Aquarium Run

Saturday we ran the Aquarium run.  Ty was in the 5k at 7:15am and I ran the 10k at 8:15.  It was nice to be in separate races so I could watch Ty run.  I also enjoyed walking around with Carter during Ty’s race because he was awake the whole time and like most mornings was smiley and happy.

Ty ready to run, Carter ready to watch.

We cut it a little bit close arriving for Ty’s race because we had to go a back way to get to the aquarium.  Ty stopped off at the porta potties and then headed to the race start.  Carter and I found a good spot to watch for him, but then missed him go by.  We walked around and checked things out as we waited for him to finish.  After about 20 minutes, we set up to get pictures of Ty’s finish.  When I saw him approaching I was surprised to see the clock showing just over 25 minutes.  He finished in 25:31 (chip time), a new PR in his 6^th race in 6 weekends!  I was so proud of him.

Ty got water and some food and then we traded off.  He took Carter, I went to the porta potties, and then headed to the starting line.  My plan for the race was to run around 8 minute per mile pace.  I figured if I could run 7:20 pace for a 5k, I could run 8:00 pace for a 10k.  My goal was to run around 50 minutes and I really wanted to break 50.  We were talking about it on the way to the race and I realized of all the races I’ve run, I’ve only ever done four 10ks.  My times ranged from 42-44 minutes.  Obviously I would be nowhere near that!

I took off and was struggling to hold back.  I kept checking my Garmin, attempting to run 8 minute pace.  My first mile was 7:53.  I kept my first 3 miles just under 8 minutes.  Then we turned around and I realized the reason why 8:00 minute pace felt so easy, the wind had been at our backs.  It wasn’t too bad, according to my weather app, about 17 miles per hour (which for Oklahoma is nothing!).  But it was enough I was glad I ran conservatively during the first half of the race.  

 

Running the finishing straight away.

I finished the race in 49:52, averaging 7:56 pace.  Good for 7^th out of 233 women and 1^st out of 45 in my age group.  Ty was 4^th out of 26 in his age group, missing a medal by 6 seconds.  Since Carter was asleep we decided to stick around for the awards ceremony.  I’m glad we did because the medals were really cool!

While we were waiting for the awards ceremony I ate some food and then we went through the aquarium with our free entry for the day.  We checked out all of our favorite exhibits.  I could watch the seahorses all day!  

Breakfast of champions: hamburger, chips, and ice cream!

The race was a lot of fun and I loved getting to walk around the aquarium as my cool down from the race.  We plan to run it again next year.  Check out the race website here if you are interested.  

 I'm linking up with Ashley for Move It Monday.

Socks, Leg Warmers, and a Surprise!

This morning when I got out of bed I looked down and saw these poor, battered, old socks on my feet.  I smiled at the memories they brought to mind.  The morning Carter was born I was wearing them.  I decided to wear boots to the hospital and it didn’t even cross my mind to change my socks.  For some reason I didn’t think about how many people would see them throughout the day!  

The left sock has a hole from a game of tug of war between dogs.  The right sock has a splatter of red paint from when I painted our master bathroom.  Ty will be the first to tell you I never get rid of socks.  I don’t know why, but I hate spending money on socks…  I’m weird.  Now that one of the best days of my life is connected to this pair, there’s no way these socks are going anywhere!

When we first checked into the hospital the nurse was a bit concerned and asked about the sock thinking the red paint was blood.  I looked down, laughed, and as I explained what it was thought, really should’ve changed my socks this morning!  Then I made a mental note to wear cute socks next time around.  After Carter was born another nurse noticed the paint and thought blood had somehow gotten on my sock.  Although very possible, I again explained what the red spot was.  I never would have expected the sight of a pair of socks to make me giggle, but these sure do now!

I put Carter in his leg warmers instead of pants today.  As I put them on I was shocked by how skin tight they were.  I thought back to when they didn’t stay up very well because they were so loose.  Now they slide down because his thighs are too big and they roll downward.  I had to find a picture of him in his leg warmers before to compare to how they looked today.  Love my chunky monkey and his chunk a monk thighs!

Seeing his chubby thighs made me wonder how much he weighs.  I went in to weigh him and put him in the bassinet as I stepped on the scale by myself first so I’d be able to subtract my weight from my weight with him.  I gave out a screech as the numbers popped up on the display and I clapped as I went to get Carter out of the bassinet.  I couldn’t believe it, I had lost another pound!  Now I’m just 3 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight!  Woot woot!  What an amazing feeling!  Then I stepped on the scale with Carter.  My big boy is up to 15 pounds.  I’m excited for his well baby appointment on Friday to see how much he has grown!

Here’s to an exciting Sunday.  What did you do today?

Seahorses, Saturday, and Snuggles

The Oklahoma Aquarium hosts a 5k, 10k, and half-marathon to raise money for their exhibits and educational programs.  Since moving here I have wanted to run one of the races.  When I saw this year’s shirt with a seahorse crossing the finish line, I knew I had to do it!  Shortly after Carter’s birth, I told Ty I wanted to do it.  

Then the corporation Ty’s company is a part of started a charity competition for the month of April.  Each company earns points by volunteering in the community.  They also receive points for running races for charity.  Ty decided he wanted to run a race every weekend and this was one he wanted to run.

We had a dilemma, no strollers allowed on the course and both of us wanted to run.  Ty told me I could do it because I’d wanted to for so long.  But then we found out the 5k was at 7:15 and the 10k was at 8:15.  If we ran different races we could both run so I decided I would do the 10k.  I’ve only been back to running for about 2 and a half months and really baby stepped into longer distances, so I have only run more than 4 miles twice.  I knew it might not be pretty, but my co-teacher said it best, “So you’re taking one for the team”.  Yes, I guess so!

Then my next concern arose.  Carter normally wakes up and eats at 7am and then eats again around 8:30 or 9.  I would have to wake him up to feed him before we left for Ty’s ridiculously early 7:15 start time and then I guessed try to feed him again before my race.  

 

Ready to go!  The left shows his face the first time I took a picture and the right is his face from the 2nd picture.

Instead we ended up with another instance where it seemed as though Carter planned his day around what was most convenient for us.  I’m telling you, this baby of ours is an angel!  He slept all night, no 2 am feeding, no 3 am feeding, no 5 am feeding, nada, nothing.  The boy slept from 8:30pm to 6:00am straight through.  The closest he has gotten in the past was sleeping until 5 am.  Of course I woke up at 5 am in pain and couldn’t go back to sleep.  So I ended up getting up to pump at 5:30 which worked out perfectly because I was dressed and ready to go when Carter woke up at 6.  

Ready to spectate some races!

Carter was awake the entire time during Ty’s race and fell asleep right after Ty finished.  As my race start approached I was wavering, should I wake Carter up to feed him?  I leaned into the stroller and kissed him, but he didn’t wake up.  We decided we would let him sleep.  Ty said he woke up shortly after the race started and happily bounced around in the stroller as Ty walked him on the grass.  After I finished he was asleep again and slept through the awards ceremony.

When we got home he woke up as a hungry, hungry hippo!  I fed him and Ty fed us.  He made eggs and sausage with toast.  I dressed Carter in some adorable overalls, we played for a while, and I told Ty when Carter took his afternoon nap I was going to lay down in bed with him because I was worn out.  I feel like I ran a half-marathon, not a 10k!  I guess that’s what happens when you run a race distance you didn’t train for!  Ty said he would nap with us too because he had a headache.  

Carter’s eyes got heavy and we rushed off to bed.  I put Carter in the middle of the bed on top of the covers and sank down next to him.  I laid on my side with my lips grazing the top of his head.  How I’ve missed that since I went back to work.  Ty came in and got in bed with us for a wonderful family nap/snuggle time!  I napped for about 45 glorious minutes and they are still asleep, so I decided to type up a post while they continue to nap.  Carter woke up to eat and then went back to sleep across my tummy.  There is absolutely nothing better than some Saturday snuggles with my two loves!

Look for a race recap on Monday for Move It Monday!  Interested in this race?  Check out the race website here.

TGIF!!!

Lunchtime snuggles with my boy!

This week I had meetings at lunchtime on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Our time together was really rushed, but it sure made me appreciate our lunch lovie time even more!  I get sad thinking of the day when Carter starts noticing and crying when I leave.  At that point lunchtime visits will be not be worth the stress they will cause him when I leave.

Why am I out here?

It got up to 70 degrees today so Carter and I went outside when we got home.  He always seems a bit confused about his surroundings.  I love walking him around, telling him what everything is, and having him feel the textures of different objects.  He always looks so curious when I rub his hand on the bark of a tree or across the petals of a flower.

What is this in my hand?

I put a dandelion up for him to smell.  He's a smart boy because he didn't smile at it like he did the roses I had from Valentine's Day.  I was surprised when he reached out and grabbed a hold of it.  He held onto the flower up until Ty got home.  He must have enjoyed the texture of it.  I was so tempted to rub it on his palm to "see if he likes butter" just like we did as kids.

Still hanging onto his dandelion!

I love watching Ty interact with Carter.  When we went inside he was holding Carter up on his feet and Carter was pushing off with surprising strength.  I watched with a smile from ear to ear the entire time and didn't think to video until Carter was not having it anymore.  It's still pretty precious though!

 

Harper and Skippy love it when it's warm enough to open our new windows.  My parents got them for us for Christmas.  They both love to take in all the sights and smells on the other side of the window.

A Boy and His Dog

Carter just a few days old.

When I was pregnant I worried about how Harper would do with Carter.  I figured she would do okay, but she is so timid and nervous, I just wasn’t sure.  Before we came home from the hospital my parents took one of Carter’s blankets home for her to smell.  She was so excited to see them that she didn’t really pay much attention to the blanket.

When we brought Carter home we left him in his car seat.  We let Harper in the house to sniff him.  She initially came running straight to me, she had missed her mommy!  But then her attention turned to Carter.  We had to cover his face because she wanted to lick him, but other than that, she was so sweet to him!

Now Harper is completely smitten with Carter.  Anytime he is on the floor, she is right next to him.  When we’re in his room and she’s shut out, she is right on the other side of the gate watching him.  If he cries, she runs to see what’s wrong.  Sometimes she tries to lick him, sometimes she just offers support.  

One day I had Carter lying on the bed and he started fussing, so Harper jumped on the bed next to him.  He was swinging his arms around and grabbed a handful of her tail fur.  She didn’t mind at all.  She even wagged her tail as he was holding it.

I’m so proud of my timid, little mess of a dog!  But I won’t lie, she’s far from perfect!  We are working really hard on the licking.  She wants to plant her doggy kisses all over his little body!  She also gets a bit jealous.  She’s used to being my baby and now she has a baby to share her mommy with.  When I talk to Carter she tries to get in my lap or get right in front of Carter.  She also gets jealous when my mom is around.  She wants to jump all over her grammy to get attention on herself rather than Carter.  I’m sure she’ll get used to sharing the attention in time.

Harper going in for the sniff.

Carter seems to love her back.  He loves to stare at her, mostly because she is black and white.  He even tracks her when she’s in the room.  I’ve even caught him smiling at her a time or two.  I look forward to the day when he is old enough to love on her and play with her.  For now the interaction is minimal, but I sure love seeing my boy with his dog!

The Heart Grows

When I picture the day Carter was born I see him in my arms for the first time.  A cartoon x-ray reaches across my heart and shows as it rapidly grows to three times its size.  Maybe I’m way too into Dr. Seuss and have watched The Grinch far too many times, but it is an accurate visual for how I feel.  The day Ty and I got married I looked at his face and couldn’t imagine ever loving someone as much as I love him.  I couldn’t fathom it until Carter came along and changed everything.  

It wasn’t just this new person in my life who caused a need for more room in my heart.  When Carter came along he showed me new things to love about my husband.  He revealed qualities I could only imagine were there before.  Little moments, seemingly insignificant to others, mean so much to me.

It’s the look on his face when he first sees Carter as he walks in the door after work.  The fact that he puts lotion on Carter after a bath when he can’t stand the way lotion feels on his hands.  So much so that he refuses to put lotion on his own dry, cracked skin.  But he will put lotion on his baby’s skin simply as a preventative measure.  The look he gives me when Carter is crying for a reason that can be prevented, like suctioning out his nose.  The look that says, I know you have to do this, but for the love of all things, please stop, it’s breaking my heart.  How the man my family lovingly deems "beasticle" because he breaks things on accident, the bull in the china shop, somehow becomes gentle when he's holding our baby.  When he holds Carter’s little hands in his own and looks down at them I can tell he's picturing all the things their hands will do together.  The fact that he wants to be a better person, a better role model, a healthier man all for the sake of his son.  All of these things and more make the love grow.  

Tonight as I stood in the dark bedroom slowly rocking side to side holding the most beautiful being to enter this world, I look down into his face and I see his dad.  And somehow, only God knows how, my heart grows just a little bit larger because tomorrow I will love him more than I did today.  I love him so much it hurts.  In the morning as I look back at him in the arms of his teacher I know what it feels like for my heart to live outside my body.  It’s the most amazing and rewarding thing, but also extraordinarily painful.  I keep thinking to myself, this is how my parents must feel.  How do they do it?  It is so hard.  Loving Carter makes me realize how much they love me.  Whew, that's a lot! 

I thought as time went on leaving him would be easier as I would become accustomed to it.  Now I’m realizing it will only get harder as he interacts more and can show emotions beyond smiling.  Some day we will drop him off at college and I will look back as I walk away and I am thankful beyond words that I will have Ty there beside me to hold my hand, dry my tears, and whisper encouragement in my ear.  He’s my right hand, my backbone, my strength, my love.  And it grows every day.

Another Pound Bites the Dust!

I was so excited when I was back down to within 5 pounds of my pre-pregnancy weight a few weeks after Carter was born.  I was thinking this losing weight thing may not be as hard as I expected…  Then I hit a plateau.  It was like 5 pounds was the magic number.  I was building up my running and exercising, no change in weight.  I was eating healthier, still no change in weight.  I gave in to the realization that this 5 pounds may stick around for a while.  If for no reason other than to remind me, hey you just had a baby!  Like I could forget.

This past week I stepped on the scale and my heart skipped a beat.  Could it really be?  Was it true?  It may have taken nearly 3 months, but I finally did it.  I lost another pound!  I didn’t believe it so I stepped back on the scale.  The numbers still showed I was within 4 pounds of my pre-pregnancy weight.  This must be a fluke.  The scale has to be messed up, it can’t be true.  In disbelief I weighed myself again the next day.  Still the same!  I couldn’t believe it, another pound gone!

Now I’m starting to think my original goal to be back to my pre-pregnancy weight by this summer may actually be achievable.  I was starting to believe it was a far off dream.  I made a deal with Ty (actually with myself, but told Ty to hold me accountable) that if I’m back down to my pre-pregnancy weight by summer I get to buy a new swimsuit.  Which for all the poor other souls out at the pool or wherever I will be wearing it, let’s hope I can pull this off because I’m not sure I can fit into any of my bikini tops without causing embarrassment to myself and anyone within my vicinity.

I lost 1 pound in almost 3 months, now here’s to losing 4 more in the next 2 months.  Let’s see if it’s doable!

My sweet boy loves to run!

I can’t leave you without sharing a cute Carter story!  Today on our run Carter was awake the entire time, unusual for him now that he’s going to daycare (he doesn’t nap as well there).  When I would talk to him he would look up at me and smile.  He knows the way to his mommy’s heart!  We ran over a really bumpy section of the trail and he bounced around quite a bit.  He broke out into a giant open-mouthed grin that I call his “trying to laugh” grin.  I could just picture him a month down the road just giggling as he was jostled up and down.  Man, I love my happy, smiley boy!  I think we may have a future roller coaster enthusiast on our hands!

But mommy, why do we have to stop?

And just because it’s too cute to keep to myself, Carter with his Sophie the Giraffe.