Things

Our dog is an escape artist. She has figured out how to get off her dog run and squeeze under the fence. T put up boards and bricks to block her in, but tonight he looked out the window and saw her streaking through the neighbor's yard as they chased her. Oops.

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I think R has acid reflux. Apparently infant GERD is not uncommon in babies. He spits up a ton, and it seems like his belly is hurting often. He hasn't been eating very well the last day or two. There's unfortunately not much you can do about it though, and he is growing well. He slept five hours in a row last night, skipping his usual 2:00 a.m. feeding. At 5:00 a.m. I nervously went in to check on him, and he was sleeping soundly. Hopefully this means sleeping through the night isn't far off.

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My manicurist told me about Pandora Radio today. You just type in an artist you like, and listen to similar music for free. How cool is that? I never knew about this before!

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Wednesday: 5 miles (in the rain) 44:50
Thursday: 3 miles (in the dark) 27:09
146.6 lbs

--MM

Cleanliness is next to impossible

I am generally a clean person. I don't like cleaning at all, but I really like cleanliness. I don't even like my hands to be dirty, and I feel a little OCD tendency when I see books or papers out of order. With two children and boys for that matter, cleanliness is out the window. I write this after I just stopped Q from dropping every pellet of dog food into the dog's water creating a sort of soup.

Every night we pick up the house so everything is nicely in its place. In the morning, Q comes downstairs and methodically messes everything up. He must remove every toy from its storage place and spread it all around. Yesterday, he shared some apple slices with me, but when he couldn't chew the skin entirely, he scraped the chewed apple off his tongue and onto the carpet. Sigh.

Add to this his little brother who is getting an early start on messiness. R spits up a lot. I don't know if it is just appears to be an excessive amount, if I am just not remembering how much Q spit up, or if it really is just a lot of barf. It sure seems like the last one though. R had to have spit up fifteen times yesterday. Once it went down my leg onto the carpet. Another time, it splashed down my back onto the couch. T wasn't spared when R barfed over his shoulder and into a puddle on the ground. The worst instance though, was when R unleashed right onto my chest. It went down my shirt and pooled in my bra in a warm, sticky, sour-smelling mess. Ick. Usually I do have a cloth diaper under him to catch the spit-up, but he always manages to just miss it.

I have been trying to give in to this messiness and realize it doesn't really matter. Kids will make messes. What can you do? It is probably good for me in the long run to loosen me up a little, but come on, do I really need a bra full of barf to learn that lesson?

Our housekeeper is coming today to make everything sparkle. That is one indulgence we just don't want to give up. I can't wait to come home to a gleaming house. That will be a wonderful feeling, even if it only lasts till tomorrow morning.

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Tuesday:
Ran: 3 miles
Weight: 147 pounds

--MM

Wine and dine

One of my favorite things to do is go to a winery. T and I are members of a couple of wine clubs, and today we visited one of our favorite wineries. I must say it is a little more relaxing without two little kids in attendance, but we still had a good time. We sat outside at a picnic table, and Q threw around his mini football. We each had a glass of Pinot Gris with a cheese and fruit plate and a baguette. Then we had a glass of Claret with some chocolate. Heaven. We got coffees on the way home. I could eat like that every day. I should have been European. I would have been a big, fat, happy European!

We started the day at a Memorial Day observance. It included a ground-breaking for a war memorial in our town. We dressed our boys in red, white, and blue and watched the festivities. It was neat to see the veterans from wars back to World War II, and Q has a fascination with flags. He pointed out every one he saw today. He also really liked the chocolate ice cream served at the event. He went to town on a cone and coated himself in a sweet, sticky mess.

It was a nice family day.

--MM

Running

I ran six miles today. I averaged ten-minute miles which is a full minute slower than usual, but it felt great the entire run. I am considering running a marathon in September in Lake Tahoe. I haven't registered yet, because I am nervous about squeezing in the training and about how my body will respond so soon after giving birth. The training starts this week. We will see how it goes. It certainly can't hurt to work toward it. Especially since my weight loss has pretty much plateaued. I guess the actual pregnancy-related weight is already gone and now these are the extra pounds I put on. Not good.

When I was teaching group exercise classes, I did yoga and Pilates three times a week. Now I am not doing it at all, and I definitely think my body is missing. Today I ordered two ten-minute DVDs for yoga and Pilates. I figure ten minutes is a lot better than nothing.

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T and I just ordered something from The Something Store. You send in ten dollars, they send you something. Probably stupid, but we thought it was interesting. I'll let you know what we get.

--MM

Aaaaaahhhh......

T is off for three days for this long weekend. It is so nice. I got a massage and facial Saturday to take advantage of the extra help at home. It was great.

Massages are always wonderful though they do hurt a little as they work out those knots. Facials though are all about relaxation. I actually fell a sleep momentarily. I think I kind of snorted when I woke up. A bit embarrassing. The rest of the weekend is pretty wide open. Just how I like it.

--MM

Coffee club

I spoke today to a meeting of very rich philanthropists. I was invited by the hospital foundation board to talk about our family's experience in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Pediatrics. We never knew we would need those services before we began our family. Then Q was born six weeks early, and we were in the NICU for two weeks. Eight months later, we were in the hospital for a week when Q had a severe respiratory virus. This time around with R, things are going a lot more smoothly, but we are still very appreciative of those facilities and the people who support them.

T met me at the coffee club to watch the boys. I printed out pictures of Q and R during their times at the hospital and made posters. While I was speaking, Q ran in and out of the room with T chasing him. It actually was a nice effect to show how far Q has come after his rough first year. I was proud talking about our family and all we have experienced. The old rich, folks gave me great feedback and seemed to enjoy our story. A woman from the foundation board was very pleased and said she appreciated me talking about how I felt as a first time mother. She said they would like to call on me again in the future. I am glad to help and proud to talk about my sweet little boys.

--MM

Back to the grind

I returned to work yesterday, but just for a day. I decided before I had the baby that I wanted to work to cover the primary election. Our child care provider watched the boys all day. I got my first experience of trying to get ready with two children instead of one. It wasn't as hard to leave this time as it was the first time I left Q because I am used to it now and fully trust our provider. I managed to be pretty much on time even with stopping at Starbucks on the way.

It felt great to be back at work. Even though it has only been six weeks, I definitely felt a little discombobulated. At times I felt like I was in slow motion. The day went well though, and I felt invigorated when I got home. I realize that working, especially in that job, makes me happiest. Even if it reduces my time with my children, I still think it makes me a better mom overall. Instead of being with them all day but feeling languid and apathetic, I am energized during the hours I am with them. Plus, I am just good at my job, and it makes me feel proud and successful.

It was nice to have that little taste of work but now to be back on maternity leave. I know what I have ahead of me and know this time alone with my kids is precious and finite.

T returned early from his business trip. He got back a day earlier than expected. It was a relief to share the work again. He has a three-day weekend this weekend, and mama is getting a massage! However, a new mom today told me she had a lot of breast milk leak during her massage. That could be awkward.

--MM