Bit by Bit

These days, an 11 minute mile seems pretty fast to me, so imagine my delight when I ran 2 of my 3 miles in just a smidgen under 11 minutes last night:

Mile 1: 11:17
Mile 2: 10:59
Mile 3: 10:59

Total Time: 33:16

So far, that's my fastest post-baby 3 miler! Slowly, I'm regaining small increments of speed.

I ran the last 4 days in a row, so I'm taking a rest day today, and tomorrow perhaps I'll try to put morning running into action.

I Hate Mornings

The most logical time of day for me to run is in the early morning. Typically, Norah is up sometime in the middle of the night, then again between 5-6 am, then she'll snooze again until about 7:30 or 8. So, it makes sense for me to run after feeding her in that 5-6 am window, before Jerry leaves for work at 7.

The only problem?

I hate mornings, and I milk as much sleep out of them as I possibly can, so even though I've had the intention both yesterday and today to run in that window of time, neither yesterday nor today did that happen. So that meant that yesterday I did my run at the end of the day, and it looks as though the same is gonna have to happen for tonight.

Normally I wouldn't try to force myself to be a morning runner (it goes against my nature in a million ways), but when I return to work in a few weeks, I just know that the best, and possibly only, time of day to run is first thing in the morning. Therefore, I was gonna start to try to establish the routine now so I get used to it, but so far I'm 0-2.

At least I have been getting the running done lately, and maybe, just maybe, I'll find the morning mojo one of these days.

9 to 5

No, those aren't working hours; around here, those were the hours Norah slept last night: 9 pm to 5 am! That, my friends, is sleeping through the night.

Of course, you'd think I'd be thrilled with this, but the truth is that I actually didn't sleep as well as she did. For one thing, I was up at 2 and at 3 to go in and check on her, and Jerry checked on her at 4. So, it wasn't like either of us slept straight for those 8 hours that she did.

Also, because I'm breastfeeding, 8 hours is a really, really long time to go between feeding her, so by early morning, sleeping was no longer comfortable for me because I had boobs the size of cantaloupes. I do have a breast pump now (my mom's big gift to me while she was here), but I was honestly struggling with the idea of using it: Should I get up and pump? Or will Norah wake up right afterward and be hungry? (Yes, I realize I could obviously have fed her the expressed milk from a bottle if I had decided to pump, but I like to feed her directly from the breast as much as possible.) At about the point when I was resolving to get up and pump, she woke up.

So, yeah, I'm excited that she's sleeping for so long, but it doesn't necessarily mean my sleep is much better. I guess if she's gonna start sleeping for longer periods now, I need to relax and know that she's okay (but good lord, all the stuff you read about SIDS scares the bejesus out of you), and I might resign myself to getting up in the middle of the night anyway to pump.

Aside from baby news, I did get a 2 mile run in yesterday, and I had planned on going for 3 this morning, but it's currently pouring rain, so I guess I'll have to delay it for a bit.

Back to Normal

I dropped my mom off at the airport this morning, so now it's back to the regularly scheduled programming.

It was great to have my mom here just because it was so nice to have an extra pair of hands during the week. Whether that meant that she was taking care of Norah or taking the trash out, she was a huge help to have around; plus, it was nice to have a break from my day to day routine and the week went by quickly. But, as fun as it was to have her here, I was ready to bid her "adieu," and I think she was ready to return home as well, so the visit was really the perfect length of time.

So, some pics from when she was here: A pic of Jerry, Norah and I. My mom, me and Norah. Do you think we could get Norah to look at the camera? No way.

My mom and Norah: Norah is smiling big at my mom but not at the camera.

And here's Norah crashed out in her swing after my mom left: It was a busy week for a baby girl!

You may note how much Norah's skin has cleared up in the past week; we've been using Cetaphil and it has worked wonders! Her skin is SO much better.

In running news, I haven't been running at all this week, but I did have my 6 week check up with the doctor and since everything checked out A-Okay, and I'm all healed up and have dr permission to resume all normal activity, I plan to start really running. I have my eye on a few small races for the end of the year, so I think I will begin formulating a schedule for myself and I should have some running soon to report on.

For now, though, I think I'm gonna follow Norah's cue and go take a nap!

Checking In

Sorry I've been MIA this week, but it's been busy with my mom here, and I have hardly even touched my computer in the last few days. My mom, Norah and I have been women about town, and we've been shopping and going out to lunch and running errands, and just in general, we've been busy girls.

And Norah has been a peach about it all. She's been in lots of restaurants this week and she hasn't made a peep in a single one of them. Also, I don't know if it's all the activity this week, or if it's just timing, but Norah has been sleeping like a champ, and last night she slept from 8 pm until 3 am; then we went through the diaper and feeding routine and she went back down until 6:45 am! That, to me, is only getting up once in the night, which is nearly like sleeping through the night! We'll see if her recently long stints of sleep last after my mom goes home and she and I return to a less busy day time routine, but still, I'll take the sleep now even if it is short lived.

Anyway, I am way behind on your blogs, and probably won't catch up with you guys until after my mom leaves tomorrow, but I hope everyone is splendiferous! Later dudes.

Mom (now "Grandma") Visit

I may have to retract all the sarcasm from yesterday's post since today Jerry has been taking care of Norah all day. Of course, the reason he's in charge of her all day is because I'm cleaning the house from top to bottom, but I do have to give him credit where it's due.

So, why am I in a cleaning frenzy? My mom is coming tonight (I pick her up from the airport at 9 pm). And even though I know my mom is here to see Norah and Jerry and I, and she is neither the sort to notice nor care how clean my house is, I care how clean my house is, so I spent about 5 hours cleaning today, which is a lot considering the size of our pad.

But, it was good to have the time and freedom to really clean-clean, not just surface-clean, which is what I have been doing basically since Norah was born. Now this place is so shiny clean, you could eat off the floors!

Not that I would want you to because then you'd make a mess on my very clean floors, and then I'd have to take you out back and pistol whip you.

Anyhoo...I'm excited for my mom to be here (even though I'm certain I will be equally excited at the end of the week when she flies home); she hasn't been to visit us in FL since we got married (nearly 4 years ago). I guess I have to do big things, like get married and have a baby, in order to justify a visit from her.

Man Cold vs Woman Cold

As I mentioned yesterday, both Jerry and I have come down with a cold; however, what I failed to mention is that we have contracted two entirely separate viruses: I caught a Woman Cold and Jerry caught a Man Cold.

What's the difference? You ask. Let me tell you:

When a woman contracts a Woman Cold, she maybe feels icky enough to take something like Tylenol Cold or some similar cold product, but most likely, she won't take anything unless the situation is dire. Otherwise, the virus means that she doesn't feel great, but she goes about her day as normal. Yes, maybe that means stuffing Kleenex up her nose as she does the laundry or feeds the baby so that snot doesn't just drip out onto the floor (or on the baby's head), but essentially, a Woman Cold only slows a woman down; it doesn't take her out.

In contrast, a Man Cold is, apparently, a much more virulent strain of the same virus and it completely incapacitates a man. He must get extra sleep, and even when he's strong enough to keep his eyes open, those eyes are only strong enough to take in TV and fantasy football stats on the computer -- other physical demands are too much for him during this sensitive time. Additionally, when sick with a Man Cold, a man needs cough drops, orange juice, blankets, soft pillows, Tylenol Cold (extra strength), a hot water bottle, and plenty of Kleenex. It has also been my observation, but it hasn't been proved in clinical studies yet, that a Man Cold must be accompanied by an allergic reaction to household chores and diaper changing.

So, as you can see, a Man Cold is serious business and is far more severe than the tamer Woman Cold; therefore, I feel pretty good, but Jerry is miserable. I told him that perhaps what he really needs is some baby aspirin...he didn't take kindly to my sarcasm.

Sneeze-tastic

Last night I went for another 3 miler, and my stats were like so:

Mile 1: 11:34
Mile 2: 11:28
Mile 3: 12:02 (clearly, a little tired)

Total Time: 35:00

Right now, my primary goal with running is simple: Run 3 miles every other day at a comfortable pace until I begin to feel stronger and ready to run faster and farther. I have my 6 week check up next week, and I hope that after I get the "all clear," I can begin to think about choosing a few year end races to help provide some larger purpose to the running.

In other news, Jerry and I have both come down with the cold that Norah had last weekend. It's nothing major, and aside from a runny nose, I don't feel too bad; however, I will say that sneezing has taken on a whole new dimension now after giving birth. Let's just say that those "girl" muscles haven't fully regained their pre-birth strength yet, and when I sneeze, I feel as though I should first seat myself on the toilet.

Oy vey, these are not the things they tell you about when people try and trick you into how great it is to have a baby!

Check up

Norah had her one month check up this morning, and she has gained a few pounds and grown an inch, so her stats today were:

9 lbs 13 oz
22 inches

The doctor was pleased with her weight gain since that's really her main job right now: eat and grow.

She checked out healthy in every other aspect as well, despite the fact that she still has the lingering congestion of her cold (nothing to be concerned about, he said). She does have unfortunate skin, though, and he noted that by saying that "she's a cute baby, but she has bad skin." It's not really a surprise that she has sensitive skin because both Jerry and I have seasonal allergies and sensitive/dry skin, so there was really no escape for her on that front. So, we just have to use some hypo-allergenic lotion and give it time (and breast milk -- which seems to be the "magic" cure all that both the doctors and the literature suggest).

But, despite the "bad skin" she still thinks she's a pretty face in the mirror and we do too!

A Bit Better

Last night on my 3 miler, I managed to run a wee bit faster than I did on Sunday; here are the splits:

Mile 1: 11:37
Mile 2: 11:41
Mile 3: 11:48

For an overall time of 35:04, so that's some improvement already.

Otherwise, I don't have much else to report, and since there have been some recent requests for baby pics, I leave you with a few of these. The picture quality on these isn't great because they were taken with my cell phone camera (it was the only thing nearby at the time), but you will take what I give you and you will be happy. Enjoy.

Running the Numbers

In the spring, when I was still running while preggo, I decided to ditch the Garmin because I was just getting slower and slower out there and I didn't want to look at the digits. So, I have no idea how slow I was running there at the end before I decided to take a hiatus, but my technical guess is "slow as molasses."

So, here I am 3 months later, and I decided it's time to face the numbers and see what the damage is, so on Sunday night's soaker-run, I brought along the Garmin. I told myself before setting out that I wasn't going to judge myself based on my (probably) slow pace; I was just going to accept it and use it as a starting point for my return to running.

Yeah...easier said than done.

In the first mile, when it was telling me I was running at a 12 min/mile pace, I honestly thought something must be wrong with the Garmin. Don't laugh. I seriously thought it had to be a Garmin-error. It wasn't. I was that slow. In the end, I ran 3.23 miles on Sunday evening, and I ran them in 39:07, with an average pace of 12:08/mile.

Ouch.

That hurts my ego to post. Now, I know I really shouldn't be hard on myself; I had a baby 5 weeks ago. I didn't run for 3 months. I can't expect to return to running (with a few preggo pounds still lingering) and bust out the 9 min miles. Blah, blah, blah. I know all this, yet I can't help but be hard on myself: 12 min miles? Can't I walk faster than that? (Answer: no. I am a very slow walker.)

And, I'll be honest here, my pride was hurt so much by those numbers that I honestly thought about keeping them a secret from you guys. But then reality set in, and I figured: Why would I hide it? I'm slow right now, but at least I'm out there. I'll get faster, with time. I'll lose those last 5 lbs, with time. I will return to being the runner I was a year ago, with time.

It's just a bit hard to adjust to. Returning to running last week felt like I was returning to an essential part of me, but finding out I'm not quite the running-me I was pre-preggo is a bit of an identity adjustment. But like all the identity adjusting that I have been experiencing since I got pregnant, I can roll with this.

I just wish the Garmin would do me a favor and lie every once in awhile.

Another Rainy Run

Last night, I headed out for another 3 miler, and when I left the house it was cloudy, but it wasn't even drizzling and I hoped to get my run done before the daily rain we've been getting lately rolled in. In the second mile, I could see the black clouds, heavy with rain, approaching, but at that point, there was nothing I could do to avoid them: I had to just hope I could out run the rain. Ha.

Right at the end of my 2nd mile, the skies opened up and POURED. Within seconds, I was completely drenched. You haven't truly experienced rain until you've experienced tropical rain, but if you've seen Forrest Gump, and if you recall how Forrest described rain while he was in Vietnam, then you have a sense of how it can rain here in FL. In this case, it was coming in at me sideways, and as Forrest would say, it was "sting-ing rain."

Again though, I knew there was nothing to do but keep runn-ing (you have to say that like Forrest too). Certainly, that was the fastest way of getting home, so I trudged through the ankle-deep puddles and eventually got myself there. I looked like a drowned rat, completely soaked from head to toe, and my eyes actually hurt and my vision was a little blurry from the rain hitting my eyeballs. But I made it!

Man, I am tough.

A Night Out

Thanks for the good wishes about Norah's cold; she already seems better today. Still a bit boogery, but it doesn't interfer with her sleeping or eating, so that's good. She never ran a fever, the boogers were never green, and like I said, her sleeping and eating weren't interrupted, so we never called or went to the doctor. But she has a regularly scheduled appointment on Thursday, so I'll mention then that she was sick.

But sick or not, our friends volunteered to watch her last night so Jerry and I could enjoy some time to ourselves (thanks again Erin and Ryan!), so we went out to dinner to a new restaurant, and we had a wonderful dinner. Initially, it was tough for me to leave Norah, even though I know she could be in no better hands, but I was brave, and it was good to have the time with just the two of us: We had a really awesome dinner and it was nice to be able to eat together at a relaxed pace where we could actually take our time and talk to each other.

Then, afterward, we returned to Erin and Ryan's to find a very content Norah, and we gave her a bath there, and then once she was jammied, we all played some radical Rock Band: Beatles. Norah didn't want to go to bed; she wanted to rock! So, she stayed up for the show, and we rocked out, and I have to say, the Beatles version is awesome! So, we had a lot of fun playing that, then we sat on the porch for a bit and had drinks and chatted while Norah still refused to go to bed.

Needless to say, she was a tired baby when we went home and she conked out in the car right away and then slept one of the best nights she's ever had (in fact, it's 9 am right now and she's still sawing logs after I fed her at 6:30!); I guess babies love to hear Mom and Dad rock out some Beatles tunes!

All in all, it was a very nice evening out with the perfect blend of time alone for Jerry and I and time with friends. I think we really needed a night like that.

Now for today, we plan on a very lazy Sunday filled with an afternoon of laying on the couch watching football, and I plan to run again this evening once it cools off. Hope everyone else is enjoying a nice weekend!

Rainy Run

Last night, it was cloudy and drizzly when I headed out for my 3 miler, and while the weather didn't stop me from running, it did stop the Garmin from ever getting a signal. See, I didn't run with the Garmin on Wednesday's run because I just wanted to be able to run and not think about the numbers, but yesterday I was curious to see what kind of digits I'm dealing with after such a long break from running. But, no dice on the signal. Perhaps on a run this weekend, I'll get clear skies and a strong beam from a satellite.

In other news, Norah has a cold. Yesterday she sounded congested and as the day progressed, she sounded more and more congested, and this morning she is definitely boogery, and she has a cough every now and then, and grossest of all, she has green poop. She is only running a very light fever (so light, I barely dare to call it a fever), and she doesn't seem fussy at all, but I feel bad for the poor little thing.

As far as I know, there's not much we can do for her aside from ensure that she gets plenty of fluids and rest and use saline and the nose bulb to suction her boogers a few times a day. I looked online at some home remedies, but most things are for older kids, and since she's just a wee one, there's little that we can do for her. I know that babies just get sick, and that's life, but man alive, with a baby there is always something to keep me worried, isn't there?

Dear Soreness,

I had forgotten that you are deceptive and sneaky, so yesterday when I was able to brag to myself that I didn't feel you after Wednesday's run, you were clearly tricking me because today you made me feel the full impact of you when I sprung from bed this morning, and suddenly it was "hello hamstrings!"

Despite your trickery, I am not mad at you. In fact, in a weird way, I welcome you back since it's been so long since we've been aquainted. Still, I don't want you to think you're a friend, so I've been drinking lots of water to be rid of you. Nothing personal, I'd just rather you were gone sooner rather than later.

And don't think that you can deter me from going out again this evening for another run; no, I plan on another 3 miler tonight when Jerry gets home from work, so I'm afraid that your attempts to block my mojo with lactic acid are going to be futile. Running and I are back together again, and I am not going to allow you to break us up.

After another week or so, I'm sure you'll fade away, and we won't meet again until I start introducing some long runs and maybe some speedwork, so for now, I pre-emtively bid you "adieu!"

Sincerely,
Jess

One Month

As of today, Norah is one month old! In some ways, I can't believe it's already been a month because it's gone by so quickly; but in other ways, I feel as though I deserve a shot of tequila and a pat on the back since we've managed to do this for so long.

Stop the Presses

Because tonight, after a 3 month hiatus, I ran 3 miles! Ran it all. No walking. And all I have to say is that it was great! Maybe one of the best runs ever.

Seriously, I think I smiled the entire way.

Activity Gym

Yesterday, Jerry, Norah and I were out running a few errands, and we had to stop by Buy Buy Baby for a few necessities, and of course, we came across a non-necessity: It's so bright it almost hurts my eyes, and it plays this incredibly annoying music, yet I think I like it more than Norah does. I just want to play with all the little dangly toys!

That's not a very excited baby face, but I actually do think she likes it. Or, at least, I pretend she does. She seems to enjoy looking at the banana anyway.

Pool Party #2

Today we attended Rylee's 1st b-day party, and we had beautiful weather for the pool, so Norah got to try on one of her swimming suits (yes, she has 7 in total!) and go for a dip with Jerry. She was only out there for a little while because we didn't want her in the sun too long, but I think she had fun, and this is probably the only time in her life that that swimsuit will fit!

As you can see in the pic above, the poor thing is suffering from a bad case of baby acne. It started as just a few pimples on her chin, but then in the last few days, it spread all over her face. Thus, we have been calling her nicknames like Pimple Chin and Pizza Face and Zit Princess (yeah, we'll be real sensitive when she's a teenager, won't we?), but I really do feel bad for her. Hope it clears up soon.

All in all, it was another great party, and we had a fun day. Now tomorrow, we just get to chill at home. Ahhhhh, nice to have the long weekend, isn't it?

Labor Day Weekend Party #1

Today, we attended our friends' annual Labor Day Weekend Pool Party, but because the afternoon was mostly cloudy with some scattered rain, it turned out that we didn't use the pool too much. But, the overcast weather was kind of a blessing because it made being outside all afternoon more than tolerable, which isn't always something we can claim here in FL in September.

So, we had a fun afternoon eating too much, socializing, playing horse shoes, and in general, enjoying a good time. We headed out early this year (in years past, we stayed poolside drinking until late, but in case no one has told you yet, things change when you have a kid), so no hula hooping late in to the night this year. Tomorrow, we head to the second party of the weekend: Our friends' daughter's 1st b-day party! It too is a pool party, so maybe if the weather is nice, Norah will get the chance to model one of her seven swimsuits.

Books, Books, Books

Yesterday I took Norah to the bookstore for the first time, and honestly, she slept through the entire experience. Which means I got to pick out her read for her! (I got her a copy of "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein -- it was one of my favorites when I was a kid.)

Taking her to Barnes and Noble kinda made me nostalgic about bookstore visits when I was a kid. I grew up in Denver, CO and I spent many hours at the Tattered Cover, a beloved Denver independent bookstore. My dad used to take my brother and I there on Saturdays, and we always got to pick out a book for ourselves. Today, the Tattered Cover is no longer in its original Cherry Creek location, but there are still two other locations in Denver that people can go to (one is in LoDo and one is on Colfax; I recommend the LoDo location because it's most like the old Cherry Creek store) if any of you live in Denver or visit it.

Now, I feel a bit like a suburban sellout going to Barnes and Noble, but we honestly have no independent booksellers in South Florida, so Norah's first childhood bookstore experience was B&N. She did not have a latte.

After we got home from the bookstore, and I had big chain bookstores vs. the independent on the brain, I decided I just had to watch "You've Got Mail." I love that movie; and it was the perfect "fall" movie (I love the line, "I love NY in the fall; it makes me want to buy school supplies. I would buy you a bouquet of sharpened pencils if I knew you."). Remember my little rant not too long ago about how the romantic comedy sucks these days? Well, "You've Got Mail" is exactly what I wish more romantic comedies were like: It's charming, witty, and the characters have real depth and chemistry.

Watching it made me wish there were some kind of cute children's bookstore like Meg Ryan's Shop Around the Corner to take Norah too, but I guess for now, she'll have to settle on getting her Dr. Suess, et all from the big, bad chain store. Oh well. At least I get a discount with my membership card :)

Welcome Autumn!

Recently, on many blogs, I have been reading about how autumn weather is greeting those of you who do not live in a sweltering terrarium known as Florida, and I must admit jealousy. I love fall, and every September, I really miss the change of season: the leaves, the crisp in the air, the darker evenings; to me, fall always felt like the time of day when you're getting ready for bed and I always thought that felt so comforting.

Here in FL, however, September's arrival feels no different. It's still frickin hot and humid, and it will remain this way until about the end of October. Maybe November. Then it finally begins to cool off here, and then it feels glorious to live in FL (and I get to make comments on your blogs like, "Oh, you're experiencing snow and cold? Hmmmm, it's 78 and sunny here!" and that is always fun).

So, while September only means peak hurricane season here in terms of weather, it does signal that fall is on the way, and fall, despite the fact that I'm missing the good weather, is my favorite time of year. And this year, I'm especially looking forward to returning to running (soon, I hope) as the season begins to cool off some, and, at the very least, it begins to get dark earlier. And while I haven't actually gone running yet, I am thinking about it, and I am perusing the fall/winter race calendar in the hopes that I can run at least a few races in 2009.

For now, though, I'm still just walking on a daily basis (trying to be conservative) and dreaming of Turkey Trots and Jingle Bell Jogs.