Running/Biking Update

Yes I have been running. More and more lately. In fact, I bought a pair of these:


(the Nike Free Runs +2).

I started out doing 2 miles at the end of a run every other run. I am now doing my 4 mile runs in them 2x per week. Total last week: 30 miles total and 10 of them in the frees (2 4 milers and then a 2 mile hard effort at the end of a 5 mile run).

What do I think so far...well I like them so much better than flats or lightweight trainers. For some reason these just feel better on my feet, more free. :) Just much more flexibility in them and I like that.

My knee pain came back last Sunday at the end of my long run. Was planning on going 11 miles but around 9 my knee started hurting so I only did 10 1/2. I don't know if I am running too much in the frees or not, it is hard to say. I had knee pain before, so really it hasn't changed. But I am hitting the most miles I have run since pre baby so maybe it is just me trying to catch up. Or maybe I need to stretch more....A LOT more. I go for my runs and don't have much time to stretch with Piper...or maybe that is my excuse. And then I run around after her all day or pick her up and carry her around all of which probably doesn't help with tightness. Maybe some biking would help.

Which leads me to a goal this summer has been to get my act together and buy a new bike. Or rather another bike. I would like to bike a little this summer towing Piper around and the carbon cervelo soloist isn't really the bike for that. So I have been looking at bikes on the internet. I don't really want anything fancy, but something that rides well (hybrid perhaps). Just planning on cruzing around the neighborhood, no major roads. EZ and I seem to disagree as to which is safer-pulling PZ behind in a trailer or having her in a seat hitched to the bike. Anyone want to weigh in?

Walking

I know I posted last time that APZ had taken her first steps. I am a bit behind on updating, so I thought I would show a progression of her getting up to the walking stage over the past month.

On April 1st, she decided to use the kitchen stools for the first time as a walker around the house so we took a little video:



She progressively got better and better using the stools and then we remembered we had a little car things from my sister and so we brought that out and she got the hang of it pretty quick, even turning it around to use it in the reverse direction:





Lastly, Piper just in the past couple days has really started just walking around. She was in an extremely good mood tonight and we kept trying to take the following video because she was walking and then falling into the pillows. But of course, as soon as we started to take a video, she started falling every couple feet because she was so hyper and giggly. Eventually we got a pretty good one:

First Steps

I typed up the blog yesterday too soon stating that Piper hadn't walked yet. Yesterday afternoon though she decided that it was time to let go of some furniture and take a few steps to me or EZ. So I thought I would put a post up as this is my "baby book" of recording moments. She won't let go and walk far...if it is more than a few steps she still thinks it is better to drop to her knees and crawl, but we are making progress of deciding it is ok to let go and take those few steps. :)

Easter

We drove up to my grandma's yesterday for a afternoon Easter lunch/dinner. Got to see many of my aunts and uncles, even was surprised to see two of them had driven down from Michigan. We were only there for a few hours to accommodate Piper's nap schedule...drive up while she took her morning nap and drove back while she took her afternoon nap. She still isn't walking yet and we are trying to just let her do what she wants in that regard. She will walk pretty good along furniture or walls and even takes a step or two from one object to the next, but if it is more than a couple steps away, she will get down and crawl over.

Her 9 month appointment was last week and she is 18lbs (30th percentile) and 28 1/4 inches (75th percentile). Healthy as can be. She eats everything and anything I give her and we are eating finger foods now. The only interesting thing, is that I decided to buy organic baby food with meat in it instead of making my own and she isn't a fan. I tasted the jarred baby food and it really didn't have much taste. I then mixed in some of my own baby food with it and she will eat it. Glad to know that she likes my food better!

I got a few Easter photos taken and here they are.





My favorite:

Ramblings

I am so ready for this semester to be over. I am tired and exhausted and need a break. I feel like I am like this towards the end of every semester. But for some reason I feel like this one has been more exhausting than others. Maybe it is creating the new cryptography course so that takes up some time. And I feel like I never can get out of the pile of papers I have to be graded. On top of that, I am teaching an online course that starts first of June and I need to have the course content put together and online before then.

Have I mentioned that the lady that watches Piper is preggo and due soon. While that is great for her, for me it would be a nightmare. I am hoping she makes it through 3 more weeks and so Piper has childcare. Otherwise, it becomes pass Piper around to different neighbors for a couple weeks until I am done with school and can watch her. Oh yeah, and then I still have to get that course created! :)

Running has been dragging too. I feel sluggish and horrible. EZ is trying to get to work on my form, and while I feel like I am, I still feel like a mess and run SOOOO heavy on my feet which is the opposite of what I should be doing. I have decided to try the Nike Free's and will be purchasing a pair this weekend and see how that goes.

Piper has been oodles of entertainment lately. She is totally coming in to her own personality. She has decided army crawling is for the birds and has taken to crawling "normal" now but she is still kind of slow at it. She has also learned to play peek-a-boo (or "where's mama") and finds it hysterical. She even takes a blanket and puts it up in front of her to hide herself. In addition she thinks plowing head first onto pillows is very fun too. Lastly, she found that our kitchen stools were the perfect height to use as her walker and she has started to become more bold in letting go of things and will take a step or two every now and then.

Don't have time to post pics or videos right now...more to come.

Be at Peace

Sadly my grandfather lost his short battle with cancer and passed away this past weekend. I can't begin to explain my feelings, almost a year after my mom passed away. And I can't even begin to imagine or comprehend what my grandmother is going through, to lose your only daughter and spouse within such a short period of time. All I can hope is that my papa is now at peace, and is a place where he can be with his daughter.

I grew up spending a lot of time with my mom's parents, they spent their winter months living with us as I grew up while we would spend our summer months living with them. They were like second parents to me and I will always have such wonderful memories of all the things we did together.

Our last fishing trip in fall 2009:


Spending time with Little P in Jan 2011:



He was a veteran, a fisherman, a golfer, a handyman, a gardener, a magician, a friend, and I will always love him.

Perhaps they are not the stars, but rather openings in Heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy. ~Eskimo Legend