Thursday, January 31, 2013

Birthday

THE event of January is my birthday. Obviously. This year is just starting my second in this age group, so nothing new there. It's funny how each year shuffles people around just a bit, and when you're the one moving up, it's fun to compete with those you haven't competed with in 4 years. But I keep wondering, when do people slow down? Seems every new age group is full of more and more faster chicks. 

When I turned 30, I did 30 x 100s in the pool, rode 30 miles, and ran 30 minutes. This year my thoughts were "yahoo! an easy week!" I did start off with a brick, since it was Saturday, after all, but not before I came downstairs to decorations and presents from my two guys. Later we had homemade cake and filet mignon; my husband is turning into an excellent chef.

Some days I definitely feel my age, like at 3 am when Hunter wakes up, and I can't figure out how to work my arms in my sleepy daze. Most of the time I can't really believe I'm 36 now. I've been driving (legally) for 20 years, I'm a legal adult x2, and I remember my mom being 36! But age makes for better endurance athletes it seems. It may be experience in the sport, or maybe it's the mellowness that holds you back from blowing yourself up early on. 

Someone needs to remind me about that whole "holding back" thing next time I do another bike test. Whew! It was T-O-U-G-H. (I've started spelling things like o-u-t-s-i-d-e lately to keep the baby from thinking I'm taking him to his favorite place. Yes, already!) So during this 20 minutes of bike testing when I think I can't last a minute longer, I have to close my eyes to keep from staring at my clock slowly ticking off every second. And then when it's over I realize that time still passes pretty quickly, even during bike tests. Before you know it, the twenty minutes are over and you've just turned 36 and your baby is going to be a 1-year-old toddler in a month and a half. Better keep my eyes open so I don't miss it. 


 

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Nursing Gymnastics

I have to laugh when I hear moms talk about relaxing in a chair for half an hour while nursing. Hunter has never nursed that long -- unless he's sleep-nursing. And it's anything but a calm experience. If I do manage to sit in the recliner,  he tends to latch on, then roll over into kneeling on my legs, and usually he tries to stand while still hanging on. One of his favorite positions for nursing is standing on our bed while I stand next to it. Sometimes I have to hold him dangling there. This usually occurs because I've dared to change clothes in front of him. If he catches me, he has to have a quick sample of milk. And if he catches my belly button exposed, it needs to be given a zerbert.

We drove up to Santa Fe last weekend, and if you've ever had a baby who can't stand to be contained by any means, you'll appreciate the variety of nursing gymnastics done in a car. But this time it's mommy who does the gymnastics. As Hunter sits comfortably in his padded lounge chair, trying to see around me, I've got my face smashed up against the window, one foot lodged against Jeremy's neck, and I'm doing an isometric pull-up on the ceiling handle. Going over railroad tracks makes this especially fun.

But when Hunter walks up to me, finds my hand, grabs a finger, and leads me to his excitement, I'll do any kind if gymnastics for him.


 Hiking in Santa Fe: "come see this mommy!"
 


Too big for his britches

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Confront Your Fears

So I signed up for a 70.3 -- an official Ironman branded one, the first I've done in years. I picked this particular one because I wanted an excuse to vacation in San Diego, and it is in late March, so we will still be living out in the warm sunny desert for the winter.  Somehow the 14 degree temps I ran in at 9am on Sunday didn't quite mesh with my plans of warmth. At least it was sunny. 

In reviewing my choice of races, I keep coming back to "what the hell was I thinking?" Not only will I be riding my long rides on the drainer trainer inside, but also I have picked a course where I have the greatest chance of being eaten by a Great White of any race I've ever done. I calculated the miles of racing I've done in the Gulf waters plus the ones in the Pacific off the coast of Hawaii, and in just about 30 miles I have yet to see a shark. I have, however, deliberately been scuba diving in the middle of a shark feeding in the Bahamas, and I have swum after a baby shark in Grand Cayman (before Megan and I realized the potential risk). But none of these sharks were WHITE sharks, the angry ones.

Really I shouldn't have these fears, but if you know me or have been reading my blog for long, you know that I have a deep, dark fear of deep, dark water. Or just a deep water fear. Or just a dark water fear -- either one, really. Added to that is the potential for sea kelp in the Oceanside harbor. I can't decide whether to read up on Great Whites and their dislike of swimming in sea kelp (or is it their like of it?), how rare attacks are in that area (or how there was just last fall another surfer killed north of there), and how swimmers in large packs wouldn't attract them (but what if I'm out by myself looking like a seal?).

So whew, besides the swim part, it could be cold, windy, there are hills, blahblahblah. Why can't I just pick a fast calm race with a pool very clear, shallow lake swim (and no alligators either)? If I just make it out of that harbor without a leg becoming shark bait, it'll be winning. 





Mommy's going to WHAT??

Saturday, January 5, 2013

'13

Lucky 2013 is here! I'm not a superstitious person. It really doesn't bother me when our black cat walks directly across my path and then right under a ladder. And since H was born on the 13th, I think of the number as rather lucky. I'm certainly looking forward to this year as the year we move to Little Rock into our new house. Heck, any year I get to watch my baby grow is something to look forward to. While it is hard saying goodbye to the year he was born, and always a little sad to put away outgrown clothes, there are so many new experiences that I'm excited about.

I'm starting the new year with a little more training. About six months ago I registered for a 70.3, and I have been sitting around lazily waiting until the last minute to get in shape for it. Well the last minute is here, so I, along with all the resolutioners, have exercise goals to meet, and nemeses like bad eating habits to banish (and let me tell you how hard that is to do while H still gets 95% of his calories from me). 

23 pounds of chubby rolls


Hunter's resolutions for the new year seem to include 
~ perfecting his pterodactyl screech -- especially in public places like bookstores; 
~ collecting all the cords from every electronic device in the house; 
~ shredding every piece of paper (books, magazines, mail) into small edible pieces -- and then of course eating them; 
~ finally luring the kitties to come to him to play, or maybe just getting fast enough to catch them (the perfect pterodactyl screech is not helping); 
~ finding out the gustatory qualities of each object those little hands can get a hold of;
~ and then learning the laws of physics with those objects (as H's grandmother, Mamo, says, he does the taste test, then the toss test :)).


Cords, tape measures, whatever

In the final weeks of 2012, he, without realizing it, took his first independent steps. He's better at walking than his confidence gives him credit for, which is what my swim coach used to always tell me about my swimming. Hmmm. He forgets that he's supposed to hold on and just goes for it! We get excited and he looks at us like, what? Good lessons for him to teach me -- forget what I'm supposed to be able to do and just do it!
 

In attempt to learn sooner what is on his mind, we have shown H some baby signing videos, and he has picked up at least one. I'm convinced its either "eat" or "kitties," two of his favorite things. And his first word was either "kittieSSSSS," or "hi" that he combined with a wave. 

We have all been busy lately (like everyone else around the holidays). Hunter seems to have been given an endless list of tasks to complete. Sometimes when he wakes up from naps, he looks startled, like he just fell asleep on the job. It's a face of, oh crap, I just fell asleep and I have so much to do! He jumps up and starts going again. I may or may not have had this happen to me when I used to work in an office.

He's making me busier too. Besides just his endless running around and wanting to do the taste and toss tests with every new object he's discovered in the house, he is going through a bit of a clingier stage. It may be a result of all the travel and large groups of family we had around us the whole time, but lately it's all about Mommy. While flattering, it can cause everyday tasks to be a bit cumbersome. Using the bathroom with a wiggly baby on your lap gives a whole new meaning to the term "attachment parenting." It makes me feel... I don't know, neglectful?... about going out for a run or swim when he's awake and reaching for me. And it's not that Daddy isn't fun. H gets soooo excited to see hilarious Daddy. He just doesn't want me to miss out on anything.

I am well aware that my sanity requires exercise every day, and I am also aware that H will be having a blast back at home within 30 seconds of my departure, so I try to enjoy my brain being turned off for a while. I know I could find more "productive" things to be doing with my alone time, like laundry, but it that really as good for my mind? I think not. :)

Somebody is learning to assert himself, get what he wants, and tell us what that is. I died laughing when I looked back at this picture. Of course, Mommy is stubborn too, and that hat went right back on when he got otherwise distracted. 



I don't think you're understanding me here, people. I don't want to wear hats!


But I can still be distracted.


Happy New Year!