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.

It is official. Ethan is rolling over! He did it for Derek last week, but we have been unable to get him to replicate it, until yesterday. He rolled over a couple of times for Derek during the day, and then he did it 5-10 times after I got home. He even did it once for his Mamaw! We have so far been unable to capture this on camera, but we DO have eyewitness accounts. He grows up more every day!

Chiggers

Before I get to the whole chiggers thing, I have to mention that Ethan is getting so big and grown up! He now says "whoa" (or at least the baby equivalent) whenever Derek plays airplane with him. As soon as Derek starts to move him and says "whoooooa", Ethan starts in making the same noise. Very cute, and of course, very grown-up.

Now to the chiggers. I don't know when they bit me, I don't know when they bit Derek, but they did. Thankfully, they didn't get the baby, but Derek and I are both covered in big red bumps. They're really, really itchy when I run and get sweaty, but are only mildly itchy the rest of the time. I was going to post an after-run chigger pic to show the beauty of their glowing redness, but it ended up just looking like some gross-out porn or other such weirdness. Close-ups of body parts become fairly ambiguous and unidentifiable.

Other than the continual itchiness, this morning's run was great. It was cool and crisp and beautiful.

I decided to move my stuff over here from the MSN for a couple of reasons. These seem a little less cumbersome (the other spot took FOREVER to post), and I want to be able to more easily link to and comment on other blogs.

I have been in a running funk ever since we found out that we had been chosen to be Ethan's parents. I think a lot of it was just the anticipation of and subsequent adjustment to being a new parent. Now, I blame the fact that I simply got out of the habit, my rekindled caffeine addiction, and pure early morning laziness.

This morning, with the help of some wonderful words of inspiration and wisdom from the VB runners, I got out there again. I admit, I bribed myself with coffee and the promise of a leisurely lunch hour spent reading. It worked. I ran. It was wonderful.