Couch To 5K

So, a few months ago, I joined Stroller Warriors.  This is a running club for military wives.  Most of us have children in strollers that we run with.   A lot of these women are active marathoners.  I was so intimidated to show up to any of their runs.  I couldn't even run a half mile! 

Then, they started a Couch to 5K program.  This was exactly what I needed!  I had done this program after I had Joey, but I didn't really follow the program, so I didn't really see great results.  

However, this time was going to be different.  I was going to follow the program to a T.  

 For 8 weeks, I followed every step and every second.  This was my life guide, even when it meant I had to run on the treadmill by myself!

This program really does work.  I seriously could not run at all when I started this program.  The first intervals were set at 60 seconds of running and 90 seconds of walking.  I couldn't even run the full 60 seconds.   

By the end of the 8 weeks, I was running 3.1 miles!  What.  The.  Hell.    The program did work!

I don't think it was just the program.  I really think it was the group.   The fact that I had avid runners staying by my side, even though I was super slow and probably hurting them.  These ladies, especially two in particular (Jen and Paty!), stayed by my side and truly motivated me, even when I begged them to go on without me.  By the end, I realized I really did need them.  They helped me to push on.  Not to give up.  To put one foot in front on another. 

This was a hard battle.  It was so emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausting!  I had so many hurdles to jump during this training, with most of them being mental!  I really absorbed all of the running quotes fellow runners chanted and posted on FB to get me through the hard times.  

By the end of it, I RAN 3.1 miles twice!  (Two 5K's in one week).  I am so freaking proud of myself and the group I trained with.  We are all truly awesome and BAMR's! (Bad Ass Mother Runners)!   :)

Mama's Day Off!

Since I was supposed to be gone on my backpacking trip all last week and I was so super bummed about not having some "me" time, Michael and Leanne kept Joey on Friday, so I could go out and enjoy myself...alone. 

It was INCREDIBLE!  I love my son, I really do, but it was so nice to have some time to just myself.  I felt like the old Sara again.  I left my house at 830 AM and didn't get home until 1130 PM!!  I felt like a dog off of a leash!  I tried to fit as much as I could into my day as possible!

I met my friend, Jill, for a super leisurely breakfast at our fav breakfast spot, Snow City Cafe.  Then we went on a 16-mile bike ride.  Yes, I said 16 miles.   

Then, I met my friend, Lanny, and we hiked up Flat Top, the most popular hike in Anchorage!  (Yes, I may have overdone it just a tad on the physical exertion part, but that's what I would do if I didn't have Joey with me...long or steep hikes or long bike rides!  Oh, and my back did hurt just a little the next day, but not too bad.  :) )

After the hike, I met my friend, Kate, for dinner and a movie!

Our other friend, Liz, met us for the movie, and then her and I went out for drinks at a real bar!  It was so nice!

It was a wonderful day and I was so happy to spend some good quality time with four of my pre-baby friends, especially since we are leaving soon.  I really was excited about seeing Joey the next day.  I think every SAHM needs some time to herself every once in awhile to get rejuvenated! 

Published!

Well, not exactly published, but part of my blog has been printed and made into a book!  :) 

There's a site that will turn your blog into a book.  When I first started doing this blog, it was to keep all of our friends and family back home in the loop.  A way to make people feel like they were right here with us through this crazy journey.  However, once I found out that I could turn my blog into a book, this became more about a baby/memory book for Joey and myself. 

 We printed out the whole pregnancy journey and made that our first book.  We went with the soft cover versus hard cover (a lot cheaper) to see how the book turned out.  We really, really like it! 



There's a table of contents, all of my stories and pictures, even a dedication page!  It turned out really nice and we are probably going to make the next books with a hard cover.  If there was ever any doubt, I have posted almost double the stories during Joey's first year than I did during my pregnancy!  So, the First Year book is going to have to wait a little while before it's print date due to the increased cost of more pages!   

Dads

So, today Joey and I went on a ski with a Dad's group.  I don't think it's an intentional dad's group, that's just who showed up today.  I met the "leader", this really cool Dad, on a past hike.  He is a fellow blogger and his family has a really awesome and unique living situation (plus his wife is a dog musher, so obviously, I'm in love with her and I haven't even met her yet).  Anyways, he tries to get some of us non-Anchorage peeps together every week or two to go skiing or hiking.  I was finally able to meet up with these guys today.  It was pretty dang awesome to only have to drive five minutes to get to our location!  I mean, I usually don't mind driving 30+ minutes to get where we are going, but I have to change and feed Joey before we leave the house, then before we start the hike, then right after the hike, and then when we get home!  Whew!  It's very exhausting!  Oh, and if Joey is having an off day and will not tolerate going on a hike that day...I usually break down in tears because I am so frustrated and upset that I went through all of that work for it not to even work out.  So, it's so nice to do something right near our home, so even if Joey does have a meltdown, we didn't lose out on that much. 

So, I met up with this new group today, and all of the Stay-at-Home Dads showed up.  Let me tell you how in awe I am of stay-at-home dads!  I think they are absolutely amazing!  It really just warms my heart to see a man stay at home with his children so his wife can pursue her career.  I know a lot of women do that everyday, but it's far and few in between where you meet a stay-at-home dad.  I've met a few stay-at-home dads and they are all pretty incredible guys.  Today's group was no exception!  As we were all setting up our Chariots to go skiing, a fellow stay-at-home parent (a dad) pulled up and started unloading his Chariot.  Our group "leader" had never met this guy before but invited him to ski with us.  The new dad joined us!  It was so cool.  There were two things I found ironic about this whole scenario, one was that I was the only stay-at-home mom in the group.  I guess I understand how the rare stay-at-home dad feels in a "mom's group" now!  Ha ha!  Number two was that in my little core mom's group, we all have little boys and we're all women.  In today's group, they were all dads and they all had little girls!  It made me laugh .  

I, unfortunately, do not have any photos from today's ski.  Since I was with all dads, I didn't want to look too much like a "mom" and request tons of pictures.   I wanted to fit in and be deemed cool enough to hang with this "close to home" group again!  :)  But don't worry, if I make the cut and get invited again, I will pull the "mom" card and request photos!  :) 

Mommy Phase

Joey has been going through a "mommy phase" the past few weeks.  I think we're at the tail end of this phase, though, because he is actually letting strangers hold him now and he doesn't flip his lid!  We even let a friend babysit Joey last night and he did great with me not being there. 

With that all being said, Joey does still have his moments where I can't just set him down by himself.  He wants to be entertained at all times or just wants to be carried.  This isn't a bad thing some of the time, but when I'm trying to make dinner or clean up the house, this "hold me" mood is frus-trat-ing! 

So, when this mood strikes, I strap on the ERGO baby carrier, and throw Joey on my back (oh yeah, I can now carry Joey on my back and he LOVES it!).  My entire house has been vacuumed more times during the past month than in the whole two years we have lived here!  I've also been utilizing my treadmill a lot more, too.  Joey usually will fall asleep in the ERGO, if I'm moving.  Well, once I'm done vacuuming, the only thing left to do that involves me moving and not having to get all of our winter gear on, is walking on the treadmill!  This is actually a really good workout!  I've even been increasing the incline up to 8-10% while carrying Joey.  If I didn't have to carry Joey, I may not be using that treadmill as much.  So, maybe this whole "carry me" thing is a good thing for me, and my butt!

New Mom Worries

Sometimes, I really do not like being a new mom. This mom thing is super stressful. I mean, making decisions today that can totally screw up your kid (or make them even more awesome) in the future is really kind of stressful. Plus, when your kids can't talk, it makes things even more confusing.

Joey has been coughing over the past day or two. I had noticed the coughing, but it wasn't that worrisome. Today, his cough turned into phleghmy cough and raspy breathing. Now I know as an adult, you spit that pleghm out! However, babies don't know to do that!

This has been my thought process over the course of this morning: "Should I take him to the doctor? Am I overreacting? Yes, I probably am. But, wait, what if it's something serious? I'll just wait until tomorrow...if he's not better, I'll take him to the doc. Oh, it's the holidays, the doctor's office will have odd hours, may even be closed and will be booked solid! Damn, what if the cough gets worse over the weekend? Will I take him to the E.R.? Then he might really get sick by being around all of those sick people. Oh. my. gosh. Someone please just tell me what to do!" See what I mean? Stressful!

I ended up calling the doc and they were able to get us in this afternoon. Joey is fine. He does have some pleghm, but it's in his throat box. Babies usually just swallow the pleghm versus it going into their lungs. His lungs sound great. He's coughing because the pleghm is in his throat. In and out of that exam in five minutes. I felt like an idiot. However, Michael pointed out that the exam was a piece of mind. Now, I won't be stressing out every time Joey coughs over the next couple of days. I will know that he's not sick and doing just fine. I also had two older mothers tell me that I was not a crazy paranoid new mom, I was being a good mom by making sure my child was okay. Yeah, I like that theory. :)

Stay-On-The-Go Mom

Even though we had the little road obstacle with Joey's cheeks, we still went out for a hike this week. We only hiked for about 30 minutes, but it was nice to get out! It really is beautiful up here in the winter.

I really bundled Joey up so he wouldn't get too cold. I don't think he likes all of the layers, though.

The one problem with carrying Joey in the ERGO carrier when he has all of these layers on is that he seems too restricted. I mean, he already looks like Ralphie's little brother and he really can't move. Then, put him in the carrier like that, and that makes for one unhappy little boy! Michael finished building our pulk sled, and we tried to use it this hike. However, we had to make a few minor adjustments. We're going to test it out on the next hike!

After the hike, we warmed up in the car. I let Joey sit in the front seat with me and he LOVED it!

Joey and I have been so busy and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight! I like that we stay so busy. I know a lot of people think that being a stay-at-home mom is boring or not exciting at all. That is the truth if you don't get out and do stuff. On days when I just sit around the house, I go CRAZY! That's why I like to fill up my calendar with things to do. Not only do all of these things get me some adult interaction, they also help socialize Joey. So, for everyone's sanity, including Michael's, it's good that we stay so busy! As one mom I know puts it, we're "stay-on-the-go moms"! I 100% agree with that saying! :)

Drinking After Pregnancy

Okay, so first let me start off with this: I don't think I'm ever going to drink alcohol AGAIN! Michael and I went out for a super late date night this past Saturday. Since it was so late, we just went to a bar. All I wanted to do was sit at an actual bar, not a table. We go to many establishments that are bar/restaurants but we always sit at a table with Joey because sitting at an actual bar on a bar stool with a baby may just be a bit trashy! (Now, if you're at a table, that's classy)! One of our friends, Jill, came to join us. This was where the problem started. See, Jill didn't really know me pre-pregnancy. She has only really hung out with me while I haven't been able to drink alcohol. So, we decided to make up for lost time...in one night!

Alaska is known for these little shots called "Duck Farts". They sound gross, but are oh, so delicious! These were the demise of my liver this past weekend!

We had a really good time...that was until I barfed all over myself once we pulled into our driveway! Ugh! I also barfed in the toilet and then into our trash can! I, obviously, had forgotten that I had been off the drinking wagon for over 15 months! I thought I could drink like I did before I was pregnant. WRONG!

The worst part about this whole scenario was that I may have had a babysitter for our night out, but I had to be mommy again the day after! That is such a cruel joke! Nursing one of the worst hangovers of your life with a needy 6-month old is not something I would recommend.

Cat-like Reflexes

I was driving Michael, Joey, and myself home from Wasilla after dark. Michael and I were conversing about the day's events. Then, all of a sudden, a huge dark brown thing is right in front on the car! Oh my God, it's a moose! A big moose. A moose that is way larger than my little Prius. We're on the highway...this really happens? I'm going to hit a large mammal with my car on a busy highway? You hear stories like this all of the time, but it's never going to happen to me. But, oh, it's happening. Right. Now. We were in the right lane. I see the moose. I can see the brown color of this moose's eye, she's so close. I don't know what came over me, but I swerved to the left, thinking "Whew! I missed hitting this thing head on"! But then I remember stories of moose that will run right into the side of your vehicle. Oh my God, Michael and Joey are on that side. I speed up as fast as my little Prius will go. I swerve back to the right once I think I've passed that moose. I am frantically looking to the side and front of my car making sure that have cleared the seen moose and that this moose didn't have friends in tow. We made it. We didn't hit that moose, or any other moose that night. Thank you God. Thank you so much for looking out for us. After I knew we were safe, I broke down in tears. Wow, that was so close. I then start going through all of the "what ifs?": If we would have hit that moose, we probably would be dead. My Prius is no competition for a moose. However, if we were in the Durango, we probably would have flipped with the way I swerved the vehicle. What if I was looking over the the left that very second? What if Joey was awake and crying and I was paying more attention to him crying than to the road? What if? What if? What if? Well, those "what ifs" didn't happen. We made it. My cat-like reflexes came out. Michael told me that it was more like my motherly instincts came out. I think I may have to agree with him on this one. I know that I may have reacted the same way if I didn't have Joey or Michael in the car, but I know that they both were the first things on my mind when the moose was by the side of the car. If I don't get this Prius away from that moose, she is going to run into us...into Michael and Joey. I must get my family out of danger. When you think about saving your child over yourself, then you are a mother. Just something else that proves to myself that I'm becoming more and more of a mom every day.

As for me...

Michael and I have decided for me to be a stay-at-home mom (SAHM). We had always said that whenever we had children, we wanted one of us to stay home with them...if we could afford it. We are very fortunate in the fact that we can. I am truly grateful for this because we both really wanted one of us to be spending the days (and nights) with our son.

So, since this is my new "job", I have lots of time to play during the days. I have joined several mom groups. This is to, obviously, socialize Joey, but it is also a chance for me to make friends that are in the same boat as me. Let's be honest, these groups are 100% for me right now. Joey can't really play with other kids just yet.

I've also joined a fitness program called "Stroller Strides". This is an aerobic/toning/strengthening program that moms (or dads) can do with their children. Most of the exercises involve the stroller, but you can modify the workout if you have a child, like mine, that hates the stroller/car seat. When all of the other moms are using resistance bands, I use Joey! I think I may just be getting a better workout using my almost 14 lb child, than those moms with resistance bands! Haha!

On a side note, I am not rejoining WeightWatchers (WW) at this time. I am having a personal conflict with their rules for members that are returning after having a baby. I had hit my Lifetime goal, which means that I did not have to pay WW anymore and I only had to weigh in once a month because I had reached my ultimate weight goal. Well, when you get pregnant, you obviously cannot participate in WW anymore since you are trying to gain weight. Once you have the baby, you have 3...yes, I said 3...months after giving birth to return to your lifetime weight. WTF!?! It took me 9 months to gain that weight, so it should take me 9 months to lose it! This "3 months to lose it" mantra really bothers me. Plus, with me nursing, I have to make sure not to lose too much weight, too quickly because it really could hurt my milk supply. Geeez!! So, instead of driving myself and Michael crazy doing WW right now, I have decided to just concentrate on my exercise regiment to lose my baby weight.

I am attending a Cuddlers group (see previous post) once a week. This gives me some other parents to hang out with, as well as a certified "expert" whose brain I can pick! In one of my mom groups, Tuesdays and Thursdays are hiking days with your babes in carriers or strollers. The hikes vary in difficulty, but they all last a couple of hours.

With all of these scheduled events, on top of taking care of my super demanding and needy boss (Joey), and a little bit of housework here and there, it makes for a pretty demanding week. Very seldom do I get overwhelmed with this schedule, though, actually it's quite the opposite! I love having somewhat of a structured day. I feel like I am accomplishing stuff. I am socializing my child. I am getting my butt out of the house. I am getting desperately needed exercise. I am making new friends. I am getting new tips and advice on raising baby.

I also think that hanging out with fellow moms has actually made me embrace mommyhood a lot more. I love all of my childless friends, but it did make liking my new life really hard. My heart would drop when all of my childless friends would talk about going to the bars, parties, super long difficult hikes, etc. and we couldn't go. I would try to act happy, but all of this talk would really just make me sad and resentful that I have a child. I was trying to love my new life, but how could I, when I was constantly reminded of how awesome my old life was?

Now, that I'm making friends with other moms, I really am starting to like this mom thing. I feel like one of the cool kids again. Haha! I'm able to do everything they can do. I'm included in everything. I don't have to ask if it's cool if I bring my kid. I don't have to worry about making anyone uncomfortable, including myself, when I have to nurse while I'm at an event. I don't have to stress out if I have to bail on someone at the last minute due to a baby (or mommy) meltdown. It's okay if I'm a few minutes late...most events involving kids don't seem to exactly start on time.

So, as you have read, Joey has changed and grown a lot in the past 13 1/2 weeks, but so have I. I have finally learned how to LOVE being Joey's mom. :)