Fitness Friday

I've been trying to figure out a way to get my workouts into posts and have it make sense all mixed in with the baby stuff. I found that I liked the way another blogger I follow does it: Fitness Fridays (check out Food, Fitness, and Family). She is really great about providing versions of her workouts for readers to do; hopefully I'll get there too, but for now I'll just tell you what I've been up to!

This week is more like what I haven't been up to...

Saturday:   5k race with my mom, bested my time from earlier this year :-)

Sunday:     Lots of family time-chasing kids is a workout right?!

Monday:    Stuck in a car for 8+ hours...BOO!

Tuesday:   Lunchtime power walk-hey, I had a hair appointment after work!

Wednesday: Jillian Michaels 30-Day shred before work

Thursday:  3.25 mile walk/run intervals, ab work while on the floor playing with G

Friday:      P90x Core synergistics before work 

I've been trying to find a good post workout snack. I've been using these Myoplex shakes. I need quick, and also portable since I multi-task like a mad woman at night. Any ideas???

I wish I could have gotten a shot of the mess I made in my car when opening this. I have some scrubbing to do this weekend. Why did I have to get the chocolate kind?!

I'm also now addicted to these super simple protein 'pancakes'. 2 base ingredients (egg whites and oatmeal)and then you take it from there.

I've been adding PB2 powder, cinnamon and sometimes for a treat, a teaspoon of mini chocolate chips. I haven't done the nutritional value on these yet so I'll repost as a stand alone recipe once I get all the deets in order. I'll try some different add-ins before that too. I'm a creature of habit so it'll be good for me!

They're pretty filling and take the place of a muffin for me with my morning coffee.

And just because I thought this pic was hilarious...G has decided she does not like broccolli!!! She kept putting it in her mouth though-silly girl!

Weekends-Road trip with a 7 month old!

With the extended holiday weekend it was our turn to make a trip to MI to visit with my family.

*Let me add a THANK YOU in here for both active military and veterans for Memorial Day. These days have a different meaning around our house with the hubs being a combat vet and both of us working for the VA*

We decided at the last minute to leave on Thursday night in hopes that G would sleep through the trip uneventfully. She did. We arrived very early on Friday morning.

It took her a little while to warm up to Gramma & Grampa again, but once she did life was all good!

This is the view in my parent's backyard now. Kind of disturbing to me. Can you see all of these windmills? I'm all for alternative energy but I also love trees! In the second picture is actually the house I grew up in, years ago I saw all the trees taken down for irrigation machines to go in and now these things go up for electricity generation. Progress? Hmmm.

Anyway, I talked my mom into doing a 5k with me at a local festival. We woke up to stormy skies and I thought she might get out of it-but she didn't even try! We wore matching way-to-bright tops and decided to have fun with it.

G was a trooper in her stroller with Grampa and Daddy while Mommy and Grandma posted good personal times. It's been 10 years since we did one of these together and we both beat those times. Take that Father Time!!! :-) 

By the time we cleaned up and came back to the festival it was hot and humid. We rewarded ourselves with some ice cream. This place had a ton of flavors-all with a little twist. Mine was a delicious salted cashew ice cream with ginger caramel. OMG-I love ginger. So good!

That evening my younger brother and his 3 boys came over to play. It is really fun to see G with other kids. She is totally content to watch everything they can do and just take it all in. My youngest nephew (13 months old) is able to throw a ball and he kept throwing it at G, she'd just pick it up and try to put it in her mouth, but you could tell she was having fun!

Sunday was another family visiting day with my cousin and her three boys stopping by and my aunt and uncle as well. It's so good to get up there and see everyone, especially now that we have G to show off!!

We left bright and early Monday morning hoping G would travel well during the daylight hours. It was hot and I'm sure she got cabin fever like we did, but she was a trooper. She ate her veggies right from these awesome packets. I squirted it right into her mouth and we made a game of it. Note to self (and other moms traveling with little ones): always travel with these!!!



Weekends always go too quickly, but weekends spent with people I love and miss go even faster. Can't wait to have the whole crew here in June for another adventure!

My 1st Mother's Day-Belated!

What's that you say, Mother's Day was last Sunday?! I guess that pretty much sums up life as a new mom for me! Most things still manage to get done, just maybe not on the same time frame they would have previously. Oh well *shoulder shrug* That still causes anxiety from time to time, but I get over it!

G actually spent Mother's Day with her Grammi but that doesn't mean I didn't think about her all day or reflect on just how much my world has changed over the past year.

Last year we took my MIL (now Grammi!) for ice cream, a frequently craved thing while G was still on the inside, and talked about how different it would be this year. But it was all talk; I had NO idea what life would be like as a mother. And the truth is, now I can't imagine ever going back. The house feels so big and lonely when she isn't here. Lucky for me, it's looking like I"m going to have myself a little helper!

She was just a dream for so long- our struggle to have her may become a future topic, especially when it comes time for #2- that sometimes it is hard to believe she's really here. But her smile has become the highlight of my day and can always bring one to my face on the darkest days. 

They did a Muffins for Mothers celebration at her daycare where we got to go and play and interact with the other kids (and moms!). We found out that G likes to swing! It fascinates me to see her around other kids since at home she just has us. She's learning so many motor skills now and they pass toys around and crawl over top of each other (except G of course who just sits by and watches!)

They also made some crafty things for us which I'll look back on in a few years and cry I'm sure. A cast of her foot, with a Mother's Day poem, and prints of her tiny hand made into flowers! 

I'm not going to get all philosophical on what it means to me to be a mother, I think I do that enough from post to post! I will say that it's she's the best thing that has ever happened to me. I hope one day she realizes that without her life just wouldn't have been what I knew it was meant to be. Oh, don' get me wrong, I was happy before...but now I'm fulfilled!

Gwyn's World: 7 Months

Gwyn's World: 7 Month Update

I really love writing these posts as I get to look back through all my pics and the daily diary I keep for G and it is always amazing how much happens in just one month! She is more fun with each day!

She is constantly 'talking' and trying out new sounds, syllables and decibels. She really likes to hear her own voice! A dada is coming soon, I can feel it. And not just because she is constantly coached by her own Dada to spit it out ;-)

The girl still loves to bounce but is sitting really well now so she also likes to just hang out with toys layed out in front of her. She has some blocks now that she not only enjoys putting in her mouth but also banging together. It is hilarious when she gets excited about anything because her eyes get really big, her feet kick around and she makes a funny little sound.

One of her new favorite playthings has to be her toothbrush, which makes Mama very happy! It is a morning game for us, first I do the real brushing and then she gets to continue to play with it. Let's face it, when you drink milk all day, you need a good mouth brushing in the morning! I hope she always brushes her teeth with such ease *fingers crossed* It's important to start good habits early and they say the health of their baby teeth strongly determines the health of their adult teeth, so I'm also protecting myself from future dental expenses (braces-ugh!)

The puppies continue to be a big hit. In fact, she'll stop eating just to watch Nallah lay in the sun! The first thing we do when she gets up in the morning, and when we get home from school is to kneel down and say hello to them. They get just as excited to see her as she does to see them.

We are still not mobile. She will support her own weight when leaning against something and finds that very exciting, but always acts oh so tired when put on her tummy!! It's the only time she really acts like a drama queen, but she does just that! She kicks around and airplanes a bit, and then (with a big sigh!) lays her head on the floor.

I've been trying for a few weeks to get her to take some water from a sippy cup. We are on the third one and she will at least attempt with this one. With the first two she wanted to play with it but would put it between her teeth and then smile at me around it as if saying, ha ha mom, you really thought I was gonna drink out of this didn't you?

BTW-have you seen this cartoon camera app? How cute, right?! She also adores this little glow worm. She got it from her Aunt Kristi for Christmas, but just recently really started to take notice. Maybe because it has a baby's face since she seems very interested in other kids now too. Time to start working on #2?! What?! ;-)



Month 7 Recap:

• 6 teeth, definitely all in-just ask my bitten fingers!
• Almost grown out of all 6 month clothes and size 2 diapers
• Using big girl potty whenever mama is fast enough to get her there in time!
• Added avocado and egg yolk to BLW
• LOVES: brushing her teeth, her taggie blanket, watching other kids and having her picture taken

 

I can't express how happy I am every morning to see this smiling face. One night this week we didn't make it home before she went to bed and I missed her. She was sleeping at the foot of my bed and I still missed her! Life has never been sweeter!



WILT...

WILT...Week

This week I 're'-started my half marathon training. I downloaded some new music, made some new playlists, got my Garmin and made a schedule. Then everything that had to do with technology went to h-e-double hockey sticks. First my ipod wouldn't sync my new playlists, so I just used it anyway and tried again later. Then it wouldn't sync ANY of my playlists. Phuey. Then I used my Garmin, loved it, synced it to my computer and now it won't charge. Big Phuey.

Basically, I learned that I'm not technologically bright...or patient :(

Anyway-I did get all my workouts in and here's how they looked.

As I said, the plan I'm following has 3 days of running, right now 2 of them are supposed to be 30-45 minutes and a third 'long' run on the weekend of longer distances as the weeks go on.

Monday: Run 30-45 minutes: I did 30 minutes, will do 35 next week, 40 the following, etc. at the same speed and then go back down to 30 minutes at a faster speed.

Tuesday: OFF- we were scheduled to get family pics this night, but they got cancelled due to the rain. I took the time to hang out with G and get some chores done since I had already planned to take the night off.

Wednesday: Bob Harper Inside Out Method, I've already discussed how much I love this workout.

Thursday: Run 30-45 minutes-I was able to leave work early and run outside. I ended up at the complex I lived in when I first moved to WV, it happens to be very near G's daycare and I used to do alot of walking (and a little running) when I lived there so it felt familiar. The fun part is that the first half is all downhill, so you know what the second half is!! I'm glad I pushed to run the entire way up because I got to my car just as it started to downpour! ;-) Someone was telling me something!!

According to MapMyRun (an app I downloaded trying not to have to get a Garmin!) my stats with warm up and cool down were:

 

3.04mi

Distance

 

11:00min/mi

Avg Pace

I felt pretty good about this considering the uphill-ness of it! I wanted to show you the route, but I can't seem to copy and paste it. BOO!

 

Friday: OFF-I have to say it is always hard for me to take days off , but it is also nice!

 

Saturday: Run 3 miles-Outdoor run with Garmin. It was fun to be able to watch my pace during the run. I'd share my splits, but I can't even get the program to work right now!! I'm pretty sure I did almost exactly the 3 miles my program called for in just over 31 minutes.

 

Mile 1: 10:30-ish 

Mile 2: 10:30-ish

Mile 3: 10

 

Here's to hoping I can get it fixed or traded or a new one because it has so many options I didn't even get to read about in the manual yet!!!

 

Sunday: P90x Yoga-I didn't feel like doing a full strength workout and have been feeling tight lately so I thought this would be a good fit. I always forget how challenging yoga can be. 

 

So, Week 1 in the books. I sure hope I can get some of these things to work in the coming weeks or this will be more challenging than I thought. 3 miles of random music I can handle...when we get to 5 or 6, I want to know I have the right mix to get me through! :) PS-sorry so bland with no pics, but I'm telling you nothing wants to work for me!

Starting Over-Sort of

Last time I tried to begin half marathon training it didn't go so well, in fact it really didn't go much of anywhere! I guess it's a good thing the one I plan to do is a good ways off.

Competition Begins In

288 03 44 44

Yeah-that's 288 days, so I think I have enough time to begin again! :) They do include training programs on their website that allow for 6 months of training, so I'm gonna try to follow one of these and see how it goes. It's actually titled "To Finish in the Upright Position." Perfect. Sounds like a good goal to me! The most exciting part to me is that it only includes 3 days/week of running. I really want to be able to do this and still spend lots of time with G so if I really can do this with 3 days/week of training, I will be ecstatic!

 And here is my latest training tool, can I tell you how excited I am?! OK-I'M EXCITED!

I've had a simple heart rate monitor for e past few years so this is going to be a big upgrade for me. And now that I'll be doing at least one run each week outside the data this provides will be very helpful. I'm gonna take a day to figure it out and then test it on Saturday morning. Hopefully I'll have some encouraging data to post! Yes, I said data..I've always called myself a data dork so we'll see just what I can do with this!!

I'm looking forward to getting outside more to run. I've been trapped in the basement for too many months. Although alot of the time I have had a sidekick!

Now that she's more mobile, this really isn't very fair to her either. We'll still have this arrangement one night or so a week and I have a feeling that will become interval training as I jump on and off the treadmill tending to her. I'll have to discover some new ways to keep her occupied ;-)

I have her 7 month update coming soon, lots of changes as you would expect and I'm excited to share!

ET & BLW...WTW?!

Most days I feel like my work world is run by acronyms, so I figured why not add some from Gwyn's World to the list! What the What (WTW) is a classic Liz Lemon line from 30 Rock and comes in handy for a swearing substitute, which I generally don't need alot of help with, I just think it's witty and cute. As for the other two: Elimination Training and Baby Led Weaning.

Elimination Training

Some may think this is a little out there, but G has started using her very own big girl potty. When I read about this concept I was not so surprised to learn that the US is one of the few places babies remain in diapers for so long. Diapers are really just a convenience for us, not a necessity for them. Moms in other countries are in constant contact with their babies and get to know their elimination cues very quickly. This is harder for a full-time working mom but we are working on it every weekend.

Babies tend not to go when they sleep but right after they wake, so in the mornings and after naps we sit on the potty, more to get her used to it than anything else right now. But as you can imagine, cues for #2 are alot easier to see and we've been successful with that one a few times now. I feel good about that for her sake since I can only imagine how difficult that is to accomplish while fully clothed!! I'm not expecting that she'll be potty trained next month or even this year, but I think this will help when the time comes.

Baby Led Weaning

I talked about this a little bit before, and we've tried a few more foods now. Besides banana, we've also had avocado, mango and cooked egg yolk. The mango seemed a little strong for her but everything else has been a hit and she really loves the independence of it. If I were here with her all the time we would be doing more of her feedings this way for sure.

I don't know how well I did, but I was trying to capture her new top teeth on film, she has cut 3 and is close to the fourth. This makes her look like a full blown toddler and also gives us a few more options food-wise. These teething biscuits are labeled for 9 month olds, but baby girl gnawed the heck out of one and screamed like I have never heard her scream when I tried to take it away! Definitely only a treat but definitely a hit!

She's also eating jarred food with meat now and we are starting our first week where she probably won't get a breast milk bottle every day. Oh, the freedom!! It's almost time for the 7 month update so there are a few more things to talk about then...

  

Earth Day 5k

I completed my first post-baby race this past Saturday. It was almost a full week after Earth Day, but hey, who's counting?! When I did this race a few years ago it was followed by a nice event with local vendors and businesses doing 'green' things: education, giveaways, promotions. It was a good time, and when I signed up this year I looked forward to taking G. She stayed home with Grami but at least the race fees went to something I feel strongly about.

 Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and I almost didn't go at all. It was in the 40's with gray skies that spit rain right up until race time and the crowd was rather small. Maybe I was just looking for a way out since I was nervous I wouldn't finish without walking (not that there's any shame in that!). I did zero outdoor running to prep for this and it is certainly climate controlled-to some degree-in the basement where the treadmill is located so the cold wasn't fun either. Of course I warmed up once I got my butt in gear!

I did feel crappy at first, but once I got going I felt pretty good. This is a nice (flat!) rail trail along the river and the scenery is lovely so that helped! I have added a watch that gives your pace to my wish list; that would have helped I think. I kept trying to catch the woman in front of me but since I never knew how much further we had I probably didn't push myself as hard as I could have. I still finished in 30:47, just under a 10 minute mile pace and considering my only real goal was to finish without walking I'd call that a success :-)

Here's the best part though. We stuck around for raffle drawings since so few people showed up to run due to the weather. I ended up winning a package with a Carhart shirt (gift for the hubs for coming along and taking pics!) a gift certificate for a rafting trip (so excited to use that this summer!) and a gift certificate to a tattoo parlor! I'm thinking about adding a little flower in G's birth month near the sun I already have on my back. Just a subtle ode to her and everything that went into being able to have her. Can't wait for the next one...race and baby both ;-) Haf marathon training officially begins next Monday. For real this time!!!