tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-291091382024-03-13T14:23:33.258-07:00The Path Less TraveledTwo paths diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
(Adapted from Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken")Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10063070371327783480noreply@blogger.comBlogger305125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29109138.post-79280545157233043052014-12-15T08:01:00.001-08:002014-12-15T08:01:37.081-08:00Race Log: 2014 Dallas Marathon RelayThe 2014 Dallas Marathon Relay was an awesome experience! Julie, Julie, Rachel and I headed downtown on Saturday, checked into the Omni, went to the expo to get our race packet and some great deals on other running gear (like my $160 shoes for $58!), ate at The Common Table and had Pokey-Os for dessert, then went back to the hotel for a good night of sleep.<br />
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We could see the Start line and all the activity going on for the race from our hotel window! We got ready, prayed, met Brian in the lobby and dropped Julie off at the start line. There was a lot of driving and walking to and from each exchange point, but that meant we could all be together all morning. There were a couple close calls, like Rachel making it to our exchange point about one minute before I arrived! They almost texted me to tell me to slow down ; ) Julie ran 4.25, I ran 6.4, Rachel ran 4.75, Julie B ran 5.3 and Amber finished us off in the pouring rain!<br />
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At Mile 21 Rachel and I helped two separate guys who had debilitating leg cramps. We got them water and gu, encouraged them, and helped get them walking again. The first guy told us he thought he was finished and almost had a car drive him to the end. We ended up seeing him at the finish line - the highlight of the day for sure! He saw us and said "My two angels!" We were so proud of him for finishing!<br />
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Though it was really fun to accomplish this together, I think I would run the half marathon myself next time instead of the relay. It was just a little too hectic when it was all said and done. But our team finished in 4:00:37 and placed 84th out of 338 relay teams. Not too shabby! We even got two medals, one from this year and the one we would have gotten last year if the race hadn't been iced out. Extra bling is always fun : ) Next relay with these girls is the Rock and Roll in March - can't wait!<br />
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Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10063070371327783480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29109138.post-90057883041225287232014-12-06T06:51:00.000-08:002014-12-15T08:02:00.123-08:00Race Log: Deck the Trails 3 MilerDeck the Trails is quickly becoming a tradition for our family. This year was the first time that Owen and Eli participated too and they loved it! I had taken them for a few training runs and knew they were capable of the distance, so I took Owen and Charlie took Eli and we were off! The course is a 3 mile trail run around soccer fields, baseball fields and through the woods in Coppell. It was a perfect morning for a run in December - shorts and long sleeves were perfect. Eli finished in 31:30 and Owen finished in 31:40, which was 12th and 13th place in their age group out of 24 kids. Their times actually beat the first place kid from last years race, so that shows how much more competitive it was this year! My mom and dad happened to be visiting too, so that made their first race extra special. They had so much fun and are already asking about when they can run their next race : )<br />
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Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10063070371327783480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29109138.post-11073454033938876782014-10-22T13:17:00.004-07:002014-12-15T08:02:10.919-08:00Race Log: That Dam HalfRace day has come and gone and I survived!<br />
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Rachel picked me up around 6:30 and we were at the start line by 7:15. I took ibuprofen and Imodium, at my Kix and vanilla stingers waffle, stretched out a little, took some pictures, found Charlie and the boys, lined up and took off.<br />
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My first mile was around an 8:30, which was too fast, but I felt pretty good. The first 1.5 miles were through the park, then we ran up Mill street and entered The Dam. It was 5 miles straight out, then turn around and run 5 miles straight back. The race finished with the same 1.5 miles through the park and back to the finish line.<br />
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My goal going into the race was to finish between 2:00-2:05, though I would have been ecstatic to finish in less than 2 hours. My final time was 2:04:09, 8/42 in my age group, 57/350 women and 178/618 overall. I beat the course, the foremost goal of the day.<br />
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Something happened during the race that I'd never experienced before. I made the mistake of thinking that the gu I ate on my training runs didn't really make that big of a difference so I didn't take any with me for the race. I had five chomps with me, but for some ridiculous reason I only ate one of them and by the time I ate it, it was already too late. My calves were cramping and my toes were tingling... definitely dehydrated. I ran with my water bottle but ran through the Gatorade stops without taking any. I honestly don't know what I was thinking! I hit a wall unlike I've ever experienced on any run ever and all of a sudden my finish time didn't matter at all - I just wanted to finish. Around mile 10 I almost quit. Like, for real. I considered texting Charlie and telling him that I quit. Remembering Owen and Eli running 3 and 2 miles on Friday night is the only thing that kept me moving forward. I almost cried at mile 12.8 because I couldn't see the finish line. I crossed the line, got my medal and promptly laid down on the ground because I was losing control of my muscles. Dehydrated for sure.<br />
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In the end, I walked 7 separate times for a total of about 5-5.5 minutes. I know that I could have finished in less than 2 hours, but that doesn't take away from my feeling of accomplishment, especially since I kept going when I wanted to badly to stop.<br />
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Some things I learned:<br />
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<ul>
<li>FUEL!! Fuel before I think I need to and take the sports drinks instead of just water</li>
<li>Bring something that I actually want to eat after the race. They had food, but it was cold pizza and chicken strips, which was the very last thing I could have stomached that morning</li>
<li>It was a great idea to have more than one goal/focus for the race. If I would have just had a rigid '2 hour' goal then I would have felt so discouraged after I realized that I wasn't going to make it. Having a goal of finishing was a great place to start!</li>
<li>Train my brain more for the course. I knew this was an out-and-back scenic race but I did most of my training runs through neighborhoods with tons of turns and things to look at and distract me. I wasn't ready for the boredom of running straight for that long.</li>
<li>Organize my play list before the race! I downloaded all kinds of new songs just for that morning but didn't delete old ones so I hardly got to listen to any of them : ( </li>
<li>Reminding myself to run easy, light and smooth helped to distract me from the distance</li>
<li>Focus on one mile at a time, not the whole remainder</li>
</ul>
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I was asked several times after the race if I would run another one and my immediate thought was NO! but even by the next day I knew I would run another one. If for nothing more than wanting to put my theories to the test about fueling and training. The goal for the next race is to finish, not walk, and hopefully complete it in less than two hours. Now I just have to find the right race!</div>
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Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10063070371327783480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29109138.post-8732983995275185222014-10-14T11:20:00.001-07:002014-10-14T11:20:31.380-07:00Summary: Half Marathon Training!I can hardly believe that my race is in FIVE days! I have worked hard for the last 9.5 weeks and it's almost time to see the payoff. My good friend Janice helped me to create my training plan back in July and it's been so helpful to keep me on track, motivate me, push me and hold me accountable. I remember how daunting the 12 miler at the end of the schedule looked, but honestly, by the time I got there I was ready for it! Here's my breakdown...<br />
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Mondays: Upper body (X3 Eccentric Upper usually)<br />
Tuesdays: Speed, usually around 3 miles, or a faster than normal pace 3 miler<br />
Wednesdays: X3 Yoga<br />
Thursdays: Between 3-4 miles<br />
Friday: Rest<br />
Saturdays: Long runs ranging from 7-12 miles with taper weeks built in<br />
Sundays: Cross training, almost always biking or X3 Dynamix<br />
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Here's my mental state of my long miles, for the sake of reflecting : )<br />
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<b>Week 1, 7 miles</b>: Started off great but hit a wall around mile 5. Hips really hurt and the heat was a beat down. Felt like I was hit by a truck the rest of the day : ( <b>Pace: 9:21</b><br />
<b>Week 2, 8 miles</b>: Tried interval running. Run for 4 minutes, walk for 1. Felt great during because I knew that the pain was temporary and it left me feeling energized instead of exhausted for the rest of the day. <b>Pace: 9:55</b><br />
<b>Week 3, 6 miles</b>: Started running alone, which meant I wouldn't have someone to complain to. It worked! I ran the whole 6. <b>Pace: 9:15</b><br />
<b>Week 4, 9 miles</b>: Ran five miles to the park and felt really good the whole time. Stopped when I met up with my friend, ate a gu and never rebounded for the remaining four miles. Stopped for a total of more than 15 minutes to catch my breath, assess a blister (got a <i>terrible </i>one on my toe around mile six) and to generally complain. Terrible run. Felt like I wasn't cut out for long distances. Mentally beat. I felt like I just needed one good run to overcome these negative feelings. <b>Running pace: 9:35</b>, but actually much slower with all the stopping<br />
<b>Week 5, 10 miles</b>: I HAVE ARRIVED! It was less than 60 degrees, I ran alone, I stopped for a minute to eat my gu and kept going. <b>Pace: 9:32</b>. Yes!<br />
<b>Week 6, 8 miles</b>: It's amazing how 8 miles felt like a break when it felt like such an achievement only a few weeks ago. I used the virtual pacer on my watch for the first time and set it for 9:25, thinking that would be an improvement from last week's pace. <b>Pace: 9:03!!</b> What!? Maybe I'm fast afterall ; )<br />
<b>Week 7, 11 miles</b>: What happens to my pace when I add 3 more miles? I set my pacer for 9:15 and set off. <b>Pace: 9:05!</b> I brought home donuts to celebrate : )<br />
<b>Week 8, 12.1 miles</b>: I had to squeeze this run in on a Friday because Charlie competed in a triathlon this weekend. <b>Pace: 9:11</b>. I stopped twice to give myself a pep talk to keep going between miles 8-10, but my energy picked up again for the last two miles. Only need to add on one more mile and I'm there!!<br />
Week 9, 7 miles: I was only supposed to run 6 but I felt awesome, the weather was perfect and I was with a buddy, so I kept going. Pace: 8:48!!! That was the perfect long run to end on before my race. I'm excited, I'm confident and I can't wait for Sunday! I think my quick pace had to do with running at the mostly flat park compared to the very hilly course I had run every week for training. The race is along a dam and will be all flat - hoping that's a great sign for things to come!<br />
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Week 10, 13.1 miles... stay tuned ; )Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10063070371327783480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29109138.post-71515293745872425292014-09-18T14:03:00.003-07:002014-09-18T14:04:08.230-07:00Born to Run... A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen<br />
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I just finished this book by Christopher McDougall and loved it! Inspirational, informational and interesting... a great combination! Before I return it to the library I want to summarize the quotes I liked best from the text.<br />
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<li>'We've got a motto here - you're tougher than you think you are, and you can do more than you think you can.'</li>
<li>'Think <i>easy, light, smooth, </i>and <i>fast</i>. You start with easy, because if that's all you get, that's not so bad. Then work on light. Make it effortless, like you don't give a sh*t how high the hill is or how far you've got to go. When you've practiced tat so long that you forget you're practicing, you work on making it <i>smoooooth</i>. You won't have to worry about the last one - you get those three, and you'll be fast.'</li>
<li>'Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own; sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction.'</li>
<li>'Strictly by accident, Scott stumbled upon the most advanced weapon in the ultrarunner's arsenal: instead of cringing from fatigue, you embrace it. You refuse to let it go. You get to know it so well, you're not afraid of it anymore.'</li>
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and my personal favorite:</div>
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<li>'Just beat the course. No one else. Just the course.'</li>
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With only five weeks to go until my very first half marathon, these quotes and tips were much appreciated. Just one foot in front of the other!</div>
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Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10063070371327783480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29109138.post-48699998892540631382014-09-09T20:27:00.001-07:002014-09-09T20:27:31.766-07:00Catching UpUgh. Did I really let a 2nd, 4th and 6th birthday pass without so much as a blog post?! I'm not even sure the best way to catch up, especially since so many things have changed since each birthday, but here goes nothing!<br />
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DYLAN<br />
Little Dilly Boy is incredibly amazing. He is probably the most adored brother of the bunch and best buds with Garrett. He is obsessed with Thomas the train and Curious George and wants to do just about everything on his own. His new favorite saying is 'No, I do dat!' He potty trained in less than a week, he loves to jump off the steps and into the pool, he loves to color, he calls dumdums 'poppops' and he is still a champion sleeper. His first day with all the boys at school led him to ask 'Where my bubbers go?' all day long. He uses no less than five utensils for every meal, loves to give hugs, loves to chase the boys all around the couch and makes a funny eye-roll face that cracks all the boys up. Two is a big year for this little fellow!<br />
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GARRETT<br />
Garebear is a lover. He's sensitive and kind, giving and gentle. He loves to help and share and spend quality time with us. He's an attention seeker, highly dramatic, a giggler and will do anything that Owen and Eli ask him to do. When you ask him to do something or share something he'll respond 'Sore Mom, sore thing!' His teacher told me today that he makes her want to have another little boy because he's so sweet and kind. He has recently mastered his 's blends' that he couldn't say even a month ago. He loves school and learning, I suspect because he loves one-on-one time with me and having his own thing apart from the boys. He is in love with Dylan and 'pets' him all day long; hugging him, touching his cheeks, putting his arm around him, including him in his games and pulling all the blankets and pillows off our bed to jump into. How is this little blue eyed boy FOUR already!?<br />
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ELI & OWEN<br />
These boys that turned us into parents six years ago are turning into little men more and more every day. They are so smart, remember the smallest details about things, are thick as thieves together, 'forget' to meet other friends at Grapevine Faith so they can stick together, are obsessed with art, books, dinosaurs, ocean animals and legos, stay up way to late talking and playing together in their rooms, can't sit still for any meal, both lost the same bottom tooth within two weeks of each other and love Wild Kratts. Eli can be strong willed, especially when it comes to school and doing the nasal rinse that they have to do for allergies. Owen is more laid back in a lot of ways but also the more competitive of the two. It's hard to believe that after six years I can still basically lump them into the same paragraph because of how similar they are in their interests, personalities and milestones. We're so thankful that they are each other's best friend and love watching their relationship strength day by day. These six years have been a wild ride!Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10063070371327783480noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29109138.post-75216691185754286652014-03-23T13:22:00.000-07:002014-03-24T13:23:04.872-07:00Race Log: Rock n' Roll Half Marathon RelayThe Rock n Roll is a half marathon series that races in cities all over the country. Every mile or so there's a band stage playing cover songs and the relay stick is a drum stick. I mean, it's just a cool race! Three of my running buddies and I signed up to run the relay half, a split of 7 miles/6.1 miles. Since this race was a Rock and Roll theme we decided to have some fun with it and bought Wonder Woman socks (with capes!) and made matching tutus. Despite our best efforts we couldn't get Brz to dress up with us, but we still had a blast. We left for downtown around 3pm the day before the race, checked into our hotel (bonus!), went to the expo, then to Meddlesome Moth for dinner and Pokey-Os for dessert. The dinner was amazing - split pea guac, moth balls (cheese and pasta in a creamy pesto sauce), chopped crab and shrimp salad, ribs and potato salad, shrimp and grits and ahi tuna with avocado and jalapenos. Delicious!! Dessert was make your own ice cream sandwiches (coconut chocolate chip with vanilla!). We headed back to the hotel to just relax and hang out, then hit the sack early for a 6:15 wake up.<div>
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The morning met us with 18mph winds and 48 degrees. Thankfully our hotel was just outside the starting line so Julie and I walked to the corrals while Julie and Rachel rode the Dart to the exchange point. We had about 30 minutes to kill before the first wave started but then we were off and running. We set a pace of 9 min/mile but hit closer to 8:30 for the first two miles. Something felt off for me but I pushed through for about another mile and a half before I told Julie to keep going and I walked for a second. I think the wind was getting to me mentally. It was also pretty hilly and cold. After walking for about 20 seconds I ran to the 4 mile water stop, drank a couple sips and kept going. I ran the rest of it and felt pretty good overall. My goal was to run the 7.1 with a 9:00 pace and I came in at 8:58/mile. I tagged off Rachel and off she went. The other girls all had amazing runs with paces between 8:45-8:55... unreal times! When we checked the results later we found out that out of 134 girls relay teams, the Unruly Julies came in third and The Foxy Ladies came in ninth!! We really did ROCK the Rock and Roll!! </div>
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Julie and I took the dart to the finish, though we missed both of the girls crossing the finish line. Then we carted our four freezing heinies back to the hotel to change and pack up, then eat a well deserved breakfast at OHOP. I loved that this race was more of a girls trip than just a race. These are my peeps, and it was great to get away together!</div>
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Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10063070371327783480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29109138.post-48088800083485582642014-03-15T08:55:00.000-07:002014-03-24T08:56:24.881-07:00Race Log: Dash Down Greenville 5KThis race was so fun! Leah was in town for a visit so we registered for this race together and dressed up like all the other crazies. It was supposed to rain that morning but, thankfully, it didn't. Leah didn't need another hurdle to overcome! The course was pretty flat with some good downhills and only 1-2 short uphills. It seemed like most people dressed up or were at least decked out in green. It was St. Paddy's Day weekend, afterall. I was so proud of Leah for finishing the race (and only breaking down crying once) and hope that she'll catch the 'race bug' like I did! I would definitely run this race again next year - if I put my PR time into the results I would have placed in the top 10 in my age group!<br />
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Finished!</div>
Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10063070371327783480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29109138.post-36421272407585834672014-02-22T07:02:00.000-08:002014-03-03T07:03:10.208-08:00Race Log: Cowtown 10K<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Cowtown 10K was a race I signed up for because my parents were going to be in town and could be there to watch me finish, but after running it, I would definitely do it again! It was cheap, you get a medal, there's great food afterwards, it was really well organized and the course was nice. The downsides were the start time (7am in Fort Worth) and the shirt (plain white cotton t-shirt). Maybe I'm left with such good feelings about this race because I did so well ; )</div>
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Once I crossed the start line I took off like a shot. I was dodging people left and right (including <i>walkers </i>who were <i>way too close</i> to the starting line in my opinion) and headed up the first hill. It was nice that it was right out of the gate while everyone was fresh. My goal was to run with a 9:10 pace. Mile 1 was 8:45, Mile 2 was 8:08! I was feeling good and didn't think I needed to slow down to conserve energy so I just kept going. Around Mile 5 I hit a bit of a wall with the wind, but just kept telling myself I had less than 10 minutes to keep running. I can do anything for 10 minutes. Even though it was chilly that morning, it turned out to be perfect running weather.</div>
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I rounded the corner for the finish and picked up the pace. I didn't know where my family was and wanted to look good as I passed them ; ) My goal was to finish in less time than my last 10K (58:35) and my hope was to finish in the 56s or 57s. I finished in 54:35!! My average pace was 8:45, over 30 seconds less per mile than my last 10K! When we checked the results I finished 24/402 women in my age group, almost the top 5%. I don't like to have a rank as a goal because you never know who you're up against, but I was thrilled with that!</div>
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I met up with my Julie when she finished about a minute later, then my parents and family as we waited for Rachel. This was a day of firsts for all of us: My fastest time, Julie's first 10K and Rachel's first race ever! We made our rounds of the vendors, got our medals and took loads of pictures. Celebratory pancakes afterwards! The best news was that my knee didn't bother me at all, maybe because of my new shoes and all the foam rolling that week. Whatever the reason, I was happy!</div>
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Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10063070371327783480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29109138.post-29906221134915865172014-02-08T08:29:00.000-08:002014-02-14T08:31:17.119-08:00Race Log: Hot Chocolate 15KIt was race day!! I hydrated and laid out my clothes and gear the night before, took a benadryl and headed to bed around 9pm. Alarm went off at 5:30am, I checked the weather, got dressed, at cereal and drank tea and headed to Julie's house. I took ibuprophen for my knee and immodium for my belly before the start of the race. I ate a banana for energy. I gave myself a pep talk that went something like this: "This is just another run. Have fun with it. Just finish. Do not get left behind. There will be chocolate after."<br />
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It was <i>cold. </i>There was a .75 mile walk from the parking lot to the starting line, so all in we were moving for almost 11 miles that morning. This was by far the biggest race I'd ever done. The runners started in waves, spaced out by 90 seconds between each. Gun shot, we started. We set our pace at 9:20, which we were both comfortable with for that distance. It was a beautiful morning for a run, and I loved seeing the cold breath of all the runners like clouds in the air. The first four miles went by no problem. Around mile five there was a hill that it took everything in me not to ask Julie to walk up. I knew that if I stopped, she would likely keep going. This was a race afterall and I would probably have done the same thing. So I toughed it out and got up that dang hill, sounding like I had asthma the whole time. At one point, Julie looked at me and said 'take a deep breath!' That was the only mile that our pace was slower than we wanted (9:30). Our pace had been between 9:05-9:15, but there were two miles in a row that we were sub-8:50. I think we both thought we were trying to keep up with the other and ended up just running faster than we expected.<br />
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This race went through neighborhoods and there were several houses watching the racers. One house had four little kids hanging out the windows yelling 'Go Faster!' and 'You're almost there!' at all of us. You laugh so you don't cry ; )<br />
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Around mile 7 we could hear the finish line. It felt like such a tease to hear it so close and still have 2.3 miles to go. Around mile 8 my ear buds broke. Around mile 8.5 we finally passed a girl who had started in an earlier corral who bounced the entire course on pogo legs! At mile 9 we passed two girls who were <i>walking </i>and both wanted to yell at them 'what are you doing?! you're almost there!' When we could see the finish line we picked up the pace and ran as fast as we could. We finished at exactly the same time and it was amazing!!<br />
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I ran straight from the finish into the medic tent for my knee. I needed pain meds and BioFreeze, stat. I stretched and felt mostly ok. We got our chocolate mugs and were shivering from the cold, made worse from being sweaty. By the time we got inside our hands were burning like the early stages of frostbite. Ok, so I'm exaggerating... <i>a little. </i>We thawed out, took pictures, congratulated each other, shared stories, changed into dry clothes and started the long, cold walk back to the car. Celebratory pancakes for brunch and we were on our way, feeling accomplished and exhausted. My stomach held up, I ran the whole time, we beat our pace and my knee cooperated. Can't ask for more than that!<br />
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Final results: 1:26:08, pace of 9:15, 88th out of 477 other 30-34 year old women. Amazing!!<br />
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Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10063070371327783480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29109138.post-31627148567095998212014-02-05T07:56:00.000-08:002014-02-14T07:57:08.589-08:00Race Log: The Back StoryLong ago, in a time before kids, I started training for a half marathon. I was home for summer vacation from teaching and Charlie was getting his MBA. I had nothing to do but workout or lay around, so I exercised. I did videos and ran and walked and started running 5Ks. One day it was drizzling for my training run so I wore my old shoes and that's where my troubles began. From then on, I've had knee issues. Related or coincidence I don't know, but what I do know is that I have a bad knee... and it doesn't like to be pushed hard. My half marathon goal was now impossible since I was in physical therapy for my knee three days a week. Running became a distant memory, and then we got pregnant. It had been 6 years of either being pregnant or nursing and I hadn't done much of anything physical that whole time. I was raising young people afterall! Dylan was 11 months old and all but finished nursing and I was ready to turn this ship around.<br />
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I started running again on April 15, 2013, the same day as the Boston Marathon bombing. I remember getting out there and running for the first time, willing myself to keep going by telling myself to run for the people who couldn't anymore and who would love to. I had a perfectly functioning, healthy body and was wasting it. I was annoyed that I was ok with that, and I was ready for a challenge and a change. My lungs were burning, my legs were tired and it was hard, but I ran for 2 miles. From April to the end of December I ran just over 100 miles.<br />
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In January alone I ran 47.3.<br />
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My turning point came in January. I was supposed to run with three friends early in the morning. I had never run with them before and I let that, the time, the weather and my nerves talk me out of it. So I backed out that morning and felt like a total wuss for the rest of the day. THAT wasn't going to happen again, not if I could help it.<br />
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The next weekend I ran with my friend Julie for the first time, totally nervous before we started that I wouldn't be able to keep up. She had been running longer, farther and faster than I had. But I showed up. It was 28 degrees and dark when we started, but it was invigorating. I remember talking about how cold weather running makes you feel alive and kinda like a bad a$$.<br />
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We both thought we were running 7 miles, which would have been the longest I had ever run. I was nervous about that too! By the time we got back to her house, we had run 8 and I kept up the whole time, at a faster pace that I thought I could do (9:15/mile)! We ran 8 together again the following weekend with a 9:09 pace. I was pumped! That night a bunch of my girlfriends took me out for my birthday and gave me the race fee for the Hot Chocolate 15K, 9.3 miles that I had been so intimidated by that I didn't even really consider.... but now I felt ready and excited!<br />
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The weekend before the race we did a 9.3 mile loop around the neighborhood. It was <i>awful. </i>My stomach started giving me issues around mile 6 (when we couldn't have been farther from home), so we had to walk (a four letter word if you ask me!), but every time we walked my knee would seize up. It was a balancing act between running so my knee wouldn't hurt and walking so my stomach wouldn't erupt. It was cold and misty and I just didn't want to keep going. We still finished in less than an hour and a half, but I didn't enjoy it and was pretty nervous about running the same distance 7 days later. And my knee was killing me. For three days after.<br />
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Stay tuned to see how it went...Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10063070371327783480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29109138.post-89273862230545228812014-01-11T07:08:00.000-08:002014-02-14T07:12:48.281-08:00Race Log: Hotcake Hustle 10KDeck the Trails may have been my first race, but the Hotcake Hustle 10K was my first <i>real </i>race. The Hotcake Hustle was much bigger (though all the racers still started at the same time) and it was a 10K instead of a 5K. I had run 6 miles before, but not often. It was chilly that morning, but not terrible for early January. The race was on the road and was a double loop of the 5K course, so at least you know what to expect the second go around. The second the gun fired and I crossed the start line, I pushed play on my running app and realized that I hadn't enabled GPS (shoot!!), so I ran the first .2 miles looking at my phone trying to get everything set up. My first two miles were faster than I was expecting, around an 8:45, and at that time that made me a little panicky, thinking that I would fizzle out by the end of the race. I tried to slow down but also let the hills get to me. There was a bridge in the middle of the course with a hill on each side and we ran it twice. My pace fluctuated from an 8:30 to a 9:45. I was all over the board and felt wiped out. My only goal for the race was to finish in less than one hour. I had never run a 10K before and thought that was a fair enough goal. I finished in 58:35 and was almost immediately disappointed. I felt like I could have run faster but was also having a lot of knee pain. I finished more than 3 minutes behind my friend, she came in 8th and I came in 17th out of 58 in my age bracket. At that time she and I had never run together because her speed intimidated me ; ) But I did it! First 10K under my belt and ready for more!<br />
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<br />Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10063070371327783480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29109138.post-35462571079478393052013-12-14T06:41:00.000-08:002014-02-14T07:12:14.858-08:00Race Log: Deck the Trails 5KThis was my first race in a long time, like 7 years probably. It was also the first time since we started having kids that I wasn't pregnant or nursing and was in good enough shape to actually run! Charlie had done this race for the last two years and this year we ran it together. The weekend before had been a crazy ice storm that cancelled my Dallas Marathon relay, so the ground was pretty muddy and disgusting. Did I mention this is a trail run?! All the participants start at the same time (there's only about 500 runners), so we spent a lot of the first mile dodging other runners and slowing down for the mud. I think our first mile was 10 minutes : / We picked up speed and ran the rest of the 5K (that turned out to be only about 2.8 miles) in around 28 minutes. It was freezing, we were on the clock for a babysitter, and we had a birthday party to get to, so we high tailed out of there and headed home. It wasn't until driving home from the birthday party that I got a text from a friend that I had placed! 3rd place for my age bracket!! We would have stuck around if I would have even thought that I could have placed. They mailed me my award, which turned out to be an awesome wood burned Christmas ornament with the logo of the race on it. I can't wait until the boys are old enough to start racing with us - what a fun way to kick off the Christmas season!<br />
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Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10063070371327783480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29109138.post-91901286187734595952013-11-10T12:24:00.001-08:002013-11-10T12:24:20.430-08:00Owen & Eli Turn(ed) FIVE (2 Months Ago!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This post is a LONG time coming, but I couldn't let a milestone birthday like this go by without a photo collage ; ) </div>
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From the minute we found out we were pregnant, and then multiplied by two when we knew you were twins, we have love you both more than we knew was possible. Your love, concern and attachment for each other is amazing to watch - you're inseparable and both thrive together. You just want to be near each other all the time - it's a bond that we are so thankful to witness.</div>
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The last five years have been so full of excitement, milestones, memories and love. From the sleepless nights to the milk comas, from the first toddling steps to the first comprehensible words. From the first belly laughs and games of tag to the times we spend telling you about Jesus and His love for you, we have loved it ALL! You are both so special to us and we love love love you!</div>
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Happy (belated) Birthday Big Boys!!</div>
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Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10063070371327783480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29109138.post-84392980010141945602013-08-01T11:41:00.001-07:002013-08-08T08:09:08.604-07:00Garrett turns THREEDear Garrett,<br />
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You are our spunky, chunky monkey! This was a big year for you - you did a lot of growing up from a toddler into a big boy and we're so proud of you. This year alone you transitioned into a big boy bed, were potty trained and stopped sucking your fingers. That's huge! We thought it would have been harder for you to quit the fingers, but you were a trooper and wore a glove to bed for a month and you never looked back. Good boy!<br />
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You are definitely our most dramatic son. You get excited easily and frustrated easily. Your tantrums are pretty epic, but we know that it's hard to be in the middle, especially when you're not quite as skilled as Owen and Eli and not the baby like Dylan. You have a squealy cry right now that drives us crazy and will say the same statement (I want some milk) ten times even as we're pouring it for you. You know what you want and when you want it, which can be a great quality to have... but we're hoping that the 2 year old drama that goes with it will be behind us this year : )<br />
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You're about to start preschool for the first time and you're really excited. Like anything, it will be an adjustment, but we're so excited for you to 'have your own thing' and some friends of your own. This will be your special time and we can't wait to see how to grow and develop this year.<br />
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You are the sweetest little boy. You wanted to tell everyone you met all about your baseball birthday party and invited most people too (even people like the men at Home Depot). You are really great at sharing with your brothers and love to help Dylan by finding his paci or giving him more cereal. Even when Owen or Eli wrongs you in some way, you're always the first one to want to give a hug or a high five and will go along with any idea or game that they come up with. You take your job as a little and big brother very seriously.<br />
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You're adventurous and brave! You do things earlier than Owen or Eli (like edging your way around the swimming pool) and do things that they <i>still </i>don't do like getting pushed high on the swings. You rode two roller coasters at Sea World this summer before you were even three!<br />
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You love cereal, Octonauts, riding your tricycle (pushing with your feet), swimming, Amy, wrestling with daddy, doing puzzles with mommy, baseball, rolypolies, checking on the garden, anything little (like the little lego man), legos, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, singing and dancing and being included in anything by Owen and Eli. You give great hugs, still love naps, only like peanut butter (not jelly), hate taking potty breaks, wear the same size clothes as Owen and Eli and only weigh 1/2 a pound less than them. You're our little chunker monker GareBear, and we love you so much!<br />
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Happy 3rd Birthday, Big Boy!<br />
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Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10063070371327783480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29109138.post-78502930252002553652013-07-28T14:40:00.001-07:002013-07-28T14:40:27.787-07:00Dylan: 12-14 MonthsOops! I'm feeling exceptionally bad that I just pulled a stereotypical 'he's the 4th child' move and forgot to update my blog with Dylan's birthday stats and milestones. Ugh, now so much has changed in the last two months that I'm sure I'll get things confused, but better late than never!<br />
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Dylan started cruising around the house using furniture and walking toys around 9 or 10 months but it wasn't until around 13 months that he officially started walking on his own. He's now a champ at sliding down the stairs, standing up without holding on to anything and changing directions. My favorite thing is how he doesn't even take a break on each step, he just lays his body at a 45 degree angle and slides the whole way down on his belly.<br />
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He had been back to sleeping like a champ, 7pm to 9:30am, but we knew that couldn't last long. Now he's back to sleeping 7ish-pm to 6:45ish-am. The bad news is that unless we give him motrin, tylenol or benedryl, he wakes up multiple times in the night. Not sure what that's about, but he's had a runny nose for a LONG time now, so maybe they're related.<br />
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I wonder if he *might* be getting over his milk allergy because he can tolerate things like mac and cheese and frozen yogurt, but I haven't tried him with cheese or milk lately and the almond milk is a big hit with him. I might give it a little longer. His favorite food right now is cheeseburgers. Healthy, I know : )<br />
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He's waving and pointing now, goes to bed every night holding two links and a paci, eats a banana and cereal every morning for breakfast, loves to lay his head on my shoulder when I pick him up and laughs at anything his brothers do. He and Garrett like to hold hands in the van and Garrett says to me all the time 'I love Dilly.' He has six teeth, is tall and skinny, still wears 12 month clothes and is just starting with separation anxiety.<br />
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He's amazing and we love him : )<br />
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Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10063070371327783480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29109138.post-52236186645392719062013-04-24T18:57:00.001-07:002013-04-24T18:57:08.331-07:00Dylan - 11 MonthsThe countdown is officially on! This past month was another great one with Dylan - he's so fast crawling around, cruises along everything, pulls up to stand and will let go for a few seconds and can keep pace with our walking toy too! We're having a little bit of trouble with food, I think, and it seems that he might have a bit of an intolerance to something, but we don't know what! Most nights this month he was sleeping from 7pm to sometimes 9am! Now we're having a bit of a regression and he's waking up hysterial once or twice a night. I think it has to be food related because he seems to be in pain when he wakes up. Hopefully we can figure this out soon and all get back to a full night sleep.<br />
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Dylan is unofficially around 21 pounds and wears mostly 12 month clothes (but can still fit in his 9 month things too). He's not picky at all with food and will eat anything you put in from of him. His favorites are graham crackers, town house crackers, cheese cubes, bananas and cheerios. He's still nursing three times a day (wake up, before nap and before bed) and will pop out his paci and start making kissy noises and smacking his lips when I hold him in a cradle hold. <br />
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Dylan thinks we are all the funniest people on Earth. The boys can get him giggling about the silliest things and all Charlie and I have to do is smile at him when we catch him looking at us and he breaks into a huge smile. The cutest thing he does right now is dance to the Hot Dog Dance on Mickey's Clubhouse. He rocks and waves his arms and bounces while standing up at the tv. <br />
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I have to admit that I'm a little sad that we're so close to the one year mark. It's hard to believe that our last baby is so rapidly moving out of the baby stage! Next up, Dylan's first birthday!<br />
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Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10063070371327783480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29109138.post-84067516701095286402013-03-26T14:09:00.000-07:002013-03-26T14:09:21.240-07:00Dylan - 10 Months<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hard to believe we're so rapidly approaching the one year mark with Dylan. He is so full of joy and laughter and continues to fill us up with the same. He loves to eat, snuggle and sit up in carts. He now has 6 teeth, pulls up to stand (and has let go a few times, but not consistently), sleeps for 13 hours straight at night, usually takes two naps but can survive on one, squeals with delight when he sees me or Charlie, puts <i>everything </i>in his mouth, still goes through multiple bibs a day, climbs the stairs any chance he gets and can't get the hang of a cup (which is making me a little nervous for the day when we stop nursing!). </div>
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From his 9 month well visit, he weighed 18 lb 12 oz (35%) and was 29" long (75%). The day after we left his well visit with a clean bill of health he started getting pink eye symptoms. I waited another two days to see if it would clear up with the drops we had, but it kept getting worse. Turns out he had a double ear infection and a pink eye virus. Yuck! He's back on track now and back to sleeping, thank goodness.</div>
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We love you Dilly!</div>
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Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10063070371327783480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29109138.post-73086968427958239882013-02-21T10:05:00.000-08:002013-02-21T10:05:06.370-08:00Dylan - 9 MonthsDylan made huge progress this month in so many categories! He's now a crawler - and a power crawler at that! Just a few days after he turned 8 months he decided that sitting still was for the birds and he got his move on. I forgot how much I love the sound of little baby hands slapping on the floor as they crawl around. He quickly transitioned to standing too, while holding on of course, but hasn't yet figured out how to sit back down. This is especially an issue when he stands in his crib and hangs over the rails, exhausted, but can't lay back down. <br />
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He started drooling up a storm again, and when I finally checked in his mouth I found a top tooth! The other three had their bottom teeth as of 7 months but didn't get their tops until their first birthday. As the month progressed it's clear that he's actually sprouting all four top teeth! So weird to see such a small baby with so many tiny teeth! It is helping with the table food transition though. He's eating real bananas, sweet potatoes, pancakes, cheerios, yogurt, green beans, carrots, cheese and crackers. He loves the textures and all the new tastes. I'm working on a sippy cup, but right now it seems like more of a chew toy.<br />
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He has been sleeping like a champ all month, going to bed around 6:15pm and sleeping until 7am... FINALLY!! I feel like a new woman with uninterrupted nights of sleep. He's napping pretty great too, usually with two 1 1/2-2 hour naps, unless he misses the first one and is over-tired, then the whole day is a bust. <br />
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His 9 month well visit is next week, stats to come.<br />
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Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10063070371327783480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29109138.post-79874497595552660022013-01-20T07:43:00.000-08:002013-02-01T07:43:18.578-08:00Dylan - 8 Months<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Getting bigger every day! This was a big month for Dylan with lots of firsts. He tried lots of new foods and we found out that he's allergic to either apricots, blueberries, or both (by a rash that broke out all over his face). He tried a cup with water, unsuccessfully. He now inhales puffs, which the boys call baby pups, and they love to be the one to give him more. He's up to three meals a day, breakfast and dinner with oatmeal, lunch is just a fruit or veggie, and still nursing, though he has entered the severely-distractable-stage, which is just annoying.</div>
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He learned how to go from his belly to sitting, then from sitting to crawling all this month too. He has just started to attempt to 'stand' by putting his hands up on the bottom stair, but hasn't gotten his legs into the action yet. He took his first brother-less trip with me to Michigan too. We also found out this month that the second tear duct probe didn't work, so we could potentially be looking at surgery to put in a stint when he's a little older. As of now it only seems extra teary when he's congested, so I would consider that a huge improvement to where he started anyway. </div>
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He loves watching his brothers play and is content to do that any time they are around. He has the cutest belly laugh that he breaks out when we sing D is for Dilly (to the tune of C is for Cookie). Hopefully I'll get that on video soon. Also on the horizon: his first haircut.</div>
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Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10063070371327783480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29109138.post-12372441157278343662013-01-07T18:42:00.002-08:002013-01-07T18:42:57.748-08:00Forget-Me-Nots 01/13It's been a long time since I've written one of these posts but there is so much going on that I want to remember. This installment is all about Garrett...<div>
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<li>He's potty-trained! 2 years, 5 months old and a pro! We had to transition him to a bed because of it and mornings begin <i>way </i>earlier, but we're so proud of him!</li>
<li>If you start a sentence with 'Hey Garrett!' his first response is always 'What? What Mommy?' except it comes out as 'Vut?' like he's Russian : )</li>
<li>Anytime you ask him if he can do something (can you put your dishes in the sink? tell mommy when you have to go potty, ok? can you go get your shoes on?) he always says 'ok mommy' as a whisper like it's a secret mission.</li>
<li>He calls his shoes his shoes-on. I think it's because I always say 'Go get your shoes on'. It's the best when he says 'I get my shoes-on on!'</li>
<li>His favorite thing to do together is puzzles. His cutest request is 'I do pubble me mommy?'</li>
<li>When Garrett prays for dinner he <i>always </i>includes 'and the baseball game.' It comes out as 'a hitball game'. We have no idea when or why it started but it's pretty cute.</li>
<li>Owen comes out as Own, Eli is E-I, and Dylan is Baby DinDin</li>
<li>His most favorite show is Curious George. He calls him 'Durge'</li>
<li>His most favorite food is cereal. He wakes up and the first sentence out of his mouth of 'I want more ceyul peas' and then he proceeds to ask for and eat it practically all morning long.</li>
<li>He has the best giggle of all time!</li>
<li>He still sucks his fingers and loves his blankie, which he calls his 'night night.' He holds his night night looped around his index finger and makes it into a point, then sticks the point just inside his nose while he sucks his middle two fingers.</li>
<li>He weighs as much as Owen and Eli but is at least 3-4" shorter, which makes him perfectly squishy and cuddly. </li>
<li>He is a champion fit-thrower. It works well to hand him his blankie, put him in his room or the laundry room and tell him he can come out as soon as he's done crying. He makes himself quit crying and starts whimpering 'I all done, I all done!'</li>
<li>He <i>loves </i>his brothers. Even when they do something that hurts him and we ask them to apologize, he's always the one to hug them first.</li>
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Love love LOVE this boy!</div>
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Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10063070371327783480noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29109138.post-33970033721126637092012-12-21T12:40:00.004-08:002012-12-26T20:49:55.237-08:00Dylan - 7 Months<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This was a big month for Dylan! He is getting much better with baby food and has tried pears, sweet potatoes, peaches, bananas, squash, carrots, apples, green beans and peas so far. He's pretty particular about the temperature and does a gag-shutter-shake-sputter if it's not warm enough for him. After he gets a few bites in he usually gets with the program and can now plow through the whole jar in one sitting. He is just about sleeping through the night again too. Bedtime is around 6:15pm and there were a few days when he slept straight through until 7:00am. Usually he wakes up around 3:30, nurses and goes right back to sleep. He is now rolling like a champ in both directions, sitting unassisted (though he still tips over), scooting in circles and getting up on his hands and knees. He loves to put any toy in reach in his mouth and is a slobbery mess most of the time. He laughs and coos all the time and is starting to babble with B sounds too - super cute!</div>
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We took Dylan to a pediatric ophthalmologist this month to check out his blocked tear ducts. They used a probe to break up the blockages in both eyes but he healed too fast for the ducts to stay open. We re-probed them today but if they close back up again he'll have to have surgery to place a tube in his tear ducts. We're praying that the second time does the trick. </div>
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All in all it was another great month with our amazing baby boy : )</div>
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Raspberry face!<br />
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Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10063070371327783480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29109138.post-59943760693311620152012-11-20T17:25:00.003-08:002012-11-30T11:39:41.931-08:00Dylan - 6 Months<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Dylan doesn't look all that much different in these pictures than he did in his 5 month photos but there was a huge difference in actually taking the pictures. Last month as soon as I would let go of him to take the picture he would lunge forward and almost roll off the chair. This month he was proudly sitting up and smiling away, much stronger and more sure of himself (and slightly less drooly too!). </div>
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The biggest change for Dylan this month was the start of baby food - pears and sweet potatoes so far. I skipped rice and oatmeal this time around and went straight to the good stuff (for no other reason than because I'm the mom and I can ; )) He has mastered opening his mouth but hasn't figured out how to keep his tongue in yet so it's a pretty messy event. He is so happy all the time and rarely cries. He loves the exersaucer, laying on the ground and sitting in the high chair, even though he's still not that great at sitting upright. He has the cutest giggle and is getting pretty ticklish. At his 6 month well visit he weighed in at 16 lb 2 oz (25%) and is up to 27" long (75%).</div>
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Although it's a <i>little </i>sad that he's our last baby and our last time through these milestones, it's also exciting that he's growing up and will soon be a contender in the fight for toys around here, trying desperately to keep up with his brothers. Those will be great days too : )Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10063070371327783480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29109138.post-58855646052061661442012-10-28T12:47:00.000-07:002012-10-28T12:47:23.329-07:00Dylan - 5 MonthsThankfully, we seem to be back on track with sleeping as of Dylan's five month milestone. He goes to sleep around 7pm and only wakes up once to eat around 4am, then he's up for the day around 7:30am. Sometimes he's up a few more times needing a paci, but he's pretty easy to get back to sleep. His new addiction is watching the mobile above his head, even when it's not on! He is rockin' the exersaucer and rolling from his belly to his back like a pro. I know he rolled once from his back to his belly, but I didn't see it in action and he hasn't done it again. Dylan loves to suck on his hands and will stuff as many fingers as possible in there as he can. He's pretty much a drooly mess all the time! Dylan loves babbling, cooing and smiling and is really content most of the time. We still haven't started solids, but he doesn't seem to mind.<br />
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Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10063070371327783480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29109138.post-86039641564027622222012-10-07T19:59:00.000-07:002012-10-07T19:59:24.559-07:00Dylan - 4 MonthsHard to believe that four months have come and gone already. I just took him to the pediatrician and he weighed in at 14lb 6oz (15%) and was 26" long (70%), up from 6lb 14 oz and 21" at birth. Dylan just started rolling from front to back, he smiles and giggles all the time and he's gotten to be a generally terrible sleeper. We were severely spoiled with Garrett who slept 12 hours straight as of 8 weeks old, and got a small taste of the glories of a full night of sleep while Dylan was about 2 1/2 months old and sleeping for 10 hours straight, but since then he has woken up anywhere from 3 to 7 times per night. Per night! It's a good thing he's cute, is all I have to say! He's definitely the drooliest baby we've ever had and tries to shove his entire fist into his mouth all day long. We haven't tried solids yet and I don't plan on it for at least another month or two, though I wonder if solids would help with the sleep issue. And finally... here are the four month pictures of our little Dilly.<br />
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Bethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10063070371327783480noreply@blogger.com0