This weekend my wife and I and several of our friends ran the Chosen: Half-Marathon for Adoption. While it was neither of our best times we both had a great time, and felt good the entire race. I will definitely look this race up next year, because it was done very well for its inaugural race. The only improvement I recommended we better mile markers.
It was a good cap to a week and vacation that didn't go as I expected. First I must say, I was disappointed in the trip to DC because of DC. I think I must watch too much PBS for my own good. They do such a good job of creating feelings and an certain ambiance around the memorials and museums that when I finally saw them I was disappointed. I am not saying they were not neat or interesting or worth the trip and time but the experience is similar to going to see a movie that your friend raved about only to leave thinking it was alright. The movie did live up to the hype. Even the trees were not as great as I had been told to expect. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with our family. We had a great time and I will miss hearing our cousin's three year old call me "Cramen."
Mayzie did great on the plane ride up there. Although she did not watch or even act remotely interested in the DVD we brought for her to watch. Our desire to keep her from watching TV might have backfired and now she is complete disinterested in it, but why complain about that right? However, I learned than about 5 days away from her bed and her routine is about the length that is best for her at 15 moths. She woke up at night and since we were sleeping in the same room and she could see us she started calling for us. "Mama, Dada" she would say over and over. We had to move her downstairs to the living room for anyone to get some sleep after the 5th night. The lack of sleep created a moody baby. On the plane ride home we thought we would skip her nap and let her sleep on the plane, BUT Mayzie now uses the words down and walk so she just wanted down and wanted to walk on the plane. Since, she does not understand the concept of "we can't do that right now" she was frustrated. That coupled with the whole tired, because we made her skip her nap, thing created a horrific mess of crying and screaming until she fell asleep. Thankfully that nap lasted all the way until we were at the terminal.
Once we were home, everything instantly returned to normal. Mayzie sleeps her 11-12 hours takes her 1-2 hr nap and is happy and playful.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
A time to CHANGE
We've been spending a very small amount on diapers. Much smaller than I had expected and budgeted. We have found great success in the Target brand diapers. They come in boxes of 144 for just under $20 and we've been using one box per month. $20 per month is much better than the horror stories of hundreds of dollars per month on diapers we heard from people.
BUT times are changing we are approaching the next size diaper and they are about 3 dollars more expensive for about 20 less diapers. This should equate to about $25 per month. Still not bad, or is it? My biggest concern is that, for the last two weeks, Mayzie has been announcing when she needs a diaper change. If she pees just the tiniest bit she'll start walking around saying diaper over and over until we change it. If she sees a toilet she wants to sit on it. It is helpful when she poops because we instantly know about it. However, we're using more diapers than we did before because before we didn't know she peed the tiniest bit here and there. The good thing is she has connected the going to the bathroom feeling and REALLY wants to use the potty. So maybe we'll be potty training sooner than later.
I can only hope. Although it will be sad if she potty trains before she has more than 4 teeth.
BUT times are changing we are approaching the next size diaper and they are about 3 dollars more expensive for about 20 less diapers. This should equate to about $25 per month. Still not bad, or is it? My biggest concern is that, for the last two weeks, Mayzie has been announcing when she needs a diaper change. If she pees just the tiniest bit she'll start walking around saying diaper over and over until we change it. If she sees a toilet she wants to sit on it. It is helpful when she poops because we instantly know about it. However, we're using more diapers than we did before because before we didn't know she peed the tiniest bit here and there. The good thing is she has connected the going to the bathroom feeling and REALLY wants to use the potty. So maybe we'll be potty training sooner than later.
I can only hope. Although it will be sad if she potty trains before she has more than 4 teeth.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Communication
The baby said her first word at about 10 months old. Dog. The shortly followed by Dada she now says so many words I've lost count and when I do try and count I realize I don't remember to count all of them or I find myself guessing if I've already counted banana.
The words together with the number of signs she learned makes her really easy to understand. That of course is really only we understand because she still hasn't gotten her enunciation down well enough for non-kid people to interpret, and wow how quickly we went from no signs to lots of signs.
For a while now probably, 6-8 months, I feel like we've been at a place where we understand what she needs or wants and she knows what we want. It is a great place.
It has brought about things that I was hoping we weren't going to really have to do, but that surprisingly I'm happy to oblige. Like when she says Bus and then starts dancing. We know she wants us to sing the Wheel on the bus go round and round song. Unfortunately I'm starting to sound like a broken record and when I'm focusing really hard at work that song plays in my head.
Right now it is driving me crazy, but in a few hours when I'm at home, it will be my favorite song. Maybe my wife will consider my suggestion seriously when I say we should trade off who stays at home every two years.
The words together with the number of signs she learned makes her really easy to understand. That of course is really only we understand because she still hasn't gotten her enunciation down well enough for non-kid people to interpret, and wow how quickly we went from no signs to lots of signs.
For a while now probably, 6-8 months, I feel like we've been at a place where we understand what she needs or wants and she knows what we want. It is a great place.
It has brought about things that I was hoping we weren't going to really have to do, but that surprisingly I'm happy to oblige. Like when she says Bus and then starts dancing. We know she wants us to sing the Wheel on the bus go round and round song. Unfortunately I'm starting to sound like a broken record and when I'm focusing really hard at work that song plays in my head.
Right now it is driving me crazy, but in a few hours when I'm at home, it will be my favorite song. Maybe my wife will consider my suggestion seriously when I say we should trade off who stays at home every two years.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Joy
Being the amateur meteorologist that I like to pretend I am. I have not slept well tonight. It is 2:15am and storms have been raining since about 9pm. I should say raging. They have been brought up from the Gulf of Mexico as Tropical Storm Hermine has drawn them as it makes its inland journey. There has been unbelievably hard rain. Most of downtown Austin has had 12inches of rain and slowing spots of 15inches or more are appearing. NOAA's radar gauge does not have a color for over 15inches of rain. Here at my house we've had at least 10inches of rain since yesterday and now my rain gauge is full. The first 5 inches were from Tropical Storm Hermine as it almost passed directly over Kyle, the last 5+ inches have just been from storms drawn up from the Gulf.
For reasons that are quite clear to me, I can't sleep during severe weather. I lived in the Texas Panhandle for 13 years as a kid. Amarillo is part of what is known as Tornado Alley. I remember fondly the terrifying rides my dad used to take us on while we "hunted" tornadoes. I remember the fire drills and tornado drills from elementary school. I remember and actually kind of miss the last Friday of every month test of the Tornado sirens in Amarillo at 9am. Here in Central Texas that tornado threat isn't as real as flash flooding.
Anyway, I got wrapped up in talking about the weather but really my post is about Joy. I enjoy making people smile. One of the reasons I married my wife is because she had a great smile. I love making our baby smile. She has a smile that can stop me and draw me into whatever she is doing. I love when they make me smile. The baby has made me smile several times this weekend. She has two little books that have babies doing various things. On one of the pages there is a baby sleeping. She will put her finger to her mouth and say, "shhh." It is so cute to me and I smile. I love watching her perform tasks and explore the world. When I see her with my wife, I can't imagine anything better in life than those two girls.
For reasons that are quite clear to me, I can't sleep during severe weather. I lived in the Texas Panhandle for 13 years as a kid. Amarillo is part of what is known as Tornado Alley. I remember fondly the terrifying rides my dad used to take us on while we "hunted" tornadoes. I remember the fire drills and tornado drills from elementary school. I remember and actually kind of miss the last Friday of every month test of the Tornado sirens in Amarillo at 9am. Here in Central Texas that tornado threat isn't as real as flash flooding.
Anyway, I got wrapped up in talking about the weather but really my post is about Joy. I enjoy making people smile. One of the reasons I married my wife is because she had a great smile. I love making our baby smile. She has a smile that can stop me and draw me into whatever she is doing. I love when they make me smile. The baby has made me smile several times this weekend. She has two little books that have babies doing various things. On one of the pages there is a baby sleeping. She will put her finger to her mouth and say, "shhh." It is so cute to me and I smile. I love watching her perform tasks and explore the world. When I see her with my wife, I can't imagine anything better in life than those two girls.
Friday, September 3, 2010
p90x
Since the baby was born I've struggled to find the time necessary to achieve my fitness goals. After getting off work and coming home, eating dinner, playing, bathing and putting the baby to bed I would find it would be 7:30 to 8pm every night. And now given that we live even farther from our gym the drive there and back would take an hour which means no matter if I left at 8pm I would be guaranteed to be home no earlier than 10pm.
Plus since the baby is sleeping, someone has to stay home which means the wife and I would have to take turns going to the gym. I decided that I wanted to do p90X because my wife and I could both do it together at night without leaving and still get a total body workout and to bed on time!! It required some equipment we already had like weights, and a heart rate monitor. It did require a pull-up bar or some exercise bands that could be attached to something (in our case a door.) I also liked that it had a nutritional guide to go with it because I get bored with the meals we make sometimes. We do not follow the nutritional guide because it dramatically changes the percentage of proteins and carbs and I would much rather eat balanced than some sort of diet skewed toward protein or carbs. I was willing to give up any gains I would have seen by drinking protein shakes. Since we've worked our way into eating clean and as much unprocessed food as possible, I figured we would be alright.
I have almost completed 4 weeks of p90X and I must say, I am surprised at how hard it can be. The mantra of p90X is "Bring it!" I can say I have brought it and wavered a few times but then because of the disappointment worked harder and every time I am really whipped. Usually the next day I am sore. Sometimes really sore. I have added weight and added reps and really feel a lot stronger. I haven't really noticed any real weight loss BUT through reading some other peoples comments on p90x they point to the last 60 to 30 days as being the real weight loss phases.
I am also currently training for a half-marathon in October. So far the two have not interfered with each other, although there have been times when I was very sore from p90x Legs and Back doing a tempo run or already had wobbly legs doing plyometrics x. So far I am very pleased with the progress I've seen and how I feel overall through workouts. P90x is built on the idea of "muscle confusion" and so I'm interested to see how the new workouts challenge me as I progress through the program.
Plus since the baby is sleeping, someone has to stay home which means the wife and I would have to take turns going to the gym. I decided that I wanted to do p90X because my wife and I could both do it together at night without leaving and still get a total body workout and to bed on time!! It required some equipment we already had like weights, and a heart rate monitor. It did require a pull-up bar or some exercise bands that could be attached to something (in our case a door.) I also liked that it had a nutritional guide to go with it because I get bored with the meals we make sometimes. We do not follow the nutritional guide because it dramatically changes the percentage of proteins and carbs and I would much rather eat balanced than some sort of diet skewed toward protein or carbs. I was willing to give up any gains I would have seen by drinking protein shakes. Since we've worked our way into eating clean and as much unprocessed food as possible, I figured we would be alright.
I have almost completed 4 weeks of p90X and I must say, I am surprised at how hard it can be. The mantra of p90X is "Bring it!" I can say I have brought it and wavered a few times but then because of the disappointment worked harder and every time I am really whipped. Usually the next day I am sore. Sometimes really sore. I have added weight and added reps and really feel a lot stronger. I haven't really noticed any real weight loss BUT through reading some other peoples comments on p90x they point to the last 60 to 30 days as being the real weight loss phases.
I am also currently training for a half-marathon in October. So far the two have not interfered with each other, although there have been times when I was very sore from p90x Legs and Back doing a tempo run or already had wobbly legs doing plyometrics x. So far I am very pleased with the progress I've seen and how I feel overall through workouts. P90x is built on the idea of "muscle confusion" and so I'm interested to see how the new workouts challenge me as I progress through the program.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Well here it is - THREE O
I'm 30... enough said.
Ok I couldn't resist leaving it at that. I got up, dressed in my best funeral clothes. I realized my back hurt, my knees hurt, I feel BUT luckily was able to get up. I forgot where I put my keys. But things are turning around. My dentist called and said my dentures were in and at my physical my doctor turned me on to metamucil!!! YUM!
OK just kidding, I'm having a great day!
Ok I couldn't resist leaving it at that. I got up, dressed in my best funeral clothes. I realized my back hurt, my knees hurt, I feel BUT luckily was able to get up. I forgot where I put my keys. But things are turning around. My dentist called and said my dentures were in and at my physical my doctor turned me on to metamucil!!! YUM!
OK just kidding, I'm having a great day!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
20's
Well this is it. Tomorrow I will be 30 years old. I purposely added the "years old" part because, to me, it makes it sound younger. If I say, "I'm 30" it sounds so OLD.
Let's face it 30 is not old, it is the beginning of the middle ground. You're not young but you're not old either. I hate it when I hear people give grace to the stupid behavior of college students because as they say, "they're just kids" or "they're young." The same grace is given to old people, "he's just a mean old man" or "that person is old and set in their ways." As if their age some how disqualifies them from being responsible or allows justification for their actions.
No one gives 30-40 year old any kind of pass because of their age. 30-40 is the perfect intersection of age and wisdom for many people, at least those who've taken care of themselves physically and mentally. BUT there is not any kind of grace based on age like the young and old get. Everyone expects them to make the right decisions. You should have known better!! You're not 20 anymore.
My wife and I should be completely debt free by the time I'm 40. We probably will have at least two kids, possibly more and I'm sure we'll have at least one dog. And, as much as I want to resist the idea of being 30, I look forward to what the next decade will bring, good or bad. Although, I do fully intend to buy and drink a bottle of champagne tomorrow.
Let's face it 30 is not old, it is the beginning of the middle ground. You're not young but you're not old either. I hate it when I hear people give grace to the stupid behavior of college students because as they say, "they're just kids" or "they're young." The same grace is given to old people, "he's just a mean old man" or "that person is old and set in their ways." As if their age some how disqualifies them from being responsible or allows justification for their actions.
No one gives 30-40 year old any kind of pass because of their age. 30-40 is the perfect intersection of age and wisdom for many people, at least those who've taken care of themselves physically and mentally. BUT there is not any kind of grace based on age like the young and old get. Everyone expects them to make the right decisions. You should have known better!! You're not 20 anymore.
My wife and I should be completely debt free by the time I'm 40. We probably will have at least two kids, possibly more and I'm sure we'll have at least one dog. And, as much as I want to resist the idea of being 30, I look forward to what the next decade will bring, good or bad. Although, I do fully intend to buy and drink a bottle of champagne tomorrow.
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