creativity with all the different tastes)
Play a little golf
Oh, job hunt

Check back soon to see how well I do with my goals over the next 10 or so days.

Brayden is crawling

2009-03-15T09:44:00.000-07:00

This week Brayden started crawling some of the time instead of the commando drag across the room. It is a bit slower but he is getting better at it. Below a short video

Just cute - nothing more to say

He is eating a lot of table foods now. His favorite is vegi's that he can eat on his own. He likes the mix of peas (yuk), green beans, Lima beans, carrots and corn. I noticed that he eats the green ones first, then orange, and finally yellow. My sister in law, Nancy (the pediatrician) has assured me that this does NOT mean he is OCD, just learning "grouping". Whew!

His new more slim figure after eating healthy (more vegi's) and lots of exercise. The jumpee is gone as he is really too big for it

Here after exercising at Lady Bird Lake with Rachel & Lindsay

Here he has my phone and my hat - he gets what he wants from me - almost always.

My running is "eh" these days. When I run, it goes well. Couple the late sunrise and the cold rainy week and even working from home has not been enough to get me out running enough. The weather is supposed to be better this week and I'm working from home the first half of the week, before heading to Baltimore for a Bat Mitzvah the second half of the week, so hopefully I'll get run a few times.

Must post pictures...this weekend

2009-03-06T13:35:00.000-08:00

I've been working from home all week and it's amazing how I'm not nearly as organized as I should be, without having to travel.

I have been able to run most days this past week. Three of the days I ran with Brayden in the baby jogger. This is definitely more challenging but I love having him (and Tootsie) for company during the runs even more than I love the iPod.

We've had an electrician doing some work here for most of yesterday and half of today. He'll come back to finish Harvey's "honey-do" list (new light, new plug, fix plug, fix switch) after we actually buy the light fixture.

I did a lot of really tedious stuff for work, but it's hard to complain when I'm doing it from home and the paychecks keep getting deposited. I do love my job and am thankful for it.

Back on the program!

2009-03-02T09:02:00.000-08:00

Yay for me - two days in a row of running. Rachel had a great idea this morning to force me to run. Tootsie and I went with her to drop Brayden off at daycare before she went to school. From there, we were forced to run as she had to leave. The daycare is 2 miles from home but I took enough detours to make it a 4.1 mile run. The weather is perfect so no complaints. I wanted to run longer but must work (from home all week, thankfully)

I have a 5K race this weekend (Bagelfest 5K at the JCC), a 10K race on the 29th (Cap 10K), a half marathon on April 4 (Zooma women's race in Bastrop) and a half marathon in July (Napa to Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon) , so slacking really is not an option. The Bagelfest was the first race I ever ran when I started running and it will be Lindsay's first race too. Aw, I feel a tear coming on...ha ha!

Home for a week!

2009-03-01T17:56:00.000-08:00

I'm so happy to be home for the week. This weekend has been stress free and relaxing. Today I got in an almost 5 mile run with Lynn in my neighborhood. We were originally planning a little longer, but we had head winds and tough hills, so what we ran was enough. I did get an extra half mile in taking Tootsie around the block.

Today we turned Brayden's car seat around in both mine and Rachel's cars. His legs are so long that he was sitting kind of frog like with his feet against the back seat of the car. He was very happy watching out the window for the first time. He is up to 6 teeth now (5 of which are visible in this picture). He is still crawling commando style, quickly getting around the house.

Saturday was Lindsay's birthday. Rachel organized a surprise dinner at Olive Garden to celebrate, where 15 of her friends and her brother, all showed up to celebrate.

And because I can't resist, another picture of Harvey and me :-)

This week I'll be working from home. I have plenty to do - all of which can be done from the comfort of my couch. My goal is to run first thing in the morning most days this week and try to even get back on my bike once or twice a week! Healthy eating is another goal. Wish me luck!

Blah

2009-02-26T18:59:00.001-08:00

Someone has been passing a virus around the family. I was fortunate enough to just get a mild touch - no puking, just upset stomach and feeling like I was hit by a truck. Unfortunately, Brayden seems to have been hit the hardest. He started to get sick on Sunday night and has continued with vomiting and explosive diapers since then. Fortunately, it's not an all day thing but still, it's not gone. Mom, Rachel, Valerie and Matt each had it for about 24 hours.

Here's a look at my past 2 weeks:
2/15 - Ran half marathon, flew to Los Angeles for class, visited with Jodi until way too late
2/16 - Training class, no run (need to catch up on sleep)
2/17 - Training class, no run
2/18 - Training class, no run
2/19 - Training class, no run (starting to see a pattern)
2/20 - 7 a.m. flight from LA to Houston - exhausted, no run, Bat Mitzvah, dinner
2/21 - Bat Mitzvah, Lunch, nap, 5 mile run, shower, party
2/22 - 10 a.m. flight. Houston - Charlotte - Lexington flights, drive to Barbourville, KY
2/23 - Audit, starting to feel sick (perhaps bad dinner contributed), no run
2/24 - Audit, feeling sick all day. Slept on the way to office, on the way to airport, on both flights (Lexington - Charlotte - Pittsburg). Awake during 50+ mile drive to Wheeling, WV
2/25 - Audit, too tired to run again but at least I feel better (80% normal)
2/26 - Audit, dinner, pack, expense reports, blog, bed
2/27 - Plan: Work, drive 50+ miles to Pittsburg airport, hope I can get on early flight back home (Pittsburg-Chicago-Austin) so I don't land at 11:00 p.m. (best case, land 4:15 p.m.)

So, it's been an exhausting 2 weeks and I've run a total of two times, for a pathetic total of 18 miles. I'm not happy with those numbers, but they are what they are. Next week I get to work from Austin, so fortunately, I'll get back on track with healthier eatting and running. I'm ready to be home!

Half Marathon and yes, more Brayden pictures

2009-02-18T22:16:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was the Austin Marathon/Half Marathon. The hills made this a tough race but still...any day I can run 13.1 miles and smile at the end is a good day!

These are some my running buddies that I trained with. Lynn (on the far right) and I always run the races together.

Running hard...

Stupid hills - but at least I'm still smiling!

Ah, finally, the race is over, I've gotten my medal, eaten and am sitting.

Out to dinner with Brayden the night before the race. Here he sits, like a big boy!

He's cute...what more can I say?

Rachel & Harvey

I am in Los Angeles this week for work. It's been a great trip as I got to spend several hours on Sunday night with Jodi, my old college roomie. Tonight I had dinner with my cousin (and God-son), Avi. It's been about 15 years since I had seen either and I really enjoyed catching up with both.

It's been a tiring week but I MUST get off the computer so I can get some sleep and be up early to go to gym before class. Good night!

What a difference 7 1/2 months makes!

2009-02-08T11:37:00.000-08:00

This is Brayden in his rocker at 10.3 weeks, or 2.4 months old (yes, I'm a numbers geek and actually calculated it). We thought he was big THEN!

Here he is in the same rocker at 42.4 weeks, or 9.9 months old.
For a long time he didn't really want to sit in it but he seems to have fallen in love with it again. He's still feeling a bit under the weather and literally crawled from my lap to the chair and laid his head in it and whimpered a little as he found he couldn't quite get into it by himself. So I put him in the rocker and within 5 minutes, he was asleep (thankfully I saw that he was falling asleep so I was able to belt him in without disturbing him).

Just before this we tried to put him down for a nap, which he would have none of. When I walked in to rescue him from crying in the crib, I found him STANDING in the crib for the first time. I mean the first time without any help at all. We are so in trouble.

This is one of Brayden's favorite games - stand at the coffee table and tear up whatever he can get his hands on. So far, he can't stand at the table unassisted but it's coming soon!

I'm off to Harrisburg, PA tomorrow for the week. Hopefully the hotel has a decent treadmill as I need to run a few times before my next half marathon next weekend.

Brayden's first bowling party and first taste of pizza

2009-02-01T04:25:00.000-08:00

People often comment on how well behaved Brayden is in public. I think it's a combination of a few things - Rachel's a great mom, he's been out and around since he was born, and just pure luck. To the point of my second theory, last night we took him with us to a bowling party. Short of a monster truck ralley (still waiting for Tio Isaac to take him) or concert, it doesn't get much louder than a bowling alley on a Saturday night. Brayden loves the lights and noise.

So along with his first time in a bowling alley, last night he also had his first taste of pizza. Well, pizza crust - no cheese or sauce. He was as happy as could be and I only had to dig chunks of crust out of his mouth a couple of time (though thankfully he never was choking)

Here Brayden is standing up watching his mommy bowling.

From Brayden's view - his skinny mommy.

Brayden and Grandpa - what a pair. Imagine the pictures we'll get when Brayden's finally old enough to ride in the golf cart.

Off I go to meet my running group for a short but hilly 7 mile run. The Austin Marathon/Half Marthon is in 2 weeks so we're tapering down on the mileage.

2009-01-29T20:47:00.000-08:00

This little man loves riding in his car seat but we can't wait till he can turn around and face front (less than 3 months to go)

Brayden is now mobile and is learning to pull himself up on the fireplace ledge

Uh oh, what's that in his hands? He's found the dog's pre-chewed raw hide! Guess what he does with it? Wait for it, wait for it....

Straight to the mouth! This picture has me vacillating between fits of laughter and nausea!

Ah, yes, much better - my little longhorn in the Ebbos' rocking chair

This week I've been in Portland. The treadmill in this hotel is awful so I've only made it there once, for a 3 mile run. Maybe one more run in the morning...if I can get through my work tonight and get to bed at a reasonable time! Either way, Saturday I'm up for a long run around the neighborhood, then a 7 mile hilly run on Sunday with the training group.

Awesome Race...and about me

2009-01-27T07:34:00.001-08:00

Sorry - no Brayden pictures or updates - today it's all about me.

First, I ran an awesome race at the 3M Half Marathon last Sunday. It is my favorite all time race and have missed running it the last couple of years. This was the first half marathon I ran (though totally unprepared) in 2004, and I hated almost every minute of it that year. Since then I train better and love this mostly downhill race. Lynn is the best running partner ever - we have a knack for pushing each other just enough, and she does a great job of pulling me back when I am pushing too hard. Well, really I'm not intentionally pushing most of the time, I just get to talking and don't pay enough attention. So the weather was perfect, the crowd was great and the course easy enough. I finished the half marathon in 2:16, which is 7 minutes faster than the Houston Half Marathon the weekend before. The Austin Half Marathon on Valentine's weekend won't be as fast as the course is much hillier with more than enough up hills. I plan to just relax and enjoy that race and TRY not to focus on my time.

I posted the "16 things about me" on facebook, but thought I would put it here too, for the reading enjoyment of my friends not on facebook. Several of my cousins and friends have posted the same about themselves and it's great way to learn about each other. Here you go...

1. I have serious food-guilt issues. It comes from being a chubby child and never quite being told I’m chubby. Rather, I often heard things like “you are so pretty but do you really need that cake?”
2. Listening to some of the stories my friends tell about their husbands makes me appreciate mine more every day.
3. It took me 45 years of my life to realized that everyone really doesn’t dislike me
4. I love running (okay, every who knows me knows this)
5. I am afraid of swimming in open water. This includes lakes, the beach and anything other than a pool. I really realized this during the last triathlon I participated in when I was talking to my dead father.
6. I still have that dream from time to time about all of my teeth falling out – I forget what it means but I still have it.
7. Regardless of what certain members of my family believe, having gay friends does not make me have a propensity to be gay.
8. I know that I never would have survived having a Bat Mitzvah as a child because I have a morbid fear of singing in front of people (unless you count Harvey hearing me sing in the car – poor guy). I even tried karaoke once, drunk off my ass, and I still froze up.
9. I very much wish I had take school and my career seriously when I was younger.
10. I truly believe that my grandson, Brayden, is the biggest blessing in our lives (not to diminish the blessing of my children, husband and the rest of my family , but he has inspired change that I can’t explain in more people than just me).
11. I have regretted for many years dropping out of band my junior year in high school and never giving myself the opportunity to be in the Longhorn Marching Band in college.
12. I am totally addicted to Facebook. I have reconnected with so many lost friends and my awesome Puerto Rican cousins (among others)!
13. If I wasn’t so used to the things a good paycheck provides, I would get a job at Barnes and Noble as a book stocker or the information booth chick. I believe that people are generally happy at B&N and it would be nice to clear my mind at the end of my shift, knowing that whatever I don’t finish, someone else will.
14. I am still a wall flower at parties if I’m alone. To this day, I still struggle with going to a even family wedding and Bar/Bat Mitzvah alone. Yet another reason to be thankful for my amazing husband, who has had to learn to deal with the craziness that is the Aboulafia/Morel in me.
15. I still have a weakness for a man in well fitting Wranglers, a starched shirt and a cowboy hat.
16. I miss my dad terribly most every day.

Brayden's Ghetto Swing

2009-01-23T15:30:00.000-08:00

Today we gave Brayden his first swing ride outside. Because he's only 9 months old, we haven't really gotten around to building a swing set (which, by the way, will be awesome). Instead, we went ghetto by throwing some rope over a tree branch and hanging the swing on it. He had fun but wasn't as excited as I hoped. It could be because it was nap time and he was getting grouchy. Hopefully we'll have better video another day - this one is pretty short.

More firsts for Brayden

2009-01-21T17:44:00.001-08:00

This week Brayden crawled commando style for the first time and learned to sit up on his own. He enjoys moving from spot to spot and sitting himself up. He loves to crawl over to his "Wiggles" book and sit up. He can spend 15-20 minutes "reading" to himself.

Running is going well as I prepare for the 3M Half Marathon this Sunday. This is my all time favorite Half Marathon. The route is predominately down hill, which makes it a bit easier. I'm hoping to come in around 2:15 for this race. Half marathons sure help with the 20 mile per week goal. Today I ran another 4.1 miles - just another 2.8 to hit goal this week. I am 91.65 miles into the year - just 908.35 to annual goal.

First Boo-boo

2009-01-19T09:13:00.000-08:00

Today Brayden gave himself his first fat lip by falling into the book he was playing with. It wasn't a bad one, thankfully, but boys will be boys, so I'm sure there will be more as he gets older. It's hard to see in the picture below but his lip bled a little and swelled up. He cried a bit but got over it fast. Bray had his 9 month check up today at the doctor and all is well. He is 31 inches tall, and 25 pounds, 5 ounces. He has one top tooth peeking through, to go with the the bottom two.

I ran in the Houston Half Marathon yesterday. The weather was okay, but a bit hot at times when there was no shade. I finished in 2:23, which is made me happy. I am and will continue to be a middle-packer, finishing about half way through the pack in most races. My next race is the 3M half marathon in Austin this weekend, then the Austin Half Marathon two weeks later. After that, we'll see.

Just keep putting one foot in front of the other!

2009-01-15T12:06:00.000-08:00

Today started with no more motivation to run than the rest of the week has. However, after listening to customer calls all mornings for a project, I forced myself out the door. It turns out that if I just keep putting one foot in front of the other, I can cover 8 miles before I realized how far I was gone. Harvey thinks I'm not so smart for running without gloves (not to mention the short sleeve shirt and the shorts) since it's 50 and windy. I am having trouble typing still as my fingers are numb, but it's what I do for the sake of an 800 calorie burn.

Bray is better today though still stuffy. At least he's in a good mood!

My running mo-jo is at a low

2009-01-14T18:32:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure why I'm having trouble getting motivated to run this week. Here is my list of excuses:

1. I am working from home, thus no routine

2. I ran almost 20 miles between Saturday and Sunday, thus I am tired

3. The older I get, the harder time I have with the cold weather

4. I am just old and lazy

What I do know for sure is that I need to get myself motivated...I have 3 half marathons coming up over the next 4 weekends!

Brayden's cold is better though he is still pretty stuffy. We were able to go out for a walk today. He called all of his friends to let him know he's doing better on his Elmo phone. His latest routine of screaming uncontrollably at bed time is frustrating and painful to listen to. He does not like going to bed, no matter how tired he is. Hopefully he'll outgrow that soon. Until then, it's ipod and headphones for me!

Poor little guy

2009-01-12T11:17:00.000-08:00

Brayden is having a rough time now, between teething and a slight cold. The pediatrician confirmed both today. Bray is usually a great baby when we put him to bed. These past few nights he has been kicking up a storm when we put him down for the night. Rachel says he only does that when I'm in town because he knows I'll give in, but the doctor said the congestion will cause him to be more uncomfortable when he lies down. So there, Rachel (okay, so maybe I spoil him just a LITTLE BIT)...

My friend, Mark, was kind enough to send me this link with a note that when he saw this book on GMA, it reminded him of me: http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Jewish-Girls-Guide-Guilt/dp/0525948848/ref=si3_rdr_bb_product. You know I wrote that book, right? I certainly don't need to read it :)

Happy 8th Anniversary to us!

2009-01-11T13:50:00.000-08:00

Harvey and I celebrated our 8 year anniversary on New Years day. We were married 01/01/01. We joke that we picked that date to make it easy for Harvey to remember, but the truth is, I am the one with brain overload and tend to forget things more often than he does. To celebrate our anniversary, I was told to pack a bag to spend the night out, go for a nice dinner and include 2 outdoor outfits as well. That's all I was told.

Harvey reserved a room at the Hilton in downtown Austin so that we could just get away by ourselves without spending hours on the road/in the air. The first thing we did after checking in (to an awesome room) was to change and head to Lady Bird Lake for some Kayaking.

After a nap and shower, we got dressed up to go out to dinner. As I was getting dressed, Harvey surprised me with BEAUTIFUL princess cut diamond stud earrings. Off we went for a great dinner at Eddie V's (seafood and steak restaurant) followed by Esther's Folleys

The next morning, after some breakfast, we checked out of the hotel and headed back to Lady Bird Lake - this time we enjoyed the area on foot by walking 3 miles on the trail.

More recent pictures of Brayden. Rachel says he resembles a drunk redneck in this picture. I was going more for lumberjack-longhorn.

Brayden in his Hanukkah hat from his great Grandmother, Bubby

Silly laundry basket pictures.

My beautiful daughters

Rachel and Bray at Spaghetti Warehouse. I swear - that boy has been to more restaurants in his short life than many kids go in 5 years!

The running is going really well. My goal for 2009 is to run 1000 miles, or about 20/week. Over the past 15 days, I've run 58.4 miles - just 941.6 to go this year. I'm definitely banking miles for when travel does not allow me to run. I have had 3 really great runs with my Galloway Training group over these past 2 weekends. Last weekend was the first time back with the group since the marathon and it was great running with Joe pushing me to run faster (he keeps saying I push him but I think it's more like we push each other). Yesterday I got to run almost 12 miles with Lynn, who I hadn't seen since the marathon, so it was great to catch up. I can't say I enjoyed the fierce winds that we had to run through but still, the company was good. I am scheduled to run the Houston half marathon on January 18, the 3M half marathon on the 25th and the Austin half marathon on February 15th. I'm planning another half in April in Bastrop and one in July in Sonoma. Clearly I will make my goal of 1000 miles if I keep signing up for these longer races. I'll train for and complete another full marathon in the fall again.

I'll be working from home this week, so no travel. After that, I'm not entirely sure where I'll be traveling yet. Either way, I'll be working hard and exercising harder!

Amusing waste of time...

2009-01-08T19:52:00.000-08:00

http://www.43things.com/book/#quiz

Here's what my results came up as...apparently I am UNIQUE!

You are a Reinventing Extroverted De-Clutterer
0% of the 51327 people who have taken this quiz are like you.

Would love to hear what it reveals about you!

Resurrecting the Blog

2009-01-08T06:44:00.001-08:00

It's been almost 2 months since I last blogged...now I'm re-engaging. My goal is shorter blogs with greater frequency. This week I am in Texarkana, observing a training class at a client site. This is not an exciting city - flat and quiet, but at least the hotel rooms are clean.

Running is going well. My goal this year is to run a minimum of 1000 miles - which is only 20/week average (42.05 down, 957.95 to go). Because I had to take 4 weeks off from running after the stress fracture in my foot (well, after I ran a marathon two days after the accident), I haven't been able to train sufficiently for the Austin marathon. Instead I'm scheduled to run 3 half marathons in the next 5 weeks. I'm looking forward to that as well as continued training with my Galloway group. This weekend my plan is to run the 12 mile training run with one group on Saturday, then the 7 miler on Sunday with the other training group. Stay tuned for how I survive that one.

Below are some pictures of Brayden. My goal this weekend is to get some good pictures of my own offspring as it's been a while since I've taken good pictures of my own girls!

Grandpa Herbie's best buddy

Future UT football star

Scaring Gma by holding on by himself (taken while mommy was sleeping)

Eskimo kisses with Gma

Just chillin' on the deck

Marathon Weekend!

2008-11-17T12:13:00.000-08:00

The weekend that I've been training and preparing for, since last April, has come and gone. The weekend started with an unfortunate "slipping in the shower" accident on Friday, in which I smashed my foot into the sharp edge of the outside of the tub. It swelled and bruised just two days before the marathon. Harvey x-rayed it and said he could not rule out a stress fracture. By now, he knows how stubborn I am and knew that I was determined to run the marathon, so he taped and padded my foot and prayed for the best. I almost had him convinced to numb it up too, but he was smart enough not to. I even agreed to carry my cell phone in case it hurt too much and I needed to bail out.

The night before the race we went to dinner with friends from my running group. I had the best fan club with me (Harvey, Rachel, Valerie and Brayden). Brayden was filling pretty silly at the hotel after dinner, particularly when we put his new hat on him.

And incredibly cute

Sunday morning, Harvey got up early and drove me to the marathon. We were there when it was cold and dark. This is me before the start of the race.
Even with 30,000 runners and their support crews, I was able to find Dora. We were so fresh before the race.

Harvey found Dora at mile 21...
Brayden wanted to stand up and cheer

My neighbors made this great sign for me so that my family would be easier for me to find - thanks Rachel & Larry. I have the cutest pit crew ever!

And a few minute after Dora, there I was at mile 21

Dora at mile 26 just before the turn and final run into the finish chute

Me at the same place...very tired and happy it is almost over.

We managed to find each other after the race too. Thank heavens for cell phones! We both had a great run and I am proud of both of us. Although we did not run together, our finish times were just 38 seconds apart and we each had a great race.

Rachel swears this iced tea bottle was empty before she gave it to Brayden

Time to call my fans and report my results. Harvey has an affinity for taking pictures of me talking on the phone - as if it's a rare thing - PSHA! Notice the chocolate milk and nutter butters - my favorite post run recovery snack - hand delivered by my wonderful nephew, Benjamin.
My support crew - it was awesome to see them all on the route and at the finish.

Dora's road crew/support team. I hear he's been trained by his dad - the best support crew north of the Mason-Dixon line.

So it was a great weekend. Of course, the price of running on an injured foot is about 4 weeks of recovery WITHOUT RUNNING. Was it worth running with a hurt foot to race in the marathon? Absolutely (well ask me again in a week or two when I'm grouchy and fat)!

Can someone tell me where I can find one of these?

2008-11-12T16:53:00.000-08:00

I asked for one of these at Starbucks and the poor overworked Barista just look confused.

I'm headed home a day early this week to work from home. My goal is to go for an run in the morning, then work with my laptop on, well, my lap, and my feet propped up on the couch. Not a bad way to get work done.

The marathon is just a few short days away. I'm excited about the weather - 40's-70. After all the miles I logged in the heat of the summer, even 70 degrees is just fine with me. We're all headed to San Antonio on Saturday....Harvey, Dora, Rachel, Valerie and Brayden (and of course, Benjamin will already be there). I'm so excited to have my own cheering squad - and perhaps someone to carry me to the car if I need. I wonder if Brayden will share his stroller with me?

Stay tuned for pictures and stories from the race...

One week to M-Day!

2008-11-09T16:37:00.000-08:00

I have one more week until my first marathon. I honestly cannot convey how excited I am about running in my first full marathon. The training during the heat of the summer has been challenging, sometimes brutal, but alway worth it in the end. I was probably not so wise for running a 10 mile race as my final long run, one week before the marathon, particularly this hilly one, but I did it and feel great.

On a different note, Brayden has cut his first two teeth. I'll work on getting new pictures up but suffice to say, he gets cuter ever day.

I know, I know

2008-11-02T18:39:00.000-08:00

I'm not lazy, just swamped with work, travel, marathon training, and family time - which has resulted in me slacking on updating the blog. That said, here are a bunch of pictures - there are more recent ones at home, which I hope to tackle this weekend. I apologize for the short comments - just so busy!

My favorite longhorns

Benjamin came to watch the UT football game and spend time with us. He golfed with Harvey on Sunday, before heading back to San Antonio.

Valerie, Matt & Bray

Poor Bray looks just a little startled here -not sure why.

Oh, maybe that's why...someone thought it would be funny to put this wig on him (well, maybe it is a bit humorous)

Snoopy and Charlie Brown found the great pumpkin patch (how many of you can get your dog to pose like this?)

Rachel's art work and her masterpiece

My super-man and super baby

Everyone wanted to match the house in shades of blue

Bray trying to grab the little pumpkin

Next year the ledge will fall if we put Bray on it!

Too much cuteness

I think he was on his way out to save the planet...

....with his trusty side kick, Super Tootsie!

Just 10 more days till the marathon. I'm going to very slowly participate in a 10 mile race this weekend. I know - not the most brilliant idea a week before the marathon but Lynn talked me into it and I'm a sucker for a good race shirt. The weather's supposed to be nice - in the 50's, so I can't wait.

Dora will be in town next Thursday so we can go to the marathon together. Yay for sister time, which I so rarely get!

2008-10-28T18:49:00.000-07:00

I'm learning that running after work takes more will than energy. I was SO tired after work tonight and the pillow on my bed was calling me. However, I fought the urge to just lie down for a quick nap (it never works out that way), put my running clothes on and headed down to the gym. I figured the worst that could happen would be that I didn't have the energy to run and would walk on the treadmill instead. Well, it turns out that if I just turn up the speed and keep putting one foot in front of the other as quickly as the belt forces me to move, I could run 4 miles after all. Yay me! And a run, followed by a shower, glass of wine and a salad is a much better way to spend the evening than throwing myself on the bed and resting.

Either way, a couple of hours of work await me, so off I go - with more energy than I had when I got back from work!

Messy Marvin

2008-10-28T06:58:00.001-07:00

This is the first in what I'm sure will be a long series of pictures in the future with Brayden making a mess with food. Sorry Red Sox and Astros fans but Grandpa is an Indians fan, so go tribe!

He's so close to crawling, but found it's just as easy to roll around the floor as crawl to get to where he wants.

And the results of holding a blanket while rolling on the floor - like a little taco!

It's cold in Chicago - and it's going to get worse. I'll just whine and survive!

Brayden's First Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-26T03:12:00.000-07:00

Rachel and Lindsay took Brayden for his first visit to the Pumpkin Patch over the weekend. I didn't make it there with them but he seems fascinated with the little pumpkins - didn't even want to look up at the camera!

Hmmm, play with the feet or the pumpkins - tough choice!

Rachel had to pick him up to get a picture. Aren't they both adorable?

Bray is sitting up really well in high chairs. He loves to reach for things when he sits up.

The count down is on to the marathon. This is our taper period and just knowing that makes me want to run far (me, stubborn? Psha!). We had a great 5 mile group run on Sunday. Because it was short, we ran a bit harder than usual (slow by many measures but fast for us), and it felt awesome. Between just feeling good and the weather being in the 60's, it was tempting to run more, but I really wanted to get home to the family since I'm gone all week. I made it home in time to catch Brayden waking up and let Rachel sleep in. He's a happy boy in the mornings. When he wakes up, Brayden lays on his back in the crib just babbling to himself for a while. He always breaks out into a big grin when he sees us there to get him. Ah, he's so wonderful!

I'm back in Chicago - my home away from home. It becomes a bit more homey on Mondays than the rest of the nights as I usually get to get together with Robyn for dinner - it's good to have family around - especially when I miss mine so much!

These shoes were made for...

2008-10-22T16:47:00.001-07:00

....eating? Oh Brayden, we don't eat our shoes!

Admire them, yes. Eat them, no.
This is my little man in his John Deer Hoodie, courtesy of Tia Doda. How freaking cute is that?

And his new dinosaur pj's

Brayden had his 6 month check up last week. From his 3 month check up, he grew an additional 3.5 inches, without gaining any weight. He's holding at 24 pounds and starting to lose some of the baby fat on his arms. He still has the Morel legs, but as soon as he starts walking, that'll work itself off too. For now, he scoots and rolls, no crawling.

Last weekend was my 26.12 mile training run. It went really well and I was amazed not to be all that tired (especially after all the stand up-sit down at the UT football game the night before). Also, I wasn't sore the next day. I guess there's something to be said for the run/walk method. My feet survived without a blister to tell about. However, my one casualty I came home with was a hurt finger. I know - who breaks/sprains a finger running. Well, that would be me. I tripped on the trail at around mile 24 and caught myself on the chain link fence to my right. Somehow I torqued my pinkie and now it's swollen, a bit bruised and painful. I say break/sprain because I'm too lazy to do more than self diagnose and tape it up. Harvey says "Aleve and Ice". I say "tape and suck it up". True, I am about 12 years shy of a medical degree, but who has time for xrays and such. Besides, if it is broken and I have to wear a splint, it'll make me crazy.

The next 4 weeks will be taper weeks before the big marathon. I've already taken off work the Friday before (to hang out with Dora, since she'll be in town) and the Monday after (for a massage and some R&R). I'm excited - stay tuned to see if I can really keep to low mileage runs for the next 4 weeks.

Boston

2008-10-15T19:40:00.000-07:00

This week I'm in Boston for a training class. Harvey and I arrived on Saturdayto have a little fun before class started on Tuesday. Here are a few interesting signs I saw while here - some more bizarre than others.

Um Bud Light on the children's menu?

Why would they advertise this? Is there a national DNA shortage or just in Boston?

And finally....I think they drink too much here!

This is the Holocaust Memorial - I've seen it before but still just as touching

A memorial garden. The silver things in the back are dog tags - one for each soldier killed

We walked the Freedom Trail over the weekend. Harvey wanted to stop in the graveyards along the way - I'm not sure why but we did and here he is.

With all the travel I'm doing for work lately, I have to take advantage of any opportunity to stay in touch (which is not often). Harvey caught me on the phone, at the USS Constitutional - part of the Freedom Trail.

Harvey was learning all about the dry dock (in the background)

This is the memorial at Bunker Hill. We climbed the spiral staircase inside - all 294 freaking steps, only to crowd into a small "viewing room" at the top with tiny windows, with too many sweaty people and very little ventilation. Needless to say, I turned around immediately and came back down. Four days later, my muscles still hurt! The ding dong and the ding dong

Me and Be-Witched. Which witch is which?

I love fallen leaves in the fall, so I had to be goofy

We had dinner just outside Fenway Park, as the Red Sox were losing game 3 of the playoffs. Seriously Lindsay - I have nothing against them

And finally, Harvey in front of the wall. We couldn't get in...

This weekend is my final long run before the Marathon. We are running 26 miles (which, by the way, will hurt less than climbing that stupid monument)! I haven't done as much running as I would have liked on this trip but my boss is taking me running along the water tomorrow night. I have no idea if he thinks I can run 8.5 minute miles like he does (he did that for 13 miles - very impressive) but there's no way I can go that fast. Maybe I'll buy some Red Bull or something to drink before!

Getting to know Chicago

2008-10-08T09:43:00.001-07:00

This time around, I've been given the keys to the rental car in Chicago, so I'm finally starting to learn my way around here (well, at least the city of Elk Grove). I arrived on Sunday night and had to follow directions to the hotel since I had never gone directly from the airport to the hotel (I typically go straight to work on Monday mornings when I fly in). I felt better once I got closer to my hotel and the surroundings became more familiar.

Monday, I went to meet Robyn, my sister-in-law for dinner. She's always picked me up to go out in the past, but this time I put on my big girl panties and drove myself to meet her. We had one very successful trip to Nordstrom's Rack (outlet) for winter clothes. People seem to find it amusing that this Texas girl really doesn't own any winter work clothes. We just don't really have winters in Texas - and what little cold weather we do have, I typically have dressed more casually for. So, I got great deals on some clothes. I am going to test out the trench coat I have at home to see if it's good enough for the walk from the car to the building before I invest in another. From we went to dinner at CPK - a first for Robyn and an old favorite for me. I've discovered that there are lots of good places to eat not far from the hotel.

Which brings me to last night. After work, we left to go to dinner. I suggested Sushi (again) and as we were headed to the place Peter usually goes to, we discovered Sushi Station on the way. This is definitely a new favorite for me. Individual orders of sushi are set on the conveyor belt (individually covered, thank you, as I hate open buffets), where you remove what you want and stack the plates. I've seen this in another sushi restaurant but with boats floating in the water. Either way, the food was awesome and I probably ate a little too much. Oh well, this is why I run.

We're off to Boston on Saturday - I am so excited to be going this time of year as another thing I've always missed as a Texas girl is the changing of the season. This is the perfect time to be up in the north east coast. Harvey and I will vacation Saturday-Monday, then I'll be in more training classes Tuesday-Friday while he is visiting his sisters in Cleveland.

While I'm not a big fan of treadmill running, I'm thankful to have that as an option while I travel as it's always too dark before and after work for me to run outside alone. There are 3 good treadmills at the hotel gym and I've managed to use them to run 4.5 miles each of two days (aiming for a 3rd tomorrow morning or tonight). To keep from falling asleep of boredom, I play with the speed and incline throughout most of the workout. It's my own version of speedwork, as I increase the speed slowly up then back down. Ah well, it makes the time pass and burns the calories.

We have tickets to the UT vs. Missouri game the Saturday after we return from Boston - should be a great game. First they must survive #1 ranked OU this weekend. Hook 'em!

Hanging with Tootsie and Grandpa

2008-10-04T14:11:00.000-07:00

After a few days in Chicago, I came back to Austin on Thursday. Friday I had sushi lunch with Rachel & Brayden. He was getting fussy for a minute while we were waiting for our food so I did what any good grandma would do - I distracted him...by letting him suck on a lemon. It turns out he likes lemons and he wouldn't let me stop. He's also learned to drink from a straw and enjoyed a lot of water. Okay, so I was dropping the water in his mouth from the straw, but still, technically he was drinking from the straw (which he loves to suck on).

Rachel was working at a wedding on Saturday so Tootsie volunteered to babysit Brayden. They were hanging out...watching football.

Just chillin'

Then grandpa Herbie came home from golf and they all hung out together.
Brayden is now officially a ham - he LOVES to have his picture taken.

He does pretty well entertaining himself for a while on the activity mat.

My goodness, that little boy is beautiful!

Brayden has a new funny face...where he scrunches his nose and kind of snorts. We captured it a couple of times here, along with some "Brayden Talk".

I haven't run as much as I would have liked this past week after my awesome 24.11 mile run last Sunday. I did have a good run on Thursday morning. Well, great for 5:00 a.m. After tossing and turning all night at the hotel, I finally got up at 4:45 and decided to make good use of the time and hit the treadmill for a 3.5 mile run. Friday I got distracted and didn't get around to running before lunch and the rest of the day getting away from me. This morning I did get up to run but it wasn't my finest run. My stomach had been acting up for a few days so I really hadn't eaten much on Thursday and Friday. Needless to say, I had very little energy for a run but gave it a try. I was out for 4.5 miles, but probably only ran 3 of the miles and walked the rest. Oh well, tomorrow's another day and hopefully another great run!

The beginning of Brayden's "Everything goes in the mouth" phase

2008-09-29T07:16:00.000-07:00

I think that Brayden will be as fixated on being on time as I am - he loves watches! He grabs them on my wrist all the time. So I decided to make it easier and just give him mine. Straight to the mouth!

See how happy he is?

Now it's the fingers and the watch

I was eating a banana and he seemed fascinated, so I mushed a little on my finger and let him taste it. Brayden officially loves bananas, but I couldn't feed him fast enough this way...

So he moved on to completing dominating my banana. He was happy with that!

That's my boy - eat healthy!

God Bless the makers of Vaseline!

2008-09-28T10:17:00.000-07:00

This morning was once again, my furthest run ever - 24.11 miles! The run went remarkably well and I feel amazingly strong after such a long run. And as I said, God Bless the makers of Vaseline (and Harvey for repeatedly telling me to use it on my toes). I lubed up the toes and other body parts that have chafed on long runs in the past, and I am amazed that I have no blisters or abrasions, as I have after other long runs (see my blog on the blisters from Sept 7). We have the next 2 weekends in a row scheduled for "short runs", which are 5-7 miles, leading up to our last long run before the marathon. I drink a lot of water during these runs, so I doubt I'm dehydrated. I feel great but I just don't sweat. Anyone know what that means?

I was in town last week instead of traveling. I was in an intense class with homework each night and was really wiped out. Let me just publicly say that I have the most amazing husband. I came home Tuesday night and he was cooking dinner. On Thursday I came home and laundry was done. All the while, he never complained about the long hours I was putting in. Rachel & Brayden are house/dog sitting for Lindsay so I didn't see them much even though I was in town. However, I did spend as much time with them as I could.

Brayden is doing really well with balancing himself to sit up for short periods of time. He looks pretty proud of himself.

More sitting up

I know I'm probably a bit biased, but is this not the sweetest face you've ever seen?

Rachel and Brayden. She looks amazing just 5 1/2 months after giving birth to this big boy!

Brayden loves to chew on his burpees. He's forever cramming them in his mouth

Hook 'em horns!

Brayden was sharing his bib with me as we celebrated another big UT win

I'll be back in Chicago for most of the next 6 months. The weather should be nice for the next few weeks, so running should be great while I'm there. My goal is to go winter clothes shopping with Robyn while I'm there, since this Texas girl owns virtually no winter clothes and I will be traveling back and forth likely all winter long. YIKES!

Gma's a Slacker!

2008-09-23T04:07:00.000-07:00

This travel business takes some getting used to. I've not been around as much so updating the blog with new pictures (okay, even taking new pictures) has fallen down the priority list. However, I had some fun with Brayden over the weekend.

First he started with a ride on Gma's shoulders - I though maybe this could replace my chiropractor sessions - surely all that weight would straighten out my scoliosis, right?

Rachel's been working with Brayden on his sitting-up skills. He can last less than a minute in this position but still...he's doing great.

Valerie and Tio Matt came to visit over the weekend. Brayden loves "guy time". They were talking football here.

Poor Rachel is exhausted from waking up early with Brayden and carrying the sack of potatoes around all day. We let her rest briefly while Tio Matt was explaining football to Brayden.

One thing Brayden gets from me is the inability to stop talking when he's on a roll (AKA the "help, I'm talking and I can't shut up" syndrome). As you can see from this video, he loves to talk. Rachel was blowing bubbles while he was bouncing himself all over the place and he was having an awesome time.

On Sunday I overslept and missed my group run. I knew we were doing 7 hilly miles, so off I went to do my own. The first 4.5 I ran alone since I didn't think it was fair to drag Tootsie up and down the tough hills. After that, I came back to the house to get her, and decided to take Brayden along as well for the last 2 1/2. While that part of the run wasn't quite as treacherous, it was still a bit hilly and much harder with the stroller (hint, hint Harvey - I sure could use a real jogging stroller). However, we made it. Apparently Brayden thought it was hard work as he fell asleep the last few minutes of the run. When I took him out of the stroller to put him in bed, he was so tired that he was like a limp rag and slept right through the move. Ah, must be nice!

This weekend is our 23 mile training run - YIKES! It's going to be hard for me to get weekday runs in but I'm going to attempt to run the hike & bike trail after class today since I'll be downtown anyway. Hopefully I'll still be awake by then as I got up at 4:45 to finish my homework from class (since drinking wine seemed like a much better idea than homework last night).

Happy 5 month birthday, Brayden!

2008-09-17T13:40:00.000-07:00

Hook 'em horns! It's hard to believe, but baby boy is 5 months old today. I wish him a happy birthday and miss him terribly. Rachel let him celebrate with a strawberry Popsicle.

Reconnecting

2008-09-15T12:30:00.000-07:00

I originally started my Facebook page to keep in touch with people who are currently in my life. Lately though, I've had the blessing of two old high school friends finding me. I haven't really kept up with anyone from high school, since sadly, that was not the best time of my life (right now, if you're wondering, is the best time of my life). Nothing bad, just no great memories.

The first friend who found me was Sandra. While we really haven't seen each other or spoken since the first year or two of college, I have heard snippets of her life through my family who also still live in Houston. I heard somewhere over the years that she had married, that her father and a cousin had passed away, that her mother remarried, and recently that her son was a student of my sister-in-law. However, when she reached out as a friend on Facebook, I was thrilled to hear from her and we've bridged the gap a bit over the last 25 years or so since we've spoken. All indications are that Sandra is just as happy and has just as great a smile as I remember from years ago.

The second friend, Lisa, found me this past weekend and connected in Facebook to me. Lisa and I were super close friends in 9th grade, and remained not as close but still great friends throughout high school. I remember that ever since I've known her, I envied Lisa for her extreme athletic talents and her freedom to come and go as she pleased (which, of course, as a mother myself now, maybe I have a different opinion of that kind of freedom). Because our lives went different paths, we haven't heard from each other probably since the day we graduated. I've often wondered about Lisa, as the only thing I ever heard (and I'm not even sure where I got that news) was that she joined LAPD after high school. I was so excited to hear from her just a couple of days ago. We've also exchanged the condensed versions of our lives and pictures.

It's been great catching up with both friends and I hope that I can see them both some day soon.

Brayden's new buddy

2008-09-13T09:07:00.000-07:00

Brayden loves to either have his fingers, his burpee, or both, in his mouth.
He has discovered how soft Tootsie is and he loves to "pet" her. It's really more like "yank on her fur" but Tootsie is very patient with Brayden, and for that, we're thankful. Sometimes he pulls her ears. I can't even imagine what she will have to endure when he becomes mobile!
Hugging Tootsie is one of his new tricks.

He thought that just because WE had hot dogs for dinner, he should too!

A big hug for Tootsie (God bless her patience)

He's going in for a double fisted hair pull. Wait for it....wait for it.....

Lean in and PULL!

This stuffed hippo is one of Brayden's favorite toys (he'll share it with you, Sarah Reiner, if you come over)

I think he's tired of the paparazzi here - he wants Grandpa Herbie (Harvey) to STOP taking pictures.

Harvey's working on teaching Brayden to be a man - step one, take over the remote control!

Brayden loves riding on Grandpa Herbie's shoulders. They are such buddies! Brayden just bursts out in a HUGE smile when he sees Grandpa Herbie.

Newest trick is holding and drinking from the sippie cup. Today he had his first taste of cold water, which he seems to love in his sippie cup.

Tootsie is so sad that Brayden is so busy with the sippie cup that he doesn't have time for her.

But there's always time for mommy!

Today is Valerie's 20th Birthday - happy birthday sunshine! She'll be home next weekend to celebrate with the family.

Work is going great. I'm not a big fan of the late flight home on Thursday nights, but other than that, I love what I do. I'm still not a fan of the treadmill but it beats not running at all. And at 5:00 a.m. when I do get to run in Chicago, I don't think that the airplanes would appreciate me trying to get a few miles in on the runway (we're staying at the Hilton at O'Hare so there's no where else to run). I did get a couple of runs in since I've been home - a short 3 miles on Friday and a great 6 miles today. I think I've lost a couple of pounds, but it's sure not from dieting - these extra miles are really helping. Two more weeks to the 23 mile training run!

However, the thing that happened all week was in the form of great news. I found out that an honorary niece, who I've known since she was 5, received good news at the doctor and is on the road to recovery. I love you Cici and am so happy for you!

Galloway Running ROCKS!

2008-09-09T10:23:00.000-07:00

This morning I ran my first 3 miles since the 21 mile training run on Sunday. I truly expected to experience some post-long run pain but felt none other than from the blisters. I guess Jeff Galloway knows what he's talking about with the run/walk program. Recovery is a piece of cake. I have to believe that an extra 5.2 miles isn't going to make a difference as far as recovery, compared to the 21 mile run. I'm not saying it's going to be an easy run, just an easy recovery. Okay, maybe I'm delusional - I guess time will tell. And if I'm in pain, there's always alcohol to help with the recovery!

No new Brayden pictures as I am not with him. Hopefully more this weekend when I am home.

Casualties of a 21 mile run (AKA - thank God I married a Podiatrist)

2008-09-07T08:47:00.000-07:00

Today was the longest run I've ever completed (though it'll get longer before I peak). My training group ran 21 miles today and I am happy to say that I completed it in 4:37 - thanks Joe for keeping me motivated with the stories and encouragement the whole way! There were times I contemplated just taking a short nap on the sidewalk, but I resisted temptation and kept on plugging away. Our coach, Will, left Nutter Butters at one of the water stops, as he always does on the long runs. Let me tell you - Nutter Butters after running 14 miles is about the most delicious thing in the world!

I did not realize that I had war wounds until I took my socks off. My 2nd toe (which is freakishly long) on both feet ended up with blood blisters on the tips. The left one is not so bad but the one on the right foot is about the angriest blood blister I've ever had. HARVEY...HELP ME!

Two more weeks of short runs then we move up to 23 miles. I hope the blisters heal before I get fresh ones. YIKES!

Too cute for words (but I'll try)

2008-09-05T18:38:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week, Rachel put Brayden down for a nap in nothing more than a diaper. Apparently he managed to get his hand under his torso (he sleeps on his tummy) and slept that way for a while. It's hard to see but look carefully on the left side of his chest and you can see his tiny hand print.

As it turns out, Brayden is a big fan of his cereal with a spoon - which doesn't come as a surpise, given his size. It took him about a week to get used to it but now, when he sees the bowl and spoon, he starts thrashing and flailing with excitement. I can't wait for the applesauce!

He's even learned to be patient in between bites - even when I clean his face.

And when he see the spoon coming, or has food in his mouth, he is so happy!

While I was in Chicago this week, this picture appeared on the camera!

Brayden has a new favorite spot - on Gpa's shoulders. Good thing he had that diaper on!
I'm back from my second week of work. This was a much more productive week for me in Chicago, as I finally feel like I'm contributing, instead of just sitting and watching/learning. I think the honeymoon is over - I'm having lots of work thrown over the wall to me, which is a good thing. I love being busy and feeling like I'm making a contribution.

My flight home on Thursday night was from hell. Well, the flight was fine, but getting there was torture. Our 8:00 flight was delayed to 9:40. Then as we were sitting in the Red Carpet Lounge, taking our time, they bumped the flight back up to 8:56. We only found out because I had email notifications sent to me on any changes to the status. So off we went to the gate, only to wait around with the crowds for the flight attendants to show up. They seemed to still believe that we were scheduled to leave at 9:40 as they were strolling casually up to the gate at 9:00. Finally, we get on the plane, get situated, push off from the gate (in the rain), and are told that we are next in line to take off at around 9:30. Then we notice that the plane has turned around and is headed back to the gate. Apparently some drunk chick was seated in the exit row and refused to move. She got belligerent with the flight attendant when asked to change seats and refused to turn her phone off for take off. She was escorted off the flight with her boyfriend/husband and back we went to the back of the line at the O'Hare runway. We finally took off at 10:15 and landed in Austin around 12:45. Wouldn't you know that they forgot to bring up MY bag from the gate side check in, so there we stood at 1:00 a.m. waiting until they found it. The rest of the trip was uneventful and I was home, in bed, by 1:45 a.m.

My 20 mile training run is this Sunday. That will be the furthest I have ever run so I'm excited but a bit nervous. I have managed to get in two runs a week while on the road. My run on Thursday was on a crappy treadmill at the hotel, but still a run. Today we took a couple of short walks with Brayden and tomorrow I need to really take it easy and rest the legs. I'll let you know how it goes.

Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-02T09:48:00.000-07:00

After my first week of travel, it was good to be home again. Saturday started with a 6.4 mile run, quick shower, trip to Runtex and Costco, lunch at the Steeping Room (my new favorite lunch restaurant) with my cousin Esther, then off to San Marcos.

We made it out to see Valerie's new apartment on Saturday. She's sharing the place with 3 other girls but being the princesses that they are, they each have their own bedrooms and bathrooms. The bedrooms are a bit small and claustrophobic for me, but they are happy there and it really is a nice place. Here are some pictures.

The bedroom

The kitchen

The desk/study area

And most important, the big closet. Poor Valerie looks like an orphan with so little clothes in such a big closet!

We had some lunch at Grins.
And Brayden had a nap on the way back to Austin.

When we got back we put Brayden on my bed, where he likes to hang out with us.

He thinks that on Gma's tummy is a wonderful place to hang out (and I agree)

And flying around with him mommy

And finally, a walk before bed.

Sunday started with a trip to Target with Rachel and Brayden to get him a new bathing suit and sun glasses before the BBQ/Pool Party at Eli's.

He is now big enough to turn face out in the carrier. We have to hurry up and use it before he outgrows this (and our ability to carry him). The weight limit is 35 pounds - he's up to 23 already!

Brayden and Rachel hanging out, before he put on the new suit and shades.
Hanging out with the men in the pool

Grandpa's trying to teach him to float in the pool
...which he is NOT happy about

Back in mommy's arms, Brayden is exhausted.
And relaxed enough to fall asleep with Randa (while Eli looks on, wishing it was him instead of Brayden) to end a happy weekend.
Monday morning my plan was to take a short (but faster than normal) 2 mile run to the golf course, then join Harvey and the boys for a walk on the front 9. So I run there about 2 minutes a mile faster than I normally run, knowing it'll be a short one. I get there and start eating a breakfast taco. I can't find Harvey and the gang so I call, only to find out that I'm on the wrong course. Harvey suggests I just run there, which would have been okay had I not run faster than normal or eaten the taco. Well, I'm not smart, so I ran most of the 2 miles there anyway. They were just teeing off of the 2nd when I got there, so I had to run past a group of not so happy golfers on the 1st, just to catch up. I got another 2 1/2 mile walk in while they played, so I did get my exercise. The rest of the day was just a lazy one, hanging out and reading some training information for my new job.

Finally - new pictures!

2008-08-29T10:13:00.000-07:00

I know - between Hawaii, Cancun and a new job, I've been slacking on new pictures. I could even use the excuse that Harvey broke my camera when we were in Cancun (apparently the waterproof case isn't all that waterproof for snorkeling - not really his fault). All those excuses aside, I finally took out Harvey's older camera, which I'll have to use for now, and took some updated pictures.

The biggest news is that Rachel got a job offer this week at a place she really wanted to work. The office is called "Austin Health and Wellness Architects" (here's the website, but still under construction: http://healthwellnessarchitects.com/). She will be doing all of the lab work for the various doctors and services providers. When we were little, we called that guy the vampire in Tio Max's office!

Poor Brayden had a round of pink-eye this week. It's much better now thought you can still see a trace of it in his left eye. He is dominating the jumperoo. I expect him to launch himself into space one day the way he is jumping around in it!

I thought he was ready for a nap so I put him down in bed (notice the matching sheets). Yeah, not so sleepy once I set him down, so out he went to play some more.

Bray is starting to hold things on his own more. Here, he is wresting with the bear blankie. He won the battle as he did finally get the bear's ear in his mouth.
This has to be my all time favorite picture of Bray. He is really getting stronger and his hair is getting thicker every day. We play a little game where we put his toys just out of reach to encourage him to start scooting. He does a pretty good job if he's not tired.

I'm off to Chicago again next week for some more work on the United Airlines project. I am so anxious to be more productive but with all new jobs comes a learning curve and training. If only I knew how to be patient! This weekend is a "short" 6 mile training run. The following weekend is our 20 mile run - that will be the farthest I have ever run before so pray for a cold front to help me along!

Away but not forgotten

2008-08-26T20:03:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy week. I was in Cancun Thursday-Sunday last week and left again on Monday morning for Chicago, where I am at the moment, for work.

Cancun was fun even though I'm not a huge fan of the beach. It was relaxing and I suspect I probably gained a few pounds. My biggest weakness was the guacamole, which I think I had with almost every meal. Well, that and a few Coronas spread out throughout the trip. It's not so much that I drank too much at any given time, just that I had more over the 3 day period than I normally would. I did get out for a 5 mile run one day while I was there, but that was all.

Monday morning, long before the crack of dawn, I was up and out of the house to catch a 6:25 a.m. flight to Chicago. I started my new job with COPC as a consultant and am very excited about it. This first project is with United Airlines. Being new is hard for me as I am not getting to be as productive as I want to be while I'm learning what's what around here. My project lead, Scott, is great to work with and learn from and is also a runner. My first night here he took me out for a run at a really cool trail near the hotel (think Lady Bird Lake, but paved trail) and I ran 4 miles with him at a pace faster than I'm accustomed to - without the walk breaks every 3 minutes. I was really too tired to be out there at 7:00, after getting out of bed at 3:45 a.m., flying and working all day, but it turned out to be a great run and I'm glad I went. Tonight I met Peter, the President of COPC, who is also a runner and sushi lover (and he lived in Buffalo, NY, in Williamsville, the same area as Harvey is from). Woo hoo for a great team to work with. Both of these guys have amazing energy and I'm excited to learn a lot from both. I am also excited to be back in the call center world - I've missed it over the last few years.

I am having Brayden withdrawals. I did get to spend time with him on Sunday night, He did not show me his new "roll-over" trick, but he did give me a kiss (his other new trick). He's doing a great job with his cereal now that he's getting used to being spoon fed.

Rachel had a great job interview at a Health & Wellness practice while I was in Cancun and has a follow up hands-on portion of the interview on Wednesday. Good luck Rachie!

Valerie moved into her new apartment in San Marcos and started school today (I think). We're going to drive down on Saturday to see her and the new place.

Harvey misses me terribly and is having great difficulty functioning without me, I'm sure (ha - I'm sure he's really enjoying the quiet without me talking from the time I roll out of bed each morning). Okay, I'm not going to lie - I miss him when I'm gone.

Well, I think that's about it. I'm flying home on Wednesday afternoon if all goes well and will do some work from home the rest of the week. I'll be back in Chicago on Tuesday to hopefully finish coming up to speed and get more involved in this project. I'll get some new pictures up over the weekend.

THIS is what 4 months looks like

2008-08-18T11:43:00.000-07:00

Today Brayden had his 4 month check up (and shots) at the pediatrician. At 4 months old, he now weighs 21 pounds 13 ounces and is 26 inches long. To put it into perspective, he was 9 pounds 15 ounces and 21 inches long, 4 short months ago. I think he is starting to thin out just a bit as he is very active in his Jumperoo. Notice the bandaids on both legs from the shots - owie! Rachel said he was not happy!

The pediatrician gave Rachel the go-ahead to start feeding Bray some rice cereal. It will take a while for him to get used to the idea that food WILL keep coming, but it's just different than the constant flow of the bottle. I'm sure he'll be frustrated for a few days until he gets that concept down.
Hmmmmm, maybe we need to thicken up the cereal.

Just how many babies do you know who have matching pacifiers and hand made blankets?

Now that's a handsome boy!

As a side note, today was "big item trash pick-up" day in the neighborhood. We decided that it was time for the trampoline to go (sorry Rachel Smet - I know you loved it), as there was a small tear in it, which will likely continue to grow. The last time we had one with a hole in it, my "baby" brother, at 6'3", 200-something pounds (being nice), decided to jump on it and went right through it. After putting the disassembled trampoline on the front curb for pick up, we went out for just a few hours. When we came back, the neighborhood trolls had been by and picked up all of the metal but left the rest behind. I hope they get good money for the scrap metal, or whatever it is one does with a trampoline frame.
My plan is that we build a really nice wooden play scape for Brayden (and future grandchildren) in the same spot. My thought is that around his first birthday will be the perfect time as by then, he should be mobile and it will be spring time - both perfect conditions for him to use it. In the mean time, it would be nice to see grass grow there.

Pushing myself

2008-08-17T17:36:00.001-07:00

No pictures today - just an update on my marathon training. This morning our group did a 17.78 mile run. To help you appreciate that distance, if you're familiar with Austin, we started at MoPac & Lake Austin Blvd, ran as far east and north as Highland Mall (well, not to the mall but we could see it from a few blocks away), a little past that, then back to the start again. It was not particularly hilly, though you can never find a completely flat route in Austin unless you are at a track.

I have to say that I just love the Galloway training method and program, and am especially appreciative of the particular group I run with. Today I especially thank Joe and Ron for giving me that extra push when I wanted to slow down and walk a little extra at the end of our run. I pushed myself at their urging and am so glad I did. I was tired, sweaty and a bit sore after the run, but it was nothing that some chocolate milk, a shower, some Aleve and a quick nap didn't fix! The 1777 calorie burn was worth it all!

Next weekend I'll be in Cancun so I'll have to get my 5 mile run in alone, since there's no chance of talking anyone in our group into running with me. The following week I start my travel with work and will have to figure out how to get my mid week runs in, but I'm sure I'll manage - even if it's just on a treadmill at the hotel gym (ugh!). My first week of work I'll be in Chicago, which I'm very happy about. Hopefully I'll have time to see my sister-in-law, Robyn, while I'm there!

Brayden's first run with Gma

2008-08-14T06:41:00.000-07:00

Almost since the day Rachel told me she was pregnant, I've been wanting to take my grandchild running with me. Brayden is still young (not small), and I STILL don't have a baby jogger, so up to now, I haven't been able to take him. Yesterday I took him for a walk in his new "in between" stroller (smaller than the big stroller but bigger than the small umbrella stroller - fits perfectly in Rachel's small trunk). As we were walking I decided to try out a quick run, and it seemed okay.

So, this morning, I saddled up the boy and the dog and off we went for a jog. We ran a little over 2.5 miles, which I thought was good for my first time out with Brayden. Apparently he found the run to be relaxing as he fell asleep about a mile into it. All I heard from him was a delicious YAWN, then he was out, looking cute as ever.

I, on the other hand, did not come out of the run looking quite so cute and relaxed. The temperatures in Austin are nasty humid and warm - it's not even 9 a.m. and it's already 80 degrees! That would explain the sweaty look below.

And now a comparison - relaxed Brayden and stinky/sweaty Gma

What I did re-learn today is the appreciation of running simple. I do love my Garmin GPS to tell me how far, how fast, how much my heart is beating, where I've been, what the altitude is, etc. I also love running with my iPod to distract me. I have a variety of music on there to keep me entertained and distracted when I run; from Yani & Il Divo to Garth Brooks & George Straight to Bon Jovi & Sheryl Crow, and lots in between. However, today I left both gadgets behind and enjoyed having Brayden with me. I love the feeling that I get in believing that taking him with me when I run will one day give him the love for exercise and the great outdoors. I do hope that one day he and I will run side by side. Until then, I'll push his chubby little self and enjoy every minute of it!

Brayden cracks us up!

2008-08-13T17:03:00.000-07:00

Our last weekend ended with some R&R for Harvey and Tootsie

And this week started with some happy times between Valerie and Brayden

Rachel's raised the Jumperoo to level 3 as Brayden continues to grow. He will turn 4 months old this Sunday, and has his 4 month check up scheduled for Monday. Until then, enjoy a video of Rachel and Brayden cracking each other up.

I have accepted a new job, which I will start on August 25, after a long weekend in Cancun. I'm very excited about this consulting job and look forward to working hard after my extended vacation from work.

In the mean time, my marathon training is going well. I got in a hard 6 mile hill workout on Monday and a nice easy 3.4 mile run today. My goal is to get another easy run in on Friday (if not Thursday as well), then rest on Saturday. Sunday we have an almost 18 mile run starting at 5:00 a.m., which I am truly looking forward to. Stay tuned for how that goes!

Busy Week

2008-08-09T06:33:00.000-07:00

This week, Rachel put together Brayden's big boy high chair. Until he can eat from it, we use it to entertain him while we eat. He seems to like it. Rachel wouldn't let me help put it together - something about me not reading instructions.

Apparently Brayden is ready for solid foods, as he spends quite a bit of time trying to eat his own hand.

On Friday morning, Brayden, Tootsie and I went for a walk to let Rachel sleep in a little. Brayden was snoozing and I stopped to take a picture of him & Tootsie. As I was about to snap to picture, he woke up and threw his hands up as if to say "why are you stopping, Gma?"

Friday night was a very proud one for us. Rachel graduated, with honors (the gold cord) and perfect attendance (the silver cord) with her Medical Assisting degree. Needless to say, she looked beautiful and I cried. She worked so very hard, and all during her pregnancy to graduate with a 99.5 GPA, with out missing a single class.
While she was graduating, her fan club was sitting together, cheering for her. The girls included Valerie, Katherine, myself and Lindsay.Always a beautiful pair, Rachel and Valerie.
The proudest mother in the world!

We wanted a picture of Rachel with Brayden, but the excitement was all too much for him and he passed out before graduation was over.

Even though I have not been working these past few weeks, I've been very busy. I've observed and participated in several mediations through the Dispute Resolution Center. I really enjoy the volunteer work I do there and the good it does for people. Friday I observed a mediation at the Juvenile Detention Center and hope to do more work there.

After we go to Cancun later this month, my vacation from working will officially be over. Friday I received a great job offer for a consulting position at a company I've been wanting to work with for a couple of years now. After several rounds of interviews and discussions, I received an offer on Friday and will officially accept on Monday. I have had a great 2 1/2 years at Resources and have learned a great deal with them. As a huge bonus, I have made some wonderful friends at Resources.

Running is going well. I did a treacherous 6 mile hilly workout in my neighborhood on Thursday, which left me with pain in my Achilles. So as much as I wanted to run again on Friday morning, I knew that it would be wise to rest my Achilles a bit, and went for the 3 1/2 mile walk with Bray and Tootsie instead. Sunday will be an easy run day with the training group - just 5 miles as we prepare for the 17 mile run the following week. I better start carb loading now for that one!

Growing Way too Fast

2008-08-06T11:06:00.000-07:00

First, an arial picture of Brayden in the bathtub at 3 weeks old...

And a picture in the exact same tub, at 16 weeks old. How does one child grow THAT MUCH in 13 short weeks. We are looking into NFL and NBA development clinics now - a boy's gotta have choices! Not to mention a big paycheck to keep up with the appetite.

P.S. If my grandmother was posting bathtub pictures of me on her blog, I would go incognito too (see yesterday's blog)

Hiding from the Paparazzi

2008-08-04T17:50:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to show off pictures of Brayden preparing to go incognito to hide from the Paparazzi. My new nickname for him is Gremlin, since he gets all freaked when we go out into the sun..."BRIGHT LIGHT - AGH!", so Rachel bought him some sunglasses

Recovery from my 14 mile run on Sunday was a no brainer. I was sleepy on Sunday from being up at 4:00 but not tired from the run. I expected some soreness on Monday, but there was none. I was tempted to run but remember the wisdom in a day of rest after such a long run, so I took it easy. This morning I had a great 5 mile run and hope to do the same a few more times this week before our group 5 mile run on Sunday, followed by a timed mile.

Best of luck to everyone in the path of Hurricane Edouard - we're just hoping for some rain from it for some relief from the severe draught in Austin!

Family Visit and a LONG run

2008-08-03T16:44:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we celebrated both Rachel's Graduation (in advance) with a degree in Medical Assisting (MA) and Brayden's Blessing and receiving of his Hebrew name at Temple. We were blessed to have lots of family come in to help celebrate. The weekend kicked off with breakfast at Kirby Lane on Friday morning. Brayden was either bored or tired.

Friday night, we went to Temple. We couldn't take pictures there, but here is Rachel with Brayden, all dressed up and both looking beautiful

Below are pictures from brunch Harvey and I hosted on Saturday at Balcones Country Club to celebrate and to thank everyone for joining us.

This is me, my mother, my cousin (Coco), my sister (Leo) and another cousin (Diko)

My mom (Abuela) throwing Brayden kisses, my cousin (Rebecca) and Brayden (go Astros)

My big sis (Leo) with Brayden

My two beautiful daughters, Rachel (mommy) and Valerie (Tia Tumana)

My baby brother (Isaac) and my mom

My crazy friends: Lindsay, Eli and Debbie

My niece, Gaby (the nanny) and Brayden

My niece (Alexis) and myself

The Quesadillas were not warm enough for Harvey so he warmed his on the tea light. Thank heavens for useful center-pieces

This is Cecilia - Rachel's longest standing friendship and one of my very favorite friends of hers.

I was sad to see most of the company leave early Saturday evening but am so thankful that they were able to be with us. My cousin, Coco, came all the way from Miami to be with us and stayed until Sunday at noon. This was her first trip to Austin and I really wanted to show her around Austin more, but there was just not enough time. We got to have breakfast at Kirby Lane and shop on the drag (old Austin). Also, we went to the Domain for more shopping and Mesa Rosa (new Austin). Hopefully she will come back soon with her family.

This morning was my 14 mile training run. Because it was so hot outside and because we were going to be running for so long, we started at 5:00 a.m. Where else is it freaking 80 degrees at 5:00 in the morning??? It was hot and humid but I must say that I had a fabulous run. A few years ago I tried to train for a full marathon but the group I was training with was VERY competitive and I did not enjoy it. I dropped out at this same point in the training program and ended up staying with the half marathon. This method (run/walk) and my group that I run with have made this an amazing experience for me so far. I enjoy the company and the hard work. In two weeks we bump up to 17 miles - YIKES! Actually I look forward to the challenge (crazy, huh?).

Bouncing and Coo'ing

2008-07-30T13:20:00.000-07:00

Brayden is really into the Jumperoo these days - he is all smiles, until he gets tired of holding himself upright. But he really does love sitting up.

Here's a video of him in it - listen carefully for the coo'ing.

Funny story from Hawaii. I was walking through the lobby one morning on my way to find some lunch while Harvey was at the conference. A lady walks by me, then after I passed, says to me "excuse me, have you ever had your Psychic read?" Um, no, I can't say that I ever had. She said "I don't normally stop people like this but I just felt such a positive energy when you passed by. I can give you a discount if you let me read it now". Now I'm not knocking having your psychic read, but it's not my thing. I'm not sure if I believe in it or not, but I'm just enough of a worrier (surprise, right?) that if she told me something bad, I would obsess about that, just in case. Besides, why would I have to pay her if she just told me I had such positive energy. I got a kick out of that.

The carbo-loading for the 14 mile run has started. Well, at least that's how I justify my pig-faced lunch today...meatloaf, mashed potatoes and a few bites of candied yams. Yummy! At least I ran almost 4 miles before lunch so I don't feel as bad about it.

Farewell Hawaii, Hello Brayden

2008-07-28T13:14:00.000-07:00

This was our final view of Honolulu as we were leaving. Harvey loves taking airplane pictures.

Then he was tired so he fully reclined in our business class seats and took a nap somewhere over the ocean between Honolulu and Los Angeles.

He woke up in time for us to take the cheesy picture of ourselves

When we got back in town, we unpacked, napped and did laundry, before I picked up Brayden. I missed him terribly and couldn't wait to hold him. Fortunately, he remembered me and smiled when he saw me at Miss Brenda's house.

Here we are back at home. Little man needs to start working out those legs or he won't fit in this much longer (getting him out was a challenge). However, he is holding his head up really well now.

It's hard to believe that Brayden is only 3 1/2 months old and already at 20 pounds. I'm glad we kayaked a couple of times in Hawaii so I could keep up the strength in my arms!

And a final picture of his very happy face in his rocker

He is spending more time sitting in his jumperoo too. He tries to talk a lot now, which of course sounds like aghhhhhh, ewwwwwwwwwww, and other variations of garbely gook. I am spending all week with him instead of sending him to the sitter, since I will be home. This will be a fun week - we already have 2 lunch dates planned early in the week. Then my cousin, Coco, will be here Thursday night for the weekend. Also, lots more family will be arriving starting Friday morning to celebrate Brayden's blessing at the temple and Rachel's graduation. We're very excited to have everyone in town.

I have to take it pretty easy this week on the running as we are scheduled for a 14 mile run on Sunday. It's going to be tough, no doubt, especially since we are starting at 5 a.m. instead of 6 a.m. because of the distance. My goal is to get a couple of 3-4 mile runs in before Rachel leaves for work a couple of days this week. As much as I hated leaving Hawaii, it's always good to be home.

Hard work on Honolulu

2008-07-26T19:39:00.000-07:00

Sadly, Saturday is our last full day in Hawaii. So we decided that some hard work was in order. First we started with a ride to our destination. This is the view from up top of a mountain in Honolulu.

Back in the van we went and picked up our Kayaks. Dragging them to the water was hard work, but the view was worth it.

See the waves? They made the kayak outing tough.

Fortunately, we didn't have to kayak on this side of the island, but we did get out and walk around.

This is Harvey eating a turkey sandwich. But look closely - there's more than just Turkey & Cheese. This one had some sort of Vietnamese coleslaw and mayo. And he ate it!

After lunch, we packed it up and kayaked some more, onto another beach. This is the group we were with. See, I told you it was hard work!

A final shot on the beach...before we turned in the kayaks for the last of our beach experience.

Oh well, until the next vacation...August in Cancun. Back to the Riu Palace resort. Sigh...more hard work, but some one's got to do it!

Relaxing in Hawaii...Wednesday & Thursday

2008-07-25T13:44:00.000-07:00

Wednesday morning was our final time in Kauai. We will definitely be back some time. Since we didn't have too much time before our flight, we packed up the car and headed south (all of our other trips there were north of the hotel). I can't remember the name of the place we went to, but something to do with Spout.

And here is the spout. The water spews up in the air with waves like this - very cool.

More of the same area.

We arrived in Honolulu later on Wednesday and didn't do much. The conference started on Thursday, so I had time on my hands to go run in the morning. Harvey is all dressed and ready to go hang with his fellow Podiatrists at the APMA conference. He reminds me of a kid on the first day of school, with name tag and all.

This was a view of the Lagoon in the back of our hotel village. There are 5 hotels (ours is the middle one on the right side). It was all just too big and overwhelming for me, with too many pretentious stores.

This is a shot of the lagoon and the beach behind it. Very nice.

After the conference, we walked around for a bit, just exploring before dinner.

Honolulu is too big city for my taste, but I suppose that vacationing here beats working!

Thursday night was the Luau. Can you tell how much Harvey loved having the Lei on?

Ah, the gentle breeze, the beautiful sunset...what a night.
And finally, the two of us at the Luau.

I was still a bit sore from the treacherous 8 mile hike on Tuesday, but decided it was time to run again, since I hadn't gone for a run since Saturday. So Thursday morning, while Harvey was doing his thing, I took a 5 mile jog around town, mostly on the beach. It was already starting to warm up a bit but the ocean breeze helped. Friday morning I got in another run, but stopped a little shy of 4 miles as I am starting the understand the importance of rest days. Tonight we are scheduled on a sunset dinner cruise (I hear they are serving steak and lobster - damned be the shell fish rash I'll have in the morning). Saturday we'll get some kayaking and snorkeling in, as our last outing of the trip. Aloha...

The Calories I left in Kauai

2008-07-25T00:27:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy week...and I have to share a computer with Harvey, so I haven't blogged in while.

Tuesday, our last full day in Kauai was exhausting, even by my standards. We started the morning with a snorkel trip. I wasn't thrilled to do that but being the good, supportive wife that I always am, I went along and got in the water. Don't I just look thrilled to be there, as I schlep all the crap (yes, there was more and Harvey had the heavier stuff). I had to have the boogie board (as if I don't know how to swim). That didn't help the mood or the experience.

Well that didn't last long (the snorkeling, not the bad mood)...I'm already back OUT of the water and still not looking happy.

Meanwhile, Harvey is busy looking for Nemo without me. Nope, that's not Nemo.

Another pretty fish, but still not Nemo...

So he gave up and went for a leisurely hike. Ha - I kid. We went for an 8 mile hike and there was nothing leisurely about it. The first mile was almost all up hill and looked like this a lot of the time (hiking up lots of rocks).

However, the views were spectacular when you got a break in the tree-line.

The first goal was to hike down to this beach below.

I am much happier now, in my natural environment, on terra firma.

Harvey does not like terra firma in his shoes.

Ah, much better now...we're still not at mile 2 so Harvey is still happy.

First, there were rivers to forge...

But we finally cleared the first two miles and made it to the beach, after lots of ups and downs in the trail.

But wait, we still had 2 more miles to make it to the water fall. First more rocks to climb and many more rivers to forge.

But we finally cleared the next two miles and made it to the water fall. It was so worth it!

We knew we had 4 rough miles to hike back and we were running low on water in the camel-back, so Harvey spent some time swimming to cool off.

After about 30 minutes of relaxing, off we went to conquer the 4 miles back. Harvey was tired enough that the camera did not come out once. The new Keens were great shoes for this trip as we were in and out of the water with so many river crossings, but still our feet were sore and we were tired. We ran out of water at about mile 6, with lots of hills left to climb up and down. If Harvey hadn't had the car key on him, I would have pushed him off a cliff after about the 10th time he said "a big glass of ice cold water sure would be good now," between miles 6 and 8.

Well, we finally made it and headed right to the store for some Power-Aid. I drank 32 ounces in no time at all and off we went to Burger King for some unhealthy but yummy food. Still, we burned more calories on that than we consumed, and I was in the great outdoors, so I am happy again.

Aloha from Kauai

2008-07-21T22:50:00.000-07:00

What a long trip to get here. We left the house early on Saturday to catch a 10:40 a.m. flight to Hawaii. The plan was: 10:40 fly to Los Angeles, 3 hour layover, fly to Honolulu, 2 hour layover, fly to Kauai, where we will be until Wednesday afternoon. Well, the 10:40 flight was first delayed several times, then finally cancelled. Fortunately, Harvey was quick to jump up to get in line to get us rescheduled, so we made the 6:45 flight (to LA then Honolulu), but that meant we missed our connection to Kauai since it was so late. American Airlines put us up in a shit-hole hotel that night in Honolulu. We go up early on Sunday, after a mere 4 hours of restless sleep.

Our flight was uneventful, but no sooner did we get to Kauai, and the rain started. This was the view from our windshield. Boy were we glad we threw down the extra money for a convertible, as they told us they were expecting rain all week!

The rain did slow down long enough for us to walk down to the beach for some pictures. This was a site I did and will continue to see often throughout the trip.

This is the river we drove by on our first day in Kauai, which we would kayak on the next day

We rented a convertible and had fun with it.

Here we are at some scenic overlook somewhere in Kauai
When I was in India, I was fascinated that cows roamed the streets freely. I was not quite so fascinated here but still, chickens and hens roam the streets everywhere. Isn't that a health hazard or something?

This is the pool at our condos- very nice.

The view from the beach, back to the condos
The living room

The bedroom

The kitchen - almost as nice as my newly remodeled kitchen at home
Today we took a Kayak/Hiking tour. We kayaked out 2 miles, hiked about a mile to a water fall, where we had lunch, then turned around and went back the same distances. Can anyone guess whose kayak was ALWAYS at the front? One of the couples called us show-offs when we cruised past them on the way home - I clarified that we are over achievers, not show-offs. We had a really fun group and enjoyed everyone's company

This is the waterfall we hiked to and swam in.

The kayaks on the river

Now that we're here and the weather is holding up most of the time, we're having a lot of fun. Tomorrow we plan to snorkel (remember, I'm trying to get over my fear of that) then hike. It should be another fun and tiring day.

I have not run once since we got here (yeah for running 5 1/2 miles before going to the airport on Saturday), nor does it look like I'll have time to do it tomorrow either. I need to run at least a couple of times since the weekend after we return is a 14 mile training run - YIKES!!! At least I am getting exercise on our outings! I miss Brayden and my daughters - wish they were here with us...

Bobble-head Brayden

2008-07-17T18:59:00.000-07:00

Brayden's holding his head up really well these days. He loves being in the Jumperoo, but does get tired after a while. I'm going to miss him SO much when I'm out of town next week.

Running is going great - so far I think I'm going to be able to up my running to 4 days a week. I will miss doing the 12 mile run with the group on Sunday but I guess that I can take consolation in the fact that I'll be on a beach in Hawaii instead...

8 things you may or may not know about me

2008-07-16T15:03:00.000-07:00

1. I do not run nearly as much as I want to/should. I'm not unhappy about the distances I run, just the frequency. I am committing to running a minimum of 4 times a week instead of the 2-3 times a week I am running now.

2. Running has apparently sped up my metabolism - mostly a good thing. Well, it's not so good if you think you ate recently enough to drink 2 martinis, and find out too late that you should have eaten again before drinking!

3. I need to stop being such a chicken about things I cannot control, namely the open water, heights and speed. On my upcoming trip to Hawaii, I will commit to conquering at least one of these fears. I'm thinking it might be snorkeling without freaking out that something will touch me or I will get lost from the group and be stranded in the middle of the ocean. I'm not ready to conquer a zip line or helicopter ride - maybe after I am comfortable with the snorkeling and after I complete my first marathon.

4. I hate to be bored. I cannot handle relaxing by the pool or beach all day. I must be moving to be happy.

5. I'm never going to get rid of this last 5 pounds I want to lose. I have decided that I'm fortunate enough to basically eat what I want (in moderation, of course) and maintain my weight, because of my running. For that I am thankful and will stop talking about losing weight.

6. Being 45 is cool. It is a nice round number and I feel better than ever!

7. Sleeping in is over-rated. My body wakes me up by 6:30 every morning, whether I need to get up or not. This is wonderful for running before it gets too hot in the day, but I suspect it will annoy both of us in Hawaii when I am restless in bed at that hour. Is it even light out at 6:30 a.m. in Hawaii?

8. I will try not to OD on shrimp in Hawaii. I'm allergic to iodine and if I eat shrimp (which contain iodine) a couple of days in a row, i break out. This will make my mother happy as shrimp are not kosher.

I hope to learn more about myself on my quest to over come my fears and become more disciplined in my running. I'll let you know how it goes!

The big 45 and the great outdoors

2008-07-13T18:07:00.001-07:00

This past week I celebrated my 45th birthday. As anyone who knows me well will attest, I like to celebrate birthday week, not just day (wait till 50 - I'm taking the whole month of July). Harvey baked me my favorite cake - yellow cake with chocolate frosting. My favorite piece is always from the middle, so I just snuck one right out of there.

Friday, my brother and his family were coming through Austin so I met them at McKinney Falls State Park. It was hot out but a great day overall. I just thought these trees in the picnic area were so pretty. Since I got to the park before everyone else, I decided to take a self portrait with the self timer. I was just being silly. My mom said that she didn't recognize the teenager in the picture before she realized it was me!

Aaron and Alexis took some great pictures in the trees.

We actually got Alexis to sit still long enough to take a pictures with mom. A very pretty picture of both.

Isaac and the twins spent quite a bit of time jumping off the cliffs. Aaron was a bit apprehensive at first (that's my boy), but once he jumped there was no stopping him.

After the park, they all came back to the house to chill with Brayden for a little while before taking off to Lakeway for the weekend. Those hairy legs in the background belong to my brother, not me, I promise.

Last night, my friend, Terri, had a few of us over to dinner. She is Tia to so many of her own nieces and nephews that feeding Brayden while standing, with one free hand, was no big deal for her.

This is Terri's dog Max. He stuck his tongue out at precisely the moment I was snapping the picture. What a cutie.

This is the cake that Trisha brought to celebrate my birthday - Dulce de Leche cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. It was amazing!
Brayden was with us while Rachel was out with her friends. He was just happy to be there.

Now this was not even a real party, and we were completely sober, but I just happened to snap the camera as some funny business was going on. I'm not going to say who this is...suffice it to say I'm going to get beat up for posting it.

Today I had my 12 mile training run. Our group did 7 miles but one of the other ladies and I did 12. Well, really I clocked 12.59, but whose counting? I felt amazingly strong at the end of the run. A couple of people commented on my lack of sweat, which was surprising, considering I was out there for 2 hours and 47 minutes, either running or walking the whole time. I did good with staying on pace, which pleased me. I did drink lots of water and felt great, so I doubt I was dehydrated. I tried the Luna gummy fruits today during the run - I think one of them messed up a crown in my mouth. Tomorrow I call the dentist and have it checked out before Hawaii. The countdown is on...6 days till we take off and Harvey's planning our day trips!

My Birthday Present to Myself and Brilliance!

2008-07-09T11:04:00.000-07:00

Here's my confession - Harvey try to remain calm! I think I just enjoyed the world's most expensive salad. Today at lunch I had to run an errand at REI so I thought I would just have something fresh and healthy at Whole Foods since it is across the street from REI and I had never been there for lunch. First let me start by saying that if you've never been in there for a meal (not the grocery side), get ready to be overwhelmed. They have an amazing selection of gourmet sandwiches, salads and other fresh food. Some they prepare on the spot, some are self serve, but all are amazing looking. I wandered around with the "deer in the headlights look" for about 10 minutes, just trying to figure out where to start. Being that I'm easily overwhelmed, I decided on the 50' or so of salad bars - I kid you not. I was like a kid in a candy store...no clue how much I was spending since you pay by the pound, and I was just filling my dish with careless abandon. Apparently heavy food is more appealing to me than light, fluffy things like lettuce. I get to the register and nearly had a heart attack when the 1.27 pounds of salad rang up at a whopping $10.15. Seriously - it wasn't all that big, just HEAVY. But tomorrow is my birthday so I just sang "Happy Birthday" to myself (using my inside voice, of course) as I enjoyed it.

Harvey and I are going to Hawaii July 19-28, which I am very excited about. Half of the trip will be on Kauai and half on Oahu. What I'm not excited about is that my marathon training plan calls for a 12 mile run the weekend we arrive. While it doesn't exactly have to be run on the day it's scheduled, I still need to do a 12 mile run sometime before our 14 mile run on August 3. My plan was to find a 3 mile route and run it 4 times, or 4 miles 3 times. Either way, kind of boring. Today I got an email from one of the ladies I ran with last weekend during our 5 mile run. She remembered today that I said I would be out of town for the 12 mile run and she just realized that she would be too. So she sent me an email and suggested that instead of the 7 miles that we are scheduled to run this weekend, that we run that course with the group and do a final 5 miles on the hike & bike trail, where we can find water every 2-2.5 miles, then run the 7 miler when we're on our own. Yeah Lynn - she's my hero and I now have an hour of my vacation back with 5 less miles to run while I'm there.

2008-07-09T06:45:00.000-07:00

This is Brayden chilling out in his crib, surrounded by beautiful things. The soft blanket behind his head is one of my favorites - very puffy soft on once side, silky soft on the other. The blanket on top of him was hand made by one of Rachel's friends and is beautiful. He loves to just hang out and watch the mobile move round & round

He wants so badly to stand up. He pushes a lot with his legs though balance is still an issue at such a young age.

Brayden is so happy that Valerie is home from camp. He missed her and is trying to convince her to transfer to UT and not go back to San Marcos, since he won't get to see her as much. Stupid gas prices make it so expensive to even drive the 50 miles back home! Remember when it was cheaper and easier to drive home to do laundry than it was to do it at school? No more, especially since Valerie will have a washer & dryer in her all expenses paid apartment in the fall.

I just love the look on both Rachel & Tootsie's faces here. Tootsie's just loving being there and Rachel's just silly.

More chilling time with mama and Bray.

This picture was taken mid-sneeze. I just love the look on his face and the little sound he makes when he sneezes!

Brayden has about a zillion cousins - we're all lucky to be surround by family. Sara & Rebecca were passing through for a visit after attending a wedding the night before in Austin.

Here's an older picture of Bray in his car seat at about 3 weeks old. He needed a bumper to hold his head up and had room to move.And here he is at almost 12 weeks old, barely fitting into the same car seat, no bumper. I know people like to keep babies in their infant seats until closer to a year old, but honestly, there's no way he'll fit for much longer. He's weighing in around 18 pounds so he'll be out of this one soon.

The weather has been holding pretty steady here - 70's in the mornings, 90's in the afternoons, so I've been getting my running done in the mornings. I'm still struggling with getting up early to run, but I am getting my minimum 2 runs during the week in. This week is the torture 7 mile hilly run on Sunday. YIKES!

Uncharacteristically deep thoughts for today

2008-07-07T13:34:00.000-07:00

Okay - a warning before I start - I'm about to get deep in thought today. I've been reading other blogs written by friends and am amazed at the different messages people use their blogs for. All different but all beautiful in their own ways. I won't use names but some of you may recognize your own here.

One friend uses her blog to showcase her kids, much as I do with Brayden. However, hers moves me to tears as she so beautifully describes the daily miracles of her almost one year old daughter with Downs Syndrome. The things that most of us take for granted in our children and grandchildren, my friend appreciates at such a magnified level. Reading her blog makes me appreciate even more the simple things in life. Thank you!

One blog is written by a very spiritual person. While I typically read to be light-hearted and not so serious, this blog has made me stop and think a little deeper sometimes. His latest posting was a movie review, which I started to read under protest (internally) as it was so serious. By the end of the posting I was smiling in appreciation.

My high-tech-redneck/deep thinking friend always surprises me, as you never know which perspective he'll be writing from. Some days he has me laughing, whether it's the blog or emails from him, and some days he makes me stop and go "Hmmmmm". He wrote one particular one this past week in praise of our men and women in the military that also brought me to tears.

One friend uses her blog much as I do - to catch everyone up on her family. I enjoy these as I like watching her son grow (even though she took way too much time off for a while) and just love seeing pictures of him having fun.

And finally is the friend who predominately uses pictures and very few words. However, the few pictures that he does caption, and the very infrequent times that he does write a bit, his love and pride in in his wife, son and daughter are so apparent to me that long narratives are not necessary. Though I've traveled to the other side of the world with this friend on a business trip, I had never met his family. If it wasn't for his wonderful pictures, I would not have recognized his wife and kids when I ran into them at Home Depot and been able to introduced myself.

Well, you all know what I do with mine...brag about Brayden and my family, as well as my marathon training progress. As he starts sitting, crawling and doing more on his own, expect the blogs to get longer. Also, as my marathon training progresses and pushes me beyond any endurance levels than I've pushed myself before, you'll hear of both pain and pride that I am anticipating. Until then, thanks for reading!

Happy 4 of July Weekend

2008-07-05T19:29:00.000-07:00

Brayden says hello with a wave of his hand. He asked me to wish you all a happy 4th of July Weekend

I think something startled him here - he's just all big eyed!

We spent Saturday at the lake with our friends. This long weekend has almost been like vacation as we've been together all weekend. Thursday night we all had dinner together. Friday, I went for a 20 mile bike ride, while the guys golfed. Afterwards we had a 4th of July BBQ/Pool Party, followed by fireworks show in the middle of Eli's street. Saturday I went for a 4 mile run, followed by a day at the lake - here are just a few pictures.

They say I'm the chatter box of the family, but he's the one gabbing on the phone while we're out on the boat.

Here's a few of the gang - Debbie, Clement, Harvey & Lindsay, at the start of our day of boating.

This is one of those cheesy pictures...you know...you, taking a picture of me, taking a picture of you. Dan and I are cheesy

We finally got Harvey away from the phone and off he went to Kayak

Everyone knows that I am NOT a fan of being in the water, particularly when I can't see how deep it is or what's in it. There were lots of little turtles poking their heads out of the water from time to time, so I was a bit nervous that one would snap at me. However, I sucked it up and got in the water. It was too hot not to spend some time in the water. I did enjoy it. Maybe it was the couple of drinks I had before I got in that helped me relax!

After swimming around for a few hours, we went to County Line for some BBQ. This is a great picture of Rachel, Valerie and Maddie (Valerie's former room mate)

And finally, a very happy but tired couple!

Tomorrow morning it's time for running group again - at 6:00! This week is a short run week - just 5 miles. If I am feeling spunky enough after our 5 miles, I may run a few more on my own - we'll see. I have lots of extra calories from the partying all weekend to burn off!

2008-07-02T19:08:00.000-07:00

Brayden is getting so strong and is holding his head up for longer periods of time now. He really likes the jumperoo, which is a good thing...

...so that he can work off these precious rolls. Very cute as a baby, not so cute when he gets older. Trust me on that - I've logged lots of miles running to try to get rid of mine!

One of Brayden's new favorite places for napping is on his activity mat on the floor. He can sleep on his tummy but still be close to the action.

I think that maybe this bear blankey may be a winner with Brayden. He was so content hugging it.

He's just happy as can be.

Running is going well. I have decided on my major races for the next 7 months. I'm super excited about the San Antonio Marathon - my first full marathon - in November. That will be the pinnacle of all my training. In January, I'll go to Houston to run a half marathon. Next will be another full marathon in Austin in February. After that, who knows? These next 3 races will just be about finishing. After that, maybe I'll focus on improving my times as I suspect the first couple of full marathons will be challenge enough just to finish slowly!

New Crib

2008-06-30T19:21:00.000-07:00

Sunday night the crib was assembled by none other that Rachel and myself. The box said "world's easiest assembly" and they were right - we didn't have to re-do any steps, as we typically do when I'm in charge of reading directions. Look how big Brayden looks sitting up, with assistance
Here he sits up with the assistance of a pillow. He's watching the mobile go round and round, enjoying the tunes.

He had an amazing first night in the crib. Rachel put him down at about 8:30 and he did not wake up until her alarm went of at 6:30 in the morning. This is where he was in the crib when he started the night.

And this is where he was in the morning. He turned himself almost 90 degrees. Apparently he was craving the space to move as the bassinet was no bigger than he was!

I think I now know why they say to take a day off to recover after a long run. Yesterday's run was a bit over 10 miles and felt great. I felt no pain or soreness today, and it wasn't too terribly warm after dinner, so I decided to go for a short run. I wasn't more than 1/4 mile into the run when I could feel some soreness and fatigue in my legs. Never-the-less, I pressed on and ran about 3.5 miles. And Harvey says I don't know moderation - of course I do...I didn't run 5 miles like I wanted to!

First spin in the jumperoo and a 10 mile run

2008-06-29T15:08:00.000-07:00

Brayden took his first spin in the Jumperoo (thanks Tammy & Mark for sharing). He did a pretty good job of holding his head up as long as his arms were up top.

More pictures of the same

And after a feeding with Tia Tumana.
Today's training run with the group was awesome. We ended up doing the 10 mile route, as Coach Will suggested that first time marathoners not run the 12 mile route. I ran nice and slow, with my walk breaks every 3 minutes and felt amazing at the end of the run. I could easily have done a few more miles, but being that I had been up since 4:45, I decided to come home, shower and nap a bit before picking Brayden up from Nelson's, then meeting friends for lunch. Well, I got all of that done except for the napping part. That came in after lunch with Brayden sleeping on top of me. What a great way to nap!

Yeah - new pictures

2008-06-28T09:35:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally made the time for new pictures again. The big news this week is that Brayden is definitely sleeping through the night. Yeah for Rachel. His new crib is in and we hope to have it set up before the end of the weekend. He's still losing his longer new born hair and the new stuff is growing in quickly. Lucky for him he doesn't have to worry about male pattern baldness for a while. As big as he is, he still looks tiny when put into perspective. Here he is napping in Rachel's bed. Suddenly he's not so big to me, but still darned cute!

Rachel had to take the other bouncy to the baby-sitter's house, so that he has one there. This one is awesome (thanks Judy & Craig) because when he gets bigger, it becomes a rocking chair. He'll definitely need to be able to hold his head up as he will be taller than the back before long.
Valerie (aka Tia Tumana) is home from camp and we could not be happier to have her back. She'll be in Austin working at HEB and going to summer school for most of the rest of the summer. She took Brayden out for some sun time, but made sure to protect his precious eyes.
Valerie definitely had lots of dirty clothes to wash after being a camp. Brayden's kicking it back in her clean clothes (he was too smart to lie in the dirty clothes).

Tomorrow's a big day for my running - I'll just have to remember to take it nice and slow to cover the 12 miles (I'm going to tough it out and do the 12 mile route instead of 10, I think). Wish me luck!

Sorry, no pictures today, just me gabbing

2008-06-26T11:29:00.000-07:00

Lots of stuff going on - I'm so distracted that I don't have any new pictures of Brayden since my last posting. No pictures but always plenty to say!

Rachel started her externship this week on Wednesday - that is the final phase for her to complete in order to graduate in August. She is working as a (free) medical assistant at a family practice office. After graduation, she should start working for pay - YIPEE! While I realized it's only day 2 of being back in the workforce, and this time with a child, I will say that Rachel's doing an awesome job of getting things organized the night before so that she's not rushed or forgetting things in the mornings as well as staying on track with her diet.

Brayden is sleeping through the night for 7-9 hour stretches at a time, which is perfect timing to coincide with Rachel's return to work. Fortunately he's letting her sleep as they continue to share a room. Unfortunately, 7:30 p.m. seems to be Brayden's be-witching hour as he tends to get grumpy at about that time every night now. He's off and on cranky until he gets his bath and final bottle for the night, then falls to sleep pretty quickly. His new crib is on order as he's really too big for the bassinet at this point. I would love to say that we'll have it picked up and assembled by the end of the weekend, but we'll see.

My marathon training is continuing on track. Physically, I'm feeling in better shape than ever. The hills are not killing me like they used to - for that I am so thankful. Same for the heat, though I'm running at 6 a.m. when the sun is not intense. It's humid and typically in the mid to upper 70's but I'm running through it. We'll see how it goes as we start the long runs on Sunday at 6 a.m. this week instead of 7 a.m. because of the amount of time we'll be on the road. This weekend we're running 10-12 miles on Sunday. Our awesome coach will have water and Gatorade stops set out for us and my pace group is awesome to run with, so it should all be manageable. I so look forward to fall when the temperatures cool down at least a little.

Tootsie is not handling running in the heat as well as I am - she is definitely slowing down when we run. I bought her this Cool Collar, thinking that it would help her stay cool. Apparently all it does is annoy her instead as she does not like when I put it on her. Her run-in with the car a couple of weekends ago has left her very freaked out. She tries to pull me further up the curb each time a car passes. That makes running with her difficult if it's anything but very early, when there are very few cars out on the road. Hopefully that will pass soon too!

I promise to get new pictures up in the next day or two!

The funnest race ever!

2008-06-22T16:37:00.000-07:00

Brayden is as cute as ever. Last night I was baby sitting but this time we didn't dress him up in theme like we did with the golf pictures. Nevertheless, he's precious. His favorite place to hang out continues to be the bouncy seat. As soon as he can hold his head up, we'll upgrade him to the jumperoo.

He's not a big fan these days of hanging out on his tummy, but he was definitely content/tired here.

Today he did a better job of lifting his head for his mommy.

My marathon training continues to go great. I had a wonderful running week and decided to take a break from running today to participate in the Urban Assault Race. This is how the website describes the race - and it lived up to their description:

The Urban Assault Ride™ is a funky bike scavenger hunt that involves street-smart riding, obstacle courses, and a huge after party. Mental muscle is just as important as bike skills as teams of 2 choose their own course to checkpoints around the city.

The event is well known for its checkpoints where zany obstacle courses must be completed before moving on. We're talking modified Big Wheels, Bike Jousting, The Keg Walk, Inflatable Slides...and much more. The first team to hit all of the checkpoints and cross the finish line wins! Then the party begins with New Belgium beer and lots more two-wheeled shenanigans!

I have done a few adventure races before and hated them. They were so stressful. Well today's race was different. We knew 8 of the 12 locations in advance - the other 4 were mysteries that we had to follow clues to find. The clues were awful but the other participants were awesome. This was very much a fun event, not competitive. We were all giving each other hints and help. I even had one guy volunteer to change my flat tire while I did one of the events (yes, I took him up on it). The winners got something like a t-shirt and pair of socks, so obviously it wasn't the prize that was the attraction. I think we rode around 20-25 miles, but don't know for sure since I didn't remember my Garmin and Trish kept forgetting to turn hers back on half of the time when we finished an event. Bottom line - we had fun and got lots of exercise - what more can I ask for?

Brayden turns 2 (months) old

2008-06-19T10:07:00.000-07:00

We were all so impressed with Brayden's size when he was born. As a reminder, here's what he looked like the day he was born. He was 21 inches, 10 pounds.
Fast forward two months, and here's my little sumo wrestler at a whopping 25 inches, 17 pounds.

Every day, Brayden just makes me fall more in love with him. He has such a great temperament - other than when he's hungry and he is pretty vocal with the only word he knows - "AAAAGGGGGHHHHH!" I think that means "FEED ME NOW" but I'm not quite sure. As long as he's fed, he smiles at me when I sing to him (though I have an awful voice). His favorite songs (including hand motions), are Itsy Bitsy Spider, Twinkle Twinkle, There's a Spider on the Floor (Raffi) and the ABC's (sung and signed). I should probably learn some new songs soon.

Last Sunday we went to Houston for Amanda's birthday/going away party. Brayden got to meet a lot of family, including his two youngest girlie cousins. We had to wrestle Gaby to get him back.

Tia Dana and Brayden were both quite content together. It's almost been 9 years since her twins were this small! Time really flies

You can tell he's happy in Gaby's arms too - what a great smile.

Marathon training is progressing right on track. The heat is ridiculous but I'm becoming more acclimated to it as I've been trying to run at least two mornings a week, plus on the weekends. This means getting up at 5:30 a.m. to run before work, and before the really bad heat starts. It's been in the upper 70's with high humidity every morning since I started training, but at least the sun is not strong so early. I've been focusing on running more hills instead of avoiding them as I have in the past. It seems to be helping.

On a final note for today, it turns out that I appear not to be predisposed to the heart issues on the Morel (maternal) side of the family. Isaac made me paranoid that my heart rate was too high when I run so I had the ticker checked out. My doctor sent me for an Echo Stress Test and I'm happy to report that the results couldn't be more boringly normal. I am good to keep training for and run the marathon. The doctor said she was impressed at how steady and normal the EKG's were throughout the test, and was more impressed when I told her that I had run 5 miles prior to arriving. Yeah for healthy heart!

Fore!

2008-06-16T18:14:00.000-07:00

Grandpa keeps saying that he's going to take me golfing. I can't wait to ride in the golf cart like he promised. Gma bought me this whole bag of golf clubs so that I can be prepared. Here's what my snoopy clubs look like.

I have my own tees. Gma said that if I want to look like a real golfer I have to put a tee behind my ear like this.
Okay, let's see...club - check....tee - check....balls - um, let me get a grip on one
Okay, ball.....checkNow it's time to discuss the rules. Grandpa and Brayden were watching Tiger win the US Open, while discussing the rules.
Marathon training continues in the sweltering heat. I ran 7.6 very hilly miles on Sunday, by myself. I was going to meet my training group but we were leaving for Houston for the day, so I got my run in starting at 6:30 a.m. instead of 7:30, with no travel time. It was a hot, humid and hilly run, and I ran .6 miles more than I needed to (per the training schedule), but I felt great. I couldn't take Tootsie with me because she had an accident on Saturday.

It was definitely my fault for walking her off the leash - she darted across the street after a squirrel and nearly got run over. The car stopped in time and Tootsie mostly skidded into the car - not a direct hit. In fact, I've seen her slide into the walls at home faster than she did into the car. However, she appears to have jacked up her back a little in the process. I took her to the vet and felt relieved that there was no real damage - nothing a few anti-inflammatories and muscles relaxers couldn't fix. She's a bit skiddish around moving cars and isn't supposed to run for a week, but no real harm done. From now on, she walks and runs on the leash.

A humbling experience

2008-06-14T16:05:00.000-07:00

Today I went to training to be a sighted running guide for the blind/visually impaired. As part of training, we had to run blindfolded, while holding a rope that is also held by a sighted runner. Now anyone who knows me well knows that I am afraid of the dark. Pair that with being on Town Lake on a Saturday morning, with SO many people running and cycling, I was very scared to start the training. I decided to dive in head first and be the "blind" runner before being the sighted runner. We started with a brisk walk. I kept waiting to run into a pole (not that there are ANY on the trail) or get run over by someone on a bike. My sighted partner was amazing. He talked to me the whole time, describing what was around me at all times. By the time we ran, I was completely at ease. Next came my turn to be the sighted runner. It really made me appreciate what I see as I was describing both the landscape and the traffic. I can't wait for our first race at the end of the month.

Friday night Brayden met Tia Terri. The liked each other

Today Brayden napped on the couch (I did the same earlier)

When he woke up he was all smiles
And finally, how freaking cute is he with his hands all bundled up? And how beautiful is his mommy?

Bray's first bandaid

2008-06-13T16:19:00.001-07:00

Brayden loves to hang out without his clothes on. But his favorite place to hang out is also under the ceiling fan (which he loves to watch), so we put on his soft binkie on (thanks Mrs. Bibeau) to protect him from the draft.

This is Brayden waking up after a nap. He is so cuddly and smiley after his nap and I have a had time resisting him.

So I must eat him up - apparently he is not as amused by that as I am!

He started to snooze again so I decided to clip his nails with his baby clippers. I got through the first 8 with no problems or resistance. Number 9 was not so lucky as I hit skin and drew blood - way to go Gma! He screamed like I've never heard before. Nothing a little neosporin and a bandaid won't cure.

This has been a really bad exercise week for me. We got back on Sunday from Buffalo and have had things going on all week. We caught up on bills, laundry and whatnot on Monday, hung out at the Ebbo's pool on Tuesday (see last blog), attended a birthday Happy Hour for Harvey's birthday on Wednesday and had Birthday Dinner at the club on Thursday. I have a hard time not having my down-time in the evenings, which makes it hard for me to sleep well at night. That in turn, makes it hard for me to get up and run before work, which I haven't done all week. Oh well, we did walk for about 45 minutes one night, and it's less than a week, so I'll survive.

Saturday I'll training to be a sighted running guide for a blind runner with Running Eyes for the Blind. Sunday will bring another tough 7 mile run through the hills of Austin, followed by a quick shower and a drive to Houston to help celebrate Amanda's 22nd birthday and to say farewell as she takes off to start her first post-graduation job. So much for resting this weekend either!

Brayen's first swim

2008-06-10T20:03:00.000-07:00

Brayden in his new swim trunks, before his first dip in a pool

His first swim with mommy

He's happy in water - much unlike his Gma

Here are Brayden and Aiden, playing together in the pool. Well, not really playing together so much as being in the pool at the same time. They will grow up to be buddies.

Again, my two favorite guys, chillin' in the shade after a long day of work/play.

First big boy stroller ride

2008-06-09T19:43:00.000-07:00

The stroller is back in commission and Brayden got his first walk in it without the car seat. He was much happier being able to stretch out. What is amazing to me is that he fills it out this well at 3 days shy of 8 weeks old. How will he ever fit in it at a year or more old?

Rachel and Brayden - just as it is hard to believe he's only 8 weeks old, it's also great to see how wonderful Rachel looks in the same amount of time, especially after having a c-section.

I keep saying how what an angel he is, but the truth is that Brayden clearly knows how to have a temper tantrum when he doesn't get his way.

What chu talking about Willis? I told you, no more bath tub pictures

Rachel and Brayden have both been bathed and we're one big happy family.

The newborn hair seems to be falling out as the new layer grows beneath. There's no telling what kind of hair will come through - his genetics is a mix of straight, curly, soft and coarse...we'll just have to wait to see what Brayden's hair will be like.