SNOT BUBBLES

Yes, snot bubbles.

K is recovering from her second ear infection in three weeks. Last week we went to the doctor on Tuesday, were so excited to see our favorite nurse practitioner (seriously, this woman is one of my favorite people - kind, caring, takes the time to talk and answer questions, always pleasant, and so knowledgeable), and received a clean bill of health. On Wednesday K barely slept. She woke up Thursday snotty, but not too snotty, and she was a bundle of joy. By Thursday evening it was obvious that she wasn't feeling well. She didn't sleep much on Friday. I called the doctor's office at 8am on Friday. The set up an appointment for 9:15am. I successfully dressed myself and K, got a diaper bag packed, packed breakfast for both of us, found my wallet, packed it, and was out the door in half an hour (is that world record). We took the train to the appointment and were there ON TIME. Un-freaking-believable.

We were seen right away. K had a slight fever and an infected ear. No wonder sweet little girl couldn't sleep. We stopped at the pharmacy on the way home and saw our favorite pharmacist, who just happens to be named Virginia. She is so kind to K since they share the same name. Virginia the pharmacist is named after her mother, Virginia Sr. I love telling her that K is named after her grandmother. Anyways, Virginia the pharmacist filled our prescription in 5 minutes and we were on our way home.

At home K ate some lunch and took her antibiotic without complaining. We then got a call from our photographer that the prints we ordered from K's first birthday photo shoot were ready for pick up. I was SO excited for an excuse to jump in the car. I was so tired of caring around a sick baby. K and I ventured over to Capitol Hill and picked up our pictures from Elizabeth. We came home just in time for a nap. Or so I thought...

As I was putting away my keys and taking off my shoes, K decided to barf EVERYWHERE. All over her; all over me. Lovely. Just lovely. There is no easy way to clean up puke so I just took all of K's clothes off and put her in the bathtub. She loved it. While she was goofing off in the water, the phone rang. I answered it. In the two seconds I turned my head to answer the phone, K pooped in the bathtub. Lovely. I picked her out of the bath and started to drain it. K slipped on the wet bathroom floor. It hurt. She wailed. I felt terrible.

I did a quick clean of the tub. Filled it back up with water and let her play/relax a little while longer. We also brushed her teeth, which she loves. I finally got her to sleep at 3pm.

She slept until 5:30pm. D was home from work before she was awake.

By Saturday she was feeling somewhat better.

No more pukes. No more poops in the bathtub. Ear infection under control.

This is when the snot bubbles started to appear. They are just beautiful. All different shades of greens and yellows. She put on a snot bubble blowing show at the bridal shower I hosted on Saturday afternoon.

Makes me so proud.

Upon some reflection, I've realized that snot bubbles really aren't that big of a deal. They actually make me laugh.

And laughter is the best medicine, right?

THEY SAY...

... a picture is worth a 1000 words. Here's a couple thousand words from the past few weeks.

A few shots from NYC. First is a glimpse of Lady Liberty. This was the first time I saw her. It was 7:15am. I was on the Staten Island Ferry headed to the marathon start. The second shot is of yours truly proudly posing at in front of the marathon course map and holding my race number the day before the run.
















On Thanksgiving Eve we came downstairs only to find a hawk in our backyard. Yes, a HAWK in our backyard in Washington DC. It was incredible.


We hosted Thanksgiving dinner at our house this year. My mom, dad, and grandmother joined us. Here K is loading the dishwasher with her grandmother (notice their matching outfits!). In the other picture she's playing with her grandfather. The two of them are the best of friends.

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!