Bubble Run!

My friend Celeste and I ran the Bubble Run 5K and I am so proud of myself!  I have done the Couch to 5K running programs for years, off and on, but this is the first 5K I have done where I have run the whole thing!  I was sssslllllooooooowwwwww....  But I ran!  It was tons of fun and we were covered in colored bubbles by the end!

Wortham Weekend Workouts!

The kids and I have started working out together on the weekends.  There's a trail by my house with exercise stations along the way, so we walk to the trail and then run from one station to the next.  As Chase says, "We are BOSS!!"

Some of the stations we totally get:

Other stations we just try to look like we know what we're doing:

And at the end of our route there's a playground where the kids and I can chill before starting the walk back home:

Yeah....  We are boss!  'Sup?

Word.

Mom's New Toy

I got a new toy!  I have been going to the gym for years to work out on the elliptical, and now that I am teaching... and directing shows... and going to school... and doing a principal practicum... and an action research project... and being a mom....  Yeah.  It was time to just put one in my house.

I have never been so excited about exercise in my LIFE.

The day it came I got my FedEx delivery notification and did a happy dance... til I got home and realized I was going to have to somehow get it into my house by myself:

But I DID IT!

Then I had to get it upstairs.  I did have offers to help but I wanted it done RIGHT. THEN.

So I hauled them up there myself....

Yeah.  I did that.

And I just COULD. NOT. WAIT.  I had to put it together that night as well.  Chloe fell in love with it instantly!

She actually did the machine for 25 minutes until I made her get off to take a bath!

I have to admit I love it too, and I am using it in the mornings!  Yes, this non-morning person is actually setting her alarm early to do the elliptical in the mornings.  Not quite sure who I am right now, but this is saving me serious gym time!  It is going to help with my mental sanity this year, for sure!

Chase's Color Fun Fest 5K

For Chase's Birthday experience this year I signed us up for the Color Fun Fest 5K, since he has really enjoyed running with me. We "trained" over Christmas break a little (not as much as I had hoped because it was cold and we were apart for a whole week).

He was so cute.  He was actually nervous about the race as we were driving there!  But once we got there he was fine.

At the pre-race "party" we got covered in color, and Chase had a great time throwing his color packet on me!

We were even captured by the Color Fun Fest photographer and appeared on their Facebook page!

Afterwards we headed to the starting line!

He was such a trooper!  We only stopped to walk a few times, and every time I suggested we start running again he was right there ready to go.  Once you could see the finish line in the distance I said, "OK, Chase....  We are going to run all the way to the finish line now without stopping."  He looked at me, kind of skeptical, but I assured him we could do it.  So we started running, and after a little while he started going, "I don't know, Mom... I'm getting tired."  I kept encouraging him (and myself... who are we kidding?  I wanted to die, too!) and once we got closer he was like, "Mom!  I think we're gonna do it!  We're gonna make it!"  And we did.  He was so excited to cross that finish line.  I asked someone there to take our picture and when I saw it afterward my heart was so full of joy.  I mean, look at that genuine excitement over what he just accomplished:

It was such a cool experience.  It was my first 5K, too, and I was so proud that I got to do that with him.  I love my boy!

   

Pink Eye

Brian is battling his first ever case of pink eye....  And it is BAD.  I've had pink eye before, but nothing like what he is going through.  The poor guy can hardly see, he is super sensitive to light and he feels stabbing pain, not just annoying itchiness stuff.  We took him to an Urgent Care on Sunday and it's a viral infection, so there's nothing they can do to treat it.  He has a prescription to protect his eyes but nothing to cure it.

With his sensitivity to light and the fact that my stubborn husband still tried to work this week, I bought him a pair of sunglasses for the car.  Last night I walked around the corner to see him sporting his new style on the couch:

I had to BEG him to take this picture, but he was a sport... until the flash went off and he screamed out in pain, anyway!

Get better soon, honey (and don't you dare give it to me)!!

3-Year Wellness Visit

Chase went to the doctor today for his yearly check-up and everything looks great! Doctor said he is 100% healthy. He is now 37" tall (50th percentile) and 34.6 pounds (75th percentile), which is pretty much exactly where he was at this time last year (percentile-wise)! Our little baby isn't a little baby anymore!

It's a Beautiful Day

Chase has another ear infection. But that's obviously not what makes today a beautiful day. What makes it beautiful is...

He told me so.

Yes, the day has finally come.... Our son can communicate well enough to let us know what hurts when he's crying. HALLELUIAH. We noticed him messing with his ear yesterday and whimpering a little bit. I asked him if it hurt but he just stared at me. This morning he woke up really early crying, so I went upstairs to get him and when I opened the door he was just up on all fours crying. I said, "Oh, honey.... What's wrong?" He stood up, grabbed his ear and said, "Ear hurts."

What a wonderful moment. Brian called the pediatrician the minute they opened and got him right in. Sure enough, he has another ear infection. Because he has had so many and Brian had a hard time with his ears when he was little, we have an appointment with the Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist next Friday. We'll let you know what they say!

In the meantime, I am just walking on air that my baby can tell me what's wrong when he's hurting now. I love this milestone!!

Bit by the Flu Bug

When I got back from Raleigh I was met with the news Brian's dad was hospitalized for chest pains while he was up in Chicago last weekend (don't worry, he's fine... they didn't find anything major wrong with him and he's home now), and Brian said Chase had been coughing all weekend. I picked the little guy up from the hospital after my plane got in and by Monday morning he had a fever and was a big ol' snotty mess! I took him in to the doctor and he was diagnosed with the flu. They couldn't believe it... they thought the flu season was over! Lucky us. The next day Brian came down with it and today it's my turn. It's NO FUN... especially since we move 2 weeks from tomorrow and have not started packing! We cannot afford to be sick right now! Ugh.

I'm off to bed....

California... Vacation?

We spent the last week in California for my brother, Jeff's wedding. Here's a photo taken of the 3 of us with Jeff, his then fiance/now wife Julia, and my adorable niece, Rhianna:

The wedding was absolutely beautiful... picture-perfect on the beach in La Jolla, CA. I hear the reception was nice, too, but we weren't there to see it. We spent the evening with Chase in the emergency room instead.

Yes, after he spent the entire wedding with his head buried into my shoulder, completely unresponsive to everyone and everything, we took him back to our hotel room, took his temperature, and called our doctor. She said to take him to the ER so that's what we did. When we got there his fever had risen to 103.7 and they rushed us right in.

Our poor baby had to have an IV put in, which took them three attempts while Brian pinned him down and I cried in the corner. He then had X-rays taken (to check for pneumonia) and blood drawn. They pumped him with antibiotics and fluids, and by the end of the night he was looking and acting much better:

The next day we had to go back for a follow-up visit (since we obviously couldn't follow up with his regular doctor!) and blood test results. The tests looked pretty normal and just indicated some sort of viral infection. So we've been drugging him with Motrin and Tylenol every 2 hours since to keep the fever down.

He had a rough couple days, on top of being exhausted from all the activity and the time change. By Friday he was doing much better so we took him to the beach just long enough for me to be able to snap a few photos of his first experience at the ocean:

I have to say, though, that my kid is one heck of a trooper. His strength through it all seriously amazed us. But now that we're home... Brian and I need a vacation!!!!

My photos are posted in our Photo Album, but since my parents were also in CA with their cameras (and are even more trigger-happy than I am), I didn't really bother taking pictures at any event where they were present. As soon as I get their photos, plus the ones the wedding photographer took, I will post those as well.

I'm an Inspiration?

I don't know if I've ever been called an inspiration before, but someone called me that today and I am just glowing as a result.

Remember when I joined Curves? Well I am proud to report that since joining I have lost almost 30 pounds (27.5, to be exact). I now weigh less than I did before I was pregnant! So a lady at work asked me what I was doing to lose weight and I told her all about my experience with Curves. Well, she told me today that she joined last week, and that I was her inspiration. What a wonderful compliment!

I won't bore everyone with all my Curves babble, but if any of you other women out there are interested in learning more about it, contact me and I will tell all. Sometimes I think I need to be their spokesperson because I'm a walking advertisement, anyway, the way I go on and on about it. It's such a great program!

So, anyway.... If you happen to see someone miraculously walking on air today, it's probably me. ;)

Google Eyes

Brian had his LASIK surgery tonight. He is currently chilling out in his recliner with his eyes closed in goofy goggles, and Chase isn't quite sure who this wierdo is!

Curves Accomplishment

About a month ago I posted that I had just joined Curves, and that I was nervous telling that to the world because I have such a bad track record when it comes to sticking with going to the gym, etc. (click here to read the post).

Every month at Curves they weigh and measure you to track your progress. Today was my first weigh-in after joining 5 weeks ago, and I am thrilled to report that I have lost 7.5 lbs, 2% body fat and several inches! GO ME! I am very proud of myself....

Operation HOT MOM continues...!

Eyes on the Prize!

Brian sprung (sprang?) 2 pieces of news on me yesterday:

#1, he has decided to have Lasik eye surgery (April 26th). I'm a little sad about this because I think he looks so cute in his glasses (see photo, taken in the hospital after Chase was born)!

#2, he is going to be honored at an awards banquet at NIU April 13th for being named Doctoral Student of the Year! I'm so proud!

We'll keep you posted on both!

Curves

So yesterday I joined Curves. Time to do something about the fact I can't fit into any of my pre-pregnancy clothes! It's even more depressing that I can't even get my wedding rings on anymore! I miss them terribly. I haven't been able to wear them since last September.

Now, I don't have a good track record when it comes to going to the gym but I just finished my 1-week free trial and I feel pretty good about Curves (*knock on wood*). It's a very unintimidating environment, which is exactly what I need. We'll see what happens. I was hesitant to post anything just in case I failed, but maybe this will make me more accountable? We shall see!

Everyone please cross your fingers that I can stick with this. Operation HOT MOM is underway!