Maine 2012

Maine this year was a little different. With an added little person to pack for, it made for much more of a production getting there. But once we arrived we were able to relax, decompress and spend time as a family.   It's rare to have a solid week with family, including Adam's parents, sister and her three kids. Here are some pictures of our week in Goose Rocks Beach (last year's photos can be seen here and here).

                                      

I Did It.

Last week while on our annual family vacation in Maine, I went on my first postpartum run. 2.7 miles that were slow, painful, and above all, awkward... but downright amazing. The warm sunshine, salty air and salty skin were just what I needed (salt water solves everything). I went solo and used my Garmin, not to track pace but to try to keep a set run/walk ration. I ran 1/2 mile, walked 1/4 mile, but couldn't quite complete the last repeat of running.

These 2.7 miles reminded me how much I love this sport. It's going to take a while to build up my endurance but I'm up for the challenge.

Goals

This past winter, while pregnant, I decided my goal race was going to be Leaf Peeper's Half Marathon on October 7. Then, I made it official and registered. Well, here we are, August 4 and the race is a mere nine weeks away. At this point, I have no idea if I will be half marathon ready in this amount of time, and really I won't get the go ahead to run from my midwife to run for three more weeks. I am okay to walk now, so for the next couple weeks I'm going to make every effort to get out and walk then slowly incorporate some running. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I signed up for this, but the last thing I want to do is get hurt. I'm obviously not worried about time- it's about finishing and I think I'm going to try to train to 10 or 11 miles. Luckily the entry fee was only $30, so I'm going to reassess in couple weeks to decide if it makes more sense to drop to the 5K. 

Scratch That

Remember when I said the hardest part yet of having two kids is dealing with their simultaneous needs and wants? Well, like a newborn who changes every day, I changed my mind. The hardest part is the lack of sleep. I remember the sleepless nights with Jack- and after a while, I got used to them. This time I'm not getting used to them quite so easily. I've decided I can handle (so far) two-at-onces: nursing Alice + reading Jack a story, train time with Jack + baby lounger for Alice, bike ride for Jack + Alice in front pack. Right now I'm struggling with the up at 2 am, up at 4 am, awake 4 am - 6 am, back to sleep until 8 am, with Mr. J getting up at 7. I'm hoping in the next couple of weeks we'll establish some sort of consistency that involves more sleeping at night.

I like to sleep all day!

She's lucky she's cute :)

Life With Two

 Phew... Life with two is... shall I say interesting? Busy. It's been 19 days and each day is getting a little easier. I feel blessed that Adam is such a hands on dad and willing to do anything and everything. The hardest part is evenings- when Adam is at work- bedtime and dinnertime. Luckily my family is more than willing to help out while I get this juggling act under control.

That being said, Alice has made our little family feel complete. She is such a sweet little baby and puts up with Jack's antics and loud noises. Being an only child myself, it's so exciting to see the dynamic forming between Jack and Alice.