Catching Up

I honestly can't remember how long it's been since my last post, but thankfully my blog keeps track of that and it looks like it has been two months. My last post was about my 5k race! So what have I been up to since?
Well, not running. I was hurting pretty badly after my race so I decided to take a break. Now it's just too cold and too dark during the times I could go run. Very unfortunate. I'm hoping I can figure out a way to utilize a treadmill in our house somehow, although there is zero free space for one. I think it's time for me to go to a specialty tennis shoe supplier and get them to figure out which shoe I need. I'm getting shin splint pain very bad when I run now. (I was able to go to the gym twice on vacation and ran a mile each time, and that was it. The pain was too much.)
Other than that, I've been busy getting ready for Thanksgiving, Christmas and vacation! This year was our year with Daniel's family, and we were lucky enough to have it in Northwest Arkansas! That was so nice. We were able to sleep at our house while spending the days that weekend with them all. We also did tons of shopping. I had my first Black Friday experience! (My autocorrect capitalized it...wow) It was so fun! I went with Daniel's family. We started out at 8pm and finished at 2 am. Then the next day Daniel went on their second outing that afternoon. You see, I had to have all my shopping and wrapping done by December 7th, because we left for a two week vacation on the 8th. That brings us to our trip!
Each December we spend a week in our timeshare in Fairfield Bay. It's lovely. There are hardly any tourists and it's quiet and not crowded. We get to spend a lot of time with Daniel's parents. So that was week 1, and the second week Daniel went home and back to work while Gunner and I spent a week at Nanny and Pawpaw's! The last day of our trip was the Babb family Christmas party. Those two weeks were busy! We really enjoyed it, and Nanny got some good quality time with Gunner.
Once we came home, we had my family's Christmas party on Christmas Eve. It's been a very busy December! Gunner really got into Christmas this year. It was so fun shopping for him and watching him open his gifts.
We are getting back into the swing of normal life again and preparing for our birthdays. Daniel's birthday is tomorrow and mine is in January. We will see what 2013 holds for us all!

Run my first 5k race: Check!

I can mark running a 5k race off my bucket list! Saturday October 27th I participated in a 5k with my mom and brother. It was so exciting! I'm thankful they did it with me because it would not have been as fun doing it alone.
I've been training since July so I've worked hard to get this far. It wasn't easy though. From being over weight, taking care of a toddler, not having much time to get runs in, and having the worst nights sleep before the race, I'd say it was a tough road.
I don't have a gym membership. Even if I did (and I have thought about getting one) I would have to wait until Daniel got home from work so he could keep Gunner. I'm not a morning person in the slightest, so running before he leaves for work is out of the question (for now...hopefully some day I will be brave enough to want to make that happen). So, I can either run on the weekends, or in the evenings. Running in the evenings has its challenges. Cooking dinner, feeding the family, getting out before it gets dark, figuring out if I should eat before or after I run, being exhausted from a full day, etc. The main thing I have to do is mentally prepare all day for my run. If I'm in the mindset of going, it seems that I do better.
I can say that as of a few weeks ago I have lost 20 pounds since I started. I still have many more pounds to go! I'm feeling better though and it makes me excited to keep working towards my goal.
Race day was crazy! The race was in Fayetteville so I thought it would be smart to stay with my parents so we would be closer. It would have been great had I not been up all night. Gunner woke up at 1:30, and I couldn't get back to sleep after that. At 2:45 I finally moved to the living room and cat napped in an oversized chair till 5:30. I woke up thinking "I'll never be able to finish...maybe I should just stay home." After sucking it up, I left with Mom at 6:30. We arrived, parked, got our bibs, found my brother, and walked around in the 32 degree frozen morning air for 30 minutes. My sister and sis in law were there to cheer us on. (And hold our coats!)
We took some pictures, got in line, and started getting nervous. (At least I got nervous!) I had read some helpful tips online about your first race, and I knew to get in the back of the group. Mom and David had both run a few races before so they didn't have the pre race jitters like I did. But alas, here we went! And before I could even find my pace they were both dashing out ahead of me. I knew I would be in the back of the group, but at last place? Well, I can't turn back now! There were four of us in the tail of the group, and we were all running the same speed. Two girls were behind me. As long as I stay in front of them I'm fine. Running, running, left turn, right turn, run...motivational thoughts, deep breaths, second song on my playlist, I'm doing it! It's still incredibly cold out but it almost seemed to help numb my sore legs. Half mile down. still see at least half the group ahead of me. Open field, I see Mom! Wow she's wayyyy up there. David is nowhere to be found...he's probably across the finish line being given flowers and hot chocolate, doing an interview for the local news. Focus, keep pushing through. One mile, done. The crowd has thinned out where I'm pretty sure the four of us are the only ones who aren't finished yet. That old lady who I swore I would pass is long gone. The rest of the group is probably having a party and eating fine cheeses and are being fed grapes and the most expensive cuts of meat fresh from a grill. Snap out of it! You're nearly done...*check phone* oh dear...I'm only at mile 1.5. This is hard. Ok, I've got this, focus, positive thoughts. Running, sunshine, dirt, running more, pace is good. Suddenly, I catch something out of the corner of my eye. What is that? Two girls?! WHAT?! They're passing me!!!? Noooo!!! I cannot be last...speed up! Ok no, finishing is the goal, not going into cardiac arrest in the middle of a pasture. Just finish. Who cares if they passed you. Run. Run more. New song. Oh good, this is perfect timing for this song, it always keeps me pushing. Turning corners, watching ahead to make sure there aren't holes in the trail. Sweating has kicked in. I see runners way ahead. Two miles done! Yes, time to speed up slightly. Run. Breathe. Should I take my gloves off? *frozen air slaps face* No, no I should wait a while. Why is it so cold today? Corner. What....what is that? Is that a hill?! Why is it so steep!?!?! UGH........horrible!!!! Ok got it....wait, another one?! Ahhhh!!!!!! Burning legs! Shut up Black Eyed Peas! I am pumping it as hard as I can! Leave me alone! I'm losing it, I need to focus. Think about your fat. You hate it. It's stupid. You want it gone. Yes, feeling better. I can do this. 2.40 miles! I'm nearly done! The faster I run, the sooner it's done. The faster I run, the sooner it's done.....the faster.....who is that? Someone is walking the wrong direction. ... ....? Is that........David?! YES! He's going to give me a piggy back ride to the end!!! How awesome! Oh, no...no he's going to run with me. That's good too! Sharp turn, volunteer and high five, nearly there! What's this?I'm passing those two girls! Yes! I'm not last! Here's Mom! She's here too! We are in this together! I can do it, it's almost over. Run, maintain. Keep it up. There it is! The finish line!!! Ok, give it everything you have! As fast as you can go! PLEASE DO NOT FALL!!! Aaaaaaaaaand FINISHED!!!!!!!!!
I did it! It's over! And I wasn't last place!!!!! Yes. I am so proud. I suddenly realized my legs were jello. I earned jello legs! It's worth it.

A Lunch Recipe

I've started being more careful about what I eat lately. I've got the running thing down so I thought to kick it into weight loss mode I would start eating better. I'm taking it slow. None of this "I will only eat lettuce!" or "Zero carbs forever!" because I get burned out in like a day. So, baby steps.
I bought stuff to make wraps for lunch! I really love the ease and versatility you get with doing wraps. Here is what I had today. It was really great.
Start with a wrap. I have garden spinach herb wraps. You can find them where they have tortillas at the store. They're pretty big so you will be full with one.
Spread a flavored cream cheese on it. I like using the low fat options like garden veggie. Spread a very small amount of dijon mustard on that. A little goes a long way. Cover with lots of lettuce. I prefer romaine. Then put deli turkey slices on top. I use a lot of lettuce and turkey to fill it up. On top of that I added a small amount of grated cheese, then some bacon bits because I thought I had real bacon pieces but did not and I really wanted a bit of bacon, diced tomato and whatever else you like! Roll it up, cut it in half and enjoy. Super yummy.
You can do just about any combo, and it's a great way to use up leftovers.
There you have it! Quite delicious and filling.

Friday Randoms

I get a little sad every time I think I hear thunder only to realize it's a moron with loud bass driving by my house.
Gunner's sleeping schedule is confusing me lately. He wakes up at 8 most days, but he's been sleeping later, napping later, and going to bed later. He's talking to himself for an hour before he goes to sleep. I might need to adjust his schedule a little.
Baily needs to go to the groomer in a bad way.
I haven't been able to go run in over a week. I'm feeling lazier each day I skip out.
I actually tried one of the hair tutorials I saw on Pinterest! Turned out better than I expected.
I cannot stop thinking about eating Nutella. I ran out (already) and Daniel has forbidden me to get more. He knows I will eat every bit of it as fast as I can. My precious...
Now I can't think of anything else except Nutella.

January 7th 2009

On January 7th, 2009 (3.5 years ago) I wrote on my blog that I had a goal to run a 5k by the fall. Did I do it? Of course not! Hahahahahahaha....
Sorry. I'm not sure why anyone thought I would ever do that. Running sucks.
Well, I'm currently in the process of "training" myself to run a 5k. 'Say WHAT?!?' you ask? Yes. I am. I'm just 3 weeks in, getting ready to start week 4. I'm doing it!! It's not as bad as I anticipated. It's terrible, don't get me wrong. It's just not killing me like I thought it would.
I'm using an iPhone application that coaches me through 30 minutes of walking and running. You start out super duper slow, like running 30 seconds, walking 1 1/2 minutes for 30 minutes. You gradually work your way up to running a 5k in 9 weeks. I'm getting ready to try 5 minutes of running on and off this week. Wish me luck.
I have never been a runner, even when I was in grade school and played basketball. I just never had any endurance. I'm at a place in my life where I'm not happy with myself as far as weight and general health, and I want to change that. It's become important to me to teach Gunner to make good choices when he eats and I want to encourage a healthy lifestyle. How can I do that when I'm not anywhere near healthy? I can't. This is my motivation. Well, not just that. I also want to feel good. Several weeks ago I started noticing how run down and sad I felt all day. I kept feeling like I couldn't get enough sleep even though I was sleeping 8 hours a night. I would wake up often, but I would still get plenty of sleep. That's not normal. I should have had enough energy to get through the day and I just couldn't do it without a nap. Even with a nap I still felt awful. Something had to change, and I am not one who is ok with taking medication to fix myself. I decided to start exercising, and for some reason I really was ready to try this running thing. It's working. I feel amazing nearly every day. I've got loads of energy and I don't tire out as quickly anymore. I've been having less headaches and I've also been sleeping so much better. My mood has changed as well. Have I lost weight? I have no idea, honestly. Probably not. But that's not my goal right now. Right now I'm trying to get into this habit of exercise on a regular basis. Everything else can wait. Dieting, running in the early morning, weighing myself, it can all wait because I am easily discouraged and those are things that could bring discouragement.
It feels really good to have a goal. Not only that, I am starting to really notice a difference on how long I can run. That's been awesome. It makes me realize that I really can do this if I just keep going.
On a lighter note, I have had some interesting moments during the last three weeks of this. The first day I did this, I was very nervous. I honestly didn't know if I had it in me. That was a learning experience because after that I figured out how to add a select group of songs from my iPod to the app for my run. That first day I was running short bursts while I was trying to skip through hundreds of songs. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is NOT a very motivating song to run to, let me tell you. So that was a nice distraction from my nervousness. On another day, I ended up getting out there pretty late so it was nearly dark when I started. I had to wear one of Daniel's LED head lamps while I ran around the neighborhood so I could see where I was going. I probably looked like an insane coal miner. Actually, I had to wear it twice in one week. This last run I got to do with my mom who has already done a couple 5k's. So I'm sure she was having a hard time running that slow. (I'll work on speed later) Anyway, it's been really interesting, and it's starting to get a little bit fun. I'm hoping I can keep up and not have to do any of these weeks over again, but it should take me at least another 6 weeks before I'm finished.
When I'm on the last day of this, I want my neighbors to bring out the lawn chairs and cheer me on!!!! Ha! That would be so hilarious. Maybe I can just get Daniel to do that.

Yes, I would like some cheese with my whine

My head hurts. I've had a weird headache in my eyes for two days. It's annoying. Tylenol doesn't help. Resting doesn't help because I fall asleep and it seems worse after I wake up. Yes, I'm whining. It's really annoying. I feel very blah and I've got no get up and go. That's all. I've got nothing special for you today. Just wanted to complain for a bit since I try to avoid complaining most days.
On a positive note, I think I finally finished the insane amount of laundry we had.

Things Gunner Says

Gunner's verbal skills are improving all the time. He is learning new words constantly, and he is starting to repeat things he hears. A little scary considering I can't always control what he hears, but every parent deals with this I guess.
He is excellent at using the same tone and inflection he hears other people use. When he says certain things, it sounds identical to the way I would say it. One funny thing he has been doing for a couple of days is yelling "MAMAAAA!!!!" and I will say (a bit quieter) "GUNNER!" and he loves it. He has started saying it slower, lower and quieter and I will copy him. He just laughs and laughs.
He likes to call out for people he knows (Mama, Daddy, Nana, Papa, Nanny, Pawpaw) and can name each of them in his photo albums.
He's been trying to master saying "okay", but it's coming out "ahshaaa". That darn k sound. He loves saying "yeah", and if he hears us say it he will go crazy saying "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!"
He's been repeating things from his favorite cartoons, like when they say yes, no, or make animal sounds like moo. There's a song they play on Nick Jr. that has ooo ooo parts, and he repeats it. In the car today a song on the radio had something like nah nah nah, and he was singing it!! Smart kit.
He's starting to make two word sentences also. He loves saying "Uh oh Daddy" and "Uh oh Mama". (he also uses "uh oh" when a recorded episode of Bubble Guppies is over. He says uh oh and finds me to turn on another episode. Spoiled!) He can say "Bye bye Daddy/Momma/Nana/Papa" and he has also invented a new word that he uses when he can't say your name or doesn't know your name. It sounds something like "Bye bye ledledledle". He just sticks his tongue in and out. Ha! Lately, when it's time for bed or for a nap, when I lay him down he tells me bye bye. So sweet!
He's started saying "wow", "Wheeee!" and "yay" when he's playing.
My favorite thing he has said thus far though pertains to diaper changes. He has had some particularly epic poopy diapers the last few days, and most of them have caught me off guard. I wasn't prepared with the amount or nastiness when I opened the diapers, so I would just say "Oh noooo!" and then do what moms do and talk silly to keep their kid entertained. (funny sounds, silly faces, whatever.) After that, each time I open his diapers, he says "Oh no!" Ohhh noo!!" and smiles at me. Silly kid!!!! Gotta learn to be careful what I say from now on.

Teething Blues

Gunner is cutting teeth. He is cutting his first molars. He currently has one fully in already. That one wasn't too terrible, but it's these next three that are causing problems. Molar 2 is almost all the way through, 3 is halfway in, and 4 is mocking me just underneath the gums. All three of these are hurting him at the same time. That's why it's so bad.
How can I tell when he's teething? Well, aside from being able to see them, there are a few signs. First, he drools...a lot. Next comes the chewing. He has his hand stuck so far back into his mouth he can probably feel his small intestine. Seriously though, he just digs at his gums constantly until it's over. This is usually accompanied by extreme neediness. He is usually quite independent, but when those teeth start coming in he is constantly in my lap. He doesn't want to play or sit alone and he requires cuddling most of the day. He just lays on me quietly, and if it's really bad he cannot sit still. Fourth, he has the most incredible dirty diapers. He poops like 5 times a day, and half of them are diarrhea diapers. (Yes, gross) I wish someone could figure out why this happens with teething. The last, and by far, most exhausting sign of teething is the refusal of sleeping at night. The last time he was teething he would wake up many times at night. Now that his molars are coming in, once he wakes up he will not go back to sleep unless I'm holding him or in the bed with him. Last night he actually wouldn't go to sleep to begin with unless I was holding him.
Every kid has different symptoms of teething, but these are Gunner's. He feels miserable, and I hate that he is hurting. It's something every kid has to go through though. If I had to, I would do it all over again. I probably will at some point. Until then, we will eat a lot of cold fruit, and after he's done I will sleep... Someday I will sleep again.

Cooling Off

Gunner has officially been introduced to the redneck way of cooling off in the summertime: the back yard sprinkler! I remember many hot days as a kid running around the yard, covered in grass, jumping over the sprinkler. Such fun. He wasn't sure at first, but now he loves it.
For Memorial Day, we had a couple of friends over who have kids the same age as Gunner. They all played in the yard together, but the girls weren't as excited about the sprinkler as Gunner was. They liked the little pool best. It was really cute seeing the three of them play.

Just Thinking

I'm guessing since Gunner was about 3 weeks old, I started looking forward to the next step. Nothing major, just little things like him growing too big for his newborn clothes, being able to wear the next size up, holding his head up long enough to do tummy time...you get the idea. I was always so excited for the next step. I couldn't wait until he was able to eat his first foods and sit up on his own and play by himself. I'm still doing it too, and I wonder if I will ever stop!
This time, it's potty training and a toddler bed. I keep trying to remind myself that all kids are different and they don't all move to the next step at the same age. Some kids are ready earlier, some later. These two things could really change life around here so that's why I've been thinking about them a lot. I do not want to rush Gunner into anything too soon and him not be ready since it might cause problems later on, but it's hard to tell when they're ready sometimes.
This kid is smart. I know every parent says that, but he really is. He picks up on new things so quickly it's kind of strange. I guess in the back of my mind I'm hoping he will be able to pick up on potty training as fast as he does other things. I've read my fair share of baby websites, blogs, and other moms comments online and a lot of them tend to state that 18 months is a great time to try potty training. Then there are those moms who say they barely got their kid potty trained before kindergarten... This makes me terrified! What if that is going to be my kid?! What if he refuses until he's 4?! Oh boy, I don't like that idea at all.
The toddler bed transition isn't something I'm wanting to do soon, I just know a lot of the time it tends to come along soon after potty training. These two things will pretty much catapult him from a baby to a little boy. The word baby won't apply any longer.
Maybe that's why I'm dreading it so much.

Dream Weaver

I've been having a harder time sleeping lately which causes me to have some wild and crazy dreams. Last night was a great example.

First off, I was dreaming about getting an enormous sandwich cookie at the Great American Cookie Company. (I actually woke up wanting a cookie this morning...) Somehow, after that I was kidnapped by the guy who plays Roger Sterling on Mad Men. (see below) I was placed with the other hostages and Daniel was one of them. The bad guys made my legs numb, I guess so I wouldn't be able to escape. Then, they picked me up to take me away and I was trying to tell Daniel goodbye, you know, all dramatic like in the movies but he was busy talking to another hostage about Star Wars.
"DANIEL!!!!! Hello?! They're taking me away!!" He responded "Oh yeah! Oh, sorry!! Be careful! I love you!" [awkward hug]
As I was trying to crawl feet first into some random air duct, I was able to feel my feet but acted like they were still numb so I could later run away. 'Roger' grabbed a knife to see if I was faking and started stabbing my feet! I had to act like I couldn't feel it.
We got to a warehouse where a guy was acting like he was helping work on the plane, but really was about to help me escape. We started walking, the guy threw me a box cutter, I lunged for it but before I could do anything 'Roger' had a gun to my back! It was at this point in the dream where I pushed 'Roger' away and said "This is ridiculous!!" and woke up.

I have no idea.

Good Riddance?

[This post was written some time last year when I couldn't post anything. I thought I would share it now.]



We all have too many friends on Facebook. That's a fact. Some of the people I am "friends" with, I don't know that I have ever met! They may be friends of a friend, or heard about me through someone I met once. It's hard to keep up with everyone on there. And it's impossible to talk to each friend regularly. If you have no trouble doing this, you clearly have only seven Facebook friends.

Occasionally you find out when someone deletes you as a friend. You don't get an email or anything, but when I see another friend has tagged a picture of them or wrote on their wall, and then when I go to their profile it says "Send Friend Request" I'm always in shock! What?! Since when? What did I do?

I pretty much go through all the stages of grief within about 2 minutes.

Denial: Well, they probably didn't mean to, or they left facebook and when they came back forgot to add me as a friend.

Anger: I hate them! What a jerk! They are stupid, and I remember when they were mean to me that one time in Wal Mart...

Barganing: I wonder if I can message them and ask what I did? Maybe if I offer an apology for doing the thing I did that I don't know what it is...

Depression: I am a horrible person. Why else would someone delete me? I have no friends...

Acceptance: It's only Facebook! Whatev.

Vacant

It's been nearly a year since I've blogged. It's not because I don't have time, even though that is quite a fact. It's because my dadgum blog wouldn't post anything I wrote! So... here is a small post to see if it's working better now that they've made some changes to the site. Let's hope so!