5 years ago...

5 years ago last Friday, I ran a marathon. Yes, me... 26.2 miles.

Last Friday, I ran 1.5 miles. It felt like a marathon.

I have about 8 lbs. to loose from the pregnancy. I have been making excuses (some of them legitimate) as to why I am unable to work out:

-I am too tired... I've been up all night with the baby
-My vericose veins are hurting
-I can't work it into my schedule
-Jack is not 3 months old so I can't take him to the daycare

All of these things are resolved (except my veins did hurt last night, but that was the first time in a while), so I am out of excuses.

Oh, and I'm addicted to sugar... do they have rehab for that?

I always say "If it's important, you'll make time for it." So it's time I take my own advice and get going on getting rid of these 8 lbs.

I just found this photo of myself and my two BFFs Melissa (on left) and Katie (on right) after finishing the marathon. They trained with me but were unable to run the race due to injuries.

Working Out Isn't Working Out

Last night Michael and I decided to go to the local rec-center to work out. We bought an annual pass in January. I have not been working out much because of some painful varicose veins leftover from my pregnancy (I tried running about a month ago, but it hurt too much), so when I decided to go try the low-impact elliptical machine, it was kind of a big step for me.
Also, I haven't wanted to take Jack there while he was so young and his immune system was so frail, but he's almost 3 months old now, and he has been out enough that I feel comfortable taking him there.
So anyway Michael went to work out in the weight room and I went over to the cardio side. I had Jack sitting there in his car seat beside me as I began my workout. About 1 min into my warm up, a staff member came up to me and said that I wasn't allowed to have my baby in the cardio room (the last place I had a membership did not allow children in the cardio or weight areas, but did allow infants in car seats, so I figured that this was ok). She said that the reason for this rule was that someone could "fly off a treadmill and injure the baby." She then let me know that I was welcome to take him to the daycare for a small fee of $2.50/hr.
So, I figure that if I workout 5 times/week, it'll cost me $50/ month to put Jack in the daycare to keep him safe from people flying off treadmills (It is only $25/month for our couples pass). I think he is significantly more likely to get injured in the daycare than he is by someone flying off a treadmill.
My point is, I don't mind that you enforce your rules, but please don't tell me some B.S. reason for it like "people flying off treadmills." Just tell me the truth: We want your $2.50/hr.

Jack's Busy Weekend

Jack had kind of a crazy weekend. On Saturday, he went with his mom and dad up to Park City to the Canyons Ski Resort where they were going to watch a pond skimming contest that was advertised as a free event. When we arrived, we were informed that the event was free, but that we each had to pay $15 to get up the gondola to get to the event (the worker also let me know that Jack could go up for free...thanks). We were late and would have only gotten to see a few minutes of the pond skimming, so we decided to spend our $30 at the outlets instead. We bought some new clothes for Jack because his newborn size clothes are getting a little snug. I also got some bigger shirts for myself (hopefully by summer I'll be able to wear last year's clothes a little more comfortably). Michael is the only one who didn't get to buy anything... His clothes still fit him. When we were done shopping, we headed back up to The Canyons for a Wailers concert. I think there is only one guy who was actually in Bob Marley's band, but it was fun anyway. This was Jack's first out of womb concert experience. He enjoyed it so much that he slept through the entire thing.

On Sunday, Jack had his baby blessing at our church. He looked so handsome in his little white tux vest and bow tie. We had our families over for waffles after the blessing. After everybody went home, we three Birds took a long nap. I still need to put the extra table and chairs away... maybe later.

This is a photo of our family members who were able to attend Jack's baby blessing. And I had to put just one more of Jack in his white suit.

Shots

Jack got his shots yesterday. It was so sad. The nurse gave him this yummy roto-virus vaccine that he enjoyed. He was lying on the table smiling at her then WHAM! 2 needles in his left leg and another in his right. He cried and cried. He fell asleep on the car ride home, and when he woke up 2 hours later, he burst into an inconsolable fit. He wouldn't even eat. He had never felt such pain before. I did get him to take some infant Tylenol which he quite likes (grape flavored). He is doing much better today. I'm glad he won't remember it.

A Small Accomplishment

After finishing school, I discovered reading for pleasure (something that was foreign to me during my college years). Although I quite enjoy reading, I have never been one to read long books. I get bored with them and impatient with myself (I have never been a terribly speedy reader).
A few months ago, I was looking for a book to read and at the suggestion of my sister, Tara, tararustyhallejosh.blogspot.com I decided to take on Gone With the Wind. It has 1024 pages, so normally I wouldn't have touched it, but I did, and I finished it today (I started it before Christmas). Oh, and I loved it. Although I do feel sorry for poor Scarlett. Her life is so hard. Oh well, I'll not think of it now.
So all I'm saying is, "good for me"... and does anyone have a suggestion for another good book for me to read (it doesn't have to be long)?

Back to Work

Yesterday was my last day as a stay at home mom. I went back to work today. I am cutting back my hours to 20/week, so I only have to be away from Jack two days per week.

He will be 2 months old on Sunday. I can't believe how much he's grown. It is so much fun to have him around. He knows how to sleep for 7 hours at night now and it is wonderful. He has also recently started to smile and coo and it is so adorable. He is a very good baby. Here are some cute pics of him.

Doggy Dilemma

Do all dogs really go to heaven? I don't think so. I have good reason to believe that my 3 doors down neighbor's dog is going straight to hell. The reason?
Jack has been doing great, taking his afternoon nap without any problems. Since the weather has gotten a little nicer, the neighbors let their dog stay outside in a pen. The dog barks incessantly, waking Jack up early every single time I put him down. The dog also barks late at night, keeping Michael and I awake.
So what do I do? I don't want to be the neighbor who goes up to the door and says, "Hi, my name is Natalie. I live a few houses down. Nice to meet you. By the way, could you shut your dog up before I call animal control?" I am 3 houses away... It's got to be bothering other people too. I don't know what to do. My baby needs to sleep. Any suggestions?