The Season

Project Christmas Hat is 6/10 complete. On a related note, all of my nails are broken and the skin on my fingertips is extremely dry.

Still to come: Project Christmas Candle, Project Christmas picture, Project Christmas Letter, Project Christmas Baking, Project Christmas Open House, and Project Christmas Presents. (Project Christmas House is relaxingly completed.)

Baby news, in case you're interested - and of course course you're interested! - Teddy is now 8 months old. 8 months! He's a confident sitter and is starting to get onto hands-and-knees to lunge forward. He'll be crawling before long! He is also beginning to wave. Today Paul asked Teddy, where's my mouth? Where's my nose? And Teddy reached out and touched the appropriate parts at the appropriate times. So cool. He's talking, too. By which I mean that he knows, gleefully, "Dadadadada!" for his father and "Ah-duh,ada,ada,ada" for his sister. Also, angrily, "Mamamamama!" for me and, occasionally, a cheerful "Hey!" for hi.

I love this kid. So glad we added a third.

(So are the girls. They're also nuts about Christmas. But now I need to catch some sleep; Teddy has a cold, is cutting 4 teeth at once, and will have me up before long!)

Weekly Menu

In December I like to eat out. A lot. I crave Mexican food, Italian food, Red Robin. I want warmth and comfort and calories. So I have to make sure that my frig is stocked with stuff I really want to eat at home or we'll be out every night.

As you may know, I make a(n almost) weekly menu and post it on the frig along with what's going on each day. Here's this week:

Sunday:
This was supposed to be a meat/wine/mushroom crockpot deal but due to timing ended up being a wine-free skillet hamburger stroganoff type of dish. With peas over egg noodles.

Monday:
Lamb meatballs in a North African sauce over garlicy pearled couscous with glazed carrots.

Tuesday:
Slow Cooker BBQ pork. There's a lot of Christmas prep going on here and I might wimp out and use a bottled sauce. Served on wheat buns with kosher dills, salad, and some sort of vegetable.

Wednesday:
Paul and the girls will be out; Teddy and I will enjoy baked chicken breast. Possibly some yogurt and something in the vegetable family.

Thursday:
Leftovers, yo

Friday:
Pizza and a movie night! Going frozen this week.

Saturday:
Well, I might just get my comfort food out this week, after all. :)

Unconnected Thoughts

Anecdote the first:

Ada and I are home together working on math: number recognition, what-comes-next, greater than/less than. Also on tonight's lesson plan: turn taking and good sportsmanship.

We're watching Big Ten Volleyball.

Anecdote the second:

I'd forgotten a few things about exercise. For example, I'd forgotten how much I hurt all over for the next couple of days after a good workout. Also, related to the first thing I'd forgotten: to stretch afterwards.

Connective Tissue:

None. My brain seems to be working in these little bite-sized nuggets lately, which is why I'm doing a lot more Facebook status updates than blog posts.

Where We've Been

Last week's ice storm:

(In case it's not clear, the girls are playing ice hockey in boots on the surface formerly known as "our driveway.")

Ada's (labeled!) drawing of our family:

("D's" still sometimes flip upside down.)

Paul's marathon training:

(He's in the beard and orange gloves.)

Writers Write

Here is the sentence I worked on - in my head - for an hour last night while awake with a sick child.

"As it turned out, Tuesday morning’s breakfast buffet at the Sugar Maple B&B was far more deadly than usual, though it took quite a while for anyone to notice."

I'm still waffling about the first bit and keep taking it out then putting it back in. They're unnecessary words. So they should go. But I like the tone and voice they suggest.

Obviously I tend toward verbosity.

Less Globe Trotting, More Home Making

I didn't have the weekend I planned for. My youngest sister had twins a couple of weeks ago and I've been longing to meet them. So I washed the car and filled it with gas. I sorted baby clothes into two stacks: "Ellie and Ada's clothes their little brother could wear," and "This really might be better for my new niece." Paul washed the clothes and I stacked them up with a few other "gifts" and books to return.

I checked the weather forecasts and put together a list of fun things to do with kids in my sister's hometown. I selected a bag of "trip food" and prepped the girls on new baby etiquette. Surely we were all ready to go!

Then Ada threw up. And Paul's cold didn't go away as expected. In fact, Ellie started smearing snot around her own face, too, dadgummit. And my sister - new mom to not-quite-5-pound-babies - worried (naturally!) that I might be incubating something less than wholesome myself.

As it turns out, I'm still well. But it's good that we didn't make the trip anyway, even though I'm finding it nearly physically painful that I haven't been there yet!

Since no one but me was 100% well and we had already cleared our schedule, we had a wide open weekend ahead of us. We did leave the house a few times - no one was sick enough for quarantine once the magical 24 hours had passed from Ada's digestive distress - but mostly we stayed home.

I ruthlessly culled the girls' rooms of large and non-essential toys, relegating most of their stuff to the basement playroom. I already replaced the usual residents of my drawers, shelves, and hangers with seasonally appropriate (if too large) maternity gear. Now I just need need to dust everywhere and then it's time to have the carpet cleaners over for a long overdue visit.

And after that - bunk bed time! Fortunately, the girls are excited about becoming roommates soon.

Handsome Is as Handsome Does

I've had some problems with this pregnancy.  I've been sick and I've had complications and it's just not been easy.  But I am feeling better this week.  Still, every time I think I can finally relax and just enjoy the second trimester, something alarming comes up.  And yesterday I spent a couple hours in the doctor's office getting checked out.  (Everything is fine. But notice how obscure I'm being just to avoid saying "blood" or "bleeding." Oops, messed that one up.)

I left messages for Paul and my mom after my appointment and ultrasound yesterday, letting them know that I'm back to "taking it easy" (which means avoiding many fun things) but that the baby looks great and I check out OK, too.

My mom texted back asking if her grandson is adorable or handsome.  I think it's a little early to tell, but you be the judge.  (For the record, he's right on schedule for four months along at a grand total of 8 inches long and 8 ounces heavy. And he waves at the camera.)

The Birthday that Wasn't

Today, Ellie turned seven years old.  Seven!

Unfortunately, it did not go as planned.

She was so excited about her birthday.  She planned her birthday breakfast: doughnuts (a family birthday tradition) and sausages (that's all Ellie).  For her birthday lunch she requested that I bring some broccoli cheese soup to school.  I was to be her guest reader in class, and she chose Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman and There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat by Lucille Collandro for the event.  For special snack to share with her friends, we chose s'mores (last weekend's camping trip and summer grilling with Nana and Grandpa up on the mountain still fresh on our minds).  We packed graham crackers, chocolate bars, and "toasted" marshmallow fluffy spread for her classmates.  For dinner she selected spaghetti, red sauce, meatballs, corn, and garlic cheesy bread.  After Ellie went to bed, Paul and I decorated the kitchen table area with festive birthday fare and settled plans for the next day.

Then she woke up.  And she didn't feel well.  This happened a couple more times overnight and in the morning she tried to be excited but just couldn't maintain the necessary energy.  She couldn't stop coughing and bringing up phlem. (Yuck.)  She ran a low-grade fever.  She has been telling us for a while that she doesn't feel well, but couldn't describe the problem or any pain.

"I'm not very well, Mommy."

"Does your head hurt?"

"No, my head doesn't hurt."

"Does your throat hurt?"

"No, my throat doesn't hurt. I just feel yucky. I'm not well."

Well, the seven of us living in this house at present have passed around a nasty and long-lived cold and vicious cough.  I suffered through it for nearly two months (!) and I certainly felt yucky much of that time.  I thought Ellie's problem was a combination of the cold and wanting a break from school.

Today, with a fever and the violent cough she couldn't control, I knew I was wrong.  I took Ellie to the pediatrician, who sent us to the ER, where the pediatric nurse practitioner looked in Ellie's throat and found it full of impressive pus pockets.

Oops.

So Ellie's back home, happier but still sick, and on antibiotics for strep throat.

October 11th has been rescheduled for this Wednesday.

I really do intend to blog again.

Eventually. I have no real excuse. My schedule is a little different than it used to be, with Paul's sister, her husband, and their three-year-old living with us now. :-)

I'm freelancing during some of my "free" time.

And of course there's my ongoing evening sickness.

Which is not all bad!

I mean, it sucks and I'm so ready for it to be gone, but I'm looking for the silver lining, here. I'm not losing weight like crazy and the baby's not in danger and I'm getting plenty of nutrition, etc.

But I did discover that all of my old maternity pants are way too big so I went out to buy myself an under-the-bump pair of jeans to tide me over until the giant over-the-bump tent pants fit again.

The next day I returned them. And tried on two more pairs before I realized that I'm a few sizes smaller than I thought I was. Hip hip hooray! (More accurately: smaller hips, smaller thighs, hooray!) Granted, these are elastic waist maternity pants. But they're still "boyfriend" jeans and they're still a size I haven't worn in lo these many years, since way before I started having babies.

Maybe I'll even feel well enough to go out for a jog tomorrow.  If I do, I might reward myself with a "running for two" tech shirt.

Announcement

"Sarahlynn, it's great to see you. You have a certain glow about you!"

This is how my OB/GYN greeted me at my annual visit this summer and is how I learned I am pregnant for the third - and, presumably, final - time.

Officially.

Because I'd sort of known for a couple of weeks already. I got suspicious when my period was late. But I was having fun on vacation. Until one day I ate some onion rings and my body revolted.

Then the altitude in Wyoming started really bothering me.

I tired quickly.

I grew nauseous if I went more than two hours without eating something protein-rich.

Then I was just exhausted and nauseous all the time, period, even after we returned to sea level.  The heat made me whimper and cower indoors.

And then I went in for my annual well woman visit and learned that I am a very well woman, indeed. And hopefully I will remain so until about . . .

April Fool's!

Whining

I've been ill, more or less, since we got back from vacation early this month. It's getting annoying. I've had an abdominal thing, an abysmal cold, and strep throat. Here's hoping for a nice, clear, healthy fall to come!

My wonderful husband is finally starting to fight a cold himself. Yesterday he said that while he's glad to pitch in more, he hopes I won't stay sick forever. That makes two of us! (And probably more.)

Day three of antibiotics is starting off well for me, so here's hoping the trend continues.

For Ellie, however, today was traumatic starting the moment I notified her that she was indeed expected to continue to attend first grade. Days 1 and 2 went well, but were apparently novelties and she didn't think she'd have to go yet again today. Alas.

How To Exercise in Summer Heat

If you bike fast enough, the breeze will cool you down.



As an added incentive we took turns in the trailer (behind Paul's bike) and on the trail-a-bike (behind mine), offered the kids LOTS of water, and stopped along Grant's Trail to meet the Budweiser Clydesdales. Plus there's a park at the end.

No Offense Intended

with all of our celebrations yesterday, Great Britain.


I thought we'd BBQ alone as a family last night as the quiet before the storm this week (more on that later).

Instead a couple of friends came over. But these are the best kind of friends - the kind we don't have to clean house for, or cook a special meal for, or change clothes for, or put on lipstick for. The kind we can talk about whatever with. The kind we've known for a long time. Good friends, lovely evening.

A lovely whole day, actually. I ate way more than I should have of foods I should never have eaten. But since I ran four miles the night before, this didn't feel so terrible. Also, two people I see all the time didn't recognize Paul and me from a distance due to our updated silhouettes and that felt great.

And my hair is still not Cat Deeley's but I didn't hate it all day long, either.

So, in short, it seems that my mood is on an upswing and I'm heading back to a good place. Hooray for that!

P.S. I finally know how to spell "silhouette" (see paragraph 4 above) because of my friend Amanda's new novel!

Jogging in Slow Motion

I ran home from a meeting at church tonight.

There's something really powerful about running to or from someplace, rather than just running in a circle for exercise.

There's also something really powerful about running 5 miles in a row without stopping.

(Except for a brief walk up Hillary Step - have I mentioned that I live on the summit of Mount Everest? When it rains and floods I'm very glad of this. When I'm running or walking home I'm not so pleased.)

So I felt pretty good when I got home. Until Paul figured my per-mile pace for me. I've been running for 2 months now and I can run 5 miles with only a brief walk and that only because of a hill I can barely scale without climbing ropes and carabiners. I should be happy with this progress, right?

On the other hand, there's a minimum speed one can go and still be "running," no matter what one's gait looks like.

Seriously, after my first ever 5 miler I felt fine. I felt like I could have kept going (this in itself is probably evidence I should have been pushing the pace a little harder). I wasn't in pain. I won't go so far as to say that I was having fun, but I certainly wasn't miserable.

But I couldn't run a marathon. Because at some point race organizers force slow runners into the sag wagon, close the aide stations, and reopen the city streets to traffic. And I'm slow enough to worry about that.

Vacation in the Mitten

We just got back from several days in glorious, wonderful, fabulous Michigan. Western Michigan, where I could go for a jog in the middle of the day without dying from the heat but couldn't sit around the outdoor fireplace at night without being thoroughly explored by various and sundry representatives of Class Insecta.  Or rather Phylum Arthropoda.  All things considered, I figure I came out well ahead. It was great to spend time in a rented house with my whole family, watching my girls play with their cousins while catching up with my sisters and cooking food for my parents (for a change!).

"What was your favorite part of our vacation?" I asked at dinner tonight.

"Going to the beach!" said Ada.

"Riding in the wagon!" said Ellie. (That would be on the not exactly arduous 2-block stroll to and from the beach. There was room for my 6-year-old in the wagon because my sister's baby refused to ride. She preferred to run pell-mell screaming, "Water! Water!" until she face planted on concrete or sand.)

"I don't want to talk right now!" That would be Paul listing his not-quite-favorite part of vacation. After several days in a row of cool, breezy Michigan running - including jogging on sand - he came home with an excruciating back spasm. And apparently having me step on the sore spots repeatedly (he asked! I promise! I'm not gratuitously cruel!) wasn't the best thing for him.

Alas. Next year we'll shop for souvenirs.  (Pictures tomorrow.)

"You're Crazy"

Last Thursday I ran in a pair of bright green Hometown High School Physical Education shorts that are helpfully emblazoned with a giant "L" so everyone can see my size at a glance.

Naturally, I don't condone stealing of any kind, and certainly not from public schools. But gym shorts are sort of a special category. At my high school, gym was required for what seemed like forever. And you couldn't buy your own uniform (unlike at my first high school) but you had to wear one. This put girls at the mercy of the woman working behind a little half door in the middle of the locker room. Every Monday she'd look at you, determine your size (student's input not requested or heeded if offered) and hand you a uniform for the week. Every Friday she'd watch you closely to insure that you dropped all components in the laundry bin.

I got the impression that she hated her job or else delighted in making us suffer because she was always handing me these nasty little polyester size smalls. They looked more like cheap, unflattering volleyball bloomers than gym shorts. Toward the end of my high school career the school invested in a few longer, looser-fitting cotton gym shorts. These were obviously in high demand! I rarely got them, and always wanted to keep hold of them when I did.

But I'm no good at stealing. Fortunately, I have two little sisters, God bless 'em. But honestly I have no idea how this particular pair of shorts made it home, so I cast no aspersions. I was just glad to find them in my drawer one morning last week while searching for non-wicking attire to wear in the rain.

I graduated from high school in 1993. What this means: the 18-year-old elastic was completely shot. No problem, I figured. They never had very much stretch to begin with. Other than the wide elastic waistband, the fabric itself has no give whatsoever.

As long as I keep moving and keep my glutes firing, the shorts should stay up just fine. Hah.

Naturally, at the furthest point of my loop, the shorts started to go. I rolled the waistband and kept moving. Then I rolled it again. Again. The shorts were now as short as their polyester predecessors and still sliding.

Good thing Thursday's run was a short, easy workout. I spent about a mile running comfortably, another mile yanking up my shorts every few houses, then walked the last half mile while staying decently clothed. (Apparently it's the bouncing up and down of my running style that encourages clothing to slither from my body.)

Moral of the story: stealing never pays? But I still love these shorts. So maybe I'll just invest in some new elastic.

(Today's blog post title thanks to a telephone repair dude I met en route. It's raining lightly, everything slick and yucky, and he's standing outside loaded down with electronics, probably about to climb up some big pole. But I'm crazy?! Maybe so, because no one's paying me to run. Anyway, he said it with a smile.)

Training

To support my assertion that runners love to talk about their sport, this week brings you two posts on running from me. This is the boring one. So, to add interest, a picture!

Saturday was the St. Louis Science Center's annual Run for the Stars fundraiser, my second 5k "race."

I'm very slow. But I transitioned from walking to running just a month ago and I'm already jogging 3 miles pretty consistently. My longer weekend runs are about 4 miles.


Here's my completely unscientific week-before-the-race preparation schedule:

• Saturday (7 days out): practice run of the (hilly!) race course, with NO WALKING.  This lets me know what to expect on race day and also gives me a ton of confidence.  I know I can do this, no matter how hard it feels in the moment, because I've done it before. . . 
• Sunday (6 days out): four mile run.  Ouch.
• Monday (5 days out): no running!  Jillian Michaels video with hand weights.
• Tuesday (4 days out): jogging on the mini tramp to coddle feet and knees, again with the mini dumbells.
• Wednesday (3 days out): rest
• Thursday (2 days out): 2.5 mile run (and walk)
• Friday (1 day out): rest

Saturday was also the girls' first half mile fun run. They did so great! Some of the other dads carried their little ones to keep up with the crowd but our girls did the whole half mile under their own steam. I am so proud of them! (Here you see them inside the Planetarium, warming up. Ada loves her "running skirt.")

My parents - longtime runners and enthusiasts of the sport - came down to cheer for all of us. Paul and a friend ran the 10k while my dad and I did the 5k - the two races started and ended together, which was fun. My mom and my friend Elizabeth watched the kids during the adult races. The girls had a blast in the inflatable obstacle course and bouncy house. After running I had a few minutes to catch my breath and slurp down some fluids, then it was time to line up for the kids' race. Fortunately, they allowed "pacers" on the course, so I ran with Ada while Paul encouraged Ellie along.

And after that: off to Ellie's last soccer game of the season.

Awesome day.

(Paul snapped the top photo with his phone shortly before the races started. Runners were beginning to file down to the starting line. I'm chatting with my mom, Ellie beside me. Ada is talking to my dad, who's sitting on the curb.)

Tonight, Two Quick Rants

First, A SUDDEN COUNTRY by Karen Fisher.  I'm reading this for one of my book clubs and I'm not too glad about that.  In fact, I've been rather cranky in general for the last few days.  (Checking calendar. Well, surely this is at least partly the fault of the book.)  Obviously, I can't put the darned thing down and have been neglecting much of the rest of my life in order to stumble headlong through the story.  And to think I thought I'd never read Madame Bovary again!  Set her on the Oregon Trail and bob's yer uncle.

Second, there's the matter of personal interests.  I've noticed that runners like to talk about their sport: routes, distances, times, goals.  This is unsurprisingly.  Even in such a solitary sport, surely some need for connection or acknowledgment is likely to occur.  But my eyes generally role back in my head when my husband wants to go over his runs in excruciating detail.  (Conversely, I'm sure he find my running anecdotes fascinating. "And then, I smelled BBQ smoke!")

I'm coming the long way 'round on this one but am almost to my point.  It's Hollywood, you see.

Lots of our movies and television shows are made (developed, produced, filmed, set, whatever) in southern California.  And it's true that a lot of people live in L.A.  I don't.  In fact, over 280,000,000 Americans don't even live in SoCal!  (And that's not getting into the rest of the world similarly consuming our programming.)  I'm sure that there are quite a few Los Anglophiles out here in the wilds.

But maybe some of the rest are like me: not particularly interested in your city.  There, I said it.  I have nothing much against L.A., I'm just tired of seeing it all the time on so many different TV shows and movies.  So, now: Law & Order - Los Angeles?  Really?  Sigh.

Ten and a Half Months

Last June I decided to get a little bit healthier.  This happened:

Things started off well.  My body was so shocked that I was active and not snacking that pounds fell off.

• A. Vacation
• B. My birthday
• C. A friend scared me into getting serious about weight loss by nominating me for something. (I take the threat of public humiliation seriously.)
• D. November and December: vacation from diet and exercise to focus on National Novel Writing Month and Christmas.  These are both full-time jobs.  But I started January with a vengeance and the two pounds I gained disappeared immediately.
• E. In-laws came for a visit.
• F. Walking transitioning into running.

So. Yay!  I'm not there yet. But I'm more than halfway to my goal and this is why I love my Wii Fit.  Who cares if I only lost half a pound from last week if I can look back and see how far I've come in less than a year?

Go! St. Louis

At heart, I am a lazy, slovenly, and gluttonous person. Fortunately, I've found that being healthy and active doesn't necessarily mean I need to change my nature.

Active weekend:

Friday evening: We head down to SLU so that Paul can pick up his race packet then drive the course together, explaining to the girls about Daddy's big run on Sunday.  Then home for dinner and a movie.  (The active part here comes from playing outside with the kids earlier in the day plus making exercise - like this weekend's big race - a regular part of our lives.)

Saturday: We all go to soccer with Ellie. Afterward, Ellie and Daddy head to "practice reading class" and Ada and I go for a nature walk at Powder Valley. My favorite part of the day: pasta for dinner followed by cheesecake for dessert.  This is OK because of the morning's exercise, plus we're gearing up for tomorrow . . .

Sunday: the girls and I go downtown to watch Paul compete in the Go! St. Louis Half Marathon. This involves a bit of walking and running while stroller pushing for me and lots of standing, waving and shouting. I'm sure Paul extended a little effort, too, running 13.1 miles in 154 minutes.

After the race we hustle off to a reception for some friends leaving town. Alas! Then home for lunch and down time: Ada down for a nap, Ellie downstairs to watch a video, and Paul down and out on the couch in the front room.

Since I've been carb loading as if I too were competing in a half marathon, I decide to take advantage of my own down time. I turn on the Wii Fit and run for 80 minutes. According to me, I covered zero miles. (After all, I was jogging in place on a trampoline in front of my television set.) According to the Wii Fit I ran 13 miles. Of course I ran for just over half the time Paul ran, plus I didn't have to propel my body forward at all. So I didn't really do a half marathon.  Still, it was a solid workout.  Tonight?  TV and a treat.

If I exercise, I can eat without counting every single calorie.  For me, this is a very good thing. 

Tomorrow?  Housecleaning!   (See above, re: slovenly.)  Also on the schedule: catch-up on overdue things like email and committee work.  That should set me up with enough free time to keep up with my lazy later in the week.  Cheers!