Why Can't Every Day Be A Weekend Day?

Good weekend for the M household all around. Finn continued with his trend of doing very well during swim lessons, and apparently graduated from the Minnow level to "Turtle I." He can now jump into the pool, turn over, and start floating on his back all by himself. I am amazed and proud, and a little sad that since I am always in the pool with Lucy during his lesson, I never really get to see his accomplishments in the pool. Though once our neighborhood pool is open for the summer, perhaps that will change.

He is mostly excited because he now gets to wear a red swimming cap instead of a yellow swimming cap.

That was Saturday morning, and later that afternoon I drove down to Washington DC to visit a friend with a newborn that I hadn't seen in about 6 months (since before her baby was born, and longer - too long!). The GPS decided to take me right through downtown DC which, while it added several minutes to my trip, gave me the chance to see all the beautiful cherry blossoms in bloom around the monuments and museums. My friend and I ventured out alone for coffee (adult conversation! coffee in a cute urban, non-chain coffee shop!), and then headed back to her house so that I could monopolize her adorable infant for a good half hour. I held her for so long that she ended up falling asleep (I've still got it!), and my arm got that "sore-muscles-from-bending-to-cradle-a-baby" feeling by the end. It was great - I got my fill of newborn, and it quite satisfied me. I had been having some baby pangs lately due to a plethora of pregnant women at work, most of whom have recently given birth. But this little jaunt helped me realize that I can get just the right amount of baby by visiting a house with one every once in a while, and then head home happily to my "babies".

It was early to bed on Saturday, and early to rise Sunday morning so the whole family could head out to cheer me on for the "Wild Woman 8K" race that I ran this morning. I have to thank my friend Karen for telling me about the race, because it was just perfect. Beautiful, sunny weather (it was chilly, but I was dressed just right), and a course that somehow, magically, was mostly slightly downhill. My absolute favorite type of running terrain! (BTW, a steep downhill usually creates problems with my bladder that suffered through two pregnancies and births - hence my preference for a slight downhill!) I don't know how they managed it for nearly 5 miles, but I am so grateful! I went to the race anticipating that it would take me about 56 minutes to finish - and that I would be pleasantly surprised to finish somewhere in the 55 minute range. During my treadmill workouts, I've been running a good 11-minute-mile pace that I can keep up for a 5K distance, so I thought that something similar for an 8K (accounting for that "race adrenaline" and the longer distance) would be about right. Color me shocked when I finish in about 51 minutes, 20 seconds!!! I don't have my official race time yet, but that puts me at around a 10 minutes, 19 seconds per mile pace. That race, it was an ego booster, that's for sure!

The rest of the day today involved errands, yard work, and family play time. And a lovely 20-minute cuddle with Lucy when she woke up a bit too early/too cranky from her naptime. She fell back asleep on me when I carried her over to the chair in her room, and even though she's about 10 times larger than the 3-month-old that I held yesterday, my arms were happy.

Some recent pics:

Bubble Beard #1

BB#2

Lucy and I snapped a pic of our feet one morning last weekend when we got up a bit earlier than the boys.

My mom got Lucy (and all her similarly-aged cousins) a book called "Everyone Poops" to inspire potty-training tendencies. While Lucy has not peed on the potty since we received the book, she absolutely loves it. One of these days I need to get a video of her impression of what a whale looks like while it poops for posterity's sake (spoiler, there is face squinching and grunting involved). It's the most adorable thing ever, seriously.

M. and I have been talking about buying an umbrella for our deck for a trillion years. Finally did it, and got a really good price at Kohls. Unfortunately, it's brown. Just like the outdoor rug, and the chairs. Looks like an awesome excuse to buy some bright, color-popping outdoor throw pillows if you ask me!

Before the squirrels ravaged our latest bird feeder, M. managed to get a photo of a blue jay snacking on our deck. Now we have no more bird food, but lots of squirrel poop on the rails of our deck. Stupid squirrels.

The start of my race this morning. I'm guessing there were about 400 people max that ran this race, a wonderful change from the tens of thousands that ran in the last one I did (Baltimore Running Festival). Yet M. and Finn still didn't see me when I ran past them at the start. Lucy did, though, and then sobbed heartily when I kept running past her. Good thing I didn't know that at the time! Not that I was going to stop - Momma was on a mission!

My friend Karen and I about 3 minutes after the race ended (well, for me - Karen finished about 4 minutes earlier than I did). We both had a great time - crazy that I am actually saying that about an athletic event where I busted my butt for nearly an hour! It was fun and rewarding, though - and I can't wait to do another one!

Babies and Dancing

This week was the first week I felt that pang - the one that I think I'll occasionally feel when someone announces a new pregnancy, or introduces a brand new family member. It was the first time I really thought "Am I sure I'm done having babies?"

I am sure, of course (I think) (definitely). I love babies. I love my babies. But I don't feel like there's a baby missing from this family. Lucy doesn't feel like a middle child to me. And if I'm really honest, I think some of those pangs are born of selfishness. Of me thinking that if I did it again, brought home a newborn that turns into infant that turns into a toddler that becomes an infuriating/lovable pre-schooler and so on... (not sure, still look ahead to/dreading whatever comes after preschool), I would do it better. I would handle it better. I would be more patient, less emotional, happier, better able to live in each moment. Less regretful when things don't go as planned (do they ever, with a baby?).

A new baby would be like a competition, a chance for a do-over.

That is not a reason to have a baby. So those pangs - I know they'll show up, every now and then. But they will be set aside.

And really, aren't these two enough for anyone? This family of four, we make a pretty good dance party.


The Awesome Robot


Perhaps a Hint of Classical Training?


A Father-Son Dance

98% Of Babies Manic-Depressive

Given the baby boom that has hit A. and her sisters Mommy Esq. and SBHGIGO, it seems appropriate to share the following 'news' article that I found while reading The Onion. I think most parents will agree that the results of the mentioned study are incredibly accurate. Left unmentioned was a follow-up study that addresses couples who exhibit mass delusion and memory loss when reminiscing about the final weeks of pregnancy and the first few months at home with the baby. In some cases, these mental lapses have been shown to lead to 'let's-have-another' syndrome, followed by a permanent loss of golfing privileges. Enjoy!


98% Of Babies Manic-Depressive
March 23, 2009 Issue 45•13
NEW YORK—A new study published in The Journal Of Pediatric Medicine found that a shocking 98 percent of all infants suffer from bipolar disorder. "The majority of our subjects, regardless of size, sex, or race, exhibited extreme mood swings, often crying one minute and then giggling playfully the next," the study's author Dr. Steven Gregory told reporters. "Additionally we found that most babies had trouble concentrating during the day, often struggled to sleep at night, and could not be counted on to take care of themselves—all classic symptoms of manic depression." Gregory added that nearly 100 percent of infants appear to suffer from the poor motor skills and impaired speech associated with Parkinson's disease.