Moving Up

Notice anything different? If you realized that Ezra is sitting at the table and not in the blasted piece of crap annoying haaaaaaated high chair, then you win! :) He transitioned into Caiden's old booster chair this past weekend. I am SO happy to finally be rid of that most annoying item! I cursed it pretty much every day. :P

Ezra seems pretty happy in his new place at our table, too. Awww...now we're really a family of four as we sit around the table for dinner. :)

My First 5K

It's official. I ran my first 5K, and I can hardly believe it! :) I've never been a runner. I've always hated the idea of running. But something crazy clicked in my head about 2.5 months ago after hearing some of my neighbors talk about getting into running and reading an article in one of my magazines talking about fitness buddies. So I told B I would do the Couch to 5K training program with him if we was interested. I bought the app for my phone and within a day or two we were pounding the pavement!

It didn't take me long to realize that I needed some proper workout clothes, and that we would benefit from a double jogging stroller for the boys. I dropped some cash at Kohl's, and B scoured Craigslist where he found a decent deal for a stroller. Our general run schedule was Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday mornings. We lucked out with a beautiful fall which enabled us to run outside up until the end of October. Then it finally got cold enough in the mornings where we felt it was better for us (and the boys) to utilize the local gym.

A family friend of B's clued us in to the Hot Chocolate 5K/15K that was happening in Chicago on Nov 5. My sister, Cathy, ran that last year, and I remembered her telling me about the gobs and gobs of chocolate they got! When I checked the date against our 9 week training schedule, I found that the timing could not have been better!! The date of the race landed right at the end of our final training week! Talk about serendipity! So we signed up that very night and now had a serious goal to keep us honest. :)

I had a lot of ups and downs throughout the training process; especially in the first few weeks. The program helps you gradually build up to running for a full 30 min by breaking your workout into walk/run increments. The running portions steadily lengthen as the walking portions shrink. I really struggled with the running part in the beginning. I was OK running for 60-90 seconds, but for some reason, the 3-5 min runs were so difficult! I was seriously worried about the upcoming weeks and the longer runs. But then I started using music to help me on the runs, and that made ALL the difference for me. Suddenly I had something different to focus on and a beat to help me with pace. Once I made music a regular part of the routine, it became much more bearable.

The day I ran for 20 min straight (week 5, day 3) was a HUGE milestone for me. I never thought I'd be able to do that. A lot of people say that running is a mental thing. If you can get past the mental stumbling blocks, it's amazing what you can really do. Getting to 25, then 28, and finally 30 min weren't nearly as hard as those first few weeks. Don't get me wrong, I often hit points throughout my run where all I want to do is walk or quit, but I find ways to push through those moments and muster up new strength to continue on.

The nine weeks pretty much flew by, and before I knew it, it was race weekend. Caiden and I took the train down into Chicago (his first proper train ride!) to pick up our race packets at the expo, and I decided that since this was my first ever 5K, I'd treat myself to a shirt and mug to commemorate the occasion. :) We went to bed early-ish that night, and 5:30am rolled around pretty darn quickly. Cathy was super awesome and showed up at 6am (on a Saturday, mind you, again - SUPER awesome) to take care of the boys for us so that we didn't have to wake them up and take them downtown in the cold with us.

We got on the road a little later than planned, but still made it downtown in pretty good time. We were stymied by some traffic and construction, but finally found our way to the parking garage and coughed up the $25 for the convenience of close parking. Lucky for us, the start was delayed by 15 min due to a semi-truck getting stuck thus causing a race route modification. We huffed it over to gear check, stripped down some layers, ditched our bags, and finally into our corral. On our way, I got a text message from my sister Karla who was also super awesome to get up ridiculously early on a Saturday morning to come down and cheer us on! That really made my day to have someone we knew down there to cheer for us!!! :D We found her on our way to the start line where she high-fived us and snapped our picture. :)

Moments later, we crossed the start line and started our run!!! Now, up to this point, I had never actually run the full 5K. I didn't realize this until the final week running on a treadmill. I wasn't entirely sure I could run the whole distance, but I really wanted to try, so that was my goal and what I kept using to motivate myself to stay strong! It was neat running with such a HUGE group and listening to all the chatter going on around me. I also could feel the excitement of everyone which was a neat experience and also good for motivation. :) The course was pretty neat. We started in Grant Park on Columbus and Monroe and ran through downtown. We turned onto Randolph and ran thru the theatre district. We passed the block where my old office was, then turned to continued down Franklin. We took Franklin down past the Sears (Willis, bah, whatever) Tower and turned again down Van Buren. That lead us to Michigan and then to Roosevelt and finally back to Colombus to the finish line.

At the midway point I grabbed a Gatorade from the volunteers, and felt cool and all runner-like as I crushed the cup and tossed it on the pavement when I was done. :P By the time we got close to mile 3, I was starting to get tired and decided it was time to bring on the tunes. That helped to distract me and keep me going. We also spotted some people with signs cheering us ALL on towards the end. They had signs that said things like "Keep running, total stranger, you can do it!" and "You inspire me" and the like. It was both funny and motivating. Then we had an evil hill to conquer, and BOY did that ever test my mettle! I survived that, and when we rounded the bend, the finish line was in sight, and I was still running!!! At that point, I knew I could make it to the end without stopping! I had yet another serendipitous moment where the one song I needed to keep me going kicked in and carried me to the finish line and ended just as I crossed. I couldn't believe it, but I DID IT! I ran my first 5K! WOO!!!! My result was 39 min and 25 sec which works out to a 12:42 mile. I'm pretty proud of that for my first time out!

B and I stayed together through the whole run and crossed the finish line together. :) He called me his "pace girl," and he was a huge part of my motivation to keep moving! I am so glad we could do this together. :)

Afterward, we picked up our gear, connected with Karla, and headed into Grant Park for the after party. We enjoyed chocolate fondue with marshmallows, rice krispie treats, apples, pretzels and bananas, some hot chocolate, and lots of chocolate!!! We hung around a bit to listen to the live music (Maggie Speaks), and just overall enjoy the beautiful day we had to be in the city for this race.

I am so proud of myself for this accomplishment. I'm not eager to do another 5K anytime soon, but I want to keep up the running for cardio, and maybe I'll be ready to do another 5K this summer at a more local spot. Overall, this has been an amazing experience and absolutely eye opening to know that this is something I can do (and did!).

Halloween Happenings

B pointed out to me that this has been the best Halloween we've had in many years! Most of our Halloweens in Seattle had been lame at best. Highlights had been work related except the one year (2006) when we threw a party with some friends. But outside of that, none of our friends threw any parties, and we didn't feel like we knew enough people to throw one of our own - especially after C& E came along. I could also count on both hands the number of trick or treaters we had over SIX years. How pathetic is that?! Since each year became progressively lamer, my zeal and excitement over Halloween dwindled along with it. Gone were the days of spending months planning our costumes, eschewing the Halloween superstore drek, and eagerly counting down the days to Halloween. Why bother when we had no parties to go to?

Well, this year that has all changed! We went to our neighbors' awesome party dressed as the Yip Yip aliens from Sesame Street. We had everyone guessing who we were and getting quite the good laugh! It was also beyond awesome to be able to just walk down the block to get to their house! Katie came over to babysit for us, and that made one less major thing to worry about. Then on Sunday, we had a wonderful afternoon hanging out with Rusti & Amanda and enjoyed some yummy chocolate caramel apples.

Yip yip yip!

"Why are you doing this to me?!"

Then Monday was the big day! I dressed Caiden in his Buzz costume and dressed myself in some variation of a witch's costume (couldn't find my darn hat!), and we went grocery shopping. He got lots of smiles and salutes from various shoppers. Later that afternoon, Cathy came over to see the boys in their costumes. :) Around 4pm, we piled the boys in the wagon and went over to our neighbors' house to meet up with the rest of the kids to have a little pre-party (with some healthy snacks!) before hitting up the neighborhood.

There was an Easter bunny, butterfly, Rainbow Brite, baseball player, some superheros, Cleopatra, and I'm forgetting many of the others, but lots of cute costumes!

z

The whole crew

We left en masse and did our trick or treating together at all the houses. I loved watching Caiden go up to the door with all the kids and then run after them as we all moved on to the next house. He would thank the person at the door and then in a sing song voice call out over his shoulder "To infinity and beyond!" It was the cutest thing ever!

Hey! Guys! Wait for me!

Converging on the neighbors

Everyone found a gravestone to lie in front of

We covered several blocks and were out for about 90 minutes. I was actually surprised to hear Caiden call it quits and tell us he was ready to go home. But hey, no arguments that way! :)

We left a bowl of candy outside our door (but forgot to turn on the porch light - whoops!), and we could tell we missed some visitors. We had a few more trickle in after we got home, but the festivities ended at 7pm. It really was one of the best Halloweens we've had in quite a long time! I look forward to having fun again next year (and planning our costumes out sometime next spring!) :D You can see all the rest of the photos I posted here.

Caiden's First Day of School

We've created a new motto, posted on our masthead here at the Batavia Duchette. It's your news, delivered better late than never. :) So then, on with last month's highlight. :)

Caiden started preschool on September 8th! He is in the 3 year old morning class at Batavia Nursery School at the Congregational Church. He goes each week on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-11am. We often walk to and from school on the nice days which I LOVE! He is in one of the smaller classes with 9 other kids. His teacher's name is Mrs. Stuttle. After the first week or so, he seemed to really settle in to the routine, and I think he likes going to school. They are learning about letters and numbers, learning how to recognize their first and last names, about the seasons, how to use scissors (which I think he learned how to use those at The Nest) and cut on lines, singing songs and rhymes. They have snacks each day, and I signed up to bring in Easter treats next year. (I was too late to sign up for Christmas or Halloween!)

Caiden talks most often about playing with the (construction) site trucks and snack time. Sometimes he tells me about playing with the other boys and/or girls. I don't think he's made a "best friend" yet, but there is still plenty of time for that. Our neighbor is also in his school, but enrolled in a different class. Maybe they'll be in the same class next year!

So far, I really like his teacher. I got to meet her during the orientation, and she seems great! Her classroom is decorated very cute, and I loved getting the chance to spend a little time in it during the orientation. I had a few emotional moments looking around his classroom and thinking back on the few memories I have of my own days in preschool. I wasn't at all sad, just amazed that now my own child is going to school.

Each morning I walk Caiden close to the front door and then turn him loose to head down the stairs and into the classroom on his own. After school the policy is for the teacher to release the child physically to whomever is picking him or her up. So the kids are all lined up behind the teacher, and they call out the child's name for pick up. It's such a wonderful feeling to see Caiden's eyes light up when he sees me and have him run up to me and give me a huge hug!! It's my favorite part of the day. :)

I look forward to seeing him continue to learn and enjoy school. So many families send their kids to this school, so we know it is a good one! :)

First Day of School on Our Front Steps

Mrs. Stuttle's Classroom

 

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Huge HUGE Milestone for Caiden

Today is a VERY exciting day in our household. Caiden has successfully started potty training! I will confess, I really wanted to give up on it this morning because it just didn't seem to be going well. But I'm glad we didn't quit, because Caiden wound up using the potty FOUR times today! I knew to expect accidents and that it's going to be a "process," but I'm not the most patient person, so it was a hard morning for me too. I'm just so done changing his dirty diapers, plus he starts preschool next week so both of those were excellent motivation to get moving.

We started the day with underwear and no pants. Caiden wasn't too thrilled with that idea at first, but he eventually got over it. We were asking him if he had to go potty every few minutes, but he still wound up running to the potty AFTER he already went in his underwear. This happened twice, and after the second time I told him no more underwear - he'd have to go naked from the waist down. He really didn't like that idea either, but he also got over it pretty quickly. He had two or three more small accidents, but then suddenly, he got the hang of it! No more accidents the rest of the day. He had a diaper on for his nap, but he woke up dry and used the potty pretty soon after. He got rewarded with a piece of candy each time, and we danced in celebration. :)

We'll do the same thing again tomorrow, and then try the underwear again on Saturday. Fingers crossed that he keeps up the good work!!!!!

My First Wordless Wednesday

Headbanger in Training

Ezra had me cracking up over this! So glad I could capture this on video! Now you can enjoy it too! :)

My Goodness - My Baby Ezra is 12 Months Old

Wow. Just wow. My baby is one year old already. It was nice in the middle there for awhile when it didn't seem like time was flying quite so fast. Then we moved to IL and suddenly time warped and here I am writing up Ezra's last monthly update. (Yes, this will be the last of the monthly updates. The next big update will be 18mos.) It hardly seems possible that he is already one. I want to share a comment one of my friends in Seattle made at her 2nd son's one year birthday party. She noticed that with child number two, you really see that they're still really babies at age one. At the time I was still pregnant with Ezra, so I didn't really understand. Now I totally get it. When your first child hits that milestone they seem like such a big kid. But really, you don't truly understand that isn't the case at all until you can see how young they really are at the tender age of one. It's kind of mind blowing and a little comforting all at the same time.

We had a little family celebration on Ezra's birthday. Ezra enjoyed his first cupcake. (Although he didn't eat nearly as much of it as I thought he would, and he really didn't seem to like the lemon butter cream frosting at first.) He didn't make a huge mess of himself, but he sure did like squeezing the cupcake in his hands! After that, we moved into the family room for presents. Big brother was a little overly helpful in the present opening, but Ezra kind of figured out how it all worked. Caiden "gave" Ezra some Matchbox cars (which C has since attempted several times to adopt as his own), and he got a water table (outdoor toy) and puzzle (which I was pleasantly surprised at how interested he was in it!) from Mom and Dad. He'll have a few more things to open from us at his party on Saturday. Grandma and Grandpa got him a cute outdoor water toy that attaches to the sprinkler. I can't wait for him to try both that toy and the water table this week!

We are looking forward to the big birthday party with family this weekend. We are especially excited that Ezra gets to meet his great-grandparents for the first time! It was a little strange celebrating his birthday with just us first and then having to wait for the party. With Caiden, we were able to celebrate with the big family party on his actual birthday and then we did our own little family thing a few days later. I hope he has fun on his big party day!

Unfortunately, Ezra's birthday also falls right around the start of school So that means getting him a doctor appointment for his one year checkup had to be delayed. So I don't have any official stats to post yet. I can tell you he is bigger and taller tho! LOL! He has been wearing 12 month clothes for awhile now and he is growing out of the shoes I bought him earlier this summer. (Why I bought him 3 pair of shoes all in the same size at this big sale is beyond me.)

ETA: As of 8.31.11
Weight: 23lbs, 2 oz (50-75%)
Height: 31.75in (95%)
Head: 18.75in (75-90%)

And now, let's get on with what Ezra's been up to this month!

• He'll routinely turn himself around in a full circle spinning on his bottom using his heels to propel himself. Makes me laugh every time!
• He loves to give kisses! Granted, they're presently open mouthed slobbery licks for the most part, but I still love that he will give kisses when asked. In fact, on his birthday I was playing with him on the floor, and he just kept on leaning over, taking out his paci and giving me kiss after kiss after kiss! Without my even asking for them! Melted my heart, it did.
• He suddenly adores books (YAY!). I've been concerned that I haven't been reading to him enough, and when I did, he wouldn't sit for long. Up to this point he'd be content looking thru some books and did generally like to be read to, but he didn't seem overly interested. But now that has all changed! His current favorites are Gossie & Gertie, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See, You & Me, Baby and pretty much anything with pictures of babies in it. He will find his favorites, bring them over to you, and sign for "more" after handing you the book. After you finish a book, he will request that you read these over and over and over. I love it!
  
  

  

  I love my  book!

  
  

  

  Will you read to me?

  
  

  

  More Gossie & Gertie please!

  
  

  

  I'm hungry for books!

  
  

  

  I am concentrating very hard

• Speaking of signing, He pretty much signs "more" for just about everything. I've been working on teaching him other signs, so we'll see how that goes.
  
  
  
• Ah sleep. My ever obsessive topic of discussion. His overnight sleep is great; he generally sleeps from 6pm to about 7am. His morning nap has been mostly good, but the afternoon nap has been a fight for the last 3-4 weeks. He'll take the afternoon nap about once a week, but otherwise he just skips it. He is pretty happy up in his crib while he is fighting his nap, but as a result of skipping it, he is exhausted by bedtime. We already had to move his bedtime up by 60-90 min to accommodate his lack of nap, but some days that gap is very long. He makes a game out of chucking his turtle, blanket and pacifier out of the crib and then complaining for them. No matter what we've tried, we can't seem to recover this nap. I am preparing to move him to one nap a day in the afternoons. It has quite honestly been driving me crazy, and I wind up feeling very defeated day after day of losing the nap battle. (I also don't get a break from the kids during the day as a result of him skipping that 2nd nap.)
• He still eats like a horse. I can hardly believe the amount of food he puts away. I think he eats about 2x as much as Caiden. He almost always cleans his plate, but he can be particular about eating food in a certain order if he sees something on the plate that he really likes. If you aren't fast enough with adding food to his tray after he signs for more, he lets you know just how impatient he feels about waiting with a loud shriek. Over the last couple of weeks, we've been feeding him the same dinner we're having. Up to this point, we'd occasionally share with him, but often we'd have to make something separate because of all the frustrating dietary restrictions that lift at the one year mark (e.g. tomatoes, and we have A LOT of tomato based dishes). So far of all the meals he's shared with us, he hasn't rejected much of anything! Some newer items he's enjoyed are: spaghetti and tomato sauce, taco casserole, salsa chicken, and some of our beef crock pot meals. It's been so nice not having to worry about preparing separate items for him! One thing I haven't been talking about for some reason is nursing. I am still breastfeeding him, tho his feedings are down to 2x a day. Once in the morning and again right before bedtime. He was nursing 3x a day up until about a week ago when we dropped the mid-day session. We'll be starting him on whole milk this week, but I'll keep nursing him as long as he wants to continue.
• He seems to have figured out the grass outside isn't so weird after all. Maybe it feels nice after crawling around on all the hardwood floors here. :P
• He has made quite a few strides (heh) in the walking dept. No independent steps yet, but he is much more confident in walking while holding on to the furniture or someone's hands. It's been fun walking him around the room or down the hall.
• He has become positively attached to his paci. It strikes me as so odd since he wanted nothing to do with one the first several months! It really has been a lifesaver at bed/nap time tho! I also made a very wise investment in a mesh bumper for his crib. He would often knock the paci out of his crib by accident and then wake up and cry when he couldn't find it. The bumper has totally solved that issue and has made for more restful night's sleep for baby and mom & dad!!

I think that covers most of the major highlights from the month. In case you were wondering, the first tooth remains elusive. I swear, at this rate we're going to wake up one morning and he'll have sprouted a full set of teeth!

I still can't believe I'm writing his 12 month entry. It hardly seems like that much time has already passed. I do look forward to seeing what kind of person he is going to be, I just don't want it to happen too quickly. :) So far he has such a lovable and cuddly personality. He's pretty laid back and often content to play on his own. He loves to be carried around and gives great snuggles. I love the huge grin he gives me whenever he sees me walk into his room. He is such a sweet little boy and I love him to pieces! :)

Here are the links to the latest photos for both Caiden & Ezra. (Sorry for so many blurry pictures. I'm learning how to use a new lens and it's been a little challenging.) And here are a few favorite shots. :)

SIP

Ahhhh....refreshing!

Happy 1st Birthday Ezra!!!!!

Happy Birthday to our sweet sweet little boy! It's been such a fun first year with you!! We love you very much!

Ezra at 11 Months

I can't believe my baby is 11 months old already. I felt like time was slowing down for a wee little bit awhile back, and then suddenly it just up and went warp speed on me! *sigh*

He's been a real trooper with the move back to IL. I was very pleasantly surprised at how well he adjusted to the new time zone. There were a few hiccups in the first week, but he transitioned very well. He had plenty of fun finding his way around Grandma & Grandpa Duchek's house, and of course what kid wouldn't love all the extra attention?! :) There has been no shortage of hugs and smooches for our little mister from all his adoring grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

One more month until I have updated stats on his height and weight, but suffice to say he is quite comfortable in 12 month clothes.

And no big surprise that I didn't keep much of a running log this month of his changes what with the move and all. So I'll have to wing it again to try and remember all the things he's up to these days!

• I'd say his biggest accomplishment this month has been pulling up and standing while holding on to something or someone. He is getting more and more confident in these skills, and I can hardly believe he is already at this stage!
  
  
  
• He is starting to do just a little bit of furniture walking or "cruising." He is still pretty hesitant here, but he has done a few steps here and there.
• He is positively zipping along on all fours! It's funny to see him kick it into high gear when he sees something (or someone) he wants!
• He knows how to wave bye bye or night night.
• He finally figured out how to sign for "more" and "all done," although his "more" sign is basically clapping.
• Ezra has started sharing his baths with Caiden. Some nights this goes better than others, but overall, they seem to enjoy each other's company.
  
  
  
• Ezra is definitely playing and interacting more with Caiden. Often times, Caiden is taking toys away from him, or somehow whacking him, but Ezra is very interested in what his big brother is up to. Some days Caiden seems to rather enjoy playing with him. One game he likes is to crawl around the house with Ezra.
  
  
  
  
  
• One of my favorite things is listening to Ezra and Caiden blow raspberries at each other in the car. What I like most about it is seeing (or hearing) Ezra respond to Caiden initiate this game.
• He has adjusted real well sleep-wise to the new house. He didn't sleep so well when he was away from Daddy tho! Most days he naps well, and bedtime has been real smooth. The only issue has been trying to deal with Caiden inadvertently waking him up in the morning.
• Ezra loves playing with Caiden's matchbox cars. I think he is so cute clutching a car in each hand. He also still likes emptying boxes and bins of their contents one by one.
  
  
  
• He likes to "share" his pacifier by trying to stuff it in your mouth. And he loves the game where you pretend to stick his pacifier in the wrong spot - on his cheeks, his nose, in his ear, etc.
• One thing he has discovered is trying to explore your teeth and mouth with his hands. When his nails are too long it hurts!!
• He really loves being outside and going for walks. He has been positively lighting up when we get outside. However, this nasty heat wave we've been stuck in has made this quite a challenge, so the poor kid has been stuck in doors most days.
• Often time, Ezra really wants to be held and see what's going on from the "big person's" perspective. I enjoy holding him and carrying him around, but sometimes it proves to be quite the challenge when I'm trying to do something like cook dinner!
  
  
  
• Ezra continues to be the black hole at mealtime. Such a voracious appetite! He devours his sweet potato along with just about anything else you put down in front of him. Things he doesn't like so much wind up tossed on the floor.
  
  
  
• He totally cracks us up when he's working on a poop. He makes the funniest expressions and sounds ever!
• There are times where he can be super squirmy. He just tries to crawl and flip all over you while being held and then complains when set on the ground. I'm not sure what he wants during those times, and it can be excessively frustrating if you are the one he is making into a jungle gym.
• Like his brother at the same age, he is not thrilled with being set on the grass, but has learned to occupy himself with pulling up clumps.
• Also like his brother, he absolutely loves to swing at the playground. I swear he could spend hours in the swing!

I wish this could have been a more thorough and thoughtful entry, but it is already 13 days past due and I'm afraid if I put it off any longer, it would wind up being even more terse! I also can't believe that the next update will be marking his 1st birthday! Yikes!!!! My baby is growing up too fast already!!!

And here are the links to the rest of the photos for Caiden & Ezra. (Make sure you are looking at the prior month's photos too, since those get updated thru the 22nd of each month. For example, June has more photos added of both boys.)