Officially "Half"way there

I just registered for the Kentucky Derby Mini Marathon. I think I may have signed up for it last year, but Ethan came way before we were expecting him, so I didn't get to actually run it.

Dad ran this one every year, and it was a big deal for him. I remember being a spectator for a number of years and a partial-participant when I was in 7th grade. Most often, he ran it with his buddy Danny, who is longer legged and faster than Dad was. I remember hearing repeatedly about the year that Danny's shorts were not adequately rinsed from the laundry, and as he worked up a sweat, his pants began to drip foam. I remember Mom rolling her eyes as we would have to go and get the car because Dad ran home from dropping the car off at the mechanic, or some other place while he was in training for the race. I think Brian and/or Andrew may still even sleep in old MiniMarathon t-shirts.

This year I finally get to make it MY race!

Races for 2008

Here is my plan so far for races in 2008:

Jan 14 - Snowman Shuffle 4 miler
Feb 16 - Frostbite 5K (and Happy B-day Derek)
March 1 - Anthem 5K
March 15 - Rodes City Run 10K
March 29 - Papa John's 10 miler
April 26th - KY Derby Mini-Marathon
Summer - ??
September ? - Downtown Doubler 30K

2009
January 1 - Hangover Classic 10 miler
January ? Disney Marathon

And speaking of races, this is me at the coldest, slushiest race I have run in a long time. Derek calls it an "action shot" and says the blurriness just shows how fast I was going.

Rub-a-dub-dub, two babies in a tub...

Running Partner

I have a new running partner.

He is an early riser, often waking up earlier than me. His stamina is borderline - I have had to cut two-thirds of our runs a little short because he has run out of steam.

Sometimes he is gross - spitting all over the place, and even soiling his britches during the run. Sometimes he talks the whole time we're running, other times he stares into space or even falls asleep.

Even though I am accustomed to solo running, I wouldn't trade this new partner for anything in the world. After all - look how handsome he looks before our early-morning runs:

Mojo

"You know, what have we learned here today? Perhaps it's that no one can take your mojo. You can look around all you want, but what you're really trying to find is on the inside. Take care of yourself, and each other."

Running a good race has done wonders for my level of inspiration. I have a schedule that I am getting ready to record into Outlook. I know of at least 7 races that I want to run this year, leading up to the Disney Marathon in '09. This is the first time that I have felt inspired to run (as opposed to obligated to run) in a very long time.

Zzzzzzzz...

Golly - I didn't think I was THAT tired... I just fell asleep here at work for a millisecond. I had my head down checking things off on a list, and did that head-jerky thing that I remember doing in class when I fell asleep and started to fall over.

Does that mean I have more Jim Rudd in me than I thought?

One week and one day

Until the Reindeer Romp. It is a teeny little race - just 4K, but it has done a good job of getting me out of the house and onto the streets for this past week. This will be my first race since the Anthem 5K that I ran right before Ethan was born. I'm even getting a little case of the pre-race jitters over it!

I don't know yet what Derek and Ethan will be doing while I am running. Historically, D has been my cheering section and photographer, but with chilly weather and a little man in tow, that may be tough, even for such a short race.

Becky - we are supposed to bring a prezzie for a kid 12-15 as registration for this thing. Since you are the proud owner of one within that age group, can you think of anything cheapo but interesting I can get?

Rebirth?

My very first race as a runner was the Reindeer Romp in November 2005. It was a 4K - 2.8 miles, and I was terrified to run it. What if I didn't know the secret race procedures? What if I was last? What if I couldn't make it the whole way? Well, I survived it and did reasonably well.

The Reindeer Romp is part one of a three part series, the Polar Bear Grand Prix. The purpose of the set of races is to keep people running and racing through the winter months.

Pete says I need a goal in order to get off my ass and onto the street. I know he is right. Tonight, I am going to write out a check for $50 for all three races. Spending the money hits my tightwad self where it hurts, so it is great motivation to keep up with it.

It just seems fitting that I would restart at the same point I originally began.

Cookies

Nom nom nom

Babies are gross.

Ethan has been sick twice in two months. Derek and I, as a result, have gotten sick twice in two months. Before Ethan, being sick was a pretty rare thing in our house. We have had the pleasure, these last two months, of dealing with copious amounts of mucous, barf and pudding poop in addition to all of the regular gross baby things like blowing raspberries with a mouthful of green beans and attempting to poke the cats in their winker holes.

Indeed, babies are gross.

At lunchtime today, I am going to attempt to find a running stroller to take my little grody man out with me to hit the streets. I don't know how well he'll handle it, as he tends to get pretty wiggly in the regular stroller, but I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Finally, Derek found this really sweet picture from mid-May. I don't remember him being this tiny and helpless-looking, but apparently he was. Please note the milk reservoir underneath his ample bosom...

Hmmm...

Disney Marathon 2009???

Lots of time between now and then to heal and train. Kid will be old enough to enjoy it by that time.

The seed has been planted...

I don't know if it is because he has watching me do my PT exercises, or just because he has figured out how to do it (and that it gets a response from us), but Ethan will now shake his head back and forth on command. Now if we can only teach him the meaning of "no", we'll be in great shape!

Speaking of shaking the head, as mentioned this morning on the LTR thread, I do a lot of head-shaking while running because it is a great opportunity to work on retraining the ol' brain to understand movement and to quit shifting my field of vision like a Viewmaster. If it weren't 5:00 in the morning and I was actually visible, I'd probably be a whole lot more self-conscious about it.

Naked Pictures!!

We usually end up with more water on me than on Ethan at the end of bathtime. That kid can splash.

Oh yeah...that running thing

My last run of over a mile was in September. My last 1 mile failure (or feedback, per Renee) run was in early October. After a month off while faithfully sticking to my physical therapy schedule, I am happy to report that I had a wildly successful 3 mile run this morning. I won't go so far as to say I was fast, but I was somewhere between 1 and 2 minutes per mile faster than I was before the break and the rigorous PT. I still have a long way to go, but without a doubt this is the most encouraging run I have had in a good long time.

Undoubtedly, as hard as it is for me to admit, something really and truly was/is wrong with me. I am just glad I know how to fix it, albeit painfully slowly.

The hips are tight so I am considering alternating running days with yoga days (or somehow combining them).

Still up for the Triple Crown, Alecia?

Happy Halloween!!

Bzzzzzzzzzzz

All of the kids:

Back row: Miss Devil Scary (Emma), Cap'n Pirate a.k.a. Cap'n Sword (Isaiah)
Front Row: Beeethan (Ethan), sitting on Cap'n Scary (Andrew) and Cap'n Goofball (Jonah) sitting on Brian, who is too old for a costume or alias.

Ethan + Cats + Laser Pointer

I can't tell which is more fun for him - watching the cats or playing with the light.

Crawling!

Of course, he didn't do it as clearly when we were filming, but in true twitchy wind-up toy fashion, Ethan is officially mobile.

Eeeeek! Demon Baby!!!

Click on the pic for full effect. Daddy lookes nervous for a reason...

The most amazing thing happened this morning. I opened the garage door to leave for work, and get this: discovered it was raining. This means that although rain was falling OUTSIDE, it did not drip, drip, drip into the bedroom and wake us up. I'll have Derek feel the ceiling once he is up and running for the day, and if it is dry, we'll actually be able to replace the moldy, stained drywall above the bed and have a decent looking bedroom for the first time in the three years we lived in the house.

Speaking of three years, three years ago yesterday, I took an impromptu half day off of work to hop down to the county courthouse to get hitched. It has been a really wonderful three years!

Finally, but certainly not of least importance, Ethan seems to be getting over his very first sick experience. He still got up a few times last night, but he wasn't too sad when he did, and he was ok sleepig in his own bed. I am keeping my fingers crossed for a full recovery by tomorrow.

How in the world did we get by when Derek and I both were out of the house during the day? Since we have been back from vacation, we have had:

*A fella come to fix the microwave
*A plumber
*The chimney guy to (hopefully) fix the leak in the ceiling in the bedroom
*The HVAC folks to repair the air cleaner that we got when we replaced the AC in May
*A whole team of dudes replacing our roof today

We're broke now. Really.

My Favorite Rock Stars

Yesterday afternoon was the first concert of the rock band Royal Tragedy. You can see my nephews Brian (13) on lead guitar and Andrew (10) on bass and vocals. It was a fabulous concert, but the video and audio quality sucks because it was on my little point and shoot camera.

Can't wait until the next concert!

I hate doing my physical therapy. It is boring, repetitive, and makes me nauseous. It really does work though. Sometime this weekend I am going to have Derek do the exercises and tell me what he sees/feels while he is doing them so I can know what I am striving for. Since my inner ear is so out of whack, I can't tell what is normal and what isn't. It is probably funny to watch me do these exercises, since they're not the standard PT that you think of when you're working on a limb or back injury. Instead they work on my balance and visual perception.

There are 3 components of balance - the visual, the proprioception (what you physically feel - your feet against the ground, for ex.) and the inner ear. If 2 of these are intact, you can still function ok. In my case, my vision and feeling are fine, but my inner ear is shot. The balance portion of my exercises has me disable the 2 working mechanisms and deal with the one that doesn't work. I take 2 pillows, stack them and stand on them (to disorient my feet/ground connection), close my eyes, move my head back and forth, while marching in place. It is HARD!!! If I didn't do this in a door frame where I hit something when I am falling, I would be on the ground in seconds because without my eyes or my feet to tell me, I cannot sense when I am falling.

I also have to do visual perception exercises. These train my inner ear to be in sync again with my eyes. I take a marker, fix my gaze on it, and then move my head back and forth. At this point, I can read the word "Crayola" about a third of the time when my head is moving. This represents big progress, as the inability to visually focus when my head is moving has been one of the most debilitating parts of this (checking blind spots, distinguishing mailboxes from garbage cans from people during a run).

New Approach

Running has sucked for the last year. My speed and endurance have gone downhill significantly and continuously. Whenever I get motivated, the less-than-stellar reality of my current running abilities discourages me. I haven't really, truly enjoyed running for a long time now. After remaining too long in the try/fail/try again cycle, I am now trying something different.

I know that the issue at the heart of my lousy running is my ongoing vertigo. I did the physical therapy thing in December and January, but quit after a while because progress was slow, and real life got so busy that I just kind of forgot about it. If I want to get better with the running, I have to fix the vertigo. As Becky and Alecia know, Dad's approach to any physical ailment, (which has somehow sadly become my attitude as well) was to keep going, push through the pain, and it will get better. In this case (and maybe some others - just ask Mom!) Dad was wrong.

The new plan is to run a little and do the PT a lot. I am committing to 2-3X day with the exercises. As the vertigo gets slowly better, my running will get better, and then my attitude toward running will improve as well. Once I can actually run a mile in less than 11 minutes (hell, I'd settle for less than 14 minutes right now!) I'll feel comfortable stopping the PT.

When it rains, it pours (onto my husband at 4 in the morning)

We got the first good rain in months very early this morning. All in all, that is a wonderful thing, except for the fact that we have a damned roof leak that the three different fixer-folks we have called out have failed to fix. A water stain on the ceiling does not try my patience nearly as much as the water dripping on Derek this morning did. Why is this so difficult?

So after the non-fixes by Kirstan, Chimney Dude, and Susie's boss, I called the roofers we use here at work for our buildings. No deal -they don't repair unless it is a roof that they installed. I hate to just call someone out of the yellow pages, but my list of trusted repair-people has been exhausted, and you can see where that trust has gotten us - an ineffective job by two companies and one that the third company refused to complete, even though they at least think they know what is wrong...

So much for customer service.

Vacation Photos

We now have our vacation photos posted to the Flickr site. To see them, click here.

I think I may go out and get a reflective vest. I am going to sit and think on it a while to determine if it is overkill. I have reflective stripes on my shoes, a reflective armband that I carry my ID and key in, and a blinky LED that I wear on my iPod armband.

This morning, somebody wasn't paying attention and very nearly ran me down. He was speeding and turned in to the wrong lane. He was being lazy - it was 6 in the morning and dark. He just didn't expect anyone to be there, I am sure. I was less than 10 feet away from the sidewalk on the left side of the street. He stopped 3 feet short of me and I had nowhere to go. He was in the wrong, clearly, but when you're roadkill, it doesn't really matter who was right.

What scared me was that I wasn't as visible as I could have been. Todd the iPod wasn't with me so I didn't have my flashy LED. Instead of a white t-shirt, I was wearing grey. My shorts have white stripes down the side, but the shirt sleeve was covering up the reflective armband.

Am I overreacting by adding more to what I am already doing? Maybe if I go back to white shirts only and make sure that all of my other precautions are in place...

At least if he had smooshed me, I had my ID and they would have known who I was and who to call...

We're back from vacation, and hopefully back into the routine. Ethan tolerated the travel and time away pretty well, although he was fussy the last couple of days there. I think he was suffering from a lack of sleep, as he perked up after a full day and night of sleep on the way home. I wouldn't sleep well in a pack-and-play either, even if I was that small. We saw dolphins, walked on the beach, swam, visited with family, and had a great relaxing time. It is good to be back home to our bed and the lonely cats.

Ethan now has his second tooth and does a couple of new tricks. He plays peekaboo by himself now and will also make a kissyface. He doesn't always do them on demand, but he clearly does them intentionally. Too cute.

Running just didn't happen while we were gone. The beach wasn't runnable, and I was just plain lazy. We were active every day - walking, swimming, exploring the area, just no running. I should still be fine for the half mary in October. Long runs start back up this weekend. In the meantime, I have made the mental switch from running to eat to eating to run. It is the state of mind I have been trying to get to for months!

Pics to come once we get them moved around and consolidated.

Cute Ethan pic of the day - this is him in the hat that his oldest cousin Brian got him in Boston last month. Not only is it cute, it is apparently tasty too. He has learned to take it off to chew on it.

Today's run was a failure - I completed 1.5 of 5.25 miles planned, and then the legs just gave up on me. I'll make it up on the beach Sat and/or Sun. Tomorrow I have my long(ish) run of 7 miles planned for before we leave.

I am now in week 2 of training for the louisville half marathon. I am still poky, but I am also looking at my second week in a row of 20+ miles. That is very good news for me. I feel better in so many ways when I am over that bump. Since we're leaving Friday morning on vacation, that means that I am squeezing 17 of those miles into 3 consecutive days, but I figure it will be worth it for 2 reasons. First, hell- it is vacation! Second, I'll be running on the beach next week, hopefully at sunrise if the tide allows, so a little PITA now will be repaid by the candy runs next week.

I am looking forward to taking Ethan to the beach. Seeing his cousin Jonah's (that is Jonah in the pic above with Ethan) beach pics from last month makes me feel pretty confident that he won't eat too much sand or get too crispy burned. He travels well, and will have 2 of us there to trade him off as needed, so it will be a good vacation. His second tooth has been struggling to come in. It has been this big grody and painful looking blood blister for a couple weeks.

We took him to the zoo last Friday and he had a good time. He didn't notice the non-human critters there, but really loved watching all of the kids. he really loved the cement turtle, as you can see.

It has been over a year since I did my last half mary. I think I am ready to train for another one. There are 8 weeks or so between now and the 21st of October. All I have to do is add back my weekend long run to my existing running schedule. I can do this.

Maybe next year I'll do the full...

Here are some of the photos we're sending to Ethan's birthmother this month. I would like to point out the copious amount of drool on the exersaucer picture and note that Rosie's eyes are actually green and not demonic red. The red eye repair function doesn't work on cats. It also, incidentally, doesn't work very well on Ethan's deep brown eyes either. That is another story altogether.

Ethan is 5 months old today. I am amazed by how much his personality has come out in the past month or so. He is a happy, and giggly and busy all the time. I put together pics to send to his birthmother last night, as we do every month, and will try and remember to post some new ones in the next day or so.

Last night Mr. UPS dropped off the new running shoes that I ordered from shoes.com. Their warehouse is in Louisville. I was going to have them shipped to work, but that would mean that they would charge sales tax, so to save 6 bucks, I had them shipped home instead. Interestingly, the package was sent from Louisville to Indianapolis, and then back down south to Jeffersonville. Distribution logistics are tough to understand.

Either way, it is great to:
a)run in new shoes
b)have decent looking regular tennies now (my former running shoes)
c)demote my former regular tennies to yardwork shoes (the pair before that)
d)pitch my falling apart crappy yardwork shoes (three pairs removed)

Being a runner is complicated.

Aargh!

I finished coursework for the MSSF degree in May. I still haven't received my degree in the mail. I e-mailed the department in June and she said to wait another month. I e-mailed the department yesterday and received a reply back this morning that says that the registrar deals with this, not the MBA/MSSF department.

This morning, I called the registrar's office. There is no notation in my transcript that I have been awarded the degree. She said I should talk to the department. I told her the department told me to talk to her. In that case, she said, the person I needed to talk to was away at a doctor appointment. I was promised a call-back this afternoon.

In the meantime, the registrar person called the department person and determined that they did not have an application for graduation on file. I called the MBA/MSSF person and told her that we had e-mailed about my graduation application on 1/29/07. She found a copy of the e-mail. Sometimes it is good to be anal about keeping e-mails. She will research and call me back soon.

Everyone I have spoken to has been kind, helpful and gracious. I am frustrated, but remaining patient. I have 2 e-mails from 2 heads of the department saying that my course schedule would indeed fulfill the requirements for the degree. Now I just have to wait.

Guess who got his first official tooth Friday! I don't have any pics yet, but it looks like the next-door tooth will be coming in within days as well. He isn't sharp yet, so I continue to let him gnaw on my jawbone as he loves to do.

I am amazed at how much solid food Ethan eats. He will eat a whole container of baby food in addition to 2 oz. of formula blended in with rice. He seems to have enjoyed every food he has tried so far, even the grody ones like peas and carrots. He is even getting the hang of opening his mouth for the spoon. No shoving and prying is required.

Every day for the past week, I have expected to find Ethan sporting a new tooth or teeth, but we're still not there yet. He has the low grade fever, the slobbering, the swollen gums, the fussiness - all the classic symptoms. You can see where they're just straining against his little gums, but they have yet to poke through. Last night, he was bleeding a little bit from one side and you could see where the gum had split a little, but still there was no telltale white poking through. This morning, that side was actually less swollen that the next-door tooth-to-be. I feel bad for the poor little guy - I hope he can get it over with soon so his little mouth won't be so sore...

Here are some of the latest pics of Ethan. His hair issues seem to have been fixed - we have had pretty good luck with hemp oil. It takes away the frizz but still leaves it soft and not greasy.

I can't believe how much he has changed over the last few weeks. He's such a grown-up boy in his exersaucer, and he is really doing a great job of eating solids.

There is a 5 mile race on Saturday morning at 8:00AM near where we'll be staying for vacation. I can't find much information on it online, other than to see last year's results. With my poky post-vertigo speeds, and if this year's race mimics last year's, I would likely be in the last 10 people (of about 75) to finish. Plus, will I really want to run a race after being in the car so long the day before. Then again, I know I am slow and am ok with that. A race on vacation would sure be fun...

Much pondering will occur between now and then...

Hooray! I got my lazy hind-end out of bed this morning for a full 5.25 mile run. I feel pretty good, considering that it was (and is) stupid-crazy-hot-humid outside. It was a tough one, but it felt like an accomplishment when I was finished. Now I need to figure out if my headache is due to dehydration or just getting up too durn early. Nudge me if you see me falling asleep at my desk.

We're officially booked for a condo at Oak Island, NC next month. We wanted to combine a trip to the in-laws with an actual vacation so we could eliminate feeling guilty, and yet have a little relaxation as well. I think that this will take care of both of those. A trip that is 12 hours each way normally will be much longer with little dude, so we are planning on taking our time getting there. Damn - now I have to get into swimsuit shape before we go.

And I finally finished Harry Potter Saturday night/Sunday morning. Whew!

Have you ever just had one of those days where you're down for no reason? Today was one of those days. I felt tired, unmotivated and sluggish. when I get in these moods I have a terrible time concentrating long enough to get things done.

I tried making a list and going through the line items. Didn't work.

I tried rationalizing; talking myself out of the funk. Failed again.

Then I pulled out my wild card - the mood cure-all that trumps my Papaw's CamphoPhenique or Grandma's CortAid. It worked. Here it is:







I feel better now. Do you?

Vacation

I think we're planning a vacation in September. Derek and I are big fans of travel and have gone lots of places together, but other than a trip to Ohio last month, and one to eastern KY in May, (which don't really count because they were to see family and there were no overnight stays)we haven't gone any substantial trips since Ethan was born. As a matter of fact, the last time we stayed in a hotel was at the hospital when he was born.

So I've got the itch but don't know what sounds appealing. Anywhere we want to go is going to require a fair amount of driving, and with little man is going to take longer than it used to. We're going to have to do some research to see what is within a reasonable distance.

So how do you decide?

Stay in the great house in the great neighborhood or move to the ok house on the amazing parcel of land?

The 'burbs or the rural area?

Deal with the hassle of moving or stay where we're settled?

Spend $$ on fixing up the new-to-us old house or on the higher mortgage of the old-to-us newer house?

What suits us better? Quirky character or trendy newness?

There are a lot of unknowns and a lot of variables. I think we are going to leave it up to fate - if it happens, we'll be off on a new, semi-scary adventure, if it doesn't, we'll still be content. Either way, we can't lose.

The Cereal Adventure

Solid foods already! I can't believe how grown up he is. Here is Ethan's first adventure into eating like a big boy, complete with totally dorky "mommentary".

Infertility and Adoption

Before we adopted Ethan, I put a lot of effort into thinking and worrying about our infertility journey. It was always out there - something that made up a big part of who I was. An unaccomplished goal combined with a desperate fear that I wouldn't be able to carry/give birth to/breastfeed a child. Now that Ethan is ours and real and tangible, it is so completely different. I don't pine for those things that I spent so much time and energy wishing for. I really don't feel like I missed out, perhaps because I was able to closely observe so many pregnancies through other people. Instead, I am glad for the time I spent waiting and wanting because it has made the *now* seem so much better. I am glad that we had the trouble we did - if we hadn't, I wouldn't have Ethan, and he is as much mine as any child that I would have given birth to. Our agency has a saying that "you will get the child you were meant to raise". When we were in the pre-adoption classes, I dismissed it as hokey, but now I believe it with all my heart.

I officially sent in the form to register for my first race as a mom. It is a short one - just 4 miles, but it will be the first time that I can come through the chute and see little man and Derek waiting for me. As a bonus, it gets us free tix to the baseball game afterward, so we can stay and have some good, family-friendly fun. My smell after a race, however, is less than family-friendly, so I'll have to make sure there is time to go home and shower in between. I'd hate for the mascot guy in the furry bat suit to pass out before we can get his pic with Ethan.

There is nothing in the world cuter than a baby in a hat. Specifically, this baby and this hat.

I had talked to several people over the last few weeks about bringing more diversity into our lives. Adopting a child of color has really made it clear to me how monochromatic our lives are. Our closest friends, family, and church folks are primarily white. Our neighborhood is pretty diverse, but in general, people stick to themselves. We know a number of transracially adopted children with African-American heritage, but don't have any AA adults in our daily lives to serve as role models or simply to provide Ethan with a better idea of what it means to be brown-skinned in our area.

At my mother's suggestion, I talked to Billie Sue at the 4th of July parade. As a woman active in the larger community and more specifically, the African American community, I thought she would be a good starting point to help us as a family become involved and serve the community along side a more diverse group of people. Instead of recommending organizations or causes, however, she offered something even better. She invited us to become a part of her extended family and to join them at family gatherings. So now Ethan has a new "Granny" and we have a new path to expand our social group and meet more young families who can better help Ethan have a better understanding of the culture behind his African American heritage. How cool is that?!?

A great run

Sometimes when I run, it feels completely effortless. I spring out of bed in the morning, get out the door in no time, and leap through the miles, bounding with energy. Other times, it is hard. I want to reset the alarm and sleep in, but I don't. I want to sit and read instead of lacing up, but I force myself to get out the door. I want to stop because it is hot, I am tired and my legs are heavy, but somehow I manage to force myself to keep going.

This morning's run was one of the latter kind. It was muggy, I was tired, there was lightning in the distance, and my legs felt like they had small children clinging to them. Despite this, I finished the route. Another 5.25 miles is permanently on my running log. Finishing up, I was feeling relieved that I had finally completed a bad run. I realized, though, that this couldn't have been a bad run. Despite having numerous reasons to turn back and go home, I kept going. I had the resolve to complete what I had started despite the obstacles. I think that qualifies it for the status of a great run.

Nature's Bounty

I am having ratatouille for lunch today. Everything in it, with the exception of the garlic and the eggplant (bought at the local farmers' market) was grown in my garden. Every time I think about it, I marvel at the fact that these little seeds, the dirt in our backyard and some water every now and then, has yielded something that is this tasty and fulfilling. I feel very connected to the earth when I eat from the garden. That whole circle of life thing is pretty groovy.

I love this picture. We call it the "what you talking 'bout, Willis" face. We notice it more in photos than we do in real life, but he sure is adorable when he is annoyed.

I get exclusive baby rights this week. Derek is working every evening through thursday, so Ethan and I are going to be hanging out by ourselves this week. We have exciting plans such as taking a trip to Petsmart and switching out his clothes for larger ones. Sounds thrilling, doesn't it?

This week should be the first time I have topped 15 mpw since Ethan was born. I am back running 5 milers instead of 3 milers, which makes it so much easier to get the miles in. I am still having trouble getting out there on weekends, but that will come sooner or later. There are even a couple of races on the horizon that I am eyeing...

Derek and I really have a great arrangement. I feel very comfortable with him being home with Ethan during the day. He is a really great dad and they have a lot of fun together. It is cute to see their relationship evolve as Ethan becomes more aware of his surroundings and increasingly interactive with us.

Ethan is sleeping from 9:00 at night to 5 or 6 in the morning now. Typically, he'll take a bottle and go back to sleep at that time. I use that to my advantage - the extra commotion in the house provides an added incentive for me to get out of bed a little earlier for my run. I have gone back to running 5 miles at a time since that gives me a little more bang for my buck than the 3.5 mile course offers.

Isaiah, Ethan, and I ended up going to the game after all last night. It was delayed almost 2 hours and we got soaked, but it was a lot of fun anyway. We rode the merry-go-round a couple of times and played on the playground in the stadium, splashed in puddles and ate cotton candy - all the makings of a great evening. Our final ride on the carousel rocked Ethan to sleep, which was precious, until he woke up after I dropped Isaiah off and decided he would test to see how loudly he could wail. Both boys were so good - I couldn't have asked for a more pleasant night with them, rain and all. I have a couple of cute pics of, but don't have them off of the camera yet, so I will post later tonight.

Weather permitting, Ethan and I are going to a Bats game tonight with cousin Isaiah. That is him in the pic w/ 2 day old Ethan and their auntie Becky. The forecast is calling for t-storms and rain all afternoon and evening, so it may not happen. My boss has season tickets that he never uses, so fortunately, if tonight doesn't work out we can pick another day. Now I just have to figure out what we will do as an alternative if the game is a no-go...

I hope that the predicted rain will do something about the mugginess. This morning's run was oppressively damp and warm...

I didn't wake up this morning to run. I think that right now 3-4 times a week is all I am going to strive for. I am comfortable with that - as long as I can maintain my fitness, I am not looking to gain any ground. I would much rather concentrate on being with my family and my overall health and happiness, which includes getting a full night's sleep. I take lovely lunchtime walks on the days that I don't run, so I am still getting out there and moving my body...



I miss my little man today. Last night was the third night ever that I missed tucking him in. It has been our agreement from the beginning that if Derek gets to be the stay-at-home parent, I have exclusive rights to the "night-night bottle" and the bedtime ritual. Today will be better - I won't be home but I'll at least have Ethan with me. It is always fun to show him off to new people. He is such a ham!

Race and Adoption

Adoption, especially transracial adoption, gets you into some marshy territory. Like any parent, I want Ethan to grow up feeling comfortable in his own skin, as part of our family and embracing of and embraced by the cultures and groups around him. It is naive to think that it will be that easy. When he was just a week old, we experienced our first negative reaction to the fact that he is biracial. From discussions I have had with parents of other black and biracial children, it will most certainly not be the last.

When we were making the preparations to adopt, Derek and I discussed at length all of the books, articles and websites that we have seen about adoption. We both feel that they are too quick to blame adoption for any and all bumps in the road. The same is true for race. Is your child withdrawn? It must be because he is concerned about issues related to his adoption. Is he acting out? He is probably having trouble understanding his racial identity. Here, we have two very real, integral parts of Ethan's identity. We have to walk a very narrow road between acknowledging and embracing the things that make him different from many people around him, yet not allowing those differences to overshadow his everyday, normal life and development.

He is Ethan. He is black. He is white. He is adopted. He is loved. He is ours.

I love the weekend. Being able to enjoy a little relaxed time together as a family is wonderful. This weekend, Ethan had his first chance to gamble at the racetrack. Here you can see him throwing away money like it is nothing.



Sunday we went on a drive to a state park that is close by. Derek took a lot of really nice nature and park photos, including this one of the young and enthusiastic hiker. I should mention that not long after this happy pic, Ethan started crying and didn't stop until he was asleep for the night. Don't let the cuteness fool you - he knows how to play us.



You can see some of Derek's other pics here

Happy Birthday Ethan!

Three months ago, at about this hour, I got a phone call saying that a healthy baby boy with curls and a cute nose was born. The next day, on his auntie Alecia's 30th birthday, we got to meet Ethan and his birthmom and grandmother. Now here we are, three months later, and although the shock of the speed of the process has worn off, the excitement is still there. I am fully aware that I have first-time-mommyitis, but I am embracing it! He is such a joy and has added a whole new dimension to our lives. The pic above is one of the first we took of him - the first time I fed him.

This morning was a beautiful time to run. It was cool and breezy, and yesterday's day off made me feel energetic and pleasant. If all runs were like today's, everyone would be a runner and I wouldn't have had so much trouble getting back on track.