My Email = Evil Temptress

So I'm thinking of doing a triathlon this summer.  I think it has been 3 years since I've tri'd?  OMG, yes, almost 4 years!

Screw it, I just left this screen and signed up.

What I was going to say is that 2 days ago I got an email that the Bridgeland Triathlon is open for registration.  It is a sprint: 500m swim, 14 mi bike, 3.65 mi run.  And they give tech t's and medals.  The complication?  It is right on the heels of my vacation, and I don't intend on training during my vacation.  Oh, and I haven't ridden my bike since I found out I was pregnant in 20-freaking-10.  And I haven't hit the pool since last summer, since I no longer have a gym membership.  Nice.

But, but it is only a 500m swim.  My local pool will open in June, so I could swim a few times a week while P and Z splash around in the other end, and that'd get me to non-drowning capability.  (Actually, I've been swimming all my life, and I'm pretty confident I could do a 500m swim right now and not drown, but it'd suck pretty hard.)

And I haven't been riding my bike, but I have been stationary cycling.  It wouldn't be too hard to switch over to the trainer, and in a few months hit the road.  I think I have a good start on the fitness for an hour long ride - this morning I rode for 40 minutes - I just need some practice on not falling off the bike.  I can do that in 4 months.  Totally.

And I have been running.  I could do the run now.  Slowly, but I'm sure of it.

So, really, if you think about it, this will allow me to continue focusing on my run base - short, but hopefully speeding up.  My cross training just needs to pick up a few sessions a week on a real bike instead of the stationary, and after a month or 2, move it outside.  And pick up some swimming when it gets warm, which I would totally do anyways - I love to swim!

And the vacation - I'll be ok.  It is the best timing for a tri, because August is when half marathon training begins.  I'll have a nice aerobic base built up for the tri, and then I'll just need to start converting it to running long.

I'm going to be a triathlete again!

Updated to add: I couldn't get over that it had been since August 2008 since I had done a tri, and I was right, it was actually May 2009.  Still, that'll be more than 3 years when Bridgeland rolls around.  It is time.

12 in 2012 - Book 6!

Which was, as I mentioned before, Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire.  This was a big honkin' book, y'all.  (694 pages, according to my library's catalog - I wouldn't know, because I read it on my Kindle!)

So I figured out why starting the book was difficult for me.  You see, I had tried to start this series previously, years ago, and just couldn't get into it.  I actually almost didn't this time.  I started reading, was failing to get sucked in, but I kept hearing that I'd love it, so I kept giving it another chapter, and finally Catelyn's first chapter grabbed me, and then I was hooked.  I think the reason I have difficulty with this series is because George R R Martin writes each chapter from a different person's perspective.  That is actually common, or at least having parts of a book from different characters' perspectives is common, especially, it seems, with the fantasy series I read - I mean, the authors have to advance action across an entire world, so that seems a logical way to do it.  I think the difference with the way GRRM does it and the way I'm used to is that, well, first of all, he does it every chapter.  And I can read a chapter in about 15 minutes.  That's a lot of perspective changing.  And secondly, at the beginnings of books he doesn't start with 1 person and then switch to a person that you got introduced to in the first person's chapter.  He switches to someone who you have no idea how they are related.  While this is really pretty cool because he relies on the reader to make the connections in the beginning, thus making you think and wonder, for me it also makes it harder to get sucked in.  Lots harder.

I started the second book in the series yesterday, and the 3rd chapter (I think it is the third.) is from the perspective of... someone.  I have no idea who they are, where they are, or why they are/will be important.  When I saw that, I just closed the book and went to bed.  Even though I know I'll love this book, I just didn't have the mental wherewithal to care about a new character last night.

Don't get me wrong - I'm already itching to get to reading again today - I just think this is interesting.

A Day with Daddy

Last week the Z missed a day of school for a fever.  I had to work, so Preston had her all day.  I could hardly stand it, so I kept asking him to text me pictures, and behold: a day with Daddy.

Breakfast!

 

Asleep on the way to/from the doctor's office.

What Daddy built during her EPIC 3 hour nap.

Snack = In Mah Sick Belleh!

Scarf, Babushka, Hajib, Daddy's shirt - it's all the same.

"Helping" Daddy.

Sick day home with Daddy = priceless.

Last Weekend Update

Last weekend was a big one for us.  Friday was Preston's last furlough-day.; I was off, so we took the day and frantically built the rest of the furniture we bought from Ikea.  It took allllllll day.  All day.  And I swear, I must have made 30 trips upstairs carrying books, and I'm only about halfway done transferring all the books!

Breaking down the old bed.

Building the new headboard.

New shelves, all lined up and ready to go.

Grimmy "helping".

Saturday was St. Patrick's Day, which all redheads are legally required to dress for!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

We hung out for a normal morning, all dressed up.

What a ham!

Helping Daddy play.

Then Saturday was the second to last day of the Rodeo, and we wanted to take the Z for her first time.  We had a normal morning, then headed over after her nap.  It was a huge hit.  Huge.  We went basically only to the Stockyard part so she could see all the animals: cows, goats, sheep, pigs, chickens, rabbits, even bees!  She really really loved it.  By the time we were done with that, it was time for dinner.  I was really nervous about that part because there are never enough tables at the rodeo, and usually you end up eating while sitting on a curb.  Well, we did, but Z behaved really really well.  I had P sit first (I was holding Z and lots of food), then I handed him down the food, and set her down standing, then I sat and she actually ran over to the curb and imitated me!  I think she may have been a little intimidated by her surroundings, because she sat unusually close by my side, and she stuck with me without trying to escape for far longer than I would have ever anticipated - long enough to actually eat!  Then we went in search of funnel cake, which she absolutely loved.  She started saying and signing "more" as soon as a bite was in her mouth, before she even chewed it!

Chickens!

First funnel cake. 

Sunday the goal was a lazy day around the house, but we did make it to the park for some shenanigans and a walk along the bayou.

She went down this slide over and over again.

Loving the swing.

Wanting to see her pic before it even gets taken.

17 Months

Wow, MomFAIL, I just realized I didn't write a 16 month update last month.

Well, let's see... in the last 2 months...

The Z has learned to use an iPhone.  As in, she walks up to it.  Pushes the button.  Slides her finger on the screen to unlock it.  Pages her way through to find her videos and apps and starts them and plays them.  And I swear, we don't give her that much screen time!  Every time one of us gets out our phone, she starts asking for her favorite apps, which she's named: EIO, Itsy Spider, and Ladybug.

Looking at herself live in the camera app.

She's gotten WAY more verbal.  She can repeat literally anything we say, and she attaches meaning to words very quickly.  She picked up so many more words so quickly after my last post that I stopped counting.

She has also become quite the singer.  She went from singing a few words in a few songs 2 months ago to singing MOST words in a lot of songs.  A lot of songs.  I think she knows all of Baby Beluga, now.  She only skips 4 letters in ABC (the fast ones).  And every now and again I start singing a kiddie song that I'm not sure we've done before, and I guess they do those in daycare because she's singing with me!

"Brown bear, Brown bear" is old news.  She's moved on to "Goodnight Moon".  She can point to all the objects and label them, and can finish each line of the book when I'm reading it to her.

Oh, and that reminds me: colors!  I've been waiting for her to care about colors, and in the last month or so it finally seems to be happening.  In the beginning, I was only showing her blue, green, and yellow, because it seemed like there was a lot of stuff around in those colors, so it'd be a good way to start.  She didn't care.  And then one day whenever I'd ask her what color something was, she'd say, "Blue!", no matter what color it was.  I was really excited, though, because at least she knew blue was a color.  As time has gone by, she's upgraded herself and can now also say, "Yellow", "Red", "Green", and "Pink".  Actually, she can repeat anything we say, like I said above, but those are the colors I've heard her say on her own.  She was totally razzing her dad the other night.  He kept asking her what color the ball was (it was yellow), and she kept saying other names.  He kept saying, "No, yellow", and she'd say "Yellow" (sounds like yeddow), and he'd ask her what color it was and the whole thing would start again.  It was really funny because she definitely knew the ball was yellow and was totally messing with him.

She's busted out like 3 teeth in the last 2 months.  She has 4 on top now, and 2 on bottom.  I think she may be teething again, though, because she's really fussing about her mouth, pulling off the boob and crying, and gnawing on her fingers.  I can't see anything in her mouth, yet, not that she's letting me get a good look.

Her hair is getting really long, and unfortunately hangs in her face if we don't use a bow.  I don't want to cut bangs because that's just a temporary solution: what we really need is just for that front part to grow past the awkward phase.  It's getting there.

Eating a banana at Gaga's.  Gaga didn't have a bow.

She did really well with all of the jacked up schedule things that were going on with AD.  For several weeks P was at the hospital every evening and I was single-momming it.  (Single moms - PROPS.  I don't know how you do it day in and day out!)  I'd mass cook meals on Sunday, fetch her from daycare on my way home, then we'd walk up and down the block to waste some time and wear her out, then heat up dinner and eat together, then hop into the shower, brush our teeth and get ready for bed, nurse her til she crashed, then I'd crash.  She was a trooper, but it was rough.  Not because she was rough, but just because it is rough when you don't have any helping hands or any down time.  We'd call daddy or face time, and she learned to say Aunt Dollie.  And of course we took her to see Aunt Dollie at the nursing home or hospital every weekend.  Also rough (read: keeping toddler away from machines and tubes = ROUGH), but I wouldn't change that for the world now that AD is gone.

They're going to move her up in daycare this month.  I was talking to her teacher last week, and I was trying to pay her (the teacher) a compliment - I was trying to say, "I know that Zoë is fairly smart, but I don't think she'd be nearly as developed as she is without everything you do."  (Because I really and truely believe that.  It hurt me when she started daycare, but I truely believe that Zoë is a better child with daycare than she'd be without it.)  But she stopped me at smart and said, very emphatically, "Oh, no, Zoë is gifted."  Wow.  What an amazing thing for a mom to hear!

Oh, and Zoë got new boots from Gaga.  She lurves her some boots.

Trying to put her new boots on OVER her shoes.

 And she can almost spell her name.  If you start her with a Z, she'll say, "O, E, ZOE!!!"

She's been all jealous of everyone's glasses.  ALL of the adults in her life wear them, so she's been wearing her own pair.

Totally stylin'.

 It has been a big, big couple of months.  I really feel like we have a toddler on our hands now.

I did it.

I signed up for the End of the World half.

And the Day after the End of the World half.

Pretty sure the day after that is going to feel like the End of the World to me!

(What have I done??)

BFN

This morning I peed on a stick.

You see, it all started with this last weekend.  I was bitchy.  Super bitchy.  Unreasonably bitchy.  Aware of the bitchy but couldn't contain it bitchy.  Bitchy on a level that I haven't been since the weekend before I found out that I was pregnant with the Z.

Then my boobs hurt when I flipped over the other night.

And this morning, when I first woke up, I thought, "Gods, what I wouldn't give for a piece of Uncle Gary's beer battered fish."

I started thinking about Ross and Rachel and the 3% that "SHOULD BE ON THE BOX!!!", and started thinking that maybe we were the 3%.  Because we're not trying.

So this morning I peed on a stick.  The stick said I'm not pregnant.

Gotta say: relieved.  And maybe a little... just a little... sad?

I want!!! I want!!! I want!!!

Arg, I just saw this and I totally want to do either this or this.  Oh, do I ever want to do one of these!

The half, of course.

Could I be ready for a half by December??

Confessions

Dear Diary,

I am starting to track my calories again.  Because I got out of control.

And I'm requiring exercise every morning this week.  Because I got lazy.

I hate Time-Change Monday.

Kthanxbai!

P.S.  My run this morning was so foggy that water droplets were building up on my eyebrows and eyelashes.  And the spiderwebs were standing out in stark relief under the street lights.  Neato!  Oh, and I pushed.  Hard.  Also neato.  In an I-didn't-die kind of way.

P.P.S.  I'm hungry!

Holy shit!

I made the blog twice!!  (Does this mean I made the book?  Maybe?  Please?)

Thestrals

I can see thestrals now.  I wish I couldn't.

Goal Review

Goals for the Year:
Lose 12 pounds in 2012.  Weight on 1/1 was 138.8.  Weight on 2/1 was 132.6.  Weight this morning was 133.2.  Not gonna lie: it was a rough month.  If I had had to post my weight 2 weeks ago, I would have been really ashamed.
Read at least 12 books (other than to my child) in 2012.  1 book read in February, bringing the grand total to 5.
Race 12 times in 2012.  No races this year yet but I'm registered for the Woodlands Fun Run 5K on Saturday!  And I signed up for the Bellaire Trolley Run on 3/31.
And I have one other secret 12 goal. 2 more accomplished towards the 12, making the grand total 4.  Yay, me!

Eating Goals for February:
Eat out once a week or less: general success in terms of the weekends with Preston, had an unusual week where 2 good friends came up to work for long lunches, and well, I wouldn't take that back.  I also had 2 unusual weeks where I was stuck in all day meetings (twice each week) where lunch was provided.  Let's just say that whoever ordered lunch wasn't on a diet.  Nothing for it.  Onto March, in which I'll do better!
Don't cook anything massively incompatible with my goals: done.


Financial Goals for February:
Rollover my IRA: paperwork filled out and submitted, waiting for confirmation or instructions.
Start an IRA for Preston: nope.
Start a 529 for Zoe: done, account opened, just need to write the check now.
Get Preston into direct deposit: fail.  Hopefully when he gets un-furloughed.
Get Preston's dues to start automagically deducting: done.
Get the last automatic payment to stop coming out of the credit card account that I want to stop using: fail.
Finished reading Saving for Retirement without Living like a Pauper or Winning the Lottery by Gail Marks Jarvis (love!), and as a result of that, I also: rebalanced both Preston's and my retirement accounts and the ongoing contributions to them.  And I have more goals for next month from a plan that I drew up this month. :-)  Even though I didn't accomplish all of my initial financial goals this month, I made really good progress, and more importantly, I feel interested and empowered after reading that book!


Goals for March:
Continued progress towards 2012 goals.
Keep eating out to a minimum - maximum once a week.
Finances: start IRA for Preston, get Preston into direct deposit, get that last automatic payment off the credit card I want to stop using, get our respective moms off the last 2 of our respective accounts, consolidate assets (from 4 financial firms to 2) and in the process balance our "portfolio" (still really feels weird to say that - isn't that something adults do??), work on a Will.  Oh, and finish taxes!!  (We're like 99% done - we just need to get off our duffs and click submit!)