8 months

Rachel just turned 8 months old.  A few days ago we held a friend's new 5 day old.  Wow!  What a difference in these two little beings.  The little newborn, just over 7 lbs, was the teensiest little thing and Rachel seemed like a giant in comparison.  Everyone told us it would happen... but babies do grow!

So what is new with Rachel?  She's getting harder to take good pictures of, since she's always on the move.  Here are the things going on in her world.

Sleep - about a month ago we started sleep training and for about 3 weeks Rachel has slept from 7pm-5am straight without getting up.  We even put tinfoil over her windows to keep it dark in her room, hoping she would sleep a little longer in the morning.  On a great day she'll sleep until 6:30am.  On 'bad days' she'll wake at 4:30am and we'll try to encourage her to keep sleeping.  Two months ago we would have laughed at the thought of a 'bad day' being over 9 hours without waking!

Naps - Project Nap was the next thing to work on when night times improved.  Rachel has never been a good napper.  Even as a newborn she never slept like other babies.  Until recently, she was the queen of 30 minute cat naps here and there.  But she was getting crabby and needy toward the late afternoon... so we decided to make naps a bigger priority.  This hasn't been easy for us.  It means being home every morning and every afternoon for crib time.  It means we aren't as good at being able to run around and do anything we like at any time.  But Rachel will sleep for 60-90 min every morning and every afternoon, and will go down without nearly as much fuss.  She will still sometimes sleep in her car seat or stroller if we're going on a trip or a long run.  We're getting to be those scheduled parents we never really wanted to be.  But it does make for a happier little girl and better rested parents.

Rachel eats rice cakes

Eating / drinking - This is a fun time in the world of eating and drinking.  Rachel can hold a cup with a little water in it and safely drink the water by herself.  She can hold her own milk bottle to drink it, too.  Today, she ate the following foods over her 3 meals: cereal, breastmilk, pears, strawberries, applesauce, yogurt, banana, sweet potato, chicken, carrot, squash, Cheerios, toast, rice cakes, turkey, tofu, green beans, black beans, cauliflower and strawberries. Phew!  The only food she has outright rejected has been pasta.  Imagine that!  We both LOVE pasta and she can't stand it.  She's also not a fan of green beans unless they are pureed.  She's having less and less puree and more and more solid food which really just means more MESS!!!

Playing (Mommy almost wrote "motor skills" here) - No major milestone has been reached since she could sit well on her own (5.5-6 months).  But she is getting better at moving around and is trying all sorts of new things.  She can roll across the floor to get at something.  She tries to do little pushes like crawling but gets frustrated and can't keep herself up on her hands and knees for very long.  She can move from sitting to lying on her side and is close to pushing herself back up to sitting.  She can pull herself up to stand, but isn't very good at this yet.  She does enjoy playing in standing but doesn't really get how it works yet.  She frequently lets go with her hands to play with a toy and falls over. 

Language - At this point, I don't think we'd put money on Rachel being a linguist.  She's a pretty quiet (I know, whose child is this?!) and laid back gal.  She doesn't make too many sounds and isn't doing the "da-da-da" or "ga-ga-ga" sounds you'd expect of an infant her age.  No teeth yet, either!

We love our little girl and hope you enjoy these little tidbits of her world.

Jason runs 50km - Sun Mountain Trail Ultra

(Meggan's perspective)
May long weekend is supposed to promise blue skies and warm weather... or so we continue to hope each year.  Saturday morning we packed the car full and headed back down to Winthrop, ready to camp again.  This time it was just our family but we were still staying at our friends' property.  There were rumours of flooding in the area, but when we arrived we were happy to see that all was well and camping would still be possible.

We arrived just after lunch and fed Rachel in the sun.  She didn't mind the dehydrated green beans or the Walmart brand jars of baby food if they were heated up a bit.  Rachel woke up with a runny nose and seemed a little on the grumpy side, but was hanging in there.  I was exhausted and Jason had to work hard to convince me to get up off my butt and head out to the course so I could get in my run.  My marathon training plan included a 22-23km run this weekend, so my plan was to follow the 25km race course and stop a few km early.  I have been pretty good about getting in all my runs so far and I've been quite proud of myself... but things are getting tougher each week.  I was still exhausted and sore Sat from my trail run Wed night!

Rachel waiting for Mommy to reach Thompson Ridge

But, even thought I begged and pleaded not to run (and instead to sleep in the sunshine), Jason dropped me off at the trailhead and off I went as he promised to meet me 8.5 miles later at the top of the climb.  Thankfully, it was a beautiful course and the scenery was the only thing that helped me get through my heavy legs and unwilling lungs.  I hiked most of the trail - a long climb that I was struggling through.  My calves and hamstrings were threatening to cramp as I climbed and climbed.  The temperature dropped as I climbed and I was shocked to see snow patches.  Running by myself started to weigh on me as I didn't have companionship for the first time in all my training.  I started clapping and shouting to avoid any bears and made myself nervous since I hadn't seen anyone else at all in many miles.  I was way slower than I said I would be and I was nervous that Jason wouldn't be able to wait for me at the top.  I was so thankful that he stayed and waited for me because then he and Rachel could be closer car support for the descent.  Sadly, my legs were so heavy that I feared injury on the muddy single track and gave in after 17.5km.  It was the hardest run I think I've done since playing field hockey.

As soon as I finished my run, the skies opened up and let out all the rain.  We hit a pizza place in town for dinner and Rachel had her first solid food meal at a restaurant.  Other campers kept entering the place, searching for hot food and reprieve from the pelting down rain.  We reluctantly left, needing to get to our tent and put Rachel to bed.  She normally goes to sleep at 7pm or so and it was closer to 8pm by the time we put her down.  And then ... we lay there.  Quiet.  Wondering what to do.  It was pouring outside so our choices were to hang out in the car and then come back to the tent and risk waking Rachel up or stay in the tent and be quiet.  So we whispered through a game of Quiddler and then fell asleep before 9pm.

Rachel eating breakfast in a modified camp chair

Rachel woke us up and wouldn't settle down until after midnight, but then slept well again until her latest wake up time of 5:30am.  At home we've been working on letting her soothe herself back to sleep... but right next to her in a tent and with her having a cold - that was more challenging.  She actually spent the second half of the night in her carseat in the tent so that she was propped up a little better and could breathe better through her cold.

Sunday morning the rain stopped.  Jason's 50km race started at 10am so we had time to enjoy breakfast and I hopped in the river for a very quick and refreshing dip.  At the race start we saw other friends we knew, including our friends Sarah and Colleen who were doing the 25km.  After the start, Rachel and I headed out to watch in one car and Sarah's family came with me to find the runners on the trail.  We managed to watch Jason and then Sarah/Colleen at about 5 miles, 9 miles, and 15 miles.  Rachel and I then went to the 25-mile aid station and had a play time/picnic while we waited for the runners.

Jason came in to the aid station at about 4 hours, looking fresh and having a good time.  I couldn't believe it!  I was so sore and put off from how hard I found the first 9 miles of the trail that I was blown away to see him lightly stepping and smiling after a marathon on the trails!  I decided that this was a good thing and I should be happy for him - not mad that he makes it look so easy.  We gave him a kiss and wished him luck on his last climb and went to the finish to watch him come in.


At the finishing chute, Sarah and her family and Rachel and I cheered Jason coming in.  Rachel and I yelled 'Go Daddy!' and Jason picked Rachel up and crossed the finish with her. May 22 would have been Ray's 58th birthday, so Jason was running this race with a somewhat heavy heart, but he says those were happy tears from being cheered on as "Daddy!" It was an exciting and emotional finish... just over 5 hours for 50km on difficult trails.

World's best fan club

The rain opened up again shortly after this, and we packed up and headed home after Jason cooled down a bit.  The drive home seemed long and tiring for all of us.  Rachel wasn't happy about the drive.  We were those parents singing 'Old MacDonald' and 'B-I-N-G-O' (the most annoying song) over and over again, trying to get her home.  She played with every object in the car hoping it would entertain her.  But we made it home and put her to bed and spent the holiday Monday getting organized and cleaned up.

Today is Tuesday.  Rachel still has a runny nose.  Meggan is exhausted, has a cold, and canceled half her patients for the day to try and get healthy again.  Jason is doing really well... and HE's the one who raced!!!

To view the race GPS and see where Jason went, click here: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/87645131

May 6 Tenting / May 7 Trail Marathon Relay

Many people are asking how our first tenting experience went, and if we have any tips for our friends with babies to camp this summer.

Let's back up and review a few things.  We don't often 'camp' like most people.  Camping for us comes in one of two ways: a) we need a place to sleep and, since we're cheap, we find a free rec site and pull in late at night, pitch a tent, crash, and leave the next morning OR b) we're on some other longer adventure (backpacking, hiking, paddling, etc) that includes tenting for several nights in a row.  We are NOT typically the kind of campers who have lots of stuff and have things really organized and stay at the campsite for a while and have fancy food.  I remember seeing families in Australia that went 'camping' for the summer and had fridges, generators, and tvs set up next to their surfing spot on the beach.  So... if you are the kind of family who plans to relax and sit around at the campsite and make yummy food... we are not the people who should be giving you advice from our experience.

Let's review our plan for this trip.
Friday - Meggan works until 4pm then we drive down to Winthrop, WA and hope to get there in time for Rachel's bedtime.  Eat on the way.  Set up tent.  Hope for no rain.  Sleep.
Saturday - Trail Marathon starts at 8:30am and it takes about 45 min to drive from the campsite to the start.  Meggan runs the first half while Jason takes care of Rachel.  Then Jason passes Rachel to Meggan and he completes the second half of the race.  After some food we either stay another night and relax or come home if the weather is not great.

ELEMENTS OF THE TRIP:
1) The Drive
We found driving much easier on this trip than some others.  It's a 2.5 hr drive - much shorter than a trip to Vancouver, Seattle, or Spokane.  Also, we had room for an adult to sit next to Rachel to entertain her.  Lastly, we can feed her food on the road since she can eat solids from her car seat.  So we had no issues whatsoever with the drive down or back.  (Previously we endured horrible crying on this highway.)

2) The Weather
The forecast called for rain, and rain it did.  However, we were blessed.  It did not rain while setting up or taking down the tent or very much while we were running.  It rained hard overnight and after we were finished running, which did spark the desire to come home Saturday instead of spending a second night in the tent.  It was very cold overnight and this caused Rachel's little hands to be quite chilled.  She let us know this was the case at 4am when she screamed and screamed until she warmed up inside her Mama's sleeping bag and puffy.

3) The Campsite

Our friends Dave and Stacey are building a cabin in Twisp, WA and we set up our tent in their field.  They have a port-a-potty and running water on site.  But lucky for us, the cabin is almost finished so we also had access to bathrooms, a full kitchen, and a covered warmer area to hang out before bed.  Talk about luxury camping!  I could even plug in my pump in the house into a real outlet (I had planned to use the car adapter and pump in the car.)

4) Our Tent
In our pre-child camping years, we were all about light, efficient, and cramped.  For this trip, we borrowed a 6 person family dome tent from our friend Amber and we were sold.  It took a little bit extra effort to set it up, but once it was up we were sold!  We could walk around inside it.  We could diaper change inside it.  We put Rachel's travel crib set up inside it and we still had heaps of room to set our own sleeping pads and bags up without disrupting her sleep.  We would not have been able to make this happen to the same level of luxury with our old 2-person light-as-a-feather backpacking tent.

5) The Help
We didn't try this alone.  We had 6 other adults and a dog at our campsite with no other children.  There were many hands on deck to set up tent, hold the baby, entertain the baby, etc.  We also had other friends doing the race that were around at different aid stations and at the finish and the post-race meal to help hold Rachel.

6) The Food (Rachel's)
I was pretty stoked to try the dehydrated sweet potato, green bean, and pear/peach mixtures I'd made.  We'd also bought jars of food for the first time and started with that in the car on the way down.  Rachel was NOT a fan of the mixed vegetable WalMart brand jar... but she is a good sport and politely had some without throwing it up.  We'll have to see if she dislikes all jarred food or just this flavor or what.  She ate lots of cheerios and rice crackers as we were on the go quite a bit.  She didn't have many opportunities to try the dehydrated food after all... but I will admit I am really disappointed in the outcome there.  She took down what we offered her like the great eater she is.  But the food didn't 'hydrate' into any kind of appealing texture and it all seems like it was a lot more effort than it will be worth in the end.


7) The Race

The Sunflower Trail Marathon Relay race course was beautiful.  I ran with my friend Jehanne for our 13mile section.  We were a bit nervous going in since our longest run to date was a mere 13-14km.  We weren't sure that the extra 7km would happen.  But we felt really strong and enjoyed the trails and the scenery as we chatted along.  At 10km we saw Jason, Rachel and Nick cheering.  Onward we went.

We had it in our heads that our section was 12 miles, and in fact is was 13.1 miles.  That last mile was also on pavement and uphill, so it was a challenge to our tired legs.  But we came into the exchange and saw Jason, Rachel, and Nick waiting for us happily at 2 hours and 18 minutes.  Not a bad half marathon time for a casual long run in the woods!  Jason handed me Rachel, gave me her latest food and diaper update and he took off.

Meggan finishes 21km and gets Rachel as Jason takes off

He took his much more technical, hilly half of the run in just over 2 hours, passing loads of people.  I met him at the finish line with all our friends. 

Jason crosses finish line with Rachel in his arms

We both enjoyed ourselves.  2 days later, I'm still amazed by my body and encouraged that I will be able to run a full marathon in 3 months.


So.  One night in a tent and a trail half marathon done.  In two weeks, we'll go down again.  We'll make Rachel wear more clothes to bed and it will be warmer.  We won't have nearly the help or access to the cabin.  Jason will be running 50km and we'll be camping for at least 2 nights.  Wish us luck!