Grown-Up Over-Nap

 

I swear there are days when Ellie wakes up from her nap and she looks months older than when I put her down just hours earlier. Such was the case yesterday afternoon. How does that happen? And, more importantly, does it ever stop happening?

Our First Week in Ohio

And what a week it has been! We've been on the go ever since we got into town, but it's been wonderful to see family and friends this past week. We got in super late last Monday evening after a very LONG afternoon of flying. Ellie has reached the age where being on an airplane for long periods of time is no fun, so she spent the first hour of our three-hour flight from Tucson to Chicago alternating between crying, whining, and squirming to get out of my lap. We were very fortunate to have an awesome flight crew who allowed us to hang out in the back of the plane for 45 minutes playing with buttons that lit up, looking at books, looking out the window and one of the flight attendants even made Ellie a crown out of bags of pretzels and the cocktail stirrers. Ellie reciprocated with smiles, clapping and even a few hugs.

Tuesday was really spent recouperating from getting in so late the night before. I tried to keep her up without taking a nap, but the ride home from Costco in the afternoon eventually got the best of her.

Ellie has also made herself at home, answering Mimi and Papa's phone (not really).

On Thursday morning I took Ellie to visit my grandparents and was very surprised to see my Aunt Elise sitting at their dining room table when I walked through the door! She and Uncle George are my godparents, and they moved to Texas a few years ago to be closer to my cousin and her family after living only two blocks away from my parents while we were growing up. Every now and again they make a trip up to Ohio, and I'm so glad we happened to be in town at the same time. It was great to catch up with her as well as my grandparents.

My brother showed up later that afternoon and my sister showed up not too long after that with her two boys. Friday morning found us needing to make yet another Costco run, so Kate and I packed all three kids in one car for the trip. With all three cousins together, a picture was necessary.

Also necessary: trying a few samples.

I am so pleased with how well all the kids got along together. The boys have always been taken with Ellie, but this was the first time they were all able to really play and run around with each other. Many times I would find one of the boys reading to Ellie or sharing their toys with her. It cracked me up the first day they were at the house because SAM kept saying, "Ellie, you're so small!" This trip also marks the first time I didn't feel the need to be hyper-vigilant with Ellie because she can really hold her own now that she's walking. As much as I love having a sweet, cuddly little baby, having an independent toddler definitely has its benefits!

On Saturday, everyone (including my aunt, uncle and grandparents) came over for lunch. Such a rarity (and blessing) to have everyone together like this!

Sunday was very laid back and because the weather was absolutely gorgeous, everyone wanted to be outside. I put Ellie down for what turned out to be a long nap and we all went out to the backyard. My brother, sister and I totally reverted back to being kids, playing on our old swing set.

Bryan showed Nic and SAM the ropes of examining bugs on sticks...

... and how to chase girls with them.

When the siblings get together, hilarity ensues.

Behind all that craziness is a lot of love.

The afternoon brought back lots of memories of growing up and made me realize how much I really miss being close to family and having a big backyard (not to mention the Midwestern climate, without the snow of course)! We made sure to get a picture with our parents. After the fact we noticed how nicely we were all matched (without being too matchy). :)

Bryan left early Sunday evening and my sister and nephews headed back home on Monday, but not before she and I grabbed lunch together.

The fun continues this weekend when everyone comes back in town!

Backroads and Beaches Lorain County 5k/10k Run, Wine, and Dine

That's a mouthful, isn't it? On a whim, I sent in my registration for this 10k about two weeks before the run. As luck would have it, I caught a mild version of Ellie's cold the day after I sent in the paperwork and wasn't feeling up to running like I normally do. I had thought about calling the race organizers to see if I could downgrade to just the 5k, but decided in the end to just go for broke and run the 10k. Part of my reasoning in running the longer distance was that I haven't been to Oberlin since before I moved away (except for my friend's wedding photos) and really wanted to see the area. I was able to get in two runs last week at one of the local parks, and what a huge difference it makes running in temperatures in the (slightly humid) 70s instead of the Tucson heat!

On Saturday, I left while Ellie was napping and hopped in the car with my mom and brother to drive down to Oberlin for the race. This was the first time any of my family has seen me run so I was very excited to have them join me! I was a little sad to leave my girl at home, but knew she would be much happier playing with her cousins instead of strapped to a stroller waiting for mom to finish running. Once we got into town, I picked up my race packet and bib number, stretched, and snapped some pre-race pictures.

 

Can you spot the cheeky runner in the crowd?

 

I felt good as the race got underway. The weather was sunny but mild, with a relatively cool breeze. The first mile was a steady uphill climb to get to the bike path portion of the course. Shortly after passing the second mile marker, I turned a corner and spent another mile running into the sun, which was probably the toughest part of the race. Once I hit mile four, I knew I could easily manage the rest of the run. The last stretch took me through downtown Oberlin, among the beautiful old college buildings and city square. I made the last turn and, seeing the clock at the finish line, broke into a run to try and get the best time I could.

 

My overall time was 58:57 (since I passed the start line a few seconds after the clock started and we weren't chipped) -- four minutes faster than the 10k we ran back in May -- I felt great!

All of the runners got a post-run glass of beer or wine. I opted for the wine (after which I felt really great).

I called Brian right after the race to fill him in on my time. As I was getting off the phone, my mom waved me over to hear the top three finishers from my age group being announced. I was completely blown away when they called my name as the second place finisher in my age group!

Having an Olympic moment with my medal. :)

That glass of wine has nothing to do with my expression.

 

 

Thanks to my mom and brother for coming down and being such an awesome cheering section!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Ellie and I are just wrapping up our first week in Ohio! Well, maybe not an entire week -- we got in very late Monday night but will be staying until almost the end of the month. I'm trying to take advantage of not having to pay for a plane ticket for Ellie and just couldn't pass up the deal I got several months back, so here we are!

One of the highlights this week was taking Ellie to her first baseball game. There's an independent league baseball team that plays near my hometown and since my parents had to work at Wednesday evening's game, Ellie and I tagged along. Our home team, the Lake Erie Crushers, were taking on the Normal Cornbelters (does it get any more Midwest than that?) so we watched the first few innings before Ellie's bedtime and had a great time. The stadium was small enough that you couldn't get lost and was very family friendly. Ellie probably ate the least nutritious meal in history -- chicken fingers dipped in honey mustard sauce and Dippin' Dots. Not my most shining moment in parenthood, but we're on vacation, right?

I asked my mom to take a picture of Ellie and I with the baseball field in the background right before we left. What resulted is probably my favorite picture of Ellie to date.

August So Far

August is half over and all I have are these photos to show for it!

The chair is officially Ellie's favorite spot in the house... and also the biggest cause of time out when she won't sit down.

Ellie also had her first taste of (homemade) mint chocolate chip ice cream -- which is both Brian and my favorite flavor of ice cream -- and although she initially shied away from it, she later came around and almost couldn't get enough.

Same night, showing Brian how she "smiles."

Apparently food has been the most noteworthy thing in our house recently. Here's Ellie shoving fistfuls of black bean and corn quinoa in her mouth. This is the same child who won't touch yogurt, applesauce and bananas.

A Recap of Swimming Lessons

After a relatively short two weeks of swimming lessons here on base, Ellie had her final lesson last Friday. Considering we haven't really been pool goers this summer with the exception of our Sedona trip, I have to say she ended on a high note. I also think I set some rather high expectations for such a short time period because, as I found out, there isn't much you can force on a toddler -- especially one in a swimming pool.

The first week was pretty much the same every day: Ellie clung to me like a drowning river rat, scrambling to get a good grip on me (which at times threatened to expose me to everyone at the pool), and screaming and crying if I tried to hold her at arms' length to practice floating on her back or belly. All of this wouldn't have been so embarrassing if she hadn't been the only child behaving in such a way. In hindsight I'm sure there had been a few other kids who weren't thrilled with lessons either, it just felt like mine was the only one. Her reaction was puzzling because she is usually so happy in the water. A positive note from that first week: she absolutely loved her swim instructor, Miss Miriam. Miss Miriam is a young college-age life guard from the pool, and Ellie would without fail brighten up whenever Miss Miriam came over to check on us. Ellie also learned how to get out of the pool with little assistance and she took the dunking part fairly well (also surprising considering all the above reasons).

The second week showed some improvement. Ellie seemed more comfortable in the water, but we still had our fair share of moments when she was not a happy camper. By the last day of lessons, she only whimpered a few times. Brian took her to the pool on Saturday, we all went together on Sunday and in those two days Ellie seemed the most at ease in the water we've seen to date (maybe because she saw a lot more kids in the pool during the weekend). I'm hoping to find a place off base to continue lessons so Ellie can keep improving on her comfort level being in the water and learning new swimming skills.

My only two complaints about the lessons were that we had two days when they were canceled because of chemical imbalances in the pool. While I completely understand that it happens and I in no way want Ellie in highly chlorinated water, it would be nice to have made up those days in the future. I had also hoped for more structure with the lessons, but again I'm not sure how much can be forced on children Ellie's age without making things worse. All in all, it was nice to get out of the house and into the pool on some of the hottest days we've had all summer!

A Runny Nose and Fever Is No Way To Start the Week

When Ellie doesn't sleep well, we always know we're on the horizon of some variety of bug. On Monday that bug turned out to be a somewhat runny nose when she woke up, which progressed to a very runny nose and low grade temp by the afternoon. We have been very fortunate that we have rarely, if ever, needed to get up with Ellie during the night since she stopped nursing but Tuesday at 1:30am she woke up and just couldn't go back to sleep. When I went in to check on her, her poor little forehead was burning up, so it was a dose of Motrin and some lullabies in the rocking chair for a while. Luckily it wasn't long before she was settled back in her crib and fell asleep a short while later.

Yesterday was more of the same -- still running a temperature and overall fussy, but she was happily playing and running around. After a morning run to Target to get Boogie Wipes for Ellie (and much-needed coffee and Airborne for me), we came home armed and ready to knock this bug out.

Here's a quiet moment after nap time. Still sleepy-eyed and not quite ready to get moving, we sat down together to watch a little Sesame Street.

This morning brought a more rare occurrence: an extremely cuddly little girl (maybe clingy is a better word). So much so that when she woke up this morning I brought her into bed with me mostly because I was feeling run down and wasn't ready to get up myself. We snuggled together for at least half an hour, mostly with her laying on my chest. There's always a silver lining.