Six Weeks and Great News!

Yesterday my precious little man turned six weeks old! Time has flown. My life has completely changed in the past six weeks... and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

This is where we started on day one.

Now look at the big boy all propped up! He is wearing his "big boy" pants (which is what I call long pants, on him).

He has graduated to "big boy" bottles (the 8 oz. kind instead of the 4 oz. kind).

Today we struck out together to go to my 6-week postpartum checkup. I anticipated getting the green light for running. Sure enough, I got a clean bill of health! My doc specifically said "you can get back to running." Yay!

Isaac chills as I get prepared for my run.

I decided to make it a treadmill run. I knew I couldn't/shouldn't RUN too much, so for a beginning effort I ran .1 of each half mile. It felt great! I'm sure I'll be sore later (my runner doc assured me of that), so I kept the effort to 2.5 miles (2 miles walked, .5 mile ran). But it felt so good to do it! Yay me!

I am actually sweating in this post-run photo!

Depending on my soreness level, I may or may not try again tomorrow. We shall see!

Pray For Elijah

Our superhero Elijah is not having a good time right now. The drugs he is now taking to likely keep Neuroblastoma away forever (yay!!!) are causing some unpleasant side effects (not yay) and he is in the hospital. What's worse, his spirits are rather low, and that is VERY unlike Elijah. Please take a minute and visit his website and leave some encouraging words for him (and read the recent journal entries for the full story). Or, you can e-mail him directly at elijah@btalleydesign.com. Thanks, friends!

Sip and See

Today there was another baby shower for Isaac! This time it was put on by some friends from church. It was called a "Sip and See" shower because everyone is supposed to sip a beverage and see the baby. Isaac got lots of lovin' from the ladies (after his mean mommy made them 'Purell' their hands).

food/gift table

The 'Road to Svelte' always has roadblocks. Delicious ones!

I have one more week until my doctor's appointment. When she clears me, hard core Susan returns!

beautiful shower attendees

So, is this a running blog or what? Indeed it is. Yesterday Isaac attended his first race NOT in utero. Chasen was to run the Daffodil Dash 3 Mile Race in Memphis. It was so cold and rainy that Isaac never actually exited the car! I did for a second to take one photo. The End.

As I mentioned before, my road to "new and improved" or "better than ever" Susan begins on March 30th after a clean bill of health is issued. Stay tuned!

Ten Pounds!

I weighed Isaac at the hospital today after new mom's group. With his onesie and (clean) diaper he was 10 pounds 3 ounces. So I'd say surely that means 10 pounds naked. WOW! What a big boy already!

Here are a few photos from "tummy time" last night.

My abdominal routine is taped low on the wall behind him (so I can read it while I am on the floor doing it).

Look at that big boy hold his neck up!

Then he flipped me off. HA!

Awwww! I could just eat him up!

We're taking a rest day from strolling today. Have a good one!

Strolling Along

When the sun shines, I take advantage! On Monday I actually got the opportunity to walk ALONE. It was quite odd! But I did my normal 2 mile loop. I tried to "hoof it" a bit. My abs were sore afterwards.

More on the abs: obviously, mine have been through a 'war' (childbirth). There is a set of exercises that I should be doing, per my baby book. But I thought I didn't need to since they looked so easy. Well guess what... to a post-birth body, they aren't. The 'easy' routine made me very sore. And it was hard to do! So now I do them every day. That, on top of the walking, will surely make my core a little bit more normal - I hope.

Prior to that, I thought I'd start the One Hundred Pushups Challenge. My theory was that I could get a jump-start on improving my upper body while letting my lower body move at a snail's pace. By no means did I think I'd do super well on the initial test. Well, I couldn't even really do one, AND my abs hurt like crazy WHILE trying push up #1. That's how the baby book abdominal routine came along...

On Tuesday I thought I'd try out the Baby Bjorn that generous Coach Terry sent to us. O... M... G... How did I ever carry Isaac around in my belly? So heavy! THAT is a workout. For my official workout we again strolled 2 miles. That was much easier than carrying him up front!

And today, for the third beautiful day in a row, we strolled 2 miles. But this time we weren't alone; 2 neighborhood friends joined us. The miles were done in the blink of an eye with the addition of Nelms and Elizabeth. Thanks, girls!

First 'family photo' taken at church on Sunday. Isaac wasn't feeling very photogenic!

One Month of Mommyhood

How on earth has an entire month gone by since Isaac was born? It has! And I don't know how I ever lived without him.

Here he is today (unhappily!) in his "big boy pants" and shirt that says "I heart Mommy."

After a wardrobe change, I sat him in his rocking, vibrating seat. That works almost every time.

What you talkin' 'bout, mama? (Gosh his feet look big! It's the socks.)

Chasen and I now know why they're called "pacifiers." Oh do we!

Today is a big day for another reason, also. Lisa completed her third marathon! She ran Little Rock today AND scored a 15 minute PR. Congratulations, dear friend!

New Tricks, Old Behaviors

My very patient, yet not the slightest bit tolerant, nature has been reaffirmed lately. Sometimes Isaac gets soooooo fussy (like, when he is soooooo gassy...) and I have managed to NOT pull my hair out. Deep breaths, a drink of water, a second out of the room... all of these tricks work for ME. On Monday, however, I used the old "drive him around to calm him down" trick. We drove to nearby, historic Holly Springs, Mississippi. That made HIM return to 'angel' status. :)

I meant to mention this earlier: congratulations are in order! Jennifa......G had another baby girl! Isadora Josephine, aka Izzy, is Isaac's new virtual running partner! Welcome to the world, Izzy!

Yesterday we went back to the new mom's group at the hospital. It's so fun visiting with other new moms! And it's free - you can't beat that with a poopy diaper.

Isaac arrives to group in his new handmade cap. Clearly he is excited to be there.

Heisman winner! Ha.

Tummy time. He'll have abs of steel - ha. Actually the point (one of them) is strong neck muscles so he can hold his head up.

Is he calling me a loser? Or is he saying "I'm #1!" The choice is yours.

The weather here is still cold and dreary. I really would like to get on the treadmill. I have some goals: establish walking (and then running) schedule for upcoming race on 5/21, establish 'toning' schedule (post-baby... ick...) and create world peace. For now, I'll settle for some time with Teddy Tready!

A Cap-ful of Love

Isaac and I did take a "rest day" on Sunday. I took a long nap in the afternoon instead. So yesterday and Monday, the last known beautiful days for a while, we did another 2 miles. And I listed to Fdip as we strolled. It was almost like the old days!

Today was indeed cold, and worse weather is in store for us. So we stayed in. I decided to take some photos:

Here Isaac sports the handmade cap a client's wife made for him.

It fits a bit better if I roll it up. Cute!

Uh oh! I've had just about enough of this nonsense, mama!

Waaaaaaaahhhhh! Where is my pacifier, torture lady?

This might be our best self-portrait ever! I love this shot.

Believe it or not, my 'cascading' hair is still a half inch too short to donate. Grrrr!

Straighten Up!

Isaac and I have strolled three days in a row! I must say, I am a little sore in the abdominal region... but this weather is too nice to pass up. It's supposed to rain for the entire next week. My abs are just getting used to working! I feel good about it.

Professor Isaac says "You don't say?"

Thanks to a good friend, I took the sage advice of putting support on either side of his head in the car seat.

The "Princess Leia" washcloths keep his head nice and straight -- and still.

Here we go again! And this time with the Garmin:

Isaac conks out 99% of the time out on our walks.

Some boys created this nifty fort in the back of our neighborhood (we saw them one day).

Today was like a blast from the past. I met Lisa at the park for her longrun. But I wasn't alone!

Isaac and I walked 2 miles. And I gotta get in shape!

Lisa had her final longrun for the Little Rock Marathon today. She finished up before we arrived and then walked 2 with us. Fun! You can read about it here.

Tonight or tomorrow I am finally going to properly hang my medals and race bibs. I finally got a cork board! Photo to follow. But relaxing with the latest Runner's World might take precedence. Go figure!

Less Isaac To Love!

Yesterday was a BIG day for Isaac and I. We got out on the town together - alone. Driving around an infant REALLY changes the way you approach driving. Wow. Now we're old pros!

Even though Isaac's "gastrointestinal distress" has kept us all up for the past few nights, we drug ourselves out again today (he and I) to attend the "new mom's group" at the hospital. It was really nice to hang with a whole bunch of new moms! Plus, the nurses offered sage advice on all of our current issues. A win-win!

Here is Isaac in the group today. What a big boy!

Once we returned home we got in another mile in the stroller. It is the start of 3-4 days of beautiful weather!

Here he is on our favorite "family time" tool: the boppy. We all watch TV together comfortably with this little jewel.

Tonight Isaac had a milestone moment: his belly button stump fell off! I can't tell you how happy this makes me. Having to clean around it with alcohol just wasn't fun. Now the area will be much easier to clean. What a day!

Big Snow, Big Boy

It snowed in Northwest Mississippi over the weekend! Yes, after our glorious stroll last Thursday it turned cold again. But SNOW!?!

Chasen wanted to take Isaac out so he could "see" it. Mommy said N-O!

Here is a shot down our street. So pretty in white!

We stayed in all weekend. It was actually quite nice, even though prior to it I was developing a bit of cabin fever. The good news is that apparently the nice, warm weather is coming back this Thursday - Monday. Looks like Isaac and I will get to hit the pavement!

Here is Mr. Clean. As I bathed him today he provided me with TWO showers. Oh boys!

He is so big already! Half grown at 16 days old!

As for me, I have some good news! I've lost 24 pounds since pregnancy. The bad news is that apparently it was all from my feet. HA!

Here I am trying to look svelte in maternity clothes today.