Months 8-12

I am abandoning my remaining monthly lessons.  I have gotten bored with them and I sure others have too.  But here's a wrap up of major changes.

Nothing special happened in month 8.  In month 9 he started crawling... oh, how life was about to change!  The biggest thing in month 10 was finding out Cooper was allergic to penicillin (read more about that here and here).  In month 11 we work on switching to sippy cups, which took some time.  We had to find a cup he liked and get him use to it.  Right before he turned 1, started taking a few steps but not full walking yet.

Motherhood has been a wonderful journey.  I never understood the saying "they grow up so fast" like I do now.  Hopefully I can look back on these lessons when we have another child.  I know things will not be easy with the next child, but I am sure we will feel more confident as parents.

Month 7/ Lesson 7

I have been gone for too long.  We decided to sell our house and were busy working on getting it ready.  But back to my lessons!

In Cooper's seventh month of life, I went back to work... or internship.  And since my job was an internship this meant I was both a teacher and a student.  In this month I learned how to be a working mom and wife.

After spending 6 wonderful months at home with my baby boy I had to leave... and I had no idea how absent I would be.  My first day felt like the longest day ever.  I think I did some major speeding on the way to daycare to pick him up.  I definitely thought about Cooper all day, but at the same time I was ready to dive back into something other than being a mom.  And with this feeling came the inevitable guilt.

I had to learn to let the laundry go and the dishes go, even more than when I was taking care of a baby (first 2 months excluded).  I had to lean on my partner in crime, my wonderful husband more.  And on days where it was tough... really tough, I had to remind myself that I was finishing this degree so I could give the best to my son.

Also during this month, Cooper experience his first snow! (Which bought me a few extra hours with him because of school delays)

Cooper's first snow!

Month 6/ Lesson 6

On December 25, 2012 it was Christmas day... and Cooper's half birthday!  So in month 6 I learned how to handle Christmas with a baby.  While I had already tackled the first major holiday, Thanksgiving, I am usually just a visitor enjoying the food on that day.  During Christmas I am much more involved.

I usually cook a big lunch for about 5 people.  While I do cook during the week, this is no ordinary meal.  Plus, and most importantly, I now had another person to care for and feed.  And to feed this new person I had to sit in one place and that was all I could do.  So this Christmas dinner took much more planning and a lot more time.  Here's my blog about my Christmas meals.

Other than cooking on Christmas day, there were presents to buy and Christmas Eve to survive.  I planned ahead for exactly what gift I wanted to buy the many people on the family Christmas list.  If you count mine and my husbands family there were 20 people we planned to give gifts to, which doesn't include my husband, Cooper, or me.  When I knew what I wanted to get each person I planned where to go and what time... trying to work around Cooper's nap schedule.

Christmas Eve went pretty smoothly.  At the time, I was worried again about his naps.  He got a little nap and still went right to bed as soon as we got home.  Which aloud me to prep for the next day's meals.

Little babies, or maybe just Cooper, can be a lot more flexible with their sleep schedules than I thought. I was slowly learning this and taking more chances when heading out with him.

Month 5/ Lesson 5

In month 5 we had our first major holiday!  And in my family, Thanksgiving is a huge deal.  It is at least a 2 day event.  My two brothers, my dad, and his four brothers and sisters with their multiple kids and their kids' multiple kids and in some cases, their kids.  So that's three generations in one house.

But back to the matter at hand.  In the 5th month of motherhood I learned how to handle the first major holiday.  We have now survived our first trip, however, the drive to our family Thanksgiving is longer.  Cooper did pretty well on the 6 hour drive... but the last hour I think he was tired of being in the car and cried. (And I forgot to mention he cried the last 30 minutes of our first trip... come to find out he pooped!  Whoops.)

Then it was Thanksgiving Day!  Cooper wasn't really interested, but I had the Thanksgiving Day parade on the TV for him to watch.  He took his first nap and things were still on schedule.  We headed to our family Thanksgiving after he woke up.  When I was trying to plan for the day, I was worried about how Cooper would get his other 2 naps he usually takes.  So I thought "he usually sleeps well when he's lying on me."  So I took my Moby wrap and hoped that it would help him sleep... and it kinda worked.  He did nap on me, briefly.  I thought if he could fall asleep while wrapped up, maybe I could walk around some once he was asleep.  Nope.

After the family Thanksgiving lunch, there was dinner with friends too.  Despite Cooper's lack of sleep, he did pretty well and didn't fuss much.  I'm sure that had to do somewhat with my friend's two children being super interested in Cooper.

All in all, they day was good.  However, I was exhausted from being worried about his sleep all day.  So, we all slept great that night!

Month 4/ Lesson 4

In Cooper's 4th month of life, we took our first trip!  During this month I learned what it takes to travel with a baby!  It was a weekend trip to visit family and go to an Auburn football game.  It was only a 4 hour drive, so we thought this was a good test trip - not too far away.

If you know me, you probably know that I am a list-maker.  So my lists began... and the overwhelming feeling began.  There were so many things on the list!  And I was worried I had forgotten to write something down.  The best piece of advice I got when trying to prepare for this trip was:  Write down everything you use throughout the day and that is what you pack.

I finished packing and felt pretty good about it.  One thing great about traveling when he was this young... no bottles, no snacks, no food; just a boppy and a cover.

It was a four hour trip so we planned to stop half way through and we all had a snack.

The whole thing really went smoothly.  I had told myself to plan for the worst... and realize it will probably go better than expected.  And it did!  He slept most of the time.  While we were there everything went pretty well.  He napped when he got the chance and didn't fuss much.  The only minor mess up was that I left my cover at the house we were staying at... but I luckily had a blanket to cover up with.

What was your first baby trip like?

30 minutes!

I ran 30 minutes, without stopping!  I haven't done that in about 6 years.  I was so excited.  I went for a night run that I didn't really feel like doing.  But I told myself I would make it 22 minutes.  At 20 minutes I thought to myself, I can go for 25 minutes.  Then I thought to myself, I'm feeling so good I can make it 30 minutes!

When I ran these 30 minutes it was partially thanks to the perfect circumstances.  For dinner I had pasta.  I ran when it was dark, so there was no sun and less heat.  And I had plenty of water that day.  I know I will have to remind myself of this the next time I run and I can't make it 30 minutes.

I measured the route out on Map My Run and it was 2.5 miles, which means I am running a 12 minute mile.  I hope to eventually be faster.  For now I'm just happy to be running

Running update:  I've decided to postpone my 10k plans.  I am still going to complete one, but I think I need time to get in better shape.

Month 3 / Lesson 3

Month 3 was tough.  Even though things were getting slightly easier with the baby, things at home were not.  My father-in-law was sick and in the hospital.  We had no idea he would be in the hospital for almost a month.  Understandably, my husband wanted to be at his side.  His schedule was work, hospital, home to go to bed.

So I did what I had to do and took over the house and the baby.  We both said, after the fact, that it was like I was a single parent.  In month 3 I learned that life as a single parent is not easy and help from your partner is priceless!  Many women and men have to be single parents for different reasons and I applaud the hard work you do!

My friends and family that are moms had been telling me "do what you have to do," and I did.  This is also the time I discovered the moby wrap.  To do laundry, I wrapped him in my moby, to have some peace and quiet I wrapped him.  I also had to sometimes just let him cry long enough for me to finish unloading the dishwasher.  At the end of each day I was exhausted.  I had used every napping moment to wash the dishes or do laundry.  The rest of the housework would have to wait.

Unfortunately, after a 4 week stay in the hospital my father-in-law passed away.  We had two major life changes within three months.  We had to adjust to a new normal.

Luckily I am not always handling everything by myself.

Watching his first Auburn football game, just the two of us

Month 2 / Lesson 2

Two months down and Cooper and I were really getting to know each other.  We both learned how to breast feed and how to sleep when we got the chance.  I also learned how to take a shower and keep my eye on a baby at the same time.  But the most important lesson I learned, looking back on month 2, is that you can't spoil them and mess up their sleep in the first few months of life.

And I say "looking back on month 2" because I did not think this lesson was true during those first few months.  I read bits and pieces of many books on sleep worried I was doing things completely wrong!  I was paranoid he was never going to be able to sleep in his crib!  Those first two or three months Cooper practically lived in his bouncer seat.

I asked several moms about when, where, and how much he slept and they tried to assure me that things were going fine but I was so worried (being a worrier runs in the family).  You may try to put baby on a "schedule," but he/she will choose their own schedule... especially in the early days.  It will be hectic but reassure yourself "this too shall pass."  With any luck, your baby will put himself or herself on their own schedule, love to sleep, and be a great sleeper like Cooper.  Well... really, we just got lucky.  Here's how Cooper sleeps these days:

Latest run

Since the last time I wrote about running, I have not followed my 10k training.  Lucky for me, the schedule is for 8 weeks and I have more than 8 weeks.  I decided this would be the week I really stick to it!

I started out with Sunday, a long run day.  For whatever reason, I decided to go right before dinner.  It had been 5 hours since I ate so I was not fueled up enough at all!  And boy could I tell.  Before this run, I had run a few times for 20 to 25 minutes without stopping.  On this run I had to stop many times.

Monday I did a little bit of strength training.

Tuesday was a 2.5 mile run.  I managed that with no problem!  I learned my lesson about running without fuel.  Everything went so much better and I didn't have to stop at all.  However, my shins began to hurt.

Wednesday is cross training.  I took the dogs for a 30 minute walk... shins still hurting.

The rest of the week it rained, and rained, and rained some more.  The rain combined with a holiday, the Fourth of July, and my shins hurting lead to me taking Thursday off.

Friday is an off day... woohoo!

Saturday was 40 minutes of cross training.  Since it was still raining, I went to the gym and did a cycling machine.

All and all I think I did pretty well!  Hopefully I'll keep it up and be able to run my end of August 10k.

This blog may be changing soon.  I'm considering making this more of a mommy/running blog... maybe.

Month 1 / Lesson 1 (Warning: if you don't like to hear about breastfeeding, stop reading)

In the first month I learned the dedication breastfeeding takes.  Before baby comes, decide how committed you are to breastfeeding.  If you have taken a class at all, they will tell you it's not easy... and it is so true.

The first few days in the hospital were not terrible, but not necessarily easy.  Then we got home and things got really hard!  He kept falling asleep... thus the milk was slow to come in, so there wasn't much to eat.  The doctor suggested we "finger feed."  What does that mean?  We had to put either pumped milk or formula in a curved syringe and have him get it out.  So I had to nurse him, then pump, while my husband gave him the milk out of the syringe.  And we had to do this every 2 hours... night and day... for 48 hours... and the whole process took 1 hour!  Talk about sleep deprived!

The milk finally came in and we had a happy baby and a happy mama.  Breastfeeding was not all a walk in the park.  So, you have to know you're committed before the baby comes and you are an emotional mess (thanks to hormones).

First birthday!

One year ago and a few days my life changed forever!

My 23 lb. boy was this small... what? (8 lb. in this picture)

The time has really flown by!  I cannot believe that this time last year Cooper was only a few days old. Those first days at home were really the most challenging.

Cooper had a small but wonderful birthday party.  And he of course had cake to get all over his face!

Another milestone Cooper had the night before his birthday party was that he spent his first night away from home.  The Hubs and I went to a late wedding so it was easiest to let him spend the night with his Nana V than have someone stay here late while he just sleep.  I can't believe he's old enough to not have to be with me all the time.  During most of his first year he would have starved without me!

For the next 12 weeks I am going to try to do 12 lessons I learned during the first 12 months of my son's life.

Vegetarian

So I have decided I want to try making one meatless/ vegetarian meal a week.  I think it would be healthy, teach me new things about cooking, and give me more variety.  This week I found a "stuffed peppers" recipe.  Here's the website where I found it: stuffed peppers

They turned out delicious!  Even the 11 month old liked the rice part (the stuffing).  Here's a picture from the final step.

Try to ignore the creepy dog eyes that are begging for the rice to drop

Ingredients:

2 green bell peppers
1/2 cup rice
2 green onions
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tomato
1 tsp basil
1 tsp italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
pinch of pepper
1/2 cup feta cheese

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (or 350 in the case of my 30 year old, stupid oven)
2.  Place parchment paper on a baking sheet or lightly grease a baking sheet
3.  Prepare rice (if I know how to do this... you should too)
4.  Cut peppers in half and seed.  Place pepper halves on baking sheet, cut side down.
5.  Roast peppers in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until tender and start to brown (or only 20 minutes in my 30 year old, stupid oven)
6.  Thinly slice 2 green onions and dice 1 tomato
7.  Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil on med-high heat till hot.
8.  Add green onions.  Add 1 tsp basil, Italian seasoning, salt, and a pinch of pepper.  Cook for 2 to 3 minutes
9.  Add tomato and cook for 5 minutes, while stirring
10. Add cooked rice and stir till heated through
11.  Remove from heat and mix in 1/2 cup feta cheese
12.  Spoon rice mixture into pepper halves and return to oven for 5 minutes

3 days on - 1 day off

I decided I would work out/ run for 3 days and then take a day off.

This week I actually followed through!  The first day I ran about 2.5 miles and I ran for a total of 25 minutes... almost consecutively.  On Monday I lifted some weights.  I attempted some ab exercises on a machine and was surprised to find out how weak they were.  I suppose 9 months (really 10 months) of my stomach stretching will do that.  Then on Tuesday I ran 2 more miles.  I rested Wednesday and ran 3 miles on Thursday.  Today I rested because tomorrow I am starting my 10k training!

Cotton Row 5k

That's right, I have decided to start training for a 10k.  I was disappointed in my last 5k performance and time... and I am majorly doubting myself.  But I figured I may as well try!  I am excited for this challenge but nervous.  Right now I feel like I can hardly finish 3.1... and soon I'll double it.  However, I once walked a marathon distance charity walk (Avon 2-day walk for breast cancer).  So, I figured I can always walk.  My only goal is to finish, without them having to drive me back to the finish line.  I have walked a marathon, completed a sprint triathlon, and completed a swim/run event... surely I can do this!

Here's the training schedule I'm following.  I'll be doing a little mixture of both.  About.com is not the most reputable running website... but it gives me some sort of structure.

Beginner 10k training
"Advanced" beginner 10k training

Monte Sano 10k Road Race
August 31, 2013
Here I come!

Anyone with tips on 10k distance running?

Working Mom to Stay-at-home Mom

I have been back to being a stay-at-home mom for about a month now.  The beginning of my time did not go as expected... penicillin allergy and all.  Then we had a vacation which was much needed.  Now for the past 3 weeks I have been focused on my mom routine.  At the start of my internship I thought the stay-at-home thing was just going to be for the summer.  However, I cannot imagine the beginning months of my future child's life without me there 24/7 for longer than 6 weeks.  And no, I'm not pregnant.  Seeing the true rigors of a teacher's life I have decided to postpone that career till I am done having kids and all of them are at least 1 or 2.  I know it may be harder to get a teaching job after this... but I know I will never regret staying home.

The first couple of weeks I feel like I was just playing catch-up: laundry, dishes, grocery shopping, reorganizing (a tiny bit).  Now at the end of my third week I feel like I am finally getting a rhythm.  The time I am getting to share with Cooper is precious.  Being away from him for 4 months was much harder than I thought.  I definitely missed the kid!

Now that I'm caught up on the cleaning, (though it is and endless task because I have to keep it up!) I am trying to figure out the many things Cooper and I can do.  He's not walking yet so somethings we cannot do.  So far we have been to the zoo and the park.  Cooper is not a big fan of grass so the park is an adventure.  He was standing in the grass and slightly raised his foot today!  One step closer to walking!  Next we conquer swim lessons and maybe Spring Valley Beach (water park... kinda).

8 years

It did not occur to me till late tonight that it has been 8 years since my mother passed away.  I still remember that day very well.  I had just returned from a quick trip to Auburn.  My uncle and I were in her room at Providence.  Some pastor from the hospital staff had come to talk to us when she quietly slipped away.  While we knew it was coming, there is never anything that can prepare you.

I miss her everyday.  But I also know that she is looking down on me happy and proud with how my life has gone.  She is a guardian angel watching over all of her wonderful grandchildren.  She wanted to be called Gigi for her grandmother name.  That's how I refer to her with Cooper so that he may come to know her.  I hope I can be as wonderful a mother to Cooper, as she was to my brothers and me.  I love you Mom.

Knives and Oil and Ovens, oh my!

I like to cook for my family... but I am NOT a natural cook by any means.  My mother was not a big cook either.  We had a lot of fast-food and hamburger helper while we were growing up.

I must have a recipe with whatever I cook so I am always flipping through cook books to find good recipes.  And tonight I thought I'd make something different.  I found a recipe for pork fajitas.  Now, some of you may be thinking "fajitas aren't hard to make.  Why do you need a recipe?"  Again, I am not a natural cook.  First, I am afraid of knives and always paranoid I will cut myself.  Most of the time I manage ok, despite this fear.  So I'm cutting up a pepper and I get the stem and seeds out fine.  However, I was a little difficult because I had let the pepper get a little old and flimsy.  Then I start thinking about how I'm also going to have to cut the onion and the hot oil the recipe calls for.  I'm paranoid of hot oil.  It pops sometimes and can burn.  My paranoia of being burned causes me to be a little afraid of ovens also (but it has gotten much better since I started cooking more often).

So, my difficulty with the pepper and worry about cutting the onion, pork, and cooking them in oil left me with one option... asking my husband to cook it instead.  Luckily he obliged and it turned out delicious.  Maybe I'll try to cook it again sometime.  Till then I'll stick with the stuff I know.

Family Vacation

Usually when going on vacation, I strategically plan things out according to the hours they are open and their location in the city.  To those of you that know me... this should come as no surprise!  As I was planning this vacation, I got some advice from my brother who is a father of 3.  He said to allow for plenty of down time.  So instead of my usual vacation timeline, I simply made a list of the places I'd like to go and the area they were in.  We were headed for Washington, D.C. and there was more than enough to do.

I first attempted to view the plethora (thank you Three Amigos for introducing me to that word) of museums, memorials, and many other things to do.  With my list of things to do and their location, my next step was to plan where to go on what day... according to the weather of course!  The memorials were reserved for the best weather day, since they are all outside.

After we made it to our destination we just hung out with family the rest of the afternoon... and I went to an urgent care place to get my ear looked at.  Then on the first day of sightseeing, it took us several hours to get our bag together to be gone all day... we didn't get into D.C. till lunch time.  And when I say "our bag," I really mean Cooper's.  We had to make sure we had:  diapers, wipes, bottles with formula, food, snacks, toys, change of clothes, etc.  The first day we actually forgot his change of clothes.  I was paranoid he was going to have a blowout!

Cooper did amazing the entire vacation.  He got a few short naps each day and was not totally miserable.  I'm not sure if we just got super lucky with Cooper or if all children are more flexible than I thought.

Day 1:  Museum of American History and Natural History
I dressed Cooper in his dinosaur shirt because I knew we would see dinosaurs (yes, I'm a little crazy)

Day 2:  Memorials and White House

Day 3:  Museum of Air and Space and Capital

Day 4:  Arlington and Holocaust Museum

Family Travel

After a crazy 4 months of internship, we all needed a vacation!  I was excited for it, but also nervous about taking our first family vacation with a little one in tow.  How would he do traveling for that long?  How would he do without his usual 2, 2-hour long naps (this kid loves to sleep!)?

When I go on vacation, I like to have things super planned... but more on that in the next post.  First we had to get to our destination... Washington, D. C.

We had a 2 hour drive to the airport and that was no problem; Cooper slept during most of it.  Since we were traveling with a baby, we needed to bring a stroller and a carseat.  After some research we found that Delta will let you check both for free!  But it was a little difficult getting a stroller, carseat, baby, 2 suitcases, 3 carry-ons and ourselves from the car to the terminal.  Scotty and I haven't flown since our honeymoon about 5 years ago so neither of us were sure how to proceed once we made it into the airport.  We got our luggage checked and the carseat, then we had to get through security.  We took Cooper's food and formula bag and his medicine bag out so they could inspect them.  Then I had to take Cooper out and put the stroller through the scanner and we got to skip the body scanner.  I guess they trust a woman and her baby.

Once we make it through security, we realize Cooper has had an inevitable blow out!  There goes his cute travel outfit including a shirt that says "are we there yet?".  We make it on the plane finally!  Cooper got wings and a note from the captain, because it was his first flight.  After some exploring Cooper slept through most of both flights!  We made it in one piece... mostly.  I ruptured my ear drum during landing.  But we made it!

Cooper exploring the plane

Snoozin' on the plane

Penicillin Allergy

In case you were wondering...

This is what a penicillin allergy looks like.  And this is actually slightly improved than from when he first woke up.

He looks 100% normal again, thank goodness!  Never again will he get penicillin based antibiotics.  And there is a slight chance that he may be allergic to eggs now.  We'll have to test that out see what happens.

Coming soon:  Our first family vacation!  I love to travel... and traveling with a baby is a whole new experience!

Traveling

I love to travel. In a few hours we will be leaving for our first major family vacation! Here's what my packing looks like now... With a baby... On a king size bed

Scariest Mommy Moment... thus far

When Cooper was first born, I was never a paranoid mommy.  I didn't think he was going to stop breathing in his sleep and he was out of our room by 5 weeks old (who knew little babies were so noisy!).  Something I read on my OB's facebook page has been a constant faithful reminder that God would take care of my child.

Let me preface my story with the fact that he is totally ok now.  However, I was scared for my child's life this morning.

Wednesday night I noticed he had some small bumps on his body.  He had been on an antibiotic since Friday night and my first thought was... he's allergic to that (penicillin).  I called the nurse at our pediatrician's office and asked what we should do.  She didn't think it was the medicine, since it had been several days since he started taking the medicine but she said to stop it just in case.  We also were instructed to give him some Benadryl.  The next morning he had hives all over.  We took him to the doctor, they said it was a reaction to the infection that caused his snot and ear infection (the reason for the antibiotic in the first place).  We were given a prescription for Prednisone and told to give him Benadryl.

I think we're in the clear... and Cooper and I went shopping, despite his scary looking appearance.

Friday morning... swollen face, lips, tongue.  Me as soon as I saw Cooper:  "We need to go the emergency room now, I'm not even kidding."  We get there and get to a room right away.  They said exactly what I thought on Wednesday... allergic reaction to penicillin.  Poor baby has to get an IV... and they couldn't get a vein on the first arm they tried, so he was poked twice!  Finally we get some Benadryl and a steroid.  Slowly he starts to look like more like a baby again than a puffy monster.

The hives are way faded and are already starting to look like bruises.  He is napping and feeling much better as we speak I type.  Thank goodness!  Oh, and while all this is happening one of my dog's face is also swollen (allergic reaction to bug bite).  Freak coincidence right!  So I have been to the emergency room and the vets office today.

Drinks tonight?  Yes, please.

What was your intuition/ mother's intuition right about?

Running again!

I was keeping track of my running in March and noticed that the last time I ran was March 12.  Then I finally got to run again last night!  I made it 15 minutes running outside before stopping.  Then I had to walk a little bit.  I have decided I am going to find a 10k at the end of July and I am just going to sign up for it.  I don't care how much I have to walk.  I made a commitment to myself to do a 10k by the end of 2013 and I'm going to stick with it.  And hopefully it will also help in my quest to lose the rest of that baby weight.

Yes, it is 10 months since having a baby and I still have some of that weight.  I am totally ok with it... but I'm ok if I can lose it too.  The biggest pain is having to buy new clothes.  I am not a shopper.  And I'm having a hard time giving away the 2 boxes of clothes I hoped to fit into again.

But back to the running.  Before I gained weight with the pregnancy, I was running a) because I enjoyed it and b) so I didn't have to worry as much about what I ate.

Tonight I ran more for reason b.  I laughed at myself.  After running I came home and had a bowl of ice-cream... and a beer.  I'm just telling myself I'm still celebrating the end of my internship.

Comment if you've done anything similar... I don't think I'm alone!

Reflective

I'm feeling very reflective this morning.  I went to a lingerie shower last night and it took me back to the time right before I married my wonderful husband.  I was so excited to be marrying the man that I could not envision my future without.  It has almost been 5 years and so many things in our life have changed.  Everything has brought us closer, the good and the bad.

First we got married, moved, and I started school.  Then I stopped school and was left thinking "what am I going to do with my life/ career."  Through this stressful time, my hubby was supportive and by my side.  Finally I decided on teaching young children.  There were tough times throughout that, but I made it and will soon be graduating!

Before the final stage of my degree, I took some time to give birth and be with my child.  I could have never guessed how stressful those first few weeks would be.  We learned a lot and are enjoying Cooper more and more everyday.  I was so blessed to be able to spend the first 6 months with my child.  Now I am blessed that I will be able to spend the first few years with my child(ren).

As far as that degree that I just finished goes... I hope to use it once we get done having children.  But, if I find something more satisfying in the mean time... I'm ok with that.  I already have one degree I don't use.  But if I had not gone to Auburn and met a great friend who would introduce me to my husband, I would not be where I am today.  And this second degree; if I don't use it, it will help me raise my children and teach them... if nothing else.  Also, had I not gone through my internship I would have never realized how important it is to me to spend time with my family and taking care of them.

I am blessed.

Attempting to Run

It has been so long since I have run on a regular basis... or so it feels.  At the beginning of January, I had worked my way up to 28 minutes without stopping.  I went running yesterday for the first time in at least a month and was able to still do 20 minutes.  When my internship first began, I thought I would be able to work my way towards a 10k that was going to happen in May... but that has not happened.  However, I did set a goal that I wanted to run a 10k by the end of 2013.  And I still plan to meet that goal.  I'm going to aim to run a 10k by my 30th birthday, ideally... or by the fall at the latest!  This summer I should definitely have time to run.  Hopefully I can get a jogging stroller so Cooper and I can go for morning runs.  I can't wait to be at home with him again.

36 days left of internship, then graduation, then trip to Washington, D.C.  Cooper will have his first flight at such a young age!  My first flight wasn't till I was 14... and it was across the Atlantic.  Cooper's will be significantly shorter.

Missing my blog

Hey blog... I miss you.  I will return in 3 weeks... hopefully.

Stay-at-home Mom to Working Mom

As I have said before, being a stay-at-home mom was not always easy... but I have enjoyed spending so much time with my baby!  Now I am returning to the working world, though not getting paid (internship).  The date is getting closer and closer and I was getting sadder and sadder.  Last week I was thinking about the excitement of being around more people and more adults again... but lately I'm realizing I won't be around my baby boy all day.  After being sad for a couple days I realized I had to take a different outlook.

Just because I'm going to work doesn't mean he won't be my baby anymore.  And once he turns 5, even if I did stay at home, he would be away at school most of the day.  And I am going into a career that will allow me to be around my children when they're out of school... because I will be out of school also!

I am excited to start my student teaching and know that it will best prepare me for my job.  I look forward to meeting the children I will be encouraging to love learning.  There is always at least one child that touches my heart and leaves a lasting memory.  My heart still aches for the little boy who found out his dad will be in prison for 2 more years... and the boy with the big heart whose activity level was too big for the classroom... and the little girl who was smart but was hanging out with a crowd that I am afraid will eventually bring her down.

I thought children were amazing before I had one... and now I am that much more in awe of them.