Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Triathlon this Weekend!

Me: Maybe I should quit doing triathlons for a while.  They are so stressful for me.
P: But you're so good at swimming!
Me: Thanks!  And how am I at biking?  And which comprises the majority of the tri?


(I don't really think I'll quit.  I'm just in panic mode a bit.  Scheduling a tri 10 days after you return to the country from a European vacation is.... ambitious.)

Friday, July 13, 2012

My Place

Mom had been taking Z to school every morning so I could go to work early. That means waking her up, getting her ready, everything. Thursday I was able to take Z. When I went up to her room to wake her, the conversation went like this:
Me, turning on light: Good morning, Zoë.
Z: Hi Gaga!
Me: No baby, it's Mama.
Z: Good morning, Gaga!
Me, picking her up: No baby, it's Mama, I love you. Gaga is at her house today.
Z, finally opening her eyes, looks right into my eyes and taps my chest and says: No Gaga, just Mommy.
So I guess I know my place on the totem pole.

When I told P about it, he groaned that when we come back from Paris Z won't even care.
Me: Honey badger won't give a shit!
P: Zero fucks will be given.

Perhaps we both know our places on the totem pole.

Gotta say it does make me feel better about ditching the Kid with Gaga while we go to Paris for 8 days, though!

Monday, July 9, 2012

I Feel Like a Donkey

Or, rather, an ass.

Last week Z went to the doctor on Monday about the longest standing cough in the history of the world. She received antibiotics, when we promptly began administering, and the cough wandered away, but the fuss-factor intensified.

So much that on Wednesday morning when I dropped her at daycare the teacher was hypothesizing that the antibiotics were upsetting her tummy because, "she's fussing a lot for no apparent reason, and that isn't normal for her". I agreed.

Saturday morning at the grocery store she wanted to be held.b By me. And only me. The. Entire. Time. At one point I was convinced that my arm was about to fall off, so I tried putting her down and convincing her to take a FUN!!! ride on the shopping cart, something that she had totally adored the previous week. She sat down crying, "No mommy, 'top it!" I said, "Ok, Z, if you're going to sit, I'm going to finish shopping, bye!" and started walking away. O.M.G. She escalated to a full wail, jumped up and ran over to me. I crouched down and hugged her while she cried and cried, and then (sucker) picked her up and resumed shopping. I felt like the meanest person in the world. I almost cried from my heart breaking. I'm still almost crying just typing this.

I mean, I would do it again, probably the exact same way. I don't want to get into those battles with her, and I called her bluff. But, oh, it hurt!

Anyways, she continued the random unreasonable crying, and just when I was so frustrated I was getting ready to pinch her little head off, I had a brainwave.

"Zoë, can you show Mommy your teeth?"

She opens her mouth. I can't see anything.

"Can I touch them?"

She leaves her mouth open. I reach in and feel, wait for it, at least FOUR molars breaking through.

This is weird: she has 4 front teeth on top and bottom, no sign of any canines except a big smooth-gummed gap, and now molars coming in, both sides, top and bottom.

Poor baby. I wrote her a free pass for the rest of the weekend. And felt even more like an ass.

Family Planning Update

So, my job decided to go the more difficult route.  I found out last week.

I was absolutely stunned.  I had pretty much decided I was going to run off to Paris and get pregnant, but now, nooooooo, no babies for me until 2014.  I say it sarcastically, but I actually cried.  At work.  Which is stupid, because really that only means like an 8 month delay in baby-making activities.  Ish.  (And an exciting and difficult 18 months of work.  Which is pretty cool.  But I'm not letting that get in the way of my whining.)

There is a part of me that is afraid that if we don't try for another baby now, we never will.  (Terrible two's = effective birth control method.)

There is a part of me that is afraid that if we don't try now, I'm getting too old.  (I know I'm not really.  No one said any of this is logical.)  Maybe not too old for this one - 2014 would mean 32 or 33 - depending on how long it takes to get preggo, but what if we wanted more?  (I don't think that is likely, but I'm in the mood to keep that door wide open until I decide to shut it.)  Then I'd be of "advanced maternal age".  Which at best just means a few extra annoying tests and probably sounds worse than it is.

But also, think about it:  I devoted 30 months, exactly 2.5 years, of my body to Zoë.  10 months of incubation, followed by 20 months of nursing.  That takes a toll on a girl's body.  I know I can do it again.  Right now.  I know I'm ready to do it again.  Right now.  But it seems like the longer I wait, the harder it is going to be to recover.  (This may be a bit logical, but is definitely overly dramatic.)  If I did it again, right now, I'd be 33 1/2 when I was done.  Somehow that seems more reasonable than 35 when I'm done.

I went back and looked at all of my angst filled posts from the last year, and I guess nothing ever really changes, except now I *am* sure I want another.  So at least there is that.  Eventually.  (Sigh.)

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Run Wild 5K Race Report

Well, I wouldn't do this one again unless they change the location or unless I had no other options in the area.

This race was run from Uptown Park in the Galleria area.  We had a 5am wake up for about a 5:50 leaving, were there by 6:30, easily.  Packet pick-up was simple, but then I wandered all around looking for a restroom.  Turns out that they only had about 10 portapotties hidden behind a tall hedge.  You actually had to walk through a flowerbed to get to them, once you found them.  Then they were positioned on a slight slope, so in order to do my patented hover, my head was practically touching the door.  The whole thing felt like it was going to fall backwards at any moment.  It was so unsettling that I was barely able to even make myself pee!

There were lots of nice benches for waiting with P and Z, so that part was nice.  And when 7:30 rolled around, we were off.

It was hot.  Probably 85 degrees, and the sun was up.  The roads were pretty crappy, cambered, uneven surface, and not wide enough for the number of runners.  This and the portapotties are the primary reasons I wouldn't do this race again.  From the start it was just a matter of fighting it out, for me.

There was one awesome police officer that was actually clapping and cheering as he minded his intersection. Gotta say: that is so cool!!

I finished in 31:17.8 for 10:05/mi.  Far slower than my last 5K, but also in far hotter conditions.  I was exactly halfway down in my age group.

The post-race party wasn't anything to write home about, either.  I couldn't find bananas, if they had any.  The only noticeable food was a small table of something catered(?) that had an insanely long line.  So we headed out.

I do love racing on holidays - really makes me feel better about relaxing and eating for the rest of the day!

Friday, July 6, 2012

20 and 21 Months

Dear Z-dog,

Bad Mommy didn't do a Z post last month!  I think it is because you had been sick.

So in the last 2 months, let's see... you were basically sick for a month with a hacking cough and a pouring nose, and OMG how many tissues can you use on a single tiny human being?  So many that you learned the phrase, "I need a tissue, please" and "Wipe the nose!"  You say "tissue" like a Brit: tiss+u (not like a Texan: ti+shoe).  It is super cute.

I took you to Dr. Wong for all the snot and coughing (you were over 24 lbs!) and you were trying to say "Dr. Wong", but you kept saying "Dr. Long", which was hilarious.  I've got a funny video of Daddy working with you on it.  He'd tell you to say "wa wa wa", and you would.  Then he'd have you say "water", and you would.  Then he'd tell you to say "wa wa Wong" and you'd say "la la Long", lmao!  You did finally get it, though.  And it is funny because when you do it correctly we can tell you're really thinking about it because you look so focused and you move your mouth slowly and carefully into position before you begin the word.

Along the same pronunciation lines, you still are dropping the "s" sound from the beginnings of words.  Star = tar.  Sponge = ponge.  Squid = crab.  (Ok, maybe there's more to that last one!)  Etc.  I've been working with you on that, and when you're really thinking and trying to humor me, you'll say (screwing up your mouth really tightly), "sssssssss ponge".  With a full stop between, like the "s" is a separate word.

You'd finally, I think, gotten the colors down.  We knew you knew them, but I'm wondering now if you just weren't confident.  The other morning you looked at Cal and said, "black kitty".  I was sooooo excited, because normally you don't just offer up colors.  Then you looked at me and said, "Mommy black!" and I was wearing all black (because it was Monday).  Then you looked at Grimmy and said, "Grimmy black!"  And I had to tell you no, Grimmy is brown.  But you walked up to him, pointed to the tip of his tail and said, "Tail black, Mommy."  And indeed, it is!  You are one smart cookie.

Also regarding colors, recently Daddy asked you what color his chair was.  Gaga and Papi were over and he was trying to get you to show off.  You said, "Azul".  That's right, baby.  You know your colors in Spanish, too!  You pointed at the Blue Bell carton after that and said, "Black Negro!" about the picture of the little girl and the cow, and that picture is indeed black.  We do need to work on your pronunciation of black in Spanish, negro, though.  Then Gaga gave you way too much ice cream as a reward and boy did you love that!

Later on that night, you showed off your immense coolness by asking to listen to "Catch a Wave" by the Beach Boys, and then after that asking to listen to the Beatles.  You are seriously a total badass.  (This musical badassity is all due to your Daddy's influence.)

Physically, you're really interested in trying to jump.  You can't, you end up kind of running in place, but you sure are trying, and surely it won't be long.  Also, we've been taking you swimming at least once a week.  Honestly, you are kind of annoying in the pool: we have this float thing for you, but you won't stay in it, and when we're holding you you are squirming all over the place.  I think you just want to swim, honestly, but you can't, yet, and so it is a little frustrating for you and us.  But we keep taking you because we want you to like the water and to learn to swim.  I'm hoping we can do some classes at the Y some time soon.  I'm also vaguely enamored baby gymnastics classes.  There is a gym super close to us that offers a class every Saturday that I'm thinking about, but you seem happy and healthy and I'm not rushing to spend more money. :-)

Finally, it's been a big month for our family in general, since Gaga and Papi were finally able to move here from the Farm.  This means you get to see them TONS.  Mommy and Daddy cook lunch for them every Sunday, and they're cooking dinner for us every Tuesday.  And this last week Gaga came over every morning to take you to daycare so Mommy could work 10 hour days and have Friday off.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Wordless Wednesday! (Happy 4th!)

Old.
New (can't see the leaded glass because of the light, but it is pretty!).


Old.


New.
Where's Zoë?
There she is!!

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Last of the June Books

Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey - a retelling of Jane Eyre set in 1950's Scotland.  I was highly prejudiced against this one from the start, since I've never (gasp) liked Jane Eyre.  So I was a bit annoyed at the beginning, but I did get well sucked in and started enjoying myself around the time she got to boarding school.  But the cause of the rift with Mr. Sinclair seemed really contrived, to me, and the book started losing me there.  Then Gemma went and did something totally hypocritical, and the ending felt a little rushed and forced from there.  I would have 4 starred it until the Sinclair issue, but it really lost me in the end.  Only 2 stars from me.

Calico Joe by John Grisham - really enjoyed this.  Fun, fast read that really picks up the excitement of a baseball fanboy.

Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller - was based on the Iliad.  If you've read it, do you remember when Patroclus gets killed and Achilles goes absolutely insane with grief and kills everything that moves?  Well, Homer never really explained Achilles' emotional response, so Miller offers her own version.  I was occasionally annoyed at the (over)use of descriptive turns of phrase ("his skin smelled of fresh-pressed olive oil" -wtf??), but was able to forgive it due to the obvious homage to Homer ("and rosy-fingered Dawn stretched across the sky").  I've read reviews criticizing Patroclus' hero-worship of Achilles, but I'd argue that that is also homage to the genre, after all, the book *is* titled Song of Achilles.  The ghost thing at the end was a bit weird for me, but also was culturally appropriate to the Greeks.  All in all, stands up to reading by Classics-geeks, for sure.  Perhaps my only question is whether it can survive reading by those who haven't studied the Iliad...?


Monday, July 2, 2012

Monthly Goal Review

Goals for the Year:
Lose 12 pounds in 2012.  Weight on 1/1 was 138.8.  Weight on 6/1 was 133.2.  Weight on 7/1 was 132.6.  Yeah, baby!
Read at least 12 books (other than to my child) in 2012.  12(!!!!) books read in June.  Seriously.  I rock.
Race 12 times in 2012. None this month. Holding at 1.  But registered for a 5K on the 4th, and WILL BE THERE.
And I have one other secret 12 goal. 3 more to add, making it 10.


Goals for June:
Continued progress towards 2012 goals.  3/4 check.
Food - clean it back up before the July blow-out that will be Paris.  Pretty successful here.
Consistency on the run. Swim once a week, and bike outside, wrapped up in Another Mother Runner Challenge - before the July blow-out that will be Paris.  Got in lots of swimming, though I did skip a week.  Biked outside and on the trainer for much longer stretches.  Ran more at the beginning and end of the month.  Good progress, all in all.  Completed the challenge!
Race this month.  This will be the last fail of the year.
Financial goals: Liquidate 2 accounts with 2 firms and reallocate to existing accounts. Undone. Liquidate one of AD's accounts and reallocate to existing account. Done.  And get this: P got direct deposit AND requested the form to set up additional voluntary contributions to his retirement account!

Also, we checked off a goal that has been so long in the wings that I stopped even mentioning it - we got new doors this past Friday!  This is so exciting!  Pictures soon.


Goals for July:
Now here's the thing: in July, there are 22 workable days (weekdays).  I will be working on exactly 7 of them, and 2 of those will for a conference, so, well... those are fun days.  I desperately need this time off, but with time off, for me, usually comes travel and often a more difficult time keeping up with my exercise and diet.  And that has to be ok for me.  BUT I don't want to lose all my fitness, given that I'm registered for the Bridgeland Triathlon on (shudder) August 5th.  So the goal for July is to relax, enjoy my trip(s), and eat the yummy food when I want to.  But not lose tri fitness.  Simple.

Also in my perfect world:
Financial goals: liquidate SMH acct and reallocate to J.  Contribute to Z's college plan.  Contribute to P's IRA.  Keep pushing P to push lawyer to finish out remaining AD business (there is one undone thing that is a BIG DEAL for us).
House goals: get AD's house clean(er), order new floors for my house OR get an estimate from a contractor or 3.  Wouldn't it be awesome if the work could get done while we were on vacation??