PACKING LIST

They say in order not to forget anything on raceday you should make a list. Fearing that I'll forget something tomorrow morning when we leave home at 6:30am to go to New York for THE MARATHON, I've decided to make such a list. These are the items I will be taking with me...

1. shoes - yellow and grey Nikes
2. socks - my little white ones (yes, they'll get dirty, but they are my tried and true long distance run socks. I love them)
3. pants - this year I'll be wearing my Lucy capri running tights
4. purple, white, yellow and black striped top
5. sports bra
6. three pony tail holder - two for the little braids; one for the actual pony tail
7. warm clothes to wear at the start - including hat and gloves
8. warm clothes to wear home
9. body glide - to prevent chafing
10. camera
11. food - gummy bears, fruit snacks, power bars, oranges
12. drinks - water, gatorade, and propel
13. contacts
14. photo ID and registration form
15. toothbrush and toothpaste
16. deodorant
17. hair brush
18. cash - for cab to get to the ferry on time
19. thank you gifts for our host - homemade lemon bread and wine
20. bus tickets
21. cell phone and charger
22. homework - to do on the bus

Am I forgetting anything?

BIRTHDAY CAKE

For K's 1st birthday, I channeled Martha Stewart.


The big cake was vegan carrot with a non-vegan cream-cheese icing.

K's cake was vegan carrot with a soy milk, powdered sugar glaze. It was a huge success. She had no interest in smashing the cake. Instead, she channeled her inner princess and ate bits and pieces from the palm of her Papa's hand.

CONFESSIONS

of a mother of a ONE YEAR OLD.

On October 7th, and then again on the 10th, we celebrated K's 1st birthday. What a milestone. She's one; we made it through the first year. Cheers to all of us...

When I found out I was pregnant in January of 2008, I was in shock. I wasn't ready to be a mum. I had just started working on my PhD; I had comprehensive exam to take; I wanted to run the NYC marathon; I didn't want to be pregnant in DC during the summer. My list of excuses was a mile long. I wasn't ready...or so I thought. The night before I actually confirmed I was pregnant, I sat at home alone and decided I wasn't going to sleep until I was *ok* with the idea of becoming a mum. Somehow I found some peace deep down and went to sleep.

Looking back at how c-r-a-z-y I was that night (and the following when I finally bought a pregnancy test and told D he was to be a papa), I can now laugh. If I only knew then what I know now...

I love being a mum. The timing of K's birth was perfect. I cannot imagine or remember my life without her. Watching her grow over the course of this first year has been nothing short of miraculous. Watching D with his baby girl brings a smile to my face. I love her little hand inside of his and I love seeing him pick out outfits for her (personal fav - flare jeans, green flower top, and a hippy headband!). Watching my parents become grandparents is a hoot. K squeals going up the steps for days after my father leaves because he has chased her SO MANY times. And my mum, well, she's the best. Naming K after her was the best decision we could have made.

Being a parent is hard freaking work. Six hours of uninterrupted sleep is a blessing. Getting up at 5am to have some *me* time is hard (especially when it's so stinking dark outside). Trying to make decisions about food, sleep, discipline, hygiene, and daily routines is draining. And the endless amount of laundry is, well, endless.

But I love it.

And I love her.

One year ago...


And today... she's off on her own - curious about the world around her and extremely adventurous and independent.


What a difference in ONE YEAR.

She's mobile (not walking on her feet; only on her knees); she's verbal (no words; just lots of grunts, squeals, screams, and hand gestures); she's energetic (like the little bunny that keeps going and going and going - especially when the music is playing and she's in a dancing mood); she's temperamental (lots of pounding her hands and pulling on my pants); she's silly (lots of kissing noises, tongue twirling, laughing, mischievous glances); and she's just lovable (if you say 'can I have a hug?', you're likely to get one - sometimes with a big wet kiss).

A year ago I had no idea what I was doing. I had no idea how we'd adjust to being a family. I had no idea how to be a mum or I wanted to be a mum in the first place.

BUT I have learned to be a mum. And we have adjusted to being a family of three. Things have changed, but I passed my comps, am working on my dissertation, and am running the NYC marathon in two weeks! I'm overjoyed and couldn't imagine a better role than being a mother and wife.

A year ago I had no idea that I could fall so deeply in love with a little person. No idea that I could love my husband even more.

BUT I have. K, you are my pumpkin. My little angel. And such a joy. And D, I love you more today than I did yesterday. You're a great father and a kind husband.

A year ago, I would have never guessed that I'd be saying this...

I wouldn't change a thing. The timing of everything was just right (minus the being pregnant in DC over the summer!!). I am so humbled and overjoyed at being a mum and wife.

Happy birthday, little pumpkin. I love you.

ONE SICK MAMA

It's official: I have the flu.

After three days with a fever, soar throat, clogged ears, and a headache, I finally made my way up to the doctor this morning (special thanks to D for taking the morning off and hanging with the K - they enjoyed mushroom, pea, artichoke empanadas for breakfast!). And it is confirmed I have the flu. My rapid strep test came back negative and I do not have an ear infection (which I was sure I had). I do have the flu.

I got a written note/excuse from school for the remainder of the week. I have an exam tomorrow that I haven't been able to think about, let alone study for. They don't want me back on campus until next Monday because I have germs and they want me to get completely well.

Being a mom and being sick SUCKS. My parents were here over the weekend so thankfully I had two extra sets of hands to help out. Sunday morning D got to sleep in while I vegged on the couch while my mum and dad played with the K. Sunday afternoon D and K went crawling all over our street (and many of the front steps of our neighbors); I slept. I got K to bed on Sunday night and was asleep soon afterwards. Monday I stayed home (my high temperature for the day was 103.5); K went to her nanny share. Last night we had a rough night. I went to bed with a temperature of 102.7. K woke up SCREAMING at 1am. D went in to calm her down and she wanted nothing to do with him. I finally went in and she was all "let's snuggle", but not at all in the mood to sleep. I tried letting her cry herself to sleep, rocking her, patting her, walking with her, etc... Nothing worked. We were up until 3am together. She finally went to sleep around 3am and slept until after 7. A two hour interruption in my sleep while sick was not what I wanted. My fever was down a little this morning, but my throat is still hurting A LOT.

D went to work around 1pm. I'm home with an active 1 YEAR OLD (we'll save that story for another post), who just wants my attention. She wants to be chased and carried, fed and danced with. And I just don't have it in me. I'm counting down the minutes to nap time and the hours until D gets home.

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Running: "they" say you shouldn't do any training runs while running a fever. I haven't been out on the road since last Thursday (missed a 13 mile run over the weekend). I'm a little nervous about the impact this will have on my marathon run. Here's hoping I can get back out there by Thursday.

DEHYDRATION

They say that if you're running more than a 10K you need to think about nutrition during your training runs and event. I learned this is true the hard way...

My first endurance event was an Olympic distance triathlon, which I trained for with Team In Training. During the training program we learned a lot about proper nutrition and hydration. Unfortunately during my triathlon I just couldn't get myself to eat and I barely drank during the entire event. And my body was not too happy about it. I was so sick the day of and after the race that I could barely get myself out of bed. I thought I had learned my lesson...

During my first marathon, I ate and drank throughout the race and felt great at the finish. My second marathon...not so much. I drank well throughout the race, but ate poorly. I barely finished. And I felt like crap for days afterwards.

By now... during the training for my third marathon, you think I would know about what my body needs. But this weekend, I realized I don't know my body as well as I thought. I had my last 20+ mile run on Saturday. And I ran hard. I ran my normal 21 mile loop and completed it 5 minutes faster than I did two weeks ago. Yeah me! I drank well during the run - refilled at my normal spots. And I ate well, too. Gummy bears and power bars.

What I didn't factor into my nutrition equation was that I didn't drink much before heading out on my run. I didn't start out hydrated. I was dehydrated before I even began running.

STUPID.STUPID.STUPID.

I felt great during the run, but suffered the consequences of dehydration afterwards. I got home from my run in time to feed K dinner and shower before she went to sleep. I put her to bed and proceeded to pass out for about 2 and a 1/2 hours before getting up to eat dinner, drink some water, and brush my teeth before heading back to bed. Thankfully I woke up Sunday morning feeling much better. Thank. you.God.

I did learn a HUGE lesson about my body and the need to pre-hydrate before a big race. I will take all my hard-learned knowledge with me to NYC in 27 days.

MISSING

Orange tabby cat.

~14 pounds.

Answers to the name "Chai".

Last seen on Friday morning at home.

Likes tuna juice, sitting on window ledges, meowing loudly, and drinking water out of leaking faucets.

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Seriously, the cat is gone. We don't know if/when he got out of the house. My fear is he's holed up somewhere decaying. D thinks this is unlikely, as we have checked everywhere. Neither of us remember him sneaking out of the house, and let's be honest that cat is not stealth.

We're looking for some conclusion/closure.

SNACKS

Lately one of the common phrases heard in our house is:

"We have no snacking food."

It is true. We do a freaking amazing (I'm not joking) job of planning our weekly menu, never buying our lunches, and not wasting food. But we rarely have snacking foods in the house. I know snacking can be bad for you, but sometimes you need a freaking snack. We usually don't eat dinner until 8:30pm. So if we eat lunch at noon or even 1pm, it's a L-O-N-G time between lunch and dinner. A snack is necessary.

The snacks we've had around lately include: pretzels, chips and salsa, and homemade bread. These are great snacks, but they aren't cutting it. I need something a little more substantial (so I don't eat an entire bag of pretzels), and usually I want something on the sweeter side.

This week I've decided to make some seasonal breads - banana, pumpkin, and zucchini - to see if they can meet our snacking needs. Only the banana bread is done as of now, and it has been some good snacking (so good I'm not sure I'm hungry for dinner). If all goes well, I may start baking more breads over the weekend to serve as weekday snacks.

Any suggestions for semi-nutritious snacking foods?