Last July, Jason and I each created a bucket list of sorts. The lists are ambitious and include a lot of travel. Some people have said we will never be able to do all the things ... Unless we win the lottery and quit our jobs. But we would like to try!
So we had better get cracking.
In 2014, we plan to accomplish these things on our list:
- do some 14ers
- Jason may run a qualifying race for hard rock 100
- Travel to a new country
- Meggan will do a half ironman June 29 in steamboat springs, co
- Meggan to donate blood
- hope to do 20 good quality push ups soon
- see the Matterhorn
- go to chamonix and hopefully hike a part of mt blanc
- Meggan to do pikes peak ascent half marathon in August
- hike or run or ski some of the colorado trail
- may submerge a portion of my body in chocolate
- go to at least one new ski resort
January 31, 2014
January 26, 2014
Greenville, SC Trip
I debated whether to write a post on this trip or not. It's really all about being a nursing mother. For anyone not comfortable in hearing all about the gory details, just know that I went away for 4 days and left Ava and Rachel behind and it all went well. Stop reading and continue on with your happy day.
For anyone who is interested in hearing about traveling away from a 6 month old and/or hearing about women's health PT, read on.
As part of my new job, I'm working in pelvic floor health. There are muscles in the pelvis that cannot be assessed properly from the outside. So there are some physical therapists that do internal work assessing and treating the muscles of the pelvic floor. My boss is such a therapist. She is going to have a baby in March and I will be covering her case load for a while. I'm excited because my boss is acting as my mentor and teaching me quite a bit about women's health, urinary incontinence, pelvic pain, etc.
There are 5 courses in the area of pelvic health: 2 are related to pregnancy and are in an obstetrics specialty; 3 courses are related to 'pelvic health'. I never thought I would be treating women vaginally and I certainly never thought I would be treating men rectally. However, I'm learning that physical therapists can make a huge difference to help people with their bladder and bowel function, pelvic pain, intercourse, etc. Things that really make a big impact on people's function and quality of life. I'm very comfortable talking about anything with people and I'm a good listener. I have the ability to make a difference to people, and that is very rewarding.
So the first course in pelvic health was in Greenville, SC on Jan 17, 18,19. I signed up for the course in November and then proceeded to panic about what to do with Ava. I looked into taking with with me and finding care for her there. I looked into having a family member come to watch her while I was on course. Finally we decided that Jason would stay home with Rachel and Ava. They could attend daycare during the days on Thurs and Fri, and Jason would have them the rest of the time.
The biggest concern I had was leaving enough milk for Ava. At 6 months, she drank about 5 times per day and averages about 5 oz each time, so I needed to leave about 100oz of milk. Thankfully she has taken well to solids and that helps ease things, but breast milk is still the major source of nutrients and calories for babies (unless they use formula).
Over the last two months, I have pumped at every chance to come up with this extra milk. I have fed Ava 5 times per day and then pumped every night and sometimes early in the morning to make the extra. While I'm at work, I often take two breaks to pump while Ava drinks 3 times at daycare, so each work day we lose about 5 oz. I wasn't sure I would be able to make enough milk, and this was causing me a great deal of anxiety and guilt. I knew that supplementing with formula was an option, and one that I would have to consider, but I wasn't thrilled about that option.
In the end I was able to leave Jason with 104 oz, and I felt so relieved. I knew Jason was totally capable of watching the two girls just fine, but I didn't want to have a hungry baby and a demanding 3 year old.
The day before I left (Wed) I had the day off with the girls and did my best to clean up, do laundry, and make some meals ahead of time so that things could go as smoothly as possibly. Again, Jason is completely capable of cleaning and cooking, but I wanted to make things as easy on him as possible. Watching both girls by yourself for a while is fine, but nonstop for days is tough. Jason would also have to get both kids to daycare before he started school Friday morning at 7:30am - not an easy task.
Thurs morning we got the kids to daycare and I drove to work. I saw 4 patients, pumped one last time, and picked up Jason. He organized a longer lunch to drop me off at the airport, and then went back to work.
I had not flown as a nursing mother before without my baby. I didn't leave Rachel overnight until she was weaned at 17 months old, and I weaned her because of the trip. I didn't really know how it worked to pump in an airport or carry milk through security. I had been so concerned about leaving enough milk that I hadn't really thought about having to pump while I was away. I had to continue to pump for my own comfort and in order to keep up my milk supply. Also, I had to bring enough milk home to get Ava through daycare Mon and Tues while I worked at the clinic again.
I have an electric pump that requires an electrical outlet (since I don't have a battery pack) and it takes me about 20 minutes to pump. I traveled with a little cooler bag to keep the milk and was hoping it would stay cold enough to travel home with me Sunday night.
I learned a lot about all of this kind of stuff and can tell you the following:
(1) if you are going to be traveling with a pump, ever, it's worth getting a battery pack or a small hand held option
(2) there are very few places in the three airports I tried that are private and have a working plug. I ended up plugging in wherever I could find a plug, and then using the pump under my cover, which was not within my comfort zone at all!
(3) if you put ice cubes from a fountain drink inside a cooler bag while traveling in order to keep your milk cold, your stuff will get wet.
Anyway, I made it to Greenville, picked up my rental car, and drove to my host house. I was staying with a couple from couch surfing - a very sweet and generous couple who are having their first baby in a few months. I was relieved to meet them and see that I had my own space where I could pump. I was able to use their freezer while I was there. I stayed with them for 3 nights and they were awesome.
At the course itself, I was surrounded by women. In fact, most of the time we were naked and practicing on each other. So after being so exposed, it shouldn't have seemed so strange to pump in front of others. But pumping, to me, is a very private activity. It's not exactly attractive. I would nurse my baby just about anywhere but I don't want anyone around when I pump. When I'm nursing Ava, I feel good and empowered and I get to enjoy Ava. When I'm hooked up to the pump, I feel like a cow and I can't wait for it to be over.
Anyway, at the course, I had to pump whenever we took a break. Each day was 8-10 hours of lecture and lab. The instructor would announce 'time for a break' and I would grab my bag and run into a storage room nearby. Another mom of a 4 month old would join me, and we would pump as fast as we could and then return to the course. There was a small kitchen where we could store the milk during the day. By Sunday, everyone had their luggage and the fridge and freezer were overflowing with milk from 3 nursing moms on the course.
Returning home, I had to go through the pumping at the airport scenario again. I took about 90 oz of milk with me, mostly frozen, through security in my carry on and it was fine.
I made it home by about midnight Sunday and then worked Mon and Tues before having Wed off. Jason did an awesome job with the girls and there was enough milk. Our cousin Jeannie came and watched Rachel and Ava for a couple hours on Sat so Jason could go run. Jason took the girls to the zoo Sunday afternoon while everyone else in Denver was watching the Broncos win.
All in all, the whole thing worked out better than I expected, with no serious problems. I passed my exams, received my first certificate, and learned a lot. I did well, the girls did well, Jason did well. The couch surfing experience was fantastic and fun and saved me a load of money. I'm thrilled to be done stressing about milk and having to pump extra all the time and store every drop I can.
I am supposed to go to the second pelvic health course at the end of February. If all goes well, though, I'll take Ava with me to that one and have Nana come down to help out.
For anyone who is interested in hearing about traveling away from a 6 month old and/or hearing about women's health PT, read on.
As part of my new job, I'm working in pelvic floor health. There are muscles in the pelvis that cannot be assessed properly from the outside. So there are some physical therapists that do internal work assessing and treating the muscles of the pelvic floor. My boss is such a therapist. She is going to have a baby in March and I will be covering her case load for a while. I'm excited because my boss is acting as my mentor and teaching me quite a bit about women's health, urinary incontinence, pelvic pain, etc.
There are 5 courses in the area of pelvic health: 2 are related to pregnancy and are in an obstetrics specialty; 3 courses are related to 'pelvic health'. I never thought I would be treating women vaginally and I certainly never thought I would be treating men rectally. However, I'm learning that physical therapists can make a huge difference to help people with their bladder and bowel function, pelvic pain, intercourse, etc. Things that really make a big impact on people's function and quality of life. I'm very comfortable talking about anything with people and I'm a good listener. I have the ability to make a difference to people, and that is very rewarding.
So the first course in pelvic health was in Greenville, SC on Jan 17, 18,19. I signed up for the course in November and then proceeded to panic about what to do with Ava. I looked into taking with with me and finding care for her there. I looked into having a family member come to watch her while I was on course. Finally we decided that Jason would stay home with Rachel and Ava. They could attend daycare during the days on Thurs and Fri, and Jason would have them the rest of the time.
The biggest concern I had was leaving enough milk for Ava. At 6 months, she drank about 5 times per day and averages about 5 oz each time, so I needed to leave about 100oz of milk. Thankfully she has taken well to solids and that helps ease things, but breast milk is still the major source of nutrients and calories for babies (unless they use formula).
Over the last two months, I have pumped at every chance to come up with this extra milk. I have fed Ava 5 times per day and then pumped every night and sometimes early in the morning to make the extra. While I'm at work, I often take two breaks to pump while Ava drinks 3 times at daycare, so each work day we lose about 5 oz. I wasn't sure I would be able to make enough milk, and this was causing me a great deal of anxiety and guilt. I knew that supplementing with formula was an option, and one that I would have to consider, but I wasn't thrilled about that option.
In the end I was able to leave Jason with 104 oz, and I felt so relieved. I knew Jason was totally capable of watching the two girls just fine, but I didn't want to have a hungry baby and a demanding 3 year old.
The day before I left (Wed) I had the day off with the girls and did my best to clean up, do laundry, and make some meals ahead of time so that things could go as smoothly as possibly. Again, Jason is completely capable of cleaning and cooking, but I wanted to make things as easy on him as possible. Watching both girls by yourself for a while is fine, but nonstop for days is tough. Jason would also have to get both kids to daycare before he started school Friday morning at 7:30am - not an easy task.
Thurs morning we got the kids to daycare and I drove to work. I saw 4 patients, pumped one last time, and picked up Jason. He organized a longer lunch to drop me off at the airport, and then went back to work.
I had not flown as a nursing mother before without my baby. I didn't leave Rachel overnight until she was weaned at 17 months old, and I weaned her because of the trip. I didn't really know how it worked to pump in an airport or carry milk through security. I had been so concerned about leaving enough milk that I hadn't really thought about having to pump while I was away. I had to continue to pump for my own comfort and in order to keep up my milk supply. Also, I had to bring enough milk home to get Ava through daycare Mon and Tues while I worked at the clinic again.
I have an electric pump that requires an electrical outlet (since I don't have a battery pack) and it takes me about 20 minutes to pump. I traveled with a little cooler bag to keep the milk and was hoping it would stay cold enough to travel home with me Sunday night.
I learned a lot about all of this kind of stuff and can tell you the following:
(1) if you are going to be traveling with a pump, ever, it's worth getting a battery pack or a small hand held option
(2) there are very few places in the three airports I tried that are private and have a working plug. I ended up plugging in wherever I could find a plug, and then using the pump under my cover, which was not within my comfort zone at all!
(3) if you put ice cubes from a fountain drink inside a cooler bag while traveling in order to keep your milk cold, your stuff will get wet.
Anyway, I made it to Greenville, picked up my rental car, and drove to my host house. I was staying with a couple from couch surfing - a very sweet and generous couple who are having their first baby in a few months. I was relieved to meet them and see that I had my own space where I could pump. I was able to use their freezer while I was there. I stayed with them for 3 nights and they were awesome.
At the course itself, I was surrounded by women. In fact, most of the time we were naked and practicing on each other. So after being so exposed, it shouldn't have seemed so strange to pump in front of others. But pumping, to me, is a very private activity. It's not exactly attractive. I would nurse my baby just about anywhere but I don't want anyone around when I pump. When I'm nursing Ava, I feel good and empowered and I get to enjoy Ava. When I'm hooked up to the pump, I feel like a cow and I can't wait for it to be over.
Anyway, at the course, I had to pump whenever we took a break. Each day was 8-10 hours of lecture and lab. The instructor would announce 'time for a break' and I would grab my bag and run into a storage room nearby. Another mom of a 4 month old would join me, and we would pump as fast as we could and then return to the course. There was a small kitchen where we could store the milk during the day. By Sunday, everyone had their luggage and the fridge and freezer were overflowing with milk from 3 nursing moms on the course.
Returning home, I had to go through the pumping at the airport scenario again. I took about 90 oz of milk with me, mostly frozen, through security in my carry on and it was fine.
I made it home by about midnight Sunday and then worked Mon and Tues before having Wed off. Jason did an awesome job with the girls and there was enough milk. Our cousin Jeannie came and watched Rachel and Ava for a couple hours on Sat so Jason could go run. Jason took the girls to the zoo Sunday afternoon while everyone else in Denver was watching the Broncos win.
All in all, the whole thing worked out better than I expected, with no serious problems. I passed my exams, received my first certificate, and learned a lot. I did well, the girls did well, Jason did well. The couch surfing experience was fantastic and fun and saved me a load of money. I'm thrilled to be done stressing about milk and having to pump extra all the time and store every drop I can.
I am supposed to go to the second pelvic health course at the end of February. If all goes well, though, I'll take Ava with me to that one and have Nana come down to help out.
January 24, 2014
Nunu has surgery
Earlier in the week, poor Nunu had a terrible accident and his head nearly came off.
Nunu went into surgery at 7:52am and came out in tact with 2 arms, a damaged nose, a ruffled bow, and his head back on. His head is a little fragile and we will be gentle on him for the next little while to make sure he's healed up ok.
Thanks for all your support to Rachel during this tough time, and keeping Nunu and Rachel in your prayers.
We're sure that by the end of the week, Nunu will be back in action and the whole thing will be behind us.
Nunu went into surgery at 7:52am and came out in tact with 2 arms, a damaged nose, a ruffled bow, and his head back on. His head is a little fragile and we will be gentle on him for the next little while to make sure he's healed up ok.
Thanks for all your support to Rachel during this tough time, and keeping Nunu and Rachel in your prayers.
We're sure that by the end of the week, Nunu will be back in action and the whole thing will be behind us.
Point Breeze Hut
This adventure started last February, when we put ourselves into the very popular lottery for a hut from 10th mountain. We were lucky to get a Sat night in the Point Breeze Hut, which sleeps 8 people. It's near Leadville, CO at 10,500ft. We convinced another family to join us in the winter camping adventure to have some fun together and share the costs.
We went with another family: Kate (who runs with Jason/paced him at UROC 100km, and is about 6 months pregnant), Keith (really fun Dad), Lucy (age 3, 2 months older than Rachel) and Ellie (20 months).
Spend all day with the girls packing up our stuff for our trip, getting food and gear organized, etc. After kids go to bed we still had lots to get organized, and were tired getting into bed Friday night.
 |
| Leaving Boulder |
Sat Jan 11
We left the house at 7:10am and drove toward Leadville. I-70 was very busy and everyone seemed to want to get into the mountains and enjoy the awesome snow we've had. We had hoped to make it to the trail head by about 9:30am and into the hut by lunch, but that didn't happen. We stopped in Silverthorne at 10:30 or so for a snack, and then had a brief lunch at the trail head. Kate and Keith were even more delayed in their car, but caught up before long and we got organized.
After we assembled everyone, our gear, the chariots, etc in the parking lot, we set off. It was only a 0.8mile trail in and did not climb too much.
I was on skis with skins and carrying a heavy pack. Jason was on skis with skins carrying a small pack and towing a full chariot (on skis) with 2 kids and lots of stuff. Kate was carrying a baby in her tummy and on snowshoes. Keith was hiking in snowshoes, towing his two girls in a borrowed chariot (on skis) and carrying a heavy pack.
The only issues with the hike in were:
1) Kate had a very sore back, having done something to strain it the day before, and was not comfortable
2) The trail width was a little smaller than the width of the chariots in many spots, sometimes requiring some shuffling, heaving, and pushing around a rock or tree on the side of the trail.
3) Rachel was not keen to sit in the chariot next to a sleeping Ava and wanted to get out and hike up. We didn't let her, and she was upset.
Otherwise, the hike in was a lovely stroll through the trees. It was beautiful and fairly quiet, but the trail was packed down and we saw a few other people on skis or snowshoes.
We arrived at the hut by about 2pm or so and it was lovely. 10th mountain huts are very fancy and set up with lots of extras - pretty luxurious by most hut standards. There was one main room with wood stove, 4 sleeping pads, a small table, several chairs, a larger dining table with chairs, a bookshelf with maps/toys/games/books, a fairly set up kitchen with sinks and a gas stove, solar-powered lights with light switches, a small solar-powered fridge, a small adjoining room with a sink and private area to change and store cleaning supplies. There were two identical rooms attached with 2 beds each and enough space to open up and pack and play on the ground. The hut had two small high chairs and two pack and plays in it. The outhouse was 'outside' but was attached to the house and under cover, and even had a timed light in it.
After getting settled, starting the fire, having some food, and playing in the snow, Jason and I left. We went out on a small exploratory tour while everyone else played in the hut. We skinned around a bit and wondered where to try and find a few turns. We were mostly in the trees and didn't have any steep slopes anywhere nearby. There were a few cross-country/snowshoes routes around the hut, so we skinned around one loop. We took off our skins and skied down a small slope toward the hut... maybe 8 turns worth in the trees. I was disappointed how chicken I was because I was afraid of rocks and trees under the snow.
Anyway, we had a nice dinner and then worked on getting the kids to bed.
Unfortunately, it was a tough night. The four of us were in 1 bedroom and the kids seemed to take turns waking each other up. Ava normally goes to sleep by crying for a few minutes and then settling down. The few minutes of crying woke up someone else, and then I'd feel badly and pick Ava up. We didn't get much sleep and neither did the other family. Kate and Keith sang soft lullabies on and off all night to help their girls try to sleep.
Anyway, we woke early and had a pancake breakfast as the snow started to come. The wind picked up and Kate wanted to get home before traffic got bad. We were disappointed to leave because we had hoped to get in an outdoor adventure before going home. But a storm was blowing in, so we all packed up and hiked out.
Rachel hiked most of the way out on her own, before getting in the chariot near the end. We packed up the car in the cold blowing snow, and then drove toward Frisco. There was a decent amount of snow on the ground and lots coming down, so we drove slowly.
We saw that traffic was not good due to an accident between Frisco and Silverthorne, so we stopped in at Safeway and had lunch. Then we got in the car and headed East. Sadly, there were many cars stuck and wheels spinning in the 2 mile stretch between Silverthorne and the tunnel. I-70 was a disaster. It took us 2.5 hours to get to the tunnel and then slow driving home from there. We got home for dinner, thankful that we have a great car, and thankful the kids put up with being in the car all day, but mad that we live on the front range and have to share the highway with all of Denver.
The hut was lovely. We'll be going again in a few weeks, since we actually got another Sat night in Feb in the lottery. We might change a few things so we can make the next adventure a little bit more rewarding.
Unfortunately, it was a tough night. The four of us were in 1 bedroom and the kids seemed to take turns waking each other up. Ava normally goes to sleep by crying for a few minutes and then settling down. The few minutes of crying woke up someone else, and then I'd feel badly and pick Ava up. We didn't get much sleep and neither did the other family. Kate and Keith sang soft lullabies on and off all night to help their girls try to sleep.
We saw that traffic was not good due to an accident between Frisco and Silverthorne, so we stopped in at Safeway and had lunch. Then we got in the car and headed East. Sadly, there were many cars stuck and wheels spinning in the 2 mile stretch between Silverthorne and the tunnel. I-70 was a disaster. It took us 2.5 hours to get to the tunnel and then slow driving home from there. We got home for dinner, thankful that we have a great car, and thankful the kids put up with being in the car all day, but mad that we live on the front range and have to share the highway with all of Denver.
January 8, 2014
Hit by the Lazy Stick
I've kind of been in a funk, and in writing this I hope to remove myself from it.
It's been over a month since my half marathon and in that time I have been very unmotivated. I just can't seem to get myself up for much of anything. People complain about the weather in the Pacific Northwest and people getting Seasonal Affective Disorder from the lack of sunshine... I feel like I've got something like that with the cold temperatures. I am a total cold weather wimp, and believe that snow is beautiful and fun to ski in, but cold cold weather is hard. I've let myself get into a strange cycle that isn't quite me.
First, I'm not sleeping well. I tend to be very tired at 7pm but get lost in some project that doesn't put me into bed until after 10pm. I usually try to pump milk after 9:30pm and then go to bed. Rachel has been having a hard time with bed time and has been waking up more during the night, often with a wet bed that requires a full change of sheets. I've been up as early as 5am for some work activities and Jason has been trying to get up with Rachel at 6:30am on non-work days and let me rest until Ava gets up (or until I wake her up, dying to feed her, which is more common on non-work days). My 'UP Jawbone' lets me know that I'm sleeping 6-7.5 hours per night, but waking up a time or two and not getting much deep sleep. I'm lying in bed awake much more than I ever have, despite being tired.
Second, I can't get into a rhythm with a schedule. Holidays were lovely but I'm kind of glad to be back to 'normal' with Jason working again and my work schedule getting solidified. I have moved to 3 days per week at the clinic but my exact hours are a little up in the air as we sort some things out. I was planning on teaching three exercise classes a week: two early mornings and one evening. But the interest has been low and we'll probably scrap the classes. I'm a little relieved because it's tough on our family to make those times work, even though I really love the concept of teaching exercise classes and hope to make it work in the future.
Third, I am terrible at sticking to my exercise plans. I've barely been running at all because it's yucky and cold and slippery. I've tried three runs that I've stopped and walked back because of the ice. I am unlikely to make it to the gym to get on the treadmill. I have been riding the trainer a fair amount, but my effort level on it is poor. Some strength work has been happening... but nothing like what I had hoped by this point. I've barely made it to the pool in the last little while. My UP Jawbone pedometer sadly tells me all the time that I'm not getting my goal of 10,000 steps a day, and I don't even care enough to change it. Very unlike my competitive self.
Lastly, it seems like it's been harder to get outside and do stuff with the kids. Dragging Rachel away from her toys inside is work, and bundling up both kids for the cold is more work than fun these days. When Rachel was a newborn I went snowshoeing and nordic skiing with her a lot. I winter hiked with her when she was 14-15 months quite a bit. But I can't seem to get both the girls out to do much except the odd walk to the library or a visit to the pool if Jason can come, too.
I'm going to get on the trainer now... maybe for 15 min or so.
This weekend we are going on a hut trip so I really hope that helps to motivate me. The following week I will be going to South Carolina and might get a chance to run in some warmer weather, which will be nice.
I'm not sure what kick in the pants I need to get exercising, sleeping, and energetic again... but I need one. Feel free to boot me and get that Lazy Stick that keeps hitting me gone forever!
Nunu goes to the Doctor
The Adventures of Nunu and Friends
Chapter 3: Nunu Goes to the Doctor
It's been a while since we've heard about the tales of Nunu and friends. Nunu has become much more significant in our family. Rachel will communicate through Nunu and say things like "Nunu doesn't like the dark" or "Nunu is afraid of that noise" when she may not be comfortable voicing her own fears. Rachel sincerely believes Nunu is a boy in our family and signed all Christmas cards 'Love Mommy, Daddy, Rachel, Ava and Nunu.'
Since our last chapter, Nunu's number of friends has grown significantly. Rachel refers to her collection of animals as 'the kids'. There are probably 30 little animals/figures of some kind - farm animals, lego animals, bath toys, toy snowmen. Every day, Rachel wants to do nothing but go into pretend world with 'the kids'. The kids will go camping, ride a train, go to bed, picnic, escape to the boat from the flood, escape to a high fort from the fire, etc. She will do this for hours as long as an adult is there to watch her do it, and will narrate the whole thing nonstop while she creates a scenario.
Interestingly, when playing 'kids go on the train' games, each kid rides on a train car that Rachel calls a 'chuck-a-boosta"... which I think originally started when she was trying to say caboose.
Rachel loves playing these games so much that she breaks down if she has to leave the kids to go to school, doesn't want to have friends over because she doesn't want to share, and doesn't want to go do other cool fun things, like visit the museum, the zoo, the library, the park, etc. She's become very anti-social. And while that might suit her, it's been quite tough on MY social life.
Today, she put 'the kids' to sleep by tucking each of them under a blanket, kissing them, and then saying "Good night kids. I have to take Nunu to the doctor now. See you later." After turning out the light, tiptoeing away, and whispering 'bye' again, we found our shoes and coats. Rachel pretended to put on Nunu's coat/hat/gloves/shoes, and we were finally in the car and off.
In reality, Ava and I had doctors appointments. I had failed to get a sitter for Rachel so she had to come and wait out the appointments with us. This meant I packed books, a picnic basket, snacks, water, all the regular things like a wallet, diapers and wipes, and an ipad to keep Rachel quiet during the time with the doctor. Just finding my insurance card among all the stuff was a mini adventure race.
While we were in the waiting room, Rachel took off Nunu's imaginary coat/hat/gloves/shoes and put them in the stroller, where I was apparently supposed to keep track of them. She then showed him the fish and told him about each color and name of each fish (like 'Diadobee).
We were called in and went into the adult examination room for my appointment. We entered the tiny room with Ava in her carseat in the bursting stroller and Rachel unpacked all her toys in what little floor space there was. I undressed for my physical, eager to get it over with.
Rachel: "Uh-oh! Mommy, we have to go home!"
M: "Why?"
Rachel: "We forgot the tablecloth for our picnic, Mommy, and Nunu can't just eat picnic food right off the floor. His chicken steak will get dirty."
M: "Sorry, honey, we're not going home. Here - use Ava's blanket."
I then proceeded to play picnic on the (dirty?!) floor half-dressed while we waited for the doctor.
I got through my exam without too much drama and then we had to move all our stuff to the baby examination room for Ava's 6 month check up. Rachel unpacked everything again and played well by herself while I talked to the doctor.
Doctor: "Hi Rachel. How are you?"
Rachel: "Good. This is my friend Nunu. He used to be white and he is a bear but today I'm pretending that he is a piglet."
Later, Rachel would interrupt my conversation with the doctor by saying things like:
"Excuse me, Mommy, but Nunu won't eat his fish sauce with chocolate pudding."
and
"Mommy, can you move over a little bit so Nunu can have a seat so I can read him 'Frog and Toad'?"
It was determined that Ava was healthy and developing appropriately. We got her shots, and off we went. Nunu 'put on' his winter clothes again and Rachel put him on the edge of the stroller because she wanted to carry the picnic basket to the car. Nunu pushed the button for the elevator.
We packed up the car and drove a few minutes before Rachel spoke sharply: "Where's Nunu?"
I pulled over, checked the whole car, and found no Nunu. For one second I thought maybe I should just end the whole affair and drive home, but instead I turned around and went back. I pulled into the parking spot and there he was: my dirty white son lying on the icy sidewalk, lonely and cold. I grabbed him, kissed him in spite of myself, and gave him back to Rachel.
Rachel: "Oh Nunu! That was a silly hiding spot!"
When we got home, we worked on a current art project, which required a painted hand print from Daddy. The project now has a hand print of Rachel's, one of Mommy's, one of Daddy's, and one of Nunu's. When we add Ava's, we will have the whole family done.
Chapter 3: Nunu Goes to the Doctor
It's been a while since we've heard about the tales of Nunu and friends. Nunu has become much more significant in our family. Rachel will communicate through Nunu and say things like "Nunu doesn't like the dark" or "Nunu is afraid of that noise" when she may not be comfortable voicing her own fears. Rachel sincerely believes Nunu is a boy in our family and signed all Christmas cards 'Love Mommy, Daddy, Rachel, Ava and Nunu.'
Since our last chapter, Nunu's number of friends has grown significantly. Rachel refers to her collection of animals as 'the kids'. There are probably 30 little animals/figures of some kind - farm animals, lego animals, bath toys, toy snowmen. Every day, Rachel wants to do nothing but go into pretend world with 'the kids'. The kids will go camping, ride a train, go to bed, picnic, escape to the boat from the flood, escape to a high fort from the fire, etc. She will do this for hours as long as an adult is there to watch her do it, and will narrate the whole thing nonstop while she creates a scenario.
Interestingly, when playing 'kids go on the train' games, each kid rides on a train car that Rachel calls a 'chuck-a-boosta"... which I think originally started when she was trying to say caboose.
Rachel loves playing these games so much that she breaks down if she has to leave the kids to go to school, doesn't want to have friends over because she doesn't want to share, and doesn't want to go do other cool fun things, like visit the museum, the zoo, the library, the park, etc. She's become very anti-social. And while that might suit her, it's been quite tough on MY social life.
Today, she put 'the kids' to sleep by tucking each of them under a blanket, kissing them, and then saying "Good night kids. I have to take Nunu to the doctor now. See you later." After turning out the light, tiptoeing away, and whispering 'bye' again, we found our shoes and coats. Rachel pretended to put on Nunu's coat/hat/gloves/shoes, and we were finally in the car and off.
In reality, Ava and I had doctors appointments. I had failed to get a sitter for Rachel so she had to come and wait out the appointments with us. This meant I packed books, a picnic basket, snacks, water, all the regular things like a wallet, diapers and wipes, and an ipad to keep Rachel quiet during the time with the doctor. Just finding my insurance card among all the stuff was a mini adventure race.
While we were in the waiting room, Rachel took off Nunu's imaginary coat/hat/gloves/shoes and put them in the stroller, where I was apparently supposed to keep track of them. She then showed him the fish and told him about each color and name of each fish (like 'Diadobee).
We were called in and went into the adult examination room for my appointment. We entered the tiny room with Ava in her carseat in the bursting stroller and Rachel unpacked all her toys in what little floor space there was. I undressed for my physical, eager to get it over with.
Rachel: "Uh-oh! Mommy, we have to go home!"
M: "Why?"
Rachel: "We forgot the tablecloth for our picnic, Mommy, and Nunu can't just eat picnic food right off the floor. His chicken steak will get dirty."
M: "Sorry, honey, we're not going home. Here - use Ava's blanket."
I then proceeded to play picnic on the (dirty?!) floor half-dressed while we waited for the doctor.
I got through my exam without too much drama and then we had to move all our stuff to the baby examination room for Ava's 6 month check up. Rachel unpacked everything again and played well by herself while I talked to the doctor.
Doctor: "Hi Rachel. How are you?"
Rachel: "Good. This is my friend Nunu. He used to be white and he is a bear but today I'm pretending that he is a piglet."
Later, Rachel would interrupt my conversation with the doctor by saying things like:
"Excuse me, Mommy, but Nunu won't eat his fish sauce with chocolate pudding."
and
"Mommy, can you move over a little bit so Nunu can have a seat so I can read him 'Frog and Toad'?"
It was determined that Ava was healthy and developing appropriately. We got her shots, and off we went. Nunu 'put on' his winter clothes again and Rachel put him on the edge of the stroller because she wanted to carry the picnic basket to the car. Nunu pushed the button for the elevator.
We packed up the car and drove a few minutes before Rachel spoke sharply: "Where's Nunu?"
I pulled over, checked the whole car, and found no Nunu. For one second I thought maybe I should just end the whole affair and drive home, but instead I turned around and went back. I pulled into the parking spot and there he was: my dirty white son lying on the icy sidewalk, lonely and cold. I grabbed him, kissed him in spite of myself, and gave him back to Rachel.
Rachel: "Oh Nunu! That was a silly hiding spot!"
When we got home, we worked on a current art project, which required a painted hand print from Daddy. The project now has a hand print of Rachel's, one of Mommy's, one of Daddy's, and one of Nunu's. When we add Ava's, we will have the whole family done.
January 7, 2014
Rachel loves winter
Rachel loves snow and all things winter.
In the last couple of months, Rachel has been skiing, skating, sledding, and snowman making. We've had a decent amount of snow and cold, but Rachel seems to enjoy it just fine if there's just a dusting.
Skiing
3 videos: (sorry the last one is shaky but listen to what Rachel says)
Rachel's first day of skiing was with Aunt Cynthia on a snowshoe. We hiked up and Rachel skiied down the path, holding on to my poles as I ran beside her. I was so impressed with how much better her balance was this year.
The next time was down the street at a little tiny sledding hill. She skied down to Jason (about 10 feet), then Jason picked her up and carried her up to the top of the hill, and she skied down again. Repeat 35 times.
The first resort day at Keystone, Rachel had no interest in the little magic carpet. She went to the Ranger chair and soon asked her Daddy to 'keep going DOWN! I don't want to go UP!'. Daddy obliged and took her down Silverspoon to the Montezuma chair, skiing beside her as she held on to his poles. She was pretty tired at the bottom and not keen on waiting in line, but happy. After a break, she went out with me and I went 'too slow!' and I got in trouble for making her go back to the chair, when she didn't want to go up. So Jason skied with her down from Summit House all the way to the bottom of Keystone, accidentally missing the gondola mid-station and skiing the icy blue face above River Run. Quite a long way for a bent over Daddy, who was sore for days afterward.
The videos above were taken at the park down the street, where Rachel practiced skiing 'ALL BY MYSELF!' and we practiced ways to get her back up the hill without hurting ourselves. We tried making a tow out of the chariot ski poles, but in the end we didn't come up with a great towing method for uphill.
We had another resort day last week. Rachel and I skied together in the morning in the learning area. Rachel was not keen to wait in line or have help from the lift attendant to get on the chair. We did a few runs on the chair, but Rachel was frustrated to have to go up and she only wanted to go down. We did the magic carpet a couple of times, but that run was too short.
We'll see what happens with skiing adventures next.
Skating
Rachel and I went to the outdoor rink in Louisville and tried skating. It was chilly, lightly snowing, and crowded. Rachel rented double blade skates, and could walk around the floor with them well. She didn't like the idea of pushing around a chair, so instead she 'skated' in between my legs. She did ok skating, but once we discovered you could pull someone along the ice in a sled, skating didn't seem as interesting as zooming around in a sled.
In the last couple of months, Rachel has been skiing, skating, sledding, and snowman making. We've had a decent amount of snow and cold, but Rachel seems to enjoy it just fine if there's just a dusting.
Skiing
3 videos: (sorry the last one is shaky but listen to what Rachel says)
The next time was down the street at a little tiny sledding hill. She skied down to Jason (about 10 feet), then Jason picked her up and carried her up to the top of the hill, and she skied down again. Repeat 35 times.
The first resort day at Keystone, Rachel had no interest in the little magic carpet. She went to the Ranger chair and soon asked her Daddy to 'keep going DOWN! I don't want to go UP!'. Daddy obliged and took her down Silverspoon to the Montezuma chair, skiing beside her as she held on to his poles. She was pretty tired at the bottom and not keen on waiting in line, but happy. After a break, she went out with me and I went 'too slow!' and I got in trouble for making her go back to the chair, when she didn't want to go up. So Jason skied with her down from Summit House all the way to the bottom of Keystone, accidentally missing the gondola mid-station and skiing the icy blue face above River Run. Quite a long way for a bent over Daddy, who was sore for days afterward.
The videos above were taken at the park down the street, where Rachel practiced skiing 'ALL BY MYSELF!' and we practiced ways to get her back up the hill without hurting ourselves. We tried making a tow out of the chariot ski poles, but in the end we didn't come up with a great towing method for uphill.
We had another resort day last week. Rachel and I skied together in the morning in the learning area. Rachel was not keen to wait in line or have help from the lift attendant to get on the chair. We did a few runs on the chair, but Rachel was frustrated to have to go up and she only wanted to go down. We did the magic carpet a couple of times, but that run was too short.
We'll see what happens with skiing adventures next.
Skating
Rachel and I went to the outdoor rink in Louisville and tried skating. It was chilly, lightly snowing, and crowded. Rachel rented double blade skates, and could walk around the floor with them well. She didn't like the idea of pushing around a chair, so instead she 'skated' in between my legs. She did ok skating, but once we discovered you could pull someone along the ice in a sled, skating didn't seem as interesting as zooming around in a sled.
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January 3, 2014
Christmas 2013
Highlights from Christmas Holidays 2013
1) Nana sent us a package, and we got to open up a gift a day for 12 days of Christmas leading up to the 25th. It was a great way to curb the excitement of a 3 year old and enjoy something each day.
2) We had a date night to go watch the Nuggets play in Denver. My first real NBA game! Jason scored free floor tickets through work, and we had a terrific time.
3) Grandma came to visit! Unfortunately Grandma didn't make it on the 21st as planned, due to some plane issues, but she made it and we had a great week with her.
We went to zoo lights and met Santa.
Jason and I got to go skiing at Loveland for a day while Grandma stayed home with the girls. Even though it was cold and windy, the snow was great and it was awesome to just ski run after run after run.
Christmas day was really lovely.
4) Extended family (Jeannie, Glen, Lily, Eli) came for dinner on Christmas and it was great to celebrate together and hear about Jeannie and Glen's recent trip to India.
5) Family hike just after Christmas to the top of Green Mountain, and Rachel hiked a lot of it by herself.
6) One of our gifts was a stay at a condo near Breckenridge for a night, so we split had an adventure in Summit County. I skied one day while Jason watched the girls, then Jason skied the next day while I stayed with the girls.
7) Lots of time off together, social nights with friends, and barely any work!
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| Our tree |
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| Jason and Rachel at airport |
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| Stockings made by Nana |
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| The beautiful staff dinner hosted by my new boss |
2) We had a date night to go watch the Nuggets play in Denver. My first real NBA game! Jason scored free floor tickets through work, and we had a terrific time.
3) Grandma came to visit! Unfortunately Grandma didn't make it on the 21st as planned, due to some plane issues, but she made it and we had a great week with her.
4) Extended family (Jeannie, Glen, Lily, Eli) came for dinner on Christmas and it was great to celebrate together and hear about Jeannie and Glen's recent trip to India.
5) Family hike just after Christmas to the top of Green Mountain, and Rachel hiked a lot of it by herself.
6) One of our gifts was a stay at a condo near Breckenridge for a night, so we split had an adventure in Summit County. I skied one day while Jason watched the girls, then Jason skied the next day while I stayed with the girls.
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| Ava and Rachel play in the condo |
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| Both girls snuggle with their mamma |
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| View of Quandry Mtn from our room |
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| Jason's tracks skiing today above Keystone resort |
7) Lots of time off together, social nights with friends, and barely any work!
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