This weekend I ran my first 5K with other moms in the Mom's Club (I'm in the black shorts, pink shirt and white hat). It was a big accomplishment for all of us since either we hadn't run that far before, or it had been a while since we had! We started the "Couch to 5K" program back in March and ran together twice a week and once on our own. When I got to about the last 3/4 mile (which was all uphill) and was feeling pretty tired I saw a mom in the yard holding her little girl. It reminded me of why I'm doing this - I want Oliver to see me as a healthy and active mom. This week I've felt quite unmotivated and discouraged, so I'm blogging this now as a reminder of what I accomplished and what my goals are. This race I finished in 31 minutes and 16 seconds. I'm planning to run another one in June and hopefully between now and then speed up my time a bit!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
First 5K
This weekend I ran my first 5K with other moms in the Mom's Club (I'm in the black shorts, pink shirt and white hat). It was a big accomplishment for all of us since either we hadn't run that far before, or it had been a while since we had! We started the "Couch to 5K" program back in March and ran together twice a week and once on our own. When I got to about the last 3/4 mile (which was all uphill) and was feeling pretty tired I saw a mom in the yard holding her little girl. It reminded me of why I'm doing this - I want Oliver to see me as a healthy and active mom. This week I've felt quite unmotivated and discouraged, so I'm blogging this now as a reminder of what I accomplished and what my goals are. This race I finished in 31 minutes and 16 seconds. I'm planning to run another one in June and hopefully between now and then speed up my time a bit!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Auntie Amy
We had such a fun time with Amy here this past week. Oliver took to her very quickly and thought she was me some of the time. When we picked her up at the airport he was sleeping and she climbed in the back with him. When he woke up, he gave her smiles and seemed very happy to have the company…until we went through the drive through at McDonald’s and there was more light. Then he figured out it wasn’t mommy and cried. After that adjustment there were no more tears. I really appreciated Amy’s help this week – she changed LOTS of diapers, baked cookies for Paul’s lunches, cleaned the kitchen while we went on a date and spent many hours reading to and playing with Oliver. She also gave us a date every night so we went to a movie, out to eat, and did errands (I don’t think she approved of that as a date, but it felt like one to us!). Amy and I went to Amish country and took a buggy ride, shopped the outlets, went to Philly, watched a movie, took Oliver to the doctor and did some things with my mom’s groups. And more than the help, the company was the best!
(See the slideshow to the right - if you click on it, you can see the pictures larger and captions!)
(See the slideshow to the right - if you click on it, you can see the pictures larger and captions!)
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Happy 10 months!
I don't think there is a better age than 10 months old. Some of my favorite things at this stage:
1. When it is nap time or night time, he lays down on the floor for a moment before picking himself to go play again.
2. When we bring him into his room to put him down, he lays his head on our shoulder for a verse of "You are my Sunshine", starts to breath deeply, and then leans towards the crib.
3. He pulls himself on everything and then is so proud of himself.
4. He always wants to be close by - between my legs while I do the dishes, standing up by my leg when I'm on the laptop, climbing all over me when I'm on the floor.
5. The food shoveling at meal time: yesterday for lunch he ate a cup of northern beans, a cup of sweet peas, 2 egg yokes and 2 bananas. It is fun to see him eat so heartily and all by himself.
6. He gives kisses to pictures of himself or when he sees himself in a mirror.
7. I love the way he chases around other babies and toddlers. I had a friend with a 3 year old over yesterday and he chased Owen around like it was going out of style. If Owen was standing by the coffee table, Oliver would pull himself up and then look at Owen and smile and laugh. If Owen was driving the dump truck around the living room Oliver couldn't follow him fast enough.
I just can't get enough of his ambition and sweetness these days!
1. When it is nap time or night time, he lays down on the floor for a moment before picking himself to go play again.
2. When we bring him into his room to put him down, he lays his head on our shoulder for a verse of "You are my Sunshine", starts to breath deeply, and then leans towards the crib.
3. He pulls himself on everything and then is so proud of himself.
4. He always wants to be close by - between my legs while I do the dishes, standing up by my leg when I'm on the laptop, climbing all over me when I'm on the floor.
5. The food shoveling at meal time: yesterday for lunch he ate a cup of northern beans, a cup of sweet peas, 2 egg yokes and 2 bananas. It is fun to see him eat so heartily and all by himself.
6. He gives kisses to pictures of himself or when he sees himself in a mirror.
7. I love the way he chases around other babies and toddlers. I had a friend with a 3 year old over yesterday and he chased Owen around like it was going out of style. If Owen was standing by the coffee table, Oliver would pull himself up and then look at Owen and smile and laugh. If Owen was driving the dump truck around the living room Oliver couldn't follow him fast enough.
I just can't get enough of his ambition and sweetness these days!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Another Game
This video is a bit long, so don't feel obligated to watch the whole thing. Just notice how Oliver drops down and even scoots back when he thinks its time for Paul to pull him. We just couldn't get enough!
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Making the Bed Like my Mother
Back when I was young my mom taught me the proper way to make a bed. I did a great job following all of the steps until I went to college. Then I decided that it would save more time if I just put the fitted sheet around both corners of one end and then go to the other end and do the same. Maybe it was the lofted beds that caused this, but maybe not.
I have been making beds a lot lately. I figured out that if I don’t change Oliver’s mattress pad along with his sheet his sweet and soft little cheek starts to smell kind-of funky. All this bed-making has taught me the value of my mom’s technique: when you put the fitted sheet on opposite corners, it lies neatly and even with the corner seams without all the tugging and pulling – little did I know!
Having a baby really makes me notice all the things I do her way – the songs, the phrases, the constant reading. She taught me to be thrifty and crafty so I make toys, use cloth diapers, and knit little sweaters for my baby boy. She also showed me what it means for a woman to be an amazing stay-at-home mom and then transition into an amazing working woman at a job that uses her gifts. She’s on the cutting edge of all the best ideas for teaching Kindergarten and holds to the old standards that she just knows work the best. And it’s also pretty fun to see your mom to do this while being well dressed and not afraid to try the newest look.
My mom has also mothered me so well since I became an adult. She never insisted that I do things her way or criticized the path I took. She has done so many things to support and encourage me in this young adult phase of discovering who I am. As I have muddled my way through stressful career, schooling and family decisions, she has listened, weighed in (when asked, of course), and prayed. She is a fantastic listener and has let me have a different opinion than her. She’s even allowed me to convince her of a new way of looking at something. My mom has taught me what to do when Oliver is my age, and I know I’m trickier to mother now than when I was a baby!
I’m so proud of my Mom.
I have been making beds a lot lately. I figured out that if I don’t change Oliver’s mattress pad along with his sheet his sweet and soft little cheek starts to smell kind-of funky. All this bed-making has taught me the value of my mom’s technique: when you put the fitted sheet on opposite corners, it lies neatly and even with the corner seams without all the tugging and pulling – little did I know!
Having a baby really makes me notice all the things I do her way – the songs, the phrases, the constant reading. She taught me to be thrifty and crafty so I make toys, use cloth diapers, and knit little sweaters for my baby boy. She also showed me what it means for a woman to be an amazing stay-at-home mom and then transition into an amazing working woman at a job that uses her gifts. She’s on the cutting edge of all the best ideas for teaching Kindergarten and holds to the old standards that she just knows work the best. And it’s also pretty fun to see your mom to do this while being well dressed and not afraid to try the newest look.
My mom has also mothered me so well since I became an adult. She never insisted that I do things her way or criticized the path I took. She has done so many things to support and encourage me in this young adult phase of discovering who I am. As I have muddled my way through stressful career, schooling and family decisions, she has listened, weighed in (when asked, of course), and prayed. She is a fantastic listener and has let me have a different opinion than her. She’s even allowed me to convince her of a new way of looking at something. My mom has taught me what to do when Oliver is my age, and I know I’m trickier to mother now than when I was a baby!
I’m so proud of my Mom.
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