This Week...

Sutton had his six month check up. Sixteen pounds, eight ounces and twenty six inches long.  A big boy, compared to where he started. He is finally nearing the fiftieth percentile in both weight and length.  He still has a little noggin but our pediatrician assured us that so did Einstein. He is finally feeling good and he fills our days with so many smiles, giggles, and lots of chatter. I ordered his first pair of big boy shoes last night, Keens!

So super cute.They won’t fit him until late summer or early fall but I couldn’t pass them up for $19.95, yay for www.endless.com.  Speaking of shopping… I’m trying Rue La La ladies. But it’s so hard! I need serious time to ponder purchases and these things sell out in a matter of hours. I know I’m weird. I put items in an online shopping cart and then analyze their worth and my level of need for days before hitting the “complete your order” button, if I do it at all. But it’s how I roll. I digress. Back to Sutton’s appointment. He is ready for lots more solids. And it’s supposed to be the same table food we are eating every night. And it should be consumed at the table with us. And it’s supposed to be fresh! I should explain that nobody in our family currently eats at the same time. Nobody eats at a table (unless our coffee table qualifies). And five nights out of seven, dinner is not fresh, it’s a Red Baron pizza or it’s microwaved! I feel so guilty about this. Feeding our family is another ball that I’m trying to juggle along with work, running, and last but certainly not least, good quality time with Sutton. It was perhaps a tough week to hear how poorly we are doing in the nutrition category since I am struggling with work and our current daycare provider. So there is my resolution for the new year, it’s only one, but it is a big one. Find balance! And speaking of balance…check out this guy doing his thing.

He is so happy to be upright. Thanks Granny and PopPop, we loooove the Jumperoo.

P.S. We are racing our first trail race of the season tomorrow. So excited. It’s a little one put on by our favorite RD’s and it’s close to home, but next week we go big. 35K at Swinging Bridge. My right knee and foot hurt just a teeny tiny little bit and Walker has struggled to get in his long runs with all the illness Sutton has brought home to us from daycare. Fingers crossed we can hold it together.

The Year In Review

This Time Last Year (January 2011)

     Christmas has come and gone and New Years is upon us. I can't believe 2012 is here and I haven't accomplished this first post yet. It was on my maternity leave to do list for August! (Along with a few other things yet to be checked off.) Well here goes... This blog is mostly for Walker and I . A way to record this precious period of our lives with a few words and images. Something we can look back on for years to come. And perhaps if I am brave (and go public), it will be a little something for loved ones that live some distance away and we see far too little of.

    This year was filled with chaos, craziness, and amazing joy. After I conspicuously skipped out on the 2010 Richmond Marathon (poor Walker had to run that awful ROAD race by himself), we finally announced to family and friends that we were expecting a baby last Christmas. Whether it be a "he" or a "she" was to remain a surprise until our due date in July. In the meantime our first "baby", our dog Hana, was showing signs of age and what her vet diagnosed as arthritis and hip dysplasia. We were told nothing could be done.  But while I traveled to Las Vegas for business in the spring, Walker gently tried to prepare me over the phone that Hana was considerably worse and now only standing on two legs. Her front two! It is indeed, an amazing canine feat and one that I hope you never witness in your life. I can only imagine the pain that would cause such behavior. Thankfully, a running friend recommended a vet in Franklin County that specializes in orthopedic issues.  Our new Vet advised us that Hana suffered from neither arthritis nor hip dysplasia, but had instead, torn the doggie equivalent of an ACL in each of her back legs. Two operations at Virginia Tech, many many bills, and eight months later we have a brand new puppy on our hands (with million dollar knees)! I must say the recovery process for a dog undergoing two TPLO operations was harder than having a human child. And I can officially say that now because Sutton has arrived! The sweet stubborn child that he is. In early July we went in for a check up and learned that he was still sitting upright or breach. This made perfect sense to me considering I had been complaining of something feeling stuck under my ribs on my right side for weeks. We tried lots of tricks to turn him but the little dude was perfectly happy where he was so we scheduled a c-section one week before our due date.  And on July 12, 2011 we had a baby boy 6lbs 12 oz. I had assumed that with eight weeks of time on my hands and a brand new camera I would start this blog right away. That obviously didn't happen. That time at home with him flew by and we still didn't quite have our rhythm down when I returned to work in September. But we have found our groove now five (almost six) months in! And I am thrilled I might be able to post this year in recap before it's officially 2012. I don't believe I have any special knack for writing and I'm not certain I have anything of interest for the world to read or see.  But I am so looking forward to capturing this time in our lives in a special manner that we may appreciate for years to come. 

Christmas Day 2011

Mistletoe :)

A Jumperoo for Christmas!!!