We’re off tonight, for our nine day trip to California.  My hope is that Isaac will sleep most of the time since we’ll be getting into LAX at 12:30 am EST.  Here’s hoping!

I’m excited to see friends and family, to introduce Isaac to a bunch of people he hasn’t met yet, to run in weather that doesn’t require 45 minutes of prep time to get ready, and to enjoy frozen yogurt.

At the same time I’m bracing myself for the reality that we are not flying back home.  I have a feeling that being in California will be a lot like going back to Fresno was when I first went off to college.  Not fully settled in one place but not really belonging in the old place either.  People and things have continued to change in the four months we’ve been gone and we’re not going back where we left off.  I have a feeling that there will be a little loneliness, a little nostalgia for what was, perhaps even a sense of unfamiliarity, and hopefully, in the end, the sense that we are coming home when we fly into Detroit.

All that aside, I plan on thoroughly enjoying all the sunshine and the beach run tomorrow.

Merry Christmas, if I don’t get back here until the 27th!

Because I want all of you to experience the fun of gaining 6 pounds in three days.  Wait!  Here’s a tip.  Don’t eat ten of these a day and you’ll be fine.

Peanut Butter Bon-Bons (or Buckeyes, if you prefer)

Mix 2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 1 cup peanut butter, 1 cup melted butter, and 1 pound powdered sugar.

Form into balls and lay on a wax paper covered cookie sheet.  Chill for at least an hour.  In a double boiler, melt 2.5 cups chocolate chips and some shavings of parafin wax.  Melt completely and dip all of the balls in choclate.  Set them back on the wax paper and refrigerate to harden the chocolate.

Doubling the recipe can make 165+ candies.  Not that I would know that from personal experience or anything…

Which is apparently what our little guy is.  Something tells me though, that when we get to child number two, doctor’s visits will stop becoming photo shoots.

We discovered that he is now 26.5 inches, weighing in at 16.5 pounds, and still in the 90% for head size.  Gotta’ love the head size.

It was all fun and games until we hit the vaccinations, which took us from happy to horrified with the prick of a needle.

And left me with a particularly fussy baby for the last day and a half.  Apparently healthy is also an apt description of his set of lungs, I’m discovering.

All I want for Christmas are my four front teeth.  Any of them.  And could you please bring me some hair?  You seem like a good person to ask.

]]> http://xapis.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/dear-santa/feed/ 3 xapis IMG_5653 http://xapis.wordpress.com/2009/12/14/a-good-week/ http://xapis.wordpress.com/2009/12/14/a-good-week/#comments Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:10:48 +0000 xapis http://xapis.wordpress.com/?p=2723 ]]>

Last week made me happy.

Now, I am the first to acknowledge that the classical definition of happiness is not circumstantial.  That aside, this week has just been full of things that made me smile.  First, the cold and wind and snow that I thought would completely derail me didn’t end up thwarting my plans for a 30 mile week.  I feel like I triumphed over the first week of real winter weather.  Now all I have to do is get through the next 45 or so weeks and everything will be fine.

This was also a week of culture, including the concert at the annual SAU Hanging of the Greens (I grew up in choir so I’m all about obscure Christmas carols in as many parts as you can find them), a drive to Lansing to see the Broadway version of White Christmas, and watching The Nutracker, which several of our high school kids were dancing in.

I grew up watching The Nutcracker and even got to dance in it one year.  My favorite moment from the evening was when I realized that Husband had never seen a ballet in his life and didn’t realize that there was no talking involved.  The look on his face was priceless!

The youth group also had their First Annual Cheesy Turtleneck party which has nothing to do with culture but was still a lot of fun.

I can’t believe that my turtleneck is for real.  Who on earth decides that purple, red, and two shades of blue would make a great combo?

I also did my token nod to holiday baking and actually got it all done.  Though I wondered when I was halfway through hand dipping 165 peanut butter bon-bons in chocolate what part of the whole project sounded like a great idea.

We even had a day when it was sunny enough to bleach diapers!

The has been a very very good week.  To top it off, guess what I’m going to be doing next Saturday morning.  Give up?

I get to run 10 miles at the beach with a friend on a day when it’s supposed to be sunny and 75 degrees.  It’s off to California for Christmas for us, where we get to introduce our cute little guy to all the people he hasn’t met.  I am so excited!

Consider if you will all of the things that will be worn on a single winter run.

Running shoes – $95.99

Two pairs of socks – $6.00

Running tights – $24.99

Track pants – $15.99

Two sports bras – $50.00

Two long sleeve shirts – $36.00

One fleece sweatshirt – $10.00

Ninja looking hood that covers head and face – $21.99

Hot fingers gloves – $34.99

Ipod nano – $100

Headphones – $8.99

Garmin GPS – $125.99

For a total of $530.93.

Which is leading me to believe that I should edit my Running is Cheaper than Therapy shirt to something along the lines of: Running is cheaper than therapy unless you live in the midwest in the winter.

That’s what I was thinking about mile five of today’s seven mile run when it started snowing and the winds were gusting from the… southwest?  Maybe?  I noticed that my visibility was slowly disappearing due to the fact that the snowflakes were clinging to my lashes and then The Sound of Music soundtrack exploded in my head wouldn’t stop, wild geese, blue satin sashes, and all.  For the rest of my run.  Really Maria?  You couldn’t have thought of a more favorite thing than icy stuff right next to your eyes?  Really?

I feel that I need to say something about running in the snow since I have now done it twice; five miles yesterday and seven today.  This was our first week of real snow and it took precisely four days to bring me to my breaking point.  I ran outside on Sunday and it was cold.  Monday was an off day.  Tuesday was so cold and I didn’t know how to run on slush, so I did seven miles on the treadmill.  Wednesday I did three reluctant miles on the treadmill.  Thursday morning I got up, looked at the treadmill, looked at the snow and the temperature outside and burst into tears.  It’s not that I mind living in a place where it snows.  I can enjoy a good cup of coffee looking out at the snow settling in drifts on the ground as much as the next person.  It was the not getting outside to run that got to me.

A friend of mine who runs very kindly offered to watch Isaac so that I could go outside and try to do something in the winter wonderland of our neighborhood.  I was so grateful.  Despite the temperature being 12 degrees at noon with gusts of wind up to 27 mph I went out and ran five miles and absolutely loved it.  I actually think that running in the snow will be great when I get used to all the prep it takes and the wind dies down.

Running in the snow reminds me a little of what I imagine sand running would be like, which means that the universe owes me a pair of awesome looking legs at the end of winter.  I’ll tell everyone who asks that I got them running in the snow, which is why everyone is now moving to the Midwest, at least for the winter.  It really is quite the workout though!

I think the hardest part of it all is preparing to go outside.  Not just checking the weather and finding out that it’s 14 degrees but feels like 0, but how time consuming it is just to get dressed.  I encountered that problem when I got pregnant and had to add extra steps to my running prep.  I had to contend with that again as a nursing mom.  Now running as a nursing mom in freezing cold weather… well, with all the pumping and the layers and the yaktrax (basically snow tires for your running shoes – I love them so much!) and the scarves, hats, and gloves and more layers… it almost feels like a separate workout trying to remember everything and get it on in the right order.

Running is important enough to me that I’ll go through all the steps and I will run this winter.  It really is beautiful, the blanketed white of the ground and the crunch of footsteps over the ice and snow.  There is something serene and calm about running in the snow and it’s surprisingly easy to dress for as long as you layer and find the right gloves (which I have not found yet).  Plus if you pull your scarf over your nose and mouth you can lip sync to your music and no one can tell.  Bonus!

I think that I’ll be able to meet the winter challenge that Michigan presents, but I do miss just throwing on shorts and a t-shirt and going for a run.  I can’t wait to run at the beach in a week when we get back to California.

So the winter fun has started.  My initial impression is that snowflakes stuck to my eyelashes are a novelty but certainly not one of my favorite things.

Dear Isaac,

I also thought about labeling this month “Can I have your attention, please?” for some very obvious reasons.

You have certainly gotten our attention this month and from the looks of things, you mean to keep it!  Oddly enough, you seem to have gotten your talking gene (because there is such a thing) and your desire for LOTS OF ATTENTION RIGHT NOW from your father.  You like attention, preferably in the form of us staring at you (not at the cell phone, not at the computer, not at the book) and talking with you.

You are a big little boy,

coming in at around 16-17 pounds and very comfortable in 3-6 month (but preferably 6 month) clothing.  Your head is also still enormous and gets caught in everything we try to pull over it.

Score another point for your Dad’s gene pool.  You just keep growing and it’s startling and wonderful and a little sad all at once.  You’re just going to keep growing up.  One day I’ll be pulling a onesie over your head and the next day you’re going to be asking for the car keys.  I try to remember to laugh with you and cuddle with you as much as possible, knowing that there will come a day when you won’t look and your Dad and me like we are the best things ever and totally make your world complete.  It sure is sweet right now, though.

You’ve started teething this month, leaving great big puddles of drool on the carpet, gnawing on your finger (or anyone else’s fingers that happen to come near your mouth), and waking up an additional time during the night.  I don’t like that last addition very much.  You lulled us into complacency by sleeping through the night and then, BAM.  I loved those nights where we’d go to bed and wake up at 7:00.  I miss them.  I have to admit that we were such ingrates though.  Most parents I’ve talked to reminisce about the first time the baby slept through the night and how they woke up to make sure he or she was okay.  Not me.  I woke up at 7:00 after a full night’s sleep and thought Ugh.  Is it 2:00 already?

You met a baby milestone on December 2, when you rolled over for the first time.  I walked out of the room and a minute later returned to find you on your back.  I flipped you over and you repeated your roll but have yet to do it again.  My theory is that your torso and head are just so enormous it’s not worth the extra effort.  Or maybe you’re just being cantankerous now that I’m trying to catch you on tape.

One thing that we really enjoy about you is your enjoyment of just hanging out with us.

In a lot of ways you’re a fairly laid back baby, willing to just sit there and smile while looking at us and making noise.

While you do smile and laugh a lot, you are also very opinionated about things and are willing to tell us loudly and in no uncertain terms that something is not to par.  Of course, it’s not in English, which makes it difficult to rectify the situation.

You took your second flight of your life this month, as we flew down to New Orleans for a conference.

You did pretty well considering neither flight was direct and you had blow outs coming and going.  I was glad to have a full month to recover from that trip before we head out to California on the 18^th.

We also tried taking Christmas pictures and I discovered once again that you just sort of do your own thing and don’t necessarily want to follow our agenda.  Look at the camera and smile means nothing these days. We finally decided that “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em”, which led us to trying the only pose you wanted to do.

We also have gotten your first snow, which we did not take you out in, due to the wind, and you have a stocking now, thanks to your GrannyG.  She made sure it matches ours, which read “husband” and “wife”.

You have gotten a lot stronger in the last month.  Your neck muscles have got to be the strongest muscles you have since you have amazing control of that gargantuan head.

All of a sudden you push yourself up on your stomach and look around, you constantly flail your arms like you’re trying to run in place, and you nearly always successfully unswaddle yourself by kicking and squirming your way out of the blanket.

This month I also pulled out the activity gym that was given to you because I read online about someone’s kids reaching for things and realized that we weren’t working on that yet.  Oh no!  Behind already!  The gym, with its circus print floor and really odd hanging things makes me cringe when I look at it.

It also makes me wonder if we’re opening ourselves up to some clarifying questions once you learn how to talk.

“Mom, why is the monkey pink?”

“Why does the octopus look like an upside down pear?”

“Doesn’t an octopus have 8 legs?  Why does that one only have 5?”

“Why is the monkey wearing a vest but no pants?”

But then, I’m discovering most baby toys are slightly odd.  You have certainly learned to reach and hold and pull and are happy to engage with your toys, which is really fun to watch.  But all in all, you’ve made it clear as I’ve been trying to post this, that you would much rather engage with us.  And I certainly don’t mind.  I’ll take happy baby laughs over a computer any day!

Love,

Mom

A few weeks ago a friend told me that she’d come visit me in Michigan when, as she so charmingly put it, “hell freezes over.”  I’m pretty sure that since it’s 8 degrees right now (feels like -11, says weather.com!), Hell, Michigan is most likely frozen over as well.

So come see us.  It will be fun!