From Couch to 5K

June 14th, 2012

I do not like to run. Never did and definitely never planned on making it part of my exercise routine. Then last year I heard pastor Pete talking about it in one of his sermons. Shortly after that I found out the leaders of our Dave Ramsey workshop were planning on running a 1/2 marathon for a good cause. All of them said how they did not like to run - at all - but were running with a purpose, for a good cause.
I started thinking about it. That was all, just thinking. No action whatsoever was planned on my part, but the seed had been planted, I guess. Okay, maybe I did buy a pair of running shoes. Then again I had done that before and they had ended up in my closet for 2 years and then moved on to (hopefully) better use with another family. But anyway...
So when I got the email for the Best Buddies 5K I immediately set up a team called "Zander's Biggest Fans". I was so psyched that I had actually signed up to run my very first 5K, and it is going to take place on my 46th birthday no less! I think that the date is the reason I saw this as a sign.
All right, so I was all signed up and had no clue where to start!
First thing I did was ask Angel to give me advice, and she told me to check into "from Couch to 5K". I discovered they had a really cool website with all kinds of tips for people like me who never ran in their life and now were hopping to get going. I downloaded the app onto my phone, and after a couple of small issues was able to get the music to go along with it.
I am ready to start training!

Pure joy

Once we got past the cake almost-disaster, it was absolutely beautiful.
Susan Gray School, with its wonderful and amazing teachers, did a splendid job putting together such an emotional event that went off without a hitch (like I said, once we got past the cake thing...).
The best thing: this picture of Zander, with such pure joy on his little face.

One of my very most favorites!

Naptime at our house

It is Sunday afternoon. We all had lunch and it is time for Zander to take a little nap. Since his move to his toddler bed he has not wanted to nap very much, but today he goes down pretty quickly. It only takes him 1/2 hour to fall asleep, not necessarily in bed, but he sleeps nonetheless...or so I think...
KK is writing an email to Ama, still decked out in her Luau outfit she wore to church this morning for the moving up party. I decide it's the perfect time to spend a little while in the front yard pulling some weeds. As I stand up to stretch my back I happen to look toward Zander's window. This is what I see:

Obviously he is not getting a nap today!

KK is writing Ama a long email.

Graduation

Next week my son is graduating. Let's pull out the cake and punch! Absolutely amazing how much progress he has made since he started at Susan Gray School 3 years ago. Thank you to all the wonderful teachers and staff at SGS; they all contributed to Zander's steady progress and I am so grateful for each and every one of them. I do want to thank a few by name: Val and Katie from Busy Bees; Hannah and Dawson from Sea Critters (miss you both tremendously!) and Lisa, Val and Abby in Adventure Island. I most certainly do not want to leave out Bi-Shaun and Ms. Carolyn, as well as Ruth and Michelle, director and assistant director respectively. What an awesome place with all its amazing people that made those years so special.
We are moving on to bigger things, but will never forget SGS, and there will always be a special place in my heart for this great school.
My baby is 4 years old, and he will look smashing in his graduation cap!

Hootie, the one with the udders

Two years ago, when Hootie still had a 'swinging' belly we called udders.
May 18, 2011 is when Hootie went to Heaven.

Letter to Hootie

Dear Hootie,

I must confess that I always thought of myself as a dog person. When I was a baby my parents had to give away our kitten because I was allergic to him.

Since then I grew up with dogs, and later ferrets until I met you.

I know it wasn’t love at first sight.

Butter was how I buttered up to you, and once I got to know you I knew you were no ordinary cat.

I actually wondered many times if you knew you were a cat. You acted so much like a dog most of the time, and even learned to act like a ferret when there were treats involved!

You were not thrilled with the ferrets, though. You did not quite get to the snuggling part as I had hoped, but you tolerated them and I like to believe you had a strange bond with them in the end.

You slowly but surely crept into my heart.

You were terrified of balloons, so I made sure nobody brought them into our house;

You sat up like a ferret, and I rewarded you with ferret paste;

You jumped onto my pregnant belly from the window sill, and I was mad at you for days;

You snuggled up against my growing belly and purred loudly, making a little Jacuzzi for Kaitlyn, and I loved you for it;

You got mad when we put a Santa hat on you for the Christmas picture, and I made sure Daddy would not ever do that again;

I shared my milk with you and you loved me for it;

The maddest I have ever seen you is when we tried to rescue a little kitten until we could find the owner. You made sure that we knew in no uncertain terms that a scrawny creature like that living under the same roof was completely unacceptable to you. To prove your point you jumped first on daddy’s lap, then on mine and hissed at us right into our faces, just making sure…and we made sure to never, ever do that again;

You tried to escape by jumping off the balcony only to bounce back from the screen, and daddy still cracks up every time he thinks about that;

I told you to stop sleeping practically on top of my face, tickling me with you whiskers, and you started purring loudly, making it impossible for me to get any sleep at all;

You tried to escape once more by hiding under the trailer next to our house in Louisiana, and we got you out safely by waving deli meat under your nose;

You reverted back to the ‘ferret’ pose when we got the annoying Fudgie, and you sat on your hind legs and batted the dog’s face with both front paws;

You could not clean your whiskers when you had to wear a cone around your neck, and I cleaned them for you;

You called out a few minutes before you passed away, and KK and I held you and told you we love you…

I miss you so, my sweet Hootie bootie!

I want you to know that these are just a few of the things I remember about you. You had so much personality, such charm and such beauty. You are the most handsome kitty I have ever known and I love you.

I can’t wait to see you again.

Love,

Mommy

The rocking chair

Yesterday I spent much time in the rocking chair. My baby boy was sick. One of those inexplicable bouts of fever that scare me half to death, because his fever is so high and he is so out of it.

So I sit with him in the rocking chair and we rock back and forth, his face on my chest, his little legs hugging my hips, and his little arms tucked in between the two of us. We just rock, for what seems like an hour, and it feels so very good to hold him, comfort him, to feel his breath on my cheek when he looks up at me and sighs a little, then smiles a little. And I totally melt when he wraps those little arms around my neck and squeezes to give me a tight little hug.
Aahhh, heaven.....

The rocking chair has been around a few years. I remember buying it at Walmart almost 8 years ago, when I was pregnant with Kaitlyn. This one was the "inexpensive" version, dark brown wood covered with dark green cloth. Not exactly what I had in mind decor-wise, but it was in our budget, unlike the pretty white wood one with light blue cloth covering. It has since moved into Zander's room. Two of the springs are no longer attached, and the matching ottoman is in the garage somewhere since there is no space for it.
I love that rocking chair, for all of the memories attached. Starting with me breast feeding Kaitlyn, Hootie's 'fave spot' when KK and I were not occupying it, our faithful 'go to' seat for cuddle moments. Then there were the countless times when I just went into their room and rocked, listening to them breathe, and those times (and there were and still are plenty of those) when there was fever or otherwise "not feeling good" involved. We just sit and rock gently. I will sing songs, hum, or tell stories and enjoy holding my baby for a little while longer.

But my most favorite part these days is the time before bed, when we settle into the rocking chair after putting on pj's and get ready to read a book first, then sing songs.
Zander knows the routine and before we are even settled in the chair, he already signs 'book'. So I pick a book or I give him two options and let him pick. We 'read' the book (I read while Zander adds his own comments), then put it away when we are 'all done'. I ask him what he wants to do next and he signs and says "sing". 'Okay, what song do you want to sing first?', I ask. "Pidah", Zander says while bunching his little fingers together to make a spider. Okay, I say, we will sing Itsy Bitsy Spider. And we sing our song and then we clap. Then we sing another song and we clap some more. Finally, I will start singing his bed time song 'slaap kindje slaap', at which point he turns from a sitting position to lay on my chest and tucks his little arms and hands in between us, resting his head on my shoulder and starts soothing himself using his tongue as his pacifier.
I sing the song slowly and sit some more, savoring the moment. Then I put him in his bed, turn the night light on, the big light off and tell him: lekker slapen. I tell him I love him and leave the room, at which point he turns on his belly, tucks his arms and legs in and goes to sleep.
Later, once he is asleep I may return and sit in the rocking chair and listen to my baby breathe.