One Last Road Trip

We're making the two hour drive to my mom's house for one last my-side-of-the-family get together before the baby arrives. To those of you wondering, yes, I'm tired. And yes, I'm not so comfortable. However, I'm still able to take a walk, pick Monica up, and clean a bathroom every once in a while. I'll be glad to have more mobility again very soon!

I've been meaning to post a recent picture of Monica but she is not the most photogenic these days. She used to be a total ham for the camera. Now she gives me blank looks, like this:



Love ya, babe, but where are those fabulous grins you used to give the camera???

We hope you and yours have a fabulous Memorial Day weekend. Let's remember to give thanks and say a prayer for all of the veterans who have given their lives for our freedoms!

Sugar and Spice, Meet Snakes, Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

Over the last few days, I've been reading a couple of books, Why Gender Matters by Dr. Leonard Sax and How Do You Tuck in a Superhero by Rachel Balducci. Both have got me thinking about boys and girls and the changes that having a little boy will bring into my life. I have only one sister and so living with a little boy is still something of a mystery. Today I had an experience at the park that may be a glimpse of our future.

Monica is just learning to go up and down stairs without scooting on her bum so we were practicing this on a flight of stairs on the play structure. As Monica gingerly went down the stairs, a four year old boy went streaking passed. He stopped at the top and looked at her, fascinated. (keep in mind that I've never met or seen this boy in my life.)

Little Boy: I didn't know she could walk!

Me: Yup. She can walk. Sometimes she even runs.

LB: Wow. Run?

Me: Yes. Sometimes she goes so fast I have to run after her!

LB (totally intrigued): Run after her right now!

Me (Looking at Monica standing stark still at the bottom of the stairs): I don't think she wants to run right now. So, I don't have the chase her.

LB (considering this thoughtfully): She could race.

Me: I don't think she knows how to race. Maybe she'll run a race when she gets older.

LB: I bet I could win.

Me: I bet you could too. You can definitely run faster than her.

LB: I could win a race!

Me: You could race around the playground right now to see how fast you are.

LB: Yeah! (scurrying down the stairs) I'm missile fast!

Boy takes off and careens around the playground, Family Circus style. Returns to the stairs, breathless.

Me: Wow! That was missile fast.

LB: Oh yeah!
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Boydom, here we come.

Get Your Oink On

Kevin ran and finished the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati nearly two weeks ago. It was a tough race day (read: lightning, thunder, pouring rain, blisters, chafing, and going out too fast), and I'm really proud of him! Marathons are never easy, and it was challenging to train for a marathon with a toddler and pregnant wife.

Due to the rain and craziness at the finish, we didn't take any pictures, but the marathon folks snapped some along the route. Click here, choose the Flying Pig Marathon and enter our last name. There are quite a few pictures, but I don't think we'll be ordering any of them. When we saw the pictures, the reality of Kevin's hair loss really set in and the pictures really brought out, well, the pain of the event. But that is how many marathons are: just.plain.painful.

The last time Kevin ran a marathon, we were still sans kiddos and he had plenty of time to prepare for the race. With a full time job and more demands at home, three hour runs on the weekends became too much, and without the time for speed work, it's just too hard for Kevin to get the times he really wants in the marathon. So, we've made an executive decision that shorter distances are in order for the foreseeable future.

I'm looking forward to running again as well. But, now that walking quickly after Monica as she toddler-sprints down the driveway to the road has become almost unbearable, I am reminded that real running is just out of the question. But hey, I'm 35 weeks now! Little Man will be here before we know it, and I'll be able to hit the pavement again. For now, I'll enjoy getting my "oink" on, meaning I will take full advantage of napping, lounging, and eating ice cream to my heart's content.