July 20, 2010

Girls' Weekend

Bill went to a wedding in Seattle this past weekend.  Amelia and I had a Girls' Weekend.  Bill is home now and I have a new respect for single parents.  All of the one-on-one time with Amelia was fun, but also a bit of a challenge.  She's getting to be quite a handful, but in a good way. 

This weekend's activities involved lunches with friends and some time with my parents.  We welcomed Kathleen back to Austin and we did what all girls should do during a proper girls' weekend -- we went shopping and bought Amelia a couple of new outfits.

Amelia and I also ran our first organized "race."  It was a celebration of sorts, but to explain, I'll need to back up a bit.

For the past couple of weeks, I have been a little bummed out. Unlike several of my other mommy running buddies, I haven’t been able to make a comeback to “distance running.”  After feeling bad about that for a couple of months, I have now just decided to resign myself to the fact that I am not them and quit feeling so torn.  To catch up and be able to really run with my friends again, I figure I would have to find time for about an hour of running 4 days during the week and a long run on the weekend. I have attempted to work this into my schedule without trading off time with Amelia. I have not been successful. The only real option would be to run in the morning before Amelia wakes up, but to do that would mean getting up around 4am. I’ve tried this once or twice and it only results in my being cranky all afternoon and not as patient with Amelia in the evenings.  Not an acceptable trade-off.

So there it is. I will not be returning to “distance running” in the foreseeable future. From this point on, I’m going to be okay with that and not feel like a total sloth.  My weekday runs will be short and my weekend runs will be slow stroller runs with Amelia.  I think I can still count this as an “active” lifestyle. There is no shame in not training for a marathon.

Once I made this decision, I immediately felt better.  To celebrate, Amelia and I signed up for a girls' weekend "fun run," and we did just that . . . we had fun.  The run was to benefit a couple of really good causes, the entry fee was cheap and there was no time clock or prizes.  Just a lot of folks like us -- out to enjoy a fun time and get a little exercise.  Amelia did great (she has only been running in her stroller a few times).  She almost made all four miles without getting fussy.  About 1/2 mile from the end we did have to walk for a short stint while she rehydrated (i.e., I gave her a bottle while pushing her along).  Afterwards, we went to the gym in my office to change diapers, for me to clean up and for both of us to cool off in the air conditioning before heading home.  We completed the first of what I hope will be many future mom/daughter runs to come. 

Here is this week's photo -- Steph & Amelia after their first mom/daughter fun run:

I also had a good time this weekend making new food recipes for Amelia (after she had gone to bed -- she has no patience these days with my doing things at home without her).  I used the neat appliance that Bill and Amelia got me for Mothers' Day to make and freeze servings of fresh sweet potatoes, pears & apples (mixed), mangos and other yummy stuff.  This morning Amelia enjoyed a breakfast of pureed mangos mixed with formula and a little rice cereal.  She really seemed to like it.  Tomorrow is the same, but with pears and apples.  These moments of new discovery are the BEST!

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