Ass Acclimatization

All has been quiet on the blogfront because all has not been quiet on the homefront.

Quick car recap: after the Menace broke down on Thursday the 3rd and the repair shop couldn't figure out what was wrong or re-create the frequent inexplicable dying-while-driving, I decided I needed a new car, stat.  I really wanted to get the Menace to 200,000 miles.  I knew it was worth practically nothing as a trade-in and I wanted to make it last as long as possible.  But as I was driving it with my baby in the car and it was dying, and dying, and dying, I realized that it just wasn't cutting it any more.  I need a car that I can trust with my child's life.  And the Menace wasn't earning my trust any more.  I test drove cars that Friday, Saturday, and the following Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and on Saturday I purchased my very first new new car: an Acura MDX.  I'll get some pictures this weekend, promise!

Quick family recap: P's family was supposed to come in on Sunday to (start) clean(ing) out AD's house.  His mother, JaMIL, called us on Saturday when she was about an hour away (and I was at the dealership buying my car) to inform us that she was almost in town and she was spending the night.  She's just my favorite person EVAR.  So anyways, when I got home she was waiting there to insult me and my choice of car and color of car and type of gas that goes in car, etc.  So that was fun.  She stayed with us that night, and we all went over to AD's house on Sunday.  That also sucked, not because of his family, the rest of whom I really like, but because it just really sucks to clean out someone's house.  P's grandmother seemed to lean on me - I don't know if it is because I'm not blood family, or because I wasn't demanding anything from her, or what - but it was really hard to see her struggling emotionally with cleaning out her sister's house.  She is still mourning AD deeply, and probably will for the rest of her life.  And that was painfully evident and difficult to see.  We retrieved lots of P's stuff that had never left AD's, plus a few sentimental things - a quilt, a globe, a clock.  I asked for AD's china since I didn't get china for my wedding and AD was like P's mom, but I think JaMIL is going to get it.  Whatever.  This whole process has been an exercise in letting go.

Quick Z recap: little monster wasn't going down for naps last weekend.  It was hell.  Sheer hell.  I'll leave it at that.

Quick me recap: I LOVE MY NEW CAR!!  I need a name, though.  I think the stress of everything finally got to me, and I'm sick with a headache, general malaise, and a vicious cough.  Lame.  Maids came again on Tuesday, still love my maids.  Best money I spend, no kidding.  I've been back on my trainer lots, reacclimatizing my ass to the bike seat.  Ouch.  But I'm seeing good progress and hope to hit the actual road soon!  Also remembering how to run with heavy legs.  Can't say I missed that, but love feeling like a budding triathlete again.  Can't wait til the pool opens at the end of this month!!!

I Love My Maid! And Races.

My house is soooooo clean, y'all!!  Cleaner than it has probably ever been.  Certainly cleaner than it has ever been since the day we purchased it.  It is Auh-maz-ing. I loooooove it!  I cannot believe I waited so long to get a maid.  If you are reading this, and you are thinking about a main, DO NOT HESITATE.  Seriously.  Best decision I've made in a long time.  Probably some of the best money I'll spend every month, too.

And on to the running.  I really want to race this weekend.  Preston *may* have to work.  It is a source of endless irk to me that his company has been scheduling overtime and then cancelling it every week for the last 3, so I have no idea if he'll actually be around or not.  Add that to the fact that most local races aren't stroller friendly, and you have me not being able to schedule a race.

So with that said, I've got 2 potentials for this weekend, and I'm pretty determined to hit one or the other.
Saturday: Sprint for Life 5K - like this idea because it is on my birthday, and they have a "Trot for Tots" dash that is so short that Z could do her first race!  It is not stroller friendly, though, so if Preston works it is out.
Sunday: Go for Goal 5K - stroller friendly second choice if Saturday doesn't pan out.  They both offer race day registration, so now I'll just sit back and see.
Maybe I could do both... 

And then for the following weekend I'm interested in the YMCA Trail Run, which is close ish.
Or the weekend afterwards, Girls on the Run. (Tech-t and STROLLER FRIENDLY)
For future, Father's day has the Dad's Day 5K, which I think would be really nice, considering Preston's Dad has prostate cancer.  (Not stroller friendly, which is insane since it is supposed to be family oriented, but whatever.)
And for July 4: Bud Heat Wave 5 Miler (not stroller friendly)

Weekend Update

So this weekend started off crappily, I'm not gonna lie.

Z was scheduled for her 18 month check-up on Friday, and shots were involved, so I anticipated that end-of-Friday and most-of-Saturday would be suck.  What I didn't anticipate was the the other baby in the house, the man-baby, would also be sick.  He stayed home from work on Friday.

I cleaned most of Friday.  I cleaned off the DVR, and I cleaned all over the house with a focus on cleaning off surfaces so that MY MAID can do her good and thorough work on Tuesday!  I struggled but mostly succeeded in not being bitter that Preston wasn't helping much.  He was sick, after all.

We went to pick up the Z early from daycare for her appointment.  Note to future self: 15 minutes from daycare to doctor.  She ate an ENTIRE BOX of fiddlesticks throughout the waiting and the appointment.  I brought them thinking to treat her after her shots, but she was honestly done with most of them before the Dr. even showed up.  She weighed 24 lbs (40%, up from 20% at a year), was 33 inches tall (90%, up from 40% at a year), and I don't remember the number for her head, but it was 97% (up from like 80% at a year)!!  My little bug is turning in to a tall smart skinny bug!

Doctor said she is way ahead of the curve on all targets.  She said she doesn't even ask if they use pronouns (much less correctly) until they are 2!  And over 100 words at 14 months is off the charts. 

And then they gave her shots.  Sad face.

And it was weird, it was kind of like she immediately felt bad.  I got her stopped crying, and we went out to the waiting room for the 15 minute wait for no allergic reactions, and she just collapsed against me like she was exhausted.  And by the time we got home, she was almost immediately fussy.

And the fussy carried over into Saturday.

We actually were ALL running a fever on Saturday.  Every last sick one of us.  Not my best parenting day, but we let Z have a LOT of access to the iPad on Saturday.  Because when she plays with the iPad, she doesn't fuss.  (Zombie babies don't fuss.)

Nevertheless, we made a few little trips to preserve our (adult) sanity.  Grocery store in the morning.  And we were perking up just a bit in the evening, so we ran up to Zales Outlet (because I asked to get some of my broken jewelry fixed for my birthday) and Old Navy.  Old Navy was mostly a bust: P got 2 jeans and I got a pair of shorts, but I was sad because I picked up 10ish things that I thought were cute, but nothing was cute ON me.  Sigh.  That little outing was a little too much, so we headed home, ate leftovers, and crashed.

Sunday the baby woke happy, thank goodness!  It was a normal day of cleaning, a little cooking (but not a big cooking day, certainly).  We took a walk in the morning, and a longer walk to the park in the evening.

She calls it a seal the first time, every time, but she knows it is a whale.

RUNNING down the driveway.

"Hi Mr. Turtle, what are you doing?  He's walking.  Bye bye Mr. Turtle, see you later!"

And because Monday morning is still a little weekendish in my mind: got up this morning 2 hours before the butt crack of dawn.  Jumped up quickly so as not to lose my nerve, but still dawdled enough to hit the road at my normal time.  Ran 4 loops in 35:30, which looking back at my logs isn't fast, but the first 3 were in 26:30, which is fast.  Weird.  It was hot, maybe 75 with 90% humidity.  Nasty.  When I got back Preston freaked out about my red-purple face which looked like I had put a crazy mask on.

I hired a maid!

And I am so excited!

They start Tuesday, so this weekend I won't clean clean anything.  Instead I'll be trying to de-clutter so I can get the most out of their cleaning services. The first time they do a deep "spring" cleaning where they clean all the things.  Pretty sure they'll be in my house all day.  I'm so excited I can barely sit still!  I've got visions dancing around my head where I actually am able to keep up with the laundry, the cooking, the dishwashing, the filing/mail, and where Preston keeps up with the trash and catboxes because we don't have to worry about mopping, vacuuming, toilet cleaning, dusting, counter-washing, etc.  And even more idyllic visions where when we get a box from my mom or from AD's house, we ACTUALLY OPEN IT AND PUT THE STUFF AWAY (or throw it away) instead of just adding it to the giant stack of boxes in the living room.  You know, because we have time to do stuff like that!  Because I have a maid!

I'm so excited!!!

Women

"Almost all employed women in heterosexual relationships live in households where the division of labor is grossly and visibly inequitable... The imbalance exists among all groups of women who live with men, incuding professional women. Married women who work for pay average about thirty-three hours of housework per week -- about two-thirds of the total household work. Married men who are employed do fourteen to eighteen hours of housework a week." -- Women Don't Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide by Linda Babcock and Sara Lashever.

Ugh

Dear blogger,

WTF???

Sincerely,
Amber


And on to the post.

Last week was TLA Annual Conference. I went to sessions and got ideas and it was generally good.  I once again did not do the Fun Run, because I couldn't make it downtown in time after I dropped the Z off.  Someday I'm going to DO THAT RUN again.  And I'm going to be fast and badass.  I got Judy Blume's and Orson Scott Card's autographs.  I screwed that up, though - note for next year: bring my own hardback books.  The publishers are morons who only provide paperbacks.  And often not the beloved title that induced you to stand in line forever.  Ugh!  I volunteered for a committee, good girl.  Hopefully something will come out of it this time.  Every year my boss wants me to apply for this leadership honor thing, and every year I turn her down because I don't have the service to back up an application.  So I've set out to get a service record.  Because I'm a professional.  Or something.

TLA always leaves me exhausted.  Friday afterwards I just went home and "worked really hard" at clearing off the DVR.  It was great.

After that, though, well... I was in a total funk this weekend.  I'm not gonna lie.  Saturday the baby was fussy and so was I.

You know, I hate the condition of my house.  Hate it.  I really need help and feel like I'm not ever going to be able to dig myself out from under the pile.  You know, we make so much trash, but somehow there is *always* more stuff coming in than going out.  I kind of lost it, and I think Preston is on board with us getting a maid, now.

Having a little one changes everything, you know?  I always hate being in a funk, but I feel even shittier about it when I know it is bleeding over into my interactions with my kid.  But then I feel even funkier.  What a vicious cycle.