"the deal"

Going back a couple months when I half-heartedly began running, roughly following the couch to 5k program. I really only ended up following the plan for week 1 and 2, and did those in 3 weeks instead of the prescribed 2. I have always had pretty much a hate-hate relationship with running. This time it was a bit different. No, I didn't enjoy the running. But I definitely enjoyed the result. I didn't lose much weight (3 pounds) but I lost 3.5 inches and about a size in just about a month. All of this by changing nothing other than going running for 20 minutes 2-3 times a week.

Having slacked off a bit on the running, I've noticed results the other way--my belly wasn't ever flat, but it's certainly less flat that it was. In an effort to help motivate myself as well as hubby, we came up with a deal.

~We each will run 3 times a week.

The reward/penalty section of the deal is still under discussion. :) Here was my suggestion: when I run my 3x and he doesn't, hubby would then take care of both girls while making (and cleaning up from) dinner. ALL while I enjoyed time to myself. Sounds fabulous to me! His suggestion is that when he meets his goal for the whole month, he gets to go buy himself a book. Seems like if he's gonna get what he wants (and really what I want in him running) I'm gonna have to change my part of that.

I'm still thinking. ;)

Monday was my first run, with 2 kids, no less. I made it, but barely. Huffing and puffing from pushing 75+ extra pounds of kid and stroller, wheeled or not. All in all, it went well. I stocked the girls up with snacks and toys and off we went. I figured out that if I kept the earpiece from the mp3 player in one ear, I could still hear the girls. Works for me!

Oh, and a really cool tool that I found to track my mileage and even a rough estimate of calories burned: gmaps pedometer. I live in a subdivision and I could track pretty much my EXACT route (from my front door.) Very fun!

another great contest

5 minutes for Mom is having another great contest for those of us with girls. They are giving away an precious little bit of adorable-ness from Tutu Fantasy. Go check them out. The girls (and their mommy) would just drool over pretty much all of them.

Uncertainty

There is so much uncertainty in life, so much to worry about. Life itself, even, is so uncertain. We don't know where we'll be tomorrow or the next day or the next. Our little family has been through quite a bit of a uncertainty in the last year, quite a bit of change.

It started with the much-anticipated birth of our precious baby girl, and continued on with hubby losing his job of 8 years just two weeks later. We've struggled through unemployment and the job search, financial insecurity and elation and hope in finding another job. Through it all, there have been constants.

Here is one of those:



Another one is sleeping away blissfully (for both of us) in her bed.

My precious hubby has been a HUGE constant. Despite the fact that most of this has affected him, who he is as a man and a provider, he has continued to be the steady, wonderful man that I am so in love with.

And then, most of all, there was this assurance:



Philippians 4:5-6

Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Praise the LORD!!

How much would you pay?

For a 5 minute (or sometimes 10 minute) massage 4-5 times a day? While you lie in bed...... fighting with every fiber of your being not to go to sleep? Why fighting sleep, you ask. Because the person in question just happens to be 9 months old, and that's what 9 month olds do.

Having been there done that, I thought that surely I would manage the sleeping habits of my future children better than I did those of my first. Surely, I would. I promise. Ha! I fear that I have ruined a good thing.

Let's go back, say, 3 years. B was almost 4 months old. She slept fairly well for a baby...if she was in my arms....and had nursed to sleep. Otherwise, it was a FIGHT. This is how we spent many an hour, sometimes all in a row.

This was June 2004, Hubby had just spent 45 minutes BOUNCING B to sleep on the birthing ball. And that would only happen if the circumstances were JUST right--not too much noise, but not so quiet that Daddy's joints could be heard cracking as he bounced up and down, up and down, up and down. Her tummy had to be full, she had to have a bink, and generally we had to hold her hand down so that she wouldn't pull the bink out or startle herself awake by flailing about. All of this work for, say, 45 minutes of a nap. POSSIBLY, just possibly, up to 2 hours of sleep at night.

I'm not kidding. She took 45 minute naps. Then slept in 2 hours blocks all night long. Until she was 13 months old. It's amazing how little sleep you can live on.

Back to the present child. I vowed to do things differently. I still nursed to sleep and co-slept. But, I made it a point to try to put her down awake but drowsy. I remember at six weeks old, I could put her in the cosleeper with a full tummy and she could doze off. By herself. I was amazed. And totally proud of myself for my wonderful parenting.

Fast forward to now. OK, we'll take yesterday as an example:

Up for the morning at 8:15.

Ready for a snooze by 10:30. We head up to her room to rock and snuggle. After about 5 minutes of nursing, she's popping off and on, so I plug in the bink and rock. Once she's almost asleep, I ever so quietly and gently place her in her crib. The eyes pop open. I jiggled, sang, massaged, ignored, thought about swearing, jiggled some more.

She finally fell asleep at 11:15. It was without any help from me (I was in another ignoring stage), so I considered it a success. At noon she woke up seeming happy, so I got her up. 2pm--crabby, so we once again head up. This time she falls asleep nursing and transfers to her bed without any trouble for an hour of a nap. When she woke up, I snuggled her in the glider and we both fell asleep for 1/2 hour more.

6pm--totally crabby, but I'm making dinner, so I keep handing her toys/snacks to keep her happy until I have a minute. After dinner, she's wasted tired, so hubby takes her up for bed. He's gone for 1/2 hour. (I know that he rocks and snuggles her in the chair.) After the usual 45 minutes of sleep, she was awake again, and he went to take care of her. She went down again. Slept for an hour. Awake looking for Mommy and a snack. Nursed back to sleep--then back in her bed. That puts us at about 10pm or so. She woke up again at midnight at which point I admitted defeat and brought her in to bed with us to wake me up every 1-2 hours to eat.

Somehow, I've ruined a good sleeper.

I've been working on re-reading The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley and William Sears. My idea of getting her to go to sleep by herself is on the right track, I think. It's just a matter of taking the time and patience that it requires to go through with it.

So far today:

10 am nap--nursed and snuggled, then put in crib and rubbed her back until she was out--resulting in 45 minute nap.

2pm nap--nursed and snuggled. She fell asleep, then woke in her bed after 45 minutes. I went in a rubbed her back for 8 minutes until she was asleep again and she slept for another hour. *woohoo*

It's a shame the massage was wasted on her. I really could use a massage right now. *grin*

Now, for a trip down memory lane, since I went digging for old pictures. What mom can resist looking through all the baby pictures? *proud grin*

B at 4-5 months old (Man, she was a chub!)

OK, and on the how much would you pay train of thought...

Have you been over to 5 Minutes for Mom? They are having a great giveaway for Mother's Day. Go check them out!! They are giving away an Ipod and a Mei Tai Baby Carrier from All Natural Mommies. How fun is that?!