Cute

Just going through some photos on the camera and computer and thought these were cute.

First try at eating carrots. Pretty good.

Second try. Better.
New sleep position.
Late night giddiness. Love it!

6 Months Baby!

Look at this boy! Six months old, I can hardly believe it. We went to the doctor today for his six-month visit and Winston was a champ. He had to get all sorts of shots and barely let out a peep. Tough kid, I tell you. Here are his stats:

Height: 27 3/4 inches (90%)

Weight: 17 lb 2 oz (50%)

That's one long, skinny kid!

Some of W's most recent milestones include the following:

**Roly poly. He rolls ALL over the place. And he has this funny pose he makes where he rolls about half way between his belly and back and balances there. When not rolling, both arms and legs flail about with his mouth wide open.

**Rice cereal for breakfast. We're still working on the whole idea of eating from the spoon. He seems to be more interested in what's on the counter than what he can eat, but we're getting there.

**Sitting in a high chair.

**First trip to Chicago.

**More teeth on the way.

**Sleeping upstairs in his own room.

**First cold.

**Gets really excited when we get this bottle ready at night. Now he holds it on his own.

**Sticks his tongue out and blows spit (see below).

I love this boy because...

**He gives me loves all the time and reaches out for me.

**He gets giddy just before bedtime and squeals and laughs.

**He's sad when I leave the room.

**He holds on to his dad's arm any time we're in the back seat together.

**He nuzzles into my neck when I hold him.

**He smiles any time he sees us.

**He laughs at Lucy.

**He can be having a total meltdown, but as soon as Dave comes home or into the room, everything seems to be fine.

You'll wanna do the air guitar

Thanks to my loyal blog followers (hah!), I got quite the collection of sweet tunes for running, working out, etc. And I must admit, the playlist I put together for the big race was nothing short of spectacular. So without further delay, get out your iTunes cards and add the following to your music collections:

1. "Galvanize" by The Chemical Brothers. Pretty much the best running song of all time. Bold statement, I know. But oh so true.

2. "Runnin' Down a Dream" by the great Tom Petty

3. "Fire Burning" by Sean Kingston. You'll want to put your hands in the air for every "somebody call 9-1-1!" (That's for you, Meg.)

4. "Never Walk Away" by Journey. You can never go wrong with these guys.

5. "Go Your Own Way" by Fleetwood Mac

6. "Take a Chance on Me" compliments of Mamma Mia

7. "Love Lockdown" by Kanye West

8. "Forever" by Chris Brown

9. "Get Over It" by the Eagles

Enjoy!

Getting over it

Runner is a title I use rather loosely. I would have always classified myself as a "runner"; a casual runner, but a runner, nonetheless. Most runs lasted 3-5 miles, and to be honest, I felt just fine with that. I lack that competitive quality, so anything more than casual running wasn't really up my alley. It was physical activity. I enjoyed it. So why not?

During my pregnancy, as most women might do, I was proactively devising my post-pregnancy weight loss plan. My plan of attack was to hit the streets running. I was a runner, right? Intelligently enough, I decided to set a goal. I needed something to work toward. But vaguely enough, I sort of said here and there that I would run a half marathon (any 1/2, I didn't really know or care which one) within six months of having the baby.

Well, baby came and my body just wasn't quite the same. No kidding? As my body healed, I got back to walking and, slowly but surely, to running. Physically, it hurt. A lot. But it felt good, too.

Weeks went by and that casual goal I'd set to run a 1/2 kept creeping up on me. I knew I should find one to run, but to be honest, I was scared. There. I said it. I was so apprehensive about signing up for something, committing to it, and then run the risk of failing. So I did what anyone would do. I signed up for a race and decided not to tell a soul. Correction: I told Dave I was going to do it, but I swore him to secrecy. No one could know of my failure if they didn't know what I had failed to do, right? So lame. I know.

Now the training began. I blindly searched for some sort of a training program online. I found a really easy, straight-forward, just-get-it-done kind of program which became my confessional. It was the one thing I had to fess up to when I wouldn't reach the number of miles I needed for the week...or when my Wed. run really happened on Thurs. and my Thurs. run never really happened at all. My first long run was a bit of a shock. At about mile 5, abdominal muscles I never knew existed ached and ached with every step I took. Thirteen miles? I wasn't so sure about this idea anymore. Nonetheless, my commitment to do this was a little more real. I could do it. I felt I was on my way. Oh, but I was still so nervous.

Finally one night I just sort of blurted out to my in-laws my plan to run the 1/2. It was like I'd revealed some dirty secret, when, let's be honest, it really wasn't that big of a deal. Surprisingly, it felt OK to finally have someone else know what I was doing. Sort of like having someone else on my side. It felt good. So during our family trip this summer, I told my parents and siblings of my plan. Mind you, pretty much my entire family has already run a 1/2 or full marathon. But still, they were excited for me and proud that I was working toward my goal. Instead of feeling more apprehension about the possibility of letting all of these people down, I felt great.

A few weeks later, my "secret" came out during Young Women's at church. And let's be honest, anything discussed in YW could quite possibly end up in the ward bulletin or discussed over the pulpit. But the girls and leaders were all so excited for me. Some were probably a little shocked, too. Yet again, instead of being anxious, I felt excited. And soon, 10 miles became 11, then 12, and even 14.

Labor Day was the big day. My big day. The completion of this somewhat half-hearted goal I'd set months ago was staring me in the face. At 7:20 a.m. the gun went off. And off I went.

Thankfully, 2+ hours later, I put a check mark next to that goal of mine. I'd done it. But even more than completing my goal, I feel like I finally stared my inadequacy complex in the face and got over it. My husband, my family, my friends are here to support me, to cheer for me, to help me complete whatever race or whatever goal it is I set out to achieve. Instead of wasting energy worrying about letting them down, I can channel that energy into doing, into moving forward, into accomplishing whatever it is I want to do. Sure, it can be risky, but why not?

I most definitely didn't win this little race. Really, I wasn't even close. But I feel so satisfied with how I finished in the end. Cliche I know, but my journey to complete this goal was so much more valuable than crossing that finish line. I learned confidence. I learned strength. I learned to trust in myself and the people most important to me. I learned that I can do hard things. And you know what, I think I'll do it again.