Busy Busy Busy

This is a week I've been waiting for, for a long time. When we looked at the house before we bought it, I remember thinking the bathroom was really nice. It had a jet spa tub and a stone floor.  Um, well, on closer inspection it is laminate floor to look like stone and the tub is peeling, and the baseboards are uneven and the sink is dated and blah blah blah. The bathroom works, but after living with in for 4+ years, I am ready for a redo. Luckily, and have a VERY handy family and my brother and dad agreed to do some pro-bono work for us. All we had to do was buy everything (not quite an easy task, but still kinda fun).  We are halfway through things, so I thought it was time for an update.  Now to remind you, here are some before pictures.

Here is the sink and floor looking cleaner than it ever has

Our lovely shower.  Even though it looks perfect for handicapped people, I can tell you it is a life saver for pregnant ones too.

 Now, let the destruction begin!

This is behind the shower. I didn't get to see much because I was at work and when I came back it looked like this.

Unexpectedly, half of the floor had plywood on it (score!) and half had tile on it (weird).

Instead of putting cement board on the ground, we just used the plywood and tile and prepared it with mortar. Here is Henry helping out.

 While everyone was working on the bathroom, Frances has been working on other things. This week she got her two bottom teeth and I think I feel a top tooth coming in too (my mom agrees). She is thrilled to have everyone here, but at the end of the day she just wants her mama and wants to feed every hour during the night (I'm not even joking here although I wish I was).

Here she is loving all the Grandma time.

 After the bathroom was gutted and prepped, it was time to lay the tile.  Unfortunately for my dad, we chose a big tile with made things a little more difficult. Sorry Dad!

Dad laying the tile by the toilet (or where the toilet will be)

 After the tile was down, we finished the cement board around the shower so we could start tiling today.

Here's the tub all ready for the fun.

So today the electricians are here to put in overhead lighting, the toilet and sink will be moved back in and the tile will go up on the bathtub. This is very ambitious and I haven't even mentioned what we are doing upstairs. If we don't get all done with this today, we will be delayed a full day (as opposed to a half day right now).  I'm rooting for team Solyntjes to get it done!

Steps to Running

Yesterday I wanted to run. Well, actually, I wanted to run every day that week, but it had been three days since my last run. This time, I was determined. While at work, I told myself I would run as soon as I can. These are the things I did before getting out the door.

1. Come home
2. Nurse Frances
3. After feeding Frances, Henry starts a peek-a-boo game and it is just too cute to stop.
4. Give Frances to Aaron and pump breastmilk
5. Clean the pump supplies
6. Use my inhailer
7. Get my running clothes on and hear Frances start to whimper
8. Hold Frances while I get my running gear together and then realize she is tired
9. Feed Frances to sleep
10. Put her down in a crib (gently)
11. Get my running shoes on
12. Open the front door and realize I never put my bike in the garage
13. Go back inside, open the garage door and put my bike in
14. Say goodbye to Henry and Aaron
15. Henry tries to follow me out the door and I have to block him out and get Aaron
16. Leave the house and start running.

No wonder why it is hard to find time. The whole ordeal lasted 45 minutes (and my run only 30 minutes). I came home to luke warm dinner (props to Aaron for thinking ahead and preparing dinner!), but it was still tasty. Running is said to be the easiest sport because you can just get out and go. Well, not in my house.

Haircut

First off, just to let everyone know, the root canal was easy and painless. I don't know if I was especially lucky or what, but I had no problems. 

Last Wednesday I picked Henry up from school and he was hot and sweaty. His little curls were all wet, and even though I love them, I thought he needed a cooler haircut for summer. I asked him if he wanted it done and first he said no. I mentioned I would put it up on the blog, and he said okay. As you are about to see, the results are very dramatic.

Here is Henry's before picture, quite serious

Here is what the back look like

I gave him a mirror to watch my progress and I started.

Still a serious guy, check out his hairy adult-like hand (or maybe that's Aaron's)

You ask what Frances was doing? Oh, just hanging out being the perfect baby

Mommy was finished but Daddy thought it needed a little extra

And done! A whole new boy

After this haircut, I think he aged about 3 years or so. I can defiantly see the resemblance from when Aaron was a kid. I know all of his curls are gone, but the haircut makes his cute face even cuter.  That night we went to a t-ball game and I actually had problems finding him (I couldn't look for the hair).  I will get used to it and Henry is going to stay nice and cool this summer.

Growing Up

I understand denial.  It's easier to deal with. When I was in medical school I didn't have dental insurance, wasn't making any money and I knew I had a cavity. Up until this point my teeth had been perfect. When I looked in the mirror I could see a little black spot on my tooth. I guess I felt like if it didn't hurt me it wasn't there, so I put off dealing with a dentist.  Eventually it started aching a little, so I finally went. Of course, it was a cavity and I had to have my first filling.  Ugh.  Not a big fan of the dentist, but I pulled it together and got it fixed. I remember him commenting that it was close to the nerve. I guess that is why it hurt a little. After that I felt better and never went to the dentist for YEARS.  I know, I know, bad me. Once I finished residency, I could no longer say I was too busy. Also, my work gave me dental insurance. So I went to the dentist and had  to have a few more cavities filled. I got all caught up and felt very responsible.

This month I found out my work is canceling our dental insurance due to financial problems. Hmm, I guess I needed to get to the dentist soon. I found out that it had been a year and a half since my last visit. I guess old habits die hard.   I went to the dentist yesterday and they told me that I need a root canal. They said that the cavity that I got filled in medical school was probably too close to the nerve and over time it developed problems. I asked what I could have done different and he replied nothing, but I still feel like a failure, like I should have prevented this problem. The tooth doesn't really hurt, but I guess if I give it time, it will.

So, I scheduled a root canal for this afternoon. I am not happy about this at all. First, this seems like the most miserable experience ever (and I've had 2 babies). I googled what a root canal is and started watching a video. I have been in the operating room many many times and I don't mind the sight of blood and surgery, yet I had to stop this video.

Needless to say, yesterday I left the dentist's office very unhappy. I feel like my body is letting me down. I'm only 33 years old (although the other day I really thought I was 34). Because I'm getting older, I have to suck it in and do what I need todo, regardless of pain or money. It's not a happy thought. Luckily for me I had to walk home from the dentist and by the time I was home, my mind was resigned to the fact that I need the root canal. No more denial, no more putting it off.

So today, after my morning clinic, I'm off to the endodontist. Wish me luck

All Star 5k

So finally after all this running, I have finally run a race. I realize that I don't talk too much about running on my blog, but I am running a lot, (at least 3-4 times a week) am reading a new book ("Run Like a Mother http://www.amazon.com/Run-Like-Mother-Moving---Family/dp/0740785354/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341844779&sr=8-1&keywords=run+like+a+mother), and have been perusing lots of running blogs. So, even if it is not in my words, running is in my head often. I also know I like reading race recaps, so I will enlighten my readers on how Aaron and I fared.

We had to wake up relatively early to get to the race on time (6:00am), but it was not too much of a problem since my kids wanted to help prepare me by waking up at 5:30 the day before.  I guess it helped, right? Once I got up, I at a piece of toast, a peach and coffee. I knew I didn't want to eat too much, but I didn't want to be hungry either. This was a good amount because I didn't get sick to my stomach and I didn't feel starving. Aaron's mom generously came over to watch the kids and we hopped in the car and left. We wanted to leave by 6:30, and as we were pulling out, the car said 6:31. Not bad at all.

Aaron found a great parking spot that was close to the race. The pictures are at that said parking spot. I used my poor quality camera phone for the pictures and decided to put my phone in the car so I didn't get any race pictures. My phone just wouldn't fit easily in my hidden pocket in my shirt. Because of our great spot, we got there about 30 minutes before the race started. There were already a lot of people there, so we just stood around and waited. When we were in the car driving to the race, my body felt a little nervous, but because we waited so long to start running, once it was time to run, I felt normal.

When it was finally time to start, there was a lot of talking, blah, blah, blah. I kinda zoned out a little, but it was good to know that 100% of the proceeded were going to finding cures for cancer. It seemed like they kept passing the microphone to more and more people and it got a little long. Eventually the race started, and I took off and...... oh wait, I stood still. I guess there were 9000 people there or so (the largest in all-star history), so there was a little congestion and it probably took a good 5 minutes before we got to the start. Still, the little walking to the start like was a good warm up.

Once we finally took off, it felt good. I was really curious to see how Aaron would do with this race because all his training has been indoor on the treadmill. Because there was so many participants, you really had to weave in and around people, but it wasn't as bad as the Thanksgiving run in Minneapolis. Still, you had to pay attention. Aaron and I settled into a nice grove and for the first mile ran 11:22. It felt good and I wasn't getting tired at all. I am all about conserving energy for the end. During the course, there were two fire hydrants that were spraying and Aaron ran through both of them and like it. I skipped it because of my glasses.  The second mile felt very similar to the first and our pace seemed very steady. We had to go over a bridge, but the little hill didn't make a difference on our pace. The next mile was 11:18.

Now this is when things got tricky. After mile 2 we headed back to the Power and Light district and that's when things got a little hard. You see, to get there there is a long, slow, hill. It's not super steep, but just constant so there is no relief.  It was getting a little hard at the end and I had a side stitch for a moment. I looked over at Aaron and he was doing pretty good. I thought, if he can do this hill with no hill training, than I could certainly hang on. I was never thinking about walking, just slowing down a bit... but I didn't.  I told one of my running group friends that my goal was to not inhibit my naturally athletic husband (who did train for this race, but MUCH less than me). So, I did not slow down. I just plugged away. We finished the last mile at 12:20 or so. It was a little slower, but understandable considering the hill. The last 10th of a mile was nice and downhill and after recovering from the hill, I was ready to make an impressive finish, so I started going faster (and Aaron too).  Pretty soon it became more and more congested until we were FORCED to walk. I could see the finish line, and according to my watch we had 1/100th left to go. I was so disappointed. I wanted to finish in style, but instead I had to WALK over the finish line. This happened due to three reasons; 1, the 1 mile fun run racers were finishing right when we were, 2, the finish line was smaller than the road so it created a bottle neck, and 3, there were lots and lots of people. I wasn't happy about it at all, and I really think the planners of this race should have thought about those issues. I'm over it now, but because of them, I don't have an accurate finish time for my first 5K.

After the race, we picked up our medals, water and food and headed home. One of the things I like best about running is that after running feel. It might be the endorphins, but maybe it's also your muscles relaxing and thanking you for the work out. Either way, it makes me feel good.

July 4th

We had a great day yesterday. It all started with a run with Henry (he was in the running stroller). We were able to run 4 miles and when we were almost done we noticed there was a little parade on the trolley trail. It was perfect because Henry could enjoy the people dressed up and the kids riding their bikes while I could get a little rest. Then we headed for home and ran the last half mile. We ate lunch and then headed for the new spray park in Grammy's and Poppy's neighborhood. It was hot and crowded but still a lot of fun. At first Henry was a little nervous because he didn't want water in his eyes. I was already thinking about that possibility so I brought some goggles with us (pretty smug about my preparations). Here, take a look.

This is toward the beginning. You can notice that Henry is being cautious.

Frances wasn't too interested in the water, but she was tired so who could blame her.

At this time, Henry was having an all out good time. 

Feeling confident. Probably my favorite picture of the day.

Super Henry!

While Henry had fun in the sun, the adults tried to stay cool in the shade.

After the water park we stayed at Grammy and Poppy's house for a while. Grammy was gone, so it was just Poppy. Henry got a lot of good one-on-one time with him. Me, on the other hand, I just rested and played with Frances. Speaking of Frances, she is now 6 months old. Check her out!

Hello, just chillin' on the carpet.

She is such a great baby, much better than I ever could have dreamed. Yes, she still has her moments, but they are easy to handle. I don't know what more to say about her, I just love her so much!

What? You love me? Aw Shucks

I mean, who couldn't love this girl. I'm the luckiest mom around. Oh, and after hanging out in Lees Summit we decided to be really patriotic and went out to eat at Thai Spice. It was great! After dinner we went home and went to bed. Yup, no fireworks for us. Henry is still not a fan so why force it. Maybe in a few years, who knows.

Swimming

Great news, she's a swimmer!

When we got to the pool, she was wide eyed and curious. Once we got her waist deep in the water, she started whining a little and clung to me a little tighter, but soon she loosened her grip and started having fun. She liked to kick. I would hold her chest and let her swim on her stomach and her little legs would kick, kick, kick. It was adorable. There were a few times she put her head in water or got splashed and she usually looked surprised, but never once cried. I put her on her back once, but she just kept trying to sit up, so I flipped her to her stomach. We stayed for a long time and when she got home she took a little nap (because she worked so hard). I can't wait to go again.

Henry was also great. According to a new YMCA policy, kids under 5 need a life jacket so Henry wore one and I think he liked it. There was one time he was pretending to do the Olympic start for the back stroke, but usually he would just go back and forth to each side of the pool. As always, he wasn't ready to leave when we did, but all of our bodies were looking like prunes, so it was time to go.

With two young children needing constant attention, we skipped the pictures, but hope to get some next time.

July

Welcome to July. We've already had a busy day and we are going to have even more fun soon, but before I get to that, let me give you a quick recap

Finally Frances is starting to be better again at sleeping during the night, which leaves a happy girl (above) and a happy mama. We increased her Zantac dose, so maybe her reflux was bothering her, or maybe she was just going through a phase. Either way I'm glad to be done with that. A few weeks ago we bought a jumper and Frances absolutely loves it. She is a good jumper and will amuse herself quite easily. It is fun to hear her squeeling in delight.

Because of this heat wave, I've been scared to bike with Henry, but early this morning after breaskfast it was still nice so we went out. It's our third time, and I'm happy to tell you that the ride is much smoother. I can tell Henry is getting the hang of this biking thing. I had Aaron take some pictures for everyone out there.

This us leaving our driveway making the perfect turn.

This is us peddling fast.  This was right after Henry said "I love bike riding."

I think this is going to be the perfect Mommy-Henry activity.

After biking we went to the grocery store, then church, and now we are going swimming. How much fun can one day handle? We will let you know.