It's a Good Day

This morning started out with a fantastic run at the early hour of 6:30.  I never get up that early.  Ever.  But last night I was frustrated that I hadn't gotten a run in yet, and it was just too dang hot (97ish) to run outside, and I had no desire to hit the treadmill.  So I went to bed early (11:00 - that's actually early for me) with the intention of heading out once Braxton woke me up in the morning.

Braxton started stirring around 6:15 and I decided to just pump and give Brian the bottle so I could get going.  The run started out great with cool air, fresh rays, and worship music on my ipod.  The first three miles felt really good, although I could tell I wasn't breaking any speed records.  By about 3.5 miles I started getting a little sloppy so I tried to concentrate on form.  By 4.5 miles I was struggling a bit, but I was also going faster than I was earlier in the run.  I started looking at my watch and realizing that I really needed to pick it up if I wanted to come in under my previous 6-mile time (1:03:30).  At about 5 miles I started feeling pretty good again and picked up the pace as much as I could. 

I ended up finishing in 1:05:10.  A bit slower than I wanted, but then again, when I first started out I was just focusing on enjoying myself.  Plus I'm not used to running in the morning on a fairly empty stomach - I actually like having food in me when I run.  All that to say I did enjoy myself and might try morning runs a couple times a week, if Brian's schedule will allow. 

Brian and I love hanging out in the front yard while the kids go back and forth on their bikes and run around with the neighbor kids.  Sweet Braxton likes to join us, too. 

Our home nurse came today to check on Braxton, and he weighed in at a whopping 9 pounds, 3 ounces!  He is doing so, so well.  I think we will actually discontinue the home nursing pretty soon as the main concern was monitoring his weight gain and growth.  Our goal has been to get him to the 10-12 pound range before his surgery on September 13th, and it looks like we should hit that, no problem.

We saw his "head therapist" yesterday and she said she already sees a difference in his head shape after only a week of us doing therapy at home.  All I'm doing is holding his head in my hand a certain way a few times a day, and encouraging him to look to the left.  Apparently it's working.

Braxton is at the stage where he wants to "nurse" anything that gets close to his mouth.  He's latched on to my arm, my chin, and even Brian's nose.  He found his arm during tummy time the other day, and seriously went to town on it.

By the time he was done he had given himself a hickey.  Seriously!

Isaiah has recently learned to get up on the swing by himself and get himself pumping.  I think that is sort of a right-of-passage for kids.  He can now hang in the I Can Pump Club, and that's pretty cool.

Today we are watching a friend's daughter since her Mom is pregnant and needs a break.  This friend actually grew up in the same neighborhood that I did, near Seattle.  Our mom's were best friends, and I used to babysit her and her siblings.  Now she and I live in the same neighborhood in Idaho and I'm watching her daughter.  It's funny how things come full circle.

The kids are getting lots of use out of the new sandbox.  And I'm learning to live with sand on my floor and in my bed sheets.

I'm embracing a new mantra for the summer, which is this.  My house isn't messy, it's lived in.  And every mess or chore that is undone represents time that I've spent with my kids.

I did manage to clean a toilet, wash and put away two loads of laundry, and clean up the kitchen after lunch.  I've also applied sunscreen eight times, prepared lunches and snacks, served popsicles, and filled a pool.  All in a good day's work.