GETTING STARTED EARLY

One nice thing about not having to nurse K is that I can have a glass of wine before putting her to bed. Last night we hung out with friends and I enjoyed a glass of wine. We came home soon after. I gave K a quick bath, snuggled with her as she had her milk, and then put her to bed. Not once thinking about how the wine was concentrating itself in my milk. The same milk my baby would drink before going to sleep.

I really enjoyed my glass of wine.

K is taking a bath right now. I'm baking some bread and washing diapers. A glass of wine seems to be just what the doctor ordered.

So I'm having one. And enjoying every sip.

This evening we are enjoying a medium dry Riesling by Polka dot. It's pretty good for the price. It tastes like granny smith apples to me and reminds me of fall. It would be perfect with Thanksgiving dinner or a warm apple crisp.

NOTES TO SELF

Dear me --

Here is a reminder of all that needs to be done today. And everything you've already accomplished.
Go get 'em...

just.like.that.

It was over.

Finished.

Never to be done again.

K is done nursing. I have been stressing for weeks over how I was going to wean her. She was only nursing twice a day - morning and night - but she seemed so in to it. Bedtime nursing was part of her routine. Would she go to bed without her nightly fix?

Then last Saturday night she just stopped. We sat down after her bath and she refused to nurse. Her nose was a little stuffy and she was fighting an ear infection, but she'd been nursing through it. I was shocked when she just flat out refused me. To calm her crying and her repeated signing* for milk, I got a bottle out, warmed some soy milk, and gave it to her. She downed the bottle, handed it to me, put her head on my shoulder and fell asleep. I put her in her crib.

And that was that.

She's officially weaned.

I was slightly traumatized by the whole situation. My baby is making decisions for herself; expressing who she is and what she wants and doesn't want. She was fully satisfied holding the bottle by herself. She is becoming little miss independent.

I'm sad that nursing her is over. But I'm also so happy. Nursing is a blessing and a curse. It is healthy and a wonderful bonding experience, but when you're the only one who can do it it can be overwhelming (and painful, especially at the beginning and when those little teeth come in). I didn't think I would enjoy nursing K as much as I did. And I'm sad that she brought it to an abrupt close. I wasn't prepared. She was in control; not me.

Thankfully I have the emotional capacity to handle this transition and to deal with it. Maybe it's better this way... it was easy on her (but not on poor me).

K is 100% on soy milk these days. And she still likes to cuddle in the morning, before naps, and at bedtime. Cuddling makes me very happy. I'll take her laying on my chest, pulling my hair, and drinking her milk any day.

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*signing - we have been using sign language with K for several months now. And it is wonderful. She lets us know when she wants "milk" and "more". She can also sign for "all done" and is quickly picking up on "please", which we have taught her so she stops whining/screaming when she wants something out of her reach.

1 year check-up: K went in for her well check at 13 months. Little girl is still really little - weighing in at 17 lbs 4 oz. This puts her in the 5th percentile for weight. She's going to be sitting backwards in her carseat for a long time. Otherwise she is healthy and developing nicely. She did have an ear infection diagnosed at her well check and is on some antibiotics. Her "fang" teeth and molars are all coming in right now. She's had a lot of Tylenol recently.

REMINDER

26.2

miles.

One city; five boroughs.

4:23:15.

10:02 pace per mile.

43,000 finishers.

Awesome fan support.

One of the best days of my life.

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My NYC marathon was a dream come true. It was without a doubt one of the best days of my life. At the end of the race my face hurt from smiling so much. The race starts on Staten Island. I took the ferry from Manhattan - got from great Statue of Liberty photos. The staging area before the race was a zoo. Seriously it was crazy. And it was wet and muddy. I ended up sitting on a concrete slab for an hour before the race. I ate and drank so much prior to racing - a bagel (my second of the day), two bottles of water, a Powerbar, and some sugary fruit snacks - that I ended up using the porta-potty FOUR times before getting to the start area. Thankfully I remembered to take my own toilet paper because the porta-potties ran out early on in the morning.

There were no fans the first two miles of the race because we were on the bridge, but right at mile two we crossed into Brooklyn and the crowd went crazy. There were fans lining the street for the next 12 miles. It was unbelievable. So much fun!

My favorite sign read: "your feet hurt because you are kicking so much ass."

I love the woman who made this sign.

The first half of the race takes place in Brooklyn. After that you cross into Queens for a few miles. At mile 15 you get on the Queensboro Bridge and it is a bitch. It's mostly uphill. You're running on the lower deck so it is dark and narrow. And there are NO FANS. The exit to the bridge is a steep downhill, but you're finally in Manhattan and the crowd was incredible. Seriously, there were people everywhere.

I finally saw D at mile 18 right after refueling on a goo pack and washing off with a couple of sponges. The sponges were one of the highlights of the run for me. It felt so good to get the salt off of my face and hands. It was rejuvenating! I saw D again around mile 22 and this time he ran with me. We ran together down 5th Ave and into Central Park. The energy from the crowd along 5th Ave was amazing and once you entered the park the energy was almost more than I could handle. I was fighting back tears. So.exciting. So.close.to.being.finished.

At mile 25 D stopped running with me. I had 1.2 miles left and I ran like the wind (I completed the last mile in 9:30). Between the crowds, music, and signs of encouragement ("One mile to go!!"), I wasn't feeling any pain. I was just enjoying the moment. By mile 25 I realized that I was going to accomplish my goal of finishing the race in under 4:30. Even if I had to walk to remaining mile, I would finish faster than I ever had before. It felt so good.

The last mile is a blur... there were cameras and big screen TVs and then the sign that said "800 meters to go" and then "400 meters to go" and then I saw the finish line. I ran strong and steady across the finish line and completely forgot to stop my watch. Crap... what was my final time?

After the finish, I got my medal, and then my warm wrap. Then we were herded like cattle - getting food and drinks along the way. Luckily I had my cell phone with me and was able to talk to D and my dad. My dad had been tracking me online so I finally knew my my finish time was and my pace per mile. It felt so good to KNOW I was under the 4:30 mark.

D and finally reconnected at Central Park West and 72nd Street. We went and showered and then headed to the bus station for home. I was a somewhat uncomfortable ride home for me and I didn't have enough water, but still I felt so good.

Completed the NYC Marathon. Check!