April 30: Exercising as a mom of three + Running Music

Last time I blogged daily in August of 2013, I covered the topic of Exercising as a Mom of Two. And then a reader left this comment:

"I would love a post about exercise and reclaiming your body after kids, how you have lost the baby weight and your goals for future fitness, how you prioritize being healthy, etc. you are so inspiring!"

Not sure about the inspiring part but I will touch on this topic again and will list a few workout songs I'm into these days, too.

Regarding 'reclaiming' my body after three kids? The third time around has been a little harder, honestly. Either that or I've been more focused on it and weighed myself much more frequently, especially knowing that I didn't have prolonged nursing on my side anymore. I hate to be a head case about the scale but it's I toed the line a bit there.

I gained forty-three pounds with Truman and lost it all by nine months, and I don't remember weighing myself too often to see how quickly it left me. (One week PP post here, two weeks PP post here, and eleven months PP post here.) I gained thirty-four pounds with Cecelia and same thing: definitely gone by nine months but I can't say that I was weighing myself regularly (two week PP post here). With both Truman and Cecelia I was nursing like crazy that entire time (to a year with Truman, sixteen months with CC). Plus, we trained and ran half marathons before those children turned a year old.

I gained less weight when pregnant with Porter (31 pounds), I lost the first 20 pounds really quickly (one week PP post here), and then hung onto the final 10 for what seemed like forever. Porter stopped breastfeeding at six months and that is when I really ramped up my workouts to be consistently three days per week, and I no longer had to worry about killing my milk supply with a few hard workouts. So I figured the rest of the weight would just fall off with increased workouts, but it's been a slower....at least in my head it has been.

The last time I weighed myself I was two pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight and I'm nearly ten months postpartum. Two pounds is practically nothing, since I can easily justify that being extra water or a big meal or heavier clothes I'm wearing when I step on the scale;) We have been training for a half marathon for the past four weeks, which is slightly later in the postpartum time frame than what we've done in the past. Even though I was working out consistently from about six months until now, I think my body needs this extra mileage to really melt away the final ten pounds. And I never really thought breastfeeding burned that many calories for me past the first few months, but maybe they are right and it really does! Go figure.

So yes, I basically have my body back according to the scale just a month later than I did the previous two times. My pre-pregnancy clothes started fitting around three months postpartum but of course things are shifted and a little wonky past the milestone of: Pre-Preg Jeans Fit, Holla! I'm blessed with super-great genes because I didn't get any stretch marks from my pregnancies (thanks, mom!!) but the skin of my stomach has always taken a solid six months to bounce back. Nothing too horrible, really, but if we are talking about terrifying body changes post-babies? My boobs. Oh, my poor little girls, you guys. Lest you want to hate me for being back to my pre-pregnancy weight already, let me just tell you about my tats.

I was an A/B cup before kids but they were a nice, perky set of smallish boobs that fit my frame just fine. Pregnancy always brought on a fantastic rack in the C/D range, and postpartum would initially bump my girls up to DDs. INSANITY for this flat chested mama and I did not enjoy those prime-breastfeeding tatas. I'd take my pregnancy boobs any day, though. Because now? I cannot even. I haven't been fitted for any bras since Porter stopped nursing because I cannot bring myself to know whether or not size 'negative double A' exists. Practically concave over here and I'm grateful for pregnancy and breastfeeding, but really wish my chest wasn't comparable to a twelve year old boy sometimes.

I like to dream about a boob job, and even my OB said, 'I wouldn't think bad of you if you got one.' AWESOME to hear that from a medical professional, right? OMG. But besides the cost and the pain and recovery and all of that, I would be so nervous that fake boobs wouldn't be ME, you know? I'm athletic and wouldn't know what to do with big boobs that I've never truly had, and I would be afraid they'd look totally foreign and....fake;) I don't know. For now I am comfortable enough to rock my pancakes and don't mind showing a little rib bones where cleavage is supposed to be on V-neck shirts, but whatever. I don't think I would ever actually go through with a major surgery just to make my chest bigger, but I'm sure I'll talk about it plenty in the meantime!

Now for the actual exercise part of this post: I should note that I generally enjoy exercising, specifically running, and I liken this to being a high school athlete. #HasBeen, for sure, but I've always been physically active and looking for fitness goals. But this has certainly changed now that I'm a mom. Mainly because 'me time' gets less and less with each subsequent child and the logistics of making time to exercise is no small feat. I'm sure many of you can commiserate here.

One thing we did after Porter that we hadn't done prior to his arrival was to buy a gym membership including the kids for childcare. During my maternity leave and through part of the fall, that is how I exercised: by hauling my crew to the gym on my days off, exercising on the treadmill, showering alone (!!) and then carting everyone home. This was fine for awhile, but then it got a little hairy with Porter's nap schedule, Truman started school, and then Cecelia didn't want to be at the gym without him. I did not like forcing CC to be in the playroom on our days home together and it really broke my heart to see her cry a few times when I left. So onto plan B.

I started going to the gym at 5:30am a few days per week, while the children slept and Nate slept. This was a little more challenging when Porter wasn't STTN, but as soon as he stopped nursing I knew that even if he *did* wake while I was gone, Nate would be more than capable of making him a bottle. That transition away from nursing was rather freeing for things like this---the ability to be away and not worry about breastfeeding really helped me to stick with a morning workout routine. Our bigger kids might wake up early for the day but they always stay in their room until their Tot Clock turns yellow, which is 6:55am.

So when I went the gym on cold, dark, dreary, winter mornings I started viewing this as my 'me time' and like a little luxury built into my day when I can do something nice for myself. Staying in shape, pushing myself to become more fit, sweating, focusing on myself for a bit----all of these things are really important to me. And I really really enjoy the post-workout sense of accomplishment, too. Sets the day off right! But the way I make exercise a priority is that I see a direct correlation to how frequently I exercise and my mood. If I skip exercise for a stretch of time, I start to get really crabby and annoyed at myself. I know that I'm a better mom and more capable of handling the ups and downs of any given day after a good run.

I think the worst part is physically getting out of the bed and into the car, to drive to the gym. Once up, it's usually a fantastic work out and a great way to start the day. I like to chant things like, 'I will be tired if I get up now, or if I get up in one more hour, so might as well get up and go to the gym,' to help me get out of bed. And it's really true---I don't find that sleeping an extra hour, skipping the gym, makes me feel any more rested. If anything, I feel more energized after exercising and more tired if I skip it. Of course, solid sleep prior to the alarm makes this 100x better.

Now that it's getting nicer out and the sun rises by 6:00am, I prefer to run outside in the mornings, skipping the drive to and from the gym and skipping the treadmill. I don't despise the treadmill really, especially since our gym has TVs on each treadmill and I can get my Bravo/HGTV fix there. We don't have cable so it's rather thrilling to watch a few missed shows while running---but then again, the 5:30am slot is rather hit or miss for good shows on any station. But running outside will always be my favorite. Who can top views like this with early morning sunshine and fresh air??



And clouds like this! Scenery.


So yes, I prefer to run as my mode of exercise. We are training for a half-marathon in June, so I usually run 3 or 4 miles on Tuesday and Thursday early mornings with a long run on Saturday mornings. We are up to 6 miles for our long runs right now. The weekend run is when Nate and I train together, so my in-laws will watch the kids for us. How many times do I have to mention their sainthood?

(post-run sweats from this morning)


I will sometimes run outside with the double stroller, pushing Cecelia and Porter while Truman is at school. I might attempt to have Truman ride his bike next to the double BOB monstrosity at some point this summer when I have all three at home with me. But really, I like running alone MUCH better than pushing 75# of kids and stroller in front of me (duh). I have mentioned to Nate that I would love to get a treadmill in our basement, too, and maybe I would do that instead of a gym membership this fall. We usually put our membership on hold through the summer anyway, and NOT having to drive to and from the gym (that is five minutes away) would be great once it's dark in the mornings again.



The other form of exercise I really like are the classes at our gym---there's a bootcamp class, an interval class, and a treadmill class that I did for awhile in the early mornings. But then I somehow hurt my back and probably wasn't ready for such intense exercise after Porter. I needed to work on my core a lot more and now I'm just back to running--my tried and true favorite. I could get really into yoga or maybe a spin class and should probably start lifting weights again, but I'm not willing to wake up at 4:30am to get a BIG work out in on those mornings. But maybe someday!

As for my goals for future fitness that the original commenter asked about, I am a big fan of half-marathons for setting a goal and following a program to achieve it. Halves are a great distance for us and I enjoy the whole process of training as much as race day. I have run one full marathon and know that there's no way I could ever dedicate the time to that training again, at least not until all of the kids are out of the house! But I would like to focus on my posture in the next few years, using my personal PT husband to help me strengthen my upper back and my super weak butt muscles so that I can perhaps prevent an injury going forward. I would be really devastated if I got hurt and couldn't run and my mental sanity would take a beating as well, so I have been asking Nate to give me a tailored routine for strengthening my weak areas. He hesitates to advise me with anything because I can be defensive (not me!) but now I'm actually ASKING him to help me out, so I'm all ears, Nate!

With this outside running (sans treadmill or beloved cable TV on said treadmill), I had to make a new playlist for music because I despised the older stuff I had on my iPod shuffle. Now I just use my phone and we have Spotify, so I created a playlist of 'running stuff' that I can share with you now. I like dance/techno stuff and rap music for running apparently---does that make me hip or super old? I can't decide.

-Animals-Maroon 5 (Cecelia and Truman love this one, is mildly inappropriate at times if you listen to the lyrics, but they love to howl when Adam Levigne howls)

-I Can't Stop Drinking About You-Bebe Rexha (I just like this one for the beat. Found it randomly on Spotify)

-Truffle Butter-Nicki Minaj (SO TERRIBLY INAPPRORIATE for any children within an ear shot, especially the non-radio version. But I can't help it, it pumps me up for some reason. We shall not discuss specific lyrics here. XXX rated, yikes)

-We Found Love-Rihanna (Have always loved this one so much, is kind of techno and okay for kids if we happen to have a dance party)

-Where Have you Been-Rihanna (Love you, Rihanna! I like to pretend I am an excellent dancer while running to this song. It's quite the sight)

-Heroes (we could be)-Alesso (good one, kids like it, too)

-Shut up and Dance-Walk the Moon (another kid appropriate one, but I don't love the phrase 'shut up' so I act like they are saying 'shush up'. Ha, I'm sure Truman and CC don't buy it)

-Roll The Bass-Major Lazer (I actually hate this one but Truman loves 'the fast part'. Gives me a freaking headache, way too much techno for my tastes).

-Get Low-Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz (classic college bar song. Really prefer the edited version, the unedited one is shocking!)

-Ruff Ryders Anthem-DMX (Sticking with the college theme, I feel very hard when rapping with DMX)

-Yeah!-Usher (oh, college, I loved you)

-Turn Down for What-DJ Snake (Obsessed, and it always reminds me of this YouTube video of the boat crash. And then I can't stop laughing. OMG, their sunglasses flying--hope nobody got seriously hurt, but I cried laughing at this the first time I saw it. I hear this took place at the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri which makes it that much more funny.)

I think that is it for this topic. Did I miss anything?

(Thus ends my daily blogging this month! I only skipped one Saturday, can't believe I have posted this frequently but I like it. I like it a lot. Writing every day feels cathartic and kind of special. I wasn't able to keep up with e-mailing friends and probably didn't get to chat with Nate as much in the evenings, but it didn't feel like too much of a sacrifice to focus on the old blog daily this month. I even have a few more ideas drafted up, hope I can keep the momentum going and continue to post semi-frequently here going forward.)

Tidbits

I know it's been awhile and I haven't even updated since my surgery. I told Nate the other night that I just can't find the motivation to blog. It's like I don't have the mental energy to compose a post, and really I haven't even been a good comment-friend lately. He asked me why I didn't feel like blogging and I said, 'I dunno....it's just I don't feel like I have anything to say other than the same old crap about me being sad and grieving.' As a husband who normally 'doesn't get' the blog-life, although he's always supported me, I was sort of caught off guard by how strongly he felt about my statement. He really didn't like that I said I have nothing to blog about and started helping me think of things to say. He told me that it's really depressing to think that there is nothing good to share from our lives right now and plus, it's obviously not true. So that was sort of the kick in the rear I needed. Now for some tidbits.

-Surgery: Yes, I had it 2 weeks ago on Monday 6/13/11. It went very well and my OB was pleased that there was no signs of infection, but had lots of tissue that needed to come out of there badly. The day of the surgery my mom was a HUGE help for me because I was pretty groggy and weak but really by the next day I was already feeling immensely better. By day 3 I was back to work and sent mom back home and I'm happy to report that within one week of surgery, I have officially stopped bleeding! Hallelujah. Just a reminder: I bled for 6 weeks solid. Pads suck. Miscarriages suck. And not wearing any feminine products is awesome. I'd say I'm back to normal physically and still working on my mental state every day. There are happy and sad times, which is normal, and lately I'm just trying to focus on the present and my many blessings. Also hoping to get my period soon, to prove my body is back into it's normal cycle, because I think that will seem like the final step of this very long journey. Isn't it crazy that I got my positive test at the end of March, the bad ultrasound at the end of April and now it's almost July? Longest m/c ever...

-Sad news: on Saturday my in-laws had to make a very difficult decision to put their dog, Sammy, down after 13 years of being a part of their family. He really declined in the past few months; couldn't see or hear, couldn't hold his bladder, wasn't sleeping at night but was very lethargic during the day, was really weak and was obviously uncomfortable. His quality of life wasn't there anymore, as he didn't even enjoy his previously favorite parts of his day. It was time and Lois said it was a peaceful goodbye but still heartbreaking. I hate to see my in-laws, who are like parents to me, upset and I hate to think about this sort of loss. I don't even want to think about how hard it will be when Henry's time comes, especially now that Truman is literally in love with his 'daw-daw'. Hopefully, since he will only be 6 years old this fall, we have many more years until that point. But good old Sammy was a wonderful family pet and he will be missed. Here's to many bones and butter dishes in doggie heaven, buddy.

(back in 2009, 10 years old)



(and Saturday morning, 13 years old and just the sweetest soul)





- Sleep: I'll post more in an upcoming 16 month post, but dang---Truman ain't sleeping worth a hoot. He is teething and thus waking up screaming at about 4 or 5 every morning. Refuses to go back to sleep. It's amazing how quickly you forget what those newborn sleepless nights felt like. Quite a sobering reminder of what it will be like someday with number two, and a reason to be grateful for our normally-great sleeper. I hope he returns to us soon. It's a good thing he's so darn cute, right? And just because I can (I don't think baby butt cheeks are inappropriate for a few more years, right?)...


- Nate's job: the hubs is a working man and LOVES his job! We are seriously so blessed that he found an amazing fit with his coworkers and clinic. There are a few other male therapists there and get this: they all love to golf and even do swing analysis at their clinic. And his company is paying for a course in Chicago later this year, so that Nate can be 'Titleist certified'. I don't know what that means but I know that it brings much giddiness to my husband's life. And also, the second paycheck is mind-blowing, as expected.

-Bills: and of course, this increase in our income came at the PERFECT time because we have hellified medical bills now! Whoo Hoo! I'm having some difficulties with our stupid insurance right now because they haven't covered jack crap thus far and nothing sucks more than having a miscarriage, then having to call insurance companies to explain that no, I am not pregnant, and yes, I am having a 'pregnancy complication'. I wrote a very strongly worded letter last night and am sending it off as a 'grievance'. I know it might not help but dang, this is the opposite of fun. We are incredibly lucky that we do have a nice savings account, which was to be used for a downpayment on our first home, and luckily we won't go into debt over this. I know not a lot of other couples out there could say the same, but it's still hard to let go of a chunk of our nest egg to pay for losing a baby.

-House: originally, when we were pregnant and due in November, we thought about starting a house hunt this fall and moving in right before the baby was due. But now with the loss and the mounting bills, it seems like there really isn't a rush anymore and every month we spend at this duplex is more money we can save to replenish our nest egg. Although I'm super excited to buy our first home and can't wait to decorate the crap out of it, I'm surprisingly okay with waiting on it, too. After all, 'waiting' is now my middle name.

-Cars: because medical bills, house hunting, and insurance woes are not enough 'adult problems' to deal with, we also have to consider my poor car. After my little episode the other week, it's becoming apparent that my 10 year old car is getting to the point where we are pumping a lot more money into it and we aren't even sure it's going to last much longer. I mean, the recent break down was because I needed a new fuel pump and this marks the third year in a row when we had a major expense for my car. I really don't care about the status-symbol of a new car and have always said I just want to run mine into the ground, since it's paid off and I adore the fact that we don't have car payments. But after my time being stranded with my broken down car, I've started to feel really nervous driving around town with Truman. I'm constantly worried it will break down again with him in it, or while I'm working and in a not-so-great area. I mean, my car is more than just a thing to get me from point A to B now: it carries our most precious cargo most every day of the week, and now I drive around town for my job. So anyway, we'll see. Lots of big decisions to make there, too. Mostly I'm having to let go of my SAVE MONEY attitude to see that safety is really number one, not money. When it rains it pours, right?

-Mom suit: how does everyone feel about mom's wearing bikinis? How do you feel about one-piece suits, too? I've always worn a two piece my whole life, and never really thought twice about it. But now that I'm a mom, I sort of feel like exposing my stomach is a little weird---like I'm trying to be a teenager again. It's not that I have fat rolls and mommy-scars to hide, but I almost feel like it's more appropriate to wear a one piece when I'm hanging out with Truman at the pool. I dunno. It's just a weird transition for me mentally. And also, there aren't a ton of cute one-piece suits out there, either. Except for this one from J.Crew and it's $125. Gulp.

- Vacation: speaking of swimming suits, we are taking a REAL vacation in August!! Besides our honeymoon and our first anniversary trip to San Diego back in the day, Nate and I haven't ever been on a real vaycay other than to Chicago and Missouri for short trips. It's high time, no? We are making it a family affair and will bring Truman with us to Fort Myers, Florida--where we will rendevous with our good buddies Hannah, Michael, and Tilly. I'm pretty sure that Tilly and Truman will be the cutest things in the entire world as they play on the beach together. Of course the logistics of flying, renting a car, and managing toddlers on vacation is a little daunting but I know we will make it work. The countdown begins! (and the swimming suit hunt...)

-Father's Day: We celebrated Nate's second Father's Day this year by going to church (where he won the award for being Dad to the youngest child---it wasn't a popular day for new dads to go to church, I guess!) and then pressies. Truman and I made a little project for Nate and whoo-boy, it was a doozie. I am so glad I don't force my son to sit still for longer than .2 seconds for any reason because it's like wrestling a crocodile more often than not. I got the idea from Pinterest and love how it turned out, even though it was tough to get any halfway decent pics. Also, Nate has this framed and on his brand new desk at work. Isn't that the cutest?


-Pinterest: Speaking of this amazing time-waster of an inspirational site, I am officially addicted. Here are my boards if you want to follow me and/or have me follow you. Lately my newest obsession is finding the most beautiful inspirational quotes on there and pinning those bad boys onto my boards. Also, I love all the rainbow stuff. I just can't avoid the bright colors!

-LuLuLemon: another love of mine lately? LuLuLemon....anything. I now own three pairs of their pants, one hoodie, and two headbands. When I first heard about this line of yoga/running apparel I gawked at the prices and couldn't fathom paying THAT much for yoga pants. And now? Even a tight-wad like myself can see that these pants are basically life-changing in their fit, comfort, materials, and amazingness. I am absolutely getting my money's worth with every purchase I've made even though I still think it's a little ridiculous to pay $98 for a hoodie. But look at how cute it is!

Oh, that's just me during our fourth anniversary trip to Chicago last month. Soaking wet from the monsoon but still rocking the hoodie. And their pants, of course, so we basically looked like we could work there (yes, Nate is just as obsessed as me, if not worse).

Also, I literally live in my yoga pants. Yes, they are expensive but they will blow your mind. And they come in Talls that are so long I have to get them hemmed. Like I said, life-changing!


-Tunes: why not cover the entire spread of life with this post and hit up my newest music obsessions, too? I have been totally digging Phoenix, The National, Blind Pilot, Horse Feathers, Bon Iver, and Passion Pit. I feel very mellow and in tune with my emotions lately, hence my really hip/alternative choices. Anyone else love these bands and/or want to recommend others like them?

Is that enough food-for-thought for you? :)

Where to begin?

So much going on in my life right now. Dare I say it's a Life in Transition? :)

1. I have officially turned in my resignation at my current job and have accepted a new job in home health. This has been an extremely difficult decision for me to make and one that I have been agonizing over for some time now. I am going to miss the heck out of my co-workers and miss the comfort zone that I have at my current job, since I've been there for three years now. But it's funny how priorities change when you become a mom.

My long hours at work and the fact that I'm working almost every other weekend has gotten to be too much for me and I constantly feel like I'm struggling to keep my head above water. It's no secret that I'd stay home with Truman every single day in a heartbeat and never look back if that were an option in our lives right now, but it's not, and so I have to figure out a way to balance my working life with my mommy life. Right now it feels off balance, with extra weight being on the career and not enough on the Truman-time--he is where I want to be, bottom line. So allow me to introduce home health PT....

I will be working 30 hours a week to qualify for the good health benefits (but once Nate graduates in May I'm hoping his job {eek! did you hear that? two salaries?!?!} will be the one that holds our benefits and I can drop down to about 20-24 hours a week max and forget the benefits part of the deal. I work 36 hours a week (four days, 9.5 hours each including lunch) right now, so the extra 6 I'll have at home is fab. I'll work 3 full 8 hour days and then one half day each week, making my OWN schedule with my own patients and adjusting each day as I please. Yes, home health does in fact mean that I will be driving to patients' homes and treating them there---which of course can be a good or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it. I myself find all that responsibility pretty exciting. Oh and NO WEEKENDS except on a very rare occasion and even then it would be only one or two patients to see all day. A.Maz.Ing.

So my last day at my current job is Labor Day, because I just didn't have the heart to leave my department high and dry on a holiday. Then I will take 8 glorious days off before I start my new job on Wednesday September 15, and we have purchased plane tickets for all three of us to go see my parents in Jeff City. Um, hello? We are flying with a 6 month old baby sooner than I thought would happen and I haven't even had the energy to freak out about that just yet. I cannot wait to show Truman his grandparents' house for a few days. It's going to be amazing, for real.

I guess that is all I will say about that, since I very rarely talk about my job, but let it be known that I will have some MAJOR changes coming up next month and although the fear of the unknown is weighing on me, the bottom line is I'll get to be home more often. Wish me luck!

2. Along with that transition comes another very positive one that literally just landed in my lap. I'm a firm believer in the idea that everything happens for a reason and it always works out the way it's supposed to, and this is no different. Right when I was looking at my options for new jobs I found out that my friend Erin's babysitter had an opening at her very exclusive in-home daycare. Talk about perfect timing because our current daycare is only for hospital employees, so I knew if I left my job we'd have to find new daycare too. Not an easy task when most places in our area have ridiculously long wait lists.

So anyway, my friend Erin takes her Henry to a small in-home daycare run by a grandma who's been doing it for 31 years out of her house. It's just minutes away from our home (score one--now Nate and my in-laws can even help out with pick ups), it's intimate and exclusive (score two--what I've always wanted for Truman at this age), and it's even less expensive than what we pay right now (score three--didn't think that was possible!). I feel extremely blessed that we even have this opportunity because Lori never has openings because she only takes a few kids at a time and only accepts new families if they are referred to her by a current family. Basically, her list was about 30 families long and she came to us as her first choice because Truman is the right age for her other babies right now and it's just meant to be:)

Truman and I met with Lori last week and we just loved her. She is totally down to earth and knows babies like nobody I've ever met. Her grandson is one of the kids she watches and he's 2 weeks older than Truman and it will be so much fun to watch them play together. I really hope Truman can stay at Lori's for as long as we need daycare and I can just see that she will be a major part of his childhood. Although I'm very pro-daycare centers for the strict state regulations and added socialization with many children, I am so excited to put Truman in an in-home setting now. Having only one 'teacher' that truly knows Truman, instead of multiple caregivers that change shifts mid-day and have up to 12 babies in the room, is key. I'm excited for this new journey for all of us!

3. Enough of that boring adult stuff and onto the fun stuff. I survived the trip to St. Louis for Keri's bachelorette party and so did the boys! I was gone a total of 24 hours and honestly, it wasn't heartbreaking to be away from Truman like I feared. I mean, don't get me wrong---I could not get home fast enough and then spent all Sunday cuddling the poor boy to death. But I really did enjoy myself and had fun with the girls, too.

Truman did just fine with Nate as mister mom. :) He went down with a bottle at 7:45 just like he would do if I were home nursing him to sleep, woke at 1 am and took a bottle, then fell back asleep without difficulties (!) until 4 am, when he took a little more of a bottle then slept until 6 am when he was ready to rip for the day. I'm so happy he took bottles at night instead of needing to nurse for Nate's sake. That could have been much worse. :) I've said it before and I'll say it again: my child never ceases to amaze me and any time I get nervous about an event he always always handles it like a champ.

I also made it home with 25 ounces of milk (after pumping and dumping 7 ounces after the bars...sob) and going through security was no big deal at all. Whew! I plan to write a post about it someday to help other breastfeeding/traveling moms out there. Someday, my friends. Someday.

Wanna see some G-rated pics of the party itself?

Jack the dog was the only male allowed.


A very Keri flower


yummy food


sparkle in plastic


Keri's real sparkle




The crew before dinner


Classic pose


Keri's favorite fountains in St. Louis, in front of the Art Museum. Ignore the cranes, please.


Me and the lovely bride. I must be trying to squat down to her height or something, hence the odd leg arrangement.


So much fun!

4. My brother in law, Jon, bought Nate and I tickets to see Keane last night. He is the ultra-hip music-crazed guy in our life who tries to open our minds to non-mainstream music. Many years ago he introduced me to Keane and I just love them, even though many people haven't heard of them at all. So when he bought us tickets we were pumped and the band did NOT disappoint. Thank goodness the concert was on a Tuesday night so I could sleep in a bit on Wednesday (my day off) because I'm too old to be up that late. But I forgot how much I love concerts and wish we went to more of them. My ears are still ringing from the incredible volume and I literally felt the bass waves hitting my arm hair and making it tremble last night, since we were in the sixth row like big pimps. So worth it, though. Loved it.

5. Let's talk poop now, okay? I thought Truman's poop would change from the sweet-smelling, harmless 'breastfed' poo when we began 'real solid' foods like actual veggies and fruits. I had no idea that a little bit-o-rice cereal would do the trick. Holy crap, my son has smelly poops now. It was no joke today and smelled like an actual human/adult variety and was totally not expected. Then I got really sad that his poops were no longer the same for some reason. Only I would be sad that his poop changed but it really did hit me that he's growing up before my very eyes. And now I must spray away this foul poo stuff before I wash his dipes which totally changes the game, yet again. Lesson learned: rice cereal will make your baby have an adult GI system.

6. He is now obsessed with putting his toes in his mouth even though he couldn't quite get it last week. It's stinking adorable. Still loving his high-pitched squeals and partial rolls, too, and today he napped on his side almost face down with his arm around his seahorse. I couldn't handle the cuteness, for real. Oh and speaking of the culprit rice cereal---he totally digs it now. I mean, he's actually opening his mouth and swallowing 90% of the stuff now and I can see that when we eat dinner he's totally like, 'Dudes--where is MY dinner on a spoon? Gimme now!' And so we do. And I just can't fathom that I have a baby who eats solid food but he does and he is in love with it. Video to come...

7. My whole family, including my little brother who hasn't had the pleasure of meeting his only nephew yet!, is coming in town Friday! Cannot wait for some family time. They will die when they see how much Truman has changed even from the Fourth of July when mom and dad were here last. Can't get over it.


That's it for now, folks. Transitions galore and a little poop talk on the side. Always a good combo.

So.Worth.It

Don't mind me, just coming down off a Coldplay high. The concert last night was worth every single penny which is saying a lot since we dropped mad cash on our covered seats. Turns out row SS was the perfect location for us to jam out like fools while remaining dry during the brief but torrential downpour. I'm sure that sucked for the thousands in lawn seating, right?

Where do I begin my biased review of this concert? Perhaps with the venue itself...Alpine Valley which is about 30 miles south of Milwaukee and situated right on top of a ski hill. I had never visited AV although Nate attended a ridiculous amount of DMB concerts here during his (glory) high school days. Speaking of glory days...

This picture nicely illustrates the following: Nate likes to pretend he isn't training for a marathon, hence the gigantic beer and stogie. Also, see the ski hill in the background? And isn't the stage pretty sweet? I figured we had to make the most out of the beautiful light early on in the evening, since cameras WERE NOT ALLOWED into the venue. Sigh. Why do I always follow the rules like a big fat tool? I swear, the recording from Alpine Valley said no cameras of any kind, so we stuck to our stupid cell phone cameras for every shot we took, but yet I observed numerous point-and-shoots and maybe even one or two SLRs in the crowd. Breaks my heart, I tell you.

So anyway, we got there fairly early and the opening bands were alright. But when they started getting the stage set up for Coldplay everyone started to lose it. The Viva la Vida tour is definitely in full swing now as this was their 138th stop. Of course, Chris informed us that we were the best crowd yet and I'm sure he doesn't tell that to all of the crowds, right? Sure. But we were insanely loud and I must say, it's pretty awesome to be surrounded by fans who adore the band and aren't afraid to sing along with every lyric. Lots of die-hards around us, for sure.

Then the lights went down and one of my favorite songs--Life in Technicolor--started to play. I was very proud of myself because on the car ride down I informed Nate that Coldplay should totally use this song for their opener...it's just the bomb, really. So they came out and everything was still dark and we see these little sparklers going in circles as they ran across the stage, behind a see through screen. Talk about an awesome way to enter a concert...I'll have to remember that one for my next rock star life. The screen lifted and the lights started flashing in coordination with the bass and thus began the most amazing concert I've ever attended.

They played every single one of my favorite songs and then some. Chris Martin is both hilarious and strangely adorable with his English accent and insane amount of energy. Such an entertainer, too. For instance, he apologized for making so many mistakes and said he was sure the critics would wonder how he even gets paid for what he does. But he said that seeing his horrible 1996 Justin Timberlake haircut on a 50 foot screen was just a little distracting, so please forgive him. I actually liked his curly mop:)

And those 50 foot screens? You can't tell from this picture but they were extremely entertaining and I'm sure they were high-definition cameras or something because it was crystal clear. Nate said it was like watching a really good music video with all of the different cameras zooming onto the different band members. I had to force myself to watch the actual show on the stage instead of the big screens they were that cool.

Chris was all over the stage and danced around like a crazy man.


And then they played my favorite song, Yellow. Giant yellow balloons filled with confetti were thrown into the crowd by the sneaky staff and we were like little kids trying to bat them around. Fun idea and I love the yellow theme:)


Then the boys showed that they aren't completely full of themselves as they walked up into the lawn seats to play a few tunes! Who does that? I'm pretty sure the fans sitting in that section of lawn were losing it.

It was in the lawn where they played Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean' with their own unique English twist. I personally loved the tribute but I've read some people on FB who didn't appreciate it. Like I said, I'm pretty easy to please with concerts:)

Towards the end of the concert, they played the song 'Lovers in Japan/Reign' and all of a sudden thousands of tissue paper butterflies came fluttering down from giant cones. They shot out of the cones multiple times during the song and I thought it was one of the coolest things ever. Oh how I wish I had a decent camera with me!


Sigh. It was amazing, you guys. When they played 'Politik' the lights flashed with every beat which is one of my favorite lighting effects. Playing 'Vida la Vida' made the crowd go nuts and belt out every lyric (even more than the other songs). Other highlights: 'Death and All His Friends', 'Fix You,' 'Strawberry Swing,' and 'Green Eyes.' They even turned down all of the lights and made everyone do a cell phone wave across the theatre....all 35,000 of us made for a pretty sweet light show.

Are you bored to death yet? Can you tell I was in heaven?

I had to dig a little bit, but this post about my lifetime to-do list says it all. Ignore the fact that all of my pictures are screwed up on that post and focus on #3. Yep, big fat check mark after last night. (And actually, I think I can check off a few others, too). Do you have a 'must see' band on your list?

Bottom line: Coldplay rules. It was the best concert I've ever attended and I would love to see them again. Highly recommended to all.

UPDATE: I just realized something...I kept staring at the date today trying to figure out why it was important. Someone's birthday? No, Keri's was yesterday. Then I remembered: it's our 7 year dating anniversary. Not sure if you can still celebrate those types of annis when you're married but holy hell.....seven years together. Seems like forever and just like yesterday in some ways.

Okay, that is all...

Rock Stars

{and all of a sudden I have about 4 ideas for posts waiting in the wings. I suppose it would be best to work backwards, from the most recent stuff back through the weekend. Bear with me as I settle back into my groove, dearies. }


Sometimes Nate and I like to pretend that we are REALLY cool. You know, jam out at rock concerts, stay out entirely too late pretending that we don't have to work in the morning, and scream our faces off to the point of laryngitis. Yeah, we are that old couple attempting to be rock stars. I'm sure it was obvious to the 12 year old girls sitting next to us (no, I am not exaggerating. They were literally 12 years old and texting up storms on their ultra cool cell phones. They frightened me actually).

So yeah, we went to see Jack's Mannequin and The Fray on July 4 down at Summerfest's Marcus Ampitheatre. And OMG....it was so worth the pure exhaustion the next morning when I had to work all day. My raspy voice was all the rage with my patients, let me tell you.

First of all: I had only heard of Jack's Mannequin with a vague passing on the radio. I actually looked up their songs on iTunes before we left for the concert to see if they were worth our time. I immediately told Nate, "I think we'll like them" and so we made it early enough to catch the entire opening acts. (Yes, I realize that makes us even bigger dorky old fogies). Jack's Mannequin was the freaking bomb. Those boys performed their hearts out, as they literally dripped in sweat and flip flopped around the stage in a whirlwind of awesomeness. I asked Nate during their show, "How many cans of Monster do you think they just pounded backstage?" It was ridiculous, you guys. I loved all of their songs and found myself bee-bopping around in place throughout. In fact, we got home and bought one of their older albums from 2005---Everything in Transit---because it seemed to have most of our fave songs from the concert. I think 'Dark Blue' and 'Bruises' are two of the best but I'll let you know once I listen to them a bit more.

So then came the big dogs: The Fray. Let me start by saying that I have always loved their first album "How to Save a Life" but their newest self-titled album has been on heavy rotation in our house since February. When we heard they'd be at Summerfest we immediately bought tickets and we sort of splurged on actual seats....in row Z and right in the middle. That put us less than 30 rows back which meant we were surrounded by some hard core fans, thus becoming highly entertaining to observe the drunken fans weep for joy with nearly every song. I love people watching at Summerfest and concerts are always the best.

By the time they finally came on after Jack's Mannequin it was already pretty late and I might have stifled a yawn or two in anticipation. But then all the lights went down, the crowd went wild, and these pimped out keyboard synthesizer sounds started playing. Then the lead singer, Isaac, appeared with a beam of light from behind and I started snapping away:


Now lets back up a second. I called before the concert to see if The Fray allow cameras into their show, since every artist is different.

Old dude on the phone goes, "Sure, a point and shoot or camera phone would be fine."

So I go, "Uh, well what about an SLR?"

And old dude was all, "What is that? Like a professional camera? No, those aren't allowed."

Then I tried to backpedal like, "Oh, it's not really a professional camera, no zoom lens or majorly huge body or anything. But it's definitely bigger than a P&S."

The guy eventually told me it should be fine, but Nate was convinced that it wouldn't fly and he really didn't want to deal with walking all the way back to the car if we had to leave it behind. I concurred but of course, as soon as we stepped into the Ampitheatre, my eyes immediately flocked to not one but TWO people with SLRs. Ugh. So not fair! My little P&S just has such crappy low light capabilities and thus, all of the pictures we took are crappy. But I did bother to take a bunch so I must show you anyway. Just imagine all of the beautiful bokeh I could have captured with the amazing lights on stage! Break my heart right now.

Anyway, back to the concert. Their set was insane and full of lights and sparkles and entertainment. A few times while the lights were flashing different colors and glowing I thought to myself, "Huh, I could see how this would make some people dizzy and want to pass out." And yet, we just thought it was fascinating. We are easily entertained, you see.

The lights:







My only semi-decent picture of Isaac rocking out on top of his piano. Be still my heart. Even though his pants were basically painted onto his body and I'm pretty sure he wears a smaller size that I do, I realize that all the kids these days are wearing painfully tights jeans so I cannot fault this rocker.


It just makes me chuckle to think of Nate attempting this new trend. I've seen some ill-fitting jeans on my man a few times and his thighs are quite the sight, let me tell you. His hunt for designer jeans went incredibly awry a few years ago and the poor boy is scarred for life, vowing to stick to the looser fitting styles. It's better for everyone involved, trust me.

So anyway, the concert was amazing. They played a butt-load of their songs and avoided a lot of the classic small talk some bands will do at concerts. The only complaint I have is that they did not play my ultimate favorite song of theirs, "Look After You." I almost cried when their encore didn't include my cut. But as a consolation prize, they did play my second fave, Kanye's "Heartless." I still think The Fray's version kicks the American Idol dude's version any day. So sue me:)

You know it's a good concert when you see a bajillion cell phones waving in unison. Gone are the days of lighters, my friends. Now we rely on computerized technology to show our dedication to rocking out. Observe:


All in all, it was a grade A concert. I'm not going to lie---both Nate and I decided that this concert only got us more excited for the big Coldplay concert in 3 weeks. Can.Not.Breathe.

So I ask you, my friends.....what are some of the best concerts you've attended? We all know some bands are amazing live and others not so much. Are you big concert goers? I've seen my secret boyfriend John Mayer about 4 or 5 times now, a little Tom Petty here, a bit of Kenney Chesney and Tim McGraw there, some good old fashioned DMB, and a horrendous performance by Journey. That one was the worst, but the others were all good fun.

Any others I must add to my 'must see' list? Do enlighten.

So three thousand and eight

Who else is loving the Boom Boom Pow song lately? Black Eyed Peas are the bomb. This will be a sort of miscellany post for you this fine Monday afternoon....but I really wanted to use the 3008 as a title because I *heart* it. I also *heart* being off on a Monday....don't get too jealous, since I had to work yesterday on Mother's Day. As the ONLY non-mother in my department I had to volunteer for that one and now my Monday is simply divine:) A long run, a long nap, a butt load of coffee, and catching up on everything I didn't do yesterday. Ah, a faux weekend day is just what I needed.

1. Not only am I obsessed with the BEP song but also, we bought the new Silversun Pickups album and holy crap, I love them. Last summer my ultra-hip brother-in-law introduced me to them and I put their song 'Three Seed" on repeat for about four months at a time. Then I heard their new single "Panic Switch" on the radio the other day and decided it was time to invest in their full album, Swoon. It rules, go and buy it right now [that's Swoon on the far right but aren't all of their albums gorge, too?]

They remind me of a mix between Smashing Pumpkins and maybe even a hint of Garbage, but with a sound uniquely their own. "Lazy Eye" from their Carnavas album is probably their most mainstream but honestly, the songs that aren't on the radio are even better.

Two other single song purchases to rave about: "Closer" by Kings of Leon and "Show Me What I'm Looking For" by Carolina Liar. Totally obsessed. Does anyone else get overly into new song purchases like me? Nate thinks I wear them out within a week from playing them too much but I guess that's just my intense nature:)

2. So apparently when I get birthday money, I cannot force myself to buy nice everyday items of clothing. I am in desparate need of Spring and Summer wardrobe staples like shorts, semi-casual tops, and of course I could use a new dress to wear to the multiple weddings we have this summer. But what do I spend my cash on instead? Running clothes, of course. It's become a sickness, really. I.just.can't.stop.


Remember this post from last summer? That is when I first became a believer of Dri-Fit material for running and I said goodbye to rotten cotton forever. But three measly outfits simply would not propel me forward into another summer of marathon training. A girl needs options and now I have them. Please observe:


Outfit #1: Those Nike running shorts everyone seems to have + hot pink Nike tank bought for me by my loving hubby, for my birthday. He knows me so well.



Outfit #2: tight capris bought for me by Nate at Christmas + another pink Nike tank bought with birthday cash. I love the little v-necks on both of these tanks. Tight capris always make me self-conscious about my thighs but they are oh-so-comfy.



Outfit #3: my new gray Nike running skort + 'long' blue Nike tank bought with Mom's birthday cash. LOVE. More on this one in a bit.



Outfit #4: my old Nike running skort [not new but still a fave] + light purple PADDED tank from Eddie Bauer, of all places. Nate got me this one for Valentines day. Who knew EB had workout clothes? And a padded tank is just what the doctor ordered for nipping out, my friends. Totally comfy, too.



Okay, so I know skorts are quite controversial in some running circles. You all know my love affair with my original black Nike skort, right? Well, I was reading up on the newest version on the Nike site and there were all kinds of mixed reviews from buyers. I heard a lot of girls whine about how short this new one is, and how it gives you love handles, and it's way too tight. I figured, What the Heck? It can't be much shorter than the old one, can it? What do you think?

I ran 8.5 miles in it today and I will admit, it felt a little skimpy at first. And maybe a little tighter around my hips but there are shorts under there, you know, so it's not like you might flash hoo-ha on accident. It was very comfortable to run in and I will be keeping it for sure, but just in case I asked Nate if he thought it was an inappropriate length. I didn't want to look like a total prostitute running down the road but he assured me it wasn't as scandalous as I thought. I think he just likes how my butt looks in it, so his opinion is biased:)

3. While drinking heavily at Kristen's wedding we discovered a new favorite beer. Imagine our delight when we found it at a local grocery store, too! Mmmmm, it's so amazing.


4. I am not joking when I say that Milwaukee JUST accepted the fact that May is halfway over. About two weeks ago, everything started greening up around here and actual flower blossoms came out to play. About freaking time, don't you think? Only about 2 months behind St. Louis, of course. I used to assume that June meant Summer but right now I'm settling for Spring. Did I ever mention that it's been a long winter? My favorite trees shed a lot but are so pretty:




Tulips! Actual tulips!




Trees with real, living leaves on them!




So many photographic opportunities, so little time.



So yeah, I just switched out all of my winter coats, hats/gloves, and sweaters to my Spring/Summer wardrobe. It's always a little disheartening to find that your wardrobe blows, don't you think?

5. Nate is taking one of his last finals right now. One more on Wednesday and then he's off until 5/26. I cannot believe he has three whole semesters under his belt. Only six more to go, people. One year down, two more left. However you want to look at it......time is flying by and Nate is kicking major PT booty. So proud of my little student. Can't wait for him to have free time in the evenings again. And let's not forget about our anniversary trip to Chicago....holla!