It Took Me 6 Months...

...But I finally broke one of my 2012 running resolutions:

I let more than 2 days come between me and running.  Yes, I confess: It has been 3 days since my last run.  I have some excuses, none of them are very valid.

Frankly, I'm a bit surprised I stuck to my resolution this long, but on the other hand, having more than 72 hours between me and my last run, I remember why I made that goal.

I am ITCHIN' to run today!

Ground Rules

First of all, thank you VERY much for such a warm welcome back!  Your comments re-confirmed that returning is the right decision.

But, then, who wouldn't welcome me back with open arms?  My charm and charisma are pretty much irresistible.

As for my hesitancy about returning, I had two major hurdles that I had contemplated when I thought about returning to blogging.  I think it's pertinent to describe them because it describes some changes to my new approach to the blog.

1.  It's time consuming keeping up with everyone else's blogs.

Dilemma: A lot of blogging is reciprocal: You read my blog, leave a comment, and the expectation is that I'll read your blog and leave you a comment.  As much as I enjoy reading others' blogs, this expectation is the blog element that I find exhausting.

Solution: So, here's the dealio: I'll read what I can, when I can, but I can't guarantee that I can read and comment on everyone's blogs, as much as I'd love it.  Not happenin.  If that means a smaller readership here, that's okay.



2.  What to do with the children?

Dilemma: One reason I needed the blog-break back in January was actually a two-fold reason: A.) A bloggy-crisis-of-identity.  Is this a running blog?  A mommy blog?  Just random YouTube videos of kittens wearing human clothes?  Okay, so it definitely was NOT the last one, but just think, readership would skyrocket!  Everyone loves kittens in human clothes.  B.) Were the kids too public of figures?  I was concerned that I was exploiting their non-existent privacy by making them such public fodder for my blog.  I don't want to have to pay for expensive pyschotherapy one day because I made them "characters" for my own personal amusement.

Solution: In this day and age, maybe NO kid gets privacy.  These kids in this generation will just have to reconcile themselves to the fact that naked pics of them were posted online WAY before they even had an option of leeking their (hopefully adult) versions.  So, in short?  I've started a "pyschotherapy savings" for each!  College?  Pfffftttt, who needs that?  They're gonna need therapists!

As for the blog's identity?  I knew this was no longer entirely a running blog -- especially after I quit back in January and not a single one of you commented that you'd miss my race reports (it still stings...) -- but I also knew this blog could never qualify for "Mommy Blog" status.  Why not?  Well, the term itself pretty much makes me wanna vomit, but aside from the nausea-inducing label, I am not the sort who fits into "that" category; i.e., I don't think giving kids McNuggets will make them serial killers, I think TV makes for excellent quiet time, and I am highly in favor of candy as a form of bribery.  I don't think my lassiez-faire parenting approach is fit for mommy-blog-dom.

Solution: This is MY blog and I get to blog about whatever the hell I want.  So, I will still talk about running, and dammit, my race reports are stimulating reading!  But, I will also talk plenty of kid talk and further prod your sentimental, gushy cores by posting ruthlessly cute pictures and videos of them.  Of course, on this "mommy blog," what you're gonna get are more likely stories of how Norah caught her hair in the spokes of her bubble gun's mini-fan, or how I found Caleb messing with his dad's electric razor last week. 

Why would I bother feeding these kids organic?  They're just gonna electrocute the nutrients right out of themselves anyway!

So, that's that: This is the "New 21 Days" philosophy and approach to content.  Like it?  Great!

I assume there's no other alternate way you'd respond; this site is rad.  Can't imagine that anyone would argue with that.

I'm Baaaack!

After a 6 month sabbatical, I've decided to return!  Ta-da!  (Go ahead, act surprised.)

I've been anticipating returning for awhile.  I hemmed and hawed on it, and then decided after the Bolder Boulder in May (best race ever!), that I wanted back to blogging.  I just waited a spell because I like symmetry and I wanted to return to blogging today, June 21st, which is this blog's 7 year anniversary, and exactly 6 months after I left for "retirement."

So, what's been happening in Jess-land in the past 6 months?

Brief run down:

I ran 2 half marathons: A1A in Feburary and the Miami Beach 13.1 in March.  Both were my worst HMs ever.  Eh, it happens.

I also ran 2 10Ks: The Green Turtle Gallop in Boca in April and The Bolder Boulder in Bolder in May.  Neither was a PR, but both were good races.  The Green Turtle was fun because I got to meet up with my old running friend, Wendy, and Bolder was quite simply the most awesome racing experience I've ever had (more on that in a separate post; I have a detailed race report I want to post for that one).

On the family front, Caleb got his helmet off back in early March -- his head shaped up nicely -- and at the end of May, the little dude turned 1!

He's not walking yet, but he's close.  Oh and he's kinda-sorta allergic to Scooter.  But we still have that damn dog.  Kidding Scooter, I love you!  Kinda-sorta.

As for Norah...

...She's almost 3, going on 13.  I get a whole lotta attitude from this one these days, but she keeps things interesting, that's for sure. 

And, the Jer-Bear is doing well -- he's busy right now with bowling league and being the Commish of his fantasy football league (don't get me started; football is still MONTHS away, so why he has to already be spending so much time "researching" is beyond me, whatev). 

And me?  Well, I was born awesome and continue to remain that way.

This summer, I'm just teaching 2 days a week and the other 3 days a week I'm being a full time SAHM, which means that everyday that I don't commit child abuse is a successful day.  And, of course, I'm running.  Sometimes with 1 kid, sometimes with both (bought a dbl jogger!), and sometimes solo.  Whatever way, I'm getting the miles in that I need to stay sane and to keep the beer gut off.

So, that about catches us all up to speed.

Ahhhhh, it's good to be back!

Goodbye!

Prologue
I've been thinking about this post for awhile now and I've composed several mental rough drafts: Some aim to be light-hearted and humorous, others more introspective and philosophical; others were kinda on the gushy-sentimental side, and a few other drafts were too brief, and a little flippant.  In short, it's been difficult.  Probably because saying "goodbye" is a toughie.

But, here: I think this is my best version of saying farewell in a manner that's best in keeping with this blog.

The Long Goodbye
Some of you may remember about a year ago when I summarized a conversation I'd had with my mother wherein she said, "You know those bloggers. They're all so self-absorbed."  At the time, I laughed it off, but as is true for most things mothers say, her words lingered with me, and like koan, I've been turning her phrase over in my mind and meditating on it for nearly a year now.

It's true that there's something narcissistic about blogging in order to believe that readers may be interested in what I have to write about myself and my life, but did that make my blogging a simple act of self-centered naval gazing without further meaning or significance?  Was this an act of simple vanity?

After thinking on it for a long time, I came to the following conclusion: Yes, this blog is about the personal, but there's something universal about the personal. 

That's why people write blogs, read blogs, and take the time to leave one another thoughtful comments (or even go one step further and connect with one another outside of blogging) because blogging helps us feel connected to one another by understanding that ours is not a singular experience.  This has made my blogging meaningful and this is why I have appreciated having so many of you as readers for so many years, and why I am truly grateful to you for allowing me to read your blogs and gain insight into your experience as I search to discover significance in mine.

So, thank you.

Thank you for reading, thank for leaving kind and encouraging comments, and thank you for opening up your personal world to me as a reader.  I've enjoyed this community immensely; it has meant a lot to me.

My best wishes to each of you as readers!  Enjoy your running, enjoy your families, your friends, your work, and your lives!

So long, farewell, auf weidersehen, goodbye!
Toodles,
Jess

Epilogue
I fell down yesterday while I was running.  Scraped the hell out of my left knee.  It stung as the air bit it once I got up and resumed running.  It's been YEARS since I fell down while running.  YEARS.

My first thought after resuming the run was: "Yay, what a story for the blog!"  Second thought: "Ah shit, I'm gonna miss blogging."

Foto Friday

Based on your comments and emails this past week, it seems that the #1 thing you'll miss about the blog are pics of the kids, so for your pleasure: Here's a gratuitious number of recent kid pics.

Norah and Caleb before an evening walk during Caleb's one hour of helmet-free time.  Norah looks stoned; maybe that explains why she's never paying attention while she's walking:

 Norah "reading" some of my books:

Caleb doing some fingerpainting.  His helmet theme at the time was the following: You see the front font, and on the back, it said, "But you can change my diaper for free!"

The teachers at daycare were savvy enough to point out that we pay them about $1,000 a month for them to change his diapers, so we had that a bit backwards! 

Here's Norah doing her fingerpainting, which is mostly just painting her belly:

 Here's a little peek into Norah as a teen:

 Caleb enjoying some Dad-kisses:

 The two of the kiddos chillaxin' in Mom and Dad's bed.  Norah is two knuckles deep in her nostril, no doubt.

 Norah sportin' my shades.  I guess they're just as rockin if they're upside down.

 Moments like this one below are my favorite -- where they're playing together and giggling.  It doesn't happen all the time (Norah has a tough time sharing and taking turns, and Caleb doesn't really get any of it yet -- he just sees shiny things that make music when he touches them), but I sure like it when it does!

Oh, and his current helmet theme is "Angry Bird."  On the front, he's got the furrowed brow of an angry bird, and on the back, he's got a graphic of the full angry bird.

10 Things Thursday

More than once, I've been asked how I come up with blog material and how I avoid repeating myself.  To the first question, I can't say where posts come from: they just occur to me, often with little or no preconception.  Most posts are written off the top of my head.  To the second question, of course I repeat myself!  I repeat myself a LOT!  As I scroll through the thousands of posts (yes, I can say that!  THOUSANDS!), here is a run-down of the most frequently discussed topics on "21 Days":

1.  Running.
This was started as, first and foremost, a running blog, so it seems fitting that I write about running.  Surprisingly, when I search my posts, only 49% of them have a match for the word "running."  So, I guess you could say that I "mostly" write about running!

I write about MY running: I rarely dispense advice or talk technical.  I leave that to more knowledgable, experienced runners.  I've simply written about what works, and doesn't work, for me.

• One sub-category of oft-talked about running topics here is pooping and running.  Or, more specifically, the close calls I've had of nearly crapping myself while out running.  It's scary how often it's happened.
• Another sub-category of my running topics has been the usual business of race reports: Updating everyone about my Awesome Sauce racing, or sometimes not-so-Awesome Sauce racing.  But, one memorable race report?  An invented race report!  No, not an invented race.  Invented report!  I nearly won a contest for this one.  Nearly.
• Lastly, important to any runner is gear.  What piece of gear have I mentioned the most in the past 2000 posts?  Garmins!  Which is ironic since I was reluctant to use one at first, and even once I had one, I didn't start regularly using it until the summer of 2007 when I was training for the Chicago Marathon.  I ran the Disney Marathon Garmin-less: Unthinkable to me now!  But, for an additional dose of irony, my most frequent subject when it comes to Garmins?  Complaining about their malfunctioning.

2.  Preggo Running.
Since I've spent the past 3 years either being pregnant or running post-pregnancy, many of my posts about running in the last few years have had to do with running while preggo and post-partum.  It's these posts that seem to have struck a particular chord with many readers (mostly women, also mothers or mothers-to-be).  I complained a LOT about being a barfy-barferson during both pregnancies, but you guys seemed to be impressed that I kept running.  I'm glad you're easily impressed; it helps make me seem even more SWAWESOME.

3.  Poop.
Yeah, I poop everyday, and seemingly write about it approximately every 10 days or so (given the percentage of posts that feature the word "poop").  And you like it!  (Maybe because you poop too and you  also think it's amusing?)  But, I haven't just written about my own poo: The posts that have struck the funny bone the most have been kid poop, baby poop, and dog-eating-poop stories.

4.  The temperature.
I talk a lot, apparently, about the weather.  For living in a place that basically only has one season, I find a lot to say about that one season.  For the majority of my meterological blather, I bitch and moan about how hot it is here in FL.  But, sometimes I also bitch and moan about the occassional cold spell.  That seems to inspire not one bit of sympathy from you guys!

5.  Bowling.
Well, at least, I used to talk about it a lot.  Then I had kids and I don't bowl in a league anymore, nor do I drink myself silly all that often anymore (a travesty, I know!).  And speaking of drinking, I used to post about that frequently too.  Then, we had kids.  See a pattern here, people?

6.  Scooter.
Remember my dog?  Yeah, he's still around.  I guess he's still cute.  But, his cuteness has diminished over the years.  Once we had kids, Scooter began to take a back seat to our attention, and that has never sat well with him -- he still can't believe they're staying.  He's a howly-howlerson who steals food from both kids, and has even been known to steal food from Jerry and I when our attention has been diverted (and it shows!), but we still love him.  I suppose...But, I'll tell you this much of what I learned about getting a dog before having kids: It's a mistake to treat them like your fur-kid!  It's cute at the time, but when real kids come along, fur kids have a tough time adjusting.  I pretty much threaten to BBQ Scooter everyday; it's a testament to how much I still love him that I don't follow through.

7.  Norah.
She's mentioned in 406 of my blog posts.  Considering she's only been around 2 and 1/2 years, that's pretty significant.  And she's been significant to you too: The post with the highest number of comments, ever, was the post when we announced her arrival.

8.  Caleb.
He's only been around for 7 and 1/2 months, but the ratio of times I mention him actually put him -- mathematically -- on the same level of mention as Norah.  Everyone seems particularly interested in his flat-headedness, which is rounding out quite nicely with the help of his super-baby helmet.

9.  Jerry.
It's hard to measure, quantitatively, how frequently I've talked about Jerry on the blog since, for the first two years, I didn't refer to him by name.  Yes, that's right, when I first began blogging I gave him anonymity (ha! imagine such a thing!).  I initially referred to him as my finace (since we were engaged when the blog began), and then later, only as "my husband."  I referred to him as "the Jer-Bear" for the first time on his birthday, nearly two years after beginning the blog, and after that, I just went ahead and talked about him quite freely -- and I have to give him props for putting up with my public persona and for drawing he and the kids into that arena.  But, it's not as though he's a shrinking violet.

10.  My hair.
This is a funny one for me since I don't feel as though I focus too much on my hairstyle, but apparently, in the course of 6 and 1/2 years, I've gotten my hair cut 20 times, and I told you about it every time that I did.  An additional tidbit is that I have frequently gotten my hair cut on Veteran's Day, each year -- probably because I get the day off -- still I never realized there was a pattern!

Going through all these posts and reminscing has been fun for me; the blog has deifnitely been a wonderful, electronic scrapbook of my life for the past 6 and 1/2 years.  But, is there a technical term for wanting to go back in time and drop kick yourself for not appreciating all that free time you had pre-kids?

Rhymes with Orange

If there's one thing I get asked about, more than anything else (including questions about running while preggo and "are you really that bad at typing when you're drunk?"), it's about these orange shorts:

In fact, the orange shorts are so intriguing to some, that I even got interviewed by Sarah Bowen Shea, from Run Like a Mother, for an RW article about women's running apparel in which she and I had a very specific conversation about those shorts.  Sadly, neither the shorts, nor I, made the final cut for the RW article.  Orange shorts only get you so far in this world...

So, what's the legacy of the orange shorts?

For those who have read from the beginning, you may recall how I started running in cotton.  Yes, cotton!  My goodness, how young and naive I was!  Anyway, clearly cotton is the WORST choice in running fabric, and it didn't take me long to figure that out.  So, I started a search for some quality running clothes, and in the fall of 2006, I stumbled upon these shorts.  I don't know where I bought them (they're Nike, but I know I didn't buy them from a direct Nike retailer), or even why I bought them.  Nothing about their initial purchase stands out to me.  What does stand out, however, is how they've performed.

For nearly 6 years now!

These shorts never bunch, never chafe, never ride up uncomfortably in the butt.  I've worn them when I've been at my leanest, trimmest self, and I've worn them when I've been 40 weeks preggo; they fit nicely either way.  I've worn them to countless races, and in the past week alone, I've worn them for 3 runs.

But the magic of the orange shorts goes beyond their practicality.  The magic of them is that they are unique. 

Wanna buy some like 'em?  Too bad.  There are no duplicate shorts out there.  Trust me, I've searched.  I own lots of other models of Nike shorts, and while I do like Nike's shorts, especially their "tempo" model, none of their other shorts are THESE shorts.  I swear, they are an anomaly.  No other shorts are as comfortable or as versatile.  So, to me, these shorts automatically give me a mental boost when I don them.

I almost always reserve them to wear for the week's long run, or if there's a run I know I don't want to do -- early morning, for instance -- I set them aside for those runs because putting them on immediately helps motivate me to do the run.  You can't deny the power of what clothing can do for a person's self-esteem on a daily basis; if you feel good in your clothes, you simply FEEL good.  Same holds true for running clothes: if they feel good, you feel like you'll run good (yeah, I'm an English professor, but sometimes the rules of grammar must be bent for higher purposes of symmetry, right?).

I hesitate to label the orange shorts my "lucky" shorts because, honestly, they haven't ever brought any particular running luck.  But I can say that, like the word "orange," nothing is quite like them and their rarity is what, in part, contributes to my favoring them.

Fabric can't last for an eternity, so someday, these shorts will lose their precious elasticity and even the sturdiness of their construction will eventually fail; I dread that day, but knowing it's out there makes me value them that much more.  Like all the best things in life, I know they won't last forever.

21 Most Memorable Moments

So, I begin my week of blog-stalgia (won't you miss my invented vocabulary the most?  if you ask nicely, perhaps I'll over-use "swawesome" this week so that you're also ready to retire that come Saturday) with a simple list of the "21 Most Memorable Moments."  These moments are a combination of my life's highs and lows, laughs, poops, drunkenness, and other brouha, in the past 2,370 days.

21.  Inception: "21 Days" beginning.
20.  Hurricane Wilma.
19.  My first Turkey Trot.
18.  The time I pooped myself.
17.  The time I fell down.
16.  One of the many times I blogged while drunk.
15.  Completing the Disney Marathon.
14.  DNF at the Chicago Marathon.
13.  Completing the Miami HM -- my first HM.
12.  The Princess HM -- my HM PR.
11.  My first post-Norah race.
10.  First post-Caleb race, also known as my 7th consecutive Turkey Trot.
9.  When we got Scooter.
8.  The day we finished remodeling our condo.
7.  My 1st pregnancy announcement.
6.  My post about "running while pregnant."
5.  My 2nd pregnancy announcement.
4.  Calling it quits on running during pregnancy while preggo with Norah.
3.  Ditto with my pregnancy with Caleb.
2.  Gettin' hitched to the Jer-Bear.
and tied for the #1 spot:
1.  Norah's birth and Caleb's birth!

Phew!  That was a fun retrospective, wasn't it?  These are just MY most memorable personal, running, and blogging moments, but some of you have been reading for a loooooong time, so does anyone have a Jess moment that stood out?  And if you're in the mood for hours of nuthin' but good times, scroll through the archive for your own 2,000 posts of Jess-tastic fun -- I'm hilarious!

Rumination

First of all, thank you for so many kind, thoughtful comments about my decision to retire the blog.  The comments some of you made honestly made me tear up, and it's a great feeling to know that this blog has been so meaningful to readers and that it will be missed.

Your comments were so moving, that I'll be honest: You filled me with self-doubt about this carefully considered decision, and all weekend, I wrestled with the should-I-stay-or-should-I-go dilemma.  Jerry was no help in figuring it out (in fact, when I'd discussed my decision to quit blogging a few weeks before I announced it on Friday, his only response was: "I've heard you say that before"), telling me only: "The blog is yours; this is YOUR decision."

Ah, shark farts, why couldn't I have a husband who just told me what to do?!  It'd require a lot less thinking on my part...

...in the end, I decided to make myself an old-fashioned pro and con list.  I'd made several mental lists before posting Friday's post about #2000, but I hadn't sat down with a concrete list to help me perhaps make a more rational decision.  Here, I'll show you what that list looked like:

Pro Blogging:
1.  I like it.
2.  It gives me a near-daily writing outlet.
3.  I like having a concrete sense of readers and commenters.  That makes the writing feel satisfying.
4.  I like the people who blog and who comment here.
5.  Some bloggers have been my "friends" for years, and I'd hate to lose that part of our connection.
6.  It gives me a way to provide a record of the kids' childhoods.
7.  It gives my running accountability.
8.  It challenges me: In my running and in my writing.

Con Blogging:
1.  Sometimes, I don't like it: It can feel like an obligation.
2.  I have wondered over the years if because I blog, and it helps fulfill some sense that I'm writing, that it keeps me from truly pursuing writing.
3.  Readers and commenters have been dwindling in the last few years.  According to analytic data, this blog peaked about 3 years ago in readership.
4.  It sucks to know that the blog's popularity has declined in the past 3 years, but you know what else declined in the last 3 years?  My spare time, and thus the time I used to take to read others' blogs and cultivate the blog-relationships it takes to maintain high readership.
5.  Many of my blog friends are now also my friends on FB and DailyMile, so I know that leaving here won't mean that I'll lose those contacts (and if you're not my friend on either of those sites, you CAN be!  email me: tygress422 at yahoo dot com and I'll totally friend you if you promise not to ax-murder me in my sleep).
6.  The blog is in desperate need of a makeover.  The whole appearance needs to be re-done, but re-vamping the site feels overwhelming.  And, then there are all the questions of...should I even stay with Blogger?  Or move to Wordpress or Google+?
7.  I can keep other records of the kids' childhoods without them being a public record.  I sometimes fret over the kids' lack of privacy.
8.  Through other mediums (DailyMile, for instance), my running can still maintain its accountability, so I don't need the blog to do that anymore.

Ugh...the totals came out even!  Don't you hate it when that happens?

So, what did I decide about the ultimate fate of the blog?

Well, I thought about sadistically keeping you in suspense.  But that seemed mean, so I'll tell you now:

It's still BUH-bye.

For now.  Perhaps I will be back after some time off, or perhaps I'll just periodically check in, I don't know, but for now, I definitely need the time away if, for no other reason, than to perhaps give myself enough time to miss it.

Goodbye won't be until this upcoming Saturday, the 21st -- as promised -- so stick around this week for the reminiscing. 

#2000

This post is my 2000th post.

You read that right: A "2" followed by THREE 0s.  I'm like the Betty White of blogging...I've been around for forever!

Thinking back to what I posted 3 and 1/2 years ago when I posted about my 1000th post, I've been forced to wonder if reaching 2000 posts just means I've doubled my amount of wasted time.  To be honest, contemplating my time, and its value, has been on my mind for weeks now, months even, and more often than not lately, maintaining my blog and keeping up with other blogs has become a chore.

Don't get me wrong, I love blogging and love all of the blogging peeps out there, but at the same time, I've grown weary of the medium.  There are many reasons to keep blogging, but ultimately, I feel there is just one major reason to quit: Because I want to.

So, there it is my friends: I'm officially announcing bloggy retirement.

Not effective immediately.  This is just notice:  My final date will be January 21st. 

I first posted on this blog on June 21, 2005, so it feels fitting to end it on a date that feels meaningful.  So, in the next week, expect some emotionally-laden posts reminscing about blog posts of yore and join with me in recalling some of my favorite moments of the past 6 and 1/2 years.

There's no doubt I'll miss blogging, and my blogging friends, but I just feel that it's time to move on from here.  Perhaps, at some later date, I'll re-emerge from retirement, a la Jay-Z style, but for the now, this is a permanent decision.

So, happy 2000 posts to my blog!  And, in 8 days, I'll bid it sayonara!

Girly Girl

One part of getting ready in the morning, is that Norah and I both have to get pretty.  So, when I'm getting ready for work, she always pulls out her make up and accessories, and while I'm applying my own make up, she applies what she feels is necessary for her own beautification.

Moments like this, where she's "painting" her toenails (that's not real nail polish, although, you'd be suprised how adept she is with real nail polish!), make me feel as though I'm peering into a small window of the future.  She may only be 2 and 1/2 now, but can't you somehow see her at 16 doing the same thing?  I can.

 This morning, she also (briefly) let me put her hair into a pony tail.  It didn't last, but I enjoyed it while it did.

 And, what outfit is complete without a purple tu-tu and a princess necklace?  None that I know of!



My Day

I slept great last night!  According to Jerry, Caleb did wake up once in the night, but I guess I didn't even hear him.  Usually, even when it's not "my" night I still wake up whenever one of the kiddos (99.9% of the time, that's Caleb) wakes, but I guess I snoozed right through it last night.

Anyway, I slept so soundly, that I woke at exactly 5:58 and felt ready to get up and go do my run.  That never happens for me.

It was a cool, crisp morning, and even though it felt a little chilly to my Florida sensibilities when I first stepped outside, by the end of the first mile, it felt perfect.  I did another 3 miles -- it's about all I have time for on a workday morning (I seriously need to get faster so I can squeeze more miles into the time, but patience, patience, that will one day happen...maybe when hovercrafts and jetpacks finally become popular, accessible modes of transportation) -- and it felt pretty nice once again to get it done first thing.

If only everyday could be Jerry's "day"!

Early A.M. Run

I got spoiled over my break in many ways, but one way was that with cool temps, and kids in daycare, I got to head out, solo, for afternoon runs -- pretty much at my convenience.  No early morning running, no late evening running, no squeezing it in between my classes.  It was a luxury!

With winter break over, it means no more heading out for runs at my leisure.  Time to start planning the timing again.  And with the start of my new semester, it means the start of a slightly new schedule, so beginning today, I have night class on Mondays.  That meant that in order to get my planned run in today, I had to get up early this morning and get it done at o'dark thirty.

Typically, getting up early is a problem for me -- we never get a full night's sleep in our house, so getting up early to run is tough -- but Norah crawled into our bed at 5:30 a.m. this morning, and tossed around in there with us for 30 minutes.  So, at 6 a.m., I was ready to get up since I'd really been awake for 30 minutes anyway.

Surprisingly, Norah wanted to go with me on the run.  She hasn't been on a run in the BOB in at least 6 months, so I said she could go, but there was no turning back and no getting out.  If she was going, she was G-O-I-N-G.  So, I snuggled her in with Bo-Bo and a blanket, and she looked so cozy in there (ah, to be the kid!).  I kinda thought she'd fall back asleep, but that kid is a stubborn one and she stayed awake for 3 miles.  Still, she was very good, and only asked to stop once because she wanted me to take the blanket off.

So, I got my planned 3 miler done, and even though I had to unexpectedly push a kid, it still felt good, and is a good start to the week!

First Week Tally

Aside from being sick in the middle of the week, I still managed to abide by my 2012 running goals: Record my mileage, not allow more than 2 days to come between runs, and work to regain HM shape.

I have been recording my runs, and even though I was down for the count with the barfs mid-week, I really only missed one planned run, and my weekly mileage was 18 miles.  I'd been originally shooting for 22 miles, but 18 is fine, considering.

This morning, I capped off the week with an 8 miler.  I was slow as heck, but I'm trying not to let it bother me (still does, though).  I know I'll get faster the more consistent I am; I've done it before, and I can do it again.  But, what's most important is that I got it done, and in all honesty, it felt great.  We're enjoying some really temperate weather right now, so it was a PERFECT morning for a run.  And for many reasons, I really enjoy running mid-distance runs of 8-13 miles: It feels like a challenge, but not too much of one.  I get done and feel like I accomplished something, even if nothing else of significance gets done throughout the day.

On a random note, my Garmin 310 has been inaccurately recording my mileage for awhile now.  I know most of my routes by heart, so I know when it's off.  At first I thought it just always needed a fully charged battery, but that didn't seem to help.  So, this morning, I left the 310 at home and took my bulkier, but more reliable, 305.  Gotta love the 305!

Really, the only advantage to the 310 has been its size; otherwise, I have been completely disappointed in that Garmin.  Maybe I should just sell it on eBay and exclusively rely on the 305.  Anyone interested in an inconsistent (but lightweight!) 310? ;)

Three Things Thursday

1.On the mend.

Jerry and I are better today.  No more barfs or mud butt, but we both have the residual headache and soreness that stomach bugs seem to leave you with -- an effect of dehydration, I'm sure.  But, on the whole, we're not the miserable mopes we were yesterday.

2.  Back to work.

Today was my first day back to class (don't get me started on how stupid it is to start classes on a Thursday, but whatevs), and as weird as it sounds, that was fun.  I always enjoy the start of the semester, even the spring term where no one is nearly as energetic or enthusiastic as they are for the fall.  Still, however fun I find the start of term, I was reminded today of how I've grown accustomed to a certain amount of leisure the past 3 weeks -- the kind of leisure I could grow to love -- so getting back to the work routine felt a bit hectic.  Next week is my first "real" week of classes, and that will feel like an even bigger jolt to the lazy winter break system.

3.  Caleb is 7 months now. 

In fact, he was 7 months a few days ago -- I'm just about a week behind on recording his updates (although, I DID catch up on his baby book over my break, and even filled in a few gaps in Norah's book as well).

He's doing well.  He had a dr. check up yesterday, and he's 28 and 1/4 inches (83%) and 17 lbs, 8 oz (29%).  So, I guess he's continuing his trend of being tall and slim -- which is an anomoly for both our families.  We'll see how his growth pans out in the long run.  He also checked up fine in all other growth and developmental milestones, and got a slew of vaccines (and, thus, we had a night of the fussies last night).

Right now, he's sitting really well, and on his tummy, he's clearly getting ready to crawl.  He kinda "creeps" around, and yesterday, I saw him experimenting by pushing up to all fours.  It only last a second, but he's thinking about it.  I'm excited for him to crawl, because it's always fun to see them reach new milestones, but at the same time, I dread having him crawl.  Having 2 mobile kids seems like pure chaos.  But, it will be fun because he and Norah "play" more and more now, and once he's crawling, I forsee a lot more sibling playing...and probably sibling squabbling.

Anyway, here are a few recent pics of the rugrat at 7 months:

Playing with the cash register:

At the park:

And, who doesn't love a sleeping baby pic?  Especially when that baby's foot is hanging out the side of the crib.

Lastly, on a Caleb note, he had his most recent helmet adjustment earlier this week, and his head is doing great!  It's a wonder how quickly the helmet is making a difference in his head shape.  I have to say, based on the changes I've observed so far, the helmet is costly and time-consuming (cleaning it, going to extra appointments), but I think it's been a good investment in his overall transition from flat-headed-baby to regular-headed-baby!

Starting the New Year with the Flu

Once again, I have a stomach bug that has had me barfing and squirting deuce juice for the past 24 hours.

Jerry has it too, and we spent most of last night alternating trips to the toilet.  Today, we both feel like warm poo.  Thankfully, after a too long wait at the pediatrician's office for Caleb's check up, we were able to drop the kiddos at daycare early and return home to try and rest and recoup.  It's helpful being able to sleep so much, but I have a feeling this will take a day or two to wear off.

It stinks because I'm back at work tomorrow, and this wasn't how I wanted to end my winter vacay.

2012 Goals

It's easy to see the new year as an opportunity to do a complete overhaul on myself, but I know me and I know I can only strive toward goals that are simple and attainable.  So, again, I'm breaking it down into a few key facets of my life and have limited each facet to 3 principle goals.

Here we go 2012:

Personal

• Marriage: Again, keep date nights as a focus for Jerry and I.  I'd like to continue to aim for 1 date night a month.
• Parenthood: Try to live in the moment and lighten up.  I do my best to appreciate this time with the kids while they're young, but like any parent, I have plenty of moments of frustration, anxiety, and even anger.  Sometimes, I feel I am too quick with these emotions, and I'd like to try and focus on fostering greater patience and learning what battles are worth fighting.
• Friendship: Make time for friends.  In the past few years, with kids, it's become easy to push friendships to the back burner, but in the last few months of 2011, I made the time to keep up with some lunches with girlfriends, and we enjoyed an evening out with our friends (without kids) and it reminded me of how valuable it is to keep up with friends -- both past and present.

Financial (I've never made a separate list for money, but in the past few years, I've been more conscientious and mindful of how we save, invest, and spend.  So, this year, I have a few specific goals that are monetary.)

• Save: The past few years have been devoted to paying off our debt; now, it's time to build the savings.  Ideally, I'd like to create an emergency fund that would consist of 4 months worth of Jerry's salary (net).
• Invest: Research, decide upon, and contribute to the kids' college savings plans.  They each have savings accounts, but those earn, like, 1% interest.  I want to invest in some accounts that would more realistically build adequate amounts for each child's college fund.
• Save again: We need a new car, but if possible, I'd like to actually save up to buy one in full, not finance anything.  This is a lofty goal, but after paying off our debt, I'm not eager to finance another vehicle.

Professional

• Grading: Learn to create an electronic gradebook.  I'm completely inept with Excel, but it's the 21st century.  Time to learn.
• Technology: I have the bare minimum knowledge with how to teach classes online, and while I don't want to teach online, I see that the future of teaching will at least demand a knowledge of blending online components with a tradition bricks-and-mortar approach.  Time to take some of the tech classes.  Blergh.
• Spending: I have some money to burn that was part of my POY award last year and I've been waffling for months about what to do with it.  Time to decide.

Running

• Miles: Track my mileage.  2011 was a complete bust in terms of keeping track of my mileage, and I really feel more accountable when I do it.  Time to return to record keeping.
• Time:  Never go more than 2 days between runs.  My motto, since high school, has always been to not go more than 3 days between workouts, but in the past few months, I've lagged enough that I have -- at times -- allowed as much as 4 days to come between me and some sort of committed physical activity.  When I do that, I feel like shark farts.  So, new rule: 2 days is the maximum spacing between runs!
• Training: Return to HM shape.  I feel like I'm at my running best when I'm in HM shape (running about 20-30 miles a week).  And with that middle distance training, speed usually returns hand in hand.  I hope for that to be a nice side effect.

So, there ya go: Bring on the end of the world!  Hello 2012!

2011 in Review

'Tis the season to read a lot of "Year in Review" posts, and I must join in.  So, time to review my 2011 goals and see how I did:

Personally

• Enjoy the remainder of this pregnancy. With Norah, I was so excited and eager to have her born, I feel as though I willed that pregnancy to just be done with, and it wasn't until she was born, that I realized how special pregnancy is. This time around, I'm trying to appreciate it.  I did appreciate it, but I still got impatient at the end.  Guess I'm just an impatient preggo!
• Make more time for dates with Jerry. As parents, it's easy to lose track of time, and at the end of the week, it's often just easiest to order Chinese, rent a movie On Demand, and call that a date. But as nice as nights like that are, I need to make the time and effort to get a babysitter and actually go sit across a table from Jerry and eat real food and have real conversations.  Success!  We've made an effort to get out for "date night" about once a month, and it's been worthwhile.
• Read more books. I got a Nook for Christmas this year, and I'm eager to give e-reading a go! Plus, several friends got Nooks, so hopefully, we can take advantage of the lend option and save ourselves some book buying.  Blended success here.  I read quite a bit in the first half of the year, and then...Caleb was born and the reading really sharply dropped off.  Right now, I read regularly, but it takes me about 1,000% longer to get through a book because my time spent reading is so greatly diminished.
• Financially, I want to pay off our car loan.  Success!  Now the only debt we have is our mortgage.

Professionally

• Serve on two committees, either departmental or college-wide. Success! 
• Put real effort into applying for either a Classroom Reasearch Award or the Endowed Teaching Chair. Both of these options offer professional recoginition and cash awards.  I put real effort into the Endowed Teaching Chair award, but was denied the opportunity to advance in the process.  This award is highly competition at my institution (there's a hefty monetary reward), so I'm not surprised I wasn't selected (again. this was my 3rd year in a row being nominated but not being selected to move forward to the interview portion).  I did, however, win Professor of the Year, which was an unexpected award for 2011.
• Publish another short story.  Success!  You can go here if you're interested.

Running

• Run consistently for as long as I'm able during this pregnancy.  Did my best here, but only ran until I was 27 weeks preggo, which fell short of my expectation to run until at least 32 weeks as I did with Norah.  Still, I feel satisfied with my effort.
• Run some preggo races.  Fail!  I ran ZERO preggo races.
• Run a fall or early winter HM.  Fail!  The only race I ran in 2011 was the 5K Turkey Trot.  All in all, running was a challenge for me this year.

As always a mixed bag of success and failure, and of course, unexpected deviations, challenges and joys.  Now to start pondering some 2012 goals.  Of those, I have NO clue.  Need to put my thinking cap on!

Halleluja and Holy Sh*t!

Where's the Tylenol?

Christmas was great fun this year: Caleb's 1st Christmas and Norah's first Christmas where she really had a grasp on what was going on.  Of course, as wonderful as it was, it was also pure chaos -- a mayhem of presents, over-excitement, and a few meltdowns throw in for good measure.  But for all the madness, having Norah bounce on our bed Christmas morning proclaiming "Santa Claus!  Santa Claus!" pretty much MADE the holiday.

Here's the rundown in pics:

Caleb and his mountain of gifts on Christmas Eve.  Typical baby, he was mainly interested in paper and packaging.

Caleb "reading" one of his books.

Caleb chewing on one of his new toys.

Christmas morning -- Santa Claus! -- and Norah was a flurry of unwrapping.  She loved her gifts, but it was the unwrapping itself which was most pleasurable to her.

The aftermath of Christmas morning: Paper, boxes, and presents strewn EVERYwhere.

Norah prepping for a Christmas morning walk: New sunglasses and her new princess Belle in the stroller.  Her lips are also super glossed with about 18 layers of new lipgloss.

An unexpected favorite was a purple tu-tu that was a stocking stuffer.  She wore it all day on Christmas day (with jeans and tee shirt), and she insisted on wearing it with her PJs to bed as well.

And today, we went to Sugar Sand Park in Boca (carousel, awesome park, and science explorium), and she paired the tu-tu with a Halloween tee, shorts, and princess Crocs.  The girl has S-T-Y-L-E.

All in all, it was a fantastic holiday, but our house feels like a disaster zone, and I'm kinda counting down the hours until noon tomorrow when I drop both kids off at daycare again!

Winter Wishing

For most runners, this time of year means pulling out the running tights, jackets, hats and gloves and braving the wintry cold to get runs done outside.  But for me?  It still means running in heat.

3 days before Christmas, and yesterday I went for a 5 miler in the afternoon.  It was 82 degrees out.  Surprisingly, in the shade, it wasn't bad at all, but the last mile of my 5 mile route had zero shade, and the timing meant that the sun was right in my face the entire time.  I slugged through it, but when I got home, I was BEET red!

After a cool shower, I laid down on the bed with the fan on for a few minutes so I could cool off.

Is it weird to have winter envy?  Because I do, especially this time of year when it's ironic to see snowmen everywhere, but no snow.  (Norah is very into "Frosty the Snowman" this year, which is funny since she's never even seen snow.)  I know most would love a warm run at this point in the calendar year, so tell ya what, why don't we trade for a week or so?

I think a week of winter would be all I'd need to feel like I gotten my share of it.

Haven't Been Blogging, But

I have been running!

In fact, it's been glorious lately.  Since on break, I'm enjoying a lot of wonderful "me" time and that includes getting to some needed chores (organizing closets and cleaning kitchen cabinets, etc) as well as fun stuff (pedicure, afternoon naps, and reading), and of course, solo running time!

The weather has been temperate, but a little warm in the afternoons when I have my time off, so the runs have been short, but it's been nice to get out each day.

I have other stuff I could blog about, but I have been feeling very un-internet-y, so excuse this lame excuse for a post and move on to those who are still putting in some blog-effort this season. 

iPod...Down?

As I was getting ready for my run yesterday, I couldn't find my iPod.  Last I had seen it, Norah had been walking around with it.  Not good.  I remember thinking when I saw her with it: "Grab that from her and stow it or you'll never find it again."  Did I take my own mental advice?  Nope.  Must've gotten distracted by something else.

I searched a few places that popped into my mind as "Norah places," but when it didn't turn up in any of those spots, I gave up and went for the run without my tunes.  I know there are some running purists out there who don't like to run with music and will (probably correctly) tell me that it's dangerous and will be the death of me, but I don't care.  Running by myself is about the only time I listen to adult music, and I think it's Awesome Sauce to not have Elmo's ABC Song ringing through my eardrums.

So, I ran -- sans tunes -- and when I got back I figured I'd look in a few more spots that occurred to me while I was out running (since I was without music, I had the brain space to think of other hiding spots Norah might have stashed the iPod).  Still no dice.  I gave up and figured I'd find it in a year (like the DVD remote we lost for a year) in some familiar, yet unexpected place.

Then, I unloaded the dryer, and...viola!  There it was!  Whether she'd stuck it in one of her precious pockets, or just stuck it in a hamper, I don't know, but I do know it went through the wash and then the dryer.  I didn't have high hopes that I could resurrect it, but I have resurrected past iPods, and as in "The Princess Bride," with iPods, there are a couple kinds of death.

So, I plugged it into my laptop and it actually came on and synced up to iTunes.  Thus, I conclude it must've only been "Mostly Dead."  According to its blinky orange light, it's currently charging; let's hope this will be the chocolate covered pill it needs and it will back to life by this afternoon's run!

Santa, Baby!

This morning, I took Norah and Caleb to see Santa at the mall.  I figured 10 am on a Wednesday would be a good, lowkey time, and it was.  We were 2nd in line.

The kids did well with Santa.  Norah didn't want to sit on his lap, but she sat on the available rocking horse, and Caleb took Santa's knee.  Neither kid could be coaxed into smiling, but neither is crying, so that's a "win" in my book!

Norah did give Santa a high five, and when prompted to answer what she'd like for Christmas, she replied, matter of factly: "I want presents."  There ya go, Santa should be able to do that!

7 Things About Norah

Jamoosh tagged me to list "7 random things about Norah."  Harder than it first seems since I already share so many random things about her, but here goes:

1.  Norah's favorite t-shirt is her "Jessie" shirt.  It features Jessie and Bullseye from "Toy Story."  As soon as it's washed, she puts it on -- she doesn't even wait for it to cool from the dryer.

2.  Norah prefers to be barefoot over any kind of shoe.  She kicks off her shoes at any opportunity, and we often refer to her as a "barefoot hippie."  Something tells me she has barefoot running in her future.  But, if she has to wear shoes, she prefers her Crocs, which is just being a clogged-foot hippie ;)

3.  Norah still uses a pacifier.  She especially requires one for sleeping.  We keep hoping she'll just naturally grow out of it, but so far, just wishing that she'll give it up hasn't worked.

4.  Norah's favorite toys are baby dolls and stuffed animals.  They all lead pretty active lives in our home, and some even get the pleasure of dining with her.  Clifford, featured below, is also among the privledeged half dozen who sleep with her.  It's crowded in her little bed.

5.  Despite her affection for cuddly toys, the most surprising toy that Norah loves is Rex.  What's even more comical is how Rex frequently gets very girly makeovers. 

6.  Norah is an early riser.  6:15 is sleeping in to her.  And, she's awake and cheery at that hour.  It's awful.

7.  Norah is fun, outgoing, smart, and charming.  I hope she never changes.

I think I'm supposed to tag 7 more bloggers, but I'm not gonna do that.  And, thus, why chain letters always die with me.

Deck the Helmet

I finished my grades for the term, so I am free!  FREEDOM!  I've counted, and I have 13 afternoons of 4 and 1/2 hours a piece -- all. to. myself!  Mwahuahuaha!  What will I do with all that time?

Plan to take over the world.  Of course.

Anyway, with my first afternoon of freedom, I actually downloaded some pics off the camera, and I forgot to mention before that Caleb's helmet is now decorated.  For December, he is sporting the fashionable, seasonable look:  Mistletoe!

Because he needs lots of kisses!

On the side, it says "Merry Christmas" and on the back is a cute reindeer.  I don't have any pics of the reindeer.  Just take my word that it's cute.  Below is a shot where you can partially see the side with the "Merry Christmas."

Yeah, Norah's a good big sister who insists on helping with nearly every Caleb task there is.  If she had the dexterity, she'd change his diapers in a heartbeat.  As it is, she settles for standing on her step stool and observing, and commenting, during changings.

But, back to the Helmet Baby, today he had his first "helmet check-up/adjustment" and he's already showing improvement, and they adjusted the helmet accordingly.  While we were in the waiting room, there were 2 other helmet babies there, and each one had stickers on their helmets too.  One had his name emblazoned on the front, and the other, a girl, had a pink helmet with flowers and butterflies and stuff.  It seems most parents with helmet babies have fun with it and decorate the helmets.  Might as well.

If it's pretty visually, it helps distract us from its awful stench -- yeah, despite cleaning it once a day, the helmet is one stinky piece of baby accessory.  It reminds me of my shin guards from my years as a soccer player. 

In other helmet tidbits, we've already become so accustomed to Caleb in his helmet that when we take it off for his one hour of head freedom every day, his head seems unbelievably tiny.  In fact, you know what he reminds me of during that hour?  You know the scene from "Return of the Jedi" when Luke takes off Darth Vader's mask and helmet, and Anakin's head seems small and pasty?  Yeah, that's what Caleb's head seems like sans-helmet.  I hope this resemblence doesn't indicate any future temptation to cross over to "the dark side"!

Anyway, Jerry made the stickers, and they peel off, so after Christmas, Caleb will don a new theme.  What that is is a mystery even to me.  We'll have to see what Jerry can come up with!

Nutrition

I must confess: I eat like I'm a 16 year old boy.

This morning, it was Jerry's turn to rise with the kidlets, and he opted to take both of them to the grocery store in order to knock that chore out at 7 am (pure madness, in my opinion).  Thus, I was left alone in the house with 2 delightful options: A.) Stay in bed and sleep, or B.) Get up and enjoy some coffee and uninterrupted interweb time.  I kinda split the difference by sleeping 15 more minutes and then getting up.

Anyhoo, back to nutrition, let me share with you what I chose for my breakfast items: Oreos and coffee.

Yes, I am eating Oreos for breakfast.  I said it, I don't regret it.

Many of you participate in the "What I Ate Wednesday" and whenever I look at your food for the day, I'm always struck by how healthy it all is.  Granted, I try to eat a pretty healthy, and if nothing else, varied diet.  But, I'll be honest: There are days when nary a fruit or vegetable touches my lips.  I know that a better diet could help me shed a few unnecessary pounds, could help me run better, and could fill me with some sort of inner glow...you know, because eating healthy means you have good poops and people who poop good seem to be pretty happy, glowing people.

But, again I'll be honest: I'm not dissatisfied with my weight.  Sure, I could be a leaner, trimmer, running machine, but I also would rather not give up Oreos for breakfast.  And, I already poop pretty good.  Coffee, people, coffee!

I figure the running helps balance out the calorie differential, and really, my central running purpose has never been for weight loss purposes.  Yes, it's a nice side effect, but I need the stress relief and energy expression more than anything else.  And speaking of running, now that I've finished my coffee and Oreos, I think I shall go for a run: This breakfast was good fuel...right?

3 Miler Redux

Knowing that I'd have a similar schedule today as I did yesterday, I just left my stinky running clothes in my office, and this afternoon, I donned my smelly running attire for a repeat of yesterday's 3 mile running break.  Today, I also had the added bonus of overcast skies and slightly cooler temps, so it was an even more pleasant experience!

I did feel a bit like a stink-machine having not taken home or washed my running clothes, but I figured I was just gonna re-sweatify them, so what's the point?  Usually, I never double-wear running clothes because I typically soak them in sweat so the idea of re-using before washing is often times rather grotesque.

But what about you?  Will you use them twice before washing?  Is it conditional -- maybe contingent upon sweat-soakage and stinkage?

A Brief Break

One of the benefits of final's week is that I don't have to hold regular office hours.  Technically, I just have to be here to proctor my exams.  But, I am typically here my regular hours so that I can spend my time at work grading (I get next to nothing accomplished at home, so it's best to do my work AT work).

Anyhoo, today I just have one final to give at 6:30 pm, but I was still here at noon in order to get in a solid 6+ hours of grading.  It's paid off too -- I got two classes done, plus I finished my syllabi for next term, I got some other miscellaneous work done, and of course met with several students who had/were experiencing the typical finals-week-near-death-experiences (one guy apparently was rushed to the emergency room on Monday, which was his class's final exam date, because he was vommiting blood -- he had documentation so I don't doubt him, but still, blood barf?  Good god, people!  Why are you puking blood during finals week?). 

But at about 4 pm, my brain was tired and I needed a break.  So, I got on my running stuff (no office hours obligations!) and headed out for a 3 miler.

It felt good to get out, stretch my legs, breathe the fresh air, and rest my weary brain.

I was dripping sweat when I returned to find a student waiting for me (another dude who'd apparently had a hospital visit that occured during our exam time -- are their limbs soon going to be falling off?), but who cares?  It's finals week!  Which is like super-duper-casual-week in my opinion.  If I'm here in something that's not my bathrobe, I think I deserve some props.

Two Things Tuesday: On Soreness and Stacks of Grading

Sore
On Saturday night, Jerry, Norah, and I (Caleb stayed at home with my SIL who is here visiting) attended my department's holiday party.  It was at my dean's home, and in his backyard, there was an old jungle gym/swing set that they'd had there when their kids were younger (their kids are in college now if that gives an indication of the age of this thing).  Anyway, it had some rings, so I thought it'd be fun to show off and do some flips for Norah.

She thought I was the bomb-diggity for that, and she begged, "Again!"  I obliged with several more flips.  My arms were achin'.  But, she HAD to tell Jerry about my accomplishment, and Jerry didn't believe that I could do this, so he had to see: One more flip.  Then, Jerry assisted Norah in her "flips," so one last time, she had to see me repeat it.  Good lord, my achin' arms!

Sunday, the day after, wasn't terrible.  But yesterday?  My arms were like flaccid lumps of arm meat.  I had to swallow a fistful of Advil just to get through the day.  Today they are a bit better, but still sore. 

Does this prompt me to think that I need to do more strength training?  Nah.  I just clearly need to avoid my dean's backyard from here on to eternity.

Stacks of Grading
No marathon analogy here: This week is a sprint. 

This is finals week, and I have approximately 125 essays to read by Monday.  Actually, about 100 because I just finished one class's.  My grades for the term are due on Tuesday, and even though I know I CAN do it, I'm at a point right now where I just don't wanna.

Plus, some of these essays are T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E.  Notice I spelled that right?  Well, in one essay I read this afternoon, the student didn't even manage to spell her own name right!  This is what I'm dealing with.

Add to that the sudden finals-induced-drama that students are always stricken with (Grandmas start to die with alarming frequency), and I just want to fast-forward to a week from today when my semester will be done and I can focus on the less stressful activity of doing my ENTIRE Christmas shopping in one week.

More Running and 6 Months

The good weather continued this morning, and I got to get in another 3 miler with Caleb in the stroller.  Before we left, Jerry filled the air in the BOB's tires -- guess I have a tendency to neglect that! -- and it always amazes me at the difference that makes!

For the 1st 2 miles, I was pushing into the wind, so it was still tough going, despite the comfortable temp and the freshly filled tires.  But, for the last mile, I had the wind at my back, and for the first time in a loooooooong time with the stroller, I ran a 9:52 min/mile.  For me, that's like a stroller landspeed record!

In other baby news, Caleb is now 6 months!

It seemed that with Norah from 6 months to 1 year, all the milestones started to come like a whirlwind, and I can already see how that will probably be true with Caleb as well.  He started solid food:

He doesn't LIKE it, but he did start it.  His objection doesn't seem to be the food itself, just the fact that we want to shove it in their with a spoon.  He clamps his mouth shut and sticks his tongue out, and is like, "Nope, thanks, I'm good."  The only thing he remotely finds acceptable are sweet potatoes.

He's also a Rolley Rollerson who now rolls all over the place.  We set him down in one spot, turn our backs, and he's across the room (or, wedged up against a piece of furniture).  Norah is funny with him; this morning, she was in the living room with him and I heard her exclaim: "Caleb's rolling over!  Good job, Buddy!"  I wonder what she'll think in a few months when he's crawling after her.

He's also sitting, with support, really well.  Of course, he's REAL tipsy right now, so he'll seem well-balanced, and then ker-plunk!  He's face first in the floor!  At least with the helmet now, he's got some crash protection.

Reflecting on any age for a child makes it feel as though the time is flying, but I'm honestly like, "Seriously, 6 months?  Already?  Where has it gone?"  I don't even think I've finished his baby book past his delivery...oopsie!  That's on my "to-do" over my winter break! :)