Jason's birthday

Lots of reasons to celebrate this week.

1) Ava took a bottle!  Actually, she took 3 bottles on Thurs when I spent the day at work.  I didn't see her for almost 10 hours and she did awesome.  Hurray!!!

2) Jason had a birthday on Friday.  He had a big day at school - his DECA districts competition was in Denver and it all went quite well.  He had at least 3 students qualify for States, and all of the organizing and judging went well.

Friday night we got a sitter and went out on a date after the kids went to sleep.  We used a gift card to a great pizza/tap house place we received while I was pregnant, and had a great time just connecting.  We also tried something crazy called bacon peanut brittle.  We both love brittle - the toffee/sugar part - but we weren't sure about the bacon addition.  I also sampled 3 beers which was really fun.

3) Aunt Cynthia is in town visiting cousin Kelsey.  Not only is it fun to see her, but this morning Rachel played at Kelsey's art studio/Cynthia watched the girls while Jason and I went running.  We ran 10 miles (16km), which was a huge accomplishment for me.  It was hard.  It was really, really windy but even without the wind, that distance was hard.

I run my half marathon (13.1 miles) on Dec 7th and have two more long runs planned before then.  I think I'm going to need everything to work out really well for me to make my goal of running under 2:25 in order to qualify for the Pikes Peak Ascent.  I know for most runners that is really slow, but that's a reasonable challenge for me right now.  I'll have to run a little bit faster than I did today and for 3 extra miles...yikes!  One day I hope to run a half marathon under 2 hours, which I've never quite done, but it isn't going to be any time too soon!  (It might have to be at sea level when it does happen!)

Regardless, I feel great that I got the 10 miles under my belt.  I can run 6 miles (10km) quite comfortably now... but after that things start to get tough.  I would prefer if I could run 8.5 miles quite comfortably and then have to push through less than 5 miles, but I'm not sure I'm going to be there by race day.

Rachel makes breakfast for dinner feast with Daddy

Skype session with the Lord Great Grandparents

Rachel, Ava and Daddy wait for Mommy on run that didn't go well last weekend

Ava watches her big sister talk and talk and talk

Never a dull moment...

If you read the last entry, you'll know that Saturday things didn't work out very well for us with trail running or having a getaway.  Home on Sunday we hired a sitter and went for a trail run together and I succeeded in getting in the 8.5 miles.  The last mile was hard on my legs as I haven't really ran any hills or real trails, but it was fun and beautiful.  Poor Jason does well to put up with me and my love-hate relationship with running since I complain a lot and am slow, but then feel very happy and proud of myself when I'm done.  Plus, we are thrilled to have a new sitter in our lives who we love.  She had both kids for 3 hours and did a great job!

(Ava didn't take a bottle with her, by the way.)

Monday Jason went to the doctor early to get an allergy shot.  If we haven't explained already, Jason is very allergic to grasses and pollen and somewhat allergic to dust.  He got tested earlier this year and had HUGE reactions to all these things.  He decided to go ahead with the shot process.  I'll do my best to explain but I may not have the numbers and details quite right.

Since the end of August he has tried to go two times per week to get a shot.  Each week the concentration of the shot increases.  Initially he had to get the shot and then stay put for a longer period while they watched him for any reaction.  For the last couple of months, he has to stay for 30 minutes after his shot and then he can go.  Soon he will get to the maintenance phase, during which time he will have a shot every 2 weeks.  I believe this process will take a total of about 3 years, and then, in theory, he shouldn't have any symptoms or need any more shots.

The shots are done by a doctor and nurse practitioner in Louisville at the allergy clinic, which is attached to the hospital.  They are only open at certain times on certain days.  Jason can't exercise 2 hours before or after having a shot.  This means he cannot bike to the appointments, and the location is not on a bus route.  The second shot in a week has to be done 48 hours after the first one, and if you don't do so many shots in a period of time, you have to repeat a dose.  Confused yet?

It's been a challenge to organize the logistics of a car, Jason's teaching schedule, and the rules of the shots themselves.  Normally Jason does an amazing job of biking to and from school, but most Mon and Wed this semester he has needed the car to do shots and we've had all sorts of wacky scenarios of running/biking/bus/car stuff to make things work.  I'm sorry to say that I haven't been very supportive of this whole process.  I know it will make Jason way more comfortable in the end, but I haven't loved how much effort it has been.  I haven't exactly been the most supportive.

So, back to Monday morning.  Jason was trying a higher concentration of the shot and trying to fit in shots at this higher dose to get to the maintenance phase earlier, in order to make our lives easier (and stop me complaining about it so much?!)  He went in, got his shot, waited the 30 min, went grocery shopping, and came home.  Most of his body was red and itchy and his eyes were swollen and watering.  He took some medication but things continued to spread.

Let's be clear here and say that Jason's symptoms have always been annoying to the eyes and skin but have never gone to any other systems (chest, throat, etc), so we weren't particularly alarmed.  I felt sorry for Jason and he seemed uncomfortable but we weren't scared.

I was busy with the kids and we had plans for getting lots of other things done that day, and we didn't really sit down and discuss what to do with Jason's reaction.  He called into the clinic to let them know he was having this reaction, and they asked him to come back in so they could check it out.  We discussed which members of the family should go in the car, and we decided that Jason would take Ava since she had just eaten, and go himself.  We assumed they would note what his symptoms were, give him medication advice, and send him home.

Jason called home and said they were going to administer epinephrine and then monitor him for 2 hours.  We agreed that Rachel and I would have to get ourselves to the clinic since Ava would need to eat before that time frame was over.  Jason didn't think he would have any trouble with it or be unable to take care of Ava, so Rachel and I were not in a huge rush to go.

Rachel, in fact, was in no rush to go.  She was still in her pajamas and refusing to get moving.  Jason's next texts said:
"Phew.  Tired from the shot of epi."
and then
"If you haven't left yet, you need to leave NOW."

So I threw an unhappy Rachel in the Chariot, still in her pajamas at almost 2pm, hooked it up to my bike, and started biking.  I got about 6 blocks before I was cursing at the stupidity of the situation and realizing that it was going to take me a long time to go the 8 miles I needed to go while towing Rachel.  I called a friend and asked her to watch Rachel and biked to their house.  Dumped off Rachel and the chariot and biked on by myself.  I was disappointed in how long it took me to get there, and made a mental note to get on the trainer.  As I was riding, I was hoping Jason and Ava were both ok and calculating car payments to buy a second vehicle.

When I arrived, Jason was lying on an examination table in a hospital gown and Ava had just woken up in her stroller next to him.  Jason looked exhausted and was out of it.

Over the next hour, Jason perked up a bit and his red body and vitals turned back to normal.  I fed Ava and then Jason was cleared to go home.  After unloading bike and stroller at home, I zoomed back to get Rachel, and then came home.  Jason did well that evening and seemed pretty much like himself by bedtime.

Tuesday morning Jason returned to work, I started my new job, and both kids went to a full day of daycare for the first time.  Jason worked 7:30am-9pm because he had a cross country banquet in the evening.

My first day of 'shadowing' turned out to be great and full of learning.  I felt a little slow in the mind and hands, having been off work for 4.5 months.  Daycare called at lunch and asked me to come in and feed Ava, since she refused to take a bottle with anyone all day.  Thankfully I was able to since the patients I needed to shadow were at the beginning and end of the day.  I 'worked' from 9:30-5:30pm but had some time in the middle of the day to feed Ava, eat, and sneak in a quick short run.

Today (Wed) I took the kids to the zoo and library and had a terrific day, and Jason had a normal 7:30-5:30 day at school.

Tomorrow (Thursday) Jason and I both have full days (7:30-5:30).  I have some flexibility in my day to go in and feed Ava at lunch, but I will only have time to do this once in 10 hours.  Since I only have 1 patient of my own in the morning and will spend the afternoon shadowing for learning purposes, I think there's a good chance that I will leave work early to get Ava sooner if she doesn't have a miracle and take a bottle in the afternoon.

The only other thing to report is that I'm starting to make baby food, since it won't be too long before we enter that phase of Ava.  I get excited about providing food for my kids, and have some funny pride in this role as a mother.  (Consequently, I also feel very responsible when feeding my children doesn't go well or if they are hungry.)  Food is, after all, a huge priority in our family.  Huge!  I love having little frozen bits of food and labeling it for the freezer and will have fun deciding what foods to try first.

The other silly thing I love doing for the kids is organizing their clothes.  I've recently enjoyed organizing all the clothes Ava is too big for - garage sale, give away, craigslist, etc.  And then opening the box of stuff she now fits (6-9months) and getting excited about cute stuff.  I hope some of our friends can enjoy the clothes that we have been so lucky to have been given as hand-me-downs or gifts for Rachel and Ava.  Thanks so much to any of you who have given us clothes.  No only have our girls enjoyed them, but soon friends of ours can use them and enjoy them too!

The kindness of strangers

Sat Nov 9, 2013

Rachel went to bed last night on the first try last night, and slept until Momo's eyes opened... a cause for celebration and a great start to our 3 day weekend.  We packed the car at a leisurely pace and off we went... our first family adventure in quite some time.  Hooray!

We drove South through Denver and west on 285 on a beautiful sunny day.  Our destination: a cabin near Jefferson, CO that friends own.  A free stay in the middle of nowhere to relax and play as a family without work, internet, phone, stores, chores.

Somewhere up windy highway 285, just after Ava finally fell asleep, Rachel threw up.  All over the place.  Jason managed to pull over and we emptied half the car on the side of the road.  We used half a package of wipes cleaning up Rachel, her carseat, and everything that lived near her feet.  We cleaned up Nunu and the car, changed Rachel, and sat her back down over a towel.  Opened the windows and off we went.  Rachel was not the least bit upset - she was glad Nunu was clean and she wanted some more snack, please.

Ava woke up in all the ordeal so we pulled over up the road again to feed and change her.  I changed also and prepared for our next stop: Kenosha Pass.  Here I planned to run 8.5 miles point-to-point along the Colorado Trail, earning a section of the trail (I hope to complete all the sections in chunks), and getting in a longer run as I train for my upcoming half marathon.

I jumped out at Kenosha Pass, a popular trailhead, and off I went.  I had a running backpack with some extra clothes, water, food, and a Garmin watch to clock my miles.  Jason and the kids watched me run down the trail and then drove around to the finishing spot - Rock Creek Trailhead, and had a picnic lunch.

Right away I hit snow on the ground - not surprising for 10,000 ft but very few footprints and more difficult to find my way.  The Colorado Trail is so popular that I hadn't really looked at the trail route or brought a map with me of any kind.  No cell service in the area so I didn't bring a phone.  Right away I felt uncertain about my route, and tried a few game trails before finding a more worn path and followed it.  It didn't feel like I was going in the right direction, but I hoped the trail would turn right and head the other way soon.

It didn't.

I heard gun shots now and then and was reminded that hunters are out in full force these days.  I was scared of bears, moose, hunters, and being lost.  I continued to run cautiously as I clapped and sang and yelled my way along a beautiful creek.  I heard the highway traffic getting louder and louder, again telling me I was heading away from Jason and the car waiting for me down the valley.

I popped out at the highway and saw cars zooming by, back on highway 285 on the Denver side of Kenosha Pass.  I had run 4 miles, slowly and cautiously.  What to do?  I weighed my options:
1) Turn around and run 4 miles back up where I came from to Kenosha Pass and see if other hikers could help me contact Jason?  Possibly then run the 8.5 miles toward him and hope I found the right trail?
2) Go to the highway and flag down a car for help, borrowing a phone and getting a ride to a more useful place?
3) Run up the highway toward Kenosha Pass, getting in my run but also getting me back to a more helpful place.

I opted for #2 and ducked under a fence, ran along the highway, and then waited at a safer place with a pull out. I was pretty nervous at this point because I wasn't sure what strangers would offer me and I wasn't sure how to communicate with Jason.  I was pretty sure he was sitting at the Rock Creek trailhead with the girls, waiting for me and expecting me soon, but without cell service and no way of communicating.  The Rock Creek trailhead access was, of course, up some 4*4 dirt roads and I had no map of how to get there.

I tried to flag down a few cars without success, but then saw a friendly blue Subaru wagon approaching and stuck out my thumb.  The car pulled over and two guys my age or younger with a bike in the back asked me if I was ok.  Actually, they said "Is anyone hurt?" right away.  I jumped in the back and borrowed their phone and called Jason.  Left him a message and told him I would wait for him at the top of Kenosha Pass (my starting trailhead) until he came for me.

The guys let me out at the Pass, wished me luck, and there I waited.  I was sure Jason had no cell service and wasn't sure a) how long he would wait for me at the Rock Creek trailhead before deciding to move and b) where he could get cell service and c) how long Ava would be happy if it took us all afternoon/day to get in touch with each other.  Other tourists arrived from North Carolina and asked me for hiking tips.  I used their phone to try Jason again, but had no cell service from the top of the pass.  I approached two men doing a business deal of some kind and asked them for help.  They were locals and knew the area well, but weren't sure how to best help me.  We agreed I would get a ride with one to Jefferson, CO (bottom of the pass, on the way to the cabin) where there was cell service.  The other would continue to send a text message to Jason letting him know I was waiting at the Jefferson market.

When I arrived at Jefferson market, I called Jason again and he answered his phone.  I was so relieved to hear his voice and connect with him!

From Jason's perspective, things were not so dramatic.  He was having a great picnic lunch with the girls at the Rock Creek trailhead when he heard the phone ring.  He missed the first call, but was able to listen to my first voicemail and hear that I was back at the top of Kenosha Pass.  So he packed up the girls, put lunch on hold, and drove toward the pass.  Amazingly, just before he got out of cell service again going up the pass, he got another call and I was on the other end, asking him to come get me at Jefferson, CO.  So he got me in just a minute and all was well.

So we drove to the cabin, took 18 loads of all our stuff inside from the car, and got settled.  We were very thankful for the kindness of our friends to let us stay in their place for free.  It was very cold in the cabin (48F) and I was cold, sweaty, and we were all hungry and cold.  We got the hot water going and food out but couldn't get the heat going.  I had a hot shower and we all ate but no luck with the heat.  We called the owners and tried to talk switches and pilot lights and fuses over the phone.  Jason fiddled with everything for some time while I plugged in a little heat lamp and played with the girls near it.  Ava was tired and mad, but not very warm.  We put on puffy jackets and hats, but couldn't figure it out.  We are pretty sure the furnace was broken.  We could have fiddled with a fireplace and a plug in heater, but stoking the fire and dealing with wood and the girls and still being possibly cold all night didn't sound like much fun to us.  So we called it quits.  We packed our stuff all back in the car and drove off at about 4:30pm.  Both girls fell asleep right away in the car, and Jason and I watched a gorgeous sunset over the mountains.

We stopped at IHOP for dinner in Denver and Rachel had the best dining experience of her life.  By that I mean she ate well, sat still, played with Daddy, didn't complain, didn't shout or cry or run around the restaurant, and we could all stay at the table together to eat and enjoy our experience.  That was pretty exciting for us.  Especially since Rachel was really disappointed that we wouldn't be 'camping' at the cabin that night after all.

We drove home, put the girls to bed, and unpacked our stuff.

Now we're scheming about what we can do with the 2 remaining days of our weekend to salvage an adventure that doesn't cost much but can still be fun for our family.  Plus, I still have to run 8.5 miles, and Jason will want to run.  (By the way, every run I've done lately I still think something like "If Jason can run over 60 miles in one day, you can keep running another mile or two you big wimp!")

So we didn't have the best day and things didn't go as planned.  But I am very thankful that many things worked out as well as they did.  I know I should prepare for trail runs much more carefully, especially in areas I don't know well.  I am encouraged by the helpfulness of the strangers that I met today.  I was scared and uncertain, and met 6 people that were willing to help me without question and with amazing kindness.

I would like to figure out how to do something nice to thank those 6 people.  I have each of their phone numbers, but know nothing else about any of them.  Any ideas for ways to thank them simply via their phone number?  Can I send a gift card via text to their number with a thank you note?  I'll take any suggestions.

Work Decision

I've spent the last few weeks somewhat obsessing over what my upcoming work scenario might be.  Every parent I know with young kids struggles with the work/parent/life balance.  It's such a challenge to figure it all out, and I want to find a job scenario that allows me to be happy, make a little bit of money, and still see my kids.  Many of you have heard me go on about my options: go back to my old clinic, a large corporation, start my own small practice, another small clinic, etc.  In the end I have had several good opportunities, and any of them would have probably been just fine.  But I have come to a decision and am very excited.

I have decided to work at a small practice called Ability PT.  It's at 95th and Arapahoe in Lafayette but really close to the Louisville/Boulder side.  There are 5 members of staff in total, and I will soon be the 6th.  I really like the owners and, if I were going to open up my own practice, it would be a lot like this.  They've just done it for me and done it with more organization (eg. they accept all insurance).  Bookings are 45 minutes long with the PT - no aides.  Patient care and hands-on treatment are important to the company.  Everyone who works for the company is young, friendly, and outgoing.  It's an 8 minute easy drive from my house, so I could easily ride my bike/run/bus also.  

I will start doing some shadow work and then start at just 16 hours per week in December.  I hope to teach a few small classes out of the clinic on top of these patient hours as well.  As I get busier, I expect to increase my hours over the next year.  I'll aim to work about 24-30 hours per week eventually and plan to stay around that level for the next couple of years.

The owner and head therapist is going on mat leave with her second baby, so I will be picking up her caseload.  I think she and I have similar values and treatment styles.  She has also done some manual therapy training and she does dry needling.  She is also trained in treating the pelvic floor of men and women, and has a huge passion for treating people with pelvic pain, incontinence, pregnancy and peri-partum, etc.  This part of things is mostly new to me.  I will take the training for all this and the clinic owner will serve as my mentor to teach me what I need to know.  It's this learning environment that I'm really looking forward to.  I will still treat athletes and every other joint and muscle as before, but I'll also be able to add more to my tool box.

I'm excited to learn a whole new stream of physical therapy.  There are about 7 specialty tracts that you can pursue as a therapist.  To date, I've pursued a lot of orthopedics (and formally became a board certified 'specialist' in May), sports, and needling work.  In the 'women's health' specialty, there are two areas: a) obstetrics and b) pelvic.  I'm really interested in the obstetric side of things (everything related to pregnancy, birth, and post partum), but won't start that until August 2014 when that first course comes to Colorado.  There are 5 core courses and each are 3 days long.  Two are obstetric courses and three are pelvic.  In between each course there is reading, mentorship, and experience required.  Eventually I will also take the needling course for needling the pelvic floor muscles.  

So I will take part 1 of the pelvic courses in January and part 2 in Feb/March and go from there.  It's not cheap training, and will take me to South Carolina and Oregon, but I'm thrilled about the idea of taking more courses.  With the exception of caring for Ava.  

Ava took about 3 oz. of milk at daycare over 4.25 hours the other morning at our 'trial' morning.  She will have a handful more 'drop off' days in the next while as I do my shadowing hours.  She will take a few sips of milk and then reject more.  I need her to be able to take enough milk to let me work a whole day in about 6 weeks.  And although she will be ready to start solids in January, we know that babies get most of their nutrition from breastmilk until they are 12 months old.  I keep hoping that she will take it if she is hungry enough, and then it will become a learned skill that she is good at.  Daycare seems confident that she will figure it out.

I didn't leave Rachel overnight until she was 16 months old, and I weaned her for the purpose of going out of town.  I'm not exactly sure how I will take these courses and care for Ava.  Either I leave her with Jason and daycare and leave loads of milk, then pump and dump while I am out of town... or bring Ava with me and hope to find a sitter for her while I am on course and still be able to give her pumped milk and feed her in the evening/overnight/morning myself.  So if you know of anyone in Greenville, SC that could help me out with Ava in January...  that would be awesome!!  Either way, she must become a pro at taking a bottle soon!

Anyway, I am really excited about this set up and am looking forward to returning to work soon.  Check out the clinic website below if you are interested.

http://www.abilitypt.com/