bonkers

If Wendell asks me one more time if he can watch tv or if it's his birthday, I think I'll go bonkers.

injury

I think I've now had my first "injury". On Thursday I noticed that the back of my right shoulder/neck was hurting (I'm sure there is a name for the muscle but I don't know it). I assumed that I slept on it wrong and it was just a kink in my neck, no big deal. Then Friday came and it wasn't much better but I went on my bike ride anyways, and realized I could not turn my neck back to see the kids behind me in the trailer. Hmm.. is the injury from biking or sleeping? On Friday, I pulled out the tylenol and heating pad in an attempt to feel some relief. Then on Saturday, it got worse and I thought, ut oh.. I really don't want to go to the doctor for this because there was no real "injury" and my doctor is a quack and would send me in for x'rays, a physical therapist, and insist that I reschedule to see her in two weeks (yeah, she's a little over the top). On Saturday, I told Phil maybe this was day three and it would get better tomorrow. On Saturday night, Phil and his giant man hands massaged and massaged and whulaa it felt GREAT Sunday morning. What the heck? Was that a miracle or what? So to not make things worse, I did not work out on Sunday but thought maybe I'd try swimming on Monday morning as I didn't think it would hurt my neck too much. So today I went swimming and no major issues but maybe a little stiffness. I think I'm on the home stretch to my "injury". I get home, clean up, and put on my clean spare sports bra (I prefer wearing sports bra as I like the support) and within 20 minutes my neck is throbbing again. Hmmm... that's odd.. could my sports bra be causing the injury? I know that seems odd but the truth of the matter. It is a really old bra that I'm embarrassed to admit having mended on more than one occasion to fit me so it really doesn't fit like it's suppose to. It pulls up higher on my back, more between my shoulder blades. So, I guess I'll be spending the money and buying a new bra soon. Something I hate to do.. but we'll discuss that another time and perhaps in a more private setting. So, I'm not sure yet but we'll see. I might not be able to say I have a sports injury but more appropriately a sports bra injury.

bloggish

Yep, I made a new word, in fact two new words. I haven't really felt very bloggey this month and I think it's because I feel bloggish. This selling and buying a house stuff is for the birds. We've had three different people sound VERY interested in our house only to find they don't return the next phone call.. so I can understand this isn't the house for them but they could at least call back. And I think we've had well over 100 flyers go from our front yard.. where are they all going? How many more copies do we have to make? And with selling comes the stress of finding a house and for Phil and I this has become a very hard decision. We ask ourselves: do we want small town? city life? long drive? short drive? is this really a safe neighborhood? what kind of school should we send our kids? how much work do we want to do on it? and on and on.

Here are some other questions that have been going through my mind: Will we be sending Wendell to preschool? (we're on a waiting list) How much work can/should I put into the triathlon? Should I try and do my best? Or just be happy with completing it? When and where should we have Harlie's birthday party? Who should we invite? How much more hotter and humid is it going to get? (although today is nice out) Will I ever cool off and quit sweating? What will happen with my work? (A lot of changes in the next two months) What if I hate work again? What will we do? How will I keep my sanity? How many times do I have to dishes today to keep my kitchen clean? Why do I feel so sluggish in the afternoons and what can I do about it? (coffee doesn't help) When's the last time I read a good fiction book? When's the last time I saw a good movie? I wonder if I should try volunteering with the kids? and if so, what can we do? and on and on.

My brain is like a hamster on a wheel. Just keeps going ... no wonder I'm so tired.

Am I the only one who just thinks and thinks and thinks?

The Triathlon

September 26th, 2010. Peregrine Charities Triathlon. George Wyth State Park. Waterloo. Iowa.

10 weeks.

Thus begins, full training mode.

** pictured above is Phil in his wet suit and me in my "tri" suit... tri shorts and a tri tank.

I'm excited for tomorrow night as we will do our second open water swim and there will swimming experts available. I am planning to try to swim with Phil a full mile even though for race day I will only do 1/2 mile. I think I can do it and it will be a good workout. I have told myself that I will lose the last 10-15 lbs for this year and so I've been back on a fairly strict diet of watching what I eat. For anyone interested, I am a food pyramid follower. I like to eat 6-8 breads, 3 veggies, 3 fruits, 2-3 meats, and 2-3 dairies a day. My goals is to eat in moderation but not go hungry (I hate a growling tummy and low blood sugar). Phil is a calorie counter so occasionally, I look at calories and fat when comparing food choices.

GOAL: to loose the obese label on my medical chart and complete the triathlon in less than 2 hours

** last picture.. Heather entertaining herself. First off, no I'm not sniffing my arm pit. Now that I work out a lot (even though my body does NOT look overly muscular) I feel stronger and because I feel stronger I jokingly kiss my bicep every once in awhile, usually in response to something Phil says, and me totally being a goof ball. A funny story for you.. one time I was walking at the mall and a teenage kid walked by with his "muscles" showing.. the feminist side of me so wished I really had muscles so I could flex at him and walk off.... I know, I'm weird. But here is a picture for the sake of a good laugh.

a new day

I haven't posted in awhile and that's most likely due to the busyness of summertime. I started a post yesterday and was so bummed and negative that I didn't even get more than one sentence out so I just quit. But today is a new day and I feel better.

So here's what's going on in my life.

Work- the past two weeks have been heavenly because "the lady" moved out. I had been so excited to post about this because my life is so different. I think the stress of not having to deal with "the lady", getting better sleep, and having some down time at work to just relax has made my life so much more joyfilled and just overall more enjoyable.... and then yesterday the crashing news came. No, she's not moving back but our ladies are moving in with another lady who could be just as difficult. There are going to be a lot of changes at my work and I just have to trust that it will all work out. I already declared to Phil that if this new lady is anything like the old one then I have to quit... easier said than done since we rely on my income and my health insurance. Last night, I did find out that there will most likely be two (me and another) staff at the new site in the mornings so that makes life a lot easier as far as dealing with difficult people. So as long as I can still sleep good and not get too stressed at work then all will be good. The good news is that I still have two weeks of "heaven" at work.. and then some of the changes begin. I won't actually start working with this difficult person until September so at least I have time to just enjoy the peacefulness at work.

Triathlon- training is going great. Just yesterday, I swam over 1/2 a mile and felt great. I feel like I had good rhythm and it went smooth. I am by no means an expert but feel comfortable swimming. I haven't been biking quite as much but am excited now that I have a water bottle and odometer for my bike. And to make it complete, I bought myself a triathlon "outfit". I bought tri shorts which are basically biking shorts that can get wet and then dry faster. I also bought a tri top that does the same thing. They are not meant for chlorinated water so I'm excited to try them out at the next open water swim which is next week. In case you didn't know, the Cedar Valley here has great resources for anyone doing a triathlon. Phil and I have already went to one open water swim and a clinic on triathlons - both free. This next week, they are having another open water swim at George Wyth, with childcare (we give a donation), a free swim clinic/advice, and then a picnic afterwards so we can socialize with other triathloners. I am just amazed at all the support they give to us newbies who started off with no clue. I think the support network makes a huge difference in how comfortable we feel, which then gets us more excited. Phil also bought a wet suit to wear for his race so on Monday when we're both all "dressed up" then maybe I'll take a picture of us. Both of us will basically be in very tight outfits so it's not the most attractive looking. Either way, I'm really enjoying all the training and learning that I've put into this.

our house - don't even want to talk about this one. Some highs and lows but in the end, our house has not sold. I have now put a restrtiction on myself that I won't be looking at houses anymore because I get too excited and then they sell. So if I have nothing to look forward to then I won't be as bummed that it's taking awhile for our house to sell. I fully believe it will, it just takes time.

travels - this last weekend we went to Springbrook Park near Guthrie Center, IA (Phil's home town) and went camping with his family. I will say all in all it went pretty well. I'm not a huge fan of camping with a 3 year old and 10 month old but it went okay. They both slept well at night so I really can't complain. I don't know if I've ever posted about Wendell and his amazing social skills but he's one kid that can be social with anyone anytime, and includes every stranger we see at the campsite or anywhere for that matter.

So we're home for the next few weeks and that makes me very happy! Maybe I can relax a bit before we start traveling again... for more weddings, family get togethers and eventually planning Harlie's birthday.

I leave you with some pictures. I took the first two: Harlie showing her climbing skills and the cool dude that I ate lunch with today. The other three pictures were taking by my 3 year old photographer.

10 months come and gone..

Oops.. missed Harlie's 10 month birthday.


I have no pictures to share but wanted to just jot down a few notes about her. First off, we thought she'd be walking by now. Not that we're disappointed but she has been very mobile for awhile now. But she seems very happy with crawling and climbing and really shows no interest in walking yet. Oh well, it will come.


I also thought I'd be done breastfeeding when she reaches a year old but at the rate we're going, I'll be breastfeeding for awhile. She still nurses 3-4 times a day; if I'm not around she doesn't need a bottle so that's good (so that means I'm not pumping as much) but once she sees me then I can tell she wants to nurse, even if it's just a few minutes. So unless I tell her no then for now I'll keep nursing her. It wouldn't really matter but I was planning to do a backpacking trip this summer with just Phil and me to celebrate our 10 year anniversary (pumping is not a real option out in the backwoods and I don't want to be engorged the whole time). So I probably would have until October to do this if we're going to do it and would most likely mean weaning her.


She is eating normal food for the most part. It appears she's picky some days and doesn't care the next. She's pretty "moody" when it comes to food. But on a good note, her high pitched screaming phase is pretty much done. She still cries when in the high chair and gets fussy sometimes but at least it's not the piercing scream causing immediate pain to our brain nerves.

She seems to be "talking" more which is just jabber but might be on her way to saying "dada". But not counting on logging that as an official word for awhile. One thing that I've really found adorable lately is her pudgy little hands. I really need to take a picture of them. They are quite normal and very babyish but just the cute adorable pudgy look. I'm also finding her hair is getting long; which is good with her being a girl but it's kind of shaggy looking and food gets in it all the time. I think pretty soon we'll begin the battle of barrettes and ponytail holders.


Once last thing, I don't know how much she weighs but it's definitely over 20 lbs (I think about 21 or 22 lbs); and I have no idea how tall she is. We were probably suppose to make a 9 month appt. but never did. Guess we'll go back in a couple of months. Overall, she seems very healthy and moody.. typical girl? Oh dear, I'm not exactly the emotional type so we'll see how I handle a daughter who boo-hoo's at the smallest things. We'll see, maybe it's just a baby phase? We'll hope so for now otherwise I'll have to take a 101 class on how to deal with girly emotions.